Your basket is currently empty!
Tag: Hamilton
-
Hamilton edges out Raikkonen to set the pace again: Chinese GP Free Practice
Lewis Hamilton in action in the second Free Practice session of the Chinese GP on Friday. He was fastest in both the sessions. Photo: FIA Shanghai, April 13: Lewis Hamilton continued to set the pace in practice ahead of the Chinese Grand Prix, but after enjoying a comfortable gap to rivals in first practice, the second session saw the Mercedes driver pressured as he outpaced Ferrari’s Kimi Räikkönen by just seven thousandths of a second.
In the morning session at the Shanghai International Circuit, Hamilton went more than three tenths of a second quicker than second-placed Räikkönen, but in the afternoon session, the Ferrari driver looked much more purposeful.
Half an hour into FP2, Hamilton bolted on a set of Pirelli’s ultrasoft tyres for the first time this weekend and set a benchmark of 1:33.482. Räikkönen held fire until later in the session but when he made the switch to a qualifying run he posted a time of 1:33.489 to split Mercedes’ drivers, as he had done in the morning. Valtteri Bottas thus finished in third place, just 0.026s behind his fellow Finn.
After a low-key opening session in which he finished more than eight tenths of a second off the pace, Sebastian Vettel had a more productive afternoon, finishing fourth. The German’s lap of 1:33.590 meant that the top four drivers were covered les just over a tenth of a second.
Behind Mercedes and Ferrari, Max Verstappen took fifth place for Red Bull Racing, with the Dutchman ending the session 0.341s behind Hamilton. While Verstappen enjoyed a smooth outing it was trickier for team-mate Daniel Ricciardo.
The Australian was unhappy with his the throttle map of his car and also complained of a ‘long’ brake pedal during the session. He finished the 90 minutes in ninth place, a second off Hamilton’s pace.
Renault’s Nico Hulkenberg took sixth place, almost half a second off Ricciardo’s best lap. The German edged Haas’ Kevin Magnussen by 0.145s, with the second Renault of Carlos Sainz ending up eighth ahead of Ricciardo.
McLaren’s Fernando Alonso finished in tenth place, but there was trouble for the Spaniard’s team-mate. The Belgian’s session was stopped 15 minutes from the chequered when he was released from the pit lane with a loose wheel and he had to pull over at the side of the track. He ended up 14th on the time sheet, behind Sergio Perez of Force India, Pierre Gasly of Toro Rosso and the second Force India of Esteban Ocon.
2018 Chinese Grand Prix – Free Practice 2
1 Lewis Hamilton Mercedes 26 1:33.482
2 Kimi Raikkonen Ferrari 26 1:33.489 0.007
3 Valtteri Bottas Mercedes 27 1:33.515 0.033
4 Sebastian Vettel Ferrari 27 1:33.590 0.108
5 Max Verstappen Red Bull Racing 26 1:33.823 0.341
6 Nico Hulkenberg Renault 30 1:34.313 0.831
7 Kevin Magnussen Haas 26 1:34.458 0.976
8 Carlos Sainz Jr. Renault 28 1:34.473 0.991
9 Daniel Ricciardo Red Bull Racing 26 1:34.557 1.075
10 Fernando Alonso McLaren 23 1:34.632 1.150
11 Sergio Perez Force India 30 1:34.792 1.310
12 Pierre Gasly Toro Rosso 33 1:34.849 1.367
13 Esteban Ocon Force India 30 1:34.874 1.392
14 Stoffel Vandoorne McLaren 22 1:35.163 1.681
15 Brendon Hartley Toro Rosso 37 1:35.333 1.851
16 Sergey Sirotkin Williams 31 1:35.340 1.858
17 Marcus Ericsson Sauber 29 1:35.624 2.142
18 Charles Leclerc Sauber 26 1:35.916 2.434
19 Romain Grosjean Haas 26 1:36.471 2.989
20 Lance Stroll Williams Mercedes 19 1:37.147 3.665. -
Vettel takes a thrilling victory ahead of Bottas, Hamilton: Bahrain night race
Sakhir,
Vettel wins Bahrain GP on Sunday. An FIA image April 8: Sebastian Vettel took a thrilling 49th career victory on his 200th race start, nursing fading tyres to the chequered flag to hold off a determined charge by Mercedes’ Valtteri Bottas. Lewis Hamilton took third place after starting ninth as Red Bull Racing saw both cars exit the race early on.
At the start, Vettel held his advantage from pole, but behind him Bottas made a better start than Räikkönen and stole second through Turn 1. Red Bull’s Daniel Ricciardo was briefly passed by Toro Rosso’s Pierre Gasly but the Australian quickly retook the position.
It all then began to unravel for Red Bull. Ricciardo slowed as he approached the end of the first lap with an electrical failure and pulled over at the side of the track to retire.
Further back, in midfield, Max Verstappen was charging forward from his 15th place starting position but as he began the second he tangled with Hamilton, with the Dutchman sustaining a punctured rear left tyre as he collided with Hamilton’s front wing in Turn 2.
Verstappen eventually made it back to the pit lane and after taking on a new set of supersofts rejoined in 19th place. It was a brief bit of action, though, and on lap three he pulled over and stopped his RB14, the damage from the collision with Hamilton preventing him from continuing.
By lap 10 Vettel had carved out a three-second lead over Bottas, with Räikkönen a further three seconds back. Behind them, Hamilton had staged a remarkable fight back from ninth place at the start, and from his bruising battle with Verstappen, and was now up to fourth ahead of Gasly and Magnussen.
Vettel pitted from the lead on lap 18, taking on a set of soft tyres, with Hamilton 10.2 seconds behind the Ferrari driver and in fourth place. Räikkönen followed his team-mate a lap later, rejoining 2.5s behind Vettel.
Bottas now led from Hamilton, but on lap 20 Mercedes covered the Ferrari stops and brought the Finn into pit lane. He also emerged on medium tyres, splitting the Ferraris as he had through the first stint.
Hamilton, who had started on used soft tyres and had not made a pit stop, was now in the lead, five seconds clear of Vettel, with Bottas third ahead of Räikkönen, Gasly and Magnussen.
Hamilton was soon caught by Vettel on fresh tyres, and Mercedes quickly pitted the Briton. He took on medium tyres, targeting a one-stop race, with Vettel set to make a second stop. Hamilton rejoined in fourth, some 25 seconds adrift of Vettel, with Bottas second and Räikkönen third.
Ferrari then pitted Räikkönen for a second stop on lap 35 but there was trouble for the Finn as the rear left wheel failed to come loose. There was confusion and when the Finn was released he collided with one of his crew, who had to be taken to the medical centre for checks. Räikkönen was told to stop in pit lane and the Finn quickly climbed out of the car and exited the race.
That boosted Hamilton to third and by lap 45 he was 16.7s behind Vetted. Ahead, Vettel’s problem was Bottas, who was secure in second, some seven seconds behind Vettel and setting good times on his medium tyres. The proximity was forcing Vettel to push to the end on his soft tyres and Bottas was given the message to close the German down.
