Tag: kimi raikkonen

F1 2014: Italian GP Preview – F1 Readies For Monza Mania

Away from the mystical Ardennes forest Formula 1 travels to a place where all things fast and red are relished with a near obsessive passion. In one way or another, the Italian sited Monza grand prix circuit has been on the Formula 1 calendar since 1950 and it’s always been considered a classic.

The distinctive demand of its low downforce layout will compel the designers and engineers of 2014 Formula 1 cars to fit the skinniest rear-wings they have in the shed as at Monza cars will reach the highest possible straight-line speed of the year. As the top end speed of the Turbo power units reaches full tilt the twiddly bits in between the long stretches of tarmac will require some focus. The compromise between aero performance and speed is the biggest of the entire year and some drivers are expected to sacrifice a bit of grip for a quicker trip down the straight. The final Parabolica corner is likely one the most crucial parts of the circuit. If you get it wrong it compromises not only the end of the lap but affects the speed, and laptime, all the way down the straight to the first chicane. Another tester for the drivers is the braking zones as several big stops from high speed will provide a tough test for the brakes.

Nothing is more synonymous with Monza and Italy than their beloved Ferrari. The Tifosi are as dedicated and fanatical as they come and just as demanding. They will have been inconsolable about the shape of the Scuderia in 2014 but will still arrive in their droves to support the Scarlet legends. A step forward with the power unit in Belgium comes at the perfect time for Fernando Alonso and Kimi Raikkonen who have an outside chance of giving the Ferrari devotees something to cheer about; perhaps even a podium finish.

The Williams team was supposed to perform well at Spa given their slippery aero package. But they were not near the sharp-end of the grid. The cool weather condition may have played its part in the lack of anything Bottas-shaped at the front. The Finn, on the cusp of inking a new deal with Williams, should find Monza more suited to his car.

As for Red Bull we have now learnt that no matter the circuit or conditions or starting position or even the car underneath him – you can’t count out Daniel Ricciardo. The go-getter Aussie will probably find it tough going amongst the super slick Mercedes engines but if ever there was a man ready to crash the German flavoured party, it’s Ricciardo.

Many a turning point in the championship has taken place here. In 2010, Fernando Alonso ramped up his championship bid with a famous victory and a year later Sebastian Vettel and Red Bull cheekily showed up those naysayers that gave them no chance at the power hungry circuit.

It seems that the cats have been separated from the pidgeons at Mercedes, at least for now. A statement released by the team detailed a meeting that was held between Toto Wolff, Paddy Lowe, Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg. After the debacle of the Belgian GP it was confirmed that Rosberg had apologised to the team and Lewis Hamilton for his “poor judgment.” Naturally, the more sceptical among us wonder whether the tardy Rosberg apology was made simply to smooth some ruffled feathers.

Most importantly, and most welcome for race fans, is that Mercedes haven’t tightened the leash on either of its drivers. It seems that Lewis and Nico haven’t yet exceeded their drama limit with the team and for now, as long as they don’t run into each other, are free to race each other to the ragged edge. Credit to the Mercedes bosses for handling this as suavely as they have. With hindsight being twenty-twenty and a whole lot calmer Hamilton has expressed his confidence in moving from the incident.

On the back of Hamilton’s helmet the line “Still I Rise” is boldly emblazoned. It speaks to his fighting spirit and the ability to rise above whatever else is happening. At present, with a twenty-nine point deficit it has never been more important for Hamilton to put this into practice.

(Lewis Hamilton helmet image courtesy of @LewisHamilton)

September 3, 2014
F1 2014: Belgium GP – Rampant Ricciardo Wins Again

No matter whom you’re a fan of in Formula 1 it’s never a hardship to see Daniel Ricciardo take the top step of the podium. The highly likeable Aussie snapped up his third career victory in brilliant style and is still the only driver to have beaten Mercedes to the chequered flag.

The Mercedes team management had given their driver’s only one rule: do not crash into each other. By the second lap of the Belgium GP the temptation proved too great for Nico Rosberg who’s eyes must’ve lit up as he chucked his car around the outside of Lewis Hamilton into Les Combes; Nico, you rebel you. Rosberg’s front wing damage was far less dramatic than Hamilton’s puncture which dropped the Brit completely out of contention.

