Formula One

29th June 20173rd July 2017

Vettel under further investigation; why the FIA has to step up

Everyone seems to have an opinion on that now infamous incident between Hamilton and Vettel in Baku. And with the news that the case will be heard by the FIA, with a verdict expected before the Austrian Grand Prix, the debate seems like it’s going to rage on for a while longer.

There is the chance that the FIA will decide that no further action is warranted, or they could deliver any number of punishments to the Ferrari driver from a fine to a race ban. It wouldn’t be the first time the FIA has taken retroactive action following a racing incident, most famously in the case of disqualifying Michael Schumacher from the driver’s championship in 1997 for his ‘avoidable’ collision with Jacques Villeneuve in the final race of the season. But the question of whether or not Sebastian Vettel deserves further punishment still remains

What should be taken into consideration is that this is not Vettel’s only case of road rage in the last twelve months. Everyone remembers his rather colourful language towards Charlie Whiting in Mexico last year, and the subsequent fallout from that. In that instance, the German escaped without punishment after his apologies to both Whiting and the FIA. That case was not brought before the FIA international tribunal. But Vettel was warned that in the event of a future ‘similar incident’ disciplinary action would be taken.

GP MESSICO F1/2016 – CITTA’ DEL MESSICO (MESSICO) 28/10/2016
© FOTO STUDIO COLOMBO PER PIRELLI MEDIA (© COPYRIGHT FREE)

Flash forward seven months or so, and Vettel loses his cool again, turning in on Hamilton after what he believed was a piece of brake testing by the Briton. He was not by any means the first driver to act in that way, and he almost definitely will not be the last. Although his mistake was of a different nature this time, it was avoidable and it was another case of his emotions clouding his better judgement. And as was the argument last November, it sets a very poor example for junior drivers hoping to make it to Formula 1 some day.

Without Mexico, and the promise by the FIA to follow up on any future incidents, further punishment would not be as necessary. But the fact that this is not the first time that Vettel has been involved in such an incident in recent months makes it hard to see how the FIA can justify not taking further action.

For example, race bans for incidents similar to Vettel’s are not uncommon in the junior formulas. In MSA Formula, British driver Dan Ticktum was banned for competing in motorsport for two whole years after deliberating colliding with a rival under safety car conditions. Though his case was far more extreme, and no one is calling for Vettel to be banned from motorsport for such a length of time, the two situations are definitely comparable. The basic premise is the same, and why should there be a different rule for older drivers who are supposed to know better?

Even more similar to the Hamilton/Vettel incident was the race ban received in 2016 by GP2 driver Nobuharu Matsushita for driving erratically after a safety car restart in Baku. After misjudging the safety car line, the Japanese driver accelerated, then braked, then attempted to accelerate again, causing mass confusion and several collisions. His actions were deemed dangerous and he was forced to miss a round of the championship. Though the speed difference is substantial between the two incidents, Matsushita’s offence lacks the aggression and intent of Vettel’s, which are arguably far graver factors.

2016 GP2 Series Round 3
Baku, Azerbaijan.
Saturday 18 June 2016.
Nobuharu Matsushita (JPN, ART Grand Prix) leads Mitch Evans (NZL, Pertamina Campos Racing)
Photo: Andy Hone/GP2 Series Media Service.
ref: Digital Image _ONY0719

Though penalties in lower categories of motorsport are ordinarily much harsher, since the drivers are learning the limits of rules and regulations, Formula 1 drivers are expected to know better and set an example. Whether Sebastian Vettel likes it or not, he is an ambassador for global motorsport, and purposely colliding with another driver, no matter the intent behind it, is an inexcusable action that does no favours for Vettel, or the sport of Formula 1.

After letting him off lightly following the events of Mexico last year, the FIA runs the risk of making themselves look weak, and their orders unenforceable if they do not follow up on this ongoing case. A ten second stop-go penalty hardly seems sufficient, especially considering it was the same penalty given to Kvyat in Canada for failing to reclaim his position before the safety car line, which is a far less dangerous offence.

Whether it be a grid penalty or a race ban, further action would send a clear message that behaviour like Vettel’s in unacceptable, and reaffirm the FIA’s commitment to road safety—a long standing mission of the organisation.

