In the round-up: Lewis Hamilton says F1 needs to learn from America how to promote itself better.
Links
Your daily digest of F1 news, views, features and more from hundreds of sites across the web:
The fastest man on wheels (Time)
Lewis Hamilton: "The way Formula One is run is not good enough at the moment."
Capito set to leave McLaren (Autosport)
"He was appointed by McLaren's outgoing chairman and CEO Ron Dennis, but since Dennis was placed on 'gardening leave', pending the expiration of his current contract on January 15 2017, Capito's position was regarded as vulnerable, in some quarters."
Graziano Rossi: 'Valentino almost went to F1' (Moto GP)
"The father of the nine-time world champion talks Valentino, F1 and possibilities after Moto GP."
Ferrari announces launch date for 2017 F1 car (Motorsport)
"The Italian squad said during a Christmas media event on Monday that its new car will run for the first time at its Fiorano circuit on February 24."
Magnussen relishing F1 job security with Haas (Crash)
"It is the first time I will go into next season knowing I am in F1 straight away."
Photos of ailing Schumacher under investigation (F1i)
"It is unknown who took the pictures or how they were smuggled out of the highly guarded Schumacher compound, and prosecutors in Offenburg, Germany have initiated an investigation into the matter."
Life Through A Lens: 2016 (Sutton Images)
"Rosberg was clearly miffed how his teammate could be so much faster and after qualifying he sat looking at the timing screens, wondering where on earth Hamilton had found the time."
At Liberty to speculate: How Liberty Media has the potential to transform F1 (ESPN)
"If Live Nation take over global ticket sales, and circuits sell only those tickets still remaining when time comes to open the gates for the race weekend, new arrangements will have to be drawn up to ensure that circuits are still able to cover some of their costs, as is the case now."
Got a tip for a link to feature in the next F1 Fanatic round-up? Send it in here:
Social media
Notable posts from Twitter, Instagram and more:
Bottas to Merc huh.
Williams, Leave FM to relax, had a great career. Go 4 LMP1 star. Hartley, Buemi, Di Grassi hungry, technical and fast.— Mark Webber (@AussieGrit) December 19, 2016
So if Bottas goes to merc Williams are looking at bringing Massa back! Why not give Paul Di Resta a chance????? #boringf1
— Mark Thompson (@F1Thommo) December 19, 2016
- Find more official F1 accounts to follow in the F1 Twitter Directory
Comment of the day
Ross Brawn’s prediction that Mercedes will still be the team to beat next year surprised few:
I’ve been afraid about this since Hungary.
They won with a 30-plus sec lead to the nearest Red Bull on a track which was supposed to fit their car. And even then Red Bull were nearly beaten by Ferrari that race. And the only reason they ever came close at Singapore was differing strategies. I don’t believe for one bit Mercedes will drop the ball on chassis development.
Ruben
From the forum
Happy birthday!
No F1 Fanatic birthdays today
If you want a birthday shout-out tell us when yours is via the contact form or adding to the list here.
icemangrins (@icemangrins)
20th December 2016, 0:34
Paul Di Resta? What is wrong with people?
Sven (@crammond)
20th December 2016, 0:58
Adrian Sutil. Yes, I found a name that wasn’t mentioned yet. Would also be an entertaining option for the media as Hamilton’s teammate.
Toxic (@)
20th December 2016, 1:01
Well at least we won’t have to listen to his “commentary” on screen.
ferrox glideh (@ferrox-glideh)
20th December 2016, 11:29
Well, I am sure that Adrian Sutil would “raise a glass” to that suggestion… ;)
SatchelCharge (@satchelcharge)
20th December 2016, 19:20
@ferrox-glideh lmao
Fer no.65 (@fer-no65)
20th December 2016, 2:35
@icemangrins I DON’T KNOW! I DON’T UNDERSTAND IT EITHER! He wasn’t good enough when he was around, can’t think how he’d be good after so many years.
I rather see Massa struggling again in that Williams than Di Resta. I can think of only one name I fear even more, the one @crammond mentioned…
I’m not saying that name, I fear the consequences… “He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named” could show up with a broken champagne glass… or even worse, he could be racing F1 cars.
