Mario Theissen Q&A
The one-two in the European GP at the Nurburgring came at a perfect time for Williams and BMW. Not only did the result bring the team back into title contention, it also coincided with the announcement of an extended partnership between the two companies. With the complex negotiations now out of the way both parties can focus on making the package go faster, which is a worrying prospect for Ferrari and McLaren, as the car has been extremely competitive in the last three races. Adam Cooper asked BMW boss Mario Theissen for his thoughts
"Of course, it's one of the 16 races where we want a result like that! Well, I won't talk about Mercedes, that happened to us earlier this year as well, but it was certainly a fantastic performance of our drivers and our team. The car was quick, and even in the final stages of the race our drivers were lapping one second quicker than anyone else, and to see that is very rewarding."
"Well, apparently we have been very good on three very different tracks now, and this means we have really closed the gap to Ferrari, and I think we even passed McLaren-Mercedes in the points standings. So we are back in the picture, and that's a good prospect for the second part of the season."
"I don't see any single step. I see several hundred people at Williams and several hundred people at BMW working day and night for months, and they found here something, there something, and all together it adds up. I don't forget Michelin - they have given us the rubber to win."
"Obviously he controlled the race from very early on. I don't know if Kimi would have won, it depends on the race strategy, but other than that Ralf was in control of everything, and he didn't make any mistakes."
"I wouldn't say confused, but certainly they are operating at the same level, and it depends on your daily condition if one is ahead of the other. We saw that several times now. Last year Juan was superior in qualifying, and early this year he was good, and now apparently Ralf is ahead. But I think the important thing is that both are pushing each other, and they are not taking away points from each other."
"I said to Frank we should have closed the deal earlier, because it worked immediately. It's good for the whole team to have this long term perspective now, and to completely focus on our competitors."
Sauber Duo Relish Wet Qualifying
Montoya Optimistic Despite Low Placing
How one of F1’s greatest names was revived
With its eponymous Formula 1 team falling into obscurity in the 90s, the Brabham name looked relegated to the manufacturers' history books. But after a long legal battle, the family reclaimed its rights and in 2018 launched Brabham Automotive. David Brabham discusses what came next for the iconic brand
Tsunoda rates start to F1 2022 season as 7/10
Yuki Tsunoda believes he has made a measurable improvement as a driver during his second season in Formula 1, rating his year to date as seven out of 10.
Norris: Imola F1 podium still "blows my mind" given McLaren's pace
Lando Norris says his third-place finish at Imola still "blows my mind" given McLaren's pace compared to its Formula 1 rivals, calling it "one of my best podiums."
Ferrari's F1 2022 engine gains greatest for more than 25 years
Ferrari's engine gains for the 2022 Formula 1 season are the greatest it has managed in more than 25 years, according to team principal Mattia Binotto.
How a bad car creates the ultimate engineering challenge
While creating a car that is woefully off the pace is a nightmare scenario for any team, it inadvertently generates the test any engineering department would relish: to turn it into a winner. As Mercedes takes on that challenge in Formula 1 this season, McLaren’s former head of vehicle engineering reveals how the team pulled of the feat in 2009 with Lewis Hamilton
The under-fire F1 driver fighting for his future
Personable, articulate and devoid of the usual racing driver airs and graces, Nicholas Latifi is the last Formula 1 driver you’d expect to receive death threats, but such was the toxic legacy of his part in last year’s explosive season finale. And now, as ALEX KALINAUCKAS explains, he faces a battle to keep his place on the F1 grid…
The strange tyre travails faced by F1’s past heroes
Modern grand prix drivers like to think the tyres they work with are unusually difficult and temperamental. But, says MAURICE HAMILTON, their predecessors faced many of the same challenges – and some even stranger…
The returning fan car revolution that could suit F1
Gordon Murray's Brabham BT46B 'fan car' was Formula 1 engineering at perhaps its most outlandish. Now fan technology has been successfully utilised on the McMurtry Speirling at the Goodwood Festival of Speed, could it be adopted by grand prix racing once again?
Hamilton's first experience of turning silver into gold
The seven-time Formula 1 world champion has been lumbered with a duff car before the 2022 Mercedes. Back in 2009, McLaren’s alchemists transformed the disastrous MP4-24 into a winning car with Lewis Hamilton at the wheel. And now it’s happening again at his current team, but can the rate of progress be matched this year?
Why few could blame Leclerc for following the example of Hamilton’s exit bombshell
OPINION: Ferrari's numerous strategy blunders, as well as some of his own mistakes, have cost Charles Leclerc dearly in the 2022 Formula 1 title battle in the first half of the season. Though he is locked into a deal with Ferrari, few could blame Leclerc if he ultimately wanted to look elsewhere - just as Lewis Hamilton did with McLaren 10 years prior
The other McLaren exile hoping to follow Perez's path to a top F1 seat
After being ditched by McLaren earlier in his F1 career Sergio Perez fought his way back into a seat with a leading team. BEN EDWARDS thinks the same could be happening to another member of the current grid
How studying Schumacher helped make Coulthard a McLaren F1 mainstay
Winner of 13 grands prix including Monaco and survivor of a life-changing plane crash, David Coulthard could be forgiven for having eased into a quiet retirement – but, as MARK GALLAGHER explains, in fact he’s busier than ever, running an award-winning media company and championing diversity in motor racing. Not bad for someone who, by his own admission, wasn’t quite the fastest driver of his generation…