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Showing posts from August, 2017

Motorsport Debrief: 'Parkgate' exposes Alonso and Honda tensions

Hi, this is Motorsport.com’s Global Editor-in-Chief Charles Bradley and I hope you’re feeling fine. Let’s take a high-speed look around the F1 world.Honda: Alonso's Spa engine ready to be used againFernando Alonso's Belgian GP Formula 1 engine is ready for use again after Honda completed its checks following his retirement, despite him parking it at Spa.Alonso pulled out last ... Keep reading
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What Vettel's long-term deal means for the F1 driver market

The news that Sebastian Vettel chose to re-sign for Ferrari was not a surprise. But the fact it was for three years, tying him to Ferrari until the end of 2020, certainly was.Come the end of 2018, both Mercedes seats are potentially on offer, with Lewis Hamilton's deal having just one year remaining and the team yet to confirm who will be alongside him next year. Daniel Ricciardo's ... Keep reading
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Italian GP: Thursday's press conference

Part 1PRESS CONFERENCEQ: Sebastian, let’s start with you. There seems to have been a real bounce. If you can fight with Mercedes, especially at Spa, then you can fight them anywhere. Has the success of the updates you brought to Hungary and Spa given you clear belief as far as the Championship is concerned?Sebastian VETTEL: No. It wasn’t necessary. I think there was always belief ... Keep reading
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Alonso "surprised" by claims he parked healthy car

Conspiracy theories surfaced after the Spa event about the real reason for Alonso retiring from the race, with Honda having been clear that nothing was wrong.The talk was further fuelled by the fact that Alonso had asked shortly before he stopped whether or not there was a chance of rain, to which his team replied no.Asked ahead of the Italian GP about the idea he had given up in the ... Keep reading
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Ricciardo expecting grid penalty at Monza

Red Bull has already predicted that Ricciardo's teammate Max Verstappen would receive a grid demotion at Monza as a consequence of his Spa engine failure last week.Both Ricciardo and Verstappen are on their fourth internal combustion engines of the season, meaning the next change will trigger a grid penalty. Ricciardo is also on his fourth turbocharger.Ricciardo said he would "most ... Keep reading
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Hamilton: No doubts about new Mercedes contract

Hamilton is already signed up for next season, and with Sebastian Vettel having recently signed to stay with Ferrari until 2020, Lewis could agree to a similar term – although he says that the German's deal has not impacted his own decision."I'm made aware of who contacts the team, and that's down to a great relationship that I have with Toto," Hamilton said ahead of the Italian ... Keep reading
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Vettel insists Ferrari has not used team orders in 2017

There have been occasions this year when Ferrari's strategy appeared to benefit championship leader Vettel, and in Hungary the German stayed ahead of his teammate despite having steering problems and being much slower than the Finn.Vettel said the suggestions that Raikkonen was not pushing him hard were surprising."I am a bit surprised by the way things are put," said the German. "I ... Keep reading
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Ocon, Perez admit they let Force India down

The duo's collision in the Belgian GP has prompted Force India to impose team orders on the pair to stop them battling each other in the future, with further threats hanging over them if they clash again.Perez and Ocon cleared the air at Monza on Thursday with private talks at the Force India motorhome and then further discussions during a cycle ride of the track.Following the chat ... Keep reading
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Drivers risk looking like "idiots" with Monza slipstreaming - Sainz

The combination of long straights, plus the high drag from Formula 1's 2017 cars, means there could be competitive gains to be made if teammates can help each other with a tow in qualifying.That was what McLaren tried to do in Belgium last weekend, when Stoffel Vandoorne assisted Fernando Alonso in the team's attempts to get through to Q3.But despite the fact a few extra tenths of ... Keep reading
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Wolff "protecting" Bottas with no team orders - Villeneuve

The Canadian reckons Bottas is not on the same level as Hamilton and that Mercedes should have already started using team orders to boost the Briton's chances in the championship.Bottas is currently 34 points behind Hamilton in the standings with eight races remaining, the three-time world champion trailing Ferrari's Sebastian Vettel by seven points.Ferrari already appears to be ... Keep reading
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Lowe’s qualifying shock after Williams switch

