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Opening Commentary

Starting virtually immediately after the election, the stock market took a strong turn upward, likely in anticipation of a more business and tax friendly team in power at the capital. Then, some strange accusations began floating around concerning Russian interference in the election, Russian influence on Trump aides, wire-taps at Trump Tower, etc., etc. Six months later, and the news still centers on these issues. Oh well, discord seems to be the flavor of the day because…

Our Club was also ravished by strife and animosity during early 2017. We were at loggerheads with former president and owner of our original website, Jeff Wenger. As a result, some very nasty e-mails were transmitted by both sides, the types of e-mails that only further feuds rather than resolving them. I am happy to report that all now seems to be peacefully resolved, and everyone is playing nice once more. Perhaps Washington should follow in our example? Given all that, I can only once again remind you to visit our NEW! IMPROVED! website at ferrariclubvegas.com.

As for Formula 1: My source at the Barcelona test sessions reveals that he sees little to choose between the Ferraris, Red Bulls, and Mercedes Benzes. To me, this says that our team will be more competitive than it was last year. He says ALL the cars are MUCH faster than last year (probably due to being wider, having bigger wings, and having much wider tires). He further said the cars look better. He indicated that the Williams and Toro Rosso cars were the best of the rest, and that only the McLaren-Hondas were significantly off the pace.

Ferrari values are something that interests most of us. From what I see, values for the older, collectible cars seem to have stabilized at a level about 20% less than they were 2 years ago, but still far higher than they were say 5 years ago. No collectible experiences consistently increasing prices, so a slight down turn followed by a period of price stability should be viewed as a positive, at least in my opinion. Meanwhile, prices for the late model, bread-and-butter cars continues to decline gradually as newer, more advanced (and under warranty) models are introduced. This has always been the case. The trick is to identify when a depreciating model will become an appreciating collectible. 328s and Testarossas did that not long ago, which will be next?

Here is a recap of what transpired in the first half of 2017. We sincerely hope you can attend at least a few events over the next few months.

January 17: Board Meeting at the home of Elda and Dave Fanucchi

The Board gives many thanks to Elda and Dave for hosting this meeting in their home. The turnout was quite good, with President Chuck Damus, Treasurer Scott Howard, Stephane Pedaggi, Dan Fogle, Ted Schlazer, and yours truly in attendance. Items discussed included the Club’s financial health (so-so), the new President of the Desert Region (Rod Biddle in an upset victory – your vote counts!), and our own Board elections (with both Chuck and Ted being re-elected). Then, the new website was reviewed, and progress was noted. Please visit it: Ferrariclubvegas.com. Stephane and Cindy brought some new club merchandise for inspection and it was deemed nice stuff…and bought quickly. Check the website to purchase your own items; more are being added as we speak.

January 25: Social at Brio

The turnout (about 14) was less than stellar, but hey, it was the first social of the New Year held on a cold winter’s night. The atmosphere was warm and jovial, however, and the food was up to Brio’s normal high standards. In the end, a good time was had by all.

February 23: Social at Mastrioni’s

Despite another relatively small turnout – perhaps due to the nasty cold that has been going around (at least a few people ‘called in sick’ at the last minute), everyone seemed to have a wonderful time. This restaurant has very good Italian food and it is easy to get to, but the parking situation is poor. Oh well, you can’t have everything.

March 14: Board Meeting at Settebello Pizzeria

It was a beautiful evening to dine al-fresco, so that is exactly what we did. The turnout was good, with all Board members present except Scott Howard and Michael O’B. The good news is that we have a new member, Juan Valdes (be sure to greet him warmly if you should meet him at a future event), and the so-so news is that the Club’s bank balance hasn’t changed much. Publishing a calendar to generate income was discussed, as was the new website and the merchandise offered on it. Please visit: ferrariclubvegas.com to get up to date. Future events, socials, and drives were also discussed. At a subsequent special, double-secret board meeting held on March 22, it was decided to move forward with publishing a calendar Ted Schlazer will be the organizer of this effort, and we applaud his willingness to take on the task.

March 23: Social at the Bootlegger Bistro

A few relatively new faces (hello Al and Lorene Lindahl, owners a divine 458) and a few faces not seen lately (hello Paul and Shawna) were present to join some stalwarts, and a lively conversation ensued. It almost felt more like a board meeting than a social to be honest. Everyone seemed to enjoy the food prepared by this long standing Vegas institution and some even ordered desert.

April 9: Drive and Breakfast at Lake Mead

This drive was postponed from Saturday to Sunday due to weather concerns. As a result, some who were originally scheduled to attend dropped out, while others joined in. In any case, we had 6 cars making the jaunt, which is not a bad turn out, especially considering that each car was full (read 2). And what a great drive it turned out to be. The weather was superb. And there was virtually no traffic either coming or going, and not a constable was spied. As a result, the pace was pretty quick, and we were eating breakfast (not bad food) and taking in the spectacular views of Lake Mead before we knew it, and we were all back home before 1 pm. Good day.

April 27: Social at Bonefish Grill – Summerlin

Although attendance was sparse, where is everybody these days?, rumor has it the food was great and the conversation even better. Reports say our group was so animated that they had to be evicted at closing time. You all missed a great evening!

May 16: Board Meeting at the home of Chuck Damus and Kerri Howard

The core group (Damus, Fanucchi, Ratto, Scott Howard, and Schlazer) was present, while Mike O and Stephane P were not. The financials were reviewed quickly, as nothing has changed. Then the website issue was discussed. It seems that peace, or at least détente, has been negotiated with Jeff Wenger, and I say hallelujah to that. However, the notifications Jeff promised to add to his website have been delayed. In any case, the barrage of nasty letters has ceased, and the Board asks your forgiveness for being exposed to the vitriol. Meanwhile, ownership of our new website was discussed and the matter was resolved to the satisfaction of all. Events, past and future, were next on our agenda. The calendar shoot has been postponed due to lack of perceived interest. What’s wrong with you people? We are offering hot models combined with hot cars (a combination that never goes out of style), and the opportunity to have photos of your car in an upscale calendar. Seems like a no-brainer to me. The tentative date for the Holiday Party is December 2.

May 25: Social at Table 34

Despite a rash of no-shows, the turn-out was decent…and the food was great. Those that had the halibut seemed especially pleased. Once again, the conversation was animated, and extended long after the last plates were cleared from the table. Overall, it was a quite pleasant evening. Other than the no-shows, the only negative was that the winds prevented us from enjoying our food out on the deck.

Early June: Death of Rocky LaBriola

The Club was informed that one of our members passed to the great race track in the sky. Rocky was a long time Ferrari enthusiast and a current member of the Board of Directors of the Las Vegas Chapter. Our condolences and prayers go to Bianca, Rocky’s wife, and we all wish that he may rest in Peace.

June 22: Social at Vintner Grill

We had a strong turn-out, as we usually do, for our annual trek to this popular spot. After being ‘at sea’ for extended period, Michael and Karen Obradovich were in attendance to get their land legs back. The food was a bit hit-and-miss this visit, with some dishes being spectacular, others just OK. But the thing about VG is that the eye candy there will give you diabetes, and I say what a way to go.

UPCOMING EVENTS

The blazing hot months of summer are usually down-time for the Club. Socials and drives are generally less often, if ever, scheduled during this period. So, we ask all of you to bide your time, save up your energy, and then be ready and raring to go when the action resumes in September. Significant events in the fall include Italian Sports Car and Motorcycle Day at Siena Restaurant in early October. The next Board meeting is scheduled for July 11 at Bravo Cucina Italiana in the Galleria Mall. Socials will also resume in September, and they will usually be scheduled for the third Thursday of the month, so try to keep those evenings open. Meanwhile, be sure to visit our new website for the latest information. FerrariClubVegas.com

FORMULA 1 NEWS RECAP

March through June: F1 Viewing at Siena and other venues

Overview as of March 2017

As a new season begins, hope spring eternal for Ferrari once again being at the front of the grid. Can it really be 10 years since Ferrari’s last championship (with Kimi Raikkonen at the helm)? Based upon what I have heard of the testing in Barcelona, things are looking up for our red chargers, and a good year lies ahead. As mentioned above, they look to be seriously quick, and right on the pace of the Mercedes-Benzes that have dominated for the past 3 years. Maybe 2017 will be the ‘next year’ we have been waiting for.

As for other F1 news, the dust has settled since Rosberg won the championship last year, and then promptly retired. In response, M-B poached Valtteri Bottas from Williams to fill the empty seat. Talk about being in the right place at the right time, this should be a career defining move for the Finn. The big question is whether he can match the pace of team leader Lewis Hamilton. Bottas’ exit meant that Williams, which had already engaged newcomer Lance Stroll to fill the spot left by the retirement of Felipe Massa, had another position to fill, and they responded by bringing Massa out of retirement. Great! The Brazilian is a competitive driver, a nice guy, and a willing interviewee. The retirement of Jensen Button opened a spot at McLaren-Honda, which was filled by last year’s tyro, Stoffel Vandoorne. Good luck to him with that difficult beast of a car, and in trying to keep up with teammate Fernando Alonso.

