On Tuesday, February 26th, 2019 we are back on track for the second test session. At the end of day one, Lando Norris, newcomer at McLaren, amazes everyone on the Circuit de Catalunya, under the gaze of Fernando Alonso, former first driver of the English manufacturer. After suffering some hydraulic problems on his MCL34 in the morning, Norris obtains a brilliant 1'17″709, putting Pierre Gasly and his Red Bull behind him for only six thousandths. Third, Lance Stroll on Racing Point-Mercedes. Sebastian Vettel, who runs eighty-one laps in one of his long-runs, ends two tenths from Norris with his best lap. It was a lighter day for the other Ferrari driver, Charles Leclerc, who stayed in the pits for a long time in the morning for a check on the cooling system of his car, and completed only twenty-nine laps. More serious problems for Valtteri Bottas’ Mercedes W10, struggling with an oil pressure problem: only seven laps and the eleventh time. Long run for Lewis Hamilton, who varies the use of tires. Good day for Antonio Giovinazzi on Alfa Romeo: fifth place for the Apulian, ahead of Alexander Albon’s Toro Rosso. On day two, when the last tests are underway, in view of the Formula 1 season that will open on Sunday, March 17th, 2019 in Australia, Sebastian Vettel ends up off track in the morning: at turn 3 of the Catalan circuit, he crashes against the barriers of protection rubber. A mechanical problem betrays Vettel, who comes out unharmed and independently from the cockpit: a rim collapses under pressure and makes the German driver lose control of the car.
"We don't know much more about the accident. I was entering Turn 3 and I felt something was wrong, there were problems on the front left side but at that point there was nothing I could do to avoid the impact. I no longer had any control over the car and went straight out over the barriers. We are focusing on trying to pinpoint the exact nature of the problem. It would have been easier with a wider escape route, if I hadn't crashed, because, as you can easily imagine, most of the damage on the car comes from hitting the guards, so we have to be careful about how we assess the damaged part to isolate the original problem. Our goal is to complete the planned program, and certainly having done only forty laps this morning is not optimal for us. We lost some time".
In the meantime, on Wednesday, February 27th, 2019 Fernando Alonso becomes a McLaren ambassador, a relationship that will also see his return to the track in selected tests to help develop the MCL34 and then the MCL35 in 2020. At McLaren in 2007 and then from 2015 to 2018, for a total of ninety-five races and four victories, the two-time World Champion will take part with the same team in the Indianapolis 500 in May, in an attempt to become the second driver in history to complete the Triple Crown after winning the Monaco Grand Prix and the 24 Hours of Le Mans. On Thursday, February 28th, 2019 Charles Leclerc with his Ferrari SF90 dominates the third day of practice at the Catalan circuit of Montmelò with a time of 1'16″231, obtained with the softest tires in the Pirelli range. This is the fastest time achieved in these seven days of pre-season testing, just fifty-eight thousandths from Hamilton's pole position in 2018. The young Monegasque driver is the only one on track today for the Maranello team. Mercedes hides as usual, continuing its work of weaning the new W10 with Lewis Hamilton who gets his personal best performance in 1'18″097 with the C2 medium. Leclerc, in fact, with the same type of tire, stops the clock at 1'17″253, eight tenths faster than the World Champion in the morning. A performance, both on the fast lap and on the race pace that bodes well, also because the Ferrari driver has never pushed in all three stints in which the track is divided, suggesting that he still has something to bring out as a performance. For Leclerc, a total of 138 laps and a small problem just in the final minutes of the day, which advised him to park his car at turn 8.
"It wasn't going to be an easy day because we had to make up for the work that wasn't done yesterday. But we did it, and this is very positive considering that today was the last test for me before Australia. I'm very happy, the car is good and we worked really well. It's an encouraging start to the season and I feel quite ready. Now I'm looking forward to my first real Grand Prix with Ferrari".
