Tag: lewis hamilton

F1 2016: Austrian Gp Free Practice 1 Report – Rosberg Runs Quickest

Mercedes driver Nico Rosberg set the quickest time in the first free practice session ahead of the Austrian grand prix.

The first free practice session for the 2016 Austrian grand prix got underway in sunny conditions at the Red Bull Ring. The drivers quickly hit their stride with some blistering lap times early on in the session with Nico Rosberg’s 1:08:166 having been a record breaking lap.

The German driver would improve to a 1:07:373 by the end of the session to record the quickest lap ever around the current configuration of the Red Bull Ring. Teammate Lewis Hamilton set the second quickest time with a 1:07:730. The two Ferrari’s of Sebastian Vettel and Kimi Raikkonen were third and fourth with Red Bull Racing’s Daniel Ricciardo rounding out the top five.

Dutch driver Max Verstappen exited the session early after clouting a kerb which broke a steering arm and left his Red Bull beached in a gravel trap. No other major incidents were recorded but for a few spins from several drivers.

Ferrari were expected to test the Halo 2 head protection system but chose not to do so. The McLaren team ran several updates including a new rear wing and conducted a back to back test on a new floor.

Free Practice One Standings:

July 1, 2016
F1 2016: Austrian Gp Preview – Quali The Key In Austria

From the medieval city streets of Baku the Formula 1 paddock travels to the crisp countryside of Austria for the eighth round of the 2016 championship.

A case could never be made that Formula 1 lacks diversity. It swops the mostly tight confines of the Baku City circuit for the mountains and fresh air of Austria’s Red Bull Ring in Spielberg. Located in the picturesque Styrian Mountains the 4.3 kilometer circuit is dotted with only nine turns. The average speed of a lap around the Ring is estimated at 224 kph while 70 percent of the lap is spent at full throttle.

There are only seven braking zones around a lap but they are big stops from high speeds, which classifies the brake wear rate as high. This no longer appears to be an issue for Mercedes in 2016 but should they not be running in clear air it could rear its head.

As the shortest lap on the calendar at less than 70 seconds the grid is expected to be tighter, which makes qualifying vital. In 2015 the top three positions in qualifying were covered by four tenths of a second. The circuit’s four long straights mean that there is opportunity for overtaking but getting past a car with a good straight-line speed will be difficult.

For this year’s grand prix teams and drivers have selected the yellow-walled soft, red-walled supersoft, and purple-walled ultrasoft tyres. Both Ferrari drivers have selected nine sets of the ultrasoft tyres while Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg have each opted for eight sets of the purple-walled tyres. Red Bull’s Daniel Ricciardo and Max Verstappen have chosen seven sets of the softest compound. Tyre wear last year was minimal as Daniel Ricciardo was able to run a fifty lap stint on the soft tyre before needing to pit.

Ferrari’s tyre choice could be put down to fact that this track surface is a relatively smooth one with normally cool conditions. This combination often presents some struggle in getting tyres to the optimum temperature. As they’ve continually struggled to get the tyres to their optimal working range Ferrari should find it easier to do with the ultrasoft tyre. This will be a crucial element of Ferrari’s progress and position this weekend.

There is no doubt that Nico Rosberg is sitting pretty. He starts the weekend with a 24 point lead over Mercedes teammate Lewis Hamilton in the race for the driver’s title. The fickleness of Formula 1 demands that even a gap of 24 points must not be taken for granted. It’s this approach that has been Rosberg’s secret in 2016; to take every race on its individual merit. But the two Merc drivers might have to focus on more than just each other, especially in Saturday qualifying.

Williams are notoriously good performers at the Austrian grand prix thanks to the Mercedes power unit and Red Bull are no slouches thanks to the stop up they’ve made with the upgraded power unit. But while they are looking at each other all of them are aware of what Mercedes can deliver. On several occasions in 2016 its been shown that the Silver Arrow is not as potent when it runs in dirty air and under pressure. The qualifying session on Saturday will be the critical point for any driver or team to stop a complete Merc domination.

June 29, 2016
F1 2016: European GP Review – Rosberg Rules In Baku

If you’d asked most people to point out Azerbaijan on a map they would probably struggle. If you then told them that its capital city Baku is going to host its first F1 race in 2016 it would possibly have been met with reluctant enthusiasm.

Nevertheless, on the edge of the Caspian Sea the Azeri organisers plotted a street circuit unlike any other. The combination of the stunningly high-speed section and incredibly tight section around the city’s beautiful medieval architecture merged perfectly to highlight the strengths of Nico Rosberg’s Mercedes. The German driver cleaned house in Baku by taking pole position, fastest lap and the race win in dominant fashion.

