Tag: felipe massa

Vettel On Top in FP2 in Abu Dhabi

Red Bull’s Sebastian Vettel topped the time sheets at the end of the second free practice session at the Yas Marina Circuit in Abu Dhabi.

The young German set the pace this evening in Abu Dhabi with a 1:41.335 with his team mate Mark Webber P2 with a 1:41.490, 0.155s slower than Vettel. What was also encouraging for Red Bull was the very good long run pace they had on the primes and on the soft option tyre.

Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton finished the session in P3 with a 1:41.690, 0.355s off the pace of Vettel. Lotus’ Kimi Raikkonen finished P4 with a 1:41.728 and Nico Rosberg ended his session in P5 with a 1:41.758. Raikkonen was very strong on his long run pace this session, his team mate Romain Grosjean who finished FP1 in P1 finished FP2 in P12.

McLaren’s Sergio Perez received some very encouraging news towards the end of the session from his race engineer Andy Latham telling him that they were very similar on pace to Mercedes and they were quicker than Ferrari. Checo ended the session in P6. Jenson Button trailed a very different setup by running a very shallow rear wing. The proof of which reflected in the speed traps where he was quickest.

Ferrari seemed to be struggling for pace in the session. Fernando Alonso ended the session in P8 and his team mate Felipe Massa finished in P10. They’re long run pace seemed to be there about, but nothing close to Lotus or Mercedes. It looks like its going to be a difficult weekend for them.

The full time sheet for the session is included below:

November 1, 2013
F1 2013: Race Preview – Amazing Abu Dhabi

Less than twelve months ago Sebastian Vettel stood on the cusp of becoming a three-time world champion ahead of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. One year later Vettel returns as a four-time champion and no less hungry for victory that the first time he rolled out onto a Formula 1 starting grid.

The only twilight race on the F1 calendar is unquestionably one of the most stunning venues of the season. Set against the fabulous backdrop of the setting Arabian sun the cars hardly look more spectacular at any other stage of the season. Even though the Yas Marina circuit still feels like a fairly recent addition to the calendar, the 2013 grand prix will be the fifth visit to the east coast of Abu Dhabi.

Similar to the Indian GP, Pirelli will provide the medium and soft compound tyres to the teams. The Budhh International circuit rendered the yellow walled soft tyre extremely fragile but in Abu Dhabi is expected to have a significantly longer lifespan. “The way that the track temperature falls in Abu Dhabi obviously has an effect on both wear and degradation, meaning that teams are able to do longer runs even on the softer compound later in the race,” said Pirelli motorsport director Paul Hembery.

It is an important time of the season for those drivers who still need to secure a 2014 seat. Despite being linked to several front-running teams it seems as if Nico Hulkenberg will not be jumping into a leading car, at least not in 2014. The immensely talented Hulkenberg has been linked with a move to Lotus with the German having supposedly signed a provisional agreement during the Japanese GP weekend. However, recent rumbling suggest that this agreement has been scrapped because the team cannot afford Hulkenberg. Instead Pastor Maldonado, and his PDVSA sponsor, look set to snatch the Lotus seat.

Nevertheless, Hulkenberg will be focusing on the task at hand this weekend and getting the best possible position by the end of the fifty-five lap race. The Yas Marina circuit should play to the strengths of the Sauber.

The first sector is relatively short and punctuated with several medium speed corners and bolstered with turns two and three acting as the two high-speed corners in the sector. The middle sector mainly distinguished by long straights with low-speed corners in the mix to provide some challenge to the drivers. The final sector of the 5.554km long lap is an unyielding series slow to medium speed corners which require the utmost precision. “The track is pretty tricky and technical, especially the last sector which has a lot of twisty, 90-degree corners. It’s easy to get it wrong and overdo it in qualifying,” said Nico Hulkenberg.

Red Bull has already sewn up both driver’s and constructor’s titles for 2013 but the battle for second and third place rages on. Whilst second place in the constructor’s standings for Ferrari holds an important psychological connotation, Lotus’ quest for the top three is purely financially motivated. Reports about financial trouble have hounded the Enstone based team throughout the season and the supposedly ‘done deal’ with Quantam (formerly Infinity) has allegedly hit a snag in recent times.

