After the thrills for the British crowd of Silverstone and the eventual win by Mark Webber after his trials and tribulations with his team mate Sebastian Vettel the F1 circus moves onward to the Hockenheim circuit in Germany, twenty km South of Mannheim.
Obviously the German drivers are what the crowd have come to see and there are 6 of them, Nico Rosberg, Sebastian Vettel, Adrian Sutil, Timo Glock, Nico Hulkenberg and of course the darling of the German crowd Michael Schumacher.
The weather is changeable albeit the forecast has been unreliable since they started running on Friday. Lewis put his Mclaren into the barriers during Friday and they have had to rebuild his car which reduced his running time in practice which could affect his weekend. Sebastian headed the time sheets on Friday but Fernando wasn't far behind.
A lot of the cars were straight out as soon as the flag dropped due to the unreliable nature of the weather. After only ten minutes running yesterday Lewis seems to have forgotten yesterdays woes as he ran fourth early on behind the two Ferrari's and Jenson.
Vitantonio then put his Force India into the wall on the pit straight and the session was immediately Red flagged as his car lost the left hand front corner. The stopping of the session can have a detrimental effect for some of the teams as tyres are so quick to go off in quali.
The usual protagonists were fighting at the front of the pack and now they were down in the 1.15's which is the minimum time they need to be up at the front of the pack. The pole time is expected to be in the 1.14's as Fernando through in a 1.14.6. The usual teams were in the drop out zone with Virgin this time ahead of Lotus for a change.
This is going to be a mighty battle between the major three which will add spice to the weekend and we all need Ferrari to do well to make the numbers up at the sharp end. So out went Timo, Jarno, Heikki, Vitantonio, Bruno, Yamamoto replacing Karun for the weekend for contractual reasons and bringing up the rear Lucas.
At the sharp end the timings are headed by Fernando after Q1 as the times heat up followed by Felipe, the two Red Bull's and both Mclaren's. Out they all went into Q2 and things were now to hot up.
Ruben's is driving well again and the times from some of the drivers could mix up the grid as Ruben's and Robert were up there early in the session but the two Mercedes cars are not lighting up the timing screens and running way down out of the top ten.
With seven minutes to go a mere six tenths covered the top ten. Those not making the top ten were Michael, Kamui, Nico, Vitaly, Adrian, Pedro, Jamie and Sebastian Buemi bringing up the rear. So Michael didn't make the top ten to the dismay of the crowd I have no doubt.
Fernando was fastest again in Q2 followed by Sebastian, Mark, Lewis and the rest as the chips are down for Q3 and the shoot out for pole as the rain started to spit but shouldn't affect them on slicks.
Out they went immediately the flag dropped trying to get a banker lap in should the rain come down albeit the sun then came out. Mark put in the first time at 1.14.2 but was almost immediately usurped by Fernando as he went into the 1.13's. With the last six minutes this will be a mighty dash for pole as Fernando, Sebastian, Mark, Lewis and Felipe battle at the sharp end.
It was going to be a battle and that what we had. Sebastian out qualified Fernando followed by Felipe, Mark, Jenson, Lewis, Robert, Rubens, Nico and Nico H. Now we have a slightly mixed up grid for tomorrow and the German crowd were ecstatic about Sebastian topping the field. Bring on the Grand Prix.
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Showing posts with label F1. Show all posts
Showing posts with label F1. Show all posts
Saturday, 24 July 2010
Saturday, 27 March 2010
F1 Quali Melbourne
Well, the first bit of news came on Friday off the track as Lewis had an altercation with Australian police in his road car. Whilst the worlds press made a big thing about it I think it is rather amusing and I am sure the police loved every minute of it.
It also appears Lewis has parted his managaer and father Anthony Hamilton and according to the press it was Lewis who initiated it. I am certain we will hear more about this in the near future.
Back to quali and with cloudy skies it was all go for hopefully a better weekend showing than last time out in Bahrain. All the prospects were good for a better race weekend on a shorter track than Bahrain and on practice form it seems tighter as well.
Q1: None of the teams complained about traffic in Q1 but it looked, to say the least hairy at times. One can only say the Red Bull's are on fire and Sebastian was electric throughout quali. He was closely followed by Nico, Jenson, Lewis, Fernando, Mark, Michael, a struggling Felipe, Adrian again up there and closing out the top 10 came Robert in his Renault.
It is an awful thing to have to say but we lost the 3 new teams again and the only real surprise was the loss of Vitaly Petrov in the Renault but he was 2 seconds up the road from the new teams in a 26.5. So out went Lotus with Heikki and Jarno but both their cars at least finished in Bahrain, Virgin with Timo and di Grassi and both the HRT cars where both Senna and Karun are struggling big time.
Into Q2 where again we were to lose 7 cars and a couple of surprises in store. Sebastian & Mark were still out front followed by Fernando, Jenson, Nico (still in front of Michael), Michael, Felipe, Adrian still up there in the Force India doing a sterling job, Robert keeping the Renault up there and Rubens consistent again.
Then came a surprise and the first major scalp was Lewis himself who evidently hadn't enough fuel to complete the lap which would have taken him into the top 10. He seemed to struggle throughout Q2 and he was out, finishing in 11th. This is not as good a position as 2009 as there is no fuel strategy advantage anymore only choice of tyres.
After Lewis we lost Sebastian (Buemi), Nico (Hulkenberg), Vitantonio, Pedro, Kamui and finally Jamie. So only 1 of the Cosworth engined cars made Q1 and again it was in the hands of Rubens in his 1oth placed Williams.
Q1: So out came the big guns for Q1 with the teams looking ever upward wondering whether rain would spoil the party. The heli had some rain spots on the lens but that didn't affect quali. From the off it was Vettel setting the pace and the first to register a lap under 1.24. His stunning 1.23.9 was never to be headed even accepting Mark had the local, home turf advantage with the Aussie crown egging him on. His 24 dead kept him in second place giving us a Red Bull front row.
Fernando was there or thereabouts again following his success in Bahrain and made up row 2 in front of Jenson who obviously out performed Lewis in his lowly 11th.
Row 3 saw Felipe finally getting his act together albeit .8 secs off Fernando's pace and he was joined by Nico again out gunning Michael. Row 4 saw Michael in front of his old Ferrari partner Rubens who was showing Williams are on the pace.
Row 5 and making the top 10 was Robert who is still getting to grips with the Renault and once he does I think he will move up further and rounding out the top 10 was Adrian again showing the Force India is a top class team.
So the race looks like being a different prospect to Bahrain and has the prospect of being closer with hopefully a little more overtaking particularly with Lewis in 11th who must surely have to stamp his mark from the off.
We still have 6 seconds between pole and the 24th HRT car which could spell problems in the race due to the arrival speed of the cars behind the slowest. So we have 24 cars thundering around Albert Park's 5.3 kms circuit for 58 laps in what will hopefully be a dry race.
The lap record is held by Michael in 1.24.1 and surely that must be under threat from Vettel in particular with others not far away. We have certainly 8 cars capable of winning the race and they were all covered by less than 1 second in quali even accepting Lewis down in 11th.
Lets hope for a great grand prix tomorrow.
It also appears Lewis has parted his managaer and father Anthony Hamilton and according to the press it was Lewis who initiated it. I am certain we will hear more about this in the near future.
Back to quali and with cloudy skies it was all go for hopefully a better weekend showing than last time out in Bahrain. All the prospects were good for a better race weekend on a shorter track than Bahrain and on practice form it seems tighter as well.
Q1: None of the teams complained about traffic in Q1 but it looked, to say the least hairy at times. One can only say the Red Bull's are on fire and Sebastian was electric throughout quali. He was closely followed by Nico, Jenson, Lewis, Fernando, Mark, Michael, a struggling Felipe, Adrian again up there and closing out the top 10 came Robert in his Renault.
It is an awful thing to have to say but we lost the 3 new teams again and the only real surprise was the loss of Vitaly Petrov in the Renault but he was 2 seconds up the road from the new teams in a 26.5. So out went Lotus with Heikki and Jarno but both their cars at least finished in Bahrain, Virgin with Timo and di Grassi and both the HRT cars where both Senna and Karun are struggling big time.
Into Q2 where again we were to lose 7 cars and a couple of surprises in store. Sebastian & Mark were still out front followed by Fernando, Jenson, Nico (still in front of Michael), Michael, Felipe, Adrian still up there in the Force India doing a sterling job, Robert keeping the Renault up there and Rubens consistent again.
Then came a surprise and the first major scalp was Lewis himself who evidently hadn't enough fuel to complete the lap which would have taken him into the top 10. He seemed to struggle throughout Q2 and he was out, finishing in 11th. This is not as good a position as 2009 as there is no fuel strategy advantage anymore only choice of tyres.
