L&T Motorsport - August Edition - Issue 9

Issue 9

28/08/2016

Page | 1

Page | 2

Page | 3

Page | 4

Page | 5

Buescher Pulls Off A Huge Upset At Pocono @JR24GP Images: foxsports.com

Chris Buescher, a 1000/1 rookie shot to win the Pennsylvania 400 at Pocono, took advantage of the weather to take a stunning win for small team Front Row Motorsports in one of the biggest NASCAR underdog stories of recent years.

Buescher did not look in contention and was running towards the back for much of the race, but after pitting off-sequence for a flat tire, found himself in the lead with around 30 laps to go, albeit still needing to make a final stop.

At this point a huge cloud of fog engulfed the race track, making the conditions too dangerous to continue. Spotters could not even see the “tunnel turn� and therefore there was the risk of a huge accident unless the race was stopped. The fog did not clear, and with the threat of storms looming, the race was declared official, leaving Buescher a Sprint Cup winner for the first time in his career.

Kevin Harvick had been the man to beat for much of the day, leading only 7 laps due to pit strategy, but was closing in on the leaders before the final caution. His closest challenger, Joey Logano, was taken out of the race on lap 104 by Chase Elliott, the rookie perhaps being a little too aggressive, a move that could have serious Chase consequences for the #24 team.

Martin Truex Jr had also looked like a contender for victory, the polesitter dominated the first stint of the race but from there his race fell apart, getting involved in 3 incidents on his way to a lowly 38th place finish.

The shortened race led to a slightly topsy-turvy top 5. Behind Buescher, Brad Keselowski continued a strong season in 2nd, whilst there was another shock as the driver 32nd in points, Regan Smith, finished 3rd for Tommy Baldwin Racing. Rounding out the top 5 were Harvick, and his Stewart-Haas Racing teammate Tony Stewart.

Page | 6

Jeff Gordon continued to sub in for Dale Earnhardt Jr, who confirmed on Monday night that he would not be fit to run at Watkins Glen, leaving him needing a win to qualify for the Chase. Gordon drove well for much of the day, and was running well inside the top 10 when his seatbelts came undone, forcing him to drop to the back of the field whilst he redid them. He then had to come to pit road to tighten them, meaning he finished down in 27th.

The 2016 summer race at Pocono however will always be remembered as the day where Chris Buescher became the first Sunoco Rookie to win a Sprint Cup race since Joey Logano won at New Hampshire in 2009, a race also shortened by the weather.

The 2015 Xfinity Series champion spoke of his delight in a makeshift victory lane after the race. Buescher said “To get Front Row Motorsports back in Victory Lane - this is a different way to do it, but we're having a lot of fun here… It was an agonizing wait but I'm really proud of my guys. It's been awesome this year. The alliance with Roush Fenway has helped, just getting everything headed in the right direction. We're on the right path right now.”

It was a day for the drivers who don’t normally receive mainstream media coverage. 2011 Darlington race winner Regan Smith had an equally impressive day and spoke of how much the result meant to him and his team, “When you're a small team working hard to try and go up against some of the bigger teams that we do, you've got to take the opportunities when they present themselves…and we were able to make the most out of it, and it's something I'm proud of them for doing, and happy for Tommy (Baldwin)”.

Buescher’s win should see him make the Chase, but such is the shock, he is still outside of the top 30 in the standings by 6 points. Should he make up that ground, the Chase Grid would really tighten up with Jamie McMurray then being on the bubble, whilst Kyle Larson, who led 37 laps on a strong run to 6th, is just 9 points behind his Chip Ganassi teammate.

With the next race at Watkins Glen also known for shock results, this battle could yet get even closer. Chase Elliott and Ryan Newman could also be in danger should a road course expert such as AJ Allmendinger take the chequered flag on Sunday.

Page | 7

Enaam Ahmed British F3 Rounds 19-21 Snetterton @iancutting77

Round 19 Norfolk sunshine greeted the drivers for their return visit to Snetterton, much better than the storm that they en-counted back in April!

After qualifying in P9, Enaam was keen to make ground and try and get back on the podium (his last visit to Snetterton resulted in a win!). A good start from Enaam saw him soon on the tail of his team-mate. As the pair headed down the Bentley Straight at the back of the circuit, contact was made between them and Enaam was sent spinning onto the grass and then rolled! Immediately, the safety car was deployed to enable the marshals and medical team to extract Enaam. Again, further proof to the strength of these cars, Enaam walked away! Enaam said afterwards “I was trying to pass my team-mate and managed it but he got a run on me down the Bentley Straight and re-passed me. I was on the outside turning into Brundle and I braked as late as I could and we went through sideby-side. We made the slightest of touches as my rear-wheel and his front-wheel made contact and it sent me on to the grass and I dug in and rolled a few times.�

Round 20.

After the accident in race 1, Enaam's team of mechanics did a great job repairing the car for the second race of the weekend. Starting from the back of the grid, Enaam set about to try and get fastest lap as the starting positions for race 3 were determined by fastest laps from race 1 and race 2. Enaam finished the race in P17, but starts race 3 from P6.

Round 21 Starting from P6, Enaam stood a great chance to make up for disappointment in race 1 to hopefully be back on the podium. A great start and he was already in P4! Enaam got his head down and was soon challenging for the last step on the podium. Using the slip stream along Bentley Straight, Enaam was close several times as they braked going into Nelson but couldn't quite pull the move off. In the end, Enaam had to settle for P4.

Currently Enaam is still in P5 with 288 points, but 150 points behind the leader. Page | 8

BTCC Snetterton Review @goughieee6 Images: BTCC Media

After what seemed like an eternity, the Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship returned from its mid-season summer break and burst back into life at Snetterton.

The Saturday qualifying session began with the BMR Subaru of Colin Turkington setting the early pace. The pole time looked to be heading his way until the Team Dynamics Honda of reigning champion Gordon Shedden claimed it by just 0.015 to take the team’s first pole of the year and first in more than 3 years. Turkington settled for second meanwhile further back, Adam Morgan, Tom Ingram, Mat Jackson and Hunter Abbott rounded out the top 6.

Come the first race on Sunday, it would be a long race duel between the Honda and Subaru pair as they jostled for the lead. Eventually on lap 8, Turkington found his way past. Just behind, Motorbase’ Mat Jackson made a great start from fifth on the grid to grab third by the first corner. He couldn’t do much about the pair in front of him but had to hold off a strong challenge from Adam Morgan in the Mercedes behind. Turkington came home to win and become the first three-time winner in 2016. A good return to form from Shedden in second after the disastrous Croft weekend and a strong performance from Jackson to take third. Adam Morgan finished fourth meanwhile Jason Plato in the second Subaru followed in fifth. Tom Ingram, Sam Tordoff, Matt Neal, Warren Scott and James Cole rounded out the top ten in what was a great team performance all round from Team BMR. The second race of the day proved to be a disrupted one, as Mat Jackson got the better of the Honda and Subaru in front of him to take an early lead. But it was further down where all the chaos happened. BKR’s Aron Smith and the Power Maxed Chevrolet of Kelvin Fletcher had a coming together at the first turn, but then a multi car collision brought out the red flag early. As the cars came onto the Bentley Straight, Dan Welch and Ollie Jackson made contact and as dust clouds filled the air, it was then Alex Martin, Ash Sutton and Hunter Abbott that collected the pair. All suffering heavy damage.

Page | 9

Once the race restarted, Jackson had made a similar getaway but had to wait a few corners before passing the leader Turkington. Jackson came home to take the win with Turkington backing up his earlier win with a deserved second. Matt Neal did well to wrestle his way into the final podium spot with WSR’s Rob Collard just behind after a great battle.

Jason Plato finished sixth with again, Ingram just behind and an impressive drive from Rob Austin to take ninth. Shedden came home in tenth.

The final race of the day was also an eventful one, but for all the wrong reasons. Contact between Mark Howard and Alex Martin off the line collected Ollie Jackson and Hunter Abbott. Abbott was unfortunately then sent into a barrel roll which made contact with a television gantry. Thankfully, no drivers or cameramen were hurt but were shaken up by the whole incident.

Sam Tordoff got the reverse grid draw but as the race was about to restart, he pulled into the pit lane with a problem. Collard lead the race with Plato looking to get his first win of the season. The BMW got past the Subaru and the Civic Type R of Shedden followed suit one lap later. Shedden then passed the slow moving Motorbase Ford of Jackson into second as he had a problem coming onto the Bentley Straight. The BMW and Honda pair would then enter a titanic battle going into the final lap as Shedden was catching Collard at a rate of knots. The reigning champion fired his machine down the inside of Collard and the pair stayed side by side for most of the lap. A small amount of contact was made but it wasn’t enough for Collard to fight back as Shedden took the win.

The final podium spot went to the always popular Rob Austin in the Handy Motorsport Toyota as he managed to fend off Jason Plato, Andrew Jordan and Colin Turkington at the chequered flag.

Rob Collard became the championship leader by three points from team-mate Tordoff, with Matt Neal close behind. WSR lead the teams and manufacturer tables respectively.

Page | 10

BTCC Knockhill Review @goughieee6 Images: BTCC Media

After the dust had settled on what was a frantic weekend at Snetterton, the BTCC rolled into the Scottish hills as Knockhill was next on the calendar. In the early stages of qualifying, the pace was set by the Team BMR Subaru of Jason Plato, looking to kick off what would be a milestone weekend. The rear wheel drive BMWs of Sam Tordoff and Jack Goff were again highlighting that Knockhill was a strong circuit for them as there were hot on the heels of the Subaru. Pole however, looked to be going to Speedworks’ Tom Ingram before Plato put in a lap just 0.021s quicker to claim pole for what would be his 500th BTCC start. Tordoff and Goff claimed third and fourth, meanwhile Colin Turkington in the second Levorg completed the top 5.

Pole sitter Jason Plato made a solid getaway in the first race and created a large gap between himself and the fighting pack of Ingram, Goff and Tordoff. Ingram’s defence was good, but eventually Goff in the IHG Rewards Club BMW muscled his way past and set about catching Plato. Tordoff followed him soon after. Plato’s lead was all but diminished when the safety car was brought out to rescue a stranded Warren Scott in the gravel.

But as the race resumed, Plato held his nerve and came home to claim win number 95 and his first win of the season. Jack Goff finishing in a well-deserved second with Colin Turkington making some decisive and impressive moves on both Ingram and Tordoff in the dying laps to claim third.

Further back, Andrew Jordan came home in sixth, Dave Newsham on his BTCC return impressed in seventh with the two Honda’s of Neal and Shedden behind and Rob Austin continuing to impress in tenth.

Race two turned out to be an absolute classic. Plato again made a good getaway but it was clear the ballast and tyres would take its toll on the leader. Matt Neal gradually made his way up the order as the front three of Plato, Tordoff and Turkington battled it out for supremacy. This turned into a race long battle as the Subaru of Turkington and BMW of Tordoff would regularly swap places and before they knew it, Neal would then join the party.

