Category Archives: Formula One

Belgian GP post race: Williams

31/08/2015 By in Formula One Tags: Leave a comment

Felipe Massa finished sixth and Valtteri Bottas ninth in the Belgian Grand Prix. Both cars struggled at the start and lost positions during a difficult first stint. An error at the first round of pitstops for Bottas resulted in him being awarded a drive-through penalty and the rest of the race was damage limitation, so a good result to get back into the points. Massa struggled for pace in the first stint but after the pitstops battled hard to finish sixth.

Rob Smedley, Head of Performance Engineering: “I am clearly disappointed with what has happened to Valtteri. As a team we have made a mistake, and on behalf of the team I am very sorry that we cost him what could have been a podium position. There will be an investigation into the processes in place to understand what happened fully, and to put in place a procedure to stop this happening again. The rest of our race was dictated by the lack of pace in the first stint and from then on we had to fight our way back. The big difference at this race was that there were five teams all with very similar race pace. Unfortunately though, because so many cars were close in performance, the result was dictated primarily by what happened in the first stint when we were struggling. After that we had the pace on the prime tyre and as a result still managed to finish with both cars in the points. We have gained on Ferrari and lost very few points to Red Bull which is positive considering the day we have had.”

Felipe Massa: “It was a frustrating day for me. I struggled at the start and then the soft tyre in the first stint didn’t operate as well as it should have done so I lost a few positions. At this point we were fighting from behind but the medium worked well. I couldn’t overtake the Force India of Perez at the end as their straightline pace was good. It has been a difficult day but to still finish sixth is the main positive we will take away from the weekend.”

Valtteri Bottas: “We haven’t got the result we were after today. The pitstop and the race pace are two areas that we need to investigate. We thought we would be stronger during the race but the soft tyre in the first stint didn’t work as well and put us in a difficult position. We have to make sure we bounce back well in Monza.”

Belgian GP post race: Lotus

31/08/2015 By in Formula One Tags: , , , , Leave a comment
Romain Grosjean celebrates his third position on the podium

Romain Grosjean celebrates his third position on the podium

 

Lotus F1 returned to the Formula 1 Grand Prix podium for the first time since the US Grand Prix in 2013 thanks to a superb drive from Romain Grosjean. Despite a five-place grid penalty, Grosjean delivered an exceptionally measured performance including setting a race fastest lap. Grosjean’s joy was tempered by a second lap retirement for Pastor Maldonado after his car lost drive. The cause is currently being investigated. Grosjean’s result means Lotus F1 returns to fifth position in the Constructors’ Championship.

Grosjean started from P9 on the grid on his qualifying soft tyres, changing to new soft compound tyres on lap 9 and scrubbed mediums on lap 21.
Maldonado started from P7 on the grid but was forced to retire on the second lap after his car lost drive.

Romain Grosjean, P3, E23-04:
“Today’s result is wonderful. It’s good for the team and for myself of course. Yesterday’s good qualifying result put a smile on my face but today was an unbelievable race. Everything came together when it mattered during those 43 laps. I drove with my heart today and pushed 100 per cent throughout the race. I did some great overtaking manoeuvres and was really pushing to catch up and hopefully overtake Sebastian Vettel – of course it was bad luck for him to have had the tyre issue at the end. We were really trying to go for the podium this afternoon and I felt very emotional during the last lap of the race! It’s a great feeling today.”

Pastor Maldonado, DNF, E23-03:
“We had been doing a great job this weekend, especially yesterday. The car was feeling very good, very competitive and I had a good race start. We had an issue with the drive of the car which the team is investigating. I’m disappointed about the issue we had today but that’s racing sometimes. We are keeping focused for the next race now and Romain has shown what is possible. I love Italy and Monza so I’ll be doing everything I can for a strong result there.”

Federico Gastaldi, Deputy Team Principal:
“What an amazing job from Romain today and we all thank all the hard work of everyone at Enstone and here at the circuit in Belgium. It’s no secret that it’s been a tough season for us in some ways, but we certainly know how to pick our moments to bounce back. Our joy for Romain and the team is a little bittersweet because of the retirement for Pastor, who started his race ahead of Romain so could have finished equally strongly. We will do everything we can to get both cars in strong positions in Monza.”