After Lewis we lost Sebastian (Buemi), Nico (Hulkenberg), Vitantonio, Pedro, Kamui and finally Jamie. So only 1 of the Cosworth engined cars made Q1 and again it was in the hands of Rubens in his 1oth placed Williams.
Q1: So out came the big guns for Q1 with the teams looking ever upward wondering whether rain would spoil the party. The heli had some rain spots on the lens but that didn't affect quali. From the off it was Vettel setting the pace and the first to register a lap under 1.24. His stunning 1.23.9 was never to be headed even accepting Mark had the local, home turf advantage with the Aussie crown egging him on. His 24 dead kept him in second place giving us a Red Bull front row.
Fernando was there or thereabouts again following his success in Bahrain and made up row 2 in front of Jenson who obviously out performed Lewis in his lowly 11th.
Row 3 saw Felipe finally getting his act together albeit .8 secs off Fernando's pace and he was joined by Nico again out gunning Michael. Row 4 saw Michael in front of his old Ferrari partner Rubens who was showing Williams are on the pace.
Row 5 and making the top 10 was Robert who is still getting to grips with the Renault and once he does I think he will move up further and rounding out the top 10 was Adrian again showing the Force India is a top class team.
So the race looks like being a different prospect to Bahrain and has the prospect of being closer with hopefully a little more overtaking particularly with Lewis in 11th who must surely have to stamp his mark from the off.
We still have 6 seconds between pole and the 24th HRT car which could spell problems in the race due to the arrival speed of the cars behind the slowest. So we have 24 cars thundering around Albert Park's 5.3 kms circuit for 58 laps in what will hopefully be a dry race.
The lap record is held by Michael in 1.24.1 and surely that must be under threat from Vettel in particular with others not far away. We have certainly 8 cars capable of winning the race and they were all covered by less than 1 second in quali even accepting Lewis down in 11th.
Lets hope for a great grand prix tomorrow.
Sunday, 14 March 2010
F1 Bahrain Race
Here we go for the first race of the 2010 season and anticipation is very high for the first race as well as all the excitement to come. The new Mercedes SLS course car looks a mean machine and I have no doubt we shall hear the roar of this beast many times during the season.
It is great to have Ayrton's nephew, Bruno Senna on the grid and what an evocative name back in the sport along with Lotus and didn't it look spooky as he opened his visa when he broke down, I am sure we all wish them well. It was also nice to see the line up of F1 previous world champions and Martin spoke to Emerson Fittipaldi, Nigel Mansell and Mario Andretti on the grid and Damon was seen many times over the weekend. Names like Nicki Lauda, John Surtees, Jacques Villeneuve, Michael Schumacher are evocative names in the world of F1.
At the second longest circuit of the season at 3.94 miles, the full tanks will mean the cars go faster as the race develops over the 49 laps. The lap record of 1.33.43 from 2009 will stand after this race due to the changes to the circuit and with a track temperature of 39 and air temperature of 36 it is going to be a hot race for all concerned.
The flag dropped and Sebastian shot into the lead from pole but Fernando passed Felipe at turn 2 in a classic overtaking move, Nico passed Lewis as he made a mistake running wide and mayhem happened behind at the back of the grid. It appears to me the plumes of smoke that, for some reason appeared from the back of Mark's Red Bull put off the followers and apart from dropping him back it also lost Robert many places.
Unfortunately then it became somewhat of a procession and it appears to me the drivers appeared to be driving very conservatively to protect their tyres and fuel loads. I sincerely hope this is not the case or this season could become a Fernando benefit.
So Sebastian held his lead followed by Fernando, Felipe, Nico, Lewis, Michael, Jenson and Mark but not particularly close and not really competing with each other. At the first tyre stop Lewis nipped in front of Nico and that was that done for Lewis but he never really got on terms with Felipe.
At the back we lost the unfortunate Karun Chandruk (HRT Cosworth) after only 1 lap with an accident across the bump, then Lucas di Grassi (Virgin Cosworth) went next. Then came a rash of failures including Kamui 11 Laps (Sauber Ferrari), Vitaly Petrov 13 Laps (Renault), Timo 16 Laps (Virgin Cosworth), Bruno Senna 17 Laps and finally Pedro de la Rosa 28 Laps (Sauber Ferrari).
However, Lotus did a fantastic job in their first GP for many years with both cars there at the finish so well done Heikki and Jarno. Williams also did a great job with Rubens in 10th and Nico Hulkenberg finishing 14th. It is fair to suggest there was more swapping and changing amongst the last 10 on the grid and at times, although we didn't see that much of it, it was quite exciting.
So back to the front and all seemed well but all of a sudden Sebastian started to slow slightly dropping a couple of seconds and it became apparent he had a broken exhaust. So, Fernando pounced into the lead that he was never to lose. Felipe kept in contention as he also passed Sebastian who forlornly pressed on.
I must pay tribute to Felipe as it is fantastic for us all to see him back and to come 2nd in his first race since his tragic accident can only be called fantastic for him, his fans, for us and Ferrari. Well done Felipe and we wish you all the best for the future and in your fight with Fernando.
Then Lewis passed the lonely Sebastian and that was basically the end of the race really albeit Nico was closing fast on Sebastian but all in vain as he failed by a short margin.
All the talk prior to the start was obviously about the comeback king Michael Schumacher and I suppose by his standards he didn't have a good weekend. In this sport the first thing you must do is beat your team mate and he was .5 secs behind Nico Rosberg all weekend.
So the final grid was Fernando (25), Felipe (18), Lewis (15), Sebastian (12), Nico (10), Michael (8), Jenson (6), Mark (4), Vitantonio (2) and last in the top 10 and points scorer Rubens (1).
So what have we learnt from today:
In the top team mate war: Fernando and Felipe very close, Lewis well in front of Jenson, Nico well in front of Michael, Sebastian far in front Mark.
Concern must be expressed about the new tyre and refuelling regulations as it could bring boring racing as the drivers have no alternative but to protect the cars. Engines now have to last 3 races, tyres are more restricted through race day and fuel has obviously to be conserved or the cars wouldn't reach the flag.
So congratulations to Fernando and Felipe and the Ferrari team but let us hope this is not the start of a procession as has happened in the past with Ferrari in Michael's hands!
It is great to have Ayrton's nephew, Bruno Senna on the grid and what an evocative name back in the sport along with Lotus and didn't it look spooky as he opened his visa when he broke down, I am sure we all wish them well. It was also nice to see the line up of F1 previous world champions and Martin spoke to Emerson Fittipaldi, Nigel Mansell and Mario Andretti on the grid and Damon was seen many times over the weekend. Names like Nicki Lauda, John Surtees, Jacques Villeneuve, Michael Schumacher are evocative names in the world of F1.
At the second longest circuit of the season at 3.94 miles, the full tanks will mean the cars go faster as the race develops over the 49 laps. The lap record of 1.33.43 from 2009 will stand after this race due to the changes to the circuit and with a track temperature of 39 and air temperature of 36 it is going to be a hot race for all concerned.
The flag dropped and Sebastian shot into the lead from pole but Fernando passed Felipe at turn 2 in a classic overtaking move, Nico passed Lewis as he made a mistake running wide and mayhem happened behind at the back of the grid. It appears to me the plumes of smoke that, for some reason appeared from the back of Mark's Red Bull put off the followers and apart from dropping him back it also lost Robert many places.
Unfortunately then it became somewhat of a procession and it appears to me the drivers appeared to be driving very conservatively to protect their tyres and fuel loads. I sincerely hope this is not the case or this season could become a Fernando benefit.
So Sebastian held his lead followed by Fernando, Felipe, Nico, Lewis, Michael, Jenson and Mark but not particularly close and not really competing with each other. At the first tyre stop Lewis nipped in front of Nico and that was that done for Lewis but he never really got on terms with Felipe.
At the back we lost the unfortunate Karun Chandruk (HRT Cosworth) after only 1 lap with an accident across the bump, then Lucas di Grassi (Virgin Cosworth) went next. Then came a rash of failures including Kamui 11 Laps (Sauber Ferrari), Vitaly Petrov 13 Laps (Renault), Timo 16 Laps (Virgin Cosworth), Bruno Senna 17 Laps and finally Pedro de la Rosa 28 Laps (Sauber Ferrari).
However, Lotus did a fantastic job in their first GP for many years with both cars there at the finish so well done Heikki and Jarno. Williams also did a great job with Rubens in 10th and Nico Hulkenberg finishing 14th. It is fair to suggest there was more swapping and changing amongst the last 10 on the grid and at times, although we didn't see that much of it, it was quite exciting.
