Innholdsfortegnelse for December 2016 i AUTOSPORT

The trouble with this year’s world championship – from a British perspective at least – is the nationalities of the key protagonists. Nico Rosberg, cast since 2014 as the battling underdog to Lewis Hamilton’s mercurial megastar, should, of course, have been ‘The Brit’. Lewis, meantime, should have been ‘The Foreigner’. Then, in a flash, we’d have had a narrative that better suited their respective abilities, and with which the mainstream media would have been more comfortable. Rosberg could have played ‘Our Nico’, indomitably plugging away at a superior rival. The masses could have demonised Lewis for his occasional petulance, while grudgingly acknowledging his routine and often breathtaking brilliance. It would have been a modern re-run of Mansell against Senna, or Hill vs Schumacher. Island nation against tricksy foe: outcome uncertain;…

Former Mercedes Formula 1 chief Ross Brawn is poised to take up a new job running the sport for new owners Liberty Media. F1 Racing understands that Brawn has agreed a deal to become CEO of the sporting side of the business, liaising with the teams and the FIA on shaping the future of F1. This encompasses part of the responsibilities currently undertaken by Bernie Ecclestone through his involvement with the Strategy Group of leading teams and the FIA. But the commercial side of Ecclestone’s role, signing race deals and television companies and securing sponsorship for the sport in areas such as circuit signage, is expected to be undertaken by a separate chief commercial officer. Leading F1 commercial player Zak Brown has been strongly linked to that role, although he…

Name Anglo-Saxon Age About 1,600 years Appearance Germanic Is this going to be something about the South Yorkshire heavy metal band of the 1970s, best known for Wheels of Steel ? I speak of the root of the English language, imported by Germanic settlers in the fifth century; verily, my friend, the lingua franca of such early works as Beowulf and The Proclamation of Cnut. I beg your pardon? More commonly known as Canute. Bloke with the deckchair in that Depeche Mode video. Oh, I see. “Let all the world know that the power of kings is empty and worthless” and all that. So what is the root of your linguistic blither? Sebastian Vettel got in trouble in Mexico after deploying a choice selection of four-letter words…

VANDOORNE WINS FINAL SUPER FORMULA ROUND McLaren’s 2017 racer Stoffel Vandoorne won his final race in the Japanese Super Formula series this year. It made him the highest-placed driver in a car using a Honda engine, which is less powerful than the rival Toyota. BAHRAIN TEST DROPPED Next year’s pre-season tests will both be held at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, following a dispute in which some of the teams backed Pirelli’s desire to run one of the tests in Bahrain. A compromise was reached that means the first in-season test will now be held in the Gulf state, following the third race of the season. MARTIN LEACH 1957-2016 Former Ford executive Martin Leach, who raced in karts against the likes of Ayrton Senna nemesis Terry Fullerton, died from cancer in…

“I love life. I love racing – but if I’d won today there’d be too much pressure on me”  Peter Collins was staying at the ornate Palace Hotel in Milan because, back then, the traffic to Monza was light even on race days. And he should have been in love with the moment. He was a Ferrari driver in the 1956 Grand Prix of Europe, at Monza, the citadel of Italian motor racing. He had won two grands prix that season and on the morrow he could become champion. And yet. And yet… Three times he cried out in the night, caught in the vortex of shuddering nightmares. “The tyres! The tyres!” He would force himself to sleep, for Sunday’s drama would be life-changing, even within the whirlwind of…

MSV has the fastest Driving experiences Give the gift of speed this Christmas with MSV’s #StockingThrillers! With everything from Grand Prix-style single-seater experiences, to powersliding rally courses, and rough and tough off-road days at Brands Hatch and Oulton Park, MSV has the gift for you. To find out more visit www.msvdrivinggifts.co.uk Jim Clark Lotus model from Automodello™ Automodello meticulously hand-builds historical F1 cars in consultation with All American Racers, Classic Team Lotus & Ford. First came the 1967 Lotus 49 as raced by Jim Clark to its maiden victory in Dutch GP. Up to 50 sets will commemorate the 50th anniversary of this historic combination at $899.95 (code F1SET16L). Automodello has announced 150 of the 1967 Eagle Gurney-Weslake V12 with the Certificate hand-signed by Dan Gurney for release in Winter…

Paul Harpin Creative director who’s always quick on the draw As a former Haymarket art director, Harpin has helped fashion many an F1 Racing redesign. This month, our ‘Blueprint for a new F1’ (p38) and Force India (p70) stories benefitted from his input David Evans “Let there be mud”, says our friend from World Rallying Evans is more au fait with time cards and co-drivers than the nuances of F1, but it’s from the WRC that McLaren’s new CEO Jost Capito has arrived. Read David’s profile of him on p58 Peter Grundy Illustrator and infographic artist extraordinaire Peter Grundy was one half of information design pioneers ‘Grundy & Northedge’ and is now one whole of ‘Grundini’ Find out more about him at grundini.com and take a look at his work…