While several important stories develop behind the scenes it is on the track where the attention will be focused this weekend. Fernando Alonso is due a better result than he has been able to achieve in the last few races. It will be a difficult task however since the Ferrari doesn’t have a great record around Abu Dhabi. In addition, Alonso has appeared to be slightly dejected at the last few race meetings but Ferrari has dismissed talks about tension between the team and the Spaniard.

A team that cannot talk away the tension amidst their ranks is Lotus. Alan Permane’s now infamous race message to Kimi Raikkonen has been well publicised and met with a vast amount of criticism. Lotus team principal Eric Boullier has released a subsequent statement apologising for the message and the team will undoubtedly want to focus on fighting for a better position in the constructor’s championship.

There is nothing to suggest that Sebastian Vettel won’t be the odds on favourite to yet again occupy the top step of the podium. But just maybe the stars are aligning for someone else. However the cards fall for the Abu Dhabi GP, a cracking race is surely in prospect.

October 30, 2013
Pastor Maldonado set to leave Williams

Pastor Maldonado, and his PDVSA sponsors, are set to leave the Williams F1 team at the end of the season.

Maldonado and his backers are in exit talks with the Williams outfit, making way for the incoming Felipe Massa. Massa confirmed last weeks that he was in talks with Williams and after much speculation, it was today revealed by Autosport as well as the BBC that Maldonado will leave the team, taking PDVSA with him.

The exit deal has not yet been concluded but it is believed that this will be completed soon in order to allow Maldonado to secure a contract with another team.

Maldonado has already been in talks regarding a 2014 seat with Lotus, Sauber and Force India and will bring with him a £20 million per season backing of the oil company, PDVSA.

Lotus, who have also been in talks with Nico Hulkenberg, would prefer the German driver to join their team but this rests on an investment deal with Quantum Motorsports. Should the investment deal not go through, it is most likely that Maldonado will then get the Lotus seat.

PDVSA is contractually bound to Williams until the end of the 2015 season but it is understood that an agreement will be reached whereby Williams will be compensated for the change in plans.

Maldonado has openly admitted that he is not enjoying the sport this year and is looking for a more competitive car to race in.

Photo credit: Williams F1 Twitter Team

October 28, 2013
F1 2013: Indian GP Review – Super Seb Achieves Greatness

The Indian grand prix has found itself in the privileged position of crowning Sebastian Vettel as the 2013 driver’s world champion.

There are few greater moments in this majestic sport than seeing a driver crowned champion. Whether you are a fan of Sebastian Vettel or not seems irrelevant in the face of this massive achievement. Only Juan Manuel Fangio, Michael Schumacher and now Sebastian Vettel has won four consecutive world titles. It not only deserves recognition but tremendous respect.

The Budhh International circuit played host to the third Indian GP and tyre strategy dominated the headlines from the first free practice session on Friday. It was evident early on that the yellow walled soft compound tyres were extremely fragile and would, presumably, dictate the rest of the weekend. Unsurprisingly, Saturday’s qualifying session saw a split in tyre strategy with several drivers opting to set their fastest time in Q3 on the medium tyre. Mark Webber emerged as the best of those on the alternate strategy with fourth place and seemed in the pound seats for Sunday’s race. The untouchable Sebastian Vettel went about his business and wrapped up yet another pole position ahead of the Mercedes duo of Nico Rosberg and Lewis Hamilton.

The dicey option tyres were given the short prognosis of lasting a maximum of six to seven laps. Sebastian Vettel made his customary break in the first lap of the race and by the end of it was leading Felipe Massa by 3.5 seconds.

Not wanting to risk anything on the perilous Pirelli rubber Vettel dived into the pits on the second lap and fitted the medium compound tyres for his second stint. The German dropped into masses of traffic and seventeenth place overall. This was the moment that those who started on the more durable tyre were expected to craft a sizeable gap over the number one Red Bull. But Sebastian Vettel is never one to be outdone not by rivals and certainly not by strategy. He scythed his way through the pack and by the end of the twentieth lap he was right on the gearbox of Sergio Perez’s third placed McLaren.

