F1 Madness

Tag: max verstappen

  • F1 2018: Singapore Gp Review – Mercedes Rule Marina Bay

    F1 2018: Singapore Gp Review – Mercedes Rule Marina Bay

    The Singapore grand prix was not a classic by any stretch of the imagination. But Mercedes and Lewis Hamilton wouldn’t have wanted it any other way.

    A stunning lap on Saturday assured Lewis Hamilton pole position and, arguably, meant half the job was done come Sunday. He wasn’t challenged off the line either and was well in control of all of the 61 laps. Max Verstappen, who produced an equally impressive lap to qualify second, fell behind third-place starter Sebastian Vettel just as the safety car was deployed on lap.

    While those at the front were well behaved through turns one, two, and three the Force India pitwall watched on in dismay as their drivers collided. On-board footage showed Sergio Perez steering into the side of Esteban Ocon with the latter ending up in the wall and out of the race. Though stewards deemed it a ‘racing incident’ the Force India team principal Otmar Szafnaeur called the incident “completely outrageous” and instituted team orders for the remainder of the season.

    This wasn’t Perez’s only adventure during the Singapore grand prix either. Later on his strategy saw him stuck behind the Sergey Sirotkin for a number of laps during which he became increasingly frustrated. As he finally managed to make his way past the Williams he clearly lost his mind as he deliberately crashed into the side of Sirotkin. Surprisingly, race stewards deemed a drive-though penalty enough of a punishment for Perez.

    0026It’s a shockingly light punishment in view of other penalties given to drivers throughout the season. The British grand prix and the Raikkonen/Hamilton incident come to mind. In that case, Raikkonen had locked-up and banged wheels with Hamilton sending the Brit into a spin on lap one. Normally, stewards take a more lenient approach to lap one incidents but in this case they slapped a ten second penalty on Raikkonen.

    And because it was on lap one it effectively turned into a ten second stop-go penalty.  In this case Perez had deliberately crashed into the side of another car and, unbelievably, got away with a mere slap on the wrist. The stewards have set a dangerous precedent with how they have handled this situation.

    While the midfield were involved in quite a battle for positions those at the front were trundling around in a procession with Hamilton firmly in control.  Though Vettel was relatively close behind Hamilton he was never able to make a move for the lead. Clearly frustrated with proceedings Ferrari rolled the dice on strategy. The problem with this approach is that in Formula 1 you don’t roll the dice or take a chance on strategy. It must be a well thought out decision-making process that is going to improve the driver’s position in the race. This is an area where Ferrari are have been, plainly, mediocre.

    Though there is no telling if Vettel had the ultimate pace to beat Hamilton Ferrari’s strategy made sure he never had the opportunity to find out. The opening stint of the race was characterized by drivers trying to eek out their tyre life which saw the frontrunners run, mostly, at the same pace. However, as soon as Hamilton started pumping in fastest sectors Ferrari didn’t respond in kind. Instead they called Vettel in and armed him with a set of Ultrasoft tyres that could ‘potentially’ made it to the chequered flag. Though Hamilton pitted the next lap he fitted the Soft compound tyre, which were sure to easily make it to the end of the race.

    0007Even if Ferrari wanted to try the undercut strategy to get ahead of Hamilton fitting the Soft tyre was still the better strategy, as it was a long shot to work no matter which tyre he left the pitlane with. It was as if Ferrari were too impatient to see how things would pan out and, therefore, pulled Vettel in too early. Conversely, Raikkonen and Ricciardo were able to run 26 laps on the Hypersoft before switching to the Soft compound. As a result Ferrari left their driver without the ability to fight Hamilton and Verstappen, who also got ahead because of Vettel’s early stop. Because he didn’t know if the Ultras would last to the end of the race he couldn’t push as hard as he would have on the more durable Soft tyres. In fact, Raikkonen’s strategy would’ve been much better suited to Vettel. The worst-case scenario, with the Raikkonen-strategy, is that he would’ve finished third which he did anyway. There’s some irony in that.

    As it were Vettel slinked home in a distant third ahead of Valtteri Bottas, Kimi Raikkonen and Daniel Ricciardo in fourth, fifth, and sixth. Some fifty seconds behind the Red Bull in seventh was Fernando Alonso while Carlos Sainz, Charles Leclerc and Nico Hulkenberg completed the top ten.

    This win on the Singapore streets could be the most significant of the lot as far as 2018 is concerned. It wasn’t too long ago that Mercedes were woeful around the slow corners of the Marina Bay Circuit. And while Hamilton produced an exquisite lap to take pole and controlled the race on Sunday the win in Singapore is a true testament to the might of the entire Mercedes team.

    Hamilton and Mercedes have struck a hammer blow, pardon the pun, to Vettel and Ferrari’s chances of winning the 2018 title. This result gives Hamilton a mammoth 40-point lead over Vettel heading to Russia in two weeks time.

