Bahrain International Circuit, Sakhir, Bahrain. Sunday 16 April 2017. World Copyright: Glenn Dunbar/LAT Images ref: Digital Image _31I3281
Two wins in the first three races have moved the Ferrari in the first place on the championship board, not far from Mercedes which is just three points behind.
Sebastian Vettel has found his lost personality and leads the Scuderia to one of the most thrilling seasons. Two chequered flags, a second position in China and 68 points for the four-time world champion so far in this season. Whilst his main title contender, Lewis Hamilton, won one race and finished two times in the second place.
It’s still too early to judge, but I strongly believe that it will be a very close battle between two of the best drivers on the grid. Both Lewis Hamilton and Sebastian Vettel have the ability to get the 100% of their car and fight wheel to wheel for the title. Lewis Hamilton looks satisfied because finally Ferrari is competitive and Sebastian Vettel is a respected opponent in his eyes. From the other side, Vettel wants to return to the top and win his fifth title in his Formula One career and fulfill one of his childhood dreams.
In China the safety car gave an advantage on Lewis to lead the race, as Ferrari called Vettel into the pits earlier, when the virtual safety car was deployed, but in Bahrain the safety car was in Ferrari’s favour, and a five seconds time penalty which Hamilton received might cost him the race or at least a battle between him and Vettel for the chequered flag.
The only ‘disappointing’ so far is that Valtteri Bottas and Kimi Raikkonen are not as fast as their team-mates. The Finns, are struggling to follow Hamilton’s and Vettel’s pace, Valtteri showed some of his skills by taking the pole position in Bahrain, but that was not enough to secure him a good race on the following day. But it is not fair to judge Bottas, as he moved from Williams to Mercedes only a few months ago and he is still trying to find an ideal set-up for him.
From the other hand, Kimi Raikkonen is far away from his good side, the Finn is looking lost and unable to help Ferrari at that moment. Kimi finished fourth in Australia and Bahrain, and fifth in China, so far he has scored 34 points in the championship, half the points which Vettel have scored.
Raikkonen had a good season last year, hence everyone was expecting something good from him this year, but he failed to satisfy his fans. He is a very experienced driver, and I hope that he will improve his performance and will manage to fight for a place on the podium and for a victory in the following races.
The new regulations have improved the quality of the sport. Faster cars, wheel to wheel battles and very impressive overtakes make the 2017 season the best season of the last years.
It was obvious from last year that Ferrari wanted to take advantage of these changes and make a reliable and fast car, the risk paid off for the reds until now and Tifosi are dreaming a tittle after almost nine years.
I cannot predict the winner of the 2017 season, but I certainly can say that this year will make us to hold our breath until the final chequered flag in Abu Dhabi.
The second Grand Prix of the season was more dramatic than the season premiere in Australia. Mercedes had to respond to Ferrari’s pace and show that they are still in the game.
Hamilton started and finished the race in the same position and claimed his first victory of the season.
The weather played its role, and it was obvious that the key to the victory was the strategy. Almost all the drivers started the race on the intermediates, only Sainz decided to risk it and start on supersofts.
A clean start allowed to Hamilton and Vettel to remain first and second, respectively, while Ricciardo passed Raikkonen and moved up to fourth.
Ferrari took a risk with Vettel’s car, on the second lap, Stroll ran onto the gravel after he punted off by Perez. The Virtual Safety Car deployed and almost everyone pitted and switched to slicks. Ferrari called in Vettel and switched to soft compounds.
At that point, the German had an advantage compared to the other drivers who were in front of him, as he re-joined sixth, all the others were on intermediates, but Giovinazzi wanted to repeat the move which allowed him to move up to Q2. Antonio lost the control of his Sauber on the final corner and crashed into the barriers, the Italian walked out of his car and the safety car was deployed.
The front drivers took advantage of the incident and pitted for a fresher set of tyres. Hamilton switched to softs, whilst the two Red Bulls switched to supersofts. Vettel had to pass his team-mate and the two Red Bulls in order to be placed behind Hamilton. The Brit, had the lead of the race and he managed to remain in control of the race until the end.
Max Verstappen started from the 16h place, and moved up to nine in the first lap, he continued to impress all of us with his skills, when the safety car returned into the pits, Max was fourth behind his team-mate, Daniel Ricciardo, and he was looking for a space to pass him. On the eleventh lap, he passed the Australian, with another excellent move, and was chasing Hamilton for the first position.
Kimi Raikkonen was struggling to pass Daniel Ricciardo and it was then when Vettel decided to take his fate in his own hands. After almost 10 laps behind Raikkonen and Ricciardo, Vettel passed his team-mate in turn 5 and he was after Ricciardo. Two laps later, the German completed on of the most impressing overtakes of the race, he took the outside on turn five, had a wheel to wheel battle with Daniel, they touched a bit and the four time champion managed to remain in front and passed the Australian.
