F1 crash chaos F2 title fight Nurburgring 24 Hours Grosjean’s latest Battle of the Brits Tandy adds another embarrassment hots up in Spain classic enduro win BRITAIN’S BEST MOTORSPORT WEEKLY MAY 17 2018 ‘That’s more like it’ How Hamilton got back to his best in Spain PLUS WHY VETTEL WAS OFF FORM THE TYRE CONSPIRACY MYTH &" ! ! "& $ "& # # # ! $ &" ! 4QFDJöD (SBWJUZ 30/ .0/ 3FJE 7BQPVS 1SFTTVSF QTJ %JTUJMMBUJPO $ *OJUJBM #PJMJOH 1PJOU &$ WPMVNF B &$ WPMVNF &$ WPMVNF 'JOBM #PJMJOH 1PJOU 6OMFBEFE $PMPVS -JHIU (SFFO 0YZHFO 8U 4QFDJöD (SBWJUZ 30/ .0/ 3FJE 7BQPVS 1SFTTVSF QTJ %JTUJMMBUJPO $ *OJUJBM #PJMJOH 1PJOU & WPMVNF & WPMVNF & WPMVNF 'JOBM #PJMJOH 1PJOU -FBE HM $PMPVS -JHIU #MVF 0YZHFO 8U # 4QFDJöD (SBWJUZ 30/ .0/ 3FJE 7BQPVS 1SFTTVSF QTJ %JTUJMMBUJPO $ *OJUJBM CPJMJOH QPJOU & $ WPMVNF & $ WPMVNF & $ WPMVNF 'JOBM #PJMJOH 1PJOU 6OMFBEFE $PMPVS $MFBS 0YZHFO 8U %" $ " &! " $ $ %" # % " !& " " # %" $BMM BOE UBML UP PVS UFDIOJDBM UFBN BCPVU XIJDI GVFM XJMM TVJU ZPVS SFRVJSFNFOUT CFTU 0WFS EJòFSFOU UZQFT PG GVFM JO TUPDL SBOHJOH GSPN 30/ VOMFBEFE UP PDUBOF MFBEFE & NFUIBOPM % t JOGP!BBPJMDPVL t XXXBBPJMDPVL CONTENTS F1 crash chaos F2 title fight Nurburgring 24 Hours Grosjean’s latest Battle of the Brits Tandy adds another embarrassment hots up in Spain classic enduro win BRITAIN’S BEST MOTORSPORT WEEKLY MAY 17 2018 ‘That’s more like it’ How Hamilton got back to his best in Spain PLUS WHY VETTEL WAS OFF FORM THE TYRE CONSPIRACY MYTH COVER IMAGES DUNBAR Steven Tee/LAT Images, Gruppe C GmbH PIT+PADDOCK 4 Honda cautious of Red Bull pressure 6 Rowland’s first and final F1 chance? THE ‘REAL’ LEWIS 9 No Citroen rally return for Loeb 11 F1 technical focus STEPS FORWARD 12 F1 column: Edd Straw 13 Feedback: your letters AND DELIVERS RACE CENTRE 14 COVER STORY Although he was leading the Formula 1 World Championship before Spanish GP report and analysis last weekend, Lewis Hamilton had looked a bit out of sorts in 2018. By 30 his own admission, he didn’t feel comfortable in the Mercedes W09, Power on form in Indy GP 34 Pau F3: rookies and Aron star knew there was pace he was failing to unlock, and could see Valtteri 38 World of Sport: Formula 2; GP3; Bottas doing a better job when things weren’t going right. Porsche Supercup; ELMS; WTCR; But at the Spanish Grand Prix, Hamilton felt in the zone with the World Rallycross; NASCAR Cup; car and the result was a crushing display of how to win. At no point Nurburgring 24 Hours did Hamilton look like losing the race. And he didn’t leave the door open for any strategic blunders – of the sort that robbed him in INSIGHT Australia – to get in the way, because he just kept pulling away 46 The perils of F1 pre-qualifying from Sebastian Vettel throughout the opening stint. CLUB AUTOSPORT Ferrari’s performance was particularly lacklustre, and it was a 62 Safety car chaos at Knockhill rare occasion for it to struggle more with the tyres than Mercedes. 64 Inaugural Rockingham 24H a hit Some cried foul on the basis of the changes Pirelli made to the 67 Club column: Marcus Pye rubber for Barcelona (thinner tread depth), but this was the result 68 Reports: Monaco Historique; of blistering in pre-season testing at the resurfaced track that Knockhill; Oulton Park; al icted most teams, and not to do with any problems the Brands Hatch; Bishopscourt; Silver Arrows were having in the opening four races. Silverstone; Snetterton Ferrari will have more strong weekends – last year it was untouchable FINISHING STRAIGHT in Monaco, where the teams head next – but, if Mercedes and 78 What’s on this week Hamilton can perform at their Barcelona level at more GPs, Vettel’s 80 From the archive: 1990 US GP 17-point defi cit in the title race could become dii cult to bridge. 82 Pit your wits against our quiz SUBSCRIPTION OFFER O It was a successful weekend for British drivers in other categories. 