Latest F1 news in brief – Saturday

  • Ferrari not reliable like the Mercedes
    Ferrari not reliable like the Mercedes

    Ferrari pushing 'like crazy' to catch Mercedes

  • Sirotkin to get another Friday outing – manager
  • Toro Rosso chief admits Verstappen could 'move up' in 2017
  • Russia GP secure with Putin's backing – Ecclestone
  • Palmer suspects Nasr-like chassis flaw
  • FIA confirms agreement on engine rules
  • Hamilton: 'Hard work' needed to stay in front
  • Vettel unconcerned by transmission problem

Maurizio Arrivabene
Maurizio Arrivabene

Ferrari pushing 'like crazy' to catch Mercedes
(GMM) Sebastian Vettel has had a troubled weekend so far in Russia.

After early-season reliability trouble and then a controversial clash with teammate Kimi Raikkonen in China, the German then struck more reliability problems on Friday in Russia.

And a changed gearbox means he will serve a five-position demotion on the Sochi grid.

According to Italy's La Repubblica, boss Maurizio Arrivabene had warned before Russia that Ferrari had deliberately entered dangerous ground for 2016 in a bid to catch the pace of dominant Mercedes.

"When you're behind, the way to recover is to push like crazy," the Italian is quoted as saying.

"And to push like crazy you need performance before reliability. So this winter we said: we are aiming for speed and then we will look for reliability."

La Gazzetta dello Sport, however, claims Ferrari has confirmed in Russia that the damage to Vettel's gearbox may actually be traced back to the first-corner clash two weeks ago.

It probably means one rival less for runaway championship rival Nico Rosberg to worry about this weekend.

Some, however, believe it would be foolish to also write off Mercedes' reigning champion Lewis Hamilton, even though teammate Rosberg is aiming for a seventh straight win on Sunday.

Jenson Button thinks those writing off Hamilton are "muppets", and former F1 driver Jos Verstappen agrees.

"A lot of people say Lewis Hamilton's poor races are a result of his extravagant lifestyle, but I think that's taking the easy route," said Jos, who is Toro Rosso star Max Verstappen's father.

"To me he still looks very focused. And you have to be honest, luck wasn't on his side in the last few races. It could change at any moment.

"Who knows, he could win the next five races," Verstappen wrote in his De Telegraaf column.

Nice things are said about Russian Sergey Sirotkin in front of his deep-pocket Russian backers so they write bigger checks
Nice things are said about Russian Sergey Sirotkin in front of his deep-pocket Russian backers so they write bigger checks

Sirotkin to get another Friday outing – manager
(GMM) Sochi was not a one-off Friday morning appearance for Sergey Sirotkin.

That is the claim of the young Russian's manager, after Sirotkin impressed in front of his home crowd to go faster than Renault regular Jolyon Palmer.

New tester Sirotkin, 20, and his backers SMP Racing, have inked a deal with Renault that meant he took over Kevin Magnussen's cockpit during Friday practice in Russia.

"Sergey was third in the GP2 series last year, and this is where the formula one teams look for their young drivers," Gianpaolo Matteucci, Sirotkin's manager, told Ria Novosti news agency.

"This season, he aims to improve this achievement in GP2. Then he will have at least one more (F1) free practice – the team decides where it will be – but it will not be a round where there is a GP2 support race," he revealed.

"Besides this, Sergey will participate in the Silverstone tests in the summer," Matteucci added.

"Now we understand that Sergey can drive in formula one. If all goes well, he will have the opportunity to become a race driver, but it all depends on the team," he said.

Renault boss Frederic Vasseur, however, said it is too early to be thinking about the team's driver lineup for 2017.

"No, no, there is no hurry," he is quoted by Russia's Championat.

"Yes, he (Sirotkin) did his job well today, and I know that Sergey is fast and able to cope with pressure, but there are many things for us to do now and it's too early for the question about drivers," Vasseur added.

Verstappen eyes Red Bull seat
Verstappen eyes Red Bull seat

Toro Rosso chief admits Verstappen could 'move up' in 2017
(GMM) The Max Verstappen camp is not denying speculation the Dutchman looks set to graduate from Toro Rosso to the main Red Bull team for 2017.

Amid rumors Red Bull must complete the promotion in order to hang on to the 18-year-old contractually, Dr Helmut Marko recently hinted that Verstappen is so good that a third season at the junior team seems unlikely.

