Latest F1 news in brief – Friday
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Ferrari will launch their 2019 F1 car on Feb. 15th Ferrari to reveal 2019 car on February 15
- Raikkonen 'motivated' for Sauber – Giovinazzi
- Szafnauer: Stroll very quick in testing and in the simulator
- Ecclestone wants to buy Silverstone, but they won't sell
- Sainz Jr: Looking forward to be McLaren team leader
- USGP voted best race of 2018 by F1 fans
Ferrari to reveal 2019 car on February 15
(GMM) Ferrari will reveal its 2019 challenger on February 15, team boss Maurizio Arrivabene said on Thursday.
The Italian attended an awards night presented by the Italian magazine Autosprint amid rumors of a rift between Arrivabene and his technical deputy Mattia Binotto.
The late "Sergio Marchionne was planning a more important role for Binotto," a Ferrari source told Sky Italia.
"We do not know exactly what it would have been, but there is not much harmony now between him and Arrivabene."
Arrivabene, though, is looking ahead, pinning Ferrari's hopes for 2019 on number 1 driver Sebastian Vettel.
"He is a guy who has yet to express the best of himself in Ferrari, but I am sure he will be able to do it next year," he said.
"This year we lost in the semi-finals, but we never gave up. Obviously, we need to take one more step. We must understand all the mistakes we made together."
Arrivabene announced that the 2019 Ferrari will be seen publicly for the first time on February 15, shortly before the winter test season.
"We are in an advanced stage of production but the real results we will only have in Barcelona when we compare ourselves with the others on the track," he said.
"I saw the new car just two weeks ago. I have been more committed to the budget and the Concorde Agreement but the boys are doing their jobs well.
"As for Seb, he can teach (Charles) Leclerc so much. We have great confidence in him, he is a talent but we have to protect him and make sure that his arrival does not burn his talent," said Arrivabene.
Raikkonen 'motivated' for Sauber – Giovinazzi
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| Kimi Raikkonen in the Sauber |
(GMM) Antonio Giovinazzi thinks his 2019 teammate Kimi Raikkonen will help him at Sauber next year.
2019 will be the Ferrari-backed Italian's first full season in F1, following two one-off starts for the Swiss team last year.
Giovinazzi, 24, will be paired with Ferrari refugee and 2007 world champion Raikkonen.
"Charles (Leclerc) said he talked to Vettel from time to time and Kimi a little," Giovinazzi said at an awards night hosted by Italian magazine Autosprint.
"But on the day of testing I talked with him (Raikkonen) a lot, like never before," he revealed.
"He is very motivated by this new experience, so as a world champion who is winning again he will help me to develop and will not deny me any help," Giovinazzi told Sky Italia.
Raikkonen, now 39, started his career at Sauber as a 21-year-old, and said the Swiss outfit has "changed a lot".
"Many people are different but they have what they need," he said.
"They have all the tools, there is a good wind tunnel and all that is needed to build a good car," Raikkonen told La Gazzetta dello Sport.
"We also have the Ferrari engine, so we know what we can do. It was important that I got to drive the car immediately and see if there were things to fix, but I must say that everything went well," he revealed.
Szafnauer: Stroll very quick in testing and in the simulator
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| Stroll and Sirotkin. Daddy may have bought him an F1 team, but the kid is pretty quick |
Lance Stroll will be on holiday smiling after sampling his Formula 1 ride for next year, as it appears his father got himself a good deal when he rescued Force India in the summer and the bonus is that the youngster’s new team chief Otmar Szafnauer believes the young Canadian is as good as Esteban Ocon who he replaces in the team.
Young Stroll’s tale of woe last year with Williams is well told, as is how his billionaire father Lawrence Stroll saved the sinking ship that was Force India to turn it into Racing Point, a platform for his son to shine in Formula 1.
A horrid season with Williams was not on the script for the Strolls, hence the script needed to be changed and it finally was when young Lance lowered himself into a pink car for the first time on the first day of the test at Yas Marina, taking over the VJM11 from teammate Sergio Perez who did the morning session.
During his first afternoon in the cockpit, Stroll was soon comfortable and managed 56 laps in an unfamiliar car. By the end of the day he was third fastest, quicker than Perez and a whopping 1.8 seconds faster than the best effort by either Williams drivers on the day.
On the final day of the two-day test, Stroll racked up 122 laps and again ended the day third quickest, this time eight tenths up on George Russell, fastest of the Williams duo in action on the day. The 20-year-old was excused a spring in his step when he departed Yas island that evening.
Speaking on Beyond the Grid F1 podcast, Szafnauer – retained by Stroll senior as team principal – revealed, “Lance absolutely loved his time in the car, he said the car can do the things he wants a car to do which is good, we were duly impressed with Lance."
“We were already impressed with him when he ran in the simulator. He was on the pace very quickly, up to Esteban’s [Ocon] level in the simulator."
