Mexican GP post race: Lotus

Pastor Maldonado

Better late than never…

Romain Grosjean and Pastor Maldonado took the chequered flag just 0.6 seconds apart after an exciting first Mexican Grand Prix in 23 years. Maldonado overtook Grosjean at the start who emerged ahead after the first pit stop and the black and gold duo were seldom far apart for the rest of the 71 lap race. Grosjean started from P12 on the grid on his new soft compound tyres. He changed to new medium tyres on lap 11 and scrubbed softs under safety car conditions on lap 52. Maldonado started from P13 on new soft tyres, changing to new medium tyres on lap 10 and scrubbed softs on lap 52.

Romain Grosjean, P10, E23-04:
“It was great to see so many people here; they are huge F1 fans and so knowledgeable. It was a pleasure to race in front of them, especially in the awesome stadium area where everyone was so passionate. It’s good to score, even if it was only one point! It was a long race and not easy as there was a lot to manage. The car was good on medium tyres, less so on softs. The safety car meant it was too risky not to come in and that meant finishing the race on the soft compound. This weekend was all about finding the grip and the track was definitely improving massively throughout the race. I think next year will be even more fun to drive once the grip has improved.”

Pastor Maldonado, P11, E23-03:
“Our race was pretty good and it was great to cross the finish line to so many cheers and still pushing hard to pass Romain, though I would have preferred to be in front! I expected to struggle more with the brakes today, but everything was under control, so I’m disappointed not to be in the points after what was a strong race from us. I made a good start, but we lost time at the first pit stop. It was pretty tough at the end trying to overtake; I was a few tenths faster than Romain but it is tough to pass here. I missed a braking point at turn 12 late on, but my battle to beat him was lost in through traffic in the pits.”

Federico Gastaldi, Deputy Team Principal:
“What a fantastic return for Formula 1 to Mexico. We saw a fast-paced and exciting race today where both our drivers were amazingly closely matched, showing they are both giving their all. The Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez is a wonderful venue and we received a superb response from all the fans. Everyone in the team continues to show their fighting spirit with just two races left this season.”

Alan Permane, Trackside Operations Director
“That was quite a straight-forward race for us to mark our return to Mexico. The circuit is very impressive and presents unique challenges from an engineering perspective. Both drivers drove strongly and intelligently and were very evenly matched throughout the race. Pastor lost time on his first pit stop from other traffic in the pit lane otherwise the finishing positions would likely be reversed, but he and Romain raced cleanly at every turn.”

London-Brighton: no rain for a change

01/11/2015 By Clive Couldwell in Cars, Charity, Formula One Tags: London-Brighton Leave a comment

As tradition dictates, the 119th anniversary run set out from Hyde Park at day break and headed 60 miles south through a misty London and on to a sunny Sussex seafront. For only the third time in more than half a century, this year’s route took the intrepid participants – all driving pioneering cars from the pre-1905 era – past Buckingham Palace and down The Mall before heading past Big Ben and over Westminster Bridge. The capital’s early morning mist added to the period Victorian atmosphere.

The first few cars began to arrive on Maderia Drive shortly after 10am – the 1903 Berliet driven by John Bentley just pipping the 1904 Fiat of Dutchman Jan Bruijn to the honour of being first past the finishing post.

Among the others turning back the clock were Pink Floyd drummer Nick Mason, Formula 1 team principal Ross Brawn and multiple Le Mans winner Jochen Mass. They were joined en route to Brighton by three classic coaches driven by BBC Radio broadcasters Chris Evans, Alex Jones and Ken Bruce raising nearly £350,000 for BBC Children in Need thanks to the generosity of their 40 passengers.

The annual Run is now the only event anywhere where so many veteran cars parade in such numbers.

Other entries included Genevieve from the eponymous 1953 film, a large number of cars from the US celebrating this year’s American theme and significantly the 1901 Isotta Fraschini – chassis number one – the very first car to wear the famous ‘IF’ badge which was making its VCR debut this year.

