Latest F1 news in brief – Friday

• F1 put a royal screw to woman models who loved being hired as Grid Girls. And to say the fans did not want them – did they do a vote, or did the mental midgets give in to some Libtard special interest group?

  F1 will still feature 'pretty girls' – Carey

• Carey hits back after Formula E comments
• Grid girl ban 'step backwards' – Hulkenberg
• McLaren would welcome Hamilton back
• Alonso could do Indy 500 again in 2019
• Piquet tips Alonso to be Le Mans champion
• McLaren hopes to 'influence' Renault engine
• Verstappen not ruling out title bid
• Jamiroquai Announced as Opening Night Headliner at Baku
• We Can Only Hope F1 Cars Will Look This Good In 2025

F1 will still feature 'pretty girls' – Carey
(GMM) Chase Carey has revealed he was not opposed to the concept of F1 'grid girls'.

The sport's new owner Liberty Media has been widely criticized for ending the decades-long tradition.

"I think the reaction was what we expected," F1 chief executive Carey told multiple media outlets.

"Actually if you just left it up to me personally, I like the grid girls," he said. "But it's not a decision for me, it's a decision for fans."

And he said too many of those fans thought the grid girls concept was "exploitative".

Some, however, think the move has taken a big bite out of F1's glamorous side.

Carey insisted: "We're going to maintain glamor. We're going to continue to have pretty girls at races. But I think you have to continue to evolve."

Carey hits back after Formula E comments

Chase Carey – smart enough to know Formula E will only be an EV R&D series

(GMM) Chase Carey has hit back at his Formula E counterpart, insisting that F1 will remain the pinnacle of motor sport.

Formula E chief Alejandro Agag said recently he thinks the all-electric series will take over from formula one within a decade or two.

"I'm glad he has a crystal ball," F1 chief executive Chase Carey laughed to media outlets including Germany's Sport Bild.

"Formula E is not our competitor. It represents something that matters to all of us – the environment – but I see it as more of a street party than a sports event," he added.

"People who've been there say they had fun because there was music and good food, but formula one is watched worldwide and we now have the opportunity to take it to a new level.

"And I believe other series can help us, because they create interest. But the top series is and remains formula one," Carey said.

Grid girl ban 'step backwards' – Hulkenberg

F1 decision makers daily stretching routine

(GMM) Nico Hulkenberg has joined the chorus of those who do not agree that banning grid girls is a step forwards for F1.

In fact, the works Renault driver said it is a "further step backwards for the show".

"Some hot girls in front of the cars is only good for that whole side of it," Hulkenberg told No Sports magazine.

And he said the introduction of Halo is another example of a bad move by F1.

"It's a big hit," Hulkenberg said. "Not only because it looks stupid, but the likelihood is minimal that an accident will happen in which Halo is actually helpful.

"Motor sport thrives on speed, and all the drivers are aware of that."

Hulkenberg also defended his place in the record books as the longest-serving driver never to stand on a podium.

"It's an achievement," he joked. "135 races without performing and still in formula one!

"I've always been a believer that when you work hard and stick at it, good things will happen. So I'm not under pressure and sure that my best years are still ahead of me."

McLaren would welcome Hamilton back

Now why would Hamilton leave the unbeatable Aldo Costa designed Mercedes car to drive a McLaren?

(GMM) Zak Brown says McLaren would welcome Lewis Hamilton back to the British team.

Hamilton, yet to agree a new deal with Mercedes beyond this year, started his career at McLaren and won the title in 2008.

"There isn't a team in the pitlane that wouldn't be interested in having Lewis drive for them, us included," team executive Brown told British newspapers.

He said it wouldn't even be a problem to revive the Hamilton-Fernando Alonso pairing that was so fiery in 2007.

"Fernando would have anyone as his teammate," Brown insisted.

Hamilton, however, would baulk at re-joining McLaren if the team's performance is not significantly better than it has been since 2015.

Brown, admitting that the similarly Renault-powered Red Bull's budget is bigger, said: "We should be the team that has the biggest improvement from last year to this year.

"If we are a second behind Red Bull, that will not look good, I agree.

"Perhaps we don't have the advantage of looking at as many car concepts as they can, but we do not believe we have any excuses or disadvantages."

And he said Renault is similarly confident heading into 2018.

"There are no alarm bells," said Brown. "They seem to be very confident and happy about where they are in terms of power and reliability."

