ThePitcrewOnline

4th May 20173rd July 2017

F1 to return to the Glen?

Ever since purchasing Formula 1, Liberty Media have sought after increasing the calendar, especially in North America as it is such an untapped market to enter.

Watkins Glen could be the answer. The interest in F1 cannot be higher especially after the now success of the Circuit of the Americas at Austin and Alonso’s Indy 500 participation this year.

Watkins Glen International, or known as The Glen for short, is full of history, and has the experience to hold an event. The track was part of the Formula 1 calendar for 20 years, last held in 1980, traditionally in autumn. This could allow a back-to-back with Austin on the current calendar structure.

The Glen has an annual schedule, and is regularly used, from its traditional 6 hour endurance to the various NASCAR events and Verizon IndyCar events throughout the year. Hulman & Company, owners of the IndyCar series, are in talks with extending the contract, only back on the 2017 calendar this year due to the collapse of the planned street track in Boston.

In recent years various redevelopments on and off track have been completed which have increased interest in the track. The much out-of-date media centre has been taken down and completely reconstructed with a state of the art control tower which allowed the full 43-car NASCAR grid last year.

Whilst on track in recent years from 2010 onwards the track has been repaved, including its extension ‘the boot’ which was added to the track in the early 90’s.

To make the track look more modern, they took away the rumble strips and added the more common red & yellow designs with extending the asphalt run off areas for safety.

Charlie Whiting, Formula 1’s race director, is a big fan of Watkins Glen. “It is a wonderful circuit,” he stated last year. Every few years he inspects the track, with a visit in 2016 after the most recent repave increasing speculation that Formula 1 was to return. This was before Liberty Media bought the sport but still led to major rumours around the paddock.

Above you can see a layout of the Watkins Glen track; as you can see though, we have colour co-ordinated it to accommodate possible areas for DRS zones. The only amendment you could make to the layout really is to make the pit entrance before the last corner for safety concerns. The Glen has a lovely flow to it, especially in the chute through to the boot section on the bottom right of the track.

Liberty Media want more races in America; Bernie Ecclestone for many years sought Formula 1 to be in New York, for the Grand Prix of New Jersey as it would be known.

But when you have a fully fledged historic race track in the state of New York, so why let it go to waste? The Glen currently holds an estimated 38,000 on race days, but with a few more stands it could easily have space to accommodate 45,000+ fans.

Currently an FIA grade 2 track, Watkins Glen is compliant with every racing series except for Formula 1, similar to established tracks like Sebring and Le Mans; but if a contract can be put in place, plans can made to bring the track up to the Grade 1 that it needs. Most recently, look at the renovation that was put into place with Mexico to increase the grading of that venue.

The Glen has had great entertainment in recent years, and with a contract with Formula 1 that could only continue to grow.

Chris Lord, F1 Correspondent

4th May 20173rd July 2017

Valtteri Bottas, F1’s 107th Different Winner

Sochi Autodrom, Sochi, Russia.
Sunday 30 April 2017.
World Copyright: Glenn Dunbar/LAT Images
ref: Digital Image _31I1948

Valtteri Bottas, in Russia, won his first Grand Prix in his Formula One career after 81 starts. The Finn started from the third position, passed the two Ferraris on the first lap and led the race until the end.

Sebastian Vettel with his Ferrari finished only 0.617s behind Bottas. The German had a fresher set of tyres and tried to take advantage of that in the final laps. The Finn defended his position even when Vettel was in the DRS zone and remained until the chequered flag.

In Sochi, Valtteri Bottas became F1’s 107th different winner and the fifth Finn who has won a race, the other four are Keke Rosberg, Mika Hakkinen, Kimi Raikkonen and Heikki Kovalainen.

Get in PitCrew’s time travel machine, fasten your seatbelt and get ready for a trip to the past! Where and when did some of the greatest drivers, in Formula 1, won their first race?

Ayrton Senna

In the second race of the 1985 Formula One season, Ayrton Senna with Lotus-Renault, celebrated his first victory in his F1 career. The Brazilian started the race from the pole and he was leading for 67 laps. Michele Alboreto with Ferrari and Patrick Tambay with Renault finished second and third respectively. Sixteen drivers retired in that race and Manfred Winelhock was not classified.

The race was originally scheduled for 70 laps, but at the beginning of lap 67, Ayrton Senna received a ‘one lap to go’ signal from the race director as the race esceeded the two-hour time limit.

The Portuguese Grand Prix was held in Estoril on April 21, 1985, and it was Senna’s first of the 41 Formula One victories.

Michael Schumacher

Michael Schumacher raced for the first time in Formula 1 in 1991 at the Belgian Grand Prix, it took him almost a year and in 1992 at the same race, he won his first Grand Prix in F1. The German won with Benetton and it was the first of his 91 victories. Eighteen drivers finished that race, Nigel Mansell with his Williams-Renault took the pole position, but Michael Schumacher, who started third, took the chequered flag.

It was a wet race at the Spa circuit which gave to the German his first F1 victory. At that season, Schumacher finished third in the Drivers’ Championship and scored 53 points. Michael Schumacher’s last Grand Prix was in 2012 at the Brazilian Grand Prix.

Nigel Mansell

Two races before the end of the 1985 Formula One season, Nigel Mansell at the European Grand Prix, took his first chequered flag. The race held at Brands Hatch on October 6, 1985. Ayrton Senna was the fastest driver during the qualifying session and with 1:07.169 he took the pole position. Nigel Mansell qualified third and started the race behind the two Brazilians, Nelson Piquet and Ayrton Senna.

Frank Williams signed Mansell to drive alongside Keke Rosberg and the Brit said that ‘Keke was probably one of the best team-mates I’ve had in my career’. The British driver won 31 races in total, took 32 pole positions and celebrated one championship in 1992. During his Formula One career, he drove for Lotus, Williams, Ferrari and McLaren.