Georgia Beith, F2 Correspondent

28th June 20173rd July 2017

Crashgate 2: FIA Must Avoid Being Tempted to Further Punish Sebastian Vettel Because of Lewis Hamilton’s Unrelated Problems

Baku City Circuit, Baku, Azerbaijan.
Sunday 25 June 2017.
World Copyright: Andy Hone/LAT Images
ref: Digital Image _ONY8206 via PIRELLI media

So, the fall-out from the most dangerous 30mph collision in F1 history isn’t quite finished yet.

Earlier this afternoon the FIA announced that they were going to look again at the collision between Sebastian Vettel and Lewis Hamilton during Sunday’s Azerbaijan Grand Prix.

Vettel drove into Hamilton, deliberately or otherwise, while wildly gesticulating after he perceived his British title rival to have brake tested him during a Safety Car period.

He was given a 10 second stop/go penalty, a punishment that ordinarily would look to be a very severe one – indeed it is the second harshest the FIA can give. The harshest is outright disqualification.

Despite Vettel’s 10 second stop/go, which cost around 30 seconds, he finished fourth ahead of Hamilton (Largely due to the Wacky Races nature of the Grand Prix).

A disgruntled Hamilton came home fifth after pitting to repair a damaged headrest.

Vettel was also given three more points on his F1 superlicense to take his total to nine, with 12 inside a year leading to a race suspension. He will lose two of those after the British Grand Prix.

The FIA’s decision to call this tribunal sits squarely with its President Jean Todt, who is miffed at the four-time German’s conduct. Todt is the only man with the authority to call the tribunal.

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

Vettel was warned after his angry response to Max Verstappen’s driving in Mexico last year, swearing about the Dutchman and swearing at Race Director Charlie Whiting.

He apologised straight away to Whiting in person and in letters to Whiting and to Todt, but he was warned that more road rage could lead to a tribunal such as this, with the outcome revealed by July 3rd.

This is risky business for the FIA.

There is a real chance that they could be seen to be reacting to the race result instead of the incident.

It would be laughable if they were to re-punish Vettel based on Hamilton’s headrest strife, as that was beyond his control. It was a separate problem, irrelevant to incident in question.

Another potential issue is that they could be seen to be not trusting the stewards’ decision by further extending the penalty or changing it completely.

If that was to be case, then what’s the point of the stewards being there. This isn’t a cut-and-dried case of a wrong punishment, despite the furore from some quarters.

There is a good reason that other sports don’t alter the results post-match for sporting reasons, as this would be.

How many football matches have seen their results changed because, for example, a referee incorrectly failed to award a goal?

And thirdly, disqualification or a race ban handed out because of this tribunal would be laughable bearing in mind that far worse have seen no further action or mere grid drops. Incidents for example, such as Ayrton Senna carting Alain Prost off at 150mph at Suzuka in 1990?

You aren’t convincing any sane F1 observer that Vettel’s daft actions were as bad as that.

To change the penalty awarded in race then would be wrong. A 30mph moment of madness does not mean that Vettel is mad, bad and dangerous to know even if he was extremely stupid.

If the FIA do want to extend his pain, they can do that while avoiding making themselves a laughing stock by awarding a grid penalty and warnings in the harshest terms possible.

It would be sheer stupidity to react based on emotions and the FIA must act with care and caution to avoid causing more long-term issues than they solve with this tribunal.

Jack Prentice @JPrentice8

25th June 20173rd July 2017

Ferrari Review: Sebastian Vettel’s penalty not a talking point if Lewis Hamilton’s headrest had stayed attached

Sebastian Vettel and Lewis Hamilton’s incident is unquestionably the hot topic of what was a crazy Azerbaijan Grand Prix.

For Ferrari it represents points lost in the Constructors’ Championship as Kimi Raikkonen retired after an eventful evening while Valtteri Bottas produced a comeback worthy of Felipe Massa to finish second behind eventual winner Daniel Ricciardo, after stealing extra points from Lance Stroll on the line.

Ultimately after a race containing more than a few melees Vettel gained on his title rival Hamilton by finishing fourth, a place ahead of the Brit, who had to pit from the lead to address a broken headrest.

