Category: Previews

2016 Belgian Grand Prix Weather Report

There aren’t many tracks that when mentioned bring up the word “legendary”. The Circuit Spa-Francorchamps is one of them. Formula 1 is back for Round 13 of the Formula 1 World Championship and the 2016 installment of the Belgian Grand Prix.

The Spa-Francorchamps circuit, over the years, has undergone many revisions. From it’s original 14.9 km layout it has been revised and shortened to the modern day Spa layout of 7.004 km with the new bus stop chicane.

The current lap record around Spa belongs to Sebastian Vettel who set the time of 1:47.263 in 2009. With cars going fast this season there’s always the possibility that we may see times tumble again.

Going into the summer break Mercedes were in a very strong position with both their drivers topping the drivers championship. Lewis Hamilton winning the German Grand Prix before the break put him 19 points ahead of Nico Rosberg in 2nd place. It’s expected that Mercedes will continue their run of form and will once again stamp their authority this weekend.

The internal battle between the two Mercedes team mates still rages on and the fight for the championship looks like it will go to the end of the season. Hamilton will have to take a grid penalty for an engine change after early season reliability issues means that he’s on his 5th engine for the season. It’s widely tipped that Hamilto will take his 6th engine at the Italian Grand Prix. For Rosberg, that will be his chance to close the gap or move ahead of Hamilton in the championship.

Red Bull went into the summer break ahead of Ferrari in the constructors standings. Their ultimate goal at the end of the season is to finish ahead of Ferrari in the standing and possibly get one of their drivers to finish ahead of one of the Ferrari drivers in the drivers standings.

Ferrari looked like a lost team ahead of the summer break. They’ve had time to look inward and find the problem with their car and to fix those issues. It’s not going to be easy for them coming out of this summer break.

Down in the mid-field, there are two battles worth noting. The battle for 4th between Williams and Force India and the battle for 6th between Toro Rosso and McLaren.

With some financial backing behind them, Sauber have brought some new parts for their car and are hoping for some improved form for the rest of the season. Manor, who are fully aware of this fact, are preparing themselves for a resurgence from the Hinwil based team.

The weather for this weekend is expected to be hot and clear. Temperatures will hover around the high 20s and low 30s. Some thunderstorms are forecast for Sunday.

August 25, 2016
F1 2016: Belgium GP Preview – Spa, Unparalleled Greatness

It is almost as if it’s scripted that Formula 1 returns after it’s summer break to the greatest circuit in the world. Belgium’s majestic Spa-Francorchamps is set in all of its famed glory to host the 13^th round of the 2016 season.

It doesn’t come as a surprise that Spa is often rated as the most popular races by fans. The circuit, 7.004 km in length, boasts several overtaking opportunities, significant elevations changes, and a bevy of challenging corners. It provides an equally stern test to the cars as it demands an efficient aero package through its high-speed corners, and good power out put and delivery for its long straights and climbs.

It’s not just a great circuit on paper either. Since it’s first race in 1950 Spa has delivered victors, moments, and memories that will last forever. From Mika Hakkinen’s stunning pass, for the lead, on Michael Schumacher and backmarker Ricardo Zonta in 2000, to Kimi Raikkonen’s 2004 win from tenth on the grid, to Mark Webber’s spine-tingling 2011 overtake of Fernando Alonso around the outside into Eau Rouge.

In 2016 another chapter is ready to be written into the glorious history of this mythical circuit. Mercedes start the weekend as favourites but it’s not a given that they’ll dominate the 44 laps on Sunday.

The tyres selected by the sharp end of the grid have revealed quite a big disparity between the front running teams. Mercedes has chosen the conservative route on tyre selection, as each of their drivers will have only four sets of the red-walled supersoft tyre. Meanwhile, Ferrari’s Vettel and Raikkonen have opted for seven sets a piece of the supersoft tyre. Ferrari has shown a preference for the supersoft tyre throughout the first half of the season, which could have factored into their decision making. The cooler temperatures and difficulty in heating the tyre to their operating temperatures would have been another consideration for Ferrari.

As fascinating as the tyre strategy could turn out this weekend it may not play out at all. This circuit, situated in the foothills of the Ardennes Mountains, is notorious for its changeable and unpredictable weather. Add to this the vastness of the Spa-Francorchamps circuit and it often results in rain at one end of the track while sunshine dominates the other half.

