[jfxavier]

The Circuit of The Americas (COTA) is the first purpose-built F1 facility in the US, designed by Hermann Tilke for any and all classes of racing and was officially opened on October 21, 2012 by COTA ambassador and 1978 F1 world champion, Mario Andretti.



The 20-turn, anticlockwise track, construction of which began in January 2011, draws inspiration from the best circuits around the world, as well as taking advantage of the site's natural topography to include dramatic elevation changes of up to 40 metres.



There is a steep, uphill run into the hairpin Turn One, which instantly became the venue's signature corner. The track contains an ample variety of corners, which incorporate some of the best elements from other circuits, making it a wide-ranging challenge that tests every aspect of tyre performance. Turns Three through Six look not dissimilar to Silverstone's high-speed Maggotts/Becketts; Turns 12 through 15 give a nod to Hockenheim's stadium section; and Turns 16 through 18 mirror the famous, multi-apex Turn Eight at Istanbul Park.



All the abovesaid makes it one of the most demanding racetracks on the 2015 Formula 1 calendar. It has more fast corners than Spa-Francorchamps and more slow corners than the Hungaroring, the combination of which makes the 5.513km/3.426-mile circuit a very complex engineering challenge. Each of the circuit’s three sectors provides a different challenge. Sector One is characterised by five fast sweeping corners, through which the cars need good front-end grip as they flick from apex-to-apex at speeds in excess of 250km/h (155mph); Sector Two contains a 1km (0.62-mile) straight along which straight-line speed is at a premium, and Sector Three has a mix of slow corners and a multi-apex right-hander through which the drivers are exposed to forces of 4g for a period of 5s. The set-up tends to be medium downforce with an emphasis on mechanical grip from the tyres; especially at the front to aid a rapid turn-in during the fast direction changes that characterise the first half of the lap.

Timings (IST):



The guys and girls in the USA know how to party and the COTA will be putting on a blockbuster show away from the track, with international star Elton John headlining the post race festivities.



The organisers have arranged for a “fan fest” from Thursday night through to Sunday in Downtown Austin with local bands playing, a lively theatre district, not to mention the great food on offer. This year also sees a collaboration with Pop Austin, putting on an art exhibition showcasing the talents of Andy Warhol, Jean-Michel Basquiat and Richard Orlinski amongst many others.
There will also be an aerial display from the Navy Seal Parachute team that will be landing at turn 1, as well as a fly past from a US Navy C-130 transport plane that will show it’s impressive agility despite it’s size.

Circuit data:



Race distance : 56 laps (full world championship points awarded after 75 per cent distance/42 laps)

Circuit length : 5.513km/3.426 miles

Run to Turn One : 280 metres/0.174 miles

Longest straight : 1090 metres/0.677 miles, on the approach to Turn 12

Pitlane length : 385 metres (0.24 miles), which is average. A pitstop takes about 22s

Top speed : 315km/h/196mph on the approach to Turn 12

DRS zones : Two – on the approach to Turn One and again on the approach to Turn 12

Fuel consumption : High

Full throttle : 63 per cent approx.

Gear changes : 54 per lap/3024 per race

Brake wear : Medium. There are 10 braking events, four of them heavy .
The Austin track can be considered to have a medium demand on the braking system with the drivers using the brakes for about 18% of the time on each lap, but it is characterised by two very sudden braking sections. The T12 turn is worth a mention. It is one of the most demanding of the season in terms of dissipated energy and one of the most sudden for the driver with a G force of up to -5.7 Gs.

Tyres:
Medium and soft P Zero tyres.
Expected performance gap between the two compounds: 0.8 seconds per lap.
Paul Hembery, Pirelli motorsport director:

“The United States always offers us a very warm welcome and a fantastic race weekend. Like all the other stakeholders in Formula One, America is a crucial market for us so it’s very important for us to have a race there. It’s a track that contains a bit of everything in terms of what it asks from the tyres, so we’ve brought the soft and medium compounds, which are versatile enough to cope with a wide range of demands and weather conditions. With the driver’s championship entering a decisive phase there’s obviously going to be a lot of attention on the race, and we can think of no better place to showcase Formula One. The track configuration and tyre choice offer plenty of opportunities for overtaking and strategy, with a reasonably short pit lane time loss too, so we could be on for quite an unpredictable race, which is what people want to see. It’s rarely an open and shut competition, as we saw from the wide variety of strategies used last year.”

Chances of a Safety Car : Medium.
There have been two Safety Car periods in the three races at COTA to date

Weather forecast : Warm.
The race is taking place a week earlier than last year and it’s likely to be warm. Temperatures in the low 30s have been the norm for the past few weeks with warm conditions common during the afternoon but cool temperatures in the mornings, making it reasonably hard to get an accurate read on track conditions. In the past, track temperatures have varied from 18 to 37 degrees centigrade within one day, making tyre temperature management a vital skill.

