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13 rounds set on 4 continents, including the new German circuit of Lausitz

 

24 star riders from an international roster, including former world champions Tom Sykes and Sylvain Guintoli

 

Feast your eyes on realistic 3D graphics with dynamic lighting effects

Discover the new game physics and push it to the limit

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Hamilton the winer f1 grand prix in Germany- 2016

Hamilton extends championship lead with victory in Germany

Lewis Hamilton extended his championship lead to 19 points heading into the summer break with a dominant victory in Germany, as team mate Nico Rosberg was beaten into fourth place by the Red Bulls of Daniel Ricciardo and Max Verstappen.

RACE RESULTS

Pos.	Driver	Team	Time	Points
1	Lewis Hamilton	Mercedes	1:30:44.200	25
2	Daniel Ricciardo	Red Bull Racing	+6.996s	18
3	Max Verstappen	Red Bull Racing	+13.413s	15
4	Nico Rosberg	Mercedes	+15.845s	12
5	Sebastian Vettel	Ferrari	+32.570s	10
6	Kimi Räikkönen	Ferrari	+37.023s	8
7	Nico Hulkenberg	Force India	+70.049s	6
8	Jenson Button	McLaren	+1 lap	4
9	Valtteri Bottas	Williams	+1 lap	2
10	Sergio Perez	Force India	+1 lap	1

See full standings

 

He may have lost out on pole position, but from the moment the lights went out at the start Hamilton was in complete command at Hockenheim.

As polesitter Nico Rosberg was slow away, Hamilton went straight into the lead as the German also fell behind the Red Bulls of Max Verstappen and Daniel Ricciardo, the Dutchman going round the outside of his team mate in Turn 1 to claim second.

Under pressure, Rosberg clung to fourth place, just fending off the Ferraris of Sebastian Vettel and Kimi Raikkonen.

It was soon clear that this was Hamilton’s race to lose, but his pit stops went perfectly and he never lost the lead.

Behind him, Rosberg fought hard to recover and on lap 30 the German completed a muscular pass on Verstappen at the hairpin. However, the Dutchman was quick to complain about being forced off the track, and after a stewards investigation Rosberg was handed a five-second penalty.

The German served the penalty at his final stop on the 44th lap and dropped back to fourth, but thereafter he didn’t have the pace to overhaul the Red Bulls.

Rain drops at the end looked like they might make things tricky for everyone, but in the end Hamilton managed Ricciardo’s valiant challenge perfectly despite heavy lapped traffic, putting in quick laps when necessary. In the end he was 6.9s ahead as he took the flag for his 49th Grand Prix victory - and his sixth win in the last seven races.

Verstappen, who, on a slightly different three-stop strategy to Ricciardo had earlier let his team mate past, closed on the Australian for a while before eventually settling for third and another podium, as Rosberg trailed home fourth. The Ferraris were a lonely fifth and sixth, having never really been in the game - and they now trail Red Bull in the standings. Food for thought for those at Maranello heading into the summer break…

The two-stopping Valtteri Bottas held seventh for Williams for much of the race, but as his tyres faded he was overtaken by Nico Hulkenberg’s Force India, and Jenson Button, who drove a superb race for McLaren to take eighth. Bottas clung to ninth, just ahead of Sergio Perez, who spent his race recovering from a poor start, but pipped the other McLaren of Fernando Alonso to the final world championship point with a late pass.

Alonso had been chasing Button for a long time, but as he faded he was passed not only by Perez but also by the feisty Esteban Gutierrez, who had a racelong fight with Haas team mate Romain Grosjean; they sandwiched the Spaniard at the end.

Carlos Sainz led Toro Rosso team mate Daniil Kvyat home for 14th, as Kevin Magnussen was Renault’s best finisher in 16h ahead of Pascal Wehrlein’s Manor, Marcus Ericsson’s Sauber, the other Renault of Jolyon Palmer (who was delayed by a collision at Turn 1 at the start with Felipe Massa), and the second Manor of Rio Haryanto.

Massa, who suffered handling issues with his Williams all race, failed to finish, as did Sauber’s Felipe Nasr with technical trouble.

Hamilton now has 217 points to Rosberg’s 198 with Ricciardo keeping third place with 133 from Raikkonen on 122, Vettel on 120 and Verstappen on 115.

In the constructors’ stakes, Mercedes increase their lead with 415 points as Red Bull overtake Ferrari - 256 to 242. Williams have 96, Force India 80, Toro Rosso 45 and McLaren 42.

 

2016 German Grand Prix - Formula One World Championship Jul 31 - Hockenheimring final

Saturday qualifying action in Germany Formula 1 Grosser Preis von Deutschland 2016 at Hockenheim ( Fart3 )

Saturday in Germany - Action F1 teams 

A round-up of qualifying action from the Formula 1 Grosser Preis von Deutschland 2016 at Hockenheim...

Mercedes

A front row lock out for Mercedes capped a good Saturday. Rosberg, having been quickest in all three practice sessions, looked to have the edge over his team mate and so it proved. There was a late scare when the German was pulled into the pits in Q3, aborting his first flying lap as an electrical issue was detected, but he got the job done on his next run. Hamilton didn't have the answer today and will be hoping for a good start tomorrow to maintain his slim championship advantage. 

Nico Rosberg, 1st, 1:14.363
"That was a difficult qualifying for me! I had an electronic problem with my throttle on my first quick run in Q3, so I had to abort. That meant I had a bit more fuel on my final run. I did a pretty good lap but I wasn't sure if that was enough. I'm very happy to start from P1 at my second home race. It was awesome to hear the fans cheering for me after my run. It's a great atmosphere here in Hockenheim and I can't wait for tomorrow. I hope we can put up a good show and that I can win this Grand Prix."

