Latest F1 news in brief – Monday
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Wolff celebrates 5th straight F1 constructors title with his two drivers. When Aldo Costa designs your car, you do not lose. Next year Costa steps back toward partial retirement and will only work on special projects. Wolff denies Mercedes struggling amid wheel controversy
- Red Bull says Ocon 'lucky to escape with a shove'
- Wolff vows to support Vandoorne's career
- Lauda to bring doctor to Abu Dhabi comeback – Marko
- Vettel not worried about incoming Leclerc
- 'Only goal' is sports car title – Alonso
- Miami GP plans still not dead – Carey
- Verstappen ordered to undertake 'public service' by FIA
Wolff denies Mercedes struggling amid wheel controversy
(GMM) Toto Wolff has denied that Mercedes is struggling amid the controversy about its wheel rim design.
The F1 world was preoccupied late on Sunday with the Max Verstappen vs Esteban Ocon altercation, and Mercedes' constructors' championship win.
But also true is that, for the third race in a row, Mercedes was struggling with its tires in Brazil.
Team boss Wolff, however, denied that it is because Ferrari is constantly threatening to protest the legality of its wheel rims.
"This was a third scenario," Wolff said in Brazil, referring also to Austin and Mexico.
"I can assure you that the rims played no role. The reasons (for the tire issues) were too different for that.
"We just wanted to avoid a week-long legal battle in the event that someone protests," he is quoted by Auto Motor und Sport.
Wolff was visibly happy on Sunday at Interlagos, as he raced into the record books alongside the ultra-successful Ferrari of the Michael Schumacher era.
"I would not have imagined this in my wildest dreams," he is quoted by Kronen Zeitung.
"If I had said something like we are going to win ten world championship titles, I would certainly have been diagnosed with some sort of mental illness," Wolff laughed.
Red Bull says Ocon 'lucky to escape with a shove'
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| Marko calls Ocon and idiot |
(GMM) Max Verstappen has found support from within his team for his behavior after the Brazilian grand prix.
The Dutchman was sentenced to two days of FIA community service after physically shoving Esteban Ocon in the post-race driver weighing area.
The pair clashed while Verstappen was leading the race and Force India's Ocon was unlapping himself.
"It's outrageous that an inferior driver with a Mercedes contract knocks the race leader off the track and receives only a ten second penalty," said Red Bull official Dr Helmut Marko.
"The desperate Mercedes driver who has been promised a seat for 2020 cost us a win," he charged.
"Do I personally want to talk to him? I do not talk to idiots. I just say that Ocon was lucky that Jos (Verstappen) was not there too," he is quoted by the Austrian broadcaster ORF.
Marko says Frenchman Ocon is clearly campaigning hard for a 2020 Mercedes cockpit, but has "been an idiot since Formula 3".
Force India boss Otmar Szafnauer defended Ocon, saying Verstappen should have been more circumspect.
"Why is Hamilton a five-time champion? Because he is not only fast, but smart," he said.
Hamilton himself called it a "racing incident" but said it is natural that "go-getter guy" Verstappen's aggressive on-track style will "bite you every now and then".
As for Marko's accusations that the Ocon incident is related to his whereabouts for 2020, Toto Wolff said he will "not go down to Helmut's level".
Szafnauer called it a "conspiracy theory".
Red Bull team boss Christian Horner, however, thinks Ocon was lucky to escape without a black eye.
"I think Max was very restrained," he is quoted by Brazil's Globo. "It cost him a victory.
"This goes back to their karting days, but to be very honest with you, without justifying violence of course, Esteban was lucky to escape with a shove."
Wolff vows to support Vandoorne's career
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| A backmarker in F1, can Vandoorne have a good career in Formula E, where stroking it to save your battery is paramount? |
(GMM) Toto Wolff thinks dumped McLaren driver Stoffel Vandoorne can still have a bright future.
The Mercedes boss says he is baffled as to why the once highly rated Belgian never impressed in his two years in formula one.
"I don't know when it started to go in the wrong direction for him," Wolff told the Belgian broadcaster RTBF.
Mercedes has rescued Vandoorne's dying motor racing career by snapping up the 26-year-old for the new works Formula E project.
"He is the driver with the most spectacular track record in the junior categories," Wolff said.
"He has won practically every championship he has competed in. He arrived in F1 with this record and I cannot understand why things did not work out," he added.
It is believed Vandoorne will keep in touch with F1 through a program to work in Mercedes' driver simulator next year.
Wolff said: "My ambition is to show that Stoffel has everything it takes to be a successful driver.
"He will do Formula E with us, which is a very important platform for Mercedes. Then we will see how it's going to go."
Lauda to bring doctor to Abu Dhabi comeback – Marko
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| Lauda still trying to be at final race of year |
(GMM) Niki Lauda really is determined to return to the F1 paddock next weekend, according to his friend Dr Helmut Marko.
Lauda, the F1 legend and Mercedes team chairman, recently left hospital after a lung transplant and entered a period of rehabilitation.
He told his friend Bernie Ecclestone that he wants to return to his F1 duties at the season finale in Abu Dhabi, but some believe that is premature.
"At the moment, Niki cannot even manage a step without help," Red Bull official and former driver Marko told Sonntagsblick newspaper in Brazil.
"But we know him. When he sets a goal, he chases it mercilessly. Just like in 1976 after his accident, his body cried out for rest and patience. But we know what happened," Marko added.
Indeed, just 40 days after that famous fiery crash, Lauda returned to his F1 cockpit.
"It was one of the biggest comebacks in sports history. And that's why I trust Niki now," Marko smiled.