The only man who could mathematically stop Vettel from winning the title was Fernando Alonso. However, the Ferrari driver’s race got off to a disastrous start as collisions with Mark Webber and Jenson Button demanded a front-wing change. The Spaniard never recovered from his early set back and ended the race in eleventh place. Teammate Felipe Massa enjoyed a far better outing and led the Indian GP for a spell before pitting for fresh rubber. The Brazilian ultimately finished a solid fourth place. Sergio Perez provided a boost for McLaren with a fifth place finish after pulling off a great overtake on Lewis Hamilton. Hamilton finished a quiet race in sixth place for Mercedes.

Raikkonen, after having made a late race pitstop, finished seventh whilst struggling with overheating brakes in the beginning of the race and fuel issues towards the closing stages. Paul di Resta and Adrian Sutil came home eighth and ninth at Force India’s home race as Daniel Ricciardo secured the final point on offer for Toro Rosso.

The podium finishers looked as if they would include both Red Bull drivers but an alternator failure felled Mark Webber and promoted Nico Rosberg to second overall. The German’s second place finish was his and Mercedes’ first of the season. Rosberg’s other visits to the podium this season have all been victories. Romain Grosjean delivered a stunning drive to recover from 17th place in qualifying. The Frenchman and his ever improving consistency netted him third place over all; but not without some controversy for his Lotus team.

Lotus tried to play the long game with Kimi Raikkonen’s tyre strategy by suggesting a more than 50 lap stint on the medium tyre. Pirelli had advised teams that a thirty-five lap stint was potentially the most tyres would be able to stand and although some drivers pushed a bit further than the 35 lap limit Lotus’ pitwall thought they would the exception to the rule. The appalling strategy called failed, as it did in China, and Raikkonen was left defenseless and losing nearly two and a half seconds per lap. It smacks again of Lotus being a team who are not able to handle complicated strategy calls in the heat of the moment.

Logic suggests that as soon as Raikkonen starting losing chunks of time, around lap 40 to 45 with a nineteen second gap over Massa and Hamilton, the call to pit should have been made. Raikkonen’s tyres were shot by the time Grosjean caught up to the back of the Lotus nevertheless the Finn’s racer’s heart demanded that he fight for his position; and fight for the place against Grosjean he did.

Alan Permane, head of trackside operations for Lotus, revealed the less than cordial feelings the team has for Raikkonen with vulgar radio message: “Kimi, get out of the f&^$ing way.” Raikkonen responded by asking the team not to shout at him. Raikkonen has also responded by driving without being payed for the majority of the season, paying his own traveling costs, and with 183 of Lotus’ 285 constructor’s points. Since Raikkonen put pen to paper to join Ferrari in 2014 Lotus’ attitude toward the Finn has taken a significant turn. Snide comments in the press about Raikkonen being “ungrateful” were a small insight to this shift. However, this radio message painted the picture a lot more clearly. Permane revealed after the race that he was “disappointed” that Raikkonen had chosen to fight for position. Perhaps his disappointment could be better served by aiming it at the strategic calls made by the team.

In the end, the day belonged to the incomparable Sebastian Vettel. Four times a world champion Vettel has earned the respect of the motorsport world with a sublimely flawless racing craft that is second to none. Success in Formula 1 demands the perfect blend of man and machine and Vettel has flawlessly delivered his end of the deal.

Personally, he has handled the jeering of the crowds with great character; professionally he has blown away any suggestion that he is anything less than pure class. Vettel thrilled the Indian crowd with several donuts on the start/finish straight but in truth he has thrilled motorsport fans with a superlative talent that knows no bounds. At only 26 years old Sebastian Vettel has entered into Formula 1 immortality.

October 27, 2013
Vettel scores his hat-trick pole in India

Sebastian Vettel took one step closer to his 4th World Championship title by claiming a commanding pole position for tomorrow’s Indian Grand Prix.

Vettel put in an incredible lap – the fastest ever recorded at the Buddh International Circuit – with a time of 1.24.119, a crazy 7 tenths faster than the rest of the field. Nico Rosberg will share the front row of the grid with Vettel tomorrow after qualifying second with a time of 1.24.871 followed by team mate Lewis Hamilton.