With nine laps remaining Bottas was 5.4 behind the German and lapping half a second quicker than the Ferrari man. Behind the Hamilton was told to “keep his head down” and wait for Vettel’s tyres to fall away.
On lap 52 of the 57 Bottas had carved a further two seconds out of the gap to the leader and was told to “just push to the end” as Vettel began to struggle on his degrading soft tyres.
The German wouldn’t be denied, however. Bottas attacked with a lap remaining but Vettel held firm and though he was shadowed to the flag by the Mercedes driver in a tense finish, he crossed the line to score his 49th career win just over half a second clear of Bottas and 6.5s clear of third-placed Hamilton.
Drive of the day though, should have perhaps gone to Pierre Gasly. In just his seventh grand prix the Frenchman handed the new Toro Rosso-Honda partnership 12 valuable points with a superb, pacey and precise driver to fourth place.
Behind him Magnussen opened Haas’ 2018 account with fifth place ahead of Renault’s Nico Hulkenberg and McLaren’s Fernando Alonso and Stoffel Vandoorne. Marcus Ericsson delivered a positive result for Sauber with ninth place and two points and the final point on offer was taken by Force India’s Esteban Ocon.
2018 Bahrain Grand Prix – Race
1 Sebastian Vettel Ferrari Ferrari –
2 Valtteri Bottas Mercedes Mercedes 0.699
3 Lewis Hamilton Mercedes Mercedes 6.512
4 Pierre Gasly Toro Rosso Honda 1’02.234
5 Kevin Magnussen Haas Ferrari 1’15.046
6 Nico Hulkenberg Renault Renault 1’39.024
7 Fernando Alonso McLaren Renault 1 lap
8 Stoffel Vandoorne McLaren Renault 1 lap
9 Marcus Ericsson Sauber Ferrari 1 lap
10 Esteban Ocon Force India Mercedes 1 lap
11 Carlos Sainz Jr. Renault Renault 1 lap
12 Sergio Perez Force India Mercedes 1 lap
13 Brendon Hartley Toro Rosso Honda 1 lap
14 Charles Leclerc Sauber Ferrari 1 lap
15 Romain Grosjean Haas Ferrari 1 lap
16 Lance Stroll Williams Mercedes 1 lap
17 Sergey Sirotkin Williams Mercedes 1 lap
Kimi Raikkonen Ferrari Ferrari DNF
Max Verstappen Red Bull TAG DNF
Daniel Ricciardo Red Bull TAG DNF -
Vettel takes 51st career pole; Hami to start 9th after grid penalty: Bahrain GP
Sakhir (Bahrain), April 7: Sebastian Vettel will make his 200th Grand Prix start from the front of the grid after the Ferrari driver claimed his 51st career pole at the Bahrain International Circuit ahead of team-mate Kimi Raikkonen and Mercedes Valtteri Bottas.
Defending champion Lewis Hamilton finished in fourth place but the Mercedes driver will drop to P9 on the grid due to an unscheduled gearbox change.
Räikkönen set the early pace in Q1, his first flying laps, on soft compound Pirelli tyres, yielding a time of 1:29.951. Ferrari team-mate Vettel slotted into P2 a tenth behind the Finn, and Valtteri Bottas took third place with a lap of 1:29.275.
Fourth place was occupied by Red Bull Racing’s Max Verstappen but after a solid opening flyer, it all went wrong for the Dutchman on his next quick lap. He lost control on the exit of Turn 2 and spun off at the following corner. He went nose first into the barriers, causing major damage to the left front of his car and the red flags were quickly shown.
When the action resumed the drivers needing improvement to secure passage to Q2 were 16th-placed Haas driver Romain Grosjean, McLaren’s Fernando Alonso in P17, followed by Williams Sergey Sirotkin, Sauber’s Charles Leclerc and the second Williams of Lance Stroll.
Alonso was the driver to progress, though only by virtue of having set a time of 1:30.530 before Grosjean matched the lap to the thousandth of a second. The Haas driver was left to rue a mistake late in his lap. Had he not erred the Frenchman might have finished the segment closer to seventh-placed team-mate Kevin Magnussen.
At the top of the order, the top five drivers remained in the garage for the final runs of Q1 and Räikkönen led the way with his sole flying lap of 1:28.951.
In the first runs of Q2 Vettel got the better of this team-mate for the first time during the weekend, taking P1 with a lap of 1:28.341. Räikkönen slotted into P2 but was dropped down a spot when Hamilton took P2 a tenth off Vettel. Ricciardo found himself fourth ahead of Bottas and surprise package Pierre Gasly continued to shine for Toro Rosso with sixth place, in front of the Renault of Hulkenberg, the Haas of Magnussen, the second Renault of Sainz and tenth-placed Esteban Ocon of Force India.
In the drop zone ahead of the final runs were Sergio Perez, who had complained of a loss of energy on his first run, while P12 man Alonso was followed by team-mate Vandoorne, Toro Rosso’s Brendon Hartley, and the unfortunate Verstappen.
And while they shuffled their order, none made it through to Q3 in the end, with Hartley rising to 11th ahead of Perez, Alonso, Vandoorne, and Verstappen.
Vettel made the first move in Q3 but while he took P1 with a time of 1:29.196 there was a mistake in the final corner as he went marginally wide and kicked up dust. That allowed Räikkönen to sneak past and the Finn took provisional pole by 0.095s. Hamilton slotted into third, a tenth behind the top two, with Bottas fourth ahead of Ricciardo and Gasly.
There were no errors on Vettel’s second attempt, however, and he rose to the top of the order with a lap of 1:27.958. The German was the only man to dip below the 1m28s mark and he thus took his 51st pole with just over four-hundredths of a second ahead of Räikkönen.
It might have been assumed that Hamilton would have a say in how the front of the grid was drawn, but in the end, it was team-mate Bottas who took P3 as Hamilton failed to find an improvement.
With the champion set to drop to P9 on the grid due to his gearbox penalty, Ricciardo backed out of his final run, safe in the knowledge that his time was good enough for P5 in the session and P4 on the grid.
Behind them, Gasly put in a superb lap to qualify in sixth place ahead of Magnussen, Hulkenberg, Ocon, and Sainz.
-
Stunning win for Vettel; Hamilton overcomes technical glitches to take 2nd: Rolex Aussie GP
Melbourne: Sebastian Vettel took a sensational Rolex
Vettel celebrates Aussie GP win on Sunday. Photo: Ferrari Australian Grand Prix victory, as the Formula One 2018 World Championship began at the traditional street circuit of Albert Park. Taking advantage of a mid-race safety car he beat arch-rival Lewis Hamilton, who suffered soft-ware glitches. The defending champion was forced to settle for second place ahead of the second Ferrari of Kimi “Räikkönen. Local hero Daniel Ricciardo finished fourth.
Sahara Force India duo of Sergio Perez and Esteban Ocon failed to finish in the points, thus ending a successful run of double points finish at the Rolex Australian GP.
