Hamilton admits his ‘attention was elsewhere’ after last year’s Formula One title win
‘I’m not really too fussed about what happened in the final few races of 2015 as it didn’t affect my championship
‘Of course, I love winning and that’s always the goal – but to be honest my attention was elsewhere at that point.
‘It had been such a successful season and you can’t win them all, so that was my feeling at the end of the year.’
More F1 news
Jenson Button welcomes ‘big step forward’ from McLaren-Honda
Jenson Button says Honda have made massive improvements to the deployment of electrical energy over the winter after completing his first miles in the 2016 McLaren.
The 2009 world champion highlighted deployment as the key reason for McLaren’s struggles last season and was delighted to find the situation had improved on the first day of pre-season running.
In all, Button completed 84 laps – in excess of a full race distance at the Circuit de Catalunya. This time last year, the newly-forged McLaren-Honda partnership registered a mere six laps.
After a difficult campaign, Button was understandably beaming in his post-session press conference and his smile could get wider with Honda set to deliver further improvements before Australia. It is understood that the engine manufacturers will deliver an updated version of the power unit for next week’s test in Barcelona.
“It is difficult to say in terms of power because this won’t be the engine we take to the first race. The deployment is so much better. I don’t know if it is the same as the other guys have but it feels like it is. That is a big step for us,”
Tweet of the day
The #fans show their support during the afternoon session of #F1Testing #F12016 #F1 pic.twitter.com/vjRBcFBoFe
— Motorsport Images (@MSI_Images) February 22, 2016
Christian Horner calls on all parties to save F1 at crucial Geneva meeting
Whilst we all try our best not to show our ‘not surprised faces’ upon hearing this from Spice Boy Horny, it could in fact be one of the more sensible and predictable statements ever to exit his face.
“We need to do it now because if we need unanimous agreement [required after the end of February deadline] then you might as well forget it,”
The meeting is, effectively, the last chance for F1 to endorse a series of radical proposals to revitalise the sport in 2017 with more aggressively designed cars with wider tyres that are more difficult to drive and five seconds a lap quicker.
Radical change would suit Red Bull fine. For in Adrian Newey they possess the finest designer in F1. He craves a clean piece of paper more than anyone else so he can create a new, aero-led car. Horner, at his most evangelising, continued:
“It would be a great shame if this opportunity was missed. The thing that concerns me is that every team has a vested interest. We need to see strong governance and leadership. I don’t think F1 is in crisis but we have got an opportunity to do something really good.”
Mercedes plan run a new ‘unusual’ front wing
“There’s a lot of talk floating around that we’ll bring an innovative front wing [today]. Indeed we have parts that a little unusual ,” said Wolff , but when pushed would not give more details:
“It is not yet certain whether they’ll go on the car tomorrow, it depends on how the analysis of today’s (Monday) data fails. When I saw the new parts for the first time, I was surprised a little”
Renault’s new car
Very interesting front suspension arrangement allowing lots of airflow through?
@Otter_Count @RenaultSportF1 yes quite a different wishbone layout
— Craig Scarborough (@ScarbsTech) February 22, 2016
Bernie Ecclestone: Formula One is worst it’s ever been… I wouldn’t pay to watch it.
Bernie Ecclestone is in extravagant form. He extols Vladimir Putin, a president he admires, and calls for Jean Todt, the head of Formula One’s governing body and a president he despairs of, to hand over responsibility for the sport.
‘This sort of thing is what is commonly known as a cartel,’ said Ecclestone. ‘And cartels are illegal. We are running something that is illegal. On top of all that it is anti-competitive.’
‘Jean is doing a very good job for road safety. He makes a big effort. He travels the world meeting people. But his interest in Formula One is purely a result of being president of the FIA and the fact that he is expected to be there for Formula One. He doesn’t look to do anything that might destabilise what he really wants to do in the UN.
‘He should carry on with the other stuff, but hand over responsibility for Formula One to someone else. I am going to speak to him about it.’
When asked who should take over Todt’s Formula One brief, then?
‘No idea,’ said Ecclestone. ‘That’s up to the FIA…….
I have a vested interest. I want to do what is best for Formula One.
‘I don’t need the job. I don’t need the money. Most of the participants are only thinking about what’s good for them in the short term. Long term for most of those people is two or three races. The result is that Formula One is the worst it has ever been. I wouldn’t spend my money to take my family to watch a race. No way.”
Although he thinks there is ‘no chance’ that Formula One’s cumbersome decision-making process will permit agreement on rule changes for 2017 by the deadline of March 1 — a surely elastic timescale — he revealed a revolutionary plan that he wants in place for the opening race of this season in Melbourne on March 20 — mixed grids.
“We need more competitive racing,’ he said. ‘I would keep qualifying as it is. The guy who is quickest would still have his number of poles recorded for history. But then he could start, say, 10th based on his pole and where he stands in the championship. We are looking at exactly how we could do it.
‘The guy who is third fastest in qualifying would start, say seventh or eighth. That is better than totally reversed grids because all you get with them is the man at the back getting past the slower guys at the start of the race. This way makes it competitive between guys of similar speed. It won’t be easy to get past people.
‘The big thing is that it would create debate. I would say, “I think the pole man will win for this reason or that”. You say, “No, I think so-and-so will win because…” That’s what we need. I don’t know if we can get it through in time. We’ll see.”
STR goes size zero
It seems it’s not only McLaren who believes in ‘size 0’, note the rear of the Toro Rosso 2016 challenger.