Rosberg led cleanly off the line and was never challenged as he completed the 51-lap race on a one-stop strategy. It yielded his fifth win of the season and a sizeable increase in his lead atop the driver’s table. As faultless as Rosberg’s weekend preceded so the opposite was true for teammate Lewis Hamilton. Seemingly out of sorts, Hamilton stuck his Merc in the wall on Saturday and confined himself to a tenth place starting position. An ERS (energy recovery system) issue disrupted his charge through the field. Thanks to the FIA regulation, which bans certain radio communications, Hamilton was left to figure out the setting himself. The Brit was able to eventually resolve the issue and set two blisteringly quick laptimes before cooking his tyres.

Behind race leader Rosberg Sebastian Vettel overtook Daniel Ricciardo for second. To cover the Red Bull stop Ferrari called Vettel into the pits. However, the driver overruled the pitwall and stayed out. It paid off ultimately as Vettel finished second without any realistic shot at victory.

Force India’s Sergio Perez secured third to score his second podium in three races. Ferrari’s Kimi Raikkonen ran third for nearly the entire race. The Finn stopped early on lap 8 and ran a 43-lap stint on the soft tyre. But a five-second penalty for crossing the pit-entry line and a late ERS issue meant he was unable to keep Perez at bay. Eventually Raikkonen, suffering with a bout of food poisoning, finished fourth. Lewis Hamilton finished a lonely and disappointed fifth ahead of Williams’ Valtteri Bottas in sixth.

Both Red Bull drivers were forced onto two-stop strategies with overheating rear tyres and faded badly throughout the race. Daniel Ricciardo finished seventh ahead of teammate Max Verstappen in eighth. Nico Hulkenberg brought his Force India home in ninth while Williams’ Felipe Massa scored the final point in tenth.

All expectations were that the safety car would appear several times throughout the race given the tight confines and close proximity of the walls. But all twenty-two drivers were exceptionally well behaved and there were no major incidents. In fact, only four drivers did not make it to the chequered flag. Toro Rosso has some investigating to do as both their drivers, Daniil Kvyat and Carlos Sainz, were forced to retire with suspension issues. Manor Racing’s Pascal Wehrlein retired with brake failure as Fernando Alonso’s McLaren was pulled into the garage with a gearbox failure.

Remarkably Rosberg had the same ERS issue as Hamilton but was able to rectify it by changing the right settings. This resounding victory increases Rosberg’s championship lead to 24 points over Hamilton. But given that thirteen races remain on the calendar the race for the 2016 driver’s crown is just warming up.

(All images courtesy of Pirelli Motorsport)

June 20, 2016
Hamilton Shoulders Blame for Poor Qualifying Performance

Lewis Hamilton has taken the blame for his poor showing in Qualifying for the European Grand Prix at the Baku City Circuit in Azerbaijan.

Hamilton ended qualifying in 10th after hitting that barrier wall at the tight Turn 12. Hamilton’s qualifying sessions were not as clean and clear cut as one would usually expect from the three time world champion. Mistakes in Q2 almost got him eliminated and with yellow flags coming out at all the wrong times it seemed as though he would not make it to Q3. But Hamilton used the superior pace of the Mercedes to take him to 2nd fastest in Q2 comfortably promoting him to Q3.

During Q3 it looked like he just was not getting a good rhythm going. He was seen locking up and running wide and taking to escape roads at some corners. Then with just a little over 2 minutes left in Q3 it came to an end for the Briton when he clipped the barrier at Turn 12 which broke the steering arm on his car.

“It’s a fine line between being on it and not being on it – and I just wasn’t on it today,” he said after qualifying.

“I had a fantastic rhythm yesterday but none whatsoever today.

“There’s no specific answer or excuse. I wasn’ t hitting the right apexes or the right braking zones… it was just one of those sessions.

“Sometimes it happens. It was my fault, so I’l l apologise to the team and try to make up for it tomorrow.

“It’s always difficult to come back from this kind of position so it’ll be damage limitation tomorrow.

“I highly doubt I can challenge for the win – but I’ll give it my best shot and try to bring home as many points as I can.

“The car is good here and we’ve got more pace than most of the others. I’ve just got to make my way through any tangles at the first corner and see where I go from there.”

If Hamilton hopes to stand any chance at a high points finish or even a podium he will have to stay well clear of trouble. Starting from 10th on the grid will be a tough ask if the GP2 race was anything to go by where there was chaos at Turn 1.

