F1 Paddock Notebook - Belgian GP Friday

With a recap of all the additional news and notes from Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps, Crash.net F1 Digital Editor Luke Smith brings you his paddock notebook.

- Ferrari enjoyed one of its best Fridays of the year so far as Sebastian Vettel and Kimi Raikkonen topped FP1 and FP2 respectively at Spa. Both drivers were running with the updated power unit introduced to Ferrari’s customer teams in Hungary for the first time, but Raikkonen said he didn’t think it was a “night and day difference” compared to the previous-spec power unit.

- Mercedes has also brought its Spec 3 power unit to Spa, giving drivers Lewis Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas a boost. Hamilton was able to finish P3 in FP1 and P2 in FP2. Bottas will require a fightback in the race, with the FIA confirming he will start the race from the back of the grid as a result of a penalty for exceeding the season limit for power unit elements with the most recent upgrade.

- Mercedes customer teams Williams and Force India have also got the updated power unit for Spa, while McLaren’s Stoffel Vandoorne and Renault drivers Nico Hulkenberg Carlos Sainz Jr. also took updated elements for the weekend. Only Hulkenberg has a penalty, with the German due to start at the back with Bottas.

- Racing Point Force India made its first official race weekend appearance in F1 on Friday at Spa following its addition to the championship as a new entry, confirmed on Thursday.

- After some confusion, FIA race director Charlie Whiting informed Force India it would have to continue with the existing power unit allocations the team had remaining despite technically being a new entry. The same goes for its tyre selections between now and the end of the season.

- Team boss Otmar Szafnauer revealed the team was “very close” to insolvency and being forced to shut its doors completely. He confirmed Force India will honour all existing debts and pay off its creditors, with the team now able to push ahead with its planned updates for the rest of the season following delays. A major update package is due to arrive in Singapore.

- Starting last in the championship with zero points, Szafnauer was unsure about where the team would end up. Were it to covert its Friday FP2 into the race, it would already jump above Williams in the standings.

- Szafnauer said the team will continue with its existing driver line-up of Sergio Perez and Esteban Ocon “in the short term” despite speculation Lance Stroll could join the team his father has bought in the next couple of races. Perez’s position is thought to be far more secure than Ocon’s, though, with the Mexican set to remain with the team for 2019.

- Perez skipped clear of the midfield in FP2 on Friday afternoon, finishing as the ‘best of the rest’ in seventh behind the Mercedes, Ferrari and Red Bull drivers, and with a margin of 0.8 seconds over Carlos Saint Jr. in P8. Teammate Ocon failed to get in a representative flying lap after suffering a puncture.

- Future regulations were a key talking point in the FIA team principals’ press conference on Friday, following F1 technical chief Ross Brawn’s comments that the planned engine overhaul for 2021 may be postponed for another couple of years. Red Bull chief Christian Horner said he doubted the changes could be made until 2023 at the earliest in order to avoid a “half hearted” change that would only add expense to the current manufacturers without attracting any new entrants. Cyril Abiteboul of Renault was also concerned about making major changes to the technical, sporting and commercial sides of the sport all at once in 2021.

- Abiteboul spoke to Crash.net this morning at length about Daniel Ricciardo’s shock decision to join the team for 2021, but said there was now pressure on Renault to deliver in the next two years, not only promise success upon the regulation change.

- With Red Bull’s driver plans for next year now resolved, attention has now turned to Toro Rosso despite an obvious choice of young driver to step up for next year. Team boss Franz Tost said he was “convinced in the close future” a decision would be made on next season.

- Tost refused to be drawn on any updates regarding James Key’s status with Toro Rosso after McLaren announced the technical director would be joining in the future and claimed to have a plan to ensure his early release. “I don’t care about the plans from McLaren. Fact is that he has a Toro Rosso contract,” Tost said.

- McLaren sporting director Gil de Ferran confirmed that an IndyCar entry was “still a serious consideration” for the team in 2019 despite time ticking for a final call to be made. McLaren Racing CEO Zak Brown is at a classic car event at Laguna Seca this weekend.

- Pierre Gasly said that Toro Rosso would consider trimming it setup out and reducing the downforce on its car after a difficult Friday that saw it lose out badly on straight line speed. Gasly finished 15th in FP2, two places ahead of teammate Brendon Hartley.