Mass, Mason and Brawn all made it to Brighton, too. Brawn needing all his engineering skills – and several tie-wraps – to overcome a broken flywheel on his 1904 Wilson Pilcher. “It’s such a fabulous event, we just had to make it to the finish,” he said.

Another impressive finisher was the steam-powered 1888 Truchutet driven by Daniel Ward – the oldest car on the run – believed to be one of the earliest vehicles to have ever completed the event.

In total 342 of the starters managed to complete journey from Hyde Park to the Sussex coast before the 4.30pm deadline, thus receiving their finisher medal.

More 2016 drives

31/10/2015 By Clive Couldwell in Formula One Leave a comment

In a press event inside the main lobby of the Soumaya Museum, Haas F1 Team founder and chairman Gene Haas has named Mexican driver Esteban Gutiérrez to a race seat with his team when it makes its 2016 debut. Gutiérrez will race alongside driver Romain Grosjean.

The 24-year-old Gutiérrez is currently the third driver at Ferrari, Haas F1’s technical partner. Gutiérrez joined Ferrari in 2015 after spending the 2013-2014 seasons with the Ferrari-powered Sauber F1 Team.

Other teams
Pastor Maldonado remains with Lotus, his third year with the Enstone team after joining at the start of 2014, and the 25-year-old Mexican, Sergio Perez will remain in Sahara Force India colours.

Mexican GP qualifying: Williams

31/10/2015 By Clive Couldwell in Formula One Tags: Williams F1 Leave a comment

Valtteri Bottas qualified sixth and Felipe Massa seventh for tomorrow’s Mexican Grand Prix. Both cars made it safely through Q1 and Q2 as track conditions changed with slight drizzle during Q2. Neither driver was able to improve their time on their second run of Q3.

Rob Smedley, Head of Performance Engineering: “We are a little disappointed as we think we could have been a little higher up. Our preparations were as good as they could have been, and we feel we have missed out on fourth and fifth. We are in a good position for the race tomorrow, but we must now focus on the strategy and make sure we take the opportunities on offer. It was so close today and we have just missed out.”

Valtteri Bottas: “The track has improved a little over the weekend and Qualifying was very close, as we expected. It is a shame Red Bull are in front of us, but we have the advantage of straight-line speed which will help when overtaking. The aim tomorrow is to move forward.”

Felipe Massa: “We are sixth and seventh so we cannot be too happy with our performance. I did my quickest time on the first set of tyres in Q3. I tried all I could on the second set but I couldn’t improve my time. It sets the beginning of what could be a very difficult race where many things can happen, accidents, cars off the track, rain, so we need to wait and see as it can all change. I hope we can move forward tomorrow.”

Mexican GP qualifying: Sahara Force India

31/10/2015 By Clive Couldwell in Formula One Tags: Sahara Force India F1 Leave a comment

Sergio Perez

Sahara Force India delivered a strong qualifying performance today with Sergio Perez lining up in ninth place just ahead of team mate Nico Hulkenberg for tomorrow’s Mexican Grand Prix.

P9 Sergio Perez VJM08-02
Q1: 1:20.966 Q2: 1:20.669 Q3: 1:20.716:
“I felt very privileged to be driving at home today and to feel so much support from the fans. They have given me lots of energy and I’m extremely motivated to give them something to celebrate this weekend – that’s the best way to repay them. I think we did a good job today and we are in a competitive position for the race. We were aiming to be the last car on track during Q3 to try and make the most of the track evolution, but in the end it didn’t really make a huge difference. I think eighth was possible, especially when you look at the small gap to Max (Verstappen). For tomorrow expectations will be high, I know that, but it’s a very positive pressure and I just need to say focused, work through my usual routine and treat tomorrow as a normal race. The car is working well, we’ve done our homework, and I want to move forward in the race.”

