Author: Natalie

F1: 2013: Monte Carlo, timeless perfection

For more times than I could remember I have imagined a Formula 1 car hurtling down my street, braking hard for the ninety degree turn just beyond my gates and planting the throttle which would induce that chill down the back of your spine as the magnificent whine of that V8 engine bounces off the surrounding buildings. If you live in Monte Carlo, this is no fantasy.

In one way or another, since 1929, racing cars have flashed through the sun drenched streets of Monte Carlo and through the decades has become the most prestigious motor race in the world. The 2013 edition of the Monaco grand prix will mark the 71^st race to be run in the Principality.

Throughout its rich history many drivers have left their mark in the annals of this track’s history books. As a result of five victories around the famous streets, Graham Hill was christened ‘Mr Monaco’ and Formula 1 legends Alain Prost and Michael Schumacher took five victories a pair. The undisputed master around the tight and twisting Monte Carlo streets was unquestionably the incomparable Ayrton Senna. Of the Brazilian idol’s six unforgettable victories it was the 1989 race that yielded one of Senna’s most memorable quotes. “There is a rhythm… something like a perfect melody. Not always… but in any case I am always looking for that melody. And when I have found it I drive in a different dimension. I sense and I feel much more than I calculate. These rare moments are marvellous.”

Now it is time for someone else to become the winner of this extraordinary race. The winner may be amongst the current contenders for the world championship. Fernando Alonso has big momentum on his side and a tremendously fast Ferrari; Kimi Raikkonen brings to Monaco a car that has shown improved pace in qualifying – immensely important around the Anthony Noghes circuit. The championship leader, Sebastian Vettel wants to re-assert his dominance but problems with the tyres and a more than handy teammate around the streets may scupper his plans.

Mercedes could throw their hat into the ring and almost certainly will come qualifying. But will qualifying performance mean anything in the face of severe rear tyre wear in the race? Whichever driver is to be the eventual winner on Sunday it is nearly impossible to win the race from anywhere but the first two rows of the grid. “Overtaking is almost impossible, so to really enjoy racing there you have to be in the front,” said 2005 winner Kimi Raikkonen.

There isn’t just something special about the Monaco grand prix, everything about it is exceptional. The quick changes of direction between Ste Devote and Casino Square, the dark, very fast and loud tunnel, the mega fast left-right chicane just after Tabac at the entry to the swimming pool – all unite in the most exhilarating experience for both driver and fan.

*A small reminder that free practice 1 and 2 at Monaco will be run on Thursday as opposed to Friday.

May 22, 2013
F1 2013: Pirelli tyre plans reigned in by FIA

Pirelli’s planned ‘tweaks’ to the 2013 tyres from the Canadian GP onwards has been reigned in by the FIA.

A ruling made by the sport’s governing body has stipulated that it will only allow changes to be made to the tyres on the grounds of safety. As a result the expected changes will be less significant that intially planned.

The FIA has clearly stated that it will not accept changes aimed at cutting down on the number of pitstops much less to reduce tyre degradation. Instead of reverting back to 2012 specification tyres Pirelli have been instructed to make adjustment to the current specification of tyres.

Article 12.6.3 of the technical regulations have been cited by the FIA with regard to their decision. The rule states:

“Tyre specifications will be determined by the FIA no later than 1 September of the previous season. Once determined in this way, the specification of the tyres will not be changed during the championship season without the agreement of all competing teams.”

There is however a different clause within the regulations which states that changes could be introduced “if the tyres are deemed by the tyre supplier and technical delegate as technically unsuitable.” But the FIA is adamant that the current ‘issues’ with the 2013 tyres falls within the purview of this rule.

Pirelli motosport director Paul Hembery admitted that the changes to the tyres would now be of a more modest nature. “Let’s wait and see exactly what changes we will be making, but we are doing everything we can to minimise what will be different,” he said.

The prospective changes were expected to benefit teams such as Mercedes and Red Bull who have been struggling to get on top of the tyres. In contrast, Ferrari and Lotus will breathe a sigh of relief as they look to maintain their tyre advantage.

May 19, 2013
Formula 1 Breaking News: McLaren and Honda together again

Japanese manufacturer Honda has announced its return to Formula 1.

Honda has not competed in Formula 1 since shutting down its works team at the end of 2008. However, as a result of Formula 1’s planned change to 1.6 litre turbocharged V6 engines it has announced a ‘joint project’ with McLaren starting in 2015.

