Belgian GP: Track Schedule

BELGIAN GRAND PRIX 2018 - TRACK SCHEDULE

August 23rd / Thursday

15:00 - 16:00 - Press Conference

16:00 - 18:00 - Public Pit-Lane Walk (3-Day-Ticket-Holders Only)

18:00 - 18:30 - Pit-Lane Walk (F1 Experience - F1 Experience Guests Only)

18:30 - 19:30 - Truck Tour (F1 Experience - F1 Experience Guests Only)

August 24th / Friday

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

11:00 - 12:30 - Free Practice #1 

13:00 - 14:00 - Press Conference

13:45 - 14:15 - Paddock Club Truck Tour

13:45 - 14:45 - Paddock Club Pit-Lane Walk

15:00 - 16:30 - Free Practice #2

August 25th / Saturday

08:00 - 08:30 - Paddock Club Truck Tour

08:00 - 08:30 - Paddock Club Pit-Lane Walk

12:00 - 13:00 - Free Practice #3

13:10 - 13:40 - Paddock Club Truck Tour

13:15 - 14:15 - Paddock Club Pit-Lane Walk

15:00 - 16:00 - Qualifying

15:10 - 15:30 - F1 2-Seater (x4)

18:00 - 19:00 - Fan Forum

18:30 - 19:00 - Paddock Club Truck Tour

August 26th / Sunday

13:00 - 13:10 - Jacky Ickx Laps

13:15 - 14:00 - Paddock Club Pit-Lane Walk

13:25 - 13:55 - Paddock Club Truck Tour

13:30 - 14:00 - Drivers Track Parade

14:00 - 14:15 - Starting Grid Presentation

14:54 - 14:56 - National Anthem

14:57 - 14:59 - Belgian Air Force Flyby (TBC)

15:10 - 17:10 - Race

* - Subject to change

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Force India Saved By Stroll

FORCE INDIA SAVED BY STROLL

    Force India has been saved after a consortium of investors, led by the father of Williams driver Lance Stroll, had its bid for the team accepted by administrators.

    Lawrence Stroll, along with a number of business men and financial experts, agreed a deal with Force India’s administrator, FRP Advisory, on Tuesday.

    All 405 jobs at the team have been saved and creditors – including Mercedes and driver Sergio Perez – have been paid.

    The team also now has access to funds and plans to bring upgrades to Spa, or Monza at the very latest.

    The consortium is made up of seven men. Alongside Stroll are Canadian businessman Andre Desmarais, head of Monaco Sports and Management Jonathan Dudman, Michael Kors CEO John Idol, American businessman John McCaw Jnr, financial expert Michael de Picciotto, and Silas Chou, Stroll’s business partner.

    They take over ownership of the team from Vijay Mallya and Orange India Holdings Sarl.

    “This outcome secures the future of the Force India team in Formula 1 and will allow our team of racers to compete to our full potential,” the team’s chief operating officer, Otmar Szafnauer, said in a statement.

    “I am delighted that we have the support of a consortium of investors who believe in us as a team and who see the considerable business potential that Force India has within F1 now and in the future.”

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Niki Lauda Receives Lung Transplant

NIKI LAUDA RECEIVES LUNG TRANSPLANT

    Three-time Formula 1 champion Niki Lauda has undergone a lung transplant in Austria.

    The Mercedes non-executive chairman had been taken to hospital with a “severe cough” he’d picked up in Ibiza.

    “Due to severe affection of the lungs, Niki Lauda had to undergo a lung transplantation at the AKH Vienna today,” said a statement from the Vienna General Hospital, where Lauda is being treated.

    “The transplantation was done successfully by Walter Kepetko, head of thoracic surgery, and Konrad Hotzenecker."

    “We kindly ask for your understanding that the family won’t give any official statements and we ask to protect the privacy of the Lauda family.”

    Kepetko told local media that Lauda was making good progress, but his recovery period would likely be longer than the usual two to three week period due to his age.

    He added that Lauda’s 1976 Nurburgring accident, in which he inhaled toxic gases and flames, was not the cause of the transplant.

    “One can absolutely assume that lung transplantation is not a late consequence of the fire accident,” he told broadcaster ORF.