Nico Rosberg (GER) Mercedes-Benz F1 W07 Hybrid at Formula One World Championship, Rd12, German Grand Prix, Qualifying, Hockenheim, Germany, Saturday 30 July 2016. © Sutton Images

Lewis Hamilton, 2nd, 1:14.470
"There was nothing particularly wrong today. My final lap just didn't work out. It was pretty close out there and sometimes you get it right, sometimes you don't. The car was feeling great. The team did a great job to get it where I needed it to be and it was definitely on for pole. I was two tenths up coming out of T2 - but from T8 onwards it started to deteriorate and I couldn't maintain the gap. I've missed out on pole, so I didn't do what I was supposed to do - but it's in the past now, so you just let it go and look forwards. It doesn't mean the race isn't there to win tomorrow. I'll try to get a good start and see how it goes from there. I don't know what the strategy will be - we'll look through that tonight. But this is a track where you can overtake, so I don't have to go for it at the first corner. It can be somewhere else. Last time we raced here I started dead last and finished on the podium, so this is definitely a big step up from that! The pace is clearly there, so it's still been a good day and I'm generally pretty happy. Hopefully tomorrow I'll be able to do something from where I am. I'm just focused on trying to move forward and if I can drive like I have done in the past few races then anything can happen."

Lewis Hamilton (GBR) Mercedes-Benz F1 W07 Hybrid at Formula One World Championship, Rd12, German Grand Prix, Qualifying, Hockenheim, Germany, Saturday 30 July 2016. © Sutton Images

Toto Wolff, Head of Mercedes-Benz Motorsport
"Overall, a fantastic result to take the front row of the grid at our home race here in Hockenheim. I'm really pleased for Nico because he overcame a tricky session to get pole. On his first Q3 run, he had an electronic problem during his fast lap, so he aborted and came back to the pits to have it fixed. For the second run, we gave a safety margin of two extra laps of fuel, just to make sure he could get a time on the board. But on his first flying lap, he pulled it out of the bag and got the pole anyway. Lewis then responded on his final run, but fell slightly short; afterwards, the times showed he had been faster in sector three, but lost a bit too much time in the middle sector of the lap. In any case, we can see that our biggest threat for tomorrow starts right behind us. On the long runs yesterday, Red Bull were very competitive and we know that it's a long and hard race here in Hockenheim. So the first, small part of the job is done. But we must make sure to prepare carefully overnight, keep our feet on the ground and deliver the result tomorrow."

Paddy Lowe, Executive Director (Technical)
"Well that was a bit of a change from Hungary and the two hour marathon we saw there! Fortunately today we were back to a more regular pattern with warm, dry weather throughout. We chose to run the Soft compound tyre in Q1 to give ourselves more strategic options for the race with a new set of SuperSofts available. Sealing the top two spots on a harder compound seemed extraordinary at the time. But, as it turned out, the delta between the compounds was not that large in these conditions. Q2 was pretty straightforward - but things didn't start quite as smoothly in Q3. An electronics problem on Nico's car caused an engine cut-out, with a warning message relating to his throttle pedal also appearing. This, quite reasonably, caused Nico some concern, which caused him to pit immediately. Fortunately we were able to fix the problem by switching various systems to default modes, before sending him out with enough fuel for three timed laps in a single run. As it turned out, he delivered pole at the first attempt with an extra two laps of fuel on board, which was very impressive - particularly in the circumstances, with his programme disrupted and the pressure on. Lewis did a great job throughout all three sessions and will be disappointed not to get pole. But it was a great battle between the two of them which will hopefully continue through tomorrow's race. Overall, we can be very proud to have secured the front row at the home Grand Prix of Mercedes-Benz and excited for a close battle tomorrow."

Ferrari

Ferrari couldn't match the Red Bulls for pace but locked out the third row. Vettel struggled to put the perfect lap together, whereas Raikkonen was much tidier round the Hockenheim circuit.

Kimi Raikkonen
"Our car was behaving pretty nicely today and I was happy with the handling. My last try in Q3 was a bit more tricky, I was struggling a little bit with the feeling from the tires, but apart from that we had no massive issues. I don't have much to complain from the behavior of the car, we are just lacking speed overall. We need to put more downforce in the car to go faster. This result is disappointing, finishing fifth and sixth it's not ideal, but this is what it is right now, and we keep working to improve. Usually the race is our stronger side, but every circuit is different. Tomorrow it's a new day, we'll do our own race, you never know what is going to happen. We need to make a good getaway from the start and hopefully take the fight to the guys in front, and then do our best."

 Kimi Raikkonen (FIN) Ferrari SF16-H at Formula One World Championship, Rd12, German Grand Prix, Qualifying, Hockenheim, Germany, Saturday 30 July 2016. © Sutton Images


Sebastian Vettel
"I am not happy with 6th position, it was a difficult session. In the moment I tried to do the best, we didn't get everything together. Somehow we lost a bit and now we need to understand what happened this afternoon. I was reasonaby happy with my lap, but it wasn't quick enough, there was a bit of time we lost here and there, overall we struggled a bit to extract the pace from the car. The balance didn't come together in qualifying, it was better this morning and yesterday. We know the car can be quicker, but we didn't manage to get it in the right window, that's our job and we didn't succeed. I'm sure that tomorrow we'll be competitive, but again we start a little bit from the back foot, so it will be tough because here it's not easy to overtake. I think we don't have to hide, in terms of race pace we are fast, then it should be an interesting race."

Kimi Raikkonen (FIN) Ferrari SF16-H at Formula One World Championship, Rd12, German Grand Prix, Qualifying, Hockenheim, Germany, Saturday 30 July 2016. © Sutton Images

Pirelli

Paul Hembery, Pirelli Motorsport Director
“It looks like we might be seeing a mixture of two and three stop strategies tomorrow, with the running up to now showing that there could be a few quite different approaches to the race. A lot will obviously depend on the weather, which still appears to be changeable. Mercedes handed themselves a potential advantage by saving themselves an additional set of supersofts, so it will be interesting to see if they can capitalise upon that tomorrow.”

 

Saturday qualifying action in Germany Formula 1 Grosser Preis von Deutschland 2016 at Hockenheim ( Fart 2 )

Saturday in Germany - Action F1 teams 

A round-up of qualifying action from the Formula 1 Grosser Preis von Deutschland 2016 at Hockenheim...