Personally, I have been quite impressed by another youngster (not quite a rookie, though), Esteban Ocon, who is French despite his given name. This kid looks to be the next Max Verstappen, but perhaps with a bit of caution thrown into the blend. The Force India team also looks to be quite competitive, especially considering their relatively small capitalization.

So, it is with hope and a prayer that we welcome a new season. GO FERRARI!! We hope to see some of you at Siena Trattoria for race viewing, where prayers are sometimes answered

March 19: GP of Australia (1)

As usual, the first race of the season was held ‘down under,’ where our winter is summer. Pirelli supplied the ultra-soft, super-soft, and (plain old) soft tires for the 57 lap race at Albert Park, and all of the fast qualifiers chose the ultra-softs for qualifying and to (therefore) start the race. The experts predicted that these tires would last about 20 laps, and that most teams would opt for a one stop strategy. The top 5 qualifiers were no surprise: Hamilton, Vettel, Bottas (new in the M-B), Raikkonen, and Verstappen (Red Bull). After that, though, there were quite a few surprises, with Grosjean (Haas!) 6th, Massa 7th, and Sainz (Toro Rosso) 8th. Ricciardo (Red Bull) spun and crashed in Q3, and was relegated to 10th.

The start was relatively uneventful, with Vettel making a move for the lead that was rebuffed by Hamilton; then everyone settling down to the business at hand. In the early laps, Vettel lost little ground, and it was clear that Hamilton was pushing hard to stay ahead of the Ferrari. Perhaps because of this, Hamilton seemed to be having tire wear issues, which was confirmed when he pitted for new rubber on lap 17, earlier than anticipated. Now in undisturbed air, Vettel laid down some really fast laps in an attempt to pad his margin over Hamilton, and hopefully be able to retain the lead after he stopped for tires. Meanwhile, after his stop, Hamilton came out behind Verstappen, who, as usual, proved to be very difficult to pass even though Hamilton was on fresh (soft compound) tires. All of this led to Vettel being able to make his stop on lap 23 and then being able to rejoin the fray barely ahead of Hamilton. Ferrari in the lead! Then something truly surprising happened, Vettel increased that lead (to about 10 seconds) throughout the remaining laps of the race, probably because Hamilton had used up his new tires while trying to pass Verstappen. Most of the remainder of the race was relatively uneventful. Bottas managed to make the tires on his Mercedes last until lap 26, when he pitted and subsequently finished 3rd. Raikkonen pitted on lap 27, and finished 4th. Verstappen was 5th, Massa 6th, and Sergio Perez once again drove a savvy race to bring his Force India to 7th. Both Haas cars failed to finish.

April 10: GP of China (2)

Friday practice was wet and cold, and not many laps were turned. Saturday morning practice was better, and it brought big hopes: The Ferraris were fastest of all, with the Mercedes close behind.

Pirelli supplied the super soft, soft, and medium tires for the 56 lap race, and all qualified and (planned) to start on the super softs. Verstappen had engine problems in Q1 and was relegated to 16th on the grid. Throughout Qualifying, times were close, and when the dust settled the order was Hamilton, Vettel, Bottas, Raikkonen, and Ricciardo.

Sunday was misty and cold, and the track was wet as race time neared. Given the circumstances, virtually all opted to start on the intermediate wet tires. With the sun popping out and the track drying fast, this proved to be ill-advised. Vettel stopped virtually immediately (lap 2) for dry weather tires, which also proved ill-advised as a couple of accidents and safety car periods in the next few laps allowed everyone else to stop under safety car controlled conditions. When things had settled down (by lap 7), everyone was on dry tires and the running order was Hamilton, Ricciardo, Raikkonen, Verstappen, and Vettel, with everyone bunched up at the front. How did Verstappen manage to climb from the rear of the pack to 4th you may ask…with some of the best and bravest driving I have ever witnessed. He simply ‘went for it’ and succeeded in blowing by everyone in the iffy damp conditions. He went from 16th to 7th after only 1 lap! By lap 15 he had passed – spectacularly, I might add – Raikkonen and Ricciardo as well, and was running second. Meanwhile, Vettel was clawing his way back towards the front. He was 3rd by lap 23 (with an epic pass on Ricciardo) and second by lap 28 (with a pass on Verstappen who had worn his tires with so much vigor) and soon was dogging Hamilton in the lead. But, victory was not to be. Although everyone stopped once more for fresh tires, Hamilton managed to control the gap from the lead and take the victory, with Vettel a close second, Verstappen 3rd, Ricciardo 4th, and Raikkonen 5th.

This, my friends, is getting interesting.

April 16: GP of Bahrain (3)

Free Practice 2 (Friday) saw the Ferraris, M-Bs, and Red Bulls trading fast times throughout, engendering hopes that it would be a competitive race. The times were again very close during Qualifying, but in the end the M-Bs ruled, with a big surprise: Bottas, not Hamilton, was on pole. Vettel managed 3rd, Ricciardo 4th, Raikkonen 5th, and Verstappen 6th. Less than 1 second covered the top 6. Pirelli supplied the super soft, soft, and medium (no one seemed to use these) for the 57 lap race. All the front runners qualified and started on the super-softs.

Vettel made a good start and was able to pass Hamilton at the first turn, and then push Bottas throughout the early laps. In fact, the opening laps were all very exciting, with passing throughout the field. After the dust had settled, the order at the front was Bottas, Vettel, Hamilton, Verstappen, Ricciardo, Massa, and Raikkonen. By lap 8, Bottas seemed to be having tire issues and was slowing down, thereby bunching the field. On lap 11, Vettel, on Bottas’ tail but unable to pass, was the first to stop (choosing another set of super soft tires, meaning that at least one more stop would be required). He was followed shortly thereafter by virtually everyone else when the safety car was deployed due to the failure of Verstappen’s Red Bull. Interestingly, the M-Bs switched to the soft tires, thereby threatening to go to the end without another stop. Bottas’ stop for tires was very slow, which then delayed Hamilton who was waiting his turn behind him. Seeing the pit box occupied, Hamilton dawdled on pit entry to prevent those behind from gaining an advantage, which caused the marshals to assess him a 5 second penalty. In any case, the running order behind the safety car was now Vettel, Bottas, Ricciardo, Hamilton (still to serve his penalty), Massa, and Raikkonen.

When the safety car pulled off, Bottas tried several moves to pass Vettel, but all were rebuffed in exciting fashion. Then, Vettel, on the faster super-soft tires, began to pull away from the field, while some good passing was happening in his wake, with both Hamilton and Raikkonen forcing their way past Ricciardo, and Alonso-Kvyat-Palmer battling tooth-and-nail for 13th. Hamilton passed Bottas on lap 27, and Vettel pitted for a second time on lap 34, fitting the required softs. He returned behind Hamilton, and on lap 36 the running order was Hamilton (still not having served his penalty), Vettel, Raikkonen, Ricciardo, and Bottas. Now on fresh tires, Vettel began to track down Hamilton, forcing him to stop for a second time, on lap 42. Hamilton served his 5 second penalty in the pits, and returned about 18 seconds behind Vettel and 9 seconds behind Bottas. On new tires, Hamilton put ‘the pedal to the metal’ and began setting fast laps in hopes of making it back to the front. He caught and passed Bottas on lap 46, when the gap to Vettel had been reduced to 10 seconds. In the remaining laps, Hamilton cut Vettel’s lead to about 6 seconds, but was not able to mount a serious threat to the Ferrari’s supremacy. The final order was Vettel, Hamilton, Bottas, Raikkonen, and Ricciardo, with Grosjean in the Hass 8th.

THIS WAS A GREAT RACE WITH A GREAT OUTCOME – HAPPY EASTER! Ferrari is reborn.

April 30: GP of Russia (4)

The weather was cool and perfect all weekend; the racing was a bit hotter. Pirelli supplied the ultra-soft, super-soft, and soft tires for the 52 lap race on the 3.5 mile circuit. Given that the surface at Sochi is not abrasive, everyone planned a one stop race and started on the softest, and fastest, ultra-soft rubber. With the top guys trading fastest laps at the very end of Q3, the starting order was undetermined until the final seconds, but in the end the Ferraris (!) prevailed: Vettel, Raikkonen, Bottas, Hamilton, Ricciardo, and Massa. This was significant, as it showed the Ferraris were equal to the Mercedes in qualifying trim, which had not previously been the case.