Joao (@johnmilk)
20th December 2016, 7:36
@fer-no65 will raise that…crashnado
Fer no.65 (@fer-no65)
20th December 2016, 11:05
@johnmilk I’d gladly see Maldonado back. First of all because it was funny as hell. Secondly, he was actually fast when the stars aligned. Di Resta was slow AND boring.
Joao (@johnmilk)
20th December 2016, 11:25
Well, that is true, and we could have the Maldonado clock back
Alianora La Canta (@alianora-la-canta)
20th December 2016, 11:10
Sorry, I’ve already seen Pastor rumoured for a return…
DirkWar
20th December 2016, 9:23
So martini want publicity….nico prost….older rookie vs very young rookie…
Alianora La Canta (@alianora-la-canta)
20th December 2016, 11:11
They also want to avoid fielding two rookies or near-rookies (I’m not sure if Wehrlien is considered experienced enough by them to arrest the potential slide).
Morty Vicar (@mortyvicar)
20th December 2016, 9:26
This sort of – pretty common – response makes me think why Merc aren’t going for Wehrlein, not until all other routes are exhausted. Wehrlein pretty much on the same trajectory as di Resta, at least on the upward part of the curve…
Sensord4notbeingafanboi (@peartree)
21st December 2016, 2:21
What’s wrong with Di Resta…
Yes (@come-on-kubica)
20th December 2016, 0:54
I member when Paul Di Resta was going to be the next Merc driver.
Manox (@marussi)
20th December 2016, 10:31
Or any other top team, his italian blood would bring him to ferrari and he’s moaning over force india when he was driving for them was disrespectful
JackySteeg (@jackysteeg)
20th December 2016, 1:06
So Williams desperately want an experienced driver but it seems nobody in F1 at the moment both has the experience and the desire to drive for them. So perhaps they ought to look elsewhere.
How about a a guy outside F1 with years of F1 experience? One that is still young enough? One that, since losing an F1 drive, has spent his time driving both high-performance single-seaters as well as high-tech hybrids? One that was adored in his home country and loved by fans across the world? There’s only one man for the job.
Bring back Kamui!
FLIG (@flig)
20th December 2016, 7:44
+1000… KK on a Williams would be great fun.
Andy
20th December 2016, 8:52
No, I think Williams want continuity. They want to be able to directly compare their new car with the old, which means someone with experience of the old. It fills in a data gap for the engineers. I don’t know why this is so difficult for those twitter posters to understand.
Alianora La Canta (@alianora-la-canta)
20th December 2016, 11:17
I think @JackySteeg‘s starting point is that nobody who meets that criterion seems to want to drive for Williams…
John H (@john-h)
20th December 2016, 12:50
Yes!
George (@george)
20th December 2016, 1:10
Buemi would be a great left-field choice, but he’s still involved with Red Bull isn’t he? It’d be a brave decision to drop his current job security for another shot at F1, but maybe they could tempt him with a long contract. I’ve always been a fan of Di Grassi too, but I don’t think he showed enough in F1 to tempt Williams.
As for McLaren dropping Capito, it seems like a backwards step to me. Probably some people unhappy about whatever changes he’s been suggesting.
Fer no.65 (@fer-no65)
20th December 2016, 2:38
@george I mentioned Buemi too the other day. I also think he’d be a superb choice. Sadly, not only he has ties with Red Bull, he also has ties with Renault in Formula E and Toyota in WEC. Not sure how Williams (or Mercedes) could manage to buy him out from not 1, nor 2 but 3 contracts!
Joao (@johnmilk)
20th December 2016, 7:50
Buemi was the name that at first made the most sense out of F1, but as mentioned before me, it would be complicated to separate him from all of his compromises. Buf if there is a will, there is a way, and I am sure Buemi would love to be back.
They also have Di Grassi, as an alternative, he has been quite impressive in FE, and surely doesn’t lack experience.
He was the official Pirelli test driver, so quality giving feedback shouldn’t be a problem, and he was in a F1 that had considerable amounts of downforce, albeit a few years ago.
