F1 Paddock Notebook – British GP Friday

With a round-up of all the additional news and notes from Silverstone on Friday, F1 Editor Luke Smith brings you his paddock notebook.

– Friday saw Sebastian Vettel top an FP2 session for the first time since last year’s Malaysian Grand Prix. Ferrari’s Friday form has traditionally been quite poor this year, with the team going on to make a big step forward on Saturdays.

– Vettel did not end up with the fastest time of the day, though. His FP2-leading effort of 1m27.552s was 0.065s slower than Lewis Hamilton’s best lap in the morning running, 1m27.487s.

– High track temperatures were a challenge for teams through FP2, with the FIA’s reading coming in at a scorching 51ºC ahead of the session starting.

– The new DRS zones on the main straight caused a bit of debate up and down the paddock, with a few drivers attempting to keep the rear wing flap open through the Turn 1 and Turn 2 complex – with varying levels of success. Romain Grosjean spun off into the barrier at Abbey when accidentally trying it, having forgotten to close his DRS through Turn 1, damaging his car and requiring a new chassis, missing FP2 as a result.

– The tactic most seemed to be using was to close DRS manually just before the turn-in point at Turn 1, staying flat before re-opening it for the short run to the left-hand Turn 2. Force India technical boss Andrew Green said it was possible to keep it open all the way through, but that it may not be the most efficient or quickest way to do it, accounting for the extra load it would place on the tyres.

– One of the most notable incidents in FP1 saw Kevin Magnussen and Fernando Alonso go wheel-to-wheel on-track, with Alonso calling the Dane out for a “dangerous” move. The stewards looked into it before clearing Magnussen, claiming that both drivers had been given incorrect information about each other’s intentions. Alonso claimed the the stewards may have been more lenient given Magnussen’s previous incidents, not wishing to trigger a bigger penalty.

– Pierre Gasly was sidelined by an engine issue in FP2 on what he called a “tough” day for Toro Rosso. It did, however, allow him to watch some of the France vs. Uruguay World Cup quarter-final that kicked off just minutes after he parked up at the side of the track.

– Mercedes confirmed earlier in the day that Valtteri Bottas would be moving onto his third and final power unit of the season as a precautionary change following his stoppage in Austria. Bottas is now on the bubble meaning if he takes any more components this year, he will be subject to a grid penalty.

– Other drivers to take new power unit elements included Nico Hulkenberg (new ICE and turbocharger), Charles Leclerc (new energy store and control electronics) and Romain Grosjean (energy store). None have exceeded their allocation for the season, though.

– New gearboxes have been taken by Daniel Ricciardo, Stoffel Vandoorne and Charles Leclerc for Silverstone, all of which are within the regulations, meaning there are no grid penalties.

– McLaren has been running with branding on the engine cover of its car promoting its new eSports scheme, Shadow Project. Another fresh image came at Renault, where it was running with sponsorship for the new Disney film, The Incredibles 2, through the weekend.

– Carlos Sainz Jr. was spotted running with a small box on top of his Halo during FP1, which Renault confirmed to be a transmission device for a marshaling system assessment, a development that is helping the FIA.

– FP1 saw both Toro Rosso and Mercedes trial new mirror design concepts. Toro Rosso’s design is similar to the one used by Ferrari, while Mercedes opted for an ambitious double-mirror design.

– Renault was fined €1,000 after Carlos Sainz Jr. did not keep to the right of the bollard at pit entry during FP1. Kevin Magnussen was hit with a €200 for speeding in the pit lane.