Innholdsfortegnelse for March 2016 i AUTOSPORT

Formula 1 bosses have agreed to end restrictions on engine development in an attempt to make the sport more competitive. The move to abandon the controversial ‘token’ system has yet to be officially ratified, but high-level sources say that there is unlikely to be any attempt to block it, since all the engine manufacturers have now agreed to it. Under the current regulations, the various parts of the engine carry ‘token’ values depending on their effect on performance, and manufacturers can develop up to a maximum limit of tokens – with the number permitted reducing each year. But the system has been criticised for being overly complicated and for having the potential to permanently enshrine performance disparities. The theory behind axing the token system, is that by freeing manufacturers to…

Former McLaren racer Kevin Magnussen is to return to F1 with Renault after the team dropped Pastor Maldonado. Magnussen was drafted in when Maldonado's sponsorship money dried up due to an economic crisis in his home country of Venezuela, following a drop in global oil prices. Maldonado was contracted to pay $46m, all up front. The team gave sponsor PDVSA, Venezuela’s national oil company, several chances to pay but finally resorted to signing Magnussen at the end of January. Magnussen, who was released by McLaren at the end of 2015 following a year as their reserve driver, admitted that Renault had saved his career. “This was make or break,” he said. “Luckily, I made it. This is a massive opportunity because not many drivers get a second chance. I can’t…

Via Abetone Inferiore n. 4, 41053, Maranello, Italy COMPANY Name Ferrari SpA Chassis SF16-H Engine Ferrari 059/5 Website formula1.ferrari.com Twitter @ScuderiaFerrari TEAM HISTORY Founded 1929 First GP Monaco 1950 Races started 908 Wins 224 Poles 208 Fastest laps 233 Points 6,262.5 Drivers’ titles 15 Constructors’ titles 16 KEY PERSONNEL Chairman Sergio Marchionne Managing director and team principal Maurizio Arrivabene Technical director James Allison Power unit director Mattia Binotto Production director Corrado Lanzone DRIVERS Car number 5 Born 3 July 1987 (age 28) Place of birth Heppenheim, Germany Height/weight 1.76m/62kg Race engineer Riccardo Adami Twitter N/A F1 HISTORY Debut USA 2007 Races started 158 Previous teams Red Bull, Toro Rosso, BMW-Sauber Wins 42 Poles 46 Fastest laps 25 Points 1,896 Drivers’ titles 4 2015 position 3rd Car number 7 Born…

Don’t expect miracles. Red Bull’s 2016-spec Renault engines aren’t going to leapfrog the team straight into Mercedes-Ferrari championship territory. Look for a win or two, however. Look for the team to take up where they left off… in 2014. Last season – 2015? Call it “good for the soul”. Nigel Mansell knew about times like that – 1988, the year after he nearly won the championship being a good example. So did Jim Clark: world champion in ’65, a one-race winner in ’66. And, as an interesting aside, both drove absolutely at their peaks in the years following those blips. Nigel moved mountains in the embryonic 1989 Ferrari 640; Jim was breathtaking in the 1967 Lotus 49. Based on that methodology, we’ll see Daniel Ricciardo never better than in 2016.…

Via Spallanzani, 21, 48018, Faenza, Italy COMPANY Name Scuderia Toro Rosso SpA Chassis STR11 Engine Ferrari 059/4 Website scuderiatororosso.com Twitter @ToroRossoSpy TEAM HISTORY Founded 2005 First GP Bahrain 2006 Races started 185 Wins 1 Poles 1 Fastest laps 0 Points 266 Drivers’ titles 0 Constructors’ titles 0 KEY PERSONNEL Owner & chairman Dietrich Mateschitz Team principal Franz Tost Technical director James Key Team manager Graham Watson Chief race engineer Phil Charles DRIVERS Car number 33 Born 30 September 1997 (age 18) Place of birth Hasselt, Belgium Height/weight 1.80m/67kg Race engineer Xevi Pujolar Twitter@Max33Verstappen F1 HISTORY Debut Australia 2015 Races started 19 Previous teams N/A Wins 0 Poles 0 Fastest laps 0 Points 49 Best result 4th 2015 position 12th Car number 55 Born 1 September 1994 (age 21) Place…

