Monthly Archives: March 2016

2016, F1, Indycar

Indycar: The Indycar Mobile App is going international.

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The 2016 version of the smartphone application puts Verizon IndyCar Series fans in the driver’s seat with a wide array of features that take the fan experience to the next level. It is available for both Android and iOS devices and is now available globally.

Previously available only via carriers in the United States, the INDYCAR Mobile App is now accessible in all countries except Crimea, Cuba, Iran, North Korea, Sudan and Syria.

“The Verizon IndyCar Series has a large global audience and, thanks to our partners at Verizon, those fans are now able to get even closer to the action with the INDYCAR Mobile App,” said Mark Miles, CEO of Hulman & Company, the parent of INDYCAR and Indianapolis Motor Speedway. “As we prepare for a legendary season, we’re eager for our fans around the globe to experience the benefits of following Verizon IndyCar Series action with the INDYCAR Mobile App.”

Verizon customers in the United States are rewarded with the full range of features including live video streams of race weekend sessions (except the race broadcast), in-car video streams from 360-degree cameras, an interactive three-dimensional “Live View” with real-time leaderboards and car telemetry, two-dimensional “marching ants” with a leaderboard and car telemetry, radio chatter between drivers and their pit crews, streaming audio from the Advance Auto Parts INDYCAR Radio Network and other content exclusive to the INDYCAR Mobile App.

Non-Verizon customers in the U.S. and international customers have access to exclusive video on demand, a timing and scoring leaderboard, social media feeds and other exclusive content.

To download the INDYCAR Mobile App, go to the applications store on a smartphone device or visit http://www.verizonwireless.com/mobile-living/inside/indycar/.

2016, F1, FIA, FOM, Formua One, Formula 1

Formula One: GPDA “Decision making process is obsolete and ill-structured”

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The Grand Prix Driver Association (GDPA) have taken to social media to publish an open letter to Formula 1 stakeholders, followers, and fans, calling for change in the decision making process surrounding the sport remarking that the current process is obsolete and ill-structured. This letter follows a challenging start to the 2016 season in which changes to qualifying format were seen to have failed, coupled to this has been the sports inability to finalise technical regulations for 2017.

Public perception of regulators and the implication of this letter is that the sport focuses on less fundamental regulations such as limited helmet or livery design change in season, or seeking to prohibit the discarding of visor tear strips whist on track.  This perception is damaging to the credibility of the sport.

The GPDA acknowledge the dynamic way in which fans consume content and seek for the regulators and promoter to do the same. They go on to state Formula One should be the home of the best drivers, circuits, and teams with the best suppliers and partners. Only through doing this will it remain the pinnacle of motorsport.

One element of frustration regarding the 2016 qualifying process is that the format was implemented with teams, drivers, and broadcasters fully aware they format would fail to meet expectations. There is a feeling that the system was approved so that it could publicly fail.

The GPDA have been keen to highlight they are not seeking to be disrespectful in publishing this letter and remain committed to the sport.

The letter can be seen in full here:

Driver Position Statement

You can follow further comments from the GPDA here

2016, F1, Formula 1, Formula One, Pirelli, tyres

Formula One: Ferrari & Williams avoid soft tyre in Bahrain

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The FIA has communicated to Pirelli each team’s tyre choices for the forthcoming Bahrain Grand Prix.  It is important to note that driver choices on tyre selection for the early rounds of the championship were made before pre-season testing.

As you may expect in the second round of the championship teams have tending to make the same tyre selection for both drivers. With only Sauber and Haas F1 electing to vary the weighting of tyre choice between drivers.

Both Scuderia Ferrari and Williams have weighted tyre selection away from the soft compound  opting to focus on the medium tyre (hardest available) and the super soft. This suggests both teams will maintain an aggressive approach to race strategy, with multiple stints on the super soft likely.

Mercedes have elected to take only a single set of the medium compound tyre to the race weekend, which may suggest they don’t intend to use the compound. However, Lewis took took only one set of the medium compound to Australia then used it for the majority of the race distance.

It should also be noted qualifying regulations are not resolved at the time of driver tyre selction.

