[PapaofGags]

https://www.planetf1.com/news/arrivabene...p-weekend/

"Ferrari may have grabbed the lead in both championships in Austria, but team boss Maurizio Arrivabene fears they could be on the back foot at this weekend’s British Grand Prix.
Ferrari last won the British Grand Prix back in 2011 with Fernando Alonso.
Since then the Silverstone race has been dominated by Mercedes drivers with the Brackley squad chasing their sixth successive win at the circuit.
And although Ferrari were on the podium as recently as last year’s race with Kimi Raikkonen P3, Arrivabene admits it is going be a “difficult” weekend for the Scuderia.
“On paper, Silverstone looks quite difficult for us,” he told Sky Italia.
“Aerodynamics are very important and it will be a difficult race for us, so we have to stay focused.”
But while Mercedes may have been the team to beat at Silverstone, they also were last weekend in Austria.
A double DNF in their upgraded package put paid to that, paving the way for a double Ferrari podium.

This last sentence made me smile, very Italian/cool.    

Arrivabene added: “Sometimes you speak too loudly. In F1 you can bring an interesting upgrade package but maybe it gets too warm and you stop.”

[NeilP]

Arrivabene added: “Sometimes you speak too loudly. In F1 you can bring an interesting upgrade package but maybe it gets too warm and you stop.”

If that is not a major swipe at Mercedes I dont know what is!!!

[forzaferrari]

Mercedes is still checking for "unknown gremlins" from Lewis Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas's Austrian Grand Prix failures that could cause future penalties.
The team has now confirmed that Hamilton suffered a fuel pump failure that led to him losing power.

While that is not an item associated with penalties, the failure and the sudden on-track shutdown could have triggered issues elsewhere in the power unit.
Bottas stopped with a hydraulic issue, and his engine also has to be given a clean bill of health after he too stopped on track.
The only replacement parts that would trigger immediate penalties at Silverstone would be a new energy store or control electronics for Bottas, but any others would push the drivers closer to future penalties.
Mercedes says that the Austrian retirements were not related to each other, or to the new engine specification that was introduced in France.
"They weren't the same failure, they were entirely different," technical director James Allison explained in a Mercedes video clip.
"On Valtteri's car it was a hydraulics failures, starting in the power steering but being felt ultimately in the ability to shift the gears, which caused his car to stop.

"And in Lewis's case it was a failure of the fuel pump, meaning we couldn't deliver fuel to the engine, and so we had to stop there as well.
"Entirely separate failures, and neither of them in any way related to the introduction of the new power unit."
Allison is confident that there will not be any issues with either engine, but he admits that there are aways some concerns when a driver has to park in a hurry.
"Are we going to have any consequential replacements of parts that might cause us sporting penalties? We hope not," he said.
"We think both of the failures that we had were confined to the items that failed, and they're both things that can be replaced without having to break into the sealed areas of the car that attract sporting penalties.
"However, I say we hope not, because every time the car stops in an uncontrolled way, where a failure happens and the system is then shut down in a manner that is unusual, and the car can suffer all manner of unknown gremlins, we can't be completely sure until we've done all the necessary checks to be certain that the bits of the car that are sealed, and which do attract sporting penalties, weren't in any way affected by these uncontrolled shutdowns.

"So we've got a bit of work on our plates at the moment to try and make sure we're not taking any undue risks with parts that were not to do with the failure, but might have had some consequential damage as the car shut down.

"But we don't think so, we think we'll be in good shape for Silverstone."

[forzaferrari]

Eric Boullier quits Mclaren!!!!!!


Full statement from McLaren
'McLaren Racing Chief Executive Zak Brown yesterday accepted Eric Boullier's resignation from his position as Racing Director. He also announced a simplified technical leadership team.

'Simon Roberts, COO of McLaren Racing, will oversee production, engineering and logistics. Andrea Stella is appointed Performance Director, responsible for trackside operations. Gil de Ferran takes up the new role of Sporting Director, to maximise the effectiveness of the team's racing package.

'These changes are the beginning of a comprehensive programme of positive changes to the technical leadership of McLaren's racing organisation. The team will invest to retain and attract the best talent, internally and externally, to return McLaren Racing to the front of the grid.'

