Category: Formula One

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Is Hamilton Ferrari Bound?

Nico Rosberg has signed a contract to stay at Mercedes. Kimi Raikkonen has signed for 2017 to stay in a Ferrari. Sergio Perez, Nico Hulkenberg, Fernando Alonso, Lewis Hamilton, Daniel Ricciardo, Max Verstappen and Carlos Sainz Jr. are currently signed to drive for their respective teams, allegedly.

There had been some discussions as to whether Kimi would remain at Ferrari beyond 2016. The three names banded around, Perez, Ricciardo and Hamilton were all signed, which left Ferrari with a decision to make.

Is it remotely possible that Ferrari are waiting for Lewis Hamilton to be free of his Mercedes contract? Could it be that they are planning to build a super-team of Vettel and Hamilton beyond 2017?

Although to most Mercedes fans this idea is preposterous and not worth thinking about, it does merit some thought. Hamilton and Vettel appear to get along very well, but then so did Lewis and Rosberg and we know how that’s turned out recently.

There was an interview last season with Lewis and Seb and the question was posed about seeing the both of them in the same team. Both men smiled and neither dismissed the idea. Some fans were surprised that Kimi was retained by Ferrari for next season. Some were hoping that a new face would be brought in to partner the four-time world champion. Other Ferrari fans are citing the fact that two ego’s as big as Vettel and Hamilton in one team just simply would not work. There are a lot of unsigned, talented drivers for 2017. Ferrari, if they really wanted to, could have the pick of these. One name that immediately springs to mind is Bottas. They didn’t. They stayed with Kimi, which then poses the question, who are they waiting for?

Out of the three drivers who have had their names mostly linked with the red team, Hamilton appears, on the face of it, to be a very shrewd move. He’ll be out of contract at Mercedes. He may well be looking for a fresh challenge, similar to how he wanted a new adventure when leaving McLaren. The disharmony in the Mercedes team, the body language displayed by Lewis at times and even the words he uses could suggest he wants a new challenge.

Of all the teams on the grid, the only one that stands out to be a competitor for the success Hamilton enjoys at Mercedes is Ferrari. Yes, there is Red Bull with their set-up, technical brilliance and marketing genius. A Red Bull and Hamilton tie-in would be PR gold, but let us not forget that underneath the showman, the superstar and playboy that is Lewis Hamilton, there is a man who love his Formula 1 history, adores the era’s of when Senna, Stewart, Clark and Moss were racing. He loves this side of F1 and there is no other team on the F1 grid that has that kind of history than Ferrari.

The other factor is records. Lewis Hamilton, like any racing driver, likes to break records and there are none more so to be broken than at Ferrari.

So, if you put all that together, it’s not unthinkable that Hamilton teaming up with Ferrari could possibly be something of the future.

Can Vettel and Hamilton drive in the same team? Could Ferrari effectively manage that kind of ego battle?

There is only one way to find out and there is possibly only one man who could control that kind of battle.

What is Ross Brawn doing these day?

See You At The Chequered Flag.

Neil Simmons

Twitter: @world_racing

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Red Bull Singapore Grand Prix Preview

GP MONACO F1/2016 – MONTECARLO 26/05/16
© FOTO STUDIO COLOMBO PER PIRELLI MEDIA (© COPYRIGHT FREE)

Formula One heads to Asia this weekend, Singapore to be exact, and Red Bull will be hoping to replicate last season’s performance.

Daniel Ricciardo finished second behind Sebastian Vettel and former team-mate Daniil ended the race in sixth.

“It seems like a really fun city and I’m really fortunate to get a lot of people coming over from Australia and especially Perth, this means I get a lot of love in Singapore,” the 26-year-old said.

Red Bull are expected to perform well at the Marina Bay Circuit as it has similarities to Monaco where the 26-year-old was on pole but lost the race to Lewis Hamilton.

“Singapore is great, a real night race. Being able to drive through a massive city at night with all the lights flashing between buildings as you go past is an awesome feeling. It’s weird, I think it actually feels like you are going faster at night,” said the Australian Ricciardo

Max Verstappen finished in eighth for Toro Rosso last season in the same race and he will be confident despite his recent struggles.