So, I might as well get straight to it.

On lap 21 Lewis Hamilton appeared to slow slightly (Not brake) at turn 16 to prepare for the restart of the race after a Safety Car period for debris.

For whatever reason Vettel was wrong-footed and ran into Hamilton, angering the German.

While madly gesticulating in a return to last year’s red mist mayhem at Mexico, Vettel hit Hamilton with his hands off the steering wheel.

I would find it very difficult to believe that Vettel would risk his car in such a way as to deliberately wheel-bang into his rival.

At 50mph it is very easy to break the suspension of both your car and your target if you were to deliberately ram into another car.

What is more logical is that he simply wasn’t looking at his steering angle in his rush to perform hand-gymnastics in the direction of Hamilton.

And then there is the furore over the 10-second stop/go penalty that the stewards dished out on one of their busier days.

That cost Vettel half a minute, and was a fittingly severe penalty for a moment of stupidity from a vastly experienced World Champion.

It doubtlessly cost him the race victory.

The reason I say that is because no amount of F1 dodgems would have caused Hamilton’s headrest to become loose.

Without Hamilton’s strife Vettel would have lost at least 15 points and thus surrendered the lead of the World Drivers’ Championship, and with only himself to blame.

Had Hamilton not hit structural gremlins then precisely nobody would be calling Vettel’s penalty lenient, least of all the frustrated three-time champion – who branded Vettel a “disgrace.”

So yes, Vettel ended the race with upper hand but it had nothing to do with his lovetap of Hamilton’s Mercedes.

The punishment was announced at the same time that Hamilton pitted to fix his headrest, and that means it would have been decided beforehand.

So to then alter the punishment based on Hamilton’s issues would have been mind-bogglingly amateurish. They were rightly chastised with their handling of Daniil Kvyat’s penalty(ies) in Canada for parade lap infringements.

The stewards had to stick with what was the correct punishment.

The incident was at low-speed and because of aforementioned factors it was unclear just how deliberate the contact was bearing in mind Vettel wasn’t looking where he was going (The key shot is the onboard).

There have been far more heinous acts committed in a Formula One car, if not necessarily far more thoughtless ones.

The incident adds fire to what was a peaceful Drivers’ Championship fight. This could turn into a fight as heated as the Rosberg years.

Jack Prentice @JPrentice8

24th June 20173rd July 2017

Baku Quali Review

Lewis Hamilton secured his 66th career pole and his first around the Baku City Circuit thanks to a blistering 1:40.593 – meaning the title-chaser will start at the front of the grid at Sunday’s Azerbaijan Grand Prix.

The Brit had struggled for pace throughout all three practice sessions, including finishing down in 10th at the conclusion of FP2 on Friday, however stormed his way to the front of the pack after being able to take 0.4 seconds off teammate Valtteri Bottas in sector two, who will start alongside his fellow Silver Arrow on the front row of the grid.

It looked as if car number 44 was to suffer pain similar to that of Q3 12 months ago as Daniel Ricciardo clipped the exit of turn six in his Red Bull and forced a red flag leaving just over three minutes of the session remaining with everyone’s favourite Austrian Toto Wolff looking on concerned.

With good reason too, as throughout the day it had taken Mercedes at least two warm-up laps to turn on the soft compound tyres due to the low degradation.

However, the Merc boss needn’t have been, as after just one long out-lap Hamilton broke the 1:41 barrier for the first time of the day, snatching pole from his teammate Bottas who had topped the timesheets up until Ricciardo’s crash.

Behind them title rival Sebastian Vettel did not enjoy his afternoon and will start on the second row of the grid in fourth alongside fellow Ferrari Kimi Raikkonen, after a 1:41.841 and a 1:41.693 respectively were not enough to challenge either of the Silver Arrows.

The Italian prancing horse pairing will have to have their wits about them when the lights go green as Friday practice time-topper Max Verstappen will be looking for any small avenue to sneak through sitting in fifth.

The Dutchman was unable to match his great race-pace shown during FP1 and FP2, but may just fancy taking on the struggling Vettel after out-qualifying his teammate for the second race weekend in a row with the Australian starting 10th.