Nick Chester, Technical Director:
“That was quite a race from Romain and the team! We were buoyed after yesterday’s P4 qualifying performance then today he drove a fantastic measured race. He drove brilliantly and made all the correct decisions with some fabulous overtaking. He looked after the tyres when he needed to and pushed when he needed to. It was the perfect race from him. We haven’t looked at everything on Pastor’s car yet but we know there was a big excursion over the kerbs which appears to have caused some damage to the power box so a big shame as he should also have achieved a strong result here.”

 

 

Pastor Maldonado

Pastor Maldonado

Romain Grosjean (FRA) Lotus F1 E23. Belgian Grand Prix, Saturday 22nd August 2015. Spa-Francorchamps, Belgium.

Romain Grosjean

Pastor Maldonado (VEN) Lotus F1 E23. Hungarian Grand Prix, Sunday 26th July 2015. Budapest, Hungary.

Pastor Maldonado (VEN) Lotus F1 E23. Belgian Grand Prix, Saturday 22nd August 2015. Spa-Francorchamps, Belgium.

Pastor Maldonado (VEN) Lotus F1 E23. Belgian Grand Prix, Sunday 23rd August 2015. Spa-Francorchamps, Belgium.

Belgian GP post race: Sahara Force India

31/08/2015 By in Formula One Tags: , , , , , Leave a comment
Sergio Perez

Sergio Perez (and below)

 

The team scored 10 points today as Sergio Perez raced to fifth place in the Belgian Grand Prix. Team mate Nico Hulkenberg was unable to take the start following a loss of power on the parade lap to the grid.

P5 Sergio Perez VJM08-02
Strategy: Used Softs (8 laps) – Used Softs (12 laps) – New Mediums (23 laps)
“Fifth place and ten points is a good result, but we just lacked the pace to really fight for the podium today. My start was very strong and I was close to taking the lead on lap one when I was alongside Lewis (Hamilton) after Eau Rouge. I settled into a good rhythm, but we had very high degradation on the soft tyres in the first two stints. It was a bit better on the medium, although we struggled in the middle sector with our low downforce set-up and that hurt my pace. We were racing some quick cars and it was hard to fight off Grosjean and Kvyat, so it’s clear we need to analyse our performance and see where we can improve. I’m already looking forward to the next race in Monza, which is another track where I think we can be competitive.”

DNF Nico Hulkenberg VJM08-01
Used Softs (-)
“It’s disappointing to finish your race before it’s even started, but sometimes these things happen in racing. On the way to the grid I just felt a loss of power. We tried to understand and fix the problem on the grid, but it came back during the formation lap. There were a few moments when the power returned, but it disappeared again just before the start and I had to retire. It’s a real shame because the car has been very quick this weekend and we had a good opportunity to score some important points.”

Vijay Mallya, Team Principal and Managing Director:
“We leave Belgium with mixed feelings after what turned out to be a very eventful race. Sergio delivered a battling performance and extracted all he could from the VJM08. He was able to challenge for the podium positions at the start of the race and to finish with a fifth place, his best result of the year so far, confirmed the good pace he has shown all weekend. He didn’t put a wheel wrong all day and was able to keep some very competitive rivals behind with an intelligent and defensive drive. There are many regrets about what could have been had Nico had a clean weekend. Unfortunately, he suffered a loss of power on the way to grid and we were unable to rectify the problem before the start. It’s something we will thoroughly investigate with Mercedes. It’s a shame as he would have surely had a competitive race. The battle for fifth in the championship remains open and we’re already looking forward to the next round at Monza to reclaim the position.”

 

 

Sergio Perez (MEX) Sahara Force India F1 VJM08. Belgian Grand Prix, Sunday 23rd August 2015. Spa-Francorchamps, Belgium.

Justin Wilson

27/08/2015 By in Formula One Tags: , , , Leave a comment

lat-lepage_140718-to17635

 

By now you’ll have probably heard about the death of the former F1 driver in a freak accident last weekend at Pocono Raceway in the US. Tributes have been pouring in from competitors and others via social media.

