In the round-up: Bernie Ecclestone believes Singapore will renew its F1 contract which expires after this year’s race.
Links
Your daily digest of F1 news, views, features and more from hundreds of sites across the web:
Singapore secure, no Interlagos circuit purchase: Ecclestone (Reuters)
"If we’d have lost Singapore it’s not good. But we haven’t lost Singapore so it’s OK."
F1's future vision outlined by Sean Bratches in Sky Sports F1 interview (Sky)
"In a perfect world we'd like to have all the races take place in a region and then move to the next region and then the next. Obviously, (the pluses are) efficiencies from a team standpoint in terms of moving this circus around the world, but also from navigating fans."
Sauber: Honda switch not a backwards step (Motorsport)
"We are absolutely confident that Honda will make improvements and sort out their issues. We are convinced that it is going to happen."
Alonso 'sad' at latest technical failure (BBC)
"This time we are not even able to participate in the grand prix so that's sad."
Vettel: Massa did Bottas 'a favour twice' (ESPN)
"Obviously Felipe did him a favour twice. Once handing him a pleasant tow and then he cost me a bit of time. But that's how it is with backmarkers."
'I’ll have to buy Felipe a beer!' (Crash)
"He took up a risky move to be Lewis Hamilton's teammate, take over the reigning world champion's car and I think he has done a very good job."
Palmer hoped Grosjean would 'use his brain' (Autosport)
"I had to turn the corner and hope that he uses his brain, but he just committed too hard."
FIA chief Jean Todt notes Sochi’s enthusiastic approach to Russian F1 Grand Prix (TASS)
Horner: "I think it is one of the nicest paddocks we have on the championship."
Michael Schumacher will 'probably not 100% recover' after tragic accident, says F1 pal (Daily Star)
Sabine Kehm: "It has previously and repeatedly been made very clear that Philippe Streiff is not and has never been a close friend of Michael’s or his family."
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:
I get the impression that today is the day Sochi reaches acceptance as an F1 venue. Super scenics and a huge crowd #RussianGP
— Sean Kelly (@virtualstatman) April 30, 2017
Hooray….we are halfway through it. #RussianGP 26 laps to go….
— Ben Hunt (@benjhunt) April 30, 2017
Some circuits produce little action and look absolutely lifeless on television. @SochiAutodrom is one of them.
— F1 Broadcasting (@f1broadcasting) April 30, 2017
What a miserable excuse for a circuit.#F1 has a contract to race at @SochiAutodrom until 2025. You know what to do, Liberty… #RussianGP pic.twitter.com/w0NTJrx4fK
— F1 Fanatic (@f1fanatic_co_uk) April 30, 2017
What kind of racing is it when you have to get on the radio to find out who you are racing and where they are. #rossrescue
— Byron Young (@byronf1) April 30, 2017
Quite normal during a GP for someone to come into the room & ask 'who's leading?' Just don't expect it to be RAI whilst holding 3rd #F1
— Mark Gallagher (@_markgallagher) April 30, 2017
Good effort from our guys but I'm happy to put this race weekend in the rear view mirror. #HaasF1
— Adam Jacobs (@ajgator) April 30, 2017
Well that was a crap weekend
— Mike Caulfield (@MikeCaulfieldF1) April 30, 2017
Turns out @ValtteriBottas might have to be careful how much he celebrates his first #F1 win – he has a demo run in Budapest tomorrow!
— Chris Medland (@ChrisMedlandF1) April 30, 2017
Putin on the podium…and if you direct your attention to the top left…the barrel of his snipers gun😳 pic.twitter.com/BrllY5TyWE
— Steve Jones (@SteveJones) April 30, 2017
At least @alo_oficial's got his @IndyCar test on Wednesday to look forward to.
Or maybe not… https://t.co/Rb3ZtqqVrO pic.twitter.com/wcQsEqfXST
— Team Mates (@Teammatestoon) April 30, 2017
@f1fanatic_co_uk There's also jam, moutard and guava paste. Welcome to Brazil :) pic.twitter.com/1P99VUjO2p
— maîtresse de cabaret (@betsoretorno) April 30, 2017
- Find more official F1 accounts to follow in the F1 Twitter Directory
Comment of the day
@Fer-no65 defends Felipe Massa over that last lap incident:
I wonder what people wanted Massa to do in that situation at that place. Bottas just managed to overtake him before turn two, and then it’s a long corner until turn four, which is incredibly dirty on the outside. Going there would be suicidal, regardless of the situation, so all Massa could do was stick to the inside and wait until turn four. He did exactly that, and stayed out of the way on braking and corner entry. Vettel was either too far back or didn’t want to risk it too much on the inside.