     

  • 2018 Singapore GP: Sunday Post Race Press Conference

    2018 Singapore GP: Sunday Post Race Press Conference

    DRIVERS

    1 – Lewis HAMILTON (Mercedes)

    2 – Max VERSTAPPEN (Red Bull Racing)

    3 – Sebastian VETTEL (Ferrari)

     

    TRACK INTERVIEWS

    (Conducted by David Coulthard)

     

    Q: Congratulations Lewis, you are a serial winner. That’s your 69th victory.

    Lewis HAMILTON: I’m spent. That was a tough race. But I have such great support here. We had a great start. The team have just never given up faith and belief in me and in Valtteri and in our ability, and it is a blessing. It was a long race. That felt like the longest race of my life, so I’m glad it’s over. Max put up a good fight as well, but what a day, what a weekend. I feel super blessed.

     

    Q: My knees can’t take this, can we stand? A man of a certain age. It got interesting around lap 38, there was a little bit of traffic there and they were in their own battle. You had to go defensive with Max, tell us about that moment?

    LH: Yeah, I was a little bit unlucky with the traffic. These guys were moving around, it was quite difficult to follow. I think Max was a little bit luckier getting by some of the guys in terms of what point on the track and the guys weren’t letting me by. Jeez, it was definitely close and my heart was definitely in my mouth for a minute but once I got clear of them I was able to put the pedal down and pull away.

     

    Q: This has been an incredible September in your life, in all of the Septembers you’ve lived. You’ve won the Italian Grand Prix, you’ve been off launching fashion lines, you’ve come here and you’ve now taken the lead to 40 points over Sebastian Vettel. It doesn’t get much better.

    LH: Definitely not. I mean they put up a good fight this weekend and I’m not really quite sure where their pace disappeared to, but as I said, I’m just grateful for everyone’s hard work, and the fans here. A lot of British flags come out Singapore, so thank you guys, love you, team LH all the way.

     

    Q: Enjoy the moment, congratulations, fantastic moment. Max, come and join me up here. A brilliant result.

    Max VERSTAPPEN: Yeah, it was not bad. A shame from the first lap, but you can clearly see we miss top speed. But from there on the team had a great strategy so we could get back into second. Basically we did our own race, tried to follow Lewis a little bit and at the end we knew second was going to be result so you just bring it home.

     

    Q: We saw you have a little stumble as you were coming out of the pit box, it looked like you were between gears, you were in second and then you went down to first. Even with that you still managed to get out in front of Seb.

    MV: It was not a perfect getaway, but also behind the safety car it was almost bogging down, false neutrals, so a lot of problems but still, very happy with second.

     

    Q: Well done, Max, great result. Seb, congratulations, but I’m a little bit confused. You were quick all through free practice on a track you’ve been exceptional on in the past, it just didn’t seem that you were in the fight today. Any ideas?

    Sebastian VETTEL: Yeah, it’s true. I think overall we were not fast enough. We didn’t have the pace in the race. But also I think we tried to be aggressive in the beginning and obviously it didn’t work out. After that I think I had a different race from the other guys, on a different tyre, and I wasn’t very convinced that we could make it to the end, but pitting wasn’t an option because you lose too much time in the pit stop. So we just focused on making it home.

     

    Q: The hopes of the tifosi rest with you. Have you got some light at the end of the tunnel? Lewis has started to open that gap up and time’s running out. How optimistic are you for the future races?

    SV: It doesn’t help. Obviously I’m mostly thinking about today’s race. I think today with the way we raced we didn’t have a chance. There might be something extra in the fact that maybe we were not quick enough but I think I said before the weekend we can only beat ourselves and we didn’t get everything out of the package.

     

    QUESTIONS FROM THE FLOOR

     

    Q: (Christian Menath – Motorsport-Magazin.com) Seb, you said it was pretty obvious what you have tried with the ultrasoft. But could you explain that a little bit, because even if you had jumped Lewis with the ultrasoft you would probably have been on the worse tyre for the rest of the race?

    SV: Well, I mean, obviously the first stint was a cruise for most of it, and then Lewis was picking up the pace. Overall, if you see the gap in the end it is clear that we were not fast enough today in the race. We need to understand why. Obviously it’s largely due to how we decided to race, on which tyres, for how many laps etc. With what we did we tried to get to first position but Lewis was too quick and then… once you are ahead you can control the pace around here but we never got ahead, so it’s a bit pointless to answer.

     

    Q: (Edd Straw – Autosport) Sebastian, you said you and the team didn’t get everything out of the car this weekend. Can you just talk through the progression over the weekend, where you went in the wrong direction? And just in general, do you think the team is not necessarily making the right calls and doing the right things with the way they play the weekend to maximise your chances?

