Red Bull doing things right if rivals point finger
This season Red Bull team principal Christian Horner has found himself needing to play both as the attacker and defender. As the team made a step forward with aero and the Honda power unit they have managed to put the team in a position to fight Mercedes, giving them their toughest challenges since the start of the hybrid era.
However, it has not all been plain sailing for the team, after being on the receiving end of a barrage of politicking and several FIA technical directives. Maybe then Red Bull can be forgiven for it feeling as if was under sustained attack, but Horner says it is simply evidence that his outfit was doing its job in getting under its rival’s skin.
Asked by Motorsport.com about the intense lobbying from Mercedes, Horner said, “They’ve put an awful lot of energy into that, more than you would expect. It’s been a clear strategy. But I think it just shows that they see us as a threat. And I think that you’re doing something right when people start pointing fingers.”
At the halfway stage, Red Bull has taken more wins but following tough weekends in Silverstone and Budapest where it appeared to have the car capable of winning. Much of Red Bull’s gains and to the 20% cut in downforce as reasons why there has been this change, but one thing is certain the team has resolved the correlation issues that had affected it in 2020 before the end of the campaign, meaning it wasn’t chasing a problem as it headed into the winter.
Horner added, “We’ve benefited obviously from a degree of continuity of the carryover components, and I think the fact of the correlation had come together, that we understood where our issues were and were able to address those, I think that was the key element, certainly for the first six months of this year.”
The new aero rules have also played a part, affecting low rake cars like Mercedes, Horner says the team were concerned they would have more of effect on the high rake cars.
Also thrown into the mix was the fact that Honda, in the wake of its decision to pull out of F1, brought forward its more powerful and better-packaged power unit that had originally only been intended for 2022.
This season appears different, as Red Bull appear to be a genuine threat rather than the s only hope of victory was unique track characteristics or a strategy gamble. Now there have been races where it has been simply the fastest out there.
Horner added, “We’ve managed to win six of the races so far this year, which is a phenomenal record, more than we’ve won in the last couple of years, and, I think that being in that championship fight is exciting for everybody.”
Binotto hopes Verstappen will take title
Ferrari team principal Mattia Binotto says he will be cheering for Max Verstappen to win the Formula One title battle this year, but believes Lewis Hamilton will ultimately triumph.
The first half of the season has been dominated by the Red Bull and Mercedes, with only extreme circumstances will prevent either Verstappen or Hamilton from stopping them from taking the victory. Ferrari meanwhile isn’t fighting for this year’s championship, it’s locked in a battle with McLaren for third place in the constructors’ championship.
The two teams are tied on a hundred and sixty-three points each after the Hungarian GP after Sebastian Vettel’s disqualification from the race promoted the Ferrari of Carlos Sainz to the final spot on the podium.
Binotto says he would be happy if Verstappen won, to break the monopoly that Mercedes and Hamilton have had on F1 for many years, he reckons that the Dutchman will more than likely lose out.
Asked by Motorsport.com, for his views on the championship battle, Binotto said, “They are two extraordinary drivers, and very talented. One has already shown it and the other has undisputed speed from everything he has shown. If I had to make a bet, I think Lewis wins. I say this because I think Mercedes wins.”
“They are a solid team and they have shown what they are in recent years. I think they have all the elements to win in the end and, as the reigning champions, they are the ones to be beaten.”
Despite having that view, Binotto says he would like Verstappen to come out on top or at least take the fight to Abu Dhabi, saying “I think it is good for sport to break the status quo.”
At the moment, Hamilton is eight points clear of Verstappen in the drivers’ championship, having won four races over the first half of the campaign compared to his rival’s five victories.
Norris believes McLaren played huge role in his development
Lando Norris believes McLaren CEO Zak Brown and team principal Andreas Seidl have played a “hugely important” role in his development over the past two and a half years.
The Englishman made his debut for the team in 2019, before last season making his breakthrough and becoming one of the sports most reliable and consistent performers, taking four podiums in thirteen months. Norris’s consistency has allowed him to take third in the driver’s championship, ahead of Valtteri Bottas and Sergio Perez.
Norris says his bosses Brown and Seidl have played an important role in his development, saying they strike a balance between being supportive and giving the young Briton a proverbial kick up the backside when needed.
asked by Motorsport.com about the support he gets from Brown and Seidl, Norris replied, “I think it’s been hugely important. Having them support you in tough times and criticise you when you need to be criticised.”
“It’s not all about trying to make you feel good but telling you the truth and tell you: ‘You’ve just got to be better in this area, and you’ve got to be better in this area’. But they just want to help you as well, it’s not like all you have to do is impress them. They also want to help you do a better job and maximise yourself.”
He said that has helped him to become a better driver but says that they are still his bosses and that means he still needs to perform and do a good job. Norris says that they are also good when times are tough or when you are struggling.
Norris has a reparation of being a particularly analytical and self-critical driver, which Seidl has previously identified as one of the reasons behind Norris’ progress.
