It’s almost time to switch off the lights and celebrate the first day of the 2018, but before we close the 2017 chapter, we must first give the crown to the driver who received the most grid drop penalties in 2017.
During the past season, many fans complained about the amount of penalties which were given to the Formula One drivers, some of them were fair, but some others didn’t even make sense. This article, presents all the penalties which were given to the drivers in the 2017 season. Due to the different type of penalties, I decided to give the crown to the driver with the most grid penalties.
Let’s step aside now and let the numbers do the talking.
The first figure shows the number of penalties which applied on every track, the least penalties were given in Malaysia and Singapore, whilst Italy and Belgium set the highest rate of penalties. The award of the most “painful” track goes to Monza (12)!
It’s not difficult to guess which team got the most penalties in 2017 (hint: they were using Honda engines), the interesting point is that despite the wins and the podium finishes Red Bull Racing was penalised 12 times in 20 races. The two title contenders had low penalty percentage, which means that the battle for the title wasn’t affected much from grid position penalties.
The award of the most penalised team goes to McLaren (25).
Now it’s finally the time to announce the big winner. (Hold your breath!!)
Many drivers tried to beat him, to claim the throne, but once again he proved how skilful driver, he is, of course his team and their engine supplier helped him to achieve this victory, but without teamwork you cannot achieve anything.
His closest rivals were Fernando Alonso and Daniel Ricciardo with eight grid drop penalties, whilst Esteban Ocon still doesn’t know how is to lose positions due to penalties, no grid drop penalty for Esteban (a.k.a. Oconsistency).
The award of the Mr.Penalty goes to.. Drums… Stoffel Vandoorne (15)!
At this point, I would like to thank the Pit Crew for giving me the opportunity to freely write articles and express my opinion via our website! I hope you enjoyed most of them, if not all them, and I wish you a happy new year!
See you all next year!
Ps. if you are planning to attend the Autosport Show, in January, let me know and we can meet there!
GP3 gave us lots of close and entertaining racing, proving why it is has an ever-growing fanbase. The statistics themselves do not give it away how intense battles were. It is only when you watch the series consistently you see how skilled each driver is and how they use that to find their own driving style.
When it came to qualifying, ART took every pole and they were easily the most dominant team winning the constructors championship for the seventh time in GP3. They had 578 points to their nearest rival Tridents 286. ART also lead the way with driver championship with their four drivers of George Russell, Jack Aitken, Nerei Fukuzumi and Anthonie Hubert placing in the top 4 in that order.
Russell, a Mercedes Junior driver was a firm favourite going into the season and sealed the title with two more races today. He has 4 poles and 4 wins to his name, the most of any driver this season. By the end of the year Russell was just over 80 points clear of nearest rival Aitken. However, it was Russell’s consistent point scoring that played in his favour as eight other drivers won races during the season and some in very dominant fashion.
Before everyone knew it GP3 was back in Spain for the first round. Drivers had the new challenge of only being able to use DRS for six times each race meaning it was crucial they were tactile with DRS. Russell unfortunately went backwards in the start while team mate Fukuzumi was flying in the first lap but being kept honest by Aitken. Alessio Lorandi was one driver that nailed DRS and managed to go up the field without falling back down later on in the race. Mechanical issues struck for the first time in a heart-breaking fashion by choosing Aitken in second position as its first victim of the season. This elevated Leonardi Pulcini to second and Lorandi was rewarded third place for his effort at the start with DRS and Fukuzumi drawing the first blood for the championship battle.
Spain Race 2 was another impressive race for Jenzer’s Lorandi as he managed to get on the podium in the second race fighting with Hubert for most of it. The main fight was between Arjun Maini and Dorian Boccolacci who were locked in a tussle for first position. Maini was able to hold Boccolacci off to take Jenzer’s first victory since 2012.
Austria was a good weekend for ART who achieved a 1,2,3,4 in race 1. Russell took his first victory out of four in Austria although he had a long and hard fight with British compatriot and team mate Aitken. The virtual safety car made its first appearance when Hubert, Steijn Stothorst and Leonardi Pulcini made contact with Hubert taking the blame and a ten second time penalty for company. It was not such a good weekend for Boccolacci or Lorandi either as in race two Lorandi dropped from second to seventh and on lap eighteen made contact with Boccolacci’s trident who went into the gravel and rolled. Luckily Boccolacci was okay and after safety car period the race continued with Roaul Hyman taking his first win followed by Juliano Alesi and Fukuzumi.
Russell got off to a rough start at his home race in Silverstone by having a bad getaway which had the consequence that Hubert took the lead. Although that didn’t last long as by lap four Russell was back leading the pack. Fukuzumi and Ryan Tveter both experienced mechanical failures which took them out the race. Tveters led to a virtual safety car that worked to the advantage of Lorandi who got a good restart and found himself third in the race behind Hubert and Russell.
Silverstone race two was not so calm as Steijn Schothorst and Julien Flachero collided and brought out the safety car. Hubert and Lorandi also had contact but both were able to continue without damage and despite it being investigated it was deemed a racing incident. Pulcini and Santino Ferrucci also collided but had no further action when investigated. Russell was on the charge but had to get past the defence Maini put up. Maini was able to keep Russell back for a few laps with good defensive moves but it was not enough as Russell has superior speed. By the end of the race the ART had caught up to Niko Kari in third but the laps ran out and the brit had to settle for fourth position.
Next up was Hungary, race one started without Russell as his car had a mechanical problem on the warm up lap that appeared to be terminal. His team mates Aitken and Fukuzumi had a good old battle for first position. One that would be won by Aitken. The third ART to finish the race Hubert came third on the road as well. It was a comfortable third as Kari and Boccolacci were fighting behind for fourth position until Kari went wide and dropped down the order. Jenzer’s Lorandi stormed up through the field in the final stages to take fourth away from Boccolacci.
Race two was full of retirements from Fukuzumi and Pulcini making contact to Lorandi taking on one too many kerbs and getting a puncture. Russell’s driving was on another planet, the Brit went from starting last to running eighth in the field until he made contact with Aitken and had to retire the car. Despite all the chaos it didn’t take away from Juliano Alesi taking the lead on lap 4 and storming to victory followed by Tveter and Kevin Joerg.
