Ending their disastrous relationship with Honda and teaming up with Renault will not make McLaren winners overnight but it may be enough to lay the foundations for the future – especially if Fernando Alonso signs a new dealA return to “normality” in Formula One next season – “to be on the podium and fight for victories” – is Fernando Alonso’s expectation for McLaren after the team formally announced their partnership with Honda would end this year. The relationship has proved to be a very public car crash for the team and the engine manufacturer over the last three years and Alonso has been absolutely clear that he held Honda responsible. His optimism stems from the switch to Renault power units...
Nine F1 drivers took penalties accruing 150 places at the Italian Grand Prix while Ferrari prepare for a dogfight against Mercedes – McLaren merely seek a solutionLong bemoaned by fans, the application of grid penalties for replacing power unit components and gearboxes reached almost farcical levels at Monza. Nine drivers took penalties accruing 150 places and changing the qualifying results to such an extent that Lewis Hamilton on pole and Romain Grosjean, who crashed in the first session, were the only drivers to have retained their original positions. Such was the scale of the movement, Kevin Magnussen, who was knocked out in Q1, found himself in the top 10. Related: Lewis Hamilton out to push harder after seizing the initiative...
Mercedes and Ferrari have identified the last race before the summer break as crucial but there will also be scrutiny for those not caught up in the title battleOnly one race remains before Formula One takes its annual rest for the summer – a break that after the Hungarian Grand Prix this weekend may weigh heavier on some shoulders than others. The next few days will be potentially as instructive in the fight for the world championship as any we have seen thus far. Only a sliver separates Lewis Hamilton from Sebastian Vettel at the top of the table but Budapest has more import than just who will hold the lead when racing returns at Spa at the end of...
Emphasis on simulator work in motor sport means more drivers will emerge from the gaming scene – if they can conquer problems over the lack of ‘fear of death’When Lewis Hamilton looked to his future in Formula One in 2012 and decided to leave McLaren, the team with whom he had grown up and won his first world championship, the decision was roundly questioned. After securing two further titles for Mercedes, the move was regarded as inspired but predicting what is round the corner in motor racing has never been easy and, with F1 having just begun the process of reinvention under its new owners, the future is very much on the agenda.Many sports have faced new challenges and opportunities...
German’s high-risk style yields benefits; Force India have bout of indecision; Fernando Alonso engine failure brings McLaren divorce from Honda closerThat Sebastian Vettel does not want to lose points to Lewis Hamilton is a given. What was impressive at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve was just how committed he is to the task. Damage to the front wing on lap one was a major setback, coming back to finish fourth a huge recovery and the manner he achieved it a statement of intent. Having chased down and overtaken his team-mate, Kimi Raikkonen, and still looking for a podium place, he saw passing the two Force Indias of Sergio Pérez and Esteban Ocon as paramount. Ocon was first and Vettel’s lunge down...