P10 Nico Hülkenberg VJM08-03
Q1: 1:21.315 Q2: 1:20.935 Q3: 1:20.788:
“I think we pretty much got everything we could out of this session. I haven’t felt 100 per cent confident with the car, but in those conditions the final lap I did was really good. Our one-lap pace is strong enough to make it into Q3, but I’m feeling better about our long run pace and confident for tomorrow. The weather could play a part: there is a threat of rain, which could mix up the field and make the race really interesting. It’s a new track so we don’t have as much information compared to other places, which leaves a few question marks going into the race, but hopefully there will be a happy ending for us. It would be a good reward for the fans, as you can feel all the love and attention that we are getting from this amazing crowd. I may not be the home hero here, but I am still getting a lot of support which is an extra boost.”

Vijay Mallya, Team Principal and Managing Director:
“I feel satisfied with our performance today. As we predicted, the grid was very tight with just four tenths separating the fourth-placed car and Nico in tenth. Both Checo and Nico drove very well today and we are well-placed to deliver a strong performance in the race. There are some question marks over what the weather will do tomorrow, and given the fresh tarmac that could make for some tricky conditions. Whatever the weather, we’ve shown recently that we can react quickly and make the right calls when it matters. Once again, I want to pay tribute to the enthusiasm of the crowd and the energy they have given the entire team. We are all determined to reward them with a fantastic race tomorrow.”

Nico Hulkenberg

Mexican GP qualifying: Lotus

31/10/2015 By Clive Couldwell in Formula One Tags: Lotus F1 Leave a comment

Pastor Maldonado

Romain Grosjean has qualified 12th and Pastor Maldonado thirteenth for tomorrow’s Mexican Grand Prix. Both drivers missed out on the top 10 decider with close lap times separating the field for a dry but cloud-bordered session.

Romain Grosjean, E23-04. Q: P12, 1:21.038. FP3: P13, 1:22.184:
“We’re at a very high altitude, at a track with very low grip, requiring good downforce – which we know are not our strongest points – so we weren’t massively confident of our performance heading into qualifying. We did better than expected, even though we struggled to get the tyres to work. We still have a good opportunity tomorrow; it’s a long race where everyone’s brakes and engines are likely to struggle. The start will be very important; we’ll try to use all our experience and make a decent result happen.”

Pastor Maldonado, E23-03. Q: P13, 1:21.261. FP3: P12, 1:22.042:
“I was hoping for a little bit better from qualifying but we were struggling for front grip and the rear stability wasn’t fantastic. We expected more of a benefit from running with the new tyres but we weren’t able to unlock it. It’s a long race, we usually have good race pace so let’s go for some more points.”

Alan Permane, Trackside Operations Director:
“It was a tricky session for us. The grip levels were changing with the temperature and the circuit seemed to get slower at the end of Q2. The trick was to be on a fast lap in the fast-slow-fast lap cycle when the track surface and temperature were at their best. We’re not a million miles away from where we expected to be in qualifying so we’re looking to maximise everything for the race.”

What are the considerations for tomorrow’s race?
“There’s a greater chance of rain than today which we’re very aware of as this can make for a very dynamic race. If it is dry then we can expect very low tyre degradation and close monitoring of the brakes. We should learn a lot tomorrow as the race unfolds and there’s potential for exciting battles through the field. We’re certainly targeting points.”

Romain Grosjean

Regent Street Motor Show

31/10/2015 By Clive Couldwell in Cars, Formula One Tags: Regent Street Motor Show Leave a comment

Supercars are not uncommon in Central London but, even by the capital’s lofty standards, today’s Regent Street Motor Show was very, very special.

The city’s world famous West End shopping street was closed for a very special ‘mile of automotive style’ stretching between Piccadilly and Oxford Circuses as the UK’s largest free-to-view motor show showcased a glittering display of more than 200 cars from past, present and future generations.

Savouring the unseasonably warm weather, hundreds of thousands of enthusiasts, shoppers, London residents and even rugby followers bound for the World Cup Fanzone in near-by Trafalgar Square all relished a huge variety of eye-catching machinery. This year’s Show embraced everything from motoring’s early pioneers to the latest plug-in hybrids with the futuristic Aston Martin DB10 from the new James Bond film Spectre drawing huge crowds.