Max Verstappen’s mistake on the 14th turn allowed to Vettel to complete an easy pass and move up to second place on lap 28 and that was his final position.
Valtteri Bottas didn’t have a good race as a spin behind the safety car dropped him to 12th place, which he managed to recover to sixth and finish behind Kimi Raikkonen.
Another disappointing weekend for McLaren, Vandoorne retired due to fuel issues, while Fernando Alonso was seventh for a big part of the race, but he retired as he faced some technical problems.
Very impressive performance by Carlos Sainz, he finished seventh with his Toro Rosso and scored some points for his team. Both Sergio Perez and Esteban Ocon finished in the points, ninth and tenth respectively. Kevin Magnussen, with his Haas completed the top 10 as he finished eighth.
Moment of the Race
Clearly, it was Vettel’s move on Ricciardo. A great fight between the two drivers, both respected each other and Sebastian Vettel understood that DRS was not enough and took the risk to pass the Australian, from the outside of Turn 5.
The next race will take place in seven days in Bahrain, different circuit different set-up for the cars, temperature will also play its role. It will be interesting to see if the battle between the two top drivers, Lewis Hamilton and Sebastian Vettel can last until the end of the season.
After a thrilling season premiere in Australia, where Scuderia Ferrari won after almost two years, Formula One travels to China for the second race of the season and now the pressure is on Mercedes, which must show if they have an answer to Ferrari’s performance.
The Italians followed a smart strategy which gave the opportunity to Vettel to take the lead of the race after Hamilton’s pit-stop. Mercedes were not able to follow Ferrari’s pace and Sebastian Vettel secured his first victory with Ferrari since Singapore 2015.
Shanghai International Circuit opened its gates to the Formula One fans in 2004, Hermann Tilke and Peter Wahl designed the 5.4 km track, and the layout of the circuit was inspired by the Chinese character ‘Shang’.
China hosts one of the most demanding races on the calendar, it has high-speed straights, whilst the acceleration and deceleration effect the tyre behaviour and reduce the degradation of the tyres.
Shanghai International Circuit
Laps: 56
Circuit Length: 5.451 km
Race Distance: 305.066 km
Lap Record: 1:32.238 (Michael Schumacher – 2004)
(Courtesy of Pirelli F1 Media)
Tyre Compounds: Supersoft (Red), Soft (Yellow), Medium (White)
Last year’s world champion was the winner of the 2016 Chinese Grand Prix, followed by the German Sebastian Vettel and Daniil Kvyat who finished on the podium with his Red Bull.
Ferrari’s last victory in China was in 2013, while the last time, which the team started from the pole was in 2004. From the other side, Mercedes dominates in Shanghai for the last couple of years.
“In Shanghai last year everyone had their eye on the tyres as wear is typically high there and we often saw graining, but it’ll be interesting to see how the new compounds perform on this type of track. The weather is often unpredictable and temperatures can change a lot over the weekend, so it’s something all the teams have to manage with the balance and set-up of the car. Shanghai is a really quirky track – Turn 1 is actually my favourite corner on the whole calendar – and it provides a good test for the driver with a high average speed compared to the street circuit of Melbourne. I’m looking forward to seeing what the new cars are capable of there, and I hope we can at least have a trouble-free race and see where we are when the chequered flag falls.” Fernando Alonso said.
McLaren is expecting a tough weekend as the circuit does not fit to their car set-up.
“We expect the Chinese Grand Prix to be even more challenging (than Australia). The track itself also places a lot of stress on the power unit with its slow- and medium-speed corners, and two very long straights. The key will be preparation and set-up.” Yusuke Hasegawa told.
Pascal Wehrlein will be replaced by the rookie Giovinazzi for the second consecutive race, as Pascal is still recovering from his crash in the Race of Champions. Wehrlein is hoping to fully recover before the Bahrain Grand Prix.
Don’t miss PitCrew’s live race coverage, which will start 30 minutes before the race.
Albert Park, Melbourne, Australia. Sunday 26 March 2017. World Copyright: Zak Mauger/LAT Images ref: Digital Image _56I1907
What a race to start the season, Sebastian Vettel claimed the first chequered flag of the year and returned to the top after almost two years. Ferrari’s last victory was in Singapore in 2015.
The new regulations affected the outcome of the race, the cars were faster, last season Daniel Ricciardo set the fastest lap, 1:28.997s on lap 49, by comparing this lap with Raikkonen’s fastest lap which was 1:26.538 it is obvious that the 2017 cars are almost three seconds faster. Furthermore, overtakes are harder this season, Lewis Hamilton was struggling to pass Max Verstappen and that might cost him the victory.
This means only one thing, this season will be more interesting and looks like Ferrari have the answer to Mercedes’ dominance.
Lights Out
A clean start allowed to Lewis Hamilton to retain his lead, Sebastian Vettel was close to the three-time world champion, followed by Valtteri Bottas and Kimi Raikkonen. The two Finns had their own battle at the beginning of the race, but Bottas increased his lead and remained third until the end of the race.
