Tag: marussia

F1 2015: Season Finale Review – Abu Dhabi, that’s a wrap

As far as thrillers go the Abu Dhabi grand prix isn’t quite going to make the list of most memorable races. Though visually spectacular the Yas Marina circuit has brought the 2015 season to a close in fairly mundane manner but still provided several talking points.

In only the second time in its seven year history the Abu Dhabi grand prix was won from pole position. First place on the starting grid belonged to Mercedes’ Nico Rosberg which he easily translated into the race lead as the sun began to set over the Yas Marina circuit. On the track it didn’t turn out to be a wheel-to-wheel battle between Rosberg and teammate Hamilton but rather a tactical fight through pit stop strategy.

In the first round of pitstops Hamilton followed his race leading teammate into the pitlane only a lap later, effectively mirroring his strategy. However, with the constructor’s and driver’s title in the bag the Mercedes team allowed its drivers some leeway in strategy calls and racing up to the chequered flag. Lewis Hamilton took advantage of the rare freedom to extend his second stint on the yellow side-walled soft tyres. At one point Hamilton even considered running a one stop strategy and going to the end on his tyres. This strategy was quickly dismissed as impossible by his race engineer and Hamilton pitted to fit a set of the soft Pirelli tyres.

This strategy left Hamilton nearly twelve seconds behind race leader Rosberg. Although the three time champion was able to run with the fresher tyres in the closing stint of the race, he was only able to halve the pace to the leading car. The race concluded with Rosberg leading Hamilton home with a comfortable gap of just over eight seconds. This latest one-two finish Rosberg and Hamilton makes it the twelfth of the year for Mercedes.

Not too far behind the Mercedes pair Ferrari’s Kimi Raikkonen delivered a strong drive to finish third. The Finn turned a good pace but never enough to challenge for victory. While some will make a note that he finished the season in fourth place on the driver’s standings Raikkonen couldn’t care less of his ultimate position in the championship unless it’s position number one. Never one to sugar-coat reality Raikkonen, by his own admission, has labelled his season as distinctly “average.”

After a strategic error in qualifying Sebastian Vettel was forced to start in fifteenth. The German was able to recover to take fourth place for Ferrari. Sergio Perez, who started on the second row of the grid in fourth, brought his Force India home in fifth ahead of Red Bull’s Daniel Ricciardo. Nico Hulkenberg was seventh in the other Force India while Felipe Massa struggled to an eighth place finish for the Williams team. In his final race with Lotus before heading off the American Haas team was Romain Grosjean who made the best of his supersoft tyres in the closing stages. Daniil Kvyat secured tenth and the final point on offer for the Red Bull Racing team.

It wasn’t a race blighted by too many incidents however Fernando Alonso incurred a drive-through penalty for hitting the Lotus of Pastor Maldonado into turn one as the race got underway. In the pitlane Valtteri Bottas clipped the back of Jenson Button’s McLaren after an unsafe release by the Williams pitcrew. It resulted in a damaged front-wing for Bottas and five second penalty. The Finn eventually finished a lap down in thirteenth.

Dutchman and rookie driver Max Verstappen showed up to the race as his ever-aggressive self and set about overtaking as many drivers as possible. However, his spirited overtaking proved a bit too much as race stewards penalised him with gaining an advantage after going off the circuit in a pass on Jenson Button. As the penalty was imposed after the race it dropped the teenage sensation to sixteenth place.

In Brazil Hamilton was the quicker of the two Mercedes in the race but couldn’t find a way to overtake Rosberg. But here in Abu Dhabi Hamilton has been shaded, in terms of pace, for the entire weekend. For Nico Rosberg the season couldn’t have ended any better. Six pole positions and a hat trick of victories is an incredible run of form. It begs the question as to where this prodigious form has been the entire season. Is it as a result of a release of pressure or has Rosberg at long last found something that Hamilton has no answer for?

(Images courtesy of Mercedes AMG F1 Team & Pirelli Motorsport).

November 30, 2015
F1 2015: Abu Dhabi GP Preview – Abu Dhabi Ready To Dazzle

From Australia to seventeen different cities and circuit Formula 1 makes its final stop of 2015 at Abu Dhabi’s Yas Marina circuit.

The first race around the visually stunning circuit was held in 2009. It remains unique to the F1 calendar for its twilight start and in its six grand prix has delivered dramatic outcomes and significant duels that are hard to forget.