12.10.16 Mercedes report £22.3m post-tax loss for the 2015 financial year 13.10.2016 Lewis Hamilton sits out 2017 tyre test with sore foot 14.10.16 Nico Hülkenberg signs with Renault for 2017 22.10.16 FIA introduces new rules on defensive driving and blue-flag etiquette 26.10.16 Circuit of The Americas chairman Bobby Epstein calls for a bigger gap between the US and Mexican GPs 01.11.16 Sebastian Vettel escapes punishment for Mexican GP radio rant after apologising to the FIA 03.11.16 Williams announce a 2017 line-up of Valtteri Bottas and Lance Stroll, and say Sir Frank Williams has left hospital after a bout of pneumonia…

Williams have re-signed Valtteri Bottas for 2017 and will pair him with Canadian novice Lance Stroll (see profile, page 78). Bottas had been courted by Renault, but Williams were very keen to retain him. There had been a dispute over his 2017 contract, which dictated a significant raise, but that was resolved ahead of the US Grand Prix. Stroll’s appointment owes much to the wealth of his father Lawrence Stroll, the billionaire Canadian businessman behind the fashion brands Tommy Hilfiger and Michael Kors. Stroll is reputed to have paid in the region of £20m to Williams in 2016 for a development programme to prepare him for F1, which has involved a series of tests in a two-year-old car at circuits around the world. The family are paying at least that…

Formula 1 could be poised for a major reshuffe of leading technical staff, as speculation mounts about the futures of James Allison, Paddy Lowe and James Key. After splitting from Ferrari at the end of July, Allison, 48, is a free agent. He is arguably the most highly regarded aerodynamics leader in F1 after Red Bull’s Adrian Newey, and his reputation has not been harmed by his departure from Ferrari. Seasoned Ferrari-watchers believe Allison to have been on the wrong side of a questionable decision by Ferrari President Sergio Marchionne, who sought to restructure the team. Allison is on a year’s gardening leave, so would not be allowed to start work in a new role until summer 2017. Renault have made him an offer to return to the team whose…

SCUDERIA FERRARI EVO CHRONO SPECIAL – STEEL With its stainless steel and ion-plated case, this design shows performance-driven character. The second hand has a signature Scudetto counterbalance, while the strap, with contrast top-stitching, is inspired by Ferrari steering-wheel covers. store.ferrari.com ROLEX OYSTER PERPETUAL COSMOGRAPH DAYTONA This watch was designed to be the ultimate timing tool for endurance racing drivers due to its precision, reliability and outstanding legibility. Time intervals can be measured to within 0.125s, using the centre chronograph seconds hand. rolex.com EDIFICE SCUDERIA TORO ROSSO EFR-554TR This limited-edition model celebrates the partnership with Toro Rosso, using the team colours to accent detailing on both watch and case. The watch bears the team logo and comes with a display stand and commemorative card. casio.co.uk BELL & ROSS BR-X1 RS16 Bell…

Formula 1 believes firmly that it is a world unto itself, but recent events in Africa – ironically the only continent without a grand prix – prove categorically that the sport does not exist in a bubble of its own making. The announcement in October that French oil company Total have agreed an eight-year title sponsorship deal with the Confederation of African Football to sponsor ten CAF leagues (1,500 matches) has sent ripples through F1. As fuel and lubrication partner to Renault, the oil company not only serviced the French team and their engine customer Red Bull, but also, crucially, provided both with funding estimated to run to $15million (£12m) each annually. However, following the elevation of Total CEO Patrick Pouyanné to the additional role of chairman in December 2015,…

When Liberty Media looked at Formula 1 ahead of taking their recent $8bn stake, what did they see? Certainly a proud, historic, endlessly enticing sport that has captivated millions since its inception in 1950. But they would also have seen a property in need of a little attention. One with some serious internal political divisions and an on-track offering perhaps not best attuned to the needs of a digitally minded world. Happily, millions of fans across the planet still thrill to see 22 heroes pilot fast, technologically advanced machines in exotic locations around the globe. And at the sport’s still-robust heart, its three main principals remain unchanged: that an F1 car should be the fastest racing car on any given circuit; that F1 should have the best drivers in the…

CV Jost Capito Born 29 September 1958, Neunkirchen, Germany 2016 Appointed CEO of McLaren Racing in January, taking up the role at Monza in September 2012-2016 Becomes director of motorsport at Volkswagen 2009-2012 Switches to Ford Motor Company, with responsibility for global motorsports strategy 2001-2007 Moves to Ford Europe as director of special vehicle engineering, ending up as director of performance vehicle line 1996-2001 Joins Sauber F1 as part of Sauber Petronas Engineering, then becomes team COO 1989-1996 Head of motorsport organisation at Porsche 1985 Wins truck category in Paris-Dakar Rally 1984-1989 Powertrain development engineer at BMW 1984 Graduates from Munich Technical University with a Masters degree in mechanical engineering It’s a fair assumption that Jost Capito, 57, is probably McLaren’s first ever chief executive officer to have raced a…

