Leclerc Confirmed For Ferrari

LECLERC CONFIRMED FOR FERRARI IN 2019 WHILE RAIKKONEN HEADS TO SAUBER

    Charles Leclerc will replace Kimi Raikkonen at Ferrari as the 2007 champion switches to Sauber for the 2019 Formula 1 championship.

    With just a year’s F1 experience under his belt, Leclerc will become the first Ferrari Driver Academy member to make it to the senior team and the second youngest driver to ever race for Ferrari in F1.

    “[I’m] eternally grateful to Scuderia Ferrari for the opportunity give,” Leclerc said on Twitter.

    “To Nicolas Todt for supporting me since 2011. To my family.

    “To a person that is not part of this world anymore but to whom I owe everything of what is happening to me, Papa.

    “To Jules [Bianchi], thank you for all the things you learnt me, we will never forget you.

    “And to all the persons that supported me and believed in me. I will work harder than ever to not disappoint you. But first, there is a season to finish with an amazing team that gave me the opportunity to fight and to show my potential.”

    Leclerc made his F1 debut at the start of the year after winning back to back GP3 and Formula 2 championships.

    The Monogasque racer claimed his first F1 points with a sixth place finish at the Azerbaijan GP, where he scored more points than the entire Sauber team managed in 2017. He’s since taken top 10 finishes in four further places and lies 15th in the drivers’ championship.

    Leclerc will spend 2019 racing alongside Sebastian Vettel, while Raikkonen switches to the 20-year-old’s current team, Sauber.

    Almost 18 years after he made his F1 debut with the team, Raikkonen will return to Sauber with a two year contract.

    In his first year at the team, the Finn took 10 top 10 finishes and finished 10th in the championship standings. Since then, he’s taken 20 victories and 100 podium finishes, and team boss Frederic Vasseur hopes that experience will help his team grow next season.

    “Signing Kimi Raikkonen as our driver represents an important pillar of our project and brings us closer to our target of making significant progress as a team in the near future,” he said.

    “Kimi’s undoubted talent and immense experience in Formula 1 will not only contribute to the development of our car, but will also accelerate the growth and development of our team as a whole.

    "Together, we will start the 2019 season with a strong foundation, driven by the determination to fight for results that count.”

    Sauber has since confirmed that Kimi will be partnered with Antonio Giovinazzi from Italy.

    The news leaves six 2019 seats undecided. Haas, Toro Rosso, and Williams are yet to confirm their line ups for next season.

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Sergio Marchionne Passes Away At 66

MARCHIONNE PASSES AWAY AFTER ILLNESS

    Former Ferrari boss Sergio Marchionne has passed away at the age of 66 after a short illness.

    Marchionne, who took over from Luca di Montezemolo as Ferrari chairman in 2014, entered hospital for a shoulder operation, but his health deteriorated rapidly after surgery.

    It was announced earlier this week he wouldn’t be able to return to work, with John Elkann taking over as chairman while Louis C Camilleri took on the role of CEO.

    “Unfortunately, what we feared has come to pass. Sergio Marchionne, man and friend, is gone,” Elkann said in a statement.

    “I believe that the best way to honour his memory is to build on the legacy he left us, continuing to develop the human values of responsibility and openness of which he was an ardent champion.

    My family and I will be forever grateful for what he has done. Our thoughts are with Manuela, and his sons Alessio and Tyler.”

    Marchionne played an essential role in Ferrari’s F1 operation in his four years as CEO and chairman.

    Among his key contributions were the decisions to replace Marco Mattiacci with Maurizio Arrivabene as team principal, and negotiating the Alfa Romeo/Sauber deal.

    He also showed interest in driver line up decisions, and was a supporter of Ferrari junior Charles Leclerc.

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British GP: Race - RE-CAP & RESULTS

BRITISH GP - RACE - RE-CAP & RESULTS 

    Sebastian Vettel wins a thrilling British Grand Prix to extend his lead at the top of the 2018 Formula 1 championship.

    Vettel snatched the lead off the line while pole sitter Lewis Hamilton and Kimi Raikkonen collided as they battled for position. He held the lead through the first set of pit stops, but fell behind the Mercedes of Valtteri Bottas when the Ferrari returned to the pits during a late safety car. He pushed back on fresh tyres, trying to find a way past Bottas before finally finding a way through in the closing laps of the race.

    Hamilton was bogged down off the line, falling behind Vettel, Bottas and Raikkonen. He attempted a move around the outside of Raikkonen to reclaim the position, but a lock up from Raikkonen caused a collision and Hamilton was sent into a spin. The Brit dropped to the back of the field, starting an impressive climb up the order.

    Both cars appeared relatively unharmed, and Raikkonen was handed a 10 second penalty for the incident.

    Within six laps, Hamilton was up in the top 10. The Mercedes pitted late in the pit stop window, emerging sixth, behind Raikkonen.

    After the early pit stops, Vettel led Bottas, Max Verstappen, Daniel Ricciardo, Raikkonen and Hamilton, with both Red Bull drivers pitting early.

    With tyre wear looking marginal at Silverstone, Red Bull gambled and brought Ricciardo in for fresh tyres 30 laps into the 52 lap race, with the expectation neither Ferrari would make it to the chequered flag without mimicking the move.

