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The Formula 1 organisation has extended Melbourne’s deal to host the Australian Grand Prix by a further two years, taking the race into the 2025 season.
After a decade in Adelaide the event moved to the Victorian capital in March 1996, and it has been a regular fixture on the calendar ever since.
It has been the opening race of the season every year except 2006 and 2010, when Bahrain had the honour of hosting the curtain-raiser.
Next year’s event, already announced for March 15, will be the 25th to be held in the city.
F1 boss Chase Carey commented: “The decision to extend the current relationship for a further two years stems from the fact this event has proved to be a resounding success for the capital of Victoria, for Australia and indeed around the world, proving immensely popular with fans and those who work in F1.
“Working along with our partner, the Australian Grand Prix Corporation, we plan to make the Australian Grand Prix even more exciting and spectacular, as a sporting event and as a form of entertainment.
“Today’s announcement follows on from last week’s, relating to the British Grand Prix and is proof that more and more promoters are sharing our long-term vision for the future of F1.”
Martin Pakula, the Victorian minister for tourism, sport and major events, said the extension was a vote of confidence in the city.
“Beyond the direct benefits to Melbourne and Victoria arising out of F1’s decision,” he noted, “the contract extension until 2025 also provides benefits and confidence for Victoria’s events industry and the associated supplier base to the AGPC.
“Additionally, it provides the AGPC with opportunities to further enhance and develop the event for the benefit of all fans and lovers of the sport of F1.”
The organisers of the Vietnam Grand Prix have released the first images of how the circuit will look ahead of the first Formula One race there next year.
The race will be held around the country's capital city of Hanoi on a 5.565km street circuit featuring purpose-built sections and a newly constructed pit and paddock complex. Work on the race circuit started earlier this year.
Although a date has not been confirmed yet, tickets went on sale earlier this month and it is understood the race will be scheduled at some point in April, although F1 is yet to finalise the details of the 2020 calendar.
While the circuit has released a virtual lap of the track, it has gone further this week and shown what the planned pit facilities and grandstands should look like.
The circuit is described by Formula One as a "unique hybrid layout" with "a real desire to steer away from humdrum 90-degree road-junction type corners and foster a layout that facilitates wheel-to-wheel racing while retaining a closed-in street feel that makes city race tracks so demanding for drivers". The layout of the Herman Tilke-designed track has based Turns 1 and 2 on the Nurburgring, while other sections take inspiration from parts of Monaco, Suzuka and the Sepang circuit which used to host the Malaysian Grand Prix.
At one point, cars will top out at 335 km/h down the circuit's long 1.5km back straight. That straight starts after a long hairpin corner, which will have a grandstand running along the outside and one of the best views in the whole circuit, and ends with a heavy-braking left-hand corner.
Vietnam will be one of two new additions to the 2020 calendar -- earlier this year it was confirmed the Dutch Grand Prix at Zandvoort will return to capitalise on the growing popularity of Red Bull's Max Verstappen. F1 had hoped to have added a Miami Grand Prix by this point, but talks with the city are ongoing after the original plans centred around a downtown street race were scrapped due to local opposition.
With those two races added, the calendar would stand at an unprecedented 23 races next year, but four current circuits -- Spain, Germany, Italy and Mexico -- all have contracts due to expire at the end of the year. It is expected that at least one of those will be dropped to make space.
The Haas Formula 1 team will introduce an aerodynamic upgrade for Kevin Magnussen at the German Grand Prix and continue its experiment with Romain Grosjean using the specification from Australia.
At the previous race in Britain, Grosjean dropped the aero package Haas had introduced during the first phase of the season and reverted to the spec he started the campaign with
However, the split-spec experiment to try to zero in on the team's race-pace difficulties was undermined by Grosjean and Magnussen colliding on the opening lap.
Magnussen's car will now have a new upgrade, "designed to improve downforce and the car's overall driveability", at Hockenheim this weekend while Grosjean perseveres with the Australia-spec package
Haas team principal Gunther Steiner would not specify the upgraded parts on Magnussen's car.
"We've changed a few parts on the car," he said. "There's not one specific area we're targeting. We're just making the car, in general, better, more drivable with more downforce, which always helps you go fast.
"We're trying to make the tyres work better for us. That's the biggest improvement we can make at the moment – getting into the window of the tyre – and that's got a lot to do with downforce."
Magnussen hopes the new package will give Haas "not only more answers, but also more performance".
His teammate Grosjean said the Silverstone experiment was "a good test to do" after a "touch call from the team".
"When we brought the upgrade in Barcelona, I wanted to revert back on the Friday evening," Grosjean said. "For me, the feeling was not so good from the rear end, especially through medium- and high-speed corners.
"The feeling hasn't been good in those corners since then. Going back to the Melbourne package, the car felt a lot better in those regions.
"It shows that something was not working as expected. Now the aero guys are looking into it, but we know it's been our weakness. Obviously, that launch package has some limitations also.
