Category: Previews

Broadcast Times for the Formula 1 Grosser Preis Von Osterreich 2014 (Austrian Grand Prix)

Formula 1 returns to Spielberg, Austria to host the Austrian Grand Prix and round 8 of the Formula 1 World Championship.

After being removed from formula 1 calendars in 2004. The A1 Ring as it was known, has since been bought by Red Bull owner Dietrich Mateschitz , given a refurbishment and it is back on the Formula 1 calendar. The Red Bull ring played host to some fantastic racing in the past. The battle between Michael Schumacher and Mika Hakkinen in 1998 comes immediately to mind. Not forgetting the moment in 2001 where Rubens Barrichello was asked by then Ferrari Team Principal, Jean Todt to “let Michael pass for the championship”.

For teams this season at the Red Bull Ring its a complete unknown. The drivers will have to learn the track with no prior information to assist them. No doubt the drivers have been spending lots of time in the simulator in preparation for the race, but nothing beats track time. It will be interesting to see which team will get on top of things quick enough and take advantage of the conditions.

The team to beat will undoubtedly be Mercedes. Red Bull will be hoping to put in a good performance as they will be performing in front of their home crowd.

Below are the broadcast times for the Austrian Grand Prix(All times are GMT+2)

Free Practice 1: Friday 10:00

Free Practice 2: Friday 14:00

Free Practice 3: Saturday 11:00

Qualifying: Saturday 14:00

Race: Sunday 14:00

You can catch our updates during practice with our live updates on Saturday and Sunday with all the news in between on our Twitter account @F1_Madness

June 18, 2014
F1 2014: Canadian GP Preview – F1 Readies for Canada Clash

Formula 1 crosses the Atlantic to Montreal and the Grand Prix du Canada. The circuit Gilles Villeneuve lies in wait for the paddock and the seventh round of the 2014 season.
Sebastian Vettel swept the pole position and race victory at the 2013 Canadian grand prix. In 2014 Red Bull’s level of competitiveness has dwindled but the team from Milton Keyes are slowly recovering their campaign. However, with the dominant car of the season, Lewis Hamilton, a three time former winner in Canada, looks a shoe-in for victory.

As with most F1 drivers mistakes tend to happen as they test the limits of the car’s performance. A locked wheel, braking a meter too late or having the back-end step out is not uncommon. However, the most striking characteristic of the circuit Gilles Villeneuve is its concrete walls which lie just beyond the edge of the track. Concrete walls and barriers which hold significant consequences for getting it wrong. The two chicanes and the hairpin are areas where lap time can be won or lost but the final corner, outlined by the famous Wall of Champions, is where the biggest risk can yield the most reward. “Some guys will play it safe and sacrifice half a tenth to get through there cleanly; others will take a risk. The nearer you are, the faster you’ll go. Give the wall a kiss and you feel pretty good; kiss it too hard and that’s it!” shared Daniel Ricciardo.

The 4.361 km circuit includes two straights which lend a hand in the overtaking department. The favoured spots for overtaking will be into the turn 10 hairpin and a late move up the inside before the final chicane. Given that the circuit takes some time to rubber in, Pirelli will bring the Soft and Supersoft compound tyres to Canada. The choice of compounds also opens the door for a two or three stop strategy of which the latter can be used to undercut and gain time on a competitor with a fresher, and quicker, set of tyres.

The circuit ranks high on the list of the most power hungry on the calendar. It’s just in time as several teams are planning upgrades to their power units this weekend.

Ferrari’s PR machine has been spinning away as Technical Director James Allison has “vowed” that the team will take a good step forward in Canada – a mantra they have been repeating for years. The Italian team did show improved pace during the Monaco GP and Allison expects to see further improvement this weekend. Nevertheless, he tempered his optimism by saying that their rivals will be making gains of their own.

Ferrari has struggled to make significant improvements on the F14T since the start of the season. After a three-week break Ferrari showed no progress at the Spanish GP. Allison thinks engineers need to be given more creative freedom in their development plans.

“If you force them to operate with their backs against the wall, up against deadlines that are very, very tight, then there’s no time for them to think about how they might approach something differently,” “There is a wealth of talent at Ferrari – the experience and quality of the people on the technical side is the match of any team – it’s a matter of giving them the space and the encouragement to do unusual things.”

The rivalry between Hamilton and Rosberg will resume this weekend with the two having “cleared the air” after Monaco. As much as Rosberg’s affinity for beating Hamilton may have grown since the Monte Carlo weekend Hamilton has a special affinity for the Canadian GP. On paper this is a Hamilton track and the Brit should comfortably be the victor. However, Rosberg showed some steel and as the championship leader has the ball firmly in his court.