“Being a night race means it’s a bit different, you have to adapt your braking zone as the light changes from the earlier session to the late ones.

“I enjoyed it a lot last year so I’m excited to go out there again,” Verstappen said.

Dominic Rust

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Complacency the enemy for Mercedes in Singapore

GP SINGAPORE F1/2015 – 18/09/15
© FOTO STUDIO COLOMBO PER PIRELLI MEDIA (© COPYRIGHT FREE)

Toto Wolff has said that Mercedes “must not make the mistake” of thinking themselves favourites for the win in Singapore, given their recent struggles around the Marina Bay circuit.

“No team has ever scored a 1-2 finish [in Singapore] – and with good reason,” Wolff said, referring to the reliability issues that forced both Rosberg and Hamilton respectively to retire from the 2014 and 2015 Singapore Grands Prix. “As we have seen before, it’s a race where a single problem can cascade into many more as the weekend progresses.”

Wolff also acknowledged a greater threat from Mercedes’ rivals this weekend, highlighting how the Marina Bay track “will suit the high-downforce philosophy followed by Red Bull” and also noting Ferrari’s “mighty” performance in last year’s race.

Nico Rosberg also said he regards Singapore as “a Red Bull track”, but added that his “faith…is as high as ever” in himself and the team delivering a strong result:

“I got my second ever podium [in Singapore] back in 2008 but haven’t been up there again since, so the target is to change that on Sunday. Of course, it won’t be easy [but] I approach every weekend aiming to win the race.

“I have faith in the team and my belief in myself is as high as ever.”

But on a weekend where the championship lead swings by just two points to his teammate, it would perhaps be prudent not to bet on Rosberg as the favourite Mercedes driver in Singapore.

Throughout 2016, Rosberg has struggled most in those races when his battle has not just been with Lewis Hamilton but with the other cars around him as well – take Monaco, Canada and Hockenheim, for example. If Red Bull and Ferrari manage to put up a fight this weekend, Rosberg may well find the increased pressure simply too much to control.

Add in to the mix that the Marina Bay Street Circuit is yet another in this latter half of the calendar that plays into Lewis Hamilton’s hands – delivering the Briton two wins in the past, to say the least – it would hardly be surprising to see Rosberg yield up the title ground he gained with his last two victories in Spa and Monza.

James Matthews

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Ferrari Singapore Grand Prix Preview

GP SINGAPORE F1 2015 – ©FOTO STUDIO COLOMBO

 

Ferrari return to the scene of their last victory in Formula One at the Singapore Grand Prix needing a similar result if they are to overhaul Red Bull in the race for second in the World Constructors’ Championship.

In 2015, Sebastian Vettel took his fourth win at the Marina Bay circuit in eight outings since the inaugural race back in 2008, with Kimi Raikkonen third as Mercedes struggled all weekend with tyre warm-up.

2016 was meant to be the year that the Scuderia built on successes like that, but it never materialised after sloppy strategy calls, inconsistent pace throughout the European season and a lack of in-season development due in part to technical director James Allison’s departure.

While all of this was going on, Red Bull and particularly Renault’s development has seen Ferrari fall to third in the Constructors’ Championship.

Monza represented something close to a return to form and was certainly one of the few races in which Ferrari have maximised their potential, as Vettel and Raikkonen finished third and fourth respectively to close the gap to Red Bull to 11 points, although this was expected.

While Vettel has four wins in Singapore, three of those came while he was with Ferrari’s direct opponents Red Bull, who are tipped by some to be the team to beat this weekend.

To add to the challenge, Mercedes believe they have worked out why they struggled so badly with the supersoft compound last year and are once again widely expected to head the timesheets this weekend.

Raikkonen himself has two third places at Asia’s most glamorous race, and Ferrari have one other win courtesy of Fernando Alonso in 2010.

A repeat of 2015’s excellence looks like a tall order for the Prancing Horse this time around, but should it happen, they have a real chance of second place and salvaging 2016 yet.

