Innholdsfortegnelse for January 2019 i AUTOSPORT

The statistics are astonishing. Mercedes have taken pole position for 84% of the 100 races held so far in Formula 1’s V6 era, and won 74% of them. That dominance is significantly greater than Ferrari managed between 2000 and ’04 (60% of poles and 67% of wins), or Red Bull between ’10 and ’13 (68% and 53%). Lewis Hamilton’s prowess within that statistical dominance is undeniable: 52 poles and 51 wins – while adding four world titles to the one he achieved with McLaren. Sebastian Vettel took pole for more than half the races he started for Red Bull between ’10 and ’13; Michael Schumacher won more than half of Ferrari’s races between ’00 and ’04. Neither managed both, as Lewis has. But numbers are only one measure of a…

01 The great Kubica gamble Robert Kubica has achieved what many thought impossible: returning to Formula 1 competition following the horrendous right arm injuries he suffered in a rally crash in 2011. Twelve months ago he was overlooked for a 2018 race seat at Williams because the team felt rookie Sergey Sirotkin was quicker. But this has been a bruising season for one of F1’s most successful teams, and change is required: they are now convinced Kubica is the right candidate to drive development alongside Mercedes protégé (and Formula 2 champion) George Russell. While some questions remain over Kubica’s strength and fitness, and whether this has a bearing on his ability to drive quickly and consistently enough, this is a critical time for Williams. The Martini title sponsorship deal that…

An engineering student from Dubai is heading to the UK for a Formula 1 work experience placement at Renault, as the final winner of the 2018 edition of the Infiniti Engineering Academy was announced in Abu Dhabi. Fahim Choudhary, 23, was unveiled as the victor of the Middle East finals and will begin a work placement in the New Year, along with the six other regional winners. In addition to his work at Enstone for Renault he will also spend six months at Infiniti’s Technical Centre Europe in Cranfield.…

TIME TO JOIN THE CULTURE CLUB Culture eats strategy for breakfast; a business mantra that came to mind when I heard Maurizio Arrivabene’s tetchy reply of “that is your opinion…” when, in Abu Dhabi, the BBC’s Andrew Benson put it to him that Ferrari had made too many mistakes in 2018 to beat Mercedes. The ‘culture’ phrase is attributed to the late Peter Drucker, a leading management consultant. It doesn’t mean that strategy is unimportant, simply that you aren’t going to get anywhere if your team doesn’t have the right culture; including admitting mistakes. Admitting you have a problem is usually the first step towards recovery. Mercedes’ huge achievement owes much, of course, to having the strong technical foundation that Honda and Ross Brawn built in Brackley. Yet major automotive…

The past two seasons of Formula 1 were billed as the beginning of an epic battle for the ages, a struggle for supremacy between two mighty warriors of different creeds – one of sharp silver, the other of resplendent red – each with a viable claim to be known as the best driver on the grid. This was Sebastian Vettel vs Lewis Hamilton; the four-time great against the three-time great. In the red corner: Vettel, whose success came early and gluttonously with Red Bull. Young, sharply focused, super-quick, brilliant at streaking off into the distance after yet another otherworldly qualifying lap. A natural heir to Schumacher if ever there was one, a brilliant German driver ensconced within the very team Michael had made his own two decades before. Vanquish his…

STEVEN TEE As McLaren's principal photographer, Tee has been photographing Fernando Alonso every weekend for four years. His last shoot is on p78 EDD STRAW You can now read the views of Autosport's grand prix reporter (and podcast host) every month, with his column on Alonso on page 24 JAKE BOXALL-LEGGE After studying motorsport engineering, Boxall-Legge joins F1R as our new technical editor. See p52 for his thoughts on the W09 MARK GALLAGHER As a former marketing boss of Jordan and Jaguar, Gallagher is perfectly placed to offer his thoughts on the business of F1, see p31…

PICTURES FORGET-ME-NOT: ALONSO LEAVES F1 AS A LEGEND Fernando Alonso bid goodbye to Formula 1, very possibly for good, with a whimper. Eleventh in the 2018 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. This was the consequence of one of the weakest McLaren chassis we have ever seen, but it was clear his heart wasn’t entirely in it during those final few races. The sarcastic Brazilian Grand Prix radio message, where he scoffed at targeting 16th place not long before demanding radio silence, was proof of that, as were a trio of penalties for cutting the track at Yas Marina. This concluded a season during which he has been most conspicuous for his occasionally ludicrous, often irritating and always bombastic self-mythologising. But this shouldn’t be what we remember, because what we can provisionally…

2013 Chief Executive of McLaren Automotive 2012 Chief Operating Officer of McLaren Automotive 2011 Global Vice President of Ford 2010 Manufacturing Director of Ford Europe 2005 Managing Director of Ford Otosan 2003 Quality director for Ford Europe 1998 Managing Director of AutoNova, a joint venture between Volvo and TWR 1995 Production Director for Rolls-Royce and Bentley 1983 Production Operator, Foreman, Senior Foreman, Superintendent, Shift Manager, Area Manager for Ford Motor Company in Halewood, Liverpool…