Rumours about a reunion between McLaren and Honda have been making the rounds for quite some time and the manufacturer is believed to be well advanced in the development of their an all-new 1.6 litre V6 turbo Formula 1 engine.

Honda is no stranger to Formula 1 or McLaren and have won both the drivers’ and constructors’ titles four times. The Japanese manufacturer’s previous partnership with McLaren stretched from 1988 to 1992. This alliance brought back fond memories for McLaren team principal Martin Whitmarsh. “Together Honda and McLaren have a great legacy; we formed a uniquely successful partnership that took on and beat the world,” he said. “Together, we created some of the greatest, most iconic Formula 1 moments of all time which are still being talked about today all around the world.”

Jenson Button, a former works Honda driver, was equally chuffed about the announcement.

“I’m so thrilled and excited about what is not only a fantastic opportunity for the team but also a great development for Formula 1 fans and the sport as a whole,” said the former champion. “I grew up watching McLaren-Honda Formula 1 cars racing and winning around the world – they wrote their own glorious chapter of F1 history.”

This brings to an end McLaren’s long-standing relationship with German engine maker Mercedes. The Woking based team have been using the Mercedes powerplant since 1995. Gone will be the familiar McLaren Mercedes to replaced, and re-named, McLaren Honda.

Hopefully, the gleaming silver livery of McLaren will still feature prominently as Honda doesn’t exactly have the best track record when it comes to the design of livery – the 2007 ‘earth dreams’ paint scheme being the perfect example.

Could this be the dynamic step that McLaren so desperately need to get back on track?

May 16, 2013
Breaking News: McLaren and Honda re-unite

Honda has confirmed that it will return to Formula 1 in 2015 as engine supplier to McLaren.

The Japanese manufacturer has not competed in F1 since shutting its works team at the end of 2008, but has decided to return as a result of the change to 1.6-litre turbocharged V6 engines.

It has been known to have been in talks with McLaren for some time and has already made significant progress with design work on its new engine.

Honda previously supplied McLaren with engines from 1988-1992, winning both the drivers’ and constructors’ championship four times.

Source: autosport.com
Photo: Jmex60, cropped/retouched by Morio (Own work) [GFDL or CC-BY-SA-3.0-2.5-2.0-1.0], via Wikimedia Commons

May 16, 2013
A change is gonna come – Pirelli to change tyres from Canada

Pirelli have announced that it will make changes to its tyres from the Canadian grand prix onwards.

This announcement comes after a raft of criticism has been aimed at the Italian manufacturer. Several teams have voiced their unhappiness about the excessiveness of the tyre degradation.

The Spanish grand prix saw four stop strategies implemented by the majority of the field.Pirelli motorsport director Paul Hembery told AUTOSPORT: “We never intended for there to be four-stop races, so we are going to make construction changes to the tyres.

“We will be taking some of the design of the 2013 tyres, but also some of the elements of the 2011 and 2012 products that served us so well during that period. We want to go back to having two or three stop races.”

Pirelli’s inexperience in the highly competitive world seems to have found them out. Hembery admitted that they had understimated the increase in performance the cars would make from year to year.

“They have basically been stressing everything far too much, and probably we underestimated the performance,” he said. “We cannot test with the current cars, and all we have access to is a 2010 Renault that laps four or five seconds slower than the current F1 cars do on a Sunday.”

Pirelli motorsport director, Paul Hembery.

Revisions to the structure of the tyres will be made along with possible changes to compounds. When asked about the possibility of the changes shaking up the competitive order Hembery responded with relative certainty that all should remain as is. “There have been concerns from some of the teams that the changes will favour one team or another, but we don’t think that will be the case,” he said.

May 16, 2013
F1 Rules: Teams to pay driver fines

The FIA has announced that no driver will be fined for speeding in the pitlane.

Instead, teams will now have to flash the cash if one of their drivers exceeds the pitlane speed limit. The Grand Prix Driver’s Association (GPDA) raised concerns that drivers were being punished for breaking the pitlane speed limit despite an agreement that had been made with the FIA.

Formula 1’s sporting regulations state that a driver will be fined $200 (approx. R1800.00) for evering kilometre per hour they are over the speed limit. As a result the FIA conceded that they would no longer impose monetary fines on drivers and reduced the scale of the fines to $100 (approx. R900.00) for every kilometre per hour over the limit. A maximum limit of $1000 (approx. R9005.00) has also been imposed.

The new order has been in place since the Bahrain grand prix.