Ferrari showed that they have the pace to stay behind the Mercedes. Vettel was about 1.5s behind Hamilton during the first 16 laps. The Brit, couldn’t increase his lead and that forced Mercedes to take the risk and call him into the pits on lap 17.
Hamilton, re-joined behind Max Verstappen, it was one of the most critical moments of the race. Mercedes told to Lewis that he had to pass Max, but Lewis was unable to do that. Ferrari took advantage and let Vettel on the track until lap 23. The German re-joined ahead of both Verstappen and Hamilton, and he needed only two laps to increase his gap to six seconds.
We were worried about the undercut possibility, we knew we would come out behind Max and Kimi and that’s what happened. Ferrari played it very well.” said Wolff.
When Max Verstappen pitted, Lewis Hamilton was far behind Vettel and he couldn’t challenge him for the first place. Bottas was closing to Lewis in the final laps, and he finished just 1.2s behind his team-mate in his race debut with Mercedes.
Max Verstappen scored 10 points for his team as Daniel Ricciardo had a bad weekend at his home race. The Australian, took a five-place grid penalty because he had to change his gearbox. He started the race from the pitlane, as his car stopped while he was driving to take his place on the grid, due to electrical issues and finally retired after some engine problems.
Felipe Massa had also a quiet evening, the Brazilian finished behind Verstappen on the sixth place, whilst his team-mate and rookie driver retired on his F1 debut race.
It was a pleasant weekend for Toro Rosso and Sahara Force India. Esteban Ocon scored his first point in his Formula One career and both teams finished in the points. Sainz and Kvyat finished eighth and ninth respectively, whilst Perez finished seventh.
It is too early for safe conclusions, Ferrari looks strong and competitive, Sebastian Vettel had the pace to remain behind Hamilton in the first laps, whilst Mercedes seems that they have difficulties to make the right calls when they are not leading.
Albert Park, Melbourne, Australia. Sunday 26 March 2017. World Copyright: Steven Tee/LAT Images ref: Digital Image _O3I3200
Best moment of the race
Esteban Ocon’s and Nico Hulkenberg’s overtake on Fernando Alonso, a few laps before the end of the race. Three cars with three different colours (yellow, pink and orange) were running on the same line.
Formula One finally returns to our lives after a long time of absence. Winter break is over, pre-season tests have completed and the race weeks/weekends are back to our screens, heart, and mind.
The season premiere will occur in Australia, Melbourne, which hosts the opening Grand Prix of each year, excluding the 2006 and 2010 seasons.
The Australian driver Lex Davison and the German driver Michael Schumacher are the two drivers who are sharing the record of the most wins in the Australian Grand Prix, both have won the race four times. While McLaren is the most successful constructor as they have won twelve times in Australia.
The teams had to adjust the 2017 car and form them according to the new regulations which included changes on the tyres, front and rear wings, suspension and in the weight of the cars. You can read my previous article about the 2017 new regulations.
Melbourne Grand Prix Circuit
Laps: 58
Circuit Length: 5.303 km
Race Distance: 307.574 km
Lap Record: 1:24.125 – Michael Schumacher (2004)
The track is familiar to the drivers, there are two DRS zones, the first one is at the start/finishing straight and the second one is between the second and the third turn.
Last season in Australia, Lewis Hamilton took the pole position, which was the fiftieth of his career, but Nico Rosberg was the driver who took the first chequered flag of the season. The German finished ahead of his team-mate and Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel.
Romain Grosjean finished sixth and scored Haas’ first points in their Formula One debut race. Daniil Kvyat didn’t start the race due to electrical issues, on lap 22 Kimi Raikkonen forced to stop and retire the race as fire was coming from his airbox. A massive collision between Fernando Alonso and Esteban Gutierez deployed the safety car for a couple of laps, but a few moments later all the cars returned to the pitlane as the race was under red flag. Alonso ran into Gutierez’s back while he was running with almost 300 km/h and lifted into the air, he crashed onto the barrier and started to roll over and finally landed upside down at turn three. Alonso walked away with minor injuries.
Circuit de Barcelona Catalunya, Barcelona, Spain. Wednesday 01 March 2017. World Copyright: Steven Tee/LAT Images ref: Digital Image _R3I6563
Hopefully, on Sunday, we will not see any similar accidents, as the safety of the drivers is the most important factor. A clear race, full of battles and overtakes is all that we need.
Melbourne will give us a small taste of which team is ahead and which made the best adjustments. Will Ferrari be able to challenge Mercedes and return to victories?
Do not miss PitCrew’s live coverage on Sunday, starts 30 minutes before lights out!