“There could have been no better start for Ferrari in this Championship. Listening to Italy’s national anthem echo around Melbourne was an emotional moment for us all, and for every fan of the Scuderia. It’s the best possible reward for the team, which built a competitive car and used a perfect strategy to take advantage of the way the race evolved. Congratulations to Sebastian and Kimi, both drove a great race. Of course, there’s still a long way to go in the series, with 20 more Grands Prix. So it would be wrong to celebrate too much. We know that we still have a lot of work ahead of us, but the first step has been taken in the right direction,” said Ferrari Chairman Sergio Marchionne.
Hamilton led away comfortably at the start, dismissing a brief challenger from Raikkonen as they made their way through the first corners. Vettel held third place but behind Haas’ Kevin Magnussen got the jump on Verstappen who dropped to fifth ahead of Grosjean, Hulkenberg and Ricciardo.
At the back of the field, Toro Rosso’s Brendon Hartley had a major lock-up into Turn 1 and pitted at the end of lap one. The New Zealander took on soft tyres in a bid to reach the end of the race on the yellow-banded set.
Ricciardo was soon past Hulkenberg to take P7, but further ahead team-mate Verstappen was struggling to put pressure on Magnussen. The result was a rapidly degrading set of tyres and on lap 10 the Dutchman lost control into Turn 1 and spun. He dropped to eight behind Hulkenberg.
At the front Hamilton was attempting to build a gap, but both Raikkonen and Vettel were tenaciously hanging on and by the end of lap 15 Hamilton only had three seconds in hand over the Ferraris.
On lap 22 Magnussen made his first stop of the race, but almost immediately afterward he pulled over at the side of the track. The Dane reported an engine issue but Race Control later stated that the team had possibly released Magnussen unsafely.
That boosted team-mate Grosjean to fourth but under pressure from Ricciardo and on fading ultrasofts the Frenchman also pitted. Again though, as soon as he rejoined the circuit, he immediately pulled over and stopped in a mirror image of the Magnussen incident, this time with the front left wheel of Grosjean’s car not being properly attached.
With Grosjean’s car at the trackside on lap 24, the Virtual Safety Car was deployed. Ferrari seized the opportunity and pitted Vettel for soft tyres. Hamilton, though, lost a huge amount of time under the VSC and when Vettel emerged from the pit lane he swept into the lead.
The VSC was replaced by the real thing as Grosjean’s car was cleared and when racing resumed Vettel held his lead over Hamilton, with Raikkonen third and Ricciardo fourth. McLaren’s Fernando Alonso had vaulted up to fifth place under the SC and was being shadowed by Verstappen who had also recovered from his early woes.
The second half of the race became a cat and mouse battle between the Ferrari and Mercedes driver, with Hamilton regularly getting to within DRS range of the leader only for Vettel to drag the gap back out to beyond a second.
Six seconds further back, Raikkonen kept Ricciardo at bay in the same manner, with the Australian getting to within DRS range and the Finn pulling away as he carefully managed his defence of the final podium position.
Behind them, in the battle for fifth place, a little under two seconds covered three Renault-powered drivers in the closing stage, with Fernando Alonso leading Verstappen and Hulkenberg.
With 10 laps remaining Hamilton got on the radio to his team saying that he was going to attack for the lead. The attempt came to nothing, however, as the Briton suffered a heavy lock-up at Turn 9, losing almost two seconds to Vettel.
He clawed half that back over the next two laps and with seven laps remaining was 1.5s behind Vettel. A lap later and the deficit was just one second.
But there Hamilton’s charge ended. On the next tour, he was 1.3 slower than Vettel and then drifted to 4.4s off the Ferrari, and having been warned about high engine temperatures, Hamilton voted to save the engine on his car and settled for a safe second place.
A handful of laps later Vettel crossed the line to take his 48th career win ahead of the Briton. Raikkonen clung on to third place ahead of Ricciardo, while Alonso gave McLaren a positive start to life with Renault power by keeping Verstappen at bay to take fifth place. With the Dutchman sixth, Hulkenberg finished seventh ahead of Mercedes’ Valtteri Bottas, McLaren’s Stoffel Vandoorne. The final points position went to Renault’s Carlos Sainz, who battled to the finish despite suffering from nausea caused by the fluid in his drinks bottle during the race.
2018 Australian Grand Prix – Race
1 Sebastian Vettel Ferrari 1h29:33.283
2 Lewis Hamilton Mercedes 5.036
3 Kimi Raikkonen Ferrari 6.309
4 Daniel Ricciardo Red Bull 7.069
5 Fernando Alonso McLaren 27.886
6 Max Verstappen Red Bull 28.945
7 Nico Hulkenberg Renault 32.671
8 Valtteri Bottas Mercedes 34.339
9 Stoffel Vandoorne McLaren 34.921
10 Carlos Sainz Jr. Renault 45.722
11 Sergio Perez Force India 46.817
12 Esteban Ocon Force India 1’00.278
13 Charles Leclerc Sauber 1’15.759
14 Lance Stroll Williams 1’18.288
15 Brendon Hartley Toro Rosso 1 lap
16 Romain Grosjean Haas 34 laps
17 Kevin Magnussen Haas 36 laps
18 Pierre Gasly Toro Rosso 45 laps
19 Marcus Ericsson Sauber 53 laps
20 Sergey Sirotkin Williams 54 laps.Source: FIA
-
Hamilton edges out Verstappen to dominate Friday’s practice session: Australian GP
Lewis Hamilton who dominated the Free Practice sessions on Friday. Photo: FIA Melbourne, March 23: Lewis Hamilton remained in control of the Albert Park time sheets at the end of the second free practice session as the Formula One World Championship season began in Melbourne on Friday. However, the defending champion was closely by Red Bull Racing’s Max Verstappen, with the Dutch driver finishing just over a tenth of second behind his Mercedes rival.
After early sparring on the soft and supersoft tyres, the session’s qualifying simulations saw Hamilton charge to the front of the pack with a time of 1:23.931s set after had bolted on a set of Pirelli’s purple-banded ultrasoft tyres. Valtteri Bottas made it a Mercedes one-two, two tenths down on Hamilton, but Verstappen soon split the Silver Arrows duo with a lap of 1:24.058 to end the session just 0.127s behind the champion.
Ferrari’s Kimi Räikkönen finished to fourth, 0.283s off the pace with team-mate Sebastian Vettel a further 0.237s behind in fifth place.
Haas again looked in good shape, with Romain Grosjean sixth in the second session and seven tenths of a second off Hamilton’s pace.
Daniel Ricciardo in the second Red Bull might have challenged for the top spots on the timesheet but the home favourite’s qualifying run was interrupted by a brief red flag caused by loose cabling on the start-finish straight.
Fernando Alonso reprised his FP1 achievement of eighth place, with the Spaniard finishing 1.269s adrift of Hamilton and just under five hundredths of a second clear of the second Haas of Kevin Magnussen. Alonso’s team-mate Stoffel Vandoorne also matched his earlier efforts by taking 10th place in the session.
Elsewhere, the only real drama occurred right at the end of the session when Williams’ Lance Stroll was forced to stop on track after encountering trouble.
