Tag: ferrari

F1 2013 – Kimi Raikkonen, making a point

Every single race since Kimi Raikkonen’s return to Formula 1 has had a point – literally.

Raikkonen returned to Formula 1 last year with the Lotus F1 team and has not been out of the points scoring position since the 2012 Bahrain Grand Prix where the Finn took second place – twenty three races in total.

As it stands, only one man has racked up more consecutive points finishes. Seven times Formula 1 world champion Michael Schumacher currently holds the record of twenty-four successive finishes in the points. Schumi’s run of finishes started, as Ferrari driver, with victory in the 2001 Hungarian Grand Prix and concluded with sixth place in 2003 Malaysian Grand Prix.

Naturally, Raikkonen is unfazed by the prospect of breaking Schumacher’s record. “I am sure that it will all stop at some point,” he said. “Obviously we always try to get points and do good races but it can be some small part (that breaks) and it will stop.”

Raikkonen’s consistency in 2013 has earned him the third position in the driver’s championship standings. But the Iceman is keeping it all in perspective. The Canadian Grand Prix is foremost on Raikkonen’s mind and he knows what a lottery the circuit Gilles Villeneuve can be. “The weather can change a lot, sometimes the tyres or the track aren’t working very well, sometimes there are a lot of safety cars, or sometimes another driver runs into the back of you when you’re waiting at a red light.”

A tenth place finish will guarantee Raikkonen the record of most consecutive points finishes but the 2007 champion will undoubtedly by aiming higher than that.

June 5, 2013
FIA calls Mercedes and Ferrari F1 teams for further investigation into tyre testing

According to a statement released by the FIA this evening, the Mercedes and Ferrari F1 teams have been called to supply further information for a disciplinary inquiry over the recent “secret” Pirelli F1 tyre test that took place in Barcelona.

The recent uproar was initially focused around the secret Pirelli test carried out by Mercedes after the news broke during the Monaco Grand Prix weekend.

Ferrari and Red Bull Racing lodged a protest against Mercedes using their current 2013 car in the test at Barcelona immediately after the Spanish Grand Prix. The stewards then referred the matter to the FIA.

It has since emerged that the Corse Clienti, Ferrari’s customer car division provided a 2011 car for a Pirelli tyre test two weeks before the Mercedes test took place.

This evening, the FIA issued a statement saying that the Formula One Governing Body wanted both Mercedes and Ferrari to participate in the investigation surrounding the tyre testing.

Their statement read as follows:

“The FIA has asked Team Mercedes AMG Petronas F1 and Scuderia Ferrari Team which have taken part in tyre tests in the 2013 season to reply to a disciplinary inquiry in pursuance of the FIA Judicial and Disciplinary Rules,” said the statement.

“This follows the Stewards’ Report from the Monaco Grand Prix and represents supplementary information required by the FIA in the light of the replies received from Pirelli, who were asked for clarifications on Tuesday May 28.”

It was previously believed that running the tyre tests with a 2011 car was within the rules but it now seems that this could be doubt as it could be argued that the 2011 car is not “substantially different” from the 2013 car as is required by Article 22.1 of the F1 sporting regulations.

May 31, 2013
Ferrari: Suspension Failure Cause of Massa’s Crash

Ferrari have confirmed on Tuesday, 28 May that a suspension failure caused the crash that ended Felipe Massa’s race on Sunday at the Monaco Grand Prix.

Massa lost control of his car into Saint Devote. He struck the barrier on the left before the corner and went straight on into the tech pro barriers on the opposite end of the corner.

“The findings validated the first impressions of the engineers, confirming that the accident was caused by an element of the front left suspension breaking,” according to a statement on the Scuderia Ferrari’s website.

Massa was attended to by medics at the track and was later taken to the hospital for a final check. “Two big accidents, just over twenty-four hours apart and all he has to show for it is a bit of muscle pain” was the word from Ferrari team Principal, Stefano Domenicali. Massa later tweeted a picture of himself relaxing in his Monaco apartment showing us the thumbs up.

That was not the only thing to go wrong for Ferrari at the Monaco Grand Prix. Fernando Alonoso could only manage seventh place. Ferrari later confirmed that there was some debris stuck in the front wing which upset the balance of the car and slowed Alonso down.

