Another win for Mercedes: under 7 minutes 11 seconds at the Nurburgring

Remember when Mercedes was the boring grandpa car and BMW were the ultimate driving machines?

Then something changed, Mercedes made a titanic PR investment in Formula One which spearheaded an ongoing repositioning of the marque's branding, away from staid grandpas, back to its mid 20th century glories of ultimate technology and performance.

The Mercedes juggernaut is just crushing it.

Latest case in point, the Mercedes Benz GT R. It's Benz's version of the Porsche GT3 or the Ferrari 458 Speciale. A souped up version of the already gorgeous GT and GT S, if you are an F1 fan, think Bernd Maylander's safety car, think more powerful version of the car competing in endurance races.



Gemany's SportAuto magazine drove a lap at the Nürburgring in 7:10.9 min.

With Michelin Sport Cup 2, same tire specced for the 458 speciale or. the Porsche 918.

There will be an internet food fight because SportAuto claims it is faster than the Porsche 918, which they drove to a 7:13 lap while Porsche has a video of a 918 driven by their pro driver Marc Lieb breaking the 7 minute mark with a 6:57.

The whole Nurburgring lap time thing by manufacturers is shady to begin with so, in many ways, magazine tests have a better chance to be honest since they tend to use "civilian drivers" and be more transparent about their tests.

But in the age of internet "truthers" this is not going to go down smoothly, a quick scan of the youtube comments and you will find a still from this clip someone is SURE are a set of slick tires which must have been used on the car...

To us they look like tires wrapped in tyre warmers, hardly a shocker since it looks like it was cold from the pictures.

Nurburgring's own Pizzagate fires up reddit* (*no I have no proof it's on fire but it could be)

For their part SportAuto confirms the tires were the ones the car can be bought with, a custom compound of the Sport Cup 2, much like the one you can get on the Corvette Z06 or the Ferrari 458 Speciale, a road legal "R-coumpound", similar to the Pirelli Trofeo-R available on may other top cars.

Naturally, being the internet, fanboys of all kinds will cry foul. but the pictures don't lie, driver makes it look easy to get a time that was once the Gumpert Apollo's fastest ever lap record.

Very impressive.



(as always, with all things N, I recommend you have Dale Lomas' Bridgetogantry.com bookmarked)

Who is Toto Wolff calling today?

Can you imagine the number of calls in and out of Brackley in the last 24 hours?    Social media certainly had a good time with it yesterday.

Rosberg's surprise retirement leaves the undisputed number one. team is an odd place:  they. must fill what is arguably the most desirable open seat at a time when all of the sport's stars are (technically) not available.

Of course, F1 contracts have historically shown not to be worth the paper they are printed on and if there is the will and a check there's a way so, who is Toto Wolff calling today?

His easiest call would be to Pascal Wehrlein, he's already under contract to Mercedes.  Moving Pascal up  would mean depending on a Hamilton the team has learned it can only partially do.  You never know when Lewis might skip a tire test because of a "sore foot" or need to go shopping in Malibu.
Certainly Lewis has delivered for the Germans (and the team for him) but Mercedes is not the type of team  happy to put all of its eggs in one basket,

The most obvious choice and the one most would like to see is Alonso.   A talent like his,  in a Mclaren in disarray as it has been in the last eight years, is not good for the sport and, among top drivers, he is the one most likely to have a valid escape clause in his contract.

The downside for Mercedes is that someone has to tell Lewis.  Sure, Hamilton has said he does not care, but then again he has said a lot of things.   Having those two on the team could mean nightmares more than dream team for Wolff.  

For the public?  Pass the popcorn.

Verstappen or Ricciardo?   Not a chance.  A move to Mercedes would not be the smart play for either of them, not with new regulations tailor made to Red Bull's strengths.  

Bottas? Hulkenberg? Why when you have Wehrlein or Ocon?

And then there is Vettel.   Another year with Ferrari and not in a happy place at the moment. Certainly one could imagine a numbers oriented character like Sergio Marchionne not getting especially sentimental if those numbers were right.

