Perez hopes to emulate Hamilton

F1 Fanatic round-up

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In the round-up: Sergio Perez says he hopes to develop at McLaren the way Lewis Hamilton did.

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Sergio Perez Q&A: ‘McLaren know how to handle young drivers’ (F1)

“McLaren is a team that knows how to handle young drivers. Just think about my predecessor in the cockpit – Lewis Hamilton. He joined the team with no F1 experience at all and the team helped him to blossom into a winner and a champion. All I want is to get the same treatment.”

Mercedes F1 boss stands firm on rival’s shares (Telegraph)

Toto Wolff: “I have no concrete plans to sell the [Williams] shares. I am going to handle my shareholding carefully. That means looking at all options and alternatives whether Frank Williams buys them back, any of the current investors buys them back or I hold them as long as I think it is acceptable and feasible from a corporate point of view.”

Nissany’s son steps up to European F3 (GP Update)

“Roy Nissany, son of ex-Jordan and Minardi Formula 1 test driver Chanoch, will compete in the new European Formula 3 Championship this season.”

De la Rosa’s “premier” as a Ferrari man (Ferrari)

“I’ve seen the new car in the factory, as it is being prepared for the first test. I am very happy to be able to test it and honestly I had not expected that. It’s a unique opportunity to begin to understand how the car works and how I can help with the work in the simulator.”

F1’s party people (ESPN)

“For sheer showmanship it’s unlikely McLaren’s 1997 launch will ever be trumped. The Spice Girls, Jamiroquai and bucket-loads of dry ice were on hand at London’s Alexandra Palace to welcome the new MP4-12 into the world.”

Speed Presents Three-Time F1 Champ Vettel With Second Mario Andretti Trophy (Speed)

“Motor sports icon Mario Andretti presented his namesake trophy to 2012 Formula One champion Sebastian Vettel as this year’s Speed Performer of the Year on the Sunday night edition of Speed Center.”

Tweets

https://twitter.com/f1spannerman/status/296017187238469633

Comment of the day

Are there other drivers more deserving of the opportunity Susie Wolff has at Williams:

She barely broke the top 15 in DTM… why is she doing simulator and straight-line work, when there are race winners in Formula Renault 3.5, GP2, Formula Two, Formula Three, GP3 and DTM that are burgeoning talents?

Surely there are more suitable up and coming female drivers that can be a valid contributing member to the team, which I’m sure Wolff is, but also have a chance of become a serious contender in a feeder series with a view to racing in F1.
@Tyresmoke

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On this day in F1

Carlos Reutemann won the second round of the 1978 world championship on this day 35 years ago at the Jacarepagua circuit in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

Behind him was Emerson Fittipaldi, who gave the Brazilian Copersucar team its best ever finish with second place, followed by Niki Lauda’s Brabham.

Images © McLaren/Hoch Zwei, Ferrari/Ercole Colombo

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Keith Collantine
Lifelong motor sport fan Keith set up RaceFans in 2005 - when it was originally called F1 Fanatic. Having previously worked as a motoring...

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39 comments on “Perez hopes to emulate Hamilton”

  1. OmarR-Pepper (@)
    29th January 2013, 2:21

    I think the main difference between Hamilton’s case and Checo’s is the suppottive relationship and training that Lewis got from McLaren since he was a child. So, even when Lewis had his first shot at McLaren as a “rookie” in 2007, he probably knew more and was more used to their philosophy for many years on. Let’s see if Chaco, who I think IS a great driver, can get along with the pressure of beaing in a successful team always willing to win

  2. I think Sergio Perez has got his head screwed on the right way. Everything I’ve read from him since joining McLaren has shown a remarkable comprehension of what he is getting himself into. He’s not a daydreamer who has been caught up in the frenzy of publicity, or let himself get carried away with excitement, and will only feel the reality of it all sink in when qualifying for the Australian Grand Prix begins. He seems to appreciate that McLaren have expectations, and that he needs to live up to those before he can start thinking about his own ambitions. A lot of people have criticised McLaren for being “too corporate” and demanding that their drivers put the team first, but I don’t think that’s true at all. Rather, I think they embrace the idea that the team performs at its best when it is a cohesive whole, and expect the drivers to live up to the team’s expectations to show that they can co-exist. Once a driver does that, he is free to pursue his own ambitions, because his ambitions become the team’s ambitions. They don’t want one personality to dominate because they know that the team is made up of many personalities, and that everyone is needed to achieve their goals. Based on what I’ve seen from Sergio Perez, I think he can fit right into that.