In its first year on the calendar Jenson Button arrived already crowned as champion after a dominant season in his blindingly quick Brawn. While Sebastian Vettel was up the road and on his way to victory a late race scrap between Button and then Red Bull driver Mark Webber is what truly ignited the first-ever season finale in Abu Dhabi. Not far out from the chequered flag Button pitted for a new set of tyres and proceeded to close down second-placed Webber at a blinding pace. The newly-crowned champion gave it his all to overtake the Aussie and though it wasn’t to be it still produced an exhilarating and memorable wheel-to-wheel battle. “I was giving everything to take second place from Mark,” said Button, “but I couldn’t quite make the moves stick. He’s a very difficult guy to overtake but it was a good clean fight and we were really on the edge.

Since this 2009 duel the Abu Dhabi circuit has crowned Sebastian Vettel champion on two occasions in 2010 and 2013. In between Kimi Raikkonen won a memorable race for the Lotus team which is remembered for the now famous radio message of “leave me alone, I know what I’m doing.” Coincidentally, Raikkonen’s famous victory was the only time a driver has won this grand prix after not starting on the front row of the grid.

Sebastian Vettel isn’t the only world champion that has been crowned at the season-ending race either. In 2014 Lewis Hamilton was crowned with his second driver’s title after a season at the wheel of the absurdly dominant Mercedes. “Last year, this place brought probably the most intense weekend of my life,” recalls Hamilton.

Twelve month on Hamilton arrives in Abu Dhabi a triple world champion but still with something to play for. A 50^th pole position is in the offing if the Brit can recover his qualifying mojo. Recently, teammate Nico Rosberg has well and truly had the beating of Hamilton on Saturday and stands on the cusp of joining quite an elite group. Should the German secure a sixth consecutive pole position he will join a list of only four drivers who has achieved this feat in the sport.

As far as the Yas Marina circuit layout goes it isn’t the most technically challenging on the calendar. Instead, the layout is mostly dominated by medium speed corners and long straights. “The first sector is generally medium speed with a couple of high speed corners and not too technically challenging; a reasonable level of downforce works fine here. The second sector is more power hungry with two good straights and two low speed corners – a low speed hairpin and a low speed chicane so it’s important to manage these well. The final sector is quite technical with a number of low and medium speed corners where the car needs to be well balanced and work well to achieve a good lap time,” explains Lotus technical director Nick Chester. “Putting all that together is key – you need a car that works well in low speed corners and be good in the long straights.”

In 2015 the United Arab Emirates is celebrating its 44^th national day. It is a day which marks the unification of the seven emirates and the founding of the country. It could be just per chance that it matches Lewis Hamilton’s number 44. Or is it a sign that the three-time champ is set to light up the Abu Dhabi grand prix?

November 26, 2015
F1 2015: Marussia Lines Up King and Haryanto For Test

As the Formula 1 season draws to a close focus will shift to the all important winter testing season. The first test will take place after the season-ending Abu Dhabi grand prix.

On this occasion the test around the Yas Marina circuit will be a Pirelli tyre test. The one day test will run for twelve hours and will be used in preparation for the Italian tyre manufacturer’s 2016 compounds.

The Manor Marussia team has announced that, for them, duties on the day will be split by GP2 drivers Rio Haryanto and Jordan King. “For Jordan, this is a planned part of his 2015 role as development driver, following a season spent with the team in an educational capacity. Rio has of course driven two of our cars in previous tests. In 2010, he was considered to be at the very tender age of 17 years old, but we knew he had an exciting future ahead of him,” says Marussia team principal John Booth.

King currently sits in twelfth position in the GP2 standings while Haryanto is fourth ahead of the final race in Abu Dhabi. “Both drivers have extensive experience of running Pirelli tyres in GP2, and specifically the many GP2 tests that have been held in Abu Dhabi, so this leaves them well placed to help us play our part in Pirelli’s evaluation programme next week,” says Booth.

The Pirelli tyre test will take place on December 1st.

November 25, 2015
F1 2015: Brazilian Grand Prix Preview – Brazil – A spectacle for the ages

In the last several years the Brazilian grand prix has moved around quite a bit on the F1 calendar. It’s gone from the second race of the year to being the season-ender a few times. Now, it finds itself settled as the penultimate race of the year. But regardless of when the Brazilian grand prix is run it always delivers a stunning show.

