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Hamilton feels for Leclerc after 'painful' mistake

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Hamilton feels for Leclerc after 'painful' mistake

Lewis Hamilton says he understands why Charles Leclerc was so hard on himself after crashing out of qualifying in Baku.

The young Ferrari driver looked on course for pole on the tough Azerbaijan street track until he crashed into the barriers.

“I’m stupid. I’m stupid. I’m stupid,” Leclerc said on the radio afterwards.

On social media, he called himself “useless”, and told reporters that Ferrari “deserves better”.

Hamilton, a five time champion, says he understands how “painful” a mistake like that can be.

“I’d be the same,” said the Mercedes driver.

But the Briton also thinks Leclerc will get better at dealing with mistakes as he gets older.

“There’s a lot of pressure around a track like this, on his young shoulders, so it’s totally normal,” said Hamilton.

Even Sebastian Vettel, Leclerc’s number 1 teammate, had sympathy with Leclerc but he also said being hard on yourself is part of being a F1 driver.

“Being critical I think is also the reason why he’s here, why we’re here,” said the German.

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Verstappen can still win 2019 title - Marko

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Verstappen can still win 2019 title - Marko

Dr Helmut Marko thinks Max Verstappen remains on track to win the 2019 title.

One would be forgiven for thinking 2019 is now a two-team fight between Mercedes and Ferrari.

But Marko said of Red Bull: “Our goal is still the world title.

“We are still in it. Max has been sensational and so far has taken the maximum he can.

“With a new driver, we knew it would be difficult in the constructors’ championship,” Marko, referring to Pierre Gasly, told Kronen Zeitung.

“But Max has scored twice as many points as in the same period of the previous year.”

And Marko says the 2019 car will now get even faster.

“We have a new engine for Baku, which has a bit more horse power, but not significantly. We have also made a small step with the chassis, and the big updates come in two weeks in Barcelona,” he added.

Marko also thinks Ferrari is still very much in the title fight, even though Mercedes has won every race so far.

“They surprised us with their relatively early team orders, but they also have the worst problem with bringing the even more sensitive tyres into the working window.

“When they get it right, they have a rocket,” he said.

But Mercedes, Marko acknowledges, have been the most consistent so far.

“They do not have the fastest car but they are the only consistent ones. They are fast with every tyre. We must recognise that, even if I don’t like it,” he said.

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Ricciardo eyes future world title for Renault

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Ricciardo eyes future world title for Renault

Daniel Ricciardo calls life in the midfield “very intense”.

The Australian left Red Bull at the end of last year to join the works Renault team, but insists he can be “patient” for success.

“It is intense and in some ways more difficult because I want to be at the front, but in others ways it is still fun. It’s not easy but it’s challenging,” he told AS newspaper.

Ricciardo admits he misses the taste of champagne, but insists he doesn’t regret his decision to quit a top team.

“When I joined Red Bull it was a winning car, but in five years I won – what – seven races? Then I saw the risk that with Honda it would be another few years.

“It wasn’t bad, but maybe I was starting to get a little frustrated. It wasn’t because of the situation with Max.

“As I said, it was five years of thinking the next one would be the one, but doing the same thing all the time could have affected my motivation,” he said.

“It was time to change and try to build something new.

“Renault is not there now, but I see a lot of potential. It was a short term sacrifice with a long term benefit,” Ricciardo said in Baku.

He agrees that Max Verstappen can now be world champion for Red Bull, but Ricciardo also has ambitions of winning a title — wearing yellow.

“Honestly, I think I can,” he said.

“It won’t be this year, but if we can take a step forward and start doing podiums, I can do it. If we stay seventh and eighth, it will still be a long way to go.”

But Ricciardo says being a F1 driver often consists of making risky decisions.

“You get these very important times that can change your career,” he said.

“For Fernando, I don’t know if it was the timing or maybe not the best decisions, but when Lewis went to Mercedes, people said ‘why would he leave McLaren’ but it was an incredible move.