Williams

After Massa's surprise early exit in qualifying in Hungary last weekend, it was business as usual for Williams as the team got both drivers into Q3. Starting eighth and tenth, they will be hoping for a good haul of points tomorrow to pull clear of Force India in the constructors' championship.

Valtteri Bottas, 8th, 1:15.530
"It was a very consistent qualifying session from us as a team. It was a very close session, as expected, but the balance of the car felt good and we managed to get the tyres to work better. We are missing a bit of grip compared to the cars in front so I think we more or less got the maximum from the car today. I had some traffic in the last sector on my Q3 run which cost me a few hundredths, so I could have been seventh, but apart from that I’m pretty pleased with my qualifying today."

Felipe Massa, 10th, 1:15.615
"I’d say it was a very competitive qualifying today, especially with Force India. We are constantly fighting for a tenth. I was very happy with my lap; but I just went into the turn too much at corner 12 and I lost time on my lap because of that. That’s the only thing that happened or else I’d have easily been one tenth quicker. So that’s a shame, but I will try even harder for the team tomorrow."

Rob Smedley, Head of Performance Engineering
"It was a very close session. From Mercedes and Red Bull backwards the laptimes are really tight and even Ferrari didn’t have much of a margin on us. We worked hard this morning to ensure that we could get a good qualifying balance, which I think we achieved. Both drivers made little mistakes on their final lap, which would have secured them seventh and eighth, but as a team we haven’t done a bad job. We’re never going to be content with eighth and 10th because that’s not where we ultimately want to be, but for this weekend that’s what we will accept. We made great strides on our qualifying pace yesterday and understanding where that pace had to come from, which will transfer into good race pace. I’m convinced that we’ve got a good race car and we’re aiming to outscore our closest rivals."

Valtteri Bottas (FIN) Williams FW38 at Formula One World Championship, Rd12, German Grand Prix, Qualifying, Hockenheim, Germany, Saturday 30 July 2016. © Sutton Images

Renault 

 Palmer put in a great lap to make it through to Q2 for the first time since Australia. In doing so, he relegated his team mate to 17th, with just under one tenth of a second between them. Q2 is clear progress for Renault, and will offer much confidence heading into the race. 

Kevin Magnussen, 17th, 1:16.716
“My lap wasn’t the best and I lost out by the smallest amount from getting into Q2. Both cars were very evenly matched and it was Jo that got the upper hand today. We didn’t seem to be able to pick up the pace between FP3 and qualifying as much as our rivals however our long run pace does look more favourable and that’s what we need for a stronger result tomorrow.”

Jolyon Palmer, 16th, 1:16.665
“It’s good to be back in Q2 ! The car is improving overall, there is clear progress. We were close to Q2 in Silverstone, we should have been there for Hungary and now here we are in Hockenheim. I’m looking forward to the race ; we had better pace in Budapest but started lower in P17 than here. I was driving pretty well in Hungary bar one corner, so if I can drive well around the Hockenheimring for every corner then I should have a good chance to score points.”

Alan Permane, Trackside Operations Director

"It was a step in the right direction. We always want more but it was good for Jo to get through to Q2 especially with the lap times so very close here. If we can unlock just a little more pace from the car we’ll continue to work our way up the order so it’s been a positive day. We seem to have better long run tyre performance even than in Hungary on the same compounds of Pirelli’s tyres so this bodes well for us. It looks like the weather will continue to be dry so there’s good scope and potential for both cars climb through the field."

 Jolyon Palmer (GBR) Renault Sport F1 Team RS16 at Formula One World Championship, Rd12, German Grand Prix, Qualifying, Hockenheim, Germany, Saturday 30 July 2016. © Sutton Images

Toro Rosso

Kvyat had a bad day at the office - unable to fully explain his lack of pace, he exited in Q1. Sainz qualified in 13th but was subsequently given a three-place grid drop for impeding Massa during Q2.


Carlos Sainz, 13th, 1:15.989
“A very difficult qualifying session. We are struggling here in Hockenheim – we always knew that a power circuit like this one was going to be a challenge for us, as we are not quick enough on the straights. Having said that, I think I put in a very good lap. I feel good in the car and the package is working, but this is the most we could extract from the car today. Tomorrow we will try and fight for more points – of course it won’t be easy but we will surely give it our all and try and finish as high up as possible; it would be good to go on holiday with a few more points in the bag!”

Daniil Kvyat, 19th, 1:16.876
“I’m disappointed, I didn’t drive well in today’s qualifying session and my last lap wasn’t good enough to get through to Q2 – I lost my references, made some mistakes and just couldn’t put a good lap together. We looked promising yesterday, but today when it really mattered we were just not there. I’m upset and I’m not at my usual level, that’s for sure – we all go through some periods where we don’t feel good in the car and that’s where I am now. I just need to have a bit of a better understanding of what’s going on around me and try and come to some conclusions in order to feel confident in the car again. It’s a tough task to get back to my level, but I’m young and I’m sure we will find some answers soon. The good thing is that I feel that the solution isn’t that far away… We had a good Friday yesterday for the first time in a while, so we need to look into that. Tomorrow is the race and we will try to fight our way back. I haven’t got much to lose so I will just go for it!”

Phil Charles, Chief Race Engineer
“A very difficult Saturday for us. It was clearly a very tight pack in the mid field today. Unfortunately for Daniil he had two scrappy runs in Q1, the second of which had a slow first sector with a small mistake in T1. This proved very costly as it was enough to mean he didn’t make Q2. Carlos’s story was a bit happier in Q1, where he got through into Q2 in 12th place, but unfortunately he needed two sets of tyres to do this when we had hoped to make it through on one. Then, in Q2, he did two pretty clean laps but our sector 2 times were simply not strong enough and he finished P13. Of the midfield pack the Force Indias were strong today and the Haas did a particularly good job, with Gutierrez to be in front of us. We were very close with the two McLarens and Carlos was placed between them. Unfortunately he did baulk Massa in T2 on his first run in Q2, which now means a 3 grid position penalty. We will make sure that our apologies are given.”

