Tag: lewis hamilton

F1 2013: Canadian GP Review – Sublime Seb monsters Montreal

The Canadian Grand Prix weekend is famous for its unpredictability. Even though it didn’t stand up to its usual erratic nature there were still some surprises in the offing.

The two biggest surprises came in the form of no driver hitting the famous Wall of Champions – at any stage of the weekend and the none appearance of the safety car at a grand prix where it has been a near certainty in the past.

The rain that had dominated the first two days of running was nowhere to be seen as race day brought with it blue skies and little chance of rain. Sebastian Vettel effortlessly led the pack into turn one as Bottas in the Williams was quickly mugged of his third place starting position.

The pace that Vettel had threatened throughout the practice sessions was finally unleashed as he pulled away from Hamilton to the tune of a second per lap. With the benefit of hindsight the race for victory was over the second Vettel stuck his Red Bull on pole. So was the German’s dominance that he came within several seconds of lapping fifth-placed Nico Rosberg. The pace shown by Red Bull, particularly Vettel, is not something we’ve seen so far in 2013. A closer look at the run he put together in Canada reveals that he pushed from lights to flag; sometimes lapping more than second faster than second-placed Hamilton. This lends itself to deduce that the pace may have always been available in the car but limited by the obligation to protect the Pirelli tyres. Red Bull’s complaints about the tyres seem to have a lot more basis now, don’t they?

Vettel may have been long gone but Lewis Hamilton and Fernando Alonso entertained the masses with a late race scrap for second position. Hamilton had the younger tyres of the two but it was no match for the relentless Fernando Alonso as the he scythed past his former teammate to take second place. Hamilton left Mercedes teammate Nico Rosberg well behind but still described his third place finish as ‘disappointing.’

Mark Webber looked an early threat to finish on the podium but for a clash with back marker Giedo van der Garde. The Caterham driver appeared to turn in Webber at the hairpin causing the Red Bull driver to lose part of his front-wing. Webber finished a distant fourth well ahead Nico Rosberg. Red Bull have announced Sebastian Vettel’s contract extension to the end of 2015 while Mark Webber’s future with the Milton Keynes based team remains a mystery. The Silverstone grand prix has traditionally been the weekend that the Australian has made any announcements regarding his career.

Jean-Eric Vergne went about his business fairly anonymously and scored an excellent sixth place finish for Toro Rosso. Results like this certainly won’t hurt the rumours that suggest Jev could be in the running for the second Red Bull seat. Scotsman Paul di Resta started his race down the field but a brilliant stint of 56 laps on the medium compound tyres transformed his 17^thstarting position into seventh on race day.

Felipe Massa overcame a qualifying crash to finish in eighth ahead Kimi Raikkonen’s Lotus in ninth. Raikkonen’s chances had looked good on a one-stop strategy but a problem with the rear-jack in his pitstop and a brake issue put the podium well beyond reach. Kimi Raikkonen is now 44 points adrift of Sebastian Vettel in the championship standings – a hefty deficit but the high-speed circuits will play to Lotus’ strength.

Force India’s Adrian Sutil survived a spin and a drive-through penalty for ignoring blue flags to finish in tenth place. Jenson Button described the race as a ‘painful’ experience as neither McLaren driver was able to score points. For the first time in 64 races McLaren failed to score a point – surely it is now time to admit that somewhere something went seriosuly wrong. Is it a coincidence that several of McLaren’s key people have jumped ship?

Sebastian Vettel’s dominant victory wasn’t without a few nervy moments as he kissed the wall on the exit of turn four and took a trip across the grass of turn two. But such was his dominance that not even a few mistakes could put the champ under any kind of pressure. Vettel now holds a very healthy lead in the championship on 132 points to Alonso’s 96 and Raikkonen’s 88. But there has always been something special about Fernando Alonso and his driving in the last year and a half has been spectacular. Combined with his relentless tenacity this championship battile with almost certainly feature the Ferrari driver.

