Tag: alex rossi

F1 2015: Brazilian Grand Prix Preview – Brazil – A spectacle for the ages

In the last several years the Brazilian grand prix has moved around quite a bit on the F1 calendar. It’s gone from the second race of the year to being the season-ender a few times. Now, it finds itself settled as the penultimate race of the year. But regardless of when the Brazilian grand prix is run it always delivers a stunning show.

History reveals that the land which the Autodromo Jose Carlos Pace is built on was first bought with a housing development in mind. Luckily, part of the Sau Paulo land was not suitable for housing and a so a racetrack, named Interlagos, was born. Several decades later the successful arrival of Emerson Fittipaldi on the world motorsport stage became the catalyst for a Brazilian grand prix in the 1970s. By 1981 Rio had taken over as host of the Brazilian grand prix. But thanks to the fervour that surrounded Ayrton Senna, a Sau Paulo native, the race has returned and been run at Interlagos ever since.

The circuit isn’t a long one at 4.309 kilometres and its lap record is just shade over seventy-one seconds. It doesn’t have any corners in its layout to really trouble the drivers either. “There’s just not a corner that gives you any real satisfaction. I don’t want to make it sound dull, because it isn’t, but like Russia, there isn’t a corner that makes you go ‘Woooo-Hoooo!’ It needs a few more corners and something really high speed,” says Red Bull’s Daniel Ricciardo. “There’s a couple that look good on paper but because of the cambers, you never really have the grip to go barrelling in.”

From the Aussie’s perspective it doesn’t sound very challenging and it looks like it could be a bit of a damp squib. But somehow, year after year, the circuit and the boisterous fans combine with an untouchable force to deliver astounding Brazilian Grand Prix races.

The stunning 2012 race in which then Red Bull driver Sebastian Vettel had to fight back through the field after a first-corner incident comes to mind. In 2007 Kimi Raikkonen beat the odds to win the driver’s championship. In 2008 the driver’s world title race between Lewis Hamilton and Felipe Massa climaxed in the most dramatically breathtaking fashion. As local hero and Ferrari driver Massa crossed the line as world champion only to be denied as McLaren driver Hamilton found his way past the Toyota of Timo Glock on the last corner of the last lap. These stunning races are merely what are in the recent memory bank of Formula 1. The Brazilian grand prix has been delivering this kind of drama for decades.

Last year Nico Rosberg put together a faultless weekend to win from pole. It comes as no great revelation that Mercedes is the overwhelming favourite for victory going into the weekend. However, there are a few factors that could change the outcome of Sunday’s Brazilian Grand Prix. The weather around the Interlagos circuit looks set fair with temperatures predicted to reach into the early 30s. It will mean a considerably high track temperature which will play to the strengths of the Ferrari, as it did in Malaysia.

The factor of racing on home soil should never be diminished and given Felipe Massa’s adoration for his home race he will undoubtedly feature in some way this weekend. A podium finish may not be out of the question for the Williams driver.

Often we try to predict what will happen over a grand prix weekend. We base our view on car performance in relation to a specific layout, weather forecasts, and occasionally a gut feel. But in Brazil you do so at your peril. Because this race has the uncanny ability to surprise and deliver a spectacle to the level no one can possibly imagine.

November 11, 2015
F1 2015: Texas GP Review – Hamilton Clinches Title in Texas Thriller

On Friday and Saturday race fans would have been cursing the biblical levels of rain that fell over Texas’ Circuit of the Americas. It completely obliterated any opportunity of running in all but one of the practice sessions and forced a postponement of qualifying to Sunday morning.

However, as the weather cleared in time for Sunday’s race it was the changeable conditions that were the catalyst for a frenzied US grand prix. As the start of the race drew closer the rain had ceased its incessant pounding but with the track still mostly wet conditions called for a start on the intermediate tyres for the entire grid.

Mercedes driver Nico Rosberg snatched pole from teammate Lewis Hamilton in a shortened qualifying session while Red Bull’s Daniel Ricciardo and Daniil Kvyat locked out the second row of the grid. Along with Williams’ Valtteri Bottas, who incurred a five place penalty for changing a gearbox, both Ferrari drivers were demoted ten places on the grid for fitting a sixth, upgraded, engine. Sebastian Vettel started in thirteenth while Kimi Raikkonen lined up in eighteenth place.

The start of the race followed a familiar pattern between the two Mercedes drivers. Hamilton took the inside line into turn one and forced Rosberg wide and onto the run-off as the pair bumped wheels. The move, which Rosberg later called “a step too far” dropped the German down to fifth. As Red Bull’s Daniil Kvyat hounded the back of Hamilton’s Mercedes for the lead of the race the sister Red Bull was in close attendance in third. But a clash between Sauber teammates Felipe Nasr and Marcus Ericsson left enough debris at turn one for race control to call on the virtual safety car.

As the race restarted the superior performance of the Red Bull on the wearing intermediate tyres was enough for both its drivers to overtake Nico Rosberg. As the circuit dried it was evident that Daniel Ricciardo was able to look after his intermediate tyre slightly better than Hamilton and he took the lead of the race on lap fifteen.

By lap eighteen the circuit had dried enough to change onto slicks. As conditions changed so too the challenge of the Red Bull’s diminished in the dry conditions. With superior pace Nico Rosberg retook the lead of the race and proceeded to build a stunning ten second gap over Hamilton. This was the Nico Rosberg performance we had been waiting to see all season. By this point, it was a strong, determined drive that would delay Hamilton’s winning of the world championship.

