Innholdsfortegnelse for September 2016 i AUTOSPORT

A recent made-for-TV film from the BBC: The Rack Pack. A whimsical production, it charts the phenomenal rise of the Snooker World Championship from the smoke-fogged snooker dens of the 1970s to its 1985 peak when one Dennis Taylor beat Steve Davis with the last ball of the match. With that winning pot of the final black (missed, inexplicably, by Davis), Taylor, a genial Ulsterman with comedy glasses and a winning line in stand-up banter, became world champion before a UK TV audience of 18.5 million people – me included. This magical piece of sporting theatre was played out over the Sunday evening of 28 April 1985. On it ground, frame after close-fought frame, into the wee small hours – way past ‘lights out’ on a school night, but too…

Ferrari will start the second half of the season after the summer break determined to dispel the sense of a team in crisis following a worrying slump in form and the departure of their technical director, James Allison. Allison, one of the most highly regarded aerodynamic design leaders in the paddock, left Ferrari on the eve of the German Grand Prix. That race confirmed the team’s lack of competitiveness part way through a season in which they had hoped to challenge Mercedes. No specific reason was given for Allison’s departure. Team principal Maurizio Arrivabene said in a statement only that Ferrari thanked the 48-year-old “for his commitment and sacrifice during the time spent together, and wish him success and serenity for his future endeavours”. Allison has been replaced by Mattia…

Sauber’s recent money struggles appear to finally be at an end, after the team announced at the Hungarian GP that they have new owners. That welcome news was tempered, however, by speculation as to the identity of the new owners. The company, Longbow Finance SA, are based in Switzerland, with all the opacity that entails. So the stakeholders in Longbow are largely unknown, and there is uncertainty over what they stand to gain from an association with a team who were slipping into oblivion. So far, only Longbow president Pascal Picci has been named by Sauber, and he has become the team’s chairman. But scrutiny of publicly available corporate declarations in Switzerland and the UK reveal clear links between the Swiss-based investment company, prominent Swedish businesses, and Sauber driver Marcus…

Name U-turn Age As old as the beaten paths of human thoroughfares Appearance A 180° move to return in the original direction U-turn, eh? Is he a chum of P. Diddy? Very droll, and well done on shifting your musical frame of reference a decade or so on from its usual default setting. I’m trying… You’re very trying. A bad boy for life, indubitably. If that’s a reference to P. Diddy’s musical canon, we’ll have to pause for a few seconds while I look it up in my Guinness Book of Hits. Truly you are a man out of time. Utterly. So, the U-turn… Well, the Strategy Group – AIEEEEEEEEEE! We’re not going to get very far if you do that every time I mention them. It’s a…

TRACK TESTS BEGIN FOR 2017 RUBBER Pirelli have started evaluating the new generation of wider wheels and tyres that will be introduced in 2017. Using 2015 cars, as per the testing restrictions, Sebastian Vettel and Esteban Gutiérrez tried wet-weather treads in a Ferrari at Fiorano, while Red Bull reserve Sébastien Buemi ran slicks in a Red Bull at Mugello. Eight further tests are planned at Barcelona, Paul Ricard and Abu Dhabi. OCON TAKES HARYANTO’S SEAT Highly rated Mercedes junior Esteban Ocon has taken over at Manor from Rio Haryanto, who has run out of money. Although Haryanto was contracted for the year, his drive was funded only up until the Hungarian GP, and Mercedes were understood to be keen to assess Ocon – whom they had placed at Renault as…

“Think of a Ferrari regime that produces a power unit to match that of Mercedes…” The press were always going to be sceptical about the new structure at Ferrari. You know the line: bring back Ross Brawn etc. I’m not so sure. For one thing, Ferrari’s dominance from 2000-2004 was very much due to the Michael Schumacher-Jean Todt alliance, not some mechanical or aero magic. To put it bluntly, it was Michael saying to Todt: “Let’s get Bridgestone working exclusively with us. Make it happen. Give me Bridgestone and I’ll give you a bunch of world championships.” Okay, Ferrari had to share the tyres with some minor teams. The point was that McLaren, Renault and Williams were left to squabble over the Michelins. Ferrari could run the Bridgestone technology as…

