Good morning everybody and welcome to the heat and humidity (69%) in Malaysia and as always the threat of rain being anticipated at the end of the session. HRT are under pressure to perform and as we know in Australia they didn't beat the 107% rule and hence didn't get into the race.
Renault have struggled this weekend and a suspension failure hindered their weekend running. Ferrari are also struggling as they simply can't find the set up. For whatever reason they say they have lost pace since winter testing and don't know where the problem is so they are in damage limitation in the early part of the season.
Sauber had an unfortunate end to the race in Melbourne as it was deemed their rear spoiler top section was outside the parameters. This means both cars were disqualified which was a great shame particularly for new boy Perez who drove a brilliant race without a tyre stop.
It is going to be interesting to see whether Red Bull deploy KERS and Christian Horner confirmed they are running the system on the car this weekend. As if they aren't fast enough they now have a further 10 to 15 bhp and that will be significant. Ferrari were also off the pace in Friday running and couldn't get the car hooked up and ran in the low end of the top ten.
The first stoppage in quali one came as Sebastian Buemi lost the side pod on his Torro Rosso and the session was Red flagged whilst the offending piece of bodywork was collected. Teams are now under pressure to qualify after the interuption and many will have lost a set of tyres.
In the early running Lewis headed the times but that isn't really significant as all they are doing at this stage is moving through the three sessions whilst targetting pole. Red Bull didn't pull out any stops in Q1 finishing tenth (SB) and fifteenth (MW) as Felipe headed the times but not really significant at this early stage.
All teams ran under the 107% rule so at least we have a twenty four car grid for the race on Sunday. Red Bull didn't report any problems for Mark, they simply couldn't get the car set up on the different tyre / fuel combination albeit a full second behind Sebastian.
As there is a full second difference between the hard and soft tyres and all of a sudden Sebastian shot into the 1.35's but then Jenson shot it up to the front with a mid 1.35 and some half a second quicker than the Red Bull's.
After initial running it is the top 3 teams occupying the first six places and that is one has to say quite normal. All of a sudden both Renault's shot up into the top six and this looks very interesting for tomorrow's race. With only seconds left both Mclaren's led the field with Jenson in front of Lewis for a change.
We lost Michael and Rubens going into Q3 so Nico led his more illustrious team mate once again. So the fight for pole looks very interesting with the Mclaren's, Ferrari's, Red Bull's and Renault's fighting for P1. So we all ask when are Red Bull going to launch to the front.
So ten minutes to find the pole sitter and Lewis was the first out on soft tyres followed by Jenson. Lewis launches himself into his first lap with DRS and KERS in full chat and puts in a staggering 1.35.000 flat, incredible. He was followed by Sebastian, Mark & Jenson after the initial running with only three tenths covering them.
It appears only two of the teams are running twice with the rest only having one run. What a finish to the session but Sebastian pipped Lewis by such a small margin as it was measured in thousands of a second. So we had Sebastian in pole by a tenth followed by Lewis, Mark, Jenson, Fernando, Nick, Felipe, Vitaly, Nico and Kamui coming in tenth.
We have a real prospect for tomorrow as the difference in times really mean little over a race distance. What is interesting is both red Bull's were running KERS and our concerns about them running away at the front isn't materialising.
We all look forward to the race tomorrow.
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Showing posts with label mclaren. Show all posts
Showing posts with label mclaren. Show all posts
Saturday, 9 April 2011
Sunday, 27 March 2011
F1 Australia - The Race
It's good to be back in Melbourne and the stage for the first F1 race of the 2010 season. This season we have five world champions on the grid, Sebastian, Jenson, Lewis, Michael & Fernando and they are the cream of the crop. We all hope Mark can have an impact this season after being so close in 2010.
There remains one unanswered question, who is going to fight at the front with Red Bull as we certainly don't want a procession as we have had in the past. Hopefully the new form at Mclaren will keep both drivers up there, surely Ferrari are going to fight at the front, Mercedes are showing signs of being competitive and Renault also seem to have a good car from the start.
The new DRS (Drag Reduction System) will make a huge difference on the straights and at tracks like Monza, Silverstone and Spa it will be interesting to see the speeds they can achieve. The problem for the drivers is they have to be careful when they open up the rear spoiler as it obviously affect balance as we saw in quali yesterday as Adrian Sutil came onto the start/finish straight.
KERS is also back and the teams all seem to have problems one way or another and even Mclaren who seemed to perfect it had issues in Q3 yesterday and when it doesn't work it affects brake balance too. Red Bull didn't use it yesterday and amazing that they can throw away eighty horse power and still put in the stunning laps they do.
So new technology, new tyres, five world champions, four new drivers and it is all in place for the 2011 season but Sebastian's mighty lap yesterday doesn't bode well for the others. However, race pace is always different to qualifying pace, or let us all hope that is the case.
Prior to the start all the drivers and teams came to the front of the grid for a special one minute silence for the poor people in Japan after the earthquake and tsunami and others around the world less fortunate.
We all welcome David Coulthard to the commentary team along with Martin Brundle but we must all have noticed Bernie is missing, which is most unusual as he is in America discussing a new street race so we all wish him well with that.
As I mentioned yesterday during qualifying the track doesn't appear to rubber in like most circuits but it is a temporary circuit and normal roads when the Grand Prix has finished. There are also some support races here from Thursday onwards which is also unusual.
Most cars start the race on the soft tyres and of course on full tanks. So 17000 horsepower launches off the grid and Lewis didn't get a good start but he did retain his second place in front of Mark but Jenson lost two places, Michael lost a tyre completely after a puncture, Felipe shot up into fourth but Sebastian opened two seconds plus at the front which is bad news.
Up at the front Sebastian was still out front but Lewis is homing in followed by Mark, Vitaly and Felipe in a tremendous scrap with Jenson and Fernando is about to join then on lap eleven. The tyres are already going off and then all of a sudden Jenson shot past Felipe but not on the circuit and then when Fernando went past Felipe the question is whether Jenson had to let them go past.
To then add further confusion Ferrari pitted and it was then down to the stewards to decide what the position is. In the meanwhile cars were in for the first tyre change of the 2011 season and the leader stopped on lap fifteen. However, Lewis didn't and if he can do a fast lap he could pip Sebastian after his tyre stop.
After the pit stops it hadn't worked and Sebastian extended his lead out to six plus seconds and appears to be moving away. Mercedes are not doing well on lap twenty one with Nico down in eighth and Michael way down in twentieth.
Michael then retired with a technical failure, Rubens is now making headway up in ninth and closing in on Nico but he attacked and spun around and dropped back down to fifteenth. Nico then had smoke pouring from his Mercedes and it looks like both Merc's are out. That bodes well for Jenson as it moves into the points in eighth.
Mark doesn't seem to have the pace and comes in for his second tyre stop at the end of lap twenty six setting the mould for a three stop strategy. The new boy Paul Di Resta is doing a good job in his first race in eleventh and maybe he can get a point and Vitaly is still driving well still in third.
It will be fascinating to see how the tyre stops play out over the last few laps as there is so much difference between new and used tyres. Lewis then went off as his front under tray broke and we will await how it affects the car but still running in P2. The under tray is catching onto the floor and that will slow him down.
Sebastian came in on lap thirty seven followed by Lewis who doesn't seem to be affected by his floor problem. Sebastian in the meanwhile was still holding his lead to Lewis at now around twelve seconds and looks supreme out in front. Jenson then changed tyres on lap thirty eight in a meteoric stop in only 3.8 seconds.
A good scrap developed between Mark and Fernando and even with DRS Fernando struggled to get close enough to go by. Then Mark pitted on lap forty two and Fernando must have sighed as he now had a clear track. Fernando then pitted and his extra lap put him out in front of Mark whilst rookie Sergio Perez in his Sauber was driving brilliantly and starting to attack Jenson.
As we enter the last ten laps it will be interesting to see how the tyre strategies play out with some on hard and others on soft compounds. Jenson moved past Felipe into sixth although he went in for his last tyre stop. Meanwhile Perez in his Sauber was driving brilliantly and now in seventh but with only one pit stop.
At the flag the top ten were: Sebastian, Lewis, Vitaly, Fernando, Mark, Jenson, Sergio, Kamui, Felipe and Sebastien (B). So eventually nobody could match Sebastian in his Red Bull albeit Lewis did have a damaged car running to the end.
Pirelli appear to have done a good job and the last ten lap tyre issues didn't develop. Some great drives through the field including Sergio Perez, Paul Di Resta and Vitaly finishing third for his first podium.
Not a great race but a good start to the 2011 season and we await higher levels of competitive racing during the season. There is some debate as to whether Lewis's car will pass scrutineering which would be a shame.
So we start off as we finished last season with Red Bull. with at least one car way ahead and let us all hope Lewis and his Mclaren particularly are able start to fight harder up at the front. The new Renault also seems to be competitive after a great drive by Vitaly and one has to ask what would have happened if the injured Robert Kubica.
Lewis and Jenson must be satisfied with their performance after the initial running in pre-season testing.
We look forward to the next race in two weeks in Malaysia.
There remains one unanswered question, who is going to fight at the front with Red Bull as we certainly don't want a procession as we have had in the past. Hopefully the new form at Mclaren will keep both drivers up there, surely Ferrari are going to fight at the front, Mercedes are showing signs of being competitive and Renault also seem to have a good car from the start.
The new DRS (Drag Reduction System) will make a huge difference on the straights and at tracks like Monza, Silverstone and Spa it will be interesting to see the speeds they can achieve. The problem for the drivers is they have to be careful when they open up the rear spoiler as it obviously affect balance as we saw in quali yesterday as Adrian Sutil came onto the start/finish straight.
KERS is also back and the teams all seem to have problems one way or another and even Mclaren who seemed to perfect it had issues in Q3 yesterday and when it doesn't work it affects brake balance too. Red Bull didn't use it yesterday and amazing that they can throw away eighty horse power and still put in the stunning laps they do.
So new technology, new tyres, five world champions, four new drivers and it is all in place for the 2011 season but Sebastian's mighty lap yesterday doesn't bode well for the others. However, race pace is always different to qualifying pace, or let us all hope that is the case.
