PIT + PADDOCK18 APRIL 2019 AUTOSPORT.COM 5FORMULA 1Monza “urgently” needs €60million
for the renovation work it wants
completed for its 100th anniversary
and to secure its Formula 1 future.
At the end of last year it emerged
that Monza bosses were planning
major changes to the famous Italian
circuit for its centenary in 2022,
including removing one of its
chicanes. But the Italian Grand Prix
does not have an F1 deal beyond
the current season. Angelo Sticchi
Damiani, president of Italian
federation the ACI, has now said it
is “urgent” that it gets €60m of the
estimated €100m renovation budget.
“The ACI is involved in the
payment of the hosting fee to
Liberty Media and cannot spendmoney on the very urgent renewal of
the circuit,” he said. “The right way
to arrive at this date is to have the
circuit up to [the standard of] its
history. If some help could arrive
from the Italian government for the
circuit, it would be decisive in order
to do everything we want to do. We
were able to find a balance with the
help from the Lombardy region,
which expires this year and we have
to renew for the next few years.”
Monza is currently on a short-
term F1 deal that was struck
following fraught negotiations back
in 2016. It is in discussions with F
owner Liberty Media, but Damiani
said one problem was the legacy left
by previous contracts negotiated
with Liberty’s predecessor.
GIACOMO RAULI & SCOTT MITCHELLFORMULA 1Plans to introduce a four-part
Formula 1 qualifying system for
2020 remain in limbo, after
further discussions at the
Chinese Grand Prix.
Team managers met FIA
technical chief Nikolas Tombazis
and F1 sporting director Steve
Nielsen to dig deeper into the
system, which would see four
cars eliminated after Q1, Q2 and
Q3, leaving eight to contest Q4.
The top eight would then startthe race on the same spec of tyre
used to set their best Q4 times.
The consensus was that Q
would be an anti-climax, with
the six cars from the ‘big three’
teams drifting towards using the
hard tyre in qualifying, thereby
reducing strategic variations, and
the other two in Q4 either not
running or making a token effort.
F1 owner Liberty felt the plan
would hold viewers’ attention.
ADAM COOPERF1 ‘Q4’ revamp in limbo
after system flaws raised
Monza in government plea
for €60m to save Italian GP
ANDREto the call to swap positions.
Wolff said: “I can understand that. Nevertheless,
when you start doing these things it becomes very
complicated and you start a precedent and open
a can of worms. Then you might have to call at
every race that the car behind can go quicker.”
Mercedes is well-placed to comment on Ferrari’s
situation. It has grown to act decisively when
implementing team orders, most notably at last
year’s Russian Grand Prix. Then, race leader
Valtteri Bottas was told to move aside for
championship contender Lewis Hamilton,
who was being caught by Vettel’s Ferrari. Last
weekend in China, while Ferrari struggled,
Mercedes protected its result by pitting Hamilton
and Bottas on the same lap. Bottas said it ended
any chance he had of fighting his team-mate for
the win, but Mercedes was playing it smart.
“We had a situation today where they were
pushing each other very hard and taking a risk
to potentially not finish the race,” said Wolff.
“It’s not a Ferrari problem alone – every team
has that issue if you have two alpha drivers.”
That is the problem facing Ferrari. Leclerc is
challenging the nominal alpha driver and proving
more than a “little bit of a number two”, which
is how Mercedes’ 2016 world champion Nico
Rosberg believes he is being treated.
Ferrari does not have to adjust its position if it
feels justified continuing to back Vettel. Should
that be the case, though, it must be prepared to
continue to field uncomfortable questions.
SCOTT MITCHELL- ORDER FOCUS
STAT
31
points Vettel is behind
Hamilton after
three racesP11 OPINION