    Any advantage was undone moments later when the Sauber of Marcus Ericsson span into the tyre barriers at Abby, bringing out the safety car and gifting the front runners a free stop.

    Ferrari opted to take fresh rubber while Mercedes, who didn’t have any new soft tyres, left both drivers out. It put Bottas in the lead, with Vettel ahead of Hamilton in second.

    On the restart, Bottas held onto the lead while Raikkonen and Verstappen ran side by side. The Ferrari managed to get through into third, but Verstappen retook the position at the following corner.

    The fight for third was cut short when Carlos Sainz and Romain Grosjean came together, sending both cars into the gravel and bringing out a second safety car.

    When the race restarted, it was a frantic dash to the flag. Raikkonen managed to pass Verstappen and closed the gap to the top three, making it a four way fight for the race lead. Bottas, struggling on old tyres, came under pressure from Vettel, but the Mercedes driver managed to defend well, holding on to the lead until the final laps of the race.

    Vettel made a move up the inside to take the race lead and immediately managed to build a gap to Bottas, finishing more than two seconds ahead of the rest of the field.

    Bottas continued to struggle on old tyres, dropping back to fourth, while Hamilton and Raikkonen were inherited to the podium positions.

    The Red Bull duo had been running fifth and sixth when slight contact sent Verstappen into a spin. He was able to continue, but later pulled to the side of the track to retire with a brake-by-wire issue.

    Nico Hulkenberg, who started outside the top 10 in P11, climbed up to sixth at the start of the race. Though he dropped down a position as Hamilton climbed up the order, he picked up the position again after Verstappen was forced to retire.

    Esteban Ocon took seventh after a strong start, ahead of Fernando Alonso, Kevin Magnussen, and Pierre Gasly.

    Charles Leclerc had been running at the sharp end of the field in the early stages of the race, but a problem in his pit stop forced him to pull over soon after returning to the track, retiring just 18 laps in.

    Brendon Hartley, who suffered a heavy crash after a suspension failure in FP3, retired after one lap due to more mechanical issues.

    Sergio Perez dropped to the back of the field after a collision with Ericsson off the line. The Force India was sent into a spin, almost collecting the Williams duo, who were forced to start from the pits. He managed a strong recovery, finishing 11th, ahead of Stoffel Vandoorne, Lance Stroll, and Sergey Sirotkin.

    While Gasly had originally finished in 10th, he was demoted to 13th after receiving a time penalty for causing a collision with Perez. This promoted Perez up into the points.

RESULTS: 

1. Sebastian Vettel / Ferrari-Ferrari / Germany / + 25 Points
2. Lewis Hamilton / Mercedes-Mercedes / Great Britain / + 18 Points
3. Kimi Raikkonen / Ferrari-Ferrari / Finland / + 15 Points
4. Daniel Ricciardo / Red Bull Racing-TAG-Heuer / Australia / + 12 Points
5. Valtteri Bottas / Mercedes-Mercedes / Finland / + 10 Points
6. Nico Hulkenberg / Renault-Renault / Germany / + 8 Points
7. Esteban Ocon / Force India-Mercedes / France / + 6 Points
8. Fernando Alonso / McLaren-Renault / Spain / + 4 Points
9. Kevin Magnussen / Haas-Ferrari / Denmark / + 2 Points
10. Sergio Perez / Force India-Mercedes / Mexico / + 1 Point
11. Stoffel Vandoorne / McLaren-Renault / Belgium 
12. Lance Stroll / Williams-Mercedes / Canada
13. Pierre Gasly / Scuderia Toro Rosso-Honda / France*
14. Sergey Sirotkin / Williams-Mercedes / Russia
15. Max Verstappen / Red Bull Racing-TAG-Heuer / Netherlands / Brake-By-Wire**

RETIRED - Carlos Sainz / Renault-Renault / Spain / Collision damage
RETIRED - Romain Grosjean / Haas-Ferrari / France / Collision damage
RETIRED -  Marcus Ericsson / Sauber-Ferrari / Sweden / Collision
RETIRED - Charles Leclerc / Sauber-Ferrari / Monaco / Tyre
RETIRED - Brendon Hartley / Scuderia Toro Rosso-Honda / New Zealand / Power Unit Connector 

* - (Gasly) 5-Second-Time-Penalty added to final race time for causing a collision with Perez
** - Notes Max Verstappen completed at least 90% of the race distance and was qualified as finished, despite his retirement

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Ferrari Launch 2018 Car

(Image credit to: Scuderia Ferrari)

    Ferrari has revealed its latest Formula 1 car, the SF71H, ahead of preseason testing.

    Its unchanged driver line-up of Sebastian Vettel and Kimi Raikkonen, as well as development driver Daniil Kvyat and Antonio Giovinazzi, were at the launch at the team’s base in Maranello.

    One year into the current set of technical regulations, Ferrari’s 2018 challenger is built on what the team learned last season. It is similar to its predecessor, the most successful Ferrari in recent years, but has a longer wheel base and a revised cooling system.

    Unsurprisingly, Ferrari has stuck with the traditional red livery, including on the mandatory halo head protection device, with the absence of white features differentiating it from its immediate predecessors.

    Also absent is the Santander branding – which has featured on Ferrari machines since 2009 – as the Spanish bank has opted to end its F1 sponsorship deals.