    SV: No, I will always defend the team. I think the decision we took in the race, the decisions to try to be aggressive, if it works it’s great, today it didn’t work. Obviously it didn’t work by quite a bit and we need to look into that. But I believe we saw something and that’s why we go for it. Obviously inside the car it’s difficult to be on top of everything because you cannot see where you come out etc. We were aggressive in trying to get ahead, taking into account that we have to go through traffic, which in the end bit us also, to lose the second place. If it doesn’t work it is always easy to criticise but I will always defend what we did. Overall, we had a very strong package, both Kimi and myself, I think we looked very competitive throughout practice but in the end if you look at the race result we finished third and fifth. Like yesterday, probably not where the speed of our car belongs so that’s what I mean by saying we didn’t get everything out of ourselves.

     

    Q: (Phil Duncan – PA) Lewis, you said earlier that you didn’t expect to leave here adding ten extra points to your championship lead – so how big a boost is it to your title chances, winning here again, given that we always seem to think this is a Ferrari circuit?

    LH: Well, we’re really just taking it one race at a time, knowing that Ferrari have had quite good pace for the last few races. Generally, whilst we’ve finished on front foot, we start on the back foot, kinda thing, each weekend – but with a mentality that, if we do a good enough job, maybe we’ll come out ahead. Right this second it definitely feels… it was a tough race. It was a hardcore race. The cars are much quicker than usual, and obviously that moment we had with the backmarkers and the crazy day we had yesterday, with the crazy week that I’ve had… the last two weeks have just been intense. So, I’m looking forward to a couple of days off, these following days – but, of course it feels great but I’ve been here a long, long time so I don’t let… I know I can’t get ahead of myself; we can’t get ahead of ourselves. We have to continue to remain humble and just keep working as hard as we can. So, right now, I just feel, job done. I’m really happy with it. Still lots of points available but with this performance, and this focus that we have as a team, I truly believe that we can deliver impactful weekends like this for the rest of the season. So that’s the goal.

     

    Q: (Laurence Edmondson – ESPN) Question for Seb. Looking at the weekend as a whole, how costly were those lost laps in FP2, in understanding the tyres and putting together the race strategy?

    SV: Not at all. I mean, I’ve done enough laps around here. Obviously, it’s never great if you miss out but I think Friday and Saturday morning we were first in practice, so I don’t think that made a big difference. And also, late on in the season, you know enough about tyres and you can read from other people, so I think we got all the information and the fact that I think today we made it until the end with the most laps on the tyre you probably least expect to go that far, shows that we didn’t have any problems with the tyres. But obviously, you know we had to manage our race differently than the other guys.

     

    Q: (Julien Billotte – AutoHebdo) Question for Seb again. Did you guys pit earlier than expected because you misheard what Lewis reported on his tyre at the start of the race, in the early phase of the race?

    SV: What did he report?

    He said “I’ve got a lot left in my tyres,” and your engineer reported the opposite – which you didn’t believe actually. So did you pit earlier than expected?

    SV: I did not believe it, I said it’s not true – because we were going quite slowly in the beginning, and I think a couple of laps after that, Lewis decided to push, so obviously, when your tyres are fresh you can choose the pace a little bit here and not be under threat because the corners that matter, you still have very good exits and it’s difficult to get close. So yeah, in the end I think we were fine in the first stint. We probably dropped back a little bit too much, so I think, overall, we did not have exactly the pace that we wanted – but also, if you are the first car it is always easier because you have nobody in front, you manage your tyres and then, at some point, you decide to go. Whereas if you are behind, you always need to be sort-of ready. If you drop back too much then you’re too far away, so it’s natural that, being behind, you lose quite a lot. Even if you go slower, being behind, you damage your tyres more than being in front, going slower. So, it was not a big surprise but that’s how the game is played here, and he did it very well, and they executed well. For us, we tried to do something, it didn’t work full stop and from their obviously we were more on the back foot and defence. So, we had a different race after that point.

     

    Q: (Ben Hunt – The Sun) Question to Sebastian. After starting the season so well, still got the fastest car, is there a sense now that you might be losing your grip on this championship?

    SV: Well, Lewis said he didn’t expect to come here gaining ten points, we probably didn’t come here expecting to lose ten points – but, having had the race that we had, I think there’s a full justification for losing those ten points and we take it. Obviously, there is still a long way to go and a lot of points to score. I never believed that we had the fastest car by a big margin, as people said. I know that we have a very good car. I think we started the season well and then we were about half a second behind in qualifying and it was crucial to get back, which we manage to – and then we had a bit of a rough time but overall I think the speed is there but I think it’s a match in qualifying as much as in the race. Today, if anything, I think we were a little bit slower, which we need to have a look and understand – but also it’s difficult to draw the conclusion because our race, my race was very different. I was on the oldest tyres and probably on the tyre that was not supposed to last that long. You would probably like to go out and do the same stint on the same tyres, just to be able to compare – but that’s not the race that we had today. So, you know, that’s what it was this weekend. Russia, I think, has been getting better the last years for us, so it should suit our car as well. I don’t think we have any tracks to fear that are coming. I think our car is working pretty much everywhere and that’s a strength of our car, so no need to be afraid of what’s coming.