It was with great sadness that the FIA announced the death of a Canadian grand prix marshal on Sunday night. The marshal was helping to retrieve the car of Esteban Guitierrez when he was hit by a mobile crane. Very much considered the unsung heroes, the unidentified man is the third marshal to have been killed since 2000.

June 13, 2013
F1 2013 – Canadian GP Qualifying Round-Up

The Canadian Grand Prix weekend is famous for many things including changeable weather conditions.

The Formula 1 pack had to contend with tricky track conditions as the rain rendered the use of slick tyres completely out of the question. The first session of qualifying sported the beginnings of a dry racing line but no driver was brave enough to venture out onto slicks.

Drivers filed out of the pitlane on the red-walled supersofts but conditions demanded a quick return to the pits and set of intermediates to negotiate the circuit Gilles Villeneuve. Paul di Resta and Romain Grosjean were the biggest causulties in the first session of qualifying as neither made the cut. Scot di Resta was especially critical of his team who he said chose the wrong time to ‘fix an issue’ with the car. Grosjean’s qualifying session was brought to an end as the Frenchman encountered a yellow flag and a tad too much rain on his final run. Grosjean will start the race in last place due a 10 place grid penalty incurred from the Monaco GP.

The second session of qualifying was no less dramatic as Felipe Massa binned his Ferrari in the barriers of turn 3. The Massa incident brought out the red flag with just about two minutes left on the clock. As the drivers scrambled to the pit exit it was Adrian Sutil and Daniel Ricciardo who made the most of conditions; both securing a passage into Q3.

Meanwhile, McLaren’s Jenson Button painfully missed the chequered flag by a couple of seconds and was cemented in 14th place while teammate Sergio Perez was 12th. After stating his feelings about a poor start to the season earlier in the week Williams’ Valtteri Bottas sensationally advanced to the final top-ten shootout.

It was Sebastian Vettel who judged it best in the final part of qualifying. As conditions continued to fluctuate throughout the final ten minutes of qualifying Vettel set a time of 1:25:425s in the opening minutes. Only Lewis Hamilton came within striking distance of the German setting a time just 0.086s slower than Vettel. As the big guns duked it out for the front row it was rookie driver Bottas who stole the spotlight. The Williams driver, flying throughout the hour, set the third fastest time overall.

A noteworthy mention to Toro Rosso as both Jean-Eric Vergne and Daniel Ricciardo qualified in the top ten for Sunday’s race.

Championship contenders Fernando Alonso and Kimi Raikkonen qualified in 6th and 9th respectively.

June 8, 2013
Fernando Alonso goes fastest in FP2 in Canada

Fernando Alonso just pipped Lewis Hamilton to go fastest in FP2 ahead of the Canadian Grand Prix. Alonso’s Ferrari finished the session just 0.012 seconds ahead of Hamilton with a time of 1:14:818.

Rain stayed away for the session, threatening with only a few drops near the end of the session, giving teams a lot more running than they had during FP1.

Here is the timesheet for the second practice session for the Canadian Grand Prix weekend.

June 7, 2013
F1 Canadian Grand Prix Team Preview Quotes – Mercedes

Here are the preview quotes from the Mercedes F1 team ahead of the 2013 Canadian Grand Prix.

Nico Rosberg: The Canadian Grand Prix is always a great event as the fans in Montreal are so enthusiastic. The whole city really loves the race and it’s such a lively place to be over the weekend. We receive so much support out in Montreal and it’s great to see that enthusiasm. The circuit itself is one of my favourite tracks on the calendar and I love the challenge of driving there. It’s a very difficult layout to drive because of the low downforce levels required for the long straights and it will be tough on the tyres. Monaco was a fantastic weekend for the team and I’m so proud of the victory that we achieved there. We’ll be hoping to maintain that momentum in Canada this weekend and will be going all out for another strong performance.