Representing the dawn of motoring, and right at the heart of the display, was a remarkable collection of 100 pre-1905 machines. As a curtain raiser to Sunday’s running of the annual Bonhams London to Brighton Veteran Car Run, these were partaking in the EFG International Concours d’Elegance. This year’s judging panel included F1 team principal Ross Brawn and TV personality Edd China. The remarkable 1901 De Dion Bouton Vis- à-Vis owned by Mr and Mrs Gigi Baulino was awarded the overall prize. The outstandingly original machine has been in storage in Italy for nearly a century and is making its VCR debut this year.

There was the chance for those present – as well as further afield – to vote online for their own favourite – the Spectators Special Award, sponsored by Renault going to the gleaming 1903 Mors of Mr Bernard Holmes.

Further north on the packed street and close to Oxford Circus, the focus was very much on motoring today. A team of four technicians from Caterham created a brand new Seven sports car from a pile of parts and amazingly drove the car off the stand at the end of the show. Close by was a special Race Of Champions display promoting the end of season motor sport spectacle, which is back in the UK at the former Olympic Stadium, Stratford on the 20-21 November.

The Go Ultra Low campaign together with Transport for London (TfL) were also busy, with a huge line-up of the latest plug-in and fuel cell vehicles including several zero-emission electric and hydrogen cars. Of particular note was the first UK public viewing for the new Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV and Toyota’s new hydrogen-powered Mirai. Visitors were also given a great opportunity to test-drive some of these increasing popular cars on a near-by street.

Both the Top Gear Experience and McLaren Honda F1 Experience simulators were also busy all day.

Sergio Perez unveils winner of #Mexifan design competition

31/10/2015 By Clive Couldwell in Formula One Tags: Sahara Force India F1, Sergio Perez Leave a comment

Cumbria’s Ric Scott has won Alpinestars and Sahara Force India Formula One Team’s global ‘#Mexifan: Design a Racing Suit for Sergio Perez’ competition.

Depicting an Aztec pyramid against a blazing sunset, the winning design was unveiled by Perez at the start of the Mexican Grand Prix weekend at a special media event held in front of Sahara Force India’s team garage.

Ric’s creation was chosen from a remarkably high number of entries, with over 250 designs from budding and established designers from as far afield as the Philippines, India and New Zealand, with a huge response from Perez’s native country, Mexico.

The winning #Mexifan suit design celebrates Perez’s home appearance in a very special and hugely anticipated Grand Prix, with the Formula One World Championship returning to motorsports-mad Mexico after a 23-year hiatus.

Perez was so impressed with Ric’s design that Alpinestars and Sahara Force India specially commissioned a set of gloves and racing shoes to complement the suit for this race weekend.

Award for Williams

31/10/2015 By Clive Couldwell in Business, Formula E, Formula One, Technology Tags: Williams F1 Leave a comment

Williams Advanced Engineering has been awarded the 2015 Simms Medal by the Royal Automobile Club in recognition of home-grown British automotive engineering talent.

The Simms Medal is only awarded in years when the RAC’s Technical Committee deems there have been contenders of sufficient merit. Williams Advanced Engineering has been awarded the prize for its work in creating the batteries that are currently powering the cars racing in the Formula E electric racing series.

The Formula E battery had to be designed from scratch within 12 months and to a strictly pre-determined safety cell, cool sufficiently, be 100% consistent from one team to the next (40 race cars plus spares), and last an entire season with no loss of power or performance. The batteries showed remarkable reliability in the inaugural Formula E season, with only one failure in 440 race starts.

Williams Advanced Engineering is only the eighth recipient of the Simms Medal, with previous winners including Richard Parry-Jones CBE in 2007 for his contribution to the automotive industry; Ben Bowlby in 2012 for his ground-breaking DeltaWing racing car and Lord Paul Drayson in 2013 for world record breaking achievements with the Drayson B12/69 LMP-type EV racing car.