2014 winner : Lewis Hamilton 56 laps in 1h:40m04.785s

2014 pole position : Nico Rosberg 1m36.067s 206.593km/h (132.790mph)

2014 fastest lap : Sebastian Vettel lap 50 1m41.379 195.768km/h (121.645mph)

Lap record: Kimi Raikkonen - 1:39.347 (Lotus, 2012).

Blasts from the past:
1984 – Dallas

https://youtu.be/6W6OswDJZJ8

The track surface started to crack with exceedingly high track temperatures (66 centigrade) and was threatened with cancellation, but the race eventually did go ahead and was won by Keke Rosberg. Nigel Mansell hit the wall on the final lap and attempted to try to push his car over the line, only to collapse with exhaustion.

2002 & 2005– Indianapolis

In 2002 Schumacher gifted the victory to team-mate Barrichello at the finish line.

https://youtu.be/X-StjQSo4xc

In 2005 only six cars competed due to safety concerns from Michelin about the banked section of the circuit.

https://youtu.be/X5DRJWw0R_w

What to expect in 2015?

Lewis Hamilton should be full of confidence in the USA.
And this could very well be the weekend that he will be celebrating his 3rd WDC.



It will be intriguing to see how Rosberg reacts to this and whether he can take the fight back to Lewis and possibly regain the 2nd place in the driver's championship. Ferrari meanwhile should be doing all they can to not let that happen.
The Williams team will be encouraged by their strong form in Russia. They were strong at COTA in 2014 with their good top speed and will be desperate for that podium that slipped through their hands in Russia.

Championship standings:



Sources : Formula1 website, FIA media kit & team reviews.

[jfxavier]

Williams
Valtteri Bottas
“Austin is the place where I scored my first points so it will always be special to me. It’s also one of my favourite circuits to drive, with fast sweeping corners. Austin as a city is a fantastic place, accompanied by great weather. For me it’s one of the best locations on the calendar.”
Felipe Massa
“Austin is a beautiful place with a great circuit which has fantastic infrastructure. The circuit is very fun to drive with many fast corners. The first sector is incredible leading into a long straight with the opportunity for overtaking. The first corner is special - the elevation change is incredible and the space available means it’s a great place to pass and it’s hard to defend. The fans really enjoy Formula One and the drivers like to go there.”
Rob Smedley, Head of Performance Engineering
“We head to Austin after not getting all of the points we should have done in Russia, despite having a really good car with great pace. We are in a positive frame of mind and the circuit suits our car so we should have a good race. We need to keep pulling open a gap on Red Bull and the team must keep on fighting to get as many points as possible. Both drivers are coming off the back of really good drives in the last Grand Prix so we should be able to score some decent points.”

Toro Rosso
Max Verstappen
“I have good memories of Austin, as last year I did a Friday practice session there and it was all very exciting. It’s a great track, with a lot of elevation changes and fast corners. I really enjoyed driving there.”
Carlos Sainz
“I don’t know much about Austin because I’ve never been there and only driven it on the simulator. The track looks amazing and I think I will really enjoy it there, especially the first sector which looks very fast. From what I’ve heard, it’s one of the best race weekends on the Formula 1 calendar. The whole city gets involved with F1 and I’ve been told there are some really good steakhouses…”