     

    Q: (Jerome Pugmire – Associated Press) Sebastian, earlier you said you need to look as to why you were third and fifth and yesterday you had some questions about what happened in qualifying. Why is it that you can’t put your finger on what’s going wrong at the moment for Ferrari?

    SV: I think first of all we’re not playing a silly game, we’re quite serious and it’s quite tough competition, so the level of competition is very high and if you have the slightest mistake obviously there are people there who are usually there to benefit from it. I think today, you know the race that we had showed that Max was there straightaway to benefit. Maybe sometimes you are lucky and it’s not showing as crucial but today it caught us and what we tried didn’t work and also caught us out so it didn’t help but I’m happy to try, I’m happy to try being aggressive to try and win. That was the ambition and especially on a track where it’s difficult to pass you need to try and figure something out. Yeah, but overall I think it’s not the result that we wanted and it’s a disappointment because we came here thinking that we are very strong. I think we were but not strong enough, not as strong as we probably wanted to be in terms of raw race pace. Yesterday, I still believe we could have had a better day but it’s history so – same as today – we need to look forward. There are a couple of differences that are standing out about yesterday, about today, things that we can learn from the others, because they simply did a better job if they finish ahead of us by half a minute, so clearly they did some things better than us.

     

    Q: (Daan de Geus – Formula 1 Magazine NL) Max…

    MV: They are like the Finnish, you know…

     

    Q: (Daan de Geus – Formula 1 Magazine NL) Max, you and Red Bull earmarked this as the best opportunity of the second half of the season. How important is it to deliver with a good result, and does it change your expectations heading into these last six races?

    MV: No. I mean. Yeah. Well, it’s quite straightforward. This race was better for us than Monza, for example, so I think we maximised the result with the problems we had with the engine which was a shame, because I was very happy the safety car was gone because I was almost stalling on the track so even my pit stop was not great. Yeah, looking forward to now… I don’t know which track will come up as maybe good again. Maybe Mexico a little bit but we lose a lot on the straight, so I’m not expecting it to be like last year but you never know. You always have to be positive I guess and try to be there if something happens.

     

    Q: (Joost Nederpelt – NU.NL) Max, was there any point in this race – pace-wise – where you thought you could win this race?

    MV: Laps to the grid, I think. No, you can’t pass, it’s impossible. You could see that once in the first stint when we were all going quite slowly, even if you wanted to push a bit more you can’t get close so you’re just following a train. Yeah, you just have to do your own race, try to look after the tyres and that’s what we did, that’s why we could do the overcut which of course was great and once I was in second again, I know I would just try to follow Lewis to the end and bring it home.

     

    Q: (Edd Straw – Autosport) Sebastian and Max, you had two battles, one on the first lap…

    LH: Do you have a question for me?

     

    Q: (Edd Straw – Autosport) You were just too good.

    MV: Oh thanks, mate!

     

    Q: (Edd Straw – Autosport) Sebastian and Max, you had two battles, one on the first lap and one after the pit stop. Could you just talk through those battles and if you could have done anything differently to reverse them? Could you have stayed there first time Max and Seb could you have got ahead second time?

    MV: They were fine. I was a disappointed the first one and I guess Seb was a bit disappointed the second one.

    SV: That’s a good summary. I had a very good start, I tried in turn one but Max was covering the inside and from there I tried to line things up for the next corner which was successful and I got a bit of a tow from Lewis down the straight so that worked well. The pits it was tight so I lost it again, it was a pity, obviously.

     

    Q: (Kate Walker – New York Times) Lewis, the perceived wisdom for most of this season is that you’ve got the second best car on the grid but you have also got the biggest advantage in the championship. Where are you finding these performances where you are able to outstrip both your car and your competitors’ equipment?

    LH: Good question, thank you, I appreciate it. It’s hard up here because it’s like an anti-climax. Naturally it was a hard race but we need to keep the energy up because this is a special moment for me and for the team. Was it an exciting race, or not really for you guys? That’s probably why. I definitely heard a couple of people snoring here. Honestly, it’s just great teamwork, very very diligent engineering. The guys obviously back at the car, we’re constantly learning about the car and refining it but we’re bring out upgrades every now and then but it’s pretty much the same times as they (Ferrari) bring theirs. But it’s more understanding the tyres, it’s more getting more comfortable with hitting the nail on the head with the balance of the car and really just eking out each little bit and each weekend we’re got incredible communications. The debriefs are really really solid, there’s a lot of direction that comes from the debriefs. I give quite long debriefs nowadays and we work to the point that we leave no stone unturned, there’s not a single stone unturned each weekend that we arrive and so it’s a real collective, it’s just the strongest the team has ever been in terms of how we communicate. We’ve got great people in the team, both at the factory and here and it’s a real privilege to work with everyone and also we’re all so comfortable with each other and there’s a huge confidence within the organisation. And in terms of my driving, as I said, I have these others things that I do outside which are stimulating. I know there were questions at the beginning of the week whether it is distracting and naturally you come here and if I put one foot wrong, people are going to point to the things that I do outside as a result of it. You can see, it doesn’t affect my performance and if anything those things they add to the performance really. Healthwise, I’m super healthy. As I said, I went on a plant-based diet last year – here, actually, I started here last year – and it’s been the best year of my life physically.