History reveals that the land which the Autodromo Jose Carlos Pace is built on was first bought with a housing development in mind. Luckily, part of the Sau Paulo land was not suitable for housing and a so a racetrack, named Interlagos, was born. Several decades later the successful arrival of Emerson Fittipaldi on the world motorsport stage became the catalyst for a Brazilian grand prix in the 1970s. By 1981 Rio had taken over as host of the Brazilian grand prix. But thanks to the fervour that surrounded Ayrton Senna, a Sau Paulo native, the race has returned and been run at Interlagos ever since.

The circuit isn’t a long one at 4.309 kilometres and its lap record is just shade over seventy-one seconds. It doesn’t have any corners in its layout to really trouble the drivers either. “There’s just not a corner that gives you any real satisfaction. I don’t want to make it sound dull, because it isn’t, but like Russia, there isn’t a corner that makes you go ‘Woooo-Hoooo!’ It needs a few more corners and something really high speed,” says Red Bull’s Daniel Ricciardo. “There’s a couple that look good on paper but because of the cambers, you never really have the grip to go barrelling in.”

From the Aussie’s perspective it doesn’t sound very challenging and it looks like it could be a bit of a damp squib. But somehow, year after year, the circuit and the boisterous fans combine with an untouchable force to deliver astounding Brazilian Grand Prix races.

The stunning 2012 race in which then Red Bull driver Sebastian Vettel had to fight back through the field after a first-corner incident comes to mind. In 2007 Kimi Raikkonen beat the odds to win the driver’s championship. In 2008 the driver’s world title race between Lewis Hamilton and Felipe Massa climaxed in the most dramatically breathtaking fashion. As local hero and Ferrari driver Massa crossed the line as world champion only to be denied as McLaren driver Hamilton found his way past the Toyota of Timo Glock on the last corner of the last lap. These stunning races are merely what are in the recent memory bank of Formula 1. The Brazilian grand prix has been delivering this kind of drama for decades.

Last year Nico Rosberg put together a faultless weekend to win from pole. It comes as no great revelation that Mercedes is the overwhelming favourite for victory going into the weekend. However, there are a few factors that could change the outcome of Sunday’s Brazilian Grand Prix. The weather around the Interlagos circuit looks set fair with temperatures predicted to reach into the early 30s. It will mean a considerably high track temperature which will play to the strengths of the Ferrari, as it did in Malaysia.

The factor of racing on home soil should never be diminished and given Felipe Massa’s adoration for his home race he will undoubtedly feature in some way this weekend. A podium finish may not be out of the question for the Williams driver.

Often we try to predict what will happen over a grand prix weekend. We base our view on car performance in relation to a specific layout, weather forecasts, and occasionally a gut feel. But in Brazil you do so at your peril. Because this race has the uncanny ability to surprise and deliver a spectacle to the level no one can possibly imagine.

November 11, 2015
F1 2015: Texas GP Review – Hamilton Clinches Title in Texas Thriller

On Friday and Saturday race fans would have been cursing the biblical levels of rain that fell over Texas’ Circuit of the Americas. It completely obliterated any opportunity of running in all but one of the practice sessions and forced a postponement of qualifying to Sunday morning.

However, as the weather cleared in time for Sunday’s race it was the changeable conditions that were the catalyst for a frenzied US grand prix. As the start of the race drew closer the rain had ceased its incessant pounding but with the track still mostly wet conditions called for a start on the intermediate tyres for the entire grid.

Mercedes driver Nico Rosberg snatched pole from teammate Lewis Hamilton in a shortened qualifying session while Red Bull’s Daniel Ricciardo and Daniil Kvyat locked out the second row of the grid. Along with Williams’ Valtteri Bottas, who incurred a five place penalty for changing a gearbox, both Ferrari drivers were demoted ten places on the grid for fitting a sixth, upgraded, engine. Sebastian Vettel started in thirteenth while Kimi Raikkonen lined up in eighteenth place.

The start of the race followed a familiar pattern between the two Mercedes drivers. Hamilton took the inside line into turn one and forced Rosberg wide and onto the run-off as the pair bumped wheels. The move, which Rosberg later called “a step too far” dropped the German down to fifth. As Red Bull’s Daniil Kvyat hounded the back of Hamilton’s Mercedes for the lead of the race the sister Red Bull was in close attendance in third. But a clash between Sauber teammates Felipe Nasr and Marcus Ericsson left enough debris at turn one for race control to call on the virtual safety car.

