An Emotional Farewell

The 2016 Brazilian GP will live long in the memory of F1 fans for numerous reasons, whether it be for the many (and at times unnecessary delays), the high-profile crashes or the sensational wet weather skills of Max Verstappen. However, for myself at least, the race will be remembered for the outpouring of emotion shown by Felipe Massa and the Formula 1 community on his final appearance at the Interlagos circuit.  The toughest of people would have been forgiven for having a small tear in their eye at the sight of Massa in the wall at the entrance to the pit lane. It was not how the script was supposed to end. His incident caused the pit lane entrance to be closed, which allowed viewers around the world to witness just how much the Brazilian GP means to him, and what he means to the Brazilian people.

His long walk from his stricken Williams car to the garage saw him draped in the Brazilian flag, and fighting back the tears. What came next is something that I doubt will be seen again in Formula 1. Upon his arrival to the garages, what seemed to be the entire Mercedes and Ferrari teams came out to applaud Massa, with a guard of honour waiting for him at Williams. It was a stunning show of respect from the teams and shows just how much Massa will be in the paddock. 

He can look back at his career in F1 with pride and knowing just how much of an effect he had on the paddock and the fans in his home country. His two wins in Brazil in 2006 and 2008, the latter giving him the World Championship for all of 25 seconds were massive highlights in a distinguished career. The 2016 Brazilian GP shares one big similarity to that day in 2008 which was the way Massa handled himself. He could have moped about and sulked, but this is not who Felipe Massa is. He carries himself in a way a World Champion would: professionally and in a humble manner. He is a unique character in Formula 1, one that will be truly missed in 2017.

European GP 2016

Rosberg Boosts Championship Lead

The European GP returned to the F1 calendar after a 4-year absence to give Nico Rosberg the title boost he needed, with a comfortable win at the Baku street circuit in Azerbaijan. The excitement before the race was building as the supporting GP2 races had seen carnage and brilliant action. Even the F1 practice sessions and qualifying was a brilliant watch, as the winding street circuit was catching out even the best drivers. Ultimately though, as with many of the new circuits in recent years, the race fell flat and Rosberg eased to a 20 second victory. Sebastian Vettel did what he could to challenge Rosberg, but could only finish a distant 2nd. Sergio Perez continued his superb form to take another 3rd place for Force India, ahead of Kimi Raikkonen who finished 4th. Lewis Hamilton finished almost a minute behind Rosberg in 5th, after he suffered technical issues throughout. Williams' Valtteri Bottas was 6th, ahead of the Red Bull pair of Daniel Ricciardo and Max Verstappen. Nico Hulkenberg and Felipe Massa rounded off the points positions with 9th and 10th respectively.           

It was a comfortable afternoon for the championship leader who led every lap of the race after fending off Ricciardo at turn 1. From then on, he drove off into the distance to record his 19th win in Formula 1. His team mate Lewis Hamilton however did not have as easy an afternoon as his team mate and championship rival. Throughout Friday and Saturday, Hamilton looked almost certain to overhaul Rosberg in the championship come the end of the race on Sunday. His pace was scintillating throughout practise, and going into qualifying he was building momentum. This came to an end in Q2 however when Hamilton pushed that bit too hard and ending up crashing out of qualifying and started 10th. As with Rosberg in Canada, many expected Hamilton to fly through the field and maybe challenge Rosberg. Again, as with Rosberg, Hamilton struggled to make it through the field due to an engine settings problem on his car, the tight and twisty nature of the track certainly didn’t help. 

Elsewhere on track, it was a very drab race with nothing else really happening. Red Bull's race was ruined by strategy calls due to the risk of safety car deployments. Unfortunately for Red Bull, there was no such incidents. One highlight of an otherwise dull race was the performance of Jenson Button who came from 19th on the grid to finish in 11th place. Despite expectations before the race, there was next to no drama at all, with 18 of the 22 drivers finishing the race.  

Perez Equals Mexican Podium Record

Sergio Perez's rejuvenated Formula 1 career continued at the European GP as he equalled Pedro Rodriguez's record of 7 podiums for a Mexican driver. It is amazing what can happen in just three years. His 2013 season was a disaster at McLaren, with a series of high profile errors leading to the team dismissing him after one season. Force India could clearly see the talent the young Mexican possess and have really changed his career prospects in the sport. His performance in Baku, I believe, has put him in pole position to take Kimi Raikkonen's seat at Ferrari in 2017, should Ferrari drop the Finn.    