Aitken hopes his work ethic helps him earn a seat in 2022
Williams reserve driver Jack Aitken hopes his developments and strong work ethic he has shown will raise his chances of getting a race seat with the team next year. The British-Korean is currently recovering from a sports car crash at Spa, while hoping to land a chance to step up to F1 next year.
Aitken made his debut in Sakhir last December after George Russell was called in to replace Sir Lewis Hamilton who tested positive for coronavirus, he believes that the promise he showed there, plus the strong feedback he gives in testing and sim work for the team, make him a serious candidate.
Aitken told Motorsport.com, “Williams is in quite an exciting moment where we’re moving forwards. There’s a lot of energy in the team and I think they’ve made some really good decisions around structure and personnel.”
“So there’s a lot of emphasis on development at the moment. I think that having been a part of the team for over a year and a half now, and with most of the sim work that I’ve been involved with, I’ve been quite integral to that.”
He says that he knows the direction the car is going in, and is trying to evaluate the development of this and next years car which Aitken believes one of his strengths is giving really strong feedback and knows the important things as well.
Aitken added, “When I did the race and Sakhir and when we did the Abu Dhabi test a couple of weeks later, it’s something that the guys have always commented on, and been really happy with, aside from just the pure pace.”
He says that for the team it is going to be important in the next few years to move forwards.
Williams has numerous experienced drivers like Valtteri Bottas, Nico Hulkenberg and Daniil Kvyat on its radar, Aitken believes that the team would benefit from the enthusiasm of a young driver. He says “It is a question of do drivers want to put the time in, and how motivated are they going to be to get involved with the nitty-gritty of it?”
Aitken says it going to take a lot of work to get the cars up to speed and work through the teething problems which will come with next years regulation changes. He also believes in recent years that one of the strengths of the young drivers coming in.
Aitken added all he could do to help boost his chances is ensure that when he gets back in the Williams simulator next month, and complete his next FP1 outing later this year, he is at his very best.
Tsunoda had to “calm down” after early-season crashes
Yuki Tsunoda has had to calm down his driving style “a little bit” after admitting he was too aggressive in the opening five races of his career. While the Alpha Tauri driver impressed on his debut in Sakhir, finishing ninth, in the following races he has struggled starting with a crash at Imola.
Since then, moved from the UK to Italy to help improve his focus and discipline, resulting in four points finishes in the last seven races. But Tsunoda has also revealed that he has calmed down his driving style to prevent the errors that blotted his copybook in the early races.
Tsunoda told Motorsport.com, “For the driving, I would say I didn’t change the driving style, maybe a little bit of change, I tried to calm down for those [moments] when I have to be aggressive.”
“For example, I was too aggressive sometimes in the first five race days, straight after, you know, straight into Q1, you know, mistakes [happened]. If I had a big snap [in Formula 2] it was a bit easier to control, but it is Formula One. It is hard to control than other junior categories cars, so [as] soon as I realised that, I think I tried to be more calm.”
Reflecting on his first half-season, Tsunoda says he hadn’t expected such a turbulent run of results while admitting the learning curve is much steeper than he first thought. He expected to have a better more consistent season, admitting he has made big mistakes and in some races he did good, saying “its up and down.”
Mercedes seal first Formula E world championship
Mercedes claimed the first-ever Formula E drivers and constructors world championship following a dramatic final race weekend in Berlin. It makes the German manufacturer the only one to hold both F1 and FE championships at the same time.
The teams test driver Nyck De Vries finished eighth in the weekend’s second race but saw his rivals crash out to end the season with a seven-point buffer to Venturi’s Eduardo Mortara, who retired at the start when he smashed into the back of Mitch Evans’s barely moving Jaguar.
The race saw eighteen drivers go into the final race of the season in mathematical contention, but the drama as is often the case in Formula E, saw each contender drop out one by one. Red Bull’s development driver Jake Dennis crashed out of title contention on the restart.
Norman Nato eventually won the race ahead of Nissan’s Oliver Rowland, with Stoffel Vandoorne third to clinch the title for Mercedes, who finished with 181 points to Jaguar’s 177.
De Vries said, “I’m lost for words. I mean, it’s been such a tough season with highs and lows, and in the end, it came down to the last race, and I am just so pleased that it was enough for me to win the title.”
Mercedes F1 CEO and team principal, Toto Wolff, who also oversees the Formula E programme, told reporters, “What an end to this season. The highs, lows, ups and downs have been a given this season, and the final race of the season wasn’t an exception.”
“What we saw today was a reflection of how the season has been unfolding; not straightforward, always unexpected, but with hard work always rewarded in the end.”
There has been some speculation that De Vries’s championship win, could give the German manufacturer a headache when it comes to placing drivers for 2022.
Although the Dutchman is unlikely to partner Sir Lewis Hamilton at Mercedes, he could get a seat with Williams replacing George Russell, who is tipped to partner the seven-time champion.