2018 Australian Grand Prix – Free Practice 2
1 Lewis Hamilton Mercedes 35 1:23.931
2 Max Verstappen Red Bull 34 1:24.058 0.127
3 Valtteri Bottas Mercedes 34 1:24.159 0.228
4 Kimi Raikkonen Ferrari 39 1:24.214 0.283
5 Sebastian Vettel Ferrari 38 1:24.451 0.520
6 Romain Grosjean Haas 34 1:24.648 0.717
7 Daniel Ricciardo Red Bull 28 1:24.721 0.790
8 Fernando Alonso McLaren 28 1:25.200 1.269
9 Kevin Magnussen Haas 30 1:25.246 1.315
10 Stoffel Vandoorne McLaren 34 1:25.285 1.354
11 Carlos Sainz Jr. Renault 35 1:25.390 1.459
12 Sergio Perez Force India 30 1:25.413 1.482
13 Nico Hulkenberg Renault 35 1:25.463 1.532
14 Lance Stroll Williams 32 1:25.543 1.612
15 Esteban Ocon Force India 33 1:25.888 1.957
16 Brendon Hartley Toro Rosso 41 1:25.925 1.994
17 Pierre Gasly Toro Rosso 39 1:25.945 2.014
18 Sergey Sirotkin Williams 37 1:25.974 2.043
19 Marcus Ericsson Sauber 31 1:26.814 2.883
20 Charles Leclerc Sauber 35 1:26.815 2.884. -
Hamilton sets pace and tops FP1: Aussie GP
Hamilton tops FP1 in Melbourne on Friday as the Formula One season began at the Albert Park street circuit. Photo: FIA Melbourne, March 23: Reigning champion Lewis Hamilton of Mercedes F1 team beat his team-mate Valtteri Bottas by over half a second as the season began with the first day of Free Practice of the first Grand Prix got underway at the Albert Park circuit here, with Max Verstappen a further two tenths of a second off the pace.
Meanwhile, Sahara Force India cars were off the pace with Esteban Ocon putting his VJM11 in 14th place ahead of a Williams and Sergio Perez in 16th place.
With the temporary circuit lacking grip, teams played a waiting game in the early stages and more than 20 minutes before Williams rookie set the first timed lap of the day with a time of 1:32.057s. The front runners then joined the action with Ferrari’s Kimi Räikkönen and Mercedes’ Bottas briefly topping the timesheet before red Bull Racing made its mark, with Verstappen and team-mate Daniel Ricciardo trading fastest times as the drivers began to explore the limits of the improving track.
Hamilton then vaulted to the top of the order, first with a time of 1:24.531 and later with a time of 1:24.026 set on ultrasofts that stood until the flag fell. Verstappen, meanwhile, used the supersofts to claim third.
Fourth place went to Räikkönen, who finished 0.849 off Hamilton’s pace, with team-mate Sebastian Vettel fifth ahead of Red Bull’s Ricciardo who was just over a second off Hamilton’s pace.
Dark horses from testing Haas finished seventh, with Romain Grosjean setting a time of 1:25.730 to finish seven tenths off the last of the top three teams’ drivers. Fernando Alonso was eighth for McLaren as the team used Renault power for the first time on a grand prix weekend.
The British team had a difficult spell in pre-season testing, suffering a number of mechanical problems and in Melbourne the session was again not without trouble. Alonso spent some time in the garage with an exhaust problem. Carlos Sainz was ninth for Renault, while Alonso’s team-mate Stoffel Vandoorne completed the top 10 order.
2018 Australian Grand Prix – Free Practice 1
1 Lewis Hamilton Mercedes 27 1:24.026
2 Valtteri Bottas Mercedes 29 1:24.577 0.551
3 Max Verstappen Red Bull 26 1:24.771 0.745
4 Kimi Raikkonen Ferrari 23 1:24.875 0.849
5 Sebastian Vettel Ferrari 22 1:24.995 0.969
6 Daniel Ricciardo Red Bull 25 1:25.063 1.037
7 Romain Grosjean Haas 24 1:25.730 1.704
8 Fernando Alonso McLaren 16 1:25.896 1.870
9 Carlos Sainz Jr. Renault 23 1:25.922 1.896
10 Stoffel Vandoorne McLaren 15 1:26.482 2.456
11 Pierre Gasly Toro Rosso 25 1:26.494 2.468
12 Sergey Sirotkin Williams 25 1:26.536 2.510
13 Nico Hulkenberg Renault 25 1:26.583 2.557
14 Esteban Ocon Force India 30 1:26.605 2.579
15 Lance Stroll Williams 30 1:26.636 2.610
16 Sergio Perez Force India 26 1:26.767 2.741
17 Kevin Magnussen Haas 13 1:27.035 3.009
18 Brendon Hartley Toro Rosso 16 1:27.745 3.719
19 Marcus Ericsson Sauber 28 1:27.964 3.938
20 Charles Leclerc Sauber 28 1:28.853 4.827. -
Focus is on racing, not setting records: Hamilton
Drivers Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes, centre), Sebastian Vettel (Ferrari, right) and Daniel Ricciardo (Red Bull Racing) at the FIA press conference in Melbourne. Photo: FIA Melbourne, March 22: Saying that his thoughts presently were far from breaking or setting any records, reigning champion Lewis Hamilton asserted that he would simply focus on being consistent through the season and race to his potential.
Excerpts from the FIA press conference here on Thursday, ahead of season opener Australian Grand Prix:
Let’s start with our world champion and six-time pole sitter here at Albert Park, Lewis Hamilton. Lewis, I think you said over the winter that you felt that last year was the best you’ve driven in your Formula 1 career. Do you anticipate having to go to another level this year in competition these gentlemen?
Lewis HAMILTON: I plan to. That’s what I’ve been working towards.
Why did you feel that last year was your best? What had to come together for you?
Lewis HAMILTON: It was just a combination of things and obviously with the pressure that was on us as drivers, I think it was just the most complete year.
A simple question for you Sebastian: can you and Ferrari find the speed to beat this guy over a whole season this year?
Sebastian VETTEL: We don’t have the answer now. We try. It’s a long season. If it was one race it would be a different story, but it is a lot of races.
To you, Daniel: in the last few years Red Bull have not been competitive at the opening round. This year it looks like you had better winter preparation, so do you think this could be your most effective Australian Grand Prix for a while?
Daniel RICCIARDO: I believe so. We had a good winter. It’s all there in front of us now. I think we’re still the top three teams – Merc, Ferrari and us. I think we’re still going to be leading the pack for now. So hopefully we’ll be deep in that group and have a chance to stand up on the podium.
QUESTIONS FROM THE FLOOR
Q: Lewis, how important is it to you to carry on ahead of Sebastian in terms of stats in your career and end your career ahead of him as well?
LH: It’s not something I’ve ever really thought about to be honest. I don’t particularly have an opinion towards it. I’m just going to keep working as hard as I can to continue fighting up the front and hopefully with that comes some good results.
Q: If you won from pole it’s an all-time record, you beat Michael’s record. Something to aim for.
LH: Ah, OK.