So back to the front and all seemed well but all of a sudden Sebastian started to slow slightly dropping a couple of seconds and it became apparent he had a broken exhaust. So, Fernando pounced into the lead that he was never to lose. Felipe kept in contention as he also passed Sebastian who forlornly pressed on.
I must pay tribute to Felipe as it is fantastic for us all to see him back and to come 2nd in his first race since his tragic accident can only be called fantastic for him, his fans, for us and Ferrari. Well done Felipe and we wish you all the best for the future and in your fight with Fernando.
Then Lewis passed the lonely Sebastian and that was basically the end of the race really albeit Nico was closing fast on Sebastian but all in vain as he failed by a short margin.
All the talk prior to the start was obviously about the comeback king Michael Schumacher and I suppose by his standards he didn't have a good weekend. In this sport the first thing you must do is beat your team mate and he was .5 secs behind Nico Rosberg all weekend.
So the final grid was Fernando (25), Felipe (18), Lewis (15), Sebastian (12), Nico (10), Michael (8), Jenson (6), Mark (4), Vitantonio (2) and last in the top 10 and points scorer Rubens (1).
So what have we learnt from today:
In the top team mate war: Fernando and Felipe very close, Lewis well in front of Jenson, Nico well in front of Michael, Sebastian far in front Mark.
Concern must be expressed about the new tyre and refuelling regulations as it could bring boring racing as the drivers have no alternative but to protect the cars. Engines now have to last 3 races, tyres are more restricted through race day and fuel has obviously to be conserved or the cars wouldn't reach the flag.
So congratulations to Fernando and Felipe and the Ferrari team but let us hope this is not the start of a procession as has happened in the past with Ferrari in Michael's hands!
Thursday, 17 December 2009
F1 Calendar 2010
The 2010 F1 Race Calendar sees 19 races with the introduction of Korea. Also the great news that Silverstone is to retain the British GP for the foreseeable future. The start race for 2010 has also changed to Bahrain and replaces Australia which is now race 2.
So here goes.
12 to 14 March Bahrain GP (Sakhir)
26 to 28 March Australian GP (Melbourne)
2 to 4 April Malaysian GP (Kuala Lumpur)
16 to 18 April Chinese GP (Shanghai)
7 to 9 May Spanish GP (Catalunya)
13 to 16 May Monaco GP (Monte Carlo)
28 to 30 May Turkish GP (Istanbul)
11 to 13 June Canadian GP (Montreal)
25 to 27 June European GP (Valencia)
9 to 11 July British GP (Silverstone)
23 to 25 July German GP (Hockenheim)
20 July to 1 August Hungarian GP (Budapest)
27 to 29 August Belgian GP (Spa-Francorchamps)
10 to 12 September Italian GP (Monza)
24 to 26 September Singapore GP (Singapore)
8 to 10 October Japanese GP (Suzuki)
22 to 24 October Korean GP (Yeongam)
5 to 7 November Brasilian GP (Sau Paolo)
12 to 14 November Abu Dhabi GP (Yas Marina)
Can't wait for the start of the new season as I am bored without the adrenalin rush already.
So here goes.
12 to 14 March Bahrain GP (Sakhir)
26 to 28 March Australian GP (Melbourne)
2 to 4 April Malaysian GP (Kuala Lumpur)
16 to 18 April Chinese GP (Shanghai)
7 to 9 May Spanish GP (Catalunya)
13 to 16 May Monaco GP (Monte Carlo)
28 to 30 May Turkish GP (Istanbul)
11 to 13 June Canadian GP (Montreal)
25 to 27 June European GP (Valencia)
9 to 11 July British GP (Silverstone)
23 to 25 July German GP (Hockenheim)
20 July to 1 August Hungarian GP (Budapest)
27 to 29 August Belgian GP (Spa-Francorchamps)
10 to 12 September Italian GP (Monza)
24 to 26 September Singapore GP (Singapore)
8 to 10 October Japanese GP (Suzuki)
22 to 24 October Korean GP (Yeongam)
5 to 7 November Brasilian GP (Sau Paolo)
12 to 14 November Abu Dhabi GP (Yas Marina)
Can't wait for the start of the new season as I am bored without the adrenalin rush already.
Monday, 27 July 2009
Hungary - The race
So on race day we had no further news about Felipe apart from that he had surgery for his cracked skull and was still in an induced coma. However, when brought out of the coma he was able to recognise his family which is great news.
The grid formed for the race and there was huge anticipation about the KERS on the Mclaren's being able to push them to the front and whilst Lewis launched it to 2nd into the first corner he was passed by Webber as Fernando shot off into the distance. However, a great piece of driving from Lewis soon put him into second and he set off after Fernando.
As Fernando was only fuelled to lap 13 he was really not a threat so had the prospect of a Mclaren victory from early on in the race. Lewis went from strength to strength and once Fernando's first pit stop was completed he was never to be headed.
Sebastian (Vettel) eventually retired his Red Bull and then disaster for Fernando as he felt something wrong with the right front wheel which eventually came off bringing back memories of the Surtees disaster the previous weekend. The news then came that Renault had received a 1 race ban so they will not be in Valencia.
A stirling drive from Kimi kept the Ferrari in 2nd throughout most of the race showing that maybe they are nearer the front again which is great news for the championship. Talking about the championship Jenson was again struggling with tyres and complaining over the radio to the team with Rubens struggling even more finally finishing 1oth and nil point.
So we had Lewis disappearing at the front followed by Kimi, Mark and another stirling drive from Nico. Heikki basically ran in 5th all day but was threatened in the latter stages by Timo in a rapidly closing Toyota. They were followed by Jenson, Jarno, Kazuki and Rubens.
So after an eventful weekend it appears that Brawn have lost something but Mclaren have gained a lot along with Ferrari. It is obviously nice to see a mix of winners and particularly when Lewis is up at the sharp end. Both Williams are now more consistent and the Red Bull's are still up at the front.
The rest of the season now looks very interesting and both Kimi and Lewis could be Jenson's greatest friends by denying the Sebastian & Mark better points in the championship. Martin Whitmarsh must also be thrilled with his first win as CEO and so he should be.
The championship has tightened up with less than 20 points between Jenson (70) and Mark (51.5) who took over 2nd place from Sebastian (47) with Rubens 4th (44), Nico now 5th (25.5) and Trulli 6th (22.5).
I am not suggesting Lewis can win this year but a few more wins with defaults from the major players, he could finish up with a reasonable world champion season. After his start he could do with something to brighten his season. His mood changes completely when given a winning car and let us all wish him well for the rest of the season.
I apologise for copying the following content but I feel in Felipe's situation it is better to print exactly what has been printed on the website.
BBC Forumula 1
The grid formed for the race and there was huge anticipation about the KERS on the Mclaren's being able to push them to the front and whilst Lewis launched it to 2nd into the first corner he was passed by Webber as Fernando shot off into the distance. However, a great piece of driving from Lewis soon put him into second and he set off after Fernando.
As Fernando was only fuelled to lap 13 he was really not a threat so had the prospect of a Mclaren victory from early on in the race. Lewis went from strength to strength and once Fernando's first pit stop was completed he was never to be headed.
Sebastian (Vettel) eventually retired his Red Bull and then disaster for Fernando as he felt something wrong with the right front wheel which eventually came off bringing back memories of the Surtees disaster the previous weekend. The news then came that Renault had received a 1 race ban so they will not be in Valencia.
A stirling drive from Kimi kept the Ferrari in 2nd throughout most of the race showing that maybe they are nearer the front again which is great news for the championship. Talking about the championship Jenson was again struggling with tyres and complaining over the radio to the team with Rubens struggling even more finally finishing 1oth and nil point.
So we had Lewis disappearing at the front followed by Kimi, Mark and another stirling drive from Nico. Heikki basically ran in 5th all day but was threatened in the latter stages by Timo in a rapidly closing Toyota. They were followed by Jenson, Jarno, Kazuki and Rubens.
So after an eventful weekend it appears that Brawn have lost something but Mclaren have gained a lot along with Ferrari. It is obviously nice to see a mix of winners and particularly when Lewis is up at the sharp end. Both Williams are now more consistent and the Red Bull's are still up at the front.
The rest of the season now looks very interesting and both Kimi and Lewis could be Jenson's greatest friends by denying the Sebastian & Mark better points in the championship. Martin Whitmarsh must also be thrilled with his first win as CEO and so he should be.
The championship has tightened up with less than 20 points between Jenson (70) and Mark (51.5) who took over 2nd place from Sebastian (47) with Rubens 4th (44), Nico now 5th (25.5) and Trulli 6th (22.5).