Lowe returned to Williams, the team that launched his Formula 1 career in the late 1980s, at the beginning of this season, after a three-year stretch of winning World Championships with Mercedes.In an exclusive interview with GP Gazette, Lowe said it hasn't been a lack of race wins that has taken adjusting to, rather the sensation of not topping qualifying – something unusual after 56 ... Keep reading
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Hamilton: 2018 design shift could decide title fight

There has been little to choose between the two teams all season and there are still eight grands prix to go in the 2017 F1 championship race.But Hamilton warned Mercedes cannot afford to take its eye off 2018 preparations."In terms of rate of development we are as strong as anyone," he said. "But there's a real balance of how much you apply to next year's car. We don't want to be ... Keep reading
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Honda: Alonso's Spa engine ready to be used again

Alonso retired from the Spa race, reporting an "engine problem" on the radio, but Honda said after the race it found nothing in the data to suggest there was an issue.Motorsport.com has learned the power unit was taken back to Milton Keynes for analysis but Honda could not find anything wrong and as a result have put it back in the pool.It is available to use this weekend in Italy ... Keep reading
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Brawn pushing to lose grid penalties, DRS

Ever since F1 moved towards long-life components – including engines and gearboxes that must last a set number of races – it has always dealt with drivers who use too many components by moving them down the grid.But situations like Stoffel Vandoorne's 65-place grid penalty in Spa, plus frequent gearbox change penalties for those battling at the front of the grid, has left Brawn ... Keep reading
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Bottas: Too early for team orders at Mercedes

The Finn had a difficult weekend in Belgium, struggling with his set-up all weekend, and losing a podium spot after being swallowed up by Daniel Ricciardo and Kimi Raikkonen at the safety car restart.Having fallen to 41 points behind leader Sebastian Vettel, and 34 points behind teammate Lewis Hamilton, the likelihood is that Mercedes will change it approach to the championship ... Keep reading
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Vandoorne column: Grid drop makes for frustrating home debut

Coming back to Formula 1 after the summer break and going to my home race at Spa-Francorchamps was always going to be special for me.To drive in front of my home fans, my family and my friends gave me some extra motivation, a little bit of a boost, you might say.It had also just been confirmed by McLaren in public that I would be staying on with the team for 2018. In a way it wasn’t ... Keep reading
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Tension rises between Fernando Alonso and Honda as self imposed F1 deadline approaches

Fernando Alonso didn’t mask his true feelings during qualifying and the race in Belgium. And amid suggestions that he retired the car from the race, he approaches a crossroads as his self imposed deadline of September to review his participation in F1 approaches. In fact he has given himself some wriggle room, but now that […]
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Kvyat says Toro Rosso development slower than expected

The Red Bull junior team has scored 40 points this season, although 29 of those were notched in the opening six grands prix and only 11 in the six since.In that time it has slipped from fifth in the constructors' championship to sixth, behind Williams, and has been outqualified by the improving Renault and McLaren – and Haas – in recent grands prix.Asked by Motorsport.com how he felt ... Keep reading
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Tech analysis: Red Bull's downforce compromise yields Spa result

Red Bull may have an extremely sorted chassis, but even with the designers compromising it to counter the power unit deficiencies, the team is still somewhat adrift of the leading duo.Spa’s long straights were always going to cause the Milton Keynes-based operation a few headaches, so it set about enacting a plan that would attempt to put the RB13 on the coattails of its rivals, even ... Keep reading
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Weird Pirelli tyre vibrations could continue at Monza

Formula 1's tyre supplier is still seeking answers this week as to why the rear tyres of several cars were seen to deform in a strange way on the exit of low-speed corners.It was the first time such a phenomenon had been witnessed and, although it posed no risk to the structural integrity of the tyres, the vibrations did contribute to damage to Lance Stroll's Williams in ... Keep reading
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No Hamilton Mercedes talks before end of season