    1. Bob (@bobthevulcan)
      29th January 2013, 2:46

      I agree. Perez has demonstrated remarkable maturity of thought. He hasn’t been spouting too much PR talk, but rather offering his own heartfelt opinions. His goals may be a tad ambitious (didn’t he say he was going to target the championship this year?) but it’s a sign of a determined, motivated driver. I have faith that he will do well with McLaren.

      1. Yeah I think of LH’s demise at Mac a result of him no longer being as much a part of a cohesive whole. Not with his off-track distractions of 2011 that I think started the shine coming off the apple, if it hadn’t happened already. Maybe when RD left and so did Dad, and the whole was no longer the same entity. I think he was a dominating personality at Mac, perhaps all along, but I think more recently affecting the team negatively. It will be so interesting seeing what the new, can we say, more even-keeled driver pairing, will bring in terms of potential effect on helping the whole team perform better in aspects including the ones that failed LH at times in 2012. I feel it unlikely that either Mac driver will be distracted off the track, and be tweeting telemetry, in 2013, so there should be a fresher aura in the room/garage.

        1. All a driver needs is get into the car and perform. A good team is not the one that tries to change its philosophy to fit a driver’s personality but forcing a driver to change his personality is not the way either. It’s about finding common ground and make everybody comfortable. It doesn’t matter how good they feel if they fail to perform, Perez #1 tasks to keep impressing us is beating Button anything beyond that should be seen as bonus.

          Wish him the best.

          1. jimscreechy (@)
            29th January 2013, 7:15

            well said

        2. Yeah I think of LH’s demise at Mac a result of him no longer being as much a part of a cohesive whole.

          Robbie…..Lewis’s doubts towards Mclaren may have started in 2010 especially with the antics of Button at the Turkish GP, when during the race, Hamilton asked the pitwall…
          ” what the hell is going on? ”
          http://vimeo.com/18831417

          1. fantastic video!

      2. @bobthevulcan

        (didn’t he say he was going to target the championship this year?)

        He did say that, but why shouldn’t he? Because it’s ambitious?

        I don’t know about you, but I doubt McLaren would have taken a driver whose attitude was “I’m only targeting fourth in the World Championship this year”.

        1. In fairness to Bob, he did say a ‘tad’ ambitous and didn’t say Perez should talk 4th. And while I take the point about a team wanting it’s drivers to talk WDC/WCC, I don’t think it would be unreasonable if a driver, in his first year on his first top 3 team, partnering a WDC, were to be a tad humble and tow the ‘gel-learn-help progress to the top’ line as opposed to the ‘I’m going to kick butt’ line.

        2. Bob (@bobthevulcan)
          29th January 2013, 5:21

          @prisoner-monkeys – Given that he’s adapting to a new team/environment/car, and is working on polishing-up his driving technique, I think it’s a fair assessment to say he’s being slightly ambitious. However, I’m not saying it’s bad for Perez to set high targets for himself to achieve. On the contrary, I find it commendable that he has the self-confidence and drive.

        3. It’s called “being realistic”.

          I’d say it’s better for him to focus on acclimatising to his new team and driving the best he can first.

          As for championship targets, well it’s still a bit too early to set targets really. Nothing’s for sure yet. Too many unknown factors.

    2. Checo’s been determined to win -and humble enough to learn. He’s a quick study, is flying high, but has not forgotten how kald kartoffeln dinners by yourself taste. I like the respect with which he is approaching this huge break, and hope his talent shows through. Can’t wait to see him back on podium & win, but feel ready to wait till summer to see results. Big step up from Sauber in every way, he knows this is “it” and will go for it -hopefully he won’t rush it too much.

    3. @prisoner-monkeys Agreed. I knew he’d have no problems with moving up when it came to keeping his feet on the ground, even when he was at Sauber. He’s just a mature guy.

  3. I have been supporting Susie Wolff since she entered the World of DTM with Mercedes Benz and I have supported her greatly, but looking at the facts it does show little progress. I always thought if she was to progress it would be from Mercedes Benz DTM to a similar support roles she has now with Williams but with Mercedes AMG F1 & and I believe with the input from them she could have had greater chance at success but she married Toto Wolff and with her husband being in one of the highest positions in management, (although he didn’t sit the meeting to decide if she joins) meant that she settled for a lesser role. But I dont see her getting a race seat and to be honest she isn’t a spring chicken any more. I will continue to support her but would have liked to have seen Mercedes Benz take her all the way.