Carlos Sainz (ESP) Scuderia Toro Rosso STR11 at Formula One World Championship, Rd12, German Grand Prix, Qualifying, Hockenheim, Germany, Saturday 
30 July 2016. © Sutton Images

Force India

Perez ran wide in FP3, damaging his VJM09. The team fixed the issues swiftly and despite reduced running, he was able to qualify for Q3 along with his team mate. Hulkenberg in front of his home crowd just edged the intra-team battle, grabbing seventh spot to Perez's ninth.

Nico Hülkenberg, 7th, 1:15.510
“I’m feeling pretty happy to qualify in seventh for my home race – it’s best of the rest behind the top three teams and a good effort by the whole team. Our objective is always to maximise our potential and it feels like we achieved that today. Most of my laps in the session came together nicely and my final effort in Q3 was spot on. We can expect a tough fight for good points tomorrow, but we are in a good starting position and we’ve looked strong here in all the sessions. The long run pace is competitive, too, so we’ve got every chance of getting a great result this weekend. There is talk of some rain tomorrow and to be honest I would not mind a shower during the race, but let’s wait and see what happens.”

Sergio Perez, 9th, 1:15.537
“It was a fun and very intense fight with Nico and the two Williams cars throughout qualifying, and in the end it was really close between the four of us. It was crucial to get through Q1 on one set of tyres because some other teams had to use two sets and this gave us a small advantage in Q2, which helped us make the top ten. On my last lap of Q3 I struggled a bit through some of the right-hand corners; I think I may have picked something up on my front wing – maybe some debris – and that cost me some time, but it’s something I will analyse with the team. In the end, it was so close and just a few hundredths of a second made the difference. Tomorrow is going to be interesting. We are starting on the supersofts on which we qualified and we will need to work well as a team to make the strategy work and score some important points.”

Robert Fernley, Deputy Team Principal
“Today’s qualifying performance is a good effort from both sides of the garage and sets us up nicely for a strong race tomorrow. The car has shown good speed since the start of practice and it’s satisfying to convert our potential into representative starting positions. In Q3 it was a very close fight with Williams, with Nico just edging ahead of Bottas. There are several strategy options for us to explore this evening, but we are well placed to make the most of whichever approach we take in the race. Tomorrow should bring an interesting and exciting race”

Sergio Perez (MEX) Force India VJM09 at Formula One World Championship, Rd12, German Grand Prix, Qualifying, Hockenheim, Germany, Saturday 30 July 2016. © Sutton Images

Saturday qualifying action in Germany Formula 1 Grosser Preis von Deutschland 2016 at Hockenheim ( Fart 1 )

Saturday in Germany - Action F1 teams 

A round-up of qualifying action from the Formula 1 Grosser Preis von Deutschland 2016 at Hockenheim...

McLaren

Having got a car through to Q3 for the last three races, McLaren seemed to take a small step backwards in qualifying. Button struggled with his MP4-31 complaining of understeer throughout FP3, and could only manage 12th. Alonso meanwhile felt he had been impeded by a Ferrari in qualifying, which limited him to 14th.

Fernando Alonso, 14th, 1:16.041

“It’s a bit disappointing not to be in Q3 today: 14th position isn’t great, but we’re not as competitive at this track as we were in Budapest.
“This afternoon, I didn’t put a lap together as I had some traffic, which is why I didn’t finish a little bit higher up the order. Additionally, Hockenheim’s long back straight and big acceleration zones don’t really suit our car.
“On the positive side, we have plenty of new tyres remaining, which will give us an advantage at the start and allow us to be a little more creative with strategy.
“It’s going to be tough tomorrow, but hopefully we can recover some positions because points are a real possibility.”

Jenson Button, 12th, 1:15.909

“This weekend has been pretty tricky for me. I’ve missed having time with the car, which doesn’t make for the easiest preparation, and this is a tough circuit if you haven’t had any mileage.
“I had a few issues yesterday – I stepped out of the car early because of my eye – then, this morning, we had a couple of problems, so I didn’t run the Supersoft in FP3 at all. It was all a bit of an unknown going into qualifying.
“Still, 12th position is reasonable, and it’s always nice to be in front of your team-mate, but we’re still not quite there yet with the balance of the car. Even if we’d got everything together and beaten Williams today, getting into the top 10 was always going to be tricky.
“There’s a possibility that we’ll get into the points tomorrow. The race should be pretty interesting; the start and the strategy will be important, so I’m looking forward to seeing what we can do.”

Eric Boullier, McLaren-Honda Racing Director

“It’s a sign of the progress we’ve been making recently that we’re disappointed that neither driver was able to make it into Q3 this afternoon. However, looking beyond the timesheets, it’s apparent that we’ve not had the smoothest of runs into qualifying – Jenson took a trip to the local hospital yesterday afternoon, and had his morning’s progress put back by a brake component assembly issue in FP3.
“Nonetheless, we’re well placed for tomorrow’s German Grand Prix, and will start with the added benefit of a free choice of tyre strategy for both cars. There’s plenty left to play for, and we’ll be looking to push both drivers into the top 10 and score some valuable world championship points ahead of the summer break.”

Yusuke Hasegawa, Honda R&D Co Ltd Head of F1 Project & Executive Chief Engineer

"It was quite a difficult Saturday here at the Hockenheimring, where neither driver could find the perfect balance of the car and struggled to find the best power unit modes throughout FP3.
"We were able to improve our performance for qualifying, but we were unable to continue our run as the fourth-quickest team, losing both cars in Q2.
"Both Jenson in P12 and Fernando in P14 will be able to start on fresh rubber, so hopefully we can use that to our advantage and gain some ground with good race management tomorrow."

Jenson Button (GBR) McLaren MP4-31 at Formula One World Championship, Rd12, German Grand Prix, Qualifying, Hockenheim, Germany, Saturday 30 July 2016. © Sutton Images

Haas

Grosjean spun in FP3 and then limped home to the pits with gearbox issues. Even with such reduced running he was still able to make Q2 - but he will have a five-place grid drop for a gearbox change. Gutierrez put in a very tidy lap to qualify 11th, his joint best of the season. With free tyre choice for the race tomorrow, the Mexican is handily placed to score some good points for Haas.

