Innholdsfortegnelse for June 2016 i AUTOSPORT

We hate to say ‘we told you so’. But, well, we told you so – about Max Verstappen, that is. In April, Max became our youngest-ever cover star and we explained why he was such a hit in his 2015 rookie season and precisely what it was about his Hamiltonesque driving style that made future victories inevitable. The cover star treatment was just one of myriad ‘youngest-ever’ records that Max, 18, will doubtless keep setting, having just become the ‘youngest ever F1 winner’ and ‘youngest ever podium finisher’ at the 2016 Spanish GP (see race report, page 104). And while both of these achievements were brilliant, surprising they were not. Insiders speak of the 0.2s per lap advantage Verstappen had in hand over his less fluent and now demoted team…

THE CANADIAN GP Q1 in which year did Montréal hold its first Canadian GP? Q2 True or false: it was Jean Alesi’s 31st birthday the day he claimed his only win, at the 1995 Canadian GP? Q3 From what grid position did Jenson Button start the 2011 Canadian GP, which he famously won after dropping to 21st? Q4 Ligier’s sole Canadian GP win came in 1981. Who was the driver? Q5 Which current drivers have led a Canadian GP but never won one? Q6 Who was Robert Kubica trying to overtake when he had his huge shunt in Canada in 2007? Q7 Which river flows past the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve? Q8 What made its first appearance in the 1973 Canadian GP at Mosport? Q9 When the 2009 race was cancelled,…

Name Lunacy Age Around 2,000 years Appearance Dangerous Ah, mental incapacity brought on by the moon. What the deuce are you on about? Did you not know that? The etymology comes from the Latin lunaticus , meaning moonstruck, which folk in less enlightened times used to describe a range of fevers, agues and fits. Phew, for a minute I thought you were going to pull your usual stunt of sending our ongoing dialogue down the eternal blind alley of pop trivia. Well there is The Lunatics Have Taken Over The Asylum by Fun Boy Three… Only reached number 20, according to my Guinness Book of British Hit Singles. It barely qualifies. Jog on. Oh well. What lunacy news, then? Mercedes boss Toto Wolff…

“Daniil is an F1 driver with F1 driver’s privileges, one of which is to believe that he has nothing to learn” Christian Horner’s turn of phrase when demoting Daniil Kvyat, was intriguing: “Dany will be able to continue his development at Toro Rosso,” he said, “in a team that he is familiar with, giving him the chance to regain his form and show his potential.” It’s the ‘form’ thing that made me think. What is ‘form’ when it’s at home? Is it, ‘Wow. I’ve just made a big mistake. Must try harder’? Or is it, ‘Ah. At last. Back home at STR. Life’s good. I’ll surely regain my form’? It is, of course, neither. ‘Form’, in reality, is an excuse for not making the effort to understand the fine, grey…

Seldom has an episode of this venerable F1 Racing regular feature come so close to disaster. Shanghai International Circuit has been buffeted by high winds all afternoon and now, as Nico Hülkenberg poses for our photographer behind Force India’s paddock cabin, a stray gust tears a handful of question cards from his grasp. At any other venue this wouldn’t be a problem, but here we’re on stilts above a murky swamp. Nico joins the breathless scramble to save your questions from their appointment with Hermann Tilke’s water feature. “Let’s go inside,” he says. “It’s way too cold out here.” With the precious cargo secured, we concur and head indoors, barring the door against the raging tempest without, and begin… Who has been your favourite team-mate to race against? Chris Lunnon,…

GERMANY Wiesbaden, Germany, is the birthplace both of Nico Rosberg, and his mother, Sina. Translated into English, Wiesbaden means ‘meadow baths’. It’s one of the oldest Spa towns in Europe and is also sometimes known as the ‘Nice of the North’. It has an approximate population of just over 270,000, although at any one time, up to 19,000 are US citizens, who are associated with the local army base. Nico races under a German licence, speaks fluent German, holds German nationality and considers himself German, having sported a German football shirt on a number of occasions in the paddock. And his wife, Vivian, is a native of Hamburg. FINLAND Although he holds dual German and Finnish nationality and briefly raced under a Finnish flag at the start of his career,…

