Q) Did/ do you have any aspirations towards F1 ?
A) Yes, but when I was very young. Coming from Brazil, we don’t know much else about racing because it’s all about F1. But I changed my mind early on, while racing in Europe in F. Renault and Formula 3, as I figured out that the cards for my generation were already marked.
Q) What do you think about Formula E & is there anything you feel other formulas can learn from it?
A) I like it. It’s interesting, different. I don’t think it belongs to what we know as “racing” – to me it kind of stands on its own, something new. But entertaining for sure, and promising. But being different than anything else, I don’t think it can be used much as an example of success or failure for other small formula categories.
Q) You will be racing in LeMans in June, can you tell me why it is is so key to make sure you’re always checking your mirrors?
A) Well, you check your mirrors all the time, but during the night it has little use because we can’t really see much. The LMP1 lights are just too bright, it blinds us, and makes our mirrors reflect a completely white light. You can’t judge whether they’re 500 m or 50 m behind. But in general, the mirror raises your space awareness, and in GT cars you must be ready to protect yourself from incoming cars all the time.
Q) Is it difficult to race at dusk or night doing 160 MPH+?
A) Yeah, it is very difficult. But it’s more difficult when you leave the environment of the garage and go straight to the night. If the night comes while you’re already driving, it’s much easier because your eyes adapt step by step with it. But for sure, it’s not easy, and it’s one of the big challenges of endurance racing.
Q) In 3 words describe your racing style?
A) Smart, precise, aware.
Q) Do you have a strict training and preparation programme to assist in endurance racing?
A) Yes, fitness and nutrition plus a special preparation before entering the race car. Everything must work together. Mind and body must be in tune, and in tune with the mindfulness required by racing well.
Q) Tell me the most special thing to you within racing, that even on the worst day makes you feel fortunate to be able to race at all?
A) To know what an achievement it is just being able to do it at all, especially coming from a family which couldn’t just pay my way up each year, you know? So yeah, to feel fortunate that since I started, back when I was 8, so many kids and guys raced against me and had to stop for this or that reason, while I managed to continue.
Q) Are there some other sports you’re interested in or participate in?
A) I love running. It gives me a similar feeling as when I’m inside the race car. You know, on your own, getting to experiment and understand your own mind in a level of focus that few other things require.
Q) You have been invited to a one off race that means something to you, what car would you like, at which circuit and who’s your team mate (past or present is allowed) and why?
A) Very difficult question. It never crossed my mind, to be honest. I would love to drive the Aston Martin DBR9 GT1 some more, in a circuit like Spa-Francorchamps, and I’m quite pleased with the way things work with my current team mates.
Q) You’re going to dinner with up to 4 people who’ve influenced you, who would you bring along?
A) I would like a dinner just with Ayrton Senna to discuss some thoughts about racing – not race cars, but what motivates us to race, why we risk doing it, etc.
Q) What’s are you listening to most on your ipod currently?
A)Smashing Pumpkins.
Q) X-Box or Playstation?
A) Playstation.
Q) What’s your favourite Sim game to play?
A) GT6 and rFactor Pro.
Q) Describe Fernando the man in 3 words?
A) Calm, humble, disciplined.
Q) You are going to Periscope from a place in the world that is most like you, where in the world are we?
A) A calm beach in Northeastern Brazil. Very few people around. Birds and other animals roaming free. Sounds of waves. Sun up in the blue sky – sunrays touching my face.
Published: 09/05/2015
Q&A With Porsche Club Driver Natalie McGloin
I had the pleasure of meeting up with Nathalie McGloin at Brands Hatch this weekend just passed, a delightful lady who currently is the only female within the UK with spinal injuries to hold an ARDS. We had been chatting throughout the previous week after I’d seen the youtube video of Nathalie completing her required 7 second emergency exit. From the very second I saw the video, I knew I wanted the opportunity to interview her, at first I was in awe, let’s face it I would struggle to make the 7 second exit requirement on the best of days. This quickly fell away to wanting to know more about her, knowing she must have a strong character to have chosen motorsport as her thrill.