Q: Lewis, you say you don’t chase stats but you have recognised that you could reach Fangio’s record this season. Have you thought about that some more now that you are at the start of the season?
LH: I have not, honestly. It’s a long, long season so you don’t really think about those kind of things, you don’t think about what could be in the sense of matching others. In my mind I’m trying to break down new barriers, push the envelope. Trying to see how far I can take, firstly, the opportunity I have and then obviously the ability I have and live to my full potential. I don’t know what that is, and that’s what I’m discovering.
Q: A question to all of you. As Renault is already considering strategically to have a fourth engine for the year. Assuming you will all stay at that do you put your faith in your team to go on with three. Would consider down the line, in the closing stages of the championship, to go for a fourth engine in order to avoid a DNF and a penalty instead of only a penalty?
DR: It’s hard to start thinking about that now. I had a few engine penalties last year and we’ve got one less [engine] this year so it’s likely – I don’t want to say it’s definite – but it’s obviously likely that we may encounter something like that or everyone may encounter something like that. I think it depends where you are in the championship. If you try to cut your losses I guess then maybe that’s what you’ll do but it’s for sure too early to start thinking about that. I think we’ll stay optimistic and try to get these three home to Abu Dhabi.
SV: I’m sure we looked at it. I don’t think it’s the plan but I’m very confident that we’re not using four engines this weekend, so we don’t need to worry now.
LH: I don’t really have much more to say.
Q: Daniel, you say the team is the best prepared it’s been in quite a while. Is that more pressure on you? It that more pressure, more fun, less fun? How do you look at it?
DR: It has to be more fun. Not starting last year wasn’t fun at all. So it has to be more fun. Even little things. Last year we missed the anthem on the grid because I was in the garage trying to get the thing going, or be there for when it got going. I missed a lot of the Sunday build-up, which was not fun. For sure this preparation is going to mean more fun this weekend and we’ll see where that fun takes us?
Q: Lewis, you said you’re pushing the envelope. Do you think you’ve reached your peak as a driver or are you still learning?
LH: I hope not.
Q: Is it a peak age for a driver? Or do you just carry on learning?
LH: Again I hope not. I’m sure there is a peak when for a driver when their fitness level…. When it gets harder to reach the fitness level that we do today. When your interest starts to decline, when your drive starts to decline, I guess that’s when you’re over your peak. But I definitely don’t feel I’m that. I’m definitely in a good range now and that’s where I need to continue, to extract the most from it.
Q: How about you two?
DR: Not yet, still young.
SV: I don’t know. I think it’s fine. Lewis is a little bit older and he’s not peaking yet, so I have got plenty to look forward to.
Q: What is your opinion about the additional DRS zone and is it helpful or not?
DR: I don’t think it hurts. It’s typically been a pretty hard track to overtake. I think, as well, with the cars, we’re going faster and faster and following a car is getting harder and harder at some circuits, so I think they’ve been proactive and tried to help out a cause here. I don’t know if it will necessarily create overtaking into that corner but it may at least put you into the zone to then have a chance somewhere else.
LH: I think Daniel answered it well.
SV: Agree.
Q: Lewis, one of your former team-mates this week said that inconsistency was your biggest weakness. I’m just wondering whether you think that’s the case. And Seb, what’s your plan to beat Lewis. Have you thought over the winter about the best way to do that?
LH: I think I proved that’s not the case last year and… yeah… again, I think there’s a lot of people that need to get headlines, and so maybe that’s one way of saying it. No, the goal this year is to be even more consistent that I was last year. I think consistency was the reason that I won the Championship last year.
Q: Sebastian, do you see any weaknesses in Lewis? How would you describe them, or see them? What are they? If there are any.
SV: Well, there aren’t many, so I think he’s doing a very, very good job for many years now. So, I think it’s always a bit of a weird question to answer when the person is sitting right next to you. But, as I said, there aren’t many. I’m sure we all have our weaknesses. Maybe some are part of our characters, maybe some are part of our driving – but to be honest I don’t think about those too much. I think about mine quite a lot and try to get better at what I need to improve. But yeah, concerning other people, it’s not in my hands. So, I try to finish my plate.
LH: I think I share the same weakness with everyone in this room. Everyone loves pancakes. That’s really my only weakness.
Q: Lewis, are you up for it this year? You seem a little bit jaded here – I don’t know if it’s jetlag or whatnot – but are you up for the fight this year?
LH: I’m definitely not tired – this is the 12th season of doing the press conference. I’m not the most excited about this section of the season and the race weekend – but I’m looking forward to getting in the car.
Q: Sebastian, can I take you back to your first answer, you were asked if you could beat Lewis and you said ‘if it was one race it would be a different story but maybe over the season’ or something like that. Does that mean you’re not confident this weekend that Ferrari are…?
SV: …no but I think the question was whether we… who’s coming out of top, sort of. I think Mercedes is right and I think Lewis is right to be the favourite. But it’s a long season, so I think, you know, obviously, this is one race, Melbourne is particular in many ways. I think we all look forward to kick off the season, to get ready, get in the car and race. I think, you know, we have all the reasons to be confident. Our car is great. There’s stuff to come, so plenty to look forward to, but usually at this point you don’t know where the others are. So, that’s why it’s a bit pointless to come here and say that you’ll blow everyone away. Based on testing, I think we are in good shape. We could be in better shape, but it’s always like that.
Q: Sebastian, how would it mean for you to go level with Fangio?
SV: I think it’s a bit of a similar answer to what Lewis gave earlier. Obviously, I’ve had more time to think about it than Lewis had. More than one winter. I’m not setting these things out and planning or looking forward to what could possibly happen. Certainly, if it will happen it would mean a lot – and then I think you start to realise – but now I don’t see the point of thinking ‘what if’. I have a lot on my plate now and I’m happy also to look forward to what’s right in front of me, not what could be at some point in the future. Ideally, it’s less than 12 months away – but it’s a long way. I think we all know how many things need to come together to be able to fight for the championship towards the end of the season. And then to win it. Also, I think nowadays the times are different. I think it’s very different times to when Fangio achieved it, compared to today. So, every era has its own challenges, certainly they were a bit different back then. So yeah, it’s not in my mind now.
Q: Question for all three drivers: how do you feel about the shift in direction of Formula One since the takeover of Liberty Media?
LH: I don’t know what to say. I just heard the new anthem. Reminded me of [TV programme] Gladiators. Used to watch that on a Saturday night. We’re going to be the new Gladiators. I think there’s been a lot of good progress over the last year in terms of how we engage with people and how we engage with fans and the openness – but I think it’s still part of a long process of learning where to go. I don’t think anyone in this room knows exactly what is the key to Formula One moving forwards and succeeding. I think it’s a very difficult question to answer but I think they’re doing the best they can and we’re all trying to support them the best way we can.