What Nico Rosberg did was effectively catapult an atomic bomb of tension right in the middle of the Mercedes garage. Rosberg has since declared his unwavering belief in his relationship with Lewis Hamilton and believes this hullaballoo will blow over. It may, and although the two rivals may make pretty for the cameras there is no doubt that Hamilton will be a bit silent-ragey about this for quite a while. Not least of all because Hamilton revealed, post-race, that Rosberg admitted to “doing it on purpose” and though he could’ve avoided the collision he wanted to “prove a point.” Hamilton wasn’t making it up either as Mercedes management confirmed that Rosberg had indeed made these astonishing statements during the team de-brief.

It doesn’t seem that far-fetched to be honest. Fact is that Nico has been quite reserved when it came to overtaking other drivers. In Hungary he virtually set up camp behind Jean-Eric Vergne and in Spa he barely showed a wheel to Sebastian Vettel before scaring himself off the road at the last chicane. It could’ve been a case of him wanting to show that he has the pluck to overtake. He may want to do a bit more cleanly next time though.

Whatever point Rosberg was so desperate to prove will be irrelevant to race fans. He is now a driver who has admitted to deliberately colliding with a fellow competitor. Rosberg has earned praise this season for his relentless consistency and for delivering some wonderful victories. After this, he hasn’t only had to put up with some booing but more importantly might just lose some respect.

As the Merc boys were swapping carbon fibre Daniel Ricciardo sailed into the lead of the race and masterfully controlled his drive. The Red Bull driver again underlined his class by holding off a monstrously fast Rosberg in the closing stages. As long as this Aussie bloke keeps that superstar talent churning we can’t help but be giddy about the future of F1.

Kimi Raikkonen ran as high as second place in the race but being a sitting duck in the straight bits of the circuit doesn’t make defending very easy. A relatively comparable pace to the frontrunners, at least for some part of the race, kept the Iceman in touch but the podium proved a bridge too far. The weakness of the Ferrari power unit was well and truly on display as a straight-line speed deficit of thirty odd kilometres to the Mercedes powered Williams of Valtteri Bottas meant Raikkonen was relegated to fourth place on the day. Although Raikkonen is highly unlikely to be gushing about fourth place it is the Finn’s best result of the season.

Kevin Magnussen’s race wasn’t too shabby either. The Dane more than held his own against a determined Fernando Alonso in a stonking wheel-to-wheel battle with the Spaniard and his teammate Jenson Button. Regrettably, the stewards took a severe view on some of his racing and slapped him with a twenty-second penalty which results in a twelfth place finish. All the same, the on-track performance won’t have done K-Mag’s contract negotiations any harm at all.

The fall-out of the Rosberg/Hamilton incident may have far reaching consequences, so says Mercedes’ Toto Wolff. The consequences referred to was probably of an internal nature but if they’re not careful the now sixty-five point gap to Daniel Ricciardo may not be as insurmountable as they may think.

August 25, 2014
Bottas fastest in damp final practice

Williams driver, Valterri Bottas, topped the timesheets after the third and final practice session at Spa Francorchamps, ahead of qualifying for the Belgian Grand Prix. Bottas set a time of 1:49.465 to finish the session 0.268s clear of Red Bull’s Daniel Ricciardo.

Drivers were greeted by damp conditions today with overnight rain, and rain expected for qualifying later this afternoon. Most drivers used intermediate tyres for their installation laps with some opting for full wets.

Andre Lotterer was the first driver to set a time before sliding wide at La Source. Jules Bianchi soon beat his time and remained fastest for the first half of the session as most drivers chose to stay in their garages.

The track dried considerably halfway through and the track was once again abuzz with action. Esteban Gutierrez broke the silence and ventured out Primes, lowering Bianchi’s benchmark by a second.

Inevtiably, the Mercedes drivers made their way to the top of the timesheets with Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg switching at the top for a short while. At one stage, Hamilton snatched the fastest time off his team mate by a crazy one thousandth of a second! It is times like these that really make Formula One.

After switching to soft tyres for qualifying simulations, the Mercedes drivers found themselves getting knocked off the top spots.

It was Bottas who finished in front, with Ricciardo second and Nico Rosberg third, ahead of Kimi Raikkonen and Lewis Hamilton, who set identical lap times during a frantic end to the session.

Alonso finished in sixth, with Daniil Kvyat, Jenson Button, Felipe Massa and Jean-Eric Vergne rounding out the top 10. Full timesheet for the session below.

