.png "os2 trasparenza (1)")
The circus is gearing up to make its debut on the brand-new city track in Baku, Azerbaijan, home of the European Grand Prix. Following his second-place finish in Montreal, Sebastian Vettel is ready to renew the challenge to Mercedes, benefiting from the progress made by Ferrari.
"The updates, especially to the turbo, made a difference in Canada, but I believe it was the clean weekend that helped us. In previous races, we struggled a bit, especially in qualifying, unable to unleash the full potential of the car. Saturday was positive; we qualified well, and on Sunday, we had no issues. We started well and managed to put pressure on Hamilton. It's a track where we were positive last year as well, so it's fair to say it suits our characteristics, but I think we can be stronger anywhere. That remains our goal-to win".
Vettel then reflects on the atmosphere within Ferrari, disagreeing with the notion that the Maranello team is no longer accustomed to winning.
"I don't agree with those who claim that. I joined last year, and I believe I'm in an incredibly strong team. Whether you win or not is about the mindset, and there are countless reasons every day to choose if you win or not. In terms of mentality, we have a winning team; everyone wants to win, and that's one of the aspects that make me very confident that we will succeed. It's not just about having a fast enough car; there are also the people working on the car. We can become the strongest. There's always something to learn because no one knows everything. There are always things to learn as a team and as a driver. We need to learn how to drive the car with the new rules".
Inevitably, Vettel is asked for his thoughts on the Baku circuit, the second-longest in Formula 1.
"I try to approach what awaits me without too many concerns. The circuit seems exciting; Turn 8 in the old town looks interesting, a blind turn at 11, and then the ones that follow at higher speeds. From a safety standpoint, it seems they've done everything possible. I'm happier to have walls nearby rather than runoff areas with tires. I think it will be exciting".
Taking inspiration from what happened in Montreal, where two seagulls on the Canadian track caused Vettel to make a mistake in an attempt to avoid them, someone asks if he expects to encounter seagulls on the shores of the Caspian Sea.
"I think it's more of a lake than a sea. I read about it before we came here, the largest in the world, so I shouldn't fear any seagulls, but if there are any, let's hope they don't decide to sit in front of my car".
Finally, a comment on the performance of the Ultrasoft tires in the last two Grand Prix races.
"They worked well; the grip seemed higher, although it was colder than expected in the last races. In Monaco, the track was wet with 20 °C, and even in Canada, it was quite cool. I believe those tires will work better with higher temperatures; they were designed for that. It should be hot here, and no rain is expected. Being the first year, we don't know how the tires will react to wear, so I can understand the conservative choice made".
On the other hand, the British driver Lewis Hamilton is decidedly more skeptical about the Baku track, which he does not appreciate and considers decidedly outside traditional standards.
"I don't have much to say about the Baku circuit; I only managed to try it on the simulator. There's a very narrow section and then a long straight, and that's about it. It doesn't even look like a city circuit like Monaco. I don't know why they wanted it this way. It's a very wide track in some places, and it almost feels like a highway. However, we hope to have fun since the weather is expected to be good, and it will be a nice weekend".
In March, Fernando Alonso had visited the emerging city circuit as an ambassador of F1. Now, on the eve of the European Grand Prix weekend, he is convinced that everything has been done well.
"The circuit is ready, everything, the pits, the stands are ready. The weather has also changed: in March, it was quite cold, now it's hot, and there's wind. The race will be different, and for this aspect, a fantastic job has been done: everything is ready. Now we'll have to discover it with the car because walking and doing it with the simulator are different. Turns 8 and 10 will be interesting, but the unique thing is the speed on the straight, which will be high for a city circuit. We'll have to see if we can go flat out between Turn 16 and Turn 1. It will be a bit more painful for some teams, including us. We'll have to make changes; in March, I tried to slow down the circuit, but I couldn't".
Alonso then speaks about McLaren's goals.
"We want to fight for the championship, but we're not in that situation. However, we're heading in the right direction. The road for us is long, so we also have to think about the project for next year to be competitive. But we can't forget 2016 because it's only June, and there are still many races to take points and climb the constructors' standings, helping the team for the next season. We're very motivated to score more points and finish the season on a high note".
In Canada, during the race that revitalized his role in the 2016 World Championship, Lewis Hamilton paid tribute to the man who inspired him-the legend.
"In the last laps, I was thinking about Muhammad Ali and his battle in the jungle. I hoped he was watching and enjoying".
In Baku, Hamilton starts from there, from that dedication sent via radio to the sky, from the need to find or give meaning - not only sportive - to what one does. In a rather technical meeting with some Italian journalists gathered in the Mercedes motorhome, amid criticism of the 2017 regulations and a not-so-veiled threat to his rival Nico Rosberg ("Our challenge? By now, it's largely a matter of mindset and psychology"), he gladly explains the meaning of that heartfelt dedication.
"Ali was unique; the loss for humanity was enormous. However, I hope the civil battle for people of color and their rights continues".
Is he vying to take on that role?
