Lewis hamilton mercedes 2013

Lewis Hamilton wants to see Formula 1 stick around in Barcelona, as Madrid has been linked with a possible Grand Prix. Hamilton has stood up for the future of racing at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, as Madrid has been linked as a possible venue for a future Grand Prix. Madrid is currently playing host to the F1 Exhibition, with the Ifema venue acting as a central hub for a potential street circuit around the Spanish city. While Barcelona holds a contract with F1 through until 2026, its future appeared shaky in recent years despite its longevity on the calendar. The Circuit de Catalunya was first used in Formula 1 in 1991, and has become a key testing venue as well as hosting its annual Grand Prix. Lewis Hamilton is eager to see Formula 1 stay around in Barcelona, citing it as a ‘classic circuit’. When asked about the possibility of Madrid replacing Barcelona, Hamilton poked fun at the last Spanish city to be introduced to the calendar. “As long as it’s not like … [Read more...] about Lewis Hamilton reveals controversial take on an unloved F1 circuit

Mercedes trackside engineering director Andrew Shovlin has explained the “miscommunication” that caused George Russell and Lewis Hamilton to make contact in qualifying in Barcelona at the weekend. Now the dust has settled on the weekend, the team have analysed what happened between their two drivers when Russell appeared to move across on Hamilton on the pit straight as they both started flying laps. The Mercedes duo made contact, with Hamilton stating Russell’s move across track was “really dangerous” – and Russell and Mercedes were duly given a formal warning by the FIA after the 25-year-old claimed he was not told Hamilton was approaching behind. With both drivers starting a flying lap at the same time and Hamilton closing up on Russell at a rate of knots, Shovlin revealed that both Mercedes drivers had used the same person, Carlos Sainz, as a reference point to try and gain a tow in order to start their fast lap in Q2. This led to the confusion that caused them both to be … [Read more...] about Mercedes reveal true cause behind Hamilton-Russell Barcelona contact

Now seemingly on the right path with their car’s development, Damon Hill has told Mercedes to do “really badly” for the rest of this season in order to gain extra ATR [aerodynamic testing restrictions] allowance for 2024. After much speculation, Mercedes arrived at round six of this year’s championship with a B-spec W14, one that no longer featured zero-pods but instead had bulk on the sides for the first time in F1’s new ground effect aerodynamic era. Already the changes, which it must be noted also included a new floor and front suspension, are paying off with the team securing a double podium at the Spanish Grand Prix where Lewis Hamilton was second to George Russell’s P3. The result created cause for optimism, Mercedes now dreaming of closing the gap to Red Bull and becoming the team that ends their winning streak. But even if they win a race, or four, the championship trophies are all but Red Bull’s as, barring disaster, they hold a 135-point advantage in the … [Read more...] about Damon Hill’s ‘absolutely stupid policy and strategy’ to assist Mercedes in 2024

Toto Wolff is reportedly “not convinced” Mercedes’ new sidepod concept is better than the zero-pod design but the team changed it anyway, says F1 journalist Christian Menath. Having run a zero-pod design, dubbed that because of the lack of bulk to the sidepods, Mercedes won just one race in 28 in F1’s new ground effect aerodynamic era. But while the team stayed true to their philosophy even after last season’s disappointment, team boss Wolff conceded at the season-opening Bahrain Grand Prix that the team would probably not win a race without radical changes. Those changes included axing the zero-pods, although that wasn’t the only new part on the W14 at the Monaco Grand Prix with the team also introducing a new front suspension and floor. It’s the latter that from Motorsport-Magazin’s Menath believes it the key to Mercedes’ upturn in form. “What is a concept? You’ve heard that question from the Mercedes engineers quite a lot,” he said on the F1 Nation podcast. “They now have … [Read more...] about ‘Toto Wolff still not convinced the new Mercedes sidepod concept is the better one’