Jenson Button

Jenson made his Formula One debut in 2000 at the Australian Grand Prix with Williams. The British replaced Alex Zanardi and became the British youngest Formula 1, driver. On August 2006, in Hungary, Button after a long waiting, won his first Grand Prix and finished on the highest step of the podium followed by Pedro de la Rosa and Nick Heidfeld. In qualifying, Kimi Raikkonen secured the pole position, while Button qualified fourth, but received a 10 place grid penalty due to an engine change.

The track was wet when the race started and Jenson Button fought all the way up to the first position. A collision between Raikkonen and Vitantonio Liuzzi deployed the safety car, at that moment Jenson Button decided to stay out on track and that led him up to the second position behind Fernando Alonso. When the safety car returned into the pits, Button was pushing Alonso but the Britt pitted for fuel, whilst the Spaniard pitted for dry tyres.

When Alonso rejoined the track he had problems with his rear wheel nut, Alonso lost the control of his car and crashed. That allowed to Button to take the lead and remained first until the end of the race.

Sebastian Vettel

Four world titles, 90 podiums, 44 points and 2,194 points are some interesting numbers in Sebastian Vettel’s career. The German, made his F1 debut in Indianapolis Motor Speedway with BMW Sauber and replaced the injured Robert Kubica. Almost a year later, Vettel became the youngest driver in the history of Formula One to win a Grand Prix.

Heavy rain before the start of the race, made the track slippery and that forced the stewards to start the race behind the safety car. When the safety car returned to the pits, Sebastian Vettel increased his lead, from Kovalainen to two seconds and secured his first victory as an F1 driver.

Sebastian Vettel with his Toro Rosso-Ferrari scored 10 points and he was leading the Italian Grand Prix for 306.720 km.

These were a few of the 107 different winners in Formula 1 and I believe that the current grid has some skilful drivers which can increase that number.

Victor Archakis – @FP_Passion

4th May 20173rd July 2017

Moto3 Spanish GP Preview: Home Victory or Home Defeat

Moto3 rolls back into life this weekend with the Spanish Grand Prix. Following Romano Fenati’s victory at COTA, the front four in the championship are covered by a mere 13 points, with Joan Mir leading the way from Jorge Martin and John McPhee. However, the return to Europe always shows us who the real deal is and who is going to be in the championship hunt to the end. We have yet to see the likes of Enea Bastianini, Fabio Di Giannantonio and Nicolo Bulega up at the sharp end, promising us a frantic next few races. The question is whether or not Spain will take a win or if one of the other nations will beat them on their home territory.

Joan Mir’s 8th place at COTA was his worst finish of the year, but he maintained the championship lead, despite it shrinking to just six points. The Spaniard will be searching for a good result at home and an improvement on last year’s sixth place at Jerez.

Jorge Martin will be wanting his first race win of the year, having started with two 3rd places and a 2nd at COTA. The young Spaniard scored a 14th at Jerez back in 2015 and that remains his best result, seeing as he crashed out last year. He and Mir may end up in a Spanish showdown on who will take honours in their home race.

Of course, it may be neither of them. John McPhee has had his best ever start to a year with two 2nd places and a 7th last time out in The States. Having spoken to the young Scot at the Oulton Park BSB meeting, it may well be worth watching him, as he is confident at more familiar circuits. Britain’s Danny Kent won the Moto3 race in 2015 and a repeat performance from McPhee would do us Brits just nicely indeed.

Romano Fenati elevated himself up the leaderboard after his first win of the year at COTA. Having won their in 2016, Fenati made amends whilst those around him fell and languished. The Italian has a winning history at Jerez too, with a dominant 36 second win in 2012 in just his 2nd ever GP. Can the diminutive Italian force his Honda to work around Jerez?

There’s more Italians in behind Fenati too. In 5th, Andrea Migno has finished every race in the points so far, with a worst result of 12th coming last time around. The VR46 rider will hope his form at Jerez will change, with 11th last year being his best. He is the first KTM rider in the championship and the manufacturer scored an excellent one-two last year. Could that signify something special on race day?

Fabio Di Giannantonio took 3rd place in COTA for his first podium of the year. The young Italian whipper-snapper returning to the form we know he has after being punted off by Bulega in Argentina. He crashed out of the race last year at Jerez but will be looking for the first back to back podiums of his career and maybe even his first win, to launch his title charge properly.

Nicolo Bulega’s 2nd at Jerez last year is his best Moto3 result to date and one of only two podiums. With a return to form at COTA with 5th, Bulega will be hopeful of a shot at the podium under the Spanish sun.

Watch out for other riders such as Aron Canet, Phillip Oettl and Juanfran Guevara, with Gabriel Rodrigo, Enea Bastianini and Livio Loi also hoping for good results. Former CEV riders Kaito Toba, Nakarin Atiratphuvapat, Tony Arbolino, Ayumu Sasaki and Marcos Ramirez will also feel more at home this weekend, coming to a circuit they are familiar with.

Kiko Giles @MotoGPKiko

4th May 20173rd July 2017

MotoGP Spanish GP Preview: A Sherry On Top of the Cake

The first European round of the 2017 MotoGP championship comes from Jerez de la Frontera for the Spanish Grand Prix. Situated over 600km away from the country’s capital Madrid, Jerez has seen some memorable scenes acted out around the 2.7 mile track. From Michael Doohan and Alex Criville in 1996 to Valentino Rossi and Sete Gibernau in 2005, this circuit has seen it all and we could be in for a weekend filled with action and drama as well as thrills and spills.