As the race restarted the superior performance of the Red Bull on the wearing intermediate tyres was enough for both its drivers to overtake Nico Rosberg. As the circuit dried it was evident that Daniel Ricciardo was able to look after his intermediate tyre slightly better than Hamilton and he took the lead of the race on lap fifteen.

By lap eighteen the circuit had dried enough to change onto slicks. As conditions changed so too the challenge of the Red Bull’s diminished in the dry conditions. With superior pace Nico Rosberg retook the lead of the race and proceeded to build a stunning ten second gap over Hamilton. This was the Nico Rosberg performance we had been waiting to see all season. By this point, it was a strong, determined drive that would delay Hamilton’s winning of the world championship.

On lap twenty-eight the Sauber of Marcus Ericsson grinds to a halt at turn eleven and requires the deployment of the safety car to recover the car. Rosberg’s nearly eleven second lead over Hamilton is completely eradicated. Sebastian Vettel, who has fought his way into fifth, takes the opportunity to fit a set of mediums to see him through to the end of the race. The Ferrari driver makes short work of Kvyat and Ricciardo and moves himself into third place.

It wasn’t long before the virtual safety car was called on again this time to clear the Force India of Nico Hulkenberg. The German driver tried an ambitious move up the inside of Daniel Ricciardo for fourth place but came off second best with fatal damage to his car. It prompted Rosberg to pit as Hamilton took the lead of the race.

By lap forty-two Hamilton had a six second gap over Rosberg and as Red Bull driver Daniil Kvyat clouted the barrier at the final turn, bringing out the safety car, the Brit dived into the pitlane for a new set of tyres. It dropped Hamilton behind Rosberg and it seemed as if he would have to wait at least one more week to secure the title.

However, in a bizarre twist Rosberg ran off the circuit at turn sixteen and gifted the lead of the race to Hamilton. Rosberg just held on for second in the closing stages ahead of Vettel. This ensured that as Hamilton crossed the line he was a three-time world champion.

Toro Rosso’s Max Verstappen finished a stunning fourth ahead of Force India’s Sergio Perez in fifth. Jenson Button brought his McLaren home in sixth whilst Carlos Sainz finished seventh in his Toro Rosso. Lotus’ Pastor Maldonado , Sauber Felipe Nasr and Red Bull’s Daniel Ricciardo rounded out the top ten.

Eight cars failed to make it to the chequered flag including Ferrari’s Kimi Raikkonen who retired with overheating brakes after sliding off the track earlier and colliding with a barrier. For Williams too it was a weekend to forget with a double retirement. Manor Marussia driver Alex Rossi can hold his head high after matching the team’s best result with a twelfth place finish.

In an incredible season Lewis Hamilton has become only the tenth triple world champion in the history of the sport. Yes, Mercedes has provided him with an astonishing car to drive but the knowledge that Hamilton is a racer of the highest calibre has been there since his first lap at the 2007 Australian grand prix. Now, Lewis Hamilton is no longer just on the cusp of greatness.

(All images of Lewis Hamilton courtesy of @MercedesAMGF1)

October 26, 2015
F1 2015: Belgium GP Preview – Spa Set To Resurrect Formula 1

In several aspects there is much turmoil that surrounds Formula 1. There is no argument though that the sport returns, after its month-long hiatus, to the greatest circuit in the world, Spa-francorchamps.

The glorious Belgian circuit situated in the heart of the Ardennes forest encompasses everything that is great about Formula 1. Its spectacular corners like Pouhon are real testers of skill and courage and its dizzying rise up to the crest of Eau Rouge is one of the most famous sites in all of motorsport. The 7,004 kilometre layout is a blend that demands both downforce and straight-line speed with several dramatic elevation changes.

There is something about the legendary Spa circuit which has lent itself to the creation of many memorable moments. It was here 1991 that a young Michael Schumacher made his Formula 1 debut and where, in 1992, he would take the first of his ninety-one career victories. Schumacher remains the most prolific winner around the famous circuit with six victories while Kimi Raikkonen, of the active drivers, has won the race on four occasions.

