In the round-up: Honda’s Yusuke Hasegawa admits they are only half pleased with the gains they have made this season.
Links
Your daily digest of F1 news, views, features and more from hundreds of sites across the web:
Honda only 50% satisfied with 2016 development (F1i)
"My satisfaction level is at 50%, and I am split because though we have made lots of progress this year, we are not yet at the level of the top level teams."
Stroll's Williams confirmation on hold for Martini (Motorsport)
"Stroll, who clinched the European Formula 3 championship this year, is still just 17 – and confirmation of his association with the Martini-backed Williams team could have led to complications because he is under 18."
First lap gains down to 'guessing' - Wehrlein (Autosport)
"Most of the time, something happens at those two corners so it's all about being in the right place, especially when you are at the back."
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Social media
Notable posts from Twitter, Instagram and more:
Very amused to discover I have been blocked by @LewisHamilton along with several other Fleet Street journalists… pic.twitter.com/w8TAaLBWkD
— Byron Young (@byronf1) October 14, 2016
..That's his first action since wishing me well on leaving the Daily Mirror #f1 @LewisHamilton
— Byron Young (@byronf1) October 14, 2016
My belief is that this is just @LewisHamilton seizing a chance to do less media work. Not the real reason, just the opportunity. …#f1
— Byron Young (@byronf1) October 14, 2016
Blocked by Lewis Hamilton? Fear not – you can now follow @LewisHamiltron! @byronf1 #F1 pic.twitter.com/HO3YmY2IFb
— F1 Fanatic (@f1fanatic_co_uk) October 14, 2016
Can't say it's not a massive shame to see @HulkHulkenberg leave us but what a driver he's been over the last 6 yrs. All the best Hulk 🏁👍
— Deano (@deanobowers81) October 14, 2016
Slightly over the top for a Race Control building? Jarama…. pic.twitter.com/nY4AtY1gJ7
— Bernard Cottrell (@bernardcottrell) October 14, 2016
Can anyone on here steer me in the direction of any charity or marshal club that wants old team kit for auctions & gifts?#loadsofit
— M A X Chilton (@maxchilton) October 14, 2016
- Find more official F1 accounts to follow in the F1 Twitter Directory
Comment of the day
William likes the look of Hulkenberg’s move to Renault:
It’s a sage move on so many levels. Hulkenberg has been in a tricky situation ever since he fell short of a Ferrari drive in 2013, and whilst Force India has been a respectable platform for showcasing his talents to top teams, the fact that he had no manufacturer affiliation at all and up against a team mate in the form of his career stacked the cards against him. I don’t think the change to heavier, hybrid cars has suited him either.
Yes, he has been a consistent points scorer and Q3 qualifier with Force India, but a driver of his calibre should always be trying to move up the grid, so I was surprised he turned down the opportunity to forge Ferrari links when Haas came knocking last year. The almost guaranteed wins afforded by a deal with Porsche in WEC would have also been tempting versus F1 midfield mediocrity.
However the opportunity to headline (probably alongside Ocon, albeit Force India are now rumoured to be interested in nabbing him) a manufacturer effort must surely justify any short-term frustrations. We have not seen the Hulkenberg we have come accustomed to these past twelve months, but have no doubt, if Renault can find a way, this guy has the capacity to win.
WilliamB (@William-brierty)
Happy birthday!
Happy birthday to Fer No. 65, Sebastiaan Huizinga and Carlos!
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On this day in F1
Lewis Hamilton seemed less than pleased with taking pole position for the Korean Grand Prix five years ago today, despite being the only non-Red Bull driver to take pole all year long.
spoutnik (@spoutnik)
15th October 2016, 0:20
@keithcollantine Small typo in the title?
beneboy (@beneboy)
15th October 2016, 1:49
@spoutnik
Either that, or @keithcollantine is making his prediction for next year’s headlines…
Keith Collantine (@keithcollantine)
15th October 2016, 10:21
@spoutnik @beneboy Indeed, sorry about that, corrected it now!
Stig Semper Fi (@stigsemperfi)
15th October 2016, 5:03
Boy I hope that’s a typo…
Peppermint-Lemon (@)
15th October 2016, 0:32
Hamilton behaves like a spoiled child
Mp4-23
15th October 2016, 0:44
Here we go again….
