Fernando Alonso started the race in 10th and although he couldn't make a few places at the start the end of the first lap all but finished his race. The track was already slippery by lap 1 and most of the drivers had missed the Bus Stop chicane. Barrichello like others was caught out at the chicane and crashed right into Fernando Alonso. It was a racing incident and Rubens Barrichello later apologised to Alonso for the accident.
But the crash meant that Alonso had to dive back to pits for intermediates and a front wing change. Although it was raining at that time and inters could have proved to be the right choice, safety car was deployed at that time to clear Barrichello's car off the track. That meant the front runners opted to stay on the track as it had stopped raining. Inters proved to be the wrong choice and Alonso had to pit again for slick tyres soon after the restart.
Alonso eventually crashed out after it rained again towards the end of the race causing another safety car incident. He was running in 9th at that the time of his crash and could have salvaged a few points from the race. The Drivers Championship has become that much tougher for the two time World Champion. With zero points from the race Alonso still maintains his 5th position but is now 41 points behind championship leader Lewis Hamilton
Sunday, August 29, 2010
Belgian Grand Prix: Sebastian Vettel crashes into Jenson Button
Before the start of the Belgian GP, the Drivers World Championship was a closely fought battle. Only 20 points separated the top 5 drivers. On Lap 16 Jenson Button was running in second with a slight front wing damage. Vettel closed right up the Briton at final corner and tried to overtake Button around the outside. As soon as Vettel moved out of the slip stream he lost control of his car and crashed into the side of Button's car. On board shots from Vettel's car show slight drops of rain at that point which could have led to Vettel losing control of his car.
The race stewards determined that the incident was Vettel's fault and handed him a drive through penalty. But the incident has changed the championship standings significantly. Lewis Hamilton went on to win the race with Mark Webber in second. Hamilton now leads the championship with 182 points and Webber is second with 179 points. But more significantly Vettel is 31 points off the lead with 151 points and Button is in fourth with 147 points.
Vettel would definitely rue this incident if he were to lose the championship this year. It was a bit of a hasty move on Vettel's part although the slippery conditions at that point would have contributed to the crash. Button on the other hand will be furious at the incident. Having done nothing wrong till that point he was needlessly taken out of the race. Button has questioned Vettel's driving after the race.
It would be interesting to see if Red Bull Racing and McLaren would take a stand of supporting one driver for the championship. Although a bit early as there are six more races to go assuming that the Korean GP does take place as scheduled. That would mean a total of 150 championship points for the taking. However barring any misfortune to Webber or Hamilton like today for Alonso, Button and Vettel, the two drivers are on track to fight it out for the championship title.
The race stewards determined that the incident was Vettel's fault and handed him a drive through penalty. But the incident has changed the championship standings significantly. Lewis Hamilton went on to win the race with Mark Webber in second. Hamilton now leads the championship with 182 points and Webber is second with 179 points. But more significantly Vettel is 31 points off the lead with 151 points and Button is in fourth with 147 points.
Vettel would definitely rue this incident if he were to lose the championship this year. It was a bit of a hasty move on Vettel's part although the slippery conditions at that point would have contributed to the crash. Button on the other hand will be furious at the incident. Having done nothing wrong till that point he was needlessly taken out of the race. Button has questioned Vettel's driving after the race.
It would be interesting to see if Red Bull Racing and McLaren would take a stand of supporting one driver for the championship. Although a bit early as there are six more races to go assuming that the Korean GP does take place as scheduled. That would mean a total of 150 championship points for the taking. However barring any misfortune to Webber or Hamilton like today for Alonso, Button and Vettel, the two drivers are on track to fight it out for the championship title.
Saturday, August 28, 2010
Belgian Grand Prix Qualifying and Updates
Mark Webber took his fifth pole of the season. In the last qualifying session Webber took provisional pole and rain towards the end of the session meant that the drivers couldn't improve upon their earlier times. The exception to that is Lewis Hamilton who moved ahead of Kubica to take second place.
Michael Schumacher and Nico Rosberg finished outside the top ten in Q2 and would now have to contend with their grid penalties also. Rosberg was given a 5 place grid penalty for a gear box change prior to qualifying. Both Mercedes GP narrowly missed the Q3 cut due to a slow moving Sebastien Buemi who was on his inlap.
Sebastian Buemi has been handed a 3 place grid penalty for impeding Nico Rosberg during the second session of qualifying.