We’ll be back for qualifying shortly! Please join us on Twitter @F1_Madness for live tweets and chat throughout. Rain is expected so we’re expecting a cracker of a session.

Photo Credits: Williams and Mclaren F1 teams

FP3 Timesheet

August 23, 2014
F1 2014: Belgium GP Preview – Spa-tacular! Spa-tacular!

There is a legendary stretch of asphalt in the Belgian country-side that has sustained a fabled allure for decades. Spa-Francorchamps is the quintessential race track and the place of what Formula 1 dream are made of.

Eau Rouge and Blanchimont used to be some of the most fearsome corners anywhere in the world. But the evolution of Formula 1 has surpassed the challenge of these legendary tests of courage and has reduced them to slightly curvy pieces of tarmac taken at full speed without even a second’s worth of hesitation. Despite this, Spa will always be considered the driver’s circuit because though it may not require obscene amounts of bravery it still demands courage and enough pluck to fling a car around it at an unthinkably high speed.

After the mid-season break Formula 1 teams will show up in the paddock refreshed and renewed with a few bits and bobs for their 2014 steeds. These pricey and painstakingly developed new bits of carbon fibre have a bit of job to do. On them rests a few desperate and hopeful expectations of a few tenths of a second.

Ferrari, the team formerly known as champions, find themselves in a ding-dong battle with Martini sponsored foe Williams for third place in the constructor’s championship. Like a good Finn should Valtteri Bottas has taken up the responsibility and has preserved his nation’s reputation for delivering reserved but mega quick racing drivers. If Felipe Massa can survive the first corner/lap the Williams pairing are going to be a thorn in the side of most this weekend.

There is a hypothetical chance that Ferrari will bring an upgrade for its power unit to this race. In theory, they may have an upgrade ready but chances are that it may not improve much or anything at all for that matter or in true 2014 Ferrari fashion – make it worse. Even if Kimi Raikkonen is a Spa-specialist a Ferrari victory is highly improbable.

For Mercedes the second half of the season will not be a straightforward run to glory. The Silver Arrow may be the fastest thing out there by a country mile but reliability has caused more than its fair share of headaches. The inter-team battle between Hamilton and Rosberg is far from settled too. Rosberg hasn’t had to worry his pretty head too much this season as most of the unreliability has been confined to the Hamilton side of the garage. Which leaves a question mark that if Rosberg finds himself in a similarly dismal run of luck will he have the Hamilton-esque tenacity to fight back and recover?

Nevertheless, Spa’s demand for grunt and top-end speed will make the Mercedes sing to its Turbo-heart’s content. If it rains, which it often does in these parts, it won’t be too much of a bother for them either such is the performance advantage of this beast. With all things being equal and maybe even the possibility of a trouble-free quali session Hamilton should have the edge around here.

Daniel Ricciardo has snatched his own bit of spotlight this season. The Aussie and his toothy grin has impressed against his four-time world champion teammate. In fact, Dan has all but owned the fingered wonder, for now. Along with two stellar victories Ricciardo has thrilled with his boisterous racecraft. Alas, the labouring Renault power unit may restrict the Aussie’s progress but it doesn’t have a chance of curbing his enthusiasm to go racing.

This dynamic challenge Spa is as spectacular as it comes. Its sprawling stretches of tarmac in the middle of the Ardennes possess some of the greatest parts of Formula 1 history. For 2014 it awaits another chapter to be written into its illustrious annals.

August 20, 2014
Ferrari: Anyone for a revolution?

Once upon a time the legendary Ferrari Formula 1 team was spoken of in awe and starry eyed worship. The dream team of Michael Schumacher, Jean Todt and Ross Brawn and their towering supremacy defined the entire era of the 90s and early 2000s. The crimson red of Ferrari was in every corner of the world, worn proudly by their dedicated Tifosi.

Since then the wave of Ferrari’s success has dramatically diminished. A disappointing 2014 campaign has effected several changes in the team’s structure but the new regulations haven’t been solely to blame for their struggles. The 2008 constructor’s title was the team’s last championship triumph and since then a few second place finishes is all the team has to show for itself. In the world of Ferrari second place is wholly unacceptable, even downright appalling. Here the only thing that matters is being the best, being number one. Here, the walls of the Maranello factory are saturated with the legacy of success and here being the best is ingrained in the very fabric of its existence.