  • F1 2018: Italian Gp Review – Hamilton Snatches Victory

    F1 2018: Italian Gp Review – Hamilton Snatches Victory

    What a difference a day can make. On Saturday the Tifosi were in raptures as Ferrari locked out the front row of the grid with Kimi Raikkonen setting the fastest lap, in terms of average speed, in Formula 1 history.

    But Ferrari’s front row lockout didn’t go anything like they would’ve planned.While it was a relatively clean start for polesitter Kimi Raikkonen the other Ferrari of Sebastian Vettel got caught up with Lewis Hamilton into the second chicane. Vettel and Hamilton came together with the Ferrari driver coming off worse for wear and with a broken front wing which dropped him to plumb last.

    The move by Hamilton was deemed a racing incident and rightly so. Though Vettel may want to believe that the Merc driver didn’t leave him enough space it simply isn’t the case. Instead Vettel could benefit from some serious self-reflection. The old adage goes that you cannot win a race in the first corner but you can certainly lose it. In this instance Vettel should have kept calm and bided his time. But in the moment, as has happened before, he failed to see the bigger picture. This result could have serious ramifications for Vettel and his bid for a fifth driver’s title.

    Hamilton had briefly taken the lead but Raikkonen brilliantly regained it with a move around the outside of the Mercedes driver into the Della Roggia chicane. The Safety Car was deployed to recover the stricken Toro Rosso of Brendon Hartley but Raikkonen handled the re-start easily and maintained the lead of the race. From there Raikkonen kept his Ferrari ahead albeit by a scant second.

    0041The speed of racing around Monza meant the pitstop phase was upon the drivers fairly quickly. Mercedes sent out a pitcrew into the pitlane suggesting that they would call in Hamilton. However, no pitstop eventuated and the mechanics trundled back into the garage. Subsequently, the FIA has clarified that mock pitstops are illegal and will be policed more strictly going forward.

    As it were, Raikkonen set a blistering pace immediately after his pitstop that left with a six second gap over Hamilton. But Mercedes played the perfect strategic hand by using Valtteri Bottas to back Raikkonen into Hamilton. Though the Ferrari driver was able to hold off Hamilton for quite some time with a hand full of laps to go it was clear that his rear tyres were in a critical state. Hamilton, on slightly fresher tyres, was able to take the lead of the race and ultimately the victory.

    In fact, Raikkonen’s rear tyres were in such a critical state it’s a bit of a surprise that he managed to get to the chequered flag. This too could be viewed as a strategic error by Ferrari but one committed long before they even got to Italian grand prix. Ferrari paid the soft tyre next to no mind when it came time to select the compounds for the race. It eventually meant that the team, and Raikkonen, had little to no data and understanding as to how the compound would react and wear in long runs. Hence, they were unable to predict tyre life and likely made their pitstop too early.

    0123Much further adrift Max Verstappen finished third on the road for Red Bull but had five seconds added to his race time for banging wheels with Bottas going into turn one. This promoted Bottas to third while Vettel was ultimately able to recover to fourth. It left Verstappen in fifth while his Red Bull teammate Daniel Ricciardo failed to reach the chequered flag with a confirmed clutch failure.

    Haas F1’s Romain Grosjean finished sixth on the road but his car was subsequently disqualified as the FIA deemed the leading edge of the floor to be illegal. The American team has since lodged an appeal. Grosjean’s disqualification promoted Esteban Ocon to sixth with his Force India teammate Sergio Perez in seventh. Carlos Sainz was eighth for Renault, the team that lodged the complaint against Haas, while Williams’ Lance Stroll was ninth and Sergey Sirotkin scored the first point of his F1 career in tenth.

    Hamilton’s win gives him a thirty point lead in the drivers standings over Vettel heading into Singapore in two weeks time.

    All images courtesy of Pirelli Motorsport 
  • F1 2018: Belgian Gp Review – Ferrari Stroll To Spa Victory

    F1 2018: Belgian Gp Review – Ferrari Stroll To Spa Victory

    Untroubled, Sebastian Vettel drove the perfect race to secure victory at the 2018 Belgian grand prix. While Saturday qualifying, wet in the final part, went the way of Lewis Hamilton Sunday was brought a completely different complexion as the Ferrari driver skillfully scythed past pole sitter Hamilton into the lead of the race.

    Both Force India cars, starting on the second row thanks to a dramatic quali, started equally well and slotted in behind the front two. It all went off behind them however as a dramatic first corner crash, triggered by Renault’s Nico Hulkenberg, saw Fernando Alonso’s McLaren fly over the cockpit of Charles Leclerc. The halo, significantly scuffed by Alonso’s tyre, played a significant role in keeping the Sauber driver safe and uninjured in an otherwise dangerous crash. An example of how well the halo works was never needed or wanted but this serves as the perfect illustration for all those that continually criticized and moaned about the aesthetics of why it is needed in Formula 1. It’s certain that without it there would have been a different outcome for Charles Leclerc.