The Ferraris made a good start from the front of the grid, but Bottas made a great one from 3rd; he passed both red cars to take the lead. Farther down the grid, there was the usual crash heading into turn two, and the safety car was then deployed for a couple of laps. When racing resumed, the running order was Bottas, Vettel, Raikkonen, Hamilton, Verstappen, and Massa. Ricciardo, who was falling off the pace due to brake problems, retired on lap 5. While some stopped for new tires as early as lap 22, others postponed their stops until lap 35; all switched to the mandatory super-softs and were good to go to the end. Bottas, losing ground on worn tires, was the first of the leaders to stop (lap 28), followed by Raikkonen (lap 30) and Hamilton (lap 31). Vettel, still running competitive times on his worn tires, postponed his stop to lap 35, hoping to have the freshest tires for a hard run in the late laps. He rejoined the fray in second place, about 5 seconds behind Bottas. Then Vettel began to slowly reel the Finn in, reducing the gap to about 1.4 seconds by lap 43. But catching Bottas was easy compared to passing him. Although Vettel was nipping at his tail, managed to cut the lead to less than 1 second several times (and was thus able to activate his DRS), and had the fresher tires, Bottas’ determination and race traffic thwarted Vettel’s attempts to take the ultimate prize. The final order was Bottas (first career win), Vettel (less than a second in arrears), Raikkonen, Hamilton (who was far off the pace, perhaps due to overheating problems when running in dirty air), Verstappen (never a factor in this contest), and the Force India duo of Perez and Ocon.

This was another exciting race and another excellent (if not perfect) result for Ferrari. Vettel now leads the drivers’ standings by 13 points, while Ferrari and M-B are virtually deadlocked at the top of the manufacturers’ scoreboard.

May 14: GP of Spain (5)

The big news centered on the updated engine and aero packages most of the teams debuted for this race. While it seemed that all the cars improved marginally, the Red Bulls and the Force Indias seemed to improve the most. Meanwhile, out on the track, the M-Bs were fastest in Free Practice 1 and 2, while the Ferraris topped FP 3. The Red Bulls were close behind.

Pirelli supplied the soft, medium, and hard tires for the 66 lap race; but the soft tires were clearly the fastest by a significant margin. Everyone qualified and started the race on them. After a competitive, but uneventful, qualifying session, the starting order was Hamilton, Vettel (5/100 second behind), Bottas, Raikkonen, Verstappen, Ricciardo, and Alonso (surprise!).

Race day was sunny and nice, but quite windy, so much so that the cars were affected on the track. Competitive racing and Ferraris near the front must be a tonic for enthusiasm: Siena’s deli was packed with viewers on Sunday morning, Mothers’ Day be damned. When the lights went out, the top two got off clean with Vettel snatching the lead (!), but behind them all hell broke loose. Raikkonen, Verstappen, and Bottas tried to go through turn 2 three-abreast…it didn’t work…crash. When the dust had settled, Vettel was pulling away from second place Hamilton with Bottas significantly farther back, Ricciardo was 4th, and the Force Indias were 5th and 6th. Both Raikkonen and Verstappen were out. With the cars so evenly matched this year, there were exciting battles throughout the race and throughout the field. Of special note was a virtually race-long, wheel-to-wheel, tussle between Magnussen (Haas) and Sainz (Toro Rosso).

On lap 15, which seemed early, Vettel was the first of the leaders to stop for tires. He opted for another set of soft tires, all of which hinted of a possible 3 stop strategy. He returned to the fray behind Bottas (now second), and was trapped there for several laps, unable to use his fresh rubber to full advantage, and thereby ruining whatever strategy was contemplated. Hamilton, meanwhile, held out to lap 22 for his first stop, and switched to the longer lived but slower medium rubber, hinting of a possible one stop strategy. He returned in third place, but, clear of traffic, he began catching the leaders. At this point, Vettel made a spectacular pass on Bottas and stabilized his lead over Hamilton at about 6 seconds. Hamilton, clearly unhappy on the medium tires, stopped again on lap 37 to switch to the faster soft rubber. Vettel responded with his second stop on the following lap; he switched to the mandatory mediums. He rejoined the race side-by-side with Hamilton and the two duked it out for several hundred yards before Vettel snared the lead. This was nail biting. But the Ferrari lead was short lived, utilizing his DRS and soft tires, Hamilton managed to pass Vettel for the lead on lap 44, and to fight Vettel off to the end and take the victory. The finishing order was Hamilton, Vettel, Ricciardo (who seemed to run the entire race by himself), and then the Force India duo of Perez and Ocon (BTW this youngster bears watching – he is consistent, doesn’t crash, and is FAST).

This was another exciting race. If you aren’t watching F1 in 2017, you are missing out.

May 28: GP of Monaco (6)

The Ferraris looked to be fastest of all during the three Practice sessions, which was significant because Monaco is narrow and chock full of turns, making passing very difficult. Meanwhile, the Mercedes were a bit off the pace.

Pirelli supplied the ultra-soft, super-soft, and soft tires for the 78 lap race, but all the teams seemed to feel that even the ultra-softs were too hard for the conditions. Everyone qualified and started on the ultra-soft tires, and it looked as if only one stop would be required. Hamilton experienced lack of grip in Qualifying and was fighting the car throughout; he was lucky not to have hit a wall and failed to get to Q3. The Brit was relegated to starting in 14th place, highly unusual for him. Meanwhile, the fast guys qualified as follows: Raikkonen, Vettel, Bottas, Verstappen, Ricciardo, and Sainz (Toro Rosso).

After an uneventful start (unusual at Monaco), the starting order was pretty much maintained during the early laps, with the two leading Ferraris slowly pulling away from the rest of the field. At first, Vettel seemed satisfied to follow 3 or 4 seconds behind Raikkonen, but by lap 17 the German was close behind his teammate and threatening to pass. But, passing at Monaco is very difficult, and the status quo was maintained to lap 26, when the leaders began catching the slowest backmarkers, and passing even them proved to be difficult. Was it time to make a pit stop? After a few laps in slow traffic, the leaders began to pit for fresh tires; Verstappen was first (lap 33), Bottas second (lap 34) and Raikkonen followed on lap 35. All switched to the mandatory super-softs. But, when several backmarkers stopped for tires, Vettel was suddenly in clear air and opted to delay his stop to lap 40. Running on the still viable ultra-softs and with no one ahead to block his path, the German laid down some scorching laps, and was able to pit and return to the race just ahead of Raikkonen; he then proceeded to build a nice lead in the laps that followed. After all the front runners had pitted and resumed racing, the order was Vettel, Raikkonen, Ricciardo, Bottas, Verstappen, and Hamilton, who had delayed his first stop to lap 47 while working his way through most of the field. Several accidents and safety car periods in the closing laps bunched up the field, but no one at the front was able to pass for position. The final finishing order was Vettel, Raikkonen, Ricciardo, Bottas, and Verstappen. Hamilton was 7th, and both Haas cars finished in the points.

This was Ferrari’s first win at Monaco in 16 years – a significant event. Of note was the obvious displeasure Raikkonen displayed on the podium; he apparently felt that Ferrari shafted him with the pit stop strategy to benefit Vettel. There can be no question that things worked out badly for Kimi who could have easily won this race, but he was hit by a perfect storm rather than a planned assassination. It could not have been predicted when the backmarkers would pit, or that the ultra-soft tires still had so many fast laps in them. Vettel took a chance and it paid off. Moreover, once Vettel was ahead of Raikkonen, with both were on equal rubber, he easily built a significant lead, so the victory was not undeserved.

BTW: McLaren driver Fernando Alonso qualified 5th at the Indianapolis 500 and was fighting for the win when his engine blew in the final laps. Well done Senor!

June 11: Grand Prix of Canada (7)

The talk during Practice was of Fernando Alonso, and his stated desire to either start winning (unlikely) or leave McLaren-Honda. Thus the ‘silly season’ has officially begun. Meanwhile, out on the track, the Force Indias and Mercedes looked quite strong in Practice, while the Red Bulls struggled with engine issues.

Pirelli supplied the ultra-soft, super-soft, and soft tires for the 70 lap race, and all agreed that once again even the softest compound was too hard for the task at hand. Everyone complained of lack of grip, and qualified on the ultra-softs. Keeping even them warm proved difficult. In the end, Qualifying was relatively uneventful, and the starting order was Hamilton, Vettel, Bottas, Raikkonen, Verstappen, and Ricciardo. The Force India pair was 8th and 9th.

Verstappen made an astonishing start from 5th, and immediately catapulted to second; unfortunately, he clipped Vettel’s front wing in the process. Meanwhile, a bit farther back in the field, Massa, Sainz, and Grosjean came together, bringing out the safety car and relegating both Massa and Sainz to the scrap heap. Once racing resumed on lap 4, Vettel realized he needed a new hose, and pitted. He resumed in 18th on the super-soft tires, seemingly prepared to run until the end. A few laps later, Verstappen got his comeuppance, as his engine failed, putting him out of the contest. On lap 15, the leaders were Hamilton, Bottas, Ricciardo, Perez (Force India), Raikkonen, and Ocon (FI). Raikkonen was the first of this group to stop (lap 18) for new tires, opting for the super-softs. Ricciardo was next to stop, but he chose the soft rubber. Meanwhile, Vettel, on the super-soft tires while everyone ahead of him was on the ultra-soft rubber, was having difficulty working his way back to the front. He was 13th by lap 15 and 10th by lap 20. The last two to stop for new tires were Hamilton and Ocon (both on lap 33). After the dust had settled, the running order was Hamilton (with a substantial lead), Bottas, Ricciardo, Perez, Raikkonen, Ocon, and Vettel.