Sebring, Florida, USA; 26 January 2014. The echoes of Bruce McLaren and his Cooper-Climax taking victory at the circuit’s only running of the United States Grand Prix, way back in 1959, have long faded. Instead, at a track best-known for the Sebring 12 Hours sportscar classic, the focus is not on Formula 1 past; it’s on Formula 1 future. The Italian Prema Powerteam squad have brought 12 Formula Abarth single-seaters over for the first stop in a four-event Florida Winter Series. Lining up on the grid for their debut car race are 16-year-old Max Verstappen, and a 15-year-old from Québec called Lance Stroll. Like Verstappen, Stroll has been taking his fedgling car-testing steps in a Formula Renault 2.0. Like Verstappen, his rise through the ranks will create controversy in no…

Hamilton starts well and leads into Turn 1, but Ricciardo dives into second place ahead of Rosberg Pérez spins on contact with Kvyat at the first corner. Kvyat is later given a ten-second penalty Hülkenberg and Bottas make contact and suffer punctures. Bottas rejoins but Hülkenberg retires After the first stops, Hamilton leads from Ricciardo, Rosberg (now on mediums), and Räikkönen On lap 13, Verstappen uses DRS on the back straight to move ahead of Räikkönen into Turn 12 Ricciardo pits on lap 25 and Verstappen a lap later, but the team aren’t ready for Max Verstappen retires on lap 28 with gearbox problems and brings out the VSC Hamilton and Rosberg pit under the VSC, which lets Rosberg jump into P2 ahead of Ricciardo Räikkönen exits the pits on…

Hamilton leads from pole, but locks up at Turn 1, skates across the grass, and holds onto his lead Gutiérrez tags Wehrlein, who spins into Ericsson. Wehrlein retires and the VSC is deployed With the Safety Car on track, Ricciardo is the only front-runner to take a gamble and stop early Sainz is handed a 5s penalty for forcing Alonso off track between Turns 3 and 4 on the opening lap Hamilton pits on lap 17, handing the lead to Rosberg then Vettel, before Vettel pits on lap 31 Verstappen attempts to pass Rosberg at Turn 4 on lap 50, but locks up and runs wide Kvyat passes Gutiérrez but is later handed a 5s penalty On lap 67 Räikkönen goes outside Hülkenberg at T4. Hülkenberg spins and drops to…

ABU DHABI GP RACE DATA Circuit Name Yas Marina Circuit First GP 2009 F1 races held 7 Circuit length 3.451 miles Race distance 189.739 miles (55 laps) Direction Anticlockwise Winners from pole 2 TIMETABLE (UK TIME) Friday 25 November  Practice 1 09:00-10:30 Practice 2 13:00-14:30 Saturday 26 November  Practice 3 10:00-11:00 Qualifying 13:00-14:00 Sunday 27 November  Race 13:00 Live coverage Sky Sports F1 & Channel 4 WHAT GOES ON TOUR… The first I heard of Abu Dhabi’s plans to build a brand new grand prix circuit was when I was invited to fly to the Gulf first class on their national carrier, Etihad, to attend a press conference in February 2007. We were picked up in a limousine from the runway and taken on to our accommodation for the weekend:…

Why punish the drivers? The kind of penalties we’ve seen handed out this season have bordered on the absurd. Fifty-place grid drops in a field of 22? During a race, stop/go penalties are probably the best way to deal with on-track incidents. But making demotions because of gearbox changes and engine replacements before a race has even started, seems to penalise the driver more than the team. So how about a deduction in points in the constructors’ championship instead? This would be a more effective way to penalise the team, especially with final positions in the table being worth so much financially. It would also make teams more aware of how careful they must be in managing resources throughout the season. Adrian Townsend Nottinghamshire, UK One rule for some I…

ALL HAIL THE CHAMPION! Four titles for Lewis, or a first for Nico? We celebrate 2016’s ultimate victor PLUS* > Damon Hill gets back in the cockpit of his 1996 title-winner > The F1 Racing Awards: you’ve voted in the thousands for your best team, car, driver… and more > Farewell, Felipe! We follow Williams’ Massa, at his last ever Brazilian Grand Prix weekend > Carlos Sainz gets a grilling JANUARY ISSUE ON SALE: 15 DEC…