“I don’t know if it’s just luck, or anticipating what will happen in the next few years. But I hope for me it will also be something incredible,” said Ricciardo.

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Liberty bans Rosberg from Baku, Barcelona

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Liberty bans Rosberg from Baku, Barcelona

Nico Rosberg was banned from the paddock of the grand prix in Azerbaijan this weekend.

The 2016 world champion is a television pundit for German and British television.

But according to the Dutch publication Formule 1, he is not in Baku, after Liberty Media banned him.

In China, the former Mercedes driver reportedly gave his personal world champion pass to his camera man, which is strictly forbidden.

Officials for Formula One Management removed Rosberg’s friend from the grid, and then banned the former world champion from both Baku and Barcelona in two weeks.

Reportedly, Rosberg will be back in Monaco.

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Surname a 'problem' for Schumacher - Ecclestone

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Surname a 'problem' for Schumacher - Ecclestone

Bernie Ecclestone has described Mick Schumacher’s famous surname as a “problem” as he progresses towards the F1 grid.

In Baku for his second Formula 2 race, the son of F1 legend Michael Schumacher spun.

“Of course I’m following him,” former F1 supremo Ecclestone told Blick newspaper in Baku.

“The biggest problem for him is his name. If Mick doesn’t deliver good results, the media will not treat him gently at the end of the year,” he added.

Schumacher got his first taste of 2019-spec F1 cars recently with tests in the Ferrari and Alfa Romeo cars.

“He came to us last winter and quickly settled in,” Laurent Mekies, the Ferrari sporting director, told La Gazzetta dello Sport.

“He was the best in Formula 3 and that’s why we wanted him.

“In recent years, the best in Formula 2 went into F1, but we’re in no hurry. We are satisfied with his progress,” Mekies added.

“His first test with us in Bahrain went very well.”

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Promoter says Williams will be compensated

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Promoter says Williams will be compensated

Azerbaijan GP promoter Arif Rahimov says Williams will be compensated for damage to George Russell’s chassis.

Russell’s car was destroyed in Friday practice, when he ran over a loose manhole cover on the high speed street circuit.

Claire Williams said the British team would talk to the FIA about compensation.

“As a street track, there are more than 300 of these covers and we checked all of them several days before the weekend,” race promoter Rahimov was quoted by Ria Novosti news agency.

Rahimov said the manhole that came loose was rusted from underneath and therefore was “impossible to notice visually”.

“These things happen, as they did also in Monaco and China and Malaysia, so it even happens on normal circuits,” he said.

“We have apologised several times to the Williams team. The damage will be reimbursed by insurance. We don’t yet know what amount we are talking about, but it will definitely be covered,” Rahimov added.

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Williams ends spare parts shortage

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Williams ends spare parts shortage

Williams appears to have solved its shortage of spare parts.

Earlier, amid the team’s awful start to the 2019 season, the performance problem was compounded by a shortage of spare parts at the tests and races.

But Baku has shown that the problem is now solved.

Team mechanics built a whole new car for George Russell after the manhole incident on Friday, and Williams has confirmed that Robert Kubica’s car will be repaired for the race after his qualifying crash.

“It started with not getting our chassis to testing, and we’ve had to really play catch up off the back of that,” said team boss Claire Williams.

“But we are now in a position where we have all our race quantities, and we have the quality on those race quantities that we needed,” she added.

Not just that, Williams said the team is now moving on to introducing car upgrades that have “literally been sitting on a shelf as we’ve cleared the backlog out of manufacturing”.

“So there is some light at the end of the tunnel,” Claire said.

Helping with that race out of the tunnel is Patrick Head, the earlier-retired team co-founder and technical boss.

“Obviously that’s a great thing for us,” said Williams.

“He’s acting as a guide for our team of engineers at the moment, just making sure they’re doing everything that they should be doing.”

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Mercedes 'dummy' cost Vettel pole in Baku

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Mercedes 'dummy' cost Vettel pole in Baku

A “dummy” by Mercedes could have cost Sebastian Vettel pole in Azerbaijan.