Romain Grosjean, 15th, 1:16.086
“It’s not been a good weekend so far. We’ve had our problems, and things didn’t really go our way in qualifying either. The guys in the garage did an amazing job to get the car back together for qualifying after the gearbox issue this morning. I was feeling more comfortable in the car and I felt we had a good chance. Sadly, the last run in Q2 just didn’t work. I don’t know what happened. There was no grip. It’s tricky to find the right balance. We’ve got good top speed in the car and, hopefully, it behaves so I can have a good race.”

Esteban Gutierrez, 11th, 1:15.883
“It was an interesting qualifying. I was pushing all the way as I really wanted to get into Q3. I took all the available risks that I could and I really enjoyed it out there. I’m happy the way we worked as a team. It proves that from Friday to Saturday we are making good progress and this gives me a lot of confidence. I’m really proud of the whole team. P11 is a good place to start and it leaves me hungry to keep pushing for the next one to try to get into Q3. Tomorrow I’m going to give it everything from the start and fight all the way with the guys in front to get into the top-10.”

Guenther Steiner, Team Principal
“We are 11th, again. It’s getting old. We should be happy by being 11th, but we just want to make the jump to Q3. That’s what we are working hard for. Esteban did a fantastic job in getting where we are. Romain was slightly handicapped not being able to run in FP3 due to an issue with the gearbox which happened when he spun. Some parts were damaged inside the gearbox, so he had limited track time, but he still got it into Q2. We are always so close. We’re confident it will come, but we now have to wait until after the summer break. Hopefully, tomorrow we’ll finish better than 11th as we’ll be fighting hard to get into the points.”

Romain Grosjean (FRA) Haas VF-16 spins across the grass at Formula One World Championship, Rd12, German Grand Prix, Qualifying, Hockenheim, Germany, Saturday 30 July 2016. © Sutton Images

 

Red Bull Red Bull pushed Mercedes closer than it appeared they might after Friday's practice sessions. Ricciardo and Verstappen scrapped throughout qualifying for supremacy and it was the Australian who came out on top when it mattered by one tenth of a second. 

Daniel Ricciardo, 3rd, 1:14.726
“In Q3 I knew I had to find some more time and I put a really good lap together in the first run. Then I knew there wasn’t much more for the second run so I probably tried a little bit too hard and made a few mistakes, but in the end it was a nice qualifying. Third is a good place to start. Hopefully we can look at Mercedes tomorrow and have a good battle with them and not focus on what’s happening behind us. The feeling in the team is very good at the moment. In the last three races now both Red Bulls have been in front of Ferrari and it seems like we’re getting a little bit closer to Mercedes. Everyone in the team is happy and it’s nice standing here knowing that I’m in the top three. Tomorrow I think we’ll have a good chance. The long runs yesterday looked a bit better than they did in Budapest so let’s see. I’ll start the race on slightly older tyres because I had to do two laps in Q2, which means they are not as fresh for the start but it’ll be fine. I’ll go hard and hopefully get in front and at least lead some of the race. If I can’t lead the last lap then I’ll try and lead some and be on TV. Whoo!”

Max Verstappen, 4th, 1:14.834
“I’m feeling really good, it was a smooth qualifying. Q3 was strong, it was just a bit of a shame about my last sector where I washed out and lost a few tenths. It’s quite tough to get the tyres in the right window but we still managed a good time. The main target is to be in front of the Ferraris and that is what we have done. That said, we know they will be quick in the race as we saw last week. Mercedes look pretty strong but we are not that far away so I think we can be very happy with that. It’s my first time here in a Formula 1 car and not an easy track to learn so I’m really pleased with today. We can both be satisfied to be on the second row as this track wasn’t expected to be the best for us. Race pace is looking very good for the moment. We definitely want to be challenging for a podium tomorrow, I think a win might be difficult though.”

Christian Horner, Team Principal
“For the third qualifying in succession that’s a second row lockout for the team. A strong performance by both the drivers and we are actually closer to Mercedes than we thought, but they were ultimately out of reach. It puts us in a very good position for tomorrow’s race.”

Max Verstappen (NED) Red Bull Racing RB12 locks up at Formula One World Championship, Rd12, German Grand Prix, Qualifying, Hockenheim, Germany, Saturday 30 July 2016. © Sutton Images

Sauber

Seventeenth and 18th in free practice, it looked as though Sauber had found a little bit of pace compared to their rivals. Unfortunately, both Ericsson and Nasr struggled in qualifying and will line up on the back row of the grid.

Marcus Ericsson, 22nd, 1:17.238
“It is a disappointing result to start the race from the last row. It seemed to be a positive weekend, as we were going in the right direction and also found some positive results with the new rear wing. In terms of the car’s balance, I felt comfortable. But in qualifying, especially, our performance is not good enough. It will be a tough race, but, as always, we will do what we can.”

Felipe Nasr, 21st, 1:17.123
“It has been another difficult qualifying for us. I felt I was on a good lap, although we cannot see it in the result. At the moment, this is the maximum we can extract out of our current package in qualifying. We have saved a set of tyres, so hopefully we can make good use of them in the race. We normally have a decent race pace, so I am confident I can move up a few positions. As always, I will do my best.”