Smokin’ hot Pushing hard in qualifying for his home race, Esteban Gutiérrez locks up his left-front and consigns a set of Pirelli supersofts to the bin. His time is only good enough for P17, so no passage to Q2. Race day is worse: he brings his VF-16 home in P19, just ahead of team-mate Romain Grosjean Where Mexico City, Mexico When 2.04pm, Saturday 29 October 2016 Photographer Steven Tee/LAT Details Canon EOS-1DX MkII, 600mm lens, 1/1000th at F10 Red missed A sweary Sebastian Vettel enjoys a P3 podium celebration in Mexico, after a five-second penalty for Max Verstappen who finished ahead. But wait… a further penalty, this time for Seb, who drops to fifth, behind Dan Ricciardo and Max. A ‘shoey’ will have to wait until another day Where Mexico…

EVERYONE’S A WINNER Q1 How many Formula 1 drivers have won ten or more grands prix: 25, 29, or 33? Q2 Which race, in 2016, saw the highest winning margin of the year of 25.042 seconds? Q3 Which three constructors have won the Mexican Grand Prix three times each? Q4 What records do Luigi Fagioli and Max Verstappen hold? Q5 For which grand prix were 50 points awarded for the win? Q6 Who reached the milestone of 50 grands prix wins most quickly, out of Alain Prost, Michael Schumacher and Lewis Hamilton? Q7 In the last year of the tyre war in 2006, who collected the most wins: Bridgestone or Michelin? Q8 Five drivers have ‘won’ a race only to be disqualified later on. Who are they? Q9 Which season…

F1 TECH What exactly is a vortex? Aerodynamicists will argue over a precise definition, but in simple terms it is a coherent rotational fow of fuid around a low-pressure core. We see a vortex every time we watch water drain out of a sink, while satellite photographs of tropical storms illustrate the power of a vortex. Why are they so important? Because a vortex is a high-energy stream of air, it can be used to control lesser air fows. Indeed, one of the strengths of the vortex fow control is that you can use combinations of vortices to produce a net fow in a different direction. For example, imagine you could produce a vortex that was spinning anticlockwise and, some distance below it, another one that was spinning clockwise. Where…

“AN F1 CAR IS SO DIFFERENT TO ANYTHING YOU DRIVE ON THE ROAD,THAT I HOP IN A ROAD CAR AND I’M IMMEDIATELY NOT IN F1 MODE” IT’S THE MORNING AFTER THE NIGHT BEFORE and Daniel Ricciardo, meeting F1 Racing for an early-morning appointment, is a little… croaky. He steps out from the lobby of Austin’s swish downtown ‘W’ hotel, perky as ever in team kit and black shorts, but when he opens his mouth to speak, he’s more than a little hoarse. But lest you imagine, dear reader, that Dan, a fun-loving kind of chap, has been enjoying some of the city’s famously enticing after-hours delights, the truth is somewhat more mundane. “I’ve kind of lost my voice,” he rasps. “From Tokyo, I went back to use the simulator in…

A cool waft of air greets F1 Racing as the doors of the Haas motorhome part, offering sanctuary from the oppressive heat without. Like everything about the Haas F1 team, this space is slick, clean and impressive without being superfuously fash; it has much in common with the thoroughly Zen Honda unit that’s often its near neighbour in the F1 paddock. Esteban Gutiérrez, about to undergo a grilling of his own from a group of attendant Spanish-speaking journalists, smiles and nods from a nearby table. But where is Romain? No need to fret: here he comes, steered by team media man Stuart Morrison. RoGro bids us a chirpy hello and deposits himself in the chair opposite, stretching out as he regards the pile of question cards on the table. It’s…

Lewis Hamilton Shelby Cobra “My favourite car is my Shelby Cobra. It’s such a unique-looking car. It’s got a beautiful wooden steering wheel, a nice V8 block and great power. It’s also a soft top and I keep it in the States, so it’s great for driving around California.” Nico Rosberg Mercedes 280SL “I love the look and feel of this car, and sitting high up with my wife – we can’t take Alaïa because the baby seat doesn’t fit in there! It’s not a car I’d always wanted, but DC lent me his for my wedding. I drove it and it was just unbelievable.” Sebastian Vettel Ferrari F40 “I love the design of the F40. It’s got great shapes and it’s a real icon. It was the last turbo…

“Lewis reminds us that although he is of F1, he does not belong to F1” Just for one moment, imagine you are Lewis Hamilton. You can’t, can you? None of us can. It must be like being on the moon and looking back at planet earth. F1 is one of the most followed sports in the world, and Lewis is the face that greets the world for every race. He is now an undeniable phenomenon. Fifty wins and he’s only 31. Can he catch Schumi, on 91? Whatever. Prost, on 51, will probably be overtaken before this article gets read by most of you (barring the most extraordinary), leaving Lewis ahead of all but the furthest outpost of F1 history, at least, on the Beaufort Win Scale. In terms of…