I am not suggesting Lewis can win this year but a few more wins with defaults from the major players, he could finish up with a reasonable world champion season. After his start he could do with something to brighten his season. His mood changes completely when given a winning car and let us all wish him well for the rest of the season.
I apologise for copying the following content but I feel in Felipe's situation it is better to print exactly what has been printed on the website.
BBC Forumula 1
Ferrari's Felipe Massa's condition is "severe but not critical" after surgery on his fractured skull in Hungary.
Surgeon Robert Veres said that Massa, 28, suffered damage to his left eye when he who was hit by a spring from Ruben Barrichello's car on Saturday.
"The immediate life-threatening condition has been averted but a complication could make it life-threatening again," said Veres.
"I am sure (his eye was damaged) but we do not know the extent yet," he added.
Massa, 28, who was hit by a spring from Ruben Barrichello's car on Saturday, is able to communicate "actively" and move his hands and legs but cannot speak.
A Ferrari spokesman said: "Felipe had a quiet night. He is OK, and he is due to have another CT scan today (Monday)."
A Hungarian hospital spokesman said they are "optimistic" that a "slow recovery is beginning".
"He's woken up [from sedation] more often and is able to communicate actively," added Istvan Bocskai, a spokesman for the Hungarian defence ministry, which administers the Budapest hospital where Massa is being treated.
Ferrari president Luca di Montezemolo will fly to the AEK military hospital on Monday to be at Massa's bedside, alongside the driver's father, mother and pregnant wife, who have all flown in from Brazil.
In closing I am sure the above can put at least hope he will return to full fitness.
Thursday, 7 May 2009
Formula 1 Back in Europe
Firstly I would like to pass on my commiserations to Max Mosley after the recent loss of his oldest son, Alexander. Irrelevant of the circumstances it must be a hard time for Max and our thoughts are with him during these difficult times.
Well here we go, the F1 circus comes to Europe for the first time in 09 with this weekends Barcelona GP. The big question on everyone's mind is whether the big four of previous years can come to terms with Brawn, Toyota and Red Bull.
Mclaren seemed to be pinning the breakaway 3 last time out in Bahrain albeit their overall race pace wasn't a match for Brawn, Red Bull and Toyota. They still need more mechanical grip and one cannot believe they are not on the case for this weekend. Whilst they say upgrades have been fitted already I am sure they will find more.
Ferrari have been in the doldrums all season and only narrowly missed its worst start to a GP season with Kimi's 6th in Bahrain. They relied on the success of banning the new diffusers and once that failed they were faced with a complete rebuild. They are to introduce a new update package in Spain which will include a new wing package and of course the thing tried to ban, the new diffuser.
BMW have had a miserable start to 2009 finishing at the back in Bahrain. It is supposedly introducing a major aero update although it states its double decker diffuser won't be available for the weekend. They need a breath of fresh air from somewhere as Heiidfeld and Kubica are not happy with their lot.
Renault will also bring a new aero package to Barcelona along with all the others. After an interim diffuser in China, remember it was flown across in Falvio's jet, it expects further aero parts to be available for Spain.
So, the fight back starts albeit the first 4 races have been and gone. Brawn, Toyota and Red Bull will also be bringing improvements to their cars in Spain so it will have to be a mighty leap from the big 4 of yesteryear to put them in front.
Ross Brawn's pedigree in recent years with Ferrari proves he is a whilly old fox and since the start of the season he has proved he hasn't lost anything after his sabbatical.
We all want to see the 7 teams fighting for supremacy and at least if the big 4 narrow the gap then we are in for some thrilling races for the rest of the season. As the grid is covered by a mere 2 seconds now quali should be very interesting spectacle.
I must also mention the other teams who are sometimes forgotten. I think we all had high hopes for Williams as both Rosberg and Nakajima have the equipment to get it done but almost flatter to deceive. Toro Rosso who have the car to fight at the front albeit Bourdais, who's position is in question, doesn't match Buemi's pace, so far anyway and we are all willing Force India to show progress, not for us but for them.
The next 3 races in Spain, Monaco and Turkey will lay down the gauntlet and by Britain we should know who's got what and why. Lets hope all these bits bring the cars closer together and that we can have some great racing amongst the top teams.
Circuit de Catalunya has a track length of 2.892 miles and with 66 race laps the distance will be 190 miles. The track consists of 16 corners and as the teams do a lot of testing here they should be familiar with the intricacies of the place. There is one thing for certain, downforce is needed here in abundance for the high speed corners.
News stories of the week.
At a World Motor Sport Council meeting last week Tyre Warmers and Refuelling will be outlawed from 2010. This Green incentive will of course encourage engine builders to improve fuel economy all adding to reducing costs in the longer term. The short term cost saving will of course mean teams will not have to carry around expensive refuelling rigs.
As we all by now Mclaren escaped a race ban but have a suspended ban hanging over its head, let's hope they can now keep it clean.
Cost capping has been very much at the front of everyone's mind of late and it appears £40 million is now the target figure. This whole question is very complex and we will have to wait developments as the story roles on.
Whilst F1 doesn't like being mentioned in the same article as A1, I have to mention the achievements of Adam Carroll after winning the A1 champ. His last outing at Brands, the last of the season after Mexico was ruled out because of Swine Flue, saw him with 2 poles and 2 wins outfoxing Switzerland to land the crown. Well done Adam.
Well that's all for now and I look forward to blogging over the weekend.
Well here we go, the F1 circus comes to Europe for the first time in 09 with this weekends Barcelona GP. The big question on everyone's mind is whether the big four of previous years can come to terms with Brawn, Toyota and Red Bull.
Mclaren seemed to be pinning the breakaway 3 last time out in Bahrain albeit their overall race pace wasn't a match for Brawn, Red Bull and Toyota. They still need more mechanical grip and one cannot believe they are not on the case for this weekend. Whilst they say upgrades have been fitted already I am sure they will find more.
Ferrari have been in the doldrums all season and only narrowly missed its worst start to a GP season with Kimi's 6th in Bahrain. They relied on the success of banning the new diffusers and once that failed they were faced with a complete rebuild. They are to introduce a new update package in Spain which will include a new wing package and of course the thing tried to ban, the new diffuser.
BMW have had a miserable start to 2009 finishing at the back in Bahrain. It is supposedly introducing a major aero update although it states its double decker diffuser won't be available for the weekend. They need a breath of fresh air from somewhere as Heiidfeld and Kubica are not happy with their lot.
Renault will also bring a new aero package to Barcelona along with all the others. After an interim diffuser in China, remember it was flown across in Falvio's jet, it expects further aero parts to be available for Spain.
So, the fight back starts albeit the first 4 races have been and gone. Brawn, Toyota and Red Bull will also be bringing improvements to their cars in Spain so it will have to be a mighty leap from the big 4 of yesteryear to put them in front.
Ross Brawn's pedigree in recent years with Ferrari proves he is a whilly old fox and since the start of the season he has proved he hasn't lost anything after his sabbatical.
We all want to see the 7 teams fighting for supremacy and at least if the big 4 narrow the gap then we are in for some thrilling races for the rest of the season. As the grid is covered by a mere 2 seconds now quali should be very interesting spectacle.
I must also mention the other teams who are sometimes forgotten. I think we all had high hopes for Williams as both Rosberg and Nakajima have the equipment to get it done but almost flatter to deceive. Toro Rosso who have the car to fight at the front albeit Bourdais, who's position is in question, doesn't match Buemi's pace, so far anyway and we are all willing Force India to show progress, not for us but for them.
The next 3 races in Spain, Monaco and Turkey will lay down the gauntlet and by Britain we should know who's got what and why. Lets hope all these bits bring the cars closer together and that we can have some great racing amongst the top teams.
Circuit de Catalunya has a track length of 2.892 miles and with 66 race laps the distance will be 190 miles. The track consists of 16 corners and as the teams do a lot of testing here they should be familiar with the intricacies of the place. There is one thing for certain, downforce is needed here in abundance for the high speed corners.
News stories of the week.
At a World Motor Sport Council meeting last week Tyre Warmers and Refuelling will be outlawed from 2010. This Green incentive will of course encourage engine builders to improve fuel economy all adding to reducing costs in the longer term. The short term cost saving will of course mean teams will not have to carry around expensive refuelling rigs.
As we all by now Mclaren escaped a race ban but have a suspended ban hanging over its head, let's hope they can now keep it clean.
Cost capping has been very much at the front of everyone's mind of late and it appears £40 million is now the target figure. This whole question is very complex and we will have to wait developments as the story roles on.