As in the past days, the young drivers stood out: Alexander Albon, who reached 1'16″882 with his Toro Rosso, also mounting the C5, and Lando Norris, 84 thousandths above the 1'17"0. Fifth time for Pierre Gasly who, however, ended the day early, crashing into the barriers at turn 9 with his Red Bull. Following, the two Renaults of Daniel Ricciardo and Nico Hulkenberg. Then, the Racing Point of Lance Stroll (he also finished by parking his car along the track) and the Alfa Romeo of Antonio Giovinazzi. Closing the top ten, Romain Grosjean’s Haas and the Mercedes of Lewis Hamilton, who completed 95 laps in the morning before handing over the wheel, after lunch, to Valtteri Bottas. For the Finnish driver, 97 laps with the thirteenth and last time of the day, also behind Russel’s Williams and Magnussen’s Haas. On Friday, March 1st, 2019 Mattia Binotto, Ferrari team principal, draws a first balance after the Montmelò tests:
"The new Ferrari SF90 is balanced and stable under braking. I would like to see it more reliable overall. To beat your competitors, you have to go much faster. Our spirit must be to never settle. It's not about being at the others’ level, but the strongest of them all. We are not there yet, but that is our goal. These days have been intense and we are focusing on ourselves. I'm glad Hamilton thinks we're strong, but so are they. I assume we will be very close. Not everything went well in testing, see Vettel’s accident. I still think it was an unfortunate episode, something impossible to predict and avoid. It seems that an external body hit the rim".
No doubt about Charles Leclerc's arrival at Ferrari:
"He is a very good driver. He’s trying to learn how to work with our technicians. It is not these tests that are convincing us regarding our decision to take him to Ferrari. We will not ask Leclerc to pass Vettel: he is already a champion and very experienced, so for now Seb is the driver of reference".
Lewis Hamilton does not hide Ferrari’s strength but at the same time he says he is confident about Mercedes’ recovery:
"Being the fastest here doesn't make much sense, you don't win anything. We want to be the strongest on Saturday in Melbourne. For now, Ferrari is in front, the gap between us is about half a second but I know I have a fantastic team. It won't be a challenge between Ferrari and us. Has Leclerc bet on Ferrari? I don't like to bet, but if I had to, I would only bet on myself".
Afterwards, the British driver expresses more thoughts through his social channels:
"Final stage of testing. We have to take a deep breath, analyse carefully and plan the next steps. I have the best team to do that. Buckle up".
Sebastian Vettel was the fastest on the fourth and final day of testing at the Montmeló circuit in Barcelona. Despite an electrical problem that forced him to return to the pits an hour before the end, the German driver gets the best time with a 1'16''221 in the morning. Second and third times for Mercedes with Lewis Hamilton (1'16''224) ahead of Valtteri Bottas (1'16''561). With testing over, it's time to go back to talking about Ferrari's main sponsor. The revolution was announced at the end of 2018, but seeing the Ferraris now on track with the new Philip Morris International brand - Mission Winnow - makes an impression. We're talking about an M and a W put together to look like some kind of arrow, but it's not a new brand of cigarettes: it would be forbidden and it's not really in the spirit of the new global initiative. So what?
"It's an idea aimed at creating engagement around the role of science, technology and innovation as a positive driving force in any industry".
André Calantzopoulos, Chief Executive Officer of Philip Morris International, explains:
"With Mission Winnow, we want to let the world know about the change we've faced, sharing our pride in the transformation achieved by PMI employees, as well as our dedication to rigorous science and innovation that can lead us to a better future".
It gets complicated because we're still talking about the largest tobacco producer on the planet, and there's been no shortage of controversy related to the fact that some have speculated about hidden advertising for cigarettes. But Calantzopoulos emphasizes:
"This global platform will provide a window to the new PMI and allow us to challenge prejudices, as we know that many may have doubts about us and our motives. Our partnership with Scuderia Ferrari gives us the opportunity to leverage the insights gained during many encouraging discussions with both supporters and detractors, and reach out to a wide audience to engage them on a large scale".
Technically the word ‘winnow’ was selected because it perfectly describes the precise and methodical path PMI is following to achieve its ambitious vision of a smoke-free world. Originally, the term winnow refers to removing the chaff from grains, but it has subsequently been used in a broader sense to describe the act of discarding the superfluous, extracting the good, as well as distinguishing the truth from what is inaccurate or misleading. In a world characterized by information overload, this becomes critically important for PMI.