Circuit de Barcelona Catalunya, Barcelona, Spain. Thursday 09 March 2017. World Copyright: Glenn Dunbar/LAT Images ref: Digital Image _31I6887
The battle for the first pole-position of the season is closing down, after eight days of testing in Barcelona, the teams and the drivers are getting ready to fly to Melbourne for the season premiere on 26th of March.
The two testing sessions allowed the teams to test their new cars and discover their strengths and weaknesses. The drivers had the opportunity to take a taste of the new designs and the new tyres as the regulations have changed since last season.
Mercedes were the team which covered the most kilometres in Barcelona, 5102 km was clocked during the two testing sessions. Ferrari, tried to stay close to the silver arrows as Sebastian Vettel and Kimi Raikkonen completed 956 laps, 140 less than Mercedes. Despite some issues which the Italians faced the SF70H looks very reliable and fast. Raikkonen set the fastest lap in Circuit de Catalunya, 1:18.634s, while he was running on the super-soft compounds, whilst, his team-mate Sebastian Vettel was by 0.390s slower on the ultra-soft tyres.
Lance Stroll’s crash in the first days of testing cost time to Williams, the Canadian rookie driver had some difficulties with the FW40, but despite that, he completed 386 laps and clocked 1796 kilometres. From the other hand, the ex-retired Brazilian driver, Felipe Massa didn’t face any difficulties and he managed to familiarize himself with the new car very quickly. Felipe set the fifth fastest lap in testing, 1:19.420s, 0.786s slower than Kimi Raikkonen. Lance Stroll and Felipe Massa completed 800 laps combined two laps more than Sauber.
The Swiss team was not as fast as its competitors, but they look more reliable than Toro Rosso and McLaren. Sauber covered 3668 kilometres, similar distance in kilometres was covered by Force India. Marcus Ericsson, Pascal Wehrlein and Ferrari’s third and reserve driver Antonio Giovinazzi had the chance to drive the C36. Ericsson was the fastest driver among those three drivers with 1:21.670s and he also completed the most laps, 445, as Wehrlein drove for 192 and Giovinazzi clocked 151 laps.
Mercedes split all the testing days between Lewis Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas, hence both drivers had the chance to drive the W08 every day. The Finn, completed 628 laps in Spain whilst his team-mate clocked 468 laps. Mercedes’ drivers didn’t face any serious mechanical or electrical problems with the new car and that gave the chance to cover more than 5000 kilometres.
Red Bull had some technical problems and they forced to change their engine during the testing days and that did not allow them to cover much distance. Max Verstappen set the sixth fastest lap, 1:19.438s, and he placed behind Felipe Massa. Daniel Ricciardo clocked 337 laps and covered 1568 kilometres.
McLaren-Honda disappointed their fans as they had several serious issues during the eight days of testing. McLaren had to change many times Honda’s engine, and that didn’t let Fernando Alonso and Stoffel Vandoorne complete as many laps as they wanted. The Spaniard clocked only 190 laps, 45 less than Stoffel.
c Pirelli F1 Media
Next stop for teams and drivers is Melbourne, where the real abilities of the cars will be revealed. Ferrari set faster laps from Mercedes, but the pre-season test is not the ideal for safe conclusions as teams are usually trying to hide their strengths from their rivals.
Salvador Duran (MEX) Amlin Aguri at Formula E Championship, Rd10, London, England, 27 June 2015.
A few years ago I had the chance to interview the Mexican Formula E driver Salvador Duran. It was one of my best moments as a PitCrew writer. Enjoy it!
TPCO-How difficult is it to drive a Formula E and what makes it different compared with the other cars that you have driven?
SD: What makes really difficult to drive the car is the energy consumption. We have to regenerate a lot of energy and because of this situation; we have to do it with the braking. This means that the breaking gets very unstable. So you never know what to expect of the car in the next corner and the energy consumption is the main difficulty of the car. In fact, the main issue is that we don’t know how much energy we need to finish the race.
TPCO- In 2005 you won the British Formula 3. Did you ever dream at that time that you would drive in a higher series like Formula E?
SD: Yes, of course I had a dream every time. I was always dreaming of driving in a bigger formula, in a higher series and being successful. I’ve never thought about trying to race in a particular series, I was always trying to become a champion. For sure when I won that championship, it made me a lot easier the way for driving in the World Series and A1GP.
TPCO- Formula E is still something new for the fans. If you had the chance to change/improve something in the sport, what would that be?
SD: At the moment, I would say it’s very difficult to judge what I would change, because for being the first season, it has been successful. All the sponsors are really happy to be part of this project. I would say there’s nothing that I would like to change at this moment.
TPCO- How did you feel when you won the Daytona 24 hours? and how was it to drive alongside with Juan Pablo Montoya and Scott Pruett?
SD: It was a very special occasion for sure. It’s one of the greatest races in the world.
In that moment I was very young, I had lots of expectations of what to do. Actually, I didn’t have the time to enjoy it as much as I would now, because I was competing in several series and I was trying to be always in the top championships.