Valentino Rossi, for the first time since November 2015, leads the series. The Movistar Yamaha veteran has finished on the podium in every race so far this year and arrives at a track at which he has triumphed on nine occasions, the most recent being last year. With a six point lead over teammate Maverick Vinales, The Doctor will need to bring his ‘A’ game to Jerez. Should he win at Jerez, it will be his 10th at the track and his 22nd in Spain, as well as 115th in his GP career. The scene of many incidents in his career, Jerez is steeped in Rossi history but what will the future hold for 38-year-old Italian, as he continues his quest for title number 10. He’s like a good Spanish wine: he gets better with age.

Chasing him in the championship is Maverick Vinales, making it a dream start to Movistar Yamaha’s 2017 championship aspirations. However, Vinales couldn’t handle the heat in Texas, falling in the opening laps, gifting teammate Rossi the series lead by a mere six points. Having won at Jerez in his 2013 Moto3 championship year, Maverick’s best result in the MotoGP category was 6th place last season on the Suzuki. Two wins to his name so far this year indicate Vinales’ pace but now we arrive at circuits which are familiar to all MotoGP riders. Yamaha have won at the track for the last two seasons with two different riders and Maverick will be hoping he can be the 3rd. Competition will be tough and it may well be a matter of Vinales maintaining his composure, seeing as the speed is most definitely there.

18 points back of Valentino and 12 back from Maverick, Americas GP’s winner Marc Marquez got his season kick-started in the States. The Repsol Honda rider arrives at his home GP off the back of domination but his form in Spain doesn’t indicate a certain win this time. 3rd last season and 2nd the year before, Marquez knows that he has to take points off the Movistar Yamaha men whilst the season is still young. Honda haven’t won since Marc was in his winning form in 2014 and there will be big pressure from team sponsor Repsol to end the drought. Can he perform in front of his home crowd to take his first back to back victories in 2017 and close down the leading Yamaha duo before they build an unassailable lead on the five time champ?

Despite finishing just 6th in the USA and not finishing in Argentina, Andrea Dovizioso remains 4th in the series, 8 points behind Marquez in 3rd and 26 behind leader Rossi. Dovi hasn’t had the best luck so far in 2017 but a lacklustre display in the USA highlighted that the Ducati is struggling in both his and Jorge’s hands. The Ducati hasn’t got a particularly amazing record at Jerez either, with their last podium coming in 2009 with Casey Stoner and their last win with Loris Capirossi in 2006. Will they solve the problem with Dovi? Can he return the Bologna Bullet to the Spanish GP rostrum? We will soon see! Dovi hasn’t won at the track and he’s not taken a premier class podium either, so form may suggest not this weekend.

Cal Crutchlow sits pretty in 5th place in the championship, just one point behind his former Tech 3 Yamaha and Ducati Factory teammate. The British rider has had a good start to the season on Lucio Cecchinello’s Honda, despite crashing twice under the lights at Losail. A 3rd in Argentina and a 4th in America mean Crutchlow comes back to Europe without the sense of needing to prove himself to doubters. His Spanish Grand Prix results speak for themselves, with a stunning 4th in 2012 and 2015, and a 5th in 2013. If he does manage to mount the podium, he will be the first British rider on the premier class podium at Jerez since Niall Mackenzie in 1992. Now, I will leave you with that thought.

The second of the Repsol Hondas is occupying 6th place, with Dani Pedrosa’s third place in America elevating him up the championship pecking order. Pedrosa sits just 2 points behind Cal and 3 points behind Dovi in the series standings. The Spaniard has been very successful around Jerez, accumulating three victories and 10 podiums, although the last time he stood on the rostrum was 2013. Pedrosa feels confident with the Honda now that he has a podium under his belt and this weekend could be a Pedrosa weekend if he can get away with the leaders. If he gets on the podium, it will be the first time since Sepang and Valencia 2015 that he has had back to back podiums. An astonishing statistic for such a high-profile name.

The two Tech 3 Yamaha riders are 7th and 8th in the championship, with Zarco ahead of Folger by a mere one point as they continue their battle for top rookie. Both riders have had podiums at Jerez but Jonas Folger is the only winner, back on the AGR Kalex Moto2 bike in 2015. There has never been a German or French rider on the podium of a premier class Grand Prix at Jerez, a statistic Folger and Zarco will both want to change.

Tied on 21 points with Folger is Pramac Ducati’s Scott Redding and Marc VDS Honda’s Jack Miller. Both riders finished outside the points last season and will want to change that as they try and hunt down Cal Crutchlow for top independent rider. With Jack Miller yet to finish outside the top 10 and Redding’s podium at the track in 2013, don’t expect to be seeing them vacate the top 10 at Jerez.

A difficult start to the year has seen Danilo Petrucci drop to 11th in the championship on the 2nd of the Pramac Ducatis but on the Factory version. The Italian has hit back though in the past two races, with a seventh and an 8th, with the latter involving him beating Factory Ducati rider Jorge Lorenzo late-on in the race. Jerez is a track that hasn’t been too kind to him however, with no top 10 finish to date. Can that change in 2017?

Alvaro Bautista has shown us that he has some amazing pace for 2017, pace that can either be challenging the top four or throwing it on the floor. Two crashes have seen Bautista drop to 12th in the championship, despite recovering to finish 15th in the USA. His best premier class result at the track is sixth, on three occasions between 2012 and 2014. He has one victory to his name, in 2006 on his way to his 125cc title. Will he be able to cause a shock this weekend?

Jorge Lorenzo is 13th in the championship and the fourth Ducati. A wretched start to his 2017 campaign looked to be recovered when he qualified 6th at COTA, only for him to drop back to 9th come race day. He has some impressive form around Jerez, including premier class wins in 2015, 2011 and 2010, as well as podiums every year apart from 2014 and 2009. Like we have already discussed, the Ducati is a handful around Jerez and that may mean that Jorge may well be relying on his form at the track to haul the cumbersome bike onto the podium.

