Author: Natalie

F1 2013: German GP Review – Vettel breaks his German jinx

The 2013 German grand prix is one that will stay in the memory bank of Sebastian Vettel for quite some time. Bested in Saturday’s qualifying session by Lewis Hamilton the reigning world champion had it all to do in Sunday’s race.

Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton finished a tenth clear of Red Bull’s Sebastian Vettel to take pole position for the German grand prix.

The biggest casualty of qualifying was teammate and British grand prix race winner, Nico Rosberg. An initial run in the second part of Saturday’s qualifying appeared to be enough for the German to advance to the top ten shoot-out. However, a late flurry of flying laps in the closing stages of the second session of quali pushed Rosberg down to eleventh and out of contention for the front row of the grid. The German commented that the team had “underestimated the pace of the track.”

Ever dependable Jenson Button managed to drag his McLaren into the top ten and continually impressive Daniel Ricciardo and Sauber’s Nico Hulkenberg advanced to the final part of qualifying.

But Saturday once again belonged to Lewis Hamilton. The 2008 champion pipped championship leader Sebastian Vettel to pole position but a tenth of a second. Former German grand prix winner Mark Webber will start third and Kimi Raikkonen, in the Lotus, fourth. Romain Grosjean and Daniel Ricciardo will start fifth and sixth ahead of Massa, Alonso and Button.

Acing the start was the easiest part of Vettel’s afternoon as he had to fight both the Lotus’ Romain Grosjean and Kimi Raikkonen. Vettel grabbed the lead of the race straight away and controlled the pace easily ahead of teammate Mark Webber.

The soft compound Pirelli tyres dictated early pitstops for the frontrunners and pushed Lotus’ Romain Grosjean into the lead of the race. Mark Webber’s first pitstop, on lap nine, took a dramatic turn as his right-rear wheel was not attached correctly. It bounced through the pitlane before striking and FOM camera-man, Paul Allen. The cameraman was being held for observation with a concussion, broken ribs and a fractured collar bone. Red Bull have been fined 30 000 Euro for unsafe release of Webber’s car.

A pitstop from Grosjean re-instated Vettel to the race lead but the German looked unlikely to maintain the lead under serious pressure from Grosjean’s Lotus. Nevertheless, the nearly ten second gap to third placed Raikkonen would soon be wiped out.

For what seemed like a fairly innocuous retirement from Marussia’s Jules Bianchi soon took a dangerous turn as Bianchi’s driverless car started to roll down the middle of the circuit. This prompted the deployment of the safety car on lap 24 and spurred a flurry of activity in the pitlane.

By the time the safety car pulled into the pitlane Vettel had both Lotuses breathing down his neck. Romain Grosjean tried his level best to overtake the Red Bull driver but it proved a bridge to far for the Frenchman who subsequently pitted on lap 40 for a fresh set of medium tyres. Vettel followed into the pitlane a lap later and relinquished the lead of the race to Kimi Raikkonen.

The Lotus driver was leading the race by 15 seconds over Red Bull’s Sebastian Vettel and felt that the tyres and the car were, possibly, performing well enough to hold on to the lead. However, communication problems between the pitwall and Raikkonen ultimately led to a late pitstop for the Finn.

“I could run longer and we had to think about if we should try to run until the end,” said Raikkonen. “But I had massive problem with the radio. I could hear the team but they couldn’t hear me, apart from at two corners.

Raikkonen last pitstop switched him to the soft compound Pirelli tyres and left him roughly three seconds adrift of the Red Bull. Despite closing down Vettel in the closing stages of the race and getting to within the DRS zone, the Finn was unable to regain the lead of the grand prix. Raikkonen finished one second behind race winner Sebastian Vettel.

Ferrari’s qualifying strategy hadn’t quite gone to plan with Felipe Massa retiring and Fernando Alonso only salvaging fourth. Polesitter Lewis Hamilton’s difficult afternoon was blighted with tyre issues but the Brit fought his way back to finish fifth overall. Jenson Button returned McLaren to the points paying positions with a fine sixth place ahead of a recovering Webber in seventh. Perez, Rosberg and Hulkenberg rounded out the top ten.

The dismal run of form for Williams continued this weekend as the team failed to score even a single point on the weekend they are celebrating 600 grand prix starts.

Just seven days ago Sebastian Vettel walked away from the British grand prix without a single point in the bank. But he’s no three champion by mistake and this is not the impetuous Vettel of 2009. A mature, in control, winning machine is what Vettel has transformed himself into – and that is going to take some stopping in 2013.