Marko hit reverse on those comments in Sochi, but not before Verstappen and his entourage were asked about it by the media.

"I'm focusing only on this season," Max told De Telegraaf newspaper.

"But I have always said that next year I want be scoring more points and podium finishes.

"I have read the comment by Helmut Marko," Verstappen added. "I know he is happy with me — very happy even."

Max's manager, Raymond Vermeulen, suggested that if the youngster does step up into Red Bull Racing for 2017, it would be a logical step in his career.

"We plan Max's career in good dialogue with Helmut Marko, with Red Bull in the lead," he said.

"We are very pleased that we are part of the (Red Bull) program. I'm not going to comment on contracts, but it is clear that we are talking about how everything is going so far.

"The best part is that Max is still growing — we still have not seen everything that he has to offer," Vermeulen added.

Max's ever-present father Jos said that his son just has to keep going as he has been, and "everything will be fine".

As for Marko's comments, "That's a nice compliment for Max," Jos said.

"After all, it is because of him we are now at Toro Rosso. And Helmut is someone with a racing heart," he added.

Finally, Toro Rosso chief Franz Tost commented: "If Red Bull decides that Max will move up, then he will move up."

If that does happen, it will almost certainly be Daniil Kvyat who is relegated in the Red Bull hierarchy, even though the young Russian is on form.

"It would be great to have a Russian as a champion," Bernie Ecclestone told Ria Novosti news agency in Sochi, when asked about Kvyat's progress.

"I am very happy with how things are going with Daniil, he does a good job. This year he will not be champion but I see no reason why he can't be some day," the F1 supremo added.

Putin talks with Ecclestone
Putin talks with Ecclestone

Russia GP secure with Putin's backing – Ecclestone
(GMM) Bernie Ecclestone says Russia will stay on the F1 schedule so long as it has the backing of Vladimir Putin.

The F1 supremo is an avowed admirer of the controversial Russian president, who Ecclestone said is likely to present the trophies on the podium on Sunday.

"We'll see, but we would be very happy if he did," the 85-year-old Briton told Tass news agency at Sochi. "I would be surprised if he didn't (come to the race)."

Ecclestone is also quoted by Ria Novosti news agency: "It's wonderful of him to find the time to come to the grand prix.

"It's difficult for him, he's under a lot of pressure as a very well-known politician, as people understand what he has done, is doing and will do.

"Russia is an important country and we will be here as long as Mr. Putin wants to. Forget about contracts — if he wants Russia to go from formula one, it will go, and if he wants it to stay, we will stay," Ecclestone said.

Finally, Bernie confirmed reports that talks are still underway about Sochi becoming a floodlit night race in the future.

"I'd like to see it happen, I like the idea," he said, "but the decision is for the organizers. If Russia wants to, I am happy to support the idea."

Jolyon Palmer
Jolyon Palmer

Palmer suspects Nasr-like chassis flaw
(GMM) Jolyon Palmer is beginning to suspect a chassis problem may be behind his recent struggle to match his Renault teammates' pace in 2016.

After a solid F1 race debut in Melbourne, the British rookie struggled notably in China – finishing dead last – and he says those troubles have carried over into Russia.

"I am having the same problems," he said after Friday practice, where in the morning session he was even soundly beaten by new team test driver Sergey Sirotkin.

25-year-old Palmer, the son of former F1 driver Jonathan Palmer, said his main problem is sudden oversteer.

"You go into a corner and don't know how the car is going to react. It's the same situation as in China, which went on all weekend — I don't feel confident in the car because the balance is constantly changing," he added.

Palmer said that after an unpleasant Chinese GP debrief, Renault identified some potential avenues including trying the old Melbourne setup, "but nothing has changed".

Interestingly, a similar situation has taken place at Sauber early this season, when Felipe Nasr complained constantly about the handling of his chassis until the Swiss team gave him a new monocoque to use in Russia.

"It was interesting," Palmer agreed, "because no one could understand what happened with Felipe as he's a great driver. But today (Friday) it looks like he's back to his old level."

Indeed, the chassis switch seems to have worked for Nasr, with the Brazilian confirming to Globo: "The balance is normal again. I feel like I'm back to the level of the Barcelona tests."

Palmer continued: "I don't know what is happening in our case – there are no signs of problems with the chassis – but we need to work to understand what is happening.