"The idea is to completely commit ourselves to continuous improvement by dedicatedly and diligently pursuing scientific and engineering excellence by paying close attention to detail. It is precisely this commitment and focus that is spurring a paradigm shift in the tobacco industry towards a better future".
And Calantzopoulos also extends a kind of mea culpa to the past:
"Mission Winnow sums up our commitment to aspire to be better in everything we do. At PMI, we're really cherry-picking, or discarding, old approaches - learning from past mistakes to shape our future".
According to Philip Morris International, Mission Winnow, like Scuderia Ferrari, has set a course that doesn't involve retracing its steps: PMI must make steady, rapid progress, examining and analysing the road ahead, learning every day and adapting to improve as the next turn comes around. Hence, the sponsorship idea.
"Mission Winnow is about how we are transforming as a society, what we believe in and how we are working to achieve a better future. Scuderia Ferrari is the ideal partner for Mission Winnow because of its team driven by a passion for innovation and a drive for constant improvement to achieve victory".
Miroslaw Zielinski, president of PMI's Science and Innovation Division, says:
"We are launching Mission Winnow on the Formula 1 circuit because motorsport fans understand well that there is no reverse gear in racing, only progression, and we believe they will want to share this vision".
In short, Mission Winnow never advertises or promotes any tobacco products. But they do talk about future and strategy. Speaking instead of the SF90, Louis Camilleri, managing director of Ferrari and Philip Morris International, admits from the Geneva Motor Show:
"The car was born well. We are quite happy with the Barcelona tests even if it is difficult to understand where the others are at. The car is very balanced, the drivers are quite happy and we always have the same ambitions. We have to work on reliability".
As for the presence of the Winnow brand on the car's livery, which will not be present at the Australian Grand Prix will, Camilleri says:
"There were problems with the health department and Philip Morris didn't have time to find a solution. However, Winnow is not a brand, it has nothing to do with tobacco, it is about the transition from cigarettes to electronics. However, in Australia we will have a surprise on the car for the fans ".
Also, from Geneva, there are some novelties regarding the Formula 1 regulations: in fact, a point could be assigned to those who make the fastest lap in the race. The FIA's World Sports Council, meeting in Geneva, has taken this decision but it will have to be approved by an electronic vote of the Formula 1 Commission to be added to the sporting regulations before the opening race in Melbourne on Sunday, March 17th, 2019. The vote is expected to be held on Monday, March 11th, 2019. The rule should follow the one employed in Formula E, with the bonus point awarded only if the driver in question finishes in the top 10.
"It can be the good year for Sebastian Vettel".
Word of Ross Brawn: the sporting director of the Formula 1 World Championship, in the past also technical director at Benetton and Ferrari, is optimistic about the German driver's chances of victory. An important reason, according to Brawn, is the new head of the Italian team, Mattia Binotto, who took office at the beginning of the year.
"The new situation and the calmness help strengthening Sebastian".
Brawn, who knows well the Maranello environment, and had a lot to do with seven-time World Champion Michael Schumacher, says:
"Surely Sebastian can win the world title".
Brawn admits to Auto Bild Motorsport magazine, ahead of the first of the twenty-one races in the Formula 1 World Championship, that the countdown is coming to an end.
On the eve of the new championship, it's a turning point for Ferrari: at the beginning of January, the internal changes, which had been talked about for some time, are made official. Maurizio Arrivabene definitely abandons his role as team principal, leaving the place to engineer and technical director Mattia Binotto, on whom many hopes are placed. This is all announced on January 7th, 2019 in a note:
"After four years of commitment and tireless dedication, Maurizio Arrivabene leaves Scuderia Ferrari. The decision was taken by mutual agreement with the top management of the company after a deep reflection in relation to the personal needs of Maurizio and the Scuderia’s. From today Mattia Binotto assumes the role of Team Principal of Scuderia Ferrari. All technical functions will continue to report to Mattia".