London to Brighton run

31/10/2015 By Clive Couldwell in Cars, Charity, Formula One Tags: London-Brighton Leave a comment

(All images c. Oliver Edwards)

BRITAIN VETERAN CAR RUN IN PHOTO - Salvesen (steam) 1896The start in Hyde Park of the London to Brighton Veteran Car Run, Sunday, Nov. 3, 2013. Press Association Photo. Picture date Sunday November 3rd, 2013. Photo credit should read: Matt Alexander/PA Wire

Salvesen (steam) 1896 at the start in Hyde Park

As dawn breaks on Sunday (1 November) 400+ intrepid drivers and their hardy passengers will deal with whatever the weather has in store to drive 60 miles from London to Brighton. They will be at the wheel – or the tiller – of hundreds of horseless carriages, many of which were built while Queen Victoria was still on the throne.

The first car will leave Hyde Park at 6.54am and for the next couple of hours a huge variety of three and four wheel veterans will stream down Constitution Hill, alongside Buckingham Palace and on to The Mall before heading through Parliament Square and past Big Ben on their way to the coast.

The Harrods Stop at Crawley, the official half way point, will provide a welcome refreshment break in a warm, dry environment with ample parking at the Honda dealership for the veteran cars. Honda will be emptying its forecourt and service bays of modern cars to allow drivers to work on their veterans with assistance from RAC Motoring Services and specialist lubricants from Total.

There are ample viewing opportunities along the way, notably in Crawley High Street where a knowledgeable commentary team will give some background on the veterans on their passage through. A time control check has been established which will provide the perfect opportunity for photos as the cars stop to have their cards stamped. The first cars are expected to pass through Crawley from 8.15 with the last leaving at about 1.45. Brighton expects its first arrival just before 10am with the last finishers ‘putt-putting’ in at 4pm.

As well as cars powered by petrol and some by steam, there will also be a few battery-powered electric vehicles making their way to Brighton. This year’s Run has an American theme – around one in four cars on the Run was built in the Land of the Free.

There are some familiar names in the driving seats, too. Look out for Jochen Mass, Pink Floyd drummer Nick Mason and Ross Brawn, DJs Chris Evans and Ken Bruce, along with Alex Jones from The One Show and Zoe Ball.

More information on the Run can be found here.

Mexican Grand Prix

28/10/2015 By Clive Couldwell in Formula One Tags: Williams F1 Leave a comment

Well, here we are again, and it’s been a while.

For seven years from 1986-1992, Mexico hosted one of Formula One’s great power races. Three long straights, broken up by a demanding Esses section and the infamous Peraltada final corner, gave the track a distinctly Monza-like character which was tremendously popular among drivers, despite the punishing bumps.

But that was then…

The altitude of 7500ft ensures both man and machine are tested to and beyond their limit. I’m pleased to say the Hermanos Rodriguez circuit is back for 2015, with circuit reprofiling by Hermann Tilke (who else) and new pit and paddock facilities.

Williams says it’s on a hat trick of Mexican Grand Prix victories, having claimed the last two races there in 1991 and 1992 with Riccardo Patrese and Nigel Mansell respectively. Great times. One just wishes they could do it.

Engineer of the Future Award

28/10/2015 By Clive Couldwell in Formula One Tags: Autosport Williams Engineer of the Future Award, Williams F1 Leave a comment

Williams and Autosport have announced the names of the five finalists for the inaugural Autosport Williams Engineer of the Future Award that will name an engineering student from a UK university as a rising star of Formula One engineering and support them with an accelerated career development programme at Williams.

Following a targeted application process that saw eight UK universities nominate their star engineering students for consideration

Andrew Lightbody, University of Bath
Callum Frith, Imperial College London
Oisin Scolard, Oxford Brookes University
Elizabeth Thompson, University of Oxford
James Nurse, Loughborough University

have been selected to take part in an assessment workshop at the Williams HQ in Grove on 18 and 19 November 2015 where they’ll complete a number of tasks designed to test their engineering know-how, team work, problem solving skills and personality fit. The students will be assessed by a panel of judges:

Pat Symonds, Williams’ Chief Technical Officer and Nicola Salter, HR Director
Edd Straw, Editor of Autosport magazine
Tony Purnell, former Team Principal of the Jaguar and Red Bull Formula One teams and Royal Academy of Engineering Visiting Professor at the University of Cambridge.