DR: I agree with that. I think there’s been some good initiatives as well within the paddock. Especially at a lot of the European races with the fixed team structures. Feels like week-in, week-out you’re just rolling into the same deal and everyone goes straight to their motorhome and that’s kind of it – but there’s generally a lot of friends or fans or VIPs whatever in and amongst the paddock but they’re secluded. They’ve tried to create like a bar and a bit of a common area, got some music going in the paddock, and just create a bit more of an atmosphere. Again, the on-track stuff for us, the racing, that doesn’t change, but at least the fans, spectators for the weekend get a good deal. I think Melbourne’s always done a good job as far as putting things on, as the whole weekend goes, like filling it up with other racing and other activities, so I think they’re learning to adopt some strategies to create more of an event around the race, so everyone’s not just living for that Sunday afternoon: there’s more going on.
SV: Yeah, from a driving point of view there’s obviously not that much that has changed. The regulations have been set before there was new people taking over. I think it’s great to see and I heard last year continuously around the track people supporting us. There were more things to do, it was a bit more fun, which I think is great. In general, I think I’m a traditionalist and I like to hold on to certain things, so probably there’s a lot of things I’m not a specialist in and I don’t need to understand. So I’m a bit confused why the races start later, a bit sad that there are no more grid girls, but other than that, not many changes yet. I think we need to wait.
Q: It’s a rare thing in any sport when you have two enduring champions that are both at the peak of their powers so for you, Lewis and Sebastian, how special is it to share your careers in this way and heading into this season where I guess we’re all looking at it as a bit of a decider, how much additionally special does that make it, knowing that the other guy is so good?
LH: Ultimately it’s a privilege to be in Formula One. It’s a privilege to be racing for the teams that we’re racing for and for me and Mercedes, with the heritage that they have, to be a part of the sport that’s progressing and changing with the times and to be at the forefront of it, competing against the best drivers that you can compete against. I think when you come to the end of your career, you want to know that you competed against the best. There are those that bow out early, there are those that have won championships, maybe that have not been as competitive. The ultimate goal is to be the best. I think you have to go up against the best. It’s been a great experience to be able to race against Sebastian. He’s got the four World titles, the most of any other driver at the time and I think this is an exciting year for Formula One fans, being that we have two four-time World Champions battling it out. But Daniel’s been smiling quite a lot today, so I think you’re going to be surprised this weekend just how competitive Red Bull are. There’s a lot of hype around our team which I think is very difficult to really take much notice of because the last test was a little bit distorted with the track the way it was and everyone was on different fuel loads. So I’m excited to see how we all fare up once we get into practice.
SV: I agree with Lewis. Obviously first of all it’s a privilege to be able to get a chance to prove yourself in Formula One, then to be able to race in Formula One. Then I think when you get in it’s all about winning. You want to win, you don’t look at anything else. Probably later on, after you’ve won a little bit, you get a bit more perspective and open your horizons as well and then I think it becomes something special to win against the best. In my case, obviously, I think if I look at the people I raced throughout my career. Then I think it’s always been sort of the same people which starting from karting age, even if I didn’t race Lewis in karting, but you were aware. Then you move on. We met a little bit later in Formula Three where he was a lot better than I was and then in Formula One ultimately. But yeah, then you care more about who you race against and what it means to you, it gives you more satisfaction. And now, obviously, I’m searching for the ultimate satisfaction to win with Ferrari which is the greatest team in history, the greatest team in the paddock and that’s my ultimate target now, to win with Ferrari and win against the best which arguably… I’m sure there’s plenty of numbers that you’re all aware of, arguably, and Lewis is one of them.
Q: Lewis and Sebastian, as Daniel sits here today, he doesn’t have a deal for 2019. What would you like to say to encourage him to join your respective teams next season?
SV: I don’t know. I’m sure he’ll find a seat. So yeah, I don’t know what he’s up to or what he wants. I don’t know how much he’s asking, but as I said, I’m confident he’ll find a seat. We only shared one year together, I knew him before that and we had one year together which wasn’t great for me, it was great for him. But anyways, I think we get along, so I wouldn’t mind if we get together again in the future. But I don’t know what his plan is. I think he has a couple of options and I don’t think he needs to rush.
Q: Lewis, do you feel the same way?
LH: I would just say that an important thing is just really to look at the history of drivers and things that drivers have said in the past and try not to alienate the team that you’re in. It’s all good and while hoping at some stage to experience something new in another team, but there’s a lot of people in our teams and it’s really important to keep them encouraged and focused on you as a driver, to help you achieve your goal and if you look at… there are some drivers of recent years who have made bad decisions in upsetting and rocking the boat and that so yeah, he’s in a great place still. Red Bull, I think, this year can really have a fighting chance to win the championship and the opinion of where you might want to go, if it’s not where he currently is, may shift.
Q: We have to have your rebuttal to that, Daniel.
DR: Well said, well said by both. Yeah, I feel like I’ve answered already so many, like contract talks and we haven’t even got the first race of this year done. So yeah, I’m just going to put all those talks on hold for a while and yes, this year our prep’s been good and I really really hope that Lewis is right that we will have a chance to fight for a title. That will ultimately make me very happy.
Q: Last year the rules imposed numbers on the car, the name of the driver and so on. And this year, with the halo, it’s even impossible to recognise the helmets of the drivers. Is the drivers’ identification something you care about for the viewers, for the fans, for the TV commentators and do you have any suggestions to improve the situation?
SV: We should be allowed to design the halo.
LH: I don’t have a suggestion for it, but I have noticed that it’s almost pointless of us painting the helmets nowadays. So I’m probably going to get rid of my paint on mine. Saves weight, but yeah, I don’t really have a suggestion for it. I’m sure they’ll come up with something.
FIA transcript
-
Hamilton tops time sheets as first F1 Test ends in Barcelona
Barcelona: Reigning F1 world champion Lewis Hamilton went quickest on the final day of the first pre-season Formula One test ahead of the 2018 FIA Formula 1 Championship, beating Stoffel Vandoorne by half a second on Thursday.
After a wet morning during which Mercedes’ W09 challenger was driven by Valtteri Bottas, Hamilton took over in the afternoon and used medium tyres to post a time of 1:19.333. That 0.521s clear of Vandoorne’s best which had been set on Pirelli’s new hypersoft tyres, one of seven dry compounds of offer this year.
Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel was third quickest with a time of 1:20.214 set on soft tyres, while Haas’ Kevin Magnussen was eight-hundredths of a second further back in fourth place with a lap set on supersoft tyres.
While most drivers took the circuit in the wet conditions in the morning, Red Bull Racing’s Max Verstappen was a notable absentee, with the Renault-powered team choosing to wait until the track dried before sending the Dutchman out.
But when he did take to the track Verstappen’s outing was a stop-start affair as mechanical gremlins affected his progress and then, later on, he suffered an off at Turn 12 which left him beached in the gravel. The car was recovered but Verstappen sat out the remainder of the session and completed just 35 laps all day.
After limited mileage in the early part of the week, McLaren enjoyed a solid final day in Barcelona. Second-placed Vandoorne handed over to team-mate Fernando Alonso in the afternoon and the Spaniard added a further 51 laps to Vandoorne’s 110 for the day’s biggest team lap total.
However, the individual honours went to Toro Rosso’s Pierre Gasly, with the French driver posting a total of 147 laps to round out an enviably reliable test for the Honda-powered team.