Belgium, Spa was next and it was no relaxing time for anyone. Dams had a race to forget with Tatiana Calderon stalling on the grid and then tapped team mate Baptista by accident sending him into the barriers and out the race. Calderon later made contact with Hyman, both of whom were lucky to get away with little damage. Russell started on pole but was passed by Fukuzumi. However it didn’t last long before Russell was back in front and Fukuzumi had Aitken behind challenging for second. It was a battle in which Aitken would win leading to another full ART podium.
Race two at Spa wasn’t as much fun for ART as Aitken had contact with Boccolacci which was deemed to be the brits fault. Aitken’s punishment from the FIA was a ten second penalty for causing a collision. Russell was flying from eighth on the grid all the way to second to have back to back podium positions. Calderon knocked sides with Correa while battling but both came out the other side unscathed. Alesi was on pole and he maintained the lead the whole time to cross the line first for the third time this season.
Callum Illot
Italy was a strange one as they only had one race in which the grid was determined by the practice times. Fukuzumi was the lucky one to start on pole for the first time but unlucky in the fact he then had mechanical issue. Pulcini caused safety car by mounting the back of Lorandi causing them to both go out the race and Pulcini to have a hefty impact with the barriers. The safety car went in on lap 9 when Russell nailed the restart. Wasn’t long before Ticktum, Kari and Boccolacci all made contact with Ticktum getting a puncture and Boccolacci heading to the pits for a new front wing. Hubert took the lead from Russell only for Russell to get it back two laps later. However, the best move of the race came from Aitken when he went from third to first in a couple of corners, a superb move. Unfortunately, Russell had too much pace and took the win leading another ART filled podium. It was also enough to seal the team championship for ART.
It was back to Spain for the stand alone race weekend but this time in Jerez. Joerg and Siebert collided sending Joerg into the gravel but he was able to keep it going and limp back to the pits. Siebert only lasted until lap 14 before retiring due to damage. Fukuzumi had a comfortable lead with Russell right behind determined to wrap up the championship as soon as he can. Aitken had Ticktum closing in on him for third but managed to keep the Dams behind. Lorandi and Alesi fought over eighth position and reverse grid pole but Lorandi held Alesi off to put himself in the prime position for the next race.
Niko Kari
Lorandi had a good start and maintained a good gap from Boccolacci the whole race. His dominating race form was over shadowed by Russell making a late move to get past his main championship rival Aitken. The risky move paid off and Russell was ahead. Ticktum and Kari were fighting for third when they collided and ticktum went into the gravel. The safety car was brought out to deal with the stricken dams and Kari was later handed a time penalty for causing a collision. Lorandi nailed the restart when the safety car went in on the last lap. Boccolacci couldn’t do anything to challenge for the win and he was followed by Hubert for third. Russell finished fifth and it was enough to seal the championship with two races remaining.
Most of the pressure was off drivers heading into the final round in Abu Dhabi. Poor Pulcini and Siebert, neither of them finished either race. However, there was a lot to celebrate. Both races produced new race winners. Kari and Boccolacci had both fought for podiums and sometimes wins throughout the whole season and it wasn’t until the very end when they were rewarded with the top step of the podium and listening to their national anthem. After a terrible season full of DNF’s Schothorst became the last of the regular drivers to score points. Ticktum who had battled for podiums but been denied finally got his wish and finished third in the final race of the season.
Ferdinand Hapsburg.
It is fair to say ART were on form and their drivers impressed but there were lots of consistently good and skilled drivers. Lorandi, Boccolacci and Maini were all names that were constantly near the top of the leaderboard, fighting for points and wins. It is clear to see the field is closer than ever and you cannot predict a thing.
This season has been so much fun as a fan and a journalist. I cannot wait to see more young drivers come into the series and show us what they can do. Although, there is probably a fair few staying in the series for another year and they will only get stronger over the winter break. They will look at all the data, train harder, work on everything they can. Next year’s championship is going to be open for the taking. I for one cannot wait and I hope you will join me when GP3 is back next year.
Albert Park, Melbourne, Australia. Sunday 26 March 2017. World Copyright: Zak Mauger/LAT Images ref: Digital Image _56I1907
Season finale once again, the 2017 Formula One season, belongs to the past, it’s hard to describe my feelings for this season. There are two emotional packages, the first one is before the summer break and the other one is after the break, mixed emotions but at the end, despite the results, despite the winner, there is no way to relieve the pain that appears when the F1 season ends. Now we have to wait until the first pre-season tests to hear the noise of the engines, but before that there will be massive debates about the Halo. Personally, I don’t like it, but the drivers’ safety is always the most important factor, end of discussion!
A traditional review would break the season into two parts and remind you round by round, or race by race, if you prefer, what happened the past months. Let’s try a different approach, a shorter season review, which will try to put you in a flashback mode, and pass all the 2017 season in front of your eyes in 1 minute (okay maybe a bit more!)
8 months ago…
Australia
Season premiere, tonnes of coffee for us who are living in the European time zone, agony as well, like the first day in school after the summer break! Sebastian Vettel, started from the second place, had better set up and a faster car than his title rival, Lewis Hamilton, and won for the first time since the Singapore Grand Prix in September 2015. Mercedes asked from Hamilton to go faster, but the Brit had issues with his tyres and was unable to catch Vettel’s speed.
Not a race to remember for Daniel Ricciardo, the Australian’s Red Bull, stopped on the way to the grid, his mechanics sent him back to the race, and on the second lap he had another issue, returned to the track, to enjoy his home race, but retired before the 30th lap.
China
Lewis Hamilton took his revenge, the Briton won his first victory in 2017. On Saturday he secured the pole, and had an advantage the following day, Vettel was close but never too close and at the end Hamilton took the chequered flag. The drivers started the race on wets, Max Verstappen had an impressive race, moved from the 16th to the third. Antonio Giovinazzi crashed his Sauber on the third lap of the race and retired, a good result for Carlos Sainz who finished seventh and scored six points for Toro Rosso.