With no previous race data to go on there is still a high possibility of a safety car owing to the nature of the track with it being a street circuit.

One thing is quite certain. It’s going to be an unpredictable inaugural European Grand Prix in Baku.

Photo credit: Mercedes AMG Petronas Formula One Team

June 18, 2016
Rosberg takes pole as Hamilton crashes out of Baku qualifying

Nico Rosberg claimed the pole position for the European Grand Prix at the Baku City Circuit while team mate Lewis Hamilton binned his Mercedes out of Q3. Hamilton will start tomorrow’s race from 10th place.

Rosberg will start the inaugural grand prix at Baku from pole after posting a supremely dominant time of 1:42.758 which he set not long before the qualifying session was halted to allow marshalls to recover Hamilton’s car from the track.

After pretty much writing off his Force India in the final practice session ahead of qualifying, Sergio Perez qualifyied in second place ahead of Red Bull’s Daniel Ricciardo.

Perez left his Force India mechanics with a lot of work to do before the qualifying session underway but managed to bag the second fastest spot for the session. He will, however drop down to seventh place for a gearbox change resulting from the practice crash.

Daniel Ricciardo grabbed position from Sebastian Vettel in an all out final effort with only 2:05s remaining on the clock when the session restarted. Ricciardo will start the Baku GP from second, and Vettel third. The two drivers’ qualifying times were identical with the front row spot decided by Ricciardo having set the time before Vettel.

Kimi Raikkonen will line the second Ferrari up in fourth place on the grid tomorrow, ahead of Felipe Massa’s Williams, the Toro Rosso of Daniil Kvyat and Sergio Perez.

Valtteri Bottas, who is taking some flack for holding up both Jenson Button and Max Verstappen, will start from eigth position ahead of Verstappen and Hamilton.

Romain Grosjean finished 11th fastest for the Haas F1 team after adding a few more escape roads to his excursion map for the weekend.

Nico Hulkenberg threw away what looked to be an excellent opportunity to qualify well by spinning out of Turn 16. Hulkenberg will start the Baku GP from 12th place.

Carlos Sainz Jr will start from 13th with Fernando Alonso’s McLaren alongside him in 14th place. Esteban Gutierrez qualified 15th fastest with Felipe Nasr taking up the final Q2 qualifying classification position.

The Manor team ever so nearly made it through to Q2. Rio Haryanto and Pascal Wehrlein took up 17th and 18th places ahead of Jenson Button who could only manage 19th fastest after running wide at Turn 15. Marcus Ericsson qualified 20th fastest for Sauber with the two Renaults of Kevin Magnussen and Jolyon Palmer completing the grid.

Baku Qualifying Classification:

June 18, 2016
Hamilton makes it a practice clean sweep

Mercedes reigning F1 World Champion Lewis Hamilton stole the quickest time at the top of the final practice timesheets, ahead of the first ever qualifying at the Baku City Circuit, for the European Grand Prix.

Hamilton made it a clean practice sweep in the final minutes of the practice session with a time of 1:44.352 on the super soft tyres. Rosberg had held on to the top spot for most of the hour long session but missed the mark by 0.258s after Hamilton’s final quick lap.

Force India made a strong showing with Nico Hulkenberg and Sergio Perez running 3rd and 6th respectively. Perez however was set to improve considerably and was on a really good lap but got caught out by a crosswind and crashed into the wall just after the chequered flag fell on the session.

Perez went very wide out of Turn 15 and banged the right rear of his VJM09 into the wall leaving his Force India mechanics with plenty of work to do to get ready for qualifying.

Daniel Ricciardo brought his Red Bull home 4th fastest with Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel completing the Force India sandwich.

Max Verstappen finished 7th fastest ahead of Jenson Button, Daniil Kvyat and Kimi Raikkonen to complete the Top 10. Raikkonen had been in the pits for a great deal of the practice session with an engine problem.

Fernando Alonso was 11th fastest with Carlos Sainz Jr., Romain Grosjean and Felipe Massa lining up behind him.

Esteban Gutierrez was 15th fastest with the Renault duo of Kevin Magnussen and Jolyon Palmer split by Pascal Wehrlein further back. The Saubers and Manors took their familiar positions on the timesheets.

Valterri Bottas was not able to set a time for the practice session after a loose cable duct cover flipped off under his Williams’ downforce and damaged the sidepod of his FW38.

Bottas was on his way back into the pits after an installation lap when he drove over the loose metal cover and ripped his sidepod. The Williams mechanics worked hard to repair the damage but were not able to send him back out before the end of the session.