Page | 11

The Honda man nipped past Jack Goff and Colin Turkington and really started to look a threat. As Plato was defending strongly from Tordoff, Neal saw his opportunity and on the penultimate lap, blasted past the pair to take the lead.

Once the dust had settled, it was Matt Neal who took the win from Sam Tordoff and Jason Plato. Turkington finishing just outside the podium. Rob Collard in the other BMW made up a lot of places to get himself inside the top six while Mat Jackson, Jack Goff, Andrew Jordan, Gordon Shedden and Aiden Moffat, fought it out for the remaining spots in the top ten.

The third and final race proved to be a defensive masterclass from the Motorbase Ford Focus of Mat Jackson. After getting the reverse grid draw on pole, Jackson made a clean start but then couldn't get away from the chasing pack behind. Contact early on between Turkington and Collard put to bed any chances of them challenging after the Subaru knocked the BMW wide but then made contact again returning to the track and put each other into a spin. Lap by lap the queue of cars got bigger and bigger as Tordoff led the fight to Jackson but couldn’t find a way past. Behind Tordoff it was Plato defending from Shedden and Matt Neal trying to shake off Rob Austin and Adam Morgan.

Unbelievably, this is how the order would stay, albeit very close together as Jackson made his Ford wide and was able to take the win in front of Tordoff and Plato. Shedden dropped off the back of the Subaru in the latter stages but was able to hold station in a comfortable fourth with team mate Neal behind him. Rob Austin again proving that he’s driving better each weekend with the Toyota by coming home in sixth. Aiden Moffat, Andrew Jordan and Jack Goff finishing their positive weekends inside the top ten.

WSRs Sam Tordoff became the championship leader again, leading Matt Neal by just nine points, with Collard, Turkington and Shedden in close proximity. WSR were still leaders of the teams and manufacturers standings and Ashley Sutton in the MG, became the new leader of the Jack Sears Trophy.

Page | 12

Hamilton Extends Lead Into Summer Break With German Grand Prix Win @Alice_Holloway_ Image: Sutton Images

Lewis Hamilton extended his Championship lead over teammate Nico Rosberg by taking his fourth consecutive win at the German Grand Prix. After Rosberg had beaten Hamilton to pole position at his second home race a poor start cost him the lead, a podium finish and 19 points in the Championship. The Red Bull duo led by Daniel Ricciardo were ready to exploit Rosberg’s error filling the final two podium positions and overtaking Ferrari in the Constructor’s Championship going into the four-week summer break.

The race weekend was a talk of rules as the Strategy Group had met just before the weekend began. Their discussions included decisions about the ‘halo’ safety device, which has now been delayed until 2018. This is to give all of the teams a chance to run and trial the device before it comes into action and appropriate changes can be made to it. The Strategy Group also decided to remove the radio ban from the teams, which rules were beginning to become very confusing to fans and media alike, and to take away the privacy button so all radio transmission was available for public broadcast.

Qualifying saw Rosberg take pole from his teammate as he dominated the weekend.

Hamilton had no answer for the German as he had to settle for a second-place start. Unlike the pole position Rosberg took for the Hungarian Grand Prix, this one was clean and undisputable. Red Bull, Ferrari, Force India and Williams filled the top ten, with this Grand Prix being the first time since the European Grand Prix that neither McLaren has taken part in Q3. The Red Bulls and Ferraris finished two-by-two, with Nico Hulkenberg splitting Valtteri Bottas and Felipe Massa as Sergio Perez finished off the top ten.

Like in Hungary, Rosberg had a poor start off the line, allowing Hamilton to jump ahead into the lead to take another unchallenged victory. He slipped down behind the Red Bull pair to settle in fourth, where he would end the race. Mercedes and Red Bull split their strategies at the first round of stops, with Hamilton and Ricciardo swapping onto the softs whilst Rosberg and Max Verstappen double-stinted on the supersoft tyre. Irrelevant of this split strategy all of the top four ended up completing a three-stop strategy. Page | 13

Rosberg managed to close in the gap to Verstappen as the Dutchman struggled with tyre degradation on his Red Bull. Rosberg pitted early for his second stop to complete the undercut. Red Bull tried to cover the move by pitting Verstappen the next lap but, even though the Dutchman got out ahead, Rosberg used the slipstream to demote the Red Bull driver down off the podium.

But the move caused much dispute as Rosberg took the inside line to overtake the Dutchman, who moved under braking to block the move. This forced Rosberg to run deep into the corner, pushing Verstappen wide too and off of the track. The stewards deemed Rosberg had forced Verstappen off the track and handed him a five-second penalty that turned into an eight-second penalty when Mercedes had an issue with their stopwatch.

Ferrari was hopeful that they could join in the fight at the front through the race but could do no better than the positions they had qualified. Sebastian Vettel was fifth (where he started the race) a massive 32.5 seconds behind race-winner Hamilton. His teammate, Kimi Räikkönen, was 4.4 seconds behind him. This gave Red Bull the advantage they needed to go ahead of Ferrari in the Constructor’s Championship as we move into the summer break.

This was the first double podium Red Bull have scored since the 2015 Hungarian Grand Prix.

Nico Hulkenberg had a strong race to finish seventh, ahead of Jenson Button who was able to pass Bottas in the closing moments as the Williams hit the ‘cliff’ of the tyre. This left Bottas to finish ninth whilst his teammate Massa failed to finish the race after contact with Jolyon Palmer at Turn 6 on the first lap.

Fernando Alonso was dropped out of the points as his tyres struggled and lost massive performance in the last few laps. He had been closing in on his teammate, Button, but suddenly began to slip backwards. Perez took the final lap off the Spaniard as Alonso dropped to twelfth, with Gutierrez also taking advantage of the Spaniard’s drop in pace.

The only other retirement was Felipe Nasr, who dropped out about halfway through the Page | 14 race.

The F1 Rule Book @stevecampf1 Images: Sutton Images

Over many years Formula One has evolved from racing with no seat belts around disused war airfields to now one of the highest technologically advanced sports on the planet. But with this has come a hefty rulebook to keep all of the competitors in check to ensure that no one is cheating against the other.

How is this managed?

There are three distinct sets of rules that apply to Formula One, first of which is the international sporting code of the FIA, these are rules set out by the FIA for all of their racing series they run. Next up is the technical regulations and having tried to read some of it myself, I have to say it is a very hefty read to someone with not much engineering know how, but surely is an engineer's wet dream. The final rule book is the sporting regulations that set out the sporting side of the sport, this is anywhere from tyre suppliers or understanding how to navigate the virtual safety car.

Why are there so many rules you may ask? I know I have asked that myself from time to time, but we all know that any loophole in a regulation, teams and drivers will be very quick to exploit it, the article points and addendums are there to close as many of those loopholes as possible, this is to ensure parity of a rule is adhered to the letter, but it can quite often this can misread or understood in a different fashion and can lead to differences with the stewards of a grand prix or the FIA. Consistency Why aren't the rules being applied consistently? This is one of the biggest questions that I've heard from a lot of Formula One fans around the world. Applying the rules to a sport that constantly evolving is no easy task. Jo Bauer the technical delegate for the FIA has a mammoth task on his hands in overseeing all of the technical developments that the teams bring in and to ensure that they are fully legal to the technical regulations.

Page | 15

The stewards of each race also have a very difficult task in managing all of the incidents that occur during a race weekend, many of them can be solved quickly, but issues such as Nico Rosberg's recent pole position lap during the Hungarian Grand Prix prove often to be grey areas that can take a while to delve through.

Why are the rule so confusing?

Another issue fans often have with Formula One is that the rules are sometimes too confusing. It's not breaking news that over the years more and more rules have come into the sport, but often at the expense that it makes a previous ruling now more incomprehensible.

To ensure that competition and safety standards are upheld in a sport that is the fastest in the world, we need to try and cover all eventualities as much as possible, because as I said earlier on, teams will always try to exploit every advantage possible.

For example at the German Grand Prix, the turn one exit kerb was quite wide and in practice drivers were using almost every lap, this was despite the fact that Charlie Whiting the FIA race director had sensors put in place 20cm into the kerb.

Now, when fans all around the world are crying out at how drivers can escape penalties for exceeding track limits in one corner and not another is down to whether that the exit kerb does in fact provide a batter exit not, this can be down to the surface of the kerb, whether it's serrated or not to if there is AstroTurf or gravel, this can affect traction and can determine if it's going to be an advantage or not.

The race track is defined by the white lines either side of the tarmac and we all know that, so a lot of you have asked why that running on a kerb can be allowed. Perhaps Hockenheim could widen the apex of corner to ensure that cars within the lines, there is plenty of run off to do so.

At the end of the day, rules are there to ensure parity and safety and whether or not we like some of them is a different story, but Formula One surely does need to realise what is important isn't to keep fans and teams alike happy.

Page | 16

FORMULA 1: MID-SEASON REVIEW

Page | 17

Page | 18

Page | 19

Page | 20

Page | 21

Sauber’s Fight For Survival @telepathiccow Images: Sutton Images

2016 has been a turbulent year for Sauber's F1 team. The headlines regarding the team have been dominated by their financial issues rather that the team’s actual performance which has been mediocre at best.

The season started in disarray for the Swiss team as wages for their staff in February were paid late and just before the season opener at Melbourne their technical boss Mark Smith departed. Results at a track where they came fifth and eighth at last year were less that satisfactory as Ericsson retired and Nasr could only manage fifteenth. Bahrain came next and Sauber’s financial difficulty became even more glaring as team principal Monisha Kaltenborn missed the Bahrain GP as she went to Switzerland to try and drum up money for the team. Both Dutch TV and British TV reported that the team could miss the Chinese GP. During the race Nasr was furious. “This car is terrible to drive!” the Brazilian grumbled on the team radio. They came 12th and 14th in Bahrain. More rumours began to circulate as Ferrari were linked with buying the team and making it a Ferrari sister team under the name of legendary manufacturer Alfa Romeo.

Following the Bahrain GP the team were late paying their staff’s wages yet again. They turned up to the Chinese GP regardless of the rumours surrounding the team. Poor results ensued at China, Russia and Spain. The team was forced to skip in-season testing at Barcelona to cut costs and for the third month in a row their staff was paid late. The next race was an embarrassing one for Sauber as their two drivers collided and eventually Page | 22 retired at Monaco.

Ericsson made a ridiculous gung-ho move on Nasr after the Brazilian failed to comply with team orders which told him to move over for the Swede. 15th and 17th for Ericsson and 18th and 12th for Nasr were the next results for the team at Canada and Azerbaijan while Austria brought about 13th for Nasr and 15th for Ericsson. Even more rumours came out about a future financial backer for the team with Marcus Ericsson’s sponsors being linked with buying the team.