Manor Technical Centre, Chalker Way, Banbury, Oxfordshire, OX16 4XD, UK COMPANY Name Manor Grand Prix Racing Limited Chassis MRT05 Engine Mercedes-Benz PU160C Hybrid Website manorf1team.com Twitter @ManorRacing TEAM HISTORY Founded 2009 First GP Bahrain 2010 Races started 111 Wins 0 Poles 0 Fastest laps 0 Points 2 Drivers’ titles 0 Constructors’ titles 0 KEY PERSONNEL Owner Stephen Fitzpatrick Racing director Dave Ryan Technical director John McQuilliam Chief aerodynamicist Nikolas Tombazis Engineering consultant Pat Fry DRIVERS Car number 94 Born 18 October 1994 (age 21) Place of birth Sigmaringen, Germany Height/weight 1.75m/59kg Race engineer TBA Twitter @PWehrlein F1 HISTORY Debut Australia 2016 Races started 0 Previous team Mercedes (as reserve driver) Wins 0 Poles 0 Fastest laps 0 Points 0 Best result N/A 2015 position N/A Car number 88 Born…

Our lucky winners will enjoy a trip with Select Motor Racing, who have over 20 years’ experience in motorsport tours and hospitality. The trip includes: • Return coach travel to Spa-Francorchamps, Belgium, from London, UK (coach departs Thursday 25 August) • Four nights accomodation • Two three-day admission tickets to the Silver 2 Grandstand at the Spa-Francorchamps circuit HOW TO WIN For your chance to win this fantastic prize, visit www.f1racing.co.uk, enter your name and details and answer the following question: Q How many times has Lewis Hamilton won the Belgian Grand Prix? A 2 B 3 C 4 Terms and conditions: 1. To enter visit www.f1racing.co.uk. 2. Competition closes at 11.59pm on Sunday 3 April 2016. 3. This competition is open only to UK residents aged 18 or over.…

A new venue is always interesting and the race in Baku this June will be something we haven’t experienced before. No doubt there will be challenges for all of the teams, the engine manufacturers, Pirelli and of course for the drivers, but, with my TV hat on, I’m quite a fan of new races. From what I’ve seen of the layout, it’s quite a long circuit – 3.732 miles to be precise – which would make it the second longest lap of the season. It’ll be between Spa (4.352 miles) and Silverstone (3.66 miles). Circuit designer Hermann Tilke is saying a typical F1 lap should be about 101 seconds with an average speed of 210kph (130mph). So you’d expect the length of the grand prix to be around an hour…

Although a new generation of talented British drivers had emerged on the international motor-racing scene in the early years of the F1 world championship, British manufacturers seldom cut it at the top level. It was not for want of trying. “Vanwall soon reached a level that matched Vandervell’s aspirations, and so dominant was Moss in the Pescara Grand Prix that he was able to stop for new tyres, an oil top-up “and a bottle of pop,” as the Pathé newsreels put it” In the early 1950s, Britain was one of the world’s most energetic motoring nations. The wartime experience had left a legacy of inventive, self-reliant and motor-minded individuals who craved competitive stimulus. They threw themselves into the world of motorsport, campaigning everything from 500cc motorcycle-engined specials upwards. This, after…

Is it crunch time for Nico? Assuming that Mercedes’ dominance continues into a third year, then this season will be a crucial one for Nico Rosberg. After finishing second to Lewis Hamilton in both 2014 and 2015, Nico must feel that 2016 is make-or-break as he struggles to gain superiority over his team-mate. A third successive defeat by Hamilton could ultimately signal the end of Rosberg’s Mercedes tenure. I say this because Nico will face the dilemma of whether to continue to pit himself alongside Lewis in equal machinery, or remove himself from the situation, regroup, and try to mount a challenge elsewhere. In recent years we’ve seen the likes of Rubens Barrichello, Felipe Massa and Mark Webber, all proven race winners, move on to pastures new when faced with…

McLaren will have a new CEO of their Formula 1 operation before long, following their recruitment of the head of Volkswagen Motorsport Jost Capito. Capito, 57, does not yet have a start date, but will become chief executive officer of McLaren Racing, reporting to chairman Ron Dennis, once he is free of his responsibilities to Volkswagen. This is expected to happen in April or May. Eric Boullier remains in his position as racing director, the de facto head of the F1 team at races. Capito’s role will be to ensure that McLaren, as a company, are in a fit state to allow the team to return to the top level of F1. His position is confirmation of a role that McLaren said they would fill as long ago as early…