"It has less downforce, but it has better stability."
The British GP was a race to forget for Haas, as its drivers' on-track clash in the race concluded a difficult week in which its main sponsor Rich Energy became embroiled in a messy ownership saga that included a claim the title partnership had been cancelled.
However, Haas's pre-race preview on Monday included full Rich branding and referred to the team by its full season entry name.
There was also speculation Haas could replace either of its drivers in the aftermath of their latest collision, but both are down to race this weekend.
Aston Martin has indicated that it is prepared to step in to Formula 1 as a manufacturer in the event that Honda decides to pull out.
There has been growing speculation that the Japanese car company is considering ending its involvement in F1, despite finally starting to find success with Red Bull by earning its first Grand Prix win in 13 years in Austria this month.
If Honda were to pull out then the sport would be left with only three engine providers trying to service ten teams on the grid.
As well as its factory team, Mercedes currently delivers power units to Racing Point and Williams while Ferrari services Haas and Alfa Romeo. Both companies have said in the past that three teams is about the upper limit in terms of capacity.
Renault currently partners McLaren, with the French manufacturer having split from Red Bull at the end of 2018.
It's unlikely that the team would want to return to Renault units in the event that Honda pulls out, leaving both Red Bull and Toro Rosso with a big headache when it comes to engines from 2021.
That's where Aston Martin comes in, the British company having flirted with the idea of entering F1 in the past only to pull back. However this week CEO Andy Palmer hinted that if Honda were to pull out of F1, then Aston Martin might be prepared to step into the breach.
"The obvious place for Aston to become involved in would have been the engine," he told Autosport magazine when asked about possible future F1 involvement. "I think that's a question on whether Honda continues to develop the [current] engine.
"Clearly they have a lot more money and musclepower than we do," he added. "I don't think we're going to muscle in on that while the relationship with Honda exists."
Palmer added that in his view it would be better all round if Honda were to remain committed to F1 beyond the next overhaul of the sporting and technical regulations.
"We're very happy with that relationship and we're happy to see it continue," he said. "But nobody knows quite what the regulations will be beyond 2021 and who is going to be involved in that.
"We stand ready from that point of view, with the hope that Honda will continue."
Palmer was talking at a press event at Silverstone for the new road-going Valkyrie hypercar, which has been produced in partnership with Red Bull Advanced Technologies.
"Our focus is now mainly looking at the development of the Valkyrie, Valhalla, Vanquish series and the exploits in Le Mans," Palmer said.
He added that while a formal renewal of the current partnership between Aston Martin and Red Bull was unlikely, the two companies remained committed to working together at some level moving forward.
"As long as they are racing and we are involved with other things with them, we'll continue,' Palmer stated. "I don't think we see a contractual end date."
Does Aston make t heir own engines (road cars) at all? IIRC, they're using Mercedes engines & the Valkyrie is Cosworth-partnered?
Unless their plan is to buy out the Honda designs, in the even they leave?
I have liked Grosjean since I started watching F1 but his last two years have been pretty terrible and I was actually hoping the rumors of them filling his seat before the next race were true. Would love to see them give Ocon a shot or even bring Rossi in if he would consider it. Would love them to off a full time seat to Rossi next year so there is an American in an American team but he is having so much success in Indy Car I am not sure he would leave.
I saw an interview with Rossi semi-recently & he about as much as said he'd not be interested unless it's with a top team. Can't imagine Mercedes/Ferrari/RBR hiring him on with limited F1 experience.
As a one-off or two, maybe a Haas drive could get him some seat time, but I doubt he'd hire on as a full-time driver without it being a $$$ contract.
I have liked Grosjean since I started watching F1 but his last two years have been pretty terrible and I was actually hoping the rumors of them filling his seat before the next race were true. Would love to see them give Ocon a shot or even bring Rossi in if he would consider it. Would love them to off a full time seat to Rossi next year so there is an American in an American team but he is having so much success in Indy Car I am not sure he would leave.
Sorry but RoGro has ALWAYS sucked and always will. He doesn't have the fire or the skill. How he's lasted this long is beyond me.
I saw an interview with Rossi semi-recently & he about as much as said he'd not be interested unless it's with a top team. Can't imagine Mercedes/Ferrari/RBR hiring him on with limited F1 experience.
As a one-off or two, maybe a Haas drive could get him some seat time, but I doubt he'd hire on as a full-time driver without it being a $$$ contract.
Big head time=no Rossi in MBZ/SF/RBR. They obviously have extensive driver development programs, does he really think he can skip to the head of the line or is this him basically saying no?
^ I believe it's him effectively closing the door on it. Just no way a driver gets brought in straight to a top team.
Mid-field could happen, but he definitely made it sound like he's not interested in anything but fighting for wins.
Daniel Ricciardo’s former advisor is claiming more than £10 million over alleged unpaid commissions relating to the Renault Formula 1 driver's contract.
