Innholdsfortegnelse for October 2016 i AUTOSPORT

What is it about late-summer Monza that makes it always a race to remember? Thick heat oozing in from nearby Milan, pasta, vino rosso, tifosi, every B-list Italian TV celeb F1-touring on race-day morning. All these clichés combine to make the Monza paddock the most Italian place on the planet for three days each September. More than this, things happen there. The intensity of the Autodromo’s atmosphere reduced Mika Häkkinen to tears in 1999; Schumacher announced his (first) F1 retirement at Monza in 2006; Ascari, Rindt… both died at this still fearsomely quick track. As for the 2016 edition… the departures of Felipe Massa and Jenson Button – one tearful, one full of glee. And hovering above, rumours, since confirmed, that F1 would soon be under new ownership. It suddenly…

F1 is to have new owners after US group Liberty Media Corporation agreed to buy a controlling stake in a deal that values the sport at $8bn. Liberty will take a 35 per cent shareholding after completing on 7 September 2016 an initial purchase of 18.7 per cent. They have appointed US media executive Chase Carey, a long-time associate of Rupert Murdoch, as chairman. Bernie Ecclestone will remain as CEO, and issued a statement saying “Liberty will work alongside Formula One Management to drive the next phase of growth”. CVC, who have controlled F1 since 2005, will stay on board once the deal is completed but with a reduced shareholding of 24.7 per cent, making them F1’s second largest shareholder. Ecclestone told Reuters that he had been asked to stay…

JAPAN IN FORMULA 1 Q1 Who was the only Japanese constructor in the first Japanese GP at Fuji in 1976? Q2 Who started more GPs: Ukyo Katayama or Takuma Sato? Q3 How many times has the title been settled in Japan: 8, 10 or 12? Q4 Which Japanese team’s debut race was the 2006 Bahrain GP? Q5 Where and when did Kamui Kobayashi claim the second (and most recent) front row start by a Japanese driver? Q6 Although classified, one driver failed to take the chequered flag in last year’s Japanese GP. Who was it? Q7 What one thing do the F1 careers of Masahiro Hasemi, Kazuyoshi Hoshino, Noritake Takahara and Kunimitsu Takahasi all have in common? Q8 What was significant about James Hunt’s 1977 win at Fuji? Q9 Which…

Name Darth Vader Age Born a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away Appearance Tall, threatening, masked Lo, what news about the galaxy’s most terrifying dyspnoea sufferer? Has he intercepted you on your way to deliver stolen top-secret blueprints to the rebel alliance? Sadly not. Well, why bring him up, then? I’m not holding my breath for any more Star Wars prequels, by the way. I quite gave up on sci-fi after they killed everybody off at the end of Blake’s Seven . Ye Gods! That was 35 years ago. Get over it. I can’t. It was too ghastly and traumatic. Anyhow, what ho? John Malone, head of Liberty Media Corporation, the putative new owners of Formula 1, was once nicknamed…

“F1 is as much a competition between manufacturers as it is between athletes” During the glorious summer of the 2016 Olympics, as we watched with general disbelief but universal pride the inexorable progress towards the number-two-in-the-world spot for TeamGB, it was inevitable that the twinge of envy would tweak the delicate ego of F1. No one in sport likes to play second fiddle to another sport. It was always on the cards that we’d ask: “Can we play, too?” They allow golf, after all… goes the thinking. Remember the idea to award a gold medal for a race win? Remind you of anything? The history of Olympic envy has been evident for quite a while, most noticeably in the efforts of Mr E to persuade national governments to invest in…

CHAIRMAN Ron Dennis As chairman, he’s the man at the top, but big decisions, including driver choices, must be passed by the board. Dennis has only a 25 per cent share. Mansour Ojjeh owns the same, and Mumtalakat, the investment arm of the Kingdom of Bahrain, own 50 per cent CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER Jonathan Neale Manages technical and operational strategy across the group, but is not directly involved in the race team CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER Jost Capito WRC team boss left VW to become McLaren Racing CEO in September. He’ll head up the F1 programme RACING DIRECTOR Eric Boullier Runs the race team HEAD OF TRACKSIDE ENGINEERING Andrea Stella Formerly Alonso’s race engineer at Ferrari, he came to McLaren with Alonso in 2015 DIRECTORS OF ENGINEERING Matt Morris There is…