Last year’s race was remarkable for Daniel Ricciardo’s popular victory considering his team’s lack of performance up to that point. It was memorable too for Nico Rosberg’s exasperated attempt at overtaking teammate Lewis Hamilton into Les combes, the upshot of which was a collision between the two and a boatload of tension for the team.

As the season approaches the halfway mark frustration has clouded many a team’s and driver’s campaign in 2015. After a stellar first year with Red Bull Racing which included three victories and several podium finishes Daniel Ricciardo had expected to have a go at winning the title this season. However, the engine produced by Renault and what Red Bull has offered the Aussie hasn’t been enough. “I came into this season on a high from last year and I was really ready to fight for the title. Mentally I was prepared for doing that.” Ricciardo told Autosport. “It’s not been easy to be honest.”

The Williams team has experienced their own form of frustration having lost ground, and pace, to Ferrari. Despite the team staging a fight back by beating Ferrari in Austria and Silverstone there have been some bizarrely poor weekends, performance wise, such as in Monaco and Hungary. The Belgian track should allow the team to produce a decent result given their low drag aero package and the handy Mercedes power unit at their disposal.

For Mercedes things may not be a given this weekend as the new rule around the starting procedure comes into action. The new regulation will mean that the assistance from the pitwall is restricted and will put the driver in control of the start. In both of the last two grand prix starts Mercedes has been swamped off the line and there is a feeling that this regulation could create further problems for the Silver Arrows. Hamilton has suggested that the starts could even be “disastrous.”

Ferrari went into the summer break with an incredible victory at the Hungarian grand prix in the bank. At Spa Ferrari probably shouldn’t be in the reckoning for victory if you consider that the circuit has a tremendous emphasis on engine power. Yet, there is something about Spa-Francorchamps and Kimi Raikkonen that makes for an extraordinary combination. The Finn won here in 2009 with a dreadfully underperforming Ferrari and last year finished fourth in a significantly underpowered car. So, it may not be too incredible to propose victory number five around the famed circuit for the Iceman.

August 18, 2015
Jules Bianchi Update: Condition ‘more terrible than if he had died,’ says his father

Jules Bianchi’s father, Philippe, has admitted that he is becoming a lot less optimistic about the chances of his son recovering from the injuries suffered during a horrific crash at last year’s Japanese Grand Prix.

Jules Bianchi remains in a coma at a hospital in Nice, nine months after his horrific collision with a recovery vehicle at the grand prix at Suzuka and his father describes the situation as one that his putting the Bianchi family through “daily torture”.

Bianchi suffered severe brain injuries in the crash and his family have remained hopeful, remaining at his bedside, but his father wass a lot less optimistic in an interview with France Info, a local radio station.

“It’s unbearable, it’s a daily torture,” Philippe Bianchi told the radio station. “We sometimes feel like we’re going crazy, because for me, it certainly is more terrible than if he had died. For we’re not able to help him more than we can.

“Time goes by and I am now less optimistic than I may have been two or three months after the crash, when we could hope for a better evolution. At some point, you need to be well-grounded and realise how serious the situation is.”

Bianchi, who was driving for Marussia and was part of Ferrari’s young driver programme, has not made any significant progress in his recovery. His father went on to say that waking up from the coma would lead to further complications as he struggles with a conversation he had with Jules following Michael Schumacher’s skiing accident in December 2013.

“If he finds himself with huge disabilities, we’re pretty sure it’s not at all what Jules would want. We had talked about it. He told us that if he were to have an accident similar to Michael Schumacher’s, if he were even just not to be able to drive anymore, it would be very hard for him to accept it. Because it was his life.”

We all continue to hope for a full recover for Jules and our thoughts remain with the Bianchi family throughout their struggle.

#ForzaJules

July 13, 2015
Jules Bianchi update

Philippe Bianchi, father of Jules Bianchi, has provided an update on Jules’ current medical situation, as well as voiced his anger around the FIA investigation which blames his son for the horror crash at the 2014 Japanese Grand Prix.

The 25-year old Bianchi remains in a coma in Nice more than six months after that terrible day at Suzuka. His father agreed to an interview with a local Nice newspaper “out of respect for all the people who continue to send Jules their beautiful wishes, encouragement and affection every day”.

He did however admit that there is very little to report about Jules’ progress medically.

“The only thing we can say is that he fights with force and with the same strength that he has always fought with, before and after the accident,” Bianchi told the local Nice-Matin newspaper.