There is also the question of spotty reliability of Lewis Hamilton’s side of the garage. The unreliability that dogged his early season means that Hamilton, already on his fifth engine element, is close to incurring a grid penalty. A sixth engine would mean a painful ten place grid penalty however it has been confirmed that Hamilton will take the ten place knock at the Italian grand prix.

Ferrari hasn’t had the season that they and most expected them to have. Nevertheless, team principal Maurizio Arrivebene has confirmed that there will be another engine upgrade but has not confirmed whether it will be forthcoming in Belgium or Italy. They do have Raikkonen in their arsenal who has been dubbed The King of Spa. But before the summer break they had clearly fallen behind Red Bull.

This next round of the 2016 F1 season has everything going for it. The best drivers in the world sweeping through Eau Rouge, Pouhon, and Blanchimont on the greatest circuit ever built is surely a match made in Formula 1 heaven.

August 24, 2016
F1 2016: German GP Preview – Hockenheimring Returns!

The last time the F1 paddock visited Germany’s Hockenheimring was in 2014. Back then Mercedes’ dominance was just getting into its stride and Sebastian Vettel was still a Red Bull driver.

Given the amount of things that have changed it feels impossible that the race around the Hockenheimring was just two years ago. In 2016 Lewis Hamilton is a triple world champion, Sebastian Vettel has settled into life as a Ferrari driver, and there was no American team on the grid.

What remains unchanged is the mystic and attraction of the Hockenheimring. They will all be fighting it out on a German circuit that varies quite a bit from what was seen two weeks ago in Hungary. The layout includes just two high speed corners as the rest of the lap is comprised of medium speed corners. This requires stability under braking and conversely good traction out of the slower speed corners.

Overtaking here is easier than at the Hungaroring but Red Bull and Ferrari are unlikely to have enough to challenge Mercedes. For Red Bull the fact that the German circuit is very much power limited will have a big impact on their pace. However, expect to see Daniel Ricciardo and Max Verstappen loitering near the top few positions and likely giving the Ferrari’s a tough fight.

The Italian team have been thrown a bit of curveball with the departure of tech chief James Allison. It’s never a good sign when one of the head honchos leaves mid-way through the season but it is likely that Allison did not in order to spend time with his young children. The immediate impact on Ferrari won’t be too significant. They still have scheduled updates to fit to the 2016 car throughout the season as they shift focus to their 2017 challenger.

In Germany the cooler weather may once again be Ferrari’s foe. Throughout the season the team has consistently struggled with maintaining optimum tyre temps in cooler conditions.

The run down to turn one tightens quite quickly and it remains to be seen how hard the two Merc boys will fight for dominance when the light goes out. You can’t help feeling that if Rosberg is beaten by Hamilton here it may be championship over for the German.

July 28, 2016
Weather Report for the 2016 Formula 1 Hungarian Grand Prix

Coming up to the halfway point in the Formula One World Championship and we are at the Hungaroring for the 2016 Hungarian Grand Prix in Mogyoród, Hungary.

The middle of the season is always an interesting time. Teams are starting to focus on the next years cars and drivers are moving around. Some teams are already shifting focus to 2017 with a small development team focusing on 2016. The front running teams who have the bigger budgets have the luxury of keeping their foot on gas pedal to keep the 2016 development and 2017 going.

The Hungaroring is a track that has been good to many drivers and teams. Many first F1 victories have been recorded at the historic circuit which has been hosting F1 since 1986. The location and topography of the track make it possible, in some places, so see up to 80% of the track. The elevations changes are not that extreme but the twisty flowing nature of the track makes overtaking very difficult. Not to say overtaking is difficult but it is a bit of a challenge if a driver cannot get close enough into Turn 1 with DRS.

For 2016 the track has been resurfaced and the kerbs have been changed. This new surface should make braking a little easier compared to the old surface where breaking was rather bumpy into some corners. There is talk of lap records tumbling once again.

Mercedes are currently on a roll, Red Bull are looking stronger while Ferrari seem neither here nor there. Red Bull fancy their chances to take the fight to Mercedes this weekend. The characteristics of the track suits the Red Bull car very well. Mercedes will not take things lying down they will take the fight to who ever threatens their dominance.

In the mid-field battle, Force India will be hoping to overturn a 19 point lead Williams has over them as they target 4th in the Constructors Championship. Slow circuits are neither Williams not Force India’s cup of tea. It will be interesting to see who comes out on top at the end of the race on Sunday.

The Hungarian Grand Prix takes place in the middle of summer in Hungary. Conditions are usually very hot and dry. Temperatures this weekend will stay around the low 30’s with clear conditions expected throughout the weekend.

