2016 Williams Martini Racing F1 Team - Mercedes

[Mr Brooksy]

ANALYSIS: WHICH WAY WILL WILLIAMS F1 TEAM LOOK TO REPLACE FELIPE MASSA?

https://www.jamesallenonf1.com/2016/09/ ... ipe-massa/

I've just had a read through this and it's an interesting article (thanks again LookBack), my sentimental side says I'm disappointed that Button looks less likely to be offered a seat, and an really not sure about Lance Stroll. Williams does have a history of promoting young talent in the semi recent past, but I've got that nagging feeling, is Stroll talent or money or both? I'm not one to follow F3 so I've little to no info about him apart from being at the top of the championship table in F3.

Also I was thinking about the Button situation, if he were to sign would that mean Bottas would most likely be ousted in '18 for Stroll if his development continues to go well. IF Button was to join the team it would also most likely be a multi year contract... So Bottas would be on notice.

[LookBackTime]

https://twitter.com/f1/status/772063782101147648

[Sevach]

ANALYSIS: WHICH WAY WILL WILLIAMS F1 TEAM LOOK TO REPLACE FELIPE MASSA?

https://www.jamesallenonf1.com/2016/09/ ... ipe-massa/

I've just had a read through this and it's an interesting article (thanks again LookBack), my sentimental side says I'm disappointed that Button looks less likely to be offered a seat, and an really not sure about Lance Stroll. Williams does have a history of promoting young talent in the semi recent past, but I've got that nagging feeling, is Stroll talent or money or both? I'm not one to follow F3 so I've little to no info about him apart from being at the top of the championship table in F3.

Also I was thinking about the Button situation, if he were to sign would that mean Bottas would most likely be ousted in '18 for Stroll if his development continues to go well. IF Button was to join the team it would also most likely be a multi year contract... So Bottas would be on notice.

Stroll seems really good in F3, i mean really effing good!!!!Hands down class of the field good.
And he has the benefit that his dad is really effing rich...

Also i don't know if this counts for anything, he's North American.
The "wrong" kind though, Canadian.

About Button, his case seems to be based on nostalgia which isn't super smart...
The nostalgia itself is weird to me given that he only drove for Williams one season


About the session good performance from the car and Bottas, Felipe is right to retire.

[LookBackTime]

03 SEP 2016
Autodromo Nazionale Monza, Italy
5.793 km / 3.59 miles

Qualifying Notes

•Valtteri Bottas qualified fifth and Felipe Massa 11th for the Italian Grand Prix
•Both cars progressed from Q1 into Q2 after one run each on the supersoft tyre, with Valtteri advancing through in P8 and Felipe in P12
•Valtteri went out for one timed lap in Q2 on new supersofts, and his lap was enough to easily get him through to Q3 in P4. Felipe had two timed laps in Q2, but wasn’t able to improve his time on his second attempt and ultimately finished just outside the top ten in P11
•Setting two timed laps in Q3, Valtteri put in a great lap on his second attempt and finished in P5 with a 1:22.388

Weather: Hot and humid
Temperature: Air 30-31°C Track 39-42°C

Q1
V. Bottas: 1:23.264 (8th)
F. Massa: 1:23.489 (12th)
Quickest time: L. Hamilton 1:21.854

Q2
V. Bottas: 1:22.499 (4th)
F. Massa: 1:42.967 (11th)
Quickest time: L. Hamilton 1:21.498

Q3
V. Bottas: 1:22.388 (5th)
Quickest time: L. Hamilton 1:22.967

Rob Smedley, Head of Performance Engineering: Overall I think it’s been a positive session for us, and a good weekend so far. I was fairly confident going into qualifying that we could get a result like this. Valtteri has absolutely maximised everything he could, and managed to get us ahead of the two Red Bull’s as well which will be great for the race tomorrow. Felipe wasn’t able to quite get his lap together in Q2 unfortunately, but starting P11 gives us a free choice of tyres and he showed great pace on Friday, so we can still get a lot from starting in that position.

