Could Sauber Become the New Honda Works Team?

During the Russian GP weekend, it was announced that Sauber will be using Honda power units for the 2018 season, meaning their 8-season association with Ferrari will come to an end. It was also heavily speculated that the team would be using McLaren gearboxes from the 2018 season, though team principle Monisha Kaltenborn said the team was not ready to make any announcement. This new partnership is a good deal for both the Sauber team and Honda itself, leading some people to speculate whether Honda could take a controlling stake in the Swiss team, and make it the works Honda team, something which has not been seen since the 2008 season. 

This speculation has solid ground when looking the recent history of the Sauber team, especially in the last ten years. In the early 2000’s, Sauber were consistently “best of the rest” behind Ferrari, McLaren and Williams, securing 4^th in the constructors’ championship in 2001. This achievement would not be seen again for the team due to the heavy investment that other teams were putting into their cars, which Sauber could not match. However, their heavy investment into their wind tunnel technology made BMW take notice and buy a controlling stake in the team, re-branding it BMW Sauber. Under this guise, the team enjoyed a lot of success even a sole victory at the 2008 Canadian GP thanks to Robert Kubica. Peter Sauber then bought the team back from BMW in late 2009 after the German car manufacturer decided to pull out of the sport.

Since 2010, the team has struggled financially and made no secret of this. There have been many times since the team’s reincarnation where they were on the brink of folding and disappearing from the sport. Investment from Longbow Finance S.A in 2016 has secured the teams future. On the track this season though, fortunes have not changed with the team being the slowest of the 10 on the grid, using old Ferrari engines. This new deal will see the team use the latest Honda engine, not a year old one and have a brand new gearbox supplied by McLaren. This deal can only help the small Swiss team but also help Honda and McLaren.   

Personally, I believe it will take some pressure off Honda, who have simply let McLaren down since their partnership renewed in 2015. Progress has been slow and many are running out of patience, none more so than Fernando Alonso. With an extra team to supply, it will give Honda the opportunity to test more new parts and upgrades to make itself a force in Formula 1 again and at the same time, help put McLaren back at the sharp end of the grid. In making itself a force again, the Sauber would be the perfect team for Honda to buy out and make itself a fully operational Formula 1 team again. This would all boil down to Honda turning around its engine performance though. The new involvement of Honda in Sauber shares similarities with BMW’s involvement which could point to a similar scenario of Honda becoming a works F1 team again.  

U.S GP 2015

Hamilton Makes History

Lewis Hamilton took victory at the U.S grand prix and in doing so, ensured a third World Championship, becoming the first British driver to successfully defend his title. He also joins an elite list of drivers, including his idol, Ayrton Senna in winning three championships. Nico Rosberg finished second after a mistake cost him victory, and the chance to extend the championship race for a further week. Sebastian Vettel took third after coming through from 14^th, with Max Verstappen taking a fantastic fourth. Sergio Perez finished fifth with Jenson Button taking a brilliant sixth place. Carlos Sainz, who started last, finished behind Button in seventh, with Pastor Maldonado eighth, Felipe Nasr ninth and Daniel Ricciardo rounding off the top ten. It could have been all so different at the front however, with changeable conditions from the start and virtual safety cars and individual errors. Ultimately though, the day belonged to Hamilton, who took his tenth victory of the season.

The whole weekend in Austin had been a complete washout, with qualifying not taking place until the Sunday morning, and even then the rain was still coming down hard. The session only got as far as Q2, where the conditions were deemed unsafe. Nico Rosberg took pole position ahead of Hamilton; but with the race only hours later, the forecast was that the rain would pass and we could go racing.

When the time for the race came, it was still very damp, with everyone starting off on the intermediate tyre. With a tricky first corner on the cards, it was Hamilton who got to turn one first, but with a seemingly over aggressive move on Rosberg, forcing the German off track. This saw him drop down into fifth place behind the Red Bull pair of Dani Kvyat and Daniel Ricciardo and Sergio Perez's Force India. In the damper conditions, it was the Red Bull's that looked more comfortable, with Kyvat taking the lead from Hamilton with ease, but ran wide and surrendered that lead before the first virtual safety car of the day occurred.