July 20, 2016
F1 2016: Hungarian Gp Preview – Three-Way Battle Around The Ring

When the FIA announced a 21-race calendar for the 2016 it’s likely that few really took notice of what this actually meant. As the paddock heads to the Hungaroring in Budapest, Hungary for the 11^th round it will, astonishingly, only reach the halfway mark of the season on lap 35 of the race.

The 70 laps of the Hungaroring are akin to a street circuit thanks to its tight and twisting layout. The second sector especially highlights the flowing nature of the circuit, as it comprises eight medium to high speed flowing turns that demand absolute precision.

The price for its kart-like layout and lack of straits is that overtaking opportunities are not obvious or abundant. The most predictable overtaking opportunity is an out-braking maneuver into turn one.

The top two teams in the championship are split on tyre strategy. Pirelli is bringing the white-walled medium, yellow-walled soft, and red-walled supersoft tyre compounds to the race. Ferrari has loaded up on nine sets of supersoft tyres each for Raikkonen and Vettel while Mercedes have opted for eight sets of the softest tyre for Rosberg and Hamilton. The Hungaroring is a circuit that is notoriously low on grip for which the supersoft tyre is ideal.

The Red Bull team are primed for a good weekend in Hungary. The improved Renault power unit is not quite to the standard of Mercedes and Ferrari but it’s not far off. But they do excel in the aerodynamic department and with a better power unit than ever bolted to the back of the Red Bull and the tight and twisting nature of the Hungaroring Christian Horner and his team can be more than bullish about their chances, pun intended.

The inter-team rivalry between Daniel Ricciardo and Max Verstappen will be especially interesting to note this weekend. In their six races, so far, as teammates Verstappen has scored 77 points to Ricciardo’s 64 points. But the Hungarian grand prix will be a big test for the Verstappen vs. Ricciardo battle.

Ricciardo has an affinity for the tight and twisty circuits as he has proved on several occasions including earlier this year in Monaco. The Aussie knows his way around the Hungaroring too as it was here, in 2014, that he pulled off several magnificent overtaking moves to win a memorable race. This will be a good indicator of how Verstappen is progressing. “I have to up my game compared to where I was before in Toro Rosso because he [Ricciardo] is very quick,” said Verstappen.

It should be a better weekend for Ferrari too. As it stands Kimi Raikkonen currently sits third in the championship with 106 points while teammate Sebastian Vettel is fifth on 98 points. However, the team experienced their worst race weekend, in terms of performance, at Silverstone. But Raikkonen believes that the team’s struggles in Britain were a once off. The biggest issue, which plagued Ferrari at the last race weekend, was the cooler weather. It’s a well-documented fact that both drivers struggle to get the front tyres to the correct operating temperature in cool condition. This shouldn’t be an issue this weekend as the Hungarian grand prix weekend in hot summer conditions.

But while Red Bull and Ferrari are likely to be in better shape for Hungary the ever-dominant Mercedes will still be lurking. The qualifying pace advantage will be a big asset around a circuit where overtaking is difficult. Nevertheless, while the two Silver Arrows are in prime form they should, and likely will, face stiff competition for the top step of the podium in Hungary.

July 20, 2016

Broadcast Times for the 2016 Formula 1 Austrian Grand Prix

From the City streets of Baku Formula 1 moves the vast open planes of the Styrian mountains in Spielberg, Austria for round 9 of the Formula 1 World Championship and the 2016 Austrian Grand Prix.

The Red Bull Ring, previously known as the A1 Ring, hosted Formula 1 races from 1997 to 2003 when it was dropped from the calendar. The track was bought by Red Bull owner Dietrich Mateschitz and was rebuilt. The layout of the circuit, however, remained the same.

The circuit is 4.326 km with 9 corners and an elevation change of 63 metres from the lowest point in the pits to the highest point at Turn 2. The mountains around the circuit give it somewhat of an arena type feeling and crowds at the highest point have a good view of all the parts of the circuit.

Resurfacing work has been carried out on the circuit. Degradation is expected to be low with the smoother surface.

Mercedes are once again expected to come on top in Austria. In fact, all Mercedes powered cars are expected to perform well at this power circuit. Force India are on a great run of form and Austria should be another circuit that favors their cars characteristics. Williams have always performed well at the Red Bull ring and should be close to the front.

With a home Grand Prix, Red Bull are in much better shape than last year. Although tyre troubles hampered their performance in Baku, they’re expected to be mixing it up at the top of the time sheets with Mercedes and Ferrari.