She completed two races this weekend and amazingly she finished 12th in her second ever race, considering at one point earlier in the day she’d been on two wheels, this was an amazing comeback to what must have been a confidence knock. I was fortunate to be up at Stopwatch Hospitality and had a fantastic view of most of the track, the group I was with were also supporting Nathalie, if only she could have heard all of our shouts of encouragement and at times our amateur advice on braking and when to get back on the gas, although this would probably have been more a hindrance than a help, Nathalie is after all the one who knows what she is doing. What was clear even to all of us was that we were witnessing an improvement in every lap, she was certainly fearless and made a few overtakes and more importantly made them stick. Overall I was so impressed with Nathalie’s talent, that it’s clear she will only improve over the season and with more race experience and I, for one cannot wait to see what happens. Bring on the next round!
Here’s what Nathalie told me of herself and I got to ask her some questions too :-
Being in a car crash aged just 16 Nathalie was left paralysed from the neck down, she spent a year in a spinal injury rehab centre and afterwards returned to school to obtain her A Levels and then on to University studying English.
Nathalie with her nature to be stubborn wouldn’t accept any help with care and was determined to live a completely independent life. Signing up to wheelchair rugby got her the fitness she needed and she was soon invited to her first tournament, she fell in love with the sport and even said she loved the aggressive nature of the sport and how you were allowed to hit one another with the chairs! She quickly decided she wanted to be a serious competitor, she started to train to make the national team. Studying at university and training for the GB wheelchair rugby trials at the same time, once she had graduated she knew she wanted to move to London to play for the London team. The more she trained the more her passion grew for the sport. She went from the ‘girl in the wheelchair’ to an ‘athlete’ and she felt she was conquering her injury.
After the Paralympics things began to change within the sport, politics became heavily involved in team selection and she forgot the reason she once fell in love with the sport, so eventually she left the GB squad and continued to play on a recreational level ,but it wasn’t enough.
Nathalie has always loved cars and has been known for buying fast cars even if they were wholly impractical for a wheelchair. She had been tracking her 911’s for about 6 years, she looked into getting her racing licence and discovered how difficult it was going to be but that didn’t stop her, she made it her next challenge.!
Nathalie passed her ARDS test in October 2013. She had to complete several sprint events, a medical and seemingly impossible 7 second car exit to qualify. The determined women she is this didn’t stop her, she was set up with a race team at Silverstone and bought a Cayman S and decided to enter the Porsche Club Championship in May 2014. The date grew closer and Nathalie realised she needed more time to gain experience or time to complete the sprint events and that she wasn’t with the right team.
After a messy departure she met James Cameron who runs Mission Motorsport, a charity that rehabilitates injured soldiers back into working life through motorsport. Nathalie spent half a day with them she knew they were the right team for her and even though she had no army background they wanted to help.
The Cayman was handed over to them and she realised there was a lot of work to do for the wrongs of the previous race team. The cage was not suitable for her to use , barely getting into the car how could she make that 7 second exit? A lot of time was spent sorting the problems but by the end of the season only 3 out of 4 required sprints were complete.
Her race car was out of action she had to complete in her heavy 4WD 911 Turbo for most of them, the 500hp engine was a big advantage and to her surprise she finished 1st in class in her first ever sprint. She took this confidence into the winter season and and booked her last required sprint for the next season in March and got focused for the racing come May.
Before Christmas, Nathalie traded in her 4WD Turbo for a GT3 so that whilst the preparations were ongoing, she had a car to practise in. She fast realised she would need to change her driving style to ‘keep it on the black stuff’, learning her craft and falling in love with her new car so when her sprint date arrived in March she felt nervous but ready.After a year and a half Nathalie completed her sprints, sorted the car and nailed that 7 second car exit. Her race license was rubber stamped just over a week before her first race. After how long it has taken to achieve it she felt ready and knew it has been totally worth it all.
Q) What adaptions have you got in your car for you?
A) I have Radial controls in my race car, they are a type of hand control located to the right of the steering wheel. You push down for throttle and forward for brake.
Q) What are your targets for the season?
A) I’d like to finish all of my races and I don’t want to come last!
Q) Do you get to pick your race number? What is it be and why?