"No, it's not possible. Those times are gone. Ali fought by saying decisive things at the most complicated moments in human history. I can't talk about politics. If I said something, I don't know, about what I think of Trump, they'd kill me".
Nevertheless, he had some issues with skin color here in F1…
"Yes, it was right at the beginning, in Spain, if I remember correctly. But it's been a while since anything happened; it's not a big thing, but maybe I broke down a small wall too. I remember when I started, my family and I were the only colored ones in this world".
So, another Ali is impossible.
"I think so. Today in the world of sports, there are other huge figures like Tiger Woods and the Williams sisters, and then, if you want, there's me too. But it's very different. It's not just a matter of character and personality; it doesn't matter if one wants to have a role or responsibility; what matters is if people recognize that role. And the front of battles to fight has also expanded".
For example?
"I don't know, I can't stop thinking about what happened in Orlando. Any of us could have been in there. A nice club, good music, people having fun. What's the point? I have a house in America. Ten minutes away, there's a gun store, and I can buy myself an arsenal as easily as I go grocery shopping. What's the point? Who doesn't see that it's wrong?"
The interview continues for a few more minutes on some technical and somewhat obscure topics (particularly the mechanical grip of the wider tires planned for 2017). Then Coco, one of the World Champion's two bulldogs, comes in to take his owner hostage.
"Sorry, he just finished taking a bath".
Hamilton says, kissing the little creature, and leaves. At this point, the head of the Mercedes press office intervenes:
"It's clear that when Lewis mentioned that thing about Trump, he was joking".
No, another Ali is just not possible. On Friday, June 17, 2016, the need for drivers to get to know the new track leads many to make mistakes. Daniel Ricciardo crashes his car into the barriers at turn 15; the race direction displays the red flags to move the Red Bull. The session resumes after about fifteen minutes. The best in the first free practice session is Lewis Hamilton, who sets the time using the Supersoft tires. The Briton, after Ricciardo's incident, did not go back on the track, having shredded one tire of a set of Supersoft tires. The reigning World Champion also hit the barriers once with his car. In second place is the other Mercedes driver, Nico Rosberg, ahead of a third Mercedes-powered car, namely Valtteri Bottas' Williams. The Finn reaches a top speed of 378 km/h, the highest speed ever recorded in an official Formula 1 session. The first non-Mercedes car is Fernando Alonso's Ferrari, in fourth place. The Ferraris are further back, facing this first free practice day with an old-generation engine to preserve the allowed number of engines in the championship. Max Verstappen only completes seven laps due to an oil leak in the car's engine. Hamilton and Rosberg confirm their positions at the top of the standings in the afternoon session as well. The two Mercedes drivers are the only ones to go under the 1'45"0 limit. Hamilton is also the most consistent in the race simulation, while Rosberg is the driver with the highest top speed. Behind the two Mercedes drivers are other cars powered by the German manufacturer: the two Force Indias, separated by Bottas' Williams. The Ferraris are struggling: in addition to the difficulty of getting the tires up to temperature quickly, Raikkonen's car has a gearbox problem, and Vettel's car has engine issues.
Sebastian Vettel is not satisfied with the performance of his Ferrari but does not hide that the approach to a new circuit also played a role:
"It was a difficult day; we had to discover the track. The track is challenging, the asphalt is quite uneven, but overall, it's a nice circuit. The problem is that we still don't have the speed".
The German driver is, however, confident for the rest of the weekend:
"We haven't found the race pace, but I believe in the team and, above all, in myself".
Behind the two Mercedes cars, Sergio Perez's Force India is 1.1 seconds behind, followed by Valtteri Bottas with Williams and Nico Hulkenberg's Force India. Then Carlos Sainz with Toro Rosso and Max Verstappen with Red Bull. Closing the top ten, with the ninth time, is Jenson Button with McLaren, ahead of Daniel Ricciardo's Red Bull and teammate Fernando Alonso. In the meantime, Pirelli and the FIA announce the extension of the tire supply contract. The Italian company will be the sole supplier of tires for the Formula 1 World Championship from 2017 to 2019. The agreement was reached at the end of the winter season, during which the FIA and Pirelli, in collaboration with the teams, made important changes to the technical regulations. Pirelli will have 25 test days (not 12 as initially planned), divided into two programs: in the first, cars with the old naturally aspirated V8 engines will be used, and the tires will have the current width with the 2017 compounds; in the second phase, hybrid single-seaters with elongated suspensions, as required by the new regulations, and the new wider tires will be used. This second part should start between late July and early August. It is not yet certain which teams will be involved. A first test with the new tires (only the compounds) has already been carried out at Fiorano using an F14-T driven by Jean Eric Vergne.
"From now on, we'll have fun".