Wilson was hit by a piece of debris from the car of Sage Karam on Sunday during the ABC Supply 500. Replays indicate that the nose cone of Karam’s car struck Wilson’s helmet. Wilson then veered into the inside wall.

However, what you may not know is that Justin’s organs have helped to save six lives, according to his brother, Stefan.

Justin leaves behind his wife Julia and two daughters. The Wilson Children’s Fund has been set up and you can send donations to:

Wilson Children’s Fund
C/O INDYCAR
4551 West 16th Street
Indianapolis, IN 46222

Belgian GP practice: Lotus

21/08/2015 By in Formula One Tags: , , , , , , Leave a comment
Pastor Maldonado

Pastor Maldonado

 

Lotus F1 opened its Belgian Grand Prix weekend with a strong top ten time from Grosjean to underlie the team’s potential after an eventful and challenging first day back on track. Maldonado was one of three drivers to cause a red flag during the day, with an off in the second half of FP1. He returned to the track to end the day as fifteenth fastest. Jolyon Palmer completed evaluations of the team’s new front wing in the morning session.

Alan Permane, Trackside Operations Director: “Pastor’s FP1 was curtailed mid-session after an off and contact with the barriers damaged his car and caused a brief red flag period. He was evaluating a new top rear wing today. Jolyon conducted a front wing evaluation programme as well as other set-up work. The twice interrupted second session saw tyre evaluation and longer runs, with Pastor and Romain in action. Romain continued the front wing evaluation and his car stopped on track at the end of the session, requiring recovery back to the garage. Pirelli’s medium (white) compound tyre was used in the morning session, the medium and soft (yellow) in the afternoon.

Jolyon Palmer, E23-04
Free practice 1: P17, 1:53.799, 23 laps
“It was a productive session for me and it was good to get the first taste on track of the new front wing which felt pretty promising from where I was sat. It’s always difficult at Spa to find the best balance because it’s a compromise between having aero and having straight line speed with the nature of the track. We tried something different across the two cars and we had a new front wing to try as well, which was good to test.”

Romain Grosjean, E23-04
Free practice 2: P7, 1:50.489, 21 laps
“That was a good session for me. My first runs weren’t great and it was clear we had to make some changes to the car’s set-up. Once we did that the car felt a lot better and I felt that the car was a lot more how I wanted it with the soft tyres. We have a few other niggles to rectify but it’s lovely to drive Spa with wonderful warm weather. If we can find a little more pace from the car I think we can have a pretty good weekend here.”

Pastor Maldonado, E23-03
Free practice 1: P11, 1:52.539, 15 laps
Free practice 2: P15, 1:51.317, 16 laps
“Today wasn’t the start to the Grand Prix weekend that we wanted. I lost the rear end in FP1 and unfortunately I wasn’t able to keep the car off the barriers. My crew did a great job to get everything back together for FP2, but then there were a couple of red flags to interrupt that session too. I think we can have a good weekend from now, there’s good potential in the car and we know what we need for a strong result.”

Nick Chester, Technical Director: “This wasn’t the most straight-forward first day back on track for us after the summer shutdown. Pastor unfortunately had an off in FP1 in which his car sustained a reasonable amount of damage. The repair work continued into FP2 meaning his day was pretty compromised. On the other side of the garage, Jolyon completed a good tally of laps in the morning to assist with our assessment of our latest front wing, whilst Romain was able to continue with set-up work in the afternoon and made good progress and looked competitive finishing FP2 in P7.”

 

Romain Grosjean

Romain Grosjean

Belgian GP practice: Sahara Force India

21/08/2015 By in Formula One Tags: Leave a comment

Sahara Force India returned to action after the summer break with a positive day of practice in Spa-Francorchamps.

Nico Hülkenberg VJM08-01
FP1: 1:52.614 (P12) 20 laps
FP2: 1:50.461 (P6) 21 laps

“The car felt pretty good and I am fairly happy with the baseline set-up. Obviously, we will need to keep working, fine-tuning the balance and trying to find the last few tenths of performance, but I think we’re in a good place going into the weekend. The red flags in the afternoon meant we didn’t get all the long-run data and we will head into the race without the best knowledge of how the tyres will behave, but that’s the same for everyone.”