 

2016, F1, Formula 1, Formula One, Go Pro, Red Bull Racing, Sponsorship

Formula One: Red Bull Racing and GoPro join forces

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Both GoPro and Red Bull are renowned for the production of content that takes sports fans right to the heart of the action and this new partnership is set to see the Red Bull Racing Team and the HERO4 camera maker push the boundaries of motorsport video to new and thrilling heights. GoPro is transforming the way people see sports by delivering new perspectives and an immersive viewing experience through its innovative camera technology.

 

Commenting on the agreement Daniel Ricciardo said: “This is a pretty cool partnership. Red Bull is always up for doing things a bit differently and I think GoPro shares a lot of the same values. It should make for some pretty wild ideas and I guess I’ll be the one behind the wheel trying to make them happen!”

 

Fellow Red Bull Racing driver Daniil Kvyat added: “I’ve always been a fan of GoPro, some of the stuff produced with their cameras is pretty amazing so to have them as our official partner is very exciting and opens up a lot of possibilities.”
Red Bull Racing Team Principal Christian Horner said: “Red Bull has always been known for testing the limits of what is possible in sport and in telling those incredible stories, especially in F1. In recent years GoPro’s cameras have become the reference for getting as close to the action as possible, so I think the synergies between the Team and GoPro are wide-ranging and extremely exciting.”

 

Todd Ballard, Vice President of Global Sports Entertainment Marketing at GoPro explains: “We are excited to team up with Red Bull Racing for the upcoming season and capture content from unique locations around the globe. We will be able to bring viewers closer to their favorite team than they’ve ever been and tell the stories you don’t usually get to see. Motorsports has always been one of our passions and we are proud to enter the world of Formula One together with Red Bull Racing.

 

As an official Red Bull Racing Team Supplier, GoPro will work together with the team to produce specific F1 content for both digital and social channels as well as content features around our filming days, driver activations and our unique live demos where we take our F1 car to fans across the globe.
2016, F1, Formula 1, Formula One, Haas F1 team

Formula One: Grosjean gets driver of the day, but Haryanto gets the most votes!

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Formula One have announced through social media that  Romain Grosjean has been awarded the inaugural driver of the day honour.

This despite indications ahead of the vote closing that he was sitting in second position behind Rio Haryanto. In confirming the award the F1 social media channel commented that multiple votes from the same user had been not been counted, this may account for change in overall results.

Without taking anything away from Romain, by far and away the most deserving of the accolade it was surprising to see how few votes were actually cast in the process. Hopefully as the season gathers pace a more representative number of votes will be cast in the process. The below twitter exchange explains how users were able to monitor the progress of the vote

In future it will be possible to cast your vote through this link

 

2016, F1, Formula 1, Formula One, Honda, Mclaren

Formula One: Alonso “I got out quickly so my mum could see I was okay!”

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Today’s race was overshadowed by Fernando’s accident with Esteban Gutierrez at Turn Three on lap 16.

Despite the violence of the crash, Fernando was able to extricate himself from the car unaided, and was then taken to the circuit medical centre for routine checks, before being declared okay by the doctors. His car fared less well – both the chassis and the power unit were heavily damaged, and the resulting debris was scattered so extensively that it prompted a red-flag stoppage to clear up the mess.

After the restart Jenson adopted a different strategy to the majority of runners, but failed to capitalise on it, finishing 14th.

Fernando Alonso

“I’m thankful I’m alive and that nothing serious happened – it was a big shunt.

“A combination of factors caused Esteban [Gutierrez] and me to end up crashing. I was in the car flying and bouncing around – I could see the sky, then the ground, then the sky again. Then, when the car landed, I saw a little gap and I got out quickly to make sure that my mum, who was watching the race on TV at home, could see that I was okay!

“It was a racing incident – I’m very happy we’re both fine, which is the most important thing.

“But, soon afterwards, my thoughts switched to frustration and disappointment, because we missed an opportunity to get some points in the first race of the season, and we probably lost a power unit too because the car is more or less completely destroyed.

“We risk our lives every time we get in a Formula 1 car: these things happen, but I’m extremely happy to be okay. The reason I’m still alive is probably thanks to all the fantastic work the FIA has done over the past 10 or 15 years to improve safety, work they continue to do. And I’m also grateful to everyone at McLaren, who built me such a strong and safe car.”

Jenson Button

“I’m really glad Fernando was able to walk away from that accident – I’m sure he’ll remember that one for a few weeks.