This was Maurizio Arrivabene's promise after the Canadian Grand Prix: the new engine had shown positive signs, and in qualifying, Ferrari had placed just behind the Mercedes. However, upon arriving in Baku, reality, supported by the stopwatch, said something very different: on the first day of free practice, no one in Ferrari had fun. On the contrary. After running all day more than two seconds behind the Mercedes pair - and two seconds, in F1, are a humiliating gap - the two cars from Maranello suddenly stopped on the asphalt due to unspecified technical problems: Raikkonen's car had a rear axle lock, and Vettel's car had a gearbox issue (the German finished the lap in third gear). Is the season over then? Not really. Or, better, no more than it was before Friday (Ferrari has not won a single race this year, even when Mercedes self-destructed). The truth is that, at least for this first day of practice, the team led by Maurizio Arrivabene has some good alibis. The first, the most relevant, is that the new turbo, which had performed so well in Montreal, both in terms of performance and consumption, was not installed on Vettel and Raikkonen's cars. This choice was made to avoid wearing out the components on a Friday that was not fundamentally important; it was much more important to get acquainted with a new track and study trajectories and aerodynamic setups. It should also be mentioned that the climate on the Caspian Sea was colder than expected, and the SF16H suffers in low temperatures. Despite the alibis, there remains that two-second delay. The key to everything seems to be the unusual track, the core of which is a 2.2 km straight, the longest in the world: 22 seconds with the pedal to the floor. When they reach the fastest point, the cars should approach 360 km/h. Obviously, in such a situation, everything depends on the engine. It is no coincidence that the first six cars are all Mercedes-powered (Hamilton and Rosberg in the front row, Williams in second, Force India in third). On Thursday, before starting the cars, the Renault engineers estimated that in that section, the Red Bulls would lose two tenths per lap to the Mercedes.
After the tests, they recalibrated, admitting that, only in those 22 seconds, the Red Bull loses a full second. More or less what Ferrari lost, awaiting the new turbo. Mercedes confirms itself as the team to beat, and in Baku, Azerbaijan, the gap from other teams seems to have returned to that of a year ago. Lewis Hamilton, after dominating the Friday practice, remains the fastest in the third free practice session with a time of 1'44"352, followed by his teammate Nico Rosberg. Behind them, there's a gap. Third, more than a second behind the World Champion, is Nico Hulkenberg's Force India, who crosses the finish line with a time of 1'45"540. Daniel Ricciardo is fourth, followed by Sebastian Vettel. Only in tenth place is the other Ferrari of Kimi Raikkonen, who laps in 1'46"024, confirming the difficulties shown on Friday. Sixth place for the other Force India, that of Sergio Perez, who, however, is involved in the final minutes of a crash into the barriers that almost prevents the Mexican driver from participating in the qualifying session. At the moment of the crash, Perez was setting an impressive time with a delay of a few hundredths of a second from Lewis Hamilton. Force India, therefore, seems set to be a protagonist on the Baku city circuit. Seventh place for Verstappen's Red Bull, eighth for Button ahead of Kvyat. Valtteri Bottas did not set any time due to a manhole cover coming off at the moment of the Finnish driver's passage, sending his Williams off the track. At the end of the practices, to allow Perez to participate in qualifying after the rear-end incident on his car, the transmission on his car is replaced. For this reason, the Mexican driver starts with a five-position grid penalty. In the meantime, Ferrari's president, Sergio Marchionne, says on the sidelines of the Italy-USA relations council, taking place in Venice:
"Vettel is a driver with great abilities, but he needs the right car to win. He's putting in a lot of effort. The car is facing problems, and we need to closely understand what they are. The last Grand Prix? We can discuss for hours whether there was an error or not; let's avoid doing that. Under normal conditions, what happened shouldn't have occurred".
A few hours later, in the first phase of Q1, the two Mercedes drivers set competitive times, leaving the third, Valtteri Bottas, a second behind. Only Daniel Ricciardo manages to get close to the German duo, with a time 0.4 seconds higher. Many drivers make mistakes, with Romain Grosjean ruining his attempts by going off track multiple times, and Jenson Button coming close to hitting the wall at turn 15. During the session, Nico Rosberg improves his lap time further, while Sergio Pérez climbs to third place. The two Renaults occupy the last positions on the grid, and are eliminated along with Marcus Ericsson, Jenson Button, and the two Manor drivers. The same battle within Mercedes repeats in the second phase. Nico Hülkenberg spins but doesn't damage the car; however, Lewis Hamilton is penalized, having only the fifth-best time. The other Force India driver, Pérez, is second, followed by Sebastian Vettel. Max Verstappen takes on the track for a single attempt in the final part of the session, easily securing a time for Q3. Hamilton re-enters the track, having dropped to tenth position, but ruins the first attempt with an off-track excursion; in the following attempt, the Briton is partly penalized by another off-track excursion by Romain Grosjean. At the end of the session, eliminated, in addition to the Frenchman, are Nico Hülkenberg, Carlos Sainz Jr., Fernando Alonso, Esteban Gutiérrez, and Felipe Nasr. In the decisive phase, Daniel Ricciardo makes a mistake on the first lap and is easily overtaken by the two Ferraris and Daniil Kvyat. There's a misunderstanding at the first corner between Max Verstappen and Valtteri Bottas, to the point that the two almost collide. Lewis Hamilton makes another mistake at turn 15, ruining his first attempt, while Sergio Pérez takes the lead. Shortly after, Nico Rosberg takes the first position, while Hamilton is forced to retire from qualifying due to an error at the castle chicane, causing the breakage of his front right suspension. The session is interrupted with a red flag, with just over two minutes remaining. All drivers, except the Mercedes duo, return to the track to try to improve their times. Pérez retains the second position, while Daniel Ricciardo and Sebastian Vettel achieve the same time, to the thousandth, with the Australian favored for setting the time first. Nico Rosberg secures his 25th career pole position, the 60th for Mercedes as a constructor. At the end of qualifying, both Carlos Sainz Jr. and Kevin Magnussen are penalized five positions on the starting grid for changing the gearbox.