Aleix Espargaro leads Andrea Iannone in 14th and 15th, with the Aprilia and Suzuki rider desperate to turn their season around and rapidly. Aleix had a terrible time of things at COTA, describing the Saturday as the “worst day of his life”. Things didn’t get better for the Losail revelation either, when the team attended a private test at Mugello, only to be hindered by rain. His best result at the track is 5th. However, Andrea Iannone has got some form. Having finally finished a race in the points at COTA (7th), he can build on what he found. The trouble is for Iannone, out of 12 starts at Jerez, there’s been just 1 win and 9 results have been outside the top 10 or DNFs. Now, if that isn’t a bogey track…

Loris Baz and Karel Abraham are in 16th and 17th, with both riders failing to score points last time out in The States. Baz’ best finish around Jerez was 13th last year, although a 7th in WSBK might suggest that he doesn’t enjoy the track. As for Karel – who is injured following COTA – his best result was 7th in 2011, although this was his last points at the track to date.

Tito Rabat and Hector Barbera, whilst languishing in the championship have actually scored points in every race this season. With both riders on 8 points, they are actually level with Abraham so with some luck this weekend, positions could change. Barbera’s best result consists of 6th in the premier class but a 3rd in 125s in 2004. For Rabat, he was 18th last season but finished 3rd in 2015 on the Moto2 bike and also took his first ever Grand Prix victory at the track in 2013. Will happy memories return for the former champion?

Alex Rins sits 20th in the championship for Suzuki but following his accident in Austin that led to a broken wrist, he is missing out Jerez and possibly Le Mans and Mugello. His replacement rider is Takuya Tsuda, the Suzuki development rider who makes his Grand Prix debut this weekend. He becomes the first Japanese rider since Hiroshi Aoyama at the Sacshsenring in 2015 to start a European MotoGP race.

The KTM pairing of Pol Espargaro and Bradley Smith head to Jerez hoping for a better weekend than their America visit. No points for either and a retirement along the way mean that the bike may well need a solid showing in Jerez to prove to doubters that it has the capabilities to match the skill set of both riders on board. Both have won at Jerez, with Espargaro winning in 2012 in Moto2 and Bradley Smith in 2009 (his first ever GP win) in the 125cc class. Both riders finished in the points last year (8th for Pol and 12th for Bradley) and will be looking for a repeat performance again this year, even if it isn’t to the positions.

In last place in the championship, Sam Lowes is point-less at the foot of the championship. His Aprilia has been a handful and a series of crashes at COTA won’t have done his confidence any good at all. He won the Moto2 race at Jerez last season so he will take the positives of that to Sunday but he must start to bring the bike home within the top 15. His other two GP results at Jerez have been outside the top 15 but in 2013, he did win the World Supersport championship at the track with a win.

With every rider analysed and the build up underway to an amazing weekend of racing, we now look forward to Sunday for the day that matters. Will Valentino Rossi repeat last years feat and build his points lead in the title or will Maverick fight back after a disaster in America? Can Marquez win back-to-back or can teammate Pedrosa shock us all? Those are the questions and you can get the answers by keeping up with our live text commentary across the weekend.

Kiko Giles @MotoGPKiko

3rd May 20173rd July 2017

Russian Grand Prix: winners and losers

Großer Preis von Russland 2017, Freitag – Steve Etherington / Mercedes AMG Petronas

Winners

Valtteri Bottas: He claimed his first victory in F1, even starting from third and managed to hold his nerve to cross the line ahead of the chasing Vettel. Even with all the talk before the weekend about him going to be the “number two” driver and moving over to let Hamilton past, this weekend Hamilton was off the pace all three days. Will we now see Bottas joining the championship battle and giving Mercedes another driver headache?

Ferrari: They managed to claim their first front row lock out for 9 years on Saturday with Vettel on pole and Räikkönen behind. Even though they lost they lost the lead going into Turn 1, they managed to keep Hamilton behind and take the remaining podium positions, which allowed Vettel to build on his championship lead by another six points. It was also a much needed confidence boost for Räikkönen to get back on the podium after struggling in the first three races. This might keep the “Kimi out” rumours a bit quieter for another couple of weeks.

Force India: What a brilliant weekend for the small team from Silverstone: with both cars in the top ten in qualifying for the first time this season, they managed to build on that in the race to finish sixth and seventh while their main championship rivals struggled. This keeps their 100% points finishes with both cars, and makes Perez the best-of-the-rest in the championship as he ties on points with Ricciardo in seventh. As for Ocon in his first full season in the sport he managed to improve on his run of tenth-place finishes from the previous races, with a superdrive bringing it home in seventh that helped Force India pull a small gap from Williams in the standings.

Nico Hülkenberg: One side of the Renault garage can be happy with a new front wing seemingly helping Hülkenberg’s and Renault’s race pace. He once again managed to get into Q3 and qualified eighth, where he managed to finish the race once again collecting valuable points for the team.

Losers

Lewis Hamilton: Even though he still managed to finish fourth and collect good points, his main championship rival extended his lead, and he was totally out-paced all weekend by his teammate. He only qualified fourth, which was extremely disappointing by his standards, and stayed there all race.

Red Bull: With a second brake failure in as many races costing them even more championship points it’s not looking good for Red Bull. Already a full second slower than Ferrari and Mercedes and with poor reliability too, they really need their B-Spec car to be a huge improvement or it could be a long year.

Williams: Falling behind Force India again, with Massa only managing ninth with a late slow puncture issue which cost him three positions and the team a lot of points. Stroll was also off the pace only finishing eleventh, though doing a good job to take his first race finish, and he has to improve quickly or with the midfield battle so close we could see Williams dropping down the championship. And to make things worse, they even missed out on the fastest pit stop this weekend.