    Though they retired slightly later the first lap also laid claim to Kimi Raikkonen and Daniel Ricciardo. The Red Bull driver was tagged from behind by Alonso and lost his rear wing. While he did get back out he was a lap down without little prospect of gaining anything meaningful from the race consequently Red Bull retired Ricciardo’s no. 3 car.

    spa For Kimi Raikkonen it was desperately unlucky as Ricciardo’s front wing caused a right-rear puncture on the Ferrari. It subsequently damaged the right endplate of the rear wing, the DRS, and caused enough floor damage to render the car un-driveable.

    While first lap crashes are part and parcel of racing Ferrari only has itself to blame for Raikkonen’s ultimate retirement. The day before an awkward blunder in quali left Raikkonen without enough fuel to complete the final part of the session. While others improved their laptimes the Finn was left to start sixth on the grid. This position often referred to as the ‘carbon fibre zone’ is notoriously where most incidents occur. But Ferrari was flustered when the rain came down in the final part of qualifying and they made mistakes that ultimately cost Raikkonen a shot at a decent result. As if to add insult to injury Raikkonen was fastest well the mix for pole on a circuit where he is considered a specialist and has won on four previous occasions.

    spa1Up front it was as easy a Sunday afternoon drive for Vettel. While both Mercedes and Ferrari introduced upgraded internal combustion engines for this weekend Hamilton and Mercedes just didn’t have the pace to live with the Ferrari. This was something that Hamilton bemoaned after the race too by saying that Ferrari has some “tricks”. Whatever he was implying if he is hoping to play a psychological game it wont land with neither Vettel nor Ferrari.

    Hamilton went on to paint himself as the underdog despite being in the lead of the driver’s championship. But the likelihood is that he doesn’t really believe himself to be the downtrodden. After all, he is the reigning champion in a works Mercedes that will be a force at Monza.

    As Vettel and Hamilton took the first two steps on the podium Max Verstappen drove a lonely race into third while Valtteri Bottas ably recovered to fourth after starting nearly last on the grid. Sergio Perez and Esteban Ocon delivered fourth and fifth for Force India in what has been a difficult time for the team off the track. Romain Grosjean and Kevin Magnussen were sixth and seventh for Haas while Toro Rosso’s Pierre Gasly and Marcus Ericsson completed the top ten for Sauber.

    Vettel’s win brings him to within 17 points of Hamilton in the drivers standing and more importantly gives Ferrari some much-needed momentum ahead of their home race this weekend.

    *Podium Image courtesy of Pirelli Motorsport
    *First lap Images courtesy of Racing Point Force India
  • F1 2018: Belgium Gp Preview – Spa, Meaning of Brilliance

    F1 2018: Belgium Gp Preview – Spa, Meaning of Brilliance

    Good things are worth waiting for and they don’t come any better than the mythical Spa-Francorchamps circuit in the foothills of Belgium’s Ardennes.

    Formula 1 returns this weekend after its nearly month long ‘shut down’ but while the racing on track may have ceased for a few weeks the sport that never sleeps has continued to churn at quite a dramatic rate.

    For years if not decades the driver market has been one of the most intriguing aspects of the sport. Who would race where and when has relentlessly dominated paddock discussions, arguably, since the sports inception. So much speculation has surrounded driver moves that it even coined its own phrase to become known as the silly season. It’s been no less dramatic in 2018 and the last month either. First, Daniel Ricciardo astonishingly announced his departure from Red Bull to join Renault for the 2019 season. It’s a bold move from a confident driver and only time will tell if it was the right move for Ricciardo.

    It wasn’t the least of the driver announcement over the break as Fernando Alonso too announced that he would be stepping away from the sport at the conclusion of the 2018 season.  It appears that he may run a dual program that features racing in the World Endurance Championship and the IndyCar season as he tries to obtain the much-vaunted Triple Crown. His 17-year career in F1 has simultaneously been highlighted by brilliance and underscored by controversy but the fact remains that, for Formula 1, Fernando Alonso is undoubtedly a loss.

    Fernando Alonso_Canada 2017_Thursday Part 1It’s been well known for a few months that Carlos Sainz will take over Alonso’s seat at McLaren where he is likely to be partnered by F2 driver Lando Norris for 2019.

    Elsewhere the most high profile seat that remains officially open is at Ferrari and is currently occupied by Kimi Raikkonen. While rumours swirled early in the season that Charles Leclerc would be drafted into the team for 2019 it is looking fairly certain that Raikkonen will remain at Ferrari for 2019. In fact, rumours suggest that a 1+1 deal has been agreed to between the two parties. This means an assured seat for Raikkonen in 2019 and a team option to extend his contract for 2020.