Lewis Hamilton: The Circuit Gilles Villeneuve has been a strong circuit for me and I’ve been lucky enough to win there three times in my career, including last season. It’s always a great weekend in Montreal with a fun atmosphere in the city and at the track. The circuit itself is really special; it’s very high-speed, great fun to drive and it’s definitely a track where late braking helps. It’s not too far off a Monaco-style circuit where you need a similar set-up to bounce off the kerbs so we should be quite competitive, although looking after the tyres will be our main challenge. There’s a really good feeling in the team at the moment following Nico’s win in Monaco and we’re continuing to work hard to make sure we have the potential for more victories this season.

Ross Brawn: The Canadian Grand Prix is always one of the most atmospheric races of the year and everyone looks forward to our annual visit to Montreal. The high-speed characteristics of the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve make for a real set-up challenge where engine power, brakes and good tyre management are the key to having a successful weekend. The last race in Monaco was a very special weekend for our team, and moved us substantially closer to the top three in the Constructors’ Championship, but we know the hard work that lies ahead. Both Lewis and Nico have spent time in the factory with us since Monaco and with Paddy Lowe starting at Brackley today, I’m confident that all efforts are being made to sustain that level of performance.

Toto Wolff: We enjoyed a fantastic weekend in Monaco but, as I have said before, yesterday’s home runs don’t win tomorrow’s games. We will be heading to Montreal this week with realistic expectations about what we can achieve. The high-speed circuit will definitely suit our Mercedes-Benz engine. Our car has been on pole position for the last four races, which shows our basic speed, so the focus in that time has been on improving our performance on Sunday afternoons. We managed this in Monaco, partly thanks to the unique characteristics of the circuit. This weekend will give us a more representative indication of how much progress we have made.

June 5, 2013
F1 2013 Canadian Grand Prix Preview: Canada, a game of chance

In 1978 Canada’s Île Notre-Dame circuit bowed to the country’s greatest Formula 1 driver. In a short amount of time Gilles Villeneuve captivated the racing world with utter class and driving talent. Despite not becoming a world champion the Canadian great remains revered as one of the greatest drivers in the history of the sport.

In celebration of Villeneuve the Île Notre-Dame circuit now bears his name and remains an essential part of the F1 calendar. The paddock crosses the Atlantic for the first time this year as it heads into the seventh round of the 2013 championship.

The stop/go nature of the circuit Gilles Villeneuve offers a technical challenge both teams and drivers. With few real high-speed corners, and the requirement to ride all kerbs in sight, most of the corners throughout the 4.361 km layout can be taken at first or second gear. In previous years a lot of time and energy would have been spent on brake wear in preparation for the circuit with the highest demand on brake energy. However, with the evolution and development of brake discs in the last several years the only concern will be ensuring that brake temperatures remain in the optimal working range.

But this is not the only pitfall that lingers around the famous track. The close proximity of the walls and limited run-off areas amplifies the chance of crashing and makes the appearance of the safety car highly likely. The changeable weather conditions can also play a part in tyre performance for which Pirelli have chosen the super-soft and medium compounds. Neither of these compounds may cause a problem if the current weather forecast remains as is. The rain in Canada has a tendency to come down in biblical proportions and looks set to make an appearance this weekend.

The Canadian Grand Prix is renowned for its unpredictable nature giving the race a distinct lottery-like ambiance. Qualifying remains an important piece of the puzzle but the few opportunities that exist for overtaking will add to Sunday’s showpiece. Seventy laps in total are what Lewis Hamilton will have to get the better of teammate Rosberg. Although Nico Rosberg is nurturing some very special form as a three time previous winner of the Canadian Grand Prix, this is a track where Hamilton should be able to turn the tables.

By Sebastian Vettel’s standards it has been a relatively quiet start to the season. Despite this he leads the championship by twenty-one points from Kimi Raikkonen. Ultimately, the Red Bull has not been the fastest car this season and their tyre woes, although not as obvious, have been well documented. Nevertheless, if Raikkonen and Alonso are to make a serious play for the title the Canadian Grand Prix seventy laps seems as vital a time as any to do just that. In the fight between the two challengers Alonso would be expected to hold the upper have in changeable weather conditions in terms of car performance.