A good result for Sebastian Vettel, who will start on the second row:
"Fortunately, I start from the clean side of the track; let's see what we can do. The race is long, and the start is important, but what will matter in the end is the position at the finish, and above all, we have to get there".
Next to him will be Kimi Räikkönen, who can be satisfied with the fourth position after difficulties in free practice:
"The weekend hasn't been the easiest, but fortunately, we managed to find a good balance for qualifying. I thought I could do more, but let's take this fifth place".
Lewis Hamilton, on the other hand, is disappointed:
"Today has been a terrible day for me; I couldn't get on the track with the right feeling and find my rhythm".
Talking about the incident that influenced his qualifying, the British driver says:
"Actually, it was a rather simple corner; there are more complicated ones, but I lacked the rhythm. It's not a car problem".
Nico Rosberg celebrates his pole position:
"It was fantastic. One of the most challenging qualifying sessions I've ever had, but fortunately, everything worked out perfectly".
For the German, Lewis Hamilton is among the potential candidates for victory, despite qualifying:
"He'll be one of tomorrow's opponents; we shouldn't forget that. He can always recover even from the tenth position; he has already shown that many times this year".
On the day when Ferrari suddenly trails the Mercedes - in qualifying, Vettel is 1.2 seconds behind Rosberg and 0.5 seconds behind the Force India-Mercedes of Perez, a significant step back after the Canada Grand Prix's exploit - Kimi Räikkönen officially becomes a case. President Sergio Marchionne, speaking in Venice about the difficult situation Ferrari is going through, avoids even mentioning the Finnish driver, whose performances in recent races have been disappointing.
"It's important to be close to the team, which is working. The car is facing problems, and we need to understand closely what they are. Vettel is a driver with great ability, and we need to give him a car to win because he's ready".
Bounced immediately to the Baku paddock, the feared president's words have caused a certain stir precisely because of the total absence of any reference to Kimi's work, who boasts a world title in his palmares (the last one won by the Scuderia) and is currently only 9 points behind his teammate. The interpretation of Marchionne's communication is immediate: Ferrari no longer relies on the Finn. A fact that poses a non-secondary problem because in recent weeks, the driver market has had an impressive acceleration, and the Maranello team, which was also looking around, has been taken off guard.
It all started with Red Bull's move to promote young Dutch phenomenon Max Verstappen to the main team. At that point, Mercedes, which had tried to sign the Dutchman, hurriedly renewed for two years with Nico Rosberg, whom Maurizio Arrivabene had also eyed.
"The continuity and stability of our work are decisive for us".
More or less simultaneously, Red Bull also renewed with Daniel Ricciardo, another driver who had long been liked by those in Maranello. The Australian's - a brilliant boy, aggressive driving style, and above all, very fast - profile was considered perfect to pair with Vettel, even though the two had had some coexistence problems when they raced for Red Bull. So, with Rosberg, Ricciardo, and Verstappen out of the market, only second choices (Bottas? Perez?) remain, good drivers, for sure, but certainly not stronger than Kimi, who seems destined to stay another year, due to a lack of alternatives and without the team's trust (although with Vettel's blessing, happy to have a non-intrusive second driver by his side). A not exactly ideal situation - very similar to what had happened with Felipe Massa in the last seasons of his long experience in Maranello - that Arrivabene doesn't even have the time or way to address calmly. The team principal's absolute priority at the moment is to quickly close the performance gap that still separates the Scuderia from Mercedes today, a gap that - in circuits like Baku where the engine plays a predominant role - seems to widen disproportionately. On Sunday, June 19, 2016: Kevin Magnussen starts the European Grand Prix from the pit lane as he has modified the setup of his Renault. At the start, Nico Rosberg maintains the lead ahead of Daniel Ricciardo, followed by the two Ferrari drivers, and then Sergio Pérez, who quickly passes Felipe Massa. Max Verstappen, Daniil Kvyat, Valtteri Bottas, and Lewis Hamilton follow. The Toro Rosso driver is overtaken by Bottas and then Hamilton between the second and third laps. The comeback of the two drivers continues in the fourth lap when both also pass Verstappen, who enters the pits already in the sixth lap. Meanwhile, Sebastian Vettel overtakes Daniel Ricciardo and moves into second place. The Australian stops at the pits the following lap. Kimi Räikkönen also makes his pit stop on the ninth lap; however, he is soon under investigation by the stewards for cutting the pit entry lane during a track passage. The Ferrari driver receives a five-second penalty.