@HoHum (@hohum)
15th October 2016, 0:49
@peppermint-lemon, Really ? I’m not on the twitterverse so don’t know exactly what LH may or may not be annoyed about but stories in the “Daily Mirror”s of this world often find sensational ways to mis-interpret (I’m being charitable) what people say, so why would you invite them to share your every thought, I certainly wouldn’t.
knoxploration
15th October 2016, 2:08
Possibly because that’s a major part of the job he’s being paid to do. If any one of us unilaterally decided we didn’t feel like doing the part of our job that earns the company most of its money, we’d be fired on the spot, not praised or excused for it on the blogs.
W-K (@w-k)
15th October 2016, 2:59
Doesn’t make it right though does it.
Kgn11
15th October 2016, 7:40
He’s not paid to make his own social media accounts accessible by everyone in the media.
Written press does not pay the FIA for access to the drivers, broadcasters does.
GeeMac (@geemac)
15th October 2016, 11:08
He is when he tells them to look to his social media accounts for answers in FIA press conferences.
Phylyp (@phylyp)
15th October 2016, 12:08
@geemac – While I viewed his Twitter feed as his personal/private account until now, you’ve made an excellent point 👍
Canderous (@yoshif8tures)
15th October 2016, 0:54
How very immature of Lewis to block journalists when he’s paid millions a year to answer their questions and instead wants to live in his own echo chamber.
I really hope that Nico wins the championship now and puts this pouting brat in his place.
beneboy (@beneboy)
15th October 2016, 1:37
He’s paid to drive, he’s contractually obliged to do some media work, but I doubt that would include his personal Twitter. Saying he’s paid to answer their questions is like saying a surgeon is paid to wash their hands, it’s part of the job, but not what you’re paying them to do.
Given that his fans can still follow him on Twitter, they don’t need journalists to follow him on their behalf in the way they need them to ask questions at the circuits or in interviews, so I’m struggling to see this as anything more than a minor spat between a sportsman and some journalists.
cm (@cm-cm)
15th October 2016, 1:51
Well said @beneboy , too many journalists covering news released via twitter AS-IS.
Retired (@jeff1s)
15th October 2016, 7:10
+1
socksolid (@socksolid)
15th October 2016, 18:22
Journalists are one of the biggest way he can reach to his fans. Not some twitter posts where he wears all purple. When he starts throwing these kind of tantrums over some mindlessly stupid little things it will not just make himself look unprofessional but also his sponsors.
Ed Marques (@edmarques)
15th October 2016, 20:23
It’s 2016, not the 80’s.
Baron (@baron)
17th October 2016, 13:19
I rather think he’s paid to win races than anything else, not be at the beck and call of every spotty faced ‘journalist’ with an NVQ in media studies. Good for Lewis – I’d block ’em all…
Phylyp (@phylyp)
15th October 2016, 1:49
All Byron Young needs to do is open Lewis Hamilton’s Twitter feed in a private browser tab to view his tweets, given that his tweets are public (opening it in a private browser tab ensures Twitter doesn’t automatically log him in with his credentials). Granted, he cannot retweet any feeds or like them, but given their relationship I doubt Byron will be doing either.
Kgn11
15th October 2016, 7:51
So all these journos are feeling a little aggrieved that Lewis blocked them because he felt that they’ve been rather disrespectful towards him.
Now these are the same journos who are quick to hit the block button on Twitter when fans criticise some of the stuff they write.
As Will Buxton said on the F1 midweek report..
“We all know there a certain parts of the press that likes to build you up to then tare you down. So you can’t be slagging off someone all the time & then expect them to be all friendly with you the next time they see you”…..
Which made Phil Duncan rather uncomfortable, guess he thought Buxton was going to side with him. Even after he label Hamilton a “fool” for his refusal to speak to them on Saturday.
So when people like Owen Gibson, Eason et al publicly brand the guy as an idiot on twitter because he has decided enough is enough, how can we truly be upset at him for his actions?
Markp
15th October 2016, 15:22
Both those guys did agree Hamilton is doing all this as his teammate is out doing him this year even when reliability is good so he wants to deflect from the beating he has taken thus far. That will start a hornets nest.
kpcart
15th October 2016, 15:40
did you see Hamilton in the press conference the other weekend? he was acting like a total prat.. he knows the world media is there, and he puts on his phone and takes selfies like a child. success has got to his head. imagine a rookie driver from manor put in the central position of a world media conference and if they did the same. he is a complete childish looser with how he acted and with his actions afterwards.. very Donald trump like.
anon
15th October 2016, 17:10
kpcart, to be honest, quite a few drivers don’t seem to pay a huge amount of attention during the press conferences either. It is fairly common to see a number of drivers quietly getting their phones out of their pockets and playing around with them whilst they wait for another driver to finish talking – I don’t recall, for example, people criticising Button for being disrespectful when you can tell that he has pulled his phone out and is texting somebody beneath the desk as he waits for somebody to ask him a question.