In 2014 alone several incidents have combined to provide a decisive indication of a team in decline. In Australia someone forgot to fasten Kimi Raikkonen’s seat in the practice session; later the team fitted the wrong tyres to the car, and several glaringly dubious strategy calls in qualifying and races have had significant consequences on grid slots and results. It’s as if the clinical racing machine that was Ferrari has slowly perished over the last several years to be replaced by a slapdash team of headless chickens.

For all of their struggles and non-informative press statements and less than convincing promises of improvement Ferrari has had one thing going for it – the belief that they can do better. That belief, along with major changes in the organisation, has seen it start the transformation it so badly needs. First, team Principal Stefano Domenicalli was expelled and replaced with Marco Mattiacci. The CEO of Ferrari in North America Mattiacci’s appointment was somewhat surprising. The silver-haired Italian is a suit, used to boardrooms and PowerPoint. Yet, the move makes sense. He doesn’t have a blinding infatuation with the Scuderia and he isn’t lovesick about its near mythical greatness. He is a man used to setting out a singular strategy and remaining focused on the objective of reaching it. Mattiacci is no fool either; he knows what changes need to happen where. “It’s not just the power units, the aerodynamics, [or] the chassis; it’s the team, the car – it’s a huge amount of work that needs to be done.”

Last year, James Allison joined the team but not with enough time to have an impact on the design of the F 14T. Allison, second only to Adrian Newey in reputation, is a level-headed bloke. He doesn’t profess to have the secret to fixing Ferrari’s problems overnight. He is a solid team man though with an impressive technical mind. His last two cars, the 2012 and 2013 Lotus were good pieces of kit which allowed for development and improvement. Contrastingly, the F 14T is right mess. It started the 2014 season with a grossly deficient and overweight power-unit. The horrors weren’t confined to one area though. It yearns for downforce and its loose rear-end makes it a nightmare to balance.

The F 14T is fundamentally flawed in design which means any significant improvement can only be made with a remodel of the chassis. In other words, it’s not happening in 2014. But the team can put the groundwork in place for next year. They’ve put Allison in charge of leading the 2015 project and he has already presented his plans to Fernando Alonso and Kimi Raikkonen. Yes, unlike previous years Allison’s plan is for both drivers to have a say in the design principles of the car.

A dodgy and erratic power-unit hasn’t done the team any favours this season and the result is a restructuring in the engine department. Engine chief Luca Marmorini has been sacked by the team in favour of Mattia Binotto who will serve as the chief-operating-officer of the power-unit department. The design of the power-unit will fall on Lorenzo Sassi who has been with the team since 2006.

Ferrari has responded to news of engineering director Pat Fry’s dismissal by rejecting it as mere “rumours.” However, as Allison has all but slotted in as the de facto technical head it fuels speculation as to where Fry will fit into the all-new shiny Ferrari line-up.

You are in an era of change Ferrari fans and this team should be commended for that. They’ve realized their miscalculations and they’re big enough to admit their mistakes and, more importantly, to do something about it.

August 17, 2014
F1 driver salaries revealed

Curious to know whose earning what up and down the 2014 Formula One grid? Well wonder know more the 2014 F1 driver salaries have been revealed and it turns out that the Ferrari duo and Sebastian Vettel are the highest payest drivers this season.

The three top F1 drivers are taking home an astonishing $29.4million each in salary payments. Four time world champ, Sebastian Vettel, got a nice $8million boost thanks to a new deal with Red Bull and Kimi Raikkonen also got a nice increase when he moved from Lotus to Ferrari.

According to Business Book GP2014, who recently published the F1 driver salaries, Lewis Hamilton has dropped to fourth place following his move to Mercedes and is now earning a $26.7million annual retainer.

F1’s new up and coming hero Daniel Ricciardo is earning a whole lot less than his team mate on the F1 driver salaries list, with an annual income of $1million, despite having dominated the world champ so far this season.

Below is the full list of F1 driver salaries which makes for some very interesting reading.

August 13, 2014
Video: Spa Memories: Raikkonen-Schumacher Battle 2012 Belgian Grand Prix

Relive the epic battle between Michael Schumacher in the Mercedes and Kimi Raikkonen in his Lotus at the 2012 Belgian Grand Prix. Also, the epic pass by Raikkonen on Schumacher at the famous Eau-Rouge corner.