Between laps 16 and 17, both Lewis Hamilton, who complains about vibrations in his car, and Sergio Pérez make their tire changes. Sebastian Vettel waits until lap 21 to change his tires after rejecting a pit stop request in the previous laps. On the 22nd lap, race leader Nico Rosberg also changes his tires. The standings after the German Mercedes driver show Kimi Räikkönen ahead of teammate Vettel, then Pérez, Ricciardo, Hamilton, and the Williams duo. Shortly after, Ricciardo is attacked by both Hamilton and Felipe Massa, losing two positions. Nico Hülkenberg climbs the rankings, passing Sainz, and is in eighth place. On the 28th lap, a position swap occurs between the two Ferrari drivers, and shortly after, Vettel manages to reduce the gap to Rosberg, who completes some slow laps before finding the pace of the first part of the race. Massa makes another tire change on lap 29, dropping to ninth place. On the 33rd lap, Carlos Sainz Jr. retires due to a suspension problem, while Lewis Hamilton complains to the pit about the loss of power in his car. In the final part of the race, Sergio Pérez closes in on Kimi Räikkönen, securing the virtual third position due to the penalty looming over the Ferrari driver's time. On the 45th lap, Max Verstappen climbs to ninth place after overtaking Felipe Massa. In the last laps, the two Red Bull drivers pass Nico Hülkenberg, finishing seventh and eighth. On the final lap, Pérez overtakes Räikkönen physically and secures the third position. Nico Rosberg wins the European Grand Prix, achieving his second Grand Slam in his career (victory, pole position, fastest lap, and leading the race throughout). Sebastian Vettel is second, followed by Sergio Perez, Kimi Raikkonen, Lewis Hamilton, Valtteri Bottas, Daniel Ricciardo, Max Verstappen, Nico Hulkenberg, and Felipe Massa. It is the fifth victory of the season for the German driver, who, with a flawless weekend and without the slightest error, clinches the victory in the European Grand Prix. On the Baku City Circuit in Azerbaijan, the German's Mercedes returns to dominance after three races without a podium. And Lewis Hamilton? The World Champion, starting from tenth place after a qualifying mistake, climbs to fifth place but cannot go beyond.
One of the most boring races of this season reveals a reality that has been well disguised until now: the blame for the Formula boredom is not only on the circuits or the cars but also on the drivers, whose genetic mutation - from speed heroes to Grand Prix trolleys - is complete. The demonstration from the Baku track - 6.003 meters of atypical and potentially dangerous asphalt - was evident: during practice and qualifying, the 22 drivers provided a unique show with off-track excursions, slides, and sparks, promising an exciting race. The day before, bookmakers accepted bets on the number of safety cars that would enter. But as soon as they saw the points at stake, Saturday's lions turned into Sunday's sheep. It ended with all 22 lining up in a row when the track was most risky and unleashing, so to speak, on the straight. A mournful show, especially compared to the one a few hours earlier with the GP2 guys. Rosberg won the F1 procession with his Mercedes in another league, not even scratching it. Behind, the two Ferrari drivers found themselves with a good pace and no other rivals: Daniel Ricciardo's Red Bull had sacrificed everything on the qualifying setup (too light); while the other Mercedes, Lewis Hamilton's, wandered between the complaints of its driver and those of the Stuttgart-made steering wheel. And here it is necessary to state the last truth about drivers: the single-seaters are so complicated and different from normal cars that, without the help via radio from the engineers (banned this year), they don't know how to use them anymore. After a few laps, Lewis detected an anomaly in the Mercedes. Nico Rosberg says:
"It happened to me too. He should have pushed a sequence of buttons, as I did".
But Hamilton didn't know the sequence, so he asked for help, but in return, he got a cold we can't help you.
"Even if I tell you things and you give me suggestions?"
Answer:
"We can't help you".
Hamilton's final response was censored by the production. The same thing happened to Raikkonen shortly after:
"Give me a little help, at least a yes or no".
But the engineers were just as inflexible. In the end, both Raikkonen and Hamilton, abandoned, not only lost patience but also positions. Lewis Hamilton says at the end of the race:
"I have to ask the team what happened. I only know that I had no power from the start, so I struggled with low power throughout the race. I didn't know what had happened; I had all the switches in the right positions; it must have been an error or something similar that happened before the race. There are 150 adjustments I can make, only one was right; sometimes this F1 seems really ridiculous to me. I think the team knew about the problem; it was a technical problem, they could have fixed it, but given these problems that exist, this restriction that has been introduced to prevent help to the drivers, but this was not help to the driver, it was a technical problem, I think it made the show less exciting than it could have been if I could have fought with others, but that's how it went, this was my race, I hope not to have similar engine problems again (on the problem encountered during the race). I looked more and more, going through all the different switch positions, and there was nothing that seemed irregular. Dangerous, I was forced to look at my steering wheel for most of the lap. All I can say is that in my opinion, there was an error in the setup. Incorrect placement, so I looked at every single command, wondering: have I become an idiot? Did I do something wrong? No, I didn't. I had no idea what to do. There are 16 different engine settings, and based on these, there are another 20 possible settings".
