Latest F1 news in brief – Tuesday
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Chase Carey proud to bring back France and Germany Carey 'proud' to revive European F1 races
- Tire management not among McLaren's problems
- Vettel defends social media absence
- Bottas wants 'long term' Mercedes deal
- Wolff: Mercedes has fastest car on grid
- Alonso: Baku power unit penalties 'likely'
- Pirelli expects one-stop trend to continue
Carey 'proud' to revive European F1 races
(GMM) F1 chiefs say they are proud to be bringing two traditional European races back to the sport's calendar.
After a meeting of the World Motor Sport Council in Geneva, the FIA announced that despite their current absence, France and Germany are back for an unprecedented 21-race schedule for 2018.
"We are proud to be able to confirm that the German and French grands prix will be held in 2018," confirmed F1 CEO Chase Carey, according to Bild newspaper.
FIA president Jean Todt added: "It's nice to have France and Germany back on the calendar, as both have a long and rich tradition in racing."
It is a particularly early release for the provisional 2018 calendar, and the first under the watch of ousted F1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone's successor, American Chase Carey.
He told Auto Motor und Sport: "We wanted to finish next year's calendar early so that everyone involved has more time to prepare.
"Thanks to our close cooperation with the FIA, we have succeeded," Carey added.
However, there are fears pushing beyond this year's 20 races actually puts too much strain on those who work in formula one.
For instance, the bustling 2018 calendar means three races will be held on subsequent weekends for an arduous 'triple header'.
"I personally feel it is too much," said the now retired Jenson Button.
But it is actually possible the calendar could drop to just 19 races next year, as both China and Singapore's dates have been marked with asterisks.
Tire management not among McLaren's problems
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| McLaren has zero issues with tires, just their Honda engine |
(GMM) Tire management is not among McLaren's problems in 2018.
That is the claim of Germany's Auto Motor und Sport, as the great British team races towards divorce with its hapless works engine partner Honda.
McLaren's actual 2017 chassis, however, is arguably one of the best in the field.
One reason for that is McLaren's approach over the winter to preparing for the new, wider and grippier Pirelli tires.
Although Mercedes, Ferrari and Red Bull provided 'mule' test cars for the Italian tire supplier to compile data, it emerges McLaren was also actively engaged with the development process.
"We were the only team to send an observer to all 24 days of testing, and we made more demands for data that the FIA and Pirelli wanted to give us initially," team boss Eric Boullier said.
"So from the beginning we had a good understanding of the tires, without the need to build a 2015 (test) car," the Frenchman added.
Nonetheless, Honda's ongoing struggles mean McLaren is set for another bad outing this weekend in Baku, especially as the circuit has a huge 2 kilometer straight.
We reported earlier that the Japanese marque will release an intermediate upgrade for its engine in Azerbaijan, but boss Yusuke Hasegawa warned: "I think we can expect another tough challenge for the team.
"We're going through a difficult time at the moment, but we're doing all we can to rectify the situation."
Vettel defends social media absence
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| Vettel thinks social media mavens are shallow people |
(GMM) Sebastian Vettel has defended his decision to keep a low public profile.
The German is notoriously private, as he is rarely photographed with his wife and children and has no social media profiles on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter.
"I just don't understand why you have to constantly tell everyone what you are doing, where you are, who you are with," the Ferrari driver told the German broadcaster RTL.
"I simply don't have this need, but at the same time I don't blame people if they are constantly talking about themselves," Vettel insisted.
"I think I grew up in a generation that was quite shy of having pictures taken or seeing themselves," said the 29-year-old.
But Vettel also thinks the current trend of demanding 'selfies' with famous people is taking something away from more genuine human interaction.
"People come and say 'Can we take a picture' and suddenly they are gone again," he said.
"I sometimes ask what they will do with it, and often the answer is 'No idea'. The other day someone said they needed a photo to prove to his friends that he actually met me.
"I said 'You cannot be a reliable friend if they don't believe you!'
"I have to admit I get a lot more out of shaking someone's hand and then sharing the experience of meeting someone," Vettel concluded.
Bottas wants 'long term' Mercedes deal
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| Bottas shooting for long-term Mercedes deal |
(GMM) Valtteri Bottas says he is balancing his ambitions to win races against his desire to secure a "long term contract" with Mercedes.
Having replaced the reigning champion Nico Rosberg this year, Bottas has impressed so far in 2017 and won his first grand prix in Sochi.
Now, ahead of this weekend's race in Azerbaijan, the Finn says his winning ambitions remain on track.
"I love racing in Baku," he told Italy's Autosprint, "and I believe it is time for me to try to win again."
However, Mercedes signed only a one-year deal for Bottas this year, so the 27-year-old said he is mindful that a big goal for 2017 is to secure a new deal.
"Winning is the first thing I think about when I race, but I know that the work for the team is what comes first. I want to be consistent and earn a long-term contract with Mercedes," he explained.
"It will not be easy because Lewis (Hamilton) is very strong and Ferrari are very close to us, and even better on some occasions," Bottas added.
For the moment, though, Mercedes seems happy with its choice to replace the suddenly-retired Rosberg.
"He is in a great position in the championship," said team boss Toto Wolff. "It's hard to believe that he only arrived in the team a short time ago.