Prior to the start all the drivers and teams came to the front of the grid for a special one minute silence for the poor people in Japan after the earthquake and tsunami and others around the world less fortunate.
We all welcome David Coulthard to the commentary team along with Martin Brundle but we must all have noticed Bernie is missing, which is most unusual as he is in America discussing a new street race so we all wish him well with that.
As I mentioned yesterday during qualifying the track doesn't appear to rubber in like most circuits but it is a temporary circuit and normal roads when the Grand Prix has finished. There are also some support races here from Thursday onwards which is also unusual.
Most cars start the race on the soft tyres and of course on full tanks. So 17000 horsepower launches off the grid and Lewis didn't get a good start but he did retain his second place in front of Mark but Jenson lost two places, Michael lost a tyre completely after a puncture, Felipe shot up into fourth but Sebastian opened two seconds plus at the front which is bad news.
Up at the front Sebastian was still out front but Lewis is homing in followed by Mark, Vitaly and Felipe in a tremendous scrap with Jenson and Fernando is about to join then on lap eleven. The tyres are already going off and then all of a sudden Jenson shot past Felipe but not on the circuit and then when Fernando went past Felipe the question is whether Jenson had to let them go past.
To then add further confusion Ferrari pitted and it was then down to the stewards to decide what the position is. In the meanwhile cars were in for the first tyre change of the 2011 season and the leader stopped on lap fifteen. However, Lewis didn't and if he can do a fast lap he could pip Sebastian after his tyre stop.
After the pit stops it hadn't worked and Sebastian extended his lead out to six plus seconds and appears to be moving away. Mercedes are not doing well on lap twenty one with Nico down in eighth and Michael way down in twentieth.
Michael then retired with a technical failure, Rubens is now making headway up in ninth and closing in on Nico but he attacked and spun around and dropped back down to fifteenth. Nico then had smoke pouring from his Mercedes and it looks like both Merc's are out. That bodes well for Jenson as it moves into the points in eighth.
Mark doesn't seem to have the pace and comes in for his second tyre stop at the end of lap twenty six setting the mould for a three stop strategy. The new boy Paul Di Resta is doing a good job in his first race in eleventh and maybe he can get a point and Vitaly is still driving well still in third.
It will be fascinating to see how the tyre stops play out over the last few laps as there is so much difference between new and used tyres. Lewis then went off as his front under tray broke and we will await how it affects the car but still running in P2. The under tray is catching onto the floor and that will slow him down.
Sebastian came in on lap thirty seven followed by Lewis who doesn't seem to be affected by his floor problem. Sebastian in the meanwhile was still holding his lead to Lewis at now around twelve seconds and looks supreme out in front. Jenson then changed tyres on lap thirty eight in a meteoric stop in only 3.8 seconds.
A good scrap developed between Mark and Fernando and even with DRS Fernando struggled to get close enough to go by. Then Mark pitted on lap forty two and Fernando must have sighed as he now had a clear track. Fernando then pitted and his extra lap put him out in front of Mark whilst rookie Sergio Perez in his Sauber was driving brilliantly and starting to attack Jenson.
As we enter the last ten laps it will be interesting to see how the tyre strategies play out with some on hard and others on soft compounds. Jenson moved past Felipe into sixth although he went in for his last tyre stop. Meanwhile Perez in his Sauber was driving brilliantly and now in seventh but with only one pit stop.
At the flag the top ten were: Sebastian, Lewis, Vitaly, Fernando, Mark, Jenson, Sergio, Kamui, Felipe and Sebastien (B). So eventually nobody could match Sebastian in his Red Bull albeit Lewis did have a damaged car running to the end.
Pirelli appear to have done a good job and the last ten lap tyre issues didn't develop. Some great drives through the field including Sergio Perez, Paul Di Resta and Vitaly finishing third for his first podium.
Not a great race but a good start to the 2011 season and we await higher levels of competitive racing during the season. There is some debate as to whether Lewis's car will pass scrutineering which would be a shame.
So we start off as we finished last season with Red Bull. with at least one car way ahead and let us all hope Lewis and his Mclaren particularly are able start to fight harder up at the front. The new Renault also seems to be competitive after a great drive by Vitaly and one has to ask what would have happened if the injured Robert Kubica.
Lewis and Jenson must be satisfied with their performance after the initial running in pre-season testing.
We look forward to the next race in two weeks in Malaysia.
Sunday, 14 November 2010
F1 Abu Dhabi -The race for the championship
Welcome back to the Yas Marina circuit in Abu Dhabi after a thrilling qualifying yesterday when Sebastian once again took pole with a fantastic lap.
As I said in qualifying yesterday the permutations are endless but one thing is for certain Lewis is targetting winning the race and the first corner will be very interesting. Of the first four Mark is in the worst position starting fifth and he simply has to pass Fernando to have any chance at all of winning the championship.
Red Bull have said they will "allow" Mark to pass Sebastian if he can win and Sebastian can't as the race unfolds. All the talk about we are racing for the team maybe put into question today if Mark can win and Sebastian can't but he is in front, hmmm.
Both Mclaren drivers are racing for maximum points for the team and the gap between themselves and Ferrari stands at thirty points going into the race and Mclaren seem to have second place in the bag if they can score at least some points. Whilst Lewis has a chance of the championship it is really out of reach.
According to Martin on his usual grid walk there are three hundred plus permutations as to who can win but at the end of the day it is now down to basically six drivers on the front three rows of the grid.
The grid walk was chaos with Kings, Queens, World Leaders from a host of countries and of course our Bernie and he has so much respect from the world's countries he can encourage major sponsors into the sport.
After eighteen races the tension on the grid is immense particularly for Red Bull and whilst Christian Horner says it is just another race that is bull****. The outcome of today will crown the 2010 world champion and there can be no higher accolade in the world of motor sport.
The track temperature as the cars leave the gird is thirty three with air temperature of twenty nine. The talking is now over and with fifty five laps round this 3.7 mile circuit this is going to be a thrilling spectacle.
Dusk looms over the circuit and the flood lights come on, hearts are pumping, revs are rising and Charlie sits above the grid and there off. What a dramatic start as Jenson jumped straight into second and whilst had a go at Fernando he dropped into third.
Then as the two Mercedes cars of Nico and Michael came together, Michael spun out and as Vitantonio came around completely unsighted launched himself over the top of Michael and both were obviously out. Out came the safety car for the first time today and that can change things as some cars came in to make their compulsory tyre change including Nico's Mercedes.
As the race unfolds the early tyre changes of Nico and Vitaly are coming play as Fernando is stuck behind Vitaly and the middle field runners are suffering. Lewis then pits on lap twenty four with Fernando still down in twelfth. Lewis dropped down to behind Robert and he simply has to pass him.
As it stands on lap twenty five Sebastian is leading the championship and after his tyre stop he came out putting Kamui and Robert between himself and Lewis. It is now getting tense amongst the top three as Jenson is lapping quicker than all of them as his fuel load drops and he has yet to stop.
Fernando is still stuck behind Vitaly who is driving brilliantly but affecting both Fernando and Mark who is still running twelfth and really not working out for him. Jenson is till running first and driving brilliantly and trying to take second in front of Lewis and maybe attack Sebastian if he can force the gap before his tyre stop.
Jenson was still on the super softs which aren't supposed to run that far into the race as he has now completed thirty seven laps. He eventually pits on lap forty and he comes out behind Lewis so the extended run on the soft tyres didn't work. Sebastian then went through in the lead and and on his way on lap forty one to the championship title.
Robert has still not stopped on lap forty three and frustrating Lewis and Jenson even though he has to stop make his compulsory stop to ensure he uses both sets of tyres.
After all the talk about swapping drivers around Sebastian went out into the lead straight away and he never looked as though he was to be headed and drove to the world championship and takes the accolade of being the youngest ever driver to win the highest accolade in motor sport.
Lewis came in second followed closely by Jenson and a fabulous one, two. The jubilation on the pit wall was a sight to behold and if any team knows how to party it is Red Bull. On his closing down lap Sebastian was quite rightly crying in the car as Christian Horner announced his championship over the radio.
On the winding down lap we saw Fernando shacking a closed fist at Vitaly for losing him the world championship and what on earth did Fernando expect him to do. He was behind Vitaly but he still had to pass Robert and Nico anyway. Sorry Fernando that was out of order, you lost because Ferrari got it wrong on the day.
Through the very smart line up of young ladies the top three drivers on the day progressed to the podium and there was a lovely atmosphere between the three drivers who are of course world champions over the past three years.
So as we leave Abu Dhabi and the final race of the 2010 season it is euphoria at Red Bull having taken both the Drivers and Constructors championships, the most iconic in the world of motor sport. Mclaren take second in the Constructors championship and a great season for both Lewis (fourth) and Jenson (fifth).
Fernando had a frustrating day but finished second only four points behind Sebastian and Mark also had a frustrating day behind Fernando and finally finished third in the championship.
As I said in qualifying yesterday the permutations are endless but one thing is for certain Lewis is targetting winning the race and the first corner will be very interesting. Of the first four Mark is in the worst position starting fifth and he simply has to pass Fernando to have any chance at all of winning the championship.
Red Bull have said they will "allow" Mark to pass Sebastian if he can win and Sebastian can't as the race unfolds. All the talk about we are racing for the team maybe put into question today if Mark can win and Sebastian can't but he is in front, hmmm.
Both Mclaren drivers are racing for maximum points for the team and the gap between themselves and Ferrari stands at thirty points going into the race and Mclaren seem to have second place in the bag if they can score at least some points. Whilst Lewis has a chance of the championship it is really out of reach.
According to Martin on his usual grid walk there are three hundred plus permutations as to who can win but at the end of the day it is now down to basically six drivers on the front three rows of the grid.
The grid walk was chaos with Kings, Queens, World Leaders from a host of countries and of course our Bernie and he has so much respect from the world's countries he can encourage major sponsors into the sport.
After eighteen races the tension on the grid is immense particularly for Red Bull and whilst Christian Horner says it is just another race that is bull****. The outcome of today will crown the 2010 world champion and there can be no higher accolade in the world of motor sport.
The track temperature as the cars leave the gird is thirty three with air temperature of twenty nine. The talking is now over and with fifty five laps round this 3.7 mile circuit this is going to be a thrilling spectacle.