After 15th place and a retirement at the British GP some good news about the Sauber team finally came to light as Sauber finally secured their financial future with Longbow Finance acquiring the team. The company bought both Peter Sauber and Monisha Kaltenborn’s shares in the team making them the one and only owner of the team. Kaltenborn was announced to carry on as team principal and CEO but however there was no room left for Peter Sauber who was succeeded by the President of Longbow: Pascal Picci. Upon the acquisition Picci said: “As a Swiss company, we are very pleased with having secured the future of a Swiss presence in a highly specialized and innovative industry.” Meanwhile Marcus Ericsson denied that there were any links between Longbow and his own backers.

Sauber’s future began to look a little brighter with Felipe Nasr who previously strongly stated his intentions to leave the team and take his sponsor: Banco De Brasil elsewhere now said that he would prefer to stay at the Swiss outfit.

More mediocre results followed this news at both Hungary and Germany but this doesn’t really matter anymore. Even though this season appears to be a write-off for the team the important thing is that next year they can focus on making a good car rather than trying to keep themselves afloat. With new regulations arriving next year the team can get off to a fresh start with their financial worries eased. Maybe then we can see them return to the competitiveness of the days of Robert Kubica and Nick Heidfeld.

Page | 23

How Are The 2016 Rookies Faring? @Alex_booth_93 Images: Renault Sport and Getty Images

Jolyon Palmer The 2014 GP2 Series champion spent last season as the reserve driver for the Lotus team, before being promoted to the full time race seat as Lotus became Renault again in 2016.

Given the state of the team that Renault bought into, Palmer was on a hiding to nothing but he had a fairly impressive debut in Australia, out qualifying his highly-rated team mate Kevin Magnussen and finishing just outside the points.

After that Palmer struggled. Come Monaco, he began to look flustered and crashing as the race got underway did not help matters. There were even whispers that Palmer’s seat was under threat. However, this would have been unfair for the fact that the 25-year-old is having to make do with a rather poor car. It is hard to envisage another driver doing a remarkably better job under the circumstances.

The closest Palmer has come to scoring points was in Hungary when he outpaced Magnussen all weekend. In the race the Englishman got ahead of Nico Hulkenberg in the pit lane and looked set to pick up a point for 10th place, only to throw it away by spinning off. A great shame for the Brit.

Part one of 2016 has been difficult but he will recover from the disappointment of Hungary, if he can use the summer break to let his head settle down he will improve in the second half of the season. Continuing to match Magnussen’s pace cannot do him any harm.

Pascal Wehrlein Mercedes protégé Pascal Wehrlein was tipped for F1 stardom before he even arrived on the grid. After winning the 2015 DTM championship, the German manufacturer was keen to find an F1 seat for him. A Mercedes engine in the back of a Manor was the ticket. While Manor were in a much brighter state than they were 12 months ago they are still a backmarker team, but the young German has done everything he can do to shine in a tail end car.

He has on occasion been out qualified by Rio Haryanto but Wehrlein has had the better of the Indonesian in race trim. In Bahrain he drove an outstanding race to finish 13th ahead of both Force India’s. He finished every race until Baku when he retired with brake failure.

That was quickly forgotten when he picked up Manor’s first points finish since the late Page | 24 Jules Bianchi in 2014 when he finished 10th in Austria.

Wehrlein is undoubtedly the rookie of the year so far, perhaps the biggest disappointment for him has been Nico Rosberg’s contract extension with the Mercedes works team.

Nonetheless more development will only make the German an even brighter future prospect.

Rio Haryanto Germany proved to be the last time that Rio Haryanto would line up on the Formula One grid for the time being. His Indonesian financial backing has dried up and cost him the seat, which is a shame as the 23-year-old was far from a disgrace.

Perhaps the best thing Haryanto could hope for was to be on par with much-fancied team mate Wehrlein, and he did just that, certainly in qualifying.

There is no denying that Haryanto is not as complete a driver as Wehrlein and there have been some schoolboy errors. Still that had nothing to do with his demotion to reserve driver, for F1 has always been a tough business. It will be sad if Germany ultimately ends up being his last career start.

Stoffel Vandoorne Few drivers have had a debut as eagerly anticipated as Stoffel Vandoorne. The dominant GP2 champion last year got his chance when Fernando Alonso was ruled out of the Bahrain Grand Prix after his colossal accident in Australia. The Belgian grabbed the opportunity with both hands.

He did not put a foot wrong all weekend and brought a still uncompetitive McLaren home in 10th place to score a point on his debut. He is currently racing in the Japanese Super Formula championship and is widely tipped to be promoted to a full time drive with McLaren for 2017.

Esteban Ocon For those who don’t know Frenchman Esteban Ocon is the man who beat Max Verstappen to the European F3 title in 2014. He also won the GP3 title last year. This year he has driven in four Friday Practice sessions for Renault and will take Haryanto’s seat at Manor from Belgium onwards. Interestingly he remains a Mercedes development driver, just like team Page | 25 mate Pascal Wehrlein.

The New Kids On The Block @WA10Tom Images: formlaoneblog and conceptcarz

People had no idea what to expect when Gene Haas secured his entry into Formula one.

Haas is no stranger to top flight motorsport, having run the Stewart-Haas team, alongside Tony Stewart since 2003. Haas started making machine tools back in 1983, fast forward to 2016 his company is one of the world leaders in CNC machining, he also has a successful NASCAR team and a brand new Formula 1 team.

Haas announced his intention to enter after the failed USF1 bid in 2010, he was granted his entry for the 2015 World championship, however decided to wait until 2016 to compete in the sport. A decision which seemed to help the team’s early form, with their car being the first to pass the official crash tests in January 2016, and a shakedown being complete by December 2015. Those 12 months also allowed Haas to focus soley on their 2016 car, to make it the best that they possibly could. Compare that to the likes of Caterham, who in 2010: Designed, built & tested their first car in less than 5 months.

The only US based Formula 1 team has its headquarters in Kannapolis, North Carolina along with a base in Banbury which used to belong to the Marussia team, which was auctioned off when the team collapsed. Haas also bought a lot of Marussia team kit, including their 2012 race car. This is what was used for their promotional car. This was another advantage that the team had, as they could start training their staff on the various systems and procedures for a race weekend.

Haas also managed to form some important partnerships. They hired Dallara to build their chassis, with Ferrari providing components like the power unit, gearbox and some suspension and electrical parts. Haas also have the use of Ferrari’s wind tunnel. This new model of hiring specialists to do some of the important jobs was tried in parts by the likes of HRT, Caterham and Virgin. Dallara built HRT’s chassis, Cosworth provided all three with engines, and Xtrac built the gearboxes, however none of these came with the specialist support that Ferrari could provide. None of them even had access to a wind tunnel.

Page | 26

This approach was met with some praise, with the team finding a way of entering Formula 1 “on a budget” while others said that the partnership with Ferrari ran too deep. It also fuelled a political argument, that with ‘satellite teams’ becoming more common, it could give the big teams more bargaining power when it comes to changing the rules. Now Red Bull have Toro Rosso, Ferrari have Haas, and Mercedes now have Manor. All three have close relations with their “parent” teams, which could mean that the FIA get beaten down by teams grouping together when voting on matters.

Haas has also managed to attract a large amount of talent to the team. Drivers Romain Grosjean and Esteban Gutierrez both have envious driving CVs having both come from manufacture backed programs. The team’s principle Guenther Steiner was the technical director at Red Bull.

Either way, this approach is what has allowed Haas to score 28 points in 12 races, when compared to Manor, Caterham and HRT, who scored 3 points collectively since 2010.

Their Haas VF-16 is not only one of the best looking cars on the grid this year, it is also the best ‘first attempt’ at a Formula 1 team. However, as the season has gone on, the team has started to fall behind the development race. As the team try to understand their car and the different circuits they are visiting with little to no prior data to use.

The entry of Haas has been one of F1’s great stories of 2016. We look forward to seeing how far up the grid this team can push, and what success they find in the future. If Haas’ NASCAR effort is anything to go by, it won’t be long before they are fighting near the front.

Page | 27

Renault, Ce N'est Pas Magnifique @Alex_booth_93 Images: Renault Sport

Renault’s return to Formula One as a works team has been tough to say the least. At the half way point of the season only Manor and Sauber sit behind them in the Constructor’s championship, with Kevin Magnussen’s seventh place in Russia their solitary points finish of 2016 so far. However, in fairness to the famous French marque, they were not expecting much from this season in the first place, saying they were targeting a return to the podium within three years.

Last year the former Lotus team was in financial meltdown with the bailiffs arriving at the door. The fact they managed to complete the 2015 season was a feat in itself. It had been expected that Renault would buy back the team that they sold five years earlier but the deal was not finalised until late December. This did not bode well for 2016 prospects, indeed the RS16 is little more than a modified Lotus E23, which was not the best starting block to begin with, running a Renault engine and gearbox in a chassis originally designed for a Mercedes power unit. Sporting miracles have happened, but a Renault win straight out of the block would have been overly optimistic.

The team was the first to launch their 2016 car to the public but suffered from a string of problems in pre-season testing. They also hit the news before the season started when it was announced that former McLaren Kevin Magnussen would drive for the team alongside the ex-GP2 champion Jolyon Palmer, pushing out Pastor Maldonado whose funds failed to materialise.

By the time Australia came Renault’s performance was not bad considering their hasty preparation, new boy Jolyon Palmer made it into Q2 and finished just outside the points in 11th. Kevin Magnussen repeated this finish in Bahrain although this was tempered by Palmer failing to take the start. China was a disappointing weekend, ending with Palmer bringing up the rear of the race classification but things improved in Russia. Helped by the first lap chaos both cars drove steadily with Magnussen finishing in an impressive seventh place and opening the teams account for 2016. So the opening races had not been a complete disaster, for they had at least scored points.

Page | 28

When the European season firmly got underway things took a turn for the worse, with both cars colliding in Spain, though not as in such spectacular fashion as their German rivals! While in Monaco, Jolyon Palmer’s race ended before he had completed a single racing lap when he slid off in the wet conditions, Magnussen’s race also ended after a collision with Daniil Kvyat. Their slump in performance was blamed on Renault’s engine upgrade upsetting the balance of the car, though it did help the Red Bull team.

The next three races were not ones to remember for Renault as neither of their cars made it out of Q1. Baku saw Palmer 21st on the grid and Magnussen starting from the pit lane.

At Silverstone Magnussen did make into Q2 but neither car saw the chequered flag for the second time in 2016.

In Hungary there looked to be in upturn in form as the team reverted to a previous configuration of the RS16 which they had used prior to Monaco and the cars looked better.

Come the race Jolyon Palmer looked on course for his first points finish before he made a mistake which he will not want to be reminded of. A potential 10th place was lost.

Nevertheless, the weekend as a whole had been an improvement on previous performances.