Bahrain International Circuit, Sakhir, Bahrain. Sunday 16 April 2017. World Copyright: Charles Coates/LAT Images ref: Digital Image _27I8921
Bahrain
Pole position for Valtteri Bottas, the first in his career, the Finn set the fastest lap on Saturday, followed by his team-mate and Sebastian Vettel. Ferrari, had the pace to challenge Mercedes, and win their second victory of the season. At that moment, it was clear that the 2017 title would be decided between Hamilton and Vettel. Lewis Hamilton received a five second time penalty, for driving slowly on the pit entry to hold up Daniel Ricciardo. Lewis, served his penalty during the second and final pit-stop, when he re-joined the track he was behind Vettel and Bottas. The Finn stepped aside, allowed to Hamilton to pass him and chase Vettel, but Hamilton was not able to cover the 12 second gap in nine laps.
Max Verstappen crashed on the eleventh lap of the race, due to brake problems and retired.
Russia
Russia was the next stop for the Formula 1 crew, after the Bahrain Grand Prix. Sebastian Vettel was prepared to celebrate another victory in 2017, as he claimed the pole position in Bahrain, followed by Kimi Raikkonen and Valtteri Bottas, but the Finn had other plans. The Silver Finn, jumped the two Ferraris in front of him and took the lead on the opening lap. Bottas, despite the pressure from Vettel during the final laps, managed to remain first until the chequered flag and scored his first victory in Formula 1.
Circuit Gilles Villeneuve, Montreal, Canada. Sunday 11 June 2017. World Copyright: Steven Tee/LAT Images ref: Digital Image _R3I0800
Spain
Hola amigos, said Hamilton to Sebastian Vettel. After an amazing start, Vettel passed Hamilton on the first lap, but Mercedes had an ace under its sleeve. The Silver Arrows, decided not to follow Ferraris strategy and go for a quick stop, but to leave Hamilton on the track for a longer medium stint and gain an advantage on a later stage of the race. Valtteri Bottas, delayed Vettel, as the German couldn’t pass the Finn, Mercedes pitted Hamilton, after the end of VSC, and with 30 laps to go. The British champion, re-joined on softs, Vettel pitted a lap later and after a wheel to wheel battle with Hamilton managed to remain first. On lap 44, Lewis was on Sebastian’s tail, took advantage of the DRS and overtook the race. Since that moment Lewis has tried to increase the gap between him and Vettel and at the end, he took his second chequered flag of the season.
Hamilton vs Vettel = 2-2
Monaco
Kimi Raikkonen started from the pole position, after nine years, Kimi took advantage of Vettel’s mistakes on his flying lap, and took the pole on Saturday’s session. A race to forget for Hamilton, Lewis qualified 13th and finished seventh. Jenson Button, replaced Fernando Alonso, in Monaco, but collided with Pascal Wehrlein on lap 60 and retired the race.
Ferrari decided to pit Kimi on lap 34, Sebastian Vettel found the opportunity and set some flying laps, pitted after five laps, and re-joined ahead of his team-mate.
Daniel Ricciardo was the third person on the podium, it was Red Bull’s third podium of the season, and the second consecutive for Ricciardo.
Circuit de Catalunya, Barcelona, Spain. Sunday 14 May 2017. World Copyright: Andy Hone/LAT Images ref: Digital Image _ONZ6737
Canada
Easy weekend for Lewis Hamilton, the Briton started and finished the race from the same position, the first. Vettel, qualified second on Saturday, couldn’t follow the pace of the two Mercedes’ and Ricciardo’s, he finished only fourth. Sergio Perez, refused to follow Force India’s orders, to allow Ocon to pass, while he was fourth behind Ricciardo. At the end, Sergio Perez and Esteban Ocon finished fifth and sixth respectively.
Azerbaijan
Three safety cars, and several crashed were not enough to stop Daniel Ricciardo to win his first victory in 2017. Sebastian Vettel collided with Lewis Hamilton, he got a 10 second stop and go time for swearing in Hamilton’s car.
Daniel Ricciardo totally deserved the victory in the Baku Grand Prix, the Australian dropped down to 17th place, but moved up to the tenth position just before the first safety car. The two following, safety cars, and the troubles between the leading drivers, gave the advantage to Ricciardo to move all the way up in the first place.
A race that Stroll will never forget, the Canadian young driver finished on the podium for the first time in his career.
Albert Park, Melbourne, Australia. Saturday 25 March 2017. World Copyright: Zak Mauger/LAT Images ref: Digital Image _56I7996
Austria
Valtteri Bottas dominated in Austria, took his second victory in 2017. A five-place grid penalty dropped Hamilton to eighth position, the following day, Lewis finished fourth behind Daniel Ricciardo whilst Sebastian Vettel finished second. During the final laps of the race, Vettel was closing to Bottas and Hamilton to Ricciardo, for the third place, but both drivers didn’t improve their position.
After the Austrian Grand Prix, Sebastian Vettel was leading in the championship standings by 20 points.
United Kingdom
Home race for Lewis Hamilton and he couldn’t imagine a better way to thank his fans who appeared in Silverstone, than to win the British Grand Prix. With that victory, Lewis Hamilton tied the all-time record of five career wins in the British GP.
“The support has been incredible this weekend, I am so proud I could do this for you all. Now the plan is to win the championship.” Lewis Hamilton said after his victory in Silverstone.
An issue on Vettel’s front tyre, dropped him to seventh place behind Hulkenberg. Kimi Raikkonen, suffered the same problem a couple laps earlier, which cost him the second position, dropped him to the third place, whilst Bottas moved up to the second position.
Hungary
The last race before the summer break, Ferrari dominated in Hungary, and responded to Mercedes 1-2 in Silverstone. Sebastian Vettel, despite the problems that his Ferrari suffered, he won in Hungary, followed by his team-mate Kimi Raikkonen, who was complaining about Vettel’s speed.
Lewis Hamilton, was not able to catch the two Ferraris in front of him and allowed Bottas to pass him and finish third. The Briton, kept the promise which made to Valtteri earlier in the race, when Bottas allowed Lewis to pass, as he was moving faster at that point of the race.