Whilst F1 doesn't like being mentioned in the same article as A1, I have to mention the achievements of Adam Carroll after winning the A1 champ. His last outing at Brands, the last of the season after Mexico was ruled out because of Swine Flue, saw him with 2 poles and 2 wins outfoxing Switzerland to land the crown. Well done Adam.
Well that's all for now and I look forward to blogging over the weekend.
Tuesday, 28 April 2009
Formula 1 Race Results Information
The story behind the Scorpion F1 website section and its involvement with SiriusPro.
My daughter Simone and son-in-law Chris launched SiriusPro some 5 years ago and are web programmers and search engine specialists in the UK and Spain. They produced the Scorpion website and I have had many compliments about its structure, ease of use and content. Through my long term interest in Formula 1 I asked if we could include a section on the site dedicated to F1.
For several years now I have produced a chart showing race by race points for both Drivers and Teams. The chart monitors race by race points, totals to date and retirements as well as grid to flag positions. The analysis is printed out after each race and goes into my car for my many motor racing customer fans. This chart is now available on the Scorpion website for you all to enjoy.
View our comprehensive Formula 1 Race Results Information and keep up to date with the news and data from all this season's formula 1 races.
The website shows race by race points for both drivers and teams as well as a complete schedule for the current season. I update the results shortly after each race and it shows quite clearly the ups and downs for all the drivers. You can now also look at stats from 2006 to monitor the progress of the drivers and teams over the past 4 seasons.
Whilst many sites publish points to date, I personally find it very interesting to look at the progress of drivers and teams as the season progresses. It is also interesting to look at the grid to flag analysis as well as the progression of drivers throughout the race which I call grid movers.
I can tell you at the moment Bourdais has the best grid to flag progression as follows:
This gives him a total of 25 points as I allocate points from 1 to 20 for both race and grid.
I do believe this is the first time anyone has allocated points all the way down the field and it certainly throws up some interesting statistics. Should anyone wish to have a copy of the current standings please drop me an email and I would be happy to let you have a copy.
Formula 1 Race Results: Email
Back to our website which not only shows the full name of the drivers but their race number, tyre choice (which for this season is all Bridgestone anyway), points per race and total to date, retirements, grid position, race laps completed and the fastest lap. As I enter the latest results the positions are adjusted automatically to show the top driver and team.
The 1/2 points allocation for Malaysia didn't help at all but Chris has overcome the 0.5 points entries to reflect that on the site and I can't remember the last time that happened in F1.
To make the site more interesting for F1 fans it has links to the F1 Official website as well as the BBC F1 and ITV F1 sites. The tabs at the bottom of the Scorpion home page also include a link to Formula 1 news by way of keeping us all up to date with current events.
Obviously the site is under constant review to see how we can make it better and one of these days I will have the courage to ask Chris to expand it to contain the more diverse data I produce after each race. It is obviously more difficult on the website than using an Excel spreadsheet but we will get there one day.
I hope you will enjoy the Formula 1 Race Results we have been preparing and please do give us feedback!
My daughter Simone and son-in-law Chris launched SiriusPro some 5 years ago and are web programmers and search engine specialists in the UK and Spain. They produced the Scorpion website and I have had many compliments about its structure, ease of use and content. Through my long term interest in Formula 1 I asked if we could include a section on the site dedicated to F1.
For several years now I have produced a chart showing race by race points for both Drivers and Teams. The chart monitors race by race points, totals to date and retirements as well as grid to flag positions. The analysis is printed out after each race and goes into my car for my many motor racing customer fans. This chart is now available on the Scorpion website for you all to enjoy.
View our comprehensive Formula 1 Race Results Information and keep up to date with the news and data from all this season's formula 1 races.
The website shows race by race points for both drivers and teams as well as a complete schedule for the current season. I update the results shortly after each race and it shows quite clearly the ups and downs for all the drivers. You can now also look at stats from 2006 to monitor the progress of the drivers and teams over the past 4 seasons.
Whilst many sites publish points to date, I personally find it very interesting to look at the progress of drivers and teams as the season progresses. It is also interesting to look at the grid to flag analysis as well as the progression of drivers throughout the race which I call grid movers.
I can tell you at the moment Bourdais has the best grid to flag progression as follows:
- Australia 17th to 8th
- Malaysia 15th to 10th
- China 15th to 11th
- and the last race in Bahrain he went from
- Bahrain 20th to 13th
This gives him a total of 25 points as I allocate points from 1 to 20 for both race and grid.
I do believe this is the first time anyone has allocated points all the way down the field and it certainly throws up some interesting statistics. Should anyone wish to have a copy of the current standings please drop me an email and I would be happy to let you have a copy.
Formula 1 Race Results: Email
Back to our website which not only shows the full name of the drivers but their race number, tyre choice (which for this season is all Bridgestone anyway), points per race and total to date, retirements, grid position, race laps completed and the fastest lap. As I enter the latest results the positions are adjusted automatically to show the top driver and team.
The 1/2 points allocation for Malaysia didn't help at all but Chris has overcome the 0.5 points entries to reflect that on the site and I can't remember the last time that happened in F1.
To make the site more interesting for F1 fans it has links to the F1 Official website as well as the BBC F1 and ITV F1 sites. The tabs at the bottom of the Scorpion home page also include a link to Formula 1 news by way of keeping us all up to date with current events.
Obviously the site is under constant review to see how we can make it better and one of these days I will have the courage to ask Chris to expand it to contain the more diverse data I produce after each race. It is obviously more difficult on the website than using an Excel spreadsheet but we will get there one day.
I hope you will enjoy the Formula 1 Race Results we have been preparing and please do give us feedback!
Monday, 27 April 2009
Bahrain GP
So the F1 circus arrives in the heat and sand of Bahrain for what was to be the hottest and at least dry race of this very wet season to date. The practice days came and went showing several front runners including Toyota, Red Bull and of course those 2 Brawn's. Lewis looked a little happier as his Mclaren seemed a little more on the pace, Ferrari are still off it and one has to question the bullishness of BMW pre season.
The diffuser row was still at the forefront of every ones mind with aggression coming from Renault and Ferrari in particular. When it comes down to it the row is a difference in interpretation of the new regs. I suppose one could suggest those that didn't get it right are bleating because they aren't as quick but the playing field is the same for all.
There are those suggesting Ross should stand down as technical director of FOCA because of his interpretation of the regs but one has to ask what would have happened had the boot been on the other foot. There has to be a school of thought that if the regs didn't make it clear hence creating a grey area there were always going to be differing interpretations.
KERS is also causing a lot of problems but more cars adopted it for Bahrain and certainly Lewis had a benefit out of the box into turn 1. There does seem to be a split in the paddock about the for's and against's of the system and we will have to wait and see as the season goes on. Mclaren appear to have a very stable system but I have no doubt it is the dearest!
So with all the talking over it was down to qualifying on Saturday with anticipation of a very tight fought contest. The Toyota's, Red Bull's and Brawn's were fighting it out for pole but with 2 secs covering the grid it was always going to be tight.
Mark Webber was baulked by Sutil on his last flying lap and so didn't make quali 2 but one has to question the regs allowing a penalty which didn't affect Sutil but yet seriously compromised Mark's entire weekend. Is there not a fairer way than this?
Sutil did find Mark and offer his apology which was a kind thing to do but the affect stays the same. It went to the stewards and Sutil was docked 3 points which put him back to 19th which was no penalty at all. So apart from Mark we lost both Force India's and both Toro Rosso's which sadly for them is the norm.
Into quali 2 and the nerves were tingling as they all launched themselves around Bahrain. What a session we had in the next 15 minutes which seemed more like an hour. The times were spell binding and as the track rubbered in after the rain the times came down and down with the lead constantly changing.
The result of this epic was we had to lose another 5 and those that fell on stony ground were the troubled Nelsinho Piquet who is fighting for his drive, both BMW's, Nakajima and the luckless Kovalinen. However, we at last had both Ferrari's in the top 10 at least looking more competitive.
So the gladiators were assembled for the final 15 mins shoot out for pole and in the heat of Bahrain they were going to earn their coffers. The Toyota's, Brawn's, Red Bull (Vettel) traded places lap after lap but with Lewis never far away.
In the end the Toyota's clinched it with a 1, 2 on the grid but whilst Trulli is a brilliant 1 lap specialist could he retain it through the race? On row 2 Vettel pipped Jenson for 3rd, on row 3 Lewis came in front of Barrichello, on row 4 Alonso nipped in front of Massa and Rosberg did a sterling job to knock Raikkonen down to 10th on row 5.
So the spectacle of the Gulf Air Bahrain Grand Prix in the heat and sand of the desert was set. The Crown Prince was on the grid to support all the teams and he has created a magnificent world stage which F1 is privileged to be a part of. What were the tactics. fuel loads, tyre choices and the rest of the intricacies going to bring?