Ferrari was faster all weekend on the Baku street circuit, but in qualifying Vettel had no car to slipstream on the ultra-long, 2km straight.

“The slipstream effect here is huge,” said Mercedes’ Toto Wolff.

“Let’s just say that usually it’s 1 to 3 tenths, but in Baku it’s about six tenths.”

Indeed, a Mercedes engineer admitted: “With the draft, Vettel would have beaten us.”

The Mercedes drivers managed to isolate Vettel without a slipstream by pretending to do practice starts in the pitlane at the beginning of Q3.

Vettel later called them “fake starts”, and that was confirmed by the radio transcript of Mercedes’ qualifying session. An engineer is heard to tell the drivers: “We’re going for the dummy”.

But both pole sitter Valtteri Bottas and Lewis Hamilton told reporters that what they had done was “clutch calibration”.

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F1 could scratch Friday from weekend format - Kvyat

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F1 could scratch Friday from weekend format - Kvyat

Daniil Kvyat thinks F1 should consider scrapping Friday from the F1 weekend format.

In Baku, the first 90 minute session was effectively lost when the circuit had to check all 300 manhole covers after the George Russell incident.

Toro Rosso driver Kvyat says the effect on the rest of the weekend was negligible.

“Maybe we should just practice on Saturday morning,” he said.

“We all know the tracks very well already, so I think a Friday is really only necessary if we go to a new track, like Vietnam next year,” the Russian added.

“Ok, every driver is different and maybe some need more time to get going,” Kvyat said. “It’s obviously up to the bosses to decide anyway.”

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Boss says Williams 'not for sale'

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Boss says Williams 'not for sale'

Claire Williams has denied that the famous F1 team she leads is in negotiations to be sold.

We reported this week that Dmitry Mazepin, a Russian billionaire who runs the fertiliser company Uralkali, opened talks recently in Shanghai.

Uralkali, having last year tried to buy Force India, denied it.

And now Claire Williams, whose father Sir Frank Williams founded the once-great F1 team, has added her denial to the story.

“I haven’t met Mr Mazepin to talk about that,” she said in Baku.

“We had a brief conversation in the mid-part of last year, but subsequent to that there have been no conversations.

“I’d just like to be really categorical about it — Williams is not for sale,” Williams said. “I have no intention of putting Williams up for sale.”

Claire said it is natural that amid Williams’ current performance crisis, there will be “rumours”.

“But when your team isn’t doing well, selling at this juncture wouldn’t be the right time to do so,” she insisted. “But Williams has been in this sport for more than four decades and we’ve never wanted to sell.”

On Friday, it was another fraught day for Williams. A loose manhole cover destroyed George Russell’s chassis, and on the way back to the pits, the truck carrying the car struck a bridge.

“I’m sure we’ll have a lot more stuff thrown our way, like we’ve had today, like we’ve had this year, like we had last year,” said Claire.

“But you don’t give up when times get tough. For me it’s a test of your character that you continue and to prove to everybody that you can do it.”

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Ferrari 'sure' Mercedes will be fast in Baku

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Ferrari 'sure' Mercedes will be fast in Baku

Ferrari has played down claims it is the obvious favourite to win in Baku.

After China, the famous team returned to its Maranello base and worked on a new rear wing and aerodynamic package that produces more downforce for Baku.

Sebastian Vettel and Charles Leclerc then dominated Friday practice with a car that is now fast on the corners as well as the straights.

“It’s about time,” said Vettel.

Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton commented: “We’ll do everything we can, but it is unlikely that we will find seven tenths overnight.

“It looks like they are a long way ahead of us.”

However, Leclerc said he is “sure” Mercedes will bounce back.

“We are fast,” he said, “but tomorrow Mercedes will be faster than they were. I’m sure of it,” he said.

“They were very fast on the long runs, so there is no reason they would be slow on a fast lap too. Tomorrow we are in for a very close fight.”