This is not the only announcement from the Maranello team. One week later, the return of the Schumacher name to the Ferrari family is made official: Mick Schumacher, second son of the seven-time World Champion and newly crowned Formula 3 champion, joins the Ferrari Driver Academy, also becoming a test driver for the team.
"I am delighted to have reached an agreement with Ferrari and that my near future in racing is with Ferrari, joining the Ferrari Driver Academy and thus also the Scuderia Ferrari family. This is another step in the right direction. I will only benefit from the immense expertise there. I will definitely do everything to be able to learn anything that can help me achieve my dream: racing in Formula 1. It's more than obvious that Ferrari has a huge place in my heart since I was born and in our family’s. I'm also happy on a personal level for this opportunity".
Towards the end of the same month, the presentation dates of the single-seaters are set: the U.S. team opens the series on February 7th, 2019, exhibiting the new gold and black livery and abandoning the red-white colours, followed by Toro Rosso and Renault; Williams shows off the new colours on the 2018 car, leaving an unknown on the actual date of presentation. On February 13th, it's the turn of former Force India, now Racing Point, bought by Canadian entrepreneur Lawrence Stroll, along with Red Bull Racing and Mercedes with the new W10. McLaren and the Maranello stable are left at the end, while Alfa Romeo will reveal its livery only in the first day of testing. The new 2019 single-seaters make their official debut on the Barcelona circuit on February 18th, 2019, kicking off the seasonal test days divided into two blocks of four days: the first from February 18th to 21st, 2019, the second from February 26th to March 1st, 2019. On track we find the same teams from 2018, but many new faces. Mercedes reconfirms Hamilton and Bottas, ending the test days with the most laps, not showing, however, their full potential, staying hidden and limited to collecting data for the opening weekend. Sebastian Vettel remains at Ferrari flanked by rising star Charles Leclerc, the first FDA driver to officially race for the Maranello team. The two get on board the SF90, the name given to the single-seater in honour of Ferrari's 90th birthday. The project is presented by Ferrari president John Elkann:
"Being Ferrari is the pride of a team that manages to unite an entire country, representing the best of Italy for its desire for invention, innovation, resourcefulness, and for the heart that is Ferrari red. It is important that our fans are close to us, that they support us: an important season begins as well as an important decade that brings us to our hundredth anniversary. We need to win all together".
On the opening weekend in Melbourne, a celebratory livery will be sported and it will bear the words 90 years, temporarily replacing the Mission Winnow sponsor due to issues that have been revealed with the health department, as it is a major tobacco sponsor. The Scuderia Ferrari seems not to disappoint, dominating much of the testing and bringing home the best time of the day more than once.
Vettel declares himself positive and happy with the results shown, thus giving hope to the fans; results that could finally anticipate a successful season for Ferrari. Hamilton's words, however, make it clear that Mercedes is not to be underestimated and, as understood, they have not shown their full potential:
"At the moment, Ferrari is ahead, more ready, but we are not worried. We aim to win the World Championship. Trials are trials. It has no absolute relevance how fast we go right now. What matters is how fast we go in Q3 of the first race".
The excellent performances from both teams give hope for a hard-fought world championship. Certainly, the third force of the competition is confirmed with Red Bull, whose line-up sees the Dutch driver Max Verstappen and the Frenchman Pierre Gasly, promoted from Toro Rosso. The team has collected good results, proving to be a possible rival for the championship or at least for the second-third place. Daniil Kvjat returns to Toro Rosso, flanked by rookie Alex Albon, third-place finisher in Formula 2 in 2018. The rookie runs under the Thai flag, becoming the first driver to represent this nation in the Formula 1 World Championship, and scores excellent times during the first four days of testing. McLaren line-up is completely new: Carlos Sainz Jr. and the young Lando Norris, also a category rookie after a fantastic season in Formula 2 that saw him finish second. The young driver does not disappoint, setting excellent times. The French team fields Nico Hulkenberg and Daniel Ricciardo, former Red Bull driver. Despite some reliability problems, Renault proves once again to be a team that can be competitive. Haas re-proposes the 2018 line-up with Grosjean and Magnussen. Kimi Raikkonen and Antonio Giovinazzi, who brings the tricolour back on the grid, for Alfa Romeo. Sergio Perez and Lance Stroll for Racing Point. The performances of these cars are not great, disappointing a bit the expectations, but we find Williams in the last place. The glorious British team, in fact, finds a lot of difficulties in the final assembly of the car, even showing up two days late to the pre-season tests. These are not easy days for Williams, as Claire herself declares:
"It would be an understatement to say that the last few days have been horrible. It’s been a difficult birth for the FW42. Before we got our drivers on board, we had to make sure we had the best possible car. We know the main reasons that led to this delay. We have to work now, to make up for lost time but we won't wash our dirty laundry in public".