When the racing resumed, the track began to dry out and drivers started to struggle with the intermediates. Ricciardo wasn't struggling however, and breezed past the struggling Hamilton for the lead. Hamilton's struggles then allowed Rosberg past for second before drivers started pitting for dry tyres. The dry tyres saw the Red Bull charge dwindle, and both Rosberg and Hamilton resumed a Mercedes one-two, with Rosberg leading and pulling a gap to Hamilton. A safety car period caused by Nico Hulkenberg's broken Force India brought Hamilton back into the play, only for a second virtual safety car to hamper Hamilton again, as he stayed out and Rosberg pitted for fresh tyres. This wasn't the last twist in this race however, as a heavy crash from Kvyat brought out the safety car again, allowing Hamilton to pit without losing position and able to challenge Rosberg. On fresh rubber, Hamilton put pressure on Rosberg and forced him into an unforced error, costing him victory and the opportunity make Hamilton wait another week at least for his title.

Sainz and Verstappen Talent Shines Again

Many people pay so much attention to the fact that Red Bull have threatened to quit F1 next year if they can't get a competitive engine deal. What many people haven't seemed to pay attention to is the fact that that pull-out could also have an effect on Toro Rosso. Don't get me wrong, there has been whisperings of their future as well but not on the scale that it should be on.

This is a team with so much talent it would be an absolute travesty is it wasn't on the grid next season. The U.S grand prix was a prime example of the sheer talent the team possess. Obviously, it isn't the only time this season that we have seen both drivers drive tremendous races, but it just highlights what the team itself brings to the grid. Max Verstappen will be a World Champion one day that much is clear; his 4th place in the U.S grand prix was another testament to how good he is. When everyone was struggling in the damp conditions, Verstappen kept control and drove a brilliant race. Carlos Sainz, despite a few silly errors, especially speeding in the pit lane, finished a solid seventh place. This was after starting last on the grid! Had he not have had a time penalty, he would have finished sixth. Again, his on track overtakes and coolness behind the wheel is something that can't be ignored. Like I have said before, it is just a pity for him that Verstappen is his team mate this year. Hopefully, this team will be here next year because this would be a colossal waste of talent.

Sauber Celebrate 400th GP Weekend

It wasn't just Lewis Hamilton celebrating a milestone at the U.S grand prix. Sauber celebrated their 400th GP weekend, a magnificent achievement for the small team from Switzerland, who have been in the sport since 1993. The team has had many ups and downs over the last 22 years, but still have a rich history within the sport. Many great drivers have driven for them over the years, including former World Champion Jacque Villeneuve, although he wasn't to be the driver to deliver the teams first, and only win in F1. Under the BMW guise, Robert Kubica stepped up on a crazy and dramatic day at the 2008 Canadian GP, and headed a BMW Sauber one-two with team mate Nick Heidfeld. When BMW left the sport at the end of 2009, Peter Sauber bought back control of the full team. It has been a difficult five years financially for the team, who have never made any secret of this. Despite this, on track they have had some very strong performances, most notably in Malaysia 2012, where Sergio Perez probably should have won the race, only to be beaten to the flag by Fernando Alonso and ended up second. The team has done brilliantly with the limited resources at its disposal, and I'm sure that they will be racing against the odd for many more years to come. Here's to another 400 GP weekends.    

2015 So Far

2015 So Far (Pre Spanish GP)

Formula 1 enters a 3 week break before the start of the European season in Spain. So far, the season is progressing the way many people expected; with Lewis Hamilton and Mercedes topping both championships. Behind them though has seen a few changes since the end of the 2014 season, including the much improved Ferrari and the dismal Renault power unit. In this post, I will be looking at each team’s performance and giving them a mark out of ten.

Mercedes

What can I really say about Mercedes that hasn't already been said this season. They are leaps and bounds ahead of everyone else despite the re-emergence of Ferrari, they look so comfortable. Lewis Hamilton looks to be in the best form of his career and looks almost untouchable. Everything looks to be falling in place to emulate his idol Ayrton Senna and become a three time world champion this year. The same can't be said however for team mate Nico Romberg, who has had a very different start to the season, being out classed and outpaced by his team mate. Luckily in Bahrain he showed the tenacity and speed that he showed last season. Hopefully Rosberg can kick on now and put some serious pressure on Hamilton when the season resumes in Spain.

Ferrari

What a start to the season Ferrari have had. After a shocking 2014, the team has had a complete overhaul of its staff and replaced Fernando Alonso with Sebastian Vettel. What a stroke of genius this appears to have been. Vettel scored his first win for Ferrari in Malaysia with a drive that showed his class and reminded us why he is a four time World Champion. Kimi Raikkonen seems a reinvigorated character this season as well and has been brilliant, just a few bits of bad luck have seen him fall a little behind Vettel. For me though, the change that has had the biggest effect at Ferrari is the arrival of Maurizio Arrivabene. He has brought something to the team that has been lacking in the last few years and he really seems to be getting the best out of the team.