May 29, 2013
Monaco Grand Prix FP3 Results – Nico Rosberg makes it 3 in a row

The third practice session at Monaco was pretty eventful. Things started off rather slowly but quickly the session became very incident filled.

Felipe Massa took a massive hit – something went wrong on his Ferrari and he smacked the left barrier entering into Sainte Devote, then went on into the barrier straight ahead. His Ferrari is severely damaged so Ferrari have a tough job getting the car ready before Qualifying later this afternoon. It is still unsure what went wrong, but speculation points to either a steering, or throttle failure.

Sutil was the next guy to take a hit. Damage to his Force India is also pretty severe so they’re another team who probably won’t be having a lunch break.

1 minute before the end of the session Romain Grosjean also smacked his car in Sainte Devote, adding Lotus to the no-lunch-break-teams.

It was Nico Rosberg who stamped his absolute authority on the session though, finishing 6 tenths faster than Grosjean in second place. His Mercedes is going to be tough to beat during qualifying but rain could still be a factor.

Here are the Monaco Grand Prix FP3 Results:

May 25, 2013
Monaco Grand Prix Free Practice 2: Rosberg Makes it Two for Two

Mercedes’ Nico Rosberg made it two from two this afternoon after topping the time sheets in Friday’s second practice session.

Lewis Hamilton finished in 2nd while the Ferrari’s of Fernando Alonso and Felipe Massa finished off 3rd and 4th respectively. The session wasn’t without incident this time round as Romain Grosjean had a little meeting with the barrier at the exit of Sainte Devote (Turn 1). Grosjean out braked himself into T1, locked up and went straight on towards the barrier. He ripped off his front left suspension and that was the end of his session. Shortly after the Grosjean incident the session was red flagged to allow the marshals to repair the kerbs at the swimming pool section (T13-T14).

There’s lot of talk of two stop strategies. Some even speculating that some teams might gamble with a one stop. And we all know how well the Lotus cars take care of their tyres. But for the moment Mercedes and Ferrari look very strong with Red Bull and Lotus not very far off the pace.

May 23, 2013
Monaco Grand Prix Free Practice 1: Rosberg Fastest in FP1

Nico Rosberg topped the timing sheets in Free Practice 1 of the Monaco Grand Prix.

On a sunny and warm Thursday in Monaco Merdeces’ Nico Rosberg was the fastest with a 1:16.195. Ferrari’s Fernando Alonso was second only 0.087s off the pace with a 1:16.282. Felipe Massa put his Ferrari in 4th with a 1:16.394. Lewis Hamilton could only manage 5th. The surprise was Williams’ Pastor Maldonado in 6th. The two Red Bulls of Vettel and Webber were 9th and 7th respectively. Lotus’ Kimi Raikkonen could only manage 13th. His team mate, in the other Lotus, Romain Grosjean, finished in 3rd.

As we all know from Free Practice, these times are not representative of the absolute pace of the cars. We only get to know that during qualifying and to some extent in FP3.

We’ll be back again for Free Practice 2 at 14:00. As always you can follow us on Twitter at @F1_Madness for live updates.

May 23, 2013
F1: 2013: Monte Carlo, timeless perfection

For more times than I could remember I have imagined a Formula 1 car hurtling down my street, braking hard for the ninety degree turn just beyond my gates and planting the throttle which would induce that chill down the back of your spine as the magnificent whine of that V8 engine bounces off the surrounding buildings. If you live in Monte Carlo, this is no fantasy.

In one way or another, since 1929, racing cars have flashed through the sun drenched streets of Monte Carlo and through the decades has become the most prestigious motor race in the world. The 2013 edition of the Monaco grand prix will mark the 71^st race to be run in the Principality.

Throughout its rich history many drivers have left their mark in the annals of this track’s history books. As a result of five victories around the famous streets, Graham Hill was christened ‘Mr Monaco’ and Formula 1 legends Alain Prost and Michael Schumacher took five victories a pair. The undisputed master around the tight and twisting Monte Carlo streets was unquestionably the incomparable Ayrton Senna. Of the Brazilian idol’s six unforgettable victories it was the 1989 race that yielded one of Senna’s most memorable quotes. “There is a rhythm… something like a perfect melody. Not always… but in any case I am always looking for that melody. And when I have found it I drive in a different dimension. I sense and I feel much more than I calculate. These rare moments are marvellous.”