As impressive a collection of achievements as Sebastian Vettel has been able to put together winning his home race has always eluded him. But a finely judged drive and resisting big pressure from Raikkonen has earned the championship leader a coveted home race victory.

July 7, 2013
2013 German GP: Raikkonen wonders about final pitstop

Kimi Raikkonen suspects that a late pitstop during the German grand prix may not have been neccesary.

The Lotus driver was leading the race by 15 seconds over Red Bull’s Sebastian Vettel and felt that the tyres and the car were, possibly, performing well enough to hold on to the lead. However, communication problems between the pitwall and Raikkonen ultimately led to a late pitstop for the Finn.

“I could run longer and we had to think about if we should try to run until the end,” said Raikkonen. “But I had massive problem with the radio. I could hear the team but they couldn’t hear me, apart from at two corners.

Raikkonen last pitstop switched him to the soft compound Pirelli tyres and left him roughy three seconds adrift of the Red Bull. Despite closing down Vettel in the closing stages of the race and getting to within the DRS zone, the Finn was unable to regain the lead of the grand prix. Raikkonen finished one second behind race winner Sebastian Vettel.

July 7, 2013
F1 2013: Qualifying Report – German GP

Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton finished a tenth clear of Red Bull’s Sebastian Vettel to take pole position for the German grand prix.

Briton Lewis Hamilton has taken his second consecutive pole position and twenty-ninth of his Formula 1 career at the home grand prix for his team, Mercedes.

The biggest casualty of the day was teammate and British grand prix race winner, Nico Rosberg. An initial run in the second part of Saturday’s qualifying appeared to be enough for the German to advance to the top ten shoot-out. However, a late flurry of flying laps in the closing stages of the second session of quali pushed Rosberg down to eleventh and out of contention for the front row of the grid. The German commented that the team had “underestimated the pace of the track.”

Ever dependable Jenson Button managed to drag his McLaren into the top ten and continually impressive Daniel Ricciardo and Sauber’s Nico Hulkenberg advanced to the final part of qualifying.

The gap between the soft and medium compound tyres this weekend has been anything from one to one and a half seconds – a run for pole, or anywhere near the sharp-end would require the yellow marked tyres, no doubt. However, the medium compound tyres have also proven, through long run stints in qualifying, to have a much better wear rate than their softer counterparts. As ever Ferrari chose to play the long run and focus on race day by choosing to run only the medium compound tyres in the final ten minute session of qualifying. The result was seventh for Felipe Massa and eighth for Fernando Alonso. Barring any incidents in the first corners the Ferrari’s should bring themselves nicely in to play in Sunday’s race.

But Saturday once again belonged to Lewis Hamilton. The 2008 champion pipped championship leader Sebastian Vettel to pole position but a tenth of a second. Former German grand prix winner Mark Webber will start third and Kimi Raikkonen, in the Lotus, fourth.

Romain Grosjean and Daniel Ricciardo will start fifth and sixth ahead of Massa, Alonso and Button.

July 6, 2013
F1 2013 Tyre Update: Pirelli ringing the changes

Pirelli will introduce completely new tyres for the 2013 Hungarian grand prix.

The announcement comes after the Italian tyre manufacturer was put in the spotlight with several tyre failures during the Silverstone grand prix. The all new tyres, which will feature 2012 construction combined with 2013 compounds, will be introduced for Hungarian grand prix. These new tyres will be tested at the young driver’s test at Silverstone in mid-July.

For the immediate future, and this weekend’s German grand prix, teams will be provided with the kevlar-belted rear tyres that were tested at the Canadian grand prix. Teams will also be banned from swapping left and right tyres and strict limitations will be placed on camber and tyre pressures. Pirelli believe that a combination of these factors were to blame for the spectacular failures at the British grand prix.

To prevent a repeat of the failures Pirelli have requested that their engineers be allowed access to real time tyre data, including pressures and cambers, during a race. “What happened at Silverstone was completely unexpected and it was the first time that anything like this has ever occurred in more than a century of Pirelli in motorsport,” said Pirelli motorsport director Paul Hembery.

“These incidents, which have upset us greatly, have stressed the urgency of the changes that we already suggested – which will be introduced for free practice in Germany on Friday.

“We would like to acknowledge the willingness of the FIA, FOM, teams, and drivers to act quickly to find an immediate solution to the problem.

“In particular, the adoption of winter tests, arranged with the FIA, that are more suitable for tyre development, and the possibility of carrying out in-season testing will contribute to the realisation of tyres with increasingly improved standards of safety and performance.”