Join us for the inaugural qualifying at the Baku City Circuit at 3pm GMT+2! We’ll be on Twitter @F1_Madness with live commentary and F1 banter throughout.

Final Practice Session timesheet:

June 18, 2016
What do the Drivers Think About the Baku City Circuit?

After having at a go at the Baku City Circuit the drivers give their views on the track and the layout.

Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes: “The track isn’t easy – not because the layout is particularly difficult to learn but because it’s very slippery out there. It’s quite Monaco-esque in terms of braking and how close the barriers are – but you’re arriving at much higher speeds. Otherwise it’s like a mixture of Valencia and Sochi with the smooth track surface and the style of the corners themselves. It’s a real challenge and I think it’s going to be tough for everyone over the weekend. It takes a lot of focus, which is something I like. I’ve enjoyed driving here today.”

Romain Grosjean, Haas: “Discovering a new track is exciting in some places and pretty tricky in others. It’s not easy to find the right balance”

Vatteri Bottas, Williams: “It was an interesting day for me, I really like the track. It’s very demanding, it has some high speed corners and some twisty, more technical areas, so it’s definitely one of the most challenging tracks on the calendar, but at the same time it’s a lot of fun.”

Nico Hulkenberg, Force India: “Coming here to Baku has been great fun and the track is very cool. It’s got a bit of everything, with long straights, big braking zones and some exciting high-speed corners, which all the drivers enjoy. So, overall you have to say they’ve done a really good job with the circuit and it makes a nice change to come here and try something that is so different.”

Sergio Perez, Force India: “I knew when I walked the track yesterday that it was going to be good fun to drive – and today didn’t disappoint. It’s an amazing circuit: really challenging, no margin for error, and a real pleasure to drive.”

Daniel Ricciardo, Red Bull Racing: “I think the circuit is pretty cool, it’s definitely as tight as it looks and has a lot of corners unlike any others on the calendar. There are a few interesting lines past the castle which adds to the toughness. It’s pretty unique and as I showed this morning some of the corners are pretty challenging and not that easy.”

Photo Credit: Red Bull Racing Formula One Team

June 17, 2016

Hamilton Fastest in Baku Second Practice

Lewis Hamilton made it two from two after finishing top of the time sheets at the end of the second free practice session at the Baku City Circuit in Baku, Azerbaijan.

Hamilton set a time of 1:44.223 on the super softs tyres to give him the fastest time of the session. Mercedes team-mate Nico Rosberg was a little more than a second adrift in 2nd with a time of 1:44.913. The Mercedes powered Force India of Sergio Perez finished 3rd fastest with a time of 1:45.316, 1.113s off Hamilton’s time.

There were issues with the kerbs before the session started after it was revealed that the kerbs at certain corners around the track were causing cuts to the tyres. Drivers were advised to stay off the kerbs at those corners when the session went ahead as planned.

The Baku City Circuit is a power hungry circuit and with the long straights and long periods of full throttle Mercedes powered cars seem to have the upper hand. As evidenced by the top 5 placed cars were all Mercedes powered.

Valtteri Bottas finished 4th fastest in his Williams 1.541s off the pace. Nico Hulkenberg in the sister Force India was 5th fastest with a 1:45.920.

Carlos Sainz in the Toro Rosso was the highest place runner with a Ferrari engine finishing 6th fastest ahead of Red Bull’s Max Verstappen who was the highest placed runner with a Renault engine.

Jenson Button finished 9th fastest with Daniel Ricciardo in the second Red Bull rounding out the top 10.

It was a session filled wide running as the drivers continued to push the limits of the tyres and the brakes to find the latest braking spot possible.

Nico Rosberg had to retire early from the session with a suspected engine issue.

Fernando Alonso was seen coasting around the track with a gearbox problem. He took quick action and pushed the neutral button on the nose of the car which the marshals use to enable to move the car. He was then able to coast in neutral to the pits. He emerged later in the session.

Ferrari, apart from being off the pace the entire session, had problems as well. Kimi Raikkonen came to a halt before the end of the session after his rear wheels locked up. Vettel was then told a few mins later to return to the pits as he may have had the same issue. Riccardo Adami, Vettel’s race engineer, said that there was an issue with the [MGU-]K as Vettel pulled into the pits.

Long run pace suggests that Mercedes have the upper hand going into the weekend. Williams, Ferrari, Red Bull and Force India to some extent are quite close together but are not anywhere close to the pace of the Mercedes cars.