Alonso could do Indy 500 again in 2019

Alonso will probably like IndyCar more now that they look great again. It's too bad really that he had to drive this hideous car. F1 fans mocked it the entire month of May on forums

(GMM) Fernando Alonso could return to the Indy 500 in 2019.

But Zak Brown, his boss at McLaren, played down the chances the British team might follow Alonso to America with a fully-fledged Indycar effort.

"He wants to return and maybe he will do it in 2019," Brown is quoted by Spain's AS newspaper.

"It depends on him, it depends on how the calendar looks, but he wants to go back and win it."

But Brown said McLaren itself needs to be fully focused on F1.

"With everything that is happening in F1 we have to make sure that we are in a good position in 2021," he said.

"I need to be finding more partners for our F1 team, so any time I am trying to do something related to Indy is time not spent prioritizing McLaren in F1."

Piquet tips Alonso to be Le Mans champion

Of course Alonso will win LeMans – Porsche is gone so Toyota is guaranteed victory

(GMM) Fernando Alonso's former teammate thinks the Spaniard will win Le Mans this year.

Last year Alonso came close to winning the Indy 500, and this year he will try his hand at another leg of the elusive 'triple crown' – the Le Mans 24 hours.

Ten years ago, the Spaniard was paired at Renault with Nelson Piquet Jr.

"Alonso has a strong character and he wants everything, he does not know how to share," the Brazilian is quoted by Marca sports newspaper.

"But sometimes a great driver has to be like that and he is a great driver.

"Over ten years ago he was champion but he is still one of the biggest stars of F1," Piquet added. "He will be Le Mans champion.

"They are changing the date so that he can race in Fuji and taking advantage of the moment and I would do the same with my eyes closed," he said.

"I respect his willingness to race at Indianapolis, Daytona and Le Mans, which he does not for fame but because he likes to compete.

"But he is also very intelligent, which you can see with how he changes the helmet with every race — it's commercial, to sell more replicas," added Piquet.

McLaren hopes to 'influence' Renault engine

McLaren tried to influence Honda too

(GMM) McLaren's aerodynamics boss has tipped the British team to have a successful relationship with Renault.

This week, Renault boss Cyril Abiteboul warned that, as a customer, McLaren will not be able to influence the development direction of the engine for now.

But Peter Prodromou knows what life as a Renault customer is like, having been a leading player at Red Bull in the Sebastian Vettel era.

"The relationship was very positive and extremely fruitful," he is quoted by Spain's AS newspaper.

"And part of the success was not only attributed to Milton Keynes but also Viry," he explained.

"For instance, the diffuser is something we worked on very closely together. I hope we can replicate that relationship at McLaren now," said Prodromou.

"It's different of course and we are customers.

"But over time I think we can work closely and forge strong relationships in which we can influence some of the work they do, and we'll get the additional benefits that come from a relationship with a manufacturer," he added.

Verstappen not ruling out title bid

Verstappen serious about winning title soon

(GMM) Max Verstappen is not ruling out taking a shot at the world championship in 2018.

Many are predicting a revival of the Mercedes-Ferrari duel this year, but Red Bull is notably bullish.

"We are ready for 2018," Dr Helmut Marko told Sport Bild.

"In past years we had technical problems at the beginning of the season, but now everything is going according to plan.

"I am sure that we will be competitive from the first test and will continue the good series that we had in the last third of 2017," he added.

Dutch driver Verstappen agrees: "I want the title as fast as possible."

One potential problem, however, could be the Renault engine, which ended 2018 as the third best in F1 and one of the least reliable.

But Verstappen said: "Red Bull can be champion with a slightly weaker engine, which they have already shown four times."

Jamiroquai Announced as Opening Night Headliner at Baku

Jamiroquai

Baku City Circuit (BCC) today announced that the pioneers of future funk, Jamiroquai, will headline the opening night of the 2018 Formula 1 Azerbaijan Grand Prix, setting the scene for a weekend of unrivalled action and entertainment. In a change from previous race weekends, this year’s concerts will be staged at Baku’s famous Crystal Hall.

Formed in 1992 and led by jazz-infused soulman, Jay Kay, Jamiroquai have grown from humble beginnings out of the London-based funk/acid jazz movement in the 1990’s to become one of the world’s most successful groups with over 27 million album sales, Grammy Awards, Ivor Novello gongs, MTV Moonmen, thirteen Brit nominations, five sold-out world tours and more than 25 years of existence.