    Like all engine manufacturers, Ferrari has focused on durability this winter as drivers are limited to just three power units this season.

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Haas Reveals 2018 Car

(Image credit to: Haas Ferrari F1 Team)

    Haas Formula 1 team has become the first to pull the covers off its 2018 challenger.

    The team revealed images of their third F1 car, the VF-18, which it describes as a refinement of its 2017 car.

    With no major changes in regulations, much of the car appears similar to that of last year’s entry, with the most notable exceptions being the inclusion of the halo head protection devise and the absence of the shark fin and T-wing aero devices.

    “The biggest part of the car’s evolution was the addition of the halo,” said team principal Guenther Steiner. “It took quite a bit of study by the aerodynamicists, but the designers had to work hard to modify the chassis so the halo could survive the mandated loads.

    The total minimum weight of the car increased because of the halo, and there’s a higher centre of gravity simply because of the halo’s position. But everyone is in the same boat.

    The regulations stayed pretty stable between 2017 and 2018, so the VF-18 is an evolution of our car from last year. It’s less about reinvention and more about refinement. You see elements we had from last year on the car this year.

    Our 2017 car was actually pretty good but we didn’t always get the best out of it, and that’s what we aimed to change in 2018. We got the car as light as possible to carry more ballast. We were able to do a better job of putting the weight where we wanted it.”

    Haas finished eighth in last year’s constructors’ championship, just six points behind Toro Rosso and 10 points behind Renault. Drivers Romain Grosjean and Kevin Magnussen, who continue at the team in 2018, finished 13th and 14th in the drivers’ championship.

    Once again, the team will be using parts provided by Ferrari, who also supply the team with engines. Team founder Gene Haas says the team will use Ferrari as a bench mark going into its third season in F1.

    “It’s no secret we use a lot of Ferrari equipment, so we’re using them as our baseline,” he said. “We need to be within a half-second of the Ferraris in order for us to be competitive.

    We weren’t last year. I would say we were a second to a second-and-a-half slower than the Ferraris. Overall, we were maybe two seconds off the pole qualifiers, so we need to knock a second off that if we really want to be competitive.

    We’ve eliminated a lot of variables where we knew we were weak, and we knew where we needed to focus. We need to be able to go to the majority of the races and put the car don on the track and be fast. We’ve focused on what it’s going to take to get the cars to be consistent and to close that gap between the top cars.”

    Last year, Haas had at least one car retire from seven of the 20 races, including a double retirement in Australia at the start of the year.

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Mexican GP: Driver Preview Quotes - Ferrari

DRIVER PREVIEW QUOTES - SCUDERIA FERRARI F1 TEAM

Kimi Raikkonen - “Because of the altitude, this track is quite slippery, with very little grip, so it’s easy to lose lap time. In the first part you have a long straight where it’s possible to overtake, while the rest of the track is more similar to a street circuit and there it gets more difficult to pass. But for sure, if you have the speed it should be possible to gain positions. This year we have been pretty strong in most places, so I don’t see any reason why it shouldn’t be the same here. Let’s see how it is tomorrow: with the new cars, given the increased down force they generate, it should be a bit better. In these last three races we are aiming to do the best we can, hopefully fighting for wins.”

Sebastian Vettel - “We are still here to fight and we want to do it till the end. We are trying to do our best and win and then we’ll go from there. Everything that we can learn today will help us for the future, this is the thinking inside the whole team. We need to keep going and push on our development. Last year, the start for us was important as it gave us the best opportunity to attack, but this year, we should have better chances during the race. We have had a mixed year with ups and downs, which I think is normal for a team. There were races we couldn’t finish and that hurts. But we have a good car and on paper we should be more competitive here, so let’s see what happens.”

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Ferrari Retains Sebastian Vettel

FERRARI RETAINS SEBASTIAN VETTEL FOR 2018

    Sebastian Vettel has secured his Formula 1 future with Ferrari after brief discussions with Mercedes.

    Vettel’s contract with the Italian team was due to end at the end of this season, but a three-year extension means he will remain at Ferrari until 2021.

    The German had been linked to a possible move to Mercedes but Niki Lauda confirmed they had stopped discussions when it became clear Vettel didn’t want to leave Ferrari.

    The deal means Ferrari will not change its driver line-up for a fourth consecutive season, with Vettel’s team-mate Kimi Raikkonen already confirmed for 2018.

    Vettel joined Ferrari in 2015 and has so far taken seven wins for the Italian teams. This season he became the first Ferrari driver since Fernando Alonso in 2013 to lead a Formula 1 championship.

    He is currently second in the championship just three points behind points leader Lewis Hamilton.

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Ferrari Retains Raikkonen

FERRARI RETAINS RAIKKONEN FOR 2018

    Kimi Raikkonen will race at Ferrari in the 2018 Formula One championship, the Italian team has confirmed.

    Raikkonen’s contract was due to run out at the end of the season, and there was speculation the 2007 champion would retire, 17 years after making his F1 debut with Sauber.

    But Ferrari confirmed in the build up to the Belgian Grand Prix the 37-year-old has extended his contract for another season.

    Raikkonen rejoined Ferrari in 2014, having left the team in 2009. Since then, he has taken 10 podium finishes, including four this season, but hasn’t taken a race win with the Italian team. His last F1 win was with Lotus in 2013.

