Category Archives: Formula One

British GP post race: Sahara Force India

06/07/2015 By in Formula One Tags: Leave a comment
Sergio Perez.

Sergio Perez.

 

The team scored eight points with Nico Hülkenberg racing to seventh place and Sergio Perez coming home ninth. The double points finish consolidates the team’s fifth position in the Constructors’ championship.

P7 Nico Hulkenberg VJM08-01
Strategy: Used Mediums (19 laps) – New Hards (25 laps) – New Intermediates (8 laps)

Nico Hulkenberg: “That was an entertaining afternoon and it’s great to come away from our home race with a good bunch of points. My start was sensational – maybe the best I ever had in Formula One – and I rocketed up to fifth place ahead of the two Ferraris. I was able to keep them behind me for the first stint, but they had too much pace and were able to use the strategy to jump us by pitting early. When the rain arrived at the end of the race the track was very slippery. I was a bit unfortunate with the timing because I had just passed the pit lane entry when the rain became really heavy and I had to do a full lap before I could change to intermediates. Overall, though, I think seventh place is a great result and we should be satisfied. A lot of the performance today is down to the updates we brought here. It’s moved us in the right direction so I have to say a big well done to the team.”

P9 Sergio Perez VJM08-02
Strategy: New Mediums (20 laps) – New Hards (24 laps) – New Intermediates (7 laps)

Sergio Perez: “Finishing with both cars in the points at Silverstone is a very positive step for the team. We probably could have been even higher up, but the strategy didn’t really work out in my favour. After my first stop, I lost a position to Sainz and I spent a few laps stuck behind him when my tyres were at their best. I was in the dirty air and struggling with the front tyres, which had a lot of graining. When the second rain shower came we had a lot of discussions over the radio about what call to make and unfortunately we waited too long, which cost us a place. When you get opportunities and you don’t make the best of them you are obviously disappointed, but I think we should focus on the positives of this weekend. We’ve shown good progress and there is a lot of potential for the second half of the season.”

Vijay Mallya, Team Principal & Managing Director:
“To score eight points in our home race and strengthen our hold on fifth place in the championship is a fantastic achievement. Historically we’ve never been especially strong on the high-speed layout of Silverstone, but the updated VJM08 looked competitive in all weather conditions. This track provides a tough test of a Formula One car so I’m optimistic we can keep up the momentum as we enter the second half of the season. Both Nico and Sergio drove exceptionally well today; they kept out of trouble and coped well with the changeable conditions. It wasn’t easy to know when to pit for intermediate tyres because some parts of the track were wet and some were dry, but I think we made the right decisions with the information we had.”

 

Nico Hulkenberg.

Nico Hulkenberg.

British GP post race: Williams

06/07/2015 By in Formula One Tags: Leave a comment

Felipe Massa finished fourth and Valtteri Bottas fifth after running 1-2 in the first stint of an exciting British Grand Prix.

After a brilliant start, Massa took the lead of the race, holding on to the position until the first round of pitstops. Bottas was racing for second off the start, eventually holding third until he was able to capitalise on a mistake from Hamilton to retake the position after a brief safety car period. Hamilton jumped both cars in the first pitstops before rain played havoc with the field allowing Rosberg and Vettel to move ahead as they stopped for intermediates.

Rob Smedley, Head of Performance Engineering: “There were a few moments in the race where things didn’t go our way. We have to remain positive and proud of our result. The pace we showed throughout this weekend was great, we had a stunning race up until the rain came. We raced two cars against both Mercedes for a majority of the race which shows the hard work and upgrades we are bringing to the car are all working. We closed the gap on second position and moved further ahead of fourth, so it has been a good weekend.”

Felipe Massa: “It is a frustrating result because the race was amazing today. I had a fantastic start and we were fighting with Mercedes the whole time, it could even have been possible to win the race if it had stayed dry, which is great to see. It was a shame to lose positions in the rain. We waited one lap longer on the second stop which is where we lost the opportunity to be on the podium. That shower also highlighted the car’s weakness in the wet.”

Valtteri Bottas: “In some ways it was an incredibly frustrating race, and others it was very pleasing. Both cars had great starts and we raced the Mercedes with genuine pace, but when the rain came I really struggled with the intermediate tyre. I was allowed to race Felipe, but it was hard to get through, and I didn’t want to make any mistakes. We have to have a look the race data and make sure we continue to learn from this.”