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I can’t see the value in getting a good time in qualifying if you get pole and end up being put 10th. May as well tootle round in first gear and bag pole for the race. Or is he suggesting a points system for the initial times in qualifying? So 1 point for last, increasing by 1 point for each position up to that of the set pole time. Normal points being awarded for the winner of the race, down to 10th (or will it be 11th now? ) place. However, this would skew the points system too much towards qualifying rather than completing a race. I thought they wanted to make Formula 1 more understandable to new would be fans.To be honest, I think its just another publicity stunt by Bernie.
DN&C’s returned! Woo Hoo!
RE: Lewis
Well, he seemed to be happy to keep taking the pay check. I know what I’d be thinking if I were his boss. Season ends when it ends.
Also, the final stage of Bling’s reasoning seems a bit post hoc fallacy; “can’t win them all” which is justification/cause as to why he didn’t do well in the last three races. #Nope #Reductive #Causality #Synchronicity #Jung’sADreamer
RE: Mr.E
Can’t help but admire him on a strange, dark and primal level. I’m not proud of it.
RE: DN&C
I’m so happpppy!
So he flunked them deliberately. That’s not what a man does. Looks like he has no balls. No heart. Shame on him. He’s not a fighter. In the military he’d get charged with desertion. Massive loss of respect. His hero senna just cried a single tear.
10 wins 12 poles and championship in the bag = job done…
Now for your comments, that’s what a certain German does when they want a big move to a certain team from Maranello.
Man you’re getting weak. U said u wouldn’t respond… it’s getting to easy
Can’t help myself sometimes…..
Really? One day it’s Riccardo whipped his butt the entire season, the next Vettel gave up. It’s not both.
Pick whichever ever tickles your fancy…
In other news: thanks for the old format back. Love it!
F1 is back baby!!!!!….wooooooo
At the risk of upsetting fortis…. so disappointed in the current champion. I don’t remember Vettel backing off taking 13 wins in a season and equalling Schumi’s record. Or backing off to let his team-mate take victory.
A little too convenient – perhaps?
Yea but I can remember him backing off in 2014 to get a move to Ferrari. Think I’m lying? Ask LDM
Seb didn’t back off in 2013, because he had already planned to bail on the next season to get his move to Ferrari.
As for upset me, I’m laughing because what he said was being said by practically everyone at the end of the season. So this is not really a ground breaking story.
that is true about Seb, but then again LDM also says
“I believe Alonso is probably the best driver in the world even today — certainly on a Sunday.”
😀 😀 😀
oh dear, will this damn season ever start so we can end this nonsense (and start more relevant 2016 results based nonsense) 🙂
“Think I’m lying? Ask LDM”
So LDM told you that? Yeah, right.
Seems like you lack the ability to understand innuendos and figure of speech….😏
Maybe. But compared to the abilities you lack it’s a small thing… 😉
It is in fact disappointing, but nothing that really surprises me coming from Lewis.
He still needs a lot of growing up to do…that he can do, but having a little more class would help.
But that will be harder to achieve.
wasnt fussed about not winning is equal to wasnt fussed about winning or not
the headline has messed up the meaning of another ‘exclusive’
Back to squabbling about LH are we? That tells me we’ll be back to racing soon, thankfully.
Look. The man won the drivers championship and the team won the contructors championship. There wasn’t much else to take home, was there?
If Lewis won every friggin’ race of the season, there’d be those who still would find something to complain about.
“If Lewis won every friggin’ race of the season, there’d be those who still would find something to complain about.”
Exactly correct. This modern world of IT, where we all seem to live for every comment made on the internet, has created a negativity never before seen in human beings. We were once a very positive lot, searching for the next great person with foresight and enthusiasm, to follow and get involved with. Now it seems we just sit back and shoot them all down. That’s why headlines are ALWAYS sensational and rarely say what is actually in the article is advertises. There is much more communication flying around when someone writes a negative comment. Look at Bernie’s effort, even if there is a good amount of truth and searching for a way to create a positive via the use of negative sensationalism.
That’s the major problem with the world these days. We have far too many avenues for us all to vent our spleens. Before the internet, we had no idea what was going on in every corner of the world, most of us didn’t really mind, we just lived our own lives and kept to ourselves. Now it’s all about which website can break the smallest story, with the biggest headlines and suck people in to clicking on that site so they can present the ‘click’ figures to advertising companies and charge more money for a pop-up ad on their most popular page.
Unfortunately, the human race has evolved into a growing mind-set where we are negative and complain far more often than we are positive and constructive.
It’s much more popular to find a way to be ‘against’ an idea or comment, than it is to be ground breaking and go with positive suggestion. It’s become almost a sport of it’s own!
Most people don’t bother with positivity and suggestion, for fear of being on the end of terribly negative, vitriolic responses from all and sundry who have nothing better to do and no intestinal fortitude to put themselves out there for scrutiny.
People thought freedom of speech was a good thing… until the WWW came along and opened the floodgates for keyboard warriors to vent their anger at every single thing that’s written.
Most of them post negative comments for no real reason other than to see their name on the screen. The rest truly believe they actually have an influential voice about the important goings on of the world.
It’s pretty sad really.
Sorry..just don’t buy that line. As with many here I have followed MrH from the lower series and the guy is a racer, I might not like how he has behaved in the past but you have to admire his drives and passion. Yes,he might have dropped the outright 100% push in the last few races but believe me when I say it hurt him to lose to Mr R. You can slate the guy but not to finish first was a real blow and it might just give us hope for the new season,sorry Lewis…I believe different. Now as to MrE’s statement,will I be getting a refund from sky then? I pay for a service that you are saying is crap….could this be a Rattner moment?