Darkness has long since descended upon the Abu Dhabi paddock as we wait patiently to see the top man at Mercedes. Ours is his final appointment of the day. Up a flight of stairs, at the end of the corridor, is Toto Wolff’s office. Hanging on the wall next to his neatly arranged desk is a large black and white print. The image is of the start of the 1955 British Grand Prix, with a huge Aintree crowd looking upon Juan Manuel Fangio and Stirling Moss blasting into the lead. The triumphant Silver Arrows were victorious over Ferrari that season, much as in the one just past. Plus ca change, as the saying goes. The significance of Mercedes’ past glories is not lost on the man who has just guided…

1 FIRST WIN, CANADA 2014 “I believed I could win in F1. People who didn’t know me knew I was a fast driver but without the killer instinct to run at the front.” 2 2015: A TRICKY YEAR “If this was easy then everyone would do it. It’s not easy, I think dealing with the expectation of 2015, that was the toughest’.” 3 HORNER HAD HIS CORNER “Christian’s always been trying to have my back. Especially this year, through the negotiation process, he was batting for me.” 4 DAN ON MAX “Not taking anything away from Max – for sure he’s fast and he’s been driving well – it’s not necessarily that he [had] bigger balls..” 5 MAKING THE MOVE IN BAKU ‘17 “When they saw me lock up for…

What’s your favourite part of the track? The Albert Park circuit is fast and flowing, no more so than the opening corners opposite the grandstands named after Australian legends, Alan Jones and Jack Brabham. Aside from the race, what’s the best thing to do in Melbourne? St Kilda beach is a short tram ride from the city centre and it has a very similar vibe to Brighton in the UK. The area is known as a cultural centre that attracts bohemian groups, artists and writers. It also has penguins… If you are celebrating a special event, how can the experience be made more amazing? You can take cruises down the Yarra River which flows through the city. Catch one of these for a romantic evening trip past some of Melbourne’s…

Q1 Excluding 1958 when he only did two races, what was the lowest position Juan Manuel Fangio ever finished in the world championship? Q2 Which two years, apart from 2018, have seen Safety Car periods during the Abu Dhabi GP? Q3 Four British drivers will start the 2019 F1 season. When did this last happen and who were they? Q4 Which driver qualified seventh on the grid seven times during the 2018 season? Q5 At which Asian circuit did Michael Schumacher have a 100% win record in his F1 career? Q6 What number comes next with regard to Kimi Raikkonen: 55, 150, 186, 205 and...? Q7 True or false: 2018 was the first time in F1 history that there were no driver replacements, apart from in Free Practice 1 sessions?…

THE VIRTUE AND VALUE OF VIRTUAL F1 We have witnessed some great races this year and both the British and US Grands Prix provided a level of excitement and uncertainty sustained right to the end. I was fortunate enough to attend another great race recently, and although it was another demonstration of Mercedes domination, they were closely hounded throughout the race by Toro Rosso. In addition, to witness this I had to travel no further than Fulham Broadway. I am talking, of course, about the F1 Esports Pro Series. You may find it hard to accept that someone who has been involved in the sport for over 40 years can get excited about a virtual manifestation of F1 racing, but believe me it is good. The boundaries between gaming and…

While McLaren are currently floundering for results in Formula 1, their automotive business is flourishing – producing thousands of exotic supercars each year and underpinning the financial strength of the company. Meet the chief executive who has led McLaren’s road car division from small-scale beginnings to become a potent manufacturing force of luxury cars with global reach… F1 Racing: McLaren have been building road cars on and off for a long time, but have got much more serious since you joined… Mike Flewitt: Back in Gordon Murray’s days it was a department of the race team. It only stopped being that at the end of 2010, when it became an independent company. But it still had to stand on its own two feet. When I came in it was…

It’s not often that F1 Racing specifically asks a photographer to shoot a subject from the waist up. Perhaps it’s because we’re in Brazil and the carnival atmosphere has proved infectious, or perhaps it’s just the fact that it’s the Thursday of a grand prix weekend that has moved Nico Hülkenberg to wear his civvies. But there is something about the jangly patterning of his trousers that simply will not do and, in much the same manner that Jeeves’ policing of Bertie Wooster’s wardrobe powered a thousand comic sub-plots in PG Wodehouse novels, we, as a responsible magazine, acting in utmost good faith, must spare our readers’ eyes from this. Aside from being a dedicated follower of some sort of fashion, Nico is the only driver on…

RON DENNIS wasn’t the first team owner to care about how his racing cars and team transporter were presented. But back in 1971, when he was taking the first steps towards controlling his own destiny, his fledgling team immediately stood out from a motley crowd that tended towards earthy dishevelment. Professional sheen was rarely a priority in Formula 2, but it mattered to this oddly pedantic 23-year old. Having served an apprenticeship as an F1 mechanic for Cooper and Brabham, Dennis was ingrained in the grime of motorsport, yet his single-minded ambition drove him towards cleaner air – not to mention cleaner hands. It was all too easy to scoff at ‘Team Briefcase’, but we know who would ultimately have the last sneer. Ron’s first eight years at McLaren’s tiller…