He does have a contract with Audi, but they are out of the endurance series, only question is, how much would they like to stick with him for their FE program? (Probably a lot, he has been the only one close to the e.Dams guys.)
Neil (@neilosjames)
20th December 2016, 1:26
I’d like to see Robin Frijns get a shot at one of these empty seats… but think that particular ship sailed long ago, sadly. Largely because it wasn’t towing a barge filled with money.
gsdgr8
20th December 2016, 3:15
Massa should not be brought back. His days of F1 were gone when he lost his Ferrari drive but Williams stuck with him for three years. If Bottas goes to Merc, these are my ideas on who can replace him-
Paul di Resta- He is Williams’ third driver, he has 2011-2013 as his F1 years and he is a solid racer. His temperament is not too great though.
Kamui Kobayashi- As @jackysteed stated, Kamui is quick and spent his time out of F1 in other racing series. A good choice.
Felipe Nasr- Williams know him and he has random bursts of speed. He would be a good one or two year option until someone else can drive.
Arghh….Ummm…OK I have to do this-Crashtor Maldonado- He is quick at times and he has got experience with Williams too.
Stephen Crowsen (@drycrust)
20th December 2016, 20:34
I’ve decided Brendon Hartley is the man for the job. He’s old enough to keep Martini happy. Okay, he lacks F1 racing experience, but does have racing experience in the FIA World Endurance Championship and at the 24 hour Le Mans race (including part of the winning team in 2015).
Tristan
20th December 2016, 6:01
I love hearing quotes like this. I’ve been told far too often that this philosophy is the exception and not the rule, but the more I learn of successful people having this philosophy, I can’t help but conclude that it is the rule or should be at least.
Anyway great article by Time, to be expected I suppose of such a publication.
Tata
20th December 2016, 6:39
Yeah, I found that quite refreshing from Toto bearing in mind how successful he has been in life achievements.
I tend to believe that achievers are those who don’t conform to certain norms. Those who are not afraid of being different, of sticking their heads out no matter the backlash.
A lot of us want people to dress like us, to look like us, to behave and speak like us but that is quite myopic.
Glad there are those who dare to be different.
Peppermint-Lemon (@)
20th December 2016, 8:10
Sounds like he regurgitated an old ish Hamilton quote.
Just No
21st December 2016, 19:52
Because no one has ever ‘dared to be different’ or spoken about it before Lewis Hamilton did……….. *ugh, facepalm*
Todfod (@todfod)
20th December 2016, 6:02
Capito barely joined Mclaren and he’s being ousted already. It seems like a shambolic state of affairs at Mclaren since Ron’s departure.
I honestly do not believe that they will make progress next year. It just seems that there is too much change within the management structure and too much ground to achieve for the new management.
If Mclaren finishes at #5 in the WCC next year, I think they would have over achieved
BasCB (@bascb)
20th December 2016, 7:13
Not sure he is being ousted really, I could see him stepping out of it by himself, since he sees the mess around him, lack of a team leader etc @todfod.
But yeah, does not give much hope of seeing them really building up that team as they should be.
smudgersmith1 (@smudgersmith1)
20th December 2016, 6:26
Ah Paul Di Resta, isnt he the boring guy who always used to blame his team for everything whilst having a strop?
BasCB (@bascb)
20th December 2016, 7:24
yup. Pretty good reasons for Williams to not give him the job.
lockup (@)
20th December 2016, 10:41
He is their reserve driver though, so they can’t hate him too badly.
AbeyG (@1abe)
20th December 2016, 6:41
I think Mark Thompson answered his own tweet with his hashtag!
Roth Man (@rdotquestionmark)
20th December 2016, 8:25
As a die hard Williams fan I’m devastated at the prospect of a Stroll, Massa line up. I know Stroll could surprise but let’s face it, he’s the ultimate pay driver and a massive risk. You can carry that with a good driver leading the team as he will bring a massive amount of development money but if the other driver is Massa then Williams are settling for mediocrity, I know Felipe is popular but come on, he was terrible this year and I can’t see him improving with age, he’s never been anything to shout about since his 09 accident. Begging him to come back is settling for second best. I’m so concerned about the lack of fire and winning mentality at Williams right now, Claire’s comment of “I’m delighted to see that a team like Mercedes lists Valtteri as a potential replacement for Nico,” made me sick to the stomach. That’s like being flattered someone’s having an affair with your wife!!! Anyway I just hope they chose a driver that has bigger potential, such as Buemi, JEV, Di Grassi, I’d even settle for Kobayashi or Di Resta over Massa…….. Maybe not Pastor though!!!!