Formula 1 Pre-Season Test 1, Barcelona – Day Four
1 Lewis Hamilton Mercedes 1:19.333 69
2 Stoffel Vandoorne McLaren 1:19.854 0.521 110
3 Sebastian Vettel Ferrari 1:20.241 0.908 120
4 Kevin Magnussen Haas 1:20.317 0.984 96
5 Fernando Alonso McLaren 1:20.929 1.596 51
6 Carlos Sainz Renault 1:20.940 1.607 60
7 Lance Stroll Williams 1:21.142 1.809 54
8 Sergio Perez Force India 1:21.973 2.640 65
9 Max Verstappen Red Bull 1:22.058 2.725 35
10 Pierre Gasly Toro Rosso 1:22.134 2.801 147
11 Nico Hulkenberg Renault 1:22.507 3.174 49
12 Valtteri Bottas Mercedes 1:22.789 3.456 60
13 Charles Leclerc Sauber 1:22.808 3.475 59
14 Marcus Ericsson Sauber 1:23.825 4.492 79
15 Sergey Sirotkin Williams 1:31.979 12.646 47eom/FIA release
-
APRC champ Gaurav Gill lights up the FIA gala prize-giving for all Indians
Gaurav Gill at the FIA gala prize-giving along with Dr Shilpa Gill, in Versailles Paris on Saturday, 9th Dec 2017. An FIA image by Jean Marie Hervio. Image updated on 11 Dec, 6.30pm IST The King of Indian Motorsports, Gaurav Gill, receiving the honours was the highlight of the annual gala show for all Indians as was the presentation of the FIA Formula One World Drivers’ Championship Trophy to Lewis Hamilton.
Gill is the only Indian Driver to have won the title and invited by the FIA for the Gala Awards night, revered as the Oscars of motorsport.
Gill, the 36-year-old speed maestro from New Delhi defended his Asia Pacific Rally Championship, winning the title for the third time. Gill is the only Indian among the various winners of different world championships. The MRF driver has brute speed and inherent talent and has been punching above his weight year after year despite having minimum seat-time and other key limitations. Unfortunately, his passion and commitment to motorsport seem to have hit a road-block as he finds in a funny situation with no sponsor coming forward to push him to a better platform, like the World Rally Championship or even a Euro event, to showcase his immense talent to the world.
Gill actually started racing bikes, to begin with, and entered the competitive world of Indian motorsports in the National motocross championship in 1999. He also won National championship titles multiple times. He won the National Road Racing Championship in 2004 and 2006 before moving to the India’s National Rally Championship which he won in 2007, 2009, 2011, 2013 (SUV), and 2014. And in 2015 he is nominated by the FMSCI for the Arjuna Award, an Indian national award for sporting excellence, by the Federation of Motor Sports Clubs of India (FMSCI) to the Government of India.
In 2016, he created a record of sorts winning all the rounds of the FIA APRC before rounding it off in our very own well-conducted Rally of 1000 corners in the Coffee Estates of Chikmagalur. By now the genial giant of Indian Motorsport should have been winning titles and rubbing shoulders with the best in the World Rally scene but is yet get a deal. Last year, Mahindra showed interest and drew up plans but nothing is heard after that.
After winning the championship in Chikmagalur last month, the muted celebrations hinted a tinge of disappointment despite giving his best and beyond to brighten the Indian Rally scene for many years now. However, according to a grapevine, Gill is likely to go to Dakar next year as part of a four-wheeler team, details of which are yet to be made public.
Hamilton, cynosure of all eyes
Hamilton, the Mercedes driver lifted the World Championship trophy for the fourth time in his career, a remarkable feat that puts him level with French Formula One legend Alain Prost and his great rival for this year’s title, German driver Sebastian Vettel of Ferrari.
The Briton took nine victories during 2017, scored points in every grand prix of the season and along the way established a new benchmark of 72 career pole positions, beating Michael Schumacher’s previous record of 68. However, despite the record-breaking season, he said that he could not see himself eclipsing the German great’s seven championship titles.
“It’s taken me 10 years to achieve four,” said Hamilton. “I currently don’t have that desire to match [Schumacher’s] seven, but matching Fangio [who scored five titles] would be quite cool. Given that I‘m going to be here for at least another couple of years, that’s my goal. To try and at least get that. We [he and Mercedes] definitely have more championships to win together.”
In rallying, Sébastien Ogier’s fifth consecutive FIA World Rally Championship title puts the Frenchman into sole second place in the list of multiple title winners, ahead of legendary flying Finns Juha Kankkunen and Tommi Makinen.
Ogier’s 2017 championship victory is perhaps his sweetest to date, coming after the departure of the all-conquering Volkswagen factory team with which he had achieved his previous four titles, and being achieved with privateer outfit M-Sport.
Ogier said: “It’s amazing and we are very proud that we managed it again this year, because I think everyone is aware of the challenge we had to face with the retirement of our old team, and we had to find a new solution at the last minute. I think it’s been a very difficult season for us: very exciting, and very open, with a lot of different winners in WRC, but it’s nice to come out on top once again and to be here today to grab the trophy for a fifth time.”
In the FIA World Endurance Championship, Germany’s Timo Bernhard and New Zealand duo Earl Bamberand Brendon Hartley took the Drivers’ Championship title, helping Porsche to sign-off on a four-season stint in the Championship with a third successive manufacturers’ title.
A mid-season hot streak of four wins gave the trio a solid platform, and second-place finishes at the final two events were enough to seal a maiden title for Bamber and second championship crowns for Bernhard and Hartley, who also took the crown with Porsche in 2015.
“From the word go it was a tense battle this season,” said Hartley. “The first round at Silverstone was won or lost by about six seconds and when you’re second that’s quite a brutal result, so we knew it would be tough. But winning the 24 Hours of Le Mans helped our cause a lot, so yes, it was an intense battle but fortunately, we were up to the job.”
There were also new global trophies up for grabs in the FIA WEC, with the LMGTE Pro category being elevated to World Championship status in 2017. And it was Ferrari that emerged as the team champions, with the Italian squad’s pairing of James Calado and Alessandro Pier Guidi emerged victoriously.
In the FIA World Touring Car Championship, Sweden’s Thed Björk made history, not just in winning his first FIA world title but also in becoming WTCC’s final champion in its current form, with the series bowing out from today, to be replaced by a new series, the WTCR – FIA World Touring Car Cup in 2018. Over the course of a rollercoaster campaign, Volvo Polestar driver Björk scored two wins and seven podium finishes to beat Honda’s Norbert Michelisz in a titanic battle that went down to the wire at the final event in Qatar.
Sweden’s 2017 haul of world drivers’ titles was doubled by Johan Kristofferson who took a maiden FIA World Rallycross Championship title ahead of compatriot Mattias Ekström.
Ekström opened his title defence with a trio of victories but after scoring his first win of the season in Belgium, Kristofferson rattled off a five-event run of victories to establish that allied to a final-round win in South Africa carried him to the title.