Felipe Nasr (BRA) Sauber C35 at Formula One World Championship, Rd12, German Grand Prix, Qualifying, Hockenheim, Germany, Saturday 30 July 2016. © Sutton Images

Manor

Wehrlein performed well in front of his home crowd, at one point lying 13th before others improved to drop him down to 18th. Haryanto had a quieter day but did well to qualify ahead of both Saubers.
Pascal Wehrlein, 18th, 1:16.717
“We were very close to Q2 today - just 0.15s - but I’m very happy with our qualifying because we managed to stay in front of Sauber, and also a Toro Rosso, which is positive. The team did a really good job, so my thanks to everyone for that.
“At the moment Renault seem quite strong and especially in the last sector. We’re still lacking a bit of downforce, so we couldn’t keep up today; we were losing half a second to them in that sector. But the most important thing is that we’re in front of Sauber, so I can’t be unhappy.
“Well, we’ve continued improving through the weekend, so I hope we can do an even better job in the race tomorrow. We can do something from P18 and of course I’ll be trying to get another special start, to make up some places off the line. I can’t wait!”
Rio Haryanto, 20th, 1:16.977
“Very happy. We managed to improve every time we left the garage today. The times were very close through the field today.
“I think we’ve done a good job overall and I feel like I’ve taken a good step forward here. Also, we’ve made some good improvements recently and I think we’re seeing some of the benefit of those today. We did a good job to stay ahead of the Sauber and I’m in a better position for the start. Our race pace looks good, so I hope we can have a strong race.”
Dave Ryan, Racing Director
“The gap to Q2 was incredibly close and we were all on the edge of our pit wall seats when it seemed that both our drivers might squeeze their way in. In the end we missed out by the narrowest of margins, but we are still very pleased to finish ahead of both Saubers and there’s a Toro Rosso in Pascal’s wake as well. Both drivers did a great job today and they’ve worked hard to put us in a strong position for the race. As always, a big thanks to the rest of the team for the great job everyone is doing. It’s been a hard couple of months and the effort they are putting in to put these two race cars on the track is just incredible. Tomorrow will be a tough challenge, but I think we can enjoy a good battle with the cars around us.”

Rio Haryanto (IDN) Manor Racing at Formula One World Championship, Rd12, German Grand Prix, Qualifying, Hockenheim, Germany, Saturday 30 July 2016. © Sutton Images

 

 

 

2016 Honda S660

  Specifications:

year: 2016

make:  Honda

Model: S660

price: $ 15000 (Est.)

Engine: inline-3

Transmission: 6-speed manual

Horsepower @ RPM: 63

Torque @ RPM: 77

0-60 time: 10 sec. (Est.)

Top Speed: 87 mph (Est.)

Topspeed Reviwe Honda car S660 the 2016.
A spiritual successor to the Honda S600 and the Pininfarina-designed Honda Beat, the S660 Kei-roadster has gone on sale in Japan. The petite model was previewed by a funky-looking concept car at the 2013 Tokyo Motor Show, so reaching mass-production status in under two years is probably a first, even for Honda.

Even though it has a retractable roof, which normally adds weight, the tiny mid-engine roadster is part of the Kei car category in Japan, weighing less than 2,000 pounds and measuring under 11.2 feet in length. Being part of that special category also means that the 660cc engine has its displacement restricted to that figure by law, but unconfirmed reports suggest that a hotter model sold outside Japan may benefit from a turbocharged, 1.0-liter engine, with its handling developed in cooperation with Mugen.

Updated 08/11/2015: A new report from Edmunds indicates that Honda is considering offering the S660 on the U.S. market too. Of course there are some questions that need answering first, like "It’s got to be commercially viable. It’s got to serve a purpose from a brand standpoint. What does it do for the brand?" - Honda. But a decision should come down soon.

Exterior

The S660 is available in six colors, including Premium Mystic Night Pearl and Admiral Gray Metallic. Despite having tiny dimensions, the S660’s proportions are those of a fully fledged sports car. The wheels are pushed as far as possible to each corner of the wide and low body. The front end is typically Honda, from some angles harking back to the Honda/Acura NSX. From the side you could easily confuse it with a more powerful car; the turbine wheels and two air intakes on each side contribute to its sporty appearance.
With almost non-existent front and rear overhangs and a targa-style, canvas roof, the S660 certainly means business as far as styling and proportions go. The rear end’s design reminds me of a Cylon from Battlestar Galactica, but maybe that’s just me. The center exhaust pipe looks massive. On the whole, the S660 looks great from just about every angle — not very different from the concept car’s lines.

Exterior Dimensions

Length	3,395 MM
Width	1,475 MM
Height	1,180 MM
Weight	830 KG (1,830 LBS)

Drivetrain

According to Japanese Kei car regulations, the Honda S660 sports a turbocharged, 0.66-liter, three-cylinder engine that develops 63 horsepower and 77 pound-feet of torque. The tiny powerplant is mated to a six-speed manual transmission, which is a first for this segment according to Honda  . Optionally, buyers can get a CVT (Continuously Variable Transmission) with a seven-speed paddle-shifter that features a sport mode.
There are no words on acceleration figures, but cars like this are obviously not about 0-60 or quarter-mile times. The midship engine layout delivers a low center of gravity and a 45/55 front/rear weight balance, which in theory should provide ample amounts of fun on the twisties as long as there isn’t much uphill driving involved.

Drivetrain Specifications

Type	three-cylinder engine
Output	63 HP
Torque	77 Lb-FT
Transmission	six-speed manual
Top speed	140 km/h (87 mph)

Prices

In Japan, the starting price for a Honda S660 with the six-speed manual is 1,980,000 Yen (approx. $16,500 as of 3/30/2015). Even though there are currently no official plans to export it, on the international market the starting price would likely increase closer to $20,000, an increase that could go hand in hand with the model’s curb weight (e.g. more safety features equal more weight and costs).

F1 Qualifying ,GROSSER PREIS VON DEUTSCHLAND 2016 Hockenheim Result

Qualifying - Last-gasp Rosberg grabs home pole  

Nico Rosberg snatched a dramatic home pole position at Hockenheim on Saturday, beating Mercedes team mate Lewis Hamilton by just 0.1s despite being restricted to a single run in the final Q3 shootout.

With Rosberg setting his time three minutes from the end, Hamilton had time to respond, and was even up in the first sector - but a mistake at the hairpin proved costly, and meant Hamilton could not deny his team mate a second straight pole at the German circuit.

Red Bull locked out the second row, with Daniel Ricciardo labeling the lap that earned him third a 'beauty'. Like the two Mercedes drivers, just one tenth of a second split the Red Bull pair.

Ferrari likewise occupied the third row, Kimi Raikkonen this time getting the better of home favourite Sebastian Vettel, while Force India and Williams rounded out the top ten through Nico Hulkenberg, Valtteri Bottas, Sergio Perez and Felipe Massa respectively.