Ricciardo left his long-term backer Red Bull at the end of last season after striking an unexpected two-year deal to join the works Renault team from 2019
According to United Kingdom High Court of Justice documents obtained by Motorsport.com, Ricciardo’s former advisor Glenn Beavis claims he is owed “various sums” for the contract Ricciardo has entered into with Renault.
Beavis' claim, served earlier this month, alleges a debt of 20% commission on Ricciardo’s base Renault salary, various contractual elements – including the cost of Ricciardo's superlicence, use of a Renault road car and cost of a physiotherapist – and other items
In a statement given to Motorsport.com, Ricciardo responded: “There is no substance to Glenn Beavis’ claim.
“It is unfortunate that he has decided to bring this wholly unmeritorious claim which I intend to fully defend in the court process.”
The background to Ricciardo’s advisor arrangement
Beavis’ company Sivana Sports International FZE has claimed that Ricciardo’s British Virgin Islands-incorporated company Whitedunes has failed to pay fees in accordance with the commission agreed between the parties.
Whitedunes was set up in 2013 to control Ricciardo’s commercial and marketing rights. It represents the views of Ricciardo, his parents and Joe Passione, a close family friend.
Ahead of this year’s season-opening Australian Grand Prix, Ricciardo was announced as part of Creative Arts Agency subsidiary CAA Sports.
Prior to that, Beavis provided management and consultancy services to Ricciardo since 2012.
The agreement between Ricciardo and Beavis was revised after Ricciardo's successful first season with the Red Bull senior team in 2014, when he won three grands prix.
Beavis claims to have taken on more tasks and in return was paid a retainer of £225,000, paid evenly across 12 months, plus 20% commission on the value of all new deals he introduced that were concluded by Whitedunes or Ricciardo.
According to the court document, that retainer fee was revised to $20,000 a month a few months into 2015 and the new figure was suggested by Beavis after Ricciardo allegedly wished to renegotiate.
Beavis states he was paid his revised retainer fee and also commission on new deals, including one at 20% per the agreement and one in the form of a “rare Rolex wrist watch” in lieu of the commission due.
Ricciardo’s move to Renault
Beavis was featured alongside Ricciardo during an episode of F1's Netflix show Drive To Survive that documented Ricciardo’s future decision-making process during the 2018 season.
According to the legal document, Beavis began discussions with Renault and its F1 boss Cyril Abiteboul about a possible move for Ricciardo in mid-2017, one year before Ricciardo's shock deal was announced.
The full details of Ricciardo’s Renault contract are redacted in the official documents, but Beavis’s claim refers to the terms agreed in August 2018 as “a value very substantially in excess of” his Red Bull deal.
As his £10m+ claim relates to 20% commission on Ricciardo’s fee, that puts the Renault driver’s salary at more than £20m per year.
In December 2018, Beavis claims Ricciardo wanted to terminate their agreement with immediate effect.
This was delayed until the end of January 2019 as Beavis allegedly requested time to complete the long-form of the Renault F1 driver contracts.
However, according to the claim these contracts were not finalised and signed by the end of January and Beavis continued to provide services to Ricciardo beyond that date.
Ricciardo’s Renault contract was eventually concluded on March 7, 10 days before the season-opening Australian GP.
What is being claimed
Beavis claims to have continued to provide services per his revised agreement with Ricciardo until the agreement was terminated on March 31.
The claim states that Ricciardo’s Renault contract was a new deal introduced by Beavis and subsequently concluded by Ricciardo, so Beavis submitted an invoice for 20% of Ricciardo’s fixed Renault fee.
Other aspects of the value of Ricciardo’s Renault contract – including the cost of his superlicence, use of a Renault road car, physiotherapist and medical expenses, season-end and win bonuses and two undisclosed clauses – were not claimed at that time.
The right to further commissions on these “future contingent sums” was not waived, the court document states, and Beavis has staked his claim to commissions for three other deals he introduced Ricciardo to – two brand ambassador roles and an F1 film appearance – if they result in finalised agreements.
However, Beavis says he was informed on April 4 by R&H Trust Co (Jersey) Limited, acting “on behalf of Whitedunes and/or Ricciardo”, that no commission was payable in respect of the Renault contract.
A letter dated May 30 from solicitors acting for Ricciardo allegedly reiterated that Beavis “has no entitlement to the commission, or to any other form or amount of commission, in relation to the Renault contract”, including the future contingent sums or any other deal introduced by Beavis.
That has led Beavis to claim for an amount in excess of £10million, which includes – but is not limited to – the payment of debts from the unpaid commission, interest on these debts and a declaration of entitlement to future payments.
Ricciardo will be represented by The Ebury Partnership LLP as he contests the claim.
His Renault team declined to comment when approached by Motorsport.com.
Mercedes has teased a first look at the "125 years of motorsport" anniversary livery it will run on its Formula 1 car at this weekend's German Grand Prix.
The German manufacturer will make its 200th start as a works team at its home race at Hockenheim.