Vettel agrees that Mercedes will be faster on Saturday than the team was on Friday.

“I think we showed a little bit more than they did,” the German was quoted by RTL after Friday practice. “Mercedes are the ones to beat.”

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Manhole incident 'nothing to do with FIA' - Salo

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Manhole incident 'nothing to do with FIA' - Salo

Williams will seek to be compensated for damage caused to George Russell’s chassis on Friday.

The British driver ran over a manhole cover that had been loosened by the Ferrari of Charles Leclerc.

“It just seems like it’s one thing after another for our team at the moment,” team boss Claire Williams said.

She didn’t put a dollar figure on the damage caused, but indicated that the struggling British team will seek compensation.

“It’s a little premature to actually quantify the cost, but we will be doing it and we clearly will be discussing that with the FIA,” said Williams.

George Russell agreed: “I am not aware of all the details, but we will definitely discuss the situation with the FIA. I think our team has the right to seek compensation.”

Former F1 driver Mika Salo is one of the stewards this weekend in Azerbaijan.

He said: “The covers have been repaired for two weeks, but I don’t really know any more.”

Salo told Ilta Sanomat newspaper that all of the other 300 manhole covers were checked after the Russell incident.

“They were good, but that one was broken,” said the Finn.

In 2017, Romain Grosjean’s Haas was damaged by a manhole cover in Malaysia. The Sepang circuit later compensated the team.

Salo said of the Baku incident: “It is not in our hands at all, it’s down to the local organisers. The whole thing has nothing to do with the FIA.”

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Bratches admits Dutch GP 'deal' is done

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Bratches admits Dutch GP 'deal' is done

Zandvoort appears to have “a deal” in place with Liberty Media for a Dutch GP in 2020.

After a March 31 deadline, and subsequent media reports that a deal has been struck, the story about Zandvoort returning to the F1 calendar suddenly went quiet.

So Olav Mol, the well-known commentator for Dutch television Ziggo Sport, caught up with F1 commercial boss Sean Bratches in the Baku paddock.

Mol asked Bratches if it was time for some news about Zandvoort, and the American reportedly answered: “Yes, it might be time.

“We have a deal,” Mol quoted Bratches as adding.

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Bratches confirms support for Brazil GP in Rio

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Bratches confirms support for Brazil GP in Rio

F1 commercial boss Sean Bratches has written to Brazilian president Jair Bolsonaro in support of moving the Brazilian grand prix to Rio.

O Globo newspaper reports that Bratches also sent the letter to Rio de Janeiro governor Wilson Witzel and mayor Marcelo Crivella asking for meetings “in person or by telephone”.

Apparently, moves are afoot to build a circuit in Rio that could replace the ageing Interlagos track in Sao Paulo.

The newspaper also said contact with the Rio authorities has been made by Dorna, the MotoGP owner, as well as F1 circuit architect Hermann Tilke.

The circuit is proposed for Deodoro, a neighbourhood in Rio’s west zone.

Bratches said in Baku: “I can confirm the letter.”

O Globo also quoted an official of a company called Rio Motorsports as saying: “If construction works are completed by September 2020, formula one competitions can take place there in November.”

F1 chief executive visited Rio de Janeiro and met with city officials in November last year.

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Todt quiet on Ecclestone 'provocation'

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Todt quiet on Ecclestone 'provocation'

Jean Todt says he will not respond to Bernie Ecclestone’s recent comments about Formula E.

88-year-old Ecclestone was ousted by F1’s new owners Liberty Media in 2017. He said recently that the category should be “concerned” about the growing popularity of the all-electric category Formula E.

“I do not react to such provocations,” Todt, the president of the FIA, told Auto Bild.

Todt was speaking in Paris, on the sidelines of the French capital’s Formula E race. The FIA sanctions both Formula E and F1.

“My dream was always to get formula one to Paris,” said the Frenchman. “We have done that with Formula E.”

But he said the two categories should not be compared.