McLaren
Fernando Alonso
“It was obviously disappointing to lose out on 10th place in Sochi, but considering it was a circuit that we knew wouldn’t suit our package, we can’t be too disappointed with the result and the positive reliability of the car all weekend.
“Now we move to Austin which is a very different proposition. We know it’ll be difficult for us in some of the areas we’ve already seen this year, but we will definitely be working flat out to achieve more progress and another positive result. The track is a hybrid of corners from great circuits all around the world, which makes setting up the car tricky, but a precise, well-balanced car will definitely help you there, so we need to build on those strengths straight away.
“I really enjoy going to Austin - a fantastic atmosphere and a city that absolutely loves its racing. The circuit is really fun to drive because it’s so varied, so you have to keep your focus 100 percent all the way around a lap. I had some great battles with Jenson there last year and I’m hoping for more of the same against our competitors this weekend.”
Jenson Button
“Since Sochi I’ve been back at MTC for a couple of days, working hard with my engineers and prepping for the back-to-backs of Austin and Mexico. Although we were lucky on the last lap in Russia, we haven’t had much luck go our way this season so it was encouraging to come away with two points and get both cars to the finish with no issues.
“I’m looking forward to a fun weekend in Austin. The welcome is always incredible and there’s something really special about the city on a race weekend; it really has its own unique charm. The track, too, has firmly become one of the favourites among the drivers because it has a little bit of everything which makes it pretty demanding for us, but very exciting too.
“Last year we really struggled with tyre degradation on the relatively new asphalt, so we need to crack that as soon as we get out on track on Friday and see what we can do to combat it. Circuit of The Americas has long straights, heavy braking, fast corners and some twisty sections, but its flowing nature could play to our package’s strengths. In Russia we saw that anything is possible, so we’ll be pushing hard as usual to make sure we’re in with a fighting chance come the end of the race.”
Eric Boullier, racing director
“We can’t be too pleased with taking home two points at the last Grand Prix in Russia, but it does go some way to validating the relentless hard work being undertaken by every member of the McLaren-Honda team, and the constant strive for better reliability and trouble-free weekends. It also means we go to Austin on the back of an encouraging weekend and hungry for another more positive performance as we near the end of the season.
“Although this is only the fourth time that Formula One has visited Circuit of The Americas, it already feels like another friendly and familiar North American home alongside Montreal, and its popularity has quickly grown among drivers, fans and teams alike.
“Both Fernando and Jenson have made some great starts in the past few races, so it’ll be interesting to see how we fare there with the unique challenge of COTA’s uphill Turn One. Its power-hungry, fast straights and corners definitely won’t be easy on our package, but our car’s strengths lie in the twisty, precise infield sections, so we’ll focus on a set-up to make the most of what we have there. Combined with the warm ‘Austinite’ welcome from the fans and the excitement that always greets us there, we are hoping for more good luck and a solid performance where we can enjoy some battles with our nearest rivals.”
Yasuhisa Arai, Honda R&D senior managing officer - chief officer of motorsport
“We head to Circuit of The Americas with anticipation. It is a highly technical track that provides exciting racing, particularly the jostling for position around Turn One and the high speed esses that follow Turn Two.
“Overall it provides us with a very atmospheric Grand Prix weekend with enthusiastic fans. COTA is also a challenging track for the power unit set-up as the 20 turns vary in character and are infused with undulation.
“Our goal is to gather more data throughout the remaining races, especially from our new ICE introduced in Sochi two weeks ago. The team has confirmed that the development direction is good, so we will now work on fine tuning it for the remaining four races. It will be interesting to see how this will work together with the updated aero package this weekend.”
Tim Goss, technical director
“COTA is a really interesting engineering challenge. It has a mix of fast corners, a long straight and a slow-speed section, and getting the compromise right between these different challenges is the key to maximising your performance.
“The first section is very fast and flowing, through which the car needs a very good front end. You end up putting the aero balance some way forward to help the driver through here. That’s all good and well, but immediately after these fast corners you have a heavy braking area and it’s absolutely essential to get that right. You need to maintain the DRS time delta to the car in front because what comes next is a one-kilometre (0.62-mile) straight and a really good overtaking opportunity; so, even though you may have set up the car for the high-speed section, you need to make sure that it has the rear stability to allow the driver to attack the low-speed corners. It’s a classic compromise that’s difficult to get right.”

Mercedes
Lewis Hamilton
“It’s been great to catch up with the team back at the factories and to celebrate together the amazing achievements of this year. I can’t say enough how grateful I am for all the hard work and it’s important that we savour these moments. Now, we head off to Austin, which is definitely one of the highlights of the year for me. I love the States and spend a lot of time over there, so it’s a weekend I always look forward to. I’ve learned from experience that nothing is ever done until it’s done in this sport, so I won’t be taking anything for granted going into the weekend. I’m going into this next race with the same approach I’ve had all year. There are four races left for me to get this championship tied up and as long as it’s done by the time I cross the line in Abu Dhabi that’s what really counts. I’m excited to get out there, give my best and if I can come away with a third Stetson hat that would be unbelievable.”
Nico Rosberg
“Being back at the factories and seeing everyone so happy was just the boost I needed after a tough Sunday in Russia. The whole team deserves this moment and what we’ve achieved together is really amazing. Hopefully this is just the start. With four races left and a big gap to Lewis, it’s clear that the title is a long shot for me now. But it’s not in me to give up or back down, so I’ll be pushing flat out to the end and hopefully having some fun out there in the final few rounds this year. I really want to enjoy the next races, as our Silver Arrow is such a great car and gives me the chance to end the year with a few more wins. Austin is definitely somewhere that you can have fun too, so I’m looking forward to going back there. It’s a great track to drive, I got pole there last year, and I’m coming off the back of a really strong weekend in Russia in terms of my performance, so if I can repeat all of that then I’ll be in a good position. Bring it on!”
Toto Wolff, Head of Mercedes-Benz Motorsport
“It’s been a proud week for everybody in Brackley, Brixworth and Stuttgart. We can talk about chassis and Power Units winning titles. But really it’s about people - and every one of those men and women is a deserved world champion. We now have four races left to make sure our 2015 objectives are complete, with the drivers’ title still on the line. Lewis is now within touching distance - but I know that his focus is only on winning the next race. For Nico, bad luck has played a big part this year and it would be a huge mountain to climb. But he is a fighter and we have seen many times that he will keep pushing until the very end. Of course, there is still a third party in the mix and we, as a team, must make absolutely sure that our drivers have everything they need to make sure it’s a Silver Arrow that comes out on top. Two retirements from the last three races is not up to our standards and we must ensure that every little detail is covered to give them that opportunity.”
Paddy Lowe, Executive Director (Technical)
“It was great to secure our second constructors’ championship in Russia with a great drive from Lewis to take the win. This title is thoroughly deserved by all at Brackley and Brixworth after a fantastic team effort over a number of years. However, it was not sealed entirely in the way we would have wanted after Nico’s retirement unfortunately prevented what looked a likely 1-2 finish. As a result, his push for the drivers’ championship now looks to be a tough task - but you can never give up in this business and we know Nico certainly won’t be doing so. At the same time, we go to Austin with the potential to secure that title with Lewis, who has been in superb form. It’s up to us to provide both drivers with the tools they need to close out a successful end to the campaign. It’s our fourth visit to the Circuit of The Americas, which is a very interesting circuit. Multiple elevation changes, a good variety of corners and a track surface which makes it tricky to understand the tyres, all combine to provide a good challenge. With a growing and enthusiastic fan base from all across the USA watching on, we’ll be looking to tackle that challenge head on and put on a great show for the crowds.”