British GP post race: Lotus

06/07/2015 By in Formula One Tags: , , , , Leave a comment
Romain Grosjean (FRA) Lotus F1 Team on the grid. British Grand Prix, Sunday 5th July 2015. Silverstone, England.

Romain Grosjean.

Pastor Maldonado (VEN) Lotus F1 E23 on the grid. British Grand Prix, Sunday 5th July 2015. Silverstone, England.

Pastor Maldonado.

 

Lotus F1 Team’s hopes for the British Grand Prix evaporated before the completion of the first lap after an incident instigated retirement for both Romain Grosjean and Pastor Maldonado. Contact between Daniel Riccardo’s Red Bull and Maldonado’s E23 led to contact with and damage to the latter’s car; Grosjean retired almost immediately whereas Maldonado was able to complete more of his lap before being told to park and retire.

Grosjean started from P12 on the grid on fresh medium compound tyres.
Maldonado started from P14 on the grid on new medium compound tyres.

Romain Grosjean, DNF, E23-04:
“That was a very short race for the team and I feel for everyone here at Silverstone and at Enstone. Daniel must have thought his brakes and tyres would be able to slow him better than they did and the result was the end of both my and Pastor’s race. No-one likes to end a Grand Prix like that as so much effort goes into making and preparing the cars. I know we have many fans who want to see us race so I feel for them too. Budapest is next, and we’ve gone well there in the past. I’m pumped-up to fight for every single point available.”

Pastor Maldonado, DNF, E23-03:
“At first I thought I had a puncture and would be able to return to the pits and re-join the race but unfortunately the damage to the car was more serious than that and I had to retire. There is nothing you can do in situations like these as it’s all part of racing. Now my focus is on the next race where we’ll be trying our very best as always.”

Federico Gastaldi, Deputy Team Principal:
“Motorsport is sometimes a cruel sport and we saw that today. There was nothing either of our drivers could have done to avoid the first lap incident and that was our race over. It’s been a frustrating home weekend for us. We weren’t able to show the pace we have in the car, we’ve suffered from a few niggles, then it was a very early bath for both our guys. Our focus is now very much on Budapest and doing everything we can to ensure we perform at the best of our ability there.”

Nick Chester, Technical Director:
“Both Romain and Pastor were the victims of over-exuberance at the start of the race meaning that both returned to the garage for a very short debrief after only a lap on track. It’s now a rapid return to Enstone to put everything we can into preparing the cars for Hungary and our next opportunity for a points haul.”

 

(L to R): Julien Simon-Chautemps (FRA) Lotus F1 Team Race Engineer with Romain Grosjean (FRA) Lotus F1 Team on the grid. British Grand Prix, Sunday 5th July 2015. Silverstone, England.

(L to R): Julien Simon-Chautemps, Team Race Engineer with Romain Grosjean.

Pastor Maldonado (VEN) Lotus F1 Team with Mark Slade (GBR) Lotus F1 Team Race Engineer on the grid. British Grand Prix, Sunday 5th July 2015. Silverstone, England.

Pastor Maldonado with Mark Slade, Team Race Engineer on the grid.

British GP: Friday

06/07/2015 By in Formula One Tags: , Leave a comment

Some nice images from Lotus…

 

Jolyon Palmer (GBR) Lotus F1 E23 Test and Reserve Driver. British Grand Prix, Friday 3rd July 2015. Silverstone, England.

Jolyon Palmer Test and Reserve Driver.

Pastor Maldonado (VEN) Lotus F1 E23. British Grand Prix, Friday 3rd July 2015. Silverstone, England.

Pastor Maldonado (and below).

Pastor Maldonado (VEN) Lotus F1 E23. British Grand Prix, Friday 3rd July 2015. Silverstone, England.

Romain Grosjean (FRA) Lotus F1 E23 leaves the pits. British Grand Prix, Friday 3rd July 2015. Silverstone, England.

Romain Grosjean.

 

And Sahara Force India…

 

Sergio Perez (MEX) Sahara Force India F1 VJM08. British Grand Prix, Friday 3rd July 2015. Silverstone, England.

Sergio Perez.

Nico Hulkenberg (GER) Sahara Force India F1 VJM08. British Grand Prix, Friday 3rd July 2015. Silverstone, England.

Nico Hulkenberg.

Lewis Hamilton receives Hawthorn Memorial trophy

06/07/2015 By in Formula One Tags: Leave a comment

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Sunday’s British Grand Prix winner received the accolade from Rob Jones, Chief Executive of the Motor Sports Association (MSA).