As the team headed into the summer break it was plain to see that Renault had been struggling on their return but success does not come overnight in the sport. The team has made the decision to stop developing the 2016 car to work on their 2017 effort, with new regulations coming in next year that will do the team no harm at all. Everybody remembers what happened when Honda stopped working on the car in 2008, which became the Brawn in 2009. Furthermore, Renault’s return as a works team has shown the company’s commitment to the sport which has only helped Red Bull who continue to run TAG-Heuer branded Renault engines. The cars are bright and so is the future for Renault.

Page | 29

How Red Bull Max-ed Their Potential @Benissatt Images: Gazetta World and Top Gear

At the start of the season expectations were low in the Red Bull camp with the senior team cautiously looking over their shoulder at their junior counterparts, hoping 2008 wasn’t about to repeat itself. As it turned out, Red Bull sit second in the Constructors’ Championship and are seen as the team most likely to challenge Mercedes going forward.

The Renault power unit, which they had cursed at so much it had to be renamed a TAG Heuer, was much more desirable, so much so they ordered them for Toro Rosso as well.

Talking of the Italian team, they have enjoyed another successful campaign thanks to a chassis Ferrari would die for. Carlos Sainz has been the revelation he threatened to be last year and currently sitting 11th in the Drivers’ Championship. The biggest story, however, to come from Red Bull this year surrounded one driver. The decision to promote Max Verstappen in favour of Daniil Kvyat had a profound impact at both teams. The circumstances that led to the driver swap are still controversial, even if it has proven to be the right call for the long term.

Kvyat was full of confidence having beaten Sebastian Vettel en route to a podium in China.

That same aggressiveness, however, would backfire at his home race in Sochi as he hit Vettel not once but twice within a few hundred metres, the second impact spearing the Ferrari into the wall. Usually an incident such as that would have been seen as a blip, after all it wasn’t like Sebastian was perfect during his initial Red Bull years, but this provided an opportunity and it wasn’t to be wasted. But, as the first murmurings of Verstappen being considered by the likes of Ferrari and Mercedes began and unhappiness emerged between the Dutchman and Sainz at Toro Rosso, it made perfect sense for Dr Helmut Marko to kill all birds with a single stone.

Sign Verstappen to a multi-year deal at Red Bull and in doing so keep prying hands at bay.

Remove the tension caused by having the ego of a man already considered a future champion at 18 at Toro Rosso and use Daniil Kvyat’s crazy 500 metres as the scapegoat for it all.

Page | 30

There really is no surprise that the Russian has wilted his confidence away. On top of the world one minute, back down the ladder the next, no-one could recover from that in the environment he is in. On the contrary, Verstappen began life as a senior with a race win that almost felt like destiny. From the Mercedes’ taking each other out on lap one, to Red Bull removing Daniel Ricciardo from his path with poor strategy, the stars aligned for a future F1 megastar.

Carlos Sainz was like a cork in a bottle and sprung to life leading Toro Rosso to eight points finishes in the first 12 races and after Spain, Ricciardo, almost the forgotten man in all this, went to Monaco like a caged animal. The ‘honey badger’ was in full effect as he flatly dominated the weekend in Monte Carlo, storming to his first F1 pole and then bolting ahead on what was a stormy Sunday. His race would be undone, however, by another Red Bull botch as the tyres were not ready for his stop to switch to slicks. That caged animal really was penned in behind Lewis Hamilton and on those tight, twisty streets there was no way though. Second felt like last and the smile may as well have gone back to Australia.

That even sparked rumours Ricciardo may look elsewhere with Ferrari again a potential destination. That speculation was soon halted as well and now both drivers are signed up until 2018. That is not to say Ricciardo is 100% settled, despite being the ‘number one’ he now has to prove himself against the man who wants his throne in Verstappen, that is a position that must be pretty hard to accept. What it has caused, however, is three incredibly focused and hungry drivers and Kvyat waiting for his nightmare to end. That is a recipe that will push a team to catch Mercedes and we shouldn’t be surprised to see Red Bull already in the position of closest challengers.

The bigger question going forward is not if a Verstappen-led Red Bull can beat the Silver Arrows but when and 2017 looks like offering the perfect platform.

Page | 31

Williams Martini Racing Mid-Season Review: ‘A Strong Start but A Recent Slump of Form’ @JDixon1899 Images: Williams F1 and paddockeye

After the dismal results of 2013 and their surprise turn of form in 2014 and 2015 – to establish themselves as front running team with strong constructor’s finishes - that Williams would go into the 2016 season optimistic of challenging Ferrari for 2nd in the constructors and maybe even a win here or there. Technical director Pat Symonds, with his depth of knowledge and understanding in the sport, is always guaranteed to design a fast car, and with their two drivers – Felipe Massa and Valtteri Bottas – going into their third season as teammates and both in seemingly great form, could use the car to its full potential.

But, the season got off to a slow start. Despite getting sold points haul at most races – around 5th to 8th place - the team still hasn’t found the speed they had in the previous two seasons, only one podium has been delivered up to this point, with Bottas in Canada. Even at tracks that typically the drag characteristics of the car, Austria, form was below expectation, with only two points were scored. This change in form has prompted a change in their expectations, as they are not able to battle Ferrari and Red Bull for 2nd, but instead the team is now in a battle with the similarly funded Force India for 4th. This should be an interesting result towards the end of the season as Williams are the team in the lead of this battle, but Force India seemingly have the faster car at this point.

The Car A reason why Williams form has slumped is because of the car. The FW38 kept the same low-drag philosophy of its predecessors meaning it was fast in a straight line, but struggled in low speed corners as it understeers, which meant it was a difficult car to drive on tracks like Monaco. However, according to deputy team principal Claire Williams said progress was made in these areas, and this was proved with the FW38 close to the Ferrari SF16-H on pace. But, when they got to Australia, they could only manage 5th, behind the Mercedes’, Ferraris and most notably a Red Bull, which suggested the team had jumped the Grove-based outfit.

Page | 32

With the still standard setting Mercedes Power Unit in the back of the car, the team are guaranteed regular points finishes and a top five in the constructors and with that in mind, the development of the 2017 may be stepped up sooner rather than later.

The Drivers The line-up that Williams have had for the last three seasons can be argued as one of the most dynamic and effective duo on the gird. Valtteri Bottas, now in his fourth season in F1, has established himself as one of the top drivers on the grid, alongside the likes of Ricciardo and Verstappen. So far this season, he has scored in all races, bar Monaco and Britain, Bottas’s 58-point haul currently puts him seventh in standings. His consistency and ability to constantly beat his teammate are sonme of his talents and both traits are key traits of all the greats.

Felipe Massa, the much loved Brazilian has struggled much more than Bottas with the FW38’s technical difficulties and slump in the development race. He also has had some terrible luck, with the retirement in Germany from a nudge on the opening clearly showing that. The early season showed the form of the old Massa many of his fans adored.

However, as Williams were losing ground to the front the Brazilian lost his form and his consistency. Whilst his teammate is consistently in the points and grabbing a podium, the same race in which Massa retired with a rare and unlucky Mercedes Power Unit issue.

With his loss of form and Williams urge to refresh their driver line-up for 2017, the 11-time race winner may be forced into retirement. The only way he will keep that seat is to refind the form he had at the beginning of the season and fight to bring the points deficit down to Bottas.

Expectations for The Rest of the Season?

Williams’ primary target is to beat Force India to 4th in the constructors and resolve the loss in their front-running form. This would mean that the team would go into 2017 on the front foot with the confidence to fight at the front again. But, none of this will unless the drivers regain their confidence and with that, consistent points finish, podiums etc. the first two races back after the summer break – Spa and Monza – suit the low drag package of the Williams car, which means they should aim to do well there and if they do, it might Page | 33 set up a much better second half of the season for the Grove-based team.

Five Drivers Under Pressure Post-Summer Break @Benissatt Images: fspy and f1weekends

As the F1 paddock enjoy a summer break, some drivers will be sipping on their pina coladas on the beach a little more comfortably than others. The final stretch of nine races to complete the 2016 season will see a number of drivers under pressure for various reasons whether it be to save their F1 career or to try and one-up their team-mate heading into 2017. Here are my Top 5 who need to get it right on the road to Abu Dhabi.

1. Daniil Kvyat Daniil Kvyat has had a rollercoaster season that has seen his most memorable moment, finishing third in China, collapse to an all-time low after being demoted back to Toro Rosso. Kvyat was the scapegoat in Red Bull’s politically-motivated promotion of Max Verstappen to the senior team and he has yet to get over the shock. His current teammate Carlos Sainz hasn’t helped scoring in three-quarters of the races completed so far while Kvyat only has two tenth place finishes at the junior team. The Russian’s future will lie outside the Red Bull program, but where he goes next depends on how he performs.

Williams or Renault are potential destinations but he faces stiff competition from others if he wants to escape his current predicament. He needs to use this summer break to refocus and come back eager to prove he does still have the talent and is worthy of another chance at the top in F1.

2. Daniel Ricciardo Continuing the Verstappen effect, Daniel Ricciardo faces a very tough battle on his hands to ensure his status within the Red Bull team. Since the Dutchman was promoted for the Spanish Grand Prix, he has outscored the Australian 104-97 over the eight races, including a retirement in Monaco. That tally also comes despite the 27-year-old out-qualifying his teenage team-mate 7-1 since Spain. There’s no doubt both men are highly regarded by the Red Bull hierarchy but Verstappen is their new golden boy. Therefore, Ricciardo must assert his position as the lead driver to ensure he is in the best position when he has a car capable of challenging Mercedes, as soon as next year.

Page | 34

3. Nico Rosberg Nico Rosberg looked to be serenely on his way to the title when he pulled out a 43-point lead on Lewis Hamilton after victories in the first four races, but since the two Mercedes’ collided in Spain it’s gone downhill… fast. Now 19 points behind the Briton, many are only pinning Rosberg’s hopes on engine penalties his team-mate will incur. But if he doesn’t become champion this year, it becomes highly likely he never will as the more flat-out style racing being anticipated for next year will not suit him. Also increased competition from Red Bull, Ferrari and others will highlight just how important Nico’s dominant car has been in his championship quests since 2014. While he may be signed up for the Silver Arrow for another two years, if Rosberg wants them to be enjoyable he must be crowned the new ‘weltmeister’ at Yas Marina.

4. Esteban Gutierrez When Esteban Gutierrez was signed by Haas, thanks to his Ferrari link, many were skeptical. At the summer break that same feeling dominates. The Mexican is yet to score on his return to F1 and, while Haas have struggled for consistency with tyre problems, when they have been competitive it has been Romain Grosjean scoring the points and not Gutierrez. As a result, he needs to prove to Haas that he deserves to retain that seat and with Charles Leclerc looking over his shoulder that puts plenty of pressure of the 25-yearold.