With a few safety concerns which track officials are addressing the circuit seems to have gone down well with the drivers and most of them are enjoying the mix of corners the circuit offers. The layout seems to favor the brave. The drivers will relish the opportunity to take their cars to the absolute limit this weekend.

Pos	Driver	Team	Best Time	Gap	Laps
1	Lewis Hamilton	Mercedes	1:44.223	–	33
2	Nico Rosberg	Mercedes	1:44.913	+0.690	26
3	Sergio Perez	Force India	1:45.336	+1.113	37
4	Valtteri Bottas	Williams	1:45.764	+1.541	35
5	Nico Hulkenberg	Force India	1:45.920	+1.697	37
6	Carlos Sainz Jr.	Toro Rosso	1:46.027	+1.804	35
7	Max Verstappen	Red Bull	1:46.068	+1.845	35
8	Sebastian Vettel	Ferrari	1:46.219	+1.996	36
9	Jenson Button	McLaren	1:46.234	+2.011	32
10	Daniel Ricciardo	Red Bull	1:46.293	+2.07	32
11	Fernando Alonso	McLaren	1:46.498	+2.275	27
12	Romain Grosjean	Haas	1:46.681	+2.458	29
13	Kimi Raikkonen	Ferrari	1:46.694	+2.471	32
14	Daniil Kvyat	Toro Rosso	1:46.744	+2.521	35
15	Esteban Gutierrez	Haas	1:46.830	+2.607	26
16	Felipe Massa	Williams	1:47.060	+2.837	28
17	Kevin Magnussen	Renault	1:47.329	+3.106	38
18	Rio Haryanto	Manor	1:47.487	+3.264	33
19	Marcus Ericsson	Sauber	1:47.772	+3.549	22
20	Jolyon Palmer	Renault	1:47.794	+3.571	35
21	Pascal Wehrlein	Manor	1:48.018	+3.795	36
22	Felipe Nasr	Sauber	1:48.081	+3.858	38

Photo Credit: Mercedes AMG Petronas Formula One Team

June 17, 2016

F1 2016: European Gp – Free Practice 1 Report – Hamilton Tops Baku Practice

Lewis Hamilton set the quickest time in the first free practice session ahead of Sunday’s Baku grand prix.

The first ever official Formula 1 session in Azerbaijan got underway in splendour as the cars and drivers had their first look at the Baku City circuit. Aesthetically the circuit and its surrounds create a terrific view with the architecture around the circuit making the biggest impression.

Several drivers took their time to get the proverbial eye in around the long lap. Turn 15 claimed the most errors with several drivers taking to the escape road a few times throughout the session.

Daniel Ricciardo became the first victim of the new circuit as he heavily clouted the barrier at turn 15 with the right-rear of his Red Bull. The incident brought out the red flag for several minutes as marshals took about clearing the debris and stricken Red Bull.

The rest of the session ran to plan for most of the teams. However, Max Verstappen’s session ended earlier than scheduled with an oil leak. Similarly, Lewis Hamilton’s session came to a premature end as he flat spotted his tyres with several minutes of practice remaining.

While the two Mercedes drivers led the way with Hamilton in first and Rosberg in second the Williams of Valtteri Bottas set the third quickest time overall. Fernando Alonso set the fourth quickest time ahead of Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel in fifth.

Free Practice 1 Standings:

June 17, 2016
F1 2016: European Gp Preview – In with the new

Too many times new F1 circuits are talked up and promised to be glorious showpieces that will electrify the racing. And then you end up with Valencia, a dull F1 street circuit somewhere in Spain that evokes more winces than grins.

But the new hosts of the European grand prix may have hit on something special. As the most recent addition to the F1 calendar Azerbaijan’s Baku City circuit promises much from the initial glimpses of its layout. At six kilometres it’s second in length only to Spa-Francorchamps and with twenty corners behind Abu Dhabi’s 21 and Singapore’s 23. But the most arresting feature of the circuit is slim width in certain areas of the track. It’s not pancake flat either, in fact it has significant elevation changes and even a cobbled section.

Because it is temporary circuit it isn’t required to subscribe to the FIA sporting code which stipulates a width of twelve meters, with an additional three meters on the starting grid. While the circuit has some areas which stretch to thirteen meter width its narrowest point, on Aziz Aliyev Street, is just 7.6 metres wide. The average speed of lap is currently projected at 210 kph and a top speed of 340 kph.

From an early perspective the Baku City circuit has many positives going for it; high-speed, tight sections, fast corners and for a street circuit, a longer than usual lap. Already it bears some similarities with China’s legendary Macau circuit.

Here a look at Azerbaijan’s Baku City circuit

June 16, 2016