The Hawthorn Memorial Trophy is awarded annually to the most successful British or Commonwealth driver in the previous year’s FIA Formula One World Drivers’ Championship. It was first presented by the Hawthorn family in memory of Mike Hawthorn, who became Britain’s first F1 champion in 1958 but tragically died a year later. Sunday (5 July) marked 62 years since Hawthorn won his first grand prix, at Reims in 1953 – can hardly believe it.

Mercedes AMG Petronas driver Hamilton won 11 grands prix – including his home race at Silverstone – en route to the 2014 F1 title. In doing so he became only the 16th driver in F1’s 64-year history to win the championship more than once. His first crown came in only his second F1 season in 2008, having missed being a rookie champion in 2007 by a single point.

Lewis Hamilton: “This trophy is full of class. It’s real silverware with a great history and that’s what I race for; this is the best reward you can get for winning. It’s real and it’s what you have to show for all your efforts, so I’m very grateful to receive it.”

Rob Jones: “It was a real pleasure to present Lewis with the Hawthorn Memorial Trophy once again, particularly as he is so appreciative of the history of British motor sports. Mike Hawthorn was Britain’s first F1 champion and Lewis is the latest, with nine more in between.”

Since the formation of the FIA Formula One World Championship in 1950, no fewer than 10 British drivers have won the title – seven more than any other nation.

Williams brings out driving app

06/07/2015 By in Formula One Tags: , , Leave a comment

 

 

Oris_Reaction_Race_2

 

The Oris Reaction Race is a new mobile and tablet game featuring Williams Racing.

Reaction Race is free to download for Apple and Android mobile phones and tablets, and will test your reflexes and precision through five stages of a race:

Starting grid – react to the lights to make the fastest start
Gear change – time your shifts to maximise speed
Pit stop – change the wheels and make the fastest pit stop
Braking zone – perfect your braking for the best lap time
Photo finish – snap a shot of the car as it crosses the finish line.

The five game modes combine to create a full race challenge, from which you can compare your score against your friends and other online users.

Oris, the luxury Swiss watch manufacturer in its 13th year as Williams’ Official Watch Partner, is also running a competition throughout the 2015 Formula One season to award prizes to players of the game, which has been developed by Playerthree studio.

One of the top 20 players on the leaderboard in each race week of the 2015 Formula One World Championship will win a signed Williams Racing cap, with an additional prize draw at the end of the Formula One season awarding an Oris Williams Day Date watch and a piece of signed bodywork from a Williams Formula One car.

Speaking about the launch of Reaction Race Claire Williams, Deputy Team Principal and Commercial Director of Williams, said: “Williams is currently placing great emphasis on creating engaging digital content for our fans. Oris has something that tests your skills in a new and addictive way, and we are sure it will be a big hit.”

New Grand Prix venue in Mexico City

02/07/2015 By in Formula One Tags: , , , , , , Leave a comment
Daniel Ricciardo form Red Bull Racing and Carlos Sainz from Scuderia Toro Rosso erforming at the Infinit/RedBull F1 ShowRun Mexico City on Sepetember 27th 2015

Red Bull Racing’s Daniel Ricciardo and Carlos Sainz from Scuderia Toro Rosso performing at the Infinit/RedBull F1 ShowRun Mexico City on 27 September 2015.

Daniel Ricciardo form Red Bull Racing and Carlos Sainz from Scuderia Toro Rosso erforming at the Infinit/RedBull F1 ShowRun Mexico City on Sepetember 27th 2015

Daniel Ricciardo.

 

Daniel Ricciardo is the first of the current Formula One grid to drive the newly redesigned Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez circuit in Mexico City.

After a tour of the pit and paddock facilities, still under construction, Ricciardo completed the first ever lap of the newly-configured track behind the wheel of a 3.5 litre, 320PS Infiniti Q50 Hybrid. He was then joined by Scuderia Toro Rosso driver Carlos Sainz in the World Championship-winning RB7 Formula One car, with the pair driving a number of parts of the track in both cars, including the stadium section.

Once complete, the 17-turn, 2.7 mile (4.3km) circuit will return to the F1 calendar in November with the first Mexican Grand Prix for 23 years.

Commenting on his experience in Mexico, Ricciardo said: “It was really cool to come and see how the circuit is coming along. It clearly has a good mix of fast and slow corners which I think will be a real challenge in an F1 car, so I’m looking forward to racing here later in the season. I heard that the tickets are already sold out, so it will be a pretty special atmosphere here that’s for sure.”