“It’s amazing how far these cars can be catapulted when they touch tyres; under braking, it can all happen very quickly when it goes wrong. But the fact that his car survived shows how far the sport has come in terms of safety.

“My car wasn’t too bad, but I think we made some imperfect strategic calls this afternoon. Also, the red flag hurt us because we’d already made our first stop. Then, after the restart, we ran the Supersoft – which lasted about 10 laps – and then fitted the Back-Up, which everyone else had been on since the restart. Around here, you can catch up but you can’t easily overtake, so we ended up at the back of the queue after making our stop.”

Eric Boullier

“Before I say anything else, I want to praise two things: the structural integrity of modern-day Formula 1 cars, and the safety features of modern-day racetracks. Fernando’s shunt was a big one, and the fact that he was able to walk out of his car after such a heavy impact is impressive indeed.

“He visited the FIA medical centre immediately after the accident, and was formally okayed by the doctors there.

“He’d been driving extremely well at the time, and we believe he may well have scored points had his race run its normal course.

“Moving on to Jenson, ironically, it was the Safety Car and then the red flag triggered by Fernando’s accident that compromised his race strategy, preventing him from being able to drive for a points-scoring finish himself. Tyre degradation was also a problem for him this afternoon.

“However, all in all, despite the fact that we scored no points here in Melbourne today, we’re quietly encouraged by the progress we’ve made over the winter, and we firmly believe that, given a less confused qualifying session and an incident-free race, we’ll be in a position to score points in grands prix to come.”

Yusuke Hasegawa 

“First of all, I am relieved that both Fernando and Esteban walked away uninjured from their accident.

“Our overall pace during the race was solid, but unfortunately Jenson lost out to the red flag caused by the crash. As the majority of drivers switched tyres during the track clean-up, sadly Jenson had already pitted four laps before. Unfortunately he struggled with his tyres throughout the race, and was unable to regain any of the positions.

“I am pleased that throughout this weekend’s practice sessions and qualifying, we were able to see the improvement of the whole package. However, it was a disappointing to not be able to prove our progress through race results.”

2016, F1, Formula 1, Formula One, Red Bull Racing, Social Media

Formula One: Winner announced – Red Bull Racing Competition

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Congratulations to Marco Belloni, winner of the competition to win signed  2016 Puma Red Bull Racing merchandise.

Marco correctly answered 29 to the question:

What is the sum of the 2016 Red Bull Racing driver numbers?

Some entering the competition submitted answers totalling both Red Bull Racing and Scuderia Toro Rosso drivers combined, owing to the confusion around the question these entries were considered in the random draw

Thank you to all who entered the competition!

Thank you to PUMA for supporting this competition. To check out the PUMA Red Bull Racing range in full click here

Please follow this site or check in regularly to ensure you don’t miss out on future competitions.

2016, F1, FOM, Formula 1, Formula One, Haas F1 team

Formula One: Grosjean “This feels like a win”

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The Haas F1 Team made history before and after the 32nd Australian Grand Prix Sunday in Melbourne.

The organization’s debut in Round 1 of the 2016 FIA Formula One World Championship marked the first time an American team had competed in Formula One since 1986. And after ending a 30-year drought for an American squad in Formula One, Haas F1 Team ended another drought for an organization’s maiden F1 race.

After starting 19th, Haas F1 Team driver Romain Grosjean finished an impressive sixth, earning the team eight points in the constructor standings. The last time a Formula One team scored points in its debut race was in the 2002 Australian Grand Prix when Mika Salo finished sixth for Toyota.

The fortunate outcome was due in part by the misfortune of Grosjean’s teammate, Esteban Gutiérrez, who was taken out of the race in a spectacular accident involving McLaren driver Fernando Alonso. On lap 17 while entering turn three of the 5.303-kilometer (3.295-mile), 16-turn circuit, Alonso moved to the outside of Gutiérrez in an attempt to overtake. Alonso’s right-front wheel touched Gutiérrez’s left-rear wheel. The impact launched Alonso into the air and sent Gutiérrez spinning into the gravel trap. Alonso clipped the outside retaining wall and then sailed over the gravel trap. His splintered car ended up on its side against another wall, whereupon Alonso climbed out. Gutiérrez quickly came to check on his fellow driver, and the two walked away unscathed from the harrowing accident.