Valtteri Bottas: I felt it was a very good qualifying today. Fifth is a good position to start in and I’ll be on the clean side of the track, so we definitely maximised the potential of the car. I felt I did one of my best qualifying’s ever. I think we have a good chance to score some good points and I hope Felipe can also come back from P11 with a free choice of tyres to get some strong points for the team.

Felipe Massa: P11 is not where we expected to be today – we thought we would get into Q3 quite easily, so it’s a bit disappointing. I had to go very slow on my outlap before my second run in Q2, and as a result the tyres lacked the grip I needed to improve my time and everyone else was going quicker. The benefit is that I get a free choice of tyres tomorrow for the race which will help us with the strategy, so hopefully we can make the most of that.

[LookBackTime]

ANALYSIS: WHICH WAY WILL WILLIAMS F1 TEAM LOOK TO REPLACE FELIPE MASSA?

https://www.jamesallenonf1.com/2016/09/ ... ipe-massa/

...

...
Also i don't know if this counts for anything, he's North American.
The "wrong" kind though, Canadian.

....

you just hurt me

P.S. Stroll is testing FW36 at Hungaroring this weekend (He has 16 days of testing FW36 this year)

[Sevach]

...

...
Also i don't know if this counts for anything, he's North American.
The "wrong" kind though, Canadian.

....

you just hurt me

LOL it's not meant that way

It's about F1's perpetual search for a great driver from the US.
Lance isn't quite it, but he might generate some attention...

Anyways Button just announced his retirement
http://www.f1fanatic.co.uk/2016/09/03/b ... nd-season/

It's Stroll or Nasr now i think.

[Fulcrum]

...
Also i don't know if this counts for anything, he's North American.
The "wrong" kind though, Canadian.

....

you just hurt me

LOL it's not meant that way

It's about F1's perpetual search for a great driver from the US.
Lance isn't quite it, but he might generate some attention...

Anyways Button just announced his retirement
http://www.f1fanatic.co.uk/2016/09/03/b ... nd-season/

It's Stroll or Nasr now i think.

Not quite.

“To be clear, I’m very definitely not retiring,” he added. “I’m contracted for both 2017 and 2018, I intend to work hard on car-development, and I’m sure I’ll get behind the wheel of the new car at some point.”

[Sevach]

Honestly this is a weird choice for him and i don't think he makes a comeback...

[LookBackTime]

Honestly this is a weird choice for him and i don't think he makes a comeback...

in the finance/industrial world when the board of directors wants to fire a CEO they give him a golden parachute!!! everyone is happy!

some here with McLaren and Button

[Mr Brooksy]

It's about F1's perpetual search for a great driver from the US.
Lance isn't quite it, but he might generate some attention...

I think it's just the commercial rights people who are looking for a driver from the US. I'd has at a guess that teams (aside from the US based team of cause) have little interest in having a certain nationality in their cars. They just want the best available.

I've never understood this obsession with the need to have an American just for an Americans sake. If the argument is just that they COULD bring in substantial income to F1, then why not be focused on getting a Chinese or another Indian driver? They have more chance of getting big corporate $ then the US with its big dollar sports to compete with.

Anyway, if Stroll is the real deal, Williams would do well to take the risk.

Interesting times.

[Sevach]

Honestly this is a weird choice for him and i don't think he makes a comeback...

in the finance/industrial world when the board of directors wants to fire a CEO they give him a golden parachute!!! everyone is happy!

some here with McLaren and Button

It works i guess, i just had him pegged as a guy who would rather race something else then get a "Coulthard job".

I think it's just the commercial rights people who are looking for a driver from the US. I'd has at a guess that teams (aside from the US based team of cause) have little interest in having a certain nationality in their cars. They just want the best available.

I've never understood this obsession with the need to have an American just for an Americans sake. If the argument is just that they COULD bring in substantial income to F1, then why not be focused on getting a Chinese or another Indian driver? They have more chance of getting big corporate $ then the US with its big dollar sports to compete with.