The winner will be revealed at the annual Autosport Awards on 6 December and be offered an initial two-year placement in an accelerated development programme that will see them mentored by senior engineers and rotate through various areas of Williams before they find their specialism. During the placement they will also get the opportunity to work in the team’s race operations division and gain experience at a Grand Prix.

US GP post race: Williams

28/10/2015 By Clive Couldwell in Formula One Tags: Williams F1 Leave a comment

Felipe Massa and Valtteri Bottas both retired from the US Grand Prix with damper failures. Both cars suffered contact in separate incidents at the first corner. Bottas gambled on dry tyres when pitting for repairs but retired shortly afterwards. Massa fought his way back up to 10th after his spin at the first corner, but was forced to retire on lap 24.

Rob Smedley, Head of Performance Engineering: “A truly disappointing weekend for us to finish with no points. Valtteri was very quickly into retirement from a rear suspension failure. Felipe had good pace on the intermediate, we stopped him to fit the dry tyre and things were looking positive until he retired with the same problem. It’s bitterly disappointing, but there are three races to go and we have to bounce back to extend that gap to Red Bull. Mexico is a new circuit for everybody, the team has to remain positive and do the absolute best that we can. And finally congratulations to Lewis Hamilton for his third world championship.”

Felipe Massa: “It was a disappointing race. The first corner was very difficult with many things happening. I was involved in an accident which damaged the right side of my car. I carried on and was catching the cars in front but we had a problem with the damper, on both cars actually, so we had to stop. It’s not a nice weekend for all of us, so we need to concentrate on the next one.”

Valtteri Bottas: “It’s just not my day. I think that really sums it up. Two technical failures in the same day and it was the suspension failure that ended my race. The race didn’t start that well, there was damage to my front wing after lap one so I had to pit for that. We had to make a call to go to intermediates or risk the slicks. We tried the slicks, which was guided by me, I thought it could be possible. But it was the wrong call and we lost a lot of time there. In the end none of that matters because of the technical failure so there was no possibility for a result today, unfortunately.”

US GP post race: Sahara Force India

28/10/2015 By Clive Couldwell in Formula One Tags: Sahara Force India F1 Leave a comment

Nico Hulkenberg

Sahara Force India scored ten points in the US Grand Prix with Sergio Perez finishing the race in a strong fifth place. Team mate Nico Hulkenberg was out of luck as he retired on lap 35 after contact with Daniel Ricciardo.

P5 Sergio Perez VJM08-02
Strategy: New Inters (19 laps) – New Softs (8 laps) – New Mediums (29 laps):
“We are happy to come away with fifth place and ten points from a weekend with such difficult weather conditions. The track was very damp to begin with and I was lacking pace on the intermediates – sliding around with a lot of degradation. Then, when we switched to the softs and eventually the mediums, it was not easy to get the temperature in the tyres and I struggled for grip with each restart. There was so much happening in the race and you really had to concentrate because it was very easy to make a mistake. In the final few laps I was getting close to Max (Verstappen) who was struggling on the soft tyres, but there was not enough time to catch him. Overall I’m very happy for the team because we’ve done a really good job this weekend. The recent results give us real momentum as we head to my home race in Mexico, where I’m determined to give my fans something more to celebrate.”

DNF Nico Hulkenberg VJM08-03
Strategy: New Inters (19 laps) – New Softs (8 laps) – New Mediums (9 laps – retired):
“It’s a huge frustration to be out of the race when things were looking so promising. Until the accident, it had been a very interesting race and it must have been a very entertaining one for the fans as well. I struggled at first on the intermediate tyres, but as soon as I switched to slicks I started making good progress. We were looking really good and I wanted to get past Daniel (Ricciardo) as I was faster than him and he was holding me up, so I tried to make a move. Unfortunately that didn’t work and it was the end of my race. When I got back to the garage the team told me that there was an issue with the front wing – from contact earlier in the race – and it broke just when I was trying to make the move on Daniel. It’s a shame as we could have scored a lot of points today. These last two races haven’t been the best for me, but that’s how racing goes sometimes. At least I can get back in the car in just a few days and get the disappointment out of the system, rather than having to wait for a long time. I look forward to the race in Mexico and it should be a really exciting week in a cool country that is always very welcoming to us.”