Dusk looms over the circuit and the flood lights come on, hearts are pumping, revs are rising and Charlie sits above the grid and there off. What a dramatic start as Jenson jumped straight into second and whilst had a go at Fernando he dropped into third.
Then as the two Mercedes cars of Nico and Michael came together, Michael spun out and as Vitantonio came around completely unsighted launched himself over the top of Michael and both were obviously out. Out came the safety car for the first time today and that can change things as some cars came in to make their compulsory tyre change including Nico's Mercedes.
As the race unfolds the early tyre changes of Nico and Vitaly are coming play as Fernando is stuck behind Vitaly and the middle field runners are suffering. Lewis then pits on lap twenty four with Fernando still down in twelfth. Lewis dropped down to behind Robert and he simply has to pass him.
As it stands on lap twenty five Sebastian is leading the championship and after his tyre stop he came out putting Kamui and Robert between himself and Lewis. It is now getting tense amongst the top three as Jenson is lapping quicker than all of them as his fuel load drops and he has yet to stop.
Fernando is still stuck behind Vitaly who is driving brilliantly but affecting both Fernando and Mark who is still running twelfth and really not working out for him. Jenson is till running first and driving brilliantly and trying to take second in front of Lewis and maybe attack Sebastian if he can force the gap before his tyre stop.
Jenson was still on the super softs which aren't supposed to run that far into the race as he has now completed thirty seven laps. He eventually pits on lap forty and he comes out behind Lewis so the extended run on the soft tyres didn't work. Sebastian then went through in the lead and and on his way on lap forty one to the championship title.
Robert has still not stopped on lap forty three and frustrating Lewis and Jenson even though he has to stop make his compulsory stop to ensure he uses both sets of tyres.
After all the talk about swapping drivers around Sebastian went out into the lead straight away and he never looked as though he was to be headed and drove to the world championship and takes the accolade of being the youngest ever driver to win the highest accolade in motor sport.
Lewis came in second followed closely by Jenson and a fabulous one, two. The jubilation on the pit wall was a sight to behold and if any team knows how to party it is Red Bull. On his closing down lap Sebastian was quite rightly crying in the car as Christian Horner announced his championship over the radio.
On the winding down lap we saw Fernando shacking a closed fist at Vitaly for losing him the world championship and what on earth did Fernando expect him to do. He was behind Vitaly but he still had to pass Robert and Nico anyway. Sorry Fernando that was out of order, you lost because Ferrari got it wrong on the day.
Through the very smart line up of young ladies the top three drivers on the day progressed to the podium and there was a lovely atmosphere between the three drivers who are of course world champions over the past three years.
So as we leave Abu Dhabi and the final race of the 2010 season it is euphoria at Red Bull having taken both the Drivers and Constructors championships, the most iconic in the world of motor sport. Mclaren take second in the Constructors championship and a great season for both Lewis (fourth) and Jenson (fifth).
Fernando had a frustrating day but finished second only four points behind Sebastian and Mark also had a frustrating day behind Fernando and finally finished third in the championship.
Saturday, 13 November 2010
F1 Quali Abu Dhabi
At last we are here, the final race of the 2010 season and the climax to the eighteen race season. Welcome to Abu Dhabi and the Yas Marina circuit in the desert on the Yas Marina circuit off the coast of Abu Dhabi.
The constructors championship went to Red Bull in Brazil and their first of no doubt many. The drivers championship is a different issue with Fernando Alonso (246), Mark Webber (238), Sebastian Vettel (231) and on the outer edge Lewis Hamilton (222).
There are too many permutations to consider as the points are so close with only twenty four points between which is of course less than a race win.
The interest will be what happens in the race between the two Red Bull drivers after the well publicised comments from both drivers over the past weeks. Mark thinks he has been badly done to over the past races and Sebastian basically doesn't care about Mark's feelings and after Turkey can they be sensible and race for the right reasons.
Ferrari on the other hand have developed remarkably over the past races and Fernando has forced himself to the front when all seemed lost. Mclaren seemed to lose the balance of the car over the past races and Lewis's three DNF's haven't helped him at all. Realistically Lewis needs the front three to go off and that is expecting a minor miracle.
This will be the most important quali of the season for the top four and Lewis has showed he is ready to get out there and mix it up with the top three. He is of course very capable of winning this race but he needs luck to win the championship.
Here we go for the last quali of the season as the sun goes down at 1700 Abu Dhabi time, the track temperature drops so the drivers are struggling with tyre temperature, the flood lights come on and all is to play for at this spectacular circuit.
The first of the three quali sessions had all four of the top championship protagonists locked in combat switching around with Fernando two tenths faster than Sebastian. Lewis and Mark. Nobody dropped into the 1.39's but that will come I feel sure. Nico slotted into P2 and that could cause a mix up amongst the top four.
Jenson and Felipe were running in close support in fourth and fifth so its like 2 x 2 x 2 into the arc. We lost the usual 6 newer teams and the main loser of the top teams was Sebastian Buemi in his Red Bull.
Off into quali two and the first into the 39's was of course as Sebastian took off with the softer tyres. Both Mclaren's are mixing it up the front behind Sebastian and all of them are performing to the maximum.
Nico then again put in a stunning lap and slotted into P2 really mixing them all up at the front. Q2 saw Robert, Adrian, Nick, Nico H, Vitantonio and Jaime out of the pole shoot out. All five of the top teams are in the top ten and what can Mercedes and Williams do in the final shoot out.
Here we go for the titanic battle for pole in the most important session of the season in the fight for the championship. The teams are so close it is too close to call and we are now dealing in 1000's of a second and who will come out in front.
What a final session as Sebastian takes pole and that's getting boring as he always seems to manage pole when he needs it, Lewis was absolutely mighty and finished on the front row in P2, Fernando finished up with a great lap in P3, Jenson came in fourth followed by a lowly and out of sorts Mark.
The talking is now over and the race happens tomorrow with both Mclaren's mixing it up at the front and one has to say on the results of the pole session seem to favour Fernando for his third title.
Cannot wait for tomorrow.
The constructors championship went to Red Bull in Brazil and their first of no doubt many. The drivers championship is a different issue with Fernando Alonso (246), Mark Webber (238), Sebastian Vettel (231) and on the outer edge Lewis Hamilton (222).
There are too many permutations to consider as the points are so close with only twenty four points between which is of course less than a race win.
The interest will be what happens in the race between the two Red Bull drivers after the well publicised comments from both drivers over the past weeks. Mark thinks he has been badly done to over the past races and Sebastian basically doesn't care about Mark's feelings and after Turkey can they be sensible and race for the right reasons.
Ferrari on the other hand have developed remarkably over the past races and Fernando has forced himself to the front when all seemed lost. Mclaren seemed to lose the balance of the car over the past races and Lewis's three DNF's haven't helped him at all. Realistically Lewis needs the front three to go off and that is expecting a minor miracle.
This will be the most important quali of the season for the top four and Lewis has showed he is ready to get out there and mix it up with the top three. He is of course very capable of winning this race but he needs luck to win the championship.
Here we go for the last quali of the season as the sun goes down at 1700 Abu Dhabi time, the track temperature drops so the drivers are struggling with tyre temperature, the flood lights come on and all is to play for at this spectacular circuit.
The first of the three quali sessions had all four of the top championship protagonists locked in combat switching around with Fernando two tenths faster than Sebastian. Lewis and Mark. Nobody dropped into the 1.39's but that will come I feel sure. Nico slotted into P2 and that could cause a mix up amongst the top four.
Jenson and Felipe were running in close support in fourth and fifth so its like 2 x 2 x 2 into the arc. We lost the usual 6 newer teams and the main loser of the top teams was Sebastian Buemi in his Red Bull.
Off into quali two and the first into the 39's was of course as Sebastian took off with the softer tyres. Both Mclaren's are mixing it up the front behind Sebastian and all of them are performing to the maximum.
Nico then again put in a stunning lap and slotted into P2 really mixing them all up at the front. Q2 saw Robert, Adrian, Nick, Nico H, Vitantonio and Jaime out of the pole shoot out. All five of the top teams are in the top ten and what can Mercedes and Williams do in the final shoot out.
Here we go for the titanic battle for pole in the most important session of the season in the fight for the championship. The teams are so close it is too close to call and we are now dealing in 1000's of a second and who will come out in front.
What a final session as Sebastian takes pole and that's getting boring as he always seems to manage pole when he needs it, Lewis was absolutely mighty and finished on the front row in P2, Fernando finished up with a great lap in P3, Jenson came in fourth followed by a lowly and out of sorts Mark.
The talking is now over and the race happens tomorrow with both Mclaren's mixing it up at the front and one has to say on the results of the pole session seem to favour Fernando for his third title.
Cannot wait for tomorrow.
Sunday, 26 September 2010
F1 Singapore - The Race
Here we go for the much anticipated Singapore Grand Prix around the 23 turns of the Marina Bay circuit. The teams are now into fly away races to the end of the season which means no real major upgrades so what they have will remain for the final five races of the 2010 season.
With only twenty four points covering the top five makes it very intense and any slip up amongst them could punt them out of the championship chase. Turns one and two could a major test for all the drivers.
Fernando on pole alongside Sebastian, the Mclaren's line astern behind, Mark back in fifth, Felipe last with plenty in between to cause problems for the top five including Robert in his Renault suggest this could be a very interesting if not great race.
Apart from the race in Singapore, underneath the lights it is also a great spectacle and you can really see the intense colours of the cars. A quick look at the Gull winged Mercedes safety car during Martin's grid walk showed what level of equipment this car has, a fantastic motor car which follows the grand prix circus.
The temperature in Singapore must be difficult for the drivers to deal with particularly as it is likely to be a two hour race. With humidity at 61 degrees, track temperature thirty one degrees, air temperature of thirty degrees and sixty one laps to go this is intense for all concerned.
The cars move off onto their siter lap and the tension begins to build. Tyres and brakes will be critical for all the cars and that has been the case for the past two years here. Mark blew a brake disc apart and rammed the barrier last year.
