And this is why I am fedup with F1, I honestly think it is a dying sport and in the next few years it will fade away thanks to Bernie and the FIA
Too Many Penalties Spoil The Broth – Austrian GP Preview
Thomas Maher June 18, 2015
It’s not yet even practice day in Austria, and already the grid is set to be another mixed up affair as McLaren & Red Bull appear to be taking penalties. There’s a very interesting chart doing the rounds at the moment, courtesy of the FIA. On this particular chart, there’s a particularly striking figure that shows the relative state of play between the engine manufacturers at the moment. Closing in on the halfway point of this season, Sergio Perez has finally said “Auf Wiedersehen†to the engine that he has used since the very start of the year when he lined up in Australia. Astonishing really, when you consider the near-constant penalties that are now starting to hit the Renault & Honda powered drivers.
Both Jenson Button & Fernando Alonso needed engine components changed in Canada, with Alonso moving onto his final power unit. While Fernando escaped penalty due to still being within his season’s allowance, Jenson wasn’t so fortunate. It’s more of the same this weekend, with Fernando looking to take a penalty for more power unit component changes. While possibly not necessary, Jenson Button has hinted that he will also take a penalty by changing parts. Why take a deliberate penalty? It’s simply due to the fact that McLaren believe Austria will not suit their package, and are essentially writing off the weekend as a test session. All going to plan, this would theoretically mean that they wouldn’t have to take a penalty at a later round that they are less ill-suited for. An overly complicated mess, and unless Honda suddenly find incredible Mercedes-esque reliability, more penalties await for the beleaguered Woking squad.
Similarly, Red Bull & Toro Rosso are just as affected. Max Verstappen is already on his 5th engine of the year, with Daniel Ricciardo & Daniil Kvyat are on their final ICEs. Carlos Sainz is the only Renault powered driver that isn’t sitting on the verge of grid penalties as it stands, scant consolation for Very-Chatillon. A tactical decision is expected to be made by Red Bull on Thursday night on whether to trigger automatic penalties, for similar reasons to McLaren. A disastrous home race at their eponymous circuit last season looks set to be eclipsed completely by the weekend in store for RBR, and it couldn’t have come at a more uncomfortable time for the team’s owner Dietrich Mateschitz. He, as well as members of upper management at the team, have been vocally critical of the current rules regarding engine homologation – homologation rules that prevent a lagging manufacturer from making significant change in any sort of competitively beneficial timespan.
“There is no driver and no chassis which is able to compensate for this lack of horsepower. What else has to happen that we will lose our motivation completely?†he said to Motorsport.com today. “I cannot predict now what will happen it two or three years, who will go out of Formula 1 or will come in. I don’t know if we will have our teams still. In F1, it’s better not to make any predictions.†– hardly words that give confidence of Red Bull’s commitment to what they feel is no longer providing a good return on investment.
No such problems for Mercedes or their customers though, none of which have even moved onto their third engines of the year. Austria’s high speed opening half of the lap will reward significant grunt, and the scarcely slower closing half will reward those who can keep their feet planted for as long as possible through the quick sweeps of Rauch, Wurth & Rindt. With both Williams capably taking on the two Ferraris in Canada, there’s little reason to think that Williams’ form from last year in Austria will be considerably weaker – especially with scheduled upgrades being made to the FW37 this weekend; updates that the Williams squad have been quite bullish about.
The real question mark this weekend will be about how competitive Ferrari are capable of being. A look to last year’s race is unrepresentative based on how much they improved their power unit from then, and Sebastian Vettel has sought to play down any expectations going into this race. He was the only man who showed comparable race pace to the Mercedes men in Canada, so it remains to be seen whether Ferrari’s Canadian upgrades have brought the SF-15T any closer to the W06. Ferrari’s car may be the most consistent challenger to Mercedes, but the Italian squad will have a very tough time seeing off Williams at this particular venue.
It will be interesting to see how Nico Hulkenberg fares this weekend. While no driver consciously would make less of an effort, Hulkenberg’s recent form has been sporadic as his F1 future dimmed along with his team’s competitiveness. With the Le Mans winner suddenly thrown back into the spotlight, Nico is re-energised after his first win (or podium) in several years; a nice shot in the arm for anyone. Racing error with Vettel aside, Hulkenberg easily had the measure of Sergio Perez in Canada after a lacklustre Monaco weekend – it wouldn’t be altogether surprising to see him blitz the Mexican driver while riding the wave of confidence he will be on.
Expect the top ten to be 80% made up of Mercedes powered cars, with the two Ferraris in there for a little bit of variety.
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(Sorry I have no respect for him as a person, as a driver he can be good when it all goes his way.) I feel incredibly sorry for Rosberg tho, his season is over thanks to what happened today, the team orders will be let lewis thru no matter what. Considering what they are paying Lewis to stay with them for the next three years.
