The reunification of a once great alliance, champions crowned in junior championships, and more woe for F1’s comeback hero. Motorsport Week delves into some other stories and events from Sochi.
McLaren-Mercedes
One of the key developments during the weekend was the announcement that McLaren and Mercedes will renew their partnership from 2021. A full feature will follow in the coming days but it adds a level of intrigue as the championship heads into the next cycle of regulations. Renault wanted to align itself on a closer level with McLaren in terms of sharing equipment, integration and components, with a view that this would assist both squads come 2021, especially in light of more standardised parts. But McLaren did not share such a vision and wanted to remain purely as a customer. It is the latest bold step taken by Andreas Seidl, who has impressed many with his approach and aptitude during his five months at the helm of McLaren’s Formula 1 operation. In many ways it brings McLaren full cycle, having spent billions and years of restructuring to return to its early 2010s role as a Mercedes customer. But with engines gradually converging – and Mercedes undeniably still stronger than Renault – it is the next step in McLaren’s long-term recovery. For Mercedes it is wary that Ferrari has grown in strength and it believes that having another competitive customer, with no disrespect intended to Racing Point and Williams, will assist its cause. Renault has been ostensibly weakened by the development as it will have no benchmark, for McLaren’s 2019 displays have underlined Renault’s high-downforce weaknesses. Politically it will also have an influence moving forward – and that’s good news for Mercedes.
Kvyat’s helmet denial
Since some fans tired of Sebastian Vettel’s tendency to regularly alter his helmet designs while at Red Bull the FIA introduced a new regulation outlawing constant changes, aside from one outlier per season. Daniil Kvyat wanted to use a special design at his home event but, having already tweaked his lid for Toro Rosso’s home round in Italy, was denied this request by the FIA. Understandably he was a little miffed, and with good cause. “It is a joke,” said Kvyat. “But anyway. The rule is a rule. I still don't know what could be the consequences. But to be honest, there are bigger problems to focus, than a helmet design of a driver, I guess.” Kvyat suggested he would go and talk to FIA Race Director Michael Masi and see what was exactly wrong, and whether the situation could be addressed going forward. Daniel Ricciardo suggested that Kvyat should just wear the helmet anyway as “I know drivers who have had five or six different designs already this year. So for some reason they decided to call Dany on it, I don’t know why. It is a bit silly.” In the drivers’ briefing “we all encouraged Dany to just wear it. He has grid penalties anyway, so what else can happen. He is at his home race. It is not a massive deal; it shouldn’t make headlines like the front page of the newspaper. It is just a helmet.” When pressed on the matter, Race Director Michael Masi said: "I don't think that Kvyat was picked out. The question was asked, if the helmet design is substantially similar, and the response was 'no, it's not'. It transpired that some other teams and drivers – whose helmet schemes have been different in-season – simply hadn’t asked the FIA…
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For Anthoine
The regulations on helmet designs is not so unnecessarily archaic in junior categories and as a tribute Renault Sport Academy’s entire line-up sported the late Anthoine Hubert’s helmet design – with their own name donned on it – during their respective races this weekend. Guan Yu Zhou and Jack Aitken (Formula 2), Max Fewtrell, Christian Lundgaard and Ye Yifei (Formula 3) and Victor Martins and Caio Collet (Formula Renault Eurocup) all raced last weekend with their schemes changed to honour their late friend and colleague. Hubert remains dearly missed in the respective paddocks.
Williams, Kubica reach new low
In a desperately difficult season Robert Kubica and Williams both reached a new low at the Sochi Autodrom. The nature of the Sochi Autodrom did not suit Williams’ recalcitrant FW42, which has never worked on the straights, and which struggles for kerb usage, which allied with the smooth surface created almost the worst-case scenario. On top of that Kubica simply lacked all grip and feel with the car – prompting the similar woe of sliding and overheating tyres – and he qualified over a second adrift of George Russell. Kubica was in a dejected, pensive mood post-qualifying, and where his every move was once tracked by a throng of journalists the story is now being tracked by just a smattering of people. “I struggle all the way, whatever it is, lap one, lap, 10, more I drive more I struggle, as I’m sliding since the beginning, then you get even more temperature into the tyres and they struggle even more,” said Kubica, ruing an ongoing inability to get Pirelli’s capricious tyres into their correct operating window. Has he tried mirroring Russell’s set-up and driving style? “When you are one second off the pace… it’s not that one car is driving 20 degree hotter or cooler. I mean, it’s not that as I said, at certain point if we were let’s say operating tyres, at certain point you get them in the right window, and I don’t think we are massively off. I think there are a few factors contributing to such a big gap, it’s never one issue, or one factor, but that’s how it is.” Those few factors? “As I said there is more than one probably. Never an issue of one thing. Put it together. It has been realistically a few things which they contribute to this. Yep, that’s how it is. Even if a few things we can do better there’s still big gaps.” Did he feel the performance potential was the same as the sister car? “I don’t know. This is not for me to judge. I don’t think it’s just this weekend. As I said it’s not one factor. I just do my job and that’s it.” Kubica’s horrible weekend ultimately came to a premature end shortly after Russell was pitched into the wall amid a suspected brake issue. Williams’ official line was that Kubica was retired to “conserve parts ahead of the flyaway races.” It is a sorry state of affairs for both driver and team.