Jack Prentice

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Robert Kubica: Formula One’s Lost Champion

Since their introduction into Formula One in 1993, Sauber have been seen top drivers rise through their ranks and go on to have glittering careers in the sport. The Hinwil team gave 2007 World Champion Kimi Raikkonen his route into the sport way back in 2001, while Felipe Massa spent three seasons there before his switch to Ferrari nearly bore him a title in 2008.

But neither of those names raise such a mixture of pride, happiness, intrigue and ultimately sadness in the way that Robert Kubica does.

Kubica took Sauber’s only victory in his three-and-a-half years following a mid-season promotion in place of Jacques Villeneuve in 2006 before a move to Renault in 2010.

The big Pole’s big chance came at the famous Hungarian Grand Prix of 2006, when he replaced Villeneuve because of injuries sustained in the previous race. As Jenson Button took his maiden win, Kubica raced to seventh place, but was disqualified because of technical irregularities. Nevertheless, a star was born as Sauber announced his promotion with immediate effect after the race, after Villeneuve quit.

Just two races later Kubica made his first piece of history, as he became the first Pole to lead a Grand Prix and then the first Pole to make the podium with a third place at the Italian Grand Prix, after qualifying sixth and showing excellent pace all weekend. He was not to pick up any more points in the remaining rounds of the season, with two further ninth places the best results for the remainder of the season.

2007 started indifferently as a retirement in Australia and 18th in Malaysia was followed up by three solid points scores as BMW Sauber emerged as the big challengers to the dominant duo of Ferrari and McLaren.

However, his 2007 is more remembered for a horrific accident at the Canadian Grand Prix.

While battling with Jarno Trulli’s Toyota on the approach to the hairpin, the two made contact and Kubica’s car was more of a rocket as he launched towards the wall, with a 185mph impact sending him back over the circuit. He came to rest at the hairpin, and despite earlier reports suffered a sprained ankle and concussion that forced him to miss the US Grand Prix.

That paved the way for a young Sebastian Vettel to make his name as a point-scoring debutant, and Kubica was not to be affected as he returned for the French Grand Prix and rattled off six straight points finishes on his way to a solid sixth place in the World Drivers’ Championship.

2008 was to be his and Sauber’s strongest year, as he remained a factor in the World Championship battle until the penultimate round as BMW Sauber became a real force. After retirement in Melbourne, Kubica wasn’t out of the top four for the next six races, including his famous victory at Canada.

A year on from where he had that infamous accident, Kubica was one of few steady heads in a race more akin to Wacky Races instead of an F1 Grand Prix. After Hamilton had taken both himself and Raikkonen out of the race in the pit lane after a Safety Car, Kubica was promoted to the lead of the Grand Prix once other drivers had pitted.

It was a lead he was not to relinquish, as teammate Nick Heidfeld took second place to complete a memorable 1-2 for BMW Sauber. That result put Kubica level on points with Championship leaders Lewis Hamilton and Massa.

With huge technical changes coming for 2009, Sauber switched their attention to developing 2009’s car shortly after. Kubica was to make the podium twice more with third place at the European Grand Prix where Valencia’s street circuit debuted, and at the Italian Grand at which Vettel took his first victory.

This was to be both his and Sauber’s best season, as 2009 fell well below expectations.

After a late collision with Sebastian Vettel in Australia as they battled for second place, Kubica was to take seven races to score his first points of the season with seventh place in Turkey while Sauber themselves only had six points from six races courtesy of Nick Heidfeld’s third place in the rain-shortened Malaysian Grand Prix.

Kubica was only able to climb to 14th in the World Drivers Championship due to a strong run towards the end of the season, where he scored 15 points from the last 8 races including a second place at the Brazilian Grand Prix (Current points system wasn’t introduced until 2010) in BMW’s final podium in F1, as they pulled out of the sport.

Sauber were to be rescued by Peter Sauber once again and had a solid season in 2010 as a privateer, with Kamui Kobayashi finishing 12th in the standings. Kubica meanwhile joined Renault and comfortably outpaced Vitaly Petrov, on his way to eighth in the standings. He would pick up two podiums in what would tragically be his final season in Formula One.