Hamilton's current deal with Mercedes runs out at the end of 2018, but there has have been suggestions that he is eager to extend it for several years after that.With Ferrari committing to Sebastian Vettel until 2020, and the Maranello outfit keeping a close eye on Max Verstappen's situation at Red Bull, it is logical for Mercedes and Hamilton to continue their successful ... Keep reading
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Palmer was "like a different guy" at Spa - Renault

Palmer showed his strongest form of a difficult season so far at Spa, outpacing teammate Nico Hulkenberg in practice and qualifying before suffering a suspected loss of gearbox oil pressure after he'd reached Q3.That sparked a gearbox change and a grid penalty that meant Palmer started 14th on the grid, and he could only finish 13th in the race - having had to start on used ultrasofts ... Keep reading
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Low downforce set-up key to Spa win - Mercedes

Hamilton held advantage from pole position at Spa but knew that rival Sebastian Vettel's best chance of beating him would be on overtaking him on the run up to Les Combes.That was why Mercedes elected to maximise straightline speed, even though trimming the wings would mean sacrificing performance for the twisty middle sector of the track.But after Hamilton held off Vettel's attempts ... Keep reading
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Renault reliability "not acceptable" - Abiteboul

Max Verstappen's high-profile retirement early in the race shone a spotlight on the issue, although there were other problems during the weekend, including a failure for Daniil Kvyat on Friday.The works team was also hit by gearbox issues for Jolyon Palmer in qualifying.Immediately after the race, Abiteboul was seen in an animated discussion with Red Bull Racing team principal ... Keep reading
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Tech analysis: Mercedes seizes oil burn opportunity in Belgium

The latter is of strategic intrigue going into the second half of the season, as the teams and governing body are all looking to reign in the competitive advantages already gained.As such, Mercedes looked to Spa as a way of taking advantage of the wording within the latest technical directive related to oil burning techniques, as it furnished both of its drivers with the last in their ... Keep reading
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Analysis: McLaren edging closer to divorce from Honda

Following months of uncertainty about what McLaren will do regarding its 2018 engine plans, it is now understood that the Woking-based team has finally lost all patience with Honda’s ability to deliver in the short term.Detailed analysis of reported gains that engine consultants Ilmor have helped Honda to are believed to have been insufficient to ease McLaren’s concerns about a lack ... Keep reading
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Motorsport Debrief: When the music stops, who gets Honda?

Hi, this is Motorsport.com’s Global Editor-in-Chief Charles Bradley and I hope you’re feeling good. Let’s take a high-speed look around the F1 world.Sauber boss Fred Vasseur says doubts over McLaren continuing its Formula 1 partnership with Honda was a key reason behind his team’s decision to cut ties with the Japanese manufacturer.Sauber and Honda agreed to call off their deal for ... Keep reading
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Massa column: Excessive Belgian GP penalty left a bitter taste

It was during these days 12 months ago that I was preparing for my arrival at the Italian Grand Prix full of emotion, ready to announce my retirement. This time around I’m getting ready for a normal racing weekend with Martini Williams Racing, even though whenever I’m at Monza I always have a special feeling.The Italian Grand Prix is my second home race, and I have always enjoyed ... Keep reading
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Bottas has "no answers" for Spa struggles

The Finn endured a difficult weekend at Spa-Francorchamps as he found himself unable to properly threaten teammate Lewis Hamilton in terms of pure speed. He eventually came home fifth.But despite theories that his weekend was the result of his W08 falling out of its narrow set-up window - something that has happened to Hamilton on a number of occasions this year - Bottas was not ... Keep reading
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Villeneuve slams Perez for "dirty" move on Ocon

Perez squeezed Ocon against the support race pitwall on the run to Eau Rouge, causing contact that gave Ocon front wing damage and Perez a puncture.The stewards investigated the incident but decided not to take any action.Former world champion Villeneuve told Motorsport.com that Perez “was to blame 100%” and put Ocon in danger by squeezing him.“It doesn’t matter that it’s his ... Keep reading
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Sauber: McLaren doubts key to Honda deal cancellation

