Sulayem confident that Hamilton won’t quit
Newly elected FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem is confident that Lewis Hamilton will not walk away after his controversial title defeat in Abu Dhabi last month.
The Englishman missed out on his eighth world title after being passed by Max Verstappen on the final lap of the race, following the restart which didn’t appear to follow regulations. Mercedes had protested the result and considered an appeal, but dropped the appeal when the FIA announced an inquiry into what happened.
Hamilton has not spoken publicly since a brief interview in parc ferme following the race Abu Dhabi and has not put any posts on social media since the day before the title decider.
Mercedes F1 CEO Toto Wolff said that both he and Hamilton were “disillusioned” by the events in Abu Dhabi and that he “would very much hope that Lewis continues racing”. Ben Sulayem was elected the Friday after the race and has already said he is looking at changes to the sporting regulations.
Asked during a press briefing ahead of the Dakar Rally if he was afraid that Hamilton may not race next year, Ben Sulayem said: “No, I don’t think he will [quit]. I’ll ask your question: did Lewis declare that he’s not going to race? No. Exactly. Being a driver, you declare yourself, you don’t let the rumours [talk].”
“I’m confident that Lewis [will return]. Lewis is a big part of motorsport, and of course of Formula 1, the new era [can add to] Lewis’s wins and achievements, and also Verstappen is there. I am very confident that you will see a very challenging Formula 1 season next year.”
Ben Sulayem says that the governing body needs to be “proactive rather than reactive” in resolving the sporting regulations to ensure there was no repeat of what happened in Abu Dhabi. It appears that he is taking personal responsibility for preventing a repeat and says he doesn’t want to be pressured by anyone.
Adding, “For me, it’s not particular, a driver or a certain team. It is in general, there are rules that we have to respect, and the integrity of the FIA, we have to respect. And I cannot judge anyone unless I get the correct facts.”
Ben Sulayem is confident that everything will be sorted out.
Ferrari “naïve” to think it’s easy to catch top two
Ferrari believes that it would be “very naive” to think it will be easy to catch Red Bull and Mercedes because of this year’s regulation changes. This year a new set of technical regulations means that teams will need to change their concepts and get used to eighteen-inch tyres, designed to create closer racing.
All the teams will be looking to take the opportunity to make a big step forward, Ferrari has over the last year looked to the regulation change to try to return to the front. From the start of 2021, the team has been clear its focus was on 2022, despite the close battle with McLaren still decided to end its programme early.
Despite that, the Italian manufacturer still managed to beat McLaren by forty-seven and a half points to third in the constructors. As Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz combined to score five podiums and two pole positions.
At the top of the standings, Mercedes and Red Bull found themselves embroiled in a close fight for the championships last year that went all the way to the final race of the season in Abu Dhabi.
Sporting director Laurent Mekies believes despite Mercedes and Red Bull needing to focus on 2021, he isn’t expecting it to have a big impact on its prospects for this year. He told Motorsport.co, “I’m sure they had to develop this year,” Mekies said. “However, they are in both cases incredible organisations, and it’s enough to look at the results to see it.”
“Therefore, I would not underestimate for one second their capability to produce a great 2022 car. Yes, they had to spend more on 2021, but if you look at the results they have produced in the last 10 years, one and the other, you will need to be very naive to think that it’s going to be easy to close the gap.”
Ferrari has already promised “a lot of innovation”, including a power unit that is “significantly different” to the one used through 2021. The team has not challenged for a championship since 2018, while its constructors’ championship drought goes back to 2008 and drivers to 2007.
Ricciardo admits losing “a bit of faith”
Daniel Ricciardo felt he lost “a little bit of faith” and started second-guessing himself before his Monza win, calling his start to 2021 with McLaren “nearly laughable”. The Australian joined the team last year but was outshone by teammate Lando Norris after leaving Renault.
Norris scored three podium finishes and more than double the points of Ricciardo before the summer break as the Australian struggled through the first half of the season. Ricciardo then responded by taking the teams first win in nine years, leading a one-two at Monza.
As he won that race, he said on team radio, “Deep down I knew this was going to come, so thanks for having my back. And for anyone who thought I left, I never left. Just moved aside for a while.”
Ricciardo explained how the message was directed not only at those who had written him off, but also at himself after conceding he had some doubts and questions arise. In an interview with various media, he said, “I appreciate that message was going to be directed at I guess people who did maybe think that I’d checked out, and that I was on my way out or a little bit washed up or whatever.”