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Force India Enters Administration

FORCE INDIA ENTERS ADMINISTRATION

    Force India Formula 1 team has entered administration after a court ruling ahead of the Hungarian Grand Prix.

    The team owes a number of creditors, including engine supplier Mercedes and driver Sergio Perez.

    The team will be able to continue operating under an administrator, FRP advisory, while a buyer is sought.

    FRP Advisory has hit frustrations trying to sell the team, with all other teams having to agree to allow Force India’s new owners to retain the commercial rights and to receive its F1 prize fund payment in advance.

    The teams met in Budapest to discuss the matter, but McLaren, Williams, and Renault all opted to not sign the agreement for the time being.

    Meanwhile, Force India won’t be able to bring updates to its cars until a new owner is found.

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Ricciardo Confirms Red Bull Exit, Joins Renault

DANIEL RICCIARDO CONFIRMS RED BULL EXIT, SIGNS WITH RENAULT FOR 2019

    29-year-old, Daniel Ricciardo, has announced his exit with Aston Martin Red Bull Racing, which takes effect at the end of the season.

    Ricciardo, who has been with Red Bull since 2014, has decided to switch things up and move on from the Austrian team by signing with Renault. Renault confirmed this, announcing he would race alongside German driver, Nico Hulkenberg.

    Hulkenberg currently partners Carlos Sainz, who formerly drove for Toro Rosso. There is no word yet on whether Sainz will be replacing Ricciardo at Red Bull or possibly even joining McLaren. It is possible that Sainz may even miss out on a seat completely with the sudden seat shuffle.

    Max Verstappen's spot at Red Bull is secure and there are many other names that could potentially partner the young Dutch driver. 

    Ricciardo has won twice for Red Bull this year, taking the 1st place trophy in both China and Monaco. However, he has also suffered four retirements. His latest finish was 4th at the Hungarian Grand Prix. In total, he has 7 wins for the team.

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In-Season Test #2 - Day #2 - RE-CAP & TIMES

IN-SEASON TEST #2 - DAY #2 - RE-CAP & TIMES

Testing Location: Hungaroring - Mogyorod, Hungary

    George Russell was the quickest of the testing-group on day 2 at the Hungaroring. Russell, who is leading the FIA Formula 2 championship, finished the day in 1st with a 1:15.575. The young British driver also collected 116 laps for the Mercedes AMG F1 team.

    Antonio Giovinazzi, who took the Ferrari to the top on day 1, switched over to Sauber for day 2. The Italian finished in 4th with a 1:17.558 and 120 laps. Giovinazzi has been linked to a full-time Sauber seat in 2019, but nothing has been made official just yet.

    Force India chose to run their other test driver after Latifi drove on the previous day. This time around it was Nikita Mazepin, who currently competes in GP3. Mazepin stopped on track twice during the session with mechanical issues, resulting in Red Flags both times. Despite this, Mazepin finished in 5th with a 1:17.748. He also completed 51 laps.

    Toro Rosso ran two cars again as they did on Tuesday. Sean Gelael was in the main car and finished in 9th with a 1:19.046, ahead of Pierre Gasly and Brendon Hartley who both drove the other car in order to complete testing for Pirelli. 

    British driver, Jake Dennis, who currently competes in the Blancpain GT Series Endurance Cup, was in the Red Bull for the day, taking over from Daniel Ricciardo who drove the previous day. Dennis, 23, finished up in 3rd for the Austrian team. His final time was a 1:17.012. He also racked up a whopping 131 laps, the same amount as Raikkonen, who was behind the wheel of the Ferrari.

    Lando Norris was once again in the McLaren, while Williams opted to run former F1 driver, Robert Kubica. Kubica was 6th at the end of the session, putting in a 1:18.451 and completed 103 laps.

    Formula 2 RUSSIAN TIME driver, Artem Markelov, ran for Renault. He finished in 8th with a 1:18.496 and racked up 108 laps.

