Red Bull fixes fuel system issues
Red Bull has put in place a fix for the fuel system problems that forced both its and the sister Alpha Tauri cars to retire from last weekend’s Bahrain Grand Prix. Both Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez had looked set for strong finishes in F1’s season opener, however, were forced to retire with power unit issues.
Verstappen, who had been challenging Charles Leclerc for the lead in Sakhir, had been running second when he slowed down with three laps to go and lost positions before coasting into the pits to retire. That then promoted Perez to third, before he spun out on the final lap of the race.
Red Bull team principal Christian Horner suggested after the race that the problem was related to the fuel pumps in the car, but could not offer any more detailed explanation until the cars had been taken apart and inspected
Saying after the race, “I can’t remember the last time that happened to us, but it’s obviously your worst nightmare. It’s hugely disappointing, not only to lose a podium with Max but on the last lap to lose a podium with Checo as well.”
The late retirements of both Perez and Verstappen had prompted theories that the drivers had simply run of fuel, amid suggestions that Red Bull may have been tempted to under-fill in a bid to keep car weight down. Motorsport.com, says its sources say that is not the case.
Running out of fuel is also an unlikely theory as all the drivers would have saved fuel behind the safety car. It’s more likely, though not confirmed at this stage, it could have been related to the way the fuel system failed to pick up the final few litres of petrol in the tank.
Hamilton never expected apology for Abu Dhabi
Lewis Hamilton never expected to receive an apology in the FIA’s investigation into the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, but called the acknowledgement of human error “a positive step”.
Last weekend the inquiry report by the FIA was published and explained the events leading up to the last lap restart which allowed title rival Max Verstappen to overtake the Mercedes driver and win the championship.
The investigation cited “human error” from former race director Michael Masi, who failed to implement at least two articles of the sporting regulations in restarting the race. Saying Masi was under due to the accumulation of duties for the race director but acted in “good faith” to try and get the race restarted.
The seven time champion was left disillusioned by the way he lost what would have been a record-breaking eighth world title, before he went silent over the winter, while stressing the need for transparency.
Speaking after the report had been published, Hamilton revealed he was yet to properly read it, and had not anticipated receiving any kind of apology as part of the findings, with his focus instead being on improving Mercedes’ on-track performance.
Hamilton said in Bahrain, “I’ll read it maybe after the [race] weekend or something like that. Look, I wasn’t expecting an apology, and it’s not really something I’m really focused on. We know that’s the way it is, and that wasn’t going to probably happen.
“The fact is that at least there is that transparency at least, admitting it’s a human error, I think that’s a positive step. We can’t go back, unfortunately, and change the past. So I just work at focusing on doing what I can do now, and trying to shape the future, working with this team, trying to get this car into a window.”
In the weeks leading up to the publication of the report, the Englishman said it was important that the report was made public so fans could get a full understanding of what happened in Abu Dhabi.
The seven-time world champion had talks with FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem two days before the findings were revealed, holding a “good meeting” in which he agreed to make a €50,000 charitable donation in lieu of a fine for missing the FIA end-of-season gala.
Ahead of the publication of the full report, the FIA had already started to make changes, including the introduction of two race directors who alternate the role, as well as greater support via a deputy race director, a senior advisor and a new virtual race control room.
Mercedes F1 CEO and team principal Toto Wolff felt there had been “a massive step change to what we have seen before” from the FIA by releasing the report.
Saying “Whether the report is complete or not or weak or hard, I think to release it is a good step forward in terms of governance, and you can read it either way. I think for us, there is the sentence or the words that say human error, and human error and the acknowledgement of it is very important, and now we close the chapter.
Schumacher pleased to be disappointed with best result
Mick Schumacher thinks it’s a good thing he left the Bahrain Grand Prix disappointed with his best result. The German and his Haas teammate Kevin Magnussen set headlines after finishing eleventh and fifth respectively following a few difficult seasons for the US-owned team.
Schumacher, however did have a more challenging race following an opening lap clash with Esteban Ocon, which dropped him to the back. Before he recovered to finish one place outside the points, and better than his best result in 2021. He believes that he could have done better in Bahrain delivers the perfect proof of the promise he feels he has right now.
He told Motorsport.com, “I guess it shows that even though we had our best result, we’re still unhappy in a way, and that just proves the point that we have so much more potential. It’s great to be disappointed and dreaming of something bigger because that just motivates you, even more, to try and do your best every single time, and even go beyond that.”
After spending most of 2021 in an exclusive back of the grid battle and beating his then-teammate Nikita Mazepin, the German says his whole approach to F1 has changed thanks to the improved competitiveness of Haas.
He explained, “You have to recentre or realign your expectations. Like last year, if the expectations were hopefully to be in P16, then this year it’s like OK, we can actually be in P5 if everything goes right.”
Speaking about his new teammate, Magnussen who will put more pressure on Schumacher with his speed and experience, he believes that is the right thing to do saying “It’s great to have him on board and to be able to learn from him.”
He said that he has learnt that his driving style was not the right approach, but generally how the Dane constructs his race weekends, but more simply learning from each other.
Talking points Saudi Arabia
Following the scintillating opener four days ago in Bahrain, F1 heads to Jeddah in Saudi Arabia to the fastest street circuit in the world. Four months ago the first race was dramatic and following the flying start for Ferrari last weekend in Bahrain where they finished one-two.
Ferrari are the ‘early leaders in the three-way battle, though that’s thanks part to Red Bull’s engine failures and backing up the promising testing. Charles Leclerc lead a Ferrari one-two ahead of Carlos Sainz at last weekend’s season-opener, ending the second longest win drought in the Scuderia’s illustrious history at 45 races.