Haas’s approach to F1 could encourage more new entrants, according to team principal, Guenther Steiner. “We hope this project is successful so we get more teams joining F1 which is what we need,” he says. Haas have impressed from the start, with Romain Grosjean finishing in the points in both Australia (P6) and Bahrain (P5). However, their entry has been controversial since they have taken advantage of so-called ‘non-listed parts’, having components supplied by Ferrari for those elements they don’t have to design themselves. Some rivals have questioned whether this rule is healthy for F1, saying it could erode ‘constructor’ status in the future. “The regulations are the same for everybody,” says Steiner. “We didn’t do anything different to what anyone else can do.” Haas also have use of Ferrari’s…

F1R : Are you surprised by what you’ve seen on your first visit here? FA: I’m definitely surprised by the circuit, facilities and the layout. All the preparations are ahead of what I thought they would be. There’s always a question mark when you come to a new circuit, a new country and you wonder what the reaction of the people will be. So far they have been very enthusiastic and very passionate about the event, and that will grow when the race comes here in June. I didn’t come with any idea of what the city would be like, but it has a very European style, a little like Budapest. The city is extremely safe – it’s quite developed and is growing very quickly. F1R : The…

1970 The Ford-Cosworth V8 becomes almost ubiquitous. Alfa Romeo return with a sportscar-based V8 used by Andrea de Adamich and Nanni Galli in a third works McLaren. 1971 Lotus fields the gas-turbine-powered 56B, with a highest result of eighth place. Tyrrell introduce the 003 for Jackie Stewart; it wins eight of 16 races over 1971-72. 1972 Cosworth cars win ten of the 12 GPs. Jean-Pierre Beltoise takes BRM’s final win, at Monaco. Bernie Ecclestone takes control of Brabham, and buys the assets of the defunct Eifelland, purely to secure their Cosworth engines. 1973 The Safety Car is used for the first time in Canada. Cosworth cars win every race. Emerson Fittipaldi leaves Lotus for McLaren, seeing better reliability in the new M23. 1974 The new Lotus 76 is a failure…

THE GRID 1. ROSBERG MERCEDES 1min 35.417secs Q3 2. BOTTAS WILLIAMS 1min 36.536secs Q3 3. RÄIKKÖNEN FERRARI 1min 36.663secs Q3 4. MASSA WILLIAMS 1min 37.016secs Q3 5. RICCIARDO RED BULL 1min 37.125secs Q3 6. PÉREZ FORCE INDIA 1min 37.212secs Q3 7. VETTEL* FERRARI 1min 36.123secs Q3 8. KVYAT RED BULL 1min 37.459secs Q3 9. VERSTAPPEN TORO ROSSO 1min 37.583secs Q3 10. HAMILTON MERCEDES NO TIME IN Q3 11. SAINZ TORO ROSSO 1min 37.652secs Q2 12. BUTTON MCLAREN 1min 37.701secs Q2 13. HÜLKENBERG FORCE INDIA 1min 37.771secs Q2 14. ALONSO MCLAREN 1min 37.807secs Q2 15. GROSJEAN HAAS 1min 38.055secs Q2 16. GUTIÉRREZ HAAS 1min 38.115secs Q2 17. MAGNUSSEN RENAULT 1min 38.914secs Q1 18. PALMER RENAULT 1min 39.009secs Q1 19. NASR SAUBER 1min 39.018secs Q1 20. WEHRLEIN MANOR 1min 39.399secs Q1 21.…