5. Kevin Magnussen Kevin Magnussen’s return with Renault was met with much glee from fans. Now though the Dane finds himself once again battling for the F1 future. A disappointing car certainly hasn’t helped his cause, but he hasn’t really blown his team-mate Jolyon Palmer out of the water. Palmer is a good driver but he won’t be at the team next season, he was a leftover from the Lotus takeover and he has proven that not all GP2 champions make worthy F1 drivers. Magnussen may have scored Renault’s only points of the year in Sochi but the rest is simply a collection of average-ness. Renault has big aspirations and if they want to match them they need a capable driver pairing, it’s up to Kevin over the final races to prove he should remain.

Page | 35

Whimpering Ferrari Leave Arrivabene In A Tough Spot @Benissatt Images: fspy and report.az

After ending 2015 as the most improved team and promising more was to come, 2016 was meant to be about Ferrari rising up to challenge Mercedes. In pre-season that looked the case as the Prancing Horse appeared to be right on the tail of the Silver Arrow. That promise even carried to Australia as Sebastian Vettel and Kimi Raikkonen both looked on course to hand Mercedes an early loss. However, that first race at Albert Park would become an embodiment of what was to come, as a strategy error allowed Mercedes back in front for the win and the one-two.

Since then it has been one disappointment after another and gradually the position of number two has been shifting away from Maranello and now lies with Red Bull in Milton Keynes. Much of what has allowed Red Bull to get ahead in recent races lies in a large deficit in the chassis department. For the last seven years the Scuderia have failed to overcome their biggest weakness and even at a time when Formula One is enginedominated, it is leaving them vulnerable to the talents of Adrian Newey and Co. At the last three races before the summer break, at Silverstone, Hungaroring and Hockenheim, three venues where you need a good all-round car, Ferrari have failed to even score a podium while Red Bull has had at least one man spray the champagne at each of the last four Grand Prix’s.

Even in the early races, poor reliability due to a niggling turbo issue and tyre woes in qualifying meant they couldn’t maximise their potential. All of these issues have caused Ferrari to take a very hard at itself and left their team boss under pressure. Maurizio Arrivabene was meant to be the new maestro that would bring a new, more modern philosophy to Ferrari. With a revitalised Vettel onboard it appeared to be working when they won three races last year but instead the team has fallen back into the same old pattern. In many ways you could ask what has changed since Stefano Domenicali was fired?

Page | 36

That same old conservative approach could be blamed for what was a hotly-debated decision to resign Kimi Raikkonen for another year. The Finn has been enjoying a successful year, indeed he actually leads Vettel by two points in the Drivers’ Championship, but with so much young blood ready to step up, it seemed a sensible risk to take. Retaining Raikkonen was Vettel’s preferred option, but taking someone like the highly impressive Carlos Sainz or Sergio Perez could have further driven the team forward like Max Verstappen’s arrival at Red Bull has done. Returning to this year’s issues, however, and off-track matters certainly haven’t helped Ferrari. James Allison, who was meant to be one of the key pillars of Ferrari’s revolution, suffered the death of his wife in March.

The Briton’s personal commitments since were hampering chassis development and ultimately, Ferrari and Allison agreed to go their separate ways, splitting a few weeks ago.

Now it means the team has to shuffle its pack once again and it is up to Ferrari to find a structure that works. Next year provides rule changes that could dramatically change the pecking order of the grid. McLaren, Renault and Williams among others are looking to close the gap to Mercedes and if Ferrari doesn’t get it right they could be left behind for several years to come. If that was to be the case, it would become very hard for the team to retain Sebastian Vettel, a man who, despite his passion to succeed at Ferrari, would not follow what Fernando Alonso did and hope the Scuderia finally gets it right.

Indeed, the German may not be too impressed if he ends this year losing out to his former employers at Red Bull, a team many were writing off before the start of the season, in the Constructors’ Championship. Therefore, the next 12 months or so are vital for Ferrari. The failures of this year can just about be overlooked if they are in a strong position at the start of 2017, come up short again, however, and the fate of Arrivabene will be sealed.

Page | 37

Just Where Are Ferrari Now? @Joe96Clark Image: Sky Sports F1

Before the 2016 season began, the Ferrari F1 Team as well as fans were full of confidence that they would be fighting for the driver’s and constructor’s championship with Mercedes with promising gains that they had made through the winter. However, this did not come to fruition and thanks to poor results through the first half of the season and the emergence of Red Bull as contenders for ‘the next best’ behind the Mercedes team, fans and critics alike are questioning where Ferrari really are in terms of being the quickest on the grid.

Sebastian Vettel, the four-time Formula One champion, in search of championship number five has in recent weeks been questioned as to whether he is still happy at Ferrari and if he sees his future with the team as being successful.

“Let me tell you, there is nothing to it, I am pretty happy where I am. I don’t think I’m telling a secret when I say that all at Ferrari are not satisfied with how the 2016 season has started” Vettel explained during the Hungarian Grand Prix weekend.

However, he added that “it is always possible to win – that’s why we are here! I am far away from calling this season a failure and I am convinced that we are on the right path.”

Ferrari lost their Chief Technical Officer, James Allison with immediate effect in order for him to spend more time with his family. In March, his wife, the mother of his three children sadly passed away and this is thought to be a big part of the decision he took to leave the Scuderia. Allison had a major influence on the team and played a key role in the turn around the team achieved from their disappointing and winless 2014 season to the 2015 season where the team won three races. Ferrari feel that they have the best driver pairing on the grid at the moment with both Kimi and Sebastian having good relations, which dramatically helps the team as they do not have to worry about tensions between the two.

Ferrari have their work cut out for the remainder of the season in order to battle for second place in the constructor’s standings, with pressure from current-second placed team Red Bull, whose remarkable resurgence under their new partnership with Renault has taken some by surprise.

Page | 38

Esteban Ocon? Who’s That? @Joe96Clark Image: thecheckeredflag

Esteban Ocon is a French racing driver for the Manor F1 Team. Born on September 17, 1996, he is just 19 years old and little over a year older than current prodigy Max Verstappen. In a move just three weeks old, Ocon moves from Renault’s reserve driver position to primarily driving for the Manor Formula 1 team. This was a move pushed through by Cyril Abiteboul (Renault Managing Director) and Toto Wolff (Executive Director of Mercedes), in order to secure the progression of the young Frenchman.

“We are very pleased that this opportunity has opened up for Esteban, that Manor has again had the confidence to give a chance to a promising young talent and that the good collaboration between Mercedes-Benz and Renault has allowed this to come together,” Toto Wolff explained.

Where has Esteban Ocon come in terms of career progression?

Ocon began his racing career as most drivers on the grid did, by entering karting in 2006.

He won the French Minime Championship in his second year and he kept on impressing until he made his Formula Renault debut in 2012 for the Koiranen Motorsport Team.

Impressing in his championship winning season in 2014 in the Formula Three series, Ocon made his first Formula One appearance for Lotus F1 Team, when driving in practice one of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix weekend.

Esteban’s quick progression through the ranks in motor racing reached its near pinnacle when winning the GP3 Series in 2015, following a season long battle with Luca Ghiotto.

He did so in the ART Grand Prix car, with his title battle running to the wire. Eventually pipping Luca Ghiotto to the title. In February of 2016, Ocon announced that he would be filling the seat left vacant by Manor F1 Team-bound, Pascal Wehrlein.

2016 has been a successful year for Esteban Ocon so far and there is no doubt that he is only going to continue to rise to prominence. Following testing in the 2016 spec Mercedes W07 car and acting as a reserve driver for the Renault F1 work’s team, he has recently graduated to his first Formula 1 seat with the Manor F1 Team. He is replacing the outbound Rio Haryanto following his departure thanks to inability to provide the finances needed in order to drive for Manor.

Page | 39

Will Button Or Vandoorne Partner Alonso In 2017? @Alice_Holloway_ Images: maxf1

With Stoffel Vandoorne’s impressive performance in GP2 last year, completing a dominant season that he won, there was instantly discussion about when he would be stepping into a McLaren F1 seat. With Jenson Button’s contract expiring at the end of 2016, McLaren must decide whether they want the veteran of the sport partnering Alonso next year, or whether they invest in they’re young driver.

Fernando Alonso had his breath-taking crash in Australia that had him sitting out of the Bahrain Grand Prix, opening the door for the young Belgium driver to compete in his first Formula One race. Coming away from that, having scored McLaren-Honda’s first point of the season, it seemed to become inevitable that Vandoorne would be in a McLaren, saying that if ever the team needed him to step into the car again he would be ready. Vandoorne, unlike the 2014 GP2 Champion Jolyon Palmer, has spent his ‘year out’ continuing to race in a different series - Super Formula with the Honda-powered Docomo Team Dandelion Racing - with the aim to keep himself ‘race sharp’ as he waits for a Formula One seat.

Vandoorne outperformed Button when they raced together in Bahrain, but it will be about what McLaren is looking for next year as to which driver they will sign. Vandoorne could probably continue on in Super Formula next year if Button holds onto his seat. Button’s options are much more limited if he stays in Formula One and is dropped from McLaren.

The Brit has already had an offer from Williams Racing Team to return to them. How long that contract would last is not known but it would be assumed he would replace Felipe Massa at the British team. However, since expressing interest in resigning Button, Williams has gone on the record saying they will not wait around for Button to make a decision. It could become a case of the Brit losing his opportunity there if McLaren choose to do what they did in 2014 and keep the Briton waiting to know if he has a seat until after Christmas. Button has said he will talk with McLaren in September about his future.

Page | 40

If he does not stay in Formula One Button has expressed interest in other series, such as Rallycross and WEC. The Brit did have an offer from Toyota’s WEC team last year when Alex Wurz left. He would have replaced the Austrian driver in the LMP1 team to partner Sebastian Buemi and Anthony Davidson – the team that were robbed of the Le Mans 2016 victory in the penultimate lap. It is unknown if an offer still stands from Toyota for Button to move across but Button has always spoken calmly about his future. He would like to try out Rallycross as it was the sport his father took part and made his name in.

Both Vandoorne and Button would be a good pairing for Alonso in 2017. With McLaren and Alonso claiming that the car could be strong enough to push for the World Championship as early as next year, it will really have to be a decision based on what sort of team dynamic McLaren want going into next year. If Button does survive to 2017 it would have to be assumed that he would only get a single year extension and that Vandoorne would definitely be in the car for 2018. But discussions of 2018 bring Alonso into this discussion and whether the Spaniard will be looking to stay on in Formula One or turn to another sport, having already come out and said he wishes to win the Indy 500 and Le Mans 24 Hour.

Alonso could also be a contributing factor of who his teammate is next year. If he has any power in the team he may try and sway the team to keep Button as Alonso would probably prefer a teammate like Button rather than a younger driver who would potentially push him harder if a World Championship was available. Alonso will not want to repeat 2007.