“Every day, Jules does a marathon. From a medical point of view, his condition is stable. He is fairly autonomous — no physical problems.

“All of his organs are working without assistance. But for now, he remains unconscious.”

When asked whether neurosurgeons are seeing any improvement in Bianchi’s brain state, he admitted that this is something that will take a very long time, “For this kind of trauma, we know the evolution is very slow,” he said.

“But compared to what the Japanese professor who operated on him told us, it is already night and day. There, when we arrived to see Jules, there was no hope. There was talk of irreversible damage.

“It was said he could not be transferred before one year, but it was done after seven weeks, as Jules quickly began to breathe again on his own.

“Now, the doctors tell us there is no specific intervention they can do. Most important is to stimulate Jules so that he feels a constant presence at his side.

“So we take turns every day — his mother, his sister, his brother and me. He also has his German girlfriend, Gina, who lives here now,” Philippe told Nice-Matin.

“From time to time, at his bedside, we see that things are happening. Sometimes he is more active, he moves more, squeezes our hand, but is it mere reflex or is it real?

“Hard to know,” Mr Bianchi said.

He said it continues to be a terrible time within the Bianchi family, a “daily torture”.

“Our universe collapsed on 5 October 2014. The questions that no one can answer now: will he make it? If so, will he be disabled or can he live normally? I think that in this type of accident, it hits harder than a death. The suffering is relentless. A daily torture,” Bianchi explained.

“To those people who think of him, I want to thank each one and tell them that we will give news when there is any, good or bad.”

When asked about the FIA investigation which placed blame on Jules Bianchi for the horror crash, Philippe was furious.

“It was an internal investigation,” he abruptly replied. “Only those who were involved were engaged.

“Regarding this, I have nothing new to say,” Mr Bianchi continued. “Very good people are involved now to defend the interests of Jules.

“If someone is responsible some day, he will have to pay. Frankly, I’m too upset to talk about it. I prefer to focus my energy on Jules now”.

Our thoughts remain with Jules Bianchi, his father Phillipe and his family, friends and fellow race drivers. Keep fighting, young man! #ForzaJules

April 13, 2015
Hamilton holds the lead in second practice

Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton continued to set the pace during Friday’s practice sessions for the Chinese Grand Prix as he ended the second practice session almost half a second faster than Ferrari’s Kimi Raikkonen.

Hamilton posted a time of 1:37.219 during the low-fuel runs on Option tyres finishing 0.443s ahead of Raikkonen. The Finn’s performance on the soft tyres was very impressive and long run pace on the Prime tyres was also right up there with Mercedes. The stage certainly seems set for an epic battle this weekend.

Red Bull’s struggles continued with Daniel Ricciardo only making it out of the garage at the 45 minute mark, but the Australian driver managed to post the third fastest time of the session – just over a second down on Hamilton’s time.

His team mate, Daniil Kvyat posted the sixth fastest time but his session came to an early end in the barriers after he suffered a brake failure. He had left the pits with a brake problem and Red Bull called him back to the garage informing him to slowly make his way back, but he headed into the gravel at the hairpin, into the barrier and damaged his front wing.

Sebastian Vettel spun off early in on in the session but recovered to finish fourth fastest, with Nico Rosberg managing fifth after running wide at the final corner on his hot lap.

Valtteri Bottas finished seventh for Williams and Sauber’s Felipe Nasr was eighth.

After sitting out the first practice session, Romain Grosjean headed out to finish ninth and Jenson Button rounded out the Top 10 in his McLaren. The McLaren team have made some definite improvements with Button only about 0.4 seconds off Grosjean’s pace on the soft tyres.

Pastor Maldonado was fastest through the speed trap but finished only 11th fastest, ahead of Fernando Alonso, Marcus Ericsson and the Toro Rosso youngsters Max Verstappen and Carlos Sainz Jr.

Nico Hulkenberg placed his Force India in 16th, ahead of Felipe Massa.

The Brazilian driver’s session also ended early when he locked his rear tyres under braking at the hairpin and spinning off into the barriers – also damaging his front wing. His spin brought out a brief red flag while his Williams was recovered from the track.

Sergio Perez was 18th quickest, ahead of Robert Merhi and Will Stevens for the Manor Marussia team.

Stevens spent most of the session in the garage with a power unit problem but was able to head out onto track in the final few minutes of the session.

