Tag: 2014

F1 2014: Details of Bianchi Crash Revealed

The FIA has revealed more details about Jules Bianchi’s crash during the Japanese grand prix.

Formula 1 race director Charlie Whiting went through CCTV footage taken a handful of minutes before the Marussia driver’s crash.

“There is a dryish line. As the rain has intensified, a little bit of water creeps on to the drier line, and as cars go a little bit wide there, you see that Adrian got onto that and lost control,” Whiting explained.

“He touches that slightly wetter bit of track, and he is behind Jules at this point. When he hits that slightly wetter bit of track, he loses control and spins. A lap later, with double waved yellow flags being displayed, Bianchi hits the same bit of water.”

Whiting noted that Bianchi had tried to correct the slide and in so doing over-corrected his car and hurtled off the circuit.

“You can see Jules doing something similar [to Sutil]. He hits the same bit of water, but there is a slight difference – he does not spin like Adrian did. He corrects and goes off at a slightly different trajectory.”

Whiting further confirmed that mechanical failure was ruled out a possible cause for the crash and stipulated that it was not yet possible to determine the speed on impact.

October 10, 2014
F1 2014: Japanese GP – Rosberg Secures Pole

Mercedes’ Nico Rosberg secured pole position ahead of teammate Lewis Hamilton ahead of Sunday’s Japanese grand prix.

There were few surprises in the first session of qualifying as both Caterhams, Marussia’s and Lotus’ were eliminated from Q1. The second part of qualifying saw Jean-Eric Vergne out-qualify his younger teammate Danil Kvyat who learnt this morning that he would be a Red Bull Racing driver in 2015.

The Russian will be replacing four-time world champion Sebastian Vettel who managed to secure ninth on the grid. Ferrari’s Fernando Alonso, surrounded by rumours and media off the track, slotted into fifth on the grid. Teammate Raikkonen could only set a lap fast enough for tenth.

The Williams pairing of Valterri Bottas and Felipe Massa locked out the second row of the grid and appear to be Mercedes’ closest challengers. Lewis Hamilton, recovering for a crash in the third practice session, was two tenths of his teammates place.

The biggest talking point on the track remains the prospective weather conditions for Sunday’s Japanese Gp. As a typhoon makes it way ever closer to the Mie prefecture questions remain as to the conditions and if it will allow for a race to take place.

October 4, 2014
F1 2014: Japanese GP Preview – Who Will Be The Man In Japan?

In Japan there is a circuit known as Suzuka, it is roughly 5.8 km in length and throughout its history has witnessed the both the greats of the sport and some of the most dramatic moments in the history of Formula 1.

Adored by drivers and fans Suzuka is simultaneously one of the most iconic circuits on the calendar and one of its biggest challenges. Beyond the narrow strip of asphalt there are run off areas, no second chances. Here, a bit of gravel is all that precedes brutal punishment. This degree of difficulty is why Suzuka is so revered by one and all. The level of skill required around these parts are second to none and the reward for a driver, when he gets it right, is huge sense of achievement and most likely a pretty good lap time to boot. “When you finish a lap at Suzuka you really appreciate it because you know both the car and you have been really tested. You can be proud if you have got the maximum from everything,” says last year’s podium finisher Romain Grosjean.

The refreshing Daniel Ricciardo describes the first sector of the lap as a delight. “It’s a dream. You have those fast changes of directions through the Esses, hard around the Dunlop Curve and then, arguably the best bit, turns Eight and Nine: Degner. Through Eight you’re hanging on, it’s so narrow and there’s no room for error but you want to push as hard as you can.”

The great thing about Suzuka is that the lustre isn’t all contained in the first sector. Sector two is distinguished by the Spoon curve and the frighteningly flat-out 130R which follows on from the back straight. Despite the near non-existent margin for error and narrow track surface a few overtaking opportunities exist. Turn one is a popular choice but has to be preceded with a decent exit off the final chicane and a respectable straight-line speed. Another occasion for overtaking could present itself under braking into the final chicane and if a driver is feeling particularly adventurous, and perhaps a tad desperate, the first part of the Spoon curve may even be an option.