A) I did get to pick my race number, I chose 5. It was the lowest number available and single digits are always good. It doesn’t mean anything now but I’ll stick with it and hopefully it might mean something in the future.
Q) Tell me about your helmet design?
A) Its carbon, it’s light and it looks ace!
Q) In 3 words describe your racing style?
A) Immediate boundary pusher!
Q) In 3 words describe yourself ?
A) Driven, enthusiastic, passionate.
Q) How’s the training and preparation been going for this weekend?
A) Erm….training? My plan is: turn up and drive. My race car has only just been finished this week so training has been somewhat limited. But I’m as ready as I’ll ever be.
Q) Have you got any other formulas you have your eyes on for the future?
A) With getting my race licence and car sorted I haven’t really had time to think about anything else. We’ll see how this season goes first.
Q) Have you found any of the wheelchair rugby skills that have swapped over into useful for racing?
A) They’re both adrenaline junkie sports that require huge amounts of discipline. Obviously the stakes are much higher in Motorsport, but what you do on court affects your team mates and what you do on the race circuit affects your competitors. You have to make the right judgement calls and this transfers over both sports.
Q) You are going to dinner with up to 4 people that have influenced you in your life,or heroes of yours who would you choose & why?
A) Noel Gallagher. I grew up with his music and I absolutely love the guy. I wouldn’t need anybody else there!
Q) KFC or McDonalds?
A) McDonalds!
Q) Dirty Dancing or The Terminator films?
A) Dirty Dancing.
Q) Tom Boy or Girlie Girl??
A) Neither, I just like what I like and do what I do!
Q) How does it feel to be the only spinal injured female with an ARDS??
A) It’s an honour to be the first, I hope I’m not the last.
Q&A with Tony Rudlin
We managed to get hold of a Team Lotus member from the 1960s – Tony Rudlin, himself a racing driver at one time, who was team manager for the Formula 2 effort at Lotus, and got to see the very best and worst of the great marque during changing times for the team! We asked him a few questions about his time there and the team itself.
Q: How much of a revelation to the team was the Cosworth engine?
Tony Rudlin (TR): Cosworth was God. Well Mike Costin and Keith Duckworth were. Keith was more stay at home and get on with the job while Mike liked to get into the factory and work alongside mechanics and Team Managers. My best moment? A flight in Mike’s Bell Helicopter.
Q: Do you think that Colin Chapman would have approved of the technological leaps in modern F1?
TR: I think CC would have been bemused by the way Grand Prix is run these days. His idea of racing was you got a driver who showed promise, Peterson, Fittipaldi etc, and build a car calculated to win races and fall to pieces on the finishing line. He had very little time for politics and, until Jimmy Clark hit the tree, even less time for the safety aspects of racing. And he would have gone potty about all the stupid in-car instruction from non-drivers in the pits.
Q: Which driver for Team Lotus did you most enjoy working alongside?
TR: What do you mean by who was the most accessible? Jack Oliver was OK but a bit obsessive, Clark was quiet and friendly and Graham Hill could be a bit gritty if things weren’t going right. For instance, Montjuich 1968. Race Control had forgotten to order a little thing like fuel. Jack was stressed, Clark didn’t even seem to notice, Graham made arrangements to siphon fuel from road cars. And Chapman? He was obsessed by why his cars weren’t the fastest in practice.
Q: What do you think was the biggest leap forward you saw for Grand Prix racing during your time as manager?
TR: Painting the cars in sponsors colours instead of colours associated with their home country? I think I’m right in saying that Player’s (the tobacco company which produced Gold Leaf) gave Lotus £50,000 for the first year’s sponsorship and they didn’t know what to do with it. But I think the sexiest car to ever exit the pits was the Lotus 72E.
Q: Is it true that Graham Hill held the best post race parties?
TR: Graham Hill was always a party waiting to happen. I remember one party, from my fading memory I pluck Enna as the venue, after Graham, slightly smashed, jumped on a long table and shimmied along it. Half way along he went down on one knee for dramatic effect. When he stood up the stem of a wine glass was jutting from his knee. It didn’t faze him until I pointed it out. He simply pulled it out and went on with the dance. (Read MR MONACO. Graham Hill Remembered By Tony Rudlin. Often cited as the worst book ever written about Motor Racing.)