TIMES:

1. George Russell - 1:15.575 / Mercedes-Mercedes / Great Britain / 116 Laps

2. Kimi Raikkonen - 1:15.649 / Ferrari-Ferrari / Finland / 131 Laps

3. Jake Dennis - 1:17.012 / Red Bull Racing-TAG-Heuer / Great Britain / 131 Laps

4. Antonio Giovinazzi - 1:17.558 / Sauber-Ferrari / Italy / 120 Laps

5. Nikita Mazepin - 1:17.748 / Force India-Mercedes / Russia / 51 Laps

6. Robert Kubica - 1:18.451 / Williams-Mercedes / Poland / 103 Laps

7. Lando Norris - 1:18.472 / McLaren-Renault / Great Britain / 73 Laps

8. Artem Markelov - 1:18.496 / Renault-Renault / Russia / 108 Laps

9. Sean Gelael - 1:19.046 / Scuderia Toro Rosso-Honda / Indonesia / 122 Laps

10. Pierre Gasly - 1:19.790 / Scuderia Toro Rosso-Honda / France / 75 Laps*

11. Brendon Hartley - 1:20.221 / Scuderia Toro Rosso-Honda / New Zealand / 67 Laps*

* - Notes Gasly and Hartley were testing for Pirelli's 2019 programme

NOTE: Haas has chosen not to participate in this test

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Article Written By: Amy Hawk

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In-Season Test #2 - Day #1 - RE-CAP & TIMES

IN-SEASON TEST #2 - DAY #1 - RE-CAP & TIMES

Test Location: Hungaroring - Mogyorod, Hungary

    Day 1 of testing at the Hungaroring proved to be tricky with rain coming and going. However, it didn't seem to phase Antonio Giovinazzi, who took the Ferrari to the top spot with a fastest time of 1:15.648.

    Giovinazzi wasn't the only one out on track who does not currently have a full-time seat in the sport. Rowland, Norris, Russell, Latifi and Gelael all took part in the first day of testing as well.

    Toro Rosso ran two cars, with Brendon Hartley running the main car. Sean Gelael ran the other car in order to gather information for Pirelli's tyre test. Gelael, however had a heavy crash near Turn 11, causing red flags. Gelael wasn't injured, but that ending his running for the day. He racked up a total of 109 laps.

    Hartley ended the session in third with a 1:19.251 and a total of 126 laps. In total, Toro Rosso had a combined 135 laps at the end of the day.

    Lando Norris, in the McLaren was 4th fastest, just behind Hartley and Ericsson, who finished second for Sauber. Norris, who is poised to join McLaren next year, either partnering Alonso or Vandoorne, set a fastest time of 1:19.294 and did a total of 107 laps.

    Oliver Rowland, who finished 3rd in the 2017 FIA Formula 2 championship, drove for Williams for the day, gathering 65 laps and setting the 9th quickest time on the board with a 1:20.970. He finished ahead of Sean Gelael.

    George Russell, who is currently competing in Formula 2 and leading the championship, ran for Mercedes and was 5th fastest, just behind Norris, who is second in the Formula 2 championship standings. Russell completed 49 laps and set a fastest time of 1:19.781.

    Despite entering administration, Force India was still able to participate in testing and chose to run Nicholas Latifi, a current Canadian Formula 2 driver for DAMS. Latifi is also one of Force India's test drivers, alongside Nikita Mazepin, who drives in GP3 for ART Grand Prix. Latifi placed the seventh quickest time, a 1:19.994. He also completed 103 laps.

TIMES: 

1. Antonio Giovinazzi - 1:15.648 / Ferrari-Ferrari / Italy / 96 Laps

2. Marcus Ericsson - 1:18.155 / Sauber-Ferrari / Sweden / 95 Laps

3. Brendon Hartley - 1:19.251 / Scuderia Toro Rosso-Honda / New Zealand / 126 Laps

4. Lando Norris - 1:19.294 / McLaren-Renault / Great Britain / 107 Laps

5. George Russell - 1:19.781 / Mercedes-Mercedes / Great Britain / 49 Laps

6. Daniel Ricciardo - 1:19.854 / Red Bull Racing-TAG-Heuer / Australia / 125 Laps

7. Nicholas Latifi - 1:19.994 / Force India-Mercedes / Canada / 103 Laps

8. Nico Hulkenberg - 1:20.826 / Renault-Renault / Germany / 63 Laps

9. Oliver Rowland - 1:20.970 / Williams-Mercedes / Great Britain / 65 Laps

10. Sean Gelael - 1:21.451 / Scuderia Toro Rosso-Honda / Indonesia / 109 Laps*

* - Notes Gelael was testing for Pirelli's 2019 programme

NOTE: Haas has chosen not to participate in this test

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Hungarian GP: Race - RE-CAP & RESULTS

HUNGARIAN GP - RACE - RE-CAP & RESULTS

    Lewis Hamilton extended his lead at the front of the championship standings with a dominant victory at the Hungarian Grand Prix.