Having retained Kimi Räikkönen for 2017, Ferrari will be faced with the same decision next year. But, by then, it will be complicated by the fact that Sebastian Vettel’s contract is also up for renewal. If the Scuderia’s lack of pace is not resolved and Vettel leaves, finding a new team leader will be a more pressing concern for Ferrari than finding a new support driver. But Vettel may find that his options elsewhere are limited. Mercedes won’t have space, since Nico Rosberg has recently signed a new two-year deal and – like Lewis Hamilton – is under contract until the end of 2018. So back to Red Bull? Unlikely. McLaren? Fernando Alonso’s contract also expires at the end of 2017, but how appealing McLaren are to Vettel depends on…

 Formula 1 folk really do live in a bubble, a truism re-emphasised most recently by the sheer number of people who asked “Who he?” when Frédéric Vasseur’s name popped up as the person most likely to take over the running of Renault’s F1 team. Who he? Only the person responsible for fettling some of the greatest talent to enter the sport in recent years. “I tell you, when I’m focused on the race I’m a bit close on myself. You’ve got so many things to think about at once that it’s difficult to make a happy face as well” But there’s also a misplaced perception that he’s a bit grumpy – perhaps because, rather like the great Williams engineer Sir Patrick Head, his face seems to settle into a frown…

1988 The FIA introduces a permanent race director for grands prix and mandates that all cars must now locate the drivers’ feet behind the front axle line. Ayrton Senna wins his first world title. 1989 Normally aspirated engines are now compulsory. Ferrari pioneer the semi-automatic gearbox. Renault return as an engine supplier, with Williams. Jean Alesi makes his debut for Tyrrell. Brabham return under new ownership following a hiatus in 1988. 1990 All drivers are now tested to ensure they can extract themselves from the car in a given time. Nigel Mansell announces his retirement mid-season, frustrated by poor reliability at Ferrari, but then signs for Williams. 1991 Alain Prost is sacked by Ferrari before the end of the season after criticising the car. Poor reliability costs Nigel Mansell his…

HOLD ON TIGHT FOR THE FASTEST RACE OF THE SEASON Monza is known as the cathedral of speed. Its long flat-out straights and slow chicanes demand that front and rear wings are flattened out, so drag is kept to a minimum. And it’s quite possible that this year we could witness some of the highest top speeds ever seen in F1, since advances have been made to the torque and power output of the 1.6-litre hybrid engines. As a guide, Felipe Massa’s Williams travelled at 226.3mph on the long straight at the Mexican GP last year, so look out for speeds in excess of that at Monza. One driver really looking to exploit his engine power will be Sebastian Vettel, driving on Ferrari’s home turf. He won his first ever…

Safety above spectacle? It is sad to think that two of F1’s greatest ever wins could not happen today. Neither Ayrton Senna’s 1993 victory at Donington Park, nor Michael Schumacher’s masterclass in Spain 1996, could have started today, due to the focus on whether the track is acceptably ‘safe.’ I watched the British GP from Club this year. Everyone was itching for the race to start sooner, and ready to enjoy the spectacle of the cars scrambling for grip. Instead, a prolonged Safety Car period removed the worst of the damp from the track, and the virtual Safety Car meant those who made the early switch to intermediates couldn’t take advantage. We must never embrace unacceptable risk, but removing all risk means removing the possibility for less quick cars to…

“It is this synthesis of rationality and irrationality that makes F1 so fascinating” As part of my job as an ‘expert analyst’ (no sniggering at the back) I try to keep up with facts and statistics so I appear to know what is going on should Ted or Crofty ever have to take a breath, which is very rarely. So I have a lot of spare time to think about what we are all doing here; F1 I mean. Taken in its entirety, in the context of all the other craziness going on around us, F1 can seem very trivial. But perhaps F1 fulfils a basic human need? Most human ‘needs’ are what Spock would call, ‘illogical’. But logic is not what makes us human. Our irrationality is our defining…