Lotus
Romain Grosjean
“At the moment, the part of America I know the most is Austin for the Grand Prix, and it’s a place that I - and I know, my crew, as well - really like to visit. Of course, the USA is such a big place which I would love to explore more and I’m going to get that wish fulfilled pretty soon!
“What do I think of the Circuit of The Americas? It looks great and the first time I walked around it in 2012 I thought wow! The gradient up to turn one is really something and it makes for a fun first corner when you’re in the car. It’s a really well-presented facility with an interesting circuit layout. It’s great to be at a race where the local character is very evident and that’s certainly the case in Austin, with the fan reception and the American way of presenting events.
“It’s quite a balanced circuit in that you don’t need one particular thing over another for the car to perform well. In the first year the challenge was finding the level of grip we want and we did see the same for the past two races too. Every year so far the race has taken place a little earlier, and that’s good as it generally means warmer weather. This is good for many reasons, but wearing my race driving hat it’s good as it helps with tyre warm-up and grip. Grip is something we’ve struggled with in
Austin in the past, so a warmer circuit with a bit more aged track surface should help with that.”
Pastor Maldonado
“Austin is a great track, it’s a challenging layout which is refreshing to drive and it’s an enjoyable event. The first turn is quite something with its very steep climb and the rest of the lap flows well. The atmosphere at the circuit is really special, even for the first time we visited. It’s great to see the RVs at the side of the track and people staying at the circuit to enjoy the full weekend. The circuit can be a difficult one for tyres. The event is taking place earlier in the year this season so hopefully there’s plenty of sun to burn off any morning fog! Certainly, there can be a variety with the weather and in the past we’ve seen it be quite cold at the start of the day.
“I think Austin offers us a good opportunity. The circuit shouldn’t pose any particular problems as long as we can get the tyres working as we want. The E23 is a car that generally works well so we have a good baseline to start with. At this point of the year we’re pretty on top of things like set-up and getting the most out of the car so it’s a case of getting the laps and simulations done in practice, qualifying as well as possible then targeting points in the race.
“[Austin is] a really fantastic location with a lot to do. It’s certainly the type of city I’d like to visit even if there wasn’t a race there! It’s a really lively place with a lot going on. Great food, great music and great people are three things I think about when we go to Austin. The fans are superb too. It’s only the fourth time we will visit Austin, but already it’s one event on the calendar that we really look forward to visiting.”
Federico Gastaldi, deputy team principal
“It’s fair to say that myself, the team and pretty much everyone in Formula 1 - at least those I speak to - reckon that Austin is a highlight on the calendar. We arrive to a great welcome and experience a fantastic event with superb support from all the fans. It’s good for Formula 1 to be building its presence in the US as it is a great marketplace for us to be. We’ve also experienced some exciting racing at the Circuit of The Americas. All in all, there’s nothing not to like.”
Nick Chester, technical director
“The circuit has quite an interesting layout with a high speed sector one that has an interesting combination of high-speed corners. Towards the end of the lap there are more slow-speed corners and there is a reasonable back straight. It’s a track that is quite mixed; it is a good technical circuit and one that the drivers like.
“The downforce levels are medium to high. We won’t be using maximum downforce as it would slow us down in the first sector and on the back straight. Regarding the tyres, we will have the medium and soft Pirelli compounds in Austin. The wear will be pretty standard - the tarmac is still relatively smooth - and we are probably expecting a race with two stops but no extreme tyrewear.
“The E23 should go quite well in Austin. It has proved to perform at most tracks and I think that again it should suit the Circuit of The Americas quite well. Hopefully we can qualify in the top 10 and score a good haul of points.”