The demand for downforce isn’t as great around the Japanese track. However, striking the balance between having enough grip in the twisty bits and ensuring that they can reach reasonable speed down the straights is the key to set-up. It bodes well for Red Bull to be the best of the rest behind the outlandishly fast Mercedes.

The sinister underbelly of Formula 1 has struck once more. At least this is what the Formula 1 conspiracy theorists have been peddling. Giving rise to their frenzied ramblings was a Mercedes announcement that Rosberg’s retirement in Singapore was caused by a contaminated substance and subsequent electronics short circuiting of his car. It turns out, after a thorough examination, that the steering column electronics were contaminated by an undetectable substance. The loudest of the conspiracy theorists maintain that Rosberg’s car was deliberately sabotaged by the Mercedes management. Besides the fact that the team lost out on scoring points, and the cash that goes with it, what possible explanation could there be for deliberately taking one of its cars completely out of the race?

From a perspective more slanted towards the neutral the Rosberg retirement wasn’t exactly a full blown tragedy. Yes, for at least ten minutes we all felt bad for Rosberg and we sympathised with his desperate attempts to get going. But after this period of gloominess subsided the realization of F1’s skulking unpredictability sunk in. And just maybe you would’ve concluded that this little sequence of events could result in a cracking end to the season. Now we head to Japan with a slender three-point gap between the duelling teammates. Neither Hamilton nor Rosberg has ever won here which tees up the battle perfectly. All that is needed is for Messrs Rosberg and Hamilton to set it on fire.

September 30, 2014
F1 2014: Singapore Lights Up Championship Fight

If there are only a handful of things that can be counted on as a certainty in Formula 1 one of them will be the erratic fickleness of it all. Singapore played the joker that may just have turned the 2014 F1 season on its head.

The unfortunate victim of the ever dependable randomness of F1 was Nico Rosberg. A healthy, even comfortable, 22 point lead was completely blown away as unreliability struck the German before the start of the Singapore GP. An apparent steering wheel problem relegated Rosberg to a pitlane start which only delayed the inevitable. With already having to stage a comeback from the back of the field Rosberg was lapping five second off the pace and eventually had to retire with an unresponsive car. Toto Wolff confirmed that the entire system had broken down due to the failure of a “lume within the steering column.”

It left Lewis Hamilton with the delectable opportunity of regaining the championship lead. However, the characteristics of the Marina Bay circuit and a safety-car period allowed both Red Bulls and Fernando Alonso’s Ferrari to within striking distance of the Silver Arrow, or so they thought. It was to be nothing more than a far-fetched pipedream for those behind Hamilton as he easily dismissed their feeble attempts at beating him.

If Formula 1 is our religion then we need to bow down the designers of the W05 Mercedes. In the last decade we’ve seen the Red Bull domination net itself four world championship titles but it certainly did not boast a lap time advantage as great as three seconds.

Never let it be known that Hamilton isn’t a man who doesn’t rise to the occasion. The safety-car appearance meant the Brit would have to pit and re-take the lead in order to win the race. First he would have to build a gap to second place and within several laps Hamilton’s staggering pace had ensured that he would emerge in the thick of the Red Bull fight. His superior speed, and fresh rubber, easily saw him past Sebastian Vettel and just to rub a bit of salt in the wounds he again extended the gap to fourteen seconds by the chequered flag.

Ferrari showed improved pace on the Singapore streets and with added benefit of the supremely gifted Fernando Alonso the Scuderia’s weekend wasn’t too shabby at all. The never-say-die Spaniard once again unleashed a masterful driving performance. The double world champ got to within touching distance of the podium, even second place, but was stranded behind the two Red Bulls of Sebastian Vettel and Daniel Ricciardo in fourth.

What is it about this Fernando Alonso that makes him the wonder that he is? To consistently out-perform what he is given and make a car do things no one dares think is possible. He’s preference for over-steery cars makes the current Ferrari a bit easier to drive but beyond this there is very little of the F 14T that is good. Surely then it can only come down to him, it does. His relentlessness seemingly knows no bounds and there is very much a feeling of a single-minded stubbornness when Alonso is in the cockpit. The sort of tenacious belief that he will get a lap time out of that car come hell or high water. Even if he isn’t your Formula 1 be-all-and-end-all he is still to be admired and commended.