Mercedes also plans to honour the 125th anniversary of the 1894 Paris-Rouen event, widely considered to be the world's first motor race, with a special livery
It shared the first look of its commemorative design on the official Mercedes F1 Twitter account, with the usual Mercedes/Petronas colours on the side of the car in front of the cockpit interrupted by a white section bearing the Mercedes name in cursive font.
Mercedes-Benz's original grand prix cars were traditionally painted white back when such cars were entered in the colours of their country.
"This year's race is a very special event: we're the title sponsor and the race will mark the 200th start for Mercedes in Formula 1," said team boss Toto Wolff.
"We will also celebrate a remarkable anniversary in Hockenheim: 125 years of motorsport.
"In 1894, the world's first car race was held from Paris to Rouen and the winning machine had at its heart an engine manufactured to the design of Gottlieb Daimler.
"It was the start of a great motorsport tradition that continues to this day and we are incredibly proud to write the next chapter in this legacy. We will run a commemorative livery to pay tribute to our heritage."
Mercedes' official pre-race preview documented the significance of the 1894 race and also the part the event plays in its own history.
It noted: "Nine of the 17 finishers were powered by 3.5 horsepower, two-cylinder V-engines that had been invented by Gottlieb Daimler and were manufactured in France according to his original plans.
"A 5 hp Benz vehicle was also among the finishers of the race."
Daimler went on to build cars with the Mercedes name and after the Daimler-Benz merger early in the 20th century, the Mercedes-Benz brand established itself as a leading grand prix entity.
The move away from the traditional white colour was allegedly spawned when the W25's white paint was scraped off to meet the weight limit before its first race in 1934.
According to Mercedes: "Without the white paint, the metal bodywork of the car was exposed, giving it a silver look: the first Silver Arrow was born."
The car will change over the next two weekends, giving the team important data to chew over during the summer break. In Germany, the rear of their Formula 1 car will change, whilst the front will get its own makeover in Hungary.
This upgrade provides the first fruits of the crop after Lawerence Stroll's takeover deal almost 12 months ago. But according to Green, this will not be the end of the upgrades during the 2019 Formula 1 season.
"Everything except the chassis is new. Previously, an upgrade like this would not have been possible. Even after the summer break, we'll have another upgrade," Green told Auto Motor und Sport.
Amid rumours of a move to Haas, Esteban Ocon has said “all options remain alive”, including a loan move away from Mercedes, as he eyes a quick return to the grid.
Ocon has been tipped to replace Romain Grosjean at the struggling American outfit, whilst there have also been whispers of a move to Renault with Nico Hulkenberg’s future in doubt.
The Frenchman, though, refused to comment on specific rumours but did make it very clear that he still wants to be part of the Mercedes set-up regardless of which team he could be racing for next season.
“Nothing is confirmed. As long as everyone is talking about it that means F1 hasn’t forgotten about us.
“All options remain alive, because Mercedes is open-minded even if it’s with another engine manufacturer.
“I can be loaned to another team, that’s not a problem. My main goal is to race for Mercedes with the works team.”
As the frustration builds up watching on from the sidelines in his reserve and development driver role for Mercedes, Ocon’s main focus remains being on the grid again next season.
“What interests me the most is a return to Formula 1 and to have that special feeling before the start of a Grand Prix,” Ocon added.
“It is difficult for me not to race this year. It’s something I miss a lot. I’ve worked all my life to get here.
“My objective is to find a race seat as soon as possible. My management is working hard on finding a solution, so let’s hope that something comes up.”
The silly season is well and truly underway, and there's been another turn in the Haas and Ocon rumour, this time linkingHulkenberg to Haas and Ocon replacing him at Renault
Hulkenberg is in his third season at Renault but his future is up in the air and has in the past been linked with a move to Red Bull in place of Pierre Gasly. Ocon meanwhile was left without a seat for the 2019 season after missing out when Lawrence Stroll brought his son Lance to SportPesa Racing Point.
With Haas in turmoil, there has been lots of speculation regarding both of their drivers' future. Ocon was linked with a seat at the constructor after their drivers clashed at Silverstone. However, Joe Saward has given a possible remedy to their lineup, suggesting Renault could get their Frenchman and Hulkenberg could make the move to Haas.
"I don't think Grosjean will be out of Haas before the end of the season, or he must make it crazy by driving into Magnussen again," Saward told the Missed Apex podcast.
“The problem is that if you fire Grosjean you must have a better replacement. I heard wild stories about Emerson Fittipaldi Jr., but he doesn't even have a super license yet.
“Esteban Ocon will not go to Haas. He is waiting for a seat at Mercedes and will not want to waste his time with Haas F1. It is more likely that Nico Hulkenberg will replace Grosjean at the end of the season and that Ocon will fill the gap with Renault that the German leaves behind."
Where will the next turn in this saga take us next? Will Ocon move to Renault or will he even be in a seat next season?