Red Bull
Daniel Ricciardo
“I love Austin. Great track, great city, great food, great fans, great people in general, great hotel. Basically... great. For a modern-day circuit with lots of runoff, they’ve done the best job possible. They’ve created a track that’s safe but managed to ensure it’s still fun. It’s probably the best overtaking circuit on the calendar.
“I love live music and I love bars and I particularly love live music in bars - and as that’s what Austin’s all about, it’s the sort of culture I can really appreciate. I’ll also enjoy some beef. Definitely the city to visit if you like ribs or brisket. Amazing stuff.
“We stay out in a hotel on a ranch - which is pretty awesome. There’s a river, a golf course, and yes, the occasional snake. The snakes are OK though. They’re pretty cool. They’re not like Aussie snakes.”
Daniil Kvyat
“I made my F1 debut there and that was a big moment in my career. The race last year was I would say unlucky in that we had really good pace but I had to pit for a vibration with the tyre after overtaking Kimi, but yes, I have very positive memories of the circuit.
“I really like racing at COTA; the track is really good. It has a lot of high-speed corners, heavy braking, long straights, a bit of everything really, so it’s great for racing, very enjoyable. Sector One is exciting. There are a lot of high-speed changes of direction. It’s kind of like Maggots-Becketts at Silverstone and it feels great through there in an F1 car. The circuit also has a lot of changes of elevation, which is something I think every driver appreciates. It’s a good track.
“[The city], I like it there. It’s a really good atmosphere. Great food. America does feel different to race in. It’s got its own style, which I like. It’s Texas, it’s cowboy country and it’s good fun.”

Force India
Sergio Perez
"Austin is a great place to race. It has been my home race for several years, before the return of the Mexican Grand Prix, and the circuit is great fun for both fans and drivers. The city is very cool and there is so much happening during Grand Prix week. When I step into the cockpit and see all the Mexican flags and the fans in the stands it’s an incredible boost for me.
"The track has some special parts, especially the first sector and the uphill turn one. You can take a few different lines through the corner and you can brake really late for it, which makes it a good place to overtake. The whole of the first sector is very fun to drive with a lot of quick corners.”
Nico Hulkenberg
“Of the newer tracks on the calendar I think Austin is probably my favourite. The variation of corners makes it good fun to drive and they’ve designed a very nice facility. The track is smooth and it’s easy to find your rhythm. It's generally a busy weekend on and off the track: Austin is a fun city that really embraces the race and the atmosphere is great.
“The lap is made up of a mixture of corners - high-speed, medium-speed and low-speed. There are also a lot of gradient changes, such as the uphill approach to turn one where it can be tricky to get your brake balance right. Turns three to six are where downforce counts and you need a car that’s responsive to the quick changes of direction. It’s these quick parts of the lap that put high lateral energy through your tyres.
“The DRS is worth quite a lot in Austin and the long straight between turns 11 and 12 is a really good opportunity for overtaking. We should be in good shape and competitive there, which would be the best way to bounce back after my disappointing weekend in Sochi.”
Dr Vijay Mallya, team principal
“The next race in Austin is one of my favourites. They always put on a great event and the fans show lots of enthusiasm for our sport. Luck wasn’t on our side there last year, but there is every reason to believe we can be competitive this year and build on the momentum from Sochi.”

Source : Formula1 website

[GTO]

Can hardly wait! This is one of my favourite tracks because:

- It's a night race, thus more fun. Starts at 0030 hours IST
- High speed corners. Cars look brilliant attacking them
- My 2nd favourite country (after India)

Lewis has won 2 of the 3 races and I have a feeling he's going to make it 3/4 this weekend.

Let the games begin!

[jfxavier]

Originally Posted by GTO

Lewis has won 2 of the 3 races and I have a feeling he's going to make it 3/4 this weekend.

Let the games begin!

Lewis had overtaken Nico on track here last year and hopefully Nico has not forgotten it.
If Nico can be as strong as he was at Sochi, we will have a good fight in hand.