August 8, 2014
Rosberg secures Hungarian GP pole as Hamilton’s hopes go up in flames

Nico Rosberg and Mercedes team mate Lewis Hamilton will start from opposite ends of the Hungarian GP grid after Rosberg enjoyed a clear run to pole and Hamilton’s car caught fire early on during the qualifying session.

Hamilton, who was the clear favourite for pole after finishing all three practice sessions on top, failed to set a time due to a fire on his car just five minutes into Q1.

A fuel leak saw his Mercedes set alight and he attempted to return to the pits but he was forced to stop at the pit lane entry before flames fully engulfed the rear of his car.

“I am absolutely gutted that we have let Lewis down again and given him such a tough job on another Sunday afternoon – so soon after his fantastic drive in Germany,” said Mercedes technical chief Paddy Lowe.

“We are still stripping the car to understand the cause of the fuel leak but the symptom was a loss of high pressure fuel to the direct injection system of the internal combustion engine. This fuel leak then caused a major conflagration which is likely to have written off most of the car.”

Hungarian GP Q1 not only delivered the shock of Hamilton’s early exit, but also saw Kimi Raikkonen being eliminated. Lotus’s Pastor Maldonado had joined Hamilton on the sidelines when his car stuttered to a halt before the final corner. The four remaining grid slots looked set for the Marussia and Caterham drivers but Jules Bianchi headed out on the option tyres and dumped Raikkonen out after he remained on primes and failed to set a quick enough time.

Raikkonen had been showing renewed pace during the practice sessions ahead of the Hungarian GP, where he has six podiums and a race win to his name, but he’ll be starting from 17th place on a track known for limited overtaking opportunities. Raikkonen has said that he did not agree with Ferrari’s decision to keep him in the garage and save a set of softs, a gamble which backfired in a colossal fashion.

Raikkonen said that he could have over-ruled the team, “but I trust in the team, believe in the people. The plan was to go out, but the team said ‘no, you are fine, you do not need to go out’. I questioned it a few times, but they said no need and we can see the end result.

“I cannot always go against advice. We are here as a team, we make decision as a team, and today the outcome was this. As a team in Formula One, as Ferrari, we should not be doing these kind of things. None of us are in our first year. It’s not good for me or the team.”

Raikkonen added that he won’t be fretting over the judgement error for too long. “A mistake has been made. It’s already been a difficult year, so I don’t see the point to shout. The mistake is done. I’ve made mistakes in the past, I will make them in the future. People make mistakes, but there are things we have to change to improve. These are not easy times.”

Compared to Q1, Q2 was a pretty tame session. Daniil Kvyat seemed set to make it through to Q3 but spun at turn 12 on his final hot lap and dropped to 11th. The Russian was unable to recover and climbed out of his Toro Rosso.

Adrian Sutil made it up to 12th in his Sauber, while Sergio Perez finished 13th after he only only managed one run due to a hydraulics problem. Esteban Gutiérrez, Romain Grosjean and Bianchi completed the Q2 eliminations.

Although Rosberg’s main rival was no longer in contention, rain during Q3 made the task a little more challenging and set the scene for a thrilling battle with Red Bull’s Sebastian Vettel.

Rain arrived just as Q3 began and all of the frontrunners started on Option tyres as Rosberg led them out onto the track. He locked up into the first corner and ran straight on as the rain intensified. McLaren’s Kevin Magnussen, who was behind Rosberg on the road, made a similar mistake but was unable to avoid a pretty heavy impact with the tyre wall. Team mate Jenson Button also ran wide and the session was red flagged, before anyone had set a time, to recover Magnussen’s McLaren.

When the Hungarian GP qualifying resumed after an 8 minute delay, the rain had eased up a little and with the track drying, everyone headed out on slick options. Rosberg posted the first time but his lap was soon beaten by Daniel Ricciardo and Valtteri Bottas.

Vettel then stormed his way to the front of the Hungarian GP grid, with a 1:23.415 – eight tenths faster than Bottas. But Rosberg reclaimed the top spot with a 1:23.236. Bottas improved to go second, but remained narrowly behind Rosberg.

On the final lap, Vettel inched his way ahead of Rosberg but Nico responded with a time that was 0.486s quicker and claimed his sixth pole position of the season. Bottas will start the Hungarian GP from third place on the grid, ahead of Ricciardo and Ferrari’s Fernando Alonso.

Felipe Massa qualified sixth for Williams, ahead of Jenson Button and Toro Rosso’s Jean-Eric Vergne. Nico Hulkenberg finished the session in ninth, while Magnussen rounded out the top 10 after his accident.