Ben Needham (@ben-n)
20th December 2016, 8:48
I’d actually argue that Maldonado wouldn’t be a bad choice at all. Williams have won a single race in the last 10 years… and guess who was at the wheel!?
While erratic and sometimes downright dangerous, I’d argue that he’d be a much better choice than Massa, who as you say was pretty awful last year.
As for your other choices, I wouldn’t mind seeing JEV back. He near-enough matched Ricciardo, who is now accepted as one of the grids best drivers. He has recent-ish experience of Formula One and has kept himself racing.
My other choice would be Kvyat. Toro Rosso probably wouldn’t mind getting rid of him too much and he’s clearly not as bad as 2016 would suggest.
Any of Maldonado/Vergne/Kvyat would be fine by me.
GeeMac (@geemac)
20th December 2016, 8:55
As a lifelong Williams fan, I have to agree. They only person who seems to have any fire in his belly at Williams is Rob Smedley, there needs to be a mindset shift if Williams are to win again. I was disappointed they didn’t push harder for wins at Austria in ’14 and Silverstone in ’15 and that they celebrated finishing P3 in ’14 like they won the championship.
Frank Williams was quoted as saying “why are we celebrating, we haven’t won anything” and he is right. Williams need to aim higher.
KnGS (@)
20th December 2016, 9:05
Danill Kvyat or JEV are both options for Williams. Neither of them was that bad. JEV lost out in 2012 and 2013 by a sliver to Daniel Ric, who is considered as fast enough to win WDCs. Danill Kvyat would be delighted to get a Williams drive. He is not bad at all and TR would have no problem at all to let him leave.
Other options include di Resta, Wehrlein and Buemi. Alex Lynn is a distant possibility too.
I’d take a Rosberg comeback or a Button comeback instead of Massa returning.
Hopefully Williams don’t go with the same instinct that got them Maldonado and get back Massa because Felipe Baby’s days in F1 are over.
Roth Man (@rdotquestionmark)
20th December 2016, 9:14
You took the words out of my mouth. Surely a team with Symonds, Smedley, Lowe should be something to get excited about but this could be potentially Williams worst ever driver line up. Claire even teased us that they were after a big name driver to get excited about this year, I appreciate Button said no and Bottas is going to be poached but begging Massa back is tragic. Still we shouldn’t complain, they have the fastest pitstops, so that’s the main thing………………..
Roth Man (@rdotquestionmark)
20th December 2016, 9:15
Sorry that was to @geemac, replied to wrong message
Balue (@balue)
20th December 2016, 9:15
@rdotquestionmark Agree. I hope this is not Smedley choosing his mate again. With a completely new car and tyres I don’t see the need to have Massa’s experience of the old, especially as anything learned will be gone after 12 months, whereas a permanent driver would build on that.
Roth Man (@rdotquestionmark)
20th December 2016, 9:22
@balue Yeah it’s a desperate plea for continuity but surely continuity isn’t more important than the tenth of a second a lap Felipe will give away to a decent driver (I’m being generous to Felipe with a tenth). Apparently Martini are demanding an older driver but that again sums up everything wrong in F1, tail wagging the dog because of money. Wehrlein looks decent to be fair but I don’t know what he’s like at setting up a car compared to the older hands.
Alianora La Canta (@alianora-la-canta)
20th December 2016, 11:29
There is some logic in Martini’s insistence – taking on someone as much of a rookie as Lance is only going to work if someone who knows the F1 ropes is his team-mate. Even if Lance blasted a fellow rookie out of the water, it would lead to many people wondering whether he was any good (unless something blatant happened like overtaking half the grid one race) or if Williams had built a great car and had that hidden by insufficiently good drivers. With a known quantity there, that question is answered – and Lance will get a benchmark standard to follow, which will help him succeed in his own right. Plus if Lance turns out to be no good, there’s no risk of the team ending up with single-figure points for all that outlay.
