Indholdsfortegnelse for October 2020 i AUTOSPORT

I watched Monza qualifying with a friend of mine, who is a casual fan of Formula 1 and MotoGP. While Lewis Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas were smashing their ‘opposition’ to pieces, despite no ‘party’ engine modes, my friend began debating with me the influence of the rider in MotoGP versus the importance of the driver in F1. My contention was that people consistently underestimate the impact the driver has in F1, because the cars are so complicated, but yet it’s still apparent that drivers with similar machinery often achieve wildly differing levels of performance. The events of Monza’s race showed how drivers can still make the difference. Hamilton dropped way off the back after a stop-go penalty, but finished less than 11 seconds behind Bottas, who struggled to fifth after…

01 WILLIAMS FAMILY CASHES OUT F1’s last original team owner sells to investors 02 RACING POINT SAVIOUR DITCHED Pérez out as team recruits Vettel for ’21 03 NEW F1 ENTRANTS MUST PAY $200MILLION 01 NEW DAWN FOR WILLIAMS AS TEAM IS SOLD “THE WRITING HAS BEEN ON THE WALL SINCE 2017, WHEN IT UNDERTOOK A FRESH ROUND OF REFINANCING” Sir Frank Williams has been a fixture in Formula 1 since 1969, and the team that bears his name remains the second most successful of all time in terms of constructors’ championships won. The name will remain but the Williams family has taken its leave, stepping away from management duties after selling the team to Dorilton Capital, an investment fund acting on behalf of a high-net-worth European family. While Sir Frank…

HOW DO YOU DEFINE A CONSTRUCTOR? Formula 1 is unique in many ways, but perhaps none more so now than the fact all its competitors are also constructors. It is unfortunate for engineering creativity that there is no other professional single-seater, open-cockpit, series that does not use standard chassis, but equally with this distinction present it is imperative that an F1 car remains the ultimate racing machine. There have been many interpretations of this throughout F1’s history, and in the 1970s it came to a head as the ‘grandee’ constructors held the ‘garagistes’ in contempt. Enzo Ferrari was the definitive constructor and felt the trend of buying a DFV engine from Cosworth and standard gearbox from Hewland and assembling them to a uniquely designed chassis was diluting the expertise he…

RED BULL RACING Set up separate company (Red Bull Technology) in 2006 to design and build largely identical cars for it and its junior team Scuderia Toro Rosso (now renamed AlphaTauri), and persisted in the face of legal challenges from other teams until 2010, when the rules were changed. Has been generally in favour of customer cars and did not lodge an appeal against the FIA’s finding in the Racing Point affair – but did demand “clarification” of the listed parts rules. SCUDERIA ALPHATAURI Red Bull’s junior team and client of Red Bull Technology from 2006-2010, after which it was forced by new regulations to design and build its own car, though it continued to buy gearboxes from RBT (which was permitted). Switched design philosophy from 2019 car onwards to…

The death of Formula 1’s most compelling performer on a bleak weekend at Imola overshadowed practically everything else that happened in grand prix racing during the 1990s. Ayrton Senna’s appeal transcended nationality, reaching multitudes otherwise indifferent to motor racing, and the mystery of his fatal accident attracted worldwide attention. The removal of the Brazilian’s body from the wrecked Williams FW16 was supervised by Sid Watkins, F1’s safety and medical delegate. Sixteen years earlier, Watkins had been the head of neurosurgery at the London Hospital when Bernie Ecclestone offered him a job through which attitudes to driver safety would be transformed. The unnecessary death of Ronnie Peterson following a first-lap crash at Monza in Watkins’ first year accelerated the creation of new protocols that ensured expert medical treatment could arrive at…

THE ITALIAN GP IN 3 KEY MOMENTS 1 Gasly maxes out as Mercedes implodes The jury remains out on the effects of the FIA’s clampdown on special qualifying engine modes after a madcap Italian Grand Prix, but one thing is certain: Pierre Gasly ran out the victor on merit after seizing the initiative when the usually dominant Mercedes team fluffed it. Starting in 10th, Gasly could hardly have expected to feature in the fight up front, but the circumstances surrounding the double-whammy of a mid-race Safety Car period followed by a red flag – for separate incidents – conspired to turn the race on its head. After qualifying, during which Lewis Hamilton annexed pole position with the fastest lap of all time, it appeared the law of unintended consequences was…

PÉREZ LOSES OUT TO VETTEL’S TROPHY CABINET For all its plucky underdog stylings, the team that started out as Jordan has always had a mercenary edge. As a driver, even if you brought a suitcase full of cash you lived in fear of that credit one day running out, and someone else arriving at the factory gates bearing a vessel suitably stuffed with filthy lucre. With that in mind it wasn’t too surprising that Racing Point should toss Sergio Pérez under the bus one year into a three-year contract, even though he brings budget and Sebastian Vettel undoubtedly won’t. Though Vettel’s stock has fallen somewhat in recent years, he retains a star quality and brings a sprinkling of magic Pérez cannot match. ‘Stock’ is the name of the game here.…