Q: Did you prefer the British Racing Green or Gold Leaf colours?
TR: I’m afraid – neither. The green and yellow was a mite old fashion and the red and white too garish. I plump for the Black and Gold of the 72.
We’d like to thank Tony for taking the time to answer our questions for Lotus Week!
The Day a Legend Was Made –The Story Of The 1968 German Grand Prix
© FOTO STUDIO COLOMBO PER PIRELLI MEDIA (© COPYRIGHT FREE)
© FOTO STUDIO COLOMBO PER PIRELLI MEDIA (© COPYRIGHT FREE)
There has been much talk recently about the opening laps of this year’s British Grand Prix. A little while before the start of the race, the heavens opened. By the time of the start, conditions had improved somewhat, with the sun trying to break through, but there was still much standing water. So the decision was taken to start the race under the safety car, something that not only the spectators, but also some of the drivers, did not like. Lewis Hamilton pointed out that starting the race without the safety car would have been tricky, “but that’s what racing’s about”. These men are meant to be the best in the world, and there is a lot of opinion that they should have raced from the start, and adjust their speed accordingly…go too fast, and end up spinning off, drive within the limits of the car in those conditions, and truly show the skill that sometimes gets all too masked in modern technology. The safety car staying out for five laps was, for most, the final straw.
Well, let me take you back to a very different time, “In days of old when knights were bold” …and all that.
The scene is the Nurburgring; not the modern day short version, but the full,14.2 mile circuit in the mountains, “The Green Hell”. The German Grand Prix August 4th 1968. Not only is this wonderful circuit the most challenging and dangerous in the world, but low cloud descended on to the Ardenne mountains. Race day bought thick, dense fog, and driving rain, with visibility no more than 100 yards, less in places. No safety car in those days, of course, and the race went ahead, the 20 car grid setting off as the flag dropped, in a ball of spray. That such an event was being held in such conditions was unbelievable even back then, let alone now! If I hadn’t been a fan already that year, and listened in on the radio reports, I may well have thought the whole tale had been made up! But that day, undoubtedly, a legend was born. Just look at this:
At the end of the first lap, Jackie Stewart led from Graham Hill by 8.5s, after the second lap 34.6s, I have no record of the third lap gap but it must have continued at a similar rate because by the end of the fourth lap the gap was 59.7s, 68.5 after the fifth, and, well by now you get the idea! Hill and Amon were battling for second place, leading the rest of the field who were all in a different race altogether. Amon eventually slid off onto the sodden grass, and, unable to restart, was out of the race. Then Hill spun! The car stalled and was broadside across the road, and Hill quite expected Anon to hit it, not realising that he was out. Graham eventually had to get out and push the car down the hill to restart, jump back in, and continue in second place as the next up, Jochen Rindt, had been too far back to capitalise on the situation.
By the end of the race, Stewart took the chequered flag no less than just over four minutes! Jackie had completely mastered the race. I believe that was the day that he became a true great. You had to be somebody very special to win on this most arduous of circuits, and, in these conditions, bordering on superhuman. That day, anyone who took part in the race all became heroes in my book. As for the winner, a certain JYS, he went on to, in effect, save a great many lives through his resolute and unwavering safety campaign over the years that followed. For that, we should all be grateful.
By Max Scott
McLaren German GP Review
McLaren are heading in to the summer break with a points scoring finish in Germany. This was the team’s 7th points scoring finish this season. Both Jenson and Fernando ran inside the top 10 for most parts of the race, but due to some fuel saving needed for both drivers it ended up where Jenson would remain in the top 10 at the end finishing 8th. Fernando sadly fell back in the closing stages to 12th place. The team are showing clear signs of progress at the half way point of the season now. The Hockenheim circuit was felt like it was going to be a tricky race for the team but a points finished ended up being well deserved.