McLaren is currently deciding whether to commit to Honda for another year or switch to another supplier, with Renault its only realistic alternative.Sauber and Honda agreed to call off their deal for the latter to supply the Swiss team with engines in 2018, with Sauber choosing to continue with Ferrari power for next season.McLaren had been set to supply Sauber with a gearbox as part ... Keep reading
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Williams plans "substantial changes" for 2018 car

Williams is currently fifth in the constructors’ championship with 45 points but is locked in a tight midfield battle with Toro Rosso, Haas and Renault, with just 11 points separating the four teams.“We will be making some quite substantial changes,” said Lowe, who joined the team from Mercedes ahead of this season.“There are lots of different things that we’ll be doing and we’re ... Keep reading
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Renault: Alonso 2018 return would be wrong timing

Although Renault is improving and had the fourth most competitive car at Spa last weekend, Abiteboul believes that the team won't make a big enough step next year to satisfy Alonso.As such, he fears a repeat of the frustrations that the Spanish driver has expressed with Honda, something that would obviously generate negative publicityAlonso, who drove for the Enstone team in from ... Keep reading
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Verstappen: I'd prefer engines to blow up than shut down

Verstappen was forced out of the race at Spa when a sensor shut down the power unit after detecting increasing pressure inside the fourth cylinder.And the Dutchman has revealed that his frustrations about the situation increased after the grand prix when his car fired up in the garage.Speaking to Dutch TV show Peptalk, Verstappen said that new safety measures introduced to stop ... Keep reading
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FIA confirms Mercedes can keep higher oil burn limit

With a new oil burn limit of 0.9 litres per 100km coming into force at the Italian Grand Prix, Mercedes pre-empted that cut-off point by bringing its fourth and final power unit into play in Belgium last weekend.According to an FIA technical directive issued by the FIA in July, engines introduced before Monza would be allowed to run at an oil burn level of 1.2 litres per ... Keep reading
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Motorsport Debrief: The intrigue burning behind F1’s title fight

Hi, this is Motorsport.com’s Global Editor-in-Chief Charles Bradley and I hope you’re well. Let’s take a high-speed look back at yesterday’s news stories in the aftermath of the Belgian Grand Prix.The World Drivers’ Championship is finely poised right now, with both Mercedes and Ferrari claiming a victory of sorts.For Ferrari, it had taken on Mercedes at what’s regularly its ... Keep reading
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Mercedes "easy" amid fresh oil burn intrigue

The FIA has been pushing hard all season to clamp down on teams burning oil for performance gains, with a series of technical directives being published.The latest move came in July, when the FIA informed teams that any new engine introduced from the Italian GP would be allowed a maximum consumption of 0.9 litres of oil per 100km.However, engines brought in before then would be ... Keep reading
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Renault "can't afford" to stop pushing - Hulkenberg

Hulkenberg qualified seventh at Spa behind the six drivers from the three pace-setting teams, and gained a place in the race when Max Verstappen retired.This was the second time in three races that Hulkenberg's Renault finished as best of the rest behind Mercedes, Ferrari and Red Bull, following his sixth place at Silverstone."It's given me good confidence," said the German. "I think ... Keep reading
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Verstappens starting to "question everything" at Red Bull

Adding to what has been a season of disappointment, Max Verstappen was forced out of the Belgian Grand Prix with an engine failure when running fifth.It was his fourth mechanical failure in a race this year, and his sixth retirement of the campaign so far.Speaking to Dutch TV channel Ziggo Sport, Jos Verstappen said the situation was getting very difficult to accept – but he drew ... Keep reading
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Analysis: How a lucky mistake helped Hamilton beat Vettel

F1 fans have been spoiled by some dramatic Belgian Grands Prix down the years, with rain or first lap contact mixing things up.This time, for once, there was no bad weather, and the unusual situation of the top six on the grid not only getting around La Source intact, but finishing the first lap in exactly the same order.However, it was far from a dull race, as Lewis Hamilton and ... Keep reading
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Gelael to run four FP1 sessions with Toro Rosso