The two drivers who have signed with the team are Robert Kubica, who returns in Formula 1 after nine years following a serious car accident, and George Russel, a great talent coming from Formula 2, where he won the championship title. The desire to return to the track is always stronger, as admitted by the Polish driver:
"I'm excited, it's been a long time since my last race. I couldn't think about it so much, I have to try to be ready and learn as much as possible about this new Formula 1. Things have changed a lot since last time. We didn't have a perfect start in winter testing and there are a lot of things to check. In the Barcelona tests, we were late and we had a lot of problems. You can't recover in a couple of weeks, but on track and in the factory, we are doing everything we can in the current situation. We can't change things. We have to try to focus on what we have and do our job. That's the approach everyone is taking, we're going to try to make the most of every opportunity that comes along".
However, the excitement for the opening race weekend is soured by some unfortunate news: on the morning of March 14th, 2019, it is announced that Charlie Whiting passed away from a pulmonary embolism at just sixty-six years old. Whiting was a race director, safety delegate and head of the FIA's technical department.
He was a great man who has done so much for the circus. We owe him the introduction of the halo, ensuring more safety for the drivers. Surely, it is not easy to accept this passing. Sebastian Vettel himself claims to have spent time with him the day before:
"We had a chat moving around the first corners of the track. It's hard to get over it. The drivers' man is missing, the one who had the door always open and to whom you could ask anything to resolve a doubt. He was a racer".
While Lewis Hamilton admits:
"It's an incredible shock. I think of his family. His commitment to the sport made him a pillar of Formula 1. His contribution is invaluable. May he rest in peace".
The U.S. Haas team decided to honour his passing by carrying the words ‘for our friend Charlie’ on the nose of the car, and team principal Gunther Steiner states:
"What we will do is supporting whatever the FIA decides this weekend. Whatever decision they make, we will support it. For this weekend our goal is to be totally available to help, we are here to help".
FIA President Jean Todt declares:
"He was a great race director, a central and inimitable figure in Formula 1 who embodied the ethos and spirit of this fantastic sport".
The federation has appointed Michael Masi, the Melbourne-based race director who joined Whiting last season, to replace him. As predicted, all eyes are on the two possible contenders for the title: Sebastian Vettel and Lewis Hamilton. After the good performances of the tests, the expectations towards Ferrari are high. The German driver himself says he is confident, and when asked if he feels he is in a better position than last year, he answers affirmatively:
"We are better prepared, there have been no problems so far. Of course, we can't be sure, during the first race you are always nervous. We don't know where we are exactly or what will happen. We are happy to start. The environment is charged, there is optimism and desire to win. The tests in Barcelona went well and I am optimistic. We are better prepared and I think we can only improve. Now we are all prey and hunters at the same time. Hopefully, when we get out of here, we will be the prey. It would mean we are ahead".
Nevertheless, the words of the Briton make it clear once again that Mercedes is definitely not to be underestimated and, as imagined, they probably haven’t completely revealed themselves during the tests:
"Ferrari is now ahead, but there is an energy in my team that is inspiring. We have to work. After the tests, you analyse everything that happened trying to be careful about what you have done. New car, updated parts. And it will be the same for everyone else and it will be interesting to understand everyone's situation. We didn't get lost in nonsense in testing because we had and have work to do. The team has great people and the energy there is inspiring. Toto Wolff has charged everyone. We see passionate people. They are soldiers and they will give everything to keep improving".
In short, beyond the drama involving the Whiting family, the championship is about to begin.