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Geoffrey Harris18 May 2018
NEWS

MOTORSPORT: Ricciardo wants more surprises

Carsales.com.au global ambassador says softest tyre option would produce better F1

Daniel Ricciardo says Formula 1 is "a bit predictable" and that he wants it to have "more surprises" – and he reckons he's got the answer to do that.

The carsales.com.au global ambassador wants the softest of F1 tyre supplier Pirelli's seven rubber compounds to be used at every grand prix, effectively as a qualifying tyre.

Called the 'hypersoft', this compound hasn't been used at all in any of the five GPs so far, but it will be introduced at next week's race in Monaco, where two years ago Ricciardo took a stunning pole position, only to be denied victory by a team blunder in not having the right tyres ready for him on a pitstop.

Drivers – who are required to use at least two types of tyre during a GP – have complained this season that there is too little variation in the lap times they can achieve on the various compounds.

The difference between the 'soft' and 'supersoft' rubber was reckoned to be just 0.3 seconds a lap at last weekend's Spanish GP in Barcelona.

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"I don't know why we can't have the hypersoft at every race," Ricciardo has said.

"Or at least we qualify on it and maybe figure it out after that.

"But at least we'd have a qualifying tyre and then bigger differences in the race to create a bit more opportunity [and unpredictability]."

Helmut Marko, the powerful adviser at Red Bull Racing for which Ricciardo drives, accused Mercedes of "influencing" Pirelli to alter the tyre compounds for the Spanish GP, where the tristar brand scored an emphatic one-two finish with Lewis Hamilton winning ahead of teammate Valtteri Bottas.

"When you're a team and a [passenger car] manufacturer at the same time you can do that," Marko said.

"We produce energy drinks. We cannot influence as much compared to a maker of passenger cars."

However, Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff said Marko "sees ghosts ... not for the first time".

Wolff said that in pre-season testing worn rear tyres generally "looked like a volcanic landscape".

"So Pirelli improved them. It's bad for business if tyres explode," Wolff said.

<a href="https://motoring.pxcrush.net/motoring/general/editorial/pirelli-tyre-gp-f1-close.jpg"><img class="alignnone size-csn-inline-image wp-image-244606" src="https://motoring.pxcrush.net/motoring/general/editorial/pirelli-tyre-gp-f1-close.jpg?height=427&width=640&aspect=fitWithin" alt="" width="640" height="427"></a>
FIA boss says aero changes couldn't wait

The world head of motor racing, Jean Todt, president of the Federation Internationale de l'Automobile, seems to think he's damned if things don't change in F1 and damned when they do.

One of the big criticisms of F1 is the lack of overtaking, and the FIA recently moved swiftly to mandate simpler front wings with a larger span and wider, deeper rear wings from next season, rather than wait until the major rules overhaul set for 2021.

However, Red Bull Racing team principal Christian Horner said the changes were "rushed" and that F1 "has the ability to shoot itself in the foot", while Ferrari star Sebastian Vettel called the changes "comical".

But Todt has fired back: "If we understand that something is wrong we should try to find a solution.

"We all say we want to have a better sport, a better show, so let's do something.

"[Otherwise] we would go through 2018, '19 and '20 knowing that there's a problem which is damaging the sport.

"We are trying to make the sport better. We try, using the proper governance – which is not the easiest thing in F1 – to make a proposal.

"So that's why we made this proposal and by a miracle it was accepted."

Hooray for halo – a tragedy averted

The controversial halo introduced on open-wheeler cars in European-based competition this year has already proved its worth, protecting a driver from a potential serious injury or even fatality.

When two Japanese drivers collided in a Formula 2 race at the Spanish GP the rear wheel of Nirei Fukuzumi's flying car came close to Tadasuke Makino's head.

"The first time I tested this car I didn't think the halo was good, because it's difficult to see anything, but now the halo has helped me," Makino said.

"Without the halo I think the tyre would have hit my helmet.

"The halo was a big help for me."

