Normally when the leader of a Grand Prix has a problem on the power unit that costs him 160hp, over two seconds a lap of pure performance, the pursuing drivers will find a way past. Had Daniel Ricciardo’s problem occurred anywhere other than Monaco, they would have done. And had it occurred before the only round of pit stops in the race, then he might have been vulnerable to a strategy move, like an undercut, from Sebastian Vettel or Lewis Hamilton. But Ricciardo had made his only stop of the afternoon before his MGU-K failed. Although he had to play with the controls of the car, shifting the brake bias forward, for example, to help the rear brake temperatures, his car’s gentler treatment of the softest tyres in the Pirelli range was superior to Ferrari and Mercedes. And that proved to be enough to keep him in position on this most difficult of tracks on which to overtake. Because it’s Monaco; track position is everything, as Lewis Hamilton learned to his cost in 2015 … [Read more...] about Strategy Report: Why Ricciardo’s pursuers played it ‘ultra’ safe
Land rover defenders
How sportscar ace Habsburg is speeding to save trees in 2021
Racing is something I’ve been doing intensely for the past 12 years since I started karting when I was 11. In that period of my life, I had school that I had to complete until I was 17, and then after that I was just fully focusing on racing all the way. This year, I’ve moved from the DTM into LMP2, and will be racing in the European Le Mans Series with Algarve Pro Racing alongside Richard Bradley and Diego Menchaca, and in the FIA World Endurance Championship with WRT alongside Robin Frijns and Charles Milesi. That’s really exciting, but I’ve also noticed in my personality that sometimes I need a change of scenery to keep my mind clear. And I noticed that I benefit from having other hobbies beyond racing, and that the trend with me is for them to be quite orientated around nature, like surfing, mountain climbing, mountain biking or hiking. Now that I’m racing everywhere, I’ve also noticed the waste that we produce and leave behind. I’m a big fan of racing, and what drives … [Read more...] about How sportscar ace Habsburg is speeding to save trees in 2021