And even Mercedes Team Principal, Toto Wolff, confirms what Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg said:
"We had a problem on both cars. It was about the configuration of some controls. Lewis' problem arose a few laps before Nico's. There was the possibility to move the levers on the steering wheel, but given the current regulations, we cannot communicate anything to the drivers. This caused some confusion, and it took a little longer for Lewis to resolve the issue. Nico found himself in a slightly better situation because he had made a change a few laps earlier, and basically, he just had to go back to the previous settings. Lewis, on the other hand, was trying to understand what had happened, and it took 12 laps. The power then returned, but by then, it was too late (on the Baku circuit). Two weeks ago, I was on the Isle of Man for the TT, and I found it decidedly spectacular. I think Baku is a spectacular track, exactly what we need in Formula 1, although I can understand the need for drivers to race in the safest way possible. One of the areas that Formula 1 needs to improve is related to escape routes. No one wants to see drivers racing in 'supermarket parking lots' with wide miles and miles of escape routes, from which you can easily return to the track if you make a mistake. This is just my point of view, not being able to feel the sensations that drivers feel. I have never driven a car in Baku, but I think that kind of circuit is what we need in Formula 1 (on the different treatment by the FIA of Rosberg and Hamilton). The FIA allowed us to tell Rosberg that something was not going in the right direction, and while he was calm in the lead, he did 2+2 and returned to the previous mapping as logic suggested, while Lewis did not have this assistance. Nico was good, but he had information that helped him quite a bit unlike Hamilton".
For his part, Nico Rosberg tells how he solved the problem:
"I was one with my car; I could push without fear of making mistakes. For me, the weekend was perfect. I'm very happy; in qualifying, everything went according to plan, so it was fantastic (On the technical issue during the race). They told me: Nico, you have a problem in this setting. But I didn't know exactly what it was. However, I felt the problem, looked at the steering wheel, did some calculations, said: It must be this. And then I started going again. It just took a combination of buttons. (Regarding a question from Eddie Jordan asking if he had returned to the Nico of the beginning of the season) I'll avoid the question and enjoy the moment".
Sergio Marchionne was hoping for something more, but he has to settle for Sebastian Vettel's second place, while Kimi Raikkonen pays for a mistake and finishes fourth.
"The opposite of what I expected happened: no safety car, no incidents. Everything went normally instead of being a big mess. The drivers followed the team's instructions and avoided all incidents. Kimi's mistake? It's Kimi's mistake. Unfortunately, it happened. On the other hand, Sebastian (Vettel) had an exceptional race. I've always said he's a great driver, and we need to give him the car to do what he's capable of. The responsibility is ours. We're back on the podium, where there's only one Mercedes, and for us, it's a good day. This team is changing its skin, and it's happening. We do what is necessary, thinking about both 2016 and 2017. We can't abandon one season for another. Not definitely the next one (Austria on July 3), but soon because it's good for the team to see me".
Applause for Sebastian Vettel also comes from Maurizio Arrivabene:
"Vettel doesn't surprise me; he's a great champion, and the team has worked well. We're not in front yet, but we'll get there".
Speaking of Raikkonen, he says:
"Raikkonen let the Force India pass in the end because he was struggling with fuel consumption, and in any case, he had a 5-second penalty. He was also in good shape today. Marchionne says we need to give the drivers a little more with the cars? It's a fair analysis, but rest assured we'll get there".
Sebastian Vettel says in a press conference:
"Nice to be here, an incredible circuit, and you have to be well-equipped since there are fast corners and walls nearby. From the end of yesterday, the car was returning to normal conditions after a bad Friday. We got the second consecutive second place, took good points, the pace and the car are there, we're recovering. The circuit? In some places, you had to be very aggressive. Everyone would have bet on the safety car, but it was a clean race, thanks also to all the drivers. We redeemed ourselves, also took advantage of Lewis Hamilton's mistake because the Mercedes were faster. I'm sorry for Kimi, who couldn't keep third place, but we did our race".
Kimi Raikkonen is disappointed with the result:
"Did the team ask me to let Vettel pass? In those circumstances, I think it was right. As I see it, I wouldn't have done it at that point because when I had to slow down, I lost a second. It was a difficult weekend; that's how it went. Mercedes far away? The goal is to catch them, but today they were very fast, there's a difference. All the cars with Mercedes engines did well here; the next ones will be a bit more normal. We can only do our best. Something to save? It was difficult for my car, even though the final result wasn't a disaster. Let's hope the next races will be better".
Zero titles. There's no way around it. After eight races, the Ferrari that was supposed to beat Mercedes from the first Grand Prix is still without victories. A brutal fact despite Sebastian Vettel's legitimate smile, conquering an excellent second place. Even less convincing is the optimism displayed by Sergio Marchionne. But Maurizio Arrivabene, Ferrari's team principal, has a plan. And courageously, he lays it out:
"I believe we can still win this World Championship".