"I have talked to him and he is determined to make his comeback in Abu Dhabi. He has already organized for a doctor to accompany him."
Vettel not worried about incoming Leclerc
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| Will Leclerc bury Vettel, or will Vettel bury Leclerc? |
(GMM) Sebastian Vettel says he is not worried about the ambitions of his new Ferrari teammate for 2019.
German Vettel has had a tough few months, having gone from being world championship favorite to heftily criticized in the Italian press and beyond for throwing it away with mistakes.
Now, he has lost his preferred teammate in the form of Kimi Raikkonen for 2019, while the highly-rated incoming 21-year-old Leclerc is tipped by many to charge immediately for the title.
"Of course it will be different," Vettel is quoted by Kolner Express newspaper.
"Charles is not Kimi and Kimi is not Charles. I'm sure he wants to beat me and I want to beat him too.
"The rules of the game are clear to everyone. That was no different with Kimi. The key is that we work together on the track," the 31-year-old added.
According to some in the Italian media, the momentum at Ferrari is starting to shift away from Vettel in the wake of the 2018 failure.
La Gazzetta dello Sport correspondent Luigi Perna reports: "Confidential sources have told me that Leclerc was faster in some cases than Vettel in the same conditions in testing."
'Only goal' is sports car title – Alonso
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| Alonso and Toyota cannot lose the WEC. God (FIA) has given them a huge performance advantage |
(GMM) Fernando Alonso says his "only goal" for now is winning the world endurance championship.
The Spaniard is retiring from F1 but already signed up to do the Indy 500 and Le Mans next year.
His last grand prix will be in Abu Dhabi next weekend, but he says he is not targeting a specific result there.
"My only goal this year is to be world endurance champion," Alonso, who drives for McLaren in F1 but also the top team Toyota in sports cars, told Movistar.
"In F1 we more or less know the results we get every 15 days. In Abu Dhabi it will be Mercedes, Red Bull and Ferrari in control. Then it will be Haas, Force India, Renault, Sauber, McLaren, Toro Rosso and Williams. We will see how everyone goes," he added.
Clearly, the double world champion is more interested in maintaining his current lead in the world endurance championship standings.
It means he has something to do prior to travelling to Abu Dhabi for his F1 finale.
"In Shanghai we will try to do a good race, get good points and, hopefully, another podium," said Alonso.
Miami GP plans still not dead – Carey
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| Carey insists Miami still has a chance |
(GMM) Chase Carey insists that plans for a grand prix in Miami have not been scrapped.
In late September, the Miami city commission voted to indefinitely defer the plans.
Instead, F1 owner Liberty Media has announced a new grand prix in Vietnam for 2020.
That is despite Bernie Ecclestone telling Germany's RTL that, prior to him being ousted as F1 chief executive, he chose against the Vietnam plans.
"I did not want to have a grand prix in an area where we already have very good promoters," Ecclestone said.
Carey says he has not given up on Miami.
"The plan is to have a second race in the US," he is quoted by Speed Week. "But we are not just dealing with Miami, even if we are convinced that it would be a great project.
"The negotiations are going on. When it comes to street circuits there are many interests that need to come together and it takes time.
"But the (Miami) fan festival helped. Everyone thought the event was great. It was a positive step towards the race," Carey added.
At the same time, some more traditional races on the calendar – including Silverstone, Monza and Hockenheim – remain in doubt for the future.
"We want to keep the races with a long history," F1 commercial boss Sean Bratches is quoted by RTL. "They are important for the sport and for the fans.
"But in terms of race locations, nothing in this sport is unchanging. We are a business after all."
However, to get the preferred Miami project off the ground, Carey admitted that the way the promoter pays the annual fee could be tweaked.
"We will not turn the model upside down," he vowed. "But if the return justifies the risk, let's look at it."
Verstappen ordered to undertake 'public service' by FIA
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| Ocon takes out race leader Verstappen. He's lucky Verstappen did not break his jaw |
Max Verstappen must carry out two days of "public service at the direction of the FIA" in the wake of his post-race contretemps with Esteban Ocon in Brazil.
Verstappen held the lead of the race at Interlagos but was spun by Force India’s Ocon, who attempted to unlap himself through the Senna S.
Stewards placed the blame on Ocon and he was handed a 10-second stop-and-go penalty and his license was issued with three penalty points.
Verstappen went on to finish second and confronted Ocon in the post-race FIA weighing area, and shoved his rival on several occasions.
Verstappen was asked about the contretemps and said “I don’t really have a lot to comment on that, except that he was being a pussy," and both were summoned to the stewards.
The pair shook hands upon leaving the stewards’ room but Verstappen was found to have breached the FIA’s International Sporting Code over deliberate physical contact between drivers.
The stewards reviewed video evidence and heard from both drivers.
“Max Verstappen entered the FIA Weigh Bridge Garage, proceeded directly to Esteban Ocon, and following a few words, started an altercation, pushing or hitting Ocon forcefully several times in the chest," read a report.
“The stewards held a hearing, in which both drivers acted appropriately and cooperated with the stewards.
“The stewards understood from Max Verstappen that he was extremely upset by the incident on track during the race and accepted his explanation that it was not his original intent to strike Ocon, but that he was “triggered" and caused him to lose his temper.
“While sympathetic to Verstappen’s passion, the stewards determined that it is the obligation of sportsmen at this level to act appropriately and as role models to other drivers at all levels and found that Verstappen failed in this respect.
“The stewards therefore ordered that Max Verstappen is required to perform two (2) days of public service at the direction of the FIA within six months of the incident."