May 16, 2013
2013 Spanish Gp – Mercedes leaves Lewis & Nico in the dark

Lewis Hamilton was left scratching head after his Mercedes team’s showing at the 5th round of the world championship in Spain at the 2013 Spanish Gp.

An utterly dominant Saturday surprised the paddock and looked to set to stand the Rosberg and Hamilton duo in good stead for Sunday’s main event. But despite taking their third pole position in as many race the Mercedes drivers were found wanting in the race.A front row start meant nothing as first Hamilton then Rosberg were unceremoniously shuffled through the field. The age old problem of tyre wear shattered any designs the two may have had on the podium much less victory and left Lewis Hamilton with more questions than answers.

“Today I was doing absolutely everything the same as I did in Bahrain. But I had no grip, I couldn’t push, and if I did, the tyre just went off immediately. I’m absolutely lost today. I don’t know what went wrong,” a perplexed Hamilton admitted.

It wasn’t any better for pole starting teammate Rosberg either.”It was really difficult out there, but why? Why on one lap are we so fast and on a long run so slow? It’s strange, and it’s not just one axle, it’s front and rear. Both are struggling and there’s no explanation.”

Some suggest that the coanda exhaust system and overheating of rear tyres could be the culprit in Mercedes’ struggle with tyre wear. But it begs the question if the problem is so obvious why hasn’t it been fixed?

Mercedes will again be regarded as favourites come qualifying at Monaco but the question remains – what about the race?

May 12, 2013
Formula 1 – 2013 Spanish Grand Prix: Fabulous Fernando tops in Spain

It would be easy to say that Fernando Alonso’s victory at the Spanish grand prix was effortless and uncomplicated.

In reality it was the way he blitzed the start that set up his afternoon. A fifth place on the grid would have been considered below par for the Spaniard but the Ferrari driver always had his mind fully focused on the race.

A surprise attack from Mercedes had Nico Rosberg and Lewis Hamilton locking out the front row of the grid but the questions about their race performances would linger despite a complete domination of qualifying. Cautiously optimistic would have been the best way to describe Rosberg and Hamilton and with good reason. While Rosberg was able to momentarily hold off a charging Alonso and Sebastian Vettel teammate Hamilton was hastily shuffled through the pack. It wasn’t long before the same fate was dealt to Rosberg and after the first round of pitstops the two Mercedes boys ran the Spanish GP in relative obscurity. A forlorn radio message from Hamilton bemoaning the fact that he had been passed a Williams summed up the entire mood of the Silver Arrows camp. Mercedes’ race performance was no match for their qualifying domination as the team yet again endured a race day shattered by their ever present tyre wear issues.

You could call this victory commanding, controlled or even dominant but what it was, was vintage Fernando Alonso. From fifth on the grid he nearly surged into the lead of the race passing Hamilton around the outside of turn three along the way. He expertly managed a four stop strategy and clinically overtook when it was most needed. On lap fourteen he seized the lead of the race and meticulously powered his way to career victory number 32. To further underline the skill of the man it was confirmed that Alonso made the final pitstop of his race with a slow puncture thrown into the mix; though Ferrari maintain that it never put the race victory in jeopardy.

Logically, consistently scoring points is the right way to go about winning a world championship. But when you are Kimi Raikkonen, someone made to win races, second place can become a bit boring. “It’s only 5 races. We are here to win races and championships. I want to win, the team wants to win. 2nd is disappointing,” said Raikkonen. You wouldn’t expect anything less from a natural born racer.

Felipe Massa’s race performances continue to improve after the Brazilian overcame a three place grid penalty to finish on the third step of the podium. Sebastian Vettel and Mark Webber could only manage fourth and fifth as the current world champion placed the blame for Red Bull’s lack of performance squarely on the Pirelli tyres. “We are not going to the pace of the car, we are going to the pace of the tyre,” said Vettel.

Nico Rosberg was able to salvage sixth place from his pole position start but Lewis Hamilton was limited to twelfth. Paul di Resta snuck his Force India into seventh while McLaren, who had pinned much of their hopes on an upgrade package rolled out this weekend, delivered an improved performance. Still not delivering to the standard they would want Button finished in eighth ahead of Sergio Perez in ninth. Daniel Ricciardo did one better than his gridslot to finish in tenth place.

Thirteen years ago Fernando Alonso made his debut in Formula 1 with the Minardi team; since then he’s won two world titles and taken numerous breathtaking victories and through it all he has become one of the most impeccable drivers and certainly one of the hardest to beat.