The accident at Spa in 1966 changed my life. Suddenly I was aware of the lack of safety in F1, and I had to act. Spa has always been a T-shirt and raincoat track: a place where one moment there is warm sunshine and then, without much warning, torrential rain. The beginning of the race was dry and I was on the front row, but I made a terrible start. Heading up the hill through Eau Rouge I was in about ninth place. Back then we were racing on the old circuit, and as we approached the descent to Burnenville we hit the rain. Suddenly all hell broke loose. I drove through the spray and chaos where half a dozen cars had spun, then slowed and thought: ‘Idiots; they should…

BAHRAIN 2014 Pérez qualified fourth in Bahrain’s first ever night race, but lost out to Felipe Massa, who started from P7 and usurped him for third place on lap 12. Later in the race, Pérez decisively passed Force India teammate Nico Hülkenberg and resisted a challenge from Daniel Ricciardo to secure the third podium spot. RUSSIA 2015 Started from P7, gaining a place on the first lap as his team-mate spun. His one pitstop came during the second Safety Car period, and he managed his tyres to the end, gaining places as others pitted. He lost third to Valtteri Bottas and Kimi Räikkönen on the penultimate lap, but regained it when they collided. MONACO 2016 Qualified seventh and gained track position, rising to a net fourth, by being the last…

“WhoisEstebantalkingto now?”asks Manor Racing’s PR officer. She looks at her watch once more. This is the perfect chance for us to speak to F1’s newest recruit – but time is running out. The noisy GP2 race has finished and there is a narrow window before the GP3 cars begin their formation lap. It’s late on a Saturday afternoon at Spa, and the Manor motorhome, complete with balcony overlooking the paddock, is but a stone’s throw from the exit of La Source. Once the cars start circulating, any attempt to conduct a conversation, let alone an interview, will be doomed to failure. It’s from this balcony that we spy Esteban Ocon, 20, chatting below to former colleagues, TV crews, well-wishers and someone who has requested two minutes seemingly to discuss trainers.…

A CLASSIC MULTI-DIRECTIONAL TRACK, MUCH LOVED BY ALL Suzuka’s figure-of-eight layout is one of the few features of ‘classic’ Formula 1 circuits that contemporary track architect Hermann Tilke hasn’t yet tried to emulate. Perhaps, given the budgets of today, he should look at the original Suzuka blueprints, which featured not one but three crossover points in an even more twisting layout… The track was 25 when it hosted its first grand prix, but soon established itself as a firm favourite, a true test of driving skill and bravura and, above all, a multi-faceted test of the machines. You cannot characterise it as a ‘power’ circuit in the manner of Spa or Monza, and yet its hilly topography and swooping bends demand much from an F1 car’s sophisticated hybrid power units.…

Alex Wallace Graphic designer turned portrait specialist Having worked for clients including the Premier League, Sky Sports and many Fleet Street papers, Wallace now turns his camera lens on Sir Jackie Stewart (p49) Andrew Benson Never far away from a breaking news story You can be sure if there’s a driver swap or a team takeover, the BBC’s Andrew Benson will have it covered. This month he analyses McLaren’s form for us (p32) Damon Hill From world champion to pundit to author Our star columnist has been busy this summer, not only penning his regular words of wisdom for us (p29) but also writing his autobiography Watching the Wheels James Roberts Our associate editor is now in his 12th year of F1 This month Roberts pitches your questions to Pat…

26.08.16 Honda introduce a new engine spec at the Belgian GP 27.08.16 Engine and gearbox changes result in 60-place grid penalty for Alonso and a 55-place drop for Hamilton at Spa 28.08.16 Kevin Magnussen is hospitalised in Belgian GP shunt 02.09.16 Ferrari spend all their remaining development tokens on a final engine upgrade 04.09.16 Imola circuit launches a legal challenge against the government’s support of a new deal for Monza to host the Italian GP 06.09.16 Silverstone’s managing director Patrick Allen steps down 06.09.16 Pascal Wehrlein tests 2017 Pirelli tyres in a Mercedes at Paul Ricard…