Felipe Massa defied belief, and all statistical predictions, as he completed a mammoth 35 lap stint on the soft compound tyres to finish fifth. Teammate Valtteri Bottas nearly pulled off the same feat but lost several positions on the final lap as his tyres finally gave up the ghost. Jean-Eric Vergne overcame two five-second penalties to finish a brilliant sixth.

There was a bit of argy-bargy and some lost carbon fibre in the mid-field between Sauber’s Adrian Sutil and Force India’s Sergio Perez. Perez suffered significant front-wing damage as he was squeezed up against the barriers by Sutil and the shards of carbon fibre strewn across the track were the catalyst for the safety-car deployment. It was a bit surprising that the Stewards didn’t penalise Sutil whose actions did appear a bit dicey. Nevertheless, Checo did stage a fine recovery to finish seventh.

Ferrari’s Kimi Raikkonen never recovered from a software glitch in qualifying and finished eighth ahead Nico Hulkenberg in the Force India. McLaren’s Kevin Magnussen wrapped up the final point of the day but teammate Jenson Button lost sixth position after being forced into retirement with a suspected electronic issue.

A slender, but perhaps decisive, three points is Lewis Hamilton’s world championship lead over teammate Nico Rosberg. With five races remaining, and double points on offer in Abu Dhabi, this exceptional battle is, thankfully, far from over.

September 22, 2014
Post Free Practice 1 Singapore – Alonso Tops The Sheets

Fernando Alonso topped the times for the first free practice session ahead of Sunday’s Singapore grand prix.

The Ferrari driver set the fastest time of the one and a half hour session ahead of the Mercedes duo of Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg. The Red Bull pairing of Sebastian Vettel and Daniel Ricciardo rounded out the top five respectively.

Safe for a few brushes of the barrier and the odd spin no driver has yet been felled by the 5km long Marina Bay circuit. Much of the focus was pulled rather to the driver’s helmet colours for this weekend with a plethora of designs up and down the pitlane.

The newly announced, but relaxed, ban on radio communication between the pitwall and driver made its presence felt in the first session of the weekend. Lewis Hamilton’s inquiry as to other driver’s sector times was met with a “we’ll talk about it when you’re back in the pits” from Bonno, his race engineer.

The session came to fiery end for Ferrari’s Kimi Raikkonen as the Finn’s right-front brake caught fire in the pitbox. Sebastian Vettel’s session ended on a less than stellar note as the German was forced to pull over at the exit of the pitlane with what he thought was “a problem with the engine.”

Photo Credit: Scuderia Ferrari Formula 1

September 19, 2014
F1 2014: German GP Preview – German or Englishman?

The battle for supremacy between Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg has been so enthralling that somehow the Formula 1 season is already on the cusp of its tenth round.

Hockenheim returns for the first time since 2012 to not only the new hybrid Formula but also to a new pecking order. In 2012, the Hockenheimring had its first introduction to both DRS and Pirelli tyres. Red Bull Racing and Lotus arrived at that grand prix as the likely podium contenders. Ferrari’s Fernando Alonso won the race from Jenson Button and Kimi Raikkonen.

The circuit’s 4.574 km layout is a blend of long straights and final sector medium-speed corners. The hairpin in the first sector of the lap is a key area for overtaking which places commands good braking performance. Despite a relatively short lap driver and engineers need to strike a balance between top-speed and downforce. “You’d like to have the downforce for the stadium and to keep it steady on the brakes but equally you don’t want too much drag on the straights,” says Red Bull driver Daniel Ricciardo.

The final sector is not favourable for overtaking but the stadium section is a vital element to what makes the German GP unique. The decidedly muted sound of Formula 1 cars should make it possible to hear the cheering of the crowds, should a German driver be leading the race.