The Faenza team has yet to decide which of its two race drivers will be replaced at each event.Twenty-year-old Gelael, who currently lies 20th in the F2 championship, has already driven the STR12 in this year's post-race Bahrain and Budapest test sessions."During the tests in Bahrain and Budapest Sean performed very well, helping the team in a very professional way, with a mature ... Keep reading
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Verstappen set for grid penalties at Monza

Verstappen was running fifth when he shifted from third to fourth out of the last corner and straight away lost power as his Renault engine went into a safe mode.It came after Verstappen swapped to his fourth internal combustion of the year ahead of final practice, meaning any further change will spark grid penalties.He is also on the limit with MGU-Hs, having used four, but has so ... Keep reading
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Force India threatens Ocon, Perez with race ban

The duo clashed twice during the Belgian Grand Prix – with their second collision on the run down to Eau Rouge breaking Ocon's front wing and handing Perez a puncture.A furious Ocon later tweeted that he believed Perez had tried to 'kill' him twice with his driving – an accusation that his Mexican teammate later refuted.But amid heightened tensions between the two drivers, Force ... Keep reading
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Honda found no problem with Alonso's engine

Alonso had endured a frustrating afternoon at Spa-Francorchamps, as he slipped down the field thanks to a lack of straightline speed.His unhappiness at the situation was highlighted in a series of radio messages where he made clear that the lack of power he had was hard to accept."Embarrassing, really embarrassing," Alonso said on the radio at one point. That was followed by "I ... Keep reading
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Belgian GP: Issue #15 of GP Gazette now online

Straight from the paddock, we give you an all-encompassing account of all the action from the race weekend, plus compelling interviews with the sport’s star names.It boiled down to a battle of the heavyweights at Spa, with Lewis Hamilton and Sebastian Vettel going head-to-head. In the end a crucially-timed Safety Car, a bold call on tyre strategy, and the wrong choice of engine mode ... Keep reading
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Motorsport Debrief: A tale of toxic teammates

Hi, this is Motorsport.com’s Global Editor-in-Chief Charles Bradley and I hope you’re well. Let’s take a high-speed look back at yesterday’s Belgian Grand Prix at Spa-Francorchamps – and one story dominated away from the Lewis Hamilton and Sebastian Vettel duel for victory.Force India duo hits fresh intra-team meltdown lowOne of the great running jokes in slapstick cinema was Peter ... Keep reading
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Race Analysis - Steeple Chase: How Hamilton won

Belgian GP - Race AnalysisBy Dan Knutson in Spa-Francorchamps
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Analysis: How Lewis Hamilton could catch Schumacher’s win total and those feuding Force Indias

The Belgian Grand Prix set the pulse racing at several points, despite being another race with a serious lull in the middle. Highlights were Fernando Alonso’s opening lap, the pass by Daniel Ricciardo on Valtteri Bottas at the restart after the late Safety Car, Vettel’s attempt to do the same with Lewis Hamilton in the […]
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Raikkonen says stop/go penalty was "pointless"

The stewards deemed Raikkonen "made no attempt to significantly reduce his speed" when he passed Max Verstappen's stricken Red Bull on the Kemmel Straight.Raikkonen said he didn't lift but he didn't think it was necessary as the car was behind the barrier."I knew there was a yellow flag but the car was at least halfway behind the barrier on the straight," he said."I didn't go faster ... Keep reading
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Hamilton says engine mode error helped him fend off Vettel

Hamilton explained that losing speed by being in the wrong mode meant that Vettel was right with him at the La Source hairpin, and the Ferrari driver was thus not able to get a good run on him down the hill.Vettel's failure to pass Hamilton immediately after the restart was crucial to the outcome of the race, as it was his best chance to deprive the Mercedes driver of the lead ... Keep reading
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Horner claims Renault providing "below par service"