On aging tires and with little to lose at this point, both Ferraris made second stops for ultra-soft tires in hopes of running down the cars ahead in the remaining laps. Soon thereafter, however, Raikkonen began to experience brake problems, and he slowed down to assure finishing the race. By lap 55, Hamilton and Bottas were off in the distance, but a heated battle was being waged for 3rd, 4th, 5th, and 6th. Ricciardo, heading this group, was clearly holding up the rest, while 4th place Perez (Force India) was preventing his teammate (Ocon, 5th and on much fresher tires) from passing him to challenge the Red Bull. Vettel was bringing up the rear, obviously waiting for something to go wrong ahead so he could pounce. When nothing transpired over the next 10 laps, Ocon made a desperate move on Perez, which was rebuffed, but which allowed Vettel to make a daring pass on Ocon. Two laps later Vettel passed Perez, but time ran out before he could catch Ricciardo for a podium finish. The final finishing order was Hamilton, Bottas, Ricciardo, Vettel, Perez, Ocon, and Raikkonen.

So, it was not the best of results for Ferrari. But, given the obstacles that were overcome, it was the best that could be expected.

June 25: GP of Azerbaijan (8)

This street circuit clearly illustrates the dichotomy (and challenge) of Formula 1: It has a massively long (nearly 1.5 mile) straight, and 2 miles of tight, narrow corners. In fact, the straight is so long that the tires lose temperature there, so when the cars enter the turns they have less grip than the drivers anticipate. Given these circumstances, it was no surprise to see virtually every driver be repeatedly forced to take the escape roads (or clip barriers) when entering a corner too fast. Nevertheless, Qualifying proceeded, producing the following somewhat standard starting order: Hamilton, Bottas, Raikkonen, Vettel, and Verstappen. The Force India duo claimed 6th and 7th, while Ricciardo, who clipped a barrier a bit too forcefully in Q3, was relegated to 10th.

Pirelli supplied the super soft (all qualified and started on these), soft (but still too hard), and medium (no one wanted any part of these rocks) for the 51 lap race over the long 3.5 mile circuit. Everyone also seemed to be planning a one stop strategy.

Sunday morning saw a huge turnout for race viewing at Siena. The joke was that grandstands would need to be built if the crowd grew any larger. The opening lap saw two collisions. Vettel’s nose was clipped, and in a more serious accident Bottas and Raikkonen came together. While the two Ferraris fortunately experienced only minor damage, Bottas suffered a puncture and had to limp around the long circuit before entering the pits for new rubber. He rejoined in last place, lapped by most of the field. After the dust had settled, the top runners were Hamilton, Vettel, Perez (Force India), Verstappen, and Raikkonen. Around lap 12, Verstappen suffered an engine failure and Kvyat hit a wall, bringing out the safety car and initiating pit stops for new tires by virtually everyone. When the safety car exited on lap 16, a rash of accidents occurred immediately, most likely due to the bunched conditions and cold tires. In response, the safety car was deployed again.

Just prior to the restart that followed, a strange occurrence between Hamilton and Vettel transpired. Rather than speeding up in anticipation of the restart, Hamilton virtually came to a halt…right in front of Vettel, who inadvertently ran into the back of the Mercedes and damaged his front wing in the process. Hamilton’s action and its result seemed to incense Vettel, who then came abreast of the Mercedes and banged wheels with it. Despite all of this happening at maybe 30 mph, it was a dangerous move and the announcers all felt that a penalty (on Vettel), or even perhaps a double penalty (Vettel and Hamilton) was deserved. Then, a few seconds later when racing resumed, even more carnage ensued in the field, prompting the marshals to red-flag the race so the track could be cleared of the myriad debris that was splayed over it. This also permitted a manic rush to repair damaged cars. When the race resumed 20 minutes later (lap 21), the running order was Hamilton, Vettel, Ricciardo, Stroll (the teen Canadian rookie in a Williams), and Massa (also Williams).

The bunched field then produced a period of great racing, as the fast cars in the rear slowly worked their way back to the front. This was a series of side-by-side battles that represented the very best of F1. After about 10 laps of this engaging racing, it became apparent that Hamilton, still at the front, was having problems with the bodywork of his car: the cowl around the driver’s compartment was not properly attached, and it was getting looser by the lap. The Brit was finally forced to stop on lap 32 to rectify the issue, which gifted the lead to Vettel. But, just a few (suspiciously) short seconds later, it was announced that Vettel had been assessed a 10 second stop-and-go penalty for banging wheels with Hamilton many laps earlier during the safety car period. Vettel served the penalty on lap 34, and was able to rejoin the race immediately ahead of Hamilton. But, these two were now in 7th and 8th places respectively, while the leaders were Ricciardo, Stroll, Magnussen (Haas), Ocon, Alonso (of all people – demonstrating just how strangely this race had evolved), and Bottas, who had benefitted greatly from all that had transpired.

As the race continued, Bottas, Vettel, and Hamilton charged up through the field, each looking to make the best possible result from the strange set of circumstances that had occurred. By lap 40 (of 51), the front runners were Ricciardo, Stroll (hanging on for what would be the best result of his young career), Ocon (in the Force India), Bottas, Vettel, and Hamilton. By lap 45, all the leaders (now Ricciardo, Stroll, Bottas, Vettel, Hamilton, and Ocon) were running within view of the driver immediately ahead and behind…it was going to be a close one at the end. In the final 100 yards down the long straight heading to the checkered flag, Bottas managed to pip Stroll for 2nd. So the final result was Ricciardo, Bottas, Stroll, Vettel, and Hamilton. Raikkonen’s Ferrari expired on lap 46, the victim of one too many collisions.

So, once again it was not the best result for Ferrari. Mercedes padded its lead in the constructors’ standings, while Vettel managed to extend his lead over Hamilton by a few points in the drivers’ competition.

To call this race eventful would be the understatement of the year. It was exhausting to simply watch it. Looking back, there were an awful lot of ifs…Would Hamilton have won if his car had not experienced the bodywork issue? Would Vettel have won if he had kept his temper in check after rear-ending Hamilton during the safety car period? Where would Raikkonen have finished if his Ferrari were not bled dry by a thousand paper cuts? And there was one big question: Why didn’t Hamilton try to pass Vettel while following in his wake for the last 16 laps of the race. This is simply not like Hamilton. Was Hamilton having problems with his car? Was the Ferrari simply faster? This is important because it holds the future of the season.

Recap of the 2017 F1 Season through June

So, as of the end of June, with 8 races (nearly half of the season) in the books, things are close…really close. Mercedes leads Ferrari by 250 points to 226 in the constructors’ standings, with Red Bull (137) and Force India (yea for the underdogs – 79) the best of the rest. Meanwhile, Sebastian Vettel (Ferrari!) leads Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes) by 153 points to 139 in the drivers’ championship race, with Valtteri Bottas (111 – Mercedes), Daniel Ricciardo (92 – Red Bull), and Kimi Raikkonen (73 – Ferrari) trailing.

As of now, it looks as if it will be a battle to the end. Finally, a really exciting and really competitive season, with Ferrari smack dab in the middle of the fray. We encourage you to visit Siena Italian Restaurant some Sunday race morning to pay homage at the church of Formula 1 in Las Vegas, and have a nice breakfast to boot. The grandstands are under construction.

John Ratto

Happy New Year!!

Opening Commentary

Nothing too exciting happened in the first half of 2016, and I guess you could say that was a good thing. These days, more than ever, it seems that no news is good news. In fact, one of the few things of real note to transpire (beyond the usual terrorist attacks) in the past six months was England leaving the EU. It was dubbed BREXIT by some pundit. How cute! Too bad my spell checker rejects it. I guess I must have the May 2016 update, and not the August. So yesterday!). Based upon the first wave of aftermaths, this was not a positive event.

Meanwhile, as we Americans prepared for 2016 – Part II, the big issue looming was the presidential election. Along with all of the other offices up for grabs, this election will have an important effect on the future of our country. So, I hope you all voted to make your opinion count. And, it was a close one, with one candidate (Hilary Clinton) winning the popular vote and another (Donald Trump, our next president) winning the electoral count.

As for Ferrari in F1: they have been sloppy, unlucky, and plagued by poor strategy. The tough competition (mainly from Mercedes and Red Bull) has made them pay for their foibles. ‘Wait until next year’ is becoming an all too familiar refrain in the realm of the Prancing Horse. Yet, it is time to cue it up again.

