Category: Formula One

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Coulthard: McLaren needs to find “right people” to bounce back

David Coulthard has said that McLaren needs to focus on getting the “right people” together if it is to return to winning in Formula One.

Zak Mauger/McLaren

Speaking about McLaren’s current form, Coulthard said: “Success doesn’t come from a name above the door, otherwise McLaren would still be winning Grands Prix. It’s about the people within, the culture and the investment within the company. That creates that winning culture.”

His comments followed McLaren announcing on Thursday that Andreas Seidl, the former Porsche WEC boss, will join the team during 2019 as their managing director. Seidl’s appointment marks the latest in a series of high-profile changes at McLaren, including the signing of Toro Rosso technical director James Key.

Coulthard also stressed that McLaren’s performance can’t be solved by simply increasing the team’s budget:

“Money isn’t always the answer to success. If you look at Toyota, what they invested in F1 and they didn’t actually win a Grand Prix.

“It’s about having the right amount of money and the right amount of people. The car doesn’t design itself, the car doesn’t drive itself.”

Zak Mauger/McLaren

Fellow F1 veteran Martin Brundle has echoed Coulthard’s belief. Speaking at Autosport International, Brundle said: “Andreas Seidl is obviously a very successful man in the Porsche world and his CV speaks for itself. Quite clearly they see him fitting in alongside Zak [Brown] and Gil [de Ferran].

“It seems a sensible appointment to me that’s got structure and some kind of plan around it.

“It takes time to rebuild momentum. A team is made up of a number of ingredients and it takes time for it to all come together.”

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W Series: Bishop – F1 is culturally broken because of absence of female drivers

W Series Communications Director says the absence of female drivers at international level is “sad” and the controversial female only series is required to try to address this.

The series launches this year and will see 20 drivers compete for a total of $1.5m US Dollars.

Former McLaren Communications Chief Bishop, who leads the venture alongside 13-time F1 race-winner David Coulthard and former Williams driver Alexander Wurz, feels the top of motorsport needs to change.

“We feel it’s required because there has been a sad absence of women drivers at high levels of motorsport, particularly high levels of international motorsport. There is no good reason for that, F1 has been going for 68 years with almost 900 drivers, it has always been open to women but of those 900, only two have been women that have started races. It’s culturally broken in that sense.”

The venture has attracted praise from figures such as Carmen Jorda, but has also drawn criticism from other women in the motorsport world such as Katherine Legge. Bishop was not surprised at the mixed reaction, but is undeterred in the effort to bring in more females.

“We were (expecting a mixed reaction). Motorsport is almost the last, final male bastion. It’s a very male world, I’ve worked in Formula One for a quarter of a century and most of the women who are working in the sport are cooks and waitresses and that really isn’t right.”

Bishop hopes that females aren’t just drawn to the driving aspect of motorsports, and Frmula One itself has seen Claire Williams and Monisha Kaltenborn leading Williams and Sauber respectively.

“We hope that not only will we be able to drive more women into racing careers as racing drivers but also if people look behind just the racing, that behind every race car that you have ever seen in your life, there are dozens if not hundreds of mechanics, engineers, technicians, aerodynamicists and so on. Women including young women at school who could be studying in science and technology at school and mathematics, hopefully realise there are exciting jobs in motorsport that they had never considered and could have thought would only be for their brothers and men.”

W Series has been described by Bishop as “positively disruptive” in their efforts to change the motorsport landscape.

“If you are positively disruptive you are always going to make a few waves. We understand that not every female racing driver has to race in the W series , we only have room for 20 and we have had 60 who have applied to take part in the series. We are excited to whittle that down to 20 drivers to take part in the inaugural  season this year and those who have gone a different route or aren’t selected by us, we wish them all the best.

“We’re all aiming for more women succeeding in motorsport and progressing to higher levels.The timing of the W series is absolutely right, if it had have been done a few years ago maybe the world would not have been ready for it, and a few years later someone would perhaps have beaten us to it. I think it’s right, the world is ready for it and more women are ready to go racing. ”

 

IMAGE Courtesy of @WSeriesRacing, Twitter.