FERNANDO ALONSO, MP4-31-02
Started: 13th
Finished: 12th
Fastest Lap: 1m20.132s on lap 50 (+1.690s, 13th)
Pitstops: Three: laps 14 (2.58s), 28 (2.95s) and 47 (2.65s) [Option-Prime-Option-Option]
“It was a very tough race, possibly one of the toughest so far this season, especially towards the end, when my tyres were finished and I had to do a lot of fuel-saving.
“We knew before we came here that it might be a tough weekend. Ultimately, I lost 10th position at the end of the race, so we didn’t score that last point that we were hoping for. But we just didn’t have the pace throughout the entire race.
“Getting ready for the Belgian Grand Prix is our priority now – hopefully we’ll come back stronger after the summer break.”
JENSON BUTTON, MP4-31-03
Started: 12th
Finished: 8th
Fastest Lap: 1m19.781s on lap 48 (+1.339s, 9th)
Pitstops: Three: laps 13 (2.54s), 31 (2.40s) and 46 (2.74s) [Option-Prime-Option-Option]
“I made a very good start and made up most of the places there. After that, it was just about looking after the tyres, which were degrading faster than we’d expected. We also had to do a fair amount of fuel-saving, too, particularly in the last 10 laps. In fact, I went off the circuit towards the end, just because I was doing so much fuel-saving that I hit the brakes and they were just stone cold. I hadn’t even been braking hard.
“At the end, I was able to pick off Valtteri, who was struggling on his tyres. It feels satisfying to have beaten both Williams, but eighth was as good as it was going to get today – we were 20 seconds behind the car in front, and there’s still quite a bit to go before we catch those guys.
“Still, we’ve made good progress: we’re consistently fighting in the points, and the team are doing a great job this year, bringing something new to pretty much every single race. I want to say thank-you and well done to the whole team for their efforts.
“I’m looking forward to coming back and fighting after the summer break – but, right now, I’m looking forward to a holiday!”
Haas F1:German Grand Prix Review
Sunday 31 July 2016.
World Copyright: Glenn Dunbar/LAT Photographic
ref: Digital Image _V2I7307
Haas F1 Team drivers Esteban Gutiérrez and Romain Grosjean drove to hard-fought 11th- and 13th-place finishes, respectively, in the German Grand Prix Sunday at the Hockenheimring.
While the effort did not yield a point-paying result, it was still a strong showing from the American team as both drivers had to rally from deep within the 22-car field. Gutiérrez got bottlenecked at the start and dropped to 18th while Grosjean started the 67-race from 20th after incurring a five-place grid penalty for a gearbox change on Saturday.
The duo employed a two-stop strategy, but with differing tire selections. Gutiérrez started the race using the Pirelli P Zero Yellow soft tire and Grosjean started with the Red supersoft. Pit stops began on lap eight, but the Haas F1 Team drivers stayed out for as long as they could before making their first stops, allowing each to gain considerable track position.
Grosjean came in for his first stop at the end of lap 17 after climbing to eighth. Gutiérrez was the last driver to make his first stop, hitting pit lane at the end of lap 25 after rising to 12th. Grosjean went with a new set of Yellow softs while Gutiérrez switched to Red supersofts.
The team’s final round of pit stops began on lap 43 when Grosjean came in for a switch to Red supersofts. Gutiérrez followed at the end of lap 47, also taking Red supersofts.
While both drivers were a lap down after their pit cycles, they remained on the cusp of the top-10, with Gutiérrez 14th and Grosjean 15th with 16 laps remaining. Each driver made separate, masterful passes to get around the Renault of Kevin Magnussen, with Gutiérrez overtaking him on lap 52 and Grosjean doing the same on lap 55.
The moves, along with Carlos Sainz Jr. bringing his Toro Rosso to pit lane for his final stop, allowed Gutiérrez and Grosjean to climb to 12th and 13th, respectively.
Twelve rounds into the 21-race Formula One schedule, Haas F1 Team remains eighth in the constructor standings with 28 points. However, seventh-place McLaren widened the gap over the American team to 14 points via Jensen Button’s eighth-place finish. Haas F1 Team’s 22-point advantage over ninth-place Renault went unchanged as neither Magnussen nor Jolyon Palmer finished in the points.