May 12, 2013
No more playing the James card for Lotus – James Allison departs as technical director

News broke earlier today that Lotus technical director James Allison is leaving the team.

Allison, highly regarded in the F1 paddock, is very much considered to be the mastermind behind Lotus’ speed and as technical director had become a vital member of the Enstone based team.

Allison joined the team in 1991 while still in its previous guise of Benneton. He had spells at both Larrousse and Ferrari but returned to Renault in 2005 after which he was appointed the technical director in 2009. News of his departure came as a surprise too many, especially in the midst of a season for which Lotus has high hopes.

Naturally, it remains to early to speculate on what effect Allison’s departure will have on the team but losing such an integral and important member of the team will certainly have some impact. Team owner, Gerard Lopez was quoted as saying that only ‘shock events’ could potentially derail Lotus’ quest for a top three finish in the championship – does this qualify Mr. Lopez?

The announcement of Allison’s departure will further intensify rumours that Kimi Raikkonen may be looking elsewhere for a race seat in the near future. Lotus’ biggest drawcard for retaining Raikkonen has been the potential to deliver a race-winning car and with the leaving of James Allison that potential has significantly decreased.

While it looks likely that Allison may join Ferrari, Lotus have appointed Nick Chester as its new technical director.

May 8, 2013
Formula One 2013 Spanish GP Preview: Who will gain in Spain?

In the world of motorsport there is no shortage of Spanish sporting heroes. The current crop of Jorge Lorenzo, Dani Pedrosa and Marc Marques and their domination of MotoGP is testament to the fact.

Spain may be smitten with MotoGP but it was Fernando Alonso who transformed this country’s interest in Formula 1 from mild curiosity to full blown infatuation. In 2005 the then Renault driver, Fernando Alonso, whipped the crowd into a frenzy as he stepped out in his home region of Asturias as the country’s first F1 champion. He would repeat the feat in 2006 and tag to his double glory a career as one of the most respected and revered Formula 1 drivers of his generation.

A different fairytale was written into the history books at last year’s Spanish GP as Williams returned to the very top of the sport they once dominated. An outstanding race and dogged determination accounted for Venezuela’s Pastor Maldonado first ever Formula 1 race victory. Replicating his deed in 2013 may be a bridge to far for Maldonado and his Williams team.

Nevertheless, a spirited battle there will be throughout the sixty-six laps around the Circuit de Catalunya. Sixteen corners in total are dotted throughout the 4.655 km lap and a mixture of medium to high speed corners typifies its layout. The first two sectors of the lap are characterised by high speed corners with the third sector offering a more technical and slower combination of corners.

If it hasn’t yet been in the headlines enough this season the Pirelli tyres will once again be a point of focus this weekend. Tyre wear around the Barcelona circuit has been described as ‘challenging’ and similar to what was seen in Bahrain. But after taking more than a little heat from several teams Pirelli have changed their hard compound tyres in time for Spanish GP. “This latest version of the hard compound is much closer to the 2012 tyre, with the aim of giving the teams more opportunity to run a wider range of strategies in combination with the other compounds, which remain unchanged,” Pirelli’s motorsport director Paul Hembery said.

The Catalan circuit is regularly used as a testing venue by the majority of the field which makes any advantage especially hard to come by. As the first European race of the season it makes traveling and logistics a much simpler task; hence the rolling out of highly expected upgrades this weekend. “The start of the so-called European season – where many teams unleash a raft of their latest upgrades – could shake up the order somewhat,” predicted Lotus technical director, James Allison. “What do we have in the upgrade cupboard for Catalunya? Nothing revolutionary, but plenty which should help us go faster. We have new front wing end plate detailing, new aero around the rear drums, modifications to the diffuser and a different top rear wing so there’s plenty to help keep us in the hunt,” he continued.

The gap on the points table between Sebastian Vettel and second-placed Kimi Raikkonen currently stands at ten points. But if Lotus and Raikkonen and the rest of the likely challengers want to make a serious bid for the title the gap must be narrowed and Vettel’s strong start to the season tempered.

There are not many things that can be controlled in Formula 1. Mechanical failures, a rival’s rash overtaking manoeuvre, weather and even car performance are all potential uncontrollable factors. Naturally it makes those aspects that can be controlled all the more important. Clinically performed pit stops, a perfectly executed pull-away, lightning quick reactions can all, reasonably, be controlled. And if you add a supremely fast and confident Ferrari loaded Fernando Alonso to this mix it should be a winning combination, shouldn’t it?

May 7, 2013