Sergio Perez VJM08-02
FP1: 1:52.423 (P9) 20 laps
FP2: 1:50.971 (P11) 21 laps

“It was a really productive day despite the disruption that the red flags brought towards the end of FP2. We were able to get some good information, perhaps not as much as we would have wanted on the long runs, but overall I am happy with the day. We took two very different set-up directions with the two cars, which means we have plenty of data to analyse tonight, but I am confident for tomorrow.”

Robert Fernley, Deputy Team Principal:
“We are satisfied with our first day of work here in Spa. This is a unique track when it comes to car balance: there aren’t many low-speed corners so the majority of our work focused on finding the optimal balance for the medium and high-speed corners, and I believe we made some good progress. We continued evaluating the b-spec evolutions in the morning session and the drivers were pretty happy with the balance of the car straight away. The afternoon was a bit more complicated with the red flags: the first half went according to plan and we were able to evaluate some solutions to respond to the high track temperatures. Our long run data was compromised by the red flags but we expect a lot of people to be in the same boat. There’s a lot of work still to be done but we’re in a good place so far.”

Belgian GP practice: Williams

21/08/2015 By in Formula One Tags: Leave a comment

Now back to the real stuff… Objectives: aero evaluations, set-up and tyre work.

Rob Smedley, Head of Performance Engineering: “We have had a decent Friday. We had set ourselves an ambitious programme to complete and although the red flags hampered this slightly we are very well prepared for the weekend. We focused on rear and front wing development during the morning and this afternoon was all about tyres. We still have a bit of time to find on the low fuel, but we know where to find this. On the higher fuel loads we look quite competitive. There are lots of small areas where we can find performance, so everyone needs to ensure that they have done their job to be ready for FP3.”

Valtteri Bottas: “It was nice to be back in the car after the break. Today our main focus was on aero testing, including the rear wing configuration and we also looked at the tyres as you would expect from a Friday. We collected plenty of data throughout the day so we know that today’s times are not too representative, and we will continue to strengthen our performance throughout the weekend.”

Felipe Massa: “It was a typical Friday for Williams; we don’t go out trying to top the time sheets. We completed a lot of the work we had set ourselves, only held back by the red flags which were unexpected. This has meant my long run pace isn’t as clear as I would have hoped, but we should be able to be competitive tomorrow and build as the weekend progresses.”

Belgian GP preview: Sahara Force India

21/08/2015 By in Formula One Tags: Leave a comment

They’re all at it! Now Sahara Team Principal, Dr Vijay Mallya, looks forward to a strong second half of the season.

VJM: “The summer break has given us a chance to regroup following a challenging race in Budapest. The whole team has worked extremely hard to repair the cars and solve the problems that we encountered in Hungary, and we’re ready to bounce back this weekend in Spa.

“Although the Hungarian Grand Prix was disappointing, I prefer to focus on the positives, especially the strong pace we showed in the first half of the race. We saw that the VJM08 is capable of running comfortably inside the top ten, which gives us confidence for the second half of the season. There remains an upbeat feeling in the team and I think we can look forward to some competitive races to come.

“Returning to Spa is always special because it’s one of those tracks that truly captures the imagination. The drivers love to race here and it’s a favourite with the fans too. We expect to be in good shape this weekend and we will be aiming for Q3 on Saturday and good points on Sunday.”

Nico Hülkenberg feels refreshed and ready to race this weekend in Belgium: “The summer break was very relaxing for me. My schedule has been extra busy this year so it was nice to stay at home for a few weeks and just switch off and relax. Even though it’s only been a month since the last race, you miss being in the car and the buzz of racing, so I’m definitely ready to begin the second half of the season.

“Spa is a favourite for all the drivers. When I think of driving there it just makes me smile because it’s got so many special high-speed corners – the corners you want to experience in a Formula One car. You’ve also got the history of the place and the unpredictable weather which often helps spice up the racing.