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Mercedes’ 2020 seat: Could Bottas yet be retained?

2018 was a torrid year for Finnish driver Valtteri Bottas. A season plagued with bad luck and inconsistent performances left him without a win and fifth in the championship, while team-mate Lewis Hamilton dominated to take the title for a fifth time. Bottas was out-qualified by an average of 0.3 seconds over the course of the season, a fairly substantial margin in pace that is something of a cause for concern.

2018 was at times a humiliating season for Bottas, much like 2017, as he was constantly out-performed by his team-mate and made to play second fiddle. However, there may yet be hope of him keeping his seat for 2020.

Despite being out-qualified 28 times in 41 races by Hamilton and out-raced 26 times in races they have both finished, Bottas has taken seven poles and three wins from his first two seasons with Mercedes, and has helped them to two victories in the Constructors’ Championship. Most drivers will be made to look average when partnered with Lewis Hamilton, but Bottas has in fact done a fairly solid job – he has at times made himself look world-class.

Of course, “solid” is not quite going to be enough when trying to keep a long-term place at a team at the very top of Formula One, and Bottas is a smart man so he will be under no illusions about this, but there is certainly a talent that, if exploited in the right way, can take him into potential title contention.

2018 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, Friday – Steve Etherington

Furthermore, if you look at contract situations, Bottas may yet be reasonably unchallenged in terms of that second Mercedes seat. Max Verstappen is signed by Red Bull until 2022, Daniel Ricciardo has just signed for Renault, and Sergio Perez would be a very distant candidate for the seat after his contract with Racing Point F1 runs out. It is highly possible, however, that the Mexican will extend this contract anyway.

Lance Stroll is yet to show the racecraft and pace necessary to drive for a top team, but Mercedes protégé George Russell may be a threat provided he has a positive season with Williams up against the returning Robert Kubica.

And let’s not forget Esteban Ocon, the Frenchman unceremoniously dumped out of F1 for 2019 by a dastardly combination of money and politics. He is a Mercedes test and reserve driver for next season, and will undoubtedly be vying for Bottas’ seat for next year – an in-house battle if you will.

Bottas’ seat beyond this year is far from safe and his performances will need to be better, but Mercedes team principalToto Wolff will be fully aware of the prodigious talent that the Finn has, as we watch the intense battle for Mercedes’ second seat in 2020 unfold this year.

 

Featured image – 2018 Brazilian Grand Prix, Sunday – Paul Ripke

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Binotto To Take The Reins at Ferrari?

Reports from Italy have suggested that Ferrari team boss Maurizio Arrivabene is soon to be replaced by technical director Mattia Binotto ahead of the 2019 F1 season.

The news was announced in Italian newspaper La Gazzetta dello Sport, and has since been reported on the official F1 website. This comes after Ferrari suffered yet another defeat from the German powerhouse Mercedes AMG, losing both the Drivers’ and Constructors’ titles in the 2018 season.

It is thought that tensions had begun to rise between Arrivabene and Binotto in the last season, however this was denied in true Ferrari fashion, with the team declaring that, “The rumours about Mattia are fake news”. Arrivabene said in a previous interview, “It is an attempt to try to create problems where there are no problems”.

 

2018 Italian Grand Prix – Maurizio Arrivabene

Binotto has worked his way up through the ranks, joining the Ferrari test team in 1995 as a Test Engine Engineer, before being appointed Chief Technical Officer in 2016. He has also held the positions of chief engineer, head of engine and KERS within the team.

Some racing critics have argued that Ferrari lost the championship due to poor strategy and technical errors, and so perhaps Maranello have decided a change in leadership is the answer.

At the moment, these reports are merely speculation, however, confirmation is expected to come as early as Monday 7th January.

 

Featured image – Ferrari Media

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F1 2018: The midfield power ranking

Photo: Force India Formula One Team

The 2018 season featured one of the most competive midfield battles we have seen the past five years, with many drivers taking advantage of this ‘chaos’ to show off their skills. This is how they rank, from place 1 to 14, based on their total performance.