The FIA’s future-focused, all-electric 2016/17 Formula E Championship was won by Lucas Di Grassi who took the title at the end of a nail-biting, down-to-the-wire fight with defending champion Sébastien Buemi. The Swiss racer took six wins to Di Grassi’s two, but the Brazilian was a model of consistency, scoring five further podiums and three pole positions to edge the battle as Buemi suffered a series of second half mishaps and a brace of missed races due to other racing commitments.
A number of special FIA awards were handed out on the night. For a remarkable third year in a row, Max Verstappen won the FIA Personality of the Year while the FIA Action of the Year Awards went to WRC driverEsapekka Lappi for his spectacular 33m, 120kph flight over the Fafe jump at Rally de Portugal. Formula 2 Champion Charles Leclerc, recently announced 2018 Formula 1 driver with the Alfa Romeo Sauber F1 Team, won the Rookie of the Year Award.
The FIA President’s Award was this year expanded not only to incorporate those that have displayed courage, determination and sportsmanship but to also include those that have contributed greatly to the broader FIA community. The first of two awards in the category was presented to Jean-Charles Decaux, Co-Chief Executive Officer of the JCDecaux Group.
In 2017, in partnership with the outdoor advertising giant, the FIA embarked upon an ambitious campaign named #3500LIVES that brings key road safety messages to a global audience using the JCDecaux’s advertising spaces around the world. To date, the campaign has generated an estimated 1.5 billion views in 900 cities in more than 75 countries.
The second FIA President’s Award was presented to Billy Monger, the young British driver who in April 2017, at the age of just 17, suffered a horrific accident while competing in Formula 4. The crash resulted in Billy losing both legs, but his response was truly inspirational. Displaying immense courage and positivity he vowed to return to motor racing and just 11 weeks after sustaining life-changing injuries he was back behind the wheel of a specially adapted endurance car.
The stars of the future were also honoured in Paris, with champions from across the FIA single-seater pyramid being presented with their trophies. In Formula 3, Briton Lando Norris , took an emphatic title win in the FIA Formula 3 European Championship, taking nine wins from 30 races in 10 event weekends. In Formula 4, the winners from 12 championships (Australia, Britain, China, Germany, Italy, Japan, Latin America, North East Europe, the UAE, Spain, the US and South East Asia) were awarded their trophies.
CIK-FIA World Karting Champions Dexter Patterson, Paolo de Conto, and Danny Keirle were also awarded their trophies, marking an important milestone in what will likely become fascinating careers in motorsport.
eom/with inputs from FIA release
-
Bottas wins Abu Dhabi GP ahead of Hamilton
Valtteri Bottas claimed his third victory of the year, beating Mercedes team-mate and four-time world champion Lewis Hamilton by just under four seconds at the final race of the 2017 FIA Formula One World Championship, the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. Sebastian Vettel finished third for Ferrari.
At the start Bottas got away cleanly from pole position and took the lead ahead of Hamilton, Vettel and Ricciardo who all retained their starting positions. Behind them Max Verstappen in the second Red Bull closed on Ferrari’s Kimi Räikkönen and made two aggressive attempts to pass the Finn. The second almost succeeded but in the end the Dutchman backed out of the attack and Räikkönen held fifth as they crossed the line at the end of lap one.
Further back Renault’s Nico Hulkenberg went off track and rejoined in seventh place ahead of Force India’s Sergio Perez who had got ahead at the start. The German was promptly handed a five-second time penalty for gaining an advantage.
The order then settled and by lap 10 Bottas had eked out a two-second advantage over Hamilton, with the British driver 2.7s clear of Vettel. Ricciardo was also managing to pull away from Räikkönen who was now 3.9s in arrears to the Australian.
That order remained the same through the first pit stops, though not for long afterwards. Following regulations stops for Verstappen, Räikkönen, Vettel and Bottas, Ricciardo dived towards the pit entry earlier than expected saying he suspected he had a puncture.
He took on supersofts tyres and rejoined in P4 but the real problem soon became clear. “I think I’m losing power steering,” he reported and then almost immediately drove off track and stopped at Turn 5, his race over.
At the front Hamilton was the last of the front runners to pit and his stop once again boosted Bottas into the lead. The Finn now led his team-mate by just over a second, but Vettel was now a sizeable 11.4s behind in third. Following Ricciardo’s retirement Räikkönen was promoted to third, 1.5s ahead of Verstappen in the sole remaining Red Bull.
Force India’s Esteban Ocon was sixth ahead of the Renaults of Carlos Sainz and Hulkenberg. Sainz needed to make a first pit stop, and he did that on lap 31, in tandem with the sixth-placed Force India of Esteban Ocon.
While Ocon rejoined in P8, there was a problem for Sainz. His crew failed to attach his front left wheel correctly and the Spaniard barely it made out of the pit tunnel and back on track. He quickly pulled over and retired.
The stops, though, boosted Hulkenberg to P6, a position that if held would earn Renault eight points and elevate them to in the Constructors’ standings, above Toro Rosso, whose drivers, Brendon Hartley and Pierre Gasly, were lingering in P15 and P16 respectively.
And there the order stagnated. At the front Bottas had a solid 1.7s advantage over Hamilton on lap 43, with Vettel a further 20 seconds back. He was followed by Raikkonen and Verstappen, while Hulkenberg was now secure in sixth place some seven seconds ahead of Perez.
And that was how it ended, with Bottas eventually taking his third victory of the season almost four seconds clear of Hamilton and almost 20 seconds ahead of Vettel, whose third place means he finishes as runner-up to Hamilton in the Drivers’ standings, 12 points ahead of Bottas. Raikkonen’s fourth place, coupled with Ricciardo’s retirement boosts the Finn ahead of the Australian, to fourth in the Drivers’ table.
Further back Hulkenberg held sixth place to hand Renault the same place in the teams’ standings. Perez was seventh for Force India ahead of team-mate Ocon, while Fernando Alonso handed two points to McLaren and Honda in the final race for the team and engine manufacturer as partners. Finally, Felipe Massa scored a point on his final race in Formula 1, with the Brazilian retiring after 269 F1 starts.
2017 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix – Race
1 Valtteri Bottas Mercedes
2 Lewis Hamilton Mercedes 3.899
3 Sebastian Vettel Ferrari 19.330
4 Kimi Raikkonen Ferrari 45.386
5 Max Verstappen Red Bull 46.269
6 Nico Hulkenberg Renault 1’25.713
7 Sergio Perez Force India 1’32.062
8 Esteban Ocon Force India 1’38.911
9 Fernando Alonso McLaren 1 lap
10 Felipe Massa Williams 1 lap
11 Romain Grosjean Haas 1 lap
12 Stoffel Vandoorne McLaren 1 lap
13 Kevin Magnussen Haas 1 lap
14 Pascal Wehrlein Sauber 1 lap
15 Brendon Hartley Toro Rosso 1 lap
16 Pierre Gasly Toro Rosso 1 lap
17 Marcus Ericsson Sauber 1 lap
18 Lance Stroll Williams 1 lap
19 Carlos Sainz Renault 24 laps
20 Daniel Ricciardo Red Bull 35 lapseom/press release