 

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Daniel Ricciardo form Red Bull Racing and Carlos Sainz from Scuderia Toro Rosso erforming at the Infinit/RedBull F1 ShowRun Mexico City on Sepetember 27th 2015

Formula E meets Battersea: Saturday

28/06/2015 By in Formula E Leave a comment
Buemi takes victory in Visa London ePrix

Buemi takes victory in Visa London ePrix

 

The dominant colours at the first day of the Visa London ePrix, held in Battersea Park, were yellow and blue – those of the e.dams-Renault team, which thanks to a victory courtesy of Sebastien Buemi and a seventh place for Nicolas Prost, took the first ever team title.

This was Buemi’s third win of the season, following on from those in Punta del Este and Monaco and it means the fight for the drivers’ title is wide open again, given that series leader Nelson Piquet Jr, finished fifth, also beaten by fellow countryman Lucas di Grassi, who was fourth.

The first and probably decisive building block in Buemi’s victory came shortly after 1pm, when he set the fastest time in qualifying. Starting from what Formula E’s Global Partner christened the number one slot on the grid, the Julius Baer Pole Position, was the key, especially as the start was taken behind the Qualcomm Safety Car.

This decision was taken after Turn 1 had to be modified on safety grounds, so all the cars set off behind the pace car. Just as he did in Monaco on 9 May, Buemi soon set the pace and built up a lead of a handful of seconds, which meant he was able to run the race as he pleased. He richly deserved the haul of 28 points, which means not only does he jump up into second place in the drivers’ classification, but above all, he has closed the gap to the leader to just five points.

The only goal which escaped the Swiss driver was the Visa Fastest Lap Trophy, which went to Lucas di Grassi. Having started third on the grid, the Audi Sport ABT driver had to concentrate more on defending his position from his direct rival in the title fight, than on attacking those in front of him. There were some truly exciting moments in the duel between the two Brazilians, with Piquet trying to make the most of the FanBoost and di Grassi grittily defending, although it was not enough to prevent Jean-Eric Vergne getting past. The Scuderia Ferrari test driver, in his Andretti car, started from fifth, but was one of the fastest in the race, managing to pass both Brazilians.

Jerome D’Ambrosio came home second, racking up his second front running finish in the championship. Dragon Racing’s Belgian driver started from the front row and produced a really impeccable drive, taking a result that’s very important for the team which is still fighting for the runner-up slot in the teams’ classification.

Of the other points finishers, Sam Bird came home sixth, getting the better of fellow countryman, Oliver Turvey, the best of the five rookies, who took a strong ninth place. The remaining points finishers were all French: Prost seventh, Duval eighth and Sarrazin tenth. Just outside the points was Switzerland’s Simona de Silvestro, whose eleventh place was the best result for a woman driver this season.

The tenth race is now over, but there’s barely time to pause for breath: for the first time, a round is made up of two races on consecutive days, much to the delight of the large crowd of Londoners and tourists, who packed Battersea Park on Saturday, filling the grandstands as part of an overall crowd of more than 25,000.

Sunday is the final race of the championship, which will decide the drivers’ title. Yesterday, six of them were in with a chance of being crowned the very first Formula E champion, but now it’s down to just three: Piquet, Buemi and di Grassi. The NEXTEV TCR driver starts with a five point advantage over his e.dams-Renault rival, while Audi Sport ABT’s Brazilian faces a 13 point deficit: with 30 points to play for, anything can still happen.

FIA Formula E Championship – Visa London ePrix (Rd 10) – Results:

1. Sebastien Buemi, e.dams-Renault, 47:54.784s (29 laps)
2. Jerome D’Ambrosio, Dragon Racing, +0.939s
3. Jean-Eric Vergne, Andretti Formula E, +1.667s
4. Lucas di Grassi, Audi Sport ABT, +2.409s
5. Nelson Piquet Jr, NEXTEV TCR, +7.370s
6. Sam Bird, Virgin Racing, +7.762s
7. Nicolas Prost, e.dams-Renault, +8.553s
8. Loic Duval, Dragon Racing, +9.507s
9. Oliver Turvey, NEXTEV TCR, +10.032s
10. Stephane Sarrazin, Venturi, +12.077s
11. Simona de Silvestro, Andretti Formula E, +15.946s
12. Karun Chandhok, Mahindra Racing, +35.595s
13. Nick Heidfeld, Venturi, +41.034s
14. Fabio Leimer, Virgin Racing, +42.697s
15. Jarno Trulli, Trulli, +43.273s
16. Bruno Senna, Mahindra Racing, +48.423s
17. Salvador Duran, Amlin Aguri, +1:01.987s
18. Alex Fontana, Trulli, DNF
19. Daniel Abt, Audi Sport ABT, DNF
20. Sakon Yamamoto, Amlin Aguri, DNF