A great race for Fernando Alonso, who finished sixth and scored crucial points for McLaren, a positive result for Carlos Sainz Jnr too, the Spaniard finished seventh behind Alonso.
McLaren can best describe their 2017 as season of what ifs.
What if they had an adequate Power Unit?
What if they had been able to show the car’s true pace much earlier in the season?
What if the decision to move to Renault Power Units, thought to be around a second a lap faster than Honda, backfires?
And what if the money lost by ending the Honda partnership seven years early isn’t replaced?
An awful winter testing during which McLaren were beset by reliability issues meant that the team were expecting to head to Australia for round one sorting out reliability issues and little more.
Shanghai International Circuit, Shanghai, China. Sunday 09 2017. Stoffel Vandoorne, McLaren MCL32 Honda. World Copyright: Steven Tee/McLaren ref: Digital Image _O3I5054 A dismal winter testing hampered McLaren’s early season.
Fernando Alonso, who had been a vocal critic once more of Honda during the off-season, wrestled his car to 12th on the grid while rookie Stoffel Vandoorne started from 18th. Alonso would retire with a broken floor after battling with Esteban Ocon and Nico Hulkenberg for 10th while Vandoorne was 13th and last of the remaining runners.
Alonso “drove like an animal” to qualify 13th in China, although both men retired before 34 laps, while in Bahrain Vandoorne failed to make the grid as Alonso retired with two laps remaining, again after fighting further up the order.
Alonso did not start in Russia and Vandoorne came home 14th, before brief respite arrived at the Spanish Grand Prix.
In front of his adoring fans the Spaniard hauled his car to seventh on the grid with Vandoorne a lowly 19th. However, McLaren’s strategy and a lack of power meant that Alonso was to finish seventh, Vandoorne crashing out after tangling with Felipe Massa’s Williams.
Jenson Button briefly came out of retirement at the Monaco Grand to deputise for Alonso, who was competing in the Indianapolis 500 and to move level second with Michael Schumacher at 306 F1 starts. Both men qualified in the top ten despite Vandoorne hitting the barriers, but both were to start further back due to grid penalties. Neither driver finished the race.
Credit: Steven Tee/McLaren Fernando Alonso took McLaren’s first points of the season with ninth place at the Azerbiajan Grand Prix.
Alonso was on for points in Canada before retiring with just five laps left as Vandoorne finished 14th before the former took the first points finish of the season at the chaotic Azerbaijan Grand Prix with ninth, despite Power Unit issues. Vandoorne was just three seconds away from points in 12th.
Vandoorne was 12th again in Austria while Alonso’s race lasted just one corner, while the Belgian was 11th in Britain as his first points finish remained elusive.
He would wait only one more race as he took the flag tenth after qualifying eighth in Hungary in what was undoubtedly McLaren’s strongest weekend so far. Alonso ended the race sixth to prove the capabilities of the McLaren chassis. The Belgian Grand Prix brought the team back to earth as Alonso retired halfway through the race and Vandoorne was only able to manage 14th.
McLaren concluded the European season with a double retirement in Italy. Alonso started the Singapore Grand Prix eighth but was taken out in a first-lap melee, while Vandoorne took a solid seventh as he continued to look more settled in F1.
Credit: Andrew Hone/McLaren Despite a ninth place finish in the Constructors’ Championship, the future’s brighter for the orange McLaren.
Vandoorne was again seventh in Malaysia and both outqualified and outraced his illustrious teammate, who was only 11th as McLaren again showed more signs of what could have been. Neither driver made the points in Japan, but Alonso was tenth in Mexico after a memorable battle with World champion Lewis Hamilton, before eighth in Brazil despite harrying and hussling ex-teammate Felipe Massa. Vandoorne retired on lap one.
At the final race in Abu Dhabi Alonso made it three successive points finishes as Vandoorne limped to 12th in the final race of the McLaren-Honda partnership.
McLaren’s performance in the latter half of 2017 suggested that there remains hope for an ever-frustrated Fernando Alonso in his bid to return to competitiveness, while Vandoorne found his feet after a tough start to his career in F1.
The team would finish ninth, ahead of only Sauber, in the World Constructors’ Championship with 30 points. Alonso finished ahead of Vandoorne by four points as the Spaniard claimed 15th in the standings with 17 points, with the rookie 16th on 13.
If McLaren produce another good chassis in 2018 and Renault continue their slow improvements to their Power Unit, then perhaps a return to where they feel they belong is not far away after three dismal seasons.
What a year we’ve just had! Here’s my round by round review of this year’s championship.
When the new cars were launched, we were treated to the most spectacular looking cars for a very long time. We also had the prospect of the most open championship for years. Volkswagen had left and we had a returning Citroen team.
Round One Monte Carlo
There was sadness on Thursday evening when Hayden Paddon slid wide on ice and a spectator was in the wrong place. Out of respect, Hyundai withdrew the car.
Through the weekend, Thierry opened up a big lead, to over a minute, until stage 13 on the Saturday afternoon. He slid wide and damaged his suspension. After completing a quick fix, he completed the stage. However, he was out for the rest of that day. He would re-join under Rally2 regs, but the win had slipped away. Sebastien Ogier had lost time earlier in the weekend, after sliding wide and getting stuck in a ditch, but he chipped away and after getting comfortable in the car had emerged in the lead after Thierry’s accident.
Several other drivers had starring roles too. Craig Breen was driving the previous years car and produced some giant killing times and ultimately finished in fifth place! Top three in the end was Ogier, Latvala and Tanak. It was M-Sport’s first win in Monte Carlo since 2006 and their first win since Wales Rally GB in 2012.
FIA WORLD RALLY CHAMPIONSHIP 2017 -WRC Monte Carlo (FRA) – WRC 18/01/2017 to 22/01/2017 – PHOTO : @World
Round Two, Rally Sweden
It was another spectacular event in northern Sweden. Lots of snow, gave us some very good conditions for all the drivers to do their magic.