A guy like Vettel, four championships, not short of funds, two young daughters,  perhaps the only thing left to prove's that it was not just the car,  does he go for the top team or does he stay on the more difficult road Ferrari is on,  for the satisfaction of seeing it through?

You have to wonder what wheels have been set in motion by Nico's choice.

Nico Rosberg: Revenge of the Underdog

Nico Rosberg became a Formula 1 World Champion in Abu Dhabi,  It took him 11 seasons and 206 Grand Prix.

He did it the hard way, beating arguably the fastest driver of the moment, in the same car.

He did it after being beaten by Hamilton three years in a row.


He did it despite being the butt of jokes for his looks in the paddock (remember the Britney license?), being hammered by a lot of the motoring media as unworthy and "dirty",  criticized by the boss of the sport as too boring and painted as an entitled rich kid by his own teammate.  

Nico and Keke Rosberg.

"He grew up with jets and hotels, I slept on couches",  it was a famous dig by Hamilton towards his rival from their earliest days in karting.  Turns out one of this couches was at the Rosberg residence where he was often a guest in earlier, friendlier days.  
There is no doubt the Rosberg name opened doors and opportunities, but it must also be remembered Hamilton had Ron Dennis behind him since age 13 and that, after winning GP2,  he came into F1 at the top with Mclaren while Rosberg arrived at Williams when it was far from a top car.

At Mercedes, Rosberg was consistently faster than a Schumacher indeed past his prime, but still one of the top drivers ever to sit in a car.  Later,  Nico bested Hamilton on race wins in 2013.

In 2014 and 2015,  with the new turbo hybrid engines,  Hamilton beat him badly.
Tough losses, especially in '14.  A lesser driver might have gone the way of a Massa or Barrichello but Rosberg proved to be way more bulldog that Britney.  He may be a 10th off Hamilton's pace over a single lap but even his most rabid detractors have to acknowledge his remarkable consistency and resilience.

"Lewis is raw talent, Nico is hard work twenty four  hours a day, seven days a week" is a quote from Toto Wolff and in the end it's good for the sport to have different personalities, the jet setting social media star and the hard working family man,  both rewarded.   Kudos to Mercedes for trying to give both

Even Bernie made peace with it eventually and Nico didn't hold a grudge.   Perhaps even the Hamfosi can get past their prejudice and admit Nico drove a better season than Lewis this year rather than moan about it in perpetuity.

Bravo Nico,  now bring on 2017!

What's this about Ferrari using Diesel technology in their F1 engines?

Following the Grand Prix in Melbourne, there was a bit of a buzz on the internet about what might have been the secret behind Ferrari's rocket start.

No, no, Ferrari's not rolling coal

It was suggested the Scuderia might have used a page out of diesel technology to get the extra boost which allowed Vettel and Raikkonen to get away from  Rosberg and Hamilton.

Homogeneous Charge Compression Ignition (HCCI) is a system that, like diesel, relies on compression rather than a spark for ignition.   The thought over at Reddit was that this allows for the faster engine response.

Now, objectively, Vettel did get a great start but he jumped Hamilton because Lewis had a lousy one. It is far more likely the Ferrari clutch system (software included) is better.  On the dirty side of the track, Rosberg and Raikkonen were pretty even down the straight.  Kimi was clever in placing his car in the right spot to take advantage of Rosberg and Hamilton tripping over each other and got ahead.

So, not so sure about this Ferrari "Magic Bullet"  theory.

Still, intrigued, we put the question to our friend currently working in an F1 engine department.

Without giving away more than he had to, he confirmed the theory is, if  not quite right,  somewhat on the right track:  Mercedes have had an super clever ignition system, certainly in 2015 and possibly even in 2014 and Ferrari have implemented a similar system this year.  

What precisely that system is he would not reveal (maybe it involves... "lasers"?)  but it's not HCCI.   Ferrari spent the majority of its engine tokens to implement it and presumably Renault, who has used almost none so far,  will do the same by early summer.

Let's see what Bahrain will bring.

Rosberg frustrates Hamilton in Brazil.

In what turned out to be a rather dull race up front, Nico Rosberg capitalized on is Saturday pole performance by dominating Lewis Hamilton who, for his part, lamented overtaking was not possible at Interlagos.