Rain has played a major part during the Belgium Grand Prix weekend and is expect during the race tomorrow. The two Mercedes GP drivers would be hoping for rain, so would Fernando Alonso who will be starting in 10th.
Robert Kubica would be pleased with the new F-duct on the Renault. This is the first time this year Renault are running the F-duct and it seems to work well for them. They have performed consistently well during free practice and Kubica will start the race tomorrow in 3rd. Kubica however couldn't start his final qualifying run as his engine cut off while he was entering the pits after his first run. That didn't matter however as no one except for Hamilton could improve on their times, due to rain towards the closing stages of qualifying.
Vitaly Petrov would however be disappointed. Petrov ran off the track during his out lap in the first few minutes of Q1 and stalled his engine. He would be starting the race from last on the grid.
Both Sauber drivers would be disappointed too. The Sauber drivers went out on slicks while the track was still slippery during Q1 of qualifying. Both drivers ran out of the track and took no further part.
Timo Glock has been dropped 5 grid positions for impeding Sakon Yamamoto during Q1 of qualifying and Jarno Trulli get a €4,400 fine for pit lane speeding.
Michael Schumacher and Nico Rosberg finished outside the top ten in Q2 and would now have to contend with their grid penalties also. Rosberg was given a 5 place grid penalty for a gear box change prior to qualifying. Both Mercedes GP narrowly missed the Q3 cut due to a slow moving Sebastien Buemi who was on his inlap.
Sebastian Buemi has been handed a 3 place grid penalty for impeding Nico Rosberg during the second session of qualifying.
Rain has played a major part during the Belgium Grand Prix weekend and is expect during the race tomorrow. The two Mercedes GP drivers would be hoping for rain, so would Fernando Alonso who will be starting in 10th.
Robert Kubica would be pleased with the new F-duct on the Renault. This is the first time this year Renault are running the F-duct and it seems to work well for them. They have performed consistently well during free practice and Kubica will start the race tomorrow in 3rd. Kubica however couldn't start his final qualifying run as his engine cut off while he was entering the pits after his first run. That didn't matter however as no one except for Hamilton could improve on their times, due to rain towards the closing stages of qualifying.
Vitaly Petrov would however be disappointed. Petrov ran off the track during his out lap in the first few minutes of Q1 and stalled his engine. He would be starting the race from last on the grid.
Both Sauber drivers would be disappointed too. The Sauber drivers went out on slicks while the track was still slippery during Q1 of qualifying. Both drivers ran out of the track and took no further part.
Timo Glock has been dropped 5 grid positions for impeding Sakon Yamamoto during Q1 of qualifying and Jarno Trulli get a €4,400 fine for pit lane speeding.
Thursday, August 26, 2010
Mercedes GP shifts focus to 2011
It was speculated before that Mercedes GP would be focusing on 2011 despite the Mercedes team insisting that they are not giving up on their 2010 car. Today in the Belgian GP Thursday press conference, Michael Schumacher gave the first clear indication of where their focus lies. For the remainder of the season for Mercedes would focus on staying ahead of Renault in the Constructors championship.
Many factors would have contributed for Mercedes' decision. Brawn GP last year was fighting for the championships till almost the end of the season. That meant that they were quite late on the development for this year's car.
Early on in the season they had weight distribution issues which they tried to fix by introducing a longer wheel base car in Spain. But that couldn't fix the issues their car had with this year tyres, and they have struggled during qualifying although their race pace has been slightly better.
With the exhaust blown diffusers the hot air from the exhaust outlets is channeled to the diffuser floor but that would lead to higher temperatures of the rear suspension and rear tyres. Although Mercedes introduced their exhaust blown diffuser upgrade by Valencia it took them a couple of races more till they could manage the rear tyres overheating issues.
With the cap on the team personnel to 300 by 2011 Mercedes has already downsized their employees, while some of the top teams still operate with a higher number of staff. While it remains to be seen how Formula 1 teams manage a cap on workforce size Mercedes seem to have the edge over other teams in this aspect. However that has hurt their development efforts for this season. With the reduced workforce it would be near impossible to concentrate both on 2010 and 2011. With little chances at both the championships, Mercedes have a better shot at next years title.
Additionally Pirelli has started testing for next years tyres. Teams would soon have data on the tyre specifications for next year and it would make sense Mercedes, Renault to shift focus to 2011 and get a jumpstart on Red Bull, McLaren and Ferrari who are fighting a closely fought championship.