Mads Ostberg returned to the championship with a Fiesta WRC run by Team Adapta. He had a very interesting time, losing his rear wing during stage four. On Saturday he attempted to beat the record jump from the year before from Colin’s Crest. It stood at 45 metres and he came very close indeed. In the first run of the stage he reached 42 metres and then later set an amazing 44 metres!
Once more Thierry drove a perfect event, building a decent lead, until the final stage on Saturday when his bad luck struck again and he broke his left front wheel after sliding wide. Incredibly, Jari-Matti in his brand-new Yaris WRC was there to pick up the victory.
After taking the lead with just a 3.8 second gap on Saturday evening, he increased it to almost 30 seconds by the end of the rally! With this brilliant drive, he also took the lead of the world championship, leading Sebastien by four points.
Citroen weren’t having a very good time though, with Kris Meeke sliding out on Saturday and incredibly Craig Breen was their top driver in the championship. On the other side, M-Sport were doing really well after seeing Seb and Ott finish both events this year on the podium. Malcolm and the whole team were delighted.
FIA WORLD RALLY CHAMPIONSHIP 2017 -WRC Sweden (SWE) – WRC 09/02/2017 to 12/02/2017 – PHOTO : @World
Round Three, Rally Mexico
A month later, the teams headed for the first gravel event of the year, and well, it didn’t start well. After transporting the cars to Mexico City for two short stages on Thursday night, there was a delay getting them back to Leon, which ultimately meant all of the Friday morning stages were cancelled.
It was time for Kris to shine after a troubled start to the year, and he took the lead of the rally through Friday and increased it on Saturday to thirty seconds. M-Sport, Hyundai and Toyota all experienced car problems, with overheating on the very hot stages. Elfyn Evans was also showing that his year away from the top had done his confidence the world of good, setting some good times and building his knowledge for the future.
Ultimately, Kris won Rally Mexico, but not without some big drama! On the final stage, he went wide and left the road clipping a parked car! After re-joining the stage, he crossed the line thirteen seconds ahead of Seb, with Thierry completing the podium!
After that result, Seb moved back into the lead of the championship ahead of Jari-Matti Latvala, who could only manage sixth.
Kris Meeke, Rally Mexico 2017 victor
Round Four, Tour de Corse
Day one on the Island of Corsica belonged to Kris and the Citroen team. In the four long stages he felt very comfortable and opened up a lead of 10 seconds over his closest challenger Seb. It was Ott Tanak who would not have a good day. He slid wide in stage three and although the car wasn’t damaged, it was stuck fast and wouldn’t move. Thierry Neuville would have a good day though and was not far off the lead in third.
Saturday would ultimately lead to disappointment for Kris, Paul and the whole Citroen team. After driving really well, they would suffer a mechanical failure with the engine letting go on stage six. It was over. Elfyn would also suffer misfortune, after sliding off and beaching his car.
Sunday would see Thierry continue to lead and take his first victory of the year! A battle for second place between Seb and Dani would entertain us, which ultimately would go to the Frenchman. Jari-Matti would finish in fourth after a very good drive.
Thierry’s drive to victory would see him jump to third in the championship with 54 points, but Seb was in a strong position on top with 88 points.
2017 FIA World Rally Championship Round 04, Tour de Corse – Rallye de France 06-09 April 2017 Thierry Neuville, Nicolas Gilsoul, Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC Photographer: Sarah Vessely Worldwide copyright: Hyundai Motorsport GmbH
Round Five, Rally Argentina
Kris Meeke and Haydon Paddon had both won this rally in the last two years, but really anything could happen. Would we see another first-time victor?
Well, through Friday we started to hope! Elfyn Evans would win a number of stages and opened up a lead of 55 seconds from second placed Mads Ostberg! Thierry was third at this point, just five seconds behind Mads. Pretty much all the other driver experienced problems of or kind or another. Kris rolled out and his teammate Craig hit the same bump and damaged his gearbox, leaving him stuck in fifth gear.
Saturday would see a big drive from Thierry getting the gap down to Elfyn from a minute, to just eleven seconds. Even a puncture wouldn’t slow him down. However, he was helped with some problems for the Welsh wizard who got a puncture on stage eleven. Ogier had problems in the morning, but after a lot of setup changes in service, the car was handling better.
On the final day, it all unravelled for Elfyn and Dan. They lost more time in the first two stages, meaning that they were just six tenths of a second ahead going into the final stage. At the very end, Thierry did enough to take the victory from Elfyn, winning by just seven tenths of a second!
FIA WORLD RALLY CHAMPIONSHIP 2017 -WRC Argentina (ARG) – WRC 26/04/2017 to 30/04/2017 – PHOTO : @World
Round Six, Rally Portugal
On the first day there was lots of drama, with Jari-Matti and Kris both damaging their cars. Hayden was challenging near the front, but an electrical problem dropped him from third to sixteenth! The top three was Ott, with Dani second and Seb in third at the end of day one.
On Saturday. Ott continued to have a good run, opening his lead up, but then disaster. He ran wide in stage 12 and damaged his car against a bank and dropped to fifth. Through the afternoon, Thierry and Seb would continue to fight for the lead. Ott’s car was fixed during mid-day, and this allowed him to push again in pursuit of Craig Breen who he passed later in the day.
Into Sunday then, and Seb drove to his second win of the year with Thierry just a few seconds behind. Rounding out the podium was Dani who had driven very well throughout the event. Ott drove well after his problem on Saturday getting into fourth place.
FIA WORLD RALLY CHAMPIONSHIP 2017 -WRC Portugal (POR) – WRC 18/05/2017 to 21/05/2017 – PHOTO : @World
Round Seven, Rallye Italia Sardegna
It was the breakthrough we’d been waiting for. Ott Tanak took his first WRC victory! However, it was Hayden who led at the end of the first day after early leader Kris rolled out in the morning. We also saw young Finn Esapekka take his first overall stage victories on Friday, definitely one to watch as we would discover!
On Saturday, Hayden started well, but sadly it didn’t last, with him getting a puncture and broken wheel which then damaged his car too much to continue beyond stage 13. Ott took the lead and by the end of the day, he’d built a decent lead over Jari-Matti, with Thierry in third.