Adrian Myers F1 Racing’s photographic portrait specialist At a studio within walking distance of Carlos Sainz’s London home, we spent the morning with the Toro Rosso racer for a very special studio shoot and interview (p33) Anthony Peacock Multilingual journalist and press attaché In the F1 paddock ‘Piccolo’ works in Pirelli’s PR team, but he’s worked with Kimi Räikkönen in rallying, too. So who better to argue the case for ‘The Iceman’? (p54) Glenn Dunbar Globe-trotting LAT lensman with an eye for accuracy This month, Glenn’s timing is spot on as he fires his lens at the team with the quickest pitstops in F1. Watch the Williams FW38 disappear in just 1.89secs on page 76 Dieter Rencken Formula 1’s leading political analyst On GP Friday afternoons, team principals appear in…

12.07.16 Ferrari protégé Charles Leclerc tests for Haas at post-British GP test day 12.07.16 Sauber miss the same test 19.07.16 Losses of £57million are announced for Lotus in 2015 before their sale to Renault 20.07.16 Silverstone announces a 25,000 capacity increase 20.07.16 Sauber announce a change in ownership that secures their future 21.07.17 FIA tightens radio communication rules 22.07.16 Nico Rosberg signs new Mercedes deal to end of 2018 27.07.16 James Allison leaves Ferrari 28.07.16 Strategy Group agree to wet standing starts and hold off on introducing the halo until 2018 28.07.16 FIA radio restrictions lifted from German GP onwards 03.08.16 Red Bull test 2017 tyres at Mugello 03.08.16 Chris Amon dies, aged 73…

Formula 1’s governing body has introduced a series of changes to the sporting rules following a number of controversies over the first half of the 2016 season. Team radio restrictions, introduced this year because of complaints from fans that it appeared drivers were being told how to drive by engineers, have now been lifted completely. This has come after a push back from the teams, who felt that the restrictions were inappropriate in a 21st-century sport with highly complicated cars. There had been a series of incidents in recent races that led to this decision – including a crash caused by brake failure for Sergio Pérez, Lewis Hamilton’s struggles with his engine settings in Baku, and Nico Rosberg being penalised for being told how to avoid a gearbox problem at…

Chris Amon: even the name said racing driver . I watched the glamorous young star, then aged 19, on the crest of an early wave in an old David McKay-entered leaf-spring Cooper-Climax 2.5, drifting and placing, drifting and placing. He was a god of a driver, a prodigy – just as everyone said. In foggy black-and-white photos, we followed Chris’s early F1 life: the Parnell Lotus 25, the London flat, the Cooper S. The Beatles and Christine Keeler wore the headlines; Chris was an extra, a star waiting to shine. He was ferociously quick in early McLaren sportscars, the Bruce-developed Ford X1 Spyder, and the Cooper-Maserati F1 car. Just as Bruce was turning to F1, though, Ferrari rang Chris Amon with an offer too good to refuse:…

“Consider the fans, who are left bewildered by protests, appeals and delays” For proof of just how complicated F1 has become in five decades, compare 1966’s sporting/technical regulations – two lists of outline paragraphs, with very few definitions – and the 2016 equivalents, which run to 146 PDF pages. Now more than ever, the contents of these documents have to be recalled in detail within seconds, usually under pressure, by team managers, engineers and drivers. You could argue that professionals should fully comprehend the intricacies of their crafts, but doctors and lawyers are generally able to consult colleagues as well as reference works when tackling sticky issues. Pitwall operatives have to be much quicker when formulating legal solutions to unexpected situations that could well have dire consequences. Consider the ‘radio…

“I well remember my father’s passion for Ferrari. And then there was Gilles Villeneuve. That’s where I definitively made a jump. There was a magic combination between the myth of Ferrari and the bravery of the driver and I was fully into supporting Ferrari from that time, in the late ’70s. So I was a tifoso, yes” His words come quietly, and with an echo of the burden that must be borne in this most storied role. “All Italians are the Ferrari team principal,” says Maurizio Arrivabene, “just as they are all the national football coach. And they give you the feeling of the exact responsibility that you have – always.” A grudging smile, a knowing nod to the ever-fevered expectations of the tifosi – Ferrari’s very own barmy army,…