Perhaps due to the sluggish worldwide economy or the stratospheric price levels achieved in 2015 and the few years prior, prices for classic cars finally dropped (something I have been long predicting) in 2016, a phenomena not seen for many years. As Ferraris led the charge upward, they are also the most prominent losers. But the results from the multiple major auctions in Monterey in August suggest to me that there may be a correction, but certainly not a collapse. Prices offered were not significantly lower than a year ago; rather sellers’ expectations were somewhat higher. It will be of great interest to see the impact of the outcome of the election on car prices, if any.

So, here is a recap of what went down in the second half of 2016.

July 19: Board Meeting at Siena

Initially, it seemed there would be a small turn out, probably because so many Board members are typically away during the summer months. However, when the meeting was called to order, we easily had a quorum, with President Chuck Damus, Stephane Pedaggi, Rocky LaBriola, Scott Howard, and John Ratto in attendance, along with a few others to observe.

Two new members were noted, along with a small increase in our bank balance. The ongoing saga concerning the website was discussed; it was unanimously agreed that work should proceed under the auspices of Chuck and Stephane. Finally, the Christmas Party was set for Celebrity Cars on December 2.

September 13: Board Meeting – Home of Michael and Karen Obradovich

We give many thanks to Michael and Karen for hosting the Board and making the meeting it a very nice event. Some potential new members were in attendance, along with the usual crew. Our discussions centered on the progress of the website, which is now close to being operational. See FerrariClubVegas.com for the work in progress. In addition, we identified the Board Members whose tenure will expire at the end of the year, and pressed President Chuck Damus to wield the gavel for another term. Elections should be held within the near future, so be looking for your ballot.

September 22: Social at Siena

Perhaps it was a bit breezy, but what a beautiful, cool day. Fall has fallen upon us, and after a long, hot summer, that’s a good thing. We trekked up to Siena to re-boot the social season and, after the summer break, we had a great turn out. About 20 made it to the event, including fan favorite DeShawn. Nice to see you young lady. Also present was Paul Johnson, past president and all around good guy who now lives in Virginia, or some such place. It is always a pleasure to see him. The food was good (especially the lobster ravioli, from what I gathered) and the conversation lively. Man, it’s good to have something to do the fourth Thursday of the month.

September 25: Red Rock Concours d’Elegance

Just as last year, it was great weather and a very nice show, with more than 100 classic, exotic, and special interest cars splayed over the long fairway at the Red Rock Country Club. Peter Brock, famed automotive designer (Shelby Daytona Coupe and Corvette Stingray, among others) gave a most interesting presentation on the historical development of automotive aerodynamics and efficiency at the pre-show banquet. The overall Best of Show went to a car with neither, Greg Wood’s 1933 Rolls-Royce Phantom II, reportedly a prize winner at Pebble Beach in the not too distant past. Among other trophy winners of note were a sublime 1959 Alfa Romeo Giulietta Spyder (Classic Sports Cars class) and FCA member Lindsey Freeman’s near-perfect Ferrari 328 GTS (Modern Super Cars class). Mark your calendars for next year’s show – this is a good one.

October 9: Italian Sports Car & Motorcycle Day at Siena

It was another beautiful, balmy day – ain’t Las Vegas grand in October. And, the turnout was, as usual, excellent for the 7th annual iteration of what has become a staple and a classic on the calendar. A pleasant surprise this year was the large number of motorcycles on display, including some very rare, vintage examples of the Ducati, Motto-Guzzi, and Aprillia marques. And, oh, there were also a La Ferrari, various top shelf Lamborghinis, and a brand new Aston Martin DB11 on which to feast you eyes, not to mention a Ferrari 333 SP, to numb your aural senses. Our thanks go to Kumiko (the brains behind the operation), Giancarlo (the man behind the food), and Antonio (the puppet master) for hosting this spectacular event. Be sure to attend next year – Columbus Day weekend – well worth the effort.

October 23: F1 – Grand Prix of the USA

We viewed the race at the home of Karen and Michael Obradovich. Please see the race recap below for more information.

November 15: Board Meeting at Bravo Italian Cuisine at the Galleria Mall

Every member of the Board that attended (Chuck Damus, Elda Fanucchi, Ted Schlazer, Dan Fogle, and John Ratto) enjoyed the food, service, and ambiance of this very nice and reasonably priced restaurant in the Galleria Mall; check it out if you have a chance, perhaps on one of your Christmas shopping trips. The usual matters were discussed: financials, new members, producing calendars to raise funds, and the new website. Ah, the new website. Progress has been made and we urge you to 1) visit the website often so that it moves up the Google ranks (ferrariclubvegas.com) and 2) submit photos of you and your car in iconic Vegas locations for inclusion as the site grows. Our next Board meeting is penciled in for Tuesday, January 17, 2017.

December 2: Holiday Party at Celebrity Cars

We had a nice turnout, about 30, for a very nice evening. I especially appreciated the room. Sometimes we are crowded like sardines for these events, but Celebrity Cars offered real space, and some excellent cars to drool over while sipping some drinks as well. The food was warm and comforting and quite good, all especially appreciated on a frigid LV evening. By the time the event drew to a close, everyone seemed to have enjoyed it greatly. HAPPY HOLIDAYS!!

Final Thoughts on July – December 2016

Well, the stock market settled down after the initial BREXIT turmoil, and then it took an upturn after Trump’s victory. Maybe Armageddon has been postponed to 2017.

All-in-all, it was a successful 6 months for our Club. We had some nice events, and more will ensue in the coming months. Our new website is in progress and nearing usefulness. Be sure to check it out at FerrariClubVegas.com. See you soon and happy trails until then.

UPCOMING EVENTS

Look for socials to resume in January, once the Holiday dust has settled. They will usually be scheduled for the third Thursday of the month, so try to keep those evenings open. As the weather warms, there will be more drives; we will keep you posted. But, you should also visit the new (or the old) website for the latest information. FerrariClubVegas.com

FORMULA 1 NEWS RECAP

July through November: F1 Viewing at Siena and other venues

So, as we head into the second half of the season, where do we stand? The Mercedes-Benzes are still the cream of the crop by a significant margin. When they finish without issues, they generally finish 1 – 2, and with significant margins of victory. They lead the constructors’ championship and their two drivers are in a death match for the drivers’ championship. The Red Bulls and the Ferraris are the best of the rest, with (in July) a slight edge going to the Red Bulls. Each of these top three teams has experienced bad luck (mostly self inflicted by Mercedes, team strategy inflicted by the Red Bulls, and Daniil Kvyat inflicted by the Ferraris) and mechanical issues during the first half of the season, but these problems have been spread evenly so the points order reflects the strength of the teams, and the drivers.

Rosberg is seeing his hopes for a first championship slip away. His big, early-season lead has dwindled, and Hamilton, the better driver, is on the hunt. Rosberg looks desperate, and seems willing to do whatever it takes to maintain his slim lead. Do we have more M-B/M-B collisions on the horizon? Meanwhile, young Max Verstappen (Red Bull) is simply a revelation. Yes, he’s in a good car, maybe one he didn’t really deserve, but he is driving as good as, or perhaps better than, his far more experienced and far more highly-regarded teammate, Daniel Ricciardo.

Among the other teams, Force India is a pleasant surprise. They are truly competitive, which is hard to achieve for an underfunded squad. On the other hand, Williams is a disappointment. Despite having the superior M-B engines, they have regressed from a strong performance in 2015 to non-contenders in 2016. Two other teams deserve mention: McLaren-Honda and Haas-Ferrari. McLaren has risen from the ashes of an abysmal 2015 to be a consistent points scoring threat; and driver Fernando Alonso (no dreamer) predicts far better results in the future. Haas, our fledgling US team, is running consistent and strong, and has managed to score about 30 points for their efforts. This makes them a mid-pack team in their first season, something better than expected.

Given all this, it looks like there will be some good racing and exciting confrontations in the second half of the season. We hope to see you at Siena on Sunday mornings for some Church of F1.

July 10: GP of England (10)

The big news in the pits was that Kimi Raikkonen had signed on for another year with Ferrari. Pirelli supplied the soft, medium, and hard tires for this fast, 52 lap race, perhaps fearing that the really soft rubber would disintegrate under the heavy loads. Qualifying was run under cool, cloudy skies, and the starting order produced no real surprises: Hamilton, Rosberg, Verstappen, Ricciardo, and Raikkonen. After a 5-spot penalty for changing his gear box, Vettel was relegated to 11th on the grid.