In addition to a new tyre supplier for next year, KERS would be used again by teams next year. Although KERS is not mandatory for all teams most of the top teams would be working on it. Ferrari, Williams etc have already run with KERS in the 2009 season. Force India have said they would use KERS 2011. While some of the teams are keen on KERS in 2013 when a new set of regulations would be in force, it could well be that a standard supplier for KERS could be used.
Another key change that would be introduced is the moveable rear wing which can give an extra tenths on the straights and can be used by a driver when close behind a rival. The F-duct is banned from next year but the moveable rear wing can be thought of as a replacement.
From Schumacher's point of view the remainder of the season would give him the needed race experience after the three year long layoff from the sport. While this year hasn't turned out how his fans would have expected it, a head start for the 2011 season would help in Schumacher's quest for a 8th Drivers title.
Many factors would have contributed for Mercedes' decision. Brawn GP last year was fighting for the championships till almost the end of the season. That meant that they were quite late on the development for this year's car.
Early on in the season they had weight distribution issues which they tried to fix by introducing a longer wheel base car in Spain. But that couldn't fix the issues their car had with this year tyres, and they have struggled during qualifying although their race pace has been slightly better.
With the exhaust blown diffusers the hot air from the exhaust outlets is channeled to the diffuser floor but that would lead to higher temperatures of the rear suspension and rear tyres. Although Mercedes introduced their exhaust blown diffuser upgrade by Valencia it took them a couple of races more till they could manage the rear tyres overheating issues.
With the cap on the team personnel to 300 by 2011 Mercedes has already downsized their employees, while some of the top teams still operate with a higher number of staff. While it remains to be seen how Formula 1 teams manage a cap on workforce size Mercedes seem to have the edge over other teams in this aspect. However that has hurt their development efforts for this season. With the reduced workforce it would be near impossible to concentrate both on 2010 and 2011. With little chances at both the championships, Mercedes have a better shot at next years title.
Additionally Pirelli has started testing for next years tyres. Teams would soon have data on the tyre specifications for next year and it would make sense Mercedes, Renault to shift focus to 2011 and get a jumpstart on Red Bull, McLaren and Ferrari who are fighting a closely fought championship.
In addition to a new tyre supplier for next year, KERS would be used again by teams next year. Although KERS is not mandatory for all teams most of the top teams would be working on it. Ferrari, Williams etc have already run with KERS in the 2009 season. Force India have said they would use KERS 2011. While some of the teams are keen on KERS in 2013 when a new set of regulations would be in force, it could well be that a standard supplier for KERS could be used.
Another key change that would be introduced is the moveable rear wing which can give an extra tenths on the straights and can be used by a driver when close behind a rival. The F-duct is banned from next year but the moveable rear wing can be thought of as a replacement.
From Schumacher's point of view the remainder of the season would give him the needed race experience after the three year long layoff from the sport. While this year hasn't turned out how his fans would have expected it, a head start for the 2011 season would help in Schumacher's quest for a 8th Drivers title.
Monday, August 23, 2010
Ferrari disciplinary hearing, What can be expected ?
Fernando Alonso took a controversial victory in the German Grand Prix after team orders were used to get Alonso ahead of race leader Felipe Massa. After the race Ferrari were fined $100000 for using team orders and the case was referred to the FIA World Motor Sport Council. The WMSC disciplinary hearing will be held on the 8th of September.
Ferrari were found guilty of using team orders at the end of the race and Ferrari haven't officially lodged any protest on the $100000 fine. It could be assumed that Ferrari would not try to protest the stewards decision at the council hearing but would justify their stance for the events during the race.
Ferrari have been involved in team order controversies before. In the 2001 Austrian Grand Prix, Ruben Barrichello had to concede second place to Michael Schumacher. Barrichello let Schumacher overtake him on the last lap of the race. Intrestingly the same situation present itself to Ferrari the next Austrian Grand Prix in 2002. This time Barrichello conceded his lead to Schumacher on the last lap of the race. During the trophy presentation ceremony of the 2002 Austrian Grand Prix, Schumacher took the second step of the podium and insisted on Barrichello taking the top step. Ferrari received a huge fine of one million dollars for not observing the sport's regulations during the presentation ceremony. The new rules against team orders were due to the events of the 2002 Austrian Grand Prix.
The opinion about team orders itself has been a divided one. Some teams have said that team orders should be allowed and the rule be scrapped, but others feel that it spoils the show. However many were disappointed with the outcome of the German GP. Fans expect racing at all times during a race, an opinion which is not necessarily shared by the teams.