In February of 2011, Kubica was taking part in a rally close to his home in Italy when on the first stage, he crashed heavily into a barrier, which penetrated the cockpit and struck him. He suffered a broken shoulder, arm and leg and lost part of his right forearm and damaged his right hand. In April of that year, he was released from hospital in Italy to continue his recovery, although a return to Formula One was a tall order despite successful use of the Mercedes F1 team’s simulator.

It wasn’t to be until 2013 that Kubica gave up on a return to Formula One, citing limited functionality of his right hand in tight open wheel cockpits. Kubica now competes in the World Rally Championship, having won the second tier of the Championship in 2013.

A man once considered by Ferrari to lead their Championship charge, Kubica is a driver that had a more than promising career in Formula One cut short by the ruthless business that is motorsport. The Pole will be remembered for his speed, courage, late-braking and ultimately the potential that was left unfulfilled.

In a different world, through Kubica, Sauber would have produced another World Champion.
Jack Prentice

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The Forgotten Man

He died in a ball of flame on the 21st June, 1970 in the Dutch Grand Prix at Zandvoort. That first sentence is not meant to sensationalise his story, far from it. It is just a statement of fact.

Piers Raymond Courage was an Essex boy. He was born in Colchester during the war on 27th May, 1942. He was born into a dynasty. The eldest son and heir to the Courage brewing family he attended Eton College.

To most people this would be enough. To be born into a successful wealthy family, being the next in line to take on the mantle and run the business, which would go global. No. This was not in the plan of Piers Courage. He wanted to race and not for the money, he wanted to race because he bloody well enjoyed it.

Like a few other drivers of the era, he began racing his own Lotus 7 and he had his moments in the early days with a few hair-raising spins but he quickly moved on to tour the European Formula 3 circuit and he competed in his first full season in 1965. He drove a Brabham and this is where the friendship began with Frank Williams. Williams himself was driving for team boss Charles Lucas and also acted as a mechanic. Williams and Courage struck up a friendship. There were some good results and Piers Courage started to get noticed. One person who sat up and saw the enthusiastic talent of this driver was none other than the legendary Colin Chapman.

Piers Courage was offered a seat at Lotus for the 1966 Formula 3 season. He wouldn’t be as competitive as those around him, said the experts, the Brabham’s would dominate the series and go on to take the accolades. Courage performed to such an outstanding level that he was stepped up to Formula 2.

In 1967 he signed for BRM to drive alongside Chris Irwin. He crashed a lot. Piers Courage had this maverick driving style that would see him spin out or crash more than what was acceptable in motor racing. He was labelled reckless, some said that because he was racing just for fun that he was not taking the sport seriously. He was dropped after the Monaco Grand Prix in 1967. He competed the rest of the season in a Formula 2 McLaren M4A and managed to finish fourth in the drivers’ championship, which at that level was unclassified.

For 1968 he was offered a drive at Reg Parnell Racing in a BRM P126. He performed well, he scored points at the French and Italian Grand Prix’s and aside from this he still competed in Formula 2 for his friend Frank Williams. It was in 1969, when Frank Williams decided to step his racing empire up to Formula One that Piers Courage got his shot at being the first choice driver.

Two podiums at Monaco and the United States Grand Prix saw him finish 8th in the Championship, the third best British driver behind Jackie Stewart and Graham Hill. Some say that the finest race of his career came in this season at Monza.

Courage had a difficult start to the 1970 season. The Williams team had switched to a newly designed chassis from De Tomaso. It was overweight, it was unreliable and it just didn’t work. Piers Courage struggled to get any points, but things looked like changing at the Dutch Grand Prix when he qualified 9th on the grid. He started the race well, but disaster struck.

Depending on what report you read it was either the front suspension or the steering that broke on the bump at Tunnel Oost. Courage’s car went hurtling straight on up the bank and broke apart. The engine broke loose and the monocoque burst into flames. The De Tomaso chassis was made of magnesium and it just burned.

Piers Courage died at the age of 28 at Zandvoort. It is said that he died on impact from a broken neck or fatal head injury.