But so far, Ferrari hasn't been able to win a single race out of eight. Do you really think it's realistic for you to win more than Mercedes from now until the end?
"In Canada, we weren't behind at all. And here, in the end, we held our own. The point is that we shouldn't reason with conventional patterns; otherwise, we start off defeated. We need to be able to go beyond that. Having said that, World Championships are not won just by winning races, but simply by scoring more points than rivals, like Rosberg Sr".
And how do you plan to do that?
"Working quickly and with determination on the areas where we are weak, chassis and aerodynamics, and maximizing our strength: the engine. We have to work better in Maranello. The guys here often work until 2:30-2:45 in the morning, like Friday night: when we finished, the paddock was deserted. It's also a problem of resource management. But the point is to think differently, as they say: out of the box".
Yes, but in practice? Do you have developments ready, a secret weapon?
"I can't give you specific dates. But I can say something indicative: our engine engineers don't sleep. They are doing a great job, and trust me, they will still do something that will surprise us".
And the chassis engineers?
"The chassis engineers have to sleep even less. It's the area where we suffer the most. We can't think of putting all the weight on the engine".
The impression is that Mercedes remains very difficult to catch.
"Another of our strengths is the driver pair. Today you all saw it; when Kimi got the penalty, he let Vettel pass without any problems and shouted on the radio: now tell him to run. They are a very solid pair".
Does that mean the Mercedes pair is less solid?
"I expect Hamilton to react to this situation".
And that the two start eating into each other's points.
"The strategy is to consider Hamilton our ally, at least until we give Seb and Kimi a car capable of competing head-to-head, then he will return to being the number one or number two enemy. Finally, we also have to consider that we have already paid our bill with bad luck. Now it's their turn".
Are you sure it wouldn't be better to give up and focus on next year?
"No, the team believes it, and so do I. We have to change our mentality, compared to what happened before, when we always gave up halfway through the season. Believe me, we have more chances to win the championship this year without having won a single Grand Prix yet than we did last year when we had already won three".
Just before the start of the European Grand Prix, Sergio Marchionne met with Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff for half an hour in his office inside the motorhome. The thing was noticed in the paddock, where there have long been rumors of a romantic involvement between the Ferrari president and the Austrian manager. Have you read the rumors that Marchionne is about to unload her? What do you think? Does it hurt?
"No, it doesn't hurt me. I don't care, and I work. Ferrari, before being a racing team, is a company. And in a company, you just have to work and give your best. If it's not enough, you see it at the right time. If you get distracted, goodnight. The team is not made by Dagospia (the website that had spread rumors about Arrivabene's possible dismissal)".
In short, do you really believe in winning the World Championship?
"Of course, there are thirteen races left. That's a lot, and we still have a lot to say".
Ferrari is giving important signs of recovery, and in Maranello, they are convinced of being able to play a leading role in the World Championship. On June 20, 2016, Sebastian Vettel, interviewed at the FIA Conference Sport, admits:
"Things are starting to move in the right direction. After the great season last year when we became second among the constructors. We still have work to do; many things are changing. The competition is strong, but we want to prove that we are the best; we want to win".
Vettel then talks about the Baku circuit, where the European Grand Prix has just taken place:
"I disagree with those who say it's dangerous; the FIA has done an extraordinary job".
Finally, the German driver confesses his long-standing love for Ferrari:
"When I was a child, even the toy car was a Ferrari. Schumacher has always been my idol. It's an extraordinary thing to sit in the same car that Michael won with, but I don't want to compare myself to him".
Ferrari's president, Sergio Marchionne, focuses on the new regulations:
"It will come into effect in 2017. We have found an acceptable balance, but we must keep in mind that pushing the cars to the limit and testing them under the most extreme conditions is the only way to ensure the highest level of innovation. Jean Todt and the other members of the Formula One Commission have tried to find a compromise between the need to ensure access to the sport by limiting participation costs and the need for innovation. I remain convinced that there should be more freedom for experimentation".
Sergio Marchionne adds, emphasizing that many of these (Italian brands Alfa Romeo, Maserati, Abarth, and Lancia, and American brands like Dodge, Viper, Srt, and Mopar) wrote the history of motorsport in the last century:
"The world of racing is not important only for Ferrari; many of the brands that are part of Fiat Chrysler Automobiles have competition in their DNA. Racing is a laboratory where excellence in construction and design has reached the best examples of automotive engineering. Our organization has learned an incredible amount from racing, from aerodynamics to materials, from engineering to safety, and of course, Ferrari is one of the greatest examples".
The president of the FIA, Jean Todt, talks about the race for the world title, emphasizing how important the return of Ferrari to the race can be:
"A championship is always more beautiful when there is a struggle not only among the drivers of one team but among different teams. Mercedes is very strong, but it can be seen that Ferrari has taken great steps forward. Even Red Bull is doing well, and Force India with Perez came third in the last Grand Prix. The important thing is not to take anything for granted at the beginning of the race. In F1, there has always been a dominant team; it's not something new, but I hope that everyone involved makes everything more unpredictable".