Driver Standings (After Rd 10):

1. Nelson Piquet Jr 138pts
2. Sebastien Buemi 133pts
3. Lucas di Grassi 125pts
4. Jerome D’Ambrosio 95pts
5. Nicolas Prost 88pts
6. Sam Bird 76pts
7. Jean-Eric Vergne 70pts
8. Antonio Felix da Costa 51pts
9. Daniel Abt 32pts
10. Nick Heidfeld 31pts

Team Standings (After Rd 10):

1. e.dams-Renault 221pts
2. Audi Sport ABT 157pts
3. NEXTEV TCR 144pts
4. Dragon Racing 133pts
5. Andretti Formula E 119pts
6. Virgin Racing 106pts
7. Amlin Aguri 62pts
8. Venturi 50pts
9. Mahindra Racing 46pts
10. Trulli 17pts

60 years apart: Silver Arrows captured in 360˚ films – download the app

26/06/2015 By in Formula One Tags: , , , Leave a comment
Classic Insight Erfolgsgeschichten 1955

Classic Insight, Erfolgsgeschichten 1955

 

Mercedes-Benz Silver Arrows dominated race tracks around the world 60 years ago – winning in Formula One and the World Sports Car Championship in what were, at the time, the fastest and most advanced machines ever created – the mighty W 196 series racing cars.

Now, using cutting-edge filming techniques, there’s the chance to experience what it must have been like to wrestle the Silver Arrows in vivid, 360 degree films, packaged into an app and now available to download in the Android Store and via iTunes. Search for ‘Mercedes Classic’.

Using the accelerometers in a tablet or phone, you can change the angle you view the action from by simply moving the device – creating an interactive film that can be viewed from any angle, and relayed realtime.

In the app, you’re given the chance to ride alongside Sir Stirling Moss in his 300 SLR ‘722’ as he’s reunited with the same car in which, 60 years ago, he won the Mille Miglia in 10 hours, 7 minute and 48 seconds – a record time that’s never been broken.

Alternatively, you can hang on tight as a W 196 R Streamliner is taken around the famous banking at Monza – two camera views allowing you to experience the epic noise made by the straight-eight engine.

The launch of the app coincides with a packed weekend for Mercedes-Benz at the Goodwood Festival of Speed, as nine of the surviving W 196 series racers are on display – with six of them taking to the Hill.

 

24.04.2015_Classic Insight “Erfolgsgeschichten 1955“

McLaren to honour race winners at Goodwood this weekend

24/06/2015 By in Cars, Formula One Tags: , , , , , , , Leave a comment


McLaren_F1_GT_Silver_3968 McLaren_F1_GT_Silver_Cross-cabin interior McLaren_F1_GT_Silver_Head On

 

The Festival of Speed will see a collection of McLaren models, displayed statically at McLaren House, adjacent to the famous Goodwood House, and in the Supercar Paddock prepared by McLaren Special Operations (MSO).

The bespoke arm of McLaren Automotive has prepared models from the Sports Series, Super Series and Ultimate Series, the three newly-announced model tiers. Each of these celebrate this year’s Festival of Speed ‘Flat-out and Fearless’ theme, highlighting a milestone or ‘moment’ from the history of McLaren, and honouring some of the legendary drivers who have driven for the team over the years.

The Ultimate Series is represented by the McLaren P1 (pictured below and bottom) with inspiration drawn from the patriotic French livery of the helmet worn by four-time Formula 1 world champion, Alain Prost. Colour-matched to the famous design, the carbon fibre bodywork of the Prost-themed McLaren P1 is white with blue graphics and red highlights.

P1 Prost Front 3_4 P1 Prost Front P1 Prost Interior Dash P1 Prost Interior Seats

 

Representing the Heritage division of MSO is one of the rarest McLaren roadcars ever built, the McLaren F1 GT. Kindly loaned to McLaren for display at Goodwood, chassis #58F1GT is one of only three examples, designed and built to homologate the McLaren F1 GTR ‘Longtail’ for GT racing during the 1997 season. The livery echoes the famous monochrome design of the Formula 1 team during the late 1990s, driven to back-to-back world titles by Finnish racing driver Mika Hakkinen in 1998 and 1999.