Since the release of their first album – Emergency on Planet Earth – the band has been on a path of continued growth and success, releasing subsequent million-selling albums that have explored other musical directions such as pop, rock, disco and electronica, spawning iconic tracks such as "Virtual Insanity" – which won four MTV Video Music Awards and a Grammy – as well as classic tracks Space Cowboy, Deeper Underground and Feels Just Like It Should amongst many, many others. Furthermore, their 1996 album Travelling Without Moving entered the Guinness World Records as the best-selling funk album in history.

With famous fans including the likes of Chance the Rapper, Pharrell, Tyler the Creator, Jungle, Redman & The Internet as well as historic performances alongside Stevie Wonder & Diana Ross, Jamiroquai have consistently proved themselves as one of the globe’s most revered and unifying musical innovators of our time.

In 2017, Jamiroquai released their brand-new album, Automaton, their eighth studio album challenging man vs machine vs planet earth set against smooth sci-fi grooves, soulful electro-funk and a throwback techno vibe, showcasing a band operating at the peak of its powers and still selling out arenas across the globe.

All Formula 1 fans in the region are in line for a special night of high energy and funky sounds to kick off their Grand Prix weekend as Jamiroquai get set to deliver an unforgettable show at the fastest street race in the world.

Jay Kay

Speaking right after Jamiroquai were confirmed as the opening musical act, BCC’s Executive Director, Arif Rahimov, commented: “We are delighted to welcome Jamiroquai to Baku to open our live music entertainment program on the Friday night of the 2018 Formula 1 Azerbaijan Grand Prix. There are few bands in world music who are as renowned for their distinctive sound and high-energy live performances. In Jay Kay they possess one of the most unique and talented frontmen in music history and someone who incidentally is a massive car enthusiast! This really is the perfect fit for all parties and we couldn’t have asked for a better act to be the opening night headliner for our third successive F1 race weekend. Make sure you join us in Baku and get your tickets while you still can. It is going to be a special weekend!"

All ticket holders will have free access to the concerts. Transport will be provided to all fans for the short journey from Baku City Circuit to the Crystal Hall.

Fans with four-day tickets will additionally be able to enjoy an exclusive Pit Lane Walk on Thursday April 26th, while all ticket holders will get access to the drivers via daily Autograph Sessions and will also be entertained throughout the weekend via a series of entertainment activities located along the circuit’s vending zones situated along Baku’s stunning seaside boulevard.

For more information on how to purchase tickets and plan your stay in Baku for the 2018 Formula 1 Azerbaijan Grand Prix please visit: www.bakucitycircuit.com

We Can Only Hope F1 Cars Will Look This Good In 2025

Imagine if…..

Imagining the Formula 1 car of the future by taking inspiration from its illustrious past.

Antonio Paglia is the talented artist behind these exceptional renderings attempting to see into the future of the Formula 1 car. He has decided to go with a jet fighter-style cockpit in the aftermath of FIA’s announcement about the mandatory Halo introduction for the 2018 season. Speaking purely from a visual point of view, the canopy looks way better as it’s neatly integrated into the more curvaceous body proposed here.

While the cars have been designed for the 2025 season, F1 fans will notice these have liveries paying tribute to important models of the past. Take for example the McLaren MP4/4 number #12 driven by none other than legendary Ayrton Senna. The Ferrari #18 is a futuristic interpretation of Lorenzo Bandini’s race car he used in 1967 when he tragically passed away following a crash during the Monaco Grand Prix. As far as the Williams #5 is concerned, it evokes the title-winning FW18 car driven by Damon Hill in the 1996 season.

It will be interesting to see how cars will evolve between now and the middle of the next decade, especially once we take into consideration the most important motorsport competition in the world is now in the hands of Liberty Media. Let’s just hope there will still be room for a combustion engine, ideally bigger than the turbocharged 1.6-liter V6 used nowadays. We’re sure many fans are longing for the glory days when F1 cars were rocking V12 engines in the late 1980s and the first half of the 1990s or the V10 units introduced for the 1996 season. In 2006, Formula 1 switched to V8 and ultimately to a V6 from 2014.

Engines aside, the design proposed by Antonio Paglia is nothing short of impressive and we would certainly want this styling for the 2025 F1 car. That being said, it's difficult to imagine the design will go through these drastic modifications within the next eight years.

Renders: Antonio Paglia / Behance