Alongside the youngster from Red Bull sits Force India’s Sergio Perez, but will not take the headlines in the paddock with the pink panther’s teammate Estaban Ococ securing his best ever grid position of P7 behind the Mexican.

Lance Stroll also recorded his best finish in F1 after out-qualifying his partner Felipe Massa by 0.035s, with the Williams duo beginning Sunday’s race P8 and P9 respectively.

Elsewhere McLaren’s Fernando Alonso and Stoffel Vandoorne both exited quali during Q1, with the veteran ending up in 16th and the rookie only able to secure P19 after Renault’s Jolyon Palmer not featuring. However, neither really matter, as with the help of a 70-place grid penalty between them, both Honda-powered cars will be starting the race from the back of the grid.

By Joe Owens

22nd June 20173rd July 2017

Azerbaijan a chance for Ferrari to atone for Canada

at Formula One World Championship, Rd7, Canadian Grand Prix, Qualifying, Montreal, Canada, Saturday 10 June 2017. Image courtesy of Pirelli Media

Canada was not a race that went to plan for Ferrari but in Azerbaijan the Prancing Horse have a chance to right the Montreal wrongs.

Sebastian Vettel had an eventful drive to fourth after losing bodywork and damaging his floor, passing both the Force India drivers Sergio Perez and Esteban Ocon to provide spice to the race.

He did lose 13 points to title rival Lewis Hamilton, who won for the sixth time at the Circuit de Gilles Villeneuve.

Kimi Raikkonen was beaten up in the early stages of the race and fell to fifth, where he stayed for most of the race.

A decision to pit followed by braking issues meant he would limp home to seventh on a rare disappointing day for Ferrari.

Azerbaijan represents an opportunity for redemption for both men, as albeit in different cars the team showed solid form around the streets of Baku.

Sebastian Vettel finished a lonely second in the only other staging of the European Grand Prix to take place on the Caspian Coast, while Raikkonen was fourth after eventually losing out to Perez.

Fourth last time out is Vettel’s worst finish of the season and the only time the four-time champion has been off the podium in 2017.

By contrast bad luck and sometimes less pace has meant that Raikkonen remains winless since the Australian Grand Prix of 2013.

But we have seen shades of the old Kimi in recent times.

Pole position in Monaco suggests there is still some life left in the Iceman yet.

Ferrari remain confident that he can back up Vettel’s push for a fifth World Drivers’ Championship. And that starts with regaining form this weekend.

Jack Prentice

21st June 20173rd July 2017

Test post

Welcome to the test f1 live blog

20th June 20173rd July 2017

Ricciardo: “lots of opportunities” for Red Bull in Baku

Daniel Ricciardo has said he believes the narrow, technical sections of Baku City Circuit should give him and teammate Max Verstappen plenty of optimism for this Sunday’s Grand Prix, despite the Azerbaijan track’s emphasis on top speed favouring Red Bull’s rivals.

Speaking ahead of the race, Ricciardo said “[Baku] doesn’t suit our car that much but there are lots of opportunities for things to happen. I think the circuit is definitely as tight as it looks and…there are a few interesting lines past the castle which adds to the toughness. The straight is so long that it gives you time to think, which is nice as the corners are technical and you really need to concentrate.

“Another street circuit is exciting for me as I really enjoy those types of tracks. I’m looking forward to having another go on it.”

Last year’s race in Baku was something of a mixed bag for Ricciardo: after crashing in first practice the Australian went on to qualify third ahead of both Ferraris, but in the race the RB12 fell behind the Mercedes power of Force India and Williams and Ricciardo could only finish in seventh.

His teammate fared little better, qualifying ninth and improving to just eighth behind Ricciardo after 51 laps, but Verstappen has also expressed his eagerness to return to Azerbaijan despite his struggles last year.

“Baku in my opinion is quite a special street circuit,” the Dutchman said. “It’s really unique in terms of having quite wide sections but also some of the tightest parts of track on the calendar. Sector 2 is tighter than parts of Monaco which has always been regarded as really narrow and challenging.

“When you drive up into the old town and past the castle it is fun and tricky but also amazing to watch as a spectator. That section of the track is my favourite.”