Formula 1 bosses have committed to introducing driver head protection for the 2017 season. They have adopted the so-called ‘halo’ device, which tests showed was the best compromise between increased safety and loss of peripheral vision. F1 safety delegate Charlie Whiting informed the teams of the FIA’s determination to introduce the device, along with the raft of other rule changes for 2017, at a meeting in late January. An insider told us that the FIA “sees no reason why it can’t be introduced in 2017”. The move has the full backing of the Grand Prix Drivers’ Association, whose chairman, Alex Wurz, said: “Obviously the drivers are happy that the technical team representatives agreed for the additional head protection coming in for 2017 following the drivers’ recommendation and the FIA research.…

that much was very clear. Much as Lewis Hamilton tried to play it down, Nico Rosberg’s run of form at the end of last season got to the newly crowned world champion. Fresh from winning the title with victory in the US Grand Prix, Hamilton had talked about wanting to just keep on winning. “So, what now?” Hamilton said. “That’s simple. Keep going. I just want to go racing. There are no particular goals, except to keep winning.” But he didn’t. In the last three races, there was no mistaking that there had been a shift in form at Mercedes. Three Rosberg poles – making it six in a row in total – were converted into three wins, and Hamilton could seemingly do nothing about it. Race weekends started with…

5a Reynard Park, Brackley, Northamptonshire, NN13 7BD, UK COMPANY Name Mercedes-Benz Grand Prix Limited Chassis F1 W07 Hybrid Engine Mercedes-Benz PU160C Hybrid Website mercedesAMGF1.com Twitter @MercedesAMGF1 TEAM HISTORY Founded 1886 First GP France 1954 Races started 127 Wins 45 Poles 53 Fastest laps 38 Points 2,285 Drivers’ titles 4 Constructors’ titles 2 KEY PERSONNEL Head of Mercedes-Benz motorsport Toto Wolff Executive director (technical) Paddy Lowe Managing director, Mercedes AMG High-Performance Powertrains Andy Cowell Engineering director Aldo Costa Technology director Geoff Willis DRIVERS Car number 44 Born 7 January 1985 (age 31) Place of birth Tewin, UK Height/weight 1.75m/66kg Race engineer Peter Bonnington Twitter @LewisHamilton F1 HISTORY Debut Australia 2007 Races started 167 Previous team McLaren Wins 43 Poles 49 Fastest laps 28 Points 1,867 Drivers’ titles 3 2015 position…

VENTILATION VEST They’re not used in races, but drivers will often wear these vests on the grid at hot events such as Malaysia and Singapore. The vest keeps a driver’s core body temperature low by circulating pre-cooled water or gel through thin tubing sewn between its Nomex layers. UNDERWEAR Since the mid-1970s, drivers have worn underwear made from fire-retardant Nomex. These seamless all-in-one garments cover the legs, arms and chest and can withstand temperatures of up to 400°C. BOOTS Racing boots tend to be made from cushioned leather (Alpinestars have used exotic materials such as kangaroo leather in the past), with thin rubber soles to provide grippy contact with the foot pedals. Some drivers prefer to have their boots laced right up to the toe, while others use just a…

Building 2, Bradbourne Drive, Tilbrook, Milton Keynes, MK7 8AT, UK COMPANY Name Red Bull Racing Limited Chassis RB12 Engine Tag Heuer Website redbullracing.com Twitter @redbullracing TEAM HISTORY Founded 2004 First GP Australia 2005 Races started 203 Wins 50 Poles 57 Fastest laps 47 Points 3,052.5 Drivers’ titles 4 Constructors’ titles 4 KEY PERSONNEL Chairman Dietrich Mateschitz Team principal Christian Horner Chief technical officer Adrian Newey Chief engineering officer Rob Marshall Chief engineer, car engineering Paul Monaghan DRIVERS Car number 3 Born 1 July 1989 (age 26) Place of birth Perth, Australia Height/weight 1.80m/64kg Race engineer Simon Rennie Twitter @danielricciardo F1 HISTORY Debut Britain 2011 Races started 88 Previous teams Toro Rosso, HRT Wins 3 Poles 0 Fastest laps 4 Points 360 Drivers’ titles 0 2015 position 8th Car number…