McLaren: Already acquiring penalties for using more engine parts at race four of twenty, its going to be a very long season for Alonso and Vandoorne: even if Honda can fix their reliability issues, there will be many back row starts guaranteed—but at least that’s better than breaking down on the formation lap. It’s not good enough from a team with such great history.

Jolyon Palmer: A very poor weekend for him: crashing in qualifying was the start, and with his teammate Hulkenberg setting a time 1.3s quicker than him Palmer has to quickly rethink his strategy over the next two weeks. Crashing during the race going into Turn 1 didn’t help either, and with many other drivers waiting for a seat could Palmer’s time be running out fast.

Richard Hindson, F1 Correspondent

3rd May 20173rd July 2017

Valtteri Bottas: the dark horse of 2017?

Großer Preis von Russland 2017, Sonntag – Steve Etherington / Mercedes AMG Petronas

Valtteri Bottas secured his first win in Formula 1 last weekend after overcoming the first Ferrari lock-out in nine years. Going into turn two and holding onto the lead, the Finn had seemingly learnt from mistakes made in Bahrain fourteen days beforehand.

The 27-year-old crossed the finish line in Sochi 0.617s ahead of Sebastian Vettel and 36.320s before fellow Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton in fourth.

The 25 championship points secured thanks to a near-flawless drive placed the Fin just ten points behind his Mercedes teammate and within a race win of the German leader.

However, Bottas has already shown inconsistency this season—falling from pole in Bahrain to finish third and losing another three places in China where the former Williams man finished sixth.

So is there correlation between this season and the last? Or, is Bottas really in the title chase?

Well, during the first four races of the 2016 campaign Bottas impressed, out-qualifying then-teammate Felipe Massa on three occasions; Bahrain, China and Russia, including a front-row start alongside Nico Rosberg in Sochi.

However, this season seems to be a similar scenario: Bottas has again showed great pace in what seem to be his favoured tracks, but, similar to last year, struggled with the opening race in Australia.

Barcelona again seems to be one that the Finn relishes. The 4.65km circuit was another happy hunting ground for Bottas in 2016 finishing fifth behind both Red Bull and Ferrari after the infamous collision between the Mercedes drivers early on.

However, throughout the remainder of the 2016 campaign, Bottas struggled to match both qualifying and race pace of Williams’ nearest rivals leading to an eighth-placed Drivers’ Championship finish.

The Monaco Grand Prix seemed to be the catalyst for this downfall, with a finish just inside the points which inevitably lead to a fifth-placed Constructors’ Championship finish for Williams—35 points behind Force India.

Using this, you cannot say that Bottas is in the title picture just yet. His downward spiral last season after a promising start showed no evidence that the 27-year-old is able to provide a consistent challenge.

However, if the Finn was to secure similarly impressive qualifying times and results to that of his previous two races, then he may well be considered as the third-horse in a current two-horse race.

Joe Owens, F1 Correspondent

3rd May 20173rd July 2017

Sauber shake-up: more than just engines

Despite the 2017 F1 season still being in its infancy, one team has already raised their proverbial hand in respect of the 2018 season.

The on-track action at Sochi saw both Sauber drivers struggle all weekend, however Marcus Ericsson put on, what Monisha Kaltenborn described as, a fighting performance, to finish in fifteenth place ahead of team mate Pascal Wehrlein who brought home the car in sixteenth place.

It was however the off-track activity that garnered attention after the Swiss outfit announced that they would part ways with long time partner Ferrari in favour of a new engine supplier in 2018—Honda.

Honda, who have faced a barrage of detractors this season including two-time world champion and incumbent McLaren-Honda driver Fernando Alonso are looking forward to the challenge that Sauber will bring, according to Katsuhide Moriyama, Chief Officer, Brand and Communication Operations for Honda.

Kaltenborn likewise sees this as yet another milestone in the storied history of the independent team, who celebrate 25 years in F1 during this 2017 season. The move is in line with changes envisioned by the new ownership of the popular team.

While a feature-length debate could be made about the decision and the advantages and disadvantages to both sides, it has led to an interesting, albeit early look at possible 2018 driver line up.

Circuit de Barcelona Catalunya, Barcelona, Spain.
Wednesday 08 March 2017.
World Copyright: Zak Mauger/LAT Images
ref: Digital Image _X0W7668 -via Pirelli F1 media

THE McLAREN SIDE AND OTHER MOVES

Kaltenborn has not confirmed any links with the McLaren team; however, if history is to be relied on then it is possible that McLaren may supply Sauber with a gearbox and technical knowledge. This could lead to a driver placement, akin to that utilised by the Mercedes team in recent years. Two names stand out as far as McLaren are concerned:

NYCK DE VRIES

The 22-year-old McLaren Development driver, who is managed by one Anthony Hamilton, is currently racing in the Formula 2 series for Rapax and had been considered for the Ferrari GT programme, but McLaren had retained the faith in their protégé, keeping him in single seaters.

It is faith that seems well-placed, albeit with just the Bahrain F2 round complete, with De Vries finishing in the points in both races, and ahead of his very experienced teammate, giving him 9th place in the championship standings.

2017 FIA Formula 2 Round 1.
Bahrain International Circuit, Sakhir, Bahrain.
Sunday 16 April 2017.
Nyck De Vries (NED, Rapax)
Photo: Zak Mauger/FIA Formula 2.
ref: Digital Image _56I1747

Why could De Vries make the hypothetical jump to F1 in 2018? For one, he is incredibly quick and a fast learner who could slot in a role next to the more experienced Ericsson (who is fancied to be retained) with ease. In Hamilton, he has a manager who is au faire with the ever-evolving animal that is the F1 paddock and who could make the transition an easier one that most.

His Dutch nationality could also count in his favour: ever since the arrival of Max Verstappen and the entrance of Heineken into F1, the Netherlands has seen an upsurge in the popularity of the sport, which can only be an advantage to De Vries.