Button and Vandoorne are both extremely talented drivers, but Vandoorne has yet to prove his stuff in the pinnacle of motorsport. Both drivers can bring something different to the team for next year, and if McLaren really do believe they can be strong enough to be fighting for World Championships they need to make sure they have the correct line Page | 41 up for the job.

Mclaren-Honda: Finally Joining The Party? @TelepathicCow

Mclaren had an extremely tough 2015 season. The reintroduction of the Mclaren Honda combination was much anticipated but their performances were well below par with the team only managing to beat Marussia in the Constructor’s Championship despite having two of the most talented drivers on the grid racing for them. Honda couldn’t waltz into F1 and immediately produce a great engine for the team and this is where the team’s main problems lay that season.

Mclaren retained their 2015 line-up for 2016. The car was expected to be vastly improved.

The car had made evident gains but it was no incredible boost to the team’s performance.

Their first points came through a substitute driver. Belgian prodigy Stoffel Vandoorne (filling in for Fernando Alonso after the Spaniard’s humongous accident at Australia) finished 10th in his first ever Grand Prix at Bahrain and as a result brought Mclaren home a well-deserved point.

This point came in the second race of the season as opposed to the team’s first point coming at the sixth race of the season in 2016.

Alonso returned for the race at China but he and Button could only manage 12th and 13th respectively. At Sochi the team netted their second ever double points finish since the switch to Honda with Alonso finishing an impressive 6th while Button finished 10th.

Page | 42

The team scored points in the next two rounds in Spain and Monaco with the latter round producing another double points finish for the team. This was followed by no points at Canada and Azerbaijan. But Austria saw Jenson Button qualify in an unprecedented third place following changeable conditions in qualifying.

Button managed to convert this into a 6th place finish with Alonso retiring. Mclaren scored no points at Silverstone but the Hungarian and German Grand Prix were both points scoring races.

While Mclaren and Honda have made fairly substantial gains in 2016 the results are not satisfactory for a team of Mclaren’s stature. Mclaren have a tough few races ahead of them with many of the upcoming circuits being reliant on the power-train of the car such as Spa and Monza.

Mclaren will hope to get through these races with a few points gained despite the Honda engine’s failings and will set their sights on catching the likes of Force India in the standings.

But attention will soon turn to the 2017 season and Mclaren will hope that them and Honda can adapt to the new regulations and produce a championship contending car and engine.

Mclaren also have a decision to make with whom they want to drive for their team in 2017.

Fernando Alonso is expected to stick with the team next season but the real dilemma lies in picking between Jenson Button and talented, young reserve driver Stoffel Vandoorne who is currently impressing in Super Formula. Whoever they do pick 2017 is bound to be a very interesting year for Mclaren.

Page | 43

Who Holds The Power In F1: Fans Or FIA? @Alice_Holloway_ Images: FIA and f1 fansite

2016 has been the year of changing rules for the opening half of the season, with the qualifying shambles in the opening few rounds and the recent radio communication and track limits rules. It has left much confusion among the fans and the media alike as everyone has tried to keep track of what the rules are and tried to understand them. But with the multiple changes that have occurred just in the last twelve races it leads to the question of who controls the power in Formula One now – the fans and the media or the FIA? At the beginning of the season, the FIA brought in the elimination system of qualifying.

This system knocked the slowest drivers out of the qualifying sessions every 90 seconds after a period of time had passed: after 7 minutes in a 16-minute Q1, 6 minutes in a 15minute Q2 and 5 minutes in a 14-minute Q3. After its debut in Australia where pole position was claimed with five minutes of the session left, it was critiqued highly by fans, media and the teams. The FIA and Bernie Ecclestone said that once the teams understood the system it would work well, but after a repeat flop for the Bahrain Grand Prix the idea was scrapped and the 2015 qualifying system was reinstated.

Last year the FIA started trying to bring in a radio communication clamp down so that the drivers could not be coached in how to drive their cars through races. This started off as not too bad of a rule in 2015 (it came in for the 2015 Belgium Grand Prix) but as 2016 progressed more and more was banned from the radio. Radio communication between driers and race engineers was significantly reduced, losing the fans an aspect of the race that can bring much entertainment. It was the Hungarian Grand Prix, 2016, that forced the FIA to change to rules. Jenson Button was handed a drive-through penalty as McLaren had told him how to fix a brake issue, which received much uproar from the fans and from Button himself.

For the last race before the summer break, the FIA took away the radio communication ban completely, apart from for formation laps and the start of the race.

Page | 44

This is so the drivers cannot be coached through the beginning of the race. In what could be seen as a sign of frustration, Charlie Whiting also removed the track limits rule, allowing drivers to run off the track as much as they wanted. This rule, however, is still in action but now only on specific corners of each racetrack.

The abrupt removal of rules for the German Grand Prix, after a meeting with the strategy group just before the race weekend, could be seen as the FIA and Whiting getting tired of being given grief for their rules. It was a shock to have the track limits rule removed after the meeting too as it was assumed that the radio ban and the safety ‘halo’ device were the two main things to be discussed.

The media and fans have been highly vocal in the discontent towards the constantly changing rules and the inconsistency of the punishments handed out to the drivers. The constant changes have installed confusion in the fans and drivers the same as one race they were not allowed to do something they were allowed to do the race before. It makes sense that the FIA did scrap these confusing rules as the complexity of them were beginning to dissuade fans from watching the sport, but whether it was because of the fans/medias reaction that forced the FIA’s hand is the underlining question.

This is a big topic of conversation as the FIA made a point at the beginning of the year – during the qualifying debacle – that the fans, media and teams did not decide the rules of Formula One, the FIA did. If the power has now shifted into the fans/medias hands does that mean their opinion may be heard and acted upon? Since the 2015 Fan Survey that was carried out it became clear to the fans that their opinion did not seem to be taken into account when decisions were being made about the sport. But with the drop in viewing figures and the lowering attendances to Grand Prix races, have the FIA finally decided to start listening to those who support the sport?

Page | 45

Hamilton vs Rosberg: The Story So Far @jackwi_ Images: Mercedes AMG and gazzettaworld

Ever since the news broke in late 2012 that Lewis Hamilton would leave his boyhood team McLaren to swap for Mercedes, the talk was all about his relationship with teammate to be, Nico Rosberg.

Friends from their days of karting, many thought the friendship would be an unbreakable one. But like all racing drivers, when the visor goes down, they grow horns and are prepared to do almost anything for victory. This season has been no different. The initial first four rounds of the 2016 season had a familiar winner in Nico Rosberg. The first two rounds saw Rosberg ace his starts to jump pole sitter Hamilton taking him to victory.

Although the fast starting Ferrari cars of Vettel and Raikkonen got the better of the Mercedes cars, poor strategy calls for Vettel and an airbox fire for Raikkonen handed Rosberg a straightforward victory.

Hamilton’s bad start in Australia would continue for the next three rounds. Bahrain was very much a similar story; Rosberg jumped Hamilton from P2 to take the lead and victory, Hamilton in contrast, sluggish and involved with contact with Bottas. Aero damage hampered Hamilton’s performance through the entirety of the race at Sakhir and could only struggle home in third. The momentum was strongly with Rosberg and he continued his domination at China and Russia.

No threat from Hamilton in Shanghai and Sochi, as the Brit was hampered by mechanical problems in qualifying meaning he started at the very back of the grid in China and in P10 at Russia. Two damage limitation drives later and Lewis Hamilton found himself an astounding 43 points behind teammate Nico Rosberg as the F1 circus travelled to Spain.

Hamilton seemed to be unfazed by the enormous points gap to his teammate as he put his car on pole. Once again Hamilton couldn’t quite ace his start and Rosberg aggressively but fairly edge his way in front. Rosberg however around the fast turn 3, had selected the wrong engine mode before the start, which resulted in Hamilton closing quickly and Page | 46 attempting a move up the inside at turn 4.

Rosberg reacted late to Hamilton’s change of direction and the two collided on the first lap, ending both of their races. Rosberg’s incredible winning run was over, Hamilton’s miserable start to the season continued. Niki Lauda was quick to blame “stupid” Hamilton for the incident. Monaco would provide more Mercedes drama but not in the same fashion as in Spain. Daniel Ricciardo started from pole followed by Rosberg and Hamilton at a very wet Monte-Carlo. A Safety Car start resulted in the top three being unchanged as they got underway.

Ricciardo quickly pulled away from Rosberg in second and with Hamilton all over the wing of Rosberg behind, this led to a difficult decision from the Mercedes Team Management to be made. An obviously quicker Hamilton was eventually let through by Rosberg, a hard pill to swallow for Rosberg, but in the best interest of the team an important switch. The switch led to a Hamilton victory, Rosberg struggled for pace and finished seventh.

Rosberg’s dip in form had come when Hamilton was flying; a win in Canada for the Briton while Rosberg slumped to fifth; this now meant Rosberg’s lead was only a slim 9 points.

The Grand Prix of Europe was straightforward for Rosberg after a small but costly error from Hamilton in qualifying meant he started from tenth. Rosberg won and Hamilton could only manage fifth as he was restricted with engine problems. Hamilton and Rosberg were engaged in a late battle in the final laps at Austria and the final lap produced fireworks. Rosberg was ahead and made a tiny error at turn one, that gave Hamilton the much-needed run as they headed to turn two and Hamilton tried around the outside.

Hamilton left it as late as possible to turn as Rosberg braked straight and eventually hit Hamilton.

Rosberg came off worst with major front-wing damage and dropped to fourth as Hamilton cautiously crossed the finish line to take his third victory. Mercedes were not happy and said they would speak with both drivers. Hamilton continued his fine run of form all the way through till the German Grand Prix, taking victories at Silverstone, Hungary and Germany to give him a 19 points advantage over Rosberg as the F1 circus closed down for Page | 47 the summer break.

F1 Statistics From 2016 So Far @cbrownmsport Images: XPB Images and Sky Sports

• • •

Name

Points

Lewis Hamilton Nico Rosberg Daniel Ricciardo Kimi Raikkonen Sebastian Vettel Max Verstappen Valtteri Bottas Sergio Perez Felipe Massa Nico Hulkenberg

217 198 133 122 120 115 58 48 38 33

Points difference 0 -19 -104 -115 -117 -122 -179 -189 -199 -204

Wins

Podiums

Poles

Fastest laps

6 5 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0

9 7 3 4 5 4 1 2 0 0

6 5 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

2 5 2 1 0 0 0 0 0 1

Kyvat is the only driver in not in the top ten too have scored a podium this year, at the Chinese Grand Prix.

If Jenson Button finishes the he will equal Michael Schumacher's total entries in a Grand Prix. Second behind former team mate Rubens Barrichello.

Lewis Hamilton looks set to be second in the most wins table as three more will see him ahead of Alain Prost and second to Michael Schumacher.

Top three races as voted for by L&T followers.

No.3 Austrian Grand Prix.