You can’t move out of the way everywhere, even if you want to. And he’s not even obligated to do it. He delayed Vettel by four tenths? Six tenths? A full second? Bottas had it worse during the race and we didn’t see him complain.
I guess people are frustrated that a battle for the win was sort of spoiled by a backmarker. But that’s the nature of the game.
@Fer-no65
Happy birthday!
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AceAce
1st May 2017, 0:12
These lapped chicanes need to get the hell out of the way. There is plenty of run off areas for them to achieve that.
Sensord4notbeingafanboi (@peartree)
2nd May 2017, 21:57
I don’t agree with Cotd. Bottas made a mistake lost a lot of time then he probably lost more time than Seb on most backmarkers but considering how experienced Massa is, I’d say Massa didn’t need to be such a pain to pass, particularly with Seb but he was a bad backmarker with both.
hunocsi (@hunocsi)
1st May 2017, 0:14
I don’t understand that tweet by Byron. When you have strategy involved in racing, you don’t know how everything pans out around you. I guess by the time of the tweet that it came when Hamilton was told how much is Verstappen behind him, but covering off the SC threat is still a strategy… And you can’t eliminate strategy completely from racing.
sward (@)
1st May 2017, 0:34
@hunocsi If he’s not tweeting how amazing Lewis is, he is either taking the other drivers or the sport down a peg in his tweets.
Joe (@joew)
1st May 2017, 0:37
Yup, stopped reading anything Byron Young had to say some time ago.
hunocsi (@hunocsi)
1st May 2017, 1:06
I never followed him so I’ve mostly came across him in the round-ups, but yeah, he seems needlessly (and unreasonably at times) opinionated for a journalist…
Fer no.65 (@fer-no65)
1st May 2017, 1:52
@hunocsi that tweet was posted around the same time as Mark Gallagher’s so surely he’s talking about Kimi’s radio messages not knowing Bottas was already ahead of him before the pit stop.
Robbie (@robbie)
1st May 2017, 4:17
Yeah I just thought it was a reference to Kimi’s radio comm. re Bottas and perhaps a shot at how spread apart the cars were such that drivers needed radios rather than having a visual of their opponents.
Strontium (@strontium)
1st May 2017, 10:08
@hunocsi It’s a load of rubbish. This isn’t a new thing in F1, it’s been like this pretty much since they started using the team radios
Strontium (@strontium)
1st May 2017, 0:20
The loss of Malaysia will probably help Singapore, with less competition.
I know there’s a lot of criticism towards Putin and the Russian Grand Prix (and it made me chuckle when Ecclestone wasn’t sitting in the middle this year, Carey was), but what you have to remember is they pay far more for their Grand Prix than most places do. The simple facts are that this is a business deal between F1 and Russia. Business isn’t always pretty. If you’ve got somebody paying your business (I heard somewhere) £€$50 million per year, then you don’t really have a choice but to respect them for that. Furthermore, F1 benefits from that huge amount of money.
zimkazimka (@zimkazimka)
1st May 2017, 6:11
So it’s like a scam then? Because we ALSO pay to see this race (either live or on TV) on the assumption that we get sports entertainment expected from an F1-level event (not static 2-hour bore fest built around an awkward appearance of a dictator).
Strontium (@strontium)
1st May 2017, 10:13
@zimkazimka there’s no scam involved. You pay to see the race, but not to host the race, and there’s no harm in two shots of the person paying to host the race appearing in a two hour programme. And if you go to the track to see it you don’t even have to look at Putin at all. How is it a scam?
If it really bothers people that much, just ignore it. People spend too much time getting worked up about it that they make it look like a much bigger problem than it really is
Toxic (@)
1st May 2017, 0:42
So Bottas could possibly be just 4 points behind LH if not for the team orders. Great to see him win this time to maybe trigger some re-thinking from Mercedes.
grat
1st May 2017, 3:03
Mercedes is fine– it’s the fans and the so-called pundits who are apparently delusional.
Here’s their strategy, in short words: “Team orders are used when a driver is too slow to win”.
Bottas wasn’t fast enough in Bahrain. Hamilton wasn’t fast enough in Sochi. Of course, Hamilton wasn’t in front of Bottas in Sochi, so it didn’t really matter. Bottas *was* in front in Bahrain, and too slow– just like Rosberg was too slow in Monaco last year.
…. nothing to see here, move along.
Toxic (@)
1st May 2017, 4:21
The problem with your logic is that it’s wrong. Maybe Bottas was slow in Bahrain but Hamilton wasn’t quicker than Vettel. The team wanted to give him a chance to catch Vettel but he couldn’t manage and yet they didn’t reverse the positions. There was no risk involved in doing so. As you said, he was also “too slow to win”.