Mercedes did mention that Lewis may have been held up by Vettel but it would seem the incident was minor and there will be no further action.

Mark Webber brought his Red Bull home in 4th place with Ferrari’s Felipe Massa behind him. Massa outqualified his team mate Fernando Alonso once again but Alonso opted for the medium tyre strategy which will see him starting the race on the longer lasting medium tyres tomorrow.

Romain Grosjean made a shock exit out of qualifying after Q1 after only completing a time on the medium tyres, when everyone else except for Vettel had completed their laps on the softer compound.

Both McLarens made it through to Q3 today and have also opted for the medium tyre strategy.

One has to believe that unless something goes wrong with Hungry Heidi, Sebastian Vettel will be crowned World Champion tomorrow. The German only needs to finish 5th in order to clinch the title and the clear dominance he’s shown over the weekend so far shows his clear intention to wrap things up.

Join us on Twitter @F1_Madness for live commentary and interaction with other F1 fans, during the race tomorrow.

Here is the timesheet following today’s qualifying in India:

October 26, 2013
Domenicali Plays Down Ferrari Team Orders Issue

Ferrari Team Principal, Stefano Dominicali played down the team order instruction that was ignored by Felipe Massa during the Japanese Grand Prix

The Brazillian ignored the team order which was given to him in a coded message by his race engineer, Rob Smedley. The instruction, “multi-function strategy A, now please”, was a apparently a coded message to allow Alonso through.

Massa, however, chose to ignore the message and carried on racing. Alonso eventually passed him using DRS on the run down to Turn 1.

“At the end of the day Fernando overtook him on the track. For sure Felipe is trying to be as quick as possible and I understand his feelings. He will find the team totally supporting him up until the end of the season with no problem” said Dominicali.

After the race, Massa had this to say: “But I was happy today. It was unfortunate for the race the drive through and what has happened in the race. It was not over any instruction, he overtook me on the track.”

With Massa leaving Ferrari at the season, and with him declaring that he will be racing for himself, there’s not much the team can really do. Although he may have been given a serious dressing down after the race.

October 14, 2013
F1 2013: Japanese GP Review – Seb Rules Suzuka

Demanding or easy, big or small Sebastian Vettel will win them all. The Red Bull driver has increased his tally of victories for the 2013 season to nine with another fine victory in Japan.

Saturday qualifying delivered a first pole of the season for Mark Webber but the Australian couldn’t quite manage to seal the deal on Sunday. However, AussieGrit gave it a good go in a race defined by strategy and patience.

Neither of the front row starting Red Bulls covered themselves in glory as the red lights extinguished. Instead they fell prey to the fast starting Romain Grosjean. The Lotus driver blitzed both Red Bulls and sensationally snatched the lead of the race.

The merest of touches between third placed Lewis Hamilton and Sebastian Vettel at the start of the race completely wrecked the Brit’s afternoon. A trip into to the pits with a right rear puncture only postponed the inevitable as Hamilton pulled his Silver Arrow into the garage only a few laps later.

The factor that added to and made the show in Japan was the unknown. For the better part of 53 laps there was no definitive certainty who the eventual victor of the race would be. Romain Grosjean had the lead of the race right off the bat and appeared to have the pace to beat Red Bull. But he is after all in the cockpit of a Lotus and though he got heartbreakingly close beating a Red Bull, much less two, is nigh impossible. Mark Webber’s three stop strategy nearly gave him enough of an undercut to take the victory from Vettel but he ran out of laps before he was able to fully exploit his astute plan. The final stint of the race on fresh medium tyres did however reward Webber with second place at the chequered flag.

There was a third driver in this mix too. Sebastian Vettel patiently waited for his chance to make his own strategy talk. Electing to pit later than his two rivals in the first round of stops meant he would have to stick to a two stopper if victory was to be on the cards. Vettel’s unfailing ability to reel off quick laps paid dividends in the end as he took over the lead of the race from Webber.

Finger boy, selfish, lucky – whatever you want to call Sebastian Vettel he revealed a bit more of what makes him so unbeatable in this race. Beneath that quirky, sort of cheeky, grin there is more talent and skill than we have even begun to glimpse. The regularity with which he is able to set fast laps isn’t in the repertoire of someone who is lucky, that is a skill of a champion.