At that time, this race was not my goal. When I had the opportunity everything came too quick. I’ve wished I were more mature by that time so I could enjoy it a lot more, but never it’s too late. I still have those memories and I’ve really enjoyed driving those cars under very difficult conditions, because in the middle of the night I remember it was cold and wet. So it was very special for me.
TPCO- Mexico will host a F1 Grand Prix this season. Is your dream to sign a contract with a Formula 1 team and race in your home track?
SD: For sure, it’s an every driver’s dream to sign a contract in F1 and when you have a race in your hometown, of course it’s very special.
At this time in my life, Formula E is the best series for me for the future and right now my dream is to sign another contract for the next season in Formula E.
Therefore, things are changing every single year. Now my priority is Formula E and that’s my dream right now. F1 is something that I would really like to do, but by now as I said for me Formula E is better.
TPCO- Did you ever dream when you were younger that you would drive in Europe?
SD: No, I actually didn’t. When I started racing I was doing soccer as well in a soccer school; so my goal was to become a soccer player. It happened very quickly when my Dad purchased a go-kart for me and I started racing. When I won my first championship in Mexico, they invited me to participate in a formula race in America. I’ve decided to go and participate in two races. They went really well, I’ve had very good results and from there everything went too quick.
I didn’t even have the time to have a dream about that. After the second season I’ve moved to Europe. Then, I’ve realised that I really wanted to become a F1 driver, because I knew what it was needed and I knew that I’d really love to do it.
So, not when I was a kid, but when I was around 17 years old, I’ve started to dream about it.
TPCO- Do you know Roberto Duran? What’s your favourite Duran Duran track?
SD: Haha, I don’t actually (know Roberto Duran).
My favourite track is difficult to say.
I don’t listen too much Duran Duran, but I have very good memories about Duran Duran when Jo Ramirez gave me a CD as present. I remember I’ve listen the CD a lot when I was in Europe, just because it meant a lot for me, because Jo gave it to me.
That’s one of my best memories about this.
TPCO- Describe Aguri Suzuki in 3 words.
SD: He’s a charming guy, intelligent and funny.
TPCO- How close are you with your team-mate Antonio Felix da Costa?
SD: We have a very good relationship since a long time ago, when he was doing Formula Renault 2.0 and I was doing the World Series. We are very good friends, we share a lot about the team and the car.
I really like him as a person and as a driver I really respect him a lot. He is quick, he’s young and he’s very smart in how he does the energy consumption. He has a lot of experience on this and he does it very well.
TPCO-What do you miss the most from Mexico and how often do you go back?
SD: I miss everything. I really love my country. I love everything about it: Food, people, weather. I like everything. I try to go as much as I can. As soon as I have enough time, I go back to Mexico.
TPCO- Talking about Mexican culture now. Mariachi is quite famous in Mexico. Have you ever sung with them to propose to a woman?
SD: That’s a very unique and difficult question to answer, because that’s something very personal. So, I will pass on that one and talking about mariachi, I really love it. I love Mexican music. Actually that’s the kind of music that I listen the most. Mariachi not so much, but I like it a lot. I listen a lot of ‘banda’ and I really, really love all the Mexican culture.
Australia has traditionally hosted the season premiere of Formula 1. The first, Formula One race held in 1985 on the street circuit in Adelaide. Australia has a contract with FIA until 2023. The length of the circuit is 5.303 km and drivers have to complete 58 laps. The Australian Lex Davison and the German Michael Schumacher are sharing the record of the most wins, four each.
7-9 April – Shanghai China
The Chinese Grand Prix made its debut in 2004, the two architects Hermann Tilke and Peter Wahl said that the shape of the track is like the Chinese character ‘Shang’. The length of the track is 5.451 km and Michael Schumacher holds the record of the fastest lap since 2004 (1:32:238s).
14-16 April – Bahrain
The first race in the Middle East took place in Bahrain on 4 April 2004. The track is located 30 km south-west of Manama. Circuit’s length is 5.412 km and can host 50,000 spectators. Pedro De La Rosa holds the lap record since 2005 (1:31:447s), Fernando Alonso has the most wins (3) and Ferrari holds the most wins as a constructor (4).
28-30 April – Sochi Russia
The Sochi circuit is located in the Black Sea resort town of Sochi in Krasnodar. The first race in Russia was held in October 2014 the same year with the Winter Olympics. The circuit has 55,000 capacity and its length is 5.848 km, the track was designed by the German architect Hermann Tilke. Nico Rosberg set the lap record last season (1:39:094s) and also won the race, followed by Lewis Hamilton and Kimi Raikkonen.
12-14 May – Barcelona Spain
The Circuit de Catalunya is a known track to most of the drivers, as it hosts the pre-season tests and the Spanish Grand Prix is on the F1’s calendar since 1991. It is a challenging track because it mixes high and low-speed corners and also the tyre wear is high and depends on the winds which cut across the circuit. In 2014 Spanish Grand Prix hosted the 24th race in Barcelona. Michael Schumacher holds the record of the most wins, six victories in total.