Esteban Gutierrez was unlucky to miss out on a Q3 berth, the Haas man winding up 11th ahead of McLaren's Jenson Button. The Briton's team mate Fernando Alonso was 14th, giving him a share of row seven with compatriot and Toro Rosso driver Carlos Sainz.

The latter's team mate Daniil Kvyat was the biggest surprise casualty in Q1, exiting alongside both Saubers, both Manors, and the Renault of Kevin Magnussen.

Eliminated in Q2 - Gutierrez, Button, Sainz, Alonso, Grosjean, Palmer.
Eliminated in Q1: Magnussen, Wehrlein, Kvyat, Haryanto, Nasr and Ericsson.

See all here

 

Formula1,German Grand Prix free Practice 3 2016 Final

Profile HOCKENHEIM-RING, HOCKENHEIM CIRCUIT

• Circuit type
  Race
• Circuit Length
  4.574 km
• Circuit Turns
  13
• Circuit Direction
  Clockwise
• Capacity
  130,000
• Established
  1932

Circuit Info

Built by Mercedes-Benz as a test track in the 1930s, Hockenheim first welcomed F1 to the circuit in 1970 when drivers threatened to boycott the German Grand Prix at the Nürburgring on safety grounds. Safety measures had already been introduced at Hockenheim following the death of Jim Clark in 1968, where chicanes were added to the track's two main straights.

However, the race returned to the Nürburgring the following year, where it remained until 1977 when Hockenheim became the regular home of the German Grand Prix until 2006.

In 2002 the circuit underwent major alterations for safety reasons, with the new layout significantly reducing the speed of the circuit and increasing the spectator seating available.

Since 1995 there had been two grand prix held in Germany every year; the German Grand Prix at Hockenheim and either the European Grand Prix or the Luxembourg Grand Prix at the Nürburgring, but in 2006 Bernie Ecclestone announced there would only be one race held in Germany from 2007, alternating between the two historic circuits.

While no driver has ever been killed in an F1 race at Hockenheim, two-time F1 world champion Jim Clark died in a Formula 2 race in April 1968 after he crashed into trees at 140mph. A memorial used to mark the spot where he crashed but after the redevelopment of the circuit the memorial was replaced by a more impressive structure at turn one.

Claire Furnell

Formula1 2016,German Grand Prix free Practice 2 Final

Formula1 2016,German Grand Prix free Practice 1 Final

Genesio Bevilacqua on Althea’s Year So Far

Team owner and manager of Althea BMW assesses the first half of 2016

The start of the 2016 MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship saw a big change for the Althea team, with a switch from Ducati machinery to BMW. The switch has been a challenging one, although the Italian outfit have been getting closer and closer to the front, with a number of top 5 results. Jordi Torres, already a WorldSBK race winner in 2015, and rookie teammate Markus Reiterberger, twice IDM champion, have both shown pace and progression, with the more experience Spaniard leading the charge.

“The decision was made after we struggled in 2015,” says Bevilacqua of the switch. “I think it was the best solution for us to return in an official way. Our relationship with BMW has allowed us to fight for the front row and we expect before the end of the season to get good results.”
Althea are not the only team who are running BMW machinery, with rivals Milwaukee BMW also counting on the German marque. Althea have so far proved to have the upper hand however, something Bevilacqua says is down to experience – although the goal is not only to be top BMW; the team want more.

“Milwaukee haven’t got a lot of experience in WorldSBK,” explains the Italian. “I think everyone needs time to learn this difficult Championship. But we’re not completely satisfied with our results because as everyone knows in the past we won World Championships and we always expect more from our own performance. For sure we have a good package and we want to improve when we have more information and many different things to adjust with the chassis and the engine. But we’re convinced that if we keep going as we are, we should get where we expect. We share all our track experience with BMW but we also work in a separate way, especially with the chassis. But BMW is completely involved with the engine and with the electronics; because they have a lot more sources of information than us.”

With that in mind and the bike a shared project, what does Bevilacqua think of his riders’ performances so far?

“Everyone knows Jordi is a very good rider,” asserts the Team Manager of GP and WorldSBK winner Torres. “For us he’s one of the best. We want to be able to give him the best package to express his skill, and so we can get on the podium as soon as we can. Then, first of all I hope Markus gets well soon in his recovery from this terrible crash. We’re very impressed with the performance of Markus, although for sure he is now paying a bit of a price for not having much experience in this Championship. We’re convinced that when he comes back he will improve a lot.”

Torres has already been a front row qualifier and a race winner in WorldSBK, and although those results were with a different team in his rookie year, the experience is a sure advantage to the team. Reiterberger has also impressed, and is currently in recovery from his crash in Race 2 at Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli and hoping to return for his home Round at Lausitzring in September. The Pirelli German Round will also see STK1000 back on track after their summer break, with Althea eager to resume the title fight fielding Raffaele De Rosa – who currently leads the points standings.

“STK1000 is a different way to work,” says Bevilacqua of the difference between STK1000 and WorldSBK. “It’s easier because the base of the bike is really good. So we don’t struggle to get results, and with such a good rider. Our goal is to allow him to be fast in every race with the base of the bike and our experience.”

With title hopes in STK1000 and podium possibilities in WorldSBK, what is the team looking at for next year?

“After many Races in WorldSBK, now is the time to think about the podium. That’s our goal and maybe we can get that good result before the end of the year. Then, we are really satisfied with our riders and with BMW, so I don’t think we want to change anything!”

Althea are back at BMW’s home Pirelli German Round from the 16^th-18^th September at Eurospeedway Lausitzring, with the paddock coming back from summer break after Laguna Seca – for WorldSBK - or Misano for WorldSSP and STK1000.

 

New Range Rover Evoque Convertible 2016 review

Auto express review new Ranger Rover Evoque Convertible :

Everything you need to know about the Evoque Convertible (but were too afraid to ask…)

The original Range Rover Evoque was revealed in 2008 by Land Rover to a general ‘wow’, and customers queueing up with deposits clutched in sweaty palms. The ‘wow’ that accompanied the new Range Rover Evoque Convertible was relatively muted, and possibly a little more thoughtful in tone, as we all sat back and wondered how we’ve managed for so long without a luxury SUV drop-top in our lives.
Manage we have, but the new Evoque Convertible has arrived unabashed to stake its claim on a brand new niche. Whether it will herald a surge of used Range Rover Evoque for sale ads in the classifieds as customers clamour to be the first convertible 4x4 on the school run remains to be seen.