    Title rival Sebastian Vettel survived contact with Valtteri Bottas to take second ahead of team-mate Kimi Raikkonen.

    Mercedes was in complete control in the early stages of the race, with Hamilton and Bottas holding a comfortable 1-2 before the pit stops.

    Raikkonen was the first of the front runners to come into the pits, with Bottas following him in on the following lap.

    At the front of the order, Hamilton continued to extend the advantage over Vettel in second, before eventually coming into the pits when backmarkers began to cost the Mercedes too much time.

    Vettel couldn’t do the same when handed the race lead, with Hamilton rapidly closing the gap to the Ferrari before Vettel came into the pits for a slow stop that dropped him back behind Bottas but ahead of team-mate Raikkonen, who had taken a second stop.

    After retaking the race lead, Hamilton was unchallenged to the chequered flag, finishing more than 17 seconds ahead of the rest of the field.

    Bottas, who hadn’t followed Raikkonen’s two-stop strategy, was struggling with his rear tyres in the closing stages of the race, allowing the Ferrari’s to close onto the back of him. With five laps to go, Vettel made a move on the Mercedes, going around the outside of turn one before cutting in front of Bottas to take turn two. Bottas locked up, running into the back of Vettel and damaging his front wing.

    Both Ferraris were able to pass and Bottas was left to battle with Daniel Ricciardo, who had driven a stunning race from 12th on the grid.

    With four laps to go, Ricciardo tried to mimic Vettel’s move, attempting to go around the outside of Bottas at turn one. Bottas locked up and collided with the Red Bull, damaging Ricciardo’s side pod.

    Both were able to continue and Bottas handed the position to Ricciardo on the instructions of his team. It wasn’t enough to avoid a penalty, with the stewards giving him a 10 second penalty and two penalty points.

    The results of the race were unaffected, with Bottas finishing fifth ahead of Pierre Gasly.

    Ricciardo’s team-mate Max Verstappen came to a stop with a power unit problem just five laps into the race.

    Gasly, who took the chequered flag more than a minute after Hamilton, was the last driver to finish on the lead lap.

    Kevin Magnussen took seventh, ahead of Fernando Alonso, Carlos Sainz, and Romain Grosjean.

    Brendon Hartley narrowly missed out on points in P11, finishing just ahead of Nico Hulkenberg.

    Esteban Ocon and Sergio Perez finished 13th and 14th after a slow start to the race. The pair squeezed Sauber’s Charles Leclerc off the line, causing damage to Leclerc’s car and ending the rookie’s race on the opening lap.

    Marcus Ericsson, who was also in trouble on the opening lap after contact with Ricciardo, took 15th, 
ahead of Sergey Sirotkin and Lance Stroll.

    Stoffel Vandoorne was the only other retirement, a gearbox problem bringing his McLaren to a stop after 49 laps.

RESULTS: 

1. Lewis Hamilton / Mercedes-Mercedes / Great Britain / + 25 Points
2.  Sebastian Vettel / Ferrari-Ferrari / Germany / + 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. Pierre Gasly / Scuderia Toro Rosso-Honda / France / + 8 Points
7. Kevin Magnussen / Haas-Ferrari / Denmark / + 6 Points
8. Fernando Alonso / McLaren-Renault / Spain / + 4 Points
9. Carlos Sainz / Renault-Renault / Spain / + 2 Points
10. Romain Grosjean / Haas-Ferrari / France / + 1 Point 
11.  Brendon Hartley / Scuderia Toro Rosso-Honda / New Zealand
12. Nico Hulkenberg / Renault-Renault / Germany
13. Esteban Ocon / Force India-Mercedes / France
14. Sergio Perez / Force India-Mercedes / Mexico
15.  Marcus Ericsson / Sauber-Ferrari / Sweden
16. Sergey Sirotkin / Williams-Mercedes / Russia
17. Lance Stroll / Williams-Mercedes / Canada