With debris littering the track, officials displayed the red flag. The field came to pit lane where the cars were stopped, and the only work teams could do to their cars was change tires. Opportunity knocked and Haas F1 Team answered.

After starting the race on the Pirelli P Zero Yellow softs, the team took advantage of the red flag and changed Grosjean’s tires to the Pirelli P Zero White mediums. While the mediums did not have nearly as much grip as the softs, they also did not wear out as fast. When the race went back to green, Grosjean was good to go the distance without pitting. His strategy was to outlast and outrun as many of his counterparts as possible. He succeeded, with only five drivers finishing ahead of him, all of whom belonged to race teams with decades of experience. The sixth-place finish was worth eight points, placing Haas F1 Team fifth in the constructor standings.

Romain Grosjean

“A very good day at the office. This feels like a win. For all the guys who worked so hard over the last few weeks, this is unbelievable. We were unlucky yesterday, but got a bit lucky today with the red flag. Still, we were able to hold off the Williams (Valtteri Bottas) and the Force India (Hulkenberg). We didn’t have much set-up (time) on the car. It was a case of, off you go and see what happens. This is an unbelievable feeling. The guys did an amazing job and I told them, this is like a win for all of us. First race and here we are, P6. A happy day.”

Esteban Gutiérrez

“It’s not the race I was hoping for. However, the most important thing is that Fernando and I are both OK. The car was handling well and the results show we can be very competitive. Romain did a great job for the team. To achieve points in our first race is fantastic. I’m now looking ahead and focusing on Bahrain. I can’t wait to get back out racing.”

Guenther Steiner

“First, the good thing is that Esteban and Fernando were not injured. It was unfortunate for our results, but I think a sixth-place finish makes up for it, and I’m sure Esteban will come back strong in Bahrain. Romain and the team did a great job and a big thanks goes to everyone for working so hard in the months leading up to our first race. Yesterday I said I was looking forward to the race, but to finish it in the points is a dream come true. Now we move forward and on to Bahrain.”

Gene Haas

“A lot of people have contributed to this, so we have to thank all the people, starting with Guenther Steiner (team principal) who put all this together and kept pushing me to go out and try this. The Ferrari people have been excellent. They’ve helped us a lot. Dallara helped us build the chassis. We’ve got a great sponsor in Haas Automation. It’s all great.

“There’s a new F1 team on the block and it’s an American F1 team, so we’re real proud of that. But these other teams are pretty dang good at what they do. I wouldn’t sit here and say we’re going to be in front of them all the time, but today was a good day.

“Obviously, the chassis, aero, engine – they all work. That’s what’s really important. That’s why we took the extra year to work on that. The car is a very stable platform. We’ve kind of known that since (testing in) Barcelona. There’s been a lot of little gremlins and technical issues, but I think the fundamental chassis will be awesome for us.

“Grosjean had a heck of a challenge there. They made the decision to go on the mediums for 39 laps, so that was really pushing it. He basically didn’t chew up his tires initially, so he was able to get 39 laps out of them. I think near the end he was starting to pick up time on the person behind him. Tire strategy, saving your tires, those are the kinds of things that make a driver a legend.

“Grosjean just drove his heart out and did everything he could to keep it up there and it worked out. When (Nico) Hulkenberg was behind him I thought he might catch him, but he held him off and we actually started to make some time. He was saving fuel near the end, so I think once we got to the last few laps and we started to push a little harder, the car really responded.

“This is racing. It’s what we do for a living and, you know, it’s cool. But I’ll tell you, there’ll be some bad days too, so we’ll enjoy this one.”

 

 

2016, F1, Formula 1, Formula One, Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes Benz, Nico Rosberg

Formula One: Lewis “I’m feeling pretty chilled”

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Nico and Lewis clinch memorable 1-2 after a thrilling race in Melbourne

Nico Rosberg
That was a perfect race for me. The start was tricky, as I was on the dirty side of the grid and Vettel managed to be ahead. He did a really good job at the start – but we chose the perfect strategy by going onto the medium tyre after the red flag. A big thanks to the team on the pit wall for that, to everyone back at the factories for this fantastic car and to everyone back in Europe who woke up so early to tune in for the race. I hope it was a good show for you! We can enjoy this moment for sure – but we know now just how strong those red cars will be this season, so we cannot afford to relax. I’m really looking forward to the next races and hopefully some more exciting battles. Finally, I also have to say it was a big relief to see Fernando walk away from his shunt. It shows how incredible the safety of these cars is now, which is great to see.