I am also keen to compare the old and new versions of Honda and Renault PUs (if any of the renault teams would like to use it).
There's some rumor that the last Ferrari token usage could be in US as well.
Game on

[shyn]

Sauber will make its 400th appearance in a grand prix weekend at the United States Grand Prix this week.
The Swiss team entered Formula One in 1993, and competed as BMW Sauber between 2006 and 2010.
Full article here: http://www.f1fanatic.co.uk/2015/10/1...th-appearance/

[Raajiv]

Looks like it is going to be a wet one and Accuweather predicts 8-12 inches of rain over the next three days.

http://www.motorsport.com/f1/news/f1...ted-states-gp/

[jfxavier]

Ferrari became a publicly traded company with 10% of its shares listing on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol RACE when Sergio Marchionne rang the opening bell on the NYSE on wednesday.

The IPO put the initial share price at $52 and valued the company at almost $10 billion.

In early trading, the stock jumped $8.50 a share, to $60.50.

Majority stakeholder Fiat Chrysler Automobiles will retain an 80 percent share in Ferrari. The remaining 10 percent belongs to the Ferrari family.

[shyn]

Originally Posted by jfxavier

Ferrari became a publicly traded company with 10% of its shares listing on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol RACE when Sergio Marchionne rang the opening bell on the NYSE on wednesday.

The IPO put the initial share price at $52 and valued the company at almost $10 billion.

In early trading, the stock jumped $8.50 a share, to $60.50.

Majority stakeholder Fiat Chrysler Automobiles will retain an 80 percent share in Ferrari. The remaining 10 percent belongs to the Ferrari family.

We already have a thread discussing this topic.
http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/showthread.php?t=157078

[myavu]

Sebastian Vettel and Kimi Raikkonen will take 10-place grid penalties for Sunday's United States Grand Prix after their Ferrari Formula 1 team chose to introduce an updated power unit.

Source: http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/121451

Cheers!

Vinu

[jfxavier]

THURSDAY DRIVERS PC– Marcus ERICSSON (Sauber), Alexander ROSSI (Manor), Valtteri BOTTAS (Williams), Daniel RICCIARDO (Red Bull Racing), Kimi RÄIKKÖNEN (Ferrari), LEWIS HAMILTON (Mercedes)

Source : http://www.fia.com/news/2015-united-...ess-conference

Here's some of the juicy bits.

Interesting , some of the drivers didn't bother to respond to this one.

Q: (Joesph D Love – Tennessee Tribune) This is a generic question, how do you create more enthusiasm in urban black America for Formula One? I know we’re up against football and basketball – how do you make Formula One as exciting for the urban kid in America?

LH: Don’t look at me, ask these first. I’d love to see what these others think!

DR: Just try and be as ‘lads–y’ as possible. Just make it exciting. I mean, we try. I think the sport’s, most of the time, pretty exciting. As performers – let’s say – we try and do what we can to make it cool. In all honest I think Austin, this circuit, is one of the best on the calendar for excitement. I’ve said it before, there’s so many places to overtake, I think the layout is perfect with big, wide apexes, so you can have a lot of fun on this track. I these terms, I think that creates the excitement: overtaking, fights. If it’s just a single train race it’s obviously less exciting so… I think this track creates a lot of that. I think as drivers most of us try to be y’know, like… cool people, funny people. We try to bring fans into the sport. Yeah… I don’t know. I don’t know if I’ve answered your question.

Alexander, do you want to have a go at it?
AR: Sure, I mean, from an American perspective, I think the biggest thing, leading onto what Daniel was saying, the excitement level needs to be there but beyond that I think the accessibility. Obviously motorsports is something that is quite difficult to get into – and that’s the same for any young kid trying to do it. I think the biggest thing is a direction where to go. I think that’s the thing that’s missing the most. Beyond that, kind of just… there’s always things that can be done in terms of making it expand to a different part of the States. I think it’s very much… Formula One is three locations and in America we’re trying to grow it as much as we can. I think once that happens it’ll appeal to a much broader mass.

Final thought Lewis?
LH: Yeah, just sitting here trying to think. I agree very much with what they mentioned. It’s difficult for people to get attached here in America. Obviously they’re crazy about NFL and NBA and there sports that you can just go and guy the equipment; buy a ball or a racquet and go play down the road or in the street, whereas karting, you can’t. I was very lucky, my Dad bought me a go kart and we drove it around a car park, like a DIY Homestore car park for a while – but there’s not that much accessibility, as he was saying, for kids who say “hey, I want to go go-karting.” You have to plan it weeks in advance almost, or save up. So, I don’t really know. Maybe Formula One can start to engage more with the NFL or with the other sports. The brands that you have here in the States, and start to engage with them. I never, every see… I don’t know if I’ve ever seen an NBA player come – I’ve had a friend come once. Otherwise it’s never really been anyone from those sports, different kind of sports come and try to see what Formula One’s about to maybe bring some attention to it, maybe. As you can see, I’m doing as much as I can – but I’m only one person. Yesterday I was go-karting with some kids, there were two black kids with us. One passed me, the first time I’d ever been on track with a black kid and, coming past it was like seeing myself come by – it was kinda funny. It was good. It’s open to everyone.

