BAR defend retirement decision
BAR exploited a loophole in Formula One's new engine rules which state that drivers must make their engines last for two whole race weekends rather than just one. Any unscheduled replacement brings a loss of 10-places on the starting grid.
However, a driver can replace an engine without sanction if he retires from a race. BAR decided to take advantage of this option by retiring their cars near the end of the season-opening Australian Grand Prix.
"At the end of the race obviously we chose to bring both cars into the pit lane," said Fry, who recognised BAR were off the pace. "Our reading of the rules is if you fail to finish, it then gives you the opportunity to change your engine because you've effectively taken the penalty in the race you failed to finish.
"Obviously our hope was that we were going to finish in the points and so this wouldn't have been necessary," added Fry. "But as we weren't in the points, we might as well take advantage of the rules as we see them, and give the drivers a new engine for next time round.
"So we've taken advantage of that, and if we choose to do so, fit a new engine for Malaysia. That's our strategy and hopefully with a bit of work from [technical director] Geoff [Willis] on the aerodynamics, which is where we think the problems are, and a new engine, then hopefully we can do a bit better next time."
Fry said the first Grand Prix of the season had been disappointing for him. "At the moment we are off the pace," he said. "And we need to do something about that but clearly we've got work to do.
"We simply seem to be unable to generate heat in the tyres and unfortunately it wasn't until the last few laps of the race where we were getting sufficient heat in the tyres to go quickly.
"Jenson was among the fastest in the last few laps but by then it was all too late."
Karthikeyan Bowled Over by Adoring Fans
BAR Defend Retirements Decision
Inside the Faenza facility where AlphaTauri’s F1 pragmatic vision is realised
AlphaTauri’s mission in F1 is to sell clothes and train young drivers rather than win the championship – but you still need a cutting-edge factory to do that. Team boss Franz Tost takes GP Racing’s OLEG KARPOV on a guided tour of a facility that’s continuing to grow
Connecting two of Ferrari's favourite F1 sons
Gilles Villeneuve's exploits behind the wheel of a Ferrari made him a legend to the tifosi, even 40 years after his death. The team's current Formula 1 star Charles Leclerc enjoys a similar status, and recently got behind the wheel of a very special car from the French-Canadian’s career
How a 30cm metal wire triggered open warfare in the F1 paddock
Porpoising has become the key talking point during the 2022 Formula 1 season, as teams battle to come to terms with it. An FIA technical directive ahead of the Canadian Grand Prix and a second stay appearing on the Mercedes cars only served to create a bigger debate and raise tensions further
Does Verstappen have any weaknesses left?
Having extended his Formula 1 points lead with victory in Canada, Max Verstappen has raised his game further following his 2021 title triumph. Even on the days where Red Bull appears to be second best to Ferrari, Verstappen is getting the most out of the car in each race. So, does he have any weaknesses that his title rivals can exploit?
How F1's future fuels can shape the automotive sector
In 2026, Formula 1 plans to make the switch to a fully sustainable fuel, as the greater automotive world considers its own alternative propulsion methods. Biogasoline and e-fuels both have merit as 'drop-in' fuels but, equally, both have their shortcomings...
The breakthrough behind Sainz’s best weekend of F1 2022 so far
OPINION: Carlos Sainz came close to winning in Monaco but needed that race’s specific circumstances for his shot at a maiden Formula 1 victory to appear. Last weekend in Canada, he led the line for Ferrari in Charles Leclerc’s absence from the front. And there’s a key reason why Sainz has turned his 2022 form around
Canadian Grand Prix Driver Ratings 2022
Plenty of high scores but just a single perfect 10 from the first Montreal race in three years, as Max Verstappen fended off late pressure from Carlos Sainz. Here’s Autosport’s assessment on the Formula 1 drivers from the Canadian Grand Prix
Why “faster” Ferrari couldn’t beat Red Bull in Canadian GP
On paper the Canadian Grand Prix will go down as Max Verstappen’s latest triumph, fending off late pressure from Carlos Sainz to extend his Formula 1 world championship lead. But as safety car periods, virtual and real, shook up the race Ferrari demonstrated it can take the fight to Red Bull after recent failures