I have not posted pictures of the crash because I want to celebrate his fun, yet short, life, not his death.

In an era of British drivers that had produced Mike Hawthorn, Stirling Moss, Jim Clark, Graham Hill, John Surtees and Jackie Stewart to name but a few, Piers Courage is largely a forgotten man. He never won a world championship or a grand prix. He never posted a fastest lap or a pole position. Yet, at a time when death was accepted in Formula One, he gave his life doing just something he truly loved.

Piers Courage did not need to race cars. He certainly did not need the money and fame that came with Formula One, but he chose to do so because it was his passion. He loved racing, he loved life and he loved being surrounded by those people who loved it too. It is said that Frank Williams has never truly recovered from the death of his friend.

Whether that is true or not, on that fateful day in Zandvoort, British motor racing lost one of its most iconic and fun characters. He had the ability to win races and possibly even a championship, but he was just taken too soon from our world.

Piers Courage, no longer the forgotten man.

See you at the chequered flag.

Neil Simmons

Twitter: @world_racing

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Sauber’s Unsung Heroes

Since 1993, Sauber has seen a vast array of drivers pass through the halls of Hinwil, not least including past and future champions such as Jacques Villeneuve, Kimi Räikkönen, and even – albeit just for one secret test in 1997 – Michael Schumacher.

But what about the others – the fan favourites, the uncrowned talents? As our Sauber Week celebrations continue, we take a look at some of the stalwart faces from the Hinwil team’s history.

Heinz-Harald Frentzen

Heinz-Harald Frentzen has been a part of the Sauber story almost from the very beginning. He joined the team for his debut season in 1994 and became the de facto team leader after Karl Wendlinger was seriously injured in a crash at Monaco. A first podium for himself and Sauber followed in 1995, before Frentzen’s performances earned him a call-up to replace Damon Hill at Williams for 1997.

Frentzen would return to Sauber in 2002 as a one-off replacement for Felipe Massa, and then as a full-time driver in 2003 whilst Massa served a year in reserve with Ferrari. Frentzen matched up well against talented young teammate Nick Heidfeld and went on to take another podium at the United States Grand Prix; but that would prove to be his last both with Sauber and in F1, as new signing Giancarlo Fisichella and the returning Massa left Frentzen without a drive in 2004.

Johnny Herbert

When Johnny Herbert joined Sauber in 1996 the team had already built up a reputation as consistent points-scorers, but a troublesome Ford-Zetec engine meant Herbert’s only points of the season came with a third place in Monaco behind Olivier Panis and David Coulthard.

Nevertheless, fortunes improved with new Ferrari-Petronas engines in 1997, and Herbert took his second podium for the team along with five other points finishes. After an unrewarding 1998 season alongside Jean Alesi – who took Sauber’s fourth podium in four years in Belgium – Herbert left Sauber for Stewart and was replaced by Pedro Diniz.

Nick Heidfeld

Few drivers enjoy quite the association with Sauber as Quick Nick Heidfeld. The German joined Sauber way back in 2001 and made an immediate display of talent, not only taking a podium in only his third race for the team in Brazil, but also consistently outperforming emerging talents Kimi Räikkönen and Felipe Massa during their own Sauber days.

After briefly jumping ship to Jordan and Williams, Heidfeld returned to Hinwil in 2006 after signing with the new BMW-Sauber works team and enjoyed the most successful spell of his F1 career, racking up eight podiums from 2006-09 and finishing as high as fifth in the championship in 2007.

Despite losing his seat at the end of the 2009 season, Heidfeld rejoined Sauber one final time to replace Pedro de la Rosa for five races at the end of 2010. But, unable to match the results of the BMW days, Heidfeld was not retained for 2011, thus bringing to an end a total eight-year relationship with the Sauber team.

Kamui Kobayashi

When the struggling Toyota team pulled out of F1 at the end of the 2009 season, Kamui Kobayashi became yet another talented driver to have his career threatened by the global financial crisis. But late hope came in an offer from Peter Sauber to join his newly repurchased team, and in 2010 Kobayashi lined up alongside Pedro de la Rosa for the first of what would be three years with the Hinwil team.