Former FIA president Max Mosely has been quoted as saying that both Ferrari drivers should be docked their points in the race. Ferrari would definitely take a harder stance if that were to happen. A few media reports say that Ferrari are prepared for a civil court action if the decision of the WMSC is to dock any points from the race. While docking points wouldn't affect Ferrari in the constructors championship it would have a huge impact on Fernando Alonso's title hopes. The drivers title is very closely fought this year and if Alonso were to lose the points from the German Grand Prix its almost curtains for his title hopes.
Ferrari reaction of a civil suit might be to let the WMSC know beforehand how they would feel about any drastic decision against them. Precedents do suggest the WMSC might take a sterner action against Ferrari. In the spy controvery McLaren were docked all constructor points and imposed a fine of 100 million dollars while the drivers - Hamilton and Alonso escaped any penalty. In the 2009 lie-gate controversy McLaren were docked points for three races and Hamilton for the Australian race. The WMSC might feel obliged to hand a bigger penalty to Ferrari and set a deterrent against teams imposing team orders.
While Ferrari are focusing on the upcoming Belgian Grand Prix, the upcoming hearing will most certainly be on the back of their mind. The F1 media and fans would most certainly divert their attention to the hearing soon after the Belgian Grand Prix. Interestingly the hearing is set to be held on Wednesday during the Monza race week, which is Ferrari's home race.
Ferrari were found guilty of using team orders at the end of the race and Ferrari haven't officially lodged any protest on the $100000 fine. It could be assumed that Ferrari would not try to protest the stewards decision at the council hearing but would justify their stance for the events during the race.
Ferrari have been involved in team order controversies before. In the 2001 Austrian Grand Prix, Ruben Barrichello had to concede second place to Michael Schumacher. Barrichello let Schumacher overtake him on the last lap of the race. Intrestingly the same situation present itself to Ferrari the next Austrian Grand Prix in 2002. This time Barrichello conceded his lead to Schumacher on the last lap of the race. During the trophy presentation ceremony of the 2002 Austrian Grand Prix, Schumacher took the second step of the podium and insisted on Barrichello taking the top step. Ferrari received a huge fine of one million dollars for not observing the sport's regulations during the presentation ceremony. The new rules against team orders were due to the events of the 2002 Austrian Grand Prix.
The opinion about team orders itself has been a divided one. Some teams have said that team orders should be allowed and the rule be scrapped, but others feel that it spoils the show. However many were disappointed with the outcome of the German GP. Fans expect racing at all times during a race, an opinion which is not necessarily shared by the teams.
Former FIA president Max Mosely has been quoted as saying that both Ferrari drivers should be docked their points in the race. Ferrari would definitely take a harder stance if that were to happen. A few media reports say that Ferrari are prepared for a civil court action if the decision of the WMSC is to dock any points from the race. While docking points wouldn't affect Ferrari in the constructors championship it would have a huge impact on Fernando Alonso's title hopes. The drivers title is very closely fought this year and if Alonso were to lose the points from the German Grand Prix its almost curtains for his title hopes.
Ferrari reaction of a civil suit might be to let the WMSC know beforehand how they would feel about any drastic decision against them. Precedents do suggest the WMSC might take a sterner action against Ferrari. In the spy controvery McLaren were docked all constructor points and imposed a fine of 100 million dollars while the drivers - Hamilton and Alonso escaped any penalty. In the 2009 lie-gate controversy McLaren were docked points for three races and Hamilton for the Australian race. The WMSC might feel obliged to hand a bigger penalty to Ferrari and set a deterrent against teams imposing team orders.
While Ferrari are focusing on the upcoming Belgian Grand Prix, the upcoming hearing will most certainly be on the back of their mind. The F1 media and fans would most certainly divert their attention to the hearing soon after the Belgian Grand Prix. Interestingly the hearing is set to be held on Wednesday during the Monza race week, which is Ferrari's home race.
Sunday, August 22, 2010
Kimi Raikkonen never to return to F1 ?
When Kimi Raikkonen decided to leave F1 for WRC many would have thought of it as a temporary move. However in the French sports newspaper L’Equipe, Raikkonen is quoted as saying he may never return to F1
Kimi Raikkonen left F1 with one year pending in his contract after it was announced that Fernando Alonso would be driving for Ferrari. Raikkonen would have considered other F1 teams including his former team McLaren before moving to WRC with Citroen . While there were rumours of Kimi Raikkonen coming back to F1 notably with Red Bull since they are one of his team sponsors in WRC and probably Renault since there is no indication of a contract yet for the second seat at Renault, it seems like Raikkonen might want to continue with rallying and other challenges. In his debut year in the WRC Kimi Raikkonen has registered a best result of 5th overall in the Rally of Turkey and also won the last stage in the Rallye Deutschland.