The driver’s will need to vigilant at the start of the race as the first corner tightens dramatically before opening up onto the straight. Although there is an expanse of run-off area a touching of wheels or front-wing is a high probability. Teams such as Ferrari will need to devote more time towards their qualifying pace in order to avoid starting mid-grid and the possibility of a first-lap incident.

Before then, the first one and a half hours of free practice will be the centre of attention as Williams’ development driver Susie Wolff gets another opportunity to participate in an official session. However, don’t expect any flashy laptimes from the Scot. The main aim is to run through Williams’ program which is geared towards set-up of the car rather than outright pace.

Sebastian Vettel’s Red Bull didn’t have the pace to challenge for victory around the Hockenheimring two years ago and it’s not much is different in 2014. The reigning champion is unlikely to match the Mercedes but the Red Bull may have a better outing this weekend thanks to the aerodynamic demands of the final sector.

Out of the car the verbal digs continue between the two Mercedes drivers. Ahead of the German GP Lewis Hamilton noted that seeing as Nico Rosberg was raised in Monaco he could not consider himself German. Rosberg responded to his teammate by describing himself as “100% German.” It is clear that Hamilton is continuing his methodical psychological battle against Nico Rosberg as much out of the car as on the track. Some may think it’s nonsense and that the Brit should get on with driving. However, the make-up of Lewis Hamilton the racing driver dictates he exploits every possible advantage, in whichever form it is presented.

It was crucial for Hamilton to strike back at Silverstone and it will be an important long-term victory if he does the same this weekend. The biggest incentive for Lewis Hamilton to bring that same intensity to the track is the chance to take over the lead of the driver’s championship.

July 16, 2014
F1 2014: British GP – Hamilton Roars Back Into Contention

It is uncanny how even in the most dominant of seasons Formula 1 still manages to deliver one of the most thrilling races in years.

The 2014 Silverstone grand prix was chock-full of amazing drives and drama from the very first lap. The field had not completed one lap before Kimi Raikkonen crashed heavily into the barriers on the Wellington Straight, bringing out the red flag.

Raikkonen appeared to lose control as he tried to rejoin the circuit after running wide onto the tarmac run-off at Aintree. The Finn hit a bump in the grass which put him headfirst into the barriers. Despite an impact of 47 G the Ferrari driver escaped serious injury. It was only through Felipe Massa’s exceptionally quick reaction that the crash was not much worse. Massa, in his 200^th GP, pitched his car into a spin to avoid Raikkonen as he speared across the track. Unfortunately the Williams driver sustained terminal damage to his left-rear suspension. Raikkonen suffered a bruised leg and ankle which has put him in doubt for testing at Silverstone this week. It is often taken for granted just what special talents all of these driver’s posses and it was Felipe Massa’s actions which reminds us all of the unrivaled ability of these drivers.

The race resumed an hour later after marshals repaired the heavily damaged guard rail. Mercedes’ Niki Lauda lamented race direction for the red flag interruption and said that there was “zero possibility” of another driver crashing into the damaged guard rail. However unlikely a second accident in the same area would or would not be it is unconscionable to speculate where safety is concerned.

Nico Rosberg restarted in first position ahead of McLaren drivers Jenson Button and Kevin Magnussen. Hamilton soon made his way through from fourth to run five seconds behind Rosberg.

An alternative strategy by Hamilton left him on the harder and slower compound tyres towards the closing stages of the race. Even though it was Rosberg who should have had the upper hand on the faster tyre he was no match for Hamilton’s doggedness. The Brit was rapidly closing the gap to his championship rival when Rosberg’s car suddenly slowed. As Hamilton swept into the lead of the race a gearbox issue brought an end Rosberg’s race.

An inspired Valterri Bottas scythed through the field from fourteenth and overtook the Ferrari of Fernando Alonso, both McLarens and the Red Bulls of Daniel Ricciardo and Sebastian Vettel. The Williams’ driver perfected a one-stop strategy and delivered a stunning drive to score back-to-back podiums with a career best second place.