Bringing Rosberg to this makes no sense… If anything, the Monaco switch almost cost Rosberg his title. It could’ve been easier if not the points Hamilton got given in Monaco. The same might now happen to Bottas if he keeps moving over for his teammate.
But I guess people who likes Team Orders will always find a reason for them to support they favourite driver. In my view, even if Hamilton would catch Vettel and win last race, it would still be cheating. Having said that, I am not a team manager so who cares… Cheers.
Philip (@philipgb)
1st May 2017, 6:46
Hamilton was going to pass Bottas with or without an order in Bahrain. The team run a constant simulation that will have shown a slim chance of winning if he cleared Bottas immediately. The order was a no brainer and no order to switch back came because it wasn’t like Bottas could have defended the place realistically.
anon
1st May 2017, 7:00
@toxic, it could be argued there was a risk from behind in Bahrain given that Kimi was consistently significantly faster than Bottas in the final stint of the race. By the time you get to the final half dozen or so laps, Kimi was taking between 1.0 to 1.2s a lap out of Bottas’s lead – had it not been for a poor final lap, Kimi would have been within DRS range of Bottas on that lap (as it was, he finished two seconds behind).
In that situation, ordering Hamilton to slow down enough to allow Bottas back through ahead of him would have come with a risk of Bottas backing Hamilton into Kimi.
Miss Begotten
1st May 2017, 8:10
And Ham will no doubt let Bot past him a future race to square the ledger.
kanan
1st May 2017, 14:06
@Miss Begotten Haha. Has Hamilton ever done anything like that in his F1 career so far?
Yes (@come-on-kubica)
1st May 2017, 2:18
Can I propose a complete and total shutdown of all news relating to Bernie?
@F1-liners (@f1-liners)
1st May 2017, 8:20
I mind him less now he’s powerless.
It’s as if now F1 has 2 rodeo clowns ;)
@F1-liners (@f1-liners)
1st May 2017, 8:21
The other one was doing the podium interviews.
mfreire
1st May 2017, 5:11
I quite agree with Bratches. In a perfect world, you would start with Australia and Asia, then Europe, then the Americas. Start in Australia, then Abu Dhabi, Singapore, China, Bahrain, Japan, Russia, Monaco, Spain, Azerbaijan, France, Britain, Germany, Belgium, Hungary, Italy, Canada, NYC, Mexico, Austin, Brazil, and finally Vegas.
Pieletjie
1st May 2017, 7:17
Get rid of Abu Dhabi, Singapore, Bahrain and Sochi! NY will be a dud from the start, as it’s also going to be a street circuit. I’m so glad India, Korea and Valencia are all done for. Bring back Imola, the old Hockenheim, Nurburgring as well, and a French Grand Prix. These new circuits are all the same, the only thing they got going for them is the hype around them. Lights and views and rock shows.
Jere (@jerejj)
1st May 2017, 18:06
@mfreire NYC and LV races are far from being confirmed. Talks are just talks, so don’t jump to definite conclusions that those will actually happen.
tom (@tom-2)
3rd May 2017, 8:41
I think the issue with having a schedule geographically is the concern for weather in those areas. Some locations are not suitable for racing during certain times of the year.
Jay Menon (@jaymenon10)
1st May 2017, 6:21
This victory for Bottas was extremely important in relation to his position at Merc.
It couldn’t have come at a better time. He’s basically laid down a marker, that he isn’t an also-ran or a number 2. He comprehensively out performed his team mate and showed that he has the mental resolve to stay out front and win.
He is growing more comfortable with the team, and he will get better. Can he upstage Lewis? Highly unlikely, but he will definitely put up a fight.
Funnily enough, yesterday’s win actually gives Toto a massive head ache! Haha
OmarRoncal - Go Seb!!! (@)
1st May 2017, 6:54
Is Bernie empowered again? It’s the second weekend I see him on the paddock again, walking and throwing dirt as always.
Miss Begotten
1st May 2017, 8:23
I think Liberty want him to show his face at all the races where the very concept is unusual.
MacLeod (@macleod)
1st May 2017, 8:23
I missed the comments on Honda and McLaren van Doorne did an great job to bring the car home. But Alonso that was really sad and he had to walk back to the pits. But I won my bet :) happy feet!!!!
@F1-liners (@f1-liners)
1st May 2017, 8:24
And yet Vettel had to overtake the backmarker there :p
David Not Coulthard (@davidnotcoulthard)
1st May 2017, 10:58
@f1-liners Didn’t VET do it from the inside though?
@F1-liners (@f1-liners)
1st May 2017, 11:29
MAS let VET race the outside of T4, the long never-ending 180 degree turn which some call ‘suicidal’.