Twenty-two raring-to-go racing drivers and a famous stretch of Canadian asphalt looms large in a grand prix weekend filled with potential for both drama and electrifying battle.

June 5, 2013
F1 Video: Lewis Hamilton meets Sir Stirling Moss

Ahead of the 2013 British GP, Lewis Hamilton met Formula One Legend, Sir Stirling Moss at Silverstone to talk about their home race across the generations. F1 Video posted on Youtube by the Mercedes AMG Petronas F1 Team.

June 1, 2013
F1 2013: Monte Carlo Review – Lights to flag victory for Rosberg

It has taken thirty years for a son to emulate his father’s victory around the tight and twisting streets of Monte Carlo.

Mercedes’ chances in Saturday qualifying had always looked good but the test would come in the 78 lap race. The team’s struggles with tyre degradation had been well documented and many had expected them to fade on this Sunday as they had on so many other occasions. However, a controlled race from lights out had Nico Rosberg in the pound seats from the very first lap.

The first thirty laps of the Monaco GP was an exhibition by Rosberg and Hamilton as the two Mercedes set a steady pace and managed their race to within an inch of perfection. The two Red Bull’s of Vettel and Webber had made better get-aways but the tight entry to Ste Devote meant they had nowhere to go and the pair of them slotted in behind the two Silver Arrows.

So docile was the pace of Rosberg and Hamilton that the Caterham of Giedo van der Garde ran as the fastest car, by quite some margin, for a limited period of the race. Nevertheless, the twenty-five points and glory of winning the Monaco grand prix was the end goal and how they went about reaching it wasn’t of any concern.

After this display of ‘controlled aggression’ as coined by Mark Webber, the questions around Pirelli and what they are offering Formula 1 will deepen. Critics of the 2013 tyre compounds were undoubtedly armed with new ammunition after the Monaco GP and rightly so. Cruising around, three seconds a lap off the possible pace is not what fans want to see and more than likely not what drivers want to be doing. Formula 1 has always been about pushing the limits, daring to go the very edge of what is possible. It may be easy and comfortable to poke holes in Pirelli’s brief Formula 1 sojourn but it is also clear that something needs to change. A second tyre manufacturer to stir the pot perhaps?

Despite the monotony of the opening sting of the race by lap 30 the most famous race on the calendar would be turned on its head. A car problem pitched Ferrari’s Felipe Massa into the barriers of turn one and deployed the safety car. The Brazilian was held at the side of the track for a while but was later reported as uninjured. Two Red Bulls, Raikkonen, Alonso and the two Macca’s made use of the safety car and dived into the pits for a fresh set of boots. It didn’t quite go to plan for Mercedes as they had to stack Rosberg and Hamilton in the pitlane with the latter slipping from second to fourth as a result.

While Rosberg was easily holding Vettel and Webber at bay, a crash triggered by Marussia’s Max Chilton would bring the race to a stop. After failing to see him, Chilton clashed with Pastor Maldonado on the entry to Tabac sending the Williams airborne into the barrier. The track, partially blocked by the Tecpro barrier, had to be cleared on debris before the race could be restarted.

The carnage was far from over and to say Romain Grosjean had been experiencing a tough weekend could be considered the understatement of the year. The Lotus driver had crash on three separate occasions earlier in the weekend and the race was going to be no exception. Saving the most peculiar crash for last, Grosjean ran into the back of Ricciardo’s Toro Rosso on the exit of the tunnel. Grosjean’s Lotus was strewn across the track and the safety car deployed for a second time. Grosjean later remarked that he didn’t anticipate Ricciardo braking at that point. Can we deduce that in future he would prefer the car in front not to brake for the corner? Scarily, that almost makes perfect Grosjean-esque sense. The Frenchman has been given a ten place grid penalty for the next race and is believed to be on the brink of being replaced by his team.