    Team-mate Sebastian Vettel’s contract is also due to finish this season. It’s expected Ferrari will retain the championship leader, but no announcement has been made.

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Halo Confirmed For 2018

HALO CONFIRMED FOR 2018

    The “Halo” head protection device is set to be introduced to Formula 1 next season.

    The FIA believes the halo, which all 10 of the current F1 teams have tested, is currently the best option, and has pushed through its introduction at the Strategy Group meeting after the British Grand Prix.

    It has insisted a safety device will be introduced in 2018 and put the other option – the “shield” – on the backburner after its first run last weekend.

    Sebastian Vettel was the first – and so far only – driver to test the shield. He completed only a single lap with the device in free practice ahead of the British GP, saying it made him feel dizzy. The FIA says the shield needs significant development before it can be introduced.

    Many people have criticised the decision, with sources claiming nine out of 10 teams voted against the halo, but the Grand Prix Drivers Association has backed the decision.

     The World Motor Sport Council still needs to ratify the decision.

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Monaco GP: Race - Re-Cap & Results

MONACO GP - RACE - RE-CAP & RESULTS

    Sebastian Vettel secured a Ferrari 1-2 around the streets of Monaco after overtaking team mate Kimi Raikkonen in the pit stops.

    Vettel pitted five laps later than Raikkonen and emerged just ahead of his team mate. It was a strategy that worked elsewhere in the pit lane. Raikkonen didn’t have the pace to answer Vettel, and had to focus on defense rather than attack.

    The championship leader was able to build up a small gap, before a safety car paused the race and bunched up the field.

    An opportunistic move from the returning Jenson Button saw him collide with Pascal Wehrlein just 18 laps before the end of the race. The Sauber ended the race on its side and against the barrier, whilst Button retired with damaged suspension.

    The incident brought out the safety car as the marshals cleared Wehrlein’s car, and then his team mate’s car. Marcus Ericsson was overtaking the safety car to unlap himself when he collided with the wall.

    On the restart, Vettel made a perfect get away, though Raikkonen was also able to pull away from Daniel Ricciardo behind him, who survived hitting the wall.

    Ricciardo also benefited from a late pit stop. He jumped up to third past team mate Max Verstappen and Mercedes’ Valtteri Bottas. The strategic mistake left Verstappen frustrated, and though he tried to challenge Bottas, he ended the race fifth.

    The final few laps saw a series of challenges at the back of the points. Stoffel Vandoorne looked set to take McLaren’s first win of 2017 when a move from Sergio Perez saw him hit the wall at the same place as Ericsson.

    Perez was also witness to Daniil Kvyat’s retirement. The pair came together as Perez tried to find a way past, ending Kvyat’s race and Perez’s recovery from an early pit stop. Perez was able to get back to the pits, receiving a new front wing and heading back out to take the fastest lap of the race.

    Kvyat’s team mate Carlos Sainz took sixth, ahead of championship contender Lewis Hamilton. A poor qualifying saw Hamilton start out of position, but the Brit was able to make up places around the tight circuit.

    Both Haas drivers took points for the first time this season, with Romain Grosjean finishing eighth and Kevin Magnussen 10th. Williams’ Felipe Massa split the pair.

    Jolyon Palmer finished 11th, with the Force India duo the only other finishers. Esteban Ocon, who suffered a puncture, took 12th, ahead of Perez.

    Nico Hulkenberg was the first driver to retire from the race as smoke poured from the back of his Renault after only 15 laps. The team said it was a gearbox problem rather than engine.

    Lance Stroll retired from his first Monaco GP. The teenager had been complaining about cold brakes and tyres during the safety car period, saying he would crash if something didn’t change. He didn’t crash, though did come into the pits a few laps later due to a brake problem.

RESULTS:

1. Sebastian Vettel / Ferrari-Ferrari / Germany / + 25 Points
2. Kimi Raikkonen / Ferrari-Ferrari / Finland / +18 Points
3. Daniel Ricciardo / Red Bull-TAG-Heuer / Australia / + 15 Points
4. Valtteri Bottas / Mercedes-Mercedes / Finland / +12 Points
5. Max Verstappen / Red Bull-TAG-Heuer / Netherlands / 10 Points
6. Carlos Sainz / Toro Rosso-Renault / Spain / + 8 Points
7. Lewis Hamilton / Mercedes-Mercedes / Great Britain / + 6 Points
8. Romain Grosjean / Haas-Ferrari / France / + 4 Point
9. Felipe Massa / Williams-Mercedes / Brazil / + 2 Points
10. Kevin Magnussen / Haas-Ferrari / Denmark / + 1 Point
11. Jolyon Palmer / Renault-Renault / Great Britain
12. Esteban Ocon / Force India-Mercedes / France
13. Sergio Perez / Force India-Mercedes / Mexico
14. Daniil Kvyat / Toro Rosso-Renault / Russia / DNF - Collision*
15. Lance Stroll / Williams-Mercedes / Canada / DNF - Brakes*

RETIRED - Stoffel Vandoorne / McLaren-Honda / Belgium / Collision
RETIRED - Marcus Ericsson / Sauber-Ferrari / Sweden / Collision
RETIRED – Jenson Button / McLaren-Honda / Great Britain / Collision**
RETIRED - Pascal Wehrlein / Sauber-Ferrari / Germany / Collision
RETIRED - Nico Hulkenberg / Renault-Renault / Germany / Gearbox

* - Qualified as finished
** - Notes Jenson Button is replacing Fernando Alonso during the Monaco GP weekend.

