Saluting the classic tracks
ALL BETS OFF AS FERRARI FINDS NEW PACE BEFORE HOME RACE Battle between Ocon and Perez is becoming a serious headache for Force India.
Being one of the older generation I love F1 races held at iconic, historical tracks. Thus, last weekend was for me the highlight of the 2017 season thus far.
The Spa Francorchamps circuit with its tight bends, long straights and sweeping curves allows average speeds of over 240km/h, and this year we saw the overall lap record broken on several occasions.
Victory for Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton moves him to within seven points of his main rival and second place finisher, Ferrari’s Sebastien Vettel, followed home by the man with the biggest smile in the sport, Red Bull’s Daniel Ricciardo.
I really felt for Kimi Raikkonen on Sunday.
He was issued with a 10 second stop/go penalty for failing to slow down under double waved yellow flags, following Max Verstappen’s Red Bull Tag Heuer engine failure.
The Dutchman was obviously bitterly disappointed with his sixth DNF of the season, but had the presence of mind to pull well off the track next to an exit point.
Why the stewards thought this required a double yellow warning will remain a mystery, but it seemed over cautious to me and was certainly not well received by the Finn.
Force India certainly have their hands full as the battle between drivers Sergio Perez and Esteban Ocon continues to cost the team valuable points.
From the start it was obvious that no mercy would be shown as Perez forced Ocon into the wall.
How Ocon managed to hang onto the car, avoid serious damage and hold his position was amazing, but their later confrontation was ridiculous.
The Mexican apparently apologized to his team-mate after the first lap contact but feels that the young Frenchman was a bit optimistic in his next overtaking attempt and once again it resulted in tears. Ocon lost his front wing while Perez punctured his right rear tyre which ultimately departed from the rim as he headed for the pits.
The incident resulted in a safety car deployment while the debris was cleared from the track.
Team Principal Vijay Mallya was not amused. “I have been very happy with our overall performance during the 2017 season with both drivers scoring points for the team and racing freely.
“However, as much as I support competitive racing, the repeated incidents between our cars are concerning. Under these circumstances I must implement team orders in the interest of safety and to protect our position in the Constructor’s championship.”
The safety car did not please Hamilton, who was leading Vettel by two seconds prior to its appearance.
He complained that it was not driving fast enough and said it was a “BS call from the stewards.”
After the race he said it was deployed in the same way that Nascar use the pace car to bunch the field and create a better race.
An interesting theory and one which I sincerely hope will never become a real part of F1.
The driver line up for next season is almost complete, after Sebastien Vettel’s three year Ferrari contract and Raikkonen signing for another year. Hamilton is contracted with Mercedes while his team-mate Valtteri Bottas has still to sign, although that should be settled in a week or two.
Red Bull stays with both its current drivers as does Haas, Force India have signed Ocon but Perez is still to be confirmed. Williams will hold Lance Stroll with Massa’s seat still unconfirmed.
McLaren have contracted Belgian Stoffel Vandoorne but Alonso is in serious doubt as the Spaniard is openly angered by the Honda engines frailties. Toro Rosso has yet to sign either Kvyat or Sainz.
Renault have confirmed Hulkenberg but no second seat, while rumours regarding a return by Robert Kubica still abound. Finally Sauber have yet to announce the team’s line up for next year.
This weekend I will be smiling again as round 13 of the 2017 F1 Championship visits the home base of the Ferrari tifosi, that passionate group of Italian fans that live for the sport.
The Autodromo Nazionale Monza has not seen a Ferrari win since Fernando Alonso’s victory back in 2010. It, like Spa, is a power circuit and is well suited to Mercedes, but with Ferrari’s new found pace and a Red Bull always there I am not putting money on the outcome.