“We go there hoping to bounce back from a tough race in Hungary. The improvements we’ve made to the car will really help us in Spa, especially through the high-speed corners. The engine also plays a big part around the lap. We are competitive and I am confident we can start the second part of the season strongly.”

Sergio Perez: “The break was a good opportunity to recharge my batteries and spend some time at home with my family. The calendar is pretty busy and we don’t often get the chance to have some time for ourselves. However, I am really looking forward to getting back behind the wheel and doing what I really love.

“Spa is an amazing track and I enjoy racing there. The first sector and the run through Eau Rouge feel very special in a Formula One car and it’s definitely a highlight of the year. The track can also produce really good racing because there are a few corners where you have a good chance to overtake.

“I think the characteristics of the track and its emphasis on power and top speed should suit our car. You also have to expect wet weather at some point during the weekend so it could be quite unpredictable. We have shown some good pace in the last few races and we should be in a position to get a good result.”

Belgian GP preview: Williams

21/08/2015 By in Formula One Tags: , , , , Leave a comment

Motor Racing - Formula One World Championship - Belgian Grand Prix - Practice Day - Spa Francorchamps, Belgium

 

The Spa-Francorchamps circuit is one of Formula One’s most iconic and revered. The extreme climb through Eau Rouge with clouds of spray hanging between the trees of the Ardennes forest is one of the sport’s most memorable sights.

Spa is one of the precious few circuits to retain the magic of its original form through a modernised and shortened layout, thanks to sweeping elevations around legendary sections of road at Eau Rouge, Pouhon and Blanchimont.

The 7km lap is perhaps the most treasured of the season for the drivers.

Rob Smedley (you should know who he is by now):
“Returning from the summer break we are all refreshed and absolutely raring to go; the team spirit and motivation at Williams is tangible as we look forward to challenging for podium positions in the second part of the year. Spa should be a circuit that suits the FW37 and we therefore have to capitalise on this. The long straights twinned with the long sweeping corners in sector 2 are definitely characteristics where we’ve seen this year’s car perform really well. The weather is an important factor in Spa and we therefore have to be ready for all circumstances. We have been doing a lot of homework in this area recently and the team has made excellent inroads. Belgium is such a fantastic Grand Prix for the teams and the fans alike. It encapsulates the purity of Formula One very well, which is simply about the best cars in the world racing around the best circuits, and we are lucky to visit here each year.”

Valtteri Bottas:
“Spa is one of my favourite circuits. The feeling of Eau Rouge in a Formula One car is hard to explain and certainly unique, it’s just incredible. The layout is normally strongly suited to the characteristics of our car as well, so I head to this weekend looking for a strong result. I was on the podium last year, so we are looking to achieve a similar result. The weather always plays a part throughout the weekend so we have to be alert as it can change so fast.”

Felipe Massa:
“Spa is the most enjoyable circuit for many of the drivers and it’s definitely my favourite. It’s always good to have a strong result at the circuits you enjoy driving. The weather can sometimes surprise us so we will need to be on the ball when it comes to strategic decision making. The layout suits the strengths of our car so we’re looking to start the second half of the season in a strong position.”

Hungarian GP post race: Lotus

12/08/2015 By in Formula One Tags: Leave a comment
Pastor Maldonado

Pastor Maldonado

 

Lotus F1 experienced an eventful Hungarian Grand Prix with Romain Grosjean fighting back to finish seventh and Pastor Maldonado finishing fourteenth. Both drivers had tardy starts but were able to work back through the order in a race which saw one safety car period as well as numerous incidents and penalties through the field. Both drivers were included in the penalty list, with Grosjean awarded five seconds stationary in the pit lane and Maldonado having two drive-through penalties and a 10 second addition to his race time.

Grosjean started from P10 on the grid on his qualifying soft tyres, changing to new softs on lap 14, new mediums on lap 34 and scrubbed softs on lap 42. He served a five-second stop and go on his second stop for an unsafe release from his first. Maldonado started from P14 on the grid on new medium tyres. He changed to new soft tyres on laps 25 and 41. He completed pit lane drive through penalties on laps 24 and 58. Ten seconds were added to his race time.