On lap twenty-eight the Sauber of Marcus Ericsson grinds to a halt at turn eleven and requires the deployment of the safety car to recover the car. Rosberg’s nearly eleven second lead over Hamilton is completely eradicated. Sebastian Vettel, who has fought his way into fifth, takes the opportunity to fit a set of mediums to see him through to the end of the race. The Ferrari driver makes short work of Kvyat and Ricciardo and moves himself into third place.

It wasn’t long before the virtual safety car was called on again this time to clear the Force India of Nico Hulkenberg. The German driver tried an ambitious move up the inside of Daniel Ricciardo for fourth place but came off second best with fatal damage to his car. It prompted Rosberg to pit as Hamilton took the lead of the race.

By lap forty-two Hamilton had a six second gap over Rosberg and as Red Bull driver Daniil Kvyat clouted the barrier at the final turn, bringing out the safety car, the Brit dived into the pitlane for a new set of tyres. It dropped Hamilton behind Rosberg and it seemed as if he would have to wait at least one more week to secure the title.

However, in a bizarre twist Rosberg ran off the circuit at turn sixteen and gifted the lead of the race to Hamilton. Rosberg just held on for second in the closing stages ahead of Vettel. This ensured that as Hamilton crossed the line he was a three-time world champion.

Toro Rosso’s Max Verstappen finished a stunning fourth ahead of Force India’s Sergio Perez in fifth. Jenson Button brought his McLaren home in sixth whilst Carlos Sainz finished seventh in his Toro Rosso. Lotus’ Pastor Maldonado , Sauber Felipe Nasr and Red Bull’s Daniel Ricciardo rounded out the top ten.

Eight cars failed to make it to the chequered flag including Ferrari’s Kimi Raikkonen who retired with overheating brakes after sliding off the track earlier and colliding with a barrier. For Williams too it was a weekend to forget with a double retirement. Manor Marussia driver Alex Rossi can hold his head high after matching the team’s best result with a twelfth place finish.

In an incredible season Lewis Hamilton has become only the tenth triple world champion in the history of the sport. Yes, Mercedes has provided him with an astonishing car to drive but the knowledge that Hamilton is a racer of the highest calibre has been there since his first lap at the 2007 Australian grand prix. Now, Lewis Hamilton is no longer just on the cusp of greatness.

(All images of Lewis Hamilton courtesy of @MercedesAMGF1)

October 26, 2015
F1 2015: Texas GP Preview – F1 Heads Down South

The old saying goes that everything is bigger and better in Texas and it’s hard to argue with it. The Circuit of the Americas, introduced in 2012, is already a favourite on the F1 calendar and in 2015 has the potential to crown a champion.

The Circuit of the Americas, designed by Herman Tilke, gets a resounding stamp of approval from all the drivers on the grid and is easily the best of the newer tracks on the F1 calendar. “The track has some special parts, especially the first sector and the uphill turn one. You can take a few different lines through the corner and you can brake really late for it, which makes it a good place to overtake,” says Force India driver Sergio Perez.

In fact the entire first sector is a combination of elegant flowing high-speed corners of which turns three through eight are reminiscent of Silverstone’s Maggots-Becketts complex. A long back strait and relatively slow final section of corners make up the rest on the 5.5 km circuit.

However it seems, at best, doubtful that we’ll get to see F1 cars at full-tilt around this circuit as the weather predicts for rain on Friday and Saturday. The forecast on race day could see a break in the clouds. Should there be an opportunity for dry running Pirelli have made the medium (white-walled) and soft (yellow-walled) compound available this weekend.

There will be considerable attention on all cars running the Renault power unit this weekend. The French manufacturer is bringing its biggest, and highly anticipated, upgrade, to the race weekend amid intense speculation about its future in the sport.

Several weeks ago Renault signed a letter of intent to purchase the Lotus F1 team but hasn’t made a move on the financially beleaguered team since then, at least not publicly. Not only that, but an improved performance from the power unit may also serve as the perfect platform for Red Bull make its way back to running Renault power in 2016.

As it stands, Red Bull has no engine to put in the back of their 2016 car. At this stage the 2016 Red is likely deep into its development cycle which will make pulling out of the sport very costly. Yes, the divorce between Red Bull and Renault resulted in both parties airing dirty laundry and some rather testy statements about incompetence were thrown about. But a categorical no from Mercedes and a more than reluctant Ferrari has put the Austrian team in quite a mess. Besides, there won’t be any hard feelings between Red Bull and Renault after all just look at the splendidly semi-restored relationship between Fernando Alonso and Ron Dennis.

There is also another matter that will take centre stage in Texas as Lewis Hamilton bids to become a three time Formula 1 world champion. The challenge from teammate Nico Rosberg has been severely diminished due to a couple of reliability issues for the German. As if Rosberg’s retirements haven’t been nasty enough the cruel irony is that he will probably help Lewis Hamilton claim his third driver’s title this weekend.

Mercedes shouldn’t be troubled in Texas which will leave its two drivers to battle it out. If Rosberg finishes second to his teammate and keeps Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel at bay Hamilton will be crowned champion.

Now we know that stranger things have happened in Formula 1. Just think about Hamilton’s first championship triumph in most dramatic fashion at the 2008 Brazilian grand prix. By no means should any possibility ever be ruled out in Formula 1.

Championship Permutations

Hamilton is champion if…

Hamilton 1^st Vettel 3^rd or lower

Hamilton 2^nd Vettel 6^th or lower Rosberg 3^rd or lower

Hamilton 3^rd Vettel 7^th or lower Rosberg 4^th or lower

Hamilton 4^th Vettel 9^th or lower Rosberg 5^th or lower

Hamilton 5^th Vettel 10^th or lower Rosberg 6^th or lower

October 22, 2015