After blaming his mother and a cold for his early morning Zonda crash in Monaco and skipping the traditional post qualifying photo Saturday, today the British instagram star blamed the circuit.

I guess "18 year old" Max Verstappen didn't get the message.





For the second race in row, Mercedes gave both drivers identical strategies.  Toto Wolff confirmed this was to keep the peace within the team.   Indeed  Mercedes has been consistent, always basing strategy on the driver leading and it's interesting there wasn't really that much complaining about it when Hamilton was on a winning streak.

Be that as it may,  F1 needs to stop being a strategist's world championship and get back to being a driver's championship.    Drivers should be the ones making the calls on their tire and brake wear,  those sensors hold be eliminated.   If Hamilton wanted to try a crazy strategy today as he did in Monaco, he should have been allowed to.  

Unfortunately the reality of the prize money for points scheme likely means even Mercedes cannot risk entertaining the fans beyond turn one....

Oh brother, F1 gets it's own Deflate-gate.

Lewis Hamilton had the usual rocketship at Monza, upgraded engine and all.
Rosberg had a different car and is showed, his pace was nowhere near and eventually exploded a couple of laps from the end.

But the talk is of the pending penalty to Mercedes over tire pressures.

You can argue this until you turn blue but it should be cut and dry:  If a car was not operated within the technical regulations then it's not legal and it should be excluded.

If you argue .3 PSI makes no difference then you have to argue 2mm on a wing or .5 psi more fuel flow does not "really" make a difference.

It seems a black and white issue, at least when it comes to the starting set of option tires it really should have been resolved before the podium ceremony.

We don't know if the second set tires were within pressure specs but for sure Lewis made his tires last the longest in the first stint.   Lower pressures make tires last longer,  Lewis said as much himself after the race.  

Unfortunately the talk will be of plots and stupid rules and Pirelli being "terrible"

Did .3 psi make the difference?  Possibly not but there is no point to a rulebook if you make exceptions.

2016 Mercedes-AMG C63 DTM

Braaaap, Braaaap: Grand Prix cars used to sound like this

I was invited up to Lime Rock ahead of their Historic Festival to have a look at some special Mercedes race cars.  Some of the Silver Arrows come from the Mercedes Classic collection and some from The Revs Institute,  the Miles Collier collection in Naples, Florida.


This one is one of the Revs cars,  a 1939 W154/39 raced by Von Brauchitsch and was rescued after World War 2 in Romania.   You should look it up, it's a fascinating story.

I wish I could convey smell over the internet : Castor Oil, Alcohols, NitroBenzene and Acetone. A wiff and you'll never forget despite all the destroyed brain cells!

3 Liter V12, 48 valves, twin superchargers, 88 Gallon fuel tank, 480 HP, 200 mph+... a beast.

Like all race cars of the era, you don't just get in and turn the key,  the engine block has to be warmed with a special heater, engine has to be fired first with a set of soft plugs when are then changed for the running ones before the actual run.

After the week end the car has to be completely drained and the engine flushed to get rid of the corrosive fuel which would damage the precious magnesium parts.

It's a joy to see cars like this one up close, the quality of the workmanship, the surprise of details like the hydraulically adjustable rear suspension (to compensate for fuel load).

Jochen Mass will be behind the wheel of the W154 this week end at Lime Rock while Sir Stirling Moss will be back behind the wheel of the famous 722 Mille Miglia car.

DTM's Day of Thunder.

The head of Audi Motorsport, Wolfgang Ullrich,  has been ordered to appear before the DMSB,   the the German Motorsport sanctioning body, to answer for his outburst heard on live TV during the last  DTM race at the Red Bull Ring:

"Schieb ihn raus!"

Push him out!...

Ulrich was apparently not too happy his driver Timo Scheider had just been tag teamed by Mercedes  teammates Pascal Wehrlein and Robert Wickens on the final lap.

Scheider obliges with Teutonic efficiency, he leans on the back of Wickens who bumps into Wehrlein, both Mercedes drivers ending up in the gravel trap.



Scheider was disqualified from the first race, with the results of the second race of the week end still provisional.