Roth Man (@rdotquestionmark)
20th December 2016, 16:02
Sadly the report I read just said Martini want an older driver because it’s better PR for their brand, IE not many youngsters Stroll and Wehrlein’s age drink Martini. Maybe they could get sponsorship by Blue WKD!!!
I do see your logic though @alianora-la-cantan, but I think Williams are just settling for a ‘safe pair of hands’
Morty Vicar (@mortyvicar)
20th December 2016, 9:28
You mean he’s been Smeddling?!
petebaldwin (@petebaldwin)
20th December 2016, 10:04
@mortyvicar – This shouldn’t be funny but as it happened, I just had to explain why I was laughing at “Excel” in work…… :D
Balue (@balue)
20th December 2016, 11:29
‘Smeddling’ That’s funny @mortyvica
Gigantor (@kbdavies)
20th December 2016, 13:15
@rdotquestionmark –
I was shocked when i read it as well, and it crystallized something i had always suspected – Williams lost their mojo a while back, and under Claire, have absolutely no ounce of self belief. For you to be “delighted” your competitor wants your prized asset, shows you are not operating in the same paradigm as they are. And for them to even consider bringing Massa back, says it all really.
I predict Williams will NEVER recapture their glory days under their current leadership.
Roth Man (@rdotquestionmark)
20th December 2016, 15:57
Yep @kbdavies. That’s what makes me sad about it all. They think it’s a school sports day and it’s about the taking part.
I know circumstances within F1 have ruined the chances for the smaller teams, but Williams should never have become a smaller team.
Park
20th December 2016, 9:04
“People often underestimate the importance of continuity in a team,” Symonds told Gazzetta dello Sport. “The driver is the final element needed between the engineers and the data.”
http://www.motorsport.com/f1/news/symonds-says-williams-must-not-let-bottas-go-to-mercedes-859260/?v=2&s=1&q=symonds
Morty Vicar (@mortyvicar)
20th December 2016, 9:27
It’s all gone quiet w.r.t. Jenson. Either he’s off enjoying his retirement already, or something’s going on in the background. My choice would be JB at Williams, but perhaps it’s not to be?
Fudge Kobayashi (@)
20th December 2016, 11:20
The Button to Williams rumours were bandied around in the latter half of the 2016 season, once he announced his ‘ambassador’ role with McLaren everyone knew he was retiring in all but name.
And then at Abu Dhabi he even spelled it out! He has no motivation to come back to F1 to join yet another midfield outfit.
HRT (@vvans)
20th December 2016, 11:36
Haha! You pretty much covered all posible options there Sherlock!
Dustybloke
20th December 2016, 11:23
Come on guys.
If Martini want an older driver, there’s really only one choice…
Go, Nige!
David BR
20th December 2016, 12:12
True Lewis, F1 is badly run, but you can blame the geezer doing the rubbish Andy Warhol impersonation.
dex
20th December 2016, 14:32
If Williams need continuity and experience in at least one driver then it has to be either Massa or Paul Di Resta, both know the old car and team well, both are over 25 for their Martini sponsor. Massa would be the stand-out choice, but if he does not want to return then Paul Di Resta is their man.
charliex (@photogcw)
20th December 2016, 15:29
I sent the link of the TIME magazine cover and attached article to some of other USA F1 friends of mine and every one of them thought it is a fake. None of us could remember the last time TIME put a racing driver on its cover. Love him or hate him(I’m in neither camp), LH is fast becoming THE face of F1 in America and he is at least putting his name out there for discovery to the American sporting public. He’s doing far more to promote F1 in America than well known and best selling brands like Mercedes-Benz, Red Bull or Honda combined. I sent an e-mail to the public relations department at the Circuit Of The Americas suggesting they make LH, not Mario Andretti, as its ambassador/spokesperson. Let’s see how far that goes.