  4. Does anyone know what F1 Spanner Man is on about when he talks about 18 races?

    1. @blockwall2 – The original 2013 calendar had 20 races. But then New Jersey was pushed back to 2014, leaving the calendar with 19 Grands Prix. Now the German Grand Prix is in doubt because the Nurburgring is hovering on the border of insolvency, and reports have emerged in the past two days that despite Bernie Ecclestone’s attempts to save the race, he has been forced to drop it from the 2013 calendar, leaving us with 18 races.

      1. @prisoner-monkeys – I interpreted it as the German GP will move to Hockenhiem if Nurburgring can’t hold it.

  5. Surely there are more suitable up and coming female drivers that can be a valid contributing member to the team, which I’m sure Wolff is, but also have a chance of become a serious contender in a feeder series with a view to racing in F1.

    Not really. There were more female racing drivers than ever before in 2012, but none of them came close to being viable future prospects. Perhaps the best of them was Alice Powell, whose most-notable achievement was picking up one point in a GP3 race. Others, however, were despairingly poor; Carmen Jordá, for instance, failed to qualify for two GP3 races, and her best result was thirteenth place (though she was usually no better than twentieth).

    1. I would have thought that the best qualified female candidate (ignoring Danica Patrick, who couldn’t afford the pay cut) to join F1 as a reserve or third driver would be Ana Beatriz. Not that I have heard of any interest on her part in such a move.

      1. I’m not too familiar with Beatriz, but looking at her results, I can’t say that I’m impressed. Simona de Silvestro might be okay – even if Lotus managed to make her look silly for an entire year – but she’s committed to Indycar for the long-term. The only other driver I can think of who might work is Samin Gómez Briceno, who is racing for Jenzer Motorsport in GP3 this year. Her previous results haven’t been great, but she consistently scored points in Formula Abarth last year, so a Formula 1 team might look at picking her up and helping her career out. But there are more-promising candidates in the GP3 field, like Robert Visoiu, Emanuele Zonzini and Jack Harvey.

      2. Realistically the only female driver who would rate a mention as I see it is Patrick. She would do no worse than some of the pay drivers F1 has seen over the last decade on track, and you can imagine the sort of sponsorship and US-friendly PR that would generate for any team? She has a reasonable pedigree in junior formulae, years of racing high powered cars in Indycar – could Ferrari do worse than stick her in a car for a couple of years to replace Massa? At least they would have a sure-thing number 2.

        But seriously a mid-grid F1 team would be silly not to look at a female driver if they have to go with a pay driver as the sponsorship/PR would be enormous.

        1. could Ferrari do worse than stick her in a car for a couple of years to replace Massa? At least they would have a sure-thing number 2.

          Yep, they could put Danica Patrick in the second car as a no2 driver and then face claims of sexism whenever she has to sacrifice a place for Alonso.

          I’m a big fan of Danica, but Ferrari is the last team she should be in, for much the same reasons as Kubica.. I’d love to see her in a team like Sauber or Force India though… Certainly give us a chance to see what she’s like in a F1 car..

      3. thatscienceguy
        29th January 2013, 8:18

        Wolff isn’t a 3rd or reserve driver. Just so we’re clear, she is several steps away from a race driver, realistically it’s not going to happen, it’s not her role.

        She’s a development driver. She goes up and down an airfield in a straight line, and does sim work developing the car. You need experience to do this (not necessarily out and out speed). If the team are happy with the feedback she’s providing, which would appear to be the case, then she’s the ideal person for the job. Her race results aren’t particularly relevant for the role she’s performing currently.

        The people who are realistic up and comers who have a chance for a race role are probably better off being in the feeder series racing and proving themselves against the competition, which won’t be the case in a development driver role.

  6. Crowd is insane at the end of that video. Would never be allowed in our “safe” world.
    Humanity will die of sterilisation before it get a chance to blow up itself :)

  7. COTD.

    It’s all pretty logical. Reason why there are not nearly (none, some would argue) as many female drivers is cause there are not enough of them at the lowest level. So your talent pool is VERY poor, girls with talents of Formula 1 drivers are most likely never gave racing a shot.

    Don’t get me wrong, some of current female racers are great drivers but there is a huge gap to be a very good one and there is only few of those. Now, very few of how many? When you think about how many males actually do racing and how many actually got talent to compete at the highest level you see what it is a jackpot to find a F1 material female driver.