On Sunday Ott used his head and drove to his first victory, whilst Jari-Matti secured second place and Thierry in third. Lappi drove very well to secure fourth as well ahead of Seb.
FIA WORLD RALLY CHAMPIONSHIP 2017 -WRC Italy Sardegna (ITA) – WRC 08/06/2017 to 11/06/2017 – PHOTO : @World
Round Eight, Rally Poland
Kris was stood down for this round, after his accidents in the previous rounds. It rained in the morning of the first day. After a battle between Jari-Matti and Thierry for the lead on the first day, the top three would be Thierry, Ott and Jari-Matti. On his WRC debut, Teemu Suninen won his first stage behind the wheel of an M-Sport run Fiesta. Very impressive indeed. In the Citroen camp, Andreas would run wide and break his suspension. He would make it back to service though.
A dryer Saturday led to a dramatic day on the roads of Poland. The lead changed hands several times between Thierry and Ott who lost his rear wing during the afternoon stages. Hayden Paddon also won a few stages as well lifting himself into the top three. Jari-Matti sadly retired after his car stopped in stage 16.
On Sunday morning it was raining again. The battle was on between Thierry and Ott for the win. In the second stage of the day, Ott spun out hitting a tree in the process. Seb benefitted from that, moving into third overall. Thierry took his third victory of the year and Haydon finished second which after the year he’d been having was excellent news, whilst Seb finished a lucky third.
Thierry had now closed the gap to Seb after Poland to just eleven points and five rounds remained this year. The fight was on and it could go either way.
Thierry Neuville, Rally Poland 2017 victor.
Round Nine, Rally Finland
This was an amazing rally, just like twelve months previously, but for very different reasons. The first thing that happened was that Seb crashed out after hitting a tree on stage four. Both he and Julien were taken to hospital. It was also a bad stage for Ott, who hit a rock causing a puncture. Hayden also hit the same rock, but the damage caused put him out. Through all of this came Jari-Matti, Esapekka Lappi and Teemu Suninen! The Finns were taking this rally back in a big way. After lots of lead changes on Friday, it was Esapekka who was in front of Jari-Matti, on only his fourth WRC start!
Saturday saw Jari-Matti take the lead from his younger Toyota teammate. However, after just a few stages it would all come to nought. Jari-Matti ground to a halt in the second run of Ouninpohja, giving the lead back to Lappi. Behind all these quick Finns, was Elfyn Evans and Dan Barritt. They had found some great pace by the end of the day and found themselves just six seconds away from third place overall! Not bad for someone who’d not even run in the pre-event test!
No-one else led this event after Jari-Matti retired and Esapekka Lappi took his first victory! Incredibly, Elfyn and Dan came through and finished in second place! He passed Juho for third in stage 22, but then in stage 23, Juho repassed him, but also emerged in second overall after Teemu spun mid-stage! Anyway, at the end of all of that, Elfyn passed Juho in the very last stage to take second overall by just three tenths of a second!
In the battle for the world championship, things had got very interesting with Thierry Neuville drawing level with Seb Ogier on points, but being counted as leading at that point due to having three wins with Seb only on two.
Esapekka Lappi, Rally Finland victor 2017
Round ten, Rally Germany
Ott Tanak took his second victory of the year in a rally that M-Sport had never won before. Thierry who won this rally in 2014, crashed out in the Panzerplatte stage breaking his suspension. Many drivers have crashed in this stage, and the Belgian ace was yet another claimed by it. Kris sadly crashed out during the Thursday night super special, after hitting one of the concrete barriers lining the stage. Ogier finished third, knowing that would be enough to retake the lead in the championship, whilst Andreas, driving for Citroen finished in second place.
FIA WORLD RALLY CHAMPIONSHIP 2017 -WRC Deutschland (DEU) – WRC 16/08/2017 to 20/08/2017 – PHOTO : @World
Round eleven, Rally Spain.
Kris Meeke took his second victory of the year on the classic mixed surface event that is Rally Spain. Friday sees the crews tackle gravel stage, before switching to smooth tarmac for Saturday and Sunday. Kris mastered the challenge brilliantly, and we saw him and Paul back to their very best form. Andreas made his debut for the Hyundai team, leading at the end of the first day, but ultimately not scoring any points after hitting a rock on Friday.
Thierry also endured an event to forget after experiencing car troubles on Friday which would cause handling problems and then damaging his suspension, putting him out on Sunday. Mads drove a brilliant event, to finish fifth with Torstein alongside him in their Adapta run Ford.
Seb and Ott drove to second and third positions and with that result put M-Sport on the brink of the manufacturers championship, plus Seb had an almost 40-point lead over second placed Thierry.
FIA WORLD RALLY CHAMPIONSHIP 2017 -WRC Catalunya (SPA) – WRC 05/10/2017 to 08/10/2017 – PHOTO : @World
Round twelve, Wales Rally GB
Elfyn Evans and Dan Barritt drove to a consummate first victory on home soil, the first Brit and also first Welshman to achieve this result and the first home winner since 2000! It started with stage wins on Friday, building on that with good pace throughout Saturday, including the foggy night stages. It was the kind of victory that Seb Ogier would be happy with.
FIA WORLD RALLY CHAMPIONSHIP 2017 -WRC Wales Rally GB (GB) – WRC 26/10/2017 to 29/10/2017 – PHOTO : @World
It was also a great weekend for the whole M-Sport team, with the manufacturers championship success, the first since 2006 and their first ever drivers title with Sebastien Ogier.
ELFYNSCORNER, Myherin, Wales Rally GB
Thierry drove a great rally to finish in second place, after sliding wide early on Friday and having to fight back from a penalty that he got on Friday. He was driving better again after two non-finishes which had ended his fight with Seb for the world championship. Third place went to Seb Ogier.
Round Thirteen, Rally Australia
Thierry Neuville showed that he was the man on the pace in 2017, with his fourth victory of the year Down Under. The victory came his way when his teammate, Andreas suffered a double puncture on Saturday morning when Thierry started to catch the Norwegian.