Williams

The Williams team have had a solid if not spectacular start to the 2015 season. They look set on consolidating their place at the front of the grid and trying to challenge the Mercedes team for victories. Unfortunately for them, they seem to have slipped a little behind Ferrari and will need to bring some updates ready for the European season to challenge them. Having said that, their drivers don't seem to be bothered by the Ferrari revival, no more so than Valtteri Bottas who keeps on impressing everyone in the Formula 1 world.  Bottas' skill and talent was evident during the Bahrain weekend when he kept Sebastian Vettel behind him in the closing stages to take another 4th place finish. Felipe Massa has been quiet yet solid in the other Williams car, putting in performances that show his experience and consistently scoring points.     

Red Bull

Although Daniel Ricciardo has scored points in every race this season, Red Bull have had a rotten season thus far. Public spats with engine suppliers Renault and poor performances on track have led to speculation that they could up and quit the sport if things aren't changed. A big issue for team principle Christian Horner is the fact that nothing has been done to help teams reel in Mercedes. He has claimed when Red Bull were at the height of their dominance, everything was done to try and peg back their dominance, yet nothing has been done about Mercedes. This can't take away from the fact that the car itself is a shadow of previous models and has a lot of issues that need resolving. Dani Kvyat has had a slow start to his Red Bull career, but I think that this is due to his car and not a lack of talent.

Sauber

There was a lot of uncertainty about the future of the Sauber team towards the end of last season and many feared the team might fold. Luckily they survived and made into 2015 with about 5 drivers under contract for just two seats. The whole event was an utter shambles which resulted in the court case during the opening weekend in Australia with Giedo van der Garde. However, with this all done and dusted now, the team have had a solid start to the season. Felipe Nasr has been a stand out performer for me, with his 5th place finish in Australia and a series of good performances. His team mate Marcus Ericson has impressed me as well. I couldn't really judge him last year with the Caterham being so far back and unreliable. Now seeing him race wheel to wheel, I have been impressed. He still has a lot to work on but I'm sure he, and the team, can build on a solid start.  

Lotus

Lotus have moved from the Renault power unit to Mercedes for 2015, and it seems to be the best move they could have made. This years' car is leaps and bounds ahead of what they produced last year and it is clear to see from the performances on track. Romain Grosjean has looked good in the opening round scoring a few points here and there and showing that he has what it takes to take the team forward as leader. Things are very different on the other side of the garage however as Pastor Maldonado still hasn't finished a race this year. For me, if Maldonado didn't bring the finance that he does, there is no way he would be on that grid. Yes he has won a race, but so have many other drivers in F1. His overall career has been littered with incidents and poor driving. I personally think Lotus may be higher up the pecking order if they had another driver in their ranks other than Maldonado.

Toro Rosso

This is the team that has excited me the most during the opening rounds this season and it is purely down to their driver line up. It's a completely different line up from last year and it has me on the edge of my seat watching them. Carlos Sainz has been solid and out-performing in Toro Rosso constantly and looks a fantastic talent for the future. For me though, his team mate Max Verstappen has been on another level and an absolute joy to watch. The youngster drives with the head of a veteran on his shoulders and that is clear to see in some of the overtakes and defence moves he has made. A champion of the future if ever there was one, and a man who could brake many records in the sport.

Force India

Force India have made no secret of the financial problems they have found themselves in, and this has clearly had an effect on their season thus far. They are still using a modified version of last years' car and even missed the first pre-season test. They were always on the hunt for points last season but have scored very few this season. I rate both Nico Hulkenberg and Sergio Perez very highly but ultimately, there is only so much the pair of them can do.

McLaren

2015 has seen McLaren and Honda reunited in a bid to take over F1 again. The fairy tale partnership however is a nightmare in reality, with the team failing to score a single point so far and being plagued with reliability issues. Not to mention that the Honda power unit is massively down on power compared to everyone else. There have been signs of improvement race by race, but there is still a massive way to go if they are to be competitive this season. There have been whispers of podium ambitions this season, but I think they need to be more realistic and just aim to score points at this moment in time. They have two fantastic drivers in their ranks in Fernando Alonso and Jenson Button, who deserve a lot more than they are getting.

Manor

Just to see the Manor team on the grid this season is an achievement in itself. The team have been formed of what was left of Marussia and have always been within the 107% rule, which is brilliant to see. It was unfortunate that they didn't make it out of the garage in Australia but since then, they have managed to have at least one car run in every session, which is good to see. Their drivers have been nothing but professionals as well, and have just gotten on with the job at hand. Both Will Stevens and Roberto Mehri deserve a lot of credit for keeping within 107% of the Mercedes dominance in a car that is, again, a modification of last years' Marussia. Still though, a lot of work is to be done at the team to ensure its long term future. 