One of the reasons for Raikkonen's non commitment to his future F1 plans could also be due to the lack of openings with the top teams. The driver market would really open out during the 2012 season with most of the driver contracts in the top teams ending by the end of 2012. Maybe a new challenge in F1 would get Raikkonen to reconsider F1.
Kimi Raikkonen left F1 with one year pending in his contract after it was announced that Fernando Alonso would be driving for Ferrari. Raikkonen would have considered other F1 teams including his former team McLaren before moving to WRC with Citroen . While there were rumours of Kimi Raikkonen coming back to F1 notably with Red Bull since they are one of his team sponsors in WRC and probably Renault since there is no indication of a contract yet for the second seat at Renault, it seems like Raikkonen might want to continue with rallying and other challenges. In his debut year in the WRC Kimi Raikkonen has registered a best result of 5th overall in the Rally of Turkey and also won the last stage in the Rallye Deutschland.
One of the reasons for Raikkonen's non commitment to his future F1 plans could also be due to the lack of openings with the top teams. The driver market would really open out during the 2012 season with most of the driver contracts in the top teams ending by the end of 2012. Maybe a new challenge in F1 would get Raikkonen to reconsider F1.
Saturday, August 7, 2010
F1 - Who goes where in 2011
Now that we are in the summer break and approaching the last part of the 2010 Formula 1 season its probably time to review the drivers and teams for next year
McLaren
Lewis Hamilton and Jenson Button are set to stay. In 2008 it was reported that he had signed a 5 year contract with McLaren after his successful debut year. That means Hamilton is set to stay till the end of 2012. Jenson Button too has a three year contract with McLaren, that would mean he is with them till the end of 2012.
With both drivers comfortable in the team and the team's ability to provide a car that can challenge for titles it hard to see either not seeing out the contract. One wonders if Hamilton would ever drive for another team.
Mercedes GP
For the current constructor champions they have had a rough year. It didn't start all that bad for them. Ross Brawn was able to successfully bring back Schumacher out of retirement for a three year deal. I couldn't find any information on the tenure of Rosberg's contract. But three years should be the norm and for next year the same driver pairing should continue. Never mind the rumours that Schumacher will retire by the end of the year. He won't.
Red Bull Racing
Sebastian Vettel has a contract till the end of 2012 and Red Bull may well be trying to add another three years to that. Mark Webber extended his contract by a year till the end of 2011. Although Red Bull are yet to win a championship this year and to some extent last year proved that they are a big force in the years to come. The two drivers are confirmed to drive for next year.
Ferrari
No surprises here. Fernando Alonso and Felipe Massa's contract are till the end of 2012. Interestingly most of the drivers in the top team's contract are set to expire by the end of the 2012. The driver market is wide open in 2012.
Renault
Like most of the top drivers Kubica has extended his contract with Renault till the end of 2012. Vitaly Petrov however has a single year's contract with Renault. Hungary was the best race for him this season but he needs more like that. There is speculation about other drivers for Petrov's race seat - Nick Heidfeld, Adrian Sutil, Kimi Raikkonen, Kamui Kobayashi, but nothing concrete as of now.
Force India
The contracts of two Force India drivers can only be speculated. Liuzzi has a contract for 2011 but its not clear if its a race seat contract. Liuzzi started out as their test driver in 2009 but graduated to the race seat after Giancarlo Fisichella moved to Ferrari. Adrian Sutil's contract was to end in 2009 and it was extended for this year. It would be interesting to see if Paul di Resta will be give a few races next year. He has been a regular friday driver for the team.
Torro Rosso
Torro Rosso are set to continue with their existing line up for next year. Buemi is probably looking at a race seat at Red Bull when there is an opening there.
Sauber
Kamui Kobayashi has a better part of the season of late. He now has 17 points while Pedro de la Rosa has 6. Sometime back De la Rosa said he is not sure about next year yet. Kobayashi might continue with Sauber next year unless the speculation linking him to a Renault seat turns out to be true
Williams F1
It does seem that Williams is happy with their current driver lineup. I believe that the contract with these drivers is for 2010 as of now, but we may well see an extension of their contracts.