    It’s no great surprise that Raikkonen would be kept on given the way he has driven in 2018. Third in the championship standings despite two DNF’s and bulletproof consistency is likely what sealed the deal. It seems all the more fitting that F1 returns to action at a circuit where Raikkonen has won on four occasions.

    The famed Spa circuit is an old-school masterpiece infused with the memories of a bygone era that tested man and machine to the absolute limit. While fabled corners such as Eau Rouge and Blanchimont may be easier to navigate in the 2018 era of F1 car it’s no less spectacular when it all comes together. It’s seven kilometer long lap is characterized by long straights and challenging fast corners against one of the most picturesque backdrops on the calendar.

    Kimi Raikkonen fastest in Silverstone 7F1 testAnother unique and notorious characteristic of the Belgian grand prix is its changeable weather conditions. Such is the vastness of the circuit that it often simultaneously rains on one part of the track while it remains dry on another. The list of names who have won more than twice on the demanding Spa circuit is a short one that includes only the likes of Fangio, Hill, Raikkonen, Clark, Senna, and the great Michael Schumacher who won a staggering six times.

    The undulating circuit and its distinctive power dominant demands bring Mercedes and Ferrari to the fore this weekend. Red Bull will have to work much harder to make an impact in the middle sector where its aero efficiency will be its biggest strength. For Sebastian Vettel it will imperative to stop Hamilton’s momentum and stem the loss of points to the reigning champion.

    But there is every opportunity that neither Vettel nor Hamilton will be on the top step of the podium this weekend. After all it is a circuit where Kimi Raikkonen has always shone.

  • F1 2018: Hungarian Gp Review – Hamilton Cruises to Victory

    F1 2018: Hungarian Gp Review – Hamilton Cruises to Victory

    The Hungarian grand prix weekend was never one Mercedes would’ve marked as one where they had a clear shot at the win. Its tight and twisting layout rewards superior aerodynamics and a shorter wheelbase, which are two areas where Ferrari and Red Bull hold the upper hand.

    But Formula 1 in 2018 has arguably been one of the most unpredictable seasons of this decade and likely the previous one too. Extraordinarily a downpour during Saturday qualifying nullified Mercedes’s biggest weaknesses and brought their drivers’ prowess to the fore. Lewis Hamilton took a stunning 77thcareer pole and Valtteri Bottas ensured a team lock out of the front row.

    Mercedes biggest job on race was to orchestrate a clean start and from there Hamilton would be able to control the race.  It panned out beautifully for the Silver Arrows as Bottas slotted in behind with Vettel and Raikkonen in third and fourth. Before long Hamilton had built a handy lead with the assistance of his teammate Bottas who team boss Toto Wolff referred to as a “sensational wingman” post race.

    56i0670Try as they might Ferrari couldn’t make inroads on Hamilton who never looked troubled on his way to a sixth victory around the Hungaroring. It wasn’t quite the day Red Bull had envisioned either. Max Verstappen had made a rapid start from seventh to fifth but was soon forced into retirement with yet another power unit failure this time on the MGU-K. If the Red Bull/Renault relationship was fraught before it is now boiled over and some serious questions are likely to be asked by Christian Horner and co.

    The ever dependable and impressive Daniel Ricciardo, who started 12th, made his way through the field in true Honey Badger style as he dispatched several drivers with numerous brilliant overtakes. Still Hamilton was leading with ease with a significant gap to Bottas who was now beginning to struggle on his soft compound tyres.

    Vettel was on the gearbox of the Mercedes but never within striking distance of taking the place. However, it all went off the closing stages for Vettel as he elbowed his way into second. Bottas desperately tried to maintain his position and lost a good chunk of his front wing in the process, which also allowed Raikkonen through into third. Raikkonen finished just 2.9 seconds behind Vettel despite making an extra pitstop and losing time in the pitlane. His fifth podium in a row surely means that the Finn deserves to be signed up for 2019.

    54i6661It wasn’t the last of Bottas’ woes as he frantically tried to keep Ricciardo at bay by running into the side of the Red Bull in Turn One. Ultimately Bottas was handed a ten second penalty but still finished fifth on the road behind Ricciardo. For as quick as Bottas occasionally can be, i.e. Russia and Austria, he does not have the essential mettle against the top drivers. In Bahrain earlier this year he was mugged by Vettel, similarly in Silverstone and again in Hungary Vettel doffed him up.

    Unfortunately for Bottas he’s beginning to get a reputation of being soft in wheel-to-wheel combat. It’s unquestionably an issue that he should be pondering over the break.

    Elsewhere, Toro Rosso’s Pierre Gasly finished a superb sixth with Kevin Magnussen of Haas in seventh. Birthday boy Fernando Alonso finished eighth ahead of Carlos Sainz and Romain Grosjean in ninth and tenth respectively. Early on Charles Leclerc was out of the race with suspension damage. Verstappen joined him on the DNF list as did Stoffel Vandoorne whose McLaren conjured up yet another gearbox failure.