Away they go basically in grid order albeit Fernando had to move over to stop the fast starting Sebastian from coming past and Fernando put in quick laps from the start. Jenson passed Lewis momentarily but Lewis was later on the brakes into turn one.
Then out came the safety on only lap three and many of the cars came into to change to the prime tyres enabling them to run to the finish without another stop. Mark however rejoined in eleventh and his progress through the field was not helped by the twisty circuit nature. Felipe in the meanwhile was running in fifteenth and having the same problem passing as Mark.
Both Mclaren's seemed to be running a waiting game as Fernando was running a second quicker on lap fourteen. It will be interesting to see what happens when the top drivers come in to change the tyres. It appears the prime tyres are not working on their early stages and Nico H was complaining about traction on them.
Timo was causing a mobile chicane and the drivers who switched to the prime tyres were all blocked behind him and it took a mistake from him to allow Nico H and Felipe through. At the front Fernando was now down in the 51's as the fuel burns off and the front five won't have any problems changing tyres and holding their positions.
Sebastian was running some seven seconds ahead of Lewis and it seems the Mclaren's cannot hold the pace of the Ferrari and Red Bull at this fairly early stage of the race. Mark has dropped some thirty seconds behind Fernando and his progress was stunted after his tyre stop.
Then the Mclaren's dropped straight off the pace and had to stop for tyres but their pace had dropped Lewis behind Mark. Then they were followed in by Fernando and Sebastian and Sebastian almost immediately narrowed the gap to Fernando.
Kamui went into the barriers and Bruno went straight into the back of him which then brought out the safety car again. After what seems to have have been a long race already there are still twenty eight laps to go as they all bunch up behind the safety car.
The placings at thirty four laps are Fernando, Sebastian, Mark, Lewis, Jenson, Nico, Robert and Rubens. With 26 laps to go the race will almost certainly run to the two hour period after all the events of the previous laps.
As the safety car came in Lewis was on better tyres than Mark and went to pass him, they tangled and once again out went Lewis and another non finish. The contact is being viewed by the stewards and we have to await the outcome. I believe a racing incident and will be surprised if any action against Mark is taken.
Now Mark has Jenson on his tail and the outcome between these two will be interesting. Out in front Fernando and Sebastian are in a class of their own trading fastest lap after fastest lap running only a second apart. After forty three laps we now had lost seven cars through accidents basically. In the meanwhile Felipe was now running in tenth which is creditable after starting last.
Robert picked up a right side rear puncture from sixth and pitted for a tyre change and strangely they put on a set of primes. He immediately shot onto the back of Sebastien B and with Vitaly in front him he was in a Renault sandwich. Robert was running now in twelfth until he passed Sebastien B and shot straight up behind Vitaly. Robert has nothing to lose as running eleventh and out of the points so action stations on his team mate.
Still nip and tuck between Fernando and Sebastian, Mark and Jenson and at the bottom end of the points Robert was now moving through as he passed Vitaly, Felipe, Nico H, Adrian and now Adrian is flying on his new tyres and already back to seventh.
It is still mighty close between the front two as Sebastian closes on Fernando when passing Michael and Heikki and they are both driving an outstanding race. As Fernando has the lead he will be very difficult to pass having the high ground.
As the final minutes ground down Sebastian was sat on Fernando's tail and it was certainly very tense. As the two hours struck Fernando took the flag after a great drive from the two times world champion.
At the flag Fernando finished in P1 followed by Sebastian, Mark, Jenson, Nico, Rubens, Robert, Adrian, Nico H and Felipe completing the points scorers. Vitaly, Jaime, Michael, Sebastien B, Lucas and finally Heikki whose was badly on fire and he had to put the fire out himself as the fire marshall's were too slow and he did a great job as the cars literally flew past him on the start finish line.
All the rest didn't finish and that of course included Lewis who leaves in third in the championship now twenty points behind Mark but still in the hunt.
Great race, great spectacle and congratulations to all the drivers for a wonderful job done under the heat intensity of Singapore. Now the teams move to Suzuka and hopefully to another thrilling race.
With only twenty four points covering the top five makes it very intense and any slip up amongst them could punt them out of the championship chase. Turns one and two could a major test for all the drivers.
Fernando on pole alongside Sebastian, the Mclaren's line astern behind, Mark back in fifth, Felipe last with plenty in between to cause problems for the top five including Robert in his Renault suggest this could be a very interesting if not great race.
Apart from the race in Singapore, underneath the lights it is also a great spectacle and you can really see the intense colours of the cars. A quick look at the Gull winged Mercedes safety car during Martin's grid walk showed what level of equipment this car has, a fantastic motor car which follows the grand prix circus.
The temperature in Singapore must be difficult for the drivers to deal with particularly as it is likely to be a two hour race. With humidity at 61 degrees, track temperature thirty one degrees, air temperature of thirty degrees and sixty one laps to go this is intense for all concerned.
The cars move off onto their siter lap and the tension begins to build. Tyres and brakes will be critical for all the cars and that has been the case for the past two years here. Mark blew a brake disc apart and rammed the barrier last year.
Away they go basically in grid order albeit Fernando had to move over to stop the fast starting Sebastian from coming past and Fernando put in quick laps from the start. Jenson passed Lewis momentarily but Lewis was later on the brakes into turn one.
Then out came the safety on only lap three and many of the cars came into to change to the prime tyres enabling them to run to the finish without another stop. Mark however rejoined in eleventh and his progress through the field was not helped by the twisty circuit nature. Felipe in the meanwhile was running in fifteenth and having the same problem passing as Mark.
Both Mclaren's seemed to be running a waiting game as Fernando was running a second quicker on lap fourteen. It will be interesting to see what happens when the top drivers come in to change the tyres. It appears the prime tyres are not working on their early stages and Nico H was complaining about traction on them.
Timo was causing a mobile chicane and the drivers who switched to the prime tyres were all blocked behind him and it took a mistake from him to allow Nico H and Felipe through. At the front Fernando was now down in the 51's as the fuel burns off and the front five won't have any problems changing tyres and holding their positions.
Sebastian was running some seven seconds ahead of Lewis and it seems the Mclaren's cannot hold the pace of the Ferrari and Red Bull at this fairly early stage of the race. Mark has dropped some thirty seconds behind Fernando and his progress was stunted after his tyre stop.
Then the Mclaren's dropped straight off the pace and had to stop for tyres but their pace had dropped Lewis behind Mark. Then they were followed in by Fernando and Sebastian and Sebastian almost immediately narrowed the gap to Fernando.
Kamui went into the barriers and Bruno went straight into the back of him which then brought out the safety car again. After what seems to have have been a long race already there are still twenty eight laps to go as they all bunch up behind the safety car.
The placings at thirty four laps are Fernando, Sebastian, Mark, Lewis, Jenson, Nico, Robert and Rubens. With 26 laps to go the race will almost certainly run to the two hour period after all the events of the previous laps.
As the safety car came in Lewis was on better tyres than Mark and went to pass him, they tangled and once again out went Lewis and another non finish. The contact is being viewed by the stewards and we have to await the outcome. I believe a racing incident and will be surprised if any action against Mark is taken.
Now Mark has Jenson on his tail and the outcome between these two will be interesting. Out in front Fernando and Sebastian are in a class of their own trading fastest lap after fastest lap running only a second apart. After forty three laps we now had lost seven cars through accidents basically. In the meanwhile Felipe was now running in tenth which is creditable after starting last.
Robert picked up a right side rear puncture from sixth and pitted for a tyre change and strangely they put on a set of primes. He immediately shot onto the back of Sebastien B and with Vitaly in front him he was in a Renault sandwich. Robert was running now in twelfth until he passed Sebastien B and shot straight up behind Vitaly. Robert has nothing to lose as running eleventh and out of the points so action stations on his team mate.
Still nip and tuck between Fernando and Sebastian, Mark and Jenson and at the bottom end of the points Robert was now moving through as he passed Vitaly, Felipe, Nico H, Adrian and now Adrian is flying on his new tyres and already back to seventh.
It is still mighty close between the front two as Sebastian closes on Fernando when passing Michael and Heikki and they are both driving an outstanding race. As Fernando has the lead he will be very difficult to pass having the high ground.
As the final minutes ground down Sebastian was sat on Fernando's tail and it was certainly very tense. As the two hours struck Fernando took the flag after a great drive from the two times world champion.
At the flag Fernando finished in P1 followed by Sebastian, Mark, Jenson, Nico, Rubens, Robert, Adrian, Nico H and Felipe completing the points scorers. Vitaly, Jaime, Michael, Sebastien B, Lucas and finally Heikki whose was badly on fire and he had to put the fire out himself as the fire marshall's were too slow and he did a great job as the cars literally flew past him on the start finish line.
All the rest didn't finish and that of course included Lewis who leaves in third in the championship now twenty points behind Mark but still in the hunt.
Great race, great spectacle and congratulations to all the drivers for a wonderful job done under the heat intensity of Singapore. Now the teams move to Suzuka and hopefully to another thrilling race.
Saturday, 8 May 2010
F1 Quali Barcelona
Now we are back in Europe in Catalunya and it is nice to see the hospitality suites and trucks back in the paddock. Most of the teams come here with plenty of upgrades but Red Bull still appear to have the edge in qualifying. Whilst both Lewis and Jenson were top of the field in testing on Thursday, as is usual this season Red Bull showed the field with Sebastian and Mark heading the field on Friday.
Michael looks happier with the car and let us hope he can get up up with Nico. Mclaren made a mess of the set up for Friday but they both seemed happier with the set up in readiness for quali. Lotus are more confident with the car and Heikki suggests there maybe a second a lap improvement in the car.
So off we go into Q1 and the first to put in a time was Heikki in a 1.26.048 but in testing yesterday Sebastian was running in the late 1.19's. Massa was next along flying compared with the Lotus and he slots in a banker 1.23 as Fernando then moved into P1. The times will come down as the track rubbers in and the hard tyres bed in.
Then we had both Mclarens leading the field but locked in battle with the Red Bull's with the Ferrari's loitering. So after Q1 we lost Rubens, Jarno, Heikki, Timo, Karun, Lucas and Bruno. Williams were disappointing as Rubens lost out and both Lotus cars were out which is a shame.