[morini]

Saw on BBC sport website. He's not the only one who should fall on his sword. I'd like to see the American chap do the same.

[Jody Barton]

I was reading last night the list of talent that has left McLaren since 2013. Jeez... all I can say is, no wonder Renault are doing OK. They've siphoned so many from them, the rest seem to have scattered throughout the grid. As to the race this weekend? Not too sure what to think, but I said a few weeks back when everyone was predicting Ferrari would need to take grid penalties for engines etc., that actually the only driver in the top 3 to take a grid penalty so far was Lewis. Plus, Mercedes have suffered quite a few failures of other components. Their gearboxes are notoriously weak, they've had hydraulic issues throughout the hybrid era, famously costing both Lewis and Rosberg easy wins... so when I said don't think Mercedes are bulletproof, I meant it, and I was right.

As I see it, they've had the design philosophy of their car mostly wrong in the hybrid era. Sure, with FRIC or some form of trick suspension their approach is spot on. Without it they're forcing more and more drag to be added for aero gain, and leaving their set up on a knife edge with tyres. The added drag means they're expecting those engines to literally push more car through the air. That now is just not good enough with Ferrari rapidly closing in on engine spec. So they are pushing other things to compensate for a poor design philosophy, and when teams really, really push things... failures happen. Mercedes will be back here and strong, but I feel the cracks are showing now.

PS. Zak Brown should go.

[forzaferrari]

Without checking stats I would have thought Merc has had the best reliability.....been the most bulletproof (if there is such a thing in mechanical and electrical terms) since the hybrid era began.

[Monster Hesh]

---

So they make the tyre a step softer for 2018. Yet they bring a compound a step harder than last year, effectively the same, when the teams didnt even use the medium tyres last year?? Seems like Pirelli really just wanted to mind fu*k F1 fans and ensure they bring they blue wet slick tyre, ridiculous.

Track addition of 3rd DRS, has officially been reduced to just the start finish straight, ending before turn 1. I ask whats the point? What I dont know is if its a mandatory shut off before T1, or if drivers are feeling brave enough they are allowed to leave it open until T3 braking auto shut off.
If it is a mandatory shut off, I ask the question, why not have the 3rd DRS after T7, through T8 (it's hardly a corner) and the mandatory shut off before T9 (although these cars could indeed have DRS open through it). Its much longer for the DRS to have an influence, plenty of run off.  Side by side into Copse creates a show, as the compromised lines will allow more battle into maggots. I'm sure F1's millions of simulation software has offered up the best solution however........

If Silverstone doesn't scream designed for Mercedes (and Haas) I don't know what does. High speed, super fast corners where serious time is gained. 
What may bring the other teams, Ferrari more, into play is the Merc's tyre life. I said in the Austria thread that their soft tyre life in Austria was really alarming. The thinner tyre tread may come to their aid, if it doesn't, has their new upgrade which both drivers said "stabilised the rear significantly" had also had a detrimental effect on their rear tyre life control?
What NeilP added about what Arriebenvene said is which intriguing. Maybe there was more to the Merc failures. In which case my Fantasy Team could be screwed, lol. Face expressions could be quite telling during press debriefs. Ted is usually quite good at picking up on them.

Weather has not been British at all, for weeks, that newly laid tarmac could be bleeding bad. It's going to be very hot for Silverstone high 20Cs even hitting 30Cs, that track is going to be super greasy. Clouds might give some rest bite, but should race day be clear, track temp is going to be mega, we might see the first 2 stop of the season, even with the harder tyres. maybe those who will have a chance to run them in practice may be on the front foot, which is all of 5 drivers.

[forzaferrari]

Great write up as usual Hesh

[Purple-banana]

Track addition of 3rd DRS, has officially been reduced to just the start finish straight, ending before turn 1. I ask whats the point? What I dont know is if its a mandatory shut off before T1, or if drivers are feeling brave enough they are allowed to leave it open until T3 braking auto shut off.

I imagine there are a few drivers making a sigh of relief after this announcement!

I think the DRS will automatically close at the end of the zone if the brake pedal hasn't been pressed. Otherwise the teams would no doubt find a way to avoid braking and keep the DRS open otherwise into the next section of track. Give an inch and they'll take a mile!