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An FIA investigation into Billy Monger's horrific British Formula 4 accident has led to Formula 1 teams being told to modify their cars' rear jacking points – the spots where pit crews hoist up a car to change the tyres.
Monger had both his lower legs amputated after a violent impact with the rear of Patrick Pasma's stationary car during last month's Donington Park F4 round.
The FIA's safety director Laurent Mekies sent a note to F1 teams telling them to modify their rear jack points for this weekend's Monaco Grand Prix, intimating that the design of the jacking point on the car Monger hit may have contributed to the severity of the accident.
The note said the jack points would be inspected by the FIA's safety department.
Mekies wrote: "Following several front-to-rear incidents over the past months in various single-seater categories, the FIA would like all F1 teams to ensure that their rear jacking point designs cannot act aggressively during such an incident.
"Considering the strength, shape and position of the jacking points, they may become one of the initial points of contact in a crash with another car and alter the performance of the crash structure of the other car.
"The use of aggressive designs will not be permitted from the Monaco GP onwards.
"All jacking points used from that date must first be approved by the FIA technical department."
In clarifying what was acceptable as a "non-aggressive" design (examples of 'aggressive' designs from FIA letter pictured above), he said it would have to be "geometrically not the first point of contact between the nose and the RIS [rear impact structure]", and "protrude no more than 45mm from surface of RIS".
Not all teams had to make changes as some designs were already deemed safe, but those that did had the revisions passed in scrutineering.
"We had to change our jack pick-up point," Haas team principal Guenther Steiner told Autosport.
"It's a change for a good reason. The parts came on Wednesday, and we are fine.
"The part on the jack had to be changed and something on the car as well, but it was nothing too demanding.
"It's the right thing to do, and there was full support.
"There was a reason why, and if we learn something, we should change it."
The FIA will also ensure that teams in other categories make any changes needed.
Top drivers set to race in this weekend's Monaco Grand Prix expressed fears on Wednesday that new kerbs around the swimming pool complex section of the demanding city course could be dangerous.
Frenchman Romain Grosjean, who is head of the Grand Prix Drivers Association, and Mexican Sergio Perez both said the new kerb could cause airborne accidents.
"It looks like a take-off ramp," said Grosjean, of the Haas team. "If you clip your front wing, it could take it off because you’ve made a small mistake and it will fly you straight into the wall."
Force India driver Perez said: "I think the one we had before was big enough and if you hit it, it will send you to the wall... So, now, I think this (new) one will probably send you to the grandstand."
The new kerbs are part of a revised layout around the swimming pool, which also includes a revision of the speed bumps that follow in the sequence of corners leading to the Rascasse hairpin.
I think McLaren needs to add some kind of quick release mechanism on the engine so they can change it out after every five laps, or so.
at the 1983 Detroit Grand Prix, I watched the Lotus mechanics causually replace the Renault V6 twin turbo motor in Elio De Angeles's main race car about a hour.
They were'nt working at a frantic pace, just steadily and consistently. Pretty amazing considering they had to remove the motor from the chassis, the gearbox/rear suspension from the back of the motor.
All the coolant, oil, intercooler, electrical connections. All the electrical and hose connections are quick release so it makes it easier.
Pic below of the car (Lotus 93T and it's replacement Renault V6 motor).
Those skinny wheels are called "carraige wheels" used to transport the car around when it's not racing. Far easier to push than the fat slicks.
Ayrton Senna is often credited with saying that “being second is to be the first of the ones to lose.” Since Fernando Alonso’s impressive yet ultimately unfruitful foray into racing at the Indy 500, it is apt to seek more wisdom from the Americas. And so we turn to Nascar legend Dale Earnhardt, who like Senna lost his life on the racetrack. “Second place is just the first place loser,” Earnhardt once said.
Sauber driver Pascal Wehrlein has been cleared by doctors to race at next week's Canadian Grand Prix.
The 22-year-old German was hurt in a crash with Jenson Button in Monaco on Sunday, his car ending up on its side against the barriers with Wehrlein trapped inside.
He injured his back but has now had medical tests and is allowed to race.