Lewis Hamilton
I’d had a perfect weekend in every way up until the lights went out and felt confident heading into the race. I got a bit of wheelspin off the line then got pushed wide at the first corner, so from there it was just about recovering. But these things happen and I’m grateful for the way I was able to fight back through. P2 isn’t bad in terms of damage limitation after a start like that. I spent a long time stuck behind one of the Toro Rossos and there wasn’t a lot I could do about it as he was on a quicker tyre. I could just see the others pulling away, so the safety car definitely helped by bunching us all up again. I was already on a one-stop strategy and, to be honest, I don’t know why everyone else didn’t do the same on the medium. I’m happy they didn’t, as I probably would have finished a lot further back. In any case, the team did a great job to help us pull it back and there’s still 20 races to go, so I’m feeling pretty chilled. I’ve had far worse starts to the season, so I’ll take that today and head into the next one looking up.

Toto Wolff, Head of Mercedes-Benz Motorsport
First of all, a big relief to see Fernando walk away from that shunt. The race itself was extremely tense throughout – a real cliffhanger and a great way to show what Formula One is really about. We didn’t get it right at the start. The drivers were slow away from the line then touched at the first corner, so we were forced into recovery mode. Our plan from there had been to put Nico on a two stop and Lewis a one stop strategy before the red flag came out. We did the maths and opted to go with one set of mediums to the end, with the drivers on the knife edge of endurance and performance. Managing tyres and temperatures became a big challenge, with debris causing an overheating brake caliper that almost forced us to retire Nico at one stage. Thankfully that was not the case and he led Lewis home for a hard-fought 1-2. A perfect result to start the year, a great job from the drivers to manage and recover the race, fantastic work on the pit wall to give them the right strategy to do so and an incredible team effort from everybody at the factories to get us here. We must now sort our starts and look to carry out momentum into Bahrain.

Paddy Lowe, Executive Director (Technical)
What can you say after a race like that? Absolutely fantastic to get a 1-2 at the first race of the season – particularly after we made life very difficult for ourselves with a pair of poor starts. After the red flag we opted to run the medium tyre to the end and expected others to do the same – which would have made the win a very big ask, let alone a 1-2. Of course, we can look back and enjoy it now – but it was quite stressful at the time! It made for a great spectacle, so I hope the fans enjoyed it. Overall, we can be extremely happy today. Congratulations to everyone back at Brackley, Brixworth and Stuttgart. Together, they’ve produced a car which has given us the perfect start to the season in very exciting circumstances.

 

2016, F1, FIA, FOM, Formula 1, Formula One, Pirelli, tyres

Formula One: Top six Drivers use five different strategies

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Mercedes driver Nico Rosberg won the first race of the new 2016 tyre regulations, with three compounds available per race and teams allowed a large element of choice in their allocations. Eight drivers used all three compounds available, in a race that was characterised by a red flag stoppage after 18 laps. A variety of strategic choices – which was the intention of the new regulations – were possible at the re-start, with Mercedes and Ferrari notably opting for opposite tactics. Nonetheless, the top three were separated by less than 10 seconds at the finish: underlining the closeness of the competition under the latest tyre rules.

Paul Hembery, Pirelli motorsport director: “The grand prix started and ended with a tactical tyre battle, but a red flag after 18 laps reset the race, giving it a very different complexion with tyre changes allowed. After starting with the same used supersoft compounds, Ferrari and Mercedes chose opposite strategies in the second part of the race, with Mercedes running two-thirds of the total distance on the medium tyre but closely challenged by Vettel on the soft. This goes to show how the new regulations have helped to open up a number of different approaches to strategy, with nine of the 16 finishers taking advantage of all three compounds on offer and five completely different strategies covering the top six places. As well as the expected battle at the front, Romain Grosjean finished an excellent sixth for the Haas team on its debut by effectively not making a pit stop at all: instead swapping from soft to medium during the restart, which was an inspired decision. The same strategy was used by Valtteri Bottas”.

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