RETIRED - Stoffel Vandoorne / McLaren-Renault / Belgium / Gearbox
RETIRED - Max Verstappen / Red Bull Racing-TAG-Heuer / Netherlands / Power Unit
RETIRED - Charles Leclerc / Sauber-Ferrari / Monaco / Collison

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Formula 2 - Hungary - Sprint Race - RESULTS

FORMULA 2 - HUNGARY - SPRINT RACE -RESULTS

1. Alexander Albon / DAMS / Thailand / + 15 Points

2. Luca Ghiotto / Campos Vexatec Racing / Italy / + 12 Points + 2 Points (Fastest Lap)

3. Sergio Sette Camara / Carlin / Brazil / + 10 Points

4. Lando Norris / Carlin / Great Britain / + 8 Points

5. Roberto Merhi / MP Motorsport / Spain / + 6 Points 

6. Nirei Fukuzumi / BWT Arden / Japan / + 4 Points

7. Nyck de Vries / PERTAMINA PREMA Theodore Racing / Netherlands / + 2 Points

8. George Russell / ART Grand Prix / Great Britain / + 1 Point

9. Louis Deletraz / Charouz Racing System / Switzerland

10. Jack Aitken / ART Grand Prix / Great Britain

11. Sean Gelael / PERTAMINA PREMA Theodore Racing / Indonesia

12. Tadasuke Makino / RUSSIAN TIME / Japan

13. Artem Markelov / RUSSIAN TIME / Russia

14. Arjun Maini / Trident / India

15. Roy Nissany / Campos Vexatec Racing / Israel

16. Nicholas Latifi / DAMS / Canada

17. Antonio Fuoco / Charouz Racing System / Italy*

RETIRED - Maximilian Gunther / BWT Arden / Germany / Mechanical

RETIRED - Ralph Boschung / MP Motorsport / Switzerland / Collision

RETIRED - Alessio Lorandi / Trident / Italy / Collision**

* - Notes Fuoco was handed a 3-Place-Grid-Penalty for the Spa-Francorchamps Feature Race, for not serving a 5-Second-Time-Penalty during his pit-stop

** - Notes Lorandi has stepped up from GP3 to replace Ferrucci at Trident

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GP3 - Hungary - Sprint Race - RESULTS

GP3 - HUNGARY - SPRINT RACE - RESULTS

1. Dorian Boccolacci / MP Motorsport / France / + 15 Points + 2 Points (Fastest Lap)

2. Callum Ilott / ART Grand Prix / Great Britain / + 12 Points

3. Anthoine Hubert / ART Grand Prix / France / + 10 Points

4. Leonardo Pulcini / Campos Racing / Italy / + 8 Points

5. Juan Manuel Correa / Jenzer Motorsport / USA / + 6 Points

6. Ryan Tveter / Trident / USA / + 4 Points

7. David Beckmann / Trident / Germany / + 2 Points*

8. Tatiana Calderon / Jenzer Motorsport / Columbia / + 1 Point

9. Pedro Piquet / Trident / Brazil

10. Diego Menchaca / Campos Racing / Mexico

11. Simo Laaksonen / Campos Racing / Finland

12. Nikita Mazepin / ART Grand Prix / Russia

13. Gabriel Aubry / Arden International / France

14. Jake Hughes / ART Grand Prix / Great Britain

15. Julien Falchero / Arden International / France

16. Giuliano Alesi / Trident / France

17. Jannes Fittje / Jenzer Motorsport / Germany**

18. Joey Mawson / Arden International / Australia

RETIRED - Niko Kari / MP Motorsport / Finland / Accident

* - Notes Beckmann has moved to Trident in place of Lorandi, who stepped up to Formula 2

** - Notes Fittje is replacing Beckmann at Jenzer Motorsport

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Article Written By: Amy Hawk

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