About the planned changes to F1:

Q: (Seff Harding – Zero Zone News) This question’s for everyone. There’s been a lot of talk about rule changes, or taking a more of an old school approach to the sport. I wanted to know how you guys felt about that – because I guess there’s a little fear that maybe the cars are getting too technical, you guys might end up being like David Hasselhoff in Knight Rider, talking the car and the car’s driving itself. Just wanted to know how you guys feel about taking a more old school approach to the cars, taking a little more tech out of it.
KR: I think it’s the right direction. F1 should be easily the fastest racing cars in the world and it doesn’t look right some races where we go and GP2s are a few seconds off almost. They should be definitely faster, more like they were in the mid-2000s. I think that’s the way they plan to go and I think it’s more fun for us, it looks much more greater to the spectators. But also, they have to make it also… nicer for all the people. Everybody is complaining it’s boring, it’s this and that. If something doesn’t change nobody will care how the car looks or how fast they are. Something has to change, that’s for sure, for F1 to get back more interesting for everybody – but I think it’s a good way to go, make the cars faster and more exciting looking.

Valtteri, your thoughts on this.
VB: I think the main thing, like every driver for sure, it’s likely the cars are going to be quicker, so that’s a good thing. Maybe more tricky to drive, hopefully. The main thing, the cars are fast and more spectacular for everyone. I’m not sure it’s really an old school thing because the sport will keep developing. It’s a good direction.

Marcus?
ME: First of all, I think the cars today are still a lot of fun to drive for us drivers but like Valtteri says, of course faster cars are always going to be nice for us drivers – but I think there’s a fine line there. To not make it too much like ten, 15 years ago when there was not so much overtaking. I think the racing today is great, with a lot of fights and overtaking. I think we should not cross that line and make the races just follow each other and no overtaking. But yeah, of course, faster cars is going to be more fun for us and more fun to watch.

DR: I think sometimes having such a big difference between cars is not so fun for a spectator as well. You see, I think it was a Williams pass a McLaren in Sochi and it was like it was standing still. That… for a spectator seeing that. That driver’s not better and he’s passed him… holding your foot flat down the straight – there’s no real skill required so when it looks that easy then it’s a little bit… I think it takes something away from the sport, one way or another. So, you always want a bit more equality. I mean, sure, you always want the top teams and you always want to look up to racing for a top team, so you always… there’s got to be some sort of division but a smaller division would be nice. More competition I think, more drivers fighting for wins. I think then, when you win a race also, the reward is much bigger. Somehow to get that back, I think, would be good.

LH: I think it does need to change. I’ve not really looked at the changes they’re proposing, to be honest, but it needs to be… for example, with the DRS, it doesn’t feel organic, like natural racing. Whatever changes they make, I want to see closer racing. Wheel to wheel racing. It needs to be like go-karting was. If, y’know, go-karting, wheel to wheel and those guys following the train overtaking. We need to make Formula One a bit more like that. Somehow. I don’t know how they’re going to do it. It needs to be a lot different to what it was in the last 20 years.

AR: I’m going into my third race so I don’t really have much of a comment, other than the fact I’m not really racing anyone at the moment other than one other car. Obviously I have to agree with what everyone said but for my own personal views, nothing different.

Q: (Greg Creamer – COTA Big Screen Production) Kind of following up this discussion, there’s been a lot of talk about the power units in that and the fact that they are a little bit disparate right now in terms of performance. But what about a re-vamp of the aerodynamic approach, because what you guys were talking about – Lewis in particular – about the go-karting and running close and that, you don’t seem to be able to do that right now because you get close enough, you wash the front end out, there’s no stick? How about re-vamping the aero on the car to get more done, maybe with a tunnel, less sensitivity in the nose so you can follow somebody through say, the last turn at Monza and be able to run right up and not lose the nose as opposed to all the focus on all the power units? That seems like that would improve the racing.
LH: It does seem that way but I don’t think that’s possible. You’ve got turbulence behind the plane, it’s the same thing, you get turbulence behind the car. All these vortices that are bouncing off the car, whichever rule they change to keep downforce, it’s always going to be like that. They need to do something like where when you’re getting close to another car and the car in front has to... the cars always have to have the same amount of downforce, no matter how close you get, so I don’t know how they’ll achieve that but that would be kind of neat.

DR on the Renault PU upgrade:

Q: (Dan Knutson – Honorary) Daniel, Renault has a new engine in the works. What has Renault told you and what has the team told you about this engine?
DR: Yeah, it’s available if we want to use it. Obviously that would mean a penalty, though, so we’ve got to understand if it’s worth it. Last I heard, it’s not massive so from my understanding it’s probably not worth taking it but yeah, I think we’re down such a chunk that I don’t think we’re going to gain enough in this short time to make it up so if we start from the back, I don’t think we’re going to make (up) the ground we need. Right now, I would say we’re probably less likely to take it. That’s about it. Hopefully today they tell me something different and we’ve found a bigger chunk of horsepower from it but I think realistically there’s not a whole lot.