THIS HOT HUMID NIGHT RACE IS THE ULTIMATE TEST OF FITNESS Singapore is arguably the toughest race of the grand prix season. The temperatures are so high and the humidity so intense that even the fact that this race takes place after sunset is of little relief to the drivers and teams. This is the pinnacle of all the training the drivers do throughout the year, and the race along the streets of Singapore is always close to the two-hour maximum. Arguably, this is one of the most important events on the calendar. This is the race where every sponsor, chairman and CEO wants to come to do business. Plus, it looks great on TV under the foodlights with the cars finging out sparks on full tanks and dinking each…

THE BELGIAN GP Q1 The Belgian Grand Prix has been held at which three circuits? Q2 Which team have won more Belgian GPs: McLaren or Ferrari? Q3 Daniel Ricciardo’s last win was in Spa 2014. Who came second? Q4 When Mika Häkkinen made one of the best overtakes in F1 history on Michael Schumacher on the Kemmel Straight, which driver did they go either side of? Q5 Who is the only Belgian to finish on the podium in his home race? Q6 Spa is renowned for its wet weather, but how many of the past ten Belgian Grands Prix have actually had rain during the race? Q7 Which multiple Le Mans 24 Hour race winner made his only F1 start at the 2014 race? Q8 Why was the 1985 race…

What exactly is Computer Aided Design (CAD) and how does it differ from design processes used in years gone by? CAD is often thought of as an electronic version of the old drawing board, but is actually much more than that. The primary difference these days is that design is done in three dimensions and therefore the item that is designed can have properties associated with it. For example, in traditional drafting at a drawing board, a designer may have drawn several views of a complex hydraulic valve block with a myriad of dimensions on each view so that the machinist who was making the item could follow each one to manufacture it. The designer would have no knowledge of the mass of the item and nor would he be…

THE HANDS “Apart from the throttle and the brake, all of the inputs of the car go through your hands. Firstly you need a good grip on the wheel. It’s important your gloves fit your hands perfectly and the material of the glove grips the wheel. I hold the steering wheel with a unique style, with my index finger on top of the right-hand side. I don’t know why, it’s just automatic. “Imagine I’m driving through the long right-hander at Turn 3 of Barcelona. When you have the right amount of front grip the steering starts to harden and it’s stiffer to turn the wheel – that’s where you can feel the bite of the front tyres through your hands. As the speed increases, so 10kg of weight in the…

THEY SAY HE’S TOO OLD. NOT THE DRIVER HE USED TO BE. LACKING A COUPLE OF TENTHS IN PACE AND SIMPLY UNABLE, THESE DAYS, TO RUN WITH THE PACK HE USED TO LEAVE IN HIS WAKE. A WASTE OF A RED SEAT. A COMPLACENT WINGMAN TO SUPERSTAR SEB, CONTENT TO CRUISE AND COLLECT THE OCCASIONAL PODIUM, RATHER THAN FIGHT FOR A WIN. THIS IS NOT THE RÄIKKÖNEN FERRARI SEE – THEY BELIEVE HE IS STILL VITAL TO THE TEAM’S FORTUNES AND HAS A CENTRAL ROLE TO PLAY IN THEIR 2017 CAMPAIGN. ARE THEY MAD? NOT AT ALL. THEY MIGHT, INDEED, HAVE MADE ONE OF THE SMARTEST DRIVER RE-HIRES OF THE YEAR. HOW SO? READ ON AS WE PRESENT… A well-worn, but consequently truthful observation about Formula 1, often delivered…

A CLASSIC CHASE THROUGH THE ARDENNES FOREST Some tracks send a shiver down your spine. Spa, on a Sunday morning when the mist hangs low in the air and the rain teems down is one such place. Drivers still revel in the thrill of attacking this quick, undulating former public road circuit in the Hautes Fagnes (literally translated as ‘high fens’) region of the Ardennes forest. Twenty years ago, the greatest challenge on the lap was Eau Rouge, but now the double left at Pouhon provides a sterner test. And with the long run from La Source to Les Combes and from Stavelot to the final chicane, there is a premium on engine power on this long, 4.3-mile lap. But the biggest test at Spa, as ever, is the fickle…