June 5, 2014
Weather Forecast for the Formula 1 Grand Prix du Canada 2014

The Circuit Gilles Villeneuve plays host to round 6 of the Formula 1 World Championship. A circuit steeped in history and tradition, and with its famous wall of champions we can expect some drivers will end up in that wall.

The weather outlook for this weekends Canadian Grand Prix looks very promising indeed. It looks like it may just be the warmest grand prix of the season so far. On Friday temperatures will stay in the low 20’s with an expected thunderstorm or two in the afternoon. It seems like it may be a wet practice 2, but we all know that the weather can change in an instant. The forecast for Saturday looks like the perfect summers day with the temperatures expected to be in the mid to high 20s with clear skies. This should make things interesting for qualifying with tyres and track temperature. The forecast for the race looks relatively the same as Saturday’s forecast with little to no clouds.

June 5, 2014
Broadcast Times for the Formula 1 Grand Prix du Canada 2014

Formula 1 is in Canada this weekend for round 6 of the Formula 1 world championship at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve.

With the Mercedes pair of Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg settling their differences, you can be certain that both of the drivers will be going all out to one up each other this weekend. The Circuit Gilles Villeneuve has always been a favorite of Hamilton’s and he will be looking to stamp his dominance over his team mate.

After a rather quiet drive at the Monaco Grand Prix, Red Bull’s Daniel Ricciardo will be hoping to split the Mercedes pair or even beat them. Ricciardo has had an amazing start to his career at Red Bull and has out-qualified his team mate Sebastian Vettel on a number of occasions. Vettel supporters will be hoping that the young German’s luck will change after suffering yet another mechanical problem at the Monaco Grand Prix which forced him to retire from the race.

The rest of the teams will be looking for an overall improvement for their cars with some teams delaying their major update packages to be released at the Canadian Grand Prix.

The track itself is fast with long straights and very tight chicanes. And lets not forget the famous wall of champions at the exit of the final corner. The stop-start nature of the track makes it rather heavy on fuel consumption. Pirelli have brought the soft and super soft compounds to the track. With the slow chicanes and exit speeds of some of the corners the cars will depend heavily on mechanical grip provided by the two compounds.

With the race in North America, we can expect things to happen in the late afternoons and in the evenings for the folks in Europe and Africa. Below is the full broadcast schedule for the Formula 1 Grand Prix du Canada 2014

Free Practice 1: Friday 16:00

Free Practice 2: Friday 20:00

Free Practice 3: Saturday 16:00

Qualifying: Saturday 19:00

Race: Sunday 20:00

All times are GMT+2

You can get all your free practice updates on our Twitter account @F1_Madness. We’ll bring you live updates for qualifying and the race.

June 5, 2014
Weather Forecast for the Formula 1 Grand Prix de Monaco 2014

We are in Monte Carlo, Monaco for round 6 of the Formula 1 world Championship.

Owing to tradition. Free practice is on the Thursday instead of Friday. We can expect some showers for Free Practice 1 this morning and a dry FP2. If the rain does come down today for FP1 we can expect the drivers not to come out on track except for a few installation laps.

The weather on Saturday will be fine and dry temperatures will hover in the mid-to-low 20s with very little chance of rain. Sunday’s forecast is slightly more interesting. There are showers predicted for the start of the race and it will continue for an hour. We all know rain in Monaco can create havoc and we could see some interesting strategies deployed by teams.

May 22, 2014
Broadcast Times for the Formula 1 Grand Prix de Monaco 2014

Sun, sea, glitz, glamour and Formula 1. Mix them all together and you get the Monaco Grand Prix. Round 6 of the Formula 1 world championship.

The most anticipated and one of the most famous grands prix on the F1 calendar. Although very exciting, the race usually turns out to be a procession. With very little room for overtaking. The winner is usually the one who gets out of turn 1 at the start of the race unscathed.

There has been lots of chatter about Mercedes’ advantage being eroded with Red Bull staging a recovery after Sebastian Vettel’s strong performance at the Spanish Grand Prix. Lotus put in a rather strong performance at the Spanish Grand Prix and there’s word that they will finish ahead of Ferrari in Monaco. Talking about Ferrari, they seem to have gone backwards. There is talk that they will be much better in Monaco, but thats exactly what it is at this moment, talk.

Be that as it may, Mercedes are still the team to beat and with the superior performance of the W05 it looks like we’re in for another weekend where Mercedes will dominate.

The Monaco street circuit is tight, and twisty and narrow with little to no room for driver error. Its physically as well as mentally demanding on the drivers. The Red Super Soft compound tyre from Pirelli makes its debut this season along with the Yellow Soft compound.