His podium in Baku was his second in three races, and that was after a big mistake in practice resulted in him receiving a 5 place grid penalty. Without the penalty, Perez would have started an incredible 2nd place behind Rosberg. Furthermore, Perez's race craft was brilliant throughout the race. To top everything off, Perez overtook Raikkonen, despite knowing that Raikkonen had a time penalty and would have finished behind Perez. What Perez did with this move was send out a clear message to the F1 world, especially Ferrari. What is certainly clear is that Perez has matured since the McLaren fiasco and is ready to return to the F1 big leagues. Ferrari would be foolish not to seriously consider Perez for 2017.   

Has the Radio Ban Gone Too Far?

Not for the first time in F1, rules and regulations off the track dominated the post-race talk, with the radio ban sparking huge debate. Lewis Hamilton and Kimi Raikkonen suffered with technical issues throughout the race that could have been solved with a reset message from the team. However, due to the restrictions on radio communications, both drivers were not able to solve their issues. This message effectively ruined Hamilton's race as he was seriously down on power. Hamilton was getting more frustrated as the race progressed and threatened to reset everything to solve the issue. Eventually Hamilton figured out the issue and made the changes. By the end of the race, he was the fastest on the circuit. This has led to the debate about the ban. Many feel that this ban cost the fans the opportunity to see what Hamilton could do coming through the field. Had the ban been a bit more relaxed, an actual race might have broken out. With this ban in place, I feel it has taken something away for the fans. I used to enjoy listening to what went on inside the cockpit as it gave a brilliant insight into just how focused these drivers need to be. There has to be a happy medium with regards to this ban. I agree that drivers should not be almost coached by their engineers throughout the race, but these cars are extremely complicated. Knowing how to reset every little thing and focus on racing is a challenge. There has to be a way of balancing this out so that we do not have to keep talking about the ban. Formula 1's talking points should be made on the track not off it.

Canadian GP 2016

Rosberg's Gap Down to Nine as Hamilton Wins

Nico Rosberg has seen his championship lead cut to just nine points as Lewis Hamilton claimed victory at the Canadian GP in Montréal. Hamilton finished ahead of Sebastian Vettel and Williams' Valtteri Bottas. Max Verstappen bounced back from a disappointing Monaco showing to finish 4th ahead of championship leader Rosberg. Kimi Raikkonen's recent poor form continued as he finished in 6th. Daniel Ricciardo's scrappy race saw him finish 7th ahead of Nico Hulkenberg, Carlos Sainz and Sergio Perez.

Hamilton's victory was not as straight forward as he would have hoped as Vettel, who was on a different strategy to Hamilton, pushed him hard throughout. Vettel got off to a dream start as he came from 3rd to lead into the first corner. Behind Vettel, the two Mercedes had another coming together, although not as severe as the one in Spain. It did however see Rosberg having to run wide at turn 2 and drop to 10th. Rosberg was on a recovery drive from lap 1 and seemed to have the same tyre issues that cost him dearly in Monaco. He did not surge back through the pack like many would have expected. He did what he could and so easily could have finished 3rd. As he was chasing Bottas for the final podium place he peeled off into the pits after a slow puncture was discovered by the team. Rosberg recovered again and was hunting down Verstappen for 4th and made his move on the penultimate lap when he went up the inside of the young Dutchman at the final chicane. Unfortunately for Rosberg, he lost the back end of his Mercedes under braking and spun off into the run off area. He was fortunate not to hit anything and held off Raikkonen's challenge on the final lap to secure 5th but it could have been more for Rosberg.

After his scintillating start, Vettel led the opening stint of the race and was locked into a two-stop strategy after Ferrari opted to stop him under the virtual safety car that was caused by the retiring Jenson Button on lap 12. With Vettel pitting, Hamilton was able to use his one-stop strategy to his advantage. Vettel re-took the lead whilst Hamilton made his one and only stop but conceded the lead after making his second stop. Vettel looked as though he was pulling Hamilton in as the laps tumbled but, another uncharacteristic mistake by Vettel saw him run wide as the final chicane and all but gift Hamilton his 45th victory in Formula One.