But Ferrari’s expected rivals Red Bull do have the pace, they however left Sakhir pointless when Max Verstappen retired from second along with teammate Sergio Perez. The three power unit failures, including Pierre Gasly, in Bahrain, could cause headaches for Red Bull Powertrains later in the season.
Verstappen said “Last weekend was a tough one for all of us to take, we win and lose as a team and we’ll come back stronger this week. We have a good package and we were competitive in Bahrain, so there are positives to take from the weekend, and we have a very long season ahead – it’s only the first race.”
Mercedes, perhaps the biggest winners in Bahrain, the team openly admit they are the third-fastest team and settled for fifth and sixth miles behind Ferrari and Red Bull. The double retirements for Red Bull gave them a big haul of points with Lewis Hamilton and George Russell finishing third and fourth.
They capitalising on Red Bull’s woes, but Mercedes hope to have unlocked more speed from their W13 car, although admitting it may take some time.
CEO and team principal Toto Wolff said in Bahrain “Now we head to Jeddah and a very different track; fast, twisty and much of the lap taken at full throttle. We were there just a few months ago for the first Formula One race in Saudi Arabia, and with a new car and new tyres that we’re still learning how to get the most from, it will be a steep learning curve. That’s a challenge we’re looking forward to.”
Saudi Arabia marks the first of three street circuits, Jeddah however was designed with what has been the theme of this year, creating closer wheel to wheel racing. How they perform on street circuits is one of the biggest challenges, but Jeddah is not your typical circuit, as the was specially-built layout was designed for 2021 to encourage fast wheel-to-wheel racing.
With an average speed of over 160mph, it only falls behind Monza in terms of the fastest on the whole calendar, all while surrounded by barriers and little run-off. Think of it as a mix of Monza, Baku, Monaco and Singapore, it’s the second-longest of the season after Spa while having twenty-seven corners, most of which are high-speed turns.
Last year it hosted the penultimate race in Verstappen and Hamilton’s title battle, and it is fair to say it was a thriller.
In qualifying, Verstappen crashed his Red Bull on the very final lap while the race then played host to two red flags and carnage aplenty. Hamilton won the race, although only after more controversy between himself and Verstappen as the two came together while racing and during a bizarre ‘brake test’ incident, for which the Dutchman was punished.
Jeddah changes outlined
FIA race director Niels Wittich has detailed the final changes made to the Jeddah Corniche Circuit ahead of this weekend’s second Saudi Arabian Grand Prix. December’s debut race was criticised by drivers because of safety standards and the lack of visibility in places.
GPDA director George Russell told Motorsport.com the track was “lacking a lot from a safety perspective and a racing perspective”, while suggestions from the FIA prompted the organisers in Jeddah to make some tweaks for this year.
It was announced earlier in the year that sightlines would be opened up in several corners to aid visibility, as well as widening the final corner where Max Verstappen crashed at the end of his Q3 lap.
At the Turn Two-Three complex where a crash during last year’s race caused a red flag, the barriers on the left-hand side of the track have been moved back, improving visibility.
A similar move has been taken at Turns 14 and 21 to try and make the sightlines better for drivers coming through the kinks at high speed, while a smooth face has been added to some of the barriers, allowing drivers to brush up against them more.
Full list of changes
- Turn 2-3: The left-hand side barriers have been moved back to improve visibility from Turn 2 to Turn 4
- Turn 4 Apex: A smooth face has been added to the concrete barriers
- Turn 14 Apex: The barriers have been moved back approximately 1.5m to improve visibility
- Turn 16 Apex: A smooth face has been added to the concrete barriers
- Turn 21 Apex: The barriers have been moved back approximately 1.5m to improve visibility
- Turn 22 Apex: A smooth face has been added to the concrete barriers
- Turn 24 Apex: A smooth face has been added to the concrete barriers
- Exit of Turn 27: The track has been widened to 12m
CEO of the Saudi Motorsport Company, Martin Whitaker said in Bahrain that the changes could make the fastest street track on the calendar even quicker, with the average speed for pole in qualifying last year coming in at 157 mph.
Vettel could miss Jeddah
Sebastian Vettel could miss the second race of the season this weekend in Saudi Arabia after Aston Martin confirmed that he is yet to travel to Saudi Arabia for this weekend’s race.
The German missed last week’s Bahrain Grand Prix after testing positive. He is yet to return a negative result that would allow him to travel and race. Aston Martin have given Vettel, until Friday to return a negative test
Nico Hulkenberg is again on standby to deputise and could race in Jeddah. Hulkenberg, Aston Martin’s reserve driver, stood in for Vettel in the season-opening race in Bahrain, finishing seventeenth
The weekend ahead
This weekend I think is another learning weekend as we head to our first street circuit with these new regulations, however, Jeddah is a very different circuit to say Monaco or Singapore as it was built with these regulations in mind. Last December’s race we did manage to see lots of overtaking and drama, it has been overlooked for obvious reasons, but it played a key role in setting things up for a winner takes all race in Abu Dhabi.
Jeddah favours high speed and downforce, but we know as demonstrated by the two red flags, two safety cars and four virtual safety cars. This weekend again is going to be about strategy, though overtaking is possible. The favourites are going into this weekend is Red Bull and Ferrari, although there is the feeling that Mercedes will come back.
The midfield battle we had some surprises can McLaren start to turn around what was really a nightmare week in Bahrain, it will be interesting to see if the performance is better on a street circuit. The normal night race caveats apply but will we see the teams build on what they learnt in Bahrain to improve setup.
After Doha-Jeddah-Abu Dhabi and Sakhir the teams should be used to the different set up of the cars, maybe they can build on Bahrain. We know night races are different for all the teams, cooler temperatures means teams in FP3 mustn’t over react if there setup isn’t right.
Again this is a learning race as will be about learning about these cars, the pecking order and where the teams are at this early phase of both the season and regulations