About Pirelli:

Q: (Diego Mejia – Canal F1 Latin America) To all of you; Pirelli is set to stay for quite a few years. What would the drivers like to see from the tyres looking at the next few seasons?
VB: Maybe more grip, that’s always nice, more grip. I think there have been some tracks that – for example Russia – even the supersoft has been a bit too hard so yeah, I’m sure that they are learning from all these things but I think this is adjusting to the different tracks because every tarmac is so different tracks because every tarmac is different, every track is so different, so to make the races exciting, a good quick tyre for the track, I’m sure they are pushing for that so we will see what they can do.
KR: I think we’ve had a lot of discussions about Pirelli and obviously they have been blamed for many things but it’s not easy for them to produce tyres that... first of all I don’t think they are ever going to be able to produce tyres that everyone is happy with. Somebody is always complaining and then we are not allowed to do testing so how can they improve the tyres? We always say, OK, we should go this or that way but they don’t have the time on the circuit to do anything so that doesn’t help them. I don’t really see the point of discussing here what we would like. For sure they will talk to us. I think everybody has to work together with the teams to decide that OK, we can do testing, also helping Pirelli in that way. When teams cannot decide themselves together who does the test or whose car is being used then Pirelli cannot do any laps. It’s very difficult to improve tyres and do what the teams are asking of them. I think it’s up to the teams to provide them also the possibilities to get the tyres running in a proper test and try things. I’m sure they will find a way to do that and I’m sure we will get what everybody’s more or less happy with.
LH: I don’t know. As Kimi said, it’s pointless everyone saying what we would like if we can’t do any testing. I don’t really particularly... more performance is what we always want and I think they’ve got to make a big step if that’s going to be the case.

[arunphilip]

Originally Posted by Raajiv

Looks like it is going to be a wet one and Accuweather predicts 8-12 inches of rain over the next three days.

Originally Posted by jfxavier

DR on the Renault PU upgrade:[/b]
Last I heard, it’s not massive so from my understanding it’s probably not worth taking it but yeah, I think we’re down such a chunk that I don’t think we’re going to gain enough in this short time to make it up so if we start from the back, I don’t think we’re going to make (up) the ground we need. Right now, I would say we’re probably less likely to take it.

If RBR are expecting a wet race, then they're right to not change engines. Their aero will help them grip better in the wet and challenge for better points, and the value of engine power will be diminished.

Remember the 2014 Japanese GP* where the Red Bulls were able to sail past Williams?

* Damn, the phrase "remember the 2014 Japanese GP" has the saddest connotations. RIP Jules.

[jfxavier]

Originally Posted by myavu

Sebastian Vettel and Kimi Raikkonen will take 10-place grid penalties for Sunday's United States Grand Prix after their Ferrari Formula 1 team chose to introduce an updated power unit.

Source: http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/121451

Cheers!

Vinu

The new engines Ferrari is taking this weekend are not the rumoured ‘development’ units with a view to 2016, with a narrower base and a new gearbox. They are the same specification as the units introduced in Monza as I understand from the reports.

[myavu]

Originally Posted by jfxavier

They are the same specification as the units introduced in Monza as I understand from the reports.

Could be, but may be have 2016 spec internals optimised for new Shell fuel formulation (for better combustion and heat management).

Anyway the news is positive for Mercedes garage. Lewis can move a little closer to lift his 3rd trophy and Nico can claw back some points he lost to Vettel at Sochi. Who knows? Unusual weather may be a spoilsport.

Cheers!

[anachronix]

No tokens spent, its just a new engine which is upgraded for reliability changes, just the way Merc got one in Canada

[jfxavier]

If the friday weather is an indicator of what's coming, anything could happen this weekend. FP1 saw teams dodging showers to conduct few runs. However, the weather worsened over the lunchbreak, and it became so bad that FP2 was first delayed, due to the danger of marshals being hit by lightning, then cancelled entirely after it was decided that the medical helicopter would be unable to fly before it became too dark for practice to continue safely. Good decision, especially in hindsight of Japan 2014.



Below are some of the pictures taken on friday.
Source : Formula1.com

Also, some interesting insights into the current PU status in the Friday PC.

http://www.fia.com/news/2015-united-...ess-conference

TEAM REPRESENTATIVES – Matthew CARTER (Lotus), Vijay MALLYA (Force India), Franz TOST (Toro Rosso), Christian HORNER (Red Bull Racing), Eric BOULLIER (McLaren)