Further down the field Fernando Alonso played second fiddle for a big part of the race to teammate Felipe Massa. Alonso failed on more than one occasion to overtake the Brazilian; surprising given Alonso’s performances relative to his departing teammate throughout the years. Nevertheless, Alonso managed to get the better of Massa eventually but could not advance much further through the field. “We weren’t as quick as the Red Bulls or Grosjean so fourth was the maximum. We recovered some of the pace we didn’t have earlier in the weekend, but the top three were too strong for us even without traffic,” Alonso concluded.

The traffic Alonso referred to came in the form Daniel Ricciardo. The Toro Rosso driver started his race on the orange side walled hard tyres enabling him to run a good deal further into the race than those immediately around him. The Aussie was lapping three seconds off the front running pace and drivers stuck in the Ricciardo-train included both Ferrari’s and Kimi Raikkonen. The Finn ultimately finished fifth ahead of Sauber pairing Nico Hulkenberg and Esteban Gutierrez.

Gutierrez is the first of the 2013 rookies this season to score points and aptly on the weekend of Peter Sauber’s 70^th birthday. Nico Rosberg’s race was dealt a blow when the pit crew released him into the path of Sergio Perez; the McLaren driver had to take avoiding action and Rosberg incurred a drive through penalty but was still able to salvage eighth place. Jenson Button said a late set-up change made his McLaren quite difficult to drive and that ninth was the maximum. Felipe Massa scored the final point on offer.

Notwithstanding Red Bull’s dominance of the season it has taken until the fifteenth race of the year for any of the rookies to score a point. Add to this that points are awarded all the way down to tenth place, as opposed to sixth in the past; it is an indication that competition for those elusive points is a closely fought affair and more importantly that Formula 1 is healthy and highly competitive.

It will take at least two more weeks for Sebastian Vettel to become a four times world champion. Fifth place is all the German will need to clinch the title in India. If the Japanese GP showed anything it solidified that Seb Vettel is entirely unruffled and that very little is going to keep him from making Formula 1 history, again.

October 13, 2013
F1 2013: Japanese GP Qualifying Report – Webber Snatches Suzuka Pole

Mark Webber has secured pole position for the 2013 Japanese grand prix.

The Australian eased his way through qualifying and pounced on his first run on the final ten minute session. Webber did slightly improve his time in his second run but it was ultimately not required. Sebastian Vettel lines up second for Sunday’s race as the German miraculously managed to secure a spot on the front row of the grid despite losing the kers in the final part of qualifying. Lewis Hamilton secured third in the Mercedes and said, post-qualifying, that tyre management will be the most important factor in the race.

The first part of qualifying ended in a fiery mess for Toro Rosso’s Jean-Eric Vergne. The Frenchman brought his car to a stop as both rear brakes caught fire after being stuck open. The red flag was momentarily out as the marshals cleared the Toro Rosso; the session resumed with just about three minutes remaining. Adrian Sutil was the biggest loser as the Force India driver failed to advance to the second part of qualifying. Sutil has also incurred a five place grid penalty for changing a gearbox.

Max Chilton optimised conditions perfectly as out-qualified both Caterham drivers and teammate Jules Bianchi. Perfect timing for Chilton who is yet to confirm his future in Formula 1.

Despite their best efforts Sergio Perez, Valterri Bottas, Esteban Gutierrez, Pastor Maldonado and Daniel Ricciardo were cut at the end of the second session. Though also being caught in the drop zone in Q2 Force India’s Paul di Resta was upbeat after his qualifying performance. The Scot praised the effort made by the team especially considering the fact that new updates have not been brought to the car this weekend. Lotus’ Romain Grosjean set the fastest time in the second part of qualifying, seemingly preparing himself for a duel with the Red Bull duo of Webber and Vettel.