"Checks all done, see you in Montreal," he tweeted.
"Great news! Medical checks done - ready for the #Canadian GP," added his team.
Button, the 2009 world champion, was making a one-off return to Formula 1 as a replacement for Fernando Alonso, who was taking part in the Indianapolis 500 race in the United States.
The Monaco weekend saw Sergio Perez set a brand-new lap record for the 3.3km circuit - the second time this year that a lap record has been smashed. But who holds the lap records at the rest of the circuits on the calendar, and when and how did they set them?
Australia: 1:24.125 (Michael Schumacher, 2004)
In a race utterly dominated by Ferrari, Michael Schumacher set an Albert Park benchmark while running on low fuel on lap 29, just prior to making his second of three pit stops. With the introduction of 2017’s faster, wider machinery, many expected the record to fall this year, but in the end Kimi Raikkonen’s race-best time was over two seconds slower than Schumacher had lapped in his 3-litre, grooved tyre-shod F2004.
China: 1:32.238 (Michael Schumacher, 2004)
The second of three Schumacher lap records still standing from 2004, though unlike his Australia marker, this one came in a race to forget for the German legend. Having started from the pit lane after a spin in qualifying and subsequent engine change, Schumacher then collided with Christian Klien before spinning on his own. The Ferrari star eventually finished the first race in China a lap down in 12th, having set the fastest lap on his final tour following a late tyre change.
Bahrain: 1:31.447 (Pedro de la Rosa, 2005)
Standing in for Juan Pablo Montoya at McLaren (who, as the joke goes, injured his shoulder playing tennis on a motorbike), De la Rosa capped a fine run to fifth with the only fastest lap of his career. Set in the final season of the 3-litre V10 era, the record has held up ever since, though it says something about the speed of the current cars that Lewis Hamilton came close to matching it this year, despite not having the benefit of refuelling, which enabled De la Rosa to run light at several points in the race. Worth noting too that from 2001 to 2006 there was a ‘tyre war’, with the competition between manufacturers ensuring quicker rubber than in today’s single-tyre era.
Russia: 1:36.844 (Kimi Raikkonen, 2017)
Kimi Raikkonen, owner of more fastest laps (45) than any driver in history other than Michael Schumacher (77), was the first man to break a lap record this season, taking over two seconds off the previous benchmark around Sochi. That, however, had only been set a year earlier by Nico Rosberg, with the race only on the calendar since 2014.
Spain: 1:21.670 (Kimi Raikkonen, 2008)
The lap record in Barcelona had to be re-established in 2007 following the introduction of the last chicane, which replaced the pair of sweeping final bends that used to end the lap. The following year, Kimi Raikkonen set a marker in his Ferrari which remains to this day, despite strong suggestions that it would be smashed this year by the latest generation of car. Pirelli’s conservative tyre choice for the race certainly did the current crop no favours in trying to beat it.
Monaco: 1:14.820 (Sergio Perez, 2017)
Like Spain, Monaco’s lap record was reset ahead of 2015 when the track was made three metres shorter than it was in 2003 as a result of walls being moved and corners being slightly re-profiled. Sergio Perez was the only driver to bolt on fresh tyres with a really low fuel load, having pitted on lap 72 after contact with Daniil Kvyat, and the Mexican came within four-tenths of matching Michael Schumacher’s 2004 lap record for the previous layout.
Canada: 1:13.622 (Rubens Barrichello, 2004)
This year’s higher-downforce F1 cars have vastly improved braking capabilities compared to their predecessors, but will that be enough to see Rubens Barrichello’s 2004 lap record shattered? The Brazilian set the benchmark two laps from the finish of that year’s race while chasing down Williams’ Ralf Schumacher for second place. The Ferrari man didn’t quite have enough to overhaul the German, but it didn’t matter – after the race Williams were disqualified from the results for brake duct irregularities, meaning Barrichello inherited P2.