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Monaco GP: Circuit Preview

MONACO GP - CIRCUIT PREVIEW + 2016 STATS

Name: Circuit de Monaco

Location: Monte Carlo, Monaco

Opened: 1929

Length: 2.074 Miles

Capacity: 37,000

Runs: Clockwise

Turns: 19

Race Laps: 78

2016 STATS

Pole Position: Daniel Ricciardo

1st Place: Lewis Hamilton

2nd Place: Daniel Ricciardo

3rd Place: Sergio Perez

Retirements: Jolyon Palmer (Crash), Kimi Raikkonen (Car Damage), Daniil Kvyat (Collision/Electronics), Kevin Magnussen (Collision Damage), Max Verstappen (Crash), Felipe Nasr (Collision Damage) & Marcus Ericsson (Collision Damage)

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Monaco GP: Track Schedule

MONACO GP - TRACK SCHEDULE

May 24th / Wednesday

15:00 - Drivers Press Conference (Located in the Press Room)

May 25th / Thursday

10:00 - 11:30 - Free Practice #1

12:45 - 13:20 - ACM Laps (VIP)

14:00 - 15:30 - Free Practice #2

15:35 - Medical Exercise Simulation

15:40 - 15:50 - ACM Laps (VIP)

16:00 - 17:00 - Press Conference (Located in the Press Room)

16:55 - 17:10 - ACM Laps (VIP)

May 26th / Friday

09:05 - 09:25 - ACM Laps (VIP)

10:30 - 10:55 - ACM Laps (VIP)

13:00 - 13:30 - Renault Presentation (TBC)

13:00 - 13:30 - Pit-Lane Walk (F1 Experiences)

14:30 - F1 Drivers Autograph Session

May 27th / Saturday

07:40 - 08:40 - Paddock Club Pit-Lane Walk

08:00 - 08:45 - Team Pit-Stop Practice

09:40 - 10:20 - ACM Laps (VIP)

11:00 - 12:00 - Free Practice #3

12:05 - 13:20 - ACM Laps (VIP)

12:10 - 13:45 - Paddock Club Pit-Lane Walk

14:00 - 15:00 - Qualifying

15:00 - 15:35 - ACM Laps (VIP)

May 28th / Sunday

08:00 - 09:00 - Paddock Club Pit-Lane Walk

11:40 - 12:50 - ACM Laps (VIP)

11:45 - 13:15 - Paddock Club Pit-Lane Walk

12:30 - Drivers Track Parade

12:40 - Philipp Morris Bus Laps

12:45 - 13:15 - Starting Grid Presentation

13:46 - National Anthem

14:00 - 16:00 - Race 

(Subject to change)

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Australian GP: Race - Re-Cap & Results

AUSTRALIAN GP - RACE - RE-CAP & RESULTS 

    Sebastian Vettel leads the championship after winning the first race of the 2017 season, after a poor strategy for Mercedes cost Lewis Hamilton the lead of the race.

    Vettel had qualified second and there was hope for Ferrari fans that Hamilton’s notoriously (relatively) weak starts would give the German the lead going into the first corner, but Hamilton got a strong start and Vettel was forced to defend against Mercedes’ Valtteri Bottas.

    Mercedes decided to pit Hamilton early, however, as the team was worried about tyre degradation. After the pit stop, Hamilton was running behind Max Verstappen whilst Vettel built up a strong lead at the front of the field. The Brit was told it was crucial to get past the Red Bull before the pit stops, but it was easier said than done, and Hamilton was only able to pass Verstappen when the teenager pitted.

    By this time, Vettel had already been into the pits and emerged just ahead of Verstappen. Though Hamilton was right behind the German now, he wouldn’t be able to catch him, and actually seemed to be threatened towards the end of the race by Valtteri Bottas, but the Brit finished the Grand Prix second.

    Whilst his teammate was making things difficult for Hamilton, the home hero Daniel Ricciardo was nowhere to be seen. The Australian had had a difficult weekend already with a crash in qualifying seeing him qualify tenth and a gearbox penalty putting him 15th on the grid. Ricciardo never even got that far, though, when he stopped on track on his way to the grid.

    The car was taken to the grid and the Red Bull team were able to solve the problem, allowing Ricciardo to start the race, a handful of laps behind the rest of the field. That wasn’t the end of Ricciardo’s problems, though, as the RB13 stopped on track again, this time with an engine problem, and he was forced to retire from the race.

    A number of other drivers were forced to retire from the race.

    Romain Grosjean, the first retiree, pulled into the pits after a promising qualifying performance from the Haas, smoke coming from the rear of the car. Renault’s Jolyon Palmer wasn’t far behind him. The Brit had been complaining about a reoccurring problem with the brakes, which saw him lock up at the same corner every lap. Marcus Ericsson, who had taken a trip through the gravel trap early in the race after contact with Kevin Magnussen, managed to continue for almost 30 laps before stopping on track for an unknown problem. Magnussen didn’t last much longer. He also pulled off to the side of the circuit towards the end of the race due to a suspension problem.