Lotus Racing
Lotus Racing have done the best so far among the new teams and also seem the most stable. All the new teams have contracts with their drivers only for 2010 which seems the obvious. But we may see both Heikki Kovalainen and Jarno Trulli continuing for next year. Next year Lotus may also be eyeing a race for one of their Malaysian drivers, maybe Fairuz Fauzy. Lotus Racing recently announced that a 16 year old Karting driver Nabil Jeffri would be doing an aero test on their car next month.
Virgin Racing
Timo Glock is probably set for next year, but he might be looking to graduate to one of the established teams. When Toyota left F1 he couldn't get a race seat with one the established teams. Ironically when he was injured last year, Kobayashi replaced him for the last two races of the season and impressed enough to land a Sauber seat. Nothing is clear about Lucas di Grassi yet.
HRT
Hispania Racing has four drivers in their team, but none of them have a secure deal for next year. HRT have had a rough year so far and would probably delay thinking about the driver lineup till after the season.
McLaren
Lewis Hamilton and Jenson Button are set to stay. In 2008 it was reported that he had signed a 5 year contract with McLaren after his successful debut year. That means Hamilton is set to stay till the end of 2012. Jenson Button too has a three year contract with McLaren, that would mean he is with them till the end of 2012.
With both drivers comfortable in the team and the team's ability to provide a car that can challenge for titles it hard to see either not seeing out the contract. One wonders if Hamilton would ever drive for another team.
Mercedes GP
For the current constructor champions they have had a rough year. It didn't start all that bad for them. Ross Brawn was able to successfully bring back Schumacher out of retirement for a three year deal. I couldn't find any information on the tenure of Rosberg's contract. But three years should be the norm and for next year the same driver pairing should continue. Never mind the rumours that Schumacher will retire by the end of the year. He won't.
Red Bull Racing
Sebastian Vettel has a contract till the end of 2012 and Red Bull may well be trying to add another three years to that. Mark Webber extended his contract by a year till the end of 2011. Although Red Bull are yet to win a championship this year and to some extent last year proved that they are a big force in the years to come. The two drivers are confirmed to drive for next year.
Ferrari
No surprises here. Fernando Alonso and Felipe Massa's contract are till the end of 2012. Interestingly most of the drivers in the top team's contract are set to expire by the end of the 2012. The driver market is wide open in 2012.
Renault
Like most of the top drivers Kubica has extended his contract with Renault till the end of 2012. Vitaly Petrov however has a single year's contract with Renault. Hungary was the best race for him this season but he needs more like that. There is speculation about other drivers for Petrov's race seat - Nick Heidfeld, Adrian Sutil, Kimi Raikkonen, Kamui Kobayashi, but nothing concrete as of now.
Force India
The contracts of two Force India drivers can only be speculated. Liuzzi has a contract for 2011 but its not clear if its a race seat contract. Liuzzi started out as their test driver in 2009 but graduated to the race seat after Giancarlo Fisichella moved to Ferrari. Adrian Sutil's contract was to end in 2009 and it was extended for this year. It would be interesting to see if Paul di Resta will be give a few races next year. He has been a regular friday driver for the team.
Torro Rosso
Torro Rosso are set to continue with their existing line up for next year. Buemi is probably looking at a race seat at Red Bull when there is an opening there.
Sauber
Kamui Kobayashi has a better part of the season of late. He now has 17 points while Pedro de la Rosa has 6. Sometime back De la Rosa said he is not sure about next year yet. Kobayashi might continue with Sauber next year unless the speculation linking him to a Renault seat turns out to be true
Williams F1
It does seem that Williams is happy with their current driver lineup. I believe that the contract with these drivers is for 2010 as of now, but we may well see an extension of their contracts.
Lotus Racing
Lotus Racing have done the best so far among the new teams and also seem the most stable. All the new teams have contracts with their drivers only for 2010 which seems the obvious. But we may see both Heikki Kovalainen and Jarno Trulli continuing for next year. Next year Lotus may also be eyeing a race for one of their Malaysian drivers, maybe Fairuz Fauzy. Lotus Racing recently announced that a 16 year old Karting driver Nabil Jeffri would be doing an aero test on their car next month.
Virgin Racing
Timo Glock is probably set for next year, but he might be looking to graduate to one of the established teams. When Toyota left F1 he couldn't get a race seat with one the established teams. Ironically when he was injured last year, Kobayashi replaced him for the last two races of the season and impressed enough to land a Sauber seat. Nothing is clear about Lucas di Grassi yet.