Romain Grosjean, P7, E23-04
“I think today was an incredible race; it was an incredible weekend. Being in the top ten in qualifying yesterday was a miracle and today was actually beautiful; we really pushed hard and it was good, we deserved some points. I had a terrible start, lost a lot of spaces and I was pushed into the gravel by Carlos Sainz on the first lap. Then I came back on track and couldn’t pass the McLaren. Then there was a penalty for an unsafe release and then the safety car. But we got the strategy right and, after all that, we ended up in P7 fighting with the Mercedes.”

Pastor Maldonado, P14, E23-03
“It was tough race and the Stewarts were certainly very strict today, very tough on driving with me and many other drivers. I struggled at the start as our strategy was to run with the harder tyres, but then the strategy was working well with the softer tyres until the penalties affected our race. With Sergio Perez around the outside of me it felt like a racing incident to me; there was nothing intentional in the contact.”

Federico Gastaldi, Deputy Team Principal:
“Today we saw a great race illustrating the never-give-up attitude from everyone at Enstone. Romain scored a nice tally of points and it’s a pity that Pastor was unable to join him in the top ten as he certainly looked set to finish there too. We started the weekend pretty far down the timesheets, but we improved every day. The E23 is a great car which still has further potential to perform strongly. It was a fantastic race to watch too; amazing for the spectacle.”

Alan Permane, Trackside Operations Director:
“After a poor start we expected a very difficult fight to try to get any points, but in an eventful race Romain was able to salvage a decent points finish. The E23 worked well in today’s track conditions, we had a good strategy and we were able to take advantage of the safety car period to change Romain back to the softer tyres. Romain did a great job to defend from the Mercedes to finish between them, and the points scored helps us in our battle for fifth position in the Constructors’ Championship. Pastor had the potential to also score well today, but unfortunately too many penalties blunted his charge.”

 

Romain Grosjean (FRA) Lotus F1 E23. Hungarian Grand Prix, Sunday 26th July 2015. Budapest, Hungary.

Romain Grosjean

Pastor Maldonado (VEN) Lotus F1 E23. Hungarian Grand Prix, Sunday 26th July 2015. Budapest, Hungary.

Pastor Maldonado

Hungarian GP post race: Williams

12/08/2015 By in Formula One Tags: , , , , Leave a comment

Felipe Massa finished 12th and Valtteri Bottas 13th after a chaotic Hungarian Grand Prix. Bottas made a great start running in fourth after the first lap whilst Massa struggled for pace in tenth. Massa was given a five-second penalty for being out of position on the grid and struggled after his first stop on the medium tyre. Bottas had a solid race but was hit from behind after the safety car restart resulting in a right-rear puncture.

Rob Smedley, Head of Performance Engineering: “We weren’t where we expected to be today following the pace we had on Friday. It was an eventful race all round. Valtteri was unfortunately hit from behind through no fault of his own picking up a puncture, and without that could have been on the podium. Felipe’s tyres only worked in the final stint, and we need to investigate why that was as it made for a tough race for him. Results like this make us stronger as a group and we can go away and analyse what went wrong. Williams has been on a constant learning curve over the last 18 months and you have to take days like this with that. We now head into the next few races which will play to our strengths and we’ll aim to recuperate the points we lost today.

Felipe Massa: “That was a really challenging day for us. I got a penalty early on and then the medium tyre in traffic didn’t work well for me at all. It was uphill from there on. As a team we walked away with no points, which is a blow for the Championship, but something we now have to make up for.”

Valtteri Bottas: “It was a disappointing day to score no points. At the start of the race we were running in line with the pace of the car. There were plenty of opportunities to score well, but I suffered a puncture at the wrong time and from then on it was a struggle. It is important we move forward from this, have a good rest and arrive fresh and ready for Spa.”

Hungarian GP post race: Sahara Force India

12/08/2015 By in Formula One Tags: Leave a comment
Nico Hulkenberg

Nico Hulkenberg

 

It was a disappointing weekend for Sahara Force India in Budapest with both cars retiring from the Hungarian Grand Prix. The team remains in fifth place in the championship at the half-way point of the season.