"I have quite a lot of experience, I know this track and the car. I don't think I'm doing something wrong," he explained.

F1 engines to get cheaper
F1 engines to get cheaper

FIA confirms agreement on engine rules
Formula 1's governing body, the FIA, has confirmed that new power unit regulations, centered on four key subjects, have been agreed and formally ratified by the World Motor Sport Council (WMSC).

Friday's announcement arrives after months of talks between the engine manufacturers and other key figures, over cost and supply price, obligation to supply, performance convergence and sound.

Changes have now been approved "by all levels of the Formula 1 governance structure", as outlined by the FIA's official communication, and will be introduced from the start of the 2017 season.

Changes to the engine regulations from 2017-2020:

Cost

Agreement has been reached on a significant reduction in the price of power unit supply to customer teams and a reduction in cost to manufacturers over the coming years.

– In 2017 the power unit price for customer teams will be reduced by €1m per season compared to 2016.

– From 2018, the annual supply price will be reduced by a further €3m.

– Cost reduction on power units will be driven by changes to the Sporting and Technical regulations in 2017 and 2018, with a progressive reduction of the number of power unit elements per driver per season.

Supply

Supply of power units to customer teams will be ensured, as the homologation procedure will include an "obligation to supply" that will be activated in the event of a team facing an absence of supply.

Performance convergence

The new agreement includes a package of measures aimed at achieving performance convergence.

– The token system is to be removed from 2017

– Additionally, constraints on power unit part weights, dimensions and materials, and on boost pressure will be introduced in 2017 and in 2018.

Sound

Manufacturers are currently conducting a promising research program into further improving the sound of the current power units, with the aim of implementation by 2018 at the latest.

Hamilton knows Mercedes has plenty in hand. If Ferrari gets close the Mercedes engineers just beam another command to their cars
Hamilton knows Mercedes has plenty in hand. If Ferrari gets close the Mercedes engineers just beam another command to their cars

Hamilton: 'Hard work' needed to stay in front
Lewis Hamilton says that "hard work" will be needed for Mercedes to stay ahead of main rival Ferrari as the Russian Grand Prix develops.

Mercedes topped both of Friday's sessions at Sochi Autodrom, with Nico Rosberg fastest in the morning, and Hamilton in the afternoon.

Hamilton ended the day six tenths clear of Sebastian Vettel's lead Ferrari, but reckons the team has more to offer after its issue in FP2.

"It's been a constructive day to start the weekend," said Hamilton.

"We got through most of our program except one last little bit at the end [of the second session] as some of my tires were flat-spotted, but no big drama there.

"I think we're looking strong here, but we need to keep working hard if we are to try and stay ahead of the Ferraris – they look like they might be another step closer this weekend.

"We've got a few things to look at to make sure we perfect the set-up for qualifying."

Rosberg ended the day third after hitting traffic on his Super Soft run in FP2.

"It's difficult to get it right at this track, as there's only a small window where the tires work perfectly and a lot of places where you can easily make mistakes," he reflected.

"I didn't manage to hook up a full quick lap on the SuperSoft in FP2.

"Aside from that, it was a good day. The car felt good on a quick lap this morning and again on the longer runs this afternoon, so that's very encouraging."

Sebatian Vettel - the Ferrari is getting more fragile as it is getting faster
Sebatian Vettel – the Ferrari is getting more fragile as it is getting faster

Vettel unconcerned by transmission problem
Sebastian Vettel has full confidence that Ferrari will get to the bottom of the issue he suffered during Russian Grand Prix practice.

Vettel stopped on track half an hour into Friday afternoon's session at Sochi Autodrom, with the team unable to send him back out.

"We had an electrical problem," Vettel told reporters.

"We don't know yet entirely [what the problem was]. I'm sure that we can fix it, but first of all we want to know what happened."

Vettel ended the day second fastest, with team-mate Kimi Räikkönen fourth, as both drivers got to grips with an engine upgrade pushed through by Ferrari.

Asked for his thoughts on the development, Vettel said: "The feeling was alright.

"The balance is not yet where I want to be, but I think we can improve.

"The circuit will come our way. It was quite slippery this morning, and I spun on the first two laps. I didn't spin this afternoon, which is already improvement! We'll go from there."

Raikkonen was also cautiously optimistic over the engine update.

"It's very difficult to say, but it works well," he commented.

"We wouldn't use any new engine or part if it isn't a good thing."