OLIVER TURVEY

The 2014 LMP2 Le Mans winner is a favourite in the motorsport world and is McLaren’s test driver having been signed in 2012, and is spending the 2017 season in the Formula E series with NextEV NIO.

Turvey’s racing acumen holds him in excellent stead for a possible entry into F1 and he has the intelligence to take on the technical side given that his Masters dissertation is based on F1 aerodynamics. Turvey will bring a wealth of racing knowledge to a team and would need very little time to learn the dynamics of F1.

2016/2017 FIA Formula E Championship.
Mexico City ePrix, Autodromo Hermanos Rodrguez, Mexico City, Mexico.
Saturday 1 April 2017.
Oliver Turvey (GBR), NextEV NIO, Spark-NEXTEV, NEXTEV TCR Formula 002.
Photo: Zak Mauger/LAT/Formula E
ref: Digital Image _O6I1965

SHAKEN AND STIRRED?

The Sauber Honda partnership has the potential to shake up other driver moves. The current lineup of Ericsson and Wehrlein have not been paired together for very long, given the latter’s slow recovery from injury.

Ericsson has carried the proverbial can at Sauber through the very difficult seasons of late and is expected to be retained by the Hinwil team as a reward for his hard work.

Wehrlein is the heir-apparent at the Mercedes team, albeit only after and if Lewis Hamilton or Valtteri Bottas leave the team. If neither of them do in 2018, his position in the Sauber team would fall under the spotlight. Wehrlein is a talented driver but has been unsettled in F1 with the Manor team falling out of the sport and the Sauber 2018 decision.

Pascal Wehrlein (D), Sauber F1 Team.
Bahrain International Circuit.

In the hypothetical scenario of a McLaren man at Sauber-Honda, could Wehrlein be moved to another Mercedes engine team? The simple answer is an obvious yes, but at whose cost? Esteban Ocon has been placing well for the Force India-Mercedes team and has impressed hugely thus far.

Williams have the unique dynamic of Felipe Massa, who retired and then emerged to replace the moving Bottas, and the rookie Lance Stroll. Wehrlein could conceivably replace Massa at Williams, if the proverbial powers that be are happy to pair relative “rookies” together.

If Wehrlein leaves Sauber, it seems likely that his best fit would be at Williams, rather than upsetting the good pair Force India.

The crystal ball of F1 is one that is foggy at the best of times. Sauber’s decision is not merely confined to that of an engine supplier (which is a debate for another time). It has the potential to affect the driver market much like a domino ripple. In a sport where tenure is as certain as a few seasons ago, this thought, we can assure you, is not lost on the drivers, even this early in 2017.

Sauber have always been the dreamers and chance takers of F1 and the Honda decision is no different. All that remains to be seen is who will take this jump with them.

Rhea Morar, deputy F1 editor

3rd May 20173rd July 2017

McPhee – We’re Feeling Really Positive

John McPhee was in the British Superbike paddock on Monday, which meant that I had to go and speak to him. The Scotsman says he’s positive but we also discussed other topics. The British Talent Cup, Honda and tyres are all spoken about in this exclusive interview.

You’ve had a great start to the year, how are you feeling?

It’s been great to have such a good opportunity this year with a good bike and a good team around me, with a couple of podiums to start of the year in the perfect way too. In Texas we had a difficult weekend but we were still there in the podium challenge and in the points. We got some really important points on the table and now we are arriving back in Europe, we’re feeling really positive.

How does this Honda compare to the previous Honda you rode?

There’s a big difference because in 2015, we actually had the 2014 bike so there’s three years development on the engine and the chassis. Honda have made a massive improvement over the last few years, obviously I haven’t done a back to back comparison with last year’s bike but they (Honda) have made a big step forward now and the bike is working really good thanks to a really good job by Honda. Everything just feels like home for me.

How does the Honda compare to the Peugeot?

Chassis wise the Mahindra was actually really strong – it was actually one of the strongest bikes I’ve ever ridden for chassis set-up. The downfall of the Mahindra was the engine power, it didn’t quite have the power there, especially with acceleration. With Honda, they’ve got the whole package and they can compete with the Mahindra and they’ve got more power there as well.

How do you feel the Moto3 tyres have developed since you’ve been in the class?

The main compound is the mediums and they’ve remained pretty standard throughout the last few years, they’ve not changed much. What they have changed is the soft tyre and it’s not quite as soft and the hard tyre is not quite as hard so they’ve brought all the tyre compounds a lot closer which means people tend to use the soft or the hard tyre more throughout races than what they would’ve done a few years ago. Actual development of the tyre is pretty standard.

Is tyre wear an issue for Moto3?

As the lap times are getting closer and the bikes are getting closer, it is becoming more of a factor. People are starting to look into that a lot more. In Argentina, when I qualified on pole we had the hard rear tyre in rather than the medium because it provides a little bit more stability. It has made a difference a couple of times now and that’s good because it gives us another area to look at and to try and improve.

Brno last year and you won, then come October you was stranded in Australia – how are your injuries?

I think even before Brno we had a bike that was working but we just didn’t have the opportunity to show it. We lacked a bit of horsepower at some of the track we went to and it was difficult to hide that, however at the more flowing tracks – like Phillip Island – we was able to carry corner speed. After the accident, it took a very long time to recover. I wouldn’t say I’m back up at 100% yet, I’m more like 95% and there or there abouts. There’s no pain or anything which is good so hopefully we can get quicker.

Which track do you feel will be your strongest?

I think Phillip Island is going to be one I’m always going to be strong at, it’s more about the rider rather than the actual bike which I quite like.

If you was to choose one rider to go up against at Valencia for the title, who would it be?