The start was awaited with anticipation and what a start. The Toyota's got the jump from the front row but with the help of his KERS Lewis made a great start up to third only to make a slight error to allow Jenson back through. The Toyota's seemed to be going into the distance but their strategy let them down again and after the first stop they fell back.
Up front it was Jenson, Sebastian, Lewis, Rubens, Fernando and Kimi fighting it out. Jenson seemed to be in supreme control and with a brilliant Ross Brawn pit stop strategy he seemed to be going away. However, they all had to change to the medium tyres which did not perform as well as the slicks.
It was always the case that any of the top 5 could have won the race but in the end it was Jenson again followed by Sebastian, Jarno after a great recovery drive, Lewis with a great drive and Rubens who wouldn't go away.
There was only one retirement as Nakajima came out with mechanical problems, Felipe had a KERS problem which dropped him down the grid and not able to recover but what about the BMW's in 18th and 19th places, oh dear.
The Toyota's came out with 3rd and 7th so not bad, Fernando finished 8th for a point and at last Ferrari got their first points with Kimi and I am sure a welcome sight. The Ferrari president Luca di Montezemolo is not impressed with his lot and of course blames the new regs which doesn't earn any points. Points make prizes and they are simply not in them at the minute, not enough anyway.
Leaving Bahrain Jenson must think all his birthdays have come at once. He now leads the points with 31 and his nearest rival and some 12 points adrift is his team mate, Rubens. Vettel, Trulli, Glock, Webber and Hamilton follow but Hamilton is only on 9 points with work to do.
Brawn obviously lead the constructors with 50 points and their nearest rival is Red Bull on 27.5 followed very closely by Toyota on 26.5 and then it is Mclaren but only on 13.
So after all the talk about having not tested the Brawn's in a dry race the pundits have been proved wrong. They showed them in Aussie in the fading light, aquaplaned their way through Malaysia and China and then finally showed them in a full dry race in Bahrain.
I think that suggests the car is a championship winning car but once back in Europe the pressure will start to grow as the other teams start to bolt on extra goodies. It is always difficult with the fly away races as the opportunities to develop are limited. Renault even had to remove the seats out of Flavio's jet to get parts to China which shows the seriousness of what is going on.
Mclaren still have their troubles and have to face a council meeting on the 29th relating to liegate in Aussie and we wait with baited breath for the outcome. Let us hope after the 29th the formalities and political infighting go away and we can return to what is an exciting season.
So the first 4 have gone and we are back into Europe and what we have seen so far this season is a testament to the new regs which have created closer and more competitive racing. Bring it on F1 for the rest of the season.
The diffuser row was still at the forefront of every ones mind with aggression coming from Renault and Ferrari in particular. When it comes down to it the row is a difference in interpretation of the new regs. I suppose one could suggest those that didn't get it right are bleating because they aren't as quick but the playing field is the same for all.
There are those suggesting Ross should stand down as technical director of FOCA because of his interpretation of the regs but one has to ask what would have happened had the boot been on the other foot. There has to be a school of thought that if the regs didn't make it clear hence creating a grey area there were always going to be differing interpretations.
KERS is also causing a lot of problems but more cars adopted it for Bahrain and certainly Lewis had a benefit out of the box into turn 1. There does seem to be a split in the paddock about the for's and against's of the system and we will have to wait and see as the season goes on. Mclaren appear to have a very stable system but I have no doubt it is the dearest!
So with all the talking over it was down to qualifying on Saturday with anticipation of a very tight fought contest. The Toyota's, Red Bull's and Brawn's were fighting it out for pole but with 2 secs covering the grid it was always going to be tight.
Mark Webber was baulked by Sutil on his last flying lap and so didn't make quali 2 but one has to question the regs allowing a penalty which didn't affect Sutil but yet seriously compromised Mark's entire weekend. Is there not a fairer way than this?
Sutil did find Mark and offer his apology which was a kind thing to do but the affect stays the same. It went to the stewards and Sutil was docked 3 points which put him back to 19th which was no penalty at all. So apart from Mark we lost both Force India's and both Toro Rosso's which sadly for them is the norm.
Into quali 2 and the nerves were tingling as they all launched themselves around Bahrain. What a session we had in the next 15 minutes which seemed more like an hour. The times were spell binding and as the track rubbered in after the rain the times came down and down with the lead constantly changing.
The result of this epic was we had to lose another 5 and those that fell on stony ground were the troubled Nelsinho Piquet who is fighting for his drive, both BMW's, Nakajima and the luckless Kovalinen. However, we at last had both Ferrari's in the top 10 at least looking more competitive.
So the gladiators were assembled for the final 15 mins shoot out for pole and in the heat of Bahrain they were going to earn their coffers. The Toyota's, Brawn's, Red Bull (Vettel) traded places lap after lap but with Lewis never far away.
In the end the Toyota's clinched it with a 1, 2 on the grid but whilst Trulli is a brilliant 1 lap specialist could he retain it through the race? On row 2 Vettel pipped Jenson for 3rd, on row 3 Lewis came in front of Barrichello, on row 4 Alonso nipped in front of Massa and Rosberg did a sterling job to knock Raikkonen down to 10th on row 5.
So the spectacle of the Gulf Air Bahrain Grand Prix in the heat and sand of the desert was set. The Crown Prince was on the grid to support all the teams and he has created a magnificent world stage which F1 is privileged to be a part of. What were the tactics. fuel loads, tyre choices and the rest of the intricacies going to bring?
The start was awaited with anticipation and what a start. The Toyota's got the jump from the front row but with the help of his KERS Lewis made a great start up to third only to make a slight error to allow Jenson back through. The Toyota's seemed to be going into the distance but their strategy let them down again and after the first stop they fell back.
Up front it was Jenson, Sebastian, Lewis, Rubens, Fernando and Kimi fighting it out. Jenson seemed to be in supreme control and with a brilliant Ross Brawn pit stop strategy he seemed to be going away. However, they all had to change to the medium tyres which did not perform as well as the slicks.
It was always the case that any of the top 5 could have won the race but in the end it was Jenson again followed by Sebastian, Jarno after a great recovery drive, Lewis with a great drive and Rubens who wouldn't go away.
There was only one retirement as Nakajima came out with mechanical problems, Felipe had a KERS problem which dropped him down the grid and not able to recover but what about the BMW's in 18th and 19th places, oh dear.
The Toyota's came out with 3rd and 7th so not bad, Fernando finished 8th for a point and at last Ferrari got their first points with Kimi and I am sure a welcome sight. The Ferrari president Luca di Montezemolo is not impressed with his lot and of course blames the new regs which doesn't earn any points. Points make prizes and they are simply not in them at the minute, not enough anyway.
Leaving Bahrain Jenson must think all his birthdays have come at once. He now leads the points with 31 and his nearest rival and some 12 points adrift is his team mate, Rubens. Vettel, Trulli, Glock, Webber and Hamilton follow but Hamilton is only on 9 points with work to do.
Brawn obviously lead the constructors with 50 points and their nearest rival is Red Bull on 27.5 followed very closely by Toyota on 26.5 and then it is Mclaren but only on 13.
So after all the talk about having not tested the Brawn's in a dry race the pundits have been proved wrong. They showed them in Aussie in the fading light, aquaplaned their way through Malaysia and China and then finally showed them in a full dry race in Bahrain.
I think that suggests the car is a championship winning car but once back in Europe the pressure will start to grow as the other teams start to bolt on extra goodies. It is always difficult with the fly away races as the opportunities to develop are limited. Renault even had to remove the seats out of Flavio's jet to get parts to China which shows the seriousness of what is going on.
Mclaren still have their troubles and have to face a council meeting on the 29th relating to liegate in Aussie and we wait with baited breath for the outcome. Let us hope after the 29th the formalities and political infighting go away and we can return to what is an exciting season.
So the first 4 have gone and we are back into Europe and what we have seen so far this season is a testament to the new regs which have created closer and more competitive racing. Bring it on F1 for the rest of the season.
Sunday, 19 April 2009
F1 2009 - the first 3 races
Well here we go in Melbourne for the first race of the 2009 season. The controversy over diffuser's has created rather a disappointing start with teams like Ferrari objecting in particular to Brawn, Toyota and Williams's interpretation of the 2009 regs. Brawn caused a sensation with pole and 2nd on the grid and it is nice to see Jenson back in a competitive car. The start time of the race caused a few problems with the sun very low but all in all a tremendous result for Ross, Jenson and Rubens. One wonders what Honda are thinking!