As we’ve seen with some circuits this season so far, lap records have been tumbling. This year the 1:08.337 lap record set by Michael Schumacher in 2003 is set to fall. We can expect to see a time 3-5 seconds faster this year.

	CDT	GMT	GMT+2	Local
Free Practice 1	Friday 03:00	Friday 08:00	Friday 10:00	Friday 10:00
Free Practice 2	Friday 07:00	Friday 12:00	Friday 14:00	Friday 14:00
Free Practice 3	Saturday 02:00	Saturday 09:00	Saturday 11:00	Saturday 11:00
Qualifying	Saturday 05:00	Saturday 12:00	Saturday 14:00	Saturday 14:00
Race	Sunday 05:00	Sunday 12:00	Sunday 14:00	Sunday 14:00

June 30, 2016

F1 2016: Austrian Gp Preview – Quali The Key In Austria

From the medieval city streets of Baku the Formula 1 paddock travels to the crisp countryside of Austria for the eighth round of the 2016 championship.

A case could never be made that Formula 1 lacks diversity. It swops the mostly tight confines of the Baku City circuit for the mountains and fresh air of Austria’s Red Bull Ring in Spielberg. Located in the picturesque Styrian Mountains the 4.3 kilometer circuit is dotted with only nine turns. The average speed of a lap around the Ring is estimated at 224 kph while 70 percent of the lap is spent at full throttle.

There are only seven braking zones around a lap but they are big stops from high speeds, which classifies the brake wear rate as high. This no longer appears to be an issue for Mercedes in 2016 but should they not be running in clear air it could rear its head.

As the shortest lap on the calendar at less than 70 seconds the grid is expected to be tighter, which makes qualifying vital. In 2015 the top three positions in qualifying were covered by four tenths of a second. The circuit’s four long straights mean that there is opportunity for overtaking but getting past a car with a good straight-line speed will be difficult.

For this year’s grand prix teams and drivers have selected the yellow-walled soft, red-walled supersoft, and purple-walled ultrasoft tyres. Both Ferrari drivers have selected nine sets of the ultrasoft tyres while Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg have each opted for eight sets of the purple-walled tyres. Red Bull’s Daniel Ricciardo and Max Verstappen have chosen seven sets of the softest compound. Tyre wear last year was minimal as Daniel Ricciardo was able to run a fifty lap stint on the soft tyre before needing to pit.

Ferrari’s tyre choice could be put down to fact that this track surface is a relatively smooth one with normally cool conditions. This combination often presents some struggle in getting tyres to the optimum temperature. As they’ve continually struggled to get the tyres to their optimal working range Ferrari should find it easier to do with the ultrasoft tyre. This will be a crucial element of Ferrari’s progress and position this weekend.

There is no doubt that Nico Rosberg is sitting pretty. He starts the weekend with a 24 point lead over Mercedes teammate Lewis Hamilton in the race for the driver’s title. The fickleness of Formula 1 demands that even a gap of 24 points must not be taken for granted. It’s this approach that has been Rosberg’s secret in 2016; to take every race on its individual merit. But the two Merc drivers might have to focus on more than just each other, especially in Saturday qualifying.

Williams are notoriously good performers at the Austrian grand prix thanks to the Mercedes power unit and Red Bull are no slouches thanks to the stop up they’ve made with the upgraded power unit. But while they are looking at each other all of them are aware of what Mercedes can deliver. On several occasions in 2016 its been shown that the Silver Arrow is not as potent when it runs in dirty air and under pressure. The qualifying session on Saturday will be the critical point for any driver or team to stop a complete Merc domination.

June 29, 2016
F1 2016: European Gp Preview – In with the new

Too many times new F1 circuits are talked up and promised to be glorious showpieces that will electrify the racing. And then you end up with Valencia, a dull F1 street circuit somewhere in Spain that evokes more winces than grins.

But the new hosts of the European grand prix may have hit on something special. As the most recent addition to the F1 calendar Azerbaijan’s Baku City circuit promises much from the initial glimpses of its layout. At six kilometres it’s second in length only to Spa-Francorchamps and with twenty corners behind Abu Dhabi’s 21 and Singapore’s 23. But the most arresting feature of the circuit is slim width in certain areas of the track. It’s not pancake flat either, in fact it has significant elevation changes and even a cobbled section.