THE GRID 1. HAMILTON MERCEDES 1min 22.000secs Q3 2. ROSBERG MERCEDES 1min 22.280secs Q3 3. RICCIARDO RED BULL 1min 22.680secs Q3 4. VERSTAPPEN RED BULL 1min 23.087secs Q3 5. RÄIKKÖNEN FERRARI 1min 23.113secs Q3 6. VETTEL FERRARI 1min 23.334secs Q3 7. BOTTAS WILLIAMS 1min 23.522secs Q3 8. SAINZ TORO ROSSO 1min 23.643secs Q3 9. PÉREZ FORCE INDIA 1min 23.782secs Q3 10. ALONSO MCLAREN 1min 23.981secs Q3 11. HÜLKENBERG FORCE INDIA 1min 24.203secs Q2 12. BUTTON MCLAREN 1min 24.348secs Q2 13. KVYAT TORO ROSSO 1min 24.445secs Q2 14. GROSJEAN HAAS 1min 24.480secs Q2 15. MAGNUSSEN RENAULT 1min 24.625secs Q2 16. GUTIÉRREZ HAAS 1min 24.778secs Q2 17. PALMER RENAULT 1min 24.903secs Q1 18. MASSA WILLIAMS 1min 24.941secs Q1 19. ERICSSON SAUBER 1min 25.202secs Q1 20. NASR SAUBER 1min 25.579secs Q1 21. WEHRLEIN…

EUROPEAN GP RACE DATA Circuit name Baku City Circuit First GP 2016 F1 races held 0 Circuit length 3.732 miles Race distance 51 laps (190.171 miles) Direction Anticlockwise Winners from pole N/A TV TIMETABLE (UK TIME) Friday 17 June Practice 1 10:00-11:30 Practice 2 14:00-15:30 Saturday 18 June Practice 3 11:00-12:00 Qualifying 14:00-15:00 Sunday 19 June Race 14:00 Live coverage Sky Sports F1 Highlights Channel 4 FORMULA 1 HAS ITS FIRST TRANSCONTINENTAL FORAY The greatest challenge of this inaugural race around the streets of the Azerbaijani capital of Baku will be the headache of transporting all the freight and equipment from Montréal, just four days before FP1 starts. As each team transports roughly 120 crates, setting up in a new location will be a huge logistical test. When practice on…

F1 has never been better! The coming-together of the two Mercedes at the start of the Spanish Grand Prix gave us all the chance to see racing without perceived domination and, once again, as has been the majority of racing this season, it was an absolute treat. The decision to swap Verstappen and Kvyat was vindicated, and as the youngest ever race winner, winning on his debut with a new team, we can be sure that Verstappen has a very bright future. Back to Mercedes, and opinions will differ as to what happened and why, but ultimately this is racing and with two drivers fighting for the title, especially given Rosberg’s current advantage, it’s hard to pin the blame one way or another. But it does have clear implications for…

“Sergio Marchionne wants Alfa Romeo back in F1 and so do I! Who is Sergio Marchionne, though?” Well, he’s the CEO of Fiat Chrysler, who own Alfa Romeo, and, unsurprisingly, he’s a man who knows what he wants and tends to get it. Witness the turn around in Ferrari fortunes following the changes he effected when he took control from Luca di Montezemolo. I doubt many of today’s fans are fully aware of Alfa Romeo’s distinguished motorsport history, which began in 1911, or of what a worthy addition to today’s F1 they’d make. In the 1920s and ’30s, up to the 1934 advent of the all-conquering Mercedes-Benz and Auto Union teams, the P2 and P3 Alfa Romeos were mainstays of the grand prix scene, driven by superstars such as Antonio…

Justin Hynes Talented F1 writer takes a look behind the scenes Every team has their unsung heroes and Justin speaks to those Mercedes men and women who help Lewis and Nico on the way to glory. Read their stories on p46 Thomas Butler Award-winning snapper who never misses a trick A master at reportage and studio work, Thomas was the obvious choice when we were given the opportunity to capture the Mercedes unsung heroes at work... Pat Symonds Top tech guru both at Williams… and F1 Racing Following on from his investigation into car safety, last month, Pat runs his eye over the improvements that have been made to track and driver safety on p28 James Roberts Baku is the next stop for our jet-setting associate editor With the inaugural…