Q2 is going to be very interesting as the times in the mid field are so close. Very interesting development on the Ferrari as Fernando is having to use only one hand whilst adjusting the F duct trying to copy the Mclaren development as well as adjusting the brake balance using no hands at times.
As we move into Q2 Red Bull seem to have it in the bag as early in the run they were one and two. Mclaren are ever closer, this is going to be very close. Lewis seems to have the edge on Jenson as Mark appears to have the same on Sebastian but we know how that can change. Michael then came up into third and is he coming to be as one with the car whilst Nico is back in ninth which is a change in the team positions in the season so far.
After all the comings and goings in Q2 we lost Adrian, Pedro, Nico (H), Vitaly, Sebastian (B), Jamie and Vitantonio. Disappointment for both Force India's as they have been so competitive in the previous races this season. Q2 remained tight at the top but both Red Bull's still have the edge but Lewis is hovering.
Here we go into the pole shoot out and this will be even tighter looking at the times so far. Again we had an issue in the pit lane as Fernando was released into the pit lane in front of Nico and a near accident was only just avoided. It does make it difficult for the drivers with peripheral vision as the sides of the modern F1 car are so high but that is why they rely heavily on the pit crew in the pit lane particularly.
Both Red Bull's then laid down the gauntlet with mark followed by Sebastian but both 1 second quicker than Lewis followed by Jenson and Michael but Nico down in tenth. So all the cars went into the pits to add some fuel but only just enough to complete the run.
With all the cars now on the Green walled tyres and the times are tumbling. Then Mark put the rest in the shade with the first into the 1.19's. What a furious last 10 minutes and Mark was just over a tenth ahead.
So the final grid looks like this: Mark, Sebastian, Lewis, Fernando, Jenson, Michael, Robert, Nico, Felipe and Kamui. So Michael heads Nico for the first time this season, Lewis heads Jenson and Fernando heads Felipe. All this suggests we should have a great grand prix with 4 world champions in the top 6.
Now things will be hectic in the pits evaluating all the data and let us hope we have a good Spanish GP.
Michael looks happier with the car and let us hope he can get up up with Nico. Mclaren made a mess of the set up for Friday but they both seemed happier with the set up in readiness for quali. Lotus are more confident with the car and Heikki suggests there maybe a second a lap improvement in the car.
So off we go into Q1 and the first to put in a time was Heikki in a 1.26.048 but in testing yesterday Sebastian was running in the late 1.19's. Massa was next along flying compared with the Lotus and he slots in a banker 1.23 as Fernando then moved into P1. The times will come down as the track rubbers in and the hard tyres bed in.
Then we had both Mclarens leading the field but locked in battle with the Red Bull's with the Ferrari's loitering. So after Q1 we lost Rubens, Jarno, Heikki, Timo, Karun, Lucas and Bruno. Williams were disappointing as Rubens lost out and both Lotus cars were out which is a shame.
Q2 is going to be very interesting as the times in the mid field are so close. Very interesting development on the Ferrari as Fernando is having to use only one hand whilst adjusting the F duct trying to copy the Mclaren development as well as adjusting the brake balance using no hands at times.
As we move into Q2 Red Bull seem to have it in the bag as early in the run they were one and two. Mclaren are ever closer, this is going to be very close. Lewis seems to have the edge on Jenson as Mark appears to have the same on Sebastian but we know how that can change. Michael then came up into third and is he coming to be as one with the car whilst Nico is back in ninth which is a change in the team positions in the season so far.
After all the comings and goings in Q2 we lost Adrian, Pedro, Nico (H), Vitaly, Sebastian (B), Jamie and Vitantonio. Disappointment for both Force India's as they have been so competitive in the previous races this season. Q2 remained tight at the top but both Red Bull's still have the edge but Lewis is hovering.
Here we go into the pole shoot out and this will be even tighter looking at the times so far. Again we had an issue in the pit lane as Fernando was released into the pit lane in front of Nico and a near accident was only just avoided. It does make it difficult for the drivers with peripheral vision as the sides of the modern F1 car are so high but that is why they rely heavily on the pit crew in the pit lane particularly.
Both Red Bull's then laid down the gauntlet with mark followed by Sebastian but both 1 second quicker than Lewis followed by Jenson and Michael but Nico down in tenth. So all the cars went into the pits to add some fuel but only just enough to complete the run.
With all the cars now on the Green walled tyres and the times are tumbling. Then Mark put the rest in the shade with the first into the 1.19's. What a furious last 10 minutes and Mark was just over a tenth ahead.
So the final grid looks like this: Mark, Sebastian, Lewis, Fernando, Jenson, Michael, Robert, Nico, Felipe and Kamui. So Michael heads Nico for the first time this season, Lewis heads Jenson and Fernando heads Felipe. All this suggests we should have a great grand prix with 4 world champions in the top 6.
Now things will be hectic in the pits evaluating all the data and let us hope we have a good Spanish GP.
Sunday, 18 April 2010
F1 China - Shanghai Race
The Volcanic Ash fallout meant the commentary team was without Eddy Jordan who couldn't get there due the problems with air travel. They did have him on the phone but it was strange not hearing the regular banter between him and DC.
It was anticipated the race would start in the rain but that didn't happen albeit there was rain on the cars cameras on the warm up lap. The track temperature had dropped to 23 degrees with air temp of 20. So a lot of nerves as the cars approached the grid wondering whether they had chosen the correct tyres. Off they went in a cloud of spray and into turn 2 there was a big accident as Vitantonio lost it and speared across the grass and into Sebastiaen (Buemi) taking Kamui with him as well as he had nowhere else to go but run into the side of Sebastien. This brought out the safety car and in came some of the teams to change tyres. Fernando had obviously jumped the start as he shot into the lead past Mark who had out dragged Sebastian as the rest went off in grid order. Fernando had to take a drive through which he did once the stewards announced it.
Then it started to rain heavier and more cars changed to inters including Lewis who made a very late decision entering the pit lane across the grass. Both Red Bull's also came in for tyres and that dropped them both back down the field. Nico and Jenson stayed out on wets so the restart once the safety car went in was going to be interesting as those cars on new inters had so much more grid, they thought. In the ensuing laps the inters burned off almost straight away so Sebastian and Lewis went back in to change back to slicks and when they left they came down the pit lane together and nearly touching as they were side by side. Sebastian moved across on Lewis to push him nearer to the pit crews and this event will be looked at after the race by the stewards and it is likely action will be taken with penalties at Barcelona.
Nico was now leading on lap 8 followed by Jenson and the 2 Renault's but Mark, Sebastian & Lewis were locked in battle for ninth, tenth and eleventh. The rain came and went again and gave us some very interesting laps and then confusion as the rain started again. Lewis passed Mark on the long back straight as he was a sitting duck for the Mclaren. Then we had an almighty battle between Adrian, Sebastian and Lewis and as Sebastian got on the wrong side of Adrian, Lewis jumped them both up into sixth place and shot up behind Michael as he put in fastest lap after fastest lap.
Lewis was then stuck behind Michael and eventually passed him on the long back straight as Sebastian loomed again in his mirrors. Meanwhile the 2 Ferrari's were line astern in eleventh & twelfth. Then all of a sudden up at the front Jenson passed Nico after he went off in the rain on what must be worn tyres at this stage of the race. A lot of cars then came into the pits to change to inters as the rain came again. Lewis came in with Sebastian and came back out together but as Mark had pitted a lap earlier they were both behind him.
I have to say I have never seen anyone pass another driver going into the pits but Fernando did exactly that as he passed Felipe in what can only be considered a very dangerous move and I am sure the stewards will be having a look and words about that as well. Back at the front Jenson still led Nico and then the safety car came out to move some debris and hopefully settle things down again as there really were some heroics going on. This of course bunched the pack back together. So we had Jenson, Nico, Robert, Vitaly, Lewis and the rest.
The safety car came was coming in on lap 25 and after the goings on we still had 26 laps to go. With the safety car lights off and as they approached the next to last corner Jenson suddenly slowed the field too much and the cars all bunched up in chaos behind him as the 2 Red Bull's lost out. Hence there was a lot happening into the last turn but Lewis as usual kept his head and passed Michael and then shot straight onto the back of Vitaly and straight past and into fourth. Mark in the meantime had taken an excursion around the last corner as he got too aggressive mixed up with Lewis and Sebastian.
There is controversy over the way Jenson approached the last turn as he nearly stopped which according to Martin broke the F1 rule book but nothing about that during the rest of the race, another for the stewards. Anyway in the meantime Lewis was on the back of Robert and straight past into third and you can see by the cars body language he thinks he can still win this race. Behind we had Fernando passing Adrian followed by both Red Bull's in a serious tussle.
So after all the chaos of safety cars and rain Jenson was still in the lead well in front of Nico, Lewis, Robert, Fernando and Sebastian, A great battle ensued as Nico and Lewis became locked in battle and a very spirited drive from them both with Lewis going past. So behind Jenson we had Lewis, Nico, Fernando and Robert still there with the Renault. Now we had a very interesting scenario at the front as Jenson led from Lewis and we know what Lewis can do in this position.
Plenty of racing going on down the field with great drives from Fernando, Felipe, Mark, Sebastian and there is so much going on it is difficult keeping pace with it. Jaime was also driving a very spirited race but lost out to Adrian and Rubens which was a shame. Jenson seemed to have stabilised the position at the front and with 10 to go he was 4 seconds to the good. Then all of a sudden Fernando got the hurry up and closed on Nico to within one and a half seconds but by this time his tyres were shot so that is where he stayed.
Both Jenson and Lewis had also got tyre problems but Lewis was still ten seconds ahead of Nico with only eight to go but he was closing. The tyre issue hit all the drivers but no point in pitting then as the race would have been over. There were still some close fights in the last few laps including Felipe on Michael who went off towards the gravel trap at the last turn and Vitaly on Mark.
Jenson took the flag after and his tyre choice very early in the race and that actually won him the race as he had 2 tyre stops to Lewis's 4. It was nice to see the spirit between Jenson and Lewis before going onto the podium and along with Nico all the talk was about vision during the race. John Button can stop eating his finger nails now and he looked thrilled with the result. Martin Whitmarsh was obviously delighted albeit he said it was a very long race on the pit wall.Nico as usual drove an exemplary race and once again out gunned Michael who simply couldn't match his pace all weekend. The Red Bull's had to concede defeat finishing in sixth and eighth and they will be very disappointed as they seemed to have it in the bag from qualifying.