Because it is temporary circuit it isn’t required to subscribe to the FIA sporting code which stipulates a width of twelve meters, with an additional three meters on the starting grid. While the circuit has some areas which stretch to thirteen meter width its narrowest point, on Aziz Aliyev Street, is just 7.6 metres wide. The average speed of lap is currently projected at 210 kph and a top speed of 340 kph.

From an early perspective the Baku City circuit has many positives going for it; high-speed, tight sections, fast corners and for a street circuit, a longer than usual lap. Already it bears some similarities with China’s legendary Macau circuit.

Here a look at Azerbaijan’s Baku City circuit

June 16, 2016

Broadcast Times for the 2016 Formula 1 Canadian Grand Prix

The Formula One circus heads to Montreal Canada for the 2016 Canadian Grand Prix at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve.

Heading into this weekend Ferrari find themselves on the back foot. Red Bull’s performance in the Spanish and Monaco Grands Prix have made them sit up and take notice and are now fighting to stay ahead of them and fighting to close the gap to Mercedes. One could argue that Red Bull were lucky in Spain and that in Monaco the track suited their car which was down on power. Canada should be the true test of the pace of the Red Bulls and their engine upgrades.

Ferrari are bringing an updated turbo and compressor to their cars. This upgrade will improve the turbo reliability which allowed Ferrari to make the change without spending any tokens. Changes to the compressor were performance upgrades and Ferrari was required to spend two tokens on this upgrade. The Gilles Villeneuve Circuit is quite power hungry with the long straights where drivers are at full throttle for 59% of the time.

Honda have brought updated turbo’s to Canada which both McLaren drivers will use this weekend. This update used up two tokens and is aimed more at power harvesting than performance. This should make McLaren more competitive on the straights as power sensitive circuits seemed to be their Achilles heel.

F1 is set for a major shake up after the announcement that Heineken will become a global partner. They’ve secured branding rights for a few races and will have a significant presence at a few other races. Heineken are big on social media at digital media and can leverage the experience they’ve gained from the Uefa Champions League and the Rugby World cup into F1.

We are in quite an exciting time it can just get better for the fans from here.

	CDT	GMT	GMT+2	Local
Free Practice 1	Friday 09:00	Friday 14:00	Friday 16:00	Friday 10:00
Free Practice 2	Friday 13:00	Friday 18:00	Friday 20:00	Friday 14:00
Free Practice 3	Saturday 09:00	Saturday 14:00	Saturday 16:00	Saturday 10:00
Qualifying	Saturday 12:00	Saturday 17:00	Saturday 19:00	Saturday 13:00
Race	Sunday 13:00	Sunday 18:00	Sunday 20:00	Sunday 14:00

June 10, 2016

Weather Forecast for the 2016 Formula 1 Canadian Grand Prix

The Formula 1 circus heads to Montreal, Canada to the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve for Round 7 of the Formula 1 World Championship for the 2016 Canadian Grand Prix.

The Gilles Villeneuve Circuit has been hosting F1 since 1978. There were occasions that the race was not held or moved to another circuit but it has been the home of the Canadian Grand Prix. Built on the Île Notre-Dame, the 4.361 km, 14 corner circuit is one of the driver favorites. With little run off and barriers close to the track it is unforgiving in certain places. Like any circuit it becomes trickier when it’s wet.

Pirelli have nominated the ultra soft, super soft and soft compound tyres for this weekend. The Renault and Haas drivers have chosen not to take the super softs as part of their 13 set allocation to Canada. They will contest the weekend with softs and ultra soft tyres. Other drivers have some kind of a balance between the tyre choices. Mercedes have gone with 8 sets of the ultra soft while Haas have gone with 10 of the ultra soft and 3 of the soft compound. Ferrari have a more balanced selection compared to Mercedes and Red Bull have gone with 7 ultra soft, 2 super soft and 4 soft. If the weather holds up on Sunday, we’re in for quite a strategic race.

The circuit is a semi permanent facility which means the grip around the circuit varies. The stop-start nature of the circuit means that tyre wear will not be high and teams may just get through the race on a one stop strategy. Overtaking, while not impossible, can be challenging at times. The popular overtaking spots are at Turn 10 before the hairpin, Turn 13 before the Wall off Champions and into Turn 1 and Turn 2.

Initial forecasts for the weekend predicted rain for race day and there was a possibility that there would be rain for the start of the race. Forecasts are now predicting that the rain will ease up before the start of the race while a 25% chance remains for the rest of the race. The weather on Friday and Saturday will be partly cloudy and mild.

June 9, 2016