01.05.16 A July deadline has been set for a decision on cockpit protection systems (more on p70) 03.05.16 Sauber announce they will not attend the post-Spanish Grand Prix test in Barcelona 04.05.16 Mercedes publish an open letter to fans in response to Hamilton conspiracy theories 10.05.16 FIA race director Charlie Whiting praises European Grand Prix preparations during Baku visit 12.5.16 Silverstone announces crowd-capacity expansion for British Grand Prix 18.5.16 Pascal Wehrlein receives a late call-up to test for Mercedes in Barcelona…

RUSSIA AIMS FOR NIGHT RACE The promoters of the Russian GP have declared their intent to make it a night race within the next four seasons. Currently the race begins at 3pm local time. “I’m sure before 2020, it will happen,” said chief executive Sergey Vorobyev. “We are waiting for final confirmation from the government because it’s a necessary capital investment. At this moment, we’re not fully ready to cover a night race operating cost. The decision has been made without specific dates.” LYNN GETS FIRST 2016 WILLIAMS RUN Williams F1 development driver and 2014 GP3 champion Alex Lynn sampled the FW38 for the first time at the Barcelona test immediately after the Spanish Grand Prix, evaluating development parts that included an unusual double-decker rear wing. Lynn is the team’s…

“We marvel at those who can control fear. It is one of the greatest tests we can face” One of the most interesting and divisive issues in F1 right now is the proposed introduction – or not – of cockpit ‘halos’ or ‘riot shield’ screens. There are two camps: one sees it as a moral impossibility to deny protection once it has been shown to be viable; the other resists the inexorable cosseting of the driver from his/her own life choices, or should that read, ‘death or serious injury choices’? Who should decide? The driver? After all, it’s their neck. Or the FIA, which has a responsibility to protect their safety? Or should we ask the fans? There is a track on an album by a couple of long-gone comedians…

When Daniel Ricciardo completed his installation lap at last month’s Russian GP, it offered a glimpse into the future. And it also divided opinion. His Red Bull was fitted with a cockpit-protecting ‘aeroscreen’, designed to prevent objects such as wheels or debris from striking a driver’s helmet. The open canopy follows on from Ferrari’s pre-season test of the ‘halo’, which drew widespread criticism for its ugly appearance. By adopting one of these devices, it’s hoped that the sport will avoid a repeat of the tragic consequences of the accidents that befell IndyCar driver Justin Wilson and Formula 2 racer Henry Surtees – and the incident that nearly killed Felipe Massa at the 2009 Hungarian GP. If cockpit protection is introduced into F1 from 2017, the plan is for similar devices…

STARTER Vegetarian burger This ‘hamburger’ is in honour of my American team. I take the heads of Parisian mushrooms, which are as big as slices of bread, plus other mushrooms, and I break them up and cook them in stock with shallots. Then I press it all together to make the ‘meat’. For the sauce, I use mayonnaise. MAIN COURSE Chinese lobster ravioli I boil the lobster, which in this case are the Chinese variety, and use some of the flesh to fill the ravioli. I crumble the rest of the flesh and using shallots, onions and carrots I make a sauce into which I add bread, butter and a bit of oil. I pour this over the ravioli, along with a pinch of saffron. DESSERT Toblerone soufflé This is…