The session was punctuated by a spectator who ran across the pit straight between the flying cars of Ericsson and Hulkenberg.

The idiotic fan was arrested and taken into police custody.

You can watch the madness here.

And is if that didn’t make the session interesting enough, a couple was spotted in the stands having their wedding photos taken.

Talk about a High Speed Wedding and all. Let’s hope their marriage is a little slower paced and longer lasting.

If today’s practice sessions are anything to go by, Sunday’s race is going to be very interesting! A lot will depend on who can make their soft tyres last longest – with Ferrari already proving at the Malaysian Grand Prix that their cars are very easy on the rubber. Today too, the Ferraris showed their ability to make their tyres last. Lewis Hamilton completed 11 laps on the soft tyre before seeing a significant drop-off. Sebastian Vettel on the other hand, was still setting decent times after 14 laps on the softer rubber.

There’s still plenty to play for though – Hamilton’s pace advantage is a lot bigger than in Malaysia so Ferrari will need to work hard to catch him if he races off into a lead.

Please join us on Twitter @F1_Madness tomorrow for live coverage and chat throughout the third practice and qualifying sessions.

Here is your timesheet for the second practice session:

April 10, 2015
F1 2015: Australian GP Preview – All-set for Australia

The pre-season testing sessions are complete and the Australian grand prix waits to either shatter the delusions or fulfil the promises made in Jerez and Barcelona.

The Albert Park circuit in Melbourne, Australia is the first step in what can potentially be an enthralling season of Formula 1 racing.

In a show of dogged determination and resolve the nearly defunct Marussia Formula 1 team has fought its way out of the abyss. After months of hard work behind the scenes energy boss Stephen Fitzpatrick has been revealed as the investor behind the team which will now be known as Manor F1. While the team was unable to attend any of the pre-season testing sessions the car has passed the mandatory FIA crash tests. The governing body signed off on a revised 2014 chassis which will race in Australia.

There is no doubt that McLaren will show up in Australia seriously underdone. The MP4-30 had a nightmarish amount of issues which ranged from oil pressure leaks to sensor problems to significant struggles with the MGU-K component. The Honda engine, in its first year of development, is rough around the edges and unable of being run at full-tilt by the team. At this stage it appears that Ron Dennis’ expectation of winning races will remain as nothing more than a wishful reverie.

To add to McLaren’s gloom Fernando Alonso has been advised by doctor’s not to race in Australia. The lack of details surrounding the Spaniard’s crash and subsequent “concussion” in Barcelona, while testing, has been the source for much confusion. Nevertheless, the team and driver have rightly opted to put safety above all. Reserve driver Kevin Magnussen will partner Jenson Button for the opening round of the season.

By contract things could hardly have gone much better for Mercedes. The reigning world champs maintained quite a low profile during the first few days of testing. However, there is not an inkling of doubt that team has, at least, maintained its advantage at the head of the pack. The more than 6000 km in testing is the most of any team and the pace so nonchalantly put on display in the final two days in Barcelona sent an ominous message to the chasing pack.

Ferrari’s 2014 driver pairing of Kimi Raikkonen and Fernando Alonso was a highly anticipated partnership which never reached the forecasted levels of grandstand finishes and epic duels. This time around the Finn is partnered by quadruple world champion Sebastian Vettel and team has committed to major changes in all departments.

The 2015 Ferrari surprised more than a few onlookers at the first test in Jerez with its inherent pace. In Barcelona the bigger picture revealed that although definitive strides were made the scarlet Ferrari still remains some way off the Mercedes pace. Along with a dramatically improved power unit both Raikkonen and Vettel are satisfied with the predictable front-end of the car.

Ferrari is touted as having taken the biggest step forward of all the teams on the grid. Which isn’t too shabby a start for a team in turmoil just a couple of months ago. While Mercedes is still out of reach the Italian team could very well be sitting with the second fastest package on the grid.

Of the new drivers on the grid Toro Rosso’s Max Verstappen will be scrutinized the most. The Dutchman has been talked up by his team for months. Since the team think it worthy to compare the 17-year-old to Ayrton Senna it will make watching his progress all the more fascinating.

An average Formula 1 team employs an average of 300 people who are tasked with the job of ensuring that two grand prix cars are able to race. However, there is nothing average about the level of anticipation and expectation that millions of fanatics have ahead of the first race of a new F1 season.

March 10, 2015