Hello fellow F1 enthusiasts, it’s another double header before the summer break and we begin by this weekend’s German Grand Prix, let’s dive into the news.

 

 

Hamilton extends contract with Mercedes

 

Mercedes AMG Petronas Motorsport and Lewis Hamilton have announced the agreement of a two-year contract extension for the 2019 and 2020 seasons.

 

This two-year deal means the Briton extends his stay with Mercedes to eight seasons and 14 all up in Formula 1.

 

Since joining the Silver Arrows in 2013, Hamilton has gone on to achieve three World Championships and 44 race victories with the team.

 

“This contract extension has basically been a formality since Toto and I sat down during the winter, so it’s good to put pen to paper, announce it and then get on with business as usual.” explained Hamilton.

 

“I have been part of the Mercedes racing family for 20 years and I have never been happier inside a team than I am right now.”

 

“We are on the same wavelength both on and off track – and I am looking forward to winning more in the future and shining even more light on the three-pointed star. I’m very confident that Mercedes is the right place to be over the coming years.”

 

“Although we have enjoyed so much success together since 2013, Mercedes is hungrier than ever – from Dr Zetsche and the board members at the top of Daimler, through Toto and the team management, to every single person I meet in the corridors of Brixworth and Brackley.”

 

“The competitive passion that burns bright inside me is shared by every single member of this group – always chasing the next improvement and digging even deeper to make sure we come out on top. I can’t wait to see what we can achieve together in the next two-and-a-half seasons.” Hamilton concluded.

 

Mercedes Team Principal and CEO Toto Wolff said: “We have been aligned with Lewis ever since we first sat down to discuss the details of this contract after last season, but there has understandably been a lot of interest and speculation around the whole process, so it’s good to put all of that to rest and get this thing announced.”

 

“We signed the final documents this week and didn’t want to keep people waiting any longer! There is not much about Lewis as a Formula One driver that hasn’t been said already – he is one of the all-time greats and his track record speaks for itself.”

 

“But what I enjoy most about working with him is getting to know the man inside the racing helmet: his relentless drive for self-improvement, his emotional intelligence as a team member and his loyalty to those around him.”

 

“Mercedes has become Lewis’ home in Formula One and his story is linked forever with the silver and green of Mercedes-AMG Petronas. I am very confident that we have some incredible chapters of our story together still to come.” Wolff concluded.

 

Since making his Grand Prix debut in 2007, every single car that Hamilton has driven in Formula 1 has been powered by Mercedes-Benz engines.

 

The Briton has scored 65 victories in the sport and sits second on the all-times winner list behind seven-time World Champion Michael Schumacher.

 

Hamilton is currently second in the Driver’s Championship and eight points behind leader Sebastian Vettel as Formula 1 returns to Mercedes home Grand Prix of Germany this weekend.

 

 

Williams bring new front wing to Hockenheim

 

It’s full-on recovery mode at Williams Martini Racing after a dismal British Grand Prix weekend, with the Grove-based outfit bringing a new front wing aiming to give better aerodynamic stability.

 

Williams brought a major update to Silverstone along with a new rear wing, however it caused an issue with the way it worked with the floor, making it unpredictable. Lance Stroll and Sergey Sirotkin both started from pit-lane and failed to score any points.

 

In it’s hopes to improve the car’s balance and give more confidence to both Sirotkin and Stroll piloting the Mercedes-powered FW41’s, the team brought a new front wing to Hockenheim,

 

However, the Grove-based squad’s main focus is to aim towards better aerodynamic stability rather than performance and lap time.

 

The team are working hard to get a better balance with their current concept to make sure that they don’t suffer the same problems with the 2019 car.

 

“We will see how it feels tomorrow behind the wheel. We will see lap time wise if it is better or worse and as a driver confidence how it feels.” Stroll said.

 

Williams will be running the updated front wing during practice alongside the old one to compare data.

 

Stroll scored Williams’ only points this season with an eighth place finish at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, with the team sitting last in the Constructors Championship and 12 behind Sauber.

 

 

Abiteboul: “Calendar cull will increase F1’s value”

 

Renault Sport Formula 1 Team Managing Director Cyril Abiteboul believes Formula 1 would benefit from a massive trim of races that reduces the number of Grands Prix down to 15.

 

Formula 1’s calendar equaled it’s all-time high of 21 races this season, which included the unpopular triple header weekend.

 

Since Liberty Media took over the sport at the end of 2016, their long term strategy has been to increase the schedule to 25 races in the future with more races targeted in the United States and Asia.

 

“We need to be able to engage with fans but it has to remain something special,” explained Abiteboul to Autosport. “We are already way above what should be the figure for something special,”

 

“We need to convey a message of pride, of motivation, of energy. With the calendar that we have now, the enthusiasm is not the same as when we were only traveling 15 times per year. If we don’t have that energy, it is going to be very difficult to convey that externally.”

