#F1 Newsbites – Updates making the weekend in Austin.

Posted on October 21, 2017

F1 Newsbites

Here is your F1 news making the headlines currently this weekend!

 

Lewis Hamilton in action, Mercedes AMG Petronas Motorsport F1-W08 Hybrid EQ Power+, FP1, Circuit of the Americas, Austin Texas, 2017 Formula 1 United States Grand Prix, Image credit to Kym Illman/Sutton Images.

 

Hamilton remains fastest in FP2

 

Lewis Hamilton remained the quickest during Friday’s Free Practice Two session at the 2017 F1 United States Grand Prix in Austin, Texas. The Briton ultimately set the fastest ever lap around the 5.515km circuit with a 1:34.668 on the softer purple-branded ultra-soft rubber and was 0.397 seconds quicker than nearest rival Max Verstappen who was second and Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel completed the top three and a further 0.525 seconds behind Hamilton. Vettel survived a wild moment after spinning through the gravel at turn 19 and reported his SF70H racer felt like ‘jelly’. The other Mercedes of Valtteri Bottas placed fourth and ahead of Red Bull’s Daniel Ricciardo who took fifth and Ferrari’s Kimi Raikkonen who was seventh. Fernando Alonso put his Honda-powered McLaren in seventh place and in-front of Williams’ Felipe Massa who was eighth and the Force India duo of Sergio Perez and Esteban Ocon who completed the top 10 in ninth and tenth respectively. Free Practice Three and Qualifying will begin from 2:15am tomorrow morning ( Adelaide, South Australian time).

 

Vettel gets chassis change

 

Sebastian Vettel, Scuderia Ferrari SF70H, 2017 Formula 1 United States Grand Prix, Circuit of the Americas, Austin, Texas, United States of America, Image credit to Kym Illman/Sutton Images.

 

Title-contender Sebastian Vettel has undergone a chassis change for the remainder of this weekend’s United States Grand Prix in an attempt to solve his handling issues. The German had a wild moment spinning off at turn 19 and spent most of his time in the garage before returning to the track. Vettel was third fastest on his ultra-soft compound run in Free Practice Two before returning to the pits after reporting a front-axle problem and put in 11 laps. “It was a complicated afternoon and not an easy session,” explained Vettel, “But the car is quick, so we don’t need to worry too much about it. The only lap I had was the one with the ultrasofts. Before that, I made a mistake taking too much risk and pushing too early,”  Vettel spoke of his handling problems but is hoping to find confidence in the car for tomorrow’s Free Practice Three and Qualifying. “The track was quite slippery and I lost the rear under braking. So, we lost a set of tyres, and then again, towards the end of the session, I felt that something was not right with the car,” Vettel continued. “So, we checked a couple of times and now we are looking at the car to see if we can find something. “I need to find the rhythm tomorrow and make sure everything’s in order.” Vettel said. If Hamilton were to win on Monday morning, Vettel must finish fifth or higher to prevent the Briton from joining him in becoming a four-time World Driver’s Champion.

 

Williams receives reprimand, fined for tyre breach

 

Felipe Massa, Williams Martini Racing FW40, 2017 Formula 1 United States Grand Prix, Circuit of the Americas, Austin, Texas. Image credit to Kym Illman/Sutton Images.

 

Williams has been given a reprimand and a suspended fine of €10,000 for breaching the tyre regulations during Free Practice One at the F1 United States Grand Prix. Drivers must hand back a set of tyres after the first 40 minutes of the session and the Grove-based squad narrowly missed it by three seconds with Felipe Massa.

 

Penalties for Hartley, Hulkenberg and Vandoorne

 

Brendon Hartley, Scuderia Toro Rosso-Renault STR12, 2017 Formula 1 United States Grand Prix, Circuit of the Americas, Austin, Texas, Image credit to Kym Illman, Sutton Images.

 

Scuderia Toro Rosso debutant Brendon Hartley, Renault’s Nico Hulkenberg and McLaren’s Stoffel Vandoorne have all been hit with power-unit related penalties for this weekend’s United States Grand Prix. Under current regulations, drivers are permitted to use four of each element that make up the power-train before grid penalties are given. The first time a fifth component is used, a 10-placed penalty is given, with five-grid place penalties given the first time a fifth of any of the remaining elements is used. Hartley will be running a sixth Internal Combustion Engine and MGU-H, fifth Energy Store and Control Electronics resulting in a 25-placed grid drop on his debut. Hulkenberg will be using a sixth MGU-H, fifth Internal Combustion Engine and Turbocharger also resulting in a 25-placed grid penalty. Vandoorne will be taking on eighth Internal Combustion Engine from little updates from Honda giving the Belgian a five-place grid drop.

 

Verstappen extends Red Bull deal till 2020

Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing RB13 Tag-Heuer, 2017 Formula 1 United States Grand Prix, Circuit of the Americas, Austin, Texas, United States of America. Image credit to Sam Bloxham/LAT/Sutton Images.

 

Max Verstappen has extended his contract with Red Bull Racing for three more years until 2020, the Milton-Keynes based squad announced at this weekend’s F1 United States Grand Prix. The Dutchman was signed halfway through 2014 through brilliant Formula 3 performances and made his debut for Toro Rosso in 2015. He was promoted to the senior team in 2016 due to Daniil Kvyat’s troubles and took his first victory on debut at the Spanish Grand Prix. Verstappen produced a dominant victory at this year’s Malaysian Grand Prix and put championship leader Lewis Hamilton under intense pressure at the Japanese Grand Prix. Although linked to a move to Ferrari or Mercedes in 2019, the Dutchman opted to stay with the Anglo-Austrian team.

 

Alonso to remain with McLaren

 

Fernando Alonso, McLaren-Honda F1 MCL32, 2017 Formula 1 United States Grand Prix, Circuit of the Americas, Austin, Texas, United States of Americas, Image credit to Manuel Goria/Sutton Images.

 

Fernando Alonso will continue to race for McLaren in Formula 1 next year, the team and the Spaniard confirmed ahead of the race weekend in Austin, Texas. Alonso re-joined McLaren in 2015, as the Woking-based squad rekindled his partnership with Japanese manufacturer Honda. However, ambitions to return the legendary duo to the title-winning partnership of the late 80’s/early 90’s were squandered, due to lack of reliability and performance from the Honda power-units. Alonso alternatives for racing with one of the three front-runners were dashed when Mercedes, Ferrari and Red Bull all tied down their drivers for another year. The deal was confirmed on Thursday that the double World Champion will remain with McLaren for the 2018 season when it switches to Renault power alongside team-mate Stoffel Vandoorne. “It’s fantastic to be able to continue my relationship with everybody at McLaren,” commented Alonso. “It was always where my heart was telling me to stay, and I really feel at home here. This is a fantastic team, full of incredible people, with a warmth and friendliness that I’ve never experienced elsewhere in Formula 1. I’m incredibly happy to be racing here. Alonso said. The Spaniard also praised the team’s resources and believes they have the ability to rapidly win races and world championships again in Formula 1. “Just as important, McLaren has the technical resource and financial strength to be able to very quickly win races and world championships in F1,” Alonso continued. “Although the last few years have not been easy, we have never forgotten how to win, and I believe we can achieve that again soon. The last three years have given us the momentum to plan and build for the future, and I’m looking forward to that journey. I’m excited for our future together – and I’m already working hard to make it a success.” Alonso concluded.