    Gravel also featured in Lance Stroll’s race. The rookie had made a promising start to the race, recovering from his P20 grid position. He had been slowly making up positions before he ran deep into turn 14 and into the gravel. The Williams driver continued for the rest of the lap, but pitted and retired soon after.

    Fernando Alonso was the final retiree. After a difficult preseason test, most were surprised to find Alonso running in the points. The Spaniard had started the race from 12 but retirements ahead of him had aided his progress and he was running in tenth when Force India’s Esteban Ocon closed in on him. Alonso defended well, and Ocon spent multiple laps behind the orange McLaren as Nico Hulkenberg closed in on the pair.

    As Hulkenberg became close enough for Ocon to have to worry about, the Frenchman made his move. Ocon tried to overtake around the outside of Alonso, pushing the McLaren onto the grass and letting Hulkenberg come up alongside the pair of them. The trio ran side by side but amazingly left room for one another and there was no contact.

    Ocon emerged from the battle in tenth, with Hulkenberg behind him and Alonso demoted to 12th. Not long later, Alonso came into the pits to retire, though McLaren fans were rewarded asStoffel Vandoorne was able to finish the race.

    Twelfth may not seem fantastic but, for Antonio Giovinazzi, it was far more than he had been expecting when he arrived at the circuit. The Ferrari third driver had been drafted in to replace Pascal Wehrlein, who felt he wasn’t fit enough due to limited training allowed by his Race of Champions accident. The Sauber driver started the race 16th, and immediately got stuck in to the race. The Italian defended well from a DRS-aided Lance Stroll early in the race, and eventually finished 12th.

    Vettel now leads the drivers’ championship, with Ferrari leading the constructors’ championship by seven points.

RESULTS:

1. Sebastian Vettel / Ferrari-Ferrari / Germany / + 25 Points
1. Lewis Hamilton / Mercedes-Mercedes / Great Britain / + 18 Points
3. Valtteri Bottas / Mercedes-Mercedes / Finland / + 15 Points
4. Kimi Raikkonen / Ferrari-Ferrari / Finland / + 12 Points
5. Max Verstappen / Red Bull-TAG-HEUER / Netherlands / + 10 Points
6. Felipe Massa / Williams-Mercedes / Brazil / + 8 Points
7. Sergio Perez / Force India-Mercedes / Mexico / + 6 Points
8. Carlos Sainz / Toro Rosso-Renault / Spain / + 4 Points
9. Daniil Kvyat / Toro Rosso-Renault / Russia / + 2 Points
10. Esteban Ocon / Force India-Mercedes / France / + 1 Point
11. Nico Hulkenberg / Renault-Renault / Germany
12. Antonio Giovinazzi / Sauber-Ferrari / Italy
13. Stoffel Vandoorne / McLaren-Honda / Belgium

RETIRED - Fernando Alonso / McLaren-Honda / Spain / Suspension Failure
RETIRED - Kevin Magnussen / Haas-Ferrari / Denmark / Suspension Failure
RETIRED – Lance Stroll / Williams-Mercedes / Canada / Brake Failure
RETIRED - Daniel Ricciardo / Red Bull-TAG-HEUER / Australia / Fuel Cell Issue
RETIRED - Marcus Ericsson / Sauber-Ferrari / Sweden / Hydraulic Failure
RETIRED - Jolyon Palmer / Renault-Renault / Great Britain / Brake Failure
RETIRED - Romain Grosjean / Haas-Ferrari / France / Water Leak

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Article Written By: Bethonie Waring
No copyright infringement intended
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Ferrari Unveil SF70H

FERRARI UNVEIL SF70H

    Ferrari’s 2017 challenger, the SF70H, has hit the track for the first time at the team’s test track at Fiorano.

    The Italian team launched live online only just over an hour before Kimi Raikkonen got behind the wheel of the 2017 specification car for the first time. The Finn was only shaking it down, but he reported no problems with the car he’ll be racing this season.

    Nobody at the team has set any expectations for the season ahead, though they’ll inevitably be trying to catch up with Mercedes, who are the favourites to lead the championship again this season.

    Due to regulation changes, the SF70H has a fin above the engine cover, like most cars launched so far this year, and a lengthened nose, as well as a completely redesigned roll hoop.

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Article Written By: Bethonie Waring
No copyright infringement intended - Photo rights belong to Scuderia Ferrari F1 Team
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Obrigado Massa

#ObrigadoMassa

    Like so many Formula One drivers, Felipe Massa’s time in F1 will probably be left to the history books. He hasn’t taken a championship, dominated a team, or stood out much for the majority of his fourteen years in F1. But Massa leaving the series will truly be an end of an era, and it might not be something everyone understands. We say “obrigado Massa”, but do we really know why?

    For many, Massa represents the passion for Formula One that fans want the sport to return to. Though he may not have gone through his fourteen years in F1 without any spats, the Brazilian has captured the hearts of fans across the globe. He, along with Jenson Button, is F1’s “nice guy”. Losing the Brazilian from the paddock next year, as well as Button, could make for a very different atmosphere.

    Obrigado Massa for bringing the passion that makes fans love F1.