 

“It is almost becoming routine. It should not be a day-to-day job. We’ve tipped that balance, so we need to be extremely careful.”

 

“I appreciate the reason why, commercially we need to grow the calendar, but as far as I’m concerned, I would be for a massive contraction of the sport.”

 

Abiteboul said the value of the sport will increase if it was reduced to 15-18 races.

 

“If you were to go very aggressive and say 15 races, you have to tell the 21 races you have right now, ‘Look guys there are going to be six of you that will be dropped: compete’,” Abiteboul continued. “You completely reverse the pattern of the market. It would be very interesting to see the reaction.

 

“I understand it would be a gamble, that it is not something within the current set-up of Formula 1, that acquires more money every year, more people, more tracks, more prize-fund, more of everything.”

 

“But at some point there will be a crunch time and maybe we will see if we can switch the balance.” Abiteboul concluded.

 

 

Ferrari’s preview of the German GP weekend

 

F1 returns to the Hockenheimring this weekend, the home Grand Prix of Sebastian Vettel and team-mate Kimi Raikkonen is also looking forward to racing in Germany.

 

Vettel’s triumph at Silverstone extended his Driver’s Championship lead to eight points over Lewis Hamilton and the German is keen to hit the weekend running.

 

“It’s about half an hour’s drive from where I was born,” explained Vettel. “So it’s not exactly like racing in my backyard- I don’t have a backyard that big – but it’s probably the closest you can get! Obviously, we are keen to do well here.”

 

“The last race in Silverstone was important for us, because we had not been very strong on that track before; but it’s a thing of the past now and we must focus on this one. This is not the easiest track to get everything right, there are many types of corner and long straights, and I think with this generation of cars we’ll be very fast here.”

 

“Turn 6 looks like a good place to overtake, with the new DRS areas, and since there is another straight after the corner and another braking point at the end of it, it could become a place for exciting moves. It’s nice to see so many red shirts here, the passion for Ferrari was born in Italy but it spread all over the world and it got to Germany for sure. We should be in fairly good shape here, but let’s see what happens”. Vettel concluded.

 

On the other side of the garage, Raikkonen who currently holds the fastest lap record at Hockenheim, is wondering how the faster ultra-soft tyres will react if the temperatures stay hot.

 

“We haven’t been to this circuit for a while, and things are a bit different, with the new rules and tires since the last time we came here,” explained Raikkonen. “It’s hard to know how the Ultrasoft tyre will behave, but if the conditions stay hot like they are today, I expect big challenges with the tires.”

 

“It’s nice to be back here, for racing it will probably be a good circuit, where overtaking can be easier than in many other places. It will be an interesting weekend, I think.” Raikkonen concluded.

 

Ferrari currently lead the Constructors Championship on 287 points and 20 clear of nearest rivals Mercedes. Can they increase their lead over the Silver Arrows?

 

 

Haas drivers warned to avoid British GP tangle repeat

 

After seeing both his Ferrari-powered VF-18’s clash on the opening lap of the British Grand Prix, Haas F1 Team boss Guenther Steiner has given drivers Romain Grosjean and Kevin Magnussen a big warning ahead of their return to racing this weekend in Germany.

 

Both Haas VF-18 racers made it to Q3 at Silverstone but their race took a tumble on the first lap when Magnussen and Grosjean tangled and saw both drivers fall down the field. The stewards investigated the incident but no further action was given.

 

However Steiner, who saw Grosjean end his race later on and Magnussen finish in ninth place, said these unacceptable actions will not be tolerated if repeated again.

 

“In Silverstone we qualified again seventh and eighth, we were in a fantastic position to score points with two cars,” explained Steiner. “We ended up scoring barely with one car.”

 

When asked about the conversation he had with the drivers, he said: “What happened afterwards? I don’t want to explain that… Not a lot. We just came to a conclusion that this cannot happen again. We cannot throw away points at Turn 1 when we are not in danger of being overtaken after the start. That was the outcome,”

 

“We just need to not throw any more points away. It’s so difficult at the start to make rules of engagement. The only rule of engagement is don’t do anything stupid. Do nothing that will compromise the team.”

 

“We need to work for the team and make as many points as possible going forward. We’ve lost way too many.” Steiner said.

 

Despite a disappointing end to the sport’s triple header, the second part in Austria saw the American-based outfit take a record points score of 22 and looking towards Hockenheim this weekend, Steiner is hoping for a similar performance.

 

“What must happen (in Germany)? A weekend without drama,” Steiner continued. “We just need to have a weekend without being unlucky. We don’t even need to be lucky,”

 

“We just need to perform where we should perform and we should be in the points with both cars solidly. Like we were in Austria – maybe not that high because that was a little bit overachieving. I’m aware of that.” Steiner concluded.

 

Haas currently sit fifth in the Constructors Championship and 19 points behind Renault and are looking to close the gap down to the Enstone-based outfit.