Sunday dawned cloudy and wet: the cars all started on the full wet tires and behind the safety car, which paced the field for 6 laps. Meanwhile, a nice viewing crowd at Siena was comfortable and dry, with warm food to sooth their souls. As the skies cleared and the track dried, the more adventurous drivers began switching to the intermediate wet tires, which led to some lurid slipping-and-sliding on the still wet raceway. Nevertheless, by lap 15, most began to change to the medium slicks and the race was finally truly on. In the still damp conditions, Verstappen in the Red Bull, running third, was ‘The Man.’ He ran down and passed Rosberg in second, and then began drawing up on leader Hamilton. The track conditions emboldened some and scarred others, leading to some daring passes throughout the ensuing laps. At lap 25, the order was Hamilton, Verstappen, Rosberg, Ricciardo, Perez, and Raikkonen. Meanwhile, Vettel was stuck in the mid-pack due a couple of spins on the still damp surface. But, the M-Benzes were back on their pace as the track dried completely, and soon Verstappen fell away from Hamilton and into the clutches of Rosberg. After some daring, but futile, attempts to pass the youngster, Rosberg finally squeezed by on lap 38, only to then begin suffering gearbox problems. He asked for assistance from the pits to resolve the issues, and was provided with sufficient information to do so (against the rules). The final finishing order, pending disciplinary action for Rosberg, was Hamilton, Rosberg, Verstappen, Ricciardo, Raikkonen, and Vettel. Rosberg, realizing that his lead over Hamilton had now evaporated, was in a nasty mood during the post race ceremonies, and I’m certain his mood only got worse when the stewards announced shortly thereafter that Rosberg had been penalized 10 seconds, moving Verstappen up to second place.

July 24: GP of Hungary

Pirelli supplied the medium, soft, and super-soft tires for this 70 lap race on the tight, twisty, tough to pass Hungaroring track. As the ‘silly season’ progresses, the big news in the pits was Rosberg re-signing for two more years with M-B, and turmoil in the management/technical/administrative division of Ferrari. The Pope doesn’t like it when the red cars don’t win. Oh, and Hamilton had a major accident in practice. Qualifying began with heavy rain and a couple of related red-flag delays. Once the rain eased and the cars were on track, they spun and crashed repeatedly, leading to more red flags, and more delays. Then, in Q2, as the track dried, things got very interesting as a new fast time was set and then eclipsed every few seconds. Things, and the track, settled down in Q3 and the starting order was not unexpected: Rosberg, Hamilton, Ricciardo, Verstappen, and Vettel. Surprisingly, the McLarens were 7th and 8th, continuing their march up the field. Raikkonen, meanwhile, was caught out in the last minutes of Q2 and failed to make it into Q3; he would start 16th.

Sunday morning saw a nice turnout at Siena for the race viewing. Nearly 20 were on hand for food and F1. After an exciting, but uneventful, start, Hamilton snatched the lead and began to inch away from his teammate Rosberg. All of the leaders had started on the super-soft tires, and by lap 15 they began to pit for new rubber, generally the soft tires. Raikkonen, meanwhile had started on the soft tires, and was able to go far longer. By lap 20, he had moved from 16th to fifth (albeit with no stops). Raikkonen finally made his first stop on lap 20, switching to the super-soft tires. Most of the front runners made their second stops around lap 35-40, and they generally again opted for the soft tires. After this round of pit stops was completed, the running order was Hamilton, Rosberg, Ricciardo, Raikkonen (having made only 1 stop), Vettel, Verstappen, and Alonso (more good performance from the McLaren-Honda). Raikkonen made his final stop on lap 51: when he resumed on fresh super-soft tires he immediately began to set fastest lap times. However, when he caught Verstappen, he simply could not (despite some serious attempts) find a way around the youngster and had to remain where he was. Meanwhile, Vettel was challenging Ricciardo for third, but his efforts were also thwarted. The final results were Hamilton, Rosberg, Ricciardo, Vettel, Verstappen, Raikkonen, and Alonso. With this, Hamilton has passed Rosberg for the lead in the drivers’ championship.

July 31: GP of Germany at the Hockenheimring

Pirelli supplied the medium, soft, and super-soft tires for this 67 lap race. During practice the topic of discussion centered on the turmoil at Ferrari management resulting from the sudden death of (top technical advisor) James Allison’s wife. He has apparently left the team, and his return seems unlikely. Qualifying itself was unsurprising and uneventful, except for the fact that one second covered the times of the top six, who all would start on the super-soft tires. The order would be Rosberg, Hamilton, Ricciardo, Verstappen, Raikkonen, and Vettel.

Hamilton (and Verstappen, and Ricciardo) immediately jumped Rosberg, who had tire spin, at the start, and that was pretty much that. Rosberg was in fourth place and defending from the Ferraris on his heels rather than challenging the leaders. After little real action, the first round of pit stops began on lap nine, and the second round on lap 28, after which the running order was Hamilton, Rosberg, Verstappen, Ricciardo, Vettel, and Raikkonen. Then things got testy. Verstappen made a clean pass on Rosberg, who forced the Red Bull wide and off the track. Rosberg was given a 5 second penalty for the uncalled for action, which winded up dropping him behind Ricciardo, who then caught and passed teammate Verstappen. The finishing order was Hamilton, Ricciardo, Verstappen, Rosberg, Vettel, and Raikkonen.

So, as we head into the summer break, Hamilton has snatched the lead for the championship, and Rosberg is crying in his beer (Champagne?). The championship is still up for grabs though, and we can only hope for some fierce competition for it from now until the end of the season. Wouldn’t it be nice if Ferrari were in the thick of it?

August 28: GP of Belgium at SPA

Summer vacation is over, and it was time to get back to work. It certainly wasn’t fall weather at SPA though; it was extremely hot and dry all weekend – global warming at work? This, at a place that is normally cool and damp, messed up everyone’s tire plans. Pirelli supplied the medium, soft, and super-soft tires for the 44 lap race on the long (nearly 5 mile) circuit. It took the team engineers about 5 minutes to conclude that the super-softs would be next too useless (no longevity) in the Las Vegas like weather conditions. The other news concerned big grid spot penalties being taken by Hamilton and others to replace engines, gearboxes, etc. Hamilton would start at the very back, along with Alonso; others merely dropped to middle of the field. This provided Rosberg, who took pole position, with an opportunity to wrest the championship lead back from his teammate. The starting order would be Rosberg, Verstappen, Raikkonen, Vettel, and Ricciardo, with most of the leaders on the soft (rather than the quicker but fragile super-softs) tires. Hamilton, starting from the last row, opted for the even harder and slower, but longer lived, mediums.

Verstappen got a poor start, while the Ferraris immediately behind him did just the opposite. As a result, both Ferraris were ahead of Verstappen going into turn 1. Verstappen refused to give any ground when it was clearly the best option, and a three car collision ensued; both Ferraris and the Red Bull were soon in the pits to replace tires and bodywork. Then, only 5 laps in, Magnussen (Renault) had a major shunt and the race was red flagged for about 15 minutes to repair the damaged crash barriers. Meanwhile, everyone changed tires, some for the second time, which essentially threw all the tire strategies out the window. When the racing resumed, the top three were Rosberg, Ricciardo, and Alonso. Hamilton, who managed to avoid all the drama ahead, was already up to fourth, while Vettel was 11th, Verstappen 14th, and Raikkonen 15th. As the race settled down, lots of good tight driving ensued, as is normal at this famous circuit. Dare-devil passes and battles for position were the order of business all up and down the field, except at the top where Rosberg seemed to be in control. After a most exciting race, the podium positions went to Rosberg, Ricciardo, and Hamilton, permitting Hamilton to maintain his lead in the championship by 9 points (very close!). Of note: the Force India duo (Hulkenberg and Perez) finished fourth and fifth – these guys are for real. As to the Ferraris, Vettel managed to salvage sixth and Raikkonen ninth. Verstappen, finally driving like the novice he truly is, finished 11th.

September 4: GP of Italy at Monza

The weather was hot as Qualifying began at this fast, long track, and the Tifosi were out in force to cheer for the hometown team, Ferrari. Pirelli supplied the super-soft, soft, and medium tires for the 53 lap race. The starting order would be Hamilton, Rosberg, Vettel, Raikkonen, Bottas, Ricciardo, and Verstappen. While most of the field elected to start on the fastest super-soft tires, the Mercedes duo opted for the slower, longer lived soft tires. The buzz in the pits was that the Ferraris would take the lead on the softer tires and then hopefully control the race. It was a nice thought, but it didn’t play out.

The start did give hope though: both Vettel and Raikkonen (along with a slew of others) passed Hamilton, who made a terrible start, in turn one. In the following laps Hamilton slowly moved back towards the front, while Rosberg, in the front, slowly pulled out a lead over the pursuing Ferraris. At lap 10, the running order was Rosberg, Vettel, Raikkonen, Bottas, and Hamilton. The drivers (including both Ferraris) on the super-soft tires began to make tires stops on lap 15, while the Mercedes duo on the soft tires managed to last until lap 24. Since both Ferraris opted for new super-soft tires, it seemed they would need three stops. Meanwhile, since both Mercedes chose medium tires when they pitted, it was clear that they were on a one-stop strategy. These differing strategies meant that the front runners were spread out on the track, leading to few dices for the top positions, and a relatively uneventful race. The final finishing order was Rosberg, Hamilton, Vettel, Raikkonen, Ricciardo, and Bottas. Thus, Rosberg sliced Hamilton’s lead in the championship to a mere two points. It looks like this will go down to the wire.