McLaren_F1_GT_Silver_Seats interior McLaren_F1_GT_Silver_Tail-on Low McLaren_F1_GT_Silver_Tailight badge detail McLaren_F1_GT_Silver_Wheel detail

 

The Super Series models at McLaren House honour one of the most successful racing partnerships of the 1960s; that of Denny Hulme and the company’s founder Bruce McLaren. The pairing enjoyed success together in Formula 1 and the Can-Am series, which became known as the ‘Bruce and Denny Show’ as a result of their dominance. Denny Hulme is celebrated with the design of the limited-run 675LT. The Formula 1 and Can-Am champion’s iconic helmet design is the inspiration for the livery with two black stripes, running front to rear, over contrasting Silica White bodywork. Yellow tinted headlamp lenses echo Hulme’s visor.

The 650S Spider completes the model line-up on static display within McLaren House. As the core model in the Super Series, it is fitting that this honours the founder of the team, Bruce McLaren. Finished in the iconic heritage McLaren Orange to match his M7A Formula 1 car in which he claimed the first Formula 1 win for the team in 1968, at the famous Spa-Francorchamps circuit.

The McLaren F1 GTR victory at the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1995 is the subject of the fifth and final ‘McLaren Moment’, and the two models on public display in the Supercar Paddock pay homage to the two podium finishers.

The limited edition 650S Le Mans is inspired by the McLaren F1 GTR, #01R, driven by Yannick Dalmas, JJ Lehto and Masanori Sekiya to overall race victory. Finished in Sarthe Grey, the development example of the coupe-only model, named ‘XP1’, includes a roof-mounted snorkel, front wing louvres and a wheel design which draw inspiration from the iconic race winner.

Lining up alongside the 650S Le Mans will be the McLaren P1 GTR, wearing the iconic yellow and green livery reminiscent of McLaren F1 GTR chassis #06R, which finished third at the hands of British trio Derek Bell, Justin Bell and Andy Wallace. The two models will be joined by the new McLaren 570S which makes its global dynamic debut on the famous Goodwood Hill over the course of the weekend.

 

P1 Prost Rear 3_4 P1 Prost Rear P1 Prost Wheel P1 Prost Wing

Williams Heritage to showcase at Goodwood Festival of Speed

23/06/2015 By in Formula One Tags: , , , , Leave a comment

Williams Heritage, the division of Williams that is dedicated to preserving and showcasing the team’s historical collection of cars, will be attending this year’s Goodwood Festival of Speed where it will demonstrate a number of historic and contemporary team assets for the public to view from Friday throughout the weekend.

Williams’ driver Felipe Massa will be in attendance this Saturday 27 June and take to the wheel of a 1990 Williams Renault FW13B to tackle the famous hillclimb course. The team’s Development Driver, Alex Lynn, will be there on Sunday 28 June and also get the chance to drive the FW13B.

On display will be the team’s latest challenger, the Williams Mercedes FW37, in its distinctive Williams livery. An FW13B will be on sale at the Bonhams auction taking place at the Festival on 27 June. The FW13B was raced by Williams in the 1990 season by drivers Thierry Boutsen and Riccardo Patrese, collecting victories at the San Marino and Hungarian Grands Prix.

Speaking about Williams’ presence at the Goodwood Festival of Speed, Jonathan Williams of Williams Heritage said: “The Festival is a highlight of the motorsport calendar and is always full of highly knowledgeable and extremely passionate fans. It’s the ideal place to give fans a window into the history of the team and this year we have selected the FW13B to drive up the hill.

“This is the second year in a row that we have run a historic car at the event, with the FW18 making a starring turn last year. Williams Heritage was established with the express aim of showcasing our past racing cars to a new generation of fans and we look forward to doing this at Goodwood once again.”

Austria post race: Williams

23/06/2015 By in Formula One Tags: Leave a comment

Felipe Massa finished third and Valtteri Bottas fifth in today’s Austrian Grand Prix. After an early safety car, Bottas and Massa were running fourth and sixth respectively, before pitting for their one and only stops of the race.

After Valtteri’s pitstop he had to re-pass Hulkenberg to claim fifth, while Massa capitalised on an error in the Ferrari pitstop and overtook Vettel. In the closing stages of the race Massa held off heavy pressure from Vettel to claim his first podium of the season.