COMPANY Name Force India Formula 1 Team Limited Chassis VJM09 Engine Mercedes-Benz PU160C Hybrid Website forceindiaf1.com Twitter @ForceIndiaF1 TEAM HISTORY Founded 2007 First GP Australia 2008 Races started 150 Wins 0 Poles 1 Fastest laps 3 Points 627 Drivers’ titles 0 Constructors’ titles 0 KEY PERSONNEL Team principal and managing director Vijay Mallya Deputy team principal Robert Fernley Chief operating officer Otmar Szafnauer Technical director Andrew Green Sporting director Andy Stevenson DRIVERS Car number 27  Born 19 August 1987 (age 28) Place of birth Emmerich, Germany Height/weight 1.84m/74kg Race engineer Bradley Joyce Twitter @HulkHulkenberg F1 HISTORY Debut Bahrain 2010 Races started 94 Previous teams Sauber, Williams Wins 0 Poles 1 Fastest laps 1 Points 290 Best result 4th 2015 position 10th Car number 11 Born 26 January 1990 (age…

Whiteways Technical Centre, Enstone, Oxfordshire, OX7 4EE, UK COMPANY Name Renault Sport Racing Ltd Chassis R.S.16 Engine Renault R.E.16 Website renaultsport.com Twitter @RenaultSportF1 TEAM HISTORY Founded 1898 First GP Great Britain 1977 Races started 300 Wins 35 Poles 51 Fastest laps 31 Points 1,318 Drivers’ titles 2 Constructors’ titles 2 KEY PERSONNEL Managing director Cyril Abiteboul Racing director Frédéric Vasseur Chief technical officer Bob Bell Chassis technical director Nick Chester Engine technical director Rémi Taffin DRIVERS Car number 20 Born 5 October 1992 (age 23) Place of birth Roskilde, Denmark Height/weight 1.74m/68kg Race engineer Chris Richards Twitter @KevinMagnussen F1 HISTORY Debut Australia 2014 Races started 19 Previous team McLaren Wins 0 Poles 0 Fastest laps 0 Points 55 Best result 2nd 2015 position Unclassified Car number 30 Born 20…

1 WIN Robert Kubica’s win in Canada 2008, during the BMW-Sauber era, remains the team’s only F1 victory in 23 seasons of competition 4 In the four years since Chelsea FC began sponsoring Sauber in 2012, the club have had four managers: Roberto Di Matteo, Rafa Benitez, José Mourinho and Guus Hiddink 16 This year will be Sauber’s 16th season with Ferrari power, although for nine of those years they were branded as Petronas engines C35 This year’s F1 car is the C35. The ‘C’ in each Sauber is for ‘Christiane’, Peter Sauber’s wife 1,854ft levation of Sauber’s 1 base in Hinwil TWENTY SEVEN drivers from 14 different countries have raced for Sauber 80% of Sauber was owned by BMW, from 2006-2009 EIGHT The number of seasons Nick Heidfeld raced…

McLaren Technology Centre, Chertsey Road, Woking, Surrey, GU21 4YH, UK COMPANY Name McLaren Racing Limited Chassis MP4-31 Engine Honda RA616H Website mclaren.com Twitter @McLarenF1 TEAM HISTORY Founded 1963 First GP Monaco 1966 Races started 780 Wins 182 Poles 155 Fastest laps 152 Points 5,040.5 Drivers’ titles 12 Constructors’ titles 8 KEY PERSONNEL Group chairman and CEO Ron Dennis Chief executive officer (from May) Jost Capito Racing director Eric Boullier Technical director Tim Goss Director of engineering Matt Morris DRIVERS Car number 14 Born 29 July 1981 (age 34) Place of birth Oviedo, Spain Height/weight 1.71m/68kg Race engineer Mark Temple Twitter @alo_oficial F1 HISTORY Debut Australia 2001 Races started 252 Previous teams Ferrari, Renault, McLaren, Minardi Wins 32 Poles 22 Fastest laps 21 Points 1,778 Drivers’ titles 2 2015 position…

TEETHING TROUBLES The brand new Haas VF-16 makes its pitlane debut at 7.50am on the Monday of the first Barcelona test. Inevitably there are a few minor issues to be resolved, and chief race engineer Ayao Komatsu liaises with the Ferrari engineers ahead of the car’s first run. GROSJEAN GETS GOING Team principal Guenther Steiner is all smiles as Romain Grosjean successfully completes the new car’s first installation lap. FRONT-WING FAILURE After a dozen timed laps, Romain Grosjean’s running is brought to a sudden halt when the front wing falls off because of a problem with the carbon-fibre mounting points. PIT AND REFIT On returning to the pits, the Haas engineers investigate the bonding issues that caused the front wing to work loose. The delay isn’t too lengthy and Grosjean…