Hembery went on to stress that the Pirelli tyres are safe for use. “I’d like to re-emphasise the fact that the 2013 range of tyres, used in the correct way, is completely safe,” he said.

July 3, 2013
2013 Young Driver’s Test – FIA set out the rules

Formula 1’s govering body, the FIA, has announced that it will send its own observers to this month’s young driver’s test.

The recent Mercedes-tyregate debacle has prompted the FIA to appoint a ‘security guard’ to ensure that no current race drivers do any work on car development. On the back of multiple tyre failures at the British grand prix the governing body changed testing regulations to allow for the regular race drivers to help out with the tyre work at the test. The Silverstone grand prix circuit will be used from July 17 – 19 for the test.

However, the FIA has stipulated that no current race driver will be only be allowed to work on an emergency testing programme for tyre manufacturer Pirelli. The observers will scrutinise the running programs of every team to ensure that all development work is done by the ‘young’ driver who still be present at the test.

Pirelli also has two further private tests planned in the coming weeks for which the FIA have told Pirelli motorsport director, Paul Hembery, that it would be willing to allow the tyre company to use a 2013 car if required.

July 3, 2013
F1 2013: British GP Review – Rosberg tops at dramatic Silverstone

Formula 1 in 2013 hasn’t been short of drama but it well and truly ramped up for the eighth round of the season at Britain’s Silverstone grand prix.

It was home-grown hero Lewis Hamilton who thrashed the field to take only his second pole position at the famous circuit. The margin between the 2008 champion and teammate Rosberg was the biggest it had been all season as Mercedes locked out the front row of the grid. Sebastian Vettel was ever present in third ahead of retiring teammate, Mark Webber.

Force India’s Paul Di Resta delivered an excellent lap for fifth but would later be excluded from qualifying for an underweight car. The Lotus of Kimi Raikkonen and Ferrari of Fernando Alonso seemed to struggle in qualifying trim as the duo only managed to start eighth and ninth.

Lewis Hamilton led cleanly away from pole position as Vettel slotted into third ahead of Rosberg. Mark Webber’s race was made a lot tougher after a clash with Romain Grosjean left the Australian with damage to the front-wing. A bit of damage to a front-wing would be the least dramatic issue of the day.

Lewis Hamilton easily in the lead of the race and steadily building a gap over Vettel would become the first driver to suffer a left rear tyre blowout. The Pirelli tyre seemed to completely disintegrate without any indication whatsoever. Somehow Hamilton was able to return his Mercedes to the pits but his chances of victory had been thrown out the window.

It looked like horrible luck for Hamilton until two laps later Felipe Massa’s Ferrari suffered the exact same failure. Jean-Eric Vergne became the third driver to suffer a tyre blow-out on lap 15 as his left rear spectacularly exploded on the Hangar straight.

The Toro Rosso driver’s tyre failure brought out the safety car as debris from the blowout littered the circuit. McLaren’s Sergio Perez would be the final driver to suffer an identical tyre blow-out on lap 46. At this point drivers were being told to avoid the kerbs in case they were the cause for the tyre problems. But Fernando Alonso didn’t share the same opinion after the race. “I have been racing here 12 years & never had this problem (tyre). I think the kerbs were perfectly ok,” said the Ferrari driver.

Racing resumed on lap 22 with no certainty of whose Pirelli could fail next but there was still a race to be had as Vettel led Rosberg over the start/finish line. The Red Bull driver extended his advantage over Rosberg to two seconds but the Mercedes driver was gradually starting chip away at his lead. Rosberg wasn’t required to do much more work in catching Vettel as the reigning world champion’s car grinded to a halt at the pit entry with a gearbox failure.

The stricken Red Bull prompted another safety car and Rosberg, Webber and Alonso dived into the pitlane for a fresh set of medium tyres. The only front-running driver not to take a fresh set of tyres was Kimi Raikkonen. Raikkonen was running second when he asked his team why they had not called him into the pits for fresh tyres. The Lotus pitwall had roughly half a lap behind the safety car to decide on a pitstop but responded to Raikkonen’s question with “I don’t know” and “It’s too late now.” On a day when championship leader Vettel failed to score any points the Lotus pitwall destroyed what could have been a significant gain in the championship stakes. Raikkonen eventually finished fifth, defenceless on hard tyres he had put on twenty laps earlier. It is on moments like this that championships are lost and won.