At Sauber, Kobayashi quickly established himself as a fan favourite with displays of rapid qualifying pace and superb overtaking under braking, his 2010 season alone earning him the esteemed praise of Murray Walker as “without a doubt Japan’s best [F1 driver] yet”. Highlights included a fifth-place finish at Monaco in 2011, a front row start for the 2012 Belgian Grand Prix, and even a maiden podium that same year on home soil at Suzuka – to date, Sauber’s most recent trip to the F1 rostrum.

James Matthews

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Lion City About To Roar

The sun drifts and rests beyond the darkness, lighting the other side of the world as the bay is reanimated. The winding streets becoming near luminescent under the lights. At once the flavour of Singapore comes alive with the beating drum of excitement, flavours only matched by its sought after diverse cuisine. As restaurants fill and glasses empty the thoughts of this empire of trading turn to the present and not of the distant past of tragedy and mournful loss. This is a time to celebrate.

An island city state, a sovereign of the east with its diamond shaped mainland and peaceful inlets of blissful heaven. The Lion City, The Garden City – the city that comes alive. Away from the flourishing nature reserves and tropical flora beats a strong heart of this experienced trading post. From ships that sailed far and wide to feast on the reaches of its land, the world devouring the oil refineries and the global technology giants who gather to build a successful economy, the stage is set for a scintillating weekend of raw power. Singapore once again is a beautiful host, welcoming its guests.

There are no seasons here in this humid corner of the globe, a land which sees consistent rainfall and a haze they drifts across its broken land masses from neighbouring wildfires. The air is heavy and hot in the streets, yet in the bustling casinos that clamp themselves to Marina Bay the players remain cool, taking risks as they play.

Outside there is a different gamble with even more risk. The stakes are high, the table is ready to be laid. In the distance the rumble of a wild animal, a mechanical animal that can only be tamed by those who know it best.

The winding course of the Marina Bay street circuit, its busily worn tarmac a constant feature of the Formula One calendar since 2008 when a Spaniard controversially tamed the snarling dragon with its concrete barriers and tight chicanes. Run-off areas stand open mouthed, ready and waiting for its victims to be swallowed from the illuminating glow. There is no room for error. One mistake and it could spell the end, this far eastern mixture of Monaco meets Macau. Unforgiving.

From the panic of the first turn, where to put the car and how to deal with the ever closing gap that shrinks so fast there is no alternative but to escape to the side and hope that there is space to rejoin and not finish the race with a car broken and hurt. Through Republic Boulevard an inter-junction curve by day that leads to Raffles and the sound of screaming engines in the night passing the hotels, casinos and restaurants announcing their arrival.

Crazy tight chicanes and walls passing by in a blur, the driver fixed on one spot in the distance. Too early and the apex is missed, rear view mirror full of a snarling carbon fibre enemy ready to take advantage of this misfortune. Too late and the tight walls will embrace the car and crush it without mercy. It has to be perfect, on every corner of every lap until turn twenty-two quickly becomes twenty-three and the challenge begins again, lap after lap.

The Marina Bay street circuit of the Singapore Formula One Grand Prix is seen illuminated at dusk September 21, 2009. The Singapore F1 night race will take place on September 27. Picture taken with a fisheye lens. REUTERS/Tim Chong (SINGAPORE SPORT MOTOR RACING CITYSCAPE)

Singapore, with its hunger for success, demands that within the confines of its tight, twisting grasp the drivers will deliver on a street circuit that will take no prisoners.

Heart beating, the heat within the monocoque multiplied by the humid air that drifts across the bay in contrast to the viewing audience on their balconies in air conditioned rooms with drinks on ice. The champagne will flow for three drivers but not until they have stretched every limb and sweat every single piece of determination from their body to conquer The Lion City.

Once the engines subside and the champagne stops flowing, Singapore’s travelling guests of Formula One will move on to their next conquest.

This weekend the heat will rise from the island and only the strong will withstand the temperature.

The Singapore Grand Prix. The Lion City is about to roar.

Neil Simmons

@world_racing

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New boss,New era, Liberty Media acquired Formula 1.