"In seven grands prix, he has gone beyond all expectations," he is quoted by La Gazzetta dello Sport.
"He has a pole, a victory and has pushed Lewis on Saturdays and Sundays. He just needs to put it all together every weekend and I'm sure he will do that."
Wolff: Mercedes has fastest car on grid
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| Aldo Costa designed cars are always the fastest |
Mercedes boss Toto Wolff reckons the team has a fundamentally faster car than main rival Ferrari and is confident that the W08's "difficult" traits can be improved over the course of the season.
Mercedes dominated Formula 1 from 2014-16 but Ferrari has emerged as a serious contender for titles in 2017, under revised regulations, with both championships finely balanced.
Mercedes' fluctuating form, amid tire and set-up troubles, prompted Wolff to call its car a "diva", while Ferrari expressed confidence it has a car that can challenge at any track.
And reflecting on the opening third of the season, Wolff stated his belief that Mercedes is still the outright quickest team in Formula 1, but admits more work needs to be done.
"We've joked about it being a bit of a diva, but it's a good car, though sometimes it can be difficult," said Wolff, as he previewed this weekend's Azerbaijan Grand Prix.
"This is something we have to accept so that we can understand and appreciate the many positive characteristics that it has.
"I believe our car is the fastest on the grid and I wouldn't want any other."
Wolff emphasized how proud he was of Mercedes during its post-Monaco analysis, which resulted in a 1-2 finish at the Canadian Grand Prix, and his desire for further steps.
"Seeing all the analysis that had been done after Monaco come together so well in Canada gave us great satisfaction, now it's about maintaining that momentum," he commented.
"You're being benchmarked constantly on the current performance. Public companies issue reports four times per year. We do it 20 times, on a very public platform, the race track.
"When you have a bad day, you can either be downbeat about it or pull yourself up and start to act on it. This is what we have done.
"These are the days that make you progress much more than the good days. Like the old saying goes, success is a lousy teacher.
"Every time we've had a difficult weekend we have come back stronger, and that speaks volumes for the people in this team.
"In this season, where it's so close, you need to take it one race at a time and try to have the best package at each race – chassis, power unit, and drivers.
"This is how we are approaching it and that's the only way."
Sebastian Vettel holds a 12-point lead over Lewis Hamilton in the Drivers' standings, while Mercedes leads Ferrari by eight points in the Constructors' battle.
Alonso: Baku power unit penalties 'likely'
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| Alonso knows that with coming engine penalties his year is over |
McLaren driver Fernando Alonso is braced for power unit-related grid penalties at this weekend's Azerbaijan Grand Prix, amid Honda's ongoing reliability troubles.
Alonso entered the previous round in Canada on his sixth turbo and MGU-H, after stand-in Jenson Button's issues in Monaco, and was also on his fourth engine and MGU-K.
After another Honda failure in the closing stages of the race, which denied McLaren its first point of the season, Alonso says he expects to take penalties in Baku this weekend.
"After getting so close to scoring our first point in Canada and suffering another retirement, we go to Baku with even more determination, but it's no secret that we expect to find this weekend tricky," said Alonso.
"After the power unit issues it's likely we'll need to take penalties, and the nature of the narrow, fast straights and tight corners means overtaking is generally tough.
"However, it's certainly not impossible, and we'll keep fighting as we always do."
McLaren chief Eric Boullier echoed Alonso's sentiments.
"In Canada we were unable to fulfil any potential we showed, and we anticipate that in Baku we will face a similar challenge due to the demands this circuit's characteristics place on the car," he said.
"Nevertheless, in the midst of our current struggles, we aren't standing still.
"Quite the opposite, in fact, and the team's hunger and determination are stronger than ever to move us forward and into the hunt for more positive results.
"Rather than focus on the negatives, we need to turn our attention to solutions and work together to get the best out of our situation."
McLaren asserted that it would be "proactive" in its approach with Honda, following Alonso's failure in Canada, amid growing talk of a separation.
Pirelli expects one-stop trend to continue
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| The new Pirelli tires don't wear fast enough – at some races teams could do the full race on Ultrasofts if the rules allowed it |
Formula 1 tire supplier Pirelli expects a one-stop strategy to be favored by teams once more at the upcoming round of the championship in Azerbaijan this weekend.
With sole supplier Pirelli having produced more durable rubber this season, four of the seven Grands Prix held in 2017 have been won by drivers adopting one-stop strategies.
For the race around the streets of Baku, Pirelli anticipates the trend will continue, with Nico Rosberg having stopped once en route to victory 12 months ago, switching from Super Softs to Softs after 21 laps.
Pirelli's choice of Super Soft, Soft and Medium tires mirrors last year's selection for the visit to the Baku City Circuit, the second-longest track on the calendar.
"Following Monaco and Montréal, Baku is the third non-permanent, low-grip venue in succession, but it has a very different character," commented Mario Isola, Pirelli's Head of Car Racing.
"The lap is a lot faster, with more energy going through the tires, and track temperatures could be very high, like last year.
"For these reasons, we've chosen a range of tires in the middle of the spectrum, which worked well in 2016.
"Maybe a surprise back then was that there were no Safety Cars, despite predictions to the contrary, so this could be a factor to consider when formulating race strategy.
"With a combination of low-speed corners and long straights, it's quite hard to find the right balance, especially in terms of downforce."