1. Charles Leclerc

The Sauber rookie was a phenomenal addition to the 2018 grid, as he proved numerous times his immense talent. He is by far the best midfield driver of last year, because he managed to take points and progress in the Q3 session with a car which in most cases underperformed.Photo:Ferrari media 

2. Nico Hulkenberg

Over the years, Nico Hulkenberg has shown his ability in the midfield, and in 2018, he didn’t disappoint, being the ‘best of the rest’ in the drivers’ standings. His performances propelled Renault into 4th place in the Constructors’ Championship, but he lost his chance of a podium (his maiden) at Baku.

3. Kevin Magnussen

Beating Romain Grosjean by a mile on his own ‘turf’ is something a few of us expected from K-Mag. He is a remarkable talent, but sometimes a bit of a loose cannon. Nevertheless, he made his mark last season and he was one of the stars of the midfield battle.

Photo: Haas F1 Team

4. Carlos Sainz

The young Spaniard raised his game in 2018, with some solid performances, with a best result of 5th at the Azerbaijan GP. He lost out to his teammate, but he did manage to leave almost every major player of the midfield battle behind him and that’s what’s important.Photo: Relault Sport Media

5. Sergio Perez

Sergio Perez is considered a master of the midfield battle over the last 5-6 years, but in 2018, Force India (or Racing Point after Belgium) was sub-par in the better part of the season, and he lost some ground to his rivals. But, even at the end of the season, when he had a car capable of scoring good points, he was behind any major competitor.

Photo: Racing Point Force India

6. Pierre Gasly

The young Frenchman did a remarkable job with a really difficult and uncompetitive car, prevailing over his teammate and getting some valuable points – on and off track. He fully deserves his promotion to Red Bull.

7. Fernando Alonso

The legendary Fernando Alonso wasn’t really his best self this past year. When McLaren was slightly competitive, he reminded everyone his immense talent. But, when the MCL33 was merely undriveable, he lost every bit of his motivation and acted a bit like a spoiled kid. He could have done better.

8. Esteban Ocon

After a really solid rookie season, Esteban Ocon didn’t fulfill his ambitions for last year’s campaign, failing to prevail over his teammate, even though he managed to get on top of other midfield competitors, such as Leclerc, Grosjean or even Alonso and Gasly.Photo: Force India Formula One Team

9. Romain Grosjean

The Frenchman did manage to come back from a sluggish first half of the season, but he couldn’t make the best of the potential of his car something that Magnussen did in a resounding way.

10. Marcus Ericsson

The Swede did have his best season in his tenure with Sauber, but he was far behind his rookie teammate. Nevertheless, he took some solid results, taking advantage of the competitiveness of his car.

11. Stoffel Vandoorne

Having Fernando Alonso as teammate is one of the most difficult challenges in a driver’s career, but Stoffel Vandoorne was subpar even when the Spaniard lost some ground.

12. Brendon Hartley

Realiabilty problemps hampered Hartley’s effort, but his performance compared (first and foremost) to his teammate was anything but good. He really didn’t deserve a second chance.Photographer Credit: Samo Vidic/Red Bull Content Pool

13. Sergey Sirotkin

On the other hand, Sergey Sirotkin did deserve a second season in F1, as he was really trying to prove himself on the grid, with a horrible car in his hands. He was better than Lance Stroll in almost every aspect, but he was unlucky on some occasions and lost his chances for a better overall perfomance.

14. Lance Stroll

The Canadian must feel lucky he has the money to continue racing in F1, after the 2018 campaign he had. A rookie, someone with nowhere near his experience, almost outdid him. That’s something that should bother him.

World Copyright: Glenn Dunbar/Williams F1

The 2019 season starts in Australia, on 15 March, and hopefully, the midfield battle will stay strong.

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Zak Brown: “There is a lot to be excited about” in 2019

McLaren CEO Zak Brown has said he believes fans of the team have “a lot to be excited about” in the 2019 season, after a challenging 2018 campaign.