Liberty Media is the new owner of the Formula 1. The deal will be separated into two parts. Liberty Media acquired Formula One for $4.4 billion, the American group will immediately hold the 18.7 percentage in Formula 1 and at the early of 2017 the deal will be completed and the company will receive the rest stakes.

Liberty Media Corporation is a group of companies which invest in media, communications, and entertainment businesses. The company splits into three parts, the first one is the Liberty Braves Group, the second one is the Liberty Media Group and the final one is the Liberty SiriusXM Group. These groups invest in different types of businesses.

Atlanta Braves Major League Baseball club is also owned by Liberty Media, also the company has stakes in many other sports, and now Formula 1 will be one of them.

The American company is owned by John Malone. Chase Carey, who is the executive vice president of 21st Century Fox, will be the new chairman of Formula 1, whilst Bernie Ecclestone will remain in his position for the next three years.

Formula 1, current CEO, Bernie Ecclestone said: “I would like to welcome Liberty Media and Chase Carey to Formula One and I look forward to working with them.”

The total cost of the deal is about $8bn. Liberty Media will pay the current debt of F1 which is about $4 billion, also the group will pay $1.1 billion in cash, 138 million Liberty Media shares and $351 million worth of an exchangeable debt.

The president and chief executive officer of Liberty Media, Greg Maffei, said: “We think our long-term perspective and expertise with media and sports assets will allow us to be good stewards of Formula One and benefit fans, teams and our shareholders. We are excited to become part of Formula One.”

Liberty Media intends to change the name of the Formula One, once the deal is completed. “After completion of the acquisition Liberty Media will own Formula One and it will be attributed to the Liberty Media Group which will be renamed the Formula One Group.” Maffei said.

The American group wants to improve the image of the sport and to attract new fans, mainly in the USA. Also, their aim is to take advantage of new marketing opportunities which will be created through promotion, digital rights, and social media.

“I greatly admire Formula One as a unique global sports entertainment franchise attracting hundreds of millions of fans each season from all around the world. I see great opportunity to help Formula One continue to develop and prosper for the benefit of the sport, fans, teams and investors alike.” Carey said.

It will be interesting to see what will happen, once the deal is approved by the European regulators. What can Liberty Media change in Formula 1 in order to improve the current situation and also how they intend to attract new fans.

It’s a historical moment for the motorsport, which will hopefully be beneficial for the Formula 1 and motorsport fans.

Victor Archakis @FP_Passion

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Seb Thrills Tifosi With Podium Finish

For Ferrari, the Italian Grand Prix was one of the few races this season in which they have maximised their potential.

Sebastian Vettel and Kimi Raikkonen finished in third and fourth in Monza, although an excellent start had seen them running second and third as polesitter Lewis Hamilton reversed down the field in the opening metres.

Ferrari once again took a different strategy to the Mercedes duo of Hamilton and Nico Rosberg, who are separated by two points at the top of the standings, as the Prancing Horse opted for a two-stop strategy while the Silver Arrows opted for a one-stopper.

In truth, Ferrari would have been powerless to stop Hamilton’s damage limitation mission whatever strategy they were on, such was the dominance of Mercedes all weekend.

Ferrari’s big boss Sergio Marchionne has labelled an error-strewn season as a failure, with Maranello squad unable to build on a strong 2015 showing that saw Vettel chalk up three wins and in parts look like challenging Mercedes.

He won’t have used that adjective based on races such as these, where an unspectacular performance belied what was a solid result given the drop in relative pace and off track turbulence.

Marchionne will have been referencing the race race-costing calamities in Australia and Canada and failure to deal with the rise of Red Bull.

Red Bull still have an upper hand in the Constructors’ Championship despite Daniel Ricciardo and Max Verstappen only finishing sixth and seventh on a track they expected to struggle at.

They believe they’ll be stronger at the next round in Singapore, where Vettel dominated last year to take one of those three victories as Mercedes toiled.

How Ferrari could do with a repeat of their 2015 Singapore success this time around.

Image courtesy of Scuderia Performante

Jack Prentice @JPrentice8

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