Anyway, if Stroll is the real deal, Williams would do well to take the risk.

Interesting times.

I think teams look favourably upon americans too, not as much as Bernie though.
Though they look favourably, i'd say they aren't prepared to give up on say "Mexican money upfront" to sign someone like Rossi and hope the money comes afterwards.

And i agree with you, the suppoused money seems more like a pipe dream than anything.

Kind of like wanting Football/Soccer to "take" in the US, Americans just seem happy with their own sports/championships, having an American player shinning in the Premier League wouldn't make Soccer big in the US, neither will 1 driver in F1.

[LookBackTime]

Stroll on pole for Williams race seat in 2017

http://www.motorsport.com/f1/news/strol ... 17-815410/

...
However the feeling in the Stroll camp is that he has exceeded expectations this year and done enough in F3 to make the move straight to F1, and it would be better for him to continue his education at Williams rather than risk being beaten in GP2.
...

[LookBackTime]

[Sevach]

Stroll on pole for Williams race seat in 2017

http://www.motorsport.com/f1/news/strol ... 17-815410/

...
However the feeling in the Stroll camp is that he has exceeded expectations this year and done enough in F3 to make the move straight to F1, and it would be better for him to continue his education at Williams rather than risk being beaten in GP2.
...

Even in F1 you can't make a rich guy wait... If the Strolls don't wanna they won't be made to, the team will have to go for him or let him walk.

[LookBackTime]

ITALIAN GRAND PRIX

04 SEP 2016
Autodromo Nazionale Monza, Italy
5.793 km / 3.59 miles

Weather: Warm and dry
Temperature: Air 29-30C, Track 35-40C

Race Notes:

• Valtteri Bottas finished sixth and Felipe Massa ninth in the Italian Grand Prix
• Valtteri had a good start, running P4 in the opening laps and battling with Hamilton. Running P5 for much of the race and opting for a two-stop strategy, he was ultimately overtaken by the quicker Red Bull of Ricciardo in the final stages of the race
• Felipe had a strong start, moving from 11th to eighth on the opening lap. Greater than expected degradation on the option tyre resulted in a two-stop strategy, and he drove a solid and consistent race to finish in the points
• Valtteri remains seventh in the Drivers’ Championship with 70 points and Felipe tenth with 41 points
• The team regains fourth in the Constructors’ Championship, three points ahead of Force India

Rob Smedley, Head of Performance Engineering: I think that was pretty much the most we could achieve today. We stopped a little bit early with Valtteri but the strategy played out well. Ricciardo got us at the end but he had been quite a lot quicker throughout the race and was right up behind Valtteri, but we did what we could to race him. It would have been nice to have held on to fifth but we just didn’t have the pace over the Red Bull. With Felipe, we went into the race planning a one-stop, but stopped earlier to cover Hulkenberg and then tried to keep Felipe out as long as possible to try and chase Perez at the end. The qualifying tyre we put on for the final stint was better than we expected and with one more lap we may have been able to gain another position with Felipe. Overall, in terms of strategy, pitstops, and how we operated as a team we managed the race well and it is satisfying to reclaim fourth in the championship.

Valtteri Bottas: I was personally expecting a bit more from today. I set myself a target of finishing on the podium, but we didn’t quite have the pace which meant that I had to push the tyre a little bit more in every stint just to secure my position on track. This meant that towards the end of the stint I was struggling a bit. The pure pace wasn’t there today, but overall we leave Monza with a positive result for the team, taking back fourth place in the Constructors’ Championship.This gives us a bit of confidence and shows that we can definitely keep hold of fourth if we keep doing the right things.

Felipe Massa: I think it was a good race apart from the fact that we didn’t have the pace we expected to have with the option tyres. My race started after I changed on to the supersoft tyres and my pace was really good. If I could have got a bit more out of my tyres then it could have been better but I’m pleased that we managed to get enough points to take fourth place back in the Constructors’ Championship.