4001 Haas Way, Kannapolis, NC 28081, USA COMPANY Name Haas Formula LLC Chassis VF-16 Engine Ferrari 059/5 Website haasf1team.com Twitter @HaasF1Team TEAM HISTORY Founded 2014 First GP Australia 2016 Races started 0 Wins 0 Poles 0 Fastest laps 0 Points 0 Drivers’ titles 0 Constructors’ titles 0 KEY PERSONNEL Owner Gene Haas Team principal Guenther Steiner Vice president of technology Matt Borland Reliability engineer Lawrence Burch Team manager Dave O’Neill DRIVERS Car number 8 Born 17 April 1986 (age 29) Place of birth Geneva, Switzerland Height/weight 1.80m/71kg Race engineer Ayao Komatsu Twitter @RGrosjean F1 HISTORY Debut Europe 2009 Races started 83 Previous teams Lotus, Renault Wins 0 Poles 0 Fastest laps 1 Points 287 Best result 2nd 2015 position 11th Car number 21 Born 5 August 1991 (age 24)…

Spark up Fresh from his winter break, Lewis Hamilton is back where he belongs. Driving into the sunset, the world champion has a clear track in front of him to put the brand new Mercedes W07 Hybrid through its paces. He manages 66 laps before lunch and another 90 in the afternoon to amass an impressive 451 miles on the first day Where Barcelona, Spain When 4.25pm, Monday 22 February 2016 Photographer Sam Bloxham/LAT Details Canon EOS-1DX, 600mm lens, 1/1000th at F5.6 Eye of the storm Jenson Button returns to the cockpit of a McLaren-Honda hoping the new MP4-31 will be more reliable than last year’s car. Despite an early morning glitch, he ran 84 laps of the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya to complete five more laps than McLaren achieved in…

Alfa Romeo dominated the first two years of the F1 world championship before succumbing to financial chaos, and their evocative badge has not adorned an F1 car since 1985. Now, though, Sergio Marchionne – boss of parent company Fiat Chrysler Automobiles and president of Ferrari – has stated the case for a comeback. “To re-establish itself as a sport brand,” Marchionne said in an interview with Gazzetta dello Sport, “Alfa Romeo can and must consider the possibility of a return to race in Formula 1.” It would be easy to dismiss Marchionne’s rhetoric as mere cant, or to pick apart the nuances of words in translation, and, indeed, there remains the question of whether the company could afford such an expense. The Alfa brand predates Ferrari, but has long been…

Pirelli have agreed to look into designing higher-performance tyres for 2017 after the drivers made it clear they were unhappy with the current high-degradation rubber. The drivers’ views were represented at a meeting of major stakeholders at Pirelli’s Milan headquarters in early February, which was attended by Sebastian Vettel, Nico Rosberg, Kimi Räikkönen, Daniel Ricciardo, Daniil Kvyat, Valtteri Bottas and Felipe Massa. Also at the meeting were Pirelli chairman Marco Tronchetti Provera, F1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone, FIA president Jean Todt, Ferrari chairman Sergio Marchionne, McLaren boss Ron Dennis and the heads of Mercedes, Red Bull and Williams. Before the meeting, the drivers’ dissatisfaction with the current tyres had finally been made public through the Grand Prix Drivers’ Association chairman Alex Wurz. He told the BBC the drivers wanted to “help…

Ben Edwards is to remain as Britain’s terrestrial television Formula 1 commentator and will be joined by Susie Wolff as a co-host Edwards, who joined the BBC’s coverage team in 2012 after the corporation split the rights with Sky, has now signed to move to Channel 4, although no official announcement had been made as F1 Racing went to press. He will continue his widely praised partnership in the commentary box with David Coulthard, whose Whisper Films company won the contract to produce the coverage. However, BBC F1 presenter Suzi Perry will not be involved. Perry’s replacement is tipped to be Steve Jones, who has worked on Channel 4’s youth shows T4 and The X Factor USA and is a favourite of Jay Hunt, Channel 4’s chief creative officer. Susie…

Station Road, Grove, Oxfordshire, OX12 0DQ, UK COMPANY Name Williams Grand Prix Engineering Limited Chassis FW38 Engine Mercedes-Benz PU160C Hybrid Website williamsf1.com Twitter @WilliamsRacing TEAM HISTORY Founded 1975 First GP Argentina 1975 Races started 649 Wins 114 Poles 128 Fastest laps 133 Points 3,338 Drivers’ titles 7 Constructors’ titles 9 KEY PERSONNEL Team principal Sir Frank Williams Deputy team principal Claire Williams Group CEO Mike O’Driscoll Chief technical officer Pat Symonds Head of performance engineering Rob Smedley DRIVERS Car number 19 Born 25 April 1981 (age 34) Place of birth São Paulo, Brazil Height/weight 1.66m/59kg Race engineer Dave Robson Twitter @MassaFelipe19 F1 HISTORY Debut Australia 2002 Races started 229 Previous teams Ferrari, Sauber Wins 11 Poles 16 Fastest laps 15 Points 1,071 Drivers’ titles 0 2015 position 6th Car…