The first Formula One race in Monaco was held in 1950, Monte Carlo is one of the most difficult circuits, it requires a precision driving as the barriers are very tight and the slightest mistake might be fatal. It is a track which the overtaking is almost impossible, the brakes are overheating and the downforce is on maximum level. Ayrton Senna is the driver with the most wins in Monte Carlo, six in total and McLaren is the only team who won the Monaco Grand Prix 15 times.
09-11 June – Montreal Canada
In 1977, Gilles Villeneuve’s career inspired the French Canadians to design and construct a Formula 1 circuit. They connected all the island’s roads on Notre Dame Island and created a circuit. The first race held in 1978 and Villeneuve won his first victory with Ferrari at that season. In 1982, the circuit renamed to Gilles Villeneuve to honour his name and career. Last season Lewis Hamilton took the pole position and the chequered flag, followed by Sebastian Vettel and Valtteri Bottas.
23-25 June – Baku Azerbaijan
The newest circuit in Formula 1 takes place in Azerbaijan in Baku. It was designed by the German architect Hermann Tilke and it is one of the quickest street circuits on the calendar. The circuit has 20 turns and it is almost six kilometres long, at the fastest stint of the track the F1 cars can reach a speed up to 360 km/h.
07-09 July – Spielberg Austria
The Austrian Grand Prix (a.k.a. Red Bull Ring) returned to the Formula 1 calendar in 2014. Last season Lewis Hamilton took the chequered flag and Max Verstappen with his Red Bull finished second. The race length is 307.146 km and Alain Prost holds the record for the most victories.
Silverstone is one of the most historic circuits in Formula One. In 1950, when the F1 world championship began, Silverstone held the first round. Guiseppe Farina with an Alfa Romeo won the first Grand Prix and his name entered in the Formula 1 history book. Several changes occurred in the circuit since the first race, the latest one took place in 2010, and the track became more challenging for the drivers. Ferrari has the most wins as a constructor and Jim Clark with Alain Prost are sharing the most wins record. Circuit length is 5.891km and the total length of the race is 306.291 km.
28-30 July – Budapest Hungary
The initial idea was to design a street circuit in Budapest, but in the end the authorities decided to design and build a new track 19 km outside of Budapest. The first Grand Prix took place in 1986 and more than 180,000 fans showed up. Lewis Hamilton has won the Hungarian Grand Prix six times, his latest victory was last season. Michael Schumacher has one less victory from Hamilton in Budapest.
25-27 August – Spa- Belgium
The Belgium Spa-Francorchamps circuit is one of the most favourite circuits for drivers and the fans. The first race took place in 1924 and since then it has not stopped to be in F1 calendar. It is the longest circuit on the calendar, its mix long straights, and fast corners. The most famous corner of the circuit is the Eau Rouge, combines high speed with sudden elevation change. Only six drivers managed to win the Belgian Grand Prix more than two times, these are Juan Manuel Fangio, Damon Hill, Kimi Raikkonen, Jim Clark, Ayrton Senna and Michael Schumacher.
1-3 September – Monza Italy
Monza has its own character, every year the circuit is full of Tifosi who are cheering for their favourite team, Ferrari. Formula One race took place for the first time in 1950 and it has remained on the calendar since then. The only year that the Italian Grand Prix didn’t hold in Monza was in 1980 when it took place in Imola.
15-17 September – Singapore
In May 2007 the five-year deal between the Formula One CEO Bernie Ecclestone, Singapore entrepreneur Ong Beng Send and the Singapore Tourism Board, was announced. The first Grand Prix in Singapore was hosted in 2008 and it was the first night race. Many powerful lighting systems are used every year in order to replicate a daylight race. The track can accommodate more than 80,000 spectators, the circuit length is 5.065km and the total race length is 308.828km.
29-1 October – Sepang Malaysia
The first Formula One race was held in 1999, each season the drivers have to complete 56 laps and the race distance is 310.408km. Juan Pablo Montoya set the fastest lap in 2004 (1:34:223s). The circuit is located near the Kuala Lumpur International Airport, about 45km south of the capital city Kuala Lumpur. Rumours saying that Sepang circuit might be dropped from Formula One calendar due to low ticket sales.
6-8 October – Suzuka Japan
The track was built in 1962 by Honda as a test facility. A theme park and the famous big wheel were also constructed at the track, John Hugenholz was the designer of the track. Suzuka has a figure eight layout and long straight (1.2km) which is passing over the front section. Last season the German Nico Rosberg won the race, whilst Lewis Hamilton finished third.
20-22 October – Austin USA
Formula One returned to the United Stars in 2012 after five years of absence. It is a 5.5 km circuit located southeast of the Texan capital, Hermann Tile cooperated with an American architectural firm, HKS in order to design the track. Michael Schumacher has won five times in the USA, the same number of victories with the Brit Lewis Hamilton.