What a great race again and whilst not quite matching Melbourne there was something going on all 56 laps. Leaving China the championship had changed at the top as Jenson (60pts) now led Nico (50), Lewis and Sebastian (49), Felipe lost his lead (41), Robert (40), Mark (28), Adrian and Michael (10), Vitantonio ((8), Vitaly (6), Rubens (5), Jamie (2) and the lost point scorer Nico Hulkenberg in only his fourth race (1).
In the constructors championship Mclaren now took the lead (109), Ferrari (90), Red Bull (73), Mercedes (60), Renault (46), Force India (18), Williams (6) and the last team scorer Toro Rosso (2).
Now the teams head back into Europe to Barcelona (9 May) but they going to have problems getting out of China due to the Volcanic Ash fall out from Iceland. There are 6 Jumbo's waiting to move the cars and freight but things don't look good for air travel as I write. The only thing I can say in closing in bring on the rain in Barcelona as it seems to add huge excitement each time we have a wet race.
The results are now also posted on my website (www.scorpion-eph.co.uk) and by clicking the F1 tab at the bottom of the home page you can see the results of each race in 2010 and a compilation of the results I have shown above as well as results of past years races in F1. .
It was anticipated the race would start in the rain but that didn't happen albeit there was rain on the cars cameras on the warm up lap. The track temperature had dropped to 23 degrees with air temp of 20. So a lot of nerves as the cars approached the grid wondering whether they had chosen the correct tyres. Off they went in a cloud of spray and into turn 2 there was a big accident as Vitantonio lost it and speared across the grass and into Sebastiaen (Buemi) taking Kamui with him as well as he had nowhere else to go but run into the side of Sebastien. This brought out the safety car and in came some of the teams to change tyres. Fernando had obviously jumped the start as he shot into the lead past Mark who had out dragged Sebastian as the rest went off in grid order. Fernando had to take a drive through which he did once the stewards announced it.
Then it started to rain heavier and more cars changed to inters including Lewis who made a very late decision entering the pit lane across the grass. Both Red Bull's also came in for tyres and that dropped them both back down the field. Nico and Jenson stayed out on wets so the restart once the safety car went in was going to be interesting as those cars on new inters had so much more grid, they thought. In the ensuing laps the inters burned off almost straight away so Sebastian and Lewis went back in to change back to slicks and when they left they came down the pit lane together and nearly touching as they were side by side. Sebastian moved across on Lewis to push him nearer to the pit crews and this event will be looked at after the race by the stewards and it is likely action will be taken with penalties at Barcelona.
Nico was now leading on lap 8 followed by Jenson and the 2 Renault's but Mark, Sebastian & Lewis were locked in battle for ninth, tenth and eleventh. The rain came and went again and gave us some very interesting laps and then confusion as the rain started again. Lewis passed Mark on the long back straight as he was a sitting duck for the Mclaren. Then we had an almighty battle between Adrian, Sebastian and Lewis and as Sebastian got on the wrong side of Adrian, Lewis jumped them both up into sixth place and shot up behind Michael as he put in fastest lap after fastest lap.
Lewis was then stuck behind Michael and eventually passed him on the long back straight as Sebastian loomed again in his mirrors. Meanwhile the 2 Ferrari's were line astern in eleventh & twelfth. Then all of a sudden up at the front Jenson passed Nico after he went off in the rain on what must be worn tyres at this stage of the race. A lot of cars then came into the pits to change to inters as the rain came again. Lewis came in with Sebastian and came back out together but as Mark had pitted a lap earlier they were both behind him.
I have to say I have never seen anyone pass another driver going into the pits but Fernando did exactly that as he passed Felipe in what can only be considered a very dangerous move and I am sure the stewards will be having a look and words about that as well. Back at the front Jenson still led Nico and then the safety car came out to move some debris and hopefully settle things down again as there really were some heroics going on. This of course bunched the pack back together. So we had Jenson, Nico, Robert, Vitaly, Lewis and the rest.
The safety car came was coming in on lap 25 and after the goings on we still had 26 laps to go. With the safety car lights off and as they approached the next to last corner Jenson suddenly slowed the field too much and the cars all bunched up in chaos behind him as the 2 Red Bull's lost out. Hence there was a lot happening into the last turn but Lewis as usual kept his head and passed Michael and then shot straight onto the back of Vitaly and straight past and into fourth. Mark in the meantime had taken an excursion around the last corner as he got too aggressive mixed up with Lewis and Sebastian.
There is controversy over the way Jenson approached the last turn as he nearly stopped which according to Martin broke the F1 rule book but nothing about that during the rest of the race, another for the stewards. Anyway in the meantime Lewis was on the back of Robert and straight past into third and you can see by the cars body language he thinks he can still win this race. Behind we had Fernando passing Adrian followed by both Red Bull's in a serious tussle.
So after all the chaos of safety cars and rain Jenson was still in the lead well in front of Nico, Lewis, Robert, Fernando and Sebastian, A great battle ensued as Nico and Lewis became locked in battle and a very spirited drive from them both with Lewis going past. So behind Jenson we had Lewis, Nico, Fernando and Robert still there with the Renault. Now we had a very interesting scenario at the front as Jenson led from Lewis and we know what Lewis can do in this position.
Plenty of racing going on down the field with great drives from Fernando, Felipe, Mark, Sebastian and there is so much going on it is difficult keeping pace with it. Jaime was also driving a very spirited race but lost out to Adrian and Rubens which was a shame. Jenson seemed to have stabilised the position at the front and with 10 to go he was 4 seconds to the good. Then all of a sudden Fernando got the hurry up and closed on Nico to within one and a half seconds but by this time his tyres were shot so that is where he stayed.
Both Jenson and Lewis had also got tyre problems but Lewis was still ten seconds ahead of Nico with only eight to go but he was closing. The tyre issue hit all the drivers but no point in pitting then as the race would have been over. There were still some close fights in the last few laps including Felipe on Michael who went off towards the gravel trap at the last turn and Vitaly on Mark.
Jenson took the flag after and his tyre choice very early in the race and that actually won him the race as he had 2 tyre stops to Lewis's 4. It was nice to see the spirit between Jenson and Lewis before going onto the podium and along with Nico all the talk was about vision during the race. John Button can stop eating his finger nails now and he looked thrilled with the result. Martin Whitmarsh was obviously delighted albeit he said it was a very long race on the pit wall.Nico as usual drove an exemplary race and once again out gunned Michael who simply couldn't match his pace all weekend. The Red Bull's had to concede defeat finishing in sixth and eighth and they will be very disappointed as they seemed to have it in the bag from qualifying.
What a great race again and whilst not quite matching Melbourne there was something going on all 56 laps. Leaving China the championship had changed at the top as Jenson (60pts) now led Nico (50), Lewis and Sebastian (49), Felipe lost his lead (41), Robert (40), Mark (28), Adrian and Michael (10), Vitantonio ((8), Vitaly (6), Rubens (5), Jamie (2) and the lost point scorer Nico Hulkenberg in only his fourth race (1).
In the constructors championship Mclaren now took the lead (109), Ferrari (90), Red Bull (73), Mercedes (60), Renault (46), Force India (18), Williams (6) and the last team scorer Toro Rosso (2).
Now the teams head back into Europe to Barcelona (9 May) but they going to have problems getting out of China due to the Volcanic Ash fall out from Iceland. There are 6 Jumbo's waiting to move the cars and freight but things don't look good for air travel as I write. The only thing I can say in closing in bring on the rain in Barcelona as it seems to add huge excitement each time we have a wet race.
The results are now also posted on my website (www.scorpion-eph.co.uk) and by clicking the F1 tab at the bottom of the home page you can see the results of each race in 2010 and a compilation of the results I have shown above as well as results of past years races in F1. .
Thursday, 19 November 2009
F1 - Lewis versus Jenson
Firstly I must congratulate Jenson on winning the World Championship in 2009. His decision to stay with Honda, latterly renamed Brawn was well justified on balance. However, one has to ask where else could he have gone. His CV wasn't exactly illuminating and the results simply weren't there.
However, I was somewhat surprised to hear Jenson is moving to Mclaren for 2010 as he will surely be tested there more than ever before. Rubens out drove Jenson in the final races of the season and it was only the first 6 races that gave Jenson the final edge.
None of that takes away the fact he did win the championship with finally some excellent driving and particularly overtaking in Brazil, his race of the season.
From a bad start Mclaren recovered in 2009 and improved the car by a greater margin than the other teams and Lewis certainly made capital of the resurgence. He out scored Jenson by 40 points to 34 in the last 7 races and proved he is simply in a class of his own.
It is a long time since we had such a prodigious talent in F1 and one must compare him with the likes of the late, great Ayrton Senna, our Nige (Mansell) and Alain (Prost) who have nothing to prove. Without doubt 3 years at Mclaren has seem him mature and he is better for that.
Lewis's rise to fame was prolific since joining Mclaren in 2007. His record speaks volumes, narrowly missing the championship in 2007, world champion in 2008 and had it not been for the diffuser issue and Liegate early in 2009 I think he would have been champion again.
Mclaren also had to concentrate on winning the title in 2008 and hence development on the 2009 car was seriously affected.
On the other side of the fence we have Jenson who's F1 career has been much less sparkling. His winning streak has been almost entirely achieved during the initial races of 2009 where Brawn started the season with a much better car. After Brawn started the season with the controversial double diffuser they had an immediate edge.
None of this makes Jenson's achievement in 2009 less deserved but all one can say he was in the right place at the right time.
So, Lewis versus Jenson. I am surprised Jenson has put his self in this position as in my opinion he will always be No 2 following in the footsteps of Heikki (Kovalinen) who one wouldn't have thought was driving the same car in 09.
Politics and financial gain aside I would have thought Jenson would have been better stopping where he was. With Mercedes buying into Brawn at the level they have suggests they are going to be front runners in 2010 and with the rumoured Nico Rosberg behind the wheel that will be a prolific partnership.
