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GPDA 2015 Fan Survey Results – Popularity Contest?

There is an age-old question that all Formula 1 are inevitably asked – Who do you support?

In the GPDA global fan survey a third of the fans said that they support more than one team and driver with less than 10% only following one team. It doesn’t really come as surprise that Ferrari ranked as the favourite team with McLaren and Williams in second and third respectively. After all, there are the teams that started Formula 1, the teams that embody the history of the sport.

When asked about favourite drivers Kimi Raikkonen came out on top with Fernando Alonso second and Jenson Button in third. Some may be perplexed as to how Raikkonen could be the favourite driver among F1 fans who participated in this survey. Much of Raikkonen’s appeal surely centers on his genuine personality. He tells it like it is, no matter what and that is something that is appreciated. The infamous quotes and ice cool demeanour help too.

Fernando Alonso is regarded by many as the best all-round driver on the grid and seems like a fairly approachable lad. What’s more Alonso has always understood the importance of his fans; a perfect instance of this was during the 2008 street race around Valencia. Then a Renault driver Alonso sustained damage in a collision, returned to the pits and urged his team to get him back out on the track despite being a few laps down. He understood what it would mean to the Spanish fans to see him on track. Kudos Fernando.

Jenson Button embodies much of the fighting, never-give-up spirit that most adore about Formula 1 drivers. Several years of struggle at BAR and Honda didn’t dull JB’s love and enthusiasm for the sport. There couldn’t have been many who would’ve begrudged Jenson Button his championship winning 2009 season. Similarly, there was a real feeling of sorrow at the thought of Button’s career coming to an end one year ago amongst fans.

That person or team that makes is the reason why your racing heart pumps a little faster. Sure, you can be a neutral but the euphoria of seeing your favourite team or driver succeed is without comparison.

July 2, 2015
GPDA 2015 Fan Survey Results – Where Do Fans Get Their F1 Fix

The Grand Prix Drivers Association’s global Formula 1 fan survey has revealed a strong social media presence.

Of the more than 215 000 fans who participated in the survey Twitter was named as the most popular social media platform for following the sport. Right here is where we want to give a personal shout out to all the Twitter followers of @F1_Madness. There must be some irony hidden in here about Bernie Eccelstone’s reluctance to embrace social media as a necessity but we won’t look to hard for it. Of all the drivers on Twitter Jenson Button is the most followed driver.

Instead, we will focus on the fact that the survey further revealed that F1 websites are listed at the number one source for fan information beating television by a five percent margin. Yet, 90% of the viewing audience however still prefer to watch their favourite sport on TV as opposed to 45% who watch it online.

The saddest statistic is that since its move to pay television 50% of those polled can no longer watch the races live. In many countries and for many fans around the world it is an unfortunate reality that there is no access to the sport. Formula 1 on its best day is the most magnificent thing in the world and in a perfect world everyone should be able to share in that bit of magic.

July 2, 2015
GPDA 2015 Fan Survey Results – General Overview

The Grand Prix Driver’s Association (GPDA) has released the result of their global Formula 1 fan survey.

The overall make-up of the global survey revealed that more than 215 000 fans from 194 countries took part in the survey. “As F1 drivers we share a passion and deep love for our sport with our fans…We want to give every F1 fan the opportunity to share that passion and for us to understand what they really think about us and our sport. We’ve heard the calls for fans to be consulted and this is our initiative to make that a reality,” writes GPDA chairman Alex Wurz.

The survey ran from the 22nd of May through to the 8th of June 2015 with the top five represented countries listed as the UK, France, USA, Austria and Germany. The prominence of France and Germany is significant if you consider than neither of these countries currently form part of the Formula 1 calendar. It is noteworthy too that the US fans feature high up the list as Formula 1 has invested a great deal to grow its brand here.The Netherlands, Australia, Japan, Italy and Brazil comprised the rest of the top ten countries.

The demographics of Formula 1 reveal that the average age of F1 fans are between 25 and 44 years old, with their support spanning an average of ten years. Of these fans only 1 in 5 has attended a grand prix in the last twelve months. The survey revealed that the biggest motivating factor are good vantage points, pit lane walkabouts and paddock tours. It seems F1 fans would like to see an approach similar to that NASCAR takes in the US. Here, fans are able to roam around the pitlane and paddock area and in a decidedly more relaxed atmosphere interact with their favourite drivers.

July 2, 2015
Caterham’s Mark Smith Announced as Sauber Technical Director

The Sauber F1 Team announced on Wednesday 01 July 2015 that former Caterham Technical Director Mark Smith will join the Hinwil based team in the same capacity.

Smith left Caterham before the team was sold by Tony Fernandez. Before his stint at Caterham he worked at Force India from 2010 to 2011. Prior to working at Force India he worked at Red Bull from 2005 to 2008. He starts his role as Technical Director at Sauber on 13 July 2015.