Mark Webber’s announcement of his retirement at the end of the season sent the rumours of Raikkonen joining the Red Bull team into overdrive. Lotus team principal Eric Boullier has said that they are doing everything they can to keep the Finn in the team. He believes that the ‘atmosphere’ within the team is enough to make Raikkonen stay put – it isn’t. During his two year hiatus from Formula 1 the Iceman let it be known that he is only interested in winning races – not fighting for second. The doubt is whether Lotus can consistently deliver up to that standard. Mistakes such as this will surely make Raikkonen’s decision to stay or leave a lot less difficult. Lotus are a good team but many suggest that the only thing making them great is Kimi Raikkonen. Since his return to Formula 1 he hasn’t put a wheel wrong and he has rekindled a kind of speed and driving class second to none. Give this guy what he needs and he will win you a world championship. Lotus’ mistakes could be more costly than they expect.

Mark Webber, recovered from front-wing damage, charged through the field in the closing laps to within seven tenths of race leader Rosberg. Similarly, Fernando Alonso’s fresh tyres allowed him pass several cars and finish third overall. Fernando Alonso was happy to salvage third place on a weekend where Ferrari look decidedly off the pace but called on his team to ‘raise their game’ in the coming races.

Nico Rosberg inherited the lead of the race but he won the British GP on pure merit. Never putting a wheel wrong he soaked up the late-race pressure from Webber like a pro. Career victory number three was well deserved for the most improved driver of 2013.

The Pirelli tyregate saga took a very dramatic turn during the British GP prompting the teams to angrily demand answers from the Italian tyre supplier. So serious was the tyre situation that race director Charlie Whiting admitted post-race that he was close to putting out the red flag.

Paul Hembery has failed to appear at press conferences at the last two races but at some point Pirelli and their motorsport director will have to face the music. Pirelli have been invited, by FIA President Jean Todt, to attend the Sporting Working Committee meeting at the Nurburgring next week in order to find a solution to the tyre problems.

The teams are now pushing for next month’s young driver’s test to be scrapped in favour of a fully fledged tyre test.

July 1, 2013
F1 2013 – Free Practice 2 Report – British GP

The second free practice session for the British grand prix got underway in gloomy, overcast conditions. Thankfully, the dreaded rain that curtailed the morning’s running stayed away for the most part.

Drivers took advantage of improved conditions and set about testing new parts, and sorting out a set-up for Sunday’s all important race. Vettel was first out on track followed by teammate Webber – both on intermediate tyres. The two Red Bulls lapped consistently on both the hard and medium compound tyres.

The two Toro Rosso drivers, in the running for the Red Bull seat in 2014, did their level best to impress ‘onlookers’ as they traded fastest laps between the pair of them and spent the better part of the session in the top end of the timing sheets.

Felipe Massa’s miserable run continued as he wiped off the front-wing and broke the front-right suspension of his Ferrari. The rear-end of the Ferrari seemed to get away from the Brazilian as he exited Stowe corner. This makes it three crashes at all of the last three races for the man who says that his future with Ferrari is secure.

Ferrari didn’t show too much of their hand in the long runs but Sebastian Vettel and Kimi Raikkonen set competitive long run times in the mid to high 1 minute 38 region. The Mercedes duo of Hamilton and Rosberg set a competitive long run pace but soon dropped off to the 1 minute 39s.

The track temperature didn’t reach any great heights with 20 degrees celcius the highest it climbed too. The rest of the weekend is expected to be dry and slightly hotter. Good news for the likes of Ferrari who seemed to struggle with getting the heat into the medium tyre in the cold conditions.

McLaren continued to struggle with Button managing 11th and Perez 14th overall. No doubt they’d prefer the wet stuff this weekend.

Mercedes Nico Rosberg, and qualifying ace of late, set the fastest time overall.

June 28, 2013
2013 Rookie Update – Esteban Gutierrez

It’s been a tough debut for Esteban Gutierrez in Formula 1 and the Mexican has failed to score any points for his Sauber team in the first seven races of the season.

The Sauber team havent reached the heights they experienced in the 2012 but the rookie believes his steady improvement has shown the bosses his talent. “I’ve been feeling able and confident to push, and for me personally that’s an improvement and a good step,” Gutierrez said.”I can understand what’s happening with the car a lot more. Communication has been improving.

He has faith that the team will move forward in the coming races and feels ready for the task at hand. “I think we are working in a very good direction and that’s how we’re going to make the next steps. In the next few races I think something good is coming,” said the Mexican driver.

Despite the Sauber’s lesser performance in the 2013 Guitierrez’ Formula 1 career hasn’t been anything to write home about. His achieved his best grid position of 14th at the Malaysian grand prix. The best finishing position the former test driver has been able to manage was an 11th place at the Spanish grand prix, the fifth round of the championship.