Azerbaijan: 1:46.485 (Nico Rosberg, 2016)
Nico Rosberg won last year’s inaugural race in Baku at a canter, leading every lap from pole position and adding fastest lap to complete the second ‘Grand Slam’ of his career. In theory, the increased cornering performance of the 2017 cars should mean Rosberg’s lap time is beaten this year, but it’s worth bearing in mind that the cars are slightly slower in a straight line this year because of the increased drag of the wider chassis and tyres – and Baku has a very long flat out section between Turns 16 and 1.
Austria: 1:08.337 (Michael Schumacher, 2003)
Spielberg has undergone a facelift since Michael Schumacher set the current lap record, en route to beating Kimi Raikkonen in the 2003 race, and the track was completely resurfaced ahead of last year’s event, removing some bumps. Given that Lewis Hamilton only missed out on setting a new benchmark by 0.074s, it seems a near certainty that a new record will be established this year – if it stays dry for the race.
Great Britain: 1:33.401 (Mark Webber, 2013)
The lap record for the current iteration of the Silverstone Grand Prix circuit, which was adopted in 2010, belongs to Mark Webber, who set the marker on the very last lap of the 2013 race as he chased eventual winner Nico Rosberg to the line, losing out by just 0.7s. Since the switch to the current 1.6-litre turbo hybrid engine regulations the following year, no one has got within two seconds of that time. Will this be the year?
Hungary: 1:19.071 (Michael Schumacher, 2004)
Michael Schumacher recorded the fifth and final Grand Slam of his illustrious career at Hungary in 2004, so it seems somewhat fitting that the final piece of that puzzle – the fastest lap – remains the benchmark to this day. Last year’s fastest lap, by Ferrari’s Kimi Raikkonen, was over four seconds slower, suggesting Schumacher’s time may last a while longer yet.
Belgium: 1:47.263 (Sebastian Vettel, 2009)
Sebastian Vettel has won at Spa-Francorchamps twice, but it was in one of his non-victorious years - 2009 - that he set the lap record for the current iteration of the famous circuit. Like so many of these records, Vettel’s fastest lap came in the closing stages as he attempted to hunt down Giancarlo Fisichella, whose Force India would eventually finish a surprise second. As with Hungary, last year’s best lap, by Lewis Hamilton, was over four seconds slower.
Italy: 1:21.046 (Rubens Barrichello, 2004)
The 2004 event at Monza saw Juan Pablo Montoya set the fastest lap ever seen in F1, when he took his Williams around at an average of 262.242 km/h. Rubens Barrichello couldn’t quite match that pace in the Grand Prix, but his average speed of 257.320 km/h remains a record for a race fastest lap. For reference, Fernando Alonso lapped his McLaren at an average of 244.373 km/h as he set the fastest lap in last year’s race at the Temple of Speed.
Singapore: 1:47.187 (Daniel Ricciardo, 2016)
Circuit changes meant Singapore’s lap record was reset before the 2013 race, with Red Bull’s Sebastian Vettel establishing the benchmark to beat. It was finally bettered in last year’s race, appropriately enough by another Red Bull driver – Daniel Ricciardo – who set the new marker in the closing stages of the race whilst in pursuit of Nico Rosberg’s Mercedes.
Malaysia: 1:34.223 (Juan Pablo Montoya, 2004)
Juan Pablo Montoya had no answer for Michael Schumacher at Sepang in 2004, but he did lap his Williams 0.5s faster than the Ferrari driver’s best effort in the race. The closest anyone has got to the Colombian’s record since was in 2006 when Fernando Alonso came with six-tenths of matching it, but last year’s best lap, by Nico Rosberg, remained over two seconds shy.
Japan: 1:31.540 (Kimi Raikkonen, 2005)
The 2005 Japanese Grand Prix will be remembered for one of the finest individual performances in history, with Kimi Raikkonen winning from 17th on the grid courtesy of a last-lap pass on Giancarlo Fisichella. It was during the Finn’s chase of the leading Renault that he clocked the race’s fastest lap. Who knows, perhaps Raikkonen will be the one to lower the mark again this year.