27-29 October – Mexico City
Mexico City made its debut as a non-championship event in 1962, a year later held the first official race until 1970 where it stopped. The last race took place in 1992 and after a break of thirteen years, Mexico returned to the F1 calendar.
A title decider circuit for many years, the Brazilian Grand Prix takes place in Interlagos since 1973. The two previous years, 1971-1972, the circuit hosted non-championship events. Only two times the Grand Prix moved from Interlagos to Rio, the first was in 1978, but the next year it returned to Interlagos and the second one was in 1981, but again after a $15m investment the race returned to Interlagos and remained there until today. The Brazilians are passionate about Formula One and the circuit is almost full every season, they have their idols as many Brazilian drivers raced in Formula 1, like Nelson Piquet, Emerson Fittipaldi, Ayrton Senna and Felipe Massa.
24-26 November – Abu Dhabi
Formula One’s finale takes place in one of the richest places in the world, in Abu Dhabi. The German architect, Hermann Tile, designed the 5.55 km Yas Marina circuit which made its debut on November 1, 2009. Lewis Hamilton and Sebastian Vettel sharie the title for the most wins, both of them won the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix three times. It is one of the most competitive circuits on the F1 calendar as it combines a long straight and several tight corners which make the overtaking almost impossible.
Every team has announced and confirmed their 2017 driver line-up. A list of each teams’ drives will follow below. The second part of the 2017 Formula One guide will meet you to the drivers of the upcoming season.
Enjoy!
Mercedes
Lewis Hamilton
British Driver and three time world champion. Lewis won his first world title with McLaren in 2008 and the back to back titles with Mercedes in 2014 and 2015. Last season finished second in the championship and collected 380 points.
Valtteri Bottas
Bottas is the new member of Mercedes as he joined the silver arrows this season and will race alongside Lewis Hamilton. The Finn has nine finish podiums and in 2016 he finished 8th in the championship and scored 85 points.
Red Bull Racing
Daniel Ricciardo
Ricciardo raced for the first time in his career as Red Bull’s driver in 2014 as Webber’s replacement. In 2009 the Australian won the British Formula 3 Championship. Daniel has four wins in his Formula One career, 18 podiums and 616 career points. Last season, he finished 3rd behind Lewis Hamilton.
Max Verstappen
Max made his debut as a Formula 1 driver at the Australian Grand Prix in 2015 for Toro Rosso and became the youngest driver to compete in Formula 1. In 2016 he promoted by Red Bull and replaced Daniil Kvyat who demoted to Toro Rosso. The Dutch has one win and seven podiums as a Formula One driver.
Ferrari
Sebastian Vettel
Four times World champion with Red Bull, racing for Ferrari since 2015. Last season, the German finished fourth and scored 212 points. Sebastian celebrated his last victory with Ferrari in 2015 in Singapore.
Kimi Raikkonen
The Finn is among the most favourite drivers on the grid. In 2007, Kimi won his only championship with Ferrari. He finished 84 times on the podium in total and won 20 races. From 2009 to 2011 he joined the WRC series, but in 2012 he returned to Lotus and then joined Scuderia Ferrari.
Force India Mercedes
Esteban Ocon
Esteban made his debut in Formula 1 as a Manor’s driver in the 2016 Belgian Grand Prix. The French replaced Rio Haryanto. This season will race for Sahara Force India as Nico Hulkenberg moved to Renault.
Sergio Perez
Checo joined Formula 1 in 2011 with Sauber and three seasons later he signed a contract with Force India which he is still racing for. In 2016, the Mexican scored 101 points and finished 7th. He finished seven times on the podium, but he has not won a race yet.
Williams Mercedes
Felipe Massa
The Brazilian returned to F1 after a short break and decided to pause his retirement for one more season. Felipe, is racing for Williams since 2014, and the team asked him to return to F1 in order to allow Bottas to sign a contract with Mercedes. Massa has scored 1124 points in his career and won 11 grand prix.
Lance Stroll
Lance will become the second youngest driver ever to start a Formula One race. In 2016 the Canadian won the European Formula 3 championship and Williams trusted his abilities and hired him as Massa’s team-mate.
McLaren Honda
Fernando Alonso
Two time world champion with Renault, Fernando enjoys his moments in Formula 1 and he believes in McLaren-Honda partnership. The last race which, the Spaniard won was in 2013 in Spain, last season he scored 54 points and finished 10th in the championship.
Stoffel Vandoorne
The Belgian will race for McLaren once again and he will replace Jenson Button. Stoffel has already scored a point in Formula 1 in 2016 in Bahrain. He finished 10th, behind Valtteri Bottas. Last season he was raced in Super Formula and in 2015 he won the GP2 series.