“When I saw the facilities for the first time in Hinwil,” said Smith. “I immediately realised the possibilities I would have.

“The wind tunnel, the supercomputer and the machine shop – everything is on a very high technical level.”

“And not to forget the competence of the team. These facts were compelling reasons and arguments for me changing to Hinwil.”

“The potential of Sauber is enormous, which is not self-evident in a constantly changing Formula One world. The factory in Hinwil has all the requirements to be competitive in Formula One.”

Sauber Team Principal Monisha Kaltenborn is quite pleased with Smith’s appointment.

“After talks with the technical committee, we have searched for a Technical Director for the Sauber F1 Team – and found Mark,” said Kaltenborn.

“Mark Smith is an engineer with a lot of experience in Formula One. Above all, he knows the environment in which privateer teams must work and the challenges that are there – and how important it is to keep calm and keep things in perspective.”

“With us he finds technical possibilities on a very high level. We wish Mark a good start for which he has our full support.”

July 1, 2015
Alonso May Incur Engine Penalty At British Grand Prix

The McLaren Formula 1 Team may change Fernando Alonso’s engine at the British Grand Prix after his collision with Ferrari’s Kimi Raikkonen at the Austrian Grand Prix.

Alonso collided with Raikkonen on the opening lap of the race at Turn 2 after Raikkonen got the rear of his car out of shape and slammed into the side of Alonso which put Alonoso into the wall. When both cars came to a halt, Alonso’s McLaren ended up on top of Raikkonen’s Ferrari. Both drivers walked away from the incident uninjured.

After looking at Alonso’s engine, Honda say that the damage sustained in the crash may mean an engine change for the Spaniard.

“We have since completed thorough checks of both power units back at the factory, and we believe that Fernando’s power unit has sustained damage from the accident, and it may be necessary to change the engine,” said Honda’s Chief of Motorsport Yasuhisa Arai.

The sensor issue that ended Jenson Button’s race in Austria prematurely is still under investigation by Honda according to Arai.

“As for Jenson’s power unit this weekend, the issue is still under investigation,” he said.

Honda have not made any changes to their engines since the Austrian in season test. They will change the engine settings this weekend to suit the characteristics of the track and to with their new aero parts.

“Honda is not looking to put any hardware updates in place for the British Grand Prix, but we will optimise the power unit setting to the updated aero parts planned on the chassis.”

July 1, 2015
Weather Report for the 2015 Formula 1 British Grand Prix

The Formula 1 Circus heads to Silverstone for the British Grand Prix and round 9 of the Formula 1 World Championship.

The Silverstone circuit, situated in Northamptonshire, is a fast and flowing circuit which many of the drivers and fans enjoy. The high speed corners put enormous amounts of energy and stress through the tyres which leads to high degradation and wear on the tyres. With temperatures expexcted to to be in the mid 20’s for the weekend the rate of degradation is expected to be higher than normal. Cars also tend to run high down-force levels throughout the weekend. For that reason Pirelli are bringing the two hardest tyre compounds at their disposal for the British Grand Prix weekend. The white medium compound and the orange hard compound tyre.

The hard and medium tyre compounds will be best suited for the quick direction changes for the Maggotts,Becketts and Chapel complex which a quick, left-right-left-right-left combination of corners taken in 6th gear at about 270 km/h. The minimum speed of the complex is about 170km/h. Copse corner is another very high speed corner taken in 6th gear at 255km/h. With the heat and the wear rate of the tyres we could see a two to three stop race.

This weekend in Silverstone will be sunny and hot with glorious weather all round. Temperatures will hover in the mid-to-high 20s for Friday and Saturday. Low 20s are forecast for the race on Sunday. No rain is expected over the course of the weekend.

July 1, 2015
Broadcast Times for the 2015 Formula 1 British Grand Prix

The British Grand Prix and round 9 of the Formula 1 World Championship brings us to the home of Formula 1, Silverstone.

The Silverstone circuit, situated next to the Northamptionshire villages of Silverstone and Whittlebury, has been hosting the British Grand Prix since 1987. Between 1955 and 1986 the British Grand Prix was alternated between the Silverstone, Brands Hatch and Aintree circuits.

With 18 corners, the circuit is a mix of old school with a bit of new school thrown in. There is a very good mix of slow, medium and high speed corners which shows of the skill of a driver. Any shortcomings in a cars setup will also be highlighted.

Formula 1 at Silverstone is always special. Its the birthplace of Formula 1 and it always feels as if F1 is at home at Silverstone. The weekend festivities never seem to let up and come rain or sunshine the grand stands are always packed with very passionate and knowledgeable F1 fans. The circuit is also a home grand prix for many teams that are based close to the facility, Force India being the closest situated right next to the circuit. Mercedes’ Brackley plant is a few kilometers away while Lotus with their Entsone base are not far away. Marussia, Williams and Red

The circuit characteristics should suit Mercedes well. Lewis Hamilton will aim for a second victory at Silverstone on the trot, while Nico Rosberg who has found some good form recently will be looking to close the points gap to the championship at the top of the table. He is just 10 points adrift of Hamilton who is at the top of the championship table.