Behind Bottas, Daniel Ricciardo, also on a one-stop strategy, successfully fought to hold onto third place. Allbeit on different strategies on the day the impressive Australian once again out-performed his four-time world champion teammate. Mid-way through the season Ricciardo has proven that he has successfully taken the step to the next echelon of grand prix drivers. He isn’t yet going to be mentioned in the same breath as the Alonsos and Hamiltons of the racing world but everything suggest that he is an incredibly talented driver.

Jenson Button drove superbly to finish the race a mere eight tenths off the final podium spot. Although narrowly missing out on the podium in what was surely an emotional weekend JB did his dad proud with a fighting fourth place. A tip of the hat to the British fans for showing their support for JB with scores of pink in the crowd.

Further down, Fernando Alonso and Sebastian Vettel were involved in a classic duel for fifth. The two champions battled for several laps within inches of each other. Both drivers comically complained on the radio of the other exceeding track limits but ultimately the battle royal between the two was a breathtaking display of driving skill. In the end Vettel got the better of the Spaniard.

Kevin Magnussen improved McLaren’s day with seventh place ahead of Force India’s Nico Hulkenberg. The most impressive rookie of the year Daniil Kvyat led teammate Jean-Eric Vergne home in the final points paying positions. Sauber’s Esteban Gutierrez has been given a three-place grid penalty for the next race after the Mexican clashed with Lotus’ Pastor Maldonado.

Lewis Hamilton roared back into contention for the driver’s title with a fine victory on home soil. Although it came at a cost to Rosberg Hamilton’s prodigious pace on the supposedly slower tyre was telling. Victory at Silverstone means a lot to Hamilton and is an even more significant boost to his title aspirations.

(Podium image by courtesy of Pirelli)

July 7, 2014
F1 2014: British GP Preview – 50 Years of Silverstone Splendour

Year upon year the world of Formula 1 undergoes changes. From rule changes to regulation shifts to not-so good looking cars. Yet, through all of its transformations and guises the lineage of Formula 1 has always been protected, honoured and celebrated.

Nestled in the English countryside of Northamptonshire Silverstone will celebrate its 50^th year of hosting the British grand prix. In recent history Lewis Hamilton’s stunning 2008 victory lingers one of the most memorable. The masterful drive in treacherously wet conditions remains one of Hamilton’s finest. After failing to score in the previous two rounds Hamilton’s natural talent shone in difficult conditions and earned him a first victory on home soil. It proved to be the turning-point in the 2008 season at the end of which he would be crowned world champion.

In 2014 the Silverstone circuit and its facilities look slightly different but remains a cherished challenge. After announcing a 17-year deal with Bernie Ecclestone Silverstone was unveiled in 2011 with a new pits and paddock complex in addition to an in-field sector after the Abbey chicane. Importantly, the glorious sections of Maggots, Becketts and Chapel and Copse corner have been preserved.

Silverstone is a circuit characterised by high speed corners and one which tests aerodynamic performance to the limit. This combination may bode well for Sebastian Vettel and Daniel Ricciardo. The Red Bull RB10 is clearly not the fastest package on the grid however the Milton Keyes factory has produced a good chassis which only limitation is its power unit. The root of Red Bull’s issues in 2014 has been due to under par Renault ‘engine.’ The French manufacturer has continually tried to optimise performance but the reality is that the Renault power unit baseline is significantly lower than that of the Mercedes which makes catching up nearly impossible.

Were Red Bull equipped with a Mercedes power unit we may have seen a significantly closer fight for the title. But at least for now Christian Horner and Red Bull are sticking with Renault power which has led them to four consecutive world championships.

Nico Rosberg won for Mercedes at Silverstone last year in the midst of several Pirelli tyre failures. Lewis Hamilton was one who fell victim to the suspect rubber in 2013 and is a driver who needs to make in-roads on his championship-leading teammate. Hamilton, twenty-nine points adrift, needs to finish ahead of Rosberg this weekend if he is to keep the championship dream alive. Yet, Rosberg’s crafty, under-the-radar manner will aid him on a weekend where all the focus and pressure shifts to home-grown hero Lewis Hamilton.