“I didn’t hear any instruction" Scheider is quoted after the race. " Robert braked so hard that I ran into him. That was racing on the edge, something like that can happen.”

For his part,  Herr Ullrich justified himself by claiming he was not aware his driver was hearing him at the time,  a notion anyone with even a minor knowledge of radio systems will find amusing:

“After the move by Mercedes, I was so upset and cried: ‘Push him off’. That was out of emotion and I want to apologize to Mercedes for this. I wasn’t aware that the radio was on at that time.”

The head of Mercedes DTM, Ulrich Fritz, shot back:

“It always takes two to tango. One who gives the instruction, that was clear for everyone to hear, and one who follows it. The whole thing had nothing to do with fair racing. We don’t want to see something like that in the DTM. The overtaking move prior to that was hard, but fair.”

Audi dirty tricks?  Say it ain't so,  it's not like they got disqualified before for being "clever", say like when Mathias Ekström while in Parc Ferme,  had his father pour a bottle of water into the pocket of his race suit  to help him  make weight....

And let's be honest,  this controversy is probably not hurting a series once know for muscular fender rubbing, door banging action.

Is Mercedes injecting hydrogen or is someone just blowing gas?

With everyone busy worrying about split turbos, was Mercedes an order of magnitude more diabolically clever?

If you are a regular reader you know enough not to get too excited about pre-season form so, rather than speculate on the future, it's fun to explore "conspiracy" theories while we wait for the season to begin in Australia.

F1 teams are in the middle of the second pre-season testing session in Barcelona and, despite the headlines, most experts agree Mercedes still holds the edge.  Reliability and long runs may not make for fancy titles but that's what wins races.

That only fueled  some corners of the F1 internet in formulating a "theory du jour" seeking to explain this overwhelming superiority and it makes for an entertaining read.   Frst brought up by F1AnalisiTecnica.com and later picked up by Autosprint, it contains just enough, as Steven Colbert would say, "truthiness" to make it tantalizing.

Let me try to lay out this latest theory of where those extra  50 to 70 Mercedes hp might come from.

AutoMotorSport Photo.

The Evidence

Mercedes engines, while never officially tested of course, were thought to produce  50 to 70 more horsepower than their rivals in 2014.   That means that using the same amount of fuel they were able to show an efficiency improvement of 7 to 8%.    That extra efficiency allowed the Germans more flexibility in fuel and aero loads but has been difficult to explain how this might be attained through conventional means.

The problem.

One way to produce more power is to burn more gasoline but, as you know, there is a strict limit of 100kg of fuel and a maximum instantaneous fuel flow limit of 100kg/hr.  You might have more "powerful" fuel but that too is strictly regulated.

The theory

To achieve a more efficient burn, Mercedes is injecting small quantities of hydrogen into the combustion chamber.  Hydrogen injection is known to improve burn velocity and to allow an engine to run leaner  and reduce emission to boot.
Scientific research on the benefits of hydrogen injection was started in the 1970s at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory and continues to this day,

Wow, win-win?

Not so fast,  F1 technical regulations forbid injecting stuff other than fuel and air into the combustion chambers.   Article 5.14.2 states:

"Other than engine sump breather gases, exhaust gas recirculation, and fuel for the normal purpose of combustion in the engine, the spraying of any substance into the engine intake air is forbidden"

Hang on, spot  potential loopholes?

That's right, "Other then engine sump breather gasses" is one.

What is not as regulated and is a seldom discussed area of great development in F1 is lubricants.  Companies like Petronas have invested huge sums in advanced research related to F1.  The theory is that they have figured out how to produce lubricants that, via a process of catalytic reforming,  produce hydrogen that is then injected with the fuel.

If not via the lubricants, the other possibility cited is that Mercedes is extracting hydrogen from gasoline.  It's not sci-fi, in fact Mercedes holds a patent for a similar process which you can read here.



So, that's it then?

Ah, no.   The theory is based on several very large assumptions which we discussed with an F1 engineer friend of ours.