Giedo van der Garde vs Sauber - F1's Money Issue Raised Again

Last week, Giedo van der Garde issued a statement revealing that he and the Sauber team had reached a settlement over his disputed seat. Van der Garde believed that he had a contract with Sauber for this season, only for the team to sign up Felipe Nasr and Marcus Ericson instead. This led to the farcical court case that proceeded over the Australian GP weekend which ruled that van der Garde should race in Australia, only for Nasr and Ericson to race, not van der Garde.  Having looked at both parties statements over the situation, I think it really speaks volumes about the money problems that the smaller teams in the sport encounter.

Last season saw both Caterham and Marussia go into administration and miss the final three races of the season (Caterham making it into the final race in Abu Dhabi through crowd funding). Problems were also well documented at Force India, Lotus and Sauber, with each team calling for a rethink in prize money distribution to help the smaller teams cope. However this was rejected, with the likes of Ferrari and Red Bull claiming they shouldn’t have to give up their money. Here is the first problem: The teams at the front of the grid seem to control how money is distributed in F1, and it is all wrong in my opinion. For the sake of the future of the sport, this should be completely overhauled and examined in great detail to ensure small teams can enter F1, stay there and become competitive in the sport. We have seen the three new teams that entered the sport in 2010, HRT, Caterham and Marussia all drop off the grid due to financial problems (although Marussia has been reformed as Manor), and with HASS F1 set to join the grid next season, I don’t want to see another new team be forced out due to money problems. Now according to van der Garde, it was his sponsorship money that got Sauber through the remainder of last season, showing how financially crippled the team were. If a team has to survive off the money of a test and reserve driver, surely the whole F1 world should look at this and say that it isn’t right. Teams are talking about louder engine notes and bigger wheels when what I think they should be talking about is helping smaller teams on the grid survive.

The whole affair has been a shambles for the sport, van der Garde himself and the Sauber team. I understand from van der Garde’s point of view that he has a contract and this should be honoured, I mean what’s the point of the paper it’s written on if it isn’t honoured? However, is one driver bigger than the whole team? No. Had van der Garde went ahead and drove for the team, it could have meant the loss of another team in F1 and with that over 300 jobs, which I don’t believe for one second should be happening. I doubt that we will see van der Garde in F1 again because of this incident, unless another cash strapped team need funding to survive. As for the team, this incident will damage their own reputation and leave a few questions for other drivers if they happen to come along with some money wanting a drive. I’ve mentioned earlier that the sport needs to have a proper look at itself and sort costs out to ensure this farcical debacle doesn’t occur again. 

Why Felipe Massa Shouldn't Fall into the F1 Abyss

If anybody reading this entry has read previous entries, then they will know I am a huge fan of Felipe Massa. The formality of him leaving Ferrari at the end of the year still saddens me. My major fear about this popular little Brazilian is that he will fall into the F1 abyss like many other popular drivers such as Heikki Kovalainen, Jerome d’Ambrosio and Jamie Alguersuari. In this entry, I will look at the reasons that F1 teams should be doing all they can to sign Massa up for a 2014 drive.

Before his eight year spell with the Scuderia, Massa was at what could be called Ferrari’s junior team, Sauber. Massa made his debut with Sauber in 2002 where he scored 4 points in his first season, with a best finish of 5^th at the Spanish GP. He showed his competitiveness, but did make several mistakes. He earned a one race suspension which meant he missed the US GP. He returned for the Japanese GP, but was subsequently dropped by the team for the 2003 season, however he moved to Ferrari as their test driver. Massa re-signed for Sauber in 2004 scoring 12 points with a best finish of 4^th at the Belgian GP. His steady season earned him a second consecutive year at Sauber in 2005, where he scored 11 points and outpaced Jacques Villeneuve and beat him in the drivers’ standings. He got his big break the year after with Ferrari, partnering 7 times World Champion, Michael Schumacher.

During his first season at Ferrari, he scored 80 points and finished third in the title race behind champion Fernando Alonso and Michael Schumacher. It was a year that Massa was to be mentored by Schumacher, to try and help cut out the driver errors. Evidence of nerves could be seen during some races during the season such as in Bahrain, where he spun several times. He also crashed his Ferrari in Australia during both qualifying and the race itself. Despite all of this, Schumacher's influence could be seen as Massa scored his first pole position and victory at the Turkish GP. My personal favourite memory of his debut season at Ferrari was his victory at his home Brazilian GP in front of his adoring fans. He was the first Brazilian to win at Brazil since Ayrton Senna.