• Read our new Evoque Convertible review

The Evoque Convertible was revealed at the LA Motor Show in 2015, and frankly there’s a reason for that. The eye-catching machine definitely looks more Rodeo Drive than Birmingham Bull Ring, but that’s not going to stop the ragtop Range Rover selling over here.

While open-topped utility vehicles like the original Jeep and Land Rover sowed the seeds of the thriving SUV sector and have been around since the middle of the last century, there’s not really been a luxury convertible off-roader in mass production before. Land Rover isn’t being shy about its upmarket positioning either, as the Range Rover Evoque price list starts at a weighty £47,500.

• Best 4x4s and SUVs to buy now

That means the Evoque cabriolet is £5,200 more than its hard top sister model, which might seem a lot but is not much more than the premium placed on the BMW 4 Series which costs £4,885 more than the coupe. The BMW does benefit from a folding metal roof, of course, while the Evoque makes do with a fabric job.
Apparently packaging difficulties made it impossible for Land Rover designers to equip the Evoque with a folding metal top, but the fabric one doesn’t look any less premium. It’s fully automated of course, which means you can expose your Evoque interior to the open air – or shut it away again – in just 18 seconds.

RR Evoque cabrio design walkaround with Gerry McGovern

Auto Express was treated to an exclusive preview of the new car, ahead of its debut at the 2015 Los Angeles Motor Show, with Land Rover design director and chief creative officer Gerry McGovern showing us around. “Evoque is a car that really resonates with people,” he told us, “which is why over 450,000 have been sold so far.
“It’s really changed the culture and attitude within our organisation, too, and this convertible is a natural progression for Evoque – but it wasn’t easy to do.”

• Best crossovers to buy now

Although the concept was well received, a production version has many more challenges and we’ll admit to some nervousness about seeing the finished car.But in the metal, it’s clear McGovern and his team have produced a convertible that still has the Evoque’s striking (and popular) good looks, with the hood up or down.


McGovern said: “The biggest challenge was keeping the purity of the design with the packaging necessary for a convertible. The rising beltline gives it distinctiveness, while helping to disguise the hood mechanism and allowing decent boot space.”

“It still keeps its stance, though – it looks like a tough so-and-so.”
The Convertible is marginally longer than the hard-top cars, at 4,370mm, and a touch wider, too. And with extra strengthening round the A-pillars and under-body bracing to keep the car’s structural rigidity, there’s been a bit of a weight gain, too – an extra 277kg in the case of the diesel models.

Range Rover Evoque Cabriolet: technical specs

That means the 0-62mph time increases from the diesel hard-top’s 9.0 seconds to 10.3 in the Convertible, while claimed average economy is cut from 57.6mpg to 49.6mpg. CO2 figures are hit, too, from 129g/km to 149g/km – still fairly reasonable, though.
Most British Evoque Convertibles will be diesel, with the TD4 178bhp Ingenium engine, although the 237bhp four-cylinder Si4 will also be an option. Both come as autos only in top HSE Dynamic spec or for an extra £4,200 HSE Dynamic Lux trim.
Under the skin, the all-independent suspension and anti-roll bars have been tweaked to compensate for the extra weight, while the electric power-steering has been retuned, too.

Range Rover Evoque Convertible: interior and practicality 

As was clear from our initial ride none of the Evoque’s off-road prowess has been lost in the conversion to convertible – it’s still a proper 4x4.

 

But as with nearly all convertibles, the Evoque seats only four people – the fifth making way for the hood folding mechanism. You can also fit an optional wind deflector behind the front seats, effectively turning the car into a two-seater, but it should ensure that your hair do doesn’t become a hair don’t.
If you do sit in the back, head and leg space is okay, with decent access, too. Boot capacity is still acceptable, at 251 litres, although the opening is a bit letterbox-like. Sitting on top of the boot is a cute-looking spoiler that also houses the third rear brake light. Gerry McGovern describes it as a “bib spoiler” and confirms it’s there for aerodynamic reasons. 


• Best convertible cars
Land Rover has used the arrival of the Convertible to introduce a host of new tech to the car, starting with the latest InControl Touch Pro system with its super-wide 10.2-inch touchscreen and 3G Internet connectivity.

As well as providing navigation and access to the Meridian-supplied sound system, InControl includes various apps that can work on smartphones, plus remote tracking and a Wi-Fi hotspot. However, Apple’s CarPlay and Android Auto connectivity is still “a little way off”.
New all-LED headlights have been added, along with autonomous emergency braking to prevent slow speed nose to tail shunts and the latest driver assistance technology.
Land Rover is further stressing the car’s luxury credentials with leather seats on all models, plus personalisation options including the ability to have your own name inscribed in the treadplates.

First ride review: inside the Evoque Convertible

 As first rides go, this was pretty unusual. We didn’t bother with tarmac, but headed straight to the rough stuff in the new Evoque Convertible to prove it’s a real Land Rover.

 However, what impressed us most about our short sojourn over one of Land Rover’s milder off-road tracks was not the ease with which the new car rode the ruts, but the lack of any trace of chassis wobble.

Chopping the roof off any model can have a dramatic effect on dynamics, and that would be exposed more over the bigger ruts and ridges on an off-road course. 

On road in some of the best convertibles, you can still feel the chassis flex slightly as you hit a pothole. The Evoque Convertible stayed resolutely silent as we went across dips and up slopes, with no signs of the rattles or creaks that, frankly, we might have expected. 

It proves Land Rover has done a good job retaining the structural rigidity of the Evoque, which bodes well for on-road handling as well as safety.
For the record, the Evoque Convertible can also cope with 45-degree gradients and 35-degree tilts, and wade through water 500mm deep. All a rather odd sen