Lewis Hamilton won the German Grand Prix by 6.996 seconds over Red Bull’s Daniel Ricciardo. It was Hamilton’s 49th career Formula One victory, leaving him but 2 wins from typing Alain Prost for second place on the all times win list.
Nine races remain on the 2016 Formula One schedule, with the next event coming in three weeks with the Belgian Grand Prix in Spa-Francorchamps.
Romain Grosjean – Driver #8
“It wasn’t too bad. I think we had a good pace, but the middle stint behind the Renault saw my brakes massively overheat, and I lost them completely for a few laps. That clearly put us on the back foot. I couldn’t get by, and that cost us having a shot at points. We need to understand that, but generally the car behaved in the race. I’m happier this afternoon than I was yesterday. Overall, it’s been an awesome first half of the season. I want us to be able to come back and score regularly in the top-10. There are a few things we need to unlock. We’ve got the potential in the car. We just need to put it all together.”
Esteban Gutiérrez – Driver #21
“It wasn’t an easy start. I had too much wheel spin and I was passed by quite a few cars. We were the only ones on soft tires, which was an aggressive strategy, so we were expecting to struggle for the first stint. After that I started to hold as much as I could and then began to fight back in the second stint. I was pushing all the way, trying to recover as much as I could, as well as trying to handle fuel saving. We’re not satisfied where we ended up, as we didn’t get the points we were aiming for. Now we head into the summer break, which will be good for the team after four races in five weeks. We’re all going to recharge our batteries and come back stronger, fighting for points at Spa.”
Guenther Steiner – Team Principal
“In general, we had a good race, though Esteban had a bad start. We need to look into that, and do better there, because we finished 11th again, one position out of the points. We basically started 18th and 20th and not 11th and 20th. Romain went from 20th to 13th. There wasn’t a lot more to do there, and obviously Esteban finished 11th. The car showed the pace and we had no mistakes, but when you start in those positions, sometimes that’s the best you can achieve. We know the pace is there. We can do it, we just have to pull it all together and get it done. We’ve showed that we can do that, which is ultimately a positive for the team moving forward.”
Next up – – VACATION!
Force India: German Grand Prix Review
It was a double point’s finish for Force India in Hockenheim as they closed the gap on fourth placed Williams to just 15 points.
Sergio Perez recovered from a horror start to take tenth while Nico Hulkenberg ran well at his home race to bring home seventh place, with Williams only gaining two points to Force India’s seven.
With a fantastic qualifying performance, which saw both cars in Q3, albeit at the tail end. Hulkenberg qualified seventh but started eighth after an issue saw him drop a place. While Perez rounded up the top ten.
Nico started well but Sergio dropped as low as 16th after a poor start off the line. While the race was bereft of any real action, the Force India team silently and effectively ran their race to the points. Perez was in the action right up until the end as on the penultimate lap, he passed the McLaren of Fernando Alonso to take a point.
The summer break is now upon us and Force India are in a strong position, with two races showing they have more than enough ability to take fourth place from Williams and make it their own.
Meanwhile the struggle appears to be off track as again Perez continues to be linked with a move away from the team. However his wish to drive for a better team appears to be fading as vacant seats remain at a premium.
If Perez does leave however, can he provide the ultimate parting gift in sealing fourth place for Force India and the lucrative rewards that come with it.
Williams, German Grand Prix Preview
© FOTO STUDIO COLOMBO PER PIRELLI MEDIA (© COPYRIGHT FREE)
After skipping a year in 2015, Formula One returns to Germany and to one of its most fabled locations, Hockenhiem. The circuit has seen much change since it first hosted F1 in 1970, the long straights which blasted through the forests are gone, replaced with a shorter but still relatively fast circuit. Sector one is the quickest on the track, featuring the best overtaking spot on the track, the turn five hairpin at the end of the straight which isn’t a straight, it mostly consists of a long left hander, easily taken flat out in the wet or the dry. The standout feature of sector two is the large Mercedes grandstand, always packed with Silver Arrows supporters. The final sector mainly consists of the much tighter stadium section, which is always a spectacular sight on race day.