Ultimately, Grosjean could only muster a time quick enough for fourth but has saved a brand new set of the medium compound tyres for the race. Felipe Massa was able to slot his Ferrari into fifth ahead of Nico Rosberg’s Mercedes in sixth. Sauber’s Nico Hulkenberg continued to impress as he set the seventh fastest time. Fernando Alonso and Kimi Raikkonen’s lacklustre runs in qualifying continued with eighth and ninth respectively. Raikkonen should be slightly upset given that his pace throughout the weekend suggested a better position was possible. Jenson Button rounded out the top ten in his McLaren.

Although the qualifying session at Suzuka demanded the utmost concentration thoughts about former Marussia test driver Maria de Villota was not far from the driver’s minds. Several drivers were seen sporting Villota’s trademark star on their crash helmets as a show of support.

Mark Webber had earmarked the qualifying session for the Japanese GP as the one his most looked forward to earlier this year. By taking first pole position of the season he has certainly achieved half his goal of leaving this majestic circuit with the best memories possible. This seventh pole of the season for Red Bull also marks a historical moment in Renault’s participation in Formula 1 as the French engine manufacturer has now secured more pole positions than Ferrari.

Sunday’s race holds great potential for cracking grand prix. The challenge could come from Lewis Hamilton in the Mercedes but the form this weekend also suggests that Lotus may yet have a thing or two to say about who stands where on those three podium steps.

October 12, 2013
Mark Webber Fastest in FP3 in Suzuka

Red Bull’s Mark Webber topped the time sheets at the end of the third free practice session for the Japanese Grand Prix in Suzuka.

Webber, set a time of 1:32.053 for P1. Hamilton, in his Mercedes set a time of 1:32.187 for P2, only 0.134s slower than Webber. Nico Rosberg finished the session in P3 with a 1:32.255.

Lotus’ Romain Grosjean looked very strong on the prime tyre and held the fastest time until the options came out, finished the session in P4, while both the Ferrari’s of Fernando Alonso and Felipe Massa finished the session in P5 and P6 respectively.

The session was not without incident with Force India’s Adrian Sutil having a spin at the exit of the Spoon Corner. He seemed to have lost the rear end on the exit and spun off into the barrier damaging his rear wing, rear suspension and front wing.

Sauber’s Nico Hulkenberg reported and exhaust problem early on in the session. The Sauber mechanics worked very quick and had him out for a run on the options.

Red Bull’s Sebastian Vettel was out of FP3 with 30mins left in the session with a suspected KERS battery failure. No doubt his car will be ready before the start of Qualifying.

The full time sheet for the session is included below:

Join us for out live qualifying coverage from 07:00(GMT+2

October 12, 2013
Kimi Raikkonen’s engineer Mark Slade not moving to Ferrari

It has emerged that Kimi Raikkonen’s race engineer Mark Slade will not follow him from Lotus to Ferrari, according to a report in Italy’s La Gazzetta dello Sport.

The report on Thursday, said that Ferrari has “no intention” of hiring Mark Slade. The report stated, “Ferrari has no intention of hiring Mark Slade to bring him to Maranello as engineer to the “Iceman”. The Finn will be asked to work with another engineer, chosen by team principal Stefano Domenicali, as the Alonso-Stella partnership is unbreakable.”

Raikkonen first worked with Mark Slade at McLaren, and the two reunited when Kimi returned to Formula 1 with Lotus last year.

Raikkonen’s former Ferrari engineer, Andrea Stella, now works with Fernando Alonso and there is no sign that this will change going forward, unless of course the Spaniard throws a cat among the pigeons and leaves Ferrari at the end of the season which despite all the speculation, seems highly unlikely.

Prior to working with Stella at Ferrari, Raikkonen was engineered by Michael Schumacher’s engineer Chris Dyer, with whom he won the 2007 world championship.

Rumour has it that Felipe Massa’s engineer Rob Smedley will be heading for Williams next season so he’s not looking set to be Raikkonen’s race engineer either, but according to the report Ferrari will be promoting from within as it prepares for the arrival of the Iceman. The paper hints that Domenicali is likely to choose either Giuliano Slavi or Antonio Spagnolo, who work currently as chassis engineers for Massa and Alonso respectively.

We will be keeping a close eye on this story and update you as events unfold so as always, watch this space.

Photo credit: Lotuscars.com

October 10, 2013