Vijay Mallya, Team Principal and Managing Director:
“Formula One delivered a fantastic spectacle today, which is just what the fans deserved after suffering through such rainy weather for most of the weekend. The racing was sensational and both Force Indias were up at the front and looking very competitive. Sergio delivered another very mature performance – staying out of trouble and letting the race come to him. Those ten points help to strengthen our hold on fifth place in the standings with just three races to go. Nico was unlucky to retire after the contact with Daniel (Ricciardo) and it’s certainly a missed opportunity because he was showing excellent pace. We will make sure he’s ready to bounce back next week in Mexico, which is going to be a hugely important and busy week for everyone in the team.”

Sergio Perez

US GP post race: Lotus

28/10/2015 By Clive Couldwell in Formula One Tags: Lotus F1 Team Leave a comment

Pastor Maldonado

Romain Grosjean

Pastor Maldonado finished eighth in a highly eventful US Grand Prix whilst Romain Grosjean retired from the race because of damage sustained to his car at the first corner. The Grand Prix started wet with a dry line emerging through the race. There were a number of safety car periods of both virtual and real iterations.

Grosjean started from P10 on the grid on new intermediate tyres. He pitted at the end of lap one for new intermediate tyres, then lap 9 for new soft tyres. He retired at the end of lap 10 as a consequence of the lap one damage. Maldonado started from P12 on new intermediate tyres, changing to new intermediates on lap 18 then new softs on laps 27 and 43.

Romain Grosjean, DNF, E23-04:
“I had a good start, but in the middle of the first corner I felt a hit from behind. This gave me a puncture and the damage meant that the floor and braking cooling ducts were damaged. We tried continuing but the brake temperatures were just too high and we had to retire for safety reasons. It’s a shame because it would have been a good race as far as we know with the experience we have and the set-up we were on… Everything should have been quite nice but now we’ll never know!”

Pastor Maldonado, P8, E23-03:
“We are in the points once again which is the main positive thing for the team. It was quite a busy race with a lot of fighting around me, and even some fighting with the car as it didn’t quite perform as expected. It was a little bit strange because we are normally quite strong in the races; better than in qualifying in fact. My crew were great all day with qualifying and the race. We hope to continue scoring strong points in the remaining races.”

Federico Gastaldi, Deputy Team Principal:
“Firstly congratulations to Lewis Hamilton, a deserving world champion who took his title in the best way possible. He and the entire Mercedes AMG F1 team have done a fantastic job this year. It was an unfortunate day for Romain as his race was ended so early through no fault of his own. Pastor secured a good top ten finish which adds to our points tally. After a tough build-up to the race Formula 1 put on a great spectacle at the Circuit of the Americas so we thank everyone in Austin for all their efforts. I’m sure we’re all hoping for better weather next year!”

Alan Permane, Trackside Operations Director:
“It was an eventful race but we weren’t able to capitalise on all the opportunities. Unfortunately we had to retire Romain very early as his rear floor and brake cooling was damaged in the contact at the first corner. We tried to keep racing but it wasn’t safe to continue. Pastor scored useful points but we weren’t able to fight higher unfortunately.”

CLIVE COULDWELL: Formula One as it is…

A slightly different take on the sport

Mexican GP post race: Lotus

London-Brighton: no rain for a change

More 2016 drives

Mexican GP qualifying: Williams

Mexican GP qualifying: Sahara Force India

Mexican GP qualifying: Lotus

Regent Street Motor Show

Sergio Perez unveils winner of #Mexifan design competition

Award for Williams

London to Brighton run

Mexican Grand Prix

Engineer of the Future Award

US GP post race: Williams

US GP post race: Sahara Force India

US GP post race: Lotus

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