Only at T5, and after losing almost a second, did MAS let VET past on the inside.
@davidnotcoulthard
David Not Coulthard (@davidnotcoulthard)
1st May 2017, 12:14
@f1-liners That long left curve is turn 3 according to most of what I’ve heard and the this site (is this the track’s official site?)
Weirdly enough the Wikipedia article for the track seems to agree with what you’ve said.
machinesteve
1st May 2017, 11:42
Australia
Really dramatic but so badly filmed it looks dull.
China
Grim with spectacular corners that are made dull on TV
Bahrain
Much better in the dark but too much tarmac has ruined it
Russia
Awful, just awful….oh just awful and then Putin to ice the awful cake.
Barcelona
Was great once now just sunny and dull, dull, dull.
Monaco
Still great TV except for the iconic shot of the tunnel exit from the harbour which got ruined.
Canada
Looks better than it should I think – but hey they changed the greatest corner now….hooray!
Baku
Should be good but largely deserted city, surely not everyone is in prison?
Austria
Dull track which absolutely ignores its setting and is a shadow of its past.
Silverstone
So atmosphere free bleak mess that gets way more praise than it deserves….another ruined circuit.
Hungaroring
Looks great these days which only goes to show how dreadful the others are.
Spa
Still good but bad camera angles destroy 99% of the drama.
Monza
Keeps on being Monza while they get on with wrecking the corners with tarmac run-off.
Singapore
It looks great in daylight, so they race in the dark – it could be anywhere.
Sepang
Getting better and better every year really grown as a circuit ……oh they cancelled it.
Suzuka
Really spectacularly bad camera angles make a great circuit seem boring.
Mexico
What kind of circuit has the podium ceremony as its best bit?
Interlagos
So good still, so love the close crowd at the start and finish, oozes atmosphere.
Yas Marina
About as dull as watching someone else play a computer game where no one cares.
cm (@cm-cm)
1st May 2017, 19:55
I have never seen someone with so much negativity, why do you even watch if you feel that way?
ECWDanSelby (@ecwdanselby)
1st May 2017, 21:24
May I suggest a different sport?
Michael
2nd May 2017, 11:29
you can never satisfy everyone.
Fukobayashi (@)
2nd May 2017, 12:21
Why would you take 10-15 minutes out of your life to write a short essay on something you dislike so much? Make better use of your time my friend.
GT Racer (@gt-racer)
1st May 2017, 14:36
Grouping races together by region is a nice idea but something that is not as possible as it seems as one of the things that determines where a race is on the calender is actually based on the weather & trying to be there when the country usually has the best weather.
No point moving the Japanese Gp to earlier in the year when it’s in the middle of it’s monsoon/rainy season. Can’t move Montreal to later because of how harsh it’s winter weather can be, Moving the USGP earlier in the year when the temperature in Texas can be unbearable.
Look at what happened when the British Gp was moved to April in 2000, April showers as I believe you Brit’s call it. That race is usually held in July because its when you usually get the best of your summer weather & the same is true with races elsewhere.
Jere (@jerejj)
1st May 2017, 17:19
@gt-racer ”No point moving the Japanese Gp to earlier in the year when it’s in the middle of it’s monsoon/rainy season.” – The climates of Shanghai and Suzuka are pretty similar to each other, and the Chinese GP has been run in April since 2009, so having the Japanese GP at this time of year could work as well, but I’d rather group China with Singapore and Japan, ie., move China back to its original late September slot as the probability of the ambient temperatures being unfavourably low for F1 is slimmer than in April (this year the highest ambient temperature on race day was only 13 degrees Celcius and also in 2014 only around 15 despite the race being run later in the month).
Robbie (@robbie)
1st May 2017, 18:20
@gt-racer Agreed. As I live in Canada the first thought I had on this was the fall weather in Montreal which can certainly be beautiful and sunny and warm or it can be chilly and rainy and miserable. The deeper it gets past September and into October, the more dicey the weather can be.
Bleu (@bleu)
1st May 2017, 15:09
I also think that most of the stuff returns to the factory between races, along with all the people. For example in 2012 and 2013 we had Asian leg of five races: Singapore, Japan, Korea, India and Abu Dhabi in a row. Japan and Korea were back-to-back races, as well as India and Abu Dhabi.
So I think logistics went like this during that period.
Factory -> Singapore -> Factory -> Japan -> Korea -> Factory -> India -> Abu Dhabi -> Factory
Billys (@bilarxos)
1st May 2017, 15:45
Today is the anniversary of Ayrton’s Senna fatal accident as well!
Rick Lopez (@viscountviktor)
1st May 2017, 21:21
Oh FFS well at least the paddock’s nice, eh Jean? Who cares about the racing!