The drama was far from over when the race restarted on lap 67 as a rejuvenated Adrian Sutil first passed Button and then Fernando Alonso. A ridiculous call from the stewards instructed Alonso earlier in the race to give his sixth place to Sergio Perez after avoiding a collision with the Mexican. Spotting that it had already worked once, Perez tried the same move on Raikkonen into the Nouvelle chicane. Perez, nowhere near enough to attempt an overtake, collided with Raikkonen. Checo was finally put out of his misery with a broken left-front suspension. There is no hesitation about the fact that the young Mexican has talent but his current way doing business and mistaking the rest of the field for bumper cars already has him well on his way of being branded F1’s newest crash-kid.

As a result of the incident Kimi Raikkonen was forced to pit with a puncture and exited the pitlane in 16^th place with seemingly no chance of scoring any points on the day. But with fresh tyres the undoubtedly angry Finn lapped six seconds a lap faster and passed five cars, in two laps, to take tenth and the final point on offer.

Nico Rosberg drove a composed race to clinch his second career victory and he deserved every one of the twenty-five points for it. He wasn’t expected to rattle Hamilton’s cage the way he has in 2013. Rosberg has been the nearly-man in F1 for too long but the way he has upped his game with the arrival of the illustrious Lewis Hamilton has boosted his shares and earned widespread respect. Good on you Nico!

May 29, 2013
Nico Rosberg makes it an F1 qualifying hatrick in Monaco

Nico Rosberg took his third pole position in a row today as Mercedes locked out the front row of the grid for the Monaco Grand Prix in a rain hit qualifying session.

The Red Bull drivers will be occupying the second row of the grid tomorrow, followed by Kimi Raikkonen and Fernando Alonso.

Q1 started just after rain hit Monaco – following three days of sunshine in the principality. The track was damp at the start of the session, making it necessary for everyone to come out on track on the intermediate Pirelli tyres.

Everyone headed out to get an early banker lap in, except for the three drivers who crashed during FP3, Felipe Massa, Romain Grosjean and Adrian Sutil.

Jules Bianchi was struck out of the session early with an airbox fire, ending his session before it had really even started.

The Lotus F1 team got Grosjean out onto track in the final minutes of the session and repayed them by setting the fastest time after the session.

Ferrari were not able to get Felipe Massa’s car ready in time to get it out and he will start from the pit lane.

Giedo van der Garde was the greatest surprise of the first session, getting his Caterham into Q2. Paul di Resta, Charles Pic, Esteban Gutierrez, Max Chilton, Jules Bianchi and Felipe Massa were eliminated after Q1.

The second part of qualifying made it difficult for drivers to decide which tyres to be on as the track continued to dry. In the end they all opted for slicks. Van der Garde was the first driver to switch to the dry supersoft tyres and managed to out-qualify Pastor Maldonado and qualify an amazing P15 for the Caterham team.

Jean-Eric Vergne surprised all by securing his place in Q3 for the first time this year.
Grosjean, unfortunately was not able to make it through and blamed one of the Toro Rossos for holding him up.

Hulkenberg, Ricciardo, Grosjean, Bottas, van der Garde and Maldonado were all eliminated after Q2.

The track was dry enough for everyone to head out on supersoft dry tyres for the third session. Lap times were falling like crazy as the track kept improving.

Alonso was one of the first drivers to change tyres and head out for his final run, giving him two chances to have a go at a time. But he only managed P6 with his final effort.

Despite how it after FP3, Ferrari and Lotus were nowhere near the battle for pole in qualifying and it was between the Mercedes and Red Bull drivers.

It was Nico Rosberg who went fastest with a 1.13.876 by the end of the session with Lewis Hamilton one tenth behind him.

Below are the full results for F1 Qualifying in Monaco.