Max Verstappen dropped out from fifth with an engine problem in the Belgian Grand Prix in what was his sixth retirement of the campaign, four of which have been mechanical, in 12 races this season.“Renault are quite aware that their reliability and product isn’t where it should be,” said Horner. “It’s their business to sort that out.“We’re a paying customer and it’s obviously below ... Keep reading
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Palmer believes Alonso deserved a penalty

The pair went side-by-side into Rivage midway through the race, with Alonso taking the inside line.Palmer held the outside line but quickly ran out of track as Alonso forced him out wide.This allowed Alonso, and the Toro Rosso of Carlos Sainz, to pass.The incident was reported by Renault immediately after Palmer said on team radio: "Come on, Alonso just forced me straight off the ... Keep reading
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Alonso says his "stock value has never been higher"

The Spanish driver was heard screaming on the radio several times during the race after being overtaken on the straight because of his Honda-powered car's lack of top speed- following a good start in which he'd moved up to seventh."Embarrassing, really embarrassing," Alonso said on the radio. That was followed by "I really don't care too much about the gaps. This is just a test." ... Keep reading
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Perez and Ocon no longer free to race - Force India

Perez appeared to squeeze Ocon towards the wall on the run down to Eau Rouge, with the pair making contact that broke Ocon’s front wing and punctured Perez’s right-rear tyre.The incident comes after the pair collided in Baku earlier this year, with both cars damaged.Force India said at the time that both were responsible and that the pair would still be free to race each other - but ... Keep reading
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Belgian GP: Hamilton keeps Vettel at bay to win

The Mercedes driver managed a late safety car and a tyre disadvantage to fend off Vettel with relative ease, as Daniel Ricciardo claimed a surprise third for Red Bull.Hamilton made a good start from pole position and built a 1.7s lead before stopping for new soft tyres on lap 12 of 44.Vettel ran two laps longer in the opening stint and rejoined two seconds behind Hamilton, who ... Keep reading
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Race Notes - Hamilton wins at Spa

Belgian GP - Race NotesBy Mark Karp
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Schumacher Jr "amazed" by father's Benetton

European Formula 3 Championship podium finisher Mick drove one lap in the Benetton B194, in which his father won eight races on the way to his first world championship crown.Schumacher wore a special helmet that incorporated his usual design on one side and half of Michael's original design on the other.The run was organised to commemorate Schumacher Sr's 1992 win, his first in ... Keep reading
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Palmer gets gearbox change penalty

Palmer made it into Q3 for only the second time this season on Saturday, but stopped on track before he even started a flying lap with a reported loss of gearbox oil pressure.He had set two times in the second part of qualifying that would have been good enough for seventh on the grid ahead of teammate Nico Hulkenberg, and said his qualifying was "perfect" until the problem.The ... Keep reading
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Analysis: Hamilton "here for blood" but can he overhaul Vettel?

The result also sent him into the break 14 points adrift of Sebastian Vettel, and he had plenty of time to think about that as he relaxed in Cuba, Barbados and elsewhere through a busy August.When he popped up in Spa on Thursday, it was a clear that his time away from the F1 paddock had been well-spent.Indeed, he was positively buzzing as he looked ahead to the second half of the ... Keep reading
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Cars not tyres now focus of Pirelli vibration investigation

However, there remain concerns from some teams that vibrations could trigger car failures in the race.TV replays, notably one of Lewis Hamilton's Mercedes, showed a resonance effect as cars accelerated out of the chicane onto the pit straight, with the rear tyres distorting and the whole of the car shaking. The effect was also seen under acceleration out of the hairpin.Williams ... Keep reading
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Mercedes "keeping our options open" over team orders

Mercedes has always operated under a policy of not favouring one driver over the other, especially when both are in contention for the title, as is the case with Lewis Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas in 2017.However, situations like Hungary – where Bottas let Hamilton pass and the positions were later reversed after Hamilton failed to overtake Kimi Raikkonen – have led Mercedes to ... Keep reading
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