On the back of a strong weekend in Austria the Williams team are worth keeping an eye on if only for the possibility of finishing best-of-the-rest. The Grove based team has finally unlocked some of the pace and potential it displayed in pre-season testing with a first-ever podium finish for Valtteri Bottas. Williams’ qualifying pace in Austria was owing to its ability to get the tyres up to temperature much quicker which will be handy in the cooler British conditions.

History will me made in the first free practice session for the British grand prix as Williams development driver Susie Wolff takes to the track. Wolff will become the first woman to take part in an official F1 session in 22 years. Go Susie!

Ferrari’s hit and miss season, with decidedly more miss, is set to continue as the team has ruled out the possibility of closing the gap to Mercedes. As a result of homologated engines and the team reaching the limit of improvements it can make on the power unit The Maranello team will turn its attention to the 2015 season.

Theoretically when it all shakes out towards the end of the season Lewis Hamilton should have enough in his armoury to beat Nico Rosberg. However, theories are just that – a combination of ideas based on speculation. What Hamilton needs is a dominant performance on the track starting at Silverstone.

July 3, 2014
F1 2014: Austrian GP Review – Nifty Nico Bests Hamilton

What was once old was made new again as the Formula 1 paddock jetted into central Europe for the Austrian grand prix for the first time in eleven years.

The practice sessions suggested that the weekend would follow the familiar pattern of Mercedes domination. However, Saturday qualifying was turned on its head as the Williams pair of Felipe Massa and Valterri Bottas stunningly locked out the front row of the grid.

The two Williams drivers were able to spring this surprise due to some good luck but also by delivering a great turn of pace. Pole position for the Austrian GP was Felipe Massa’s first since the 2008 Brazilian GP. Nico Rosberg lined up third while a mistake from Hamilton relegated him to ninth with no time on the board.

Massa led away from the start but teammate Bottas fell to third behind Rosberg. It was Hamilton who blitzed the start to end the first lap in a sensational fourth position. The Williams and Mercedes cars were closely matched for pace on the supersoft tyres and it was Mercedes who led the way into the pitlane. Both Williams drivers were able to complete two more laps but it would cost them track position as Rosberg emerged to lead the train of Bottas, Hamilton and Massa.

In the lead of the race was Force India’s Sergio Perez who started in 16^th position. On the soft compound tyres the Mexican was able to run a long enough first stint to put him in the lead of the race. Despite a five-place grid penalty, from Canada, he was able to deliver consistently fast laptimes without putting a wheel wrong for all of the 71 laps. Checo is known for his ability of making the most of alternative strategies. Add to the fact that he had to overcome a grid penalty and his sixth place finish was one of the drives of the day.

As the Force India driver eventually pitted Rosberg was promoted to the lead of the race and by the end of the second round of stops the Mercedes pair were line astern in first and second. However, the Silver Arrows did not disappear into the distance as in previous races as Valterri Bottas kept the pair honest. The Finn translated his front-row starts into his first podium in Formula 1 ahead of teammate Felipe Massa who saw off a late charge from Fernando Alonso.

For Ferrari there was little good news and a fifth place finish Alonso left uninspired by the performance of his car. Similarly, Kimi Raikkonen endured a difficult afternoon after he was told to slow down and cool his brakes after only the second lap of the race. Raikkonen scored the final point on offer in tenth in what was yet another nail in Ferrari’s 2014 coffin.

McLaren’s Kevin Magnussen finished seventh while teammate Jenson Button’s gamble on a long strategy didn’t yield the same results as that of his former teammate Perez. Button eventually finished eleventh.

Regardless of the fact that the Red Bull company owns the circuit its two teams endured a dreadful afternoon. Sebastian Vettel suffered his third retirement of the season when his Renault power unit failed. Both Toro Rosso’s drivers joined the retirement list to leave Daniel Ricciardo as the only Red Bull driver in the race. The Australian was able to finish eighth after overtaking Force India’s Nico Hulkenberg on the final lap of the race.

Red Bull team Principal Christian Horner branded Renault’s performance as “unacceptable” and insisted that the supplier overcome its issues quickly. “There needs to be change at Renault. It can’t continue like this. It’s not good for Renault and it’s not good for Red Bull,” said Horner.