The first is that all cars have a comparable aero efficiency.   This is simply not the case,
there is no such thing as a method of comparing drag,  Red Bulls are way more draggy than others for example so any calculations based on top speeds is potentially flawed.

Also there is the assumption that Mercedes is able to produce enough enough hydrogen to make a difference over a whole race and without a substantial weight penalty.

Occam's razor

The third assumption is that Ferrari and Renault did not simply blow their calculations in 2014,  that they did not just underestimate the importance of certain parameters in the Power Unit equation.   Ferrari certainly underestimated the role of the energy store when they sacrificed it in the name of reliability and an aero efficiency.

This would explain why Renault and Ferrari both pushed for more flexibility in engine innovation, they realized their basic premise was flawed.

The idea of hydrogen is intriguing,  cool technology.

Is Mercedes using it in their F1 cars?  Not likely.

But who knows, maybe Toto called this guy!

Hamilton and Rosberg crash: who's at fault?

Hamilton and Rosberg touch at Les Combes (via BBC Sport)

Let's have a look at that Hamilton-Rosberg incident for a sec.

Some segments of the motoring media have come down hard on the side of Hamilton while some more sensible, less partisan voices saw it for what it was, two top dogs trying to see who can pee higher on the pole.

Aldo Costa gets a few things off his chest.

Aldo Costa is an Italian engineer who spent most of his career at Ferrari until 2011 when he was pushed out as technical director of  the Scuderia.    Costa was promptly hired by Mercedes and the rest is, as they say, history.

Costa was interviewed by Italian motoring journalist and author Leo Turrini, an old hand in the business and someone rarely off the mark.  It's an interesting read and while most of whatever happens outside the British press usually gets ignored by the internet, I thought Axis readers who follow F1 would find this interesting.  

I'll translate ,  hopefully Leo will not mind.

"Aldo Costa gets some pebbles out of his shoes"

by Leo Turrini

In summer when the heat is oppressive it's always good to look for anything refreshing.  I had a pleasant and refreshing conversation with my friend Aldo Costa.  

Do you know who he is?

Up until the 2011 Spanish GP he was technical director at Ferrari.

He was brusquely removed from that position after that race.

Soon after he was hired by Mercedes.  Today he leads the team currently dominating F1.

I asked what it feels like.

"...professionally, it's a very happy moments, I would be lying if I said I did not feel a certain satisfaction..."

"At Mercedes we have twelve Italians.  Twelve engineers on the Grand Prix squad.  I recruited them myself when I was hired.  Some came from Ferrari, some straight from universities.  We are a little Italian colony inside this giant multi-national..."

"I can assure you Mercedes will not give any preference between Hamilton and Rosberg.  It is not in our interest.   What's more,  within the team we have one imperative:  as we have two very competitive drivers, ready to bang wheels at every race, we have the duty to give each equal cars..."

"I know, I know, you want to ask me about the radio call to Lewis in Hungary.  I admit, from an outsider's point of view it sounded bad but it was logical:  Nico had to come in to change tires soon and was faster, it made sense to ask Lewis to let him pass.  But there were no ulterior motives, trust me..."

"I'm now working on the 2015 car.  That's normal in my line of work. I will not go to races for the rest of the season, except maybe Belgium and Monza but that's it, I have different priorities..."

"Ferrari, Ferrari, Ferrari....must we really talk about it?"

"OK, write that I saddened,  I'll be hones, I'm from Emilia (ed: Emilia Romagna is the Italian region where Ferrari is based) I used to work in a company that is a legend.  I'm not happy to see what it is reduced to, in F1, even is they sent me away in a manner that I cannot exactly describe as "elegant" ..."

"Let me say that there are a lot of great people working in Maranello, people I gave great affection for and pains me to see involved in such a complicated situation.  I'm not being condescending, I left many friends there, why would I want to see them suffer?..."

"Having said that, I don't think that in 2015 Mercedes headaches will come from Ferrari. We are worried about Red Bull which is demonstrating and has demonstrated in the past extraordinarily quick reactions."

"What are the reasons for the Scuderia's decline?  It's not the definitive answer, just my opinion. There have been some huge errors but strategic and in vision.  And, clearly, there have been mistakes with hiring and firing of personnel."