ITALIAN GRAND PRIX SAVED The future of the Italian Grand Prix at Monza has been secured for the next three years after circuit bosses agreed a new contract. Extra funding from the state of Lombardy secured enough finances to satisfy Bernie Ecclestone, and the two parties have signed a $20m-a-year deal. A first version of the provisional calendar should be published at the next meeting of the FIA World Council, just after this issue of F1 Racing goes to press. TESTING DATES ANNOUNCED FOR 2017 The testing of new-spec Formula 1 cars for 2017 will begin on 27 February next year, at a location yet to be confirmed – although Barcelona’s Circuit de Catalunya is the most likely choice. The first test will run to 2 March, followed by another…

“Clearly, though, Malone sees gold at the end of F1’s rainbow-coloured grid” The only thing to come round more often than a Mercedes one-two on a day both drivers behave themselves is yet another rumour that Formula 1’s commercial rights are to be sold. Such talk has circulated ever since CVC Capital Partners bought two-thirds of rights-holding entity Formula One Management in 2006. And although they subsequently divested shares to their present 35.5 per cent, they remained firmly in the driving seat. Over time virtually every media company or sport promoter worth half a dollar was linked to the rights, with the prospect list expanding in every direction after CVC’s original plan of listing the entity on Singapore’s stock exchange failed. Indeed, during the past 12 months no fewer than…

Upstairs in Honda’s modest F1 motorhome are two quietly powerful appeals to tradition: a Kauri wood table made from a tree that had been buried for tens of thousands of years, and a photo of founder Soichiro Honda. As befits a man who ranks alongside Henry Ford in the motoring pantheon, Mr Honda is not shown as a corporate mandarin in a suit; he is dressed in worn overalls and cap and stood in a workshop. “Success,” Honda once said, “can be achieved only through repeated failure and introspection. In fact, success represents one per cent of your work, which results only from the ninety-nine per cent that is called failure.” There are more Honda aphorisms where that came from – he’s a rich source of quotes for sundry leadership…

1966 7 April Walt Hansgen Two-time GP starter died after crashing in testing at Le Mans 8 September John Taylor British racer crashed fatally on the opening lap of the German GP 1967 10 May Lorenzo Bandini Lost control at the chicane in Monaco and his Ferrari set on fire 18 June Giacomo Russo The two-time GP starter was killed in an Italian F3 race at Caserta 14 August Bob Anderson The motorcycle- and car-racer died during testing at Silverstone 23 August Georges Berger The two-time F1 entrant died racing a Porsche at the Nürburgring 7 November Ian Raby Succumbed to his injuries three months after crashing in an F2 race at Zandvoort 1968 7 April Jim Clark Two-time F1 champion who lost his life in an F2 accident at…

THIRTY TWO different drivers have won titles in 66 seasons of F1 20 different drivers have led the world championship on more than one occasion, without ever claiming a single title NINE times the champion driver was not driving for the champion team The oldest champion, Juan Manuel Fangio (46 years, 41 days) is almost twice the age of the youngest, Sebastian Vettel (23 years, 133 days) On 12 occasions the winner of the F1 world championship has carried the number ‘1’ on his car 15 different manufacturers have won the constructors’ championship to date 10 British drivers (Hawthorn, G Hill, Surtees, Clark, Stewart, Hunt, Mansell, D Hill, Hamilton and Button) have won the world title – seven more than Brazil and Finland FOUR The number of…

1991 Mosley successfully challenges Jean-Marie Balestre for the presidency of FISA, the FIA’s sporting arm. Senna beats Mansell to the title. Alain Prost is sacked by Ferrari for criticising his car. Mika Häkkinen makes his debut with Lotus and Michael Schumacher with Jordan. 1992 Williams introduce active suspension, which lets them dominate this and following seasons. Other teams rush to copy the technology, while lobbying to have it banned. Williams test driver Damon Hill makes his race debut with Brabham. 1993 Mosley is elected president of the FIA, with Balestre taking a new role in the FIA Senate, a body created during a reorganisation in which FISA is abolished. Mercedes enter F1 as engine suppliers to Sauber, who mistakenly announce Michael Schumacher as one of their drivers. 1994 Senna’s death…