Toro Rosso
Carlos Sainz Jr
Carlos joined Toro Rosso in 2015, he was Verstappen’s team-mate at that season. The Spanish finished 12th in 2016 and collected 46 points, in his career as an F1 driver, Sainz has scored 64 points in total.
Daniil Kvyat
Kvyat was signed by Toro Rosso as Ricciardo’s replacement, but in 2015 he was promoted to Red Bull as Vettel moved to Ferrari. The Russian finished for the first time in his career on the podium in Hungary in 2015. On 5 May 2016 was demoted back to Toro Rosso as Max Verstappen promoted and became Ricciardo’s new team-mate.
Haas Ferrari
Romain Grosjean
Grosjean made his Formula 1 debut at the 2009 European Grand Prix with Renault, but at the end of the season he was replaced by Vitaly Petrov. Lotus offered him a seat and the French returned in Formula One in 2012 and remained in Lotus for three consecutive seasons. Last season he was driving for the American Haas. He finished sixth at the season premiere in Australia, these were Haas first points as a F1 team.
Kevin Magnussen
Magnussen raced for McLaren in 2014, he replaced Sergio Perez, but in 2015 he was released from McLaren. In 2016, he returned to Formula One for Renault and this season he will replace Esteban Gutierrez in Haas. The Danish finished 16th last season and scored 7 points.
Renault
Nico Hulkenberg
The German will be racing for Reunalt this season, as he decided to leave from Sahara Force India after a positive season. The 2015 24 Hours of Le Mans winner, finished 9th in 2016 and contributed to Force India’s fourth place in the Constructors’ championship.
Jolyon Palmer
Jolyon Palmer was promoted as a full race driver on 23 October 2015 for the Renault team. In 2016 the British scored one point and finished 18th in the drivers’ championship.
Sauber Ferrari
Marcus Ericsson
In 2014, Ericsson joined the Formula 1 as Caterham’s driver and he was Kobayashi’s team-mate. The following season, Marcus signed a contract with Sauber which he is still driving for.
Pascal Wehrlein
In February 2016, Wehrlein made his debut as a Formula 1 driver with Manor racing. Pascal, scored his first point in Formula One at the Austrian Grand Prix, it was Manor’s first point in the championship as well. Despite the rumours that he might join Mercedes and replace Rosberg, the German signed a deal with Sauber and he will be racing for the Swiss team this season.
Don’t miss the third and last part of the guide which will be published next week. The third part will introduce you the 2017 calendar and we will make a quick lap on each circuit.
Abu Dhabi was the final stop of the 2016 season for the Formula 1 teams and drivers. Lewis Hamilton took the chequered flag, but his team-mate, Nico Rosberg, won the title for the first time in his career.
Since that race, many things have changed in the paddock. Nico Rosberg retired a few days after the Aby Dhabi Grand Prix, Jenson Button gave his seat to the rookie Stoffel Vandoorne and Felipe Massa decided to return to the Formula 1 and race for one more year in Williams. Valtτeri Bottas signed a one-year contract with Mercedes and Williams signed Lance Stroll as Massa’s team-mate.
The aim of this guide is to give you all the information that you might need for the upcoming season.
2017 Regulations
This year, new regulations have been applied, which affected the size, the weight and the speed of the Formula 1 cars.
This year’s tyres will be about 25 percent wider than 2016, and also the diameter has been slightly increased, whilst the wheel rim size remained the same as last year at 330mm.
The front wing span is increased from 1650mm to 1800mm and it is worth to mention that the overall width of the car has changed and from 1800mm increased to 2000mm.
Furthermore, changes have been applied to the rear wing and the diffuser. In 2016 the height of the rear wing was 950mm, but for this year have been decreased to a maximum of 800mm, while the diffuser is more powerful, as the height increased from 125mm to 175mm and the width from 1000mm to 1050mm.
The bodywork will be wider than last year’s, the size increased from 1400mm to 1600mm and finally the weight of the cars will now be 722kg plus tyres instead of 702kg which was in 2016.
Several changes were introduced in 2017 which relate to the power units. During an event the driver can use only one power unit element, in case he uses more, a grid penalty will immediately be applied, only the final fitted can be used at subsequent events without any penalty.
FIA also aimed to reduce the cost of the power units, hence from this season the power unit cost for customer teams will be reduced by €1m per season compared to last season and a further €3m reduction to follow in 2018. Finally, the token system which allowed the teams to upgrade their engines during the season has been removed.
Wet weather standing starts were introduced and from this season if a track is wet the marshals will wait until it becomes safe again and a normal start will occur. The safety car will return to the pits and the cars will take their starting positions.
According to FIA after all these alterations the cars will be by three seconds faster compared to last season’s cars.
Toto Wolff said that the 2017 cars will be more difficult to drive and will deploy much more G on the driver like in the past.
Don’t miss the second part of the guide which analyses the drivers and the teams for the 2017 season.