Obviously it’s difficult to say, Joan Mir is riding well and leading the championship at the minute but it is a long year. I have a bit more experience than him but we will need to wait and see and it will come down to the last few races for sure. At the minute it’s a bit hard to put one name down.

Where do you see the British Talent Cup in the future? Can it be successful?

I think that the whole intention of this is to bring more British riders along because I think the talent is there but it’s just not being shown and there’s a couple of reasons for that. One of them is funding, the other being accessibility to tracks and teams, down to the lack of funding in the UK. The whole idea of the British Talent Cup is to fund young riders and give them the opportunity of getting the track time, the bike time and the correct people on bikes around them. I think that it will be similar to the Asia Talent Cup. If there is any talent there – which we believe there is – to bring it through and give them the opportunity. You see families re-mortgaging there house to try and fund it. We know there is talent there and this is the opportunity to try and make it shine through.

Kiko Giles @MotoGPKiko

2nd May 20171st August 2017

Quick 10 With…..Carl Fogarty

Neil Simmons

He retired from motorcycle racing in 2000. He won 7 world titles, four World Superbikes (1994, 1995, 1998 and 1999) as well as three World TT (Formula 1) titles (1988, 1989 and 1990).

He helped develop the Petronas FP1 racing team in the early 2000’s.

In 1998 he was awarded an MBE.

In 2002 Ducati, in recognition of his services, released a special limited edition model (only 300 units were built) in his honour.

He is the global ambassador for Triumph, he is also endorsing for ZONA (see the official ZONA press release and competition and how you can enter at the end of the interview).

He started 219 World Superbike races, with 108 podiums, 16 double wins, 29 race wins and totalled 3,008 points.

Add to that he was crowned King Of The Jungle for I’m A Celebrity…Get Me Out Of Here in 2014.

These are his Quick 10……and it is my absolute honour to say he is Carl Fogarty……or to his fans…….FOGGY

1. What is your favourite circuit and why?

Assen. It was my most successful circuit. The old circuit’s banked corners suited my riding style of high corner speed.

2. Who is/was your racing idol?

Kenny Roberts. He was the most successful racer when I was growing up and I loved seeing him in the TransAtlantic races at Oulton

3. Who would you regard as your toughest opponent?

Either John Kocinski or Scott Russell – two tough Americans who wanted to win as much as me

4. Considering racers of all time, you are a team principal and money is no object. Which two racers would you have in your team?

Mike Hailwood and Valentino Rossi

5. If you could invite four famous people to dinner (past and present), who would you invite?

Donald Trump, Liam Gallagher, Gazza and James Whitham

6. Personal racing number? What is it and the reason behind it?

Number 1. No explanation required

7. What is the best race you have been involved in?

I probably remember my two wins at Brands Hatch in 1995. It was the perfect weekend. I was fastest in every session, on pole, broke the lap record and won both races in front of 60,000 fans.

8. Is there a race or series you have not competed in, that you would like to or had wanted to?

It would have been nice to have had 2 or 3 seasons on the Marlboro Yamaha in Grand Prix but it didn’t happen, probably because World Superbikes was so big at the time

9. How did you get into motor racing? What ignited that spark?

I raced motocross as a boy and followed my dad when he was racing. So it seemed the natural thing to do.

10. What is the best advice in racing you have been given?

I’m still waiting for that!

– How did you get involved with ZONA?

I receive a lot of approaches to get involved with new products but it has to be the right product. I honestly believe ZONA can improve safety and the riding experience for every rider.

– Tell us about the product and how it enhances and assists road bike users?

ZONA is a unique and solution to the age-old problem of poor rear vision for motorcycles. It’s an in-helmet display wirelessly linked to an intelligent rear camera. The intelligent vision and delivers clear and wide screen stabilised rear views without interference to riders’ forward vision, as well as eliminating vulnerable blind spots.

– Is there anything more you’d like to see done regarding road safety?

I think technology will play a bigger and bigger part in making riding more safe.

ZONA

Overwhelming biker response to ZONA reveal at MCN London Bike Show

Zona – a new motorcycle accessory – was revealed at the MCN London Motorcycle Show.

There was a tremendous response to Zona at the show with 2,500 people visiting the stand and around 1,000 trying the product for themselves. During the show over 500 hundred people registered for Zona news updates and dozens of people took advantage of the show’s pre-order offer and purchased the product.

Zona is a unique solution to the age-old problem of poor rear vision for motorcyclists. It can be fitted into any helmet and on to any bike. It’s been carefully engineered to extend the rider’s view – enhancing the riding experience.

Using cutting edge patented technology and advanced optics Zona is a state-of-the-art in-helmet display wirelessly linked to an intelligent rear camera.

The team received excellent feedback about the product and in response they are adding an extra feature – loop recording – to Zona at no extra cost ahead of its official release in the summer. So if anyone is shunted from behind they will have video footage to support their insurance claim.

Customer Dave, at the MCN London Show, said: “I think it’s brilliant. I saw a similar product a few years ago, it was too intrusive in your helmet but just trying this on now it’s fantastic, completely out the way but what you can see behind is incredible.”

Customer Graham Lynch said: “Incredible idea, can’t wait for it. Roll on summer for sure, even more safe miles now seeing everything around me thanks to Zona.”

Zona is an invention that 7 x World Champion Carl Fogarty knows will change the way bikers ride forever.

Carl has been influential in developing Zona and was at the MCN London Motorcycle Show on the Sunday to talk about the product, which generated even more interest in the new accessory.

Zona is easy to fit and can be used with any motorbike and helmet. It has flexible fitting options to suit individual rider preferences and once fitted it provides a clear wide screen rear view to the rider with a single glance into the in-helmet display.