September 18: Grand Prix of Singapore

Being run at night, the race in Singapore is unique and visually spectacular. Being run in 100 degree plus temperatures and near 90 percent humidity, on a very tight and twisty street circuit, it is a real challenge for the cars, tires, brakes, and drivers. Pirelli supplied the ultra soft, super soft, and soft tires for the 61 lap race. As expected, the Red Bulls and Ferraris were quick on the tight circuit. What wasn’t foreseen was Hamilton’s difficulties in practice and Vettel’s suspension failure in Q1 that relegated him to start at the back of the field. After a qualifying that saw close lap times, the starting order was Rosberg, Ricciardo (Red Bull), Hamilton (perhaps still suffering from his practice woes), Verstappen (Red Bull), and Raikkonen. But, the advantage looked to be with the two Red Bulls, who were to start the race on super soft tires while all the other top runners were on the shorter lived ultra soft tires, except for Vettel who was on the most durable soft compound.

The start was eventful. Verstappen made a bad one, got caught behind slower drivers, and then collided with Hulkenberg (Force India) who spun majestically before destroying his car. Meanwhile, Vettel, starting from the back, passed several cars ahead in the first quarter mile of the contest. But, soon the safety car appeared to allow Hulkenberg’s debris to be removed, and the field was bunched up. After racing had resumed for a few laps, the order was Rosberg, Ricciardo, Hamilton and Raikkonen running nose to tail, and Alonso. Verstappen was back in eighth, while Vettel was up to 17th. Hot brakes then became an issue that would endure throughout the race, and affect mostly the Mercedes drivers, who had to periodically slow down to prevent complete failure. Pit stops for those on the ultra soft tires began around lap 15, and the leaders all seemed to choose different tires for their second stints. On the other hand, Vettel endured to lap 25 on his soft tires, and then changed to the ultra softs for a hopefully quick second stint; he returned in 10th place. Most of the leaders stopped again for tires around lap 30. Of note was Raikkonen’s subsequent performance: he actually caught and passed (an exciting move that involved banging wheels) Hamilton ON THE TRACK on lap 33, something you just don’t see this year. As a result, on lap 40 the running order was Rosberg, Ricciardo, Raikkonen, Hamilton, Vettel (only one stop), and Verstappen. A rash of final pit stops then occurred between laps 43 and 50 (during which Hamilton passed Raikkonen), and then it was an exciting dash to the finish with many wheel-to-wheel battles for position among very closely matched cars. But the real action, for a change, was at the front, where Ricciardo (on fresh tires) was catching Rosberg (who had stopped one time less) by 2 seconds a lap. Unfortunately, time ran out and Rosberg retained his victory, by less than a second. The final finishing order (with little time separating the top 5) was Rosberg (who retakes the lead in the championship), Ricciardo, Hamilton – with Raikkonen on his bumper, and Vettel (who, remember, started last). So, this was a great race and a good result for team Ferrari.

October 1: GP of Malaysia

Practice saw the Red Bulls and Force Indias to be quite quick, and the conditions to mirror Singapore: very hot and very humid. Pirelli supplied the hard, medium, and soft tires for the 56 lap race. After a tight but generally uneventful Qualifying session, the starting order was Hamilton, Rosberg, Verstappen, Ricciardo, Vettel, Raikkonen, Perez (Force India), and Hulkenberg (Force India). Pretty much all of the top qualifiers were to start on the soft tires.

Vettel made a great start and was up dicing with the leaders into the first turn. Unfortunately, there wasn’t enough room for everyone and a three car (Vettel, Rosberg, and Verstappen) collision ensued. As a result, Vettel was out, Rosberg spun and dropped to 17th place, and Verstappen dropped back a few positions, which he quickly reclaimed. Meanwhile, at the back of the pack, Alonso, who had started last, was up to ninth. When the virtual safety car was deployed, Rosberg stopped for new tires, switching to the hard compound. After things had settled down, the top four were Hamilton, Ricciardo, Verstappen, and Raikkonen. Rosberg then set himself to the task of working his way back towards the front as the others began to stop for new tires around lap 20 (most switched to the hard compound). At lap 32 the running order was Hamilton, Ricciardo, Verstappen, Raikkonen, and Rosberg. Hamilton’s engine then (lap 41) blew up in a big way, and the leader was out, leaving the Ricciardo/Verstappen Red Bull duo in the lead and running pretty much nose-to-tail, They duked it out for a few laps but then settled down to finish in that order with Rosberg third and Raikkonen fourth.

October 9: GP of Japan

The weather was cloudy, cool, and damp the entire weekend, always threatening rain but never truly delivering, quite a contrast from the heat of Singapore and Malaysia. The Ferraris had a new front wing that seemed to improve performance (to the level of the Red Bulls, but not the Mercedes), while both Haas cars seemed quick despite their ongoing brake issues. In any case, the top five qualifiers were within 0.5 second, so it was close. Based on speed, the order would have been Rosberg, Hamilton, Raikkonen, Vettel, Verstappen, and Ricciardo, all on the soft tires. But, Vettel was given a 3 spot penalty for the collision on the first lap of the previous race (down to seventh), and Raikkonen was penalized 5 spots (to eighth) for changing his gear box. In the end, this year Ferrari simply cannot win for losing.

Pirelli supplied the soft, medium, and hard (prime) tires for the 53 lap race. Since the race coincided with Siena’s extremely popular ‘Italian Sports Car Day’, the viewing venue was packed, and we were immediately treated to a spectacular start…including a typically bad start by Hamilton and typically good starts by the Ferraris and Verstappen. Luckily, there were no collisions at the front, and after the first lap the running order was Rosberg, Verstappen, Perez (Force India), Vettel, Ricciardo, Hulkenberg (FI), Raikkonen, and Hamilton. Things settled down by lap 3, and pit stops for tires began on lap 11 (Vettel went longer after starting on the hard tires), with most everyone opting for the hard compound for their second stints. Most made their second stops between laps 27 and 35, again choosing the hard tires in hopes of making it to the end. On lap 36 the running order was Rosberg, Verstappen, Hamilton, Vettel, Raikkonen, Ricciardo, and the Force India duo of Perez and Hulkenberg. By lap 45 Hamilton was on Verstappen’s tail, and made some bold moves to pass, all of which were thwarted by the Red Bull youngster. Moreover, Verstappen was catching, and then hounding leader Rosberg as the race drew to a close. It made for some very exciting racing. In the end, the finishing order was Rosberg, Verstappen (less than 5 seconds behind), Hamilton (less than a second farther back), Vettel, Raikkonen, Perez, and Hulkenberg; less than a minute covered the top 8. With this result, Mercedes-Benz clinched the constructors’ title, and Rosberg pulled out to a significant (33 point) lead over Hamilton in the drivers’ championship.

October 23: GP of the USA

We finally made it to our home GP, and (unlike last year’s monsoon) Austin, Texas graced it with some perfect weather. Pirelli supplied the medium, soft, and super-soft tires for the 56 lap race. During practice, the top three teams kept trading fastest times, leading to hope that it would be a close battle for pole. But in the end, the starting order was the seemingly preordained: Hamilton, Rosberg, Ricciardo, Verstappen, Raikkonen, Vettel, and Hulkenberg (Force India). Of note was that Hamilton, Rosberg, and Verstappen were to start on the soft tires, while everyone else was to be on the faster (but shorter lived) super-softs.

Race viewing itself was a real treat as it was hosted by Michael and Karen Obradovich in their spectacular Summerlin home. We thank Mike and Karen for their hospitality. Great food and good company greeted about 20 of us who attended; would it also be a good race?

Atypically, everyone made a decent start, so the running order was not shaken up at the get-go. Of the leaders, only Raikkonen managed to improve his position, and then by only one spot. The guys starting of the super-soft tires were predictably the first to stop for new rubber, beginning on lap 9, with most opting for the medium tires for their second stints. By lap 16, when most everyone had stopped, the running order was Hamilton, Ricciardo, Rosberg, Verstappen, Raikkonen, and Vettel. Second stops began on lap 27, with Verstappen’s engine failing shortly thereafter. Then, on lap 39, Raikkonen had a pit stop snafu associated with an air gun used on the wheel nuts, and he was out as well…another bit of bad luck for Ferrari in a season filled with little else. In the end, the finishing order was Hamilton, Rosberg, Ricciardo, and Vettel. With this result, Rosberg’s lead over Hamilton in the driver’s championship was reduced to 26 points. With only three races to go, it is going to be a real fight to the finish.