For a race that has been held so many times, it is unsurprising that Williams have won the race on eight occasions. It was the location of one of the team’s first ever victories in 1979 and their first ever 1-2, Alan Jones took the honors that day from team mate Clay Regazzoni. Nelson Piquet would kick off a run of Brazilians winning the race 5 years in a row, taking the flag in 1896 and a race of attrition in 1987, in which just 6 cars finished. Senna’s McLaren won from 1988-90 but Nigel Mansell would take the trophy back to Grove in 1991, it was another 1-2 for Williams, Ricciardo Patrese backed up the Brit. Mansell took another lights to flag win in 1992, but the drama surrounded his team mate, who spun off on the penultimate lap whilst trying to pass Senna for second. Prost won in 1993 in equally dramatic circumstances, his team mate Damon Hill was odds on to take his first ever win when his tire failed on lap 42 of 45. Being classified fifteenth was of no comfort to the British driver as his team mate won his final race, prost his career on a (then record) of 51 wins. Hill finally got his German Grand prix in 1996, Alesi’s Benetton prevented another Williams 1-2. Williams dominated the last race to be held at the old track in 2001, Juan Pablo Montoya set pole position and fastest lap but a glitch with the refueling rig allowed team mate Ralf Schumacher into the lead, then Montoya’s BMW engine blew, forcing him into retirement. Ralf Schumacher won the race, 46 seconds ahead of Ferrari’s Rubens Barrichello. Williams final win in 2003 was a truly dominant showing for Montoya, he took pole position, fastest lap and the race win by over a minute from Coulthard’s McLaren.
Williams were very impressive at the 2014 event, Bottas and Massa qualified second and third thanks to Hamilton’s brake failure and subsequent crash in qualifying. Massa didn’t make it past turn one, owing to a crash with the McLaren of Magnusson, which culminated with the Williams memorably rolling over. Bottas kept it all together to finish second, ahead of Hamilton’s charge from the back of the grid.
The 2014 event really made the grid stand up and take Williams seriously as podium challengers, they outclassed Red Bull and Ferrari the whole weekend. It is difficult to see a repeat performance in 2016 though, Red Bull and Ferrari are much stronger and Williams weren’t even close to challenging them in Hungary. Hockenheim should suit the car more but a podium still looks unlikely. The aim for this race weekend has to be to quash the rise for Force India with some good, solid points so that the team can go into the summer break on a high and focus on closing the gap to the top three teams.
Ferrari,German Grand Prix Preview
© FOTO STUDIO COLOMBO PER PIRELLI MEDIA (© COPYRIGHT FREE)
Ferrari go into the returning German Grand Prix just one point clear of Red Bull in the race for second place in the Constructors’ Championship.
After losing less ground than expected in Hungary after strong race pace saw Sebastian Vettel split the Red Bulls in fourth and Kimi Raikkonen climb up to sixth from 14th on the grid at the Hungaroring, Ferrari were able to cling on to second – just.
It has been a turbulent build-up to the German Grand Prix for the Prancing Horse, with technical director James Allison departing after three years in what Ferrari called a “joint decision”, with Ferrari’s President Sergio Marchionne also reported to be sitting in on technical meetings.
Allison’s wife died in March, meaning a departure was almost inevitable with family based in England.
He has been replaced by former head of engines Mattia Binotto, although there are increasing rumours that ex-technical director Ross Brawn may rejoin Ferrari having left ten years ago following the retirement of Michael Schumacher.
Ferrari are easily the most successful team at the German Grand Prix having won it a staggering 22 times, 13 clear of Mercedes.
They last won it in 2012 when Fernando Alonso’s unlikely title challenge in an inferior car was taking hold, while Alonso won in more controversial circumstances in 2010 when teammate Felipe Massa was ordered to move over and let him into the lead.
After an absence in 2015, the German Grand Prix returns to the Hockenheimring with the future of the German round heavily in doubt beyond 2018, with neither Hockenheim nor the Nurburgring having the finance to secure the race long-term.
Ferrari will hope to gain ground on Red Bull at one of their traditionally stronger circuits, with Raikkonen in fourth just one point behind Red Bull’s Daniel Ricciardo and Sebastian Vettel a further four behind, ten ahead of Max Verstappen.
The Scuderia therefore need to put behind them a turbulent week in order to fend off Red Bull.