Meanwhile, the future of the Italian Formula 1 Grand Prix will be decided in court. The day after Bernie Ecclestone's ultimatum, and facing the subsequent acceleration by Monza, the Formula Imola Board of Directors grants the mandate to President Uberto Selvatico Estense to challenge the measure with which the Aci rejected the request to support Imola economically (with the €12.000.000 from the Stability Law destined for the Italian Grand Prix). At the same time, Imola will ask the administrative court for a suspension of the entire ACI-FOM negotiation. In the law, the argument with which the Automobile Club denied money to Imola is specified that those funds are to be allocated to the Italian Grand Prix at the Monza circuit. According to Imola, that wording is a detail, otherwise illegitimate, perfectly surmountable. While, according to Selvatico Estense, it is not a detail that Monza, unlike Imola, needs at least another €10.000.000 in public funds to host that Grand Prix: on June 20, 2016, the Lombardy region announces the allocation of €20.000.000 over five years to enter the organization of the event, money added to another €70.000.000 over ten years that the Region has already allocated to the park that will be turned over to the circuit for restructuring work. Monza's supporters believe that Imola's assertive candidacy is actually a coordinated move with Bernie Ecclestone, the owner of Formula 1 rights, to raise the price and put the historic counterpart in difficulty. They point the finger at the structural inadequacies of the Romagna circuit. A key role in all this is evidently played by the ACI, whose president, Angelo Sticchi Damiani, has been tasked by Coni and the Government with saving the Grand Prix. Sticchi Damiani has no doubts that the only credible and concrete Italian candidacy is that of Monza, and that Imola is at most a good plan B. Before knowing about the case coming from Imola, he had responded to Ecclestone and Selvatico like this:
"Given that the position of Imola is incomprehensible and completely ungrammatical, to say the least, I think I can reassure both Ecclestone and Italian fans. Already at the next meeting with the FOM, we will close the deal. And the signature will arrive by September, or maybe even better during the race weekend".
Uberto Selvatico Estense, the president of Formula Imola, the company that manages the Romagna circuit, which has been dreaming of saving the Italian Grand Prix for a few months now, had said a few days earlier:
"The most humiliating moment was when Bernie Ecclestone, commenting on the great mess of the Italian Grand Prix with the English newspapers, let slip a comment like this: They are Italians, in the end, they will probably find an agreement with themselves. But not before the Thursday before the race. Or maybe not. The worst moment was the day after. When I realized he was right".
That Grand Prix that Italian sports is risking losing, thanks to the bureaucratic Bermuda Triangle Coni-Aci-Sias (the Aci-owned company that manages Monza) to which the Renzi Government, in September, had imprudently given the task of reaching an agreement with Ecclestone to renew the expired contract. The scenario, apparently, is that of a derby. On one side there is Monza, where historically the only Italian stage of the Circus is located. And on the other, precisely, Imola. But, as mentioned, it's just an appearance. Because the real challenge is between Imola, which has the money, the structure, and the will; and the ACI-SIAS axis, which does not have the money (it would take it from the State and the Lombardy region) and wants to save, together with Monza, even if not primarily, the entire group of semi-failed symbols and companies. President Selvatico, how is the story going?
"Simple: after Monza, in four years of negotiations, managed only to make him lose patience, Ecclestone called us, asked us if we were interested in the Italian Grand Prix, and posed conditions, the same as Monza. We accepted them. So we signed a contract to have the Italian Grand Prix from 2017".
A conditional contract, however, on the arrival of the money from the Stability Law. Like you, Monza also needs State money.
About €12.000.000 that the Government has authorized Aci to withdraw from the Pra. But ACI doesn't want to give it to you.
"And it's a very serious fact. ACI claims that that money is only destined for Monza, while we say it is destined for the Italian Grand Prix. If the State had allocated that money to Monza, it would have favored a single company, it's called state aid, and it's illegal. Also, we don't ask for €70.000.000 over ten years from the Lombardy region, other public money. Other state aid".
And why does ACI insist on hindering Imola?
"Because it is a shareholder of SIAS".
Some consider your candidacy a betrayal. Some say you're unrealistic.
"We are ready. We took a company to pieces after ACI abandoned it in 2006. We worked hard. And now we close the accounts positively. ACI is called by the Stability Law to save as much money as possible for the State. Right, we say: let's have an auction. Let's see who wins".
The other objection is that the Italian Grand Prix can only be in Monza, for historical reasons. And that you pay for the curse of Ayrton Senna's death.
"All nonsense. The day Senna died, the current F1 began, the one of safety. And everyone knows it was the fault of the cars, not Imola. As for the track, I use Enzo Ferrari's words: Imola is a small Nurburgring".
Aren't you afraid of being just tools for Ecclestone to raise the price with Monza? He did the same trick with Rome.
"The difference is that this time the price has actually gone down, from €25.000.000 to €22.000.000, according to ACI estimates. Monza had four years. And it hasn't concluded anything. Ecclestone is exhausted, the Italian Grand Prix is in balance, and we are ready".