McLaren finished sixth in the constructors’ championship on 62 points, with the highlight being a fifth-place in the Australian Grand Prix courtesy of Fernando Alonso. Team-mate Stoffel Vandoorne had a best finish of P8, which came in the Mexican Grand Prix.

In a year when they believed their new Renault power-unit would propel McLaren up the order, it is difficult to call 2018 anything but a disappointment for them.

“2018 was a difficult year,” Zak Brown said, “but one where we’ve implemented a lot of change. We’ve learned a lot, we understand the mistakes we’ve made, and we’ve worked hard to make sure we don’t replicate those moving forward. We did finish sixth in the championship, so on paper it was a step forward from 2017, but it certainly wasn’t a season of the calibre that anyone at McLaren or our fans would have expected.”

Circuit de Catalunya, Barcelona, Spain.
Tuesday 27 February 2018. Zak Brown
World Copyright: Steven Tee/LAT Images
ref: Digital Image _R3I3944

Brown is optimistic about the team’s chances in 2019 though, highlighting in particular the numerous personnel changes they have made. “We’ve brought in Gil de Ferran,” he said, “who brings an unusual mix of a racer’s instinct with strategic acumen, promoted Andrea Stella to lead our performance development and analysis group, brought back Pat Fry as engineering director to lead the design of the MCL34, and of course appointed James Key as our technical director to give us the singular technical leadership that has been missing.”

Speaking of the development of their 2019 car, Brown added, “Everyone is working extremely hard. We have a good understanding of what we need to do to improve our race car. The changes we’ve made over the last five or six months, both in our structure and leadership, are already in play and beginning to take effect.

“We need to get back to the basics, come out with a stronger car next year, and continue on the rebuilding journey to get us back to winning races. 2019 should be another step forward in that direction.”

With Fernando Alonso retiring from F1 and Stoffel Vandoorne moving to Formula E, Carlos Sainz and Lando Norris will be driving for McLaren next year. Sainz made the move to McLaren from Renault, whilst Norris will be making his F1 debut.

 

Featured image – Mark Sutton/McLaren

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ThePitCrewOnline Exclusive: The training of F1 driver | Interview with Michael Italiano – Daniel Ricciardo’s performance coach

F1 and other racing series aren’t only about driving a car. Before getting behind a steering wheel the driver must have done a lot of activities. The physical training is one of the most important of them. Michael Italiano,  Daniel Ricciardo’s performance coach, spoke to us by answering questions asked by Julia Paradowska about the physical preparation of the racing driver.

Julia Paradowska: Why is physical training so important for the drivers?
Michael Italiano: Racing is a very demanding sport physically and mentally. The drivers need to be physically fit in order to withstand the G-forces during a race and the constant loading from the cars whether its braking, accelerating or turning. In saying this, it’s important the drivers include regimented cardio and strength training to keep their body in prime condition to race at their peak performance. If an athlete is not physically conditioned to drive they won’t be strong enough to withstand the G-forces the cars produce during a race. They will also fatigue, once fatigue sets in a driver won’t be able to control the car as efficiently as he’d like. These side effects make a big difference in a sport like Formula One where every tenth of a second counts.

JP:  How does the training program vary during the season? – Ie. Training during race week and training during a non-race week.
MI: Training varies quite a lot depending on the time of the year. During pre-season (January) training is fairly intense as your main goal is to get the driver into peek condition and prepared for the first race of the season. Training during race week again is dependent on whereabouts in the world we are. All factors play a part, time zone, weather, humidity, altitude to name a few. To give you a slight idea we would normally train up until the Wednesday of a race, nothing too intense. Mainly to switch everything on, get moving and loosen up feeling good before he (Daniel) jumps in the car on Friday. This routine would change slightly if we had back to back races, we would focus more on recovery with the short break and flight times in between.