The main talking point from the race was surely Rosberg's championship lead eroding so dramatically over the past two races. Three weeks ago, Rosberg looked to be in total control of the championship having won four of the first five races. By the time the European GP in Azerbaijan is complete in just 7 days, Hamilton could have toppled Rosberg for the championship lead. Rosberg needs a strong showing at the European GP but possibly more importantly, the team need to work out their start procedure. In Canada, we saw a carbon copy of Australia where the Mercedes pair where almost at a standstill as Vettel left them for dust. If Ferrari keep improving their engine performance at the rate they are now, and are able to jump the Mercedes at the start, Mercedes will have a real fight on their hands.

Who is Making the Ferrari Pit Calls?

Something does not seem right at Ferrari this season. After the Canadian GP, Ferrari team boss Maurizio Arrivabene said that the team overestimated the tyre degradation, naming this the reason that the team opted to pit Vettel under the virtual safety car.

I bring this up because this is not the first time this season that the Ferrari team have made a call on strategy which has resulted in them throwing away a victory. In Australia, the decision not to run the medium tyre due to their lack of knowledge handed victory to Nico Rosberg who ran the medium tyre. Possible errors in Spain meant that with no Mercedes on track, Ferrari let another possible victory slip through their fingers, handing it to Max Verstappen. The latest episode has now occurred in Canada. Vettel did what he had to on the track but I believe that the team have been letting him down from the pit wall. Vettel could have easily had two victories this season, but strategy calls have cost him. Even after his second stop in Canada, Vettel closed to within 4.3 seconds of Hamilton and closing still until his error completely binned his chances of victory. It is an area that needs to be improved before big pressure arrives from the top of the Ferrari company.

Who Will be at Williams Next Season?

Although it is still early in the season, it doesn't mean that the rumours about the 2017 driver line up can't begin. Over the Canadian GP weekend, it was the Williams team driver line up that had the rumour mill buzzing. Rumours that Jenson Button will leave McLaren and return to the team that gave him his debut back in 2000 were all over the press. Neither party were quick to play down the reports but stopped short of saying something was in place. Ron Dennis has made no secret of his desire to have Stoffel Vandoorne in the McLaren car in the not so distant future and a move to Williams may suit both parties. So who would partner him? Rumours going round claim that this will be Felipe Massa last at the team and would probably mean his last in the sport. With Max Verstappen being tied down at Red Bull now, it may be possible that Ferrari would turn their attention to Bottas to replace Raikkonen who, after a promising start to the season has went on a downward spiral. However others such as the Force India pair of Hulkenberg and Perez, Toro Rosso's Carlos Sainz and even Haas' Romain Grosjean would believe they should be looked at as well. At the moment, it looks like Williams hold the key to the driver market for the 2017 season, although it is very early days.    

Monaco GP 2016

Hamilton Wins as Red Bull Bin It

Lewis Hamilton took his first victory of 2016, his first since the U.S GP last year, to cut team mate Nico Rosberg's advantage to 24 points. It could have been so different had Red Bull not botched Daniel Ricciardo's pit stop, leaving the Australian to finish in 2nd. A popular 3rd place went to Sergio Perez in the Force India after a brilliant tyre call by the team. Sebastian Vettel was 4th, the only Ferrari to finish after Kimi Raikkonen put his car into the barriers and Romain Grosjean. Fernando Alonso came home 5th of the 50th anniversary of McLaren's debut at the Monaco GP in 1966. Force India's Nico Hulkenberg beat fellow German Rosberg for 6th place right at the end of the race, with Carlos Sainz, Jenson Button and Felipe Massa rounding off the point scoring positions. The tricky conditions in the principality saw Jolyon Palmer, Max Verstappen, along with Raikkonen put the car in the barriers and retire, whilst the Sauber pairing of Felipe Nasr and Marcus Ericson took each other out. The major talking point however was the pit stop that caused Ricciardo to lose the race to Hamilton.  

The 78 laps of Monaco started behind the safety car as heavy rain made conditions unsafe for a full blown start. After the racing conditions started, Ricciardo pulled out a commanding lead over Rosberg who simply did not have any pace throughout the race. With Ricciardo pulling out a healthy lead, Mercedes switched around Hamilton and Rosberg so the Brit could have a charge at the Aussie who was looking comfortable. The track was beginning to dry out and drivers further down the field were switching from extreme wets to the intermediates and started going quicker. Ricciardo was the first to blink out of him and Hamilton, and came in for the inters as Hamilton continued on wets. Inevitably, Ricciardo caught right up with Hamilton who was starting to struggle with grip but wanted a straight swap to the ultra-soft tyre, bypassing the intermediates. Hamilton eventually pitted and Ricciardo carried on for a further lap before the race deciding incident occurred.

