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How Lewis Hamilton can be Champion on Sunday

Badger GP have published a very useful guide displaying where Vettel and Hamilton finish, will decide if the title fight go’s to Lewis Hamilton or how the points deficit will look.

badgergp.com

 

Formula E Mercedes team HWA officially confirm Vandoorne

“I am honoured that HWA have signed me for their Formula E programme,” said Vandoorne.

“HWA are such a great team with a long and successful history in motorsport. All the people I’ve met so far are really passionate about racing.

“Also, it´s great to work alongside such an experienced driver as Gary Paffett. I am pretty sure that we will benefit from each other during the season.”

“It won’t be easy. My objective is, therefore, to become competitive in the series as soon as possible and to make a good impression,” he added.

fiaformulae.com

TJ13 comment – It’s worth noting that HWA are in fact the fledgling Mercedes works team for the electric FIA series – we broke the story some weeks ago, so McLaren have in affect lost the Belgian driver to Mercedes Benz.

 

Lewis Hamilton sent MAJOR warning by own Mercedes boss, this would be devastating

LEWIS HAMILTON hasn’t won anything yet this season and there are plenty of factors that could see Sebastian Vettel leap back into the title race.

“Freak incidents can happen everywhere,” Wolff said.

“A DNF and a consequent bad result suddenly wipes out a large chunk of your points.

“I know from a probability standpoint it doesn’t look like it, but this is motor racing, it’s a sport and anything can happen.

“I don’t want to even think about him breaking a finger.

“I don’t want to dwell on it because this is bad karma too, so let’s just get it down.

“Let’s go to Austin, have a strong race weekend and hopefully seal the championship.”

express.co.uk

 

 

Lauda to leave intensive care

Lauda has already been outside and breathed fresh air, while he will soon have recovered enough strength to be transferred to a rehabilitation clinic.

According to Osterreich, Lauda is able to talk fluently again and his body has received the new organs well.

It is reported that the 69-year-old recently underwent a small operation, described as a “routine measure”.

gpfans.com

 

The 2019 Technical and Sporting Regulations have been now published by the FIA

Sporting Regulations Summary:

• Tyre testing:
  • Teams given one test a year for the sole purpose of testing the following year’s tyre specification.
• Clarifications on press commitments during a GP weekend (timings etc.)
• Biometric gloves for drivers written into the regulations.
• Exception added to cap of 60 team personnel (e.g. mechanics, doesn’t apply to catering etc.):
  • 6 individual exceptions for trainee employees, each trainee may use this exception a maximum of twice.
• Those under the age of 16 are now allowed in the pit-lane at certain times before and after sessions and races, whereas it was a blanket ban before. (Not sure how well Brazil ’16 & Massa’s son would have gone down with Charlie…).
• Confirmation that teams will carry out their own scrutinising and then submit a declaration form no later than 18 hours before the start of FP1.
• Many changes throughout regulations changing times of official notification (e.g. notification of a driver change) from defined times (e.g. 16:00) to a period of time before FP1 (e.g. 18 hours before).
• No car is permitted to consume more than 110kg of fuel, up from 105kg (already known and reported)
• Interestingly – An Auxiliary Oil Tank, as defined below, must be empty during the complete qualifying practice session.
  • An Auxiliary Oil Tank (AOT) is a singular vessel connected to the engine whose sole function is to hold engine oil for the replenishment of the engine lubrication system.
• Clarification that cars starting from the pit-lane may complete pre-race reconnaissance laps, but they must not find themselves on the grid at the end of those laps. Last years regulations weren’t completely watertight on this aha.
• No overtaking before S/F line (as opposed to Safety Car line previously) following safety car returning to pits.
• Interestingly “Once the last car able to do so has left the grid and passed the pit exit any cars required to start the race from the pit lane may also join the formation lap.”
  • So cars don’t actually start GPs from the pit-lane anymore if they can make the formation lap? “All cars required to start the race from the pit lane, and who completed a formation lap, must enter the pit lane at the end of the lap and start from the end of the pit lane.”
  • So cars starting from the pits can do a formation lap, and then come back into the pits for the start of the race. What if there’s a queue in pits and the person ahead doesn’t want to do formation lap?
  • In the event of a wet start, cars starting from the pits can follow the safety car for any number of laps that the safety car is out, but needs to return to the pits when the safety car does and then go straight out again to start the race.
  • (Confusing, not sure about this so don’t take a gospel) Any car that enters the pits during wet formations laps behind the safety car will need to again return to the pits once the safety car returns to the pits.
  • Drivers will incur penalties for changing tyres before the start of a wet race (presumably including drivers who change tyres during the wet formation laps). For reference, the race will be deemed to have started when the leading car crosses the Line after the safety car has returned to the pits.
• Whilst a race is suspended, accredited TV cameramen are now officially allowed in the pit lane, whereas they weren’t explicitly before. Expect rain dances, boat races and other shenanigans to intensify.
• Confirmation that a chequered light panel will be the end-of-race signal and will be shown at the Line as soon as the leading car has covered the full race distance. The Winnie Rule.
• No team personnel who are associated in any way with the operation of the cars are permitted within the confines of the circuit during two nine (prev. eight) hour restricted periods which commence twelve (prev. eleven) hours before the scheduled start times of P1 and P3.