F1 Today – 14/12/2016
Bottas “crucial” for Williams
Valtteri Bottas is “crucial” to Williams next year for the team according to technical director Pat Symonds. The Finn is current the leading candidate to replace Nico Rosberg at Mercedes alongside Lewis Hamilton following his retirement.
Williams are keen not to lose Bottas as it would leave them on the back foot with an in-experienced driver and another new driver, Symonds believes that this would be far from ideal. He told Gazzetta dello Sport “People often underestimate the importance of continuity in a team. The driver is the final element needed between the engineers and the data.”
“You can replace one with another, but you need to have a reference point. This will be especially true in a season in which they change the rules – and we will have Lance Stroll as a rookie with no experience in F1.” He added that if they were to lose Bottas it would have a heavy impact on Williams
Speaking about Ferrari’s decision to let technical director James Allison leave during the 2016 season. Asked if he thought it was a mistake he said “I believe so. I do not know the internal issues, but I worked many years with James and I have enormous respect for him.”
Symonds described Allison as a superb engineer and team leader, with him adding he thinks that Ferrari would be in a better position if he was still there. He says that the horizontal structure which has been introduced will not work saying that “McLaren has recently introduced a non-pyramid structure, but in F1 there are engines and technicians who have strong opinions.”
Sainz deserves a chance at Mercedes
NBC F1’s Will Buxton, The Sun’s Ben Hunt and Sky’s Mark Huges have told Sky Sports that they believes that Carlos Sainz deserves the chance to replace Nico Rosberg at Mercedes.
Mercedes are looking for a replacement for Rosberg with Williams’s Vatteri Bottas, who is currently contracted to Williams being there main target. Pascal Wehrlein is also in contention for the seat. The journalists told Sky Sports that they believe Red Bull junior Sainz, who is set for another season at Toro Rosso, would fit the bill perfectly.
Hughes said “I’d love to see Carlos Sainz in there. It’s so frustrating because of the direct comparison we’ve seen with Verstappen at Toro Rosso [in 2015] and to want to see that translated into a good car.”
He added that with the Red Bull line up fixed for years, the question is “How long can you keep somebody in the junior team?” Sainz is on a one year deal but has confidence that Red Bull will find a way for him to progress. Its unlikely that a Red Bull seat will come free soon as Daniel Ricciardo and Max Verstappen are on ‘long term deals.’
Buxton agreed that Sainz was an exciting choice, but pointed out that Bottas had burnished his own credentials for a top drive this year. “Valtteri had a phenomenal season both in qualifying and race performances that often went under the radar because of the performance of the car.”
Liberty look for investors
Liberty Media say they are looking to fund there billion pound takeover of Formula One with investors.
The American company says investors including Coatue Management LLC, D. E. Shaw and Jana Partners, had committed to the financing through a subscription for Liberty’s Series C common stock at $25 per share.
Liberty Media took a 18.7% controlling stake in the sport in September, valued at $8 billion which ended a long running saga over the future ownership potential flotation.
At the time, Liberty Media acquired an initial 18.7 percent stake from controlling shareholder CVC Capital Partners.
May deadline to supply another team
Honda say if they were to supply another team ahead of the 2018 season they would need to get an agreement done my May at the latest. The Japanese car giant has expanded there UK base to allow them to do that.
Under the regulations which are being brought in next season, Honda who only have one car on the grid would be obliged to supply engines to teams unable to secure a deal. But everyone has deals in place for 2017, however the magazine Autosport say they understand that informal talks are underway with another team.
When asked when a deal would need to be done if they were to supply another team, Yusuke Hasegawa said “around the time of the Monaco Grand Prix. That’s when Red Bull and Toro Rosso announced they would use the Renault engine this year.”
“That is the latest timing for us but the earlier we know, the better.” He said that advanced talks would need to take place early next year and the better performance McLaren had this year means there has been more interest from other teams.
“Now we are discussing the possibility of cooperation and the chance to supply the engine but so far, there is no fixed negotiation. There has been informal interest. They are very kind to show some level of interest.”
Hasegawa added that there has been no interest from the Mercedes powers teams. When asked if taking on a second team would aid development, Hasegawa said: “Well, we need to pay costs as well. But it’s very obvious we can increase the data and the chance of spotting a failure.”
Pushing at younger age worries Villeneuve
Former world champion Jacques Villeneuve says the trend of pushing teenagers into Formula One is giving the “wrong image” of the sport. In 2015, Max Verstappen made his debut aged seventeen and next year Lance Stroll will make his debut for Williams aged eighteen.
The former world champion believe that teenagers coming into the sport suggests it look too easy now to make their debut in the sport. Villeneuve told Motorsport.com “Basically their luggage is not full yet. Normally you would get to F1 with luggage that was half full, and you just have to do the other half.”
“Now they come in and the luggage still has the new tag from the shop, and it hasn’t been opened yet! That’s wrong. It doesn’t matter how talented you are, this is F1, it’s the pinnacle.” Villeneuve added that there’s something missing.
Speaking about Stroll, he says the Canadian could rise to the challenge. Strol will make his debut for the same team as Villeneuve. “He’s super quick, but we don’t know what he’s made of mentally or psychologically, because F1 is a different beast.”
Villeneuve says the biggest unknown for Stroll, is how he will manage not being in the best car and team where everything is not set up for him to win. Meaning its unknown how he is going to react to that.
However, Villeneuve understands why Stroll has the made the jump so early in his career: “It doesn’t matter, he has the money to come in, so why wait? It’s just the way it is. Why bother wasting a season in GP2 where you risk not winning, or [your image] getting hurt.
Success because I wasn’t over driving – Perez
Sergio Perez believes that the reason for his most successful season in his Formula One career was because he learnt to manage his aggression and he wasn’t overdriving the car.
The Mexican scored points in all but five races breaking the hundred point mark and finished seventh in the championship, the best of his career. This was key for Force India, who gained there best finish in the constructors championship.
He told Autosport he felt “experience” was key to his consistency in 2016. “I’m not trying to overachieve all the time. I been in midfield teams most of my career and I always tried to overachieve.
“I managed to do so on a couple of occasions but if I had a car that was capable of finishing 10th I would try to bring it home seventh.”
“That is when the mistakes happen and what I’ve learned is to make the most out of the car. I’ve learned to manage that aggression with a clear head. I’m still very young and I think I’m learning a lot through the years.”
Next season Perez has a new team-mate Esteban Ocon and that’s a prospect the Mexican is relishing. He says that is good because you can always learn new things from a new team-mate.
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