JP:  Which round of the 2018 season was the hardest for you and Daniel to train and prepare for and why?
MI: Probably the triple header mid-year. It was a crazy 3 weeks, I’m glad F1 have decided on no triple headers in 2019. It’s asking a lot physically and mentally of the drivers. Not only are they driving the car for three days each week, they have media and team commitments outside the race track, then you add in all the flying and transport to and from hotels. There wasn’t much time for recovery and training, you have to be flexible in these situations and make do for what time you have to prepare your athlete.

JP: In addition to physical training, you also work to enhance and develop the psychological ‘mental’ fitness. How important is this aspect of the training?
MI: Personally, very important. How a driver can stay so immensely focused during a two hour race error free its extremely impressive. If their mind is distracted, fatigued or unfocused this will hinder their driving ability substantially. Sports psychology has really developed over the last five years and I’m a big believer in getting the mind in a positive and affirmative state before a race. How you do that is very dependent on the athlete’s character and your relationship with them. Mental training can be anything from working on a daily winners mindset, race day mindset, mindset out on the track during a race, what are you telling yourself, how you deal with particular actions or issues during a race emotionally, understanding mood profiling and what level should a drivers intensity be at during qualifying or race.

JP: How did you get interested in F1?
MI: I got interested in Formula 1 through Daniel. Being a Perth kid, knowing a Perth boy coming through the ranks and eventually making it to the F1 level was very inspiring. I followed his journey at a young age and developed the love for the sport through my eagerness to see Daniel succeed.

Follow Michael’s Journey
Website: michaelitaliano.com/
Instagram: instagram.com/michaelitaliano/
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/michael-italiano

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Kimi Raikkonen at Sauber: Why this move could be beneficial for both sides

Kimi Raikkonen is back at Sauber, in a move that many did not see it coming, although it could prove the best choice for him and the Swiss team.

Back in June, Charles Leclerc was heavily rumoured with a move to Ferrari, asa replacement for Kimi Raikkonen, whose future was still uncertain.  The ‘Iceman’ had been in good form up until that point, with three podiums to his name. But, he was at the exit door in Maranello.

Kimi Raikkonen at Abu Dhabi. Image Courtesy of Ferrari Media

The late chairman of Ferrari, Sergio Marchionne, had made his mind since the Canadian Grand Prix, and his sudden death did not change the plan he had put forward: Leclerc in, Raikkonen out.

The fact that the young Monegasque will join forces with Sebastian Vettel in 2019 is very fortunate for him, a boyhood dream come true. He has all the potential to make this move work, to achieve his and his team’s goals.  However, the Raikkonen-Sauber collaboration seems to have an advantage.

No, Alfa Romeo-Sauber will not be on its ‘big sister’s’ level, but the Finn is an experienced driver and Hinwil has done an excellent job on getting back in the hunt at the midfield group of the grid.

As far as Raikkonen is concerned, the 39 year old driver is highly motivated, as everyone has seen from this year’s campaign, in which the stood on the podium 12 times, and won once. This was -probably- his best season since the 2007 one, and that came from a man who many criticised for his lack of commitment and motive. This new challenge can regenerate him, since he will be able to be the no.1 driver in a team he knows like the back of his hand (from his 2001 tenure with it).

Apart from that, Raikkonen has been proven exceptional on giving feedback and setting the car to better suit his driving style, and Sauber needs that ability from its headline driver, in order to up its game on the midfield battle. He is in fine form and he can help his old team get back on the top 5.

Since Sauber was mentioned, the Swiss team has a very big advantage over any other team on the middle pack of the grid: the support from Ferrari. The Alfa Romeo rebranding acted as a salvation for them, after a horrendous 2017 season, and this was just the beginning. Ferrari made everything it could to make sure its ‘little sister’ had a fresh start: new team principal (Fred Vasseur), new technical director (Simone Resta), and a higher budget meant that Hinwil could go for a big push again, and remind to every competitor that it is a force to be reckoned. Add to that a driver like Raikkonen, and you’ve got yourself a perfect combination of experience and know-how.

Essentially, Kimi Raikkonen and Sauber had to be together for next year’s campaign, because both of them will be able to gain so much more than any other team-driver collaboration on the 2019 grid – or so we hope.

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Fernando Alonso: What’s Next?