Jari-Matti had a pretty decent event, until Sunday. He was firmly in second place until the final power stage, when he crashed out. The weather turned really bad on Sunday and it was these conditions that saw him slide out.
With the Finn crashing his Yaris, Fiesta pilot, Ott moved into second. He’d been as low as sixth place, but had found good pace through Saturday to climb into the podium positions and held it together to take another podium in this stellar year for him.
Hayden completed the podium, bringing his hardest season at the top to an end. It was the second podium of the year for him.
Conclusion
Well, what a season we had to enjoy! Seven different winners and three different leaders in the world championship made this a year to remember. Three new winners as well, with Ott Tanak, Esapekka Lappi and Elfyn Evans all taking their maiden victories.
We had spectacular cars as well. These new generation WRC beasts sounded great, looked great and they tested the drivers to new levels.
We had some answers to some questions too. Could Seb win with a different team? He answered that question. Could anyone challenge him? Well, yes, sort of. Thierry took more victories, but with too many non-finishes, he fell short in the end. Ott Tanak took two wins as well, just like his teammate, but he’s still early in his career and lacked the experience to consistently challenge Seb.
Kris Meeke took two wins as well, but also crashed out too often and was stood down for Rally Poland. In my opinion this was the wrong decision really.
Toyota made a great return to the sport with the team run by 4-times world champion Tommi Makinen, with two victories from Jari-Matti and Esapekka, even leading the drivers’ championship after Rally Sweden. However, they weren’t going challenge all year and they can count it as a really good result to finish ahead of Citroen in the manufacturers standings.
Ferrari will feel that after the mid-season collapse in 2016 that 2017 was a missed opportunity.
So often the Prancing Horse had the quickest car but slight issues here and there held them back, despite Sebastian Vettel notching another four wins.
Their and his failure to win the World Drivers’ Championship can be attributed to a spectacular collapse in Asia as the Scuderia suffered a bleak mid-autumn.
Vettel, Kimi Raikkonen and Max Verstappen collided at the start of a Singapore Grand Prix that the German would have been favourite for, while in Malaysia technical dramas in qualifying meant he started at the back. He recovered to fourth.
Vettel then retired once again at the Japanese Grand Prix from second place. Lewis Hamilton won two and finished second in the other over the course of those three races.
It had all started so well in Melbourne.
Vettel simply sat behind Hamilton, waited for him to pit and drove into the distance after emerging from the pits ahead.
After a second in China, Vettel struck back in Bahrain with a win before being held off by a determined Valtteri Bottas in Russia and losing out to Hamilton in Spain.
A Ferrari 1-2 in Monte Carlo as Kimi Raikkonen converted his first pole in nine years into second place while Vettel again took the spoils seemed to confirm the Prancing Horse’s return to the top.
However June was a difficult month and saw Vettel recover from early damage to finish fourth in Canada while Raikkonen’s late technical gremlins dropped him to seventh.
Baku City Circuit, Baku, Azerbaijan. Sunday 25 June 2017. World Copyright: Andy Hone/LAT Images ref: Digital Image _ONY8206 Vettel’s road rage in Baku earned him a stop/go penalty and ultimately cost him victory
There was then that road rage incident as Vettel rammed Hamilton in Baku to add needle to what was before a peaceful title rivalry. Controversially, Vettel stayed ahead of Hamilton after a stop-go penalty after the Brit’s headrest became loose forcing him to pit.
He would finish second in Austria, again pressuring Bottas before a tyre failure at the British Grand Prix cost him four positions and dropped him to seventh.
A gutsy win in Hungary restored his Championship lead to 14 points, before Hamilton took the spoils in Belgium ahead of Vettel.
A Mercedes 1-2 in Italy meant that for the first time Vettel was now the hunter instead of the hunted.
Marina Bay Circuit, Marina Bay, Singapore. Sunday 17 September 2017. World Copyright: Steven Tee/LAT Images ref: Digital Image _R3I1034 A first-lap collision took Vettel, Raikkonen and Verstappen out and meant pole amounted to nothing for the German World Championship contender.
The aforementioned month in which the wheels came off as Ferrari squandered poles, second places and the rest across Singapore, Malaysia and Japan rendered an excellent start and solid form thereafter irrelevant.
In the space of three races it became a case of when instead of if Hamilton won the World Championship.
The Brit took his customary win in the USA ahead of Vettel, to leave himself needing only to finish in the top five in Mexico.
A chaotic start there dropped both men to the back of the field as they collided, to leave Hamilton with a puncture and Vettel with a broken front wing. Vettel needed to win to have any chance of continuing the fight to Brazil, but could only fight to fourth. Hamilton raced to ninth.
At the Brazilian Grand Prix and with both Championships now decided, Ferrari needed to remind the watching world that they remained a threat, having failed to win a race since Hungary.
Vettel was second in qualifying ahead of Raikkonen, but jumped ahead of Bottas into turn one and controlled the race from there. It was a win the team desperately needed.
Mercedes secured a 1-2 in Abu Dhabi with Ferrari third and fourth, but thoughts had already turned to 2018.
As they reflect back on this season, it will be a mixture of “what ifs” and encouragement for the Scuderia’s top brass.
While they ultimately did not fully deliver after the promise they’d shown early season, 2017 proved that Ferrari – after so long – can compete for top honours once again.
It would be unwise to rule out the men from Maranello next year.
The newly branded Alfa Romeo Sauber F1 Team have today revealed their 2018 driver line-up. Runaway 2017 F2 champion Charles Leclerc will replace Pascal Wehrlein alongside Marcus Ericsson, who has been retained for his fourth season with the team. Italian Antonio Giovinazzi, who had initially been in contention for the seat that Leclerc ultimately claimed, has been signed as test driver.
The announcement was made at a press conference held at the Alfa Romeo museum in Rho, Italy, with the likes of FIA President Jean Todt, Liberty Media’s Chase Carey and CEO of the Fiat Chrysler group Sergio Marchionne in attendance.