'Safety goggles' advance in concussion testing

IndyCar continues to develop an enlarged windscreen as its alternative to the halo and, a week out from the Indianapolis 500, has announced a major step forward in its concussion testing.

Drivers in the American series will now be required, after high-impact crashes, to undergo an eye-tracking test with what looks like a virtual-reality headset.

The system, known officially as I-PAS but being referred to as "safety goggles", has been created by Neuro Kinetics of Pittsburgh.

It assesses people with symptoms of dizziness and/or balance disorders, especially those associated with concussions, migraines or vertigo.

IndyCar and Neuro Kinetics have been working together on the technology since Australian Will Power's crash in practice at St Petersburg, Florida, for the opening race of the 2016 season. The technology identified Power's symptoms after that crash as being from an inner ear infection rather than concussion.

"That was a game-changer for us," said IndyCar safety consultant Dr Tony Trammell.

The grid for the 102nd Indianapolis 500 on May 27 will be set in two days of qualifying at The Brickyard this weekend, with 35 cars vying for 33 spots.

The four Chevrolet-powered Team Penske cars set the pace in this week's early practice but Andretti Autosport's Honda-engined cars then came to the fore, with extra turbo boost allowed from tonight, Australian time.

Will Power said his Penske machine was "in a good window, but it's tough to get it exactly right", while fellow Aussie James Davison said it has been "challenging" trying to find the right balance in traffic on the famous speedway. "We've probably thrown 10 to 15 things at the car and never got to where we wanted to be," Davison said midweek.

Battler team owner Dale Coyne has replaced his injured driver Pietro Fittipaldi with 20-year-old Canadian Zachary Claman De Melo after talk Australians Ryan Briscoe or Matt Brabham may have got the drive.

Oil capital goes the electric route

Formula E, the clean, green electric open-wheeler series, will start its fifth season in December in Riyadh, capital of the world's biggest oil exporter, Saudi Arabia.

"Formula E is the motorsport of the future," said Prince Abdulaziz bin Turki Al Faisal al Saud, vice-chairman of the country's General Sports Authority and national motor federation.

Formula E founder and chief executive Alejandro Agag said Saudi Arabia was "concentrating on the development of new technologies, renewable energies and electric vehicles".

Reuters has reported that, as part of its plan to diversity its economy beyond oil, Saudi Arabia will invest US$30-50 billion by 2023 in renewables.

All or nothing for Loeb at Citroen

Citroen's new motorsport director Pierre Budar has indicated that Sebastien Loeb's remaining outing in this year's World Rally Championship – in Spain in October – will be the 44-year-old's last with the manufacturer unless he can commit to a full-time return.

The nine-time world champion, now concentrating on rallycross after dabbling in touring cars and the Dakar marathon rally, led this year's Mexican round of the WRC until a puncture and won stages of the French round on the island of Corsica.

Budar, who has replaced Yves Matton as Citroen's motorsport boss this year, said he would love to have Loeb back full-time but ruled out more cameo appearances beyond this season.

"It's a good idea to have Seb for the full season, but I don't think it is a good thing to have some drivers for [only] some rallies because we need to build a consistent organisation," Budar said.

sebastien loeb citroen

Citroen continues to struggle with its C3s, running fourth – and last – of the major manufacturers in the WRC on 93 points behind Hyundai on 144, M-Sport Ford 129 and Toyota 124.

Loeb's countryman Sebastien Ogier leads this year's driver standings for M-Sport Ford in his quest for a sixth straight world title (the first four with Volkswagen).

Ogier has a 10-point lead over Hyundai's Belgian Thierry Neuville, with Toyota's Estonian Ott Tanak, dominant winner of last month's Rally Argentina, another 18 points back.

Ogier could achieve a record sixth victory at Rally Portugal this weekend, but he has downplayed his chances because of having to clear the roads running first on tonight's leg.

The Portuguese stages are on notoriously loose gravel that becomes heavily rutted by the time the field passes over them a second time.

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Written byGeoffrey Harris
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