Wanting more from Aston Martin after falling behind Mercedes in Spain, Aston Martin team boss Mike Krack has confirmed that “something is coming” for the Canadian Grand Prix. Off the podium at his home race in Barcelona, Alonso wasn’t dejected by the result but instead determinedly said that “it will not happen again” and that Spain was Aston Martin’s “last race without podiums”. But with Mercedes having taken a notable step forward with the introduction of their B-spec W14, Alonso is facing tight competition for that final spot on the podium. In Spain it went to Mercedes where Lewis Hamilton and George Russell capitalised on an off-weekend for Sergio Perez to finish 2-3 behind race winner Max Verstappen. Alonso has made it clear he not only wants that to be a one-off but he wants to be fighting Verstappen for the race wins, and soon. “I think that in two weeks we will see a completely different picture and, hopefully, we will fight with the Red Bulls soon,” he said. “In … [Read more...] about Aston Martin tease ‘something is coming’ to rival Mercedes upgrades

Sebastian Vettel made amends for his last-lap defeat at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve two years ago and bolstered his championship lead with his third victory of 2013. Advert | Become a Supporter & go ad-free It wasn’t a flawless performance from Vettel – he brushed the wall on the way and ran wide at the first corner. But if he occasionally looked like throwing victory away no one ever looked like taking it off him. Vettel streaks away as Bottas goes backwards The same two drivers shared the front row as last year: Vettel ahead of Lewis Hamilton . But the opening laps were strikingly different: far from keeping Vettel in his sights, Hamilton could only look on as the Red Bull drove away in the opening laps. Behind them Valtteri Bottas fought hard to hold onto his hard-won third place from qualifying but his car was clearly unequal to the struggle. Nico Rosberg passed him off the line and Mark Webber got past in the opening corners. Bottas defended firmly … [Read more...] about 2013 Canadian GP review: Vettel makes amends for 2011 – F1 Fanatic

Mercedes have shed further light on the bizarre collision between its two drivers which occured during qualifying for the Spanish Grand Prix. Advert | Become a Supporter & go ad-free George Russell was given a formal warning by the stewards after making contact with his team mate Lewis Hamilton on the pit straight. The pair were overtaking Carlos Sainz Jnr’s Ferrari at the time. The team’s head of trackside engineering Andrew Shovlin said the incident occured because both drivers were trying to use Sainz’s car to get a slipstream to improve their lap times. “The drivers were trying to find a car finishing a lap in order to get a slingshot starting the lap themselves,” said Shovlin in a video released by the team . “So that will give them more straight-line speed. “You can find around a tenth, maybe a little bit more on the straight. That car that was finishing then peels in and they can then conduct the rest of the lap in clear air.” However the two … [Read more...] about Hamilton and Russell were seeking tow from Sainz when they collided – Mercedes · RaceFans

The official Mercedes reserve was drafted in for the second day of testing for Pirelli at Barcelona on Wednesday, as work continues evaluating tyres that are not heated by blankets. The run was the first opportunity that Schumacher has had to drive the W14 since he joined the German manufacturer, and he duly completed 152 laps over the course of the day. Having already earned big praise from Lewis Hamilton and George Russell for his simulator input over last weekend’s Spanish Grand Prix weekend, Schumacher thinks that he can step things up even more now he understands how the Mercedes car is in real life. "This experience will definitely benefit me in my role,” explained Schumacher. “I have a better understanding of what to look out for and what to work on. I also have a better understanding of all the procedures and how the team works trackside. That would be a key factor in case I ever have to jump in and race.” Schumacher worked late into the night last Friday … [Read more...] about Schumacher: Mercedes F1 test run will help me be even better in sim

Drivers’ championship Position Driver Points 1 Sebastian Vettel 132 2 Fernando Alonso 96 3 Kimi Raikkonen 88 4 Lewis Hamilton 77 5 Mark Webber 69 6 Nico Rosberg 57 7 Felipe Massa 49 8 Paul di Resta 34 9 Romain Grosjean 26 10 Jenson Button 25 11 Adrian Sutil 17 12 Jean-Eric Vergne 13 13 Sergio Perez 12 14 Daniel Ricciardo 7 15 Nico Hulkenberg 5 16 Esteban Gutierrez 0 17 Valtteri Bottas 0 18 Pastor Maldonado 0 19 Jules Bianchi 0 20 Charles Pic 0 21 Max Chilton 0 22 Giedo van der Garde 0 Constructors’ championship Position Team Points 1 Red Bull 201 2 Ferrari 145 3 Mercedes 134 4 Lotus 114 5 Force India 51 6 McLaren 37 7 Toro Rosso 20 8 Sauber 5 9 … [Read more...] about 2013 Canadian Grand Prix championship points · RaceFans