Now it is time for someone else to become the winner of this extraordinary race. The winner may be amongst the current contenders for the world championship. Fernando Alonso has big momentum on his side and a tremendously fast Ferrari; Kimi Raikkonen brings to Monaco a car that has shown improved pace in qualifying – immensely important around the Anthony Noghes circuit. The championship leader, Sebastian Vettel wants to re-assert his dominance but problems with the tyres and a more than handy teammate around the streets may scupper his plans.

Mercedes could throw their hat into the ring and almost certainly will come qualifying. But will qualifying performance mean anything in the face of severe rear tyre wear in the race? Whichever driver is to be the eventual winner on Sunday it is nearly impossible to win the race from anywhere but the first two rows of the grid. “Overtaking is almost impossible, so to really enjoy racing there you have to be in the front,” said 2005 winner Kimi Raikkonen.

There isn’t just something special about the Monaco grand prix, everything about it is exceptional. The quick changes of direction between Ste Devote and Casino Square, the dark, very fast and loud tunnel, the mega fast left-right chicane just after Tabac at the entry to the swimming pool – all unite in the most exhilarating experience for both driver and fan.

*A small reminder that free practice 1 and 2 at Monaco will be run on Thursday as opposed to Friday.

May 22, 2013
F1 2013: Pirelli tyre plans reigned in by FIA

Pirelli’s planned ‘tweaks’ to the 2013 tyres from the Canadian GP onwards has been reigned in by the FIA.

A ruling made by the sport’s governing body has stipulated that it will only allow changes to be made to the tyres on the grounds of safety. As a result the expected changes will be less significant that intially planned.

The FIA has clearly stated that it will not accept changes aimed at cutting down on the number of pitstops much less to reduce tyre degradation. Instead of reverting back to 2012 specification tyres Pirelli have been instructed to make adjustment to the current specification of tyres.

Article 12.6.3 of the technical regulations have been cited by the FIA with regard to their decision. The rule states:

“Tyre specifications will be determined by the FIA no later than 1 September of the previous season. Once determined in this way, the specification of the tyres will not be changed during the championship season without the agreement of all competing teams.”

There is however a different clause within the regulations which states that changes could be introduced “if the tyres are deemed by the tyre supplier and technical delegate as technically unsuitable.” But the FIA is adamant that the current ‘issues’ with the 2013 tyres falls within the purview of this rule.

Pirelli motosport director Paul Hembery admitted that the changes to the tyres would now be of a more modest nature. “Let’s wait and see exactly what changes we will be making, but we are doing everything we can to minimise what will be different,” he said.

The prospective changes were expected to benefit teams such as Mercedes and Red Bull who have been struggling to get on top of the tyres. In contrast, Ferrari and Lotus will breathe a sigh of relief as they look to maintain their tyre advantage.

May 19, 2013
2013 Spanish Grand Prix – F1 Technical Round Up – Part 1

Formula 1’s return to Europe this past weekend signaled the first round of major updates for most teams. Since most teams are based in Europe it makes bringing more substantial updates to the cars much more easier. Not that teams don’t update their cars at the fly-away races, but returning to Europe just makes things a little more easier. Here is a Part 1 of our F1 technical round up of the Spanish Grand Prix.

Some of the updates were major changes as in the case with McLaren and Toro Rosso. McLaren were somewhat relying on their Barcelona updates to bring them up to pace with Red Bull and Ferrari. Did it work for them? Not so much. Button struggled to make it into Q3 while Perez did slightly better and qualified P9. Their race performance, however, was much better and they finished P9 and P10.

Lets take a look at some of the teams.

Ferrari: They had little tweaks here and there with their body work. They brought a new engine cover which features a longer fin at the back and thats slightly lower than the one they’re currently using. The rain in FP1 put a spanner in the works for them to test it. They will bring the same engine cover to Montreal. Together with the new engine cover they tested a new longer exhaust outlet with a more shallower angled exhaust. They also tried new sidepod airflow conditioners, similar to Red Bull’s “D” wing airflow conditioner, except the top section extends over the sidepod and attaches to the cockpit. They’ve somewhat kept the original design of the split airflow conditioner, only with this variation, the front section curves over the top of the sidepod and the rear section remains vertical. The purpose of the curved section is to bring the airflow around the outside of the sidepod, over the exhaust and eventually out the diffuser at the back. Both Ferrari drivers ran an additional horizontal cockpit fin ahead of the wing mirrors in addition to the two horizontal airflow conditioners behind the wing mirrors.