    Since his first season in 2002, Massa has driven for three teams. Like many rookies, he started his career in a midfield team: Sauber-Pertronas. Though he might not have been regularly beating his more experienced teammate, Nick Heidfeld, in his rookie year, Massa wasn’t usually far behind the German. It wasn’t enough to impress Sauber enough to keep him in F1 in 2003, when he went to Ferrari as a test driver, but he did return to complete two more seasons for the team in 2004 and 2005.

    Ferrari will be where most fans will remember him from, and it’s the Italian team that probably have the most to thank Massa for. The Brazilian drove for the team for eight years, and spent five of those years as the infamous second driver. Paired up with Michael Schumacher, Massa made an amazing support driver for the German’s final year at Ferrari, and took his first Formula One win in Turkey that year. In 2007 and 2008, Massa had a chance to come into his own, not exactly a second driver to his new teammate, Kimi Raikkonen, but bad luck followed the Brazilian and, despite six wins in eighteen races in 2008, he could only manage second in the championship, finishing one point behind eventual champion Lewis Hamilton, in one of the most emotional podiums in recent times.

    When Fernando Alonso joined Ferrari in 2010, Massa fell back into the second driver role, resulting in the now iconic but heart breaking radio message – Fernando is faster than you – and multiple team orders that, some argue, stopped Massa from the success he deserved. Eventually, in 2014, the Brazilian switched to Williams, where he’ll end his career. Williams in 2014 was revitalised after a long, difficult period, and Massa mirrored that, apparently more respected and free in the British team. 2014 gave new hope that Williams and Massa might be able to take second in the championship in 2015 after a strong season. Sadly, it would never come, as the team lagged behind the progress of those around them over the next two years.

    Obrigado Massa for helping fans of three teams taste relative success.

    2009 will be a season that stands out for Massa fans, though not for happy reasons. Qualifying at the Hungaroring took a turn for the worst in the second session. Debris from a car ahead hit the Brazilian only an inch above his left eye whilst he was traveling and over 160 mile per hour, knocking him unconscious.

    For a while after the accident, Massa’s fate was unknown. He was known to be in a life-threatening condition in hospital and for a small while fans, though hopeful, feared the worst. Thankfully, Massa’s condition would rapidly improve, and he was released from hospital the following week, but he wouldn’t return to F1 until 2010. The Brazilian has no memory of the accident, but his family – including his then pregnant wife – and his friends certainly do. The accident helped bring the focus back to safety in F1, and to strengthen the parts of the helmet weaker than the main shell.

    Obrigado Massa for returning to F1 after the accident, and for – though not entirely voluntarily – helping to push forward the drive for safety.

    Any article on Massa’s career wouldn’t be complete without mention of a Brit from Middlesbrough. Rob Smedley joined F1 back in 2001, but he gained fame in 2006 when he joined the main Ferrari team as Massa’s race engineer. The two were – and still are – obviously close, and Smedley has been part of some of the most famous moments of Massa’s career and made F1 seem more “human” for many fans: the celebrations following Massa’s first win in 2006, the endearing nicknames, Smedley’s insistence that he doesn’t know Massa “in the biblical sense”. But Smedley has seen the lows as well as the highs. The team orders at Ferrari were delivered by Smedley. The loss of the championship in 2008 left the Brit in tears. And Smedley is the one most asked about the 2009 accident.

    Obrigado Massa for being part of the most heart warming friendship in F1 in recent times.

    And, to finish, a personal obrigado to Felipe Massa. My life is motorsport dominated, both as a journalist and a fan, and I was introduced to the sport in 2008. The first race I ever watched was late in November of that year. Brazil. I don’t remember much of the race itself, but I remember the podium. It’s the image so many will remember of Massa: an emotional, short man, dressed head to toe in red atop the podium in front of his home crowd. An image of humility… passion… raw emotion. That is the reason I fell in love with Formula One.

    This weekend will mark the end of an era in Formula One, and in my own life. So obrigado Massa.

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Article Written By: Bethonie Waring
No copyright infringement intended
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US GP: Race - Re-Cap & Results

US GRAND PRIX - RACE

    Lewis Hamilton secured his fiftieth GP win at the US Grand Prix this weekend, a much needed victory in his championship battle. Teammate Nico Rosberg secured second and remains ahead of Hamilton in the championship standings, whilst a virtual safety car ruined Daniel Ricciardo’s strategy and left him in third.

    Red Bull were hoping the super soft tyres were going to give Ricciardo the edge at the start of the race, with the two Mercedes drivers ahead of him on the soft compound tyres. Ricciardo shot off of the line, immediately challenging Rosberg for second and managing to get past. Hamilton managed to escape holding onto second as he led the way into the race.

    Meanwhile, there was the usual opening lap bumps further back in the pack. Both Force India drivers were caught up in contact. Nico Hulkenberg found himself in trouble, unable to turn, and hit Sebastian Vettel ahead of him. That bounced him into Valtteri Bottas, and left him with damage to his front wing, and Bottas with a punctured tyre.

    Sergio Perez was hit by Daniil Kvyat and sent into a spin. There didn’t seem to be too much damage for the Mexican, though, and he managed to continue after dropping down through the order. Kvyat was given a ten-second-penalty for the incident.