After each race Valtteri Bottas makes a point of looking himself in the mirror. It isn't a metaphor for the soul-searching most drivers do as they fly home on a private jet -- he actually does it. Staring back at himself, he goes through the weekend's events -- good or bad -- and when he's finished analysing, he gives himself a brutally honest assessment.
"Sometimes I say, 'You're a f---ing c---! You are stupid!' and sometimes I say, 'You are the best'," he told ESPN in a typically straight-talking interview. "I just like being honest with myself.
"You can always improve and there are always excuses of all kinds in this sport, but accepting your weaknesses and strengths is what works for me."
In his recent meetings with the man in the mirror, his language might be getting increasingly coarse. The realities of being Lewis Hamilton's teammate have started to hit home as the five-time world champion in the other Mercedes has opened up a 39-point lead in the standings with five wins from the last six races. Bottas, meanwhile, hasn't won a race since the Azerbaijan Grand Prix in April.
Against any other driver, that points deficit might seem recoverable. Bigger championship leads have been overturned in the past and a couple of reliability issues on Hamilton's car would change the picture completely. Yet to almost everybody in the paddock, the deficit looks unconquerable.
But not to Bottas.
Stitched into the peak of Bottas' blue Mercedes cap is a simple message: "Never give up". It's a philosophy that goes to the core of what the Finnish driver is all about and is the result of a backstory that started in the small town of Nastola, Finland nearly 20 years ago.
"During my childhood my family risked a lot financially," he explains. "They put every single penny they could into my racing and also their free time was completely compromised.
"There were many things in my childhood I sacrificed: I started travelling quite young, compromising school in terms of learning and time with friends doing normal stuff as a kid you want to do. But obviously I wouldn't change a day.
"When I was 12 there was a big shift in mindset and I realised that if I want to get something out of it then I need to work hard and focus all my energy just for this sport and that's when I started training and taking things more seriously. I became a lot more self-critical and analysed the driving more and more, and that was when I was 12."
Now approaching his 30th birthday, Bottas needs to be more self-critical than ever. Only two teammates have beaten Hamilton over the course of a full season -- Jenson Button in 2011 and Nico Rosberg in 2016 -- and there were clear reasons for both.
In 2011, the dominance of Sebastian Vettel's Red Bull meant there was no championship at stake between Hamilton and Button, lessening some of the competitive edge. What's more, Hamilton was breaking up with his longtime girlfriend Nicole Scherzinger and the turmoil in his private life appeared to overflow into his professional life. The Hamilton of 2019 is a much more balanced man and he shows none of the fragility of the McLaren-era Hamilton.
The 2016 season is potentially a more useful example for Bottas to learn from, as a title was on the line and it was during Hamilton's Mercedes career. Rosberg's championship challenge was built on a foundation of reliability issues for Hamilton early in the year but, to give Rosberg his credit, he played the percentages in the second half of the season and sealed the deal.
Yet the mood inside the Mercedes team in 2016 was very different to the calm of the current squad. Rosberg used that divisive undercurrent to his advantage, but by the end of the season he was completely spent and retired from the sport. That heralded Bottas' arrival at Mercedes and with it the team became a stronger, more cohesive unit, and he has made clear he has no desire to upset that.
Above all else, it's not in Bottas' nature to employ the psychological warfare Rosberg doled out so effectively. Put simply, he wouldn't be able to face the man in the mirror.
"I have found for me, and it should be the same for everybody, that it is easiest just to be how you are," he adds. "Be the true you and there is no need to act differently. It has always been like that."
As a result, Bottas has committed himself to beating Hamilton in a straight fight. Everyone will have an opinion on whether that's possible, but the Bottas we have seen this year is undoubtedly the best of his career. That improvement was fuelled by a disappointing 2018 season in which he not only finished fifth in the drivers' standings, but was also roped into being a clear support driver to Hamilton in the second half of the season.
"I analysed last year a lot," he says. "I think the main thing was that I started quite strong, but there were multiple, multiple defeats in a row for different reasons. From China or Baku onwards there was a massive period of always feeling negative after Sunday and that, for sure, drags you down.
"And then on top of that, in the points you are far down and you need to become, in at least some kind of way, a support driver rather than going for the championship. And that's difficult to accept with the goals you set for the season.
"That spread quite a bit of negative energy and you end up not enjoying the driving part as much as you should. For me, the more I enjoy the driving and am happy in the car, you see immediately the result. I was way, far off from enjoying driving at the end of last year. I think that was a big thing."
The 2018 season also brought about a realisation that opportunities to line up on the grid in the fastest car are limited in any driver's career. Bottas went into 2019 vowing to be more selfish with his time off track while pushing the boundaries on track.
"It was a bit of a wake-up call last year. I realised that, in the end, I have just one career, so I had better go forward. I am usually consistent and risk free as a driver, I haven't had many crashes with other drivers in races, so there was a bit of margin for me to be a bit more shortsighted with things."
He added: "In my downtime I now do the things that I want to do. It's important to follow the training programme and have a core plan of what to do in training to stay fit, but that has been adjusted quite a bit so if I feel like I want to go for a bike ride instead of going to the gym then I do that and go to the gym some other day.