Schumacher left the team and Massa was partnered by Kimi Raikkonen, his team mate at Sauber in 2002. Massa seemed a much more complete driver, especially during pre-season testing where he looked on brilliant form. When it came to the opening race of the season, Massa suffered a gearbox problem during qualifying and started last, however he still managed to come home in 6^th. Problems continued into Malaysia where he was overtaken by the two McLaren's, despite starting on pole position. Massa attacked Hamilton and went wide, which meant he finished 5^th. His luck and form picked up as he won back to back races in Bahrain and Spain, both from pole position. He won the Turkish GP again and scored another 6 podiums. His team player image was first seen at Ferrari when he yielded the lead of the Brazilian GP to allow Kimi Raikkonen to win the World Championship.

So onto 2008. This without doubt, was Massa’s best year in F1. It all started wrong for Felipe again as he retired from the first two races, both by spinning out. People began to question if Massa was up to the job of racing at the sharp end of the grid without the assist of traction control. Massa silenced his critics in the best way possible. He dominated the entire weekend in Bahrain, only to have pole position snatched away by Robert Kubica. However, this didn’t stop Massa’s awesome pace in the race. Massa had Kubica by the first corner and went onto a dominant win. He scored another brilliant podium in Spain and went onto record his 3^rd consecutive victory in Turkey and started to gather real momentum.

He carried this momentum into Monaco, where he amazed himself by sticking his car on pole position. He started brilliantly and led by 15 seconds in the rain before the safety car came out and took out his lead. After the safety car, Massa pulled away again before he ran off at the first corner and lost the lead. He eventually finished her 3^rd behind his title rival Lewis Hamilton and Kubica. A fifth place in Canada, followed by a win in France meant he led the drivers’ championship, the first time a Brazilian had led the championship since Senna. The next two races saw Massa score zero points as he spun an amazing 5 times at the British GP, and retired from the lead of the Hungarian GP with only 3 laps left. The European GP saw Massa make his 100^th start in F1 and went onto win the race, making him the only driver to date to win on his 100^th start. He was awarded the win in Belgium after his main rival Hamilton was penalised 25 seconds for cutting the final chicane.  Points came his way in Italy before a pointless finish in Singapore meant he was 7 points behind Hamilton. At the Chinese GP, Massa’s stance as number 1 for the season could be seen as Raikkonen yielded 2^nd to Massa to ensure he could keep his title hopes alive.

The final race of the season was held in front of his adoring fans in Brazil, with Massa 7 points behind Hamilton. It was simple for Massa, he had to win or finish second, and for Hamilton for finish lower than 5^th. It started fantastically for Massa, qualifying on pole, with Hamilton fourth. Massa blew everyone away with his performance and won by 13 seconds. His part was done. Felipe Massa was World Champion for 38 seconds. His title was cruelly taken away as Lewis Hamilton overtook Timo Glock at the second last corner for 5^th place and the title by a single point. He was praised left right and centre by everyone and his maturity was praised by Ferrari president Luca di Montezemolo. All in all, Massa managed 6 victories and 6 pole positions.

After all the highs of the previous three seasons, 2009 would ultimately see the downfall of Felipe Massa. A poor, uncompetitive Ferrari at the beginning of the year meant the Brazilian couldn’t relive the form of 2008. It was the middle of the season at the Hungarian GP where Massa could have lost his life. He was struck in the head at 180mph by a spring that fell off the back of the Brawn Mercedes of Rubens Barrichello. It would see Massa miss the rest of the season and return in 2010 to partner Fernando Alonso. Despite what Massa said, I believe that his head injury played a part in his below-par 2010 season. He did lead the German GP before being told to move over for Alonso. I also believe this was hard for Massa to take and psychologically destroyed Massa’s confidence. This form continued into 2011. He was continually out-performed by Alonso again and was caught up in many high profile incidents with Hamilton. 2012 started off poorly for Massa before he managed to keep place with Alonso in the second half of the season, even out-qualifying the Spaniard occasionally. He was awarded a new one year deal for 2013. 2013 saw Massa start just as strong as he ended 2012, out-qualifying Alonso and looking as though he had re-captured his 2008 form. However his form faded and Ferrari announced that Massa would be replaced by Raikkonen for 2014.

So there you have it. Eight years at the oldest F1 team have ended. Looking back at his career, Massa deserved so much more. In my opinion Massa deserved the title in 2008 and had he won that, I believe that he could have achieved even more. The end of 2012 and beginning of this year, we saw the old Massa back in action. Unfortunately this form couldn’t be kept up, and it’s now time for a change. I believe Massa still has enough to offer a top team in 2014, possibly Lotus? Only time will tell if he gets another shot, or fall into the F1 abyss.