Gutierrez has remained adamant that he will ignore his critics and instead focus on impressing his team. What happens when his team become the critics?

June 27, 2013
F1 2013: British GP Preview – Silverstone: The Heart of Motorsport

On this same Silverstone circuit legends such as Senna, Fangio, Stewart and Clark unleashed their virtuoso talents. The circuit, the ground, the grandstands, everything here is drenched in motorsport history and is considered one of the most unique racing venues in the world. The memories will linger forever but the times and the talents have changed as F1 heads into the eighth round of the 2013 season.

There wasn’t much wrong with the ‘old’ Silverstone layout, in fact, it was pretty darn special. The magnificent Copse corner, the breathtaking Maggots and Becketts section, ultra quick Stowe corner is enough to make any race fan nostalgic. Nevertheless, an upgrade in time for the 2010 grand prix vaulted the circuit into the 21^st Century and what is considered the modern Formula 1 era. But it wasn’t some wishy washy attempt. The major overhaul of the paddock area was slick and eye-catchingly impressive and the changes to the layout, importantly, retained the essence of what makes this place great.

It wouldn’t be Silverstone if the perennially unpredictable weather wasn’t a topic of conversation. The British weather is sure to have its say at some stage during the weekend and the forecast predicts showers for Friday with low temperatures present throughout the weekend.

Three weeks have elapsed since the Canadian GP but F1 is after all the sport that never sleeps. Sebastian Vettel has entrenched himself deeper into the Red Bull Racing family by extending his contract to the end of the 2015 season. Talks about who will partner the German continue as Mark Webber is yet to announce his plans for 2014.

Mercedes escaped the International tribunal in France with a mere slap on the wrist. The Brackley based team was called to the tribunal in Paris on the 20^th of June to explain a secret 1000 kilometer tyre test they had completed after the Spanish GP. Despite being found to be in breach of the sporting regulations Mercedes’ only penalty was a ban from the young driver’s test slated for mid-July. It seems tad light considering the possible advantage that they could’ve gained. Ironically, the two races following the Spanish GP, both street tracks, wouldn’t have given any indication if Mercedes’ had gleaned a genuine advantage from the test. Silverstone is a return to a ‘proper’ high-speed F1 circuit and should be a better gauge.

With any luck it will also be a return to proper racing instead of days spent in front of tribunals and waiting for verdicts. Patience is what Kimi Raikkonen has called for in his pursuit of the driver’s crown. The Finn has conceded a hefty forty points to Sebastian Vettel but believes that the title is still within reach. In pursuit of his quest Lotus is planning its biggest upgrade package of the year at this weekend’s race. Lotus’ track operations director, Alan Permane, laid out the parts that will be fitted to the car. “We have a tighter, figure-hugging bodywork package which should give some benefit; especially if the weather is quite cool at Silverstone. There’s a new front wing, suspension profiles and suspension upgrades in addition to various other aero upgrades, which combine to give us what should be our biggest step forward of the year.”

There are a few others drivers who will have the same desire for the top step of the podium. Mark Webber has been more than handy around Silverstone in the past and needs a good performance to bolster his lacklustre season. By having won the race on two previous occasions and the very fact that he is Fernando Alonso the Ferrari driver will be a factor.

There aren’t many things better than a grand prix in the very heart of motorsport; besides the fact that twenty-two of the world’s best drivers will add 52 more laps of history to magnificent Silverstone.

June 27, 2013
F1 2013 News – Pirelli: No new tyres for Silverstone

Italian tyre manufacturer and Formula 1 supplier Pirelli have announced that it will not run new rear tyres at the British grand prix.

A change isn’t going to come after all. Pirelli had been looking for a solution for delamination suffered by drivers this season and opted for a tyre test, this one above board, during the free practice sessions in Canada. The weather conditions in Montreal limited the running that could be done on the experimental tyre and the decision was taken to postpone any modification to the current tyres.

“We are not going to race with the new tyre as we did not get much of a chance to test it here [in Canada],” said Pirelli motorsport director Paul Hembery. “We have some internal specification changes – process changes – that we think will go the full way to curing the delamination issue that we have seen. That is good from many points of view, as it means teams will be working with the same tyre they started the year with.But it is probably not good for some teams that are struggling with the front tyre.”

To combat the delamination Pirelli will introduce a revised bonding procedure to the current tyres in the hopes that the tread remains affixed.

June 13, 2013