Hungarian Grand Prix Review
For Ferrari, the Hungarian Grand Prix was a solid if unspectacular affair which in all likelihood quietly exceeded expectations.
Sebastian Vettel showed strong race pace against the Red Bulls to finish fourth after applying heavy pressure on Daniel Ricciardo for third, while Kimi Raikkonen produced a stunning drive to climb from fourteenth to sixth place.
In a performance from the Iceman seen more often during his previous Ferrari spell, Raikkonen was unfortunate not to take fifth place after breaking his front wing against an ever-aggressive Max Verstappen, as Ferrari avoided being soundly beaten by a resurgent Red Bull.
The Iceman was uncharacteristically vocal in his criticism of Dutchman Verstappen, who appeared to move twice when defending fifth position at Turn 2 on lap 58.
“There are so many rules discussed and in some rules you can move, but when the guy behind makes the decision to commit to something, and when the other guy moves afterwards it’s difficult to avoid the car in front.”
Raikkonen also questioned the stewards handling of qualifying, with changes to the grid concerning Session 1 and the 107% rule almost coming into effect before a last-minute U-turn. He also criticised what he felt was a lack of consistency from the stewards in applying the rules, calling them a “joke”.
“A good example is the qualifying. You have the 107 per cent rule and the people who didn’t go through from first qualifying they are applying it to those cars, but not applying it on the rest. How can you apply it two different ways?
“If somebody can explain to me how that works? But it seems to be F1 these days. Something must change because it looks bad to people outside. There is a rule and it should apply in exactly the same way to every person.”
Raikkonen slipped from third to fourth in the standings, one point behind Ricciardo. Vettel is fifth, four behind his teammate and ten clear of Verstapen, while Ferrari only have a one-point advantage of Red Bull in the Constructors’ standings.
German Grand Prix, at the end, the Germans always win
World Copyright: © Andrew Hone Photographer 2014.
Ref: _ONZ8035
Teams and drivers are focused on the final race before the summer break, which will take place in Germany. Gary Lineker once said that at the end, the Germans always win, that is what I expect to see in the German Grand Prix, a German to celebrate a victory in his home race.
You still don’t know to whom I’m referring to? I’m talking about Nico Rosberg.
Nico Rosberg took the pole position in Hungary, but he finished second behind his team-mate and lost the leading position in the championship standings. Germany is a good place for Nico to start his counterattack and return on the top of the championship.
If Rosberg wins the German Grand Prix, he will become the first German who wins a back to back races on home soils.
Hockenheim Key stats
Laps: 67
Circuit Length: 4.574 km
Total Length: 306.458 km
Fastest Lap: 1:13:780s (Kimi Raikkonen – 2004)
Tyre allocations: Medium, Soft, Supersoft
The pole positions have a significant role in Germany, six of the last ten races at Hockenheim have been won from pole position.
Ferrari must feel worried about Red Bull’s form in the last races but, Hockenheim is not Kimi Raikkonen’s favourite circuit, the Finn had five consecutive DNF’s in his first five races in Hockenheim.
It’s a home race for Pascal Wehrlein, the German driver made some comments about the upcoming race: “It’s my home Grand Prix – the one I’ve been most looking forward to. It will also be the busiest so far for me, so maybe after that a little break will be nice. I intend to enjoy it. Of course Germany will have a special significance as the first home race of my F1 career. First of many, I hope! Knowing a race track does have its advantages but, really, we push just as hard at every track we race at.”
I expect to see a battle between Red Bull Racing and Scuderia Ferrari for a place on the podium and an easy victory for Mercedes. Both Max Verstappen and Daniel Ricciardo are in a good form and it will be hard for Ferrari to beat them.
I think the Hockenheimring is actually a pretty fun track. I like entering the stadium section. Also, the fans are huge motorsport fans, which is always pretty awesome. There are some cool little towns around the track which offer some traditional German food and after my week in Austria, I can’t wait to enjoy my second round of Schnitzels.” Said Daniel Ricciardo.
My predictions for the race are: 1 – Nico Rosberg 2- Lewis Hamilton 3 – Max Verstappen
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