“We were just hoping the pace that he showed in the simulator would translate onto the race track and it did. He was very quick on track too."
“So we’ve got some good potential there in Lance, we’ll work with him to hopefully teach him some things we know about how to drive the tire, how to preserve it and how to make it go quick and last over the stints and we’ll do that with him, help him qualify better too."
“But he brings some great skills, he’s quick, he usually does a great job at the start and over the first lap, he usually makes up places, so we look forward to working with him," added Szafnauer.
Perez also rates his new teammate, “The kid definitely has talent. He’s been on the podium, when it’s wet, he’s always up there, and I think he’s coming to a great team with one of the best engineers in the world. I think he will be in great hands to deliver his full potential." grandprix 247
Ecclestone wants to buy Silverstone, but they won't sell
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| Ecclestone wants to buy Silverstone but the BRDC won't sell it to him |
Despite an uncertain Formula 1 future, Silverstone will not be sold to former F1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone who reportedly put in an offer for the home of the British Grand Prix in a bid to keep the iconic venue on the calendar beyond 2019.
When Ecclestone was asked by Eurosport to comment about the future of the grand prix at Silverstone, he replied, “It would be nice to have one. They could do a deal there, but I think they’ll have to come up with some sort of an idea of sharing the losses. Or profits, or whatever."
“They must be comfortable, Silverstone. I asked them if they wanted to sell, because I would have bought it, and they didn’t want to sell. They were not interested."
“We could have had the race, obviously. Anyway, they don’t want to sell, so they’re comfortable. They’re not desperate, but they’ve got to have an F1 race."
The British Racing Drivers’ Club (BRDC) who own the venue are lobbying for a reduced fee to host the grand prix, while F1 chief Chase Carey has suggested London as a possible alternative venue.
But Ecclestone scoffed at the London street race idea, “We looked at it. We looked at the whole thing, about eight or 10 years ago. It’s too complicated, with too many restrictions. I had the whole thing laid out for the center of London, past Buckingham Palace, everything was done."
“During the meetings, I tried to explain to the City of Westminster and the mayor at the time that we’ve got to find the money to do this. And in the end, let’s see how much money you’re prepared to put in.
“Between the two people that made a difference, it was £3-million ($3.7-million) I said: That will probably cover the cost of the mineral water for the hundreds of meetings we’ll have to have. So I think we’ll forget that," added Ecclestone.
Sainz Jr: Looking forward to be McLaren team leader
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| Carlos Sainz Jr. |
Carlos Sainz Jr. will be the team leader when McLaren roll out their cars onto the Barcelona pitlane for the start of Formula 1 preseason testing in February.
On the occasion of McLaren’s partnership announcement with One Plus in London, Sainz told Spanish reporters, “It is strange to call myself a veteran when I am 24 years old."
“It is good for my career that I am considered an experienced and solid driver, which McLaren considers me to be. I feel ready to lead the team during these two years of my contract."
“I want to keep moving forward, so I go to the factory a couple of days a week. I like to know what is happening and to be in contact with the people here."
“I see everyone there very motivated and eager for next year. After a difficult year, they have learned from the mistakes. I see everyone impatient for next season to start, this positive spirit is spreading in the factory and also infecting me."
“If we call competitive to fight for the World Championship or podiums, then next year is too early because this is Formula 1."
“The goal McLaren have is to be in the midfield. It does not mean that it will happen next year, but it is a realistic target."
“I spoke to Fernando after the Abu Dhabi test to exchange opinions."
“I think I’ll see him one more time before the end of the year and we’ll have more time to talk about details, rather than the few voice notes we exchange."
Alonso’s departure makes Sainz the only Spaniard on the grid next year, “It’s a privilege for me to be the only Spanish F1 driver who flies the flag all over the world. I put the pressure on myself knowing that I want to do as well as possible to show how I appreciate the support of my fans."
USGP voted best race of 2018 by F1 fans
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| Circuit of the Americas |
The United States Grand Prix has emerged as the favorite race of 2018 in a vote by Formula1.com.
The Circuit of The Americas race this year witnessed some fantastic action, from Kimi Raikkonen breaking a five-year winning drought, to Max Verstappen’s rebuffing of Lewis Hamilton in the closing stages, to Sebastian Vettel and Daniel Ricciardo coming together on lap one.
And that’s to say nothing of Lance Stroll and Fernando Alonso’s dramatic first-lap crash, Ricciardo flipping the bird at his broken down Red Bull RB14, or Pierre Gasly getting a lesson in how to trash talk from WWE wrestler The Miz.
In the end, it was enough to give the United States Grand Prix a comfortable win in the vote. Here were your top five races of 2018:
United States Grand Prix – 30%
Azerbaijan Grand Prix – 13%
British Grand Prix – 9%
German Grand Prix – 8%
Austrian Grand Prix – 6%