Aapje (@aapje)
15th October 2016, 7:58
Given the hyping that McLaren-Honda have been doing, this news probably means that things are going very wrong with Honda. The new engine probably explodes after 10 minutes or something like that.
Mashiat
15th October 2016, 8:11
@aapje They are talking about 2016, not 2017
Aapje (@aapje)
15th October 2016, 9:20
Oh right, there are two different dates here. 2017 in the header and 2016 in the title.
Aapje (@aapje)
15th October 2016, 10:44
And it’s fixed now.
John H (@john-h)
15th October 2016, 8:05
I’ve completely gone off Hamilton these last couple of years, but to be honest blocking journalists from the tabloid press is actually one of the things I can got onboard with.
tgu (@thegrapeunwashed)
15th October 2016, 8:25
Like the twitter posts, poor Byron Young (who he?) seems not to care that he’s been blocked by Lewis Hamilton, but can’t stop going on and on about it! Steady on there, Byron.
catalin
15th October 2016, 9:03
It’s about 2016 developement..Not 2017..
Neil (@neilosjames)
15th October 2016, 15:33
I’ve never been a ‘proper journalist’ or anything, but I interviewed Hamilton last year… was very surprised, because it was like talking to a friendly bloke in a pub. Gave great responses, no ‘stock answers’ that you’d expect from an F1 driver and ran way over the timeslot because he was rambling a bit… then apologised for the PR guy asking us to hurry up and finish.
Struck me as a guy who was entirely happy and comfortable doing the media and sponsor-work side of the job, and more confident in actually answering questions himself and giving insights into his own thoughts and views, rather than giving the ‘teamspeak’ response to everything.
But I guess he might have been a different person if I’d said ‘Hi, I’m from a British tabloid, and I’m going to massively overblow anything you say that might be a bit controversial or negative…’
Phylyp (@phylyp)
15th October 2016, 18:28
@neilosjames – thanks for the first-hand opinion 👍
Craig Woollard (@craig-o)
15th October 2016, 15:58
I’m not sure what the problem with Hamilton blocking people he don’t like is. I block people who I don’t like and others who don’t like me do the same. Whether they are a journalist or not has absolutely nothing to do with it.
I do wonder just how far Hamilton versus the media is going to escalate, especially if he does fail to win the championship this year.
NewVerstappenFan (@jureo)
15th October 2016, 16:37
Lets see, Hamilton tweeted something, Nico Hulkenberg trying to get in to a top team,…. Business as usual it seems.
Baron (@baron)
15th October 2016, 22:42
I’m kind of embarrassed to admit this, but I have absolutely no idea what Twitter is or how it works. Seriously. I just checked and everything is normal, nothing has dropped off and I still seem to enjoy the same circle of friends and family. While I’m confessing, I will also admit to not having a Facebook account or understanding that stuff either.
Is this a problem for me? Will I be able to continue life without these things?
(PS this is not a rhetorical question)
@HoHum (@hohum)
16th October 2016, 2:26
@baron, me too, I manage with e-mail, telephone and skype, I don’t think my friends are interested in what I’m wearing, eating, drinking, or for that matter what I’m doing most of the time because most of the time I’m not doing anything interesting.
Fer no.65 (@fer-no65)
16th October 2016, 1:48
Thanks for the birthday wishes, @keithcollantine ! :) 27 years already… i feel old! to think there are so many drivers in F1 younger than me now…
Todfod (@todfod)
17th October 2016, 13:04
Glad to see Honda is 50% satisfied with their progress. The fans however, are probably in the range of 5% to 10% satisfied with their progress.
The Honda engine has absolutely no saving grace. I would think that they are already planning to pull out of the sport due to the sheer embarrassment of them not being worthy of competing in Formula 1
Baron (@baron)
17th October 2016, 13:31
Then I presume you would also be advocating Renault & Ferrari leave for the same reasons? How boring life would be if everything was perfect. It is the journey to perfection which makes life so interesting..
Todfod (@todfod)
18th October 2016, 6:46
Ferrari’s engine is almost as good as Mercedes and Renault still has enough potential to make Red Bull a race winner. So, I would have to say no to your idea of having them leave the sport.