The rider sees a stabilised full rear view through Zona’s micro display and optics fitted inside the rider’s helmet. It appears to the eye as a 30” flat screen at 3 metres distance from the rider, giving a comfortable focus for the rider’s eye when looking into the helmet-mounted display, and works equally well for riders who wear glasses when riding.

Zona is not only about enhancing the rider’s experience and enjoyment, it’s about keeping them safe too. The product eliminates vulnerable blind spots and automatically adjusts to remove blur giving riders a better view of any potential hazards around them.

Zona’s Intelligent Rear View System becomes a natural extension of the rider’s senses, giving them better awareness of what’s around them and more time to focus on the road ahead, and ride with more enjoyment, freedom and confidence.

John Hale, Founder and CEO of Zona, said: “We’ve been blown away by the fantastic response at the London Show. We were hoping for a positive reaction, and this was even better than we had expected.

“I’ve been riding since I was old enough to get my bike licence. I know that poor rear vision for bikers is a real problem. Not being able to see clearly behind the bike affects us every day. Motorcycling is an experiential activity – it’s all about connecting with the road and enjoying the ride.

“Zona is a revolutionary solution to this problem and will change the way we ride our bikes forever. It helps bikers focus on the road ahead, improving their overall experience by making them feel more comfortable and the ride more enjoyable – that’s what it’s all about.”

Zona has been a real labour of love for John as he initially came up with the idea back in 2003 when he was nearly knocked off his motorbike on his way to work after not being able to see a motorist behind him.

Initial research and designs led him to putting the idea on hold until the correct technology was available. In 2010 John secured £100,000 funding to develop the first prototype to prove the concept of Zona.

Following the concept design and further investment the final prototype was completed in 2016 and the product is now ready to take to market and will be available in June.

** COMPETITION **

For your chance to win a ZONA just re-tweet this article on Twitter or share it on Facebook. Yes, it is that simple to win this state of the art bike technology.

I wish to thank Carl Fogarty for taking the time out from his busy schedule to take part in this Quick 10, it was an absolute honour to put these questions to not only a racing legend and champion but somebody as a fan I cheered on. I would also like to thank his manager Neil Bramwell for the help and assistance in making this interview possible, always at the end of an email with quick responses. Really appreciated. I would also like to thank Sarah Jeffery the Senior PR Executive at Gardiner Richardson in her help and generosity with ZONA. Without these people this interview would never have occurred.

Ladies and gentlemen that was the Quick 10 With…..Foggy

Visit Carl at: http://www.carlfogarty.com/

Follow Carl on Twitter at: @carlfogarty

Visit ZONA at: http://www.zona-store.com/

Neil Simmons

Twitter: @world_racing

1st May 20171st August 2017

Contrast In Characters

The weekend passed and for some motor racing fans, memories of twenty-three years ago remained as strong and emotional as ever.

Roland Ratzenberger and Ayrton Senna were two contrasting characters from different backgrounds who are now tied by a date.

Senna’s rise and subsequent legendary status in motor racing has been told many times in articles, books and on film. What isn’t so well documented is that Roland Ratzenberger is a 24 Hours of Le Mans winner.

He had forged his way to Formula One via Formula Ford, Formula 3, Touring Cars and Sportscar racing. It was in 1993 he was co-driver with Mauro Martini and Naoki Nagasaka in a SARD Toyota 93C-V when they took the C2 class title at Le Mans. One year later Ratzenberger would find himself in F1 with the Simtek team.

I never had the honour in meeting my racing hero, Ayrton Senna, but I did have the pleasure in meeting Roland Ratzenberger. It was 1987 and I was just starting out on my writing adventure as a junior admin. I bumped into a young Roland, who was testing in British Formula 3. I had been involved in karting at the time and when it became apparent I was not going to make it in racing I decided to write about it.

That is how the initial conversation with Roland came about, our mutual love of racing. I could see the passion in his eyes when he spoke, it was so infectious and as a young teenager it spurred me on to put that kind of passion into my writing.

I was a doing a piece on testing for the team we were assisting around press work and I just found Roland so friendly and accommodating. He would take time out to speak with me about the car and giving his opinion on how it was handling, the conditions out on track and his thoughts on other drivers in the championship. These opinions were always courteous and I never once heard him talk rubbish about another driver.

It was in 1991 when I was now assisting with some Le Mans promotional work when I happened to bump into Roland again. He was co-driving with Will Hoy and Eje Elgh in a Porsche 962C. Not only did he remember me from those years earlier, he remembered my name. We had a chat about Le Mans and he was so excited about the direction his career was heading. He also put aside his own ambitions and was asking me how my writing was developing and wished me luck on my adventure. That was the mark of the man.

Two years later he would be a class winner at Le Mans.

Senna had quickly grown to become my racing idol. The man could be a confusing paradox with his thoughts on life, religion and racing and he did split opinions on his racing style at times with fans. My love of all things Senna stemmed from his days with Toleman. Any racing fan worth their weight in gold could see what a talent he was even then. I was young and had no real concept of his rise through karting and the lower single-seater series at that time. It was not until later in life when I was able to read back when it added to the legend of the man.

There will always be debate on who the greatest Formula One driver of all time is, based on opinions, facts and figures but in my humble opinion Ayrton Senna was and still is the greatest driver to grace Formula One. Even Michael Schumacher said that Senna was the greatest and he’s won more titles than anybody else.

That weekend, twenty-three years ago, was the only time I have ever cried as a racing fan. Not only did a man I had met, worked with and found so friendly lost his life doing a sport he was so passionate about, the very next day the motor racing world lost a legend.

A very difficult weekend for racing (add to that the injury to Rubens Barrichello) and one which I found difficult to watch back until recently.

It feels like yesterday since we lost these two men.

A contrast of characters who are both now connected by one tragic weekend.

I will never forget either man.

See you at the chequered flag.

Neil Simmons

Twitter: @world_racing