The Austrian Grand Prix was not the most exciting of races to start with, in fact it was fairly ordinary until the last lap of the race. Hamilton qualified on pole and lead from the start but lost it during the pit stops to Rosberg. Towards the end of the race Hamilton got closer to Rosberg and on the first corner of the last lap, Rosberg made a slow exit which allowed Hamilton to have a run at him at turn 2. Hamilton choose the outside, Rosberg drove Hamilton wide and off the track damaging his own car. Hamilton forced he way back on despite Rosberg's best efforts. It was over for Rosberg. Hamilton took the win and Rosberg dropped to fourth.

No.2 British Grand Prix.

Lewis Hamilton had won the British Grand Prix for the past two years so the British crowd were expectant.

Page | 48

The feud between Rosberg and Hamilton had grown this year due to comings together at the Spanish and Austrian races but Rosberg still held the championship lead by 11 points.

The race started under safety car due to wet weather but once the race started Hamilton never looked back. Rosberg was unable to chase as he had his hands full of Red Bull driver Max Verstappen. Hamilton duly won and Rosberg finished second on track but was given a ten second penalty for radio communication with the team which dropped him back to third. Rosberg now only lead by a single point.

No.1 Spanish Grand Prix.

The rivalry between the two Mercedes drivers arrived at its most dramatic confrontation to date at the Circuit de Catalunya. During the first lap Rosberg took the lead but accidently selected a different engine mode thus putting him down on power to the close behind Hamilton. Rosberg's instinct took over as he tried to defend. Hamilton didn't yield and the results were that both Mercedes out within 30 seconds of the green light. Each driver blamed the other. After a several replays had been shown the race settled down to a straight fight between the Ferraris and the Red Bulls. the latter with Max Verstappen making his debut for the team. The team leaders of Vettel and Ricciardo decided on three stops, Kimi and Max stayed on two. Their tyres holding on to enough pace to stay ahead of the Sebastian and Daniel. Max had the lead and Kimi tried everything to get pass but just did not have the extra speed in the car to make a move. Verstappen took his first victory in F1 on his debut for Red Bull and became the youngest driver ever to win an F1 grand prix.

Page | 49

Alex Booth’s Featured Driver – Chris Amon @Alex_booth_93 Images: FIA and blackflag

New Zealander Chris Amon is unfortunately known as the finest driver never to win a single Grand Prix. At least not a World Championship one anyway. But none other than Ferrari manager Mauro Forghieri said that Amon was the best test driver he had ever worked with. He added that the Kiwi had “all the qualities to be a World Champion but bad luck just wouldn't let him be". Quite an appraisal. Born in Bulls, New Zealand in 1943, Chris Amon learned to drive as a child and started his racing career at hill climb events after he left school. One of the cars he would end up driving was the Cooper Climax which compatriot Bruce McLaren had raced in Formula One. It was also at this point that he was seen by Reg Parnell who persuaded the young man to go to England to race for his team.

He made his F1 debut for Parnell’s team at the 1963 Monaco Grand Prix at the age of 19.

He generally performed well outperforming his more experienced team mates. Though he scored no points he finished in seventh place twice. Reg Parnell died in 1964 and this affected Amon personally, but he did score points for the first time at the Dutch Grand Prix. The next two seasons saw Amon race only sporadically as the Parnell team was forced to let the Kiwi go thanks to a clause in a new engine deal. But his breakthrough came in 1966 when he partnered with Bruce McLaren to drive the new Ford GT40 at Le Mans. The combination was a success and Amon added his name to the list of drivers who have won the prestigious event. Following this triumph, he was signed by Enzo Ferrari to drive for his famous team in F1.

Tragedy would strike Ferrari in 1967 with the death of Lorenzo Bandini in Monaco. Their driver Mike Parkes was also injured in a crash at the Belgian Grand Prix. Subsequently Amon became Ferrari’s lead driver. Despite the setbacks it was to prove his best season, scoring four third places and fifth place in the Driver’s championship.

Page | 50

He would also win the 24 Hours of Daytona that year. 1968 was to see Amon twice come close victory twice, at Brands Hatch he fought with Jo Siffert for the win but it was the Swiss driver who emerged victorious. In Canada it was heartbreak for the New Zealander, after dominating the race his transmission broke with just 17 laps to go. Typical of Amon’s F1 career. 1969 would be his last season with Ferrari, their V12 engine was woefully unreliable and he was only able to finish once, third at Zandvoort.

In 1970 he moved to March. He won the non-championship BRDC International Trophy at Silverstone early in the year but it was another year of “ifs” and “buts”. Two second places were the highlight for Amon but a series of disagreements with the team management saw him join the French Matra team for 1971. Again he scored a pre-season victory in a non-championship event in Argentina. After a strong start to the season he had a major accident at the Nurburgring which kept him out of action for the next race in Austria. At his return in Monza he put the car on pole position, but that elusive first win evaded Amon once again as his visor became detached from his helmet while leading, he dropped to sixth place as a result. He remained with Matra for 1972 but yet again his bad luck struck again. At the French Grand Prix he was leading until a puncture forced him to pit. Despite recovering to finish third this was the last time Amon came close to scoring a win that would ultimately never come. When Matra left F1 at the end of the season, Amon would not race regularly in the sport again.

He would drive bad cars, one of which was his own entry in 1974, for the next three seasons. In 1976 he was looking strong with Ensign until the sight of Niki Lauda’s burning car at the Nurburgring convinced Amon that it was time to stop.

Despite his legacy, Amon never considered himself unlucky. “I had several big accidents that could have killed me; I broke ribs, but I was never badly hurt.” He said in 2008.

Chris Amon sadly passed away on 3 August 2016 after losing his battle with cancer. He Page | 51 was 73.

The Struggle Of DAMS In 2016 @Olliebluebirds Images: GP2 Media Services

DAMS have produced great racing drivers from their GP2 team such as Jolyon Palmer, Romain Grosjean, Kamui Kobayashi and many more who are currently or were in Formula One. However, this season has been a struggle for the French team with Williams Development Driver Alex Lynn lying 9th in the championship with a season that started off so well winning the sprint race in Catalunya.

However, after that sprint race win, it has been a disastrous season so far for Lynn. In Baku, he was taken out at the first corner that ruined his whole weekend. His weekend in Austria was better after grabbing a podium in the wet in the sprint race fighting from 11th on the grid. His fortunes got worse at his home race in Silverstone not getting any points in both races and the same in Hungary. However, Lynn won the sprint race in Hockenheim.

If Lynn’s season has been bad, then Nicholas Latifi’s has been horrific! Like Lynn, he had a very good opening round in Catalunya getting 2nd in the feature race and was so close at the end to overtake Norman Nato but after that race weekend, he has only got 1 point since then which in a team of DAMS is unacceptable. The talent is there in Latifi because as we saw in Spain, he can get a podium from out of nowhere but it is just not happening for him right now.

So what are the problems causing these issues? Well DAMS have really struggled with tyre temperatures in cool conditions, and an example of this was in Austria (in particular the feature race with the slick tyres) and at Silverstone where they dramatically struggled.

As we head into the mid-season break, that sprint race win in Hockenheim could prove crucial as it is exactly what Alex Lynn needs heading into the second half of the season.

Lynn is currently 41 points off the top of the standings led by both Sergey Sirotkin and Pierre Gasly. 41 points might sound a lot but you can get 31 points in just 1 race like Sirotkin did in the Hockenheim feature race so if he can have 1 very good weekend which he is more than capable of doing, then he will be right back into this very unpredictable GP2 championship.

Page | 52

New Kids On The Formula E Block @zumester Image: autoguide

Season 3 sees the arrival of a new outfit in the form of Jaguar, returning to racing in the arena of electric single sweaters. Undoubtedly this will assist with the development of vehicles for the domestic market, but also enable the British team to become a front runner on the grid.

Incredibly, it’s been over a decade since Jaguar last fielded a team in Motorsport, having left F1 in 2004. Jaguar previously had a long pedigree in sports car racing from the 1950s through to the early 90s. The XJR series sports cars were dominant at Le Man in the late 80s, and won in ’88 and ’90. Jaguar in F1 under Ford (previously Stewart Grand Prix) was not such a happy marriage, only ending up on the podium twice. The team became a white elephant to Ford and was sold to Red Bull, and the rest was history.

Fast forward to late 2015 and the team were able to pounce on the vacant slot left by Trulli, who had to pull out early on in Season 2 due to technical issues. To facilitate its entry to Formula E a new facility is being built at a test track near Kenilworth. Technical Partners to the team will be Williams Advanced Engineering who design the batteries for FE. Yet to sign drivers, the only team with two vacant seats in fact, it looks like they will be using summer testing at Donington as driver ‘auditions’. By the time we go to press they may well have been confirmed. Drivers who have already tested the car include Adam Carroll. Mike Conway has yet to secure a drive so could be a signing having lost his drive to Maro Engel. Jaguar are being very private at the moment it seems, and for such a big name entering into a competitive and very technical series who can blame them.

Jaguar have been involved in electric prototypes for some time, and although not yet committed to production, the C-X75 has been in movie production, starring in Spectre.

There is also a rival to the Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV due to go on sale next year which will be the first wave of Jaguar’s electric domestic vehicles, in a bid to catch BMW who currently have the i8 as a luxury EV. Whatever happens this year, there is no doubt that Jaguar will make their mark and be a competitive force in all electric racing, as they have an ample budget to do so. Page | 53

Blancpain GT 24 Hours Of Spa @morningview66 Images: Blancpain GT

It may have been a different car and a different team, but neither of these factors stopped BMW taking its second win in as many years at the Total 24 Hours of Spa. The #99 ROWE Racing crew of Phillip Eng, Maxime Martin and Alexander Sims gave the BMW M6 GT3 its first major competition win and BMW’s 23rd overall victory at the Spa 24 Hours. Topping a hugely competitive field with some level of factory involvement from no less than seven manufacturers.

“This is a very proud moment for all involved. BMW has done a fantastic job with the M6 in its first year. To win one of the biggest GT races in the world, it doesn’t get much better than this.” said Alex Sims "It is just the best victory,” added Maxime Martin whose father and uncle have both won the endurance classic.

At the end of the day it was the #88 AKKA ASP Mercedes AMG GT3 of Felix Rosenquist, Renger van der Zande and Tristan Vautier that was the #99 ROWE Racing BMWs closest challenger finishing 1.55.408 back, after an epic fight back from grid and stop and hold penalties.

“Everything went crazy at the end,” said Felix Rosenquist Renger van der Zande admitted “I’m not usually happy with P2, but I’m really really happy with this position. We started dead last two laps down and to be on the podium I’m very happy.”

The Mercedes ended the race just over five seconds ahead of the similarly hard charging #28 WRT Audi R8 LMS which took third and nearly second from the AKKA ASP car during the muddled late full course yellow and consecutive 15-minute dash to the flag, once the race went back to green.