“But still, first and foremost, that message was for me because there were times where I did lose a little bit of faith and I did second guess myself like, why am I struggling so much? Do I have now a little bit of fear that I’m not pushing the car as much?”
Ricciardo says in Bahrain where he out-qualified Norris, part of him thought that it was “only going to get better”. But then was left scratching his head as he was going backwards over the course of the next few races.
One of the lowest points of Ricciardo’s season came at the Hungarian Grand Prix when he crossed the line eleventh out of thirteen finishers after picking up damage in the first-lap melee at Turn One. Following the race, he looked dejected following the race, and he admitted he needed the summer break.
Button believes “a shame” McLaren didn’t continue with Honda
Jenson Button believes it is “a shame” McLaren didn’t continue working with Honda after the Japanese manufacturer win a world title with Red Bull. Honda returned to the sport in 2015, but following three difficult seasons, the two decided to end the relationship in 2017.
That initial deal with Toro Rosso in 2018 paved the way for Honda to link up with Red Bull the following year. Honda announced in 2020 it would be leaving F1 again at the end of 2021, signing off with Max Verstappen’s drivers’ championship victory in Abu Dhabi to mark the first Honda-powered title win since 1991.
Button who drove for Honda between 2003 and 2008, as well as 2016 and 2017 when he was with McLaren, told Motorsport.com, “In the hybrid era, they struggled when they first came in. They were obviously a couple of years behind everyone else. [There were] lots of reliability issues.
“I think it’s a shame that McLaren didn’t hang on with them. It was very easy for them to point the finger when they weren’t competitive and they pointed to the most unreliable part, which was the engine. But now moving forward, working with a team like Red Bull and all their experience, it seems that they’ve found a really good partnership.”
Button says it was nice to see Honda win again. Before last year Honda power hadn’t won a championship since 1992 with Williams. The Englishman also took his first win with Honda in Budapest in 2006.
Red Bull’s newly formed Power Trains division will takeover the running of the units fully following a transitional year in 2022.
Brown keen to use one-off liveries occasionally
McLaren Racing CEO Zak Brown says he is eager for the team to keep using occasional one-off liveries after receiving great fan feedback for designs used in 2021. The team ran a Gulf Oil branded car during the Monaco Grand Prix last year, they also ran a BAR Vuse brand with a bespoke design including artwork created by UAE artist Rabab Tantawy.
One-off liveries are common in championships such as IndyCar owing to sponsor commitments, most teams in F1 tend to stick with the same design throughout the season. Brown feels that there was significant value in running them from time to time but it was important the remained special.
Asked by Motorsport.com, about plans for future one-off liveries, Brown said, “I think doing it on a very limited basis as we have done is the right balance. We want to keep our identity and make a special livery special. And if we do it all the time, it loses its specialness.”
“[Abu Dhabi] was sponsor-driven. I think it gives some vibrancy, brings some great messaging. In this instance, it was a female artist from this area, so a great way to draw attention to various topics.”
Brown says of fans like to support us, and things like the Gulf promotion creates opportunities for fan engagement, saying they were enthused by it. He also says regular use would mean a loss of your own identity and specialness.
Alpine “encouraged” for 2022
Alpine executive director Marcin Budkowski believes the progress his team is making on its new car is “very encouraging” for next season. The French team took a surprise win in Budapest with Esteban Ocon in 2021, with Fernando Alonso’s podium in Lusail giving them the edge to take fifth ahead of Alpha Tauri in the constructors.
While the team has a lot to do to catch up with Ferrari and McLaren, Budkowski feels the team’s progress in the factory and the way it operated in 2021 is encouraging for 2022.
He told Motorsport.com, “Given that we’ve had the same engine pretty much for the last three years, the frozen chassis and gearbox for strategic reasons to invest our resources elsewhere, we’ve actually done pretty well with the platform that we had.”
“Both at the track and in terms of developing the areas where we could, so it is very encouraging for next season. Now we know our numbers, but we don’t know other people’s numbers.”
Last year following the rebrand from Renault to Alpine a management reshuffle, as well as technical, looks set to continue over the winter. Budkowski believes the changes behind the scenes are starting to bear fruit, even if they are not visible yet on the outside.
Budkowski added, “When I see the factory and all the work and interactions and all the people who we brought in over the last few years, it is looking good for next year.” However, says the technical regulations offer a complete reset and believes 2021 showed Alpine could take advantage like last year in Budapest and Lusail.