"And if I want to have a day off, go on the boat and get smashed then I do it. I don't hesitate at all. It is more flexible and relaxed, to keep that positive feeling the whole time and enjoy life."
But while Bottas has improved this year, it hasn't been quite enough. In qualifying he has closed the gap to Hamilton and beaten him on four occasions, but the average gap between the two over the first ten races is still 0.076s in Hamilton's favour. Against a teammate as good as Hamilton, such small margins can quickly become big points deficits and in races the gap between the two has been even bigger.
But for Bottas there is no mystery to Hamilton's pace. He sees his teammate's telemetry, sits in the same engineering meetings and knows where the differences are.
"His strengths in general have been in slow speed corners, normally under braking and the entry phase and he can sometimes drive a bit of a different setup for the car that is easier for the rear tyres," he explains. "Those are the main things but he is also super consistent. I think his level of concentration when it comes down to qualifying is on a very good level, so he rarely makes mistakes when he needs to perform and he delivers when he needs to.
"So for me it's still about finding the consistency on that and be on top of my game every single time. And race pace -- his race pace and tyre management is good. If there are differences in the race pace it is normally because the tyre is overheating on my side."
Even if he could, there would be no point in looking at the data and simply copying what Hamilton does in the car. Bottas needs to be better than his teammate -- not equal to him -- and to do that he must play to his own strengths.
"You can definitely see [the differences in the data], but it is not always that simple to do it in the car. Many things that you learn as a kid are welded into your driving style and sometimes changing those can be difficult, so it is always balancing out trying to use all the big amounts of data we get and drive with your own instinct."
One element that has helped Bottas' develop his driving this year is the addition of Riccardo Musconi as his race engineer. Musconi was previously Hamilton's performance engineer but was promoted to his new role over the winter when Bottas' former engineer, Tony Ross, moved to head up the engineering arm of Mercedes' Formula E team. While Ross is a very capable race engineer and was behind Rosberg's championship success in 2016, having a key member of the engineering team from Hamilton's side of the garage has opened up new areas of improvement for Bottas.
"Change can always be very good," he explains. "I managed to take on board everything I learned with Tony in the years before but have had quite a different view in terms of setup and setup philosophy [with Musconi]. So combining those was a nice thing and I would say especially at the first four or five races this year, setup wise, I was really pleased with it from the get go.
"I think a couple of races recently we have been a tiny bit lost and had to make some big adjustments before qualifying and found out in the race that it was maybe not the best setup, but that's life.
"For sure, I got some good things from the other side of the garage and what they used to do with Lewis. But actually there were many races in the beginning of the year when Lewis actually followed the way I was going with the setup and copied my setup before qualifying."
So, the big question, how does Bottas tip the balance in the second half of the year and close the gap? There is no simple answer, but he believes he still has one key strength over his teammate.
"I think I'm hungrier for the wins," he said. "I think that's a big strength.
"I still haven't achieved anything compared to my personal goals in F1, so I am definitely working harder than ever before."
By the end of the year, the man in the mirror will be able to tell him whether that was enough.
With their first significant upgrade of the season, Williams made their first noticeable performance gains last time out at Silverstone.
Although the cars remained at the back, the team’s percentage deficit to the rest of the field was reduced considerably. It suggests that Williams may finally have found a productive development direction – and it may be the foundation of further gains in the coming races as the team exploit it more fully.
The chart above illustrates that at the last race, Williams were closer in percentage terms to both pole position and to the next-slowest car than at any previous race, suggesting that the upgrade worked.
This upgrade came around the barge board, which was extensively reworked in two major areas:
Around the lower barge boards
The big bridge vane ahead of the sidepod inlet
In the lower barge boards, there was previously a grouping of two major assemblies. The forward-most one remains (albeit modified slightly in shape), but the second assembly aft of that (shaped like a chute, with steps in it leading down to the outer guide vanes) has disappeared entirely.
In its place are a series of conventional vertical guide vanes which – visually at least – link up the first assembly with the sidepod area much better. It would appear to give the airflow a better, more progressive transition as it feeds through the gap between the nose and front wheel then curves outward around the sidepod’s radiator inlet.
Just ahead of that inlet, the big bridge vane (onto which the mirror is mounted) has been split with the vertical and horizontal parts no longer meeting up at the corner. The profiling of the upper of the two horizontal vanes is much more extensive and the mirror casing itself has been changed, both of which will give a better flow to the top of the sidepod, helping counter the aerodynamic lift which those surfaces invariably induce.
The extravagant curvature of the top vane at its outer tip, together with its close proximity to the corner of the vertical vane (to which it was previously joined), will create a vortex of spinning air that will travel down the side of the car, helping accelerate the airflow there as it makes its way down the sides of the pods towards the sides of the diffuser. The faster this air can be induced to move, the harder it can pull on the airflow exiting the diffuser from the underbody, and therefore the greater the downforce creation.