Ricciardo was called into the pits by his team, only to arrive to no fresh tyres, costing him about 13 seconds and most importantly, the lead. Ricciardo came out just behind Hamilton and hustled him until the end. Hamilton's ultra-soft tyres went much further into the race than they should have, something that seemed to play into Ricciardo's hands as he was able to stay within a second of Hamilton throughout. It was always going to be difficult for the Red Bull driver due to the nature of the track, and the fact that Hamilton's car position throughout was nothing short of superb. In the end though it was Hamilton who took the chequered flag, and Ricciardo could not hide is anger. When the team came over the radio to apologies to Ricciardo, he replied with "save it". He went on further to say he felt "screwed" and "ran over by an 18 wheeler for the second time in two races". I can understand his disappointment but he needs to look at the bigger picture if he is to move on from this. He blew Mercedes away this weekend and has an upgraded engine now from Renault. That car for me is aerodynamically better than the Mercedes, only its lack of power keeps them back. Now that problem is being addressed, he can surely look forward to a couple of wins this season. 

Tensions Eased at Mercedes

The contrasting fortunes of the Mercedes drivers at the Monaco GP may have been the best thing that could have happened for the team. Nico Rosberg's poor race in Monaco was looking like it was going to ruin Hamilton's. Hamilton had fallen 13 seconds behind leader Ricciardo and was stuck behind Rosberg, who was struggling with fuel pressure problems, tyre temperatures and brake issues. Rosberg admitted afterwards that he had lost confidence in his car and allowed Hamilton to overtake to aid the teams push in the constructors championship. Hamilton alluded to this and even called Rosberg a "gentleman". More significantly though for Hamilton, he now only trails Rosberg by 24 points in the standing heading to Canada, a track that Hamilton loves. The very fact that Rosberg admitted he was happy enough to let Hamilton through and Hamilton putting a arm round Rosberg after the race may have eased some of the tension within the team. The pair seemed very genuine in their comments, which will only make the Mercedes team stronger going forward.  It could have easily went the other way however, especially the way things have been between the pair since Hamilton won his 3rd World Championship. Rosberg could have made life for Hamilton very difficult and completely ruin Hamilton's race. Moreover, the events that occurred in Spain lead many think would be the total breaking point for the two drivers. It has not transpired this way and fences certainly have been mended.

Does Palmer Have What it Takes?

When Renault announced it would be taking over the Lotus team and return as a works team, many people including the team itself admitted 2016 would be a teething year for the team. Although it has not been as bad as many feared, it has not been fantastic. Struggling for overall pace and getting out of Q1, the performances of Jolyon Palmer have not lived up to his potential, or his team mate Kevin Magnusson. Magnusson I believe has proven why he was given a second chance in F1. His performance at the Russian GP for example where he finished 7th, scoring the teams only points this season after starting 17th. Palmer has not been as impressive for me however. His highest finish is 11th and his highest qualifying position has been 13th. His performance during the Monaco weekend, a track where he has won at in the past, was not eye catching at all. He had one too many contacts with the barrier during practise, taking valuable running time away from the team, and then in the race he did not make it to turn 1 when the safety car went in as he put his Renault in the barriers on the start finish straight. Renault have made no secret of their desire to have a Frenchman driving for the team, with Esteban Ocon in the third driver role in the team waiting in the wings should Renault decide to replace Palmer. I hope though that Palmer can find the talent that he possesses in order to prove me and many others wrong, and keep his place at Renault for the rest of the season.

Spanish GP 2016

Verstappen Tares Up Record Books

Max Verstappen ended Nico Rosberg's winning streak by winning the Spanish GP on his debut for Red Bull. In doing so, Verstappen broke countless records in F1, something that was bound to happen sooner or later. Kimi Raikkonen finished 2nd behind the Dutchman, with Ferrari team mate, Sebastian Vettel rounding off the podiums with a 3rd place finish. Verstappen's team mate, Daniel Ricciardo finished 4th after a puncture spoilt his chances of a podium finish. Valtteri Bottas ran a very lonely race coming in 5th, with local boy Carlos Sainz coming home 6th in the Toro Rosso, ahead of Sergio Perez in the Force India. Felipe Massa mounted a great recovery race from 18th after a poor qualifying to finish in 8th just ahead of Jenson Button's McLaren and Toro Rosso's Dani Kvyat rounding off the top 10. Both Mercedes retired on lap 1 after colliding with each other at turn 4, allowing for a very refreshing race, one that will live long in the memory of Max Verstappen.