So, a fairy tale start to the season and one can only admire Jenson's loyalty to Honda and then Ross Brawn for creating the package and putting his name above the door, well done to all concerned at Brawn GP.
After the race all hell let loose after a race incident under safety car conditions between Lewis and Jarno resulting in a stewards enquiry over 3rd and 4th. It all got very complicated after Lewis and his team manager, Dave Ryan were accused of, in effect lying to the stewards and have now been summoned to a FIA World Motor Sport Council meeting 29 April for bringing the sport into disrepute. The result is that Jarno was promoted back to 3rd and Lewis disqualified.
Well, well, well, off we go again with another Mclaren controversy which is not the best way to start the 2009 season. I am personally not sure why the lies were attempted as Lewis overtook Jarno legitimately after he went off the circuit and then Lewis was advised over the radio to let him by again, but this was an error. However, the stewards have access to the team radio so lying was fruitless. In any case Lewis had at the worst 4th but would have been legitimately promoted back to 3rd under appeal.
The result of all this is Lewis later apologised to the worlds media for lying to the stewards enquiry, Mclaren have sacked Dave Ryan and Ron has finally thrown in the towel to concentrate on the development of a new car in a separate division. One wonders where this is going after 29 April.
So off the F1 circus heads to Malaysia for race 2 the following weekend under somewhat of a cloud. Putting the Mclaren incident aside until after the 29th there was much talk about running the Malaysian GP too late in the day and that proved to be the case, hindsight is a wonderful thing!
Brawn showed Melbourne was no fluke with Jenson once again on pole but Rubens had to take a 5 position drop after gearbox problems in quali. With every sign of rain later the grid went with a real ding dong battle at the front but Jenson was still in the lead when the heavens opened and ski's would have been better than tyres. Ferrari changed Kimi's tyres to full wets too early so when it did rain they were shot, bad call Ferrari.
So out came the safety car and the teams formed back on the grid in no semblance of order awaiting information from Charlie Whiting about what was to happen. The track was flooded and the cars and drivers were to put it mildy, soaked. Kimi had in the meanwhile gone back into the garage and was walking around in a pair of shorts eating an ice cream suggesting maybe he didn't want to go out again!
One strange issue, which I have personally never seen before in 50 years of F1, was the race clock stopped when the initial red flagged came out. Martin Brundle in the com box commented this was strange and as far as he was aware not the correct procedure.
This suggests it was always Charlie Whiting's intention to run the race over its course of either time or laps, however the rule is normally x laps or 2 hours. After what seemed an eternity, discussions between the teams, drivers, stewards and Charlie Whiting the race was finally red flagged and only half points issued. Half points was a shame for Jenson but there was no real alternative as you cannot drive F1 cars with so much standing water as was witnesed when showing the plumes of water coming from the Toyota.
So with the first 2 races completed the order was Jenson (1), Rubens (2), Trulli (3) and Glock (4) so Brawn & Toyota locked out the top 2 for the constructors. Lewis had only 1 point for his Malaysia 7th but Ferrari for the first time since the 80's had no points at all and things were not looking good for them.
KERS has been a new initiative for 09 and there have been many differing thoughts about how useful it is. Yes, it gives another 80 hp when needed but the weight penalty can out weigh the benefit. For instance Nick Heidfeld is running it in his BMW but Robert Kubica isn't as he is much heavier, Kimi has had problems with his setting on fire leaving the paddock a little split on which is the optimum.
My feeling is they should all have to run it or not and then it is fair across the board. Whilst it is seen as a Green initiative the costs are also extreme in these times.
The diffuser legality question went before the FIA International Court of Appeal, 15 April with the following statement "The FIA International Court of Appeal has decided to deny the appeals submitted against decisions numbered 16 to 24 taken by the Panel of the Stewards on 26 March at the 2009 Grand Prix of Australia and counting towards the 2009 FIA Formula One World Championship.
Based on the arguments heard and evidence before it, the Court has concluded that the Stewards were correct to find that the cars in question comply with the applicable regulations"
Well at least that is over and some of the teams, including Ferrari are now faced with a complete redesign of the car to gain the half second advantage supposedly given by the 2 plane rear diffuser. My feeling is the cars should be submitted to the stewards prior to the race season and any issues relating the the regs settled at that point.
Off the circus went to China for race 3, April 19 and a 2 week break this time with Brawn the most talked about team in the paddock. It was always obvious to me Ross Brawn would do something spectacular for 2009 as his talent personifies.
The 09 grid has been turned upside down with the new regs and the front running teams are Brawn, Red Bull, Williams and Toyota. With the 20 car grid covered by a mere 2 seconds it is for all to fight for.
China saw the emergence of Red Bull and after a 2 week break many of the cars had modified bits on them including Mclaren, Renault and most teams dropped KERS including Ferrari. After a tremendous quali Vettel was on pole with a light fueled Alonso on the front row with him. Following onward it was Webber (3), Rubens (4) and Jenson (5) with Lewis only in 9th.
The race started in the rain under the safety car on full wets and that alone spoiled Alonso's race with his light fuel load. So on lap 4 the cars were released from behind the safety car and it was race on with plumes of water for all to see. The drivers really earn their money under these conditions as visibility was certainly at a premium.
All the drivers stuck to the full wets and that didn't really change apart from Rosberg who tried inters later in the race but to no avail.
Vettel led from pole and never relinquished it leaving it to Webber to fight latterly with Jenson over 2nd and 3rd. There were some interesting battles mid field with Glock, Trulli, Raikkonen, Kovalinen and Lewis.
Massa was more competitive but eventually his car died with water inhalation and he just spluttered to a halt. Another disastrous weekend for Ferrari as Kimi could not get into the points either. Lewis had a spirited drive going off at least three times in the very wet conditions and then climbing back up the field. For once he finished 6th behind his team make Kovalinen.
So after 2 fairy tale races for Brawn GP we now had the second fairy tale of the season as Red Bull won their first GP and a1, 2 as Webber came in 2nd. Christian Horner should also be very proud of the achievement and what must DC be thinking from the com box?
The 3rd Red Bull (Toro Rosso) also added to the joy with Buemi coming in 8th for the last point. Whilst Brawn didn't do as well it is all relative as they did come in 3rd (Jenson) and 4th with both of them still heading the drivers championship.
So we leave China behind with top teams like Ferrari, BMW and Renault with a lot of work to do before the 4th fly away race in Bahrain, April 26, only a week away. After Bahrain it is back into Europe for the first time and we all look forward to Barcelona 10th May.
For those of you who like to keep in touch with F1 please go to my website (www.scorpion-eph.co.uk) and click on the Formula 1 tab at the base of the home page. There you will find race by race points allocation with a compilation of the season to date.
I produce a separate Excel analysis after each race and should you want a copy please email me at peter@scorpion-eph.co.uk and I will email you one with pleasure.
Can't wait for Bahrain and let the season continue with exciting racing and different winners so we armchair viewers can enjoy competitive racing. I personally can't wait for Mclaren, Ferrari and BMW to get back to the front and then we could then be in for a real battle.
So, a fairy tale start to the season and one can only admire Jenson's loyalty to Honda and then Ross Brawn for creating the package and putting his name above the door, well done to all concerned at Brawn GP.
After the race all hell let loose after a race incident under safety car conditions between Lewis and Jarno resulting in a stewards enquiry over 3rd and 4th. It all got very complicated after Lewis and his team manager, Dave Ryan were accused of, in effect lying to the stewards and have now been summoned to a FIA World Motor Sport Council meeting 29 April for bringing the sport into disrepute. The result is that Jarno was promoted back to 3rd and Lewis disqualified.
Well, well, well, off we go again with another Mclaren controversy which is not the best way to start the 2009 season. I am personally not sure why the lies were attempted as Lewis overtook Jarno legitimately after he went off the circuit and then Lewis was advised over the radio to let him by again, but this was an error. However, the stewards have access to the team radio so lying was fruitless. In any case Lewis had at the worst 4th but would have been legitimately promoted back to 3rd under appeal.
The result of all this is Lewis later apologised to the worlds media for lying to the stewards enquiry, Mclaren have sacked Dave Ryan and Ron has finally thrown in the towel to concentrate on the development of a new car in a separate division. One wonders where this is going after 29 April.
So off the F1 circus heads to Malaysia for race 2 the following weekend under somewhat of a cloud. Putting the Mclaren incident aside until after the 29th there was much talk about running the Malaysian GP too late in the day and that proved to be the case, hindsight is a wonderful thing!
Brawn showed Melbourne was no fluke with Jenson once again on pole but Rubens had to take a 5 position drop after gearbox problems in quali. With every sign of rain later the grid went with a real ding dong battle at the front but Jenson was still in the lead when the heavens opened and ski's would have been better than tyres. Ferrari changed Kimi's tyres to full wets too early so when it did rain they were shot, bad call Ferrari.