    But with this tendency of pay drivers, it will only take few more years until F1 will be filled with guys and girls who were finishing 5-15th in their previous Championships/Formulas while winners are paying out their mortgages as mechanics.

    1. From what I’ve read and heard (but not personal experience) there are fairly equal numbers of boys and girls in karting, but things start to change in the ‘teens, were (in all sports) girls become less interested whilst boys continue. I don’t know if this is true. If it is, I would question the age ranges of drivers in lower formulae. There seems little room for anyone in their mid to late twenties entering GP3 or GP2, or lower (I won’t mention British F3 right now). If there were more flexibility in this area it would allow for girls to find their focus at a later age.

      I also remember hearing that the FIA were introducing a special racing series just for women. If this is true, its not exactly promoting equal opportunities, is it? Sounds more like condescending pacification to me. And a bit of an insult.

      1. Drop Valencia!
        31st January 2013, 10:28

        Not really, there is fairly clear evidence that there is a physiological difference, is womens Tennis condecending and sexist? I would love to have a Female F1, ran in conjuction with the Mens, more racing, and would be very interesting!

  8. “Roy Nissany, son of ex-Jordan and Minardi Formula 1 test driver Chanoch, will compete in the new European Formula 3 Championship this season.”

    Ah, Chanoch Nissany. Quite possibly the most obscure and, frankly, one of the most embarrassing drivers ever to sit in a Formula 1 car.

    It’s often been shown that the relatives – particularly the sons – of former drivers have really struggled to live up to their famous relatives’ achievements. But Roy Nissany’s results in the ADAC Formel Masters series last year weren’t too bad, socring regular points and picking up a win at the Red Bull Ring, so maybe the relatives of infamous Formula 1 drivers can out-class their relatives’ achievements.

    1. It seems easier to beat Nissany senior than Senna senior, Piquet senior…

      LOL

    2. I was thinking about Chanoch Nissany yesterday when we were talking about pay drivers. He was almost certainly the nadir of the phenomenon, having paid Minardi a great deal of money to be allowed to sit in their car for a bit. When he spun off the track in Friday practice in Hungary (an incredible achievement in itself, considering how slow he was going) he had to remain in the car while it was removed by marshals, as he was unable to remove his steering wheel.

      So yeah, Nissany Jr doesn’t have to achieve much to eclipse his father.

    3. Drop Valencia!
      31st January 2013, 10:35

      Nissany is the worst ever pilot to actually drive in a F1 race weekend session. He had to pit the Minardi, telling his engineer on the radio “the car has too much grip”!!! Webber referred to him at the time as “******* Bananas” There is a video on youtube worth looking up.

  9. I think we’re all overly concerned with giving the right people opportunities as testers, that’s not what the teams are concerned with, because it doesn’t translate to results. The testing environment has changed, and the teams need to get the best out of less testing. That means more simulator work, and that means more drivers suited to that role. You need someone who can commit to doing a lot of simulator work, someone who has been around, has driven a lot of different cars, and who can provide detailed feedback. Now, because the simulator work is so important in developing the car, the simulator driver has to be able to relate that to the actual car, and that means giving them a test at the start of the season. This is what team’s are concerned with, correlating testing and simulation, getting the most out of their simulator pilot, and thus their car!

    Testing is not about giving the next bright young thing a go in the car to see if they’ve got the goods, or rewarding someone for doing well in Formula Renault. It’s about developing the best car.

  10. @keithcollantine – Thank you for the birthday wish, but I’m the guy who used to post as Stealthman and my birthday is on the 26th. ;) thank you all the same!

  11. “…..When he spun off the track in Friday practice in Hungary (an incredible achievement in itself, considering how slow he was going) he had to remain in the car while it was removed by marshals, as he was unable to remove his steering wheel.”

    LMAO! That made me chuckle for minutes :) …….

  12. Perez hopes to emulate Hamilton, Hamilton hopes to emulate Schumacher, Alonso said that Prost is alive and got 4 WDC….. Just shut up and drive! We will see how great you all are when the lights shot of in Australia. Man! How can this people found time to work when all they do is talk! I’m ****** :)

    1. And in the meantime you’ve got Vettel raking up the championships ;)

      1. Good point ^Mo^! Vettel never really talks of emulating Schumacher but he’s making the best job of it currently!

        1. That was I talking about too :). It would be interesting to see who will Lotus do. If theyare at least as good as last year at the testing I thinkand hope that they can chalenge the top.

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