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Haas on the right way
In Singapore Romain Grosjean had played down Haas’ prospects of performing in Russia, but a few days later he had made Q3, qualified ninth, and should have been joined inside the top 10 by team-mate Kevin Magnussen. It was quite the turnaround for the team given its recent slump in performance and struggles in understanding the direction to take. A lack of windtunnel to real life correlation had hampered development and progress, and that Grosjean made Q3 on a car with a substantial number of Melbourne-spec components highlighted just how the team went the wrong way. Grosjean’s first-lap incident wrecked his race chances but Magnussen put in a stellar race to rise to eighth, and was unfortunate to be penalised for his wide moment, but ninth still represented progress. Hopefully Haas has hit rock bottom, understood its woes, and can address the issues for 2020, as the presence of the team is beneficial for Formula 1, and Gene Haas needs to see tangible progress and results if he is to continue funnelling his own money into the sport.
Ferrari’s new champion
In the past decade Ferrari’s driver academy has grown and developed to the extent that it must now surely be regarded as the benchmark in terms of Formula 1 schemes. Whereas Red Bull once led the way, Ferrari now has its own protégé performing strongly in its own Formula 1 team, while Driver Academy member Robert Shwartzman clinched the inaugural FIA Formula 3 title on home territory. Shwartzman has been the leader of the crack Prema squad for much of the campaign and clinched the crown with the runner-up position in Saturday’s first race. Shwartzman conceded that the pressure of the title build-up meant he slept only for a few hours prior to the all-important race and, as with all the best drivers, was still reflecting on his weak 2019 moments even having achieved the success that he desired. Formula 2 is likely to be the destination for the Formula 3 champion.
“The working process I’ve been doing in the past years has paid off,” he said. “And it means that I have to keep doing this and go forward, and to improve myself: hard work pays off. Because when you start working, you’re not sure if you’re going to get results. People tell you to work hard and that you’ll get results from it. And when you don’t achieve anything, you start thinking “am I doing everything right?” Now, I can say it’s true, and we need to go forward. I think after this race, we will have a bit of time to relax, for me, but obviously I will start as early as possible to prepare for next season.” Formula 3’s cars will still be in action one more time this year with the Macau Grand Prix taking place in November.
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De Vries a worthy F2 king
The Formula 2 field may be lacking the star quality and depth of some years but Nyck de Vries is still a worthy champion, as he beat the likes of the experienced and skilful Nicholas Latifi, Luca Ghiotto and Sergio Sette Camara to ensure he wrapped up the title one round early. De Vries, once on McLaren’s books as its anointed future star, did not make the stellar junior career progression that some expected, littered with too many weaknesses and unconvincing performances when it mattered. A disappointing GP3 year in 2016 – in which he was partnered with Charles Leclerc and Alexander Albon – negatively affected his already waning reputation, while in F2 in 2017/18 he showed glimmers of pace that was stymied by inconsistency. But in 2019 he has stepped up a notch and, with the ART Grand Prix squad that propelled George Russell to the 2018 crown, has emerged as the star of the field. He has kept himself busy this year by also racing in WEC and carrying out Mercedes Formula 1 simulator duties, and can now look forward to a bright future as part of the Silver Arrows’ nascent Formula E squad.
Sochi
It has often been said that Sochi is among the least exciting of Formula 1 venues – and it is a tricky place to reach – but there was still a good vibe and a fun atmosphere, with a healthy-sized and passionate crowd. It is a slightly bizarre venue, given that it winds its way around an Olympic park, is located next to a theme park, and most of the accommodation is located in an enormous coastal resort (think Russia’s answer to Butlins), but it creates a cool vibe of Formula 1 on tour. There are drawbacks; those in customer service (outside of the circuit) seem to take every request or question as an affront, Russia probably has better locations that would be more suited to Liberty Media’s ‘destination races’ concept, while the circuit itself is largely forgettable. But it still has its charms. On Thursday night the Bolshoy Ice Dome reached fever pitch (or should that be fever rink?) during an entertaining ice hockey match between home side Sochi and visitors Dynamo Moscow, with the away team edging proceedings 4-3. One unexpected highlight was the Sochi Autodrom museum, located within the main grandstand, which contained an array of classic cars, some Soviet specials and, randomly, a Jaguar R4, complete with race suits from the 2003 F1 season. You could also buy a Spyker F1 tam cap. Formula 1 may have just one more visit to Sochi (the contract through 2025 stipulates country but not location) and even Vladimir Putin did not grace the closing stages of the race with his presence this year, but it is not the worst event on the roster.