The Hungarian GP gets underway tomorrow afternoon at 2pm GMT+2. Please join us on Twitter @F1_Madness for live commentary and chat before, during and after the race.

Your full timing screen for the Hungarian GP qualifying, is below.

July 26, 2014
Hamilton sets the pace in first practice

Lewis Hamilton topped the first practice session ahead of the Hungarian Grand Prix, one tenth quicker than team mate Nico Rosberg and eight tenths faster than Ferrari’s Kimi Raikkonen.

Hamilton, a four time winner in Budapest, exchanged places at the top of the time sheets with Rosberg but set the fastest time at the end of the session with a 1:25.814.

The Ferraris once again came closest to the Mercedes duo continuing their run of being the best of the rest in the first practice session of a grand prix weekend. Raikkonen took the third spot and Fernando Alonso finished his practice session a further four tenths back in fourth.

Sebastian Vettel was fifth quickest for Red Bull after struggling initially with the telemetry on his RB10. McLaren’s Kevin Magnussen ended the session in sixth, ahead of Jean-Eric Vergne and Daniel Ricciardo.

Jenson Button and Felipe Massa rounded out the top 10.

Several drivers struggled with low grip across the session. The Hungaroring is nutoriously green on a Friday. Only Adrian Sutil and Marcus Ericsson suffered spins though.

Max Chilton could only manage five laps for the session after oil leaking onto the exhaust of his Marussia caused a fire which saw him sitting in the pit garage for most of his practice session.

Hamilton will no doubt be hoping to add another win at the Hungaroring to his championship bid. The second practice session commences at 14:00 pm (GMT +2).

Full timesheet for the session is below.

July 25, 2014
F1 2014: Hungarian GP Preview – Tricky Hungarian Test Awaits

Less than seven days later the Formula 1 paddock descends on the city of Budapest for the Hungarian GP. Technical in nature the 4.381 km circuit will require high downforce, efficient cooling and most importantly a good qualifying performance.

The Hungaroring is often referred to as Monaco without the barriers because of its tricky layout which for the most part has only one racing line. Consequently, there won’t be much opportunity for overtaking nor will all mistakes go unpunished. The Hungaroring retains some of the old-school Formula 1 characteristics which means that gravel traps and barriers loom in close proximity. Contrastingly, there are several tarmac run-off areas which offer some reprieve for error-stricken drivers.

Given the lack of proper overtaking opportunities strategy will be particularly important. The extremely high track temperatures seen at Hockenheim has given the teams vital information as to how to Pirelli rubber will react when exposed to similar conditions in Hungary. The tyres we are bringing to Hungary are a step harder, to deal with the increased demands, so we would expect the usual two pit stops,” predicted Pirelli’s Paul Hembery.

The circuit’s layout is dominated by medium to high-speed corners with little time spent at full throttle. However, the average speed of the lap remains fairly high. “The Hungaroring is a great track,” says McLaren’s Jenson Button. “Everybody thinks of it as a slow circuit, but, out the back, it’s got some pretty decent corners – Turn Four requires some serious commitment, and it’s made harder because it has a blind apex. Equally, the sequence of S-bends that make up Turns Eight to 11 are really satisfying to drive.”

Lewis Hamilton has been dogged by issues in qualifying for the last several races as he trails fourteen points behind teammate and championship leader Nico Rosberg. However, Hamilton is prepared to come out fighting once more and resolutely said that enjoys having to fight for victories and the title.

The 2008 champion may have more to fight against this weekend than just his teammate. The Williams team has been on the cusp several times of mounting a serious battle for victory and if they can continue their stunning momentum Hungary may be their best chance yet.

Williams’ chance to win the Hungarian GP will come on Saturday. The Hungaroring, much like Monte Carlo, is notoriously difficult to overtake on. Despite the fact that race pace is always priority for Bottas, Massa and their engineers they may devote a bit more time and effort than usual to enhancing their one lap pace. But locking out the front row or securing pole position won’t be all that is required. The team will have to take an aggressive approach on strategy as they still lack on overall race pace when compared to the Silver Arrows.

By this stage of the season the duel between the Mercedes drivers is as intense as at any other point.

However, their attention may be required elsewhere this weekend. Can Williams steal the all mighty Mercedes’ thunder?

July 23, 2014