Rob Smedley, Head of Performance Engineering: “Third and fifth is a good result for the team. We wanted to get a podium today and so made the most of the opportunities we were given and we weren’t going to let it go once we had it. We have kept quicker cars behind us on three occasions already this season which shows the great race craft the drivers have. Felipe did a great job under such pressure and Valtteri had a strong race with some very solid overtaking manoeuvres.”

Felipe Massa: “I am delighted with the result, the team did a great job and it was a fantastic race. We made the most of the slower Ferrari pitstop and took all the opportunities that came to us to achieve my first podium of the year. The team were pushing me a lot throughout the final stages of the race and I was doing my best to keep Vettel behind. I knew it was not the time to make mistakes and it was amazing to bring it home.”

Valtteri Bottas: “It is a good result for the team. I was hoping for a bit more from the race personally. I enjoyed the overtaking that I made, it was just a shame it wasn’t further up. Midway through the race I had a brake issue which I had to manage a bit. We have closed the gap to the team in front in the Constructor’s Championship which is a good feeling. Well done to Felipe on a great result to get on the podium.”

Austria post race: Sahara Force India

23/06/2015 By in Formula One Tags: , , , , Leave a comment
Nico Hulkenberg

Nico Hulkenberg

 

Sahara Force India scored 10 points in today’s Austrian Grand Prix as the team moved up to fifth place in the Constructors’ championship.

P6 Nico Hulkenberg VJM08-01
Strategy: Used SuperSofts (25 laps) – New Softs (46 laps)

Nico Hulkenberg: “I’m very satisfied with sixth place today. Going into the race we always knew it would be difficult to keep the Williams of Bottas behind me, so bringing the car home in sixth was probably the maximum we could achieve. I had some good wheel-to-wheel battles with him and we swapped places a few times, but it was hard to match their absolute pace. Overall it’s been a great weekend: I found a nice rhythm and I have been very happy with the performance of the car. With Checo in the points as well, it’s been an excellent weekend for us and we can be proud of what we’ve achieved. It’s an important boost ahead of Silverstone where we hope to make another step forward.”

P9 Sergio Perez VJM08-02
Strategy: New Softs (38 laps) – New SuperSofts (32 laps)

Sergio Perez: “It is a great result for the team to come away with so many points. We’ve moved up to fifth in the championship and that’s an incredible effort by everyone in the team. I had a great start and first lap: the target was to get ahead of Maldonado as he was the first driver on the prime tyre and we managed to do that. In the first stint I had a lot of pressure from both the Lotus drivers, but we held strong and the race was looking really good. Unfortunately, we lost some time in a slow pit stop and it was a bit difficult to recover after that, especially as that placed us behind Ericsson and Nasr. The second stint was not very easy because I had some very strong vibrations on the front tyres and that cost me some pace. All in all, considering our position on the grid, it was a good race. I think we could have been a couple of places ahead if everything had gone to plan, but it’s still a good result.”

Robert Fernley, Deputy Team Principal:
“To come away from Austria with ten more points and fifth place in the championship is a tremendous result. We’ve shown good pace all weekend and it’s very satisfying to convert that speed into valuable points. Nico drove a very clean and tidy race, and realistically it would have been difficult to have finished higher up the order. The same is true for Sergio who was on the opposite strategy to Nico, but made the progress he needed in the early laps on the soft tyres. Despite a slightly lengthy pit stop he was able to recover to ninth place and pick up a couple of points. It means that we remain very well placed ahead of our local race at Silverstone where we plan to introduce the next step for the VJM08.”

 

Sergio Perez

Sergio Perez

Austria post race: Lotus

23/06/2015 By in Formula One Tags: Leave a comment
Romain Grosjean (FRA) Lotus F1 E23. Austrian Grand Prix, Sunday 21st June 2015. Spielberg, Austria.

Romain Grosjean

Romain Grosjean (FRA) Lotus F1 E23. Austrian Grand Prix, Sunday 21st June 2015. Spielberg, Austria.

 

Pastor Maldonado drove an impressive, measured race to take seventh position whilst Romain Grosjean suffered from a gearbox issue to halt his charge in the Austrian Grand Prix. Both drivers ran to one-stop strategies, with Grosjean starting on his qualifying super soft Pirellis and Maldonado starting on the harder soft tyres and eking out a long performance life from the super softs, passing cars late into his final stint. Grosjean’s car was brought into retirement at the end of lap 35.