Image courtesy of Pirelli

Motorsports After coming perilously close to drinking the milk at the end of the 2017 Indianapolis 500 race, speculation over whether Fernando Alonso would take the leap from Formula 1 to the Verizon IndyCar Series began to spread across the paddocks on both sides of the pond.

It was confirmed in November of this year that Alonso would throw his hat into the ring once again driving for McLaren, working with Andretti Racing, in the hopes of obtaining the unofficial ‘Triple Crown’. There is much speculation as to whether Alonso would be interested in becoming a more permanent fixture in what some motorsport fans consider the ‘American Version’ of F1, however, nothing has been set in stone.

Talking with journalists following his last race in Formula 1 at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, Alonso is in no hurry to make plans: “I needed a break and I need to find motivation again.

“For 2020, I don’t know exactly what I will do or what will be the plan. I am open to different things – maybe a full season in IndyCar, maybe a full season in F1 again.”

Alonso wouldn’t be the first Formula 1 driver to make the transition. He would be following iconic drivers such as Rubens Barrichello, Jacques Villeneuve and Juan Pablo Montoya, and with the interesting mix of street and oval circuits, the series offers a new challenge for Alonso after 18 years in F1.

In the run up to the end of the Formula 1 season, Alonso signed himself up to a mixture of endurance races. He is scheduled to complete the remaining 3 races in the World Endurance Championship, finishing in Le Mans, before heading to Indianapolis for the second time to hopefully take the win.

Not long after reaching the chequered flag in the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, Alonso was back in the driving seat, this time having swapped cars with NASCAR Champion Jimmie Johnson. It was thought that Alonso’s interest was in testing Johnson’s car in preparation for the Daytona 500, which he has since confirmed he will be a part of.

Interestingly enough, Johnson’s contract with NASCAR team, Hendrick Motorsports is set to end in 2020 and having already expressed an interest in IndyCar. Though it is highly unlikely Johnson would ever drive in F1 (apart from the one-off car swap), taking an open-wheel car out for a spin has given him a new outlook on his abilities:

“What I take away from that F1 experience is I climbed in an unfamiliar car and environment and did really well. My natural instincts, my ability to drive, my ability to scare myself and challenge myself hasn’t gone anywhere.” Perhaps the pair are beginning to lay the foundation for a standalone McLaren team in the Verizon IndyCar Series?

It’s probably best not to get carried away just yet, as Alonso has also confessed his departure from F1 might be short lived: “I’ve been doing this my whole life. Maybe next year by April or May I am desperate on the sofa, so maybe I find a way somehow to come back.” Perhaps he will follow in ex- Ferrari teammate Felipe Massa’s footsteps in announcing retirement, before returning unexpectedly to race another season.

Only time will tell, but for now keep an eye on Alonso, his career certainly isn’t over yet!

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Lance Stroll: Force India confirm Canadian’s signing

Image courtesy of Racing Point F1 team.

Force India have today confirmed the signing of 20-year-old Canadian racer Lance Stroll from Williams.

After two years with the British team, Stroll has joined the Indian Constructor to replace Frenchman Esteban Ocon, who will be Mercedes’ reserve driver next year following his ousting from the team.

Force India was taken over by Lance Stroll’s father, Lawrence, in the summer after previous owner and founder Vijay Mallya was forced to sell the team following legal and financial troubles surrounding him.

As a result, Stroll has been handed a drive by his father to partner Sergio Perez, who is also a pay driver bringing a lot of money into the team, which has officially left Ocon without a drive for 2019, as he does not bring any sponsorship money into the team.

Stroll’s previous team Williams had already announced their driver line-up in the knowledge that Stroll was going to depart; young British driver George Russell and Polish driver Robert Kubica, who is returning to the sport 8 years after a horrific rally crash that severed his hand, will be racing for them next year.

When it was announced that Lawrence Stroll would take control of Force India, it was already generally known that Lance would be joining the team for 2019, and having completed the Pirelli tyre test in Abu Dhabi during the week, Stroll has today officially been announced.

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