It will be nice to see 2 British drivers in a British team but I see it being a one sided affair in the favour of Lewis. If that is the case it will take away Jenson's 2009 achievement as the pundits will suggest the controversial double diffuser won him his races.
I wish both Lewis and Jenson all the best for the 2010 season and let us all hope I am wrong.
However, I was somewhat surprised to hear Jenson is moving to Mclaren for 2010 as he will surely be tested there more than ever before. Rubens out drove Jenson in the final races of the season and it was only the first 6 races that gave Jenson the final edge.
None of that takes away the fact he did win the championship with finally some excellent driving and particularly overtaking in Brazil, his race of the season.
From a bad start Mclaren recovered in 2009 and improved the car by a greater margin than the other teams and Lewis certainly made capital of the resurgence. He out scored Jenson by 40 points to 34 in the last 7 races and proved he is simply in a class of his own.
It is a long time since we had such a prodigious talent in F1 and one must compare him with the likes of the late, great Ayrton Senna, our Nige (Mansell) and Alain (Prost) who have nothing to prove. Without doubt 3 years at Mclaren has seem him mature and he is better for that.
Lewis's rise to fame was prolific since joining Mclaren in 2007. His record speaks volumes, narrowly missing the championship in 2007, world champion in 2008 and had it not been for the diffuser issue and Liegate early in 2009 I think he would have been champion again.
Mclaren also had to concentrate on winning the title in 2008 and hence development on the 2009 car was seriously affected.
On the other side of the fence we have Jenson who's F1 career has been much less sparkling. His winning streak has been almost entirely achieved during the initial races of 2009 where Brawn started the season with a much better car. After Brawn started the season with the controversial double diffuser they had an immediate edge.
None of this makes Jenson's achievement in 2009 less deserved but all one can say he was in the right place at the right time.
So, Lewis versus Jenson. I am surprised Jenson has put his self in this position as in my opinion he will always be No 2 following in the footsteps of Heikki (Kovalinen) who one wouldn't have thought was driving the same car in 09.
Politics and financial gain aside I would have thought Jenson would have been better stopping where he was. With Mercedes buying into Brawn at the level they have suggests they are going to be front runners in 2010 and with the rumoured Nico Rosberg behind the wheel that will be a prolific partnership.
It will be nice to see 2 British drivers in a British team but I see it being a one sided affair in the favour of Lewis. If that is the case it will take away Jenson's 2009 achievement as the pundits will suggest the controversial double diffuser won him his races.
I wish both Lewis and Jenson all the best for the 2010 season and let us all hope I am wrong.
Tuesday, 3 November 2009
Formula 1 2009
The 2009 Formula 1 season started in Australia as has been the norm over past years, however, controversy wasn't far away. Liegate started the problems as Mclaren were accused of lying to the stewards and Lewis was eventually banned from the results and Mclaren disgraced.
Then the Diffuser issue had to go to the world council to confirm whether the teams using the double diffuser were actually legal. Eventually the fitment was deemed legal so the teams that adopted it from the start obviously retained their edge. So, this gave teams like Red Bull, Mclaren and Ferrari on the back foot.
However, no-one can take away the fairy tail developing at Brawn. After a critical winter after Honda's retirement from the sport the Brawn team didn't even exist. Out of the ashes came the team rebadged with Ross Brawn's name above the door and the fairy tale began. Jenson and Rubens had remained loyal through the winter and the rest is history.
A drivers World Champion and consecutive British champions on the back of Lewis last year and of course the Constructors Championship. Well done to all at Brawn for a fantastic team effort.
Then came a major storm as FOTA came into conflict with the FIA. The threat was to create a breakaway championship and I cannot report any further about that as I am too close to the sport. Fortunately for us all the threat went away and a new Concorde Agreement signed to the relief of all concerned.
Then came a report that Renault had instructed one of its drivers to crash at the Singapore GP in 2008 allowing its other driver to win the race. After a major storm 2 of Renault's top men were banned from the sport, one for life and the other for 5 years.
Once again the sport was thrown into disarray but it soon went away as there were other issues developing in the background.
Max had decided he wasn't to continue as President of the FIA and 2 men came to the fore. Jean Todt and Ari Vatanen went head to head but Jean Todt won the day and took up his position straight away.
There were some great drives on the circuit and Jenson proved overtaking is possible all season long. Mclaren started way behind but Lewis scored more points than anyone else in the second part of the season. The team had advanced 2.3ish seconds from the beginning of the season and stand alone at the front.
Red Bull confirmed their class and were kneck and kneck with Brawn all the way through. Surely one of their drivers will win the championship at some point. Sebastian Vettel, having age on his side may be the one to achieve it.
Rosberg drove brilliantly all year showing Williams are not far away. New stars emerged in Jamie Alguersauri, Adrian Sutil and in the latter stages Kamui Kobayashi starred and hopefully we will see him on the grid in 2010.
On the team from Force India confirmed they are now in the mix and whilst I appreciate Fizzi's desire to drive a Ferrari one has to say it hasn't done his career any good at all and he would have been better staying with Force India.
We all welcome the new teams coming in for the 2010 season and it will be great to see the name Lotus back on an F1 grid. Let us also hope we see BMW back in whatever guise after the manufacturers confirmation it is pulling out at the end of the season.
The driver line up has still not been confirmed with only a few placings known. Fernando is off to Ferrari to join Massa on his return. Red Bull is retaining its very strong 2009 line up, Jenson has not secured his drive yet with Brawn but it is felt to be very close. The talk is that Rubens will swap with Nico but not confirmed as yet.
The rest will I have no doubt become known fairly shortly and once known I will publish it on the blog.
So by the time we came to the last race the past problems of the season gone had settled down and hopefully we can all enjoy a better start in 2010, concentrating on Motor Racing and leave the politics behind.
I will talk again soon.
Then the Diffuser issue had to go to the world council to confirm whether the teams using the double diffuser were actually legal. Eventually the fitment was deemed legal so the teams that adopted it from the start obviously retained their edge. So, this gave teams like Red Bull, Mclaren and Ferrari on the back foot.
However, no-one can take away the fairy tail developing at Brawn. After a critical winter after Honda's retirement from the sport the Brawn team didn't even exist. Out of the ashes came the team rebadged with Ross Brawn's name above the door and the fairy tale began. Jenson and Rubens had remained loyal through the winter and the rest is history.
A drivers World Champion and consecutive British champions on the back of Lewis last year and of course the Constructors Championship. Well done to all at Brawn for a fantastic team effort.
Then came a major storm as FOTA came into conflict with the FIA. The threat was to create a breakaway championship and I cannot report any further about that as I am too close to the sport. Fortunately for us all the threat went away and a new Concorde Agreement signed to the relief of all concerned.
Then came a report that Renault had instructed one of its drivers to crash at the Singapore GP in 2008 allowing its other driver to win the race. After a major storm 2 of Renault's top men were banned from the sport, one for life and the other for 5 years.
Once again the sport was thrown into disarray but it soon went away as there were other issues developing in the background.
Max had decided he wasn't to continue as President of the FIA and 2 men came to the fore. Jean Todt and Ari Vatanen went head to head but Jean Todt won the day and took up his position straight away.
There were some great drives on the circuit and Jenson proved overtaking is possible all season long. Mclaren started way behind but Lewis scored more points than anyone else in the second part of the season. The team had advanced 2.3ish seconds from the beginning of the season and stand alone at the front.
Red Bull confirmed their class and were kneck and kneck with Brawn all the way through. Surely one of their drivers will win the championship at some point. Sebastian Vettel, having age on his side may be the one to achieve it.
Rosberg drove brilliantly all year showing Williams are not far away. New stars emerged in Jamie Alguersauri, Adrian Sutil and in the latter stages Kamui Kobayashi starred and hopefully we will see him on the grid in 2010.
On the team from Force India confirmed they are now in the mix and whilst I appreciate Fizzi's desire to drive a Ferrari one has to say it hasn't done his career any good at all and he would have been better staying with Force India.
We all welcome the new teams coming in for the 2010 season and it will be great to see the name Lotus back on an F1 grid. Let us also hope we see BMW back in whatever guise after the manufacturers confirmation it is pulling out at the end of the season.
The driver line up has still not been confirmed with only a few placings known. Fernando is off to Ferrari to join Massa on his return. Red Bull is retaining its very strong 2009 line up, Jenson has not secured his drive yet with Brawn but it is felt to be very close. The talk is that Rubens will swap with Nico but not confirmed as yet.
The rest will I have no doubt become known fairly shortly and once known I will publish it on the blog.
So by the time we came to the last race the past problems of the season gone had settled down and hopefully we can all enjoy a better start in 2010, concentrating on Motor Racing and leave the politics behind.
I will talk again soon.
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.
Saturday, 6 June 2009
F1 Turkey Quali
Well here we are at Istanbul Park for the Turkish Grand Prix. With its 5.33km lap and 14 corners Istanbul Park has a total race length of 309.396km's.
The lap record is held by Montoya from as far back as 2005 which shows the difference in speeds as in 2009 the pole lap is 1.28.316 by Sebastian Vettel. Istanbul Park is an anti-clockwise circuit like Brazil giving the neck muscles a real pounding. After Monaco the teams and drivers look forward to stretching their legs back to a normal weekend.
So, 12 o'clock UK time quali began with a flurry of drivers hoping to get into the top 15 but as usual a top name went. As with Monaco, but for different reasons Lewis just hasn't got the car beneath him to put in the times. Mclaren are simply going to have to find grip from somewhere as the car looks very unstable and back end happy.
I believe Lewis is lacking confidence in the car and one cannot blame him, it is a beast. The usual protagonists were at the sharp end with Ferrari now beginning to mix it with Brawn, Red Bull and Williams. Nico hit the front for a time followed by Nakajima but status quo soon followed.
Sutil got through into Q2 dropping the luckless Lewis down into 16th which shows just how bad the Mclaren is. Piquet complained of no brakes, which could be a problem in one of these rocket ships and finished in the gravel, so his day was done. So after quali 1 we lost Lewis, Nelson, Sebastien (Buemi), Fisi and Sebastien (Bourdais). It appears you would have an advantage with a name such as Sebastien's and certainly at Red Bull / Torro Rosso!