Hopefully this is the beginning of a more productive development path for Williams in the second half of the season.
That's opened the door for the Australian Grand Prix Corporation to reconsider making changes to Albert Park street circuit, with both resurfacing and freshening up the layout on the table.
"It's important to get a return on investment in anything you do, and the ability to have that extra two years provides more certainty to do a couple of things," AGPC CEO Andrew Westacott said.
"One [is] to look at the resurfacing. The drivers at the moment haven't said that it's needed. They wax and wane; sometimes it's the most imperative thing that they want to do, and other times they like the character of a street circuit.
"The other thing that it does, it allows us to have a look at the evolution of the track and look at what tweaks we can make given the physical limitations of a lake and a sports stadium and a pit building and other things.
Westacott also strongly hinted that the Australian GP will continue to open the Formula 1 season for the life of the new contract.
"It's essentially part of the deal," he said.
"I won't go into individual wording in the contract, because we don't talk about the detail of the contract. But you heard Chase Carey come out and say the season essentially starts in Melbourne, it finishes in Abu Dhabi, you've got Monaco which has a place in the middle.
"Now securing great events like Silverstone, you get the real cornerstones and the big components of a Formula 1 season, whether it's 20, 21, or 22 races. And everything fits in around those starting points and finishing points."
The 25th running of the race in Melbourne will take place on March 15 next year.
Lewis Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas's Mercedes W10s will run in special liveries that honour the Silver Arrows' heritage at this weekend's German Grand Prix, as Mercedes-Benz celebrate their 125th year of competing in motorsport, as well as their 200th F1 start.
A single ‘Benz’ competed in the first ever motor race, run between Paris and Rouen in 1894, and nine of the 15 finishers were powered by Daimler engines, while early Mercedes racing cars competed in Germany’s national racing colour of white.
Mercedes later made a permanent switch to silver racing cars in the early 1930s, marking the birth of their famous Silberpfeilen, or Silver Arrows, nickname. Why? Well, according to the oft-told legend, their W25 machine was a little over the weight limit for a race at the Nurburgring in 1934, so the mechanics scraped off the traditional white paint, exposing the silver bodywork while also bringing it under the limit.
And it's that tale that Mercedes pay homage to at Hockenheim, with their livery honouring both their original white colours, and the paint being scraped away to reveal silver.
The team's race garage has also been redesigned for their home race, and features historic race posters from different eras in which the Silver Arrows competed.
For the Mercedes marque it's also their 200th start in Formula 1 at the 2019 German Grand Prix – which they’re also the title sponsor of – their first having come at the 1954 French Grand Prix at Reims, which Juan Manuel Fangio won in the streamlined W196.
Mercedes say they also have one more visual surprise planned for the weekend to celebrate that specific era...
The world champions will feel confident of adding to their wins this weekend too, with Mercedes having won the last three races at Hockenheim, and currently leading the constructors’ championshipby 164 points from rivals Ferrari.
Formula One drivers are in support of a return to in-race refueling, as they see it as a temporary fix to one of the championship's biggest problems -- overweight cars.
F1 is in a crucial period of evaluation and negotiation around its next set of rules, which will come into force for the 2021 season. Racing chief Ross Brawn is determined to improve the spectacle with better racing and a closer pecking order.
This year, concerns about the product reached new heights after the dull French Grand Prix, although entertaining races in Austria and Great Britain followed. But not everyone shared the opinion about the Silverstone race, which featured a thrilling battle between Max Verstappen and Charles Leclerc in the early stages.
Haas driver Romain Grosjean, the head of the Grand Prix Drivers' Association (GPDA), which all 20 drivers are a member of, pointed to the fact the two Mercedes were still battling on their own out in front.
"Silverstone I cannot agree [it was a good race]," he said. "One-two was there for the whole race."
When asked if it was difficult for F1 to find out what was bad at the start of the season, and separate that from the elements which provided entertainment at the last two races, Grosjean returned to a theme he and Haas teammate Kevin Magnussen have grown tired of talking about this year.
"I think -- sorry -- but it's all down to tyres," Grosjean said. "Because we didn't suffer big overheating in Silverstone, meaning we can actually push, slide a little bit on the tyres and they're not going away. It's probably a combination of the tarmac, the tyres and the temperature that worked well."
This year the drivers have been brought into the rule-making process for the first time in F1 history, something reigning world champion Lewis Hamilton has been positive about. Grosjean revealed the GPDA has gone with a specific list of items.
"Out of four points from the GPDA, number one is the tyre, number two is the aero, number three is the weight, number four is money between the teams," he said. "So I think if you solve those four points, I'm sure the racing is going to be f---ing good."
That led the conversation to what is becoming a hot topic in the paddock again -- refueling. That process was banned from races after the 2009 season, primarily for safety and cost reasons. That means modern race cars, which have been made heavier with recent regulation changes, start races with a full tank of fuel.