DNF Nico Hulkenberg VJM08-01
Strategy: Used Softs (15 laps) – New Softs (21 laps) – New Mediums (6 laps)
“It’s a shame we lost the opportunity to get a great result today. I didn’t have much warning that there was a problem with the front wing – there was a harsh vibration just before it broke and after that I was heading straight into the barriers. The final impact was not too bad because that part of the track is well protected and it absorbed the energy nicely. Up until the accident, things were looking very positive: I had made a great start and was racing with the Red Bulls which shows the step forward we have made with the b-spec car. The good news is that we have time over the next week to analyse what happened today and get the solutions in place before the summer break. Reliability has been a real strength of ours this season so it’s unusual for us to have these issues and the team will do its homework before we arrive in Spa. I go into the summer break knowing that we are competitive and that we can have a strong second half of the season.”

DNF Sergio Perez VJM08-02
Strategy: Used Softs (16 laps) – New Softs (14 softs) – New Mediums (11 laps) – Used Softs (3 laps) – Used Softs (8 laps)
“It was a really tough weekend for us, from the Friday to the Sunday. We have a lot of reasons to be disappointed about the race because I feel we could have scored some really big points. The first few laps were very strong and we made up a lot of positions, but the contact with Pastor Maldonado compromised my race. I was as cautious around him as I could be and left him plenty of room but unfortunately it wasn’t enough. After that, getting points was always going to be a challenge and ultimately some brake issues put an end to our race. Looking at the positives, up until the clash with Pastor the car performed very strongly and this gives me the confidence we can really challenge for good results in the second part of the season.”

Otmar Szafnauer, Chief Operating Officer:
“It has been a difficult day and it’s disappointing to come away from Budapest empty-handed. Nico was on course for a good helping of points until he suffered an issue with the front wing on the approach to turn one. We are still looking into what caused the wing to break, but the most important thing is that Nico is perfectly okay. Sergio’s afternoon suffered after Maldonado made contact with him after Sergio had passed him going into turn one. That incident cost us a lot of time and resulted in some damage to the right side of Sergio’s car. As the race continued, he was suffering with a long brake pedal and we had to retire the car. Sometimes in racing things don’t go your way and this was certainly an unlucky weekend. We will regroup ahead of Spa and come back stronger for the second half of the season.”

 

Sergio Perez

Sergio Perez

Top 10 wealthiest F1 drivers of all time

09/08/2015 By in Formula One Tags: , , , , , Leave a comment

Thanks to Wealth-X for this. Its list of the top 10 richest F1 drivers of all time includes active and retired race car drivers.

Cruising into first place on the list is seven-time world champion Michael Schumacher who has an estimated net worth of US$780 million. The retired German driver, who last raced for Mercedes in 2012, is currently recovering from a serious brain injury from a skiing accident in the French Alps in 2013.

Schumacher’s wealth represents 43% of the combined net worth of all 10 men on the list, four of whom have retired from the sport.

Reigning world champion Lewis Hamilton came in fifth place on the Wealth-X list with a personal fortune of US$110 million.

Hamilton’s Mercedes teammate Nico Rosberg took 10th place with US$30 million in assets.

The youngest driver on the list is 27-year-old Sebastien Vettel, who has a net worth of US$45 million. The oldest is 60-year-old retired Frenchman Alain Prost, who has amassed a personal fortune of US$70 million.

1 Michael Schumacher (Mercedes) $780m – Retired
2 Fernando Alonso (McLaren) $220m
3 Kimi Raikkonen (Ferrari) $180m
4 Eddie Irvine (Jaguar) $180m – Retired
5 Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes) $110m
6 Jenson Button (McLaren) $100m
7 Alan Prost (Williams) $70m – Retired
8 David Coulthard (Red Bull) $70m – Retired
9 Sebastian Vettel (Ferrari) $45m
10 Nico Rosberg (Mercedes) $30m

(Latest team for retired drivers)

Sad day

18/07/2015 By in Formula One Tags: Leave a comment

The FIA issued this statement earlier:

The world of motor sport is in mourning today, after the tragic passing of Jules Bianchi overnight. The sport has lost one of the most talented drivers of this generation, from a family that has such a strong presence in the history of the sport.