Realistically, Red Bull’s duo should be facing many of the same battles in Azerbaijan this year as in 2016, as the circuit’s long straights lift Williams and Force India up into the frame for the top six. However, thanks to a string of podium finishes from Ricciardo in the last three races, Red Bull currently enjoys a buffer of 41 points back to Force India in fourth, and is almost a hundred clear of Williams in sixth.

James Matthews, Deputy Editor

20th June 20173rd July 2017

“Maturing” Haas to build on consistency in Baku

Circuit Gilles Villeneuve, Montreal, Canada.
Saturday 10 June 2017.
World Copyright: Steven Tee/LAT Images
ref: Digital Image _O3I9191 courtesy of Haas F1 Team

The Haas F1 team has set its sights on scoring significant points at the upcoming Azerbaijan Grand Prix, having been buoyed by the increased consistency shown in its sophomore campaign.

So far in 2017, Haas has finished in the top ten in five out of seven races, already equalling its total number of points hauls for the whole of 2016 with thirteen Grands Prix still left to run. And although Haas currently has seven fewer points on the board than it did at this stage last year, it has seen a substantial improvement this season with both cars proven capable of scoring.

Speaking ahead of Baku, Haas team principal Guenther Steiner described the team’s 2017 scoresheet as proof that “the team is maturing”, and added that to build on that start the goal is now “to score more points each event, not just one or two points.”

Romain Grosjean, who has scored ten of the team’s fifteen points in 2017, echoed Steiner’s comments on Haas’ progression from its debut season: “I think from last year we’ve made some big steps forward in all places. We’re more consistent. We’ve been able to score more times than last year, which is good. There are still a lot of areas where we want to improve and we can improve.

“Generally, I’m very pleased with the way the team has been moving forward.”

Grosjean also said the team will be aiming to mirror its general improvement over the season with a step forward in Azerbaijan. The Frenchman finished only thirteenth in last year’s Baku race, but said that Haas ought to do better this year now that it has previous experience to work from: “We’ll look at what we did last year, what our setup was like, and what we could’ve done better in the race. I think we’ve got some ideas and we’ll apply that with the deltas of this year.”

Circuit Gilles Villeneuve, Montreal, Canada.
Friday 09 June 2017.
World Copyright: Andy Hone/LAT Images
ref: Digital Image _ONZ0572 courtesy of Haas F1 Team

Kevin Magnussen is also hunting his first points at the City of Winds on Sunday, having finished close behind Grosjean in fourteenth when driving for Renault last year, but says he is not concerned that returning to the track with a whole new generation of cars will present too great a challenge.

“Now I know the track…coming back this year will be easier to adjust,” the Dane said. “A couple of corners might be easy flat now, maybe even Turn 13 will be flat now, which it wasn’t last year. That will be a cool experience.

“It’s going to be fun. We’re going to be a bit slower on the straights [than last year], so I suspect Baku might be one of the tracks where we’re not going to be that much faster than the old cars, but it’s still going to be massively fun and challenging in the corners.”

Haas will enter the Azerbaijan Grand Prix in eighth place in the Constructors’ Championship, just three points behind next-highest Renault and fourteen points adrift of Toro Rosso in fifth.

James Matthews, Deputy Editor

19th June 20173rd July 2017

Azerbaijan Grand Prix, Will Hamilton overtake Vettel in Baku?

GP EUROPA F1/2016 – BAKU (AZERBAIJAN) 19/06/2016
© FOTO STUDIO COLOMBO PER PIRELLI MEDIA (© COPYRIGHT FREE)

Azerbaijan and Austria are the two final stops for the teams and Formula 1 drivers before the summer break. Most of the teams have arrived in Baku and setting up their garages for the upcoming race.

Lewis Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas secured Mercedes first 1-2, this season, after seven races in Canada and scored crucial points for the championship. Lewis Hamilton remained close to Sebastian Vettel in the drivers’ championship and Mercedes is now leading in constructors’ battle followed by Ferrari.

Baku is the newest circuit in Formula One calendar, it made its debut in 2016 and Nico Rosberg was the driver who took the first chequered flag in the street track.