“Formula one is no longer a baby. It is a 70-year-old adult. So we have to see that we translate what we have learned in formula one into other categories such as Formula E,” said Todt.

“We want to prevent the sort of dominance we see in formula one, and also reduce the costs because we feel that formula one is too expensive,” he added.

“But formula one is and remains the premier class of motor sport.”

As for Ecclestone’s comments, Todt dismissed them but said: “Of course we have to stay focused in formula one as we improve the racing.

“For me as FIA president, every series is important. I do not have favourites. They are different and I like them all.”

But some say Formula E is clearly the series of the future, as it has exclusive rights to all-electric engines and the support of many carmakers.

Todt insisted: “Formula one also drives with state of the art power units. We have hybrid cars whose engines are already fascinating. They have about 50 per cent thermal efficiency.

“We should talk about that much more,” he said.

Also rumoured at present is that F1 might be looking into using synthetic fuel in the future.

“We are always working on what might come next,” said Todt. “We also need a vision for formula one.”

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Number 1 rivalry brings Ferrari 'unrest' - Heidfeld

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Number 1 rivalry brings Ferrari 'unrest' - Heidfeld

Lewis Hamilton says he sympathises with Ferrari ‘number 2’ Charles Leclerc.

The five time world champion says the situation reminds him of his own F1 debut in 2007, when his teammate was then reigning champion Fernando Alonso.

“There are scenarios where multiple world champions demand the number 1 position, and therefore you become a number 2,” said Hamilton.

He is referring also to the controversy after China, where Leclerc was ordered aside for his number 1 teammate Sebastian Vettel.

“I understand how Charles feels. It’s like having your light dimmed,” said Hamilton.

For now, Leclerc is keeping the controversy as quiet as possible, saying in Baku: “Whatever the team tells me, I will do it. To a certain point.

“I just have to show the team on the track that it makes no sense to put me behind.”

But arguably a bigger problem for Ferrari ahead of the fourth race in Baku is that neither Vettel nor Leclerc are yet to win a race.

Vettel said of the team orders controversy: “It’s a hype more on the outside, and important for us that it does not come inside.

“At the moment I have the feeling that it has not happened yet.”

Ferrari has brought multiple upgrades to Azerbaijan, with Vettel saying: “It’s a good step on paper.”

Former F1 driver Nick Heidfeld, though, thinks the Leclerc issue will be on Vettel’s mind.

“Leclerc is entitled to claim number 1 status, but he does not have it yet,” he told Sky Deutschland.

“Of course it brings unrest to the team, which is one more thing Vettel has to worry about it,” said Heidfeld.

“With Vettel’s experience, it is understandable that Ferrari relies on him as number 1. Whether it’s right at the end of the year, we will find out.”

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F2 boss confirms no Ferrari test for Schumacher

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F2 boss confirms no Ferrari test for Schumacher

Michael Schumacher’s Formula 2 boss has confirmed reports the young German will not be testing for Ferrari next month.

We reported earlier that, after the son of Michael Schumacher drove the Ferrari for the first time in Bahrain, he will not get the same chance in the post-Spanish GP test.

Italy’s La Gazzetta dello Sport reports that Ferrari will be running a second test car in Barcelona for Pirelli, but it will be driven by Antonio Fuoco.

“For Maranello, it is a way to protect him (Schumacher) from media pressure,” said correspondent Andrea Cremonesi.

Rene Rosin, who runs Schumacher’s F2 team Prema, said in Baku: “It is right that Mick remains focused on his work in Formula 2.”

One interpretation might be that Schumacher did not get a second Ferrari test because of his results in his F2 debut recently.

But Rosin insisted: “His debut was in line with what we expected.

“These first races are difficult. The trouble with F2 is there is not much time to practice. You go into qualifying without testing the soft tyres and have a maximum of two laps before they degrade,” he added.

“This is also a category full of veterans who have been there for 3 or 4 years who know what they are doing,” Rosin said in Baku.