Much has been said about Ferrari’s improvements over the past few weeks. But come race day, they are still a few seconds down the road from Mercedes. If anything, it seems as though Williams have closed the gap to the Maranello based team. The fast and flowing nature could play to Williams’ strengths this coming weekend.

Coming off the back of some good results in the last two races Force India feel that they are in a good position to finish higher up the grid. They are expected to launch their 2015 car this weekend after running a modified version of the 2014 car until now. The team are confident that their new car will deliver on its promises this weekend.

The race times this weekend are in line with typical European times with the race taking place in the afternoon. Below are your broadcast times for the 2015 Fomrula 1 British Grand Prix.

Free Practice 1: Friday 11:00

Free Practice 2: Friday 15:00

Free Practice 3: Saturday 11:00

Qualifying: Saturday 14:00

Race: Sunday 14:00

June 30, 2015
F1 2015: British GP Preview – Time-tested Silverstone

The first ever Formula 1 world championship season took place sixty-five years ago in 1950. The British grand prix was the first official world championship race in that 1950 season and it remains, though altered, on the Formula 1 calendar.

The high speed circuit of Silverstone and the famously quick sequence of Maggots and Becketts are where Formula 1 cars are pushed to the limit of adhesion. The circuit and the venue is a part of many team’s history as some make their home’s literally down the street from the Silverstone gates. It’s one that all driver’s love to race on. “I mean, Silverstone’s great in a Formula Renault 2.0. In an F1 car? Epic,” says Red Bull’s Daniel Ricciardo.

The British weather is always in doubt even with talks of a possible heat wave. Yet, whether it is wet or dry Silverstone presents a stiff set-up challenge for drivers and engineers because of the assortment of low, medium and high speed corners.

It is here two years ago that Pirelli faced its biggest controversy as tyres appeared to completely disintegrate. It prompted an almost instantaneous change to the tyre construction and a complete redesign of the rubber. While tyre safety has improved Formula 1 in 2015 isn’t exactly in a happy place.

Yes, Mercedes’ dominance takes away a bit from the spectacle but they’re only getting their dues. They, like the rest of the paddock, were given a set of rules which they hit perfectly on the head. This is the way Formula 1 has always worked, in cycles. A period of dominance is not unusual as most Ferrari and even Sebastian Vettel fans will know.

But what is detracting from the showpiece is what Pirelli has brought to Formula 1. The Italian tyre manufacturer will say that they are simply dancing to Formula 1’s tune and producing what they are asked for. But to be able to complete 50 laps on one set of tyres is ludicrous. It leaves zero room for any sort of bold strategy which the 2012 and 2013 version of their tyres encouraged. At that stage the tyres were criticised for their fragility but what we wouldn’t give know for teams to have to think outside of the boring Pirelli box on tyre strategy. Hopefully the recent addition of Michelin as a potential tyre supplier spurs Pirelli to supply a range of tyres that will to the sport rather than detract from it.

A driver that needs a good weekend is Ferrari’s Kimi Raikkonen. The second place to Lewis Hamilton at the Bahrain grand prix feels like a long time ago and a few unflattering results has stunted the Finn’s momentum since then. But while some are questioning the 2007 champion’s future at the team Ferrari team Principal Maurizio Arrivabene has ruled out making a decision “so early in the season.” Nevertheless, a solid run this weekend almost certainly won’t go unnoticed in the greater scheme of things.

The passion of the British Formula 1 fan has never been in doubt. Come serious rain or come shine nothing can stand in the way of these devoted enthusiasts. They have a lot to shout about too as Lewis Hamilton is aiming at world championship title number three. A win this weekend, on home soil, would be big for the Brit too. To win his home grand prix will come with a sort of euphoria that could carry Hamilton all the way to that coveted third title and importantly extend his points lead.

It is quite something to think that sixty-five years ago pundits of a different era sat down to write about the driver’s of their time ahead of the British grand prix. It goes to show that while the times may change where Formula 1 is there the legendary Silverstone will be.

June 30, 2015
Video: Brembo Brake Facts – Round 09 British Grand Prix

The hardest braking point on the Silverstone Circuit lies ahead of Vale Corner. The Formula One driver decelerates by 132 km/h over just 72 metres. 2,351kW of power are released in the process. The driver is subjected to 5.5 g, while having to push with 166 kg onto the brake.

June 29, 2015
Video: Formula 1 On The Edge

A great collection of Formula 1 clips over the years

June 26, 2015