Sebastian Vettel became the first beneficiary of new driver rules instituted after the Canadian GP. The incident at the end of that race between Felipe Massa and Sergio Perez has prompted race stewards to take a more lenient approach in dishing out penalties to drivers. A driver will be given a penalty only if he is found to be 75% responsible for causing a collision. On Sunday Vettel lost part of his front-wing in a collision whilst trying to overtake Sauber’s Esteban Gutierrez. Under the old rules Vettel would have been given a drive-through penalty for causing a collision.

The race ultimately culminated in a fight between Rosberg and Hamilton. The gap between the two was only two seconds but Hamilton was unable to make an impression on Rosberg. Victory in Austria has given Rosberg a 29 point lead in the championship. The German is yet to finish outside the top two in 2014 and it is this sort of consistency which could just be enough to undo Lewis Hamilton.

June 23, 2014
F1 2014: Austrian GP Preview – Formula 1 Re-opens Austrian Chapter

History is nothing new to Formula 1 and it re-opens one of its oldest chapters this weekend at the Austrian grand prix.
The Formula 1 world championship returns to Styria, at the foot of the Alps, for the first time in a decade. The Austrian grand prix has featured on the F1 calendar in several different forms; from the one-off airfield in Zeltweg in 1963 to the Österreichring throughout the 80s to its current guise of the A1-Ring in Spielberg.

The A1-Ring was purchased by Red Bull who agreed with Bernie Ecclestone to reinstate the circuit as part of the championship. The last meeting in 2003 was won by then Ferrari driver Michael Schumacher who was well on his way to title number six.

It was during the now infamous 2002 Austrian GP where the contentious issue of team-orders took centre stage. It was here that the Ferrari team instructed Rubens Barrichello to give way to teammate Michael Schumacher. The move was met with much negativity and the unprecedented jeering of Schumacher on the podium. Schumacher would lift off the throttle in the final few meters of the 2002 US grand prix handing victory to Barrichello.

The renamed Red Bull Ring’s layout remains unchanged and its 4.326km length is dominated by several straights. Therefore, it requires a medium downforce set-up with a particular emphasis on braking which translates to a high rate of fuel consumption. Similar to Bahrain’s Sakhir circuit the Red Bull Ring’s middle sector is dominate by medium speed corners. Pirelli’s analysis of the track has reveals a moderately abrasive surface suitable for the soft and supersoft compounds.

The circuit’s high altitude venue will place serious demand on the 2014 power units which will have to cope with a lap spent at full throttle for nearly 70%. The track only has nine corners but its character is derived from the significant undulation throughout lap and four opportunities for overtaking.

The Canadian grand prix demonstrated how quickly fortunes could change and proved that Mercedes are not bulletproof. A failure on both cars revealed their fallibility and gave Nico Rosberg a significant advantage in the driver’s championship. The hammer-blow in Monaco and a bit of luck in Canada has Rosberg on an ominous high. The German won’t have any difficulty with the Ring which suggests that Lewis Hamilton will need to be on top of his game to begin recouping his losses. “I caught up before and I can catch up again,” says Hamilton. “It’s going to take another four wins to make the difference so I’m going to do my best to get those results.”

Ferrari’s abundant struggles in 2014 would suggest that recovery is the main aim. However, the latest rhetoric from the team seems almost defiant. Only new team Principal Marco Mattiacci has pointed to an ineffective trend of development as the reason for the team remaining “behind the curve.”
Contrastingly, Ferrari president Luca di Montezemolo went so far as to suggest that the Italian team could quit the sport altogether. Yet, something suggests that this lamenting of the new F1 rules would most likely not have seen the light of day if Ferrari were leading the 2014 field. It is rather silly of di Montezemolo to throw his toys of the cot because of his team’s woeful season. The fact remains that all teams are bound by the same set of rules and some simply did a better job of interpreting them than others.

It seems obvious that Red Bull will be in the spotlight this weekend. But how much of that spotlight will transfer to the track in the face of the mightily dominant Mercedes team remains to be seen.

June 18, 2014