Verstappen became the youngest ever grand prix winner at just 18 years and 228 days, eclipsing Sebastian Vettel's previous record of 21 years and 73 days. He also beat Vettel's record of the youngest podium finisher by the same margin. When Verstappen led his first full lap of the Spanish GP, he became the youngest leader of a Formula 1 race, again beating Vettel's record of 20 years and 89 days (Japanese GP 2007). Moreover, Verstappen became the first Dutchman to win a Formula 1 race, which in turn will surely raise the sports popularity in the Netherlands.

After the Mercedes pair took each other out, it was a straight fight between Ferrari and Red Bull, but not between Ricciardo and Vettel like many would have predicted. Both teams decided to split their strategies, putting Ricciardo and Vettel on a 3 stopper, with Raikkonen and Verstappen going for a 2 stopper. This raised eyebrows due to the early nature of the second stops, as the tyres were not predicted to go too far. However both Verstappen and Raikkonen managed their medium compound tyres superbly and made their two stoppers work to take the top 2 steps on the podium. What we saw in the battle between Verstappen and Raikkonen was just how good Verstappen is, holding off the 2007 World Champion brilliantly with some great race craft. It also showed how good the Red Bull car actually is. In the final sector, Verstappen was able to bridge just enough of a gap, because of the Red Bull's superiority, coming out the final corner. Although had Raikkonen been more aggressive at turn 1 on the occasions he was close, it could have been Raikkonen on the top step. Behind them, a brilliant battle between Vettel and Ricciardo unfolded with some fantastic racing between the pair. A puncture to Ricciardo spoilt a fight to the finish with Vetter, and again had Ricciardo managed to make a move on Vettel stick, it could have been a 3 horse battle for victory. This was not the case however, and the scenes at the end were of a jubilant teenager and a very proud father. Monaco should be a cracker in two weeks time because it is not a track where the Mercedes will run off into the distance. Red Bull will be there or there abouts due to the high downforce nature of the track. 

Mercedes Implode 

 

The incident on lap 1 at turn 4 between Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg has been coming since mid 2014. We have seen flash points on track between the pair, notably Spa in 2014 where they touched wheels, causing a puncture to Hamilton, and again in Austin last year where an aggressive Hamilton hit Rosberg at the 1st corner. What we saw in Spain though was a Senna/Prost style collision, that could have been avoidable. Hamilton had a poor start from pole which allowed Rosberg to get the initial jump on Hamilton. Coming out of turn 3, Hamilton was so much quicker than Rosberg who went on the defence. The rest is history. Rosberg keeps his advantage over Hamilton, but team relations surely must be strained by the latest scuffle. The race stewards put it down as a racing incident, something the two drivers agreed with, although Rosberg seemed to agree through gritted teeth. Personally, I believe it was a case of over aggressive attacking against over aggressive defending, which is not necessarily a bad thing, it just needs to be managed now by Mercedes. Both drivers want to beat each other so badly, but there will be a time when the Mercedes team will have to do something before it ruins their own championship goals.

The Kvyat Fallout 

Before the Spanish GP, it was announced that Dani Kvyat would drop down from Red Bull to Toro Rosso to make way for Max Verstappen. Kvyat's indifferent form since joining Red Bull at the start of 2014 has ultimately cost him. His antics at his home race in Russia were not the reason for the switch, but certainly would have had an effect. Kvyat was clearly torn up by the demotion over the weekend but to see Verstappen win on his debut would have been a tough pill to swallow. Had it been Kvyat in Verstappen's place, I don't think Red Bull would have came away with a win in Spain. Kvyat has shown glimpses of how good he is with two podium finishes for Red Bull, but the ruthless Dr Helmut Marko felt a change was needed. Marko has had a history of wielding the axe on young Red Bull drivers, even when they have done a solid job, take Jean-Eric Vergne for example. What this has done also is put to rest the speculation that Verstappen will be racing for Ferrari or Mercedes in the near future, a smart move for everybody at Red Bull. Kvyat will have to pick himself up and prove that he should be back in that team, although I do not see that happening any time soon.