ANDREW BENSON Why Max Verstappen's miracles aren't likely to bring him the title he so craves, is the focus of BBC Sport's chief F1 writer (p36) RICHARD WILLIAMS Richard's illuminating feature on the 70 most influential people in 70 years of Formula 1 has reached the 1990s (p56) ALEX KALINAUCKAS Alex analyses why the relationship between a Formula 1 driver and his race engineer is so crucial to success (p32) STUART CODLING 'Codders' aims his keyboard at the thorny question of customer cars (p50), and also has a chat with McLaren's Lando Norris (p44)…

Q1 How many world championship F1 races did Chris Amon lead: seven, 12 or 14? Q2 Who is the only driver to have won the Turkish Grand Prix more than once? Q3 How many times has Kimi Räikkönen finished second in the world championship? Q4 When was the last Portuguese Grand Prix and who won it? Q5 In which race did Sebastian Vettel acheive his final victory with Red Bull? Q6 Who won more races driving for Williams: Ralf Schumacher or Keke Rosberg? Q7 Derek Warwick finished second twice in his F1 career, in Belgium and Britain in 1984, but he also led two other races. Which were they? Q8 Which three teams did Anthony Davidson start at least one world championship F1 race for? Q9 Indianapolis, Silverstone, Spa, Monza…

Late 2009, and a call came into Cosworth from Frank Williams’ PA asking if I could attend a meeting. She added that this would be, “today, at 12pm,” before continuing, “and Sir Frank will be coming to your offices. He would like to have a look around the factory and then have a meeting. Lunch won’t be required.” Gulp. In the two hours that followed floors were swept, benches cleared and socks pulled up in time for one of Formula 1’s greatest team owners to receive a tour. Winner of 113 grands prix (this was pre-Pastor Maldonado of course), seven drivers’ and nine constructors’ titles, and the man who tackled tetraplegia with a determination which made the challenge of Formula 1 appear utterly inconsequential, was in quiet, polite, slightly terrifying…

SIX MONTHS AGO – IN WHAT NOW SEEMS LIKE A DIFFERENT WORLD, ALMOST A DIFFERENT HEADQUARTERS IN LONDON’S COVENT GARDEN AND TALKED UP THEIR CHANCES FOR THE NEW SEASON. Horner described Red Bull being “in a position to challenge Mercedes”; Verstappen said: “We really want to mount a challenge to Mercedes and I think we can do that.” Now, in a championship and world turned upside down by coronavirus, Red Bull’s prospects look very different. There had been eight grands prix this year at the time of writing, after the Italian Grand Prix. Mercedes had won six of them, Lewis Hamilton five. Leaving aside Monza – madcap and influenced by Safety Car and red flag and won by Pierre Gasly for Red Bull’s junior team – Verstappen had been the…

FERRARI One of F1’s most powerful voices thanks to its heritage. Regularly changes tack in approach to customer cars: its supplier relationship with Haas, using the listed parts rules, has provoked controversy, including unsubstantiated claims that it was using Haas time in its windtunnel for its own purposes. During the COVID-19 crisis it proposed F1 permit customer cars in similar fashion to MotoGP. But it also lodged appeal against the FIA’s finding in the Racing Point case, which it later withdrew. ALFA ROMEO The team formerly known as Sauber now enjoys closer ties with Ferrari due to a marketing tie-up with Alfa Romeo, part of the wider Fiat empire. But its value as an entity is based on its technological know-how. Its drivers are Ferrari-affiliated, it has a Ferrari powertrain,…

Independence is a wonderful thing. To control your own destiny and enjoy the freedom that comes with self-sufficiency – it’s a blessing to be your own master. But in F1, independence can also mean weakness: ‘indie’ teams lack the cushion of manufacturer support and tend to pay for everything themselves (or at least through sponsors, if they can find them), including the biggest outlay: engines. Such teams tend to lack power – both metaphorically and literally – to compete at the sharp end, on the track and in boardrooms. It’s an unequal struggle, a tough, on-the-edge existence. In F1, sometimes independent freedom isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. Frank Williams understands the indie life because it’s all he’s really known. Even when blessed with manufacturer engine power, from Honda…

The chaotic start to the 1984 European GP. This was the first F1 race at the Nürburgring – albeit on the new short circuit – since the 1976 German GP in which Niki Lauda nearly lost his life. Lauda, who had come out of retirement in 1982, finished fourth The Nürburg, which stands within the confines of the famous Nordschleife or North Loop circuit, is a ruined hilltop castle dating back to the 14th and 15th centuries. The castle dominates the skyline but would have been of no interest to Tony Brise (Hill) as he was chased by the Ferrari of Clay Regazzoni in the 1975 German GP The unmistakable Juan Manuel Fangio during the 1957 German GP. Fangio led but then had a disastrous pitstop which left him three-quarters…