FIA president Jean Todt recently confirmed refueling is back on the agenda for 2021, although there is a split of opinion on whether that would be positive. Critics point to a reduction in overtaking done on track during the refueling era, with teams often looking to pass rival cars in the pits and through strategy.
Grosjean said the return would help F1 solve the GPDA's top-priority issue.
"Yes, we want it," he said. "Not because we think it's great for racing but because we need to bring the weight of the car down to help Pirelli. It's a temporary fix for the car to be 70 kg lighter or 60 kg lighter. It's one of the reasons we are overheating the car like crazy."
When asked if it could improve racing, he said: "Yes. It will help the tyres which is the big weakness.
"When I started and drove in 2009, [the cars] were 605 kg, and now it's 7-something, 40 or whatever. 140 kilos [extra] and you can feel the car, in the low speed corners, they're very heavy, and at the start of the race, even more. It's 850 [fully fueled] or something like that.
"We just feel it's too much for a Formula One car. The 18-inch tyre, which is another 25 kg, the standard brake system, which is another 8 kg, so you're actually adding and adding and adding while the only thing wrong is to bring the weight down.
"[Refueling] is the easiest and cheapest way to bring 70 kilos off the car."
Williams' Robert Kubica, one of a handful of drivers to have raced in the refueling era, said the practice should not have been banned in the first place.
"If I had the decision, I would never remove it," he said. "I still think, of course, as always there is different angles and different reasons, from different perspective, but I think from driver perspective it can be only positive, the cars will be lighter, which this will give easier life for the tyres because you can split up the fuel loads you are bringing in different ways. This can also spice up a bit strategies.
"Now you are led by tyres on where to stop and it's quite straightforward strategies. If someone is undercutting you, you come in a lap later, so it's a chain. Whenever you have fuel load, you can always mix a bit cards with the fuel effect, stuff like this, so I think it can be something that is an additional factor that can have a positive influence on racing."
Mercedes boss Toto Wolff says a decision on whether or not the team will retain Valtteri Bottas for 2020 will be taken during August.
While the Finnish driver has shown progress this year, especially with his qualifying performance, he has not always been able to convert that potential into race wins
That has left Mercedes with the choice of choosing to keep him or taking reserve driver Esteban Ocon instead. In the background, Max Verstappen is also in the mix, with his Red Bull future understood to still not be totally guaranteed.
While a Verstappen switch to Mercedes remains an outside possibility, and will depend on performance clauses in his Red Bull contract being activated around the summer break period, it is more likely that the team’s choice is between Bottas and Ocon
Speaking ahead of the German Grand Prix, Wolff said that one of the key factors that was being considered was to ensure that the Mercedes call was right for the team’s long-term future, rather than just being about 2020.
“We want him to end the season before the shutdown in a good place and put in two solid performances in Hockenheim and Budapest, and then spend some time thinking about the driver line-up for 2020 and beyond,” he said.
“It is pretty unusual to announce drivers in July. If you want to take all the time, you properly need to assess and you can even drag it into the winter like we have seen in some other teams and it was a standard in the past.
“For us it is not only about making the right decision for next year but looking ahead and this is why we agreed that we will take the decision in August going forward, but it doesn’t necessarily mean we will announce it in August.”
Wolff said that other teams were interested in Ocon for next year should Mercedes elect not to promote him, but added that letting the Frenchman join a rival outfit could mean losing hold of him for a few years.
“As we all know it was an unfortunate situation last year that Esteban fell between the chairs. He could have chosen between two seats and in the end nothing came out.
“From our perspective everyone knows about his driving capabilities for Mercedes. Valtteri is showing some very strong performances and merits the seat but equally Esteban has shown that in the past and is a great addition to the team.
“He contributes a lot a lot behind closed doors, he drives the sim overnight on race weekends, he comes in here Saturday and gives us input and he is a great kid overall.
“Putting a Mercedes young driver in the car would be interesting as well. Having said that, there is interest for Esteban among other teams and we need to carefully make a decision for ourselves and with the other interested parties, not only for our own benefit but also for Esteban’s benefit.
"If it would be that we were taking a decision in favour of Valtteri it clearly also means that somebody else would continue to develop him [Ocon] and would mean we would lose our hand for a year or two or more on Esteban. These are the consequences of that decision.”
What a race, first race I've watched live from start to finish in years.
Hats off to Max, Vettel and Kvyat. Max has improved so much since Monaco 2018.
Vettel was just so happy in his interview after getting out of his car.
Luck and great tire strategy played a big role but wow there was some great racing.
Albon, Saintz and Stroll also did well. Surprising for such changing wet conditions that 13 cars were running at the end.
Who woulda though Racing Point would have selected the last tire change to dry's so perfectly?
And to top it off, Toto even banged his fist on the table when Bottas shunted it.
Hamilton was very lucky in his spin to not have damaged the suspension.
07-19-2019, 10:50 AM
) think Bottas has a shot of turning the season around on Hamilton?