USA: 1:39.347 (Sebastian Vettel, 2012)
The Circuit of The Americas lap record is another to have been set on the final lap of a Grand Prix, with Sebastian Vettel recording the benchmark as he closed to with 0.6s of race winner Lewis Hamilton at the flag. Remarkably, three other drivers also set their best laps on the final tour of that race – all of which were faster than last year’s best lap, again set by Vettel, which was just half a second off the record.
Mexico: 1:20.521 (Nico Rosberg, 2015)
There have only been two races at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez since F1 returned to Mexico on a revised circuit in 2015, and it was in the first of these Grands Prix that Nico Rosberg set the current benchmark en route to victory. With the high altitude making drag less of an issue, Rosberg’s time is likely to fall this year, despite the increased weight of the 2017 cars.
Brazil: 1:11.473 (Juan Pablo Montoya, 2004)
Juan Pablo Montoya was at his brilliant best as he beat future team mate Kimi Raikkonen to victory at Interlagos in 2004, with the Colombian simultaneously wrestling his Williams to the fastest lap of the race. No one has looked close to matching Montoya’s time since the switch to the current power trains, though the rain in last year’s race didn’t help. With more downforce this year, who knows?
Abu Dhabi: 1:40.279 (Sebastian Vettel, 2009)
The second lap record on this list set by Sebastian Vettel in Red Bull’s RB5, this one came in a race that the German dominated following Lewis Hamilton’s retirement. This year’s crop will have to lap more than three seconds faster than they did last season to get within sight of Vettel’s time, which was set in the final year before in-race refuelling was banned and drivers had to start with enough fuel to get to the flag.
Felipe Massa says he is open to extending his stay in Formula 1 beyond the end of the season, having come out of retirement to compete with Williams in 2017.
Massa was persuaded to return to F1 to partner rookie Lance Stroll after Valtteri Bottas moved to Mercedes to replace Nico Rosberg.
Having signed on a one-year deal, Massa has impressed so far this season, scoring all of Williams's 20 points in the opening six races.
When asked by Autosport if his form this season is encouraging him to stay on for what would be a 16th season, Massa replied: "Yes. If I have the opportunity to stay in the direction I am or the direction I think is correct for me, I stay - otherwise, no.
"I was saying the same last year."
Massa said he is enjoying F1 again, particularly the 2017 generation of cars, and feels like he is delivering.
"I'm relaxed, there's no pressure and I'm just trying to enjoy it," he said.
"I was doing the same [last year], but I don't know, maybe things change for better and the way I feel and the way I'm working is quite relaxed.
"I'm sure I can do a really good job.
"I feel things are going well.
"I like this car, it's a lot more close to my driving style.
"I'm happy with the car, the way I'm driving, the way I'm feeling and the work I'm doing with the team.
"The most important thing is trying not to lose points."
Massa, who has scored points in four out of six grands prix this season, said he is not setting a deadline for when he has to make a decision about 2018.
"I'm not considering anything to be honest," he said.
"I just enjoy myself race by race and we see what is going to happen.
Hamilton trash talking Alonso and Indy in the same statement.
I took a look at the qualifying results. Fernando, in his first qualifying, came fifth. Does that say something about (the level) of Indy Car? Great drivers, if they can’t succeed in Formula One, look for titles in other races, but to see him come fifth against drivers who do this all year round is…interesting.
Love Kanaan's response.
What can I say? (Hamilton) competed in a two-car world championship last year and was second, so I don't think he can say much. It was a pleasure to have Fernando here. He is humble, not like some of his colleagues who were making comments this month.
I think it's more down to tires-Ferrari seems to be able to get their tires in to optimum windows of operation quicker and more efficiently than MBZ. Toto can scream all he wants about it being "an Italian affair" as if there's collusion between Pirelli and the Scuderia but that neglects who did the testing: Vettel, a 4 time champion vs. Wehrlein, a zero time, F1 rookie. It looks as though it's going to be a coolish race, I suspect Ferrari are going to have the upper hand on tires again. Calling for rain on Saturday, hope not, that's my favorite part of the weekend but if it does, I'm ready.
05-25-2017, 08:41 AM
nearly no way to avoid the stopped car on the track.