Page | 54

An earlier clash with the #114 Emil Frey Jaguar and a puncture later on blunted any chance of victory for the #28 car which Laurens Vanthoor shared with Nico Muller and Rene Rast “This is a good result after the crash we had during the race. But considering our pace and starting on pole maybe we deserve more. In the end we got the best of what we could have achieved,” said Vanthoor The grid place deductions and five minute stop and hold penalties dished out the Mercedes AMG teams for presenting cars that did not match their homologation documents in the superpole session left the race wide open.

After the frenetic early action had settled down and safety cars had retreated, much of the race was a battle between the #6 Phoenix Audi R8 LMS, the #8 M-Sport Continental GT and the eventual winners the #99 ROWE BMW. With only five hours left on the clock, after one of the several rain showers to affect the race, Christopher Mies found himself nursing wet tires on a drying track in the #6 Phoenix Audi he drove alongside Frank Stippler and Marcus Winkelhock.

One of the cars rear tires eventually overheated and exploded damaging bodywork and fuel lines, setting the car alight. Mies fortunately escaped unhurt but it was a fiery end for one of the races main competitors.

This left just the #99 BMW and the #8 Bentley on the lead lap. But the final rain shower would throw a spanner in the works for the Crewe based marque.

Number #8 pitted under green when the shower started and was held for the minimum pitstop time of 1 minute and 55 seconds. But spinning and crashing cars at the Bus Stop chicane allowed other cars to pit under a full course yellow and these were all released immediately under the maximum time allowed for a ‘short’ stop. The #88 & #86 Mercedes as well as the #28 Audi were able to get ahead of the #8.

Page | 55

It was one of several operational errors that scuppered the #8 Bentley’s chances of taking a victory. Two other penalties had come for exceeding drive time limits and with another two for track limits this left the car down in fourth by the end.

A late penalty befell the #86 HTP Mercedes AMG GT3 that was looking to have secured the final podium spot after the frantic last stops. But in the chaos the #86 car was released into the path of a Lamborghini which was judged to be an unsafe release and resulted in a penalty which dropped #86 to fifth at the flag.

In front of all the final hour drama the #99 BMW drove serenely on to victory a brilliant race by the whole crew at ROWE Racing BMW. The round at Spa is the biggest points paying event of the Blancpain championship with points awarded at 6, 12 and 24 hours.

Britain’s Rob Bell retains the lead in the overall Blancpain GT Series despite his Mclaren not being classified and only scoring points at the 6 hour mark. Bell sits on 124 points with his nearest challengers HTP Mercedes drivers Maxi Buhk and Domonic Baumann on 89 still some way off. The #8 Bentley crew of Soulet & Soucek on 83 and two of the #99 BMW winners Sims and Eng in fourth on 78.

In the Blancpain Endurance Cup, Bell retains the lead alongside endurance co-drivers Shane van Gisbergen and Come Ledogar. This time not so far ahead with a 68 to 59-point lead over the #8 Bentley team of Soucek, Soulet and Reip with the #99 BMW endurance trip of Sims, Eng and Martin in third with 55 points.

Finally in the Intercontinental GT challenge, a three round international GT championship of which spa was a round Bentley lead Mercedes-Benz 51 to 49, while Audi drops to third on 43 points, while McLaren see themselves go from top to bottom of the table on 31after only managing 3 points from the Spa round. Laurens Vanthoor leads the Intercontinental GT drivers standings.

The Blancpain GT Series returns to action for the Sprint Cup races at the Hungaroring on Page | 56 the 27th & 28th of August.

Porsche Supercup – Hungary & Germany @jackwi_ Images: thecheckeredflag and porschenewsroom

Round 5 Hungary Sven Müller (Lechner MSG Racing Team) continued his remarkable run of form making it three wins in a row after a dramatic first lap crash. Müller once again aced his start to leap ahead of pole sitter Robert Lukas (PL/Förch Racing by Lukas Motorsport) and dominated proceedings from there onwards.

Championship leader Mathieu Jaminet took a huge blow in his championship bid as he crashed out at turn 1. After starting from the back of the field for not complying with the prescribed height, he initially gained several positions from the start. The Frenchman’s encouraging start was short lived. Bombing down to turn 1 at some speed, he drifted onto the grass and slid into another car, which caused a chin reaction.

Jaminet was left disappointed and is now trailing fellow Porsche Junior Sven Müller in the championship by 17 points. Maiden Pole sitter Robert Lukas was unchallenged for second place, while third went to Michael Ammermüller (D/Lechner MSG Racing Team). Fellow championship contender Matteo Cairoli fought for valuable points in the mid-pack after losing out at the start.

Dropping down to sixth after starting third on the grid, Cairoli looked set to take sixth until Dennis Olsen (N/MRS GT-Racing) passed the Italian just after half distance, he went on to finish seventh, claiming vital championship points. Müller was once again left delighted on the podium: “I’m absolutely thrilled with this victory. It was not easy with the long safety car phase right at the beginning of the race. But on the last lap I even managed to turn the fastest lap. That was a great weekend,” Second placed Lukas was also pleased with his performance: “I had no answer to Sven today. He managed to pull away after the safety car phase. I didn’t get any pressure behind so I’m thrilled that I could bring home a relatively stress-free podium result,” Page | 57

Round 6 Germany – Matteo Cairoli took a much-needed victory at Hockenheim after the Italian was promoted to first following an illegal overtake from championship leader Sven Müller.Müller edged out his Italian rival in the race, only to be later penalised after the race for passing Cairoli off track. A two-hour stewards inquiry deemed that Müller’s overtake around the outside of Cairoli at Turn 1 was illegal and Müller was handed a 1-second penalty, which dropped him to 2nd. Müller said before the final result was announced: “My car’s setup was good and I could turn fast laps. We’ll just have to wait and see what the final result looks like.”

Cailroli said: “Of course I would rather have won on my own out on the track, but sometimes such decisions come later. I’m very pleased about my retroactive victory and the valuable championship points,” Jeffrey Schmidt took an impressive third after jumping Robert Lukas at the start. Schmidt expressed his pleasure after the race, but believed tyre problems denied him the chance to fight for the victory: “After the safety car phase I had a slight problem with the tyre temperature and afterwards I was out of the slipstream. Although my lap times were very good, this hampered my fight for the top,” Mathieu Jaminet had another weekend to forget after finishing eighth.

The Frenchman originally qualified third, but a penalty carried over from Hungary demoted him 10 places to 13. ,Although Jamient has had a difficult past two weekends, he was upbeat about his performance in Germany: “I managed to overtake five vehicles and bring home important points. At the next race in Spa the cards will be reshuffled and I’ll hopefully be back amongst the frontrunners,” Robert Lukas finished fourth, followed

by Christian Engelhart in fifth.

Supercup rookie Steven Palette came sixth. Michael Ammermüller occupied seventh ahead of Porsche junior Mathieu Jaminet in eighth. Round 7 sees the drivers tackling the 4.4 mile Spa and as the championship nearest the final run-in, Matheiu Jaminet, Sven Müller and Matteo Cairoli will all be aiming to be standing on the top step in Spa. Page | 58

Formula V8 3.5 – Another Future? @philmartingsy Image: Formula V8 3.5

At the end of July 2016, a rather exciting piece of news was released, being that the Formula V8 3.5 Championship had signed an agreement to be part of the World Endurance Championship package from 2017. The championship will follow the widelyrespected WEC for 6 of the 9 rounds, with three rounds being outside of Europe (Mexico, Japan and Bahrain).

Both organizations have listed their chief goals being to ‘provide young single-seater drivers with the opportunity to enter a professional motorsport environment offering a clear and well-defined professional career path including LMP1, LMP2 and GTE in addition to any other series in the pinnacle of motorsport. This benefits not only the drivers but also their families or backers’.

Now this sounds wonderful and any link up that can benefit a series is certainly welcome.

But how successful will this be?

Well there is a prize which is worth winning for any driver, which is the opportunity to participate in WEC’s Rookie Test in Bahrain in the main categories of LMP1 or LMP2 or GTE for the drivers placed first, second and third in the Formula V8 3.5 championship. This is a great motivation for a young driver to establish themselves in front of a number of highly respected manufacturers. There is also hope that the tie-up will attract more teams back to the series, which has suffered with a lack of entries (13 in the last two rounds).

However, the concern in my view is that there will be an increased cost for a series which has prided itself on affordability. If it is too expensive already for teams travelling to Europe, then surely the cost increases for treks to Mexico and Bahrain? Furthermore, the drivers are trying to impress non single-seater racing teams, which may affect their career paths, especially if F1 is the ultimate goal.

It will be intriguing to see how this link up works for both parties in 2017, and hopefully any fear of negativity will be quickly banished.

Page | 59

Pacific F1 Team – F1 Flops @philmartingsy

A couple of months ago I wrote about the woeful Forti Corse F1 team. So now I realise it's time for another one, this being Pacific. They had a great deal of success in junior formulae, and therefore it would be assumed had created a suitable platform to move onto the F1 grid. Founder Keith Wiggins had intended for the team to enter in 1993, however a recession and the loss of one million pounds of his own money forced the delay of the entry until 1994. Wiggins enlisted the assistance of Reynard (although they had lost a number of key staff, eg, Rory Byrne to Benetton, as part of the Byrne/Ross Brawn/Michael Schumacher dynasty that ruled not just for that team, but for Ferrari in the early 2000’s), and obtained a supply of year old Ilmor engines. The driving duties were entrusted to Bertrand Gachot and Paul Belmondo.

The results were frankly disastrous. The team managed more mileage in the first Grand Prix of the season than in the entire pre-season. A hugely unreliable engine, a chassis best described as hopeless left the drivers unable to bring the car remotely close to qualification, apart from the odd race here and there where another team was missing a car, eg. Simtek after the Ratzenberger tragedy. From Canada onwards, no Pacific car was anywhere near an F1 start grid. When interviewed at the end of the season, Gachot described his unbridled joy at the fact he would no longer have to drive the car.

Fast forward to 1995, and a new car, a new (albeit equally underpowered) engine, and some half decent sponsors. Gachot retained his drive alongside Andrea Montermini. The team would also benefit from the abolishment of pre-qualifying, as Lotus and Larrousse dropped out of the sport. Lotus did provide a form of tie-in with the team, however as the season unfolded, no one wanted to tarnish the famous name.

Unfortunately any thoughts of improvement quickly diminished, to the point where the hapless Forti team on occasion got themselves in front. Money dried up, to the point where Gachot stood down in favour of two pay drivers, firstly Giovanni Lavaggi, who was not disgraced, and then Jean Denis Deletraz, who was nothing short of a disgrace. If you have a spare moment, please do read about him, very entertaining! (Although his son Louis is currently doing a fine job as a Renault Sport Academy Driver in Formula V8 3.5).

At the end of 1995, Wiggins decided to cut his losses and withdrew from F1 with his pride Page | 60 intact, but his bank balance less so.