HRT
Hispania Racing has four drivers in their team, but none of them have a secure deal for next year. HRT have had a rough year so far and would probably delay thinking about the driver lineup till after the season.
Wednesday, August 4, 2010
Hungarian Grand Prix post race updates
In the post race press conference Webber called for engine parity. It is widely known that the Mercedes engine is the most powerful engine on the grid and there have repeated calls from Renault for engine equality. With the engine specification freeze in effect till 2012 engine manufactures are allowed only changes meant for improving reliablity after approval from the governing body.
Red Bull would have to continue with Renault next year as Mercedes are unlikely to supply another team. Mercedes currently supply engines to McLaren, Mercedes GP (their works team) and Force India. A fourth team is unlikely. Red Bull were looking at a switch to Mercedes prior to the start of this season but were unable to get the engine supply. The Renault engine although down on power is considered the most fuel economical engine on the grid. With the ban on refuelling the teams running the Renault engine have the ability to run with a lot less fuel in the tanks than the other teams.
As expected the media is centered around Michael Schumacher for his maneuver on Rubens Barrichello. Derek Warwick the driver race steward at the Hungarian Grand Prix has said that Schumacher was close to being black flagged at the race. But with three laps remaining they were unable to review the video footage in time to issue the penalty and had to take up the issue post race. Ex F1 drivers have joined the band wagon in criticizing Schumacher - Alex Wurz, Sir Jackie Stewart, Eddie Irvine and the list goes on.
Schumacher has apologised to Ruben Barrichello on his official website. He said that it was never his intention to cause any harm to Rubens but was only trying to protect the inside line so that it was clear to Barrichello that he would have to overtake hime around the outside. But he said if Rubens felt otherwise he is sorry.
Most of F1 teams, personnel, drivers are on vacation. The team factories are shut for two weeks before the week of the Belgian Grand Prix.
Red Bull would have to continue with Renault next year as Mercedes are unlikely to supply another team. Mercedes currently supply engines to McLaren, Mercedes GP (their works team) and Force India. A fourth team is unlikely. Red Bull were looking at a switch to Mercedes prior to the start of this season but were unable to get the engine supply. The Renault engine although down on power is considered the most fuel economical engine on the grid. With the ban on refuelling the teams running the Renault engine have the ability to run with a lot less fuel in the tanks than the other teams.
As expected the media is centered around Michael Schumacher for his maneuver on Rubens Barrichello. Derek Warwick the driver race steward at the Hungarian Grand Prix has said that Schumacher was close to being black flagged at the race. But with three laps remaining they were unable to review the video footage in time to issue the penalty and had to take up the issue post race. Ex F1 drivers have joined the band wagon in criticizing Schumacher - Alex Wurz, Sir Jackie Stewart, Eddie Irvine and the list goes on.
Schumacher has apologised to Ruben Barrichello on his official website. He said that it was never his intention to cause any harm to Rubens but was only trying to protect the inside line so that it was clear to Barrichello that he would have to overtake hime around the outside. But he said if Rubens felt otherwise he is sorry.
Most of F1 teams, personnel, drivers are on vacation. The team factories are shut for two weeks before the week of the Belgian Grand Prix.
Sunday, August 1, 2010
Michael Schumacher vs Rubens Barrichello
The safety car was deployed on lap 15 and Schumacher along with most of the other drivers dived into the pits for their pit stop. Webber and Barrichello however stayed on. The safety car deployment was too early in the race for Barrichello who had started on the prime tyres.
Barrichello eventually took his pit stop with only 14 laps remaining in the race. He rejoined the race in 11th about 8 seconds behind Schumacher. In the space of 4 laps Barrichello caught up with Schumacher.
A big battle between Barrichello and Schumacher then started for the 10th place on Lap 61. Barrichello was evidently much faster than Schumacher. Schumacher however was able to hold his ground for about 5 laps. At the end of Lap 66 Barrichello sees his chance. Barrichello exited the final corner much closer to Schumacher this time and was able to gain a straightline advantage. He moves to the right close to the pit wall. Schumacher move to the right too leaving little space between the pit wall and himself. Barrichello however didn't ease off the pedal and both cars continued till the end of the pit wall at which point with reaching the braking zone Schumacher braked first and Barrichello with the inside line was able to brake later and move take the position. Replays show a few centimeters between Barrichello's car and the pit wall.