66 Subscribe for £1 for first six weeks Two McLaren Autosport BRDC Award winners and a former fi nalist and get a FREE F1 print worth £40 now fi ll the top three in the Formula 2 points (see page 38), while Nick Tandy added yet another classic victory to his impressive endurance-racing CV in the Nurburgring 24 Hours (p44). FOR OTHER WAYS TO READ AUTOSPORT VISIT AUTOSPORT.COM [email protected] MAY 17 2018 AUTOSPORT.COM 3 FEEDBACK O GORIA/SUTTON IMAGES GORIA/SUTTON HONDA WARY OF OPINION O RED BULL PRESSURE FORMULA 1 Bull’s size? We feel responsibility.” Honda was due to supply a second team The “pressure” and “responsibility” of this season before Sauber cancelled the supplying Red Bull with a Formula 1 deal. Although that left Toro Rosso as engine is at the heart of Honda’s Honda’s only priority, the company has considerations during its discussions still been expanding its resources at its with the team for next season. Sakura research-and-development facility Red Bull and Honda continued their and at its UK base, conveniently located formal negotiations at last weekend’s in Milton Keynes, like Red Bull. CONTROVERSY Spanish Grand Prix, where the Japanese Honda has struggled to catch F1’s O company’s motorsport boss Masashi leading engine makers since returning to Yamamoto met with Red Bull advisor F1 in 2015 with McLaren, and Yamamoto Helmut Marko. says Honda must be sure it will not be Although Red Bull has used its junior overstretched by a Red Bull deal. He team Toro Rosso’s supply deal to monitor believes that will be helped by Red Bull Honda more closely this season, formal and Toro Rosso being sister organisations. talks only started last month in Azerbaijan. “It gives us an advantage,” he says. “We DEBATE The FIA’s notional deadline for declaring can make the organisation more compact. O an engine supply deal is next week, but an In some ways communication can be done agreement can be reached beyond this date once, rather than twice – not technically, if both parties agree. Red Bull’s long-time but on the management side. The other engine supplier Renault has outlined thing is that to deal with Red Bull we have its concerns about the team’s desire to to maintain the quality of work, especially wait until June, at the earliest, to make a on the Sakura side. That’s our point to NEWS decision. But Honda is happy to take its consider; how we can manage that.” time to consider an expansion of supply Honda is understandably keen to to two teams for the first time since partner with a team of Red Bull’s might, returning to F1 in 2015. and Red Bull’s lack of patience with “We regard it as a positive thing – giving us time means we have time to consult more,” says Yamamoto. “To deal with Red “TO DEAL WITH Bull is a really big thing for Honda because RED BULL WE HAVE they are a top team. This gives us a sort of pressure as an engine manufacturer. We TO MAINTAIN THE have to analyse and consider very well from many aspects. Can we really deal with Red QUALITY OF WORK” IN THE HEADLINES BERNIE BUYS SENNA CAR Ex-Brabham team boss Bernie Ecclestone has bought the McLaren with which Ayrton Senna won the 1993 Monaco Grand Prix for over €4.1million. Chassis MP4/8-6 came complete with the Ford HB engine and gearbox used by Senna in Monte Carlo, and went for one of the highest prices ever paid for a modern F1 car. The car was sold by racer Aaron Hsu, who bought it from McLaren just over a decade again. WILLIAMS TECHIE LEAVES Williams has become the latest F1 team to part company with a technical chief over recent weeks. Chief designer Ed Wood has let the team ater 12 years “for personal TEE reasons”. He held F1 roles at Ferrari and Renault, and was chief designer for Prodrive’s Subaru World Rally team before joining Williams in 2006. INDYCAR DEBUT TO CELIS Ex-Force India F1 reserve Alfonso Celis Jr is to make his IndyCar race debut at Road America next month. The Mexican, a race winner last year in Formula V8 3.5, has canned his Indy Lights programme, which was delayed due to licensing problems. Celis will drive for Juncos Racing in the car also being raced in part-programmes by Kyle Kaiser and Rene Binder. ROWLAND IN GT MERC Williams F1 young driver and Barcelona tester Oliver Rowland will make his Blancpain GT Series debut in this weekend’s Endurance Renault is why it is willing to gamble on energy-management systems, and it is Cup round at Silverstone. Rowland will race an engine that is still fourth-best. Renault yet to introduce performance upgrades. a Strakka Racing Mercedes-AMG GT3 with is yet to introduce a self-built MGU-K As with Renault, the first of Honda’s Adrien Tambay and Thomas Jager, because into its energy-recovery systems, which major updates is expected in Canada. This regular driver Christian Vietoris has glandular was meant to be working last year. And is a logical place to introduce the next fever. Another Brit, Force India sim driver Nick there is no guarantee that will arrive power unit because it is a power-sensitive Yelloly, also makes his Blancpain debut in the as part of its planned update for next track, and the current engines will have same race in a Rowe Racing BMW M6 GT3. month’s Canadian GP either.