F1 2017 SEASON: NEWS - RUMOURS

Further clarification

 

8 engine brands will be present. Plus..

http://www.grandprix.com/ns/ns36077.html

 

If audi need a mule to test their new PU I can think of a few WEC cars not up to much these days

 

Interesting....

When asked why the lap times had not dropped as much in Australia, Verstappen replied: "It just depends track to track. I think, for example, in Barcelona it could be more because it's more about downforce. Maybe in Monza we will be a bit slower than last year -- it depends track to track."

 

Lots going on behind the scenes at the moment it seems. Honda trying to tempt Sauber to join their motley crew and a large cast of manufacturers trying to agree on what engines they want in future.

I hope the Honda-Sauber deal happens, doubles Honda's millage and you'd have to imagine the PUs would be free so that helps Sauber (assuming the PUs then work).

 

Sauber could be using Honda power as soon as the end of April?

 

Interesting article on how to improve overtaking

 

I'm guessing Sauber are looking forward to going backwards again.

 

But this time they get prize money no matter what as no 11th team!

 

Maybe they'll get all the refurbished units McLaren have gone through? Low mileage!

 

At the moment . Remember the days of pre-qualifying ? I do .

 

According to Mark Hughes in this months motor sport . Bottas was told to back off Hamilton .

I know he says it was because in the first few laps he was just in third with no pressure , but I think it's a promising sign that he is no slouch I agree though , early days !

 

Guess it's whoever qualifies ahead stays ahead.

 

Multi 21 Lewis , Multi 21 . Would LOVE to see that .

 

More like Lewis is their number 1 and Bottas can't get too close.

That's the way I read it anyway, sort of hope I'm wrong and they are allowed to race, but I can't see it somehow.

 

The way I figured it was that there was nothing to gain for Mercedes and both were eased off to save the engine. We won't know what the deal is until it becomes a bit more urgent, when the gain/loss of a place to one of the other teams. I can't see Bottas ignoring a team-order, unless Lewis has already ignored one or two.

 

If Ferrari keep their pace up then Mercedes will be drawn to more team orders. They were at it when they were guaranteed 1-2s so they'll definitely employ it to combat Ferrari.

 

they can issue the orders, doesn't mean they'll be obeyed, pretty sure Hamilton won't, not sure about Bottas, but I think he will until Hamilton ignores one.

 

I'm trying to find the graphic, but there is an overlay of their engine modes showing Bottas turned his down significantly earlier than Lewis and was still matching his pace. I found interesting because Lewis claimed he felt much better towards the end of the final stint?

 

I think Bottas is a bit under-rated, I don't think he could've done that much better in the Williams, who were often the architects of their own demise strategy wise when they had the chance for wins. He's no slouch and quite aggressive when given an opening (or sometimes when there isn't one, ask Kimi), I remember a move he made at Austin, which everyone thought was absolutely amazing when Max did it a few years later.
In Aus I thought he drove a decent race and couldn't have earned the team any more points than they got, he wouldn't have been able to overtake Lewis (extrapolating from Lewis' difficulty with Max) so it made sense for him to turn down the wick and save the engine. As for matching Lewis' pace, he did have better tyres, Lewis was on his own by then and had nothing to put his foot down for except a fastest lap, which he wouldn't have been able to get with his tyres anyway, and I think he was complaining about some sort of intermittent ERS problem?