The track was designed by the German architect Hermann Tilke, one of the most experienced and recognised architects in the Motorsport family. The track combines high speed parts with slow corners, which makes it one of the most fascinating street circuits.

Max Verstappen – “Baku in my opinion is quite a special street circuit, it’s really unique in terms of having quite wide sections but also some of the tightest parts of track on the calendar. Sector 2 is tighter than parts of Monaco which has always been regarded as really narrow and challenging. When you drive up into the old town and past the castle it is fun and tricky but also amazing to watch as a spectator. That section of the track is my favourite, the straight is quick but seems to go on for a long time and gives you a chance to relax a bit. As the hotel is really nice and new as well as being situated right next to the paddock I didn’t manage to get out and have a look around last year. The old town is fun to drive so I think I should try and get up there one evening this year and see what else it has in store.”

Baku City Circuit

Laps: 51

Circuit Length: 6.003 km

Race Length: 306.049 km

Lap Record: 1:46.485 (Nico Rosberg – 2016)

Pirelli announced the tyre compounds for the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, the teams will be able to use the white (medium), soft (yellow) and supersoft (red) compounds.

Mercedes and Ferrari selected the same sets of tyres, whilst Red Bull decided to have two sets of medium and three sets of soft, one less from the Mercedes and Ferrari.

The two DRS zones are spotted close to each other, the first one is at the starting straight and the second zone is after the first two corners.

Kevin Magnussen – “I never tried the Baku City Circuit in a simulator before actually racing there. It was a cool experience to just go on a track you don’t even have 100 percent idea which way the corners are going. I really had to learn the circuit from scratch. It was a cool experience and the track was really cool. I’m looking forward to going back again. It’s going to be fun. The corners are going to be faster this year because of the increased downforce. We’re going to be a bit slower on the straights, so I suspect Baku might be one of the tracks where we’re not going to be that much faster than the old cars, but it’s still going to be massively fun and challenging in the corners.”

In Monaco Ferrari had an advantage compared to Mercedes, Baku has not the same outline with Monaco but both are street circuits and they have similar characteristics. I am expecting a strong Ferrari and a close battle between Hamilton and Vettel.

Victor Archakis

Follow me on Twitter for more: @FP_Passion

(Images courtesy of Pirelli F1 Media)

14th June 20173rd July 2017

Sainz and Haas in war of words over Canada collision

Carlos Sainz and Haas team boss Günther Steiner have become engaged in a war of words after the former crashed into Haas driver Romain Grosjean on the opening lap of the Canadian Grand Prix.

The incident eliminated Sainz from the race straight away, as he lost control of his Toro Rosso and collected the Williams of Felipe Massa as well before ending up in the Turn 3 wall himself. Grosjean however was able to continue and finished in tenth place, albeit after pitting for repairs and putting on a fresh set of supersoft tyres for the remaining laps.

After the race, Sainz issued an apology via Twitter to both Grosjean and Massa, saying that “Romain was simply on my blind spot and [I] never got to see him. Glad we are all OK!”

He later clarified his remarks when talking to the media, insisting that the limitations of his rear-view mirrors were partly to blame for the clash:

“We’ve been complaining [about rear-view mirrors] all year. We all know what’s happening this year with the low rear wings, having the mirrors just in front of us doesn’t give you a clear picture of what’s going on around you.”

He also added that he hopes the FIA takes notice and “finds a solution for this kind of thing.”

Circuit Gilles Villeneuve, Montreal, Canada.
Sunday 11 June 2017.
World Copyright: Glenn Dunbar/LAT Images
ref: Digital Image _X4I8582 via Haas F1 Team

Steiner, however, dismissed Sainz’ explanation, and countered that “If he knew before [the mirrors] were too small, [Toro Rosso] should have changed them.

“You can’t say, ‘Oh my mirrors are too small and I can’t see, but I keep on using them!’ That is not our problem. If he has got too small mirrors, that is quite a dull excuse.”

The Sainz-Grosjean collision was one half of a generally unhappy race for the Haas team, in which Kevin Magnussen finished a lap down in twelfth position after being penalised for passing Stoffel Vandoorne under Virtual Safety Car conditions.

James Matthews, Deputy Editor