Jules Bianchi was a popular personality all in F1, possessing the best of both human and sporting qualities. The FIA ​​recognises the courage with which he conducted his last fight, in the company of his loving family.

Jean Todt, FIA President, expressed his deepest condolences to Jules’ family and recognised the great pain being felt by the Bianchi family and those close to them.

The motor sport community offers their most sincere support through this terrible ordeal.

Silverstone Classic: try not to miss it

12/07/2015 By in Cars, Formula One Tags: , , , , , , Leave a comment

 

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This year’s 25th anniversary Silverstone Classic (24-26 July) will celebrate its milestone Silver Jubilee.

At one end of the phenomenal panorama the introduction of F1 cars from the turbocharged Senna and Schumacher era brings the story almost up to date. The return of the evocative pre-War sports cars meanwhile will take festival-goers much further back in time to an epoch when the famed Bentley Boys were victorious at Le Mans in the 1920s.

Adventurer and aviator Glen Kidston was one of them and he will be honoured at this year’s Classic. Silverstone will reverberate to the magnificent sound of a huge grid of wonderful cars from that golden age in what promises to be a vastly entertaining Kidston Trophy race on Saturday morning.

Kidston had been torpedoed twice in the same morning when serving as a Lieutenant Commander in the Royal Navy. By the mid 1920s he was a submarine Commander and when not at sea he set records as an aviator, hill climbed, conducted motorcycle speed trials on sand and raced cars, winning the 1930 Le Mans 24 Hour race in the Bentley Speed Six he shared with Woolf Barnato (above).

Having survived several serious scrapes, Kidston sadly lost his life less than a year later when the de Havilland Puss Moth he was flying broke up in mid-air during a dust storm over the Drakensberg Mountains in southern Africa.

It takes quite a grid to represent such a buccaneering character, but Motor Racing Legends has succeeded with more than 45 eye-catching entries already received. A full complement of 50 now looks probable for a dazzling 40-minute showdown complete with a mandatory pit-stop and optional driver change.

In a race dedicated to a Bentley Boy you need a Bentley or two. The Classic will have at least nine, including the 4½-litre Le Mans of vintage Bentley guru Stanley Mann plus a pair of 3-litre machines dating back to 1924 – currently the oldest on the near-capacity entry.

At the front of the pack are likely to be the big Invicta S Type of Chris and Nick Ball, the Alta Sports of Gareth Burnett and Richard Evans, and Rudi Friedrichs in the Alvis Speed 20 SA in which he has clocked up more than 150,000 miles, including three Peking-Paris rallies. The aluminium Frazer Nash Supersports of Fred Wakeman and Patrick Blakeney-Edwards is another potential front-runner – it’s one of at least seven Frazer Nashes rolling back the years at the Classic.

What makes the Kidston Trophy special, though, is the wildly diverse sizes and power of the competing machines, the mighty Bentleys dwarfing cars such as the Austin Seven, as the seatbelt-less drivers saw away at the wooden steering wheels and negotiate the modern Grand Prix track on narrow tyres.

The entry also features a mouth-watering array of nine early Aston Martins plus the three Talbot 105 works Fox & Nicholl team cars complete with their famous GO 52, GO 53 and GO 54 registrations. Paul Grist’s Alfa Romeo 8C 2.9, Richard Pilkington’s Talbot T26, Richard Wilson’s 1935 Squire Short Chassis and Martin Halusa’s Alfa Romeo 8C 2300 Zagato Spyder are other certain crowd-pullers. Halusa is also fielding his iconic Bugatti 35C.

The inaugural Kidston Trophy is just one of the many, many highlights on Saturday’s packed programme. Others include BTCC champions Matt Neal and Gordon Shedden gunning for victory in the fiercely-fought U2TC race for Sixties saloons, the opening FIA Masters Formula One contest for a record field of F1 cars from the DFV era, Group C prototypes racing into the sunset and Status Quo performing live. It all adds up to a truly unmissable day of evocative entertainment.

 

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