Alpha Tauri’s sunny afternoon Ordinarily there would be a genuine bunfight among the photographers and TV cameramen to get this shot. But circumstances are different at the moment: there are only eight photographers in the pits at rush hour, and this was pretty late in the day. By the time Pierre Gasly came back from his various post-race duties it was quiet in the pitlane, with the exception of the AlphaTauri garage. It’s been 12 years since this team last won a race and the joy was palpable. I just happened to be in the pitlane because we shoot on behalf of both Racing Point and Honda, so I got in there – from an appropriate social distance! Where Monza, Italy When 6.47pm, Sunday 6 September 2020 Details Canon EOS-1DX…

PANDEMIC F1 IS TAKING A HUGE TOLL ON PEOPLE Triplets are exhausting, and Formula 1 has nurtured a bunch of them this year. Three weekends in a row create a huge demand; back in 2018 there was a backlash against the first triple-header organised by Liberty, and a hope that it wouldn’t happen again. Coronavirus reactivated the plan – an entirely logical decision, yet the consequences are still to be fully felt. According to insiders, even the first sequence of three revealed some tricky moments. Martin Poole is Human Performance Coach at Racing Point and saw the strains developing as early as the initial run of two races in Austria followed by the trip to Budapest. “Even by Hungary it was tough,” Poole says. “For our crew, I think it…

GP Racing: How long has your company been working in Formula 1 and what does it provide? Luca de Angelis: EM Motorsport has been involved since 2006, which is when we started delivering the marshalling system. It’s a constantly evolving project, like F1 itself – every year there’s new technology. It’s basically a system in several parts. One of those is the onboard part, which is the telemetry communication between the cars and race control – that’s safety and condition information rather than performance data – and the GPS system which reports the position of the car on track. Then there are the panels: we have flag panels installed around the circuit, which are used for displaying slides and information to the drivers, and we also have what we call…

When Lewis Hamilton essayed his maiden grand prix at the age of 22 there were those who thought him awfully young for an F1 driver. Now, after a succession of teens launching into the category via the fast track of manufacturer development programmes, a debutant of that age would be deemed something of a late bloomer. Not that it would have mattered particularly, except that the latest generation of drivers have grown up with social media and are accustomed to sharing facets of their lives which would previously have been off-limits. We know enough about many of them to make future biographers redundant. And yet – what are we actually seeing through this newly opened window? Often it’s just… boys being boys. Inevitably, then, there are those who opine that…

MERCEDES Formula 1’s performance powerhouse since 2014. Spent over £333m in the course of winning both F1 titles last year and yet still made a profit. Has supplied powertrains to Racing Point since 2009 and Williams since 2014, plus suspension components and brakes to Racing Point under listed parts regulations. Publicly remains agnostic on the customer-car issue and the closeness of its relationship to Racing Point is under scrutiny. WILLIAMS Family-run team affected financially by years of diminishing return on track and now sold to outside investors. Has long been determined to build as much of its car as possible. Strongly opposed to the customer-car concept while still politically affiliated with Mercedes (it runs Mercedes junior driver George Russell in exchange for discounted engine supply, and Merc team principal Toto…

MCLAREN Founded in 1963 as a race car constructor for customers, with its own racing team. Later evolved into independent brand with its own high-performance road car division, as well as an Applied Technologies business which relies on the perception that Formula 1 is the cutting edge of racing science and innovation, offering the potential for technology transfer. As such it is implacably opposed to the idea of customer cars. RENAULT Has stepped in and out of F1 since 1977 to showcase its engineering innovation, generally in the powertrain department. Originally entered with its own racing division, latterly it has bought an existing F1 constructor (‘Team Enstone’, which has operated as Toleman, Benetton and Lotus as well as Renault). This involved a large capital expense which requires a business justification.…

IT WAS IN JUNE 1993 – TWO DAYS AFTER...  the Canadian Grand Prix – that a heart attack claimed James Hunt. He hadn’t been in Montréal, instead doing the BBC commentary with Murray Walker from London. I got back on the Tuesday morning, and towards lunchtime had a call from Autosport, informing me of the news, and requesting I write an obituary forthwith. It was not until the next day that I got around to my answering machine, and the last message stunned me: “Nigel, J. Hunt calling. Six twenty-five, Monday evening. Just calling for a gossip. If you’re back tonight, give me a shout – failing that, tomorrow perhaps. Bye...” Having covered F1 through the 1970s, I’d grown sadly accustomed to losing friends, but Hunt didn’t die violently, and…

RUSSIAN GP 25-27 September 2020 Sochi Autodrom THE MAIN EVENT Smooth of surface, flat of kerb and long of straight, the street circuit around the site of the 2014 Winter Olympics is something of an outlier in Formula 1 terms since it tends not to be hard on tyres or damaging to machinery. Its low-degradation nature has tended to make for one-stop races in the past, which is why Pirelli is bringing compounds from the softer ends of its spectrum. Though it’s not famed for creating great racing, Sochi Autodrom is not without its hazards; the combination of very fast corners with walls in close proximity means collisions often have alarming consequences. It’s also unusual in that very few grands prix here have been won from pole position, owing to…