20-year old Leclerc, who is a member of the Ferrari Driver Academy alongside Giovinazzi, won this year’s F2 title in dominant fashion, becoming the series’ youngest ever champion and the first since Nico Hulkenberg in 2009 to win it in his rookie season. Alongside Hulkenberg, only Nico Rosberg and Lewis Hamilton have achieved the same feat. Leclerc won seven races and started on pole a record eight times on his way to wrapping up the title with three races to spare. His first taste of F1 came in 2016 when he acted as development driver for Haas while competing in GP3, participating in FP1 for the American team at Silverstone, the Hungaroring, Hockenheim, and Interlagos. This year, he took part in the post-season tyre test for Sauber in Abu Dhabi and in four more FP1 sessions, in Malaysia, the US, Mexico and Brazil, as well as the mid-season test for Ferrari. The details of Leclerc’s contract, including for how many years he has been signed, have not yet been revealed.
Marcus Ericsson, whose Swedish backers have links with Sauber’s owners, will compete in his fifth F1 season in 2018, his fourth with the Sauber team, despite being the only full-time driver in 2017 who failed to score any points. His best finish was 11th in both Spain and Azerbaijan, and he was outqualified 11-7 by Pascal Wehrlein, albeit by an average of just 0.049 seconds over the course of the season, the closest margin between any teammates on the grid. Wehrlein scored all five Sauber’s points in 2017, despite missing the first few races as he recovered from the injury he suffered in the Race of Champions in January.
The announcement means that there is just one seat still available in F1 for 2018, with Williams still debating who should partner Lance Stroll.
Ben Barnicoat is the 2017 Sean Edwards Foundation winner. He collected the coveted Lalique Trophy along with 20 sets of Pirelli tyres for the 2018 season.
Ben races in the Blancpain GT Series for Strakka Racing.
Daphne McKinley Edwards (Chairman & Founder) said ‘when I watched Ben’s development over his first season in the Blancpain GT Series, his acceleration, commitment and drive is what stood out, he is a highly focused driver and definitely one to watch’.
The 2017 Formula One season is over and observers’ verdicts are in. There is a general consensus that the season just past was a marked improvement on the three turbo-era years that preceded it.
For the first time in five years few were definitively sure about who would take the World Drivers’ Championship until October.
However, as Lewis Hamilton edged out Sebastian Vettel in what was for two-thirds of the season a really close fought battle, there was a sense of anti-climax as Mercedes steamrollered their way through Belgium, Italy and most of Asia.
From as early as winter testing, we were told that we were getting a title battle that was going right to the wire in Abu Dhabi. Yet it didn’t quite last, whether it was because the wheels fell off at Ferrari or because Mercedes’ relentless turbo juggernaut still has life left, or perhaps a bit of both.
Circuit de Catalunya, Barcelona, Spain. Sunday 14 May 2017. World Copyright: Andy Hone/LAT Images ref: Digital Image _ONZ6499 As with the Spanish Grand Prix, Hamilton edged rival Vettel in the title race
A now four-time World Champion Lewis Hamilton and his teammate Valtteri Bottas at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix were a perfect metaphor for Ferrari’s title challenge this season.
The Brit constantly harangued Bottas for the first three-quarters of the race, but in similar fashion to Ferrari over the season, ran out of puff.
That is not to say that 2017, on the track at least, has not shown promise.
We got on track battles between world champions that were genuinely exciting, if not on a regular basis.
The faster, wider and more challenging cars brought in to give F1 cars their aggressive edge back worked. On track, they looked more natural and authentic without severely affecting the racing.
Overtaking was more difficult as the aero-effect increased even further, but the best drivers often found a way.
That DRS was less effective than in previous seasons meant that in many cases, there was still a challenge despite the overtaking aid, which was the original idea when the concept was introduced in 2011.
Certainly, it didn’t stop Daniel Ricciardo’s daring late-braking manoeuvres such as those seen at the US Grand Prix.
Esteban Ocon (FRA) Sahara Force India F1 VJM10. Despite an excellent fourth place, Force India may struggle to progress from there
There are still issues with independent teams not likely to break the glass ceiling that Force India, despite another brilliant season, appear to have hit with fourth in the Constructors’ Championship.
Bearing in mind that is clear of two more factory outfits in Renault and McLaren – although the latter used clearly inferior engines – it is an excellent achievement for a team with a budget smaller than at least two thirds of the grid.
Until running costs are brought down and prize money equalised, the glass ceiling – barring a Brawn-esque miracle – is likely to remain.
Meanwhile, F1’s new owners have likewise been busy, though perhaps sometimes fighting the wrong opponents in their battle to market Formula One.
They have been excellent with the increase in accessibility for fans, and particularly with digital media with F1 ringleader Chase Carey having rightly identified that medium as a place to grow the sport further and attract younger fans.
The endorsement of the F1 eSports Championship, in which computer gamers get their chance to become a World Champion, has further helped connect with younger fans.
And in Ross Brawn, F1’s American owners have made the right choice with their sporting director. But he has to play peacemaker too often as teams squabble over the next engine regulations and despite having “plans” a year ago, little progress has been made.
Liberty have made mistakes along the way, though.
Plenty of changes are needed in Formula One to attract teams, manufacturers and most importantly, fans.
F1 unveiled their new logo at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix
One of those changes is not the logo, with the new one unveiled at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix looking as if the thought process and design took roughly five minutes in total.
Intended to reflect the changes in Formula One and increase brand exposure, it replaces an iconic logo recognisable the world over and makes little sense.
Surely, that time, even those five minutes, would have been better used on other issues.
Issues such as the decrease in TV audiences this decade.
Germany does not have a free-to-air deal for 2018 as of yet, while 2018 is the final year that every one of the UK’s 65m people will have access to F1.
Those are two of the biggest Formula One markets and just at a time when emphasis is on extending the sport’s media reach, it risks alienating two countries that have given so much to it.
Without being presumptuous, with all the tales of Lewis Hamilton’s rise from a council estate in Stevenage it is difficult to imagine that he had access to pay-TV in his early karting days.
F1 has certainly upped its game in 2017 and the show improved, which it needed to.
It must now make the right decisions to ensure that improvement is built upon.