CANADIAN GP RACE DATA Circuit Name Circuit Gilles Villeneuve First GP 1978 F1 races held 36 Circuit length 2.71 miles Race distance 70 laps (189.686 miles) Direction Clockwise Winners from pole 16 TV TIMETABLE (UK TIME) Friday 10 June Practice 1 15:00-16:30 Practice 2 19:00-20:30 Saturday 11 June Practice 3 15:00-16:00 Qualifying 18:00-19:00 Sunday 12 June Race 19:00 Live coverage Sky Sports F1 Highlights Channel 4 A CIRCUIT OF EXTREMES THAT LOOKS SO DECEPTIVELY EASY The Circuit Gilles Villeneuve sits on the man-made Île Notre-Dame in the middle of the mighty St Lawrence River. Space is at a premium, so the circuit is narrow and hemmed in by concrete walls. Consequently, mistakes are punished and Safety Car appearances are frequent. Two key corners are Turn 4 and the final chicane,…

Ferrari face a tough battle with Red Bull for second in the constructors’ championship following Max Verstappen’s Spanish Grand Prix win. Events there proved what was already suspected – that Red Bull have a significantly better chassis than Ferrari. And so, it seems, do McLaren. Ferrari have a significant engine-power advantage in this battle, which even after they'd messed up qualifying gave them an advantage in the race. But the final sector of the qualifying lap in Barcelona, where engine power is as unimportant in terms of overall time as almost any section of track on the calendar, told its own story. There, the fastest car was the Mercedes, followed by the Red Bull, followed by Fernando Alonso’s McLaren – it was only then that Sebastian Vettel’s Ferrari appeared. Ferrari’s…

Last month we looked at how the F1 car had evolved in terms of safety, but there have been a lot of changes in other areas, haven’t there? Yes, while the car itself is the safety cocoon that the driver sits in, the advances made in the design of car safety systems would be severely compromised if the driver’s equipment and the circuits themselves were not regularly updated to ever higher safety standards. There are two significant pieces of driver safety equipment that have proved game-changing in recent years. The first of these is the HANS device. The acronym HANS stands for Head And Neck Support. Physically it is a carbon-fibre yoke that is attached to the driver’s shoulders by means of the wide shoulder straps of the safety harness.…

“Last year Sauber earned $54m for finishing eighth; McLaren took home $82m for ninth” Translated literally from German to English, the word ‘sauber’ means ‘clean’. Thus the increasingly muddy situation surrounding Peter Sauber’s team is poignant, especially to those who know and respect the man voted 2005 Swiss of the Year, an accolade previously bestowed upon such as Roger Federer and the founder of an Aids hospice. Ten years ago, the team’s future looked bright. BMW had acquired an 80 per cent stake in the team, with options to ramp up their shareholding. Expansion of headcount and facilities duly transformed Sauber into a race-winning top-three operation by 2008. But by the end of 2009 BMW had given in their notice, lining up a consortium as the buyer. The frontman of…

It’s pretty much an F1 meme, a pattern of speech so embedded in the cultural consciousness of the paddock, and beyond, that its routine insertion into almost every podium interview and press conference has become, well, pretty much routine. We’re talking, of course, about the thanks meted out by winning drivers to team members trackside and in the factory, without whom their achievement would not have been possible. So who are ‘the girls and guys back at factory’, the ‘brilliant crew’, the ‘fantastic engineers’ who, months ahead of on-track battle, begin to plot a driver’s course to victory? There’s no better place to answer the question than at Mercedes’ Brixworth and Brackley facilities, where the ‘guys in the garage and back at the factory’ reveal how they play their part……

We meet at 9.30am on Monday, at the Geneva Country Club. This is Romain Grosjean’s home town and he arrives early – although he’s very sleepy. “I woke up at seven with the kids,” he confides. Romain Grosjean, 30, is a father, husband, F1 driver… and aspiring chef. But not necessarily in that order. Priorities are decided according to which day of the week it is. On any given grand prix weekend this year he’ll be an F1 driver, of course, competing for the Haas team. But around those grand prix commitments, he lives a life less blinkered, as we’re about to learn when he dons chef’s whites to cook up something rather special for F1R. As he cooks and chats, Romain’s drowsiness soon passes, and a sensitive, interesting…