STORMY WEATHER ADDS TO THE EXCITEMENT IN SEPANG Having held its first grand prix in 1999, Sepang is one of the oldest Hermann Tilke-designed circuits still on the F1 calendar. It’s characterised by wide straights – up to 20 metres in places – to promote overtaking. But the emergence of rubber marbles over a race weekend means cars inevitability start to take the same racing line around the lap. Sepang is some distance outside the Malaysian capital of Kuala Lumpur, and close to the international airport. Most of the surrounding countryside, which is hot and humid all year round, is a dense forest of palm trees. It’s lush and green thanks to daily, intense downpours, usually accompanied by thunder and lightning. And it’s the frequency of those tropical storms that…

An accident waiting to happen After an extraordinary race at Spa, I wonder if I am the only one appalled at the tactics of Max Verstappen? From his frankly suicidal move at Turn 1, he then showed a complete lack of respect to his fellow drivers. He forced Kimi Räikkönen and Sebastian Vettel to collide, wrecking their races, and then ran Kimi and Sergio Pérez off track. His weaving caused Kimi to turn the air blue. There were two former racers at Spa to advise on driving behaviour, yet their silence was deafening. Must we wait for another fatal accident before something is done? I’m all the for the exuberance of youth, but not at over 200mph, when he is not only a danger to himself, but more importantly to…

Sergio Pérez is set to remain at Force India next season despite having been in discussions with both Williams and Renault. Pérez is officially under contract to Force India for 2017, but their failure to agree his financial package had led to uncertainty about his future. Force India insist that Pérez will stay with them to partner Nico Hülkenberg, but sources say that Pérez’s Mexican backers have yet to agree the details of their arrangement with the team. Pérez is said to have been using his talks with other teams as leverage in the discussions. But with Pérez poised to remain on board at Force India and Canadian Lance Stroll looking most likely to take Felipe Massa’s vacated seat at Williams alongside Valtteri Bottas, Renault are struggling to find drivers…

“I don’t condone Max’s moves but I understand. Show him a closed door and he’ll open another” Max Verstappen’s recent exhibitions of track-craft should have come as no surprise. He grew up, after all, in a racing world pockmarked with rules and penalties. For most racing drivers, these have amounted to a bunch of things you’re not supposed to do. For Max Verstappen – because he’s that good – they’ve served as a guide to what he can do. Only one defence move on the straight? Cool. Let’s make it the ultimate defence move – a violent jink in eighth gear, just when the guy behind least expects it. Mere mortals need not apply. Most of the guys out there are still having problems driving their own F1 cars, never…

THEIR RENAULT CAREERS AT A GLANCE JOLYON PALMER Date of birth 20 January 1991 Place of birth Horsham, West Sussex Years raced for Renault 2016 Races 14 (up to Italian GP) Podiums 0 Fastest laps 0 Points 0 Retirements 5 DEREK WARWICK Date of birth 27 August 1954 Place of birth New Alresford, Hampshire Years raced for Renault 1984, 1985 Races 31 Podiums 4 Fastest laps 1 Points 28 Retirements 20 Derek Warwick has been a regular in the Silverstone paddock for the best part of three decades. Once, in the late 1980s, he was spotted at the back of the pits talking into one of the earliest brick-sized mobile phones, complete with an aerial as long as the phone itself. Today, while holding a smartphone smaller than his palm,…

Having worked in Formula 1 for more than 30 years, Williams’s chief technical officer knows a thing or two about the sport. Every month in F1 Racing, Pat Symonds brings his wisdom to our monthly ‘Inside Tech’ column, but we thought it was time he answered some of your technical questions directly. It’s our policy not to show our interviewees their questions ahead of time, but we made an exception in Pat’s case – not for censorship, but rather because he was keen to research any for which he did not already have a thorough answer on the tip of his tongue. Indeed, as you will see, quite a bit of work with a calculator was needed at one point, and Pat thanked our readers for testing the limits of…

“AND HE’S OFF!” Murray Walker: legend, consummate broadcaster, ‘the voice of Formula 1’ for a generation and – to those of us who work for F1 Racing – friend. Muzza has been appearing in our pages since the very first issue, in recent years as our must-read back-page columnist. Alas, at age 92 (and counting!) Murray has decided finally to hang up his pen and give some of the younger whippersnappers a chance. It won’t be the same without you, Murray, but from all of us who have enjoyed your wit, wisdom and self-igniting trousers for many a decade, a huge, heartfelt, THANK YOU!…