Off into Quali 2 and the front 6 were fighting cat and dog at the sharp end, swopping places throughout the session. Trulli, who has always been a one lap specialist shot in a surprise by taking P1 but was soon to be overhauled by the top 6 but there or thereabouts. The BMW's were shaping a little better with Robert always ahead of Nick.
Jarno's lap put him into P2 at the end of the only topped by Sebastian (Vettel) followed by the 2 Brawn's, what's new. Heikki was shaping up only a little better than Lewis and finished Q2 in 14th place so the 2 Mclaren's will be behind each other on the grid. What they can do from there is really in the hands of the other drivers.
So we lost Adrian (Sutil), Heikki, Timo, Kajuki and Nick in his BMW. With little surprise we had the 10 to go through to Q3 and battle was to commence. Q3 didn't create much drama and not many were getting Green sectors due to the fuel levels now in the cars set for the race. Sebastian, Jenson, Rubens, Mark and Jarno were trading places throughout the 15 minute session.
Mark had come alight and headed the field, then it was Rubens, then Jenson and he must have thought he had it but he had not accounted for Sebastian who was on a charge and pipped him by a mere 100th of a second.
So we have a Red Bull, Brawn front row and finishing positions were Sebastian (Red Bull), Jenson (Brawn), Rubens (Brawn), Mark (Red Bull), Kimi (Ferrari), Felipe (Ferrari), Fernando (Renault), Nico (Williams) and finally Robert in his BMW.
So the Kers cars are back in the field and shouldn't worry the 4 away from the start and one would have to put money on Sebastian hitting the first corner first. However, it is always difficult until we know what fuel levels are in the cars and one has to say the Brawn's are usually supreme in race pace.
Let's hope we have a thriller.
The lap record is held by Montoya from as far back as 2005 which shows the difference in speeds as in 2009 the pole lap is 1.28.316 by Sebastian Vettel. Istanbul Park is an anti-clockwise circuit like Brazil giving the neck muscles a real pounding. After Monaco the teams and drivers look forward to stretching their legs back to a normal weekend.
So, 12 o'clock UK time quali began with a flurry of drivers hoping to get into the top 15 but as usual a top name went. As with Monaco, but for different reasons Lewis just hasn't got the car beneath him to put in the times. Mclaren are simply going to have to find grip from somewhere as the car looks very unstable and back end happy.
I believe Lewis is lacking confidence in the car and one cannot blame him, it is a beast. The usual protagonists were at the sharp end with Ferrari now beginning to mix it with Brawn, Red Bull and Williams. Nico hit the front for a time followed by Nakajima but status quo soon followed.
Sutil got through into Q2 dropping the luckless Lewis down into 16th which shows just how bad the Mclaren is. Piquet complained of no brakes, which could be a problem in one of these rocket ships and finished in the gravel, so his day was done. So after quali 1 we lost Lewis, Nelson, Sebastien (Buemi), Fisi and Sebastien (Bourdais). It appears you would have an advantage with a name such as Sebastien's and certainly at Red Bull / Torro Rosso!
Off into Quali 2 and the front 6 were fighting cat and dog at the sharp end, swopping places throughout the session. Trulli, who has always been a one lap specialist shot in a surprise by taking P1 but was soon to be overhauled by the top 6 but there or thereabouts. The BMW's were shaping a little better with Robert always ahead of Nick.
Jarno's lap put him into P2 at the end of the only topped by Sebastian (Vettel) followed by the 2 Brawn's, what's new. Heikki was shaping up only a little better than Lewis and finished Q2 in 14th place so the 2 Mclaren's will be behind each other on the grid. What they can do from there is really in the hands of the other drivers.
So we lost Adrian (Sutil), Heikki, Timo, Kajuki and Nick in his BMW. With little surprise we had the 10 to go through to Q3 and battle was to commence. Q3 didn't create much drama and not many were getting Green sectors due to the fuel levels now in the cars set for the race. Sebastian, Jenson, Rubens, Mark and Jarno were trading places throughout the 15 minute session.
Mark had come alight and headed the field, then it was Rubens, then Jenson and he must have thought he had it but he had not accounted for Sebastian who was on a charge and pipped him by a mere 100th of a second.
So we have a Red Bull, Brawn front row and finishing positions were Sebastian (Red Bull), Jenson (Brawn), Rubens (Brawn), Mark (Red Bull), Kimi (Ferrari), Felipe (Ferrari), Fernando (Renault), Nico (Williams) and finally Robert in his BMW.
So the Kers cars are back in the field and shouldn't worry the 4 away from the start and one would have to put money on Sebastian hitting the first corner first. However, it is always difficult until we know what fuel levels are in the cars and one has to say the Brawn's are usually supreme in race pace.
Let's hope we have a thriller.
Saturday, 2 May 2009
Ayrton Senna Anniversary
Last Friday (1 May) is the 15th Anniversary of the death of what maybe the greatest Formula 1 driver of all time, Ayrton Senna da Silva. This Brazilian was to make a mark in F1 that was difficult to emulate even by the great Michael Schumacher with whom he is always compared.
As with most of the F1 drivers Ayrton came from Kart Racing, onto Formula 3 and eventually onto F1 in 1994 with the Toleman team. He moved to Lotus in 1985 and had 3 seasons with them with differing results although many podiums.
Then he moved to Mclaren in 1988 and won his first world championship. That was to be followed by a further 2 in 1990 and 1991. He left Mclaren and moved to Williams in 1994 in controversial circumstances between himself and Alain Prost.
The first 2 races of the season were not good for him, in fact his worst start to a season. Onward he went to San Marino where on Friday, during the afternoon qualifying session, Senna's protege, the then F1 newcomer Rubens Barrichello, was involved in a serious accident that prevented him from competing in the race. The next day Austrian driver Roland Ratzenberger was killed in qualifying. but unfortunately was killed in at the San Marino GP in that year.
Having put the car on pole the drivers were put behind the safety car after a huge pile up at the start. Senna then set the pace with his now great rival Michael Schumacher behind him. As Senna entered the Tamburello corner at 137mph his Williams left the track and hit the retaining wall. After being airlifted to hospital he was pronounced dead later in the day.
Ayrton Senna is the last driver to die at the wheel of an F1 car, a testament to the pressure he started towards driver safety.
During his career he had 3 world championships, 41 races, 80 podiums, scored 610 points and has 65 poles. One wonders what would have happened had he been around more in the early years of Michael Schumacher's career, all we can do is ponder the thought.
As with most of the F1 drivers Ayrton came from Kart Racing, onto Formula 3 and eventually onto F1 in 1994 with the Toleman team. He moved to Lotus in 1985 and had 3 seasons with them with differing results although many podiums.
Then he moved to Mclaren in 1988 and won his first world championship. That was to be followed by a further 2 in 1990 and 1991. He left Mclaren and moved to Williams in 1994 in controversial circumstances between himself and Alain Prost.
The first 2 races of the season were not good for him, in fact his worst start to a season. Onward he went to San Marino where on Friday, during the afternoon qualifying session, Senna's protege, the then F1 newcomer Rubens Barrichello, was involved in a serious accident that prevented him from competing in the race. The next day Austrian driver Roland Ratzenberger was killed in qualifying. but unfortunately was killed in at the San Marino GP in that year.
Having put the car on pole the drivers were put behind the safety car after a huge pile up at the start. Senna then set the pace with his now great rival Michael Schumacher behind him. As Senna entered the Tamburello corner at 137mph his Williams left the track and hit the retaining wall. After being airlifted to hospital he was pronounced dead later in the day.
Ayrton Senna is the last driver to die at the wheel of an F1 car, a testament to the pressure he started towards driver safety.
During his career he had 3 world championships, 41 races, 80 podiums, scored 610 points and has 65 poles. One wonders what would have happened had he been around more in the early years of Michael Schumacher's career, all we can do is ponder the thought.
Friday, 1 May 2009
Mclaren suspended ban
The FIA's World Motor Sport Council met on the 29th to discuss the Australian lie-gate affair after the first meeting of the season. At the council meeting on the 29th Mclaren were given a 3 race suspended ban in light of the ‘open and honest way’ in which team principal Martin Whitmarsh addressed the Council on Wednesday, and will only be applied if further evidence emerges, or there is another breach of the International Sporting Code.
I think the events of Melbourne 2009 have been well publicised but the implications of Mclaren's actions went through the Formula 1 fraternity like a hot knife through butter.
Post the stewards meeting in Melbourne, team manager Dave Ryan was suspended and Lewis was placed in a very tenuous position. He apologised for his actions during the week leading up to Malaysia but this has damaged his career for certain.
A little like Michael Schumacher, unfortunately we only remember the bad times and don't reflect on the good. A similar issue will apply to Lewis and we will await with baited breath for the end of the season. Lewis says his allegiance stays with Mclaren but I am not whether his father Anthony agrees, we will see.
We also saw the move away from the Formula 1 team of Ron Dennis to concentrate on the development of the new road car. Ron has been a huge part of the success of F1 and whilst he had moved sideways at the beginning of the season passing the reins to Martin Whitmarsh I personally find it sad we don't see him anymore.
Let us all hope this is the end of the legal ramblings to the start of the 2009 season and let's get back to racing without the umbrella.
I think the events of Melbourne 2009 have been well publicised but the implications of Mclaren's actions went through the Formula 1 fraternity like a hot knife through butter.
Post the stewards meeting in Melbourne, team manager Dave Ryan was suspended and Lewis was placed in a very tenuous position. He apologised for his actions during the week leading up to Malaysia but this has damaged his career for certain.
A little like Michael Schumacher, unfortunately we only remember the bad times and don't reflect on the good. A similar issue will apply to Lewis and we will await with baited breath for the end of the season. Lewis says his allegiance stays with Mclaren but I am not whether his father Anthony agrees, we will see.
We also saw the move away from the Formula 1 team of Ron Dennis to concentrate on the development of the new road car. Ron has been a huge part of the success of F1 and whilst he had moved sideways at the beginning of the season passing the reins to Martin Whitmarsh I personally find it sad we don't see him anymore.
Let us all hope this is the end of the legal ramblings to the start of the 2009 season and let's get back to racing without the umbrella.
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.
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