So out came the safety car and the teams formed back on the grid in no semblance of order awaiting information from Charlie Whiting about what was to happen. The track was flooded and the cars and drivers were to put it mildy, soaked. Kimi had in the meanwhile gone back into the garage and was walking around in a pair of shorts eating an ice cream suggesting maybe he didn't want to go out again!
One strange issue, which I have personally never seen before in 50 years of F1, was the race clock stopped when the initial red flagged came out. Martin Brundle in the com box commented this was strange and as far as he was aware not the correct procedure.
This suggests it was always Charlie Whiting's intention to run the race over its course of either time or laps, however the rule is normally x laps or 2 hours. After what seemed an eternity, discussions between the teams, drivers, stewards and Charlie Whiting the race was finally red flagged and only half points issued. Half points was a shame for Jenson but there was no real alternative as you cannot drive F1 cars with so much standing water as was witnesed when showing the plumes of water coming from the Toyota.
So with the first 2 races completed the order was Jenson (1), Rubens (2), Trulli (3) and Glock (4) so Brawn & Toyota locked out the top 2 for the constructors. Lewis had only 1 point for his Malaysia 7th but Ferrari for the first time since the 80's had no points at all and things were not looking good for them.
KERS has been a new initiative for 09 and there have been many differing thoughts about how useful it is. Yes, it gives another 80 hp when needed but the weight penalty can out weigh the benefit. For instance Nick Heidfeld is running it in his BMW but Robert Kubica isn't as he is much heavier, Kimi has had problems with his setting on fire leaving the paddock a little split on which is the optimum.
My feeling is they should all have to run it or not and then it is fair across the board. Whilst it is seen as a Green initiative the costs are also extreme in these times.
The diffuser legality question went before the FIA International Court of Appeal, 15 April with the following statement "The FIA International Court of Appeal has decided to deny the appeals submitted against decisions numbered 16 to 24 taken by the Panel of the Stewards on 26 March at the 2009 Grand Prix of Australia and counting towards the 2009 FIA Formula One World Championship.
Based on the arguments heard and evidence before it, the Court has concluded that the Stewards were correct to find that the cars in question comply with the applicable regulations"
Well at least that is over and some of the teams, including Ferrari are now faced with a complete redesign of the car to gain the half second advantage supposedly given by the 2 plane rear diffuser. My feeling is the cars should be submitted to the stewards prior to the race season and any issues relating the the regs settled at that point.
Off the circus went to China for race 3, April 19 and a 2 week break this time with Brawn the most talked about team in the paddock. It was always obvious to me Ross Brawn would do something spectacular for 2009 as his talent personifies.
The 09 grid has been turned upside down with the new regs and the front running teams are Brawn, Red Bull, Williams and Toyota. With the 20 car grid covered by a mere 2 seconds it is for all to fight for.
China saw the emergence of Red Bull and after a 2 week break many of the cars had modified bits on them including Mclaren, Renault and most teams dropped KERS including Ferrari. After a tremendous quali Vettel was on pole with a light fueled Alonso on the front row with him. Following onward it was Webber (3), Rubens (4) and Jenson (5) with Lewis only in 9th.
The race started in the rain under the safety car on full wets and that alone spoiled Alonso's race with his light fuel load. So on lap 4 the cars were released from behind the safety car and it was race on with plumes of water for all to see. The drivers really earn their money under these conditions as visibility was certainly at a premium.
All the drivers stuck to the full wets and that didn't really change apart from Rosberg who tried inters later in the race but to no avail.
Vettel led from pole and never relinquished it leaving it to Webber to fight latterly with Jenson over 2nd and 3rd. There were some interesting battles mid field with Glock, Trulli, Raikkonen, Kovalinen and Lewis.
Massa was more competitive but eventually his car died with water inhalation and he just spluttered to a halt. Another disastrous weekend for Ferrari as Kimi could not get into the points either. Lewis had a spirited drive going off at least three times in the very wet conditions and then climbing back up the field. For once he finished 6th behind his team make Kovalinen.
So after 2 fairy tale races for Brawn GP we now had the second fairy tale of the season as Red Bull won their first GP and a1, 2 as Webber came in 2nd. Christian Horner should also be very proud of the achievement and what must DC be thinking from the com box?
The 3rd Red Bull (Toro Rosso) also added to the joy with Buemi coming in 8th for the last point. Whilst Brawn didn't do as well it is all relative as they did come in 3rd (Jenson) and 4th with both of them still heading the drivers championship.
So we leave China behind with top teams like Ferrari, BMW and Renault with a lot of work to do before the 4th fly away race in Bahrain, April 26, only a week away. After Bahrain it is back into Europe for the first time and we all look forward to Barcelona 10th May.
For those of you who like to keep in touch with F1 please go to my website (www.scorpion-eph.co.uk) and click on the Formula 1 tab at the base of the home page. There you will find race by race points allocation with a compilation of the season to date.
I produce a separate Excel analysis after each race and should you want a copy please email me at peter@scorpion-eph.co.uk and I will email you one with pleasure.
Can't wait for Bahrain and let the season continue with exciting racing and different winners so we armchair viewers can enjoy competitive racing. I personally can't wait for Mclaren, Ferrari and BMW to get back to the front and then we could then be in for a real battle.
Thursday, 27 November 2008
Lewis Hamilton - F1 World Champion 2008
I have been a keen follower of F1 since the days of Stirling Moss, Graham Hill, Jackie Stewart, Alan Jones, Jody Sheckter, Nicki Lauder, Keke Rosberg and the rest of course including our home grown world champions James Hunt, Nigel Mansell and prior to Lewis our last world champion Damon Hill.
Lewis has risen to the highest levels of F1 through his involvement and sponsorship by Mclaren. From Karting, to the lower formulas and onto GP2 he showed immense talent and an eagerness to win each time out.
Under the careful wing of Ron Dennis he has been transformed into a huge talent and at his tender age thankfully will be there for many years to come.
I have to be honest when I say I never looked upon him as a coloured driver only a British talent. However, he has been compared with the great Tiger Woods who both share immense talent in their fields. It has also been suggested he will be the first £billion racing driver as the rewards at the top level these days are immense.
Having narrowly missed the championship in 2007 he came back in 2008 to redress the balance with avengance but had it not been for Glock's dry tyres in wet conditions in Brazil and passing him 15 seconds before the flag the dream would have gone away.
The MP24-23 performed well all year but still Lewis has a problem with the front tyres being the same as in '07. The team must also sharpen their act with bad decision making in and around pit stops. They took control of the race in Brazil and once again nearly lost Lewis the title with bad decisions for the tyre change.
The new Vodaphone Mclaren Mercedes 2009 car will be completely different with its narrow wings, slick tyres and the new KERS system which we can only hope will work for all the cars or the season could be a damp squib.
It will obviously take a time for all the cars to settle down once the season starts and lets hope Mclaren don't take long about it.
We can all only hope the Credit Crunch does not affect the future of the sport and major efforts are in place to reduce costs across the field. The deal between Mclaren and Force India will bring them up the grid and with only a second between first and last every 10th counts on the way.
Lewis has risen to the highest levels of F1 through his involvement and sponsorship by Mclaren. From Karting, to the lower formulas and onto GP2 he showed immense talent and an eagerness to win each time out.
Under the careful wing of Ron Dennis he has been transformed into a huge talent and at his tender age thankfully will be there for many years to come.
I have to be honest when I say I never looked upon him as a coloured driver only a British talent. However, he has been compared with the great Tiger Woods who both share immense talent in their fields. It has also been suggested he will be the first £billion racing driver as the rewards at the top level these days are immense.
Having narrowly missed the championship in 2007 he came back in 2008 to redress the balance with avengance but had it not been for Glock's dry tyres in wet conditions in Brazil and passing him 15 seconds before the flag the dream would have gone away.
The MP24-23 performed well all year but still Lewis has a problem with the front tyres being the same as in '07. The team must also sharpen their act with bad decision making in and around pit stops. They took control of the race in Brazil and once again nearly lost Lewis the title with bad decisions for the tyre change.
The new Vodaphone Mclaren Mercedes 2009 car will be completely different with its narrow wings, slick tyres and the new KERS system which we can only hope will work for all the cars or the season could be a damp squib.
It will obviously take a time for all the cars to settle down once the season starts and lets hope Mclaren don't take long about it.
We can all only hope the Credit Crunch does not affect the future of the sport and major efforts are in place to reduce costs across the field. The deal between Mclaren and Force India will bring them up the grid and with only a second between first and last every 10th counts on the way.
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