October 30: GP of Mexico

It was a warm, cloudy weekend in 7,000 foot high Mexico City. After a few practice laps, it became obvious that the track was slick with little grip. Everyone was slipping and sliding on the super soft, soft, and medium tires that Pirelli supplied for the race. More than 100,000 fans showed up for qualifying, indicating the level of enthusiasm in our southern neighbor for F1. They were naturally cheering loudest for home town heroes Perez and Gutierrez, but to little avail as the qualifying order was Hamilton, Rosberg, Verstappen, Ricciardo, Hulkenberg, Raikkonen, and Vettel. Not an auspicious result for Ferrari, to say the least.

The race was completely sold out. Hamilton (known for his poor starts) got an excellent jump, too good in fact as he missed the first turn entirely. Were the championship battle nerves getting to him? Then, Rosberg tangled with the ever over-driving Verstappen, and both were very lucky to be able to continue. And then a few more drivers collided and the safety car was deployed. Once the dust had settled, the running order was pretty much the same as that at the start. Pit stops began on lap 12, with most opting for the soft or medium tires for their second stints. Vettel was the last to stop, stretching his first tires to lap 32. He returned in sixth place (behind Hamilton, Rosberg, Verstappen, Ricciardo, and Raikkonen) with a chance to possibly win. But, several of the cars ahead were able to make their tires last until the end, thus thwarting Vettel’s plans. Those (including Raikkonen and Ricciardo) that did stop again did so between laps 45 and 50. By lap 56 Verstappen was challenging Rosberg (both on old tires) for second, while Vettel on his newer tires was slowly reeling in everyone ahead of him. But Verstappen mangled his tires trying to pass Rosberg and quickly fell into the grip of Raikkonen (on nearly new tires) who managed to pass him with a spectacular move. Several laps later, Vettel was on Verstappen’s tail and challenging to pass. Verstappen made a few questionable blocking moves, and then lost control and went off track, completely missing one of the turns. Now, it is well accepted that if a driver misses a turn to protect his position, that driver must relinquish the position. They usually do so without being told. However, Verstappen maintained his spot ahead of Vettel and, with only a couple of laps to go, race control decided to postpone any action until after the race was complete…sheer idiocy. Verstappen then proceeded to block Vettel so that his teammate Ricciardo could challenge Vettel from behind. Vettel was rightfully livid and most of his radio comments to the team were bleeped out. The finishing order was Hamilton, Rosberg, Verstappen, Vettel, and Ricciardo. However, immediately after the race was over, Verstappen was penalized and the official finishing order was Hamilton, Rosberg, Vettel, Ricciardo, Verstappen, and Raikkonen. Wow, what a race! Two races to go to decide the ever tightening quest for the championship.

November 13: GP of Brazil

The big news in the pits was that, long after the last race weekend was complete, Vettel was penalized 10 seconds for dangerous driving in Mexico, and thus relegated from the podium to fifth place. But, everyone seemed to agree that the penalty was truly for the choice words criticizing race control that Vettel yelled over his radio at the end of the race. Petty – petty, sounds like something Roger Goddell of the NFL would do.

In any case, the weather proved to be the overriding factor in Brazil: practice was hot and humid, qualifying was cloudy and cool, and the race was run in pouring rain. Pirelli supplied the soft, medium, and hard tires for the 71 lap race, but it hardly mattered as the tires of choice were either the full or the intermediate wets. The differing conditions meant that any information obtained during practice was useless. Nevertheless, the qualifying order was pretty much as usual: Hamilton, Rosberg (only 0.1 second behind), Raikkonen, Verstappen, Vettel, Ricciardo, and Grosjean (Haas).

Initially the start was delayed 15 minutes due to rain and a sloppy track, but when conditions failed to improve, the race was started behind the safety car with all drivers on the full wet tires. After 7 such laps, the safety car pulled off and racing began. Lap times were 18 seconds slower than qualifying times. By lap 10, the bravest souls were switching to intermediate tires, hoping for drying conditions and a competitive edge. Didn’t happen…the rain increased and cars were slipping and sliding, and spinning too. Lap 15 saw a major shunt, and redeployment of the safety car. Immediately after it pulled off, another major accident involving Raikkonen caused the race to be red flagged. After a couple more delays and re-starts, racing in earnest began again on lap 35; the running order was Hamilton, Verstappen, Rosberg, Perez (Force India), and Ricciardo. Despite the continued lack of grip, there was some exciting racing going on, with Verstappen and Vettel making some bold moves. Lap 48 saw another crash and safety car period, and the racing did not truly resume until lap 55, when some great racing took place, especially by Verstappen whose prodigious skills are only matched by his lack of etiquette. The final finishing order was Hamilton, Rosberg, Verstappen, Perez, and Vettel. So, we go to the final race of the season with Rosberg hanging on to a 12 point lead over Hamilton in the championship.

November 28: GP of Abu Dhabi

Finally, the final race of the season arrived. It seemed like a long campaign. Oh wait, it was. What was not too long ago a 12 race season is now a 21 race season. It is all about the money, honey.

Pirelli supplied the ultra soft, super soft, and soft tires for the 55 lap race on the low grip track. Evening qualifying meant changing conditions throughout, but it failed to produce any real drama, other than visual. The starting order would be Hamilton, Rosberg, Ricciardo, Raikkonen, Vettel, Verstappen, and then the Force India duo of Hulkenberg and Perez. The two Red Bulls would start on the super soft tires, while everyone else would be on the ultra softs.

The start went well except for a miscue by Verstappen that ended with him smacking Hulkenberg and then spinning. This guy is a great talent, but he pushes the issue too often; in this instance he was very lucky that his car suffered no damage allowing him to rejoin in last place. Most made their first stops on about lap 15. But Verstappen, who started on the harder compound tires, managed to persevere until lap 25, by which time he was up to third place! Of note was that Vettel also delayed his first stop, hoping to gain an ultimate advantage. In any case, lap 20 was exciting, with Raikkonen, Ricciardo, and Vettel having a heated battle for fourth place just prior to making their first stops, and then Rosberg (who had already stopped) fighting his way past Verstappen for second. Second stops began on lap 29, and when the dust had settled the running order was Vettel (1 stop), Hamilton (8 seconds adrift), Rosberg, Verstappen (1 stop), Raikkonen, and Ricciardo, By this time, everyone was on the soft tires and it looked as if Vettel might try to make it to the end with only his one stop. But, as his times began to slow, Vettel stopped for a set of ultra-soft (and ultra quick) tires on lap 38, rejoining in sixth. Over the next laps, Rosberg dogged Hamilton for the lead, while Vettel was charging back toward the front on his new, sticky tires. He passed Raikkonen on lap 42, Ricciardo on lap 46, and Verstappen soon thereafter. Meanwhile, it looked as if Hamilton was deliberately slowing down to let the chasers close in on Rosberg, and thus perhaps shake things up and win the championship after all. All of this made for an exciting finish with the top 5 covered by only 5 seconds. The order was Hamilton, Rosberg, Vettel, Ricciardo, Raikkonen, and then the two Force Indias.

With this result, Rosberg claims his first world title.

Recap of the 2016 Season

First of all, we must bid a fond farewell to the retiring duo of Jensen Button (who won one championship he didn’t really deserve to win) and Felipe Massa (who lost one he deserved to win). These two were real gentlemen and true ambassadors of the sport, and damn good drivers to boot. We will miss their driving abilities and candor in post race interviews. Ciao!

Teams: Just as in 2015, the Mercedes were consistently the fastest cars, and their dominance is demonstrated by the commanding point’s margin they (and their drivers) amassed. At the start of the season, Ferrari and Red Bull were about equal; but as the season played out the Red Bulls improved more than the Ferraris. However, Ferrari fans (that would be us) can’t really cry too much because it could have been worse, far worse. Look at what has happened to the previously powerful McLaren and Williams teams, they were handily beaten for fourth overall this year by a low budget, low profile team named Sahara Force India (of all things!). New blood near the top is always welcome, so hear-hear Force India.

Drivers: While Rosberg won the title, there is little doubt that Hamilton is just that tiny bit faster. Raikkonen revived his career with a strong showing this season, and will be in a Ferrari again in 2017. Vettel drove well, but seemingly without real verve. He was in pout mode far too often. The Red Bulls clearly have THE up-and-coming duo with Ricciardo and Verstappen. Verstappen, a contender at such a young age, seems destined to be a talent for the ages. However, he must learn to be patient and considered, rather than overly rash and bold. Right now, he has Senna type skills, but also Senna type overconfidence. Meanwhile, my favorite driver, Fernando Alonso, toils relatively unnoticed in an uncompetitive car (McLaren-Honda); I’d really like to see him at the front again.

We interrupt this article for some late breaking news: Less than a week after winning the title, Nico Rosberg announced his retirement from F1. Stunning! This opens up the most desirable seat on the grid. Who will Mercedes choose? A challenger to Hamilton? Or a youngster to groom for the future? Tune in, this could be very interesting.

John Ratto