Grosjean started from P9 on the grid on his qualifying super soft compound tyres, changing to new soft tyres on lap 23. He retired from the race with a gearbox issue on lap 35. Maldonado started from P10 on the grid on new soft tyres, changing to new super soft tyres on lap 37.

Romain Grosjean, DNF, E23-04:
“Of course it’s disappointing to retire from the race. We had good potential after the pit stop and it was good to be able to pass some cars with some side-by-side action. We were P8 when we retired and the car was feeling good. I just lost my gears and there was nothing we could do other than retire. Let’s hope our bad luck is behind us as we head to Silverstone confident of showing well again.”

Pastor Maldonado, P7, E23-03:
“It’s great to get another seventh position and the points that come with it. It was a big moment fighting with Max. The super soft tyres were very hot so losing their grip and you lose a lot of downforce close to the car ahead, but everything was under control. I wanted to get the position and I think we deserved it. It seems like we’re coming into a good time of the season for us so we’ll all keep working hard to continue scoring points.”

Federico Gastaldi, Deputy Team Principal:
“That was a fantastic drive from Pastor to take his second consecutive seventh position this season. It was a tough tactical race where he saved fuel in his first stint then managed his tyres, doing everything that was asked of him from the pit wall, plus showing us an incredible bit of car control right at the end too. We are sorry that Romain was unable to make the finish and we will do everything to diagnose and rectify the issue as he too was on course for a great result. Once more, with the pace shown this weekend, we have shown our potential to score strong points in the races ahead.”

Alan Permane, Trackside Operations Director:
“That was a very lively end to the race to highlight a fantastic drive from Pastor. He did lose positions at the start, so after that we used a very aggressive strategy to get past Sergio Perez and thereafter Pastor managed the super soft tyres very well indeed for almost a half-race distance. This included a great dice with Max Verstappen in the final laps, which Pastor won to take seventh. Romain would have been well up in the points too but suffered from what looks like a gearbox issue so our joy is tempered by the knowledge we have to find and fix whatever issue affected him.”

 

Pastor Maldonado (VEN) Lotus F1 E23. Austrian Grand Prix, Sunday 21st June 2015. Spielberg, Austria.

Pastor Maldonado

Pastor Maldonado (VEN) Lotus F1 E23. Austrian Grand Prix, Sunday 21st June 2015. Spielberg, Austria.

Canada post race: Williams

23/06/2015 By in Formula One Tags: , , , , Leave a comment

Valtteri Bottas finished third and Felipe Massa sixth in today’s Canadian Grand Prix. Bottas capitalised on a mistake by Räikkönen to move into third after his first and only pitstop, subsequently showing strong pace to keep clear of the Ferrari to secure the team’s first podium of the season.

Starting out of position in P15 after problems in qualifying, Massa drove a brilliant race to pick his way through the field and secure valuable points for the team. The team has extended its hold on third position in the Constructors’ Championship with a total of 108 points for the season so far.

Rob Smedley, Head of Performance Engineering: “The message I gave to the team this morning was that we have to go into this race believing in ourselves and be on the top of our game. If we did that I believed we could get on the podium with Valtteri and get a lot of points with Felipe, and that’s exactly what we’ve done. The two drivers were absolutely fantastic all race. The team has worked well as a unit and the strategies were spot on. The rewards are there when you get it right and we need to use this as a good boost to keep moving forwards. We now have races ahead of us where we should be aiming for more podiums.”

Valtteri Bottas: “We really maximised everything today and I’m really happy for us as a team. We had an opportunity to get third and we took it. We had the chance to change the strategy in the middle of the race and go for one stop instead of two. We knew it could be a risk but the team knew what to do and we were right. There was not much threat from behind so we could take a bit of a risk, and I’m really proud that we did. We were racing hard today and we earned the podium. It’s great to be back in the top three and we know there are better Grands Prix to come because of the updates we are bringing so I can’t wait for the next few races.”

Felipe Massa: “After a challenging qualifying for me yesterday I’m happy with how the race has gone and I’ve picked up some good points. Starting P15 was always going to lead to a busy race and there was a lot of great overtaking and the car had good consistent pace. We managed to have a one stop race and still keep the pace with the option tyre at the end which was fantastic. With the car I had today I could have been fighting for podiums, but all in all this has been a very positive weekend for the team and we should be very competitive in the next few races, especially with some upgrades planned for the car.”