“NICO HAS HIS CONFIDENT FACE ON, AND HIS COMMAND OF SPORTING TRIVIA (UNUSUALLY, THERE ARE NO SNOOKER QUESTIONS) HELPS PUT HIS TEAM IN THE LEAD” Monday 5 January 1970. British cinemagoers still have time to enjoy the brief spectacle of George Lazenby as James Bond in On Her Majesty’s Secret Service. Harold Wilson is entering his last six months as UK Prime Minister. And at 6.20pm on BBC One, the comic celebrity quiz show A Question Of Sport begins what will become a virtually uninterrupted run on UK TV. “A new quiz that will be featuring some of the most famous incidents and events in the history of sport,” announced the Radio Times billing. QoS has outlived original anchor David Vine and team captains Henry Cooper and Cliff Morgan. It…

“WE HAVE TO ACCEPT IT WON’T BE EASY, BUT RENAULT ARE VERY AMBITIOUS ANDI’M LOOKING FORWARD TO THE CHALLENGE OF MOVING UP THE ORDER” jolyon palmer We start this story where our time with Jolyon Palmer ends. We’ve just spent two days with Renault’s rookie signing and now he bids us farewell, and eases out of his black Renault Clio RS before striding off assuredly into the Viry-Châtillon engine facility of the reborn Renault F1 team. Over the past two days, Palmer has been meeting-and-greeting his new paymasters. During that time, he shook hands with them all: from the top echelon of the Renault corporate hierarchy, to the mechanics on the shop floor. Being welcomed into the bosom of Renault has been his dream come true. At the official launch,…

Wildbachstrasse 9, 8340, Hinwil, Switzerland COMPANY Name Sauber Motorsport AG Chassis C35 Engine Ferrari 059/5 Website sauberf1team.com Twitter @SauberF1Team TEAM HISTORY Founded 1970 First GP South Africa 1993 Races started 400 Wins 1 Poles 1 Fastest laps 5 Points 810 Drivers’ titles 0 Constructors’ titles 0 KEY PERSONNEL President of the board of directors Peter Sauber Team principal and CEO Monisha Kaltenborn Operations director Axel Kruse Chief designer Eric Gandelin Head of aero development Mariano Alperin-Bruvera DRIVERS Car number 9 Born 2 September 1990 (age 25) Place of birth Kumla, Sweden Height/weight 1.74m/64kg Race engineer Erik Schuivens Twitter @Ericsson_Marcus F1 HISTORY Debut Australia 2014 Races started 35 Previous team Caterham Wins 0 Poles 0 Fastest laps 0 Points 9 Best result 8th 2015 position 18th Car number 12 Born…

Baku is the capital of the transcontinental country of Azerbaijan. It’s the largest city on the Caspian Sea and in the Caucasus region, straddling Eastern Europe and Western Asia. To date, it is probably most famous for hosting 2012’s Eurovision Song Contest. Baku takes its name from an old Persian word that translates as ‘wind-pounded city’. It’s a place steeped in history, and its old town, including the Walled City, Shirvanshah’s Palace and Maiden Tower, which date from the 12th century, together constitute a UNESCO World Heritage site. The republic of Azerbaijan declared its independence from the Soviet Union in 1991 and most of its population of 2 million people are Shia Muslims. Over the past decade, the country has profited from abundant reserves of oil and gas, but in…

So long, Pastor: it’s certainly been interesting! While I was heartened to hear that Kevin Magnussen is in line for a Renault drive (great young racer gets seat with potentially front-running team on merit shocker) I am saddened to see the back of Pastor Maldonado. The news brought out the haters on the forums, saying good riddance. The debate will always rage about how much of his talent can be measured in dollars, yet following his exploits over the years has been a hell of a ride. In an age in which drivers are criticised for lacking personality, he was a breath of fresh air. I still recall a test at Silverstone a few years ago. At 9am everyone else was checking systems on slow out-laps. Not Pastor. On the…