With this being the Monaco Grand Prix, things work a bit differently. Free practice 1 and 2 will be on Thursday with Friday being a rest day.

Below are the broadcast times for the Formula 1 Grand Prix de Monaco 2014(GMT+2):

Free Practice 1: Thursday 10:00

Free Practice 2: Thursday 14:00

Free Practice 3: Saturday 11:00

Qualifying: Saturday 14:00

Race: Sunday 14:00

We will bring you updates of the standings during free practice on Thursday and live updates of practice 3, qualifying and the race on our Twitter account @F1_Madness

May 21, 2014
F1 Paddock Ups Its Game For Spain

In some cases traditional can be interpreted as being out-dated or bland. But sometimes the tried and tested brings its own unique concoction of nostalgia and character to the table. The Formula 1 paddock returns to Europe for a dose of Spain’s historic Circuit de Catalunya and the fifth round of the season.

Despite the few opportunities for testing, all drivers know the 4.655 km layout like the back of their hands. The circuit is a highly challenging one which demands a good combination between power and aerodynamics – the perfect barometer for car performance.

The return to Europe will be the hot-bed for major upgrades up and down the paddock. Some teams have stated more measured aims than others but the common thread will be improvement.

Sauber

Since the start of the testing season in January the C33 Sauber had a significant weight disadvantage. The Swiss team has so far struggled to match the heights of their 2013 season and have spent the last three weeks on reducing the car’s weight.

The team, led by Monisha Kaltenborn, will also introduce a ‘major aerodynamic update.’ A modified front wing, new engine cover, and new sidepod fins and deflectors are believed to be among the parts being rolled out this weekend. In addition, Ferrari has provided a software update to its customer teams which will deliver improved performance from its power units.

Sauber’s aim of a solid points finish seems modest however the team have not registered on the points table in any of the four races so far.

McLaren

The team’s fortune’s seemed to have turned when Jenson Button and Kevin Magnussen delivered a double podium finish in Australia. However, going pointless in both Bahrain and China has prodded a management re-shuffle. The restructure and the appointment of key new aero staff have resulted in the hiring of Tony Salter from Sauber and Guillaume Cattelani from Lotus.

Changes have also been made to the way the team operates as McLaren set out to “restore some leadership.” It’s clear that McLaren’s focus on running of the team tells that they believe the MP4-29 to be a good package. The only issue that exists, as McLaren’s re-shuffling suggest, is to find the most effective way of unlocking its potential and carrying it to the front of the grid.

Lotus

The Lotus F1 Team has suffered the biggest loss of form in comparison to 2013. By reaching their simple goal of seeing the chequered flag the team can now start to focus on improving the drivability of the car. “We’ve got a new cooling and bodywork package coming – quite a big upgrade – plus some updates to the rear wing and various other bodywork parts,” said technical director Nick Chester.

Lotus, who runs Renault power, also welcomed more horsepower from Renault Sport F1 in China and is hoping for further upgrades in Barcelona.

Mercedes

Toto Wolff has cautioned his Mercedes team by saying that staying ahead of their competitors will not be enough to ensure victory at the end of the season.

“Our aim must be to increase the advantage we enjoyed at the last race in China,” said Wolff. “We have seen already that our rivals are relentless in their efforts to close the gap.”

Red Bull

Sebastian Vettel has, unexpectedly, been in the shadow of teammate Daniel Ricciardo in nearly all of the first four races. Red Bull is not chalking up to one driver simply out-performing the other however. The team has been looking into whether an underlying fault with Vettel’s 2014 car has contributed to the reigning world champion’s struggles. If the team has found a fault with the four-time champion’s car they have not revealed it.

It has been confirmed that a new version (chassis) of the RB10 has been built in Milton-Keynes and will be ready for use by Vettel in Spain.

The Spanish circuit made its F1 debut in 1991 and has been the sight of several memorable victories. In 2014 Mercedes are the undoubted favourites. But the fascination of the weekend will centre on how close the opposition can get to unseating the high-flying Silver Arrows.

May 8, 2014
Weather Report for the 2014 Formula 1 Pirelli Spanish Grand Prix

Catalunya, Spain plays host to the fifth round of the Formula 1 World Championship and the Spanish Grand Prix. It also marks the start of the European Formula 1 season.

It looks as though we are going to have a dry Spanish Grand Prix this weekend. Temperatures are expected to stay in the low to mid twenties with lots of sun expected on Friday and Saturday. For Friday’s practice sessions and Saturday’s practice and qualifying it will be warm with a few clouds overhead. The weather for the race on Sunday is expected to be overcast with a very low chance for rain.

With low ambient temperatures and very high tyre degradation expected because of some of the wide radius corners we can expect to see lots of graining and plenty of tyre marbles that will be left off the racing line.