" I'll give you and example, in 2008, us from the Reparto Corse made a request for a new wind tunnel.  We thought it essential in order to remain competitive.  We were told it was not needed..."

"At Ferrari, decisions on strategy and personnel, were always taken by "l'avvocato" Montezemolo.  He has made them when Ferrari was winning  and when it stopped winning,  I want to be clear about that."

" I don't think that in 2011, after the Spanish GP, it was Alonso who had me fired.  I consider Fernando one of the greats when inside the car, when he's racing.  Out of the car, I never understood him, for me he remains inscrutable and enigmatic.   In any case, he will not come to Mercedes, I don't see any reason why Hamilton would want to leave a team like ours..."

"Allison? I met him when he was at Ferrari as an aerodynamicist and I will tell you that in that position he is really good.  He has done well in other capacities afterwards, but I have no way to judge him.  I hope he does well."

"Tombazis?  listen, when they sent me away they said it was me who was stifling the creativity  to the Greek designer.  since, he's freed his imagination,  the results re there for all to see..."

Domenicali?   I have no ill feelings towards him,  sometime we exchange texts.  Ferrari belongs to his and mine and Marmorini's (ed: recently dismissed Ferrari engine man) 

Would I go back?  Actually, I'm quite fine where I am..."

Nico Rosberg wins the selfie wars.

Selfies while driving Fangio's 1955 Mercedes W196 at Hockenheim? Win.    No word if he will get fined from the FIA for unsafe driving now.

Formula 1 "Code Brown" moment

a blowout!

Pirelli will have to send Nico new undies for Christmas!   Mercedes was not amused.

Pirelli later explained with an "oops, our bad":

"PIRELLI: MERCEDES FITTED WITH PROTOTYPE TYRES WHICH WILL NOT BE PROPOSED AGAIN.  2014 DEVELOPMENT GOING ACCORDING TO PLAN

Milan, 19 December 2013 – The tyre tests in Barhain regarded a number of prototypes, which were completely innovative in terms of structure and compounds, with the aim of developing the most suitable solutions for the next season.

This morning Nico Rosberg’s Mercedes was fitted with one of these prototypes, a tyre which had only been tested in the laboratory and which will not be proposed again.

Thus, the safety of the tyres which will be supplied for the next Championship is not in question.

The accident which happened to Rosberg’s car is being investigated and the findings will be communicated to the FIA and the teams."

Testgate: Keeping The Customer Happy

Photo: DigitalReflections/Flickr

Forgive us for being cynical but we've been following F1 for too long not to be.   Mercedes had been literally melting tires from the first race of the season much to the continued embarrassment of higher ups who have seen the Silver Arrows miss their targets since 2010 despite high profile engagements of Michael Schumacher and now Lewis Hamilton.  

Solution number one was to blame Pirelli and, after much praise given to the Italian manufacturer for producing a tire which added spice to racing, you saw a very coordinated campaign by the press to discredit the very thing they praised weeks earlier.  Would it be evil to point out where those same journalists get their credential and access from?  

As for Pirelli, they are facing a PR disaster if forced to  leave the sport with the impression they could not make a "good tire",  it's no surprise they jumped at the chance to help themselves and a key team, instrumental in renewal of their F1 contract not to mention a big production car tire customer.

Mercedes, aside from the AMG Petronas F1 team, produces engines for Mclaren  and Force India,   Williams will get MB power next year.  That's four out of eleven teams next year.

You may have noticed the Safety and Medical cars.  A fair number of trucks pulling paddock infrastructure have a three pointed star on the front of the cabs.

Mercedes is the only mass market luxury car manufacturer involved in F1, if  they became unhappy and left the sport, it would not be good news for Formula One and its investors.   You don't think Hamilton landed at AMG by accident, do you?

So is it really a surprise the test happened at all?  AMG Petronas got three races worth of running and suddenly their rear suspensions are not eating tires anymore.   Mercedes is smiling.

What would be a surprise is if the FIA slap Mercedes with a truly significant penalty.  How much  tension is there between the Bernie Ecclestone/ FOM  and Jean Todt's FIA?