Lotus: Lotus came to Catalunya with a new front and rear wing. There were two changes on the front wing. They had a curved vane on the outer part of the end plate. The main deflector vane in the front wing is not slotted. The rear wing features tiny separated vanes on the endplate.

McLaren:McLaren brought along a new front wing. This new wing had one vertical slot on the endplate and a new upper flap.

They still stuck to the old three element front wing, whereas other teams are using 5-6 element wings. The sidepods have been given a make over. The vertical air flow conditioners are now attached to the edge of the sidepod making it similar to the “D” wing of Red Bull. They have ditched the horizontal airflow conditioner above the sidepods and went with twin vortex generators, similar to what they ran in 2012

Mercedes: Mercedes have dropped their three horizontal vortex generators on the side of the cockpit and have replaced it with one larger

wing. The rest of the car remained largely unchanged with most of the changes unseen.

Part 2 to follow soon.

May 16, 2013
Formula 1 – 2013 Spanish Grand Prix: Fabulous Fernando tops in Spain

It would be easy to say that Fernando Alonso’s victory at the Spanish grand prix was effortless and uncomplicated.

In reality it was the way he blitzed the start that set up his afternoon. A fifth place on the grid would have been considered below par for the Spaniard but the Ferrari driver always had his mind fully focused on the race.

A surprise attack from Mercedes had Nico Rosberg and Lewis Hamilton locking out the front row of the grid but the questions about their race performances would linger despite a complete domination of qualifying. Cautiously optimistic would have been the best way to describe Rosberg and Hamilton and with good reason. While Rosberg was able to momentarily hold off a charging Alonso and Sebastian Vettel teammate Hamilton was hastily shuffled through the pack. It wasn’t long before the same fate was dealt to Rosberg and after the first round of pitstops the two Mercedes boys ran the Spanish GP in relative obscurity. A forlorn radio message from Hamilton bemoaning the fact that he had been passed a Williams summed up the entire mood of the Silver Arrows camp. Mercedes’ race performance was no match for their qualifying domination as the team yet again endured a race day shattered by their ever present tyre wear issues.

You could call this victory commanding, controlled or even dominant but what it was, was vintage Fernando Alonso. From fifth on the grid he nearly surged into the lead of the race passing Hamilton around the outside of turn three along the way. He expertly managed a four stop strategy and clinically overtook when it was most needed. On lap fourteen he seized the lead of the race and meticulously powered his way to career victory number 32. To further underline the skill of the man it was confirmed that Alonso made the final pitstop of his race with a slow puncture thrown into the mix; though Ferrari maintain that it never put the race victory in jeopardy.

Logically, consistently scoring points is the right way to go about winning a world championship. But when you are Kimi Raikkonen, someone made to win races, second place can become a bit boring. “It’s only 5 races. We are here to win races and championships. I want to win, the team wants to win. 2nd is disappointing,” said Raikkonen. You wouldn’t expect anything less from a natural born racer.

Felipe Massa’s race performances continue to improve after the Brazilian overcame a three place grid penalty to finish on the third step of the podium. Sebastian Vettel and Mark Webber could only manage fourth and fifth as the current world champion placed the blame for Red Bull’s lack of performance squarely on the Pirelli tyres. “We are not going to the pace of the car, we are going to the pace of the tyre,” said Vettel.

Nico Rosberg was able to salvage sixth place from his pole position start but Lewis Hamilton was limited to twelfth. Paul di Resta snuck his Force India into seventh while McLaren, who had pinned much of their hopes on an upgrade package rolled out this weekend, delivered an improved performance. Still not delivering to the standard they would want Button finished in eighth ahead of Sergio Perez in ninth. Daniel Ricciardo did one better than his gridslot to finish in tenth place.

Thirteen years ago Fernando Alonso made his debut in Formula 1 with the Minardi team; since then he’s won two world titles and taken numerous breathtaking victories and through it all he has become one of the most impeccable drivers and certainly one of the hardest to beat.

May 12, 2013