It does seem that Mercedes have the upper hand for this grand prix. It will be very interesting to see if they’ve extended their advantage over the three week break or have other teams caught up to them

May 7, 2014
Broadcast Times for the Formula 1 Gran Premio de Espana Pirelli 2014

Round 5 of the Formula 1 World Championship brings us back to Europe for the start of the European Formula 1 season.

We can expect many teams to bring about their first major changes to their cars. After three weeks of down time after the Chinese Grand Prix we can expect to see a few big upgrades from the teams. Mercedes are looking to keep their advantage over the other teams. Red Bull and Ferrari are enduring to close the gap to Mercedes and McLaren will be looking for some kind of improvement after a very lacklustre start to the season. That does not mean that the other teams would have twirled their thumbs.

The track will play to Mercedes’ advantage with the long pit straight, the fast swooping corners and with the tight and twisty final sector. We can expect to see them well ahead. The fight at the moment is for second fastest between Ferrari and Red Bull with the Milton Keynes based team edging slightly ahead.

With the race weekend taking place in Spain we return to “normal” TV times for everyone in Europe and Africa. The full broadcast schedule is included below.

Free Practice 1: Friday 10:00

Free Practice 2: Friday 14:00

Free Practice 3: Saturday 11:00

Qualifying: Saturday 14:00

Race: Sunday 1400

You can also join us on Twitter(@F1_Madness) for our live commentary and updates throughout the F1 weekend.

May 6, 2014
F1 2014: Chinese GP Preview – Mercedes battle resumes in China

The Shanghai International Circuit is properly modern Formula 1 track – A gigantic complex of grandstands, large run-off areas and an intricate track layout incorporating long straights, high-speed corners and several chances for overtaking.

The Shanghai International circuit and paddock is an engineering feat which speaks to the country’s determination to be a part of the world’s most prestigious racing series. Thirteen months is all that was needed to convert the swampland to an internationally recognised racing mecca.

Since making its debut in 2004 the Chinese grand prix has seen its own share of Formula 1 drama. In 2005 Renault clinched the constructor’s championship title as Fernando Alonso headed towards his first driver’s crown; four years later a young Sebastian Vettel won his first Formula 1 race for Red Bull; and the most dramatic of the lot was the retirement of Lewis Hamilton during the 2007 race which ultimately handed the initiative to Kimi Raikkonen, the eventual champion that season.

The track layout is typical Herman Tilke, F1’s preferred track designer. Long straights and medium to high-speed corners are abundant, as is the amount of run-off. Overtaking won’t a scarcity this weekend as the Shanghai circuit boasts the longest straight on the Formula 1 calendar. The tight hairpin at the end of the straight will be the prime overtaking zone on Sunday however Shanghai provides several further chances. The intricate complex of turn one/two is a key positioner for an overtaking manoeuvre into turn six. The only defence will be to have a car with good traction out of the slow speed corners.

The weather for the Chinese GP tends to be fairly cool with a track temperature ranging from the high teens to early twenties. The lower temperature is good news for those teams who have been struggling with overheating power units. The likelihood of rain at some point of the weekend is a possibility; and given the performance deficit to the Mercedes team some may even be do a few rain dances themselves.

Unless, there has been a dramatic reversal of form and pace over the last fourteen days the fight to be best of the rest is the most that Red Bull, Williams, McLaren and Ferrari can hope for. Kimi Raikkonen has said that his Ferrari team is “not stupid” and that he believes the team has the ability to turn around their deficit to the frontrunners. The fighting words from Raikkonen will be appreciated by those slogging it out in Maranello. However, with the 2014 season already into its fourth race the question is how fast Ferrari can affect a turnaround in their performance.

In China the Ferrari engine will most likely still be lacking power in comparison to the Mercedes power unit. Nevertheless, the F14T fared fairly well in the high-speed corners of Malaysia’s Sepang circuit which is a feature of this 5.541 km track. However, Ferrari’s biggest change in China will be the absence of the recently “resigned” Stefano Domenicalli. This significant shake-up in the team may have been building for quite some time but is a rather messy situation to deal with in the thick of the season. The question remains if Ferrari’s latest change will the ‘upgrade’ they desperately need or if it is a sign of a much more complicated problem.

The Mercedes’ team domination may lead some to suggest that it’s all a bit predictable. But what they may not be factoring into the equation is the exhilarating clash between Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg. Their breathless battle for victory in Bahrain ensured the highest viewership ratings since the 2012 finale and has been the talk of F1 pages throughout the globe. The prospect of these two re-igniting their spine-tingling duel for supremacy is enough to whet any fanatic’s appetite.

April 17, 2014