    Hulkenberg and Bottas dived into the pits to repair the damage done by the opening lap. Bottas managed to come back out after a tyre change, but Hulkenberg wouldn’t be so lucky. The German retired from the race.

    Back at the front of the pack, Hamilton was building up a gap to Ricciardo. With the softer tyres, Ricciardo was forced to pit earlier than Rosberg but, once the Mercedes drivers had pitted, it was the same order in the top three.

    Ferrari were the main story in the first set of pit stops. The Italian team had tried the undercut with Kimi Raikkonen, bringing him into the pits early. It wouldn’t work though, with the Finn being stuck in traffic. Max Verstappen, who’d gotten a poor start, was able to catch up with the Ferrari and a move up the inside with DRS put the teenager in fifth.

    Next up for Verstappen, once Sebastien Vettel was pitted, was Rosberg. It didn’t take long for the Red Bull to close in on Rosberg, who was on the medium compound tyre, but getting past was proving difficult. Verstappen was reminded by the team that his tyres needed to last to the end of the stint. Verstappen’s reply? “I’m not here to finish fourth.”

    Verstappen did back off though and, a few laps later, came into the pits. Unfortunately, Red Bull weren’t ready for him, as they hadn’t actually called him into the pits. It was a long stop that dropped him back to seventh.

    Setting off to try and recover, Verstappen found himself in more trouble. The Red Bull was going very slowly and Verstappen described something “Hitting the engine. The faster I go, the harder it hits.” It was later found to be a gearbox problem. Verstappen stopped on track, bringing out the virtual safety car.

    At the front of the race, Mercedes reacted quickly, both of their cars diving into the pits with a “free” pit stop. Ricciardo, who had only pitted a handful of laps before, lost out. The tyre strategy that could have given him a fighting chance at second was now wasted as Rosberg emerged from the pits ahead of Ricciardo.

    Rosberg wasn’t able to take the fight to his teammate, though. The German came out of the pits behind Pascal Wehrlein and wasn’t able to overtake during the virtual safety car. There, he lost a lot of time to Hamilton, believing Wehrlein to be driving slower than necessary. When racing began again, Rosberg easily got past, but he was now on the back foot.

    Raikkonen would have more trouble in the pits at his next pit stop. Ferrari released the Finn early, with the wheel gun still attached and the wheel not properly screwed onto the car. Raikkonen stopped at the end of the pit lane but, as reversing in the pit lane is banned, his race was over.

    The closing stages of the race saw a battle between Carlos Sainz Jnr, Felipe Massa, and Fernando Alonso in the fight for fifth place. It seemed that Sainz needed to pit again for a fresh set of tyres but, as the laps ticked down, it became obvious Sainz was aiming to make his tyres last until the end of the race, and Massa and Alonso would have to get past him on track.

    Sainz made a small mistake ahead of them, but it was Alonso who would take advantage of that. The older Spaniard moved up the inside of Massa, but it appeared Massa didn’t see his old team mate trying to make the move. The two made wheel to wheel contact, but Alonso managed to get ahead, leaving Massa in sixth and with a punctured tyre.

    The incident was investigated after the race, but there was no further action.

    Overtaking Sainz was a little easier for Alonso. With DRS, the McLaren was faster than the Toro Rosso on the straights and Alonso swept past Sainz for fifth place.

    Hamilton took the win four and a half seconds over Rosberg after fifty six laps. He closes the gap to twenty six points to his team mate. Red Bull have a fifty three point lead over Ferrari in the battle for second in the constructors championship.


RESULTS:

1. Lewis Hamilton / Mercedes-Mercedes / Great Britain / + 25 Points
2. Nico Rosberg / Mercedes-Mercedes / Germany / + 18 Points
3. Daniel Ricciardo / Red Bull-TAG-HEUER / Australia / + 15 Points
4. Sebastian Vettel / Ferrari-Ferrari / Germany / + 12 Points
5. Fernando Alonso / McLaren-Honda / Spain / + 10 Points
6. Carlos Sainz / Toro Rosso-Ferrari / Spain / + 8 Points
7. Felipe Massa / Williams-Mercedes / Brazil / + 6 Points
8. Sergio Perez / Force India-Mercedes / Mexico / + 4 Points
9. Jenson Button / McLaren-Honda / Great Britain / + 2 Points
10. Romain Grosjean / Haas-Ferrari / France / + 1 Point
11. Kevin Magnussen / Renault-Renault / Denmark
12. Daniil Kvyat / Toro Rosso-Ferrari / Russia
13. Jolyon Palmer / Renault-Renault / Great Britain
14. Marcus Ericsson / Sauber-Ferrari / Sweden
15. Felipe Nasr / Sauber-Ferrari / Brazil
16. Valtteri Bottas / Williams-Mercedes / Finland
17. Pascal Wehrlein / Manor-Mercedes / Germany
18. Esteban Ocon / Manor-Mercedes / France

RETIRED - Kimi Raikkonen / Ferrari-Ferrari / Finland / Attached Wheel Gun
RETIRED - Max Verstappen / Red Bull-TAG-HEUER / Netherlands / Gearbox Failure
RETIRED - Esteban Gutierrez / Haas-Ferrari / Mexico / Brake Problem
RETIRED - Nico Hulkenberg / Force India-Mercedes / Germany / Collision Damage

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Article Written By: Bethonie Waring
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