Barrichello was fuming inside the car and told his team over the pit radio that Schumacher should be black flagged. Schumacher did receive a 10 place grid penalty for the next race. He would be docked ten places of his qualifying position. Later Barrichello told the media that it was the most dangerous overtaking move he had ever encountered.
Schumacher in his defense said that he left enough space between him and Barrichello and also that as a driver he was allowed to change his line once which he did.
It looks like the F1 community is divided about Schumacher's move. Some are obviously say that Schumacher overstepped the line and tried to push Barrichello against the wall - well many infact and including the race stewards who had to penalise Schumacher and prevent setting a precedent for the others.
But there is quite a strong voice who actually enjoyed the racing. They say thats racing and even the fight is for tenth it showed Schumacher's racing instinct. They may well be true. Schumacher is in an unknown territory this year with a car which seems to go backwards rather than forward. His teammate is doing much better which may not show on the outside but Schumacher is well aware of that. Canada and here showed that even if its for a single point he would not give the place away easily.
But every Grand Prix these days has given something to talk and read about. With three weeks before the next Grand Prix Schumacher's move on Barrichello and Vettel's drive through penalty should give enough for the fans and the media in these weeks.
Strange, i said Schumacher's move on Barrichello when it was actually Barrichello who overtook Schumacher :-)
Hungarian Grand Prix Webber Victorious, Vettel fails to win from pole.. again
Sebastian Vettel has claimed 7 poles this year and only one win from Pole. The race was full of twists and turns once the safety car was deployed which otherwise would have been another processional race.
Vettel made a clean start and was soon way ahead of the lead from Alonso. Alonso moved to second after a poor start by Webber. Webber started from the dirty side of the track and didn't have a clean getaway.
After the first lap the race order was Vettel, Alonso, Webber, Massa, Hamilton and Petrov.
On lap 15 things turned quite a bit. Safety car was deployed and every one headed into the pits. The pit lane was crowded with the pit crew and the race cars each trying to jump ahead of another during the stop.
The lollipop in front of Robert Kubica was lifted just when Adrian Sutil was entering his pits and both the cars collided. That ended the race for Sutil and Kubica rejoined later a lap down. He was issued a stop-go penalty which served later. But he soon retired from the race which any way seemed fruitless for him.
Nico Rosberg right rear wheel flew off his car and was bouncing up and down in the pit lane. This happened immediately after he was released by his pit crew and that ended his race. Luckily no one was hurt from the flying wheel which could have been quite dangerous. Both Mercedes and Renault have been fined 50000 dollars for unsafely releasing their cars.
Red Bull didn't pit Webber during the safety car period. Vettel however came in for his pit stop and rejoined the track behind Webber.
The order behind the safety car was Webber, Vettel, Alonso, Hamilton, Massa. Hamilton gained position over Massa during the pit stops. The idea from Red Bull would have been to let Webber run ahead with a empty track ahead of him, gain enough advantage and then take his pit stop. That would have meant that Vettel would have finished in first and Webber in second if everything went right for Red Bull. But things didn't work out as they planned.
Webber was right behind the safety car as it came in and literally flew ahead in the race. Vettel however was slow and there was quite a gap between him and Webber. It could have been Red Bull's plan to slow the cars behind or it probably was Webber jumped ahead much faster than Vettel could have reacted. Nevertheless Vettel failed to maintain less than 10 cars lengths between him and Webber when following the safety car and he was handed a stop go penalty. Vettel was absolutely fuming when he took his penalty. 'Why am i given a drive through ?' he asked over his pit radio.
The Red Bull were a league apart from the rest of the cars. Webber with an empty track behind him took his pit stop on lap 44 a full 23 seconds ahead of Alonso and rejoined the track comfortably ahead of Alonso. Vettel after knowing about his investigation was able to build a lead sufficient to be ahead of Massa after his drive through. Vettel however even with superior pace couldn't get ahead of Alonso and had to settle for third.
Lewis Hamilton's championship challenge suffered a setback. The championship leader retired from the race after a gear box failure on lap 24. His team mate Jenson Button would be dissappointed with eight.
Fernando Alonso has gained massively from his win last weekend and his second here. Alonso is now only 20 points behind Webber.
Webber leads the championship with 161 points. Hamilton is second with 157 points and Sebasitan Vettel is third with 151 points
Michael Schumacher has been given a 10 place grid penalty for moving to right to block an overtaking move by Barrichello. Barrichello was pushed right against the pit wall. The race stewards after investigation by the stewards found Schumacher guilty of illegimately impeding Barrichello in an overtaking move.
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