May 25, 2013
UPDATED: F1 Monaco Grand Prix Helmet Designs of 2013

Post Updated: 25 May 2013

Yup! It’s that time of year again. Drivers are known to bring new, blingy helmets to the Monaco Grand Prix and this year is no different. There are a number of cool new helmet designs we’ve spotted for the weekend so far. Here are the Monaco Grand Prix Helmet designs of a few of the drivers.

Sebastian Vettel has gone all out this year. His helmet reveals a (mostly) naked woman when it heats up. The top of the lid is a tribute of Monaco Grand Prix past, with images of moments of some of the greatest races in Monaco.

Around the back, is the pinup girl in her dainty little bikini. But that bikini is painted with heat activated paint and disappears once it’s warmed up. It becomes transparent and reveals her body adorned with two little stars in the appropriate places.

Lewis Hamilton’s Monaco Grand Prix Helmet design also stands out. A graffiti-type cartoon of Himself, girlfriend Nicole Scherzinger and his dog, Roscoe. Pretty cool helmet design really and definitely one that stands out.

Kimi Raikkonen’s Monaco Grand Prix Helmet design is a tribute to James Hunt, celebrating Hunt’s 40 anniversary debut Grand Prix. The inscription on the back above the Iceman insignia says “Kimi on the Hunt”. Lotus are also sporting Daft Punk on their side pods and at first we were unsure about the link but Sarah from @F1_Fans_Updates pointed out that it is most likely the Daft Punk song “Get Lucky” Lotus, who always use quirky hashtags for every race is using #GetLucky as their twitter hashtag for the weekend.

UPDATE: The FOM has decided that Kimi’s helmet breaks advertising rules. And he has been forced to black out the James Hunt tribute. Some say it has to do with advertising the movie, Rush. I see no Rush advertising though and the only other wording that could be a problem is the name James Hunt. For some reason last year James Hunt’s name was just fine facing the on board cameras, but this year it is a problem for the FOM. Kimi’s Helmet has been updated and the Hunt tribute has basically been blacked out.

F1sasha posted this hilarious take on the new helmet design.

UPDATE: During qualifying, Kimi had the James Hunt tribute back on his helmet so it seems as though Bernie and friends had a change of heart. Not sure what happened there, but happy that the James Hunt tribute is once again allowed.

Moving on, have a look at Charles Pic’s new Monaco helmet design. Lots of names on there so would have been strange if Kimi were not allowed the James Hunt tribute, and something like Pic’s helmet was allowed.

Jean-Eric Vergne has also brought a special helmet to Monaco. His helmet design is in honour of Francois Cevert, killed 40 years ago at the wheel of a Tyrrell at Watkins Glen. Vergne said, “I didn’t want to do the usual, glitzy, shiny Monaco helmet and this seemed like a nicer idea. For me Cevert represented ‘La Belle Epoque’ of Formula 1.”

Fernando Alonso revealed his helmet design on Twitter. A gold and white design featuring jigsaw puzzle pieces commemorating his Formula One victories throughout the years.

Daniel Ricciardo also showed off his helmet design on Twitter. His Monaco Grand Prix helmet design contains an image of Monaco’s spectacular harbour.

Romain Grosjean’s new helmet design is really just a slight diversion from his regular helmet adding a gambling stig holding all the cards 😉

Sergio Perez is another driver who took to Twitter to brag about his Monaco helmet design stating that the helmet will be auctioned off next week to raise money for charity.

Pastor Maldonado’s 2013 Monaco Helmet Design is quite unique too. A picture of Sainte Devote and the inscription, “No points … no party”. We like that. 🙂

Paul di Resta also tweeted a photo of his new helmet – a casino theme, featuring the icons of card suits on the lid of the helmet.

Jules Bianchi is also sporting a special design for his Monaco Grand Prix helmet. Not our favourite of the lot quite honestly.

Please check back for updates! This post will be updated as more images of the Monaco Grand Prix Helmet Designs become available.

Which is your favourite design so far? Let us know in the comments below.

May 23, 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