    Hamilton’s win ensures him a 25-point lead in the driver’s championship standings over Vettel ahead of the Belgium grand prix on August 26.

    All images courtesy of Pirelli Motorsport 

  • 2018 Hungarian Grand Prix: Friday Practice Round Up

    2018 Hungarian Grand Prix: Friday Practice Round Up

    Coming into the weekend Red Bull looked the favourites for the 2018 instalment for the Hungarian Grand Prix. Come Free Practice 1 on the Friday and they showed that they were in the running from the outset with Daniel Ricciardo taking the honours in the first practice session. Free Practice 2 was more of the same up front, this time with Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel taking the top spot.

    Free Practice 1

    Red Bull showed they were fast as soon as their cars hit the tarmac in the morning session. At the end of the session it was Daniel Ricciardo running an older spec Renault engine that took the top spot with a 1:17.613. Ricciardo’s time came courtesy of the soft compound tyres. The Red Bull driver ran the medium and soft compound tyres during FP1.

    Just narrowly missing out on the top spot in FP1 was the Ferrari of Sebastian Vettel with a session best time of 1:17.692, just a mere 0.079s ff the pace. Vettel only ran the soft compound tyres. Kimi Raikkonen in the other Ferrari finished 4th fastest behind the other Red Bull of Max Verstappen. The top 3 drivers being covered by just 0.088s.

    It was quite a lively session with the green track proving challenging with the lack of grip in places. Marcus Ericsson spun twice in the Sauber. It was not just Ericsson that was caught out. Brendon Hartley in the Toro Rosso, and Max Verstappen also had off track excursions courtesy of  spins.

    If drivers were not spinning off the track they were locking up. Notable lock ups from Lewis Hamilton in the Mercedes as well as Sauber test driver Antonio Giovinazzi.

    Both Mercedes drivers struggled for grip around the tight and twisty Hungaroring while Renault appeared best of the rest despite the Ferrari customer teams receiving new power units.

     

    Free Practice 2

    The fight between Ferrari and Red Bull continued in FP2 with Vettel topping the time sheets with a fastest time of 1:16.834 on his qualifying simulation. Max Versatppen in the Red Bull was just 0.074s off Vettel’s benchmark on his qualifying setting a time of 1:16.908. Daniel Ricciardo was 3rd fastest ahead of Kimi Raikkonen in 4th.

    Lewis Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas finished in the same spot as they finished in FP1, with Hamilton in P5 and Bottas in P6. Romain Grosjean got his Haas in P7 ahead of the Renault of Carlos Sainz in 8th.

    Pierre Gasly in the Toro Rosso and Esteban Ocon in the Force India rounded out the top 10.

    The session has fewer spins than FP1. The big one was McLaren’s Stoffel Vandoorne who spun at T5 after dipping a wheel on the grass just before turn-in.

    Both Mercedes cars could not get a representative qualifying simulation time with Hamilton more than half a second off the pace.

     

  • F1 2018: German Gp Review – Hamilton Delivers Miraculous Win

    F1 2018: German Gp Review – Hamilton Delivers Miraculous Win

    How dramatically the Formula 1 pendulum can swing. For most of the German grand prix pole sitter Sebastian Vettel seemed well in control and seemingly heading towards a first win at the Hockenheimgring.

    He led Valtteri Bottas and Kimi Raikkonen cleanly from the start and was eking out the first stint on the ultrasoft compound. Meanwhile Hamilton, starting 14thafter a mechanical failure in quali, was scything his way through the field on the soft compound tyre. Nevertheless, before too long he was a pitstop adrift of the race leader.

    Raikkonen pitted first of the front-runners on lap fifteen. On the soft tyre the Finn delivered a string of fastest laps, which ultimately netted him the lead of the race after the pitstop phase. However, as Vettel’s tyres were twelve laps fresher the Ferrari pitwall instructed Raikkonen to let his German teammate through. Hamilton and his Mercedes team chose not to pit and completed a stunningly impressive stint of 42 laps on the soft tyre. It was unquestionably a master class in tyre management.

    By now Daniel Ricciardo, starting from the back of the grid due to penalties had pulled out of the race after reporting that he was “losing power”.  On lap 46 the rain came in and prompted several drivers, including Verstappen, into the pitlane for intermediate tyres. While the track remained slippery unfortunately for them the rain didn’t increase and they had to switch back to slicks.

    Vettel’s race too would be dramatically affected in the slippery conditions. as the race plunged into chaos with a dozen laps to go. Caught out by conditions Vettel dumped his Ferrari into the barriers and out of the race. It brought out the safety car which Raikkonen and Bottas took advantage off by switching to fresh ultrasofts.

    0090Hamilton too was initially called in only to be told to stay out. The Brit stayed out by controversially cutting the pit entry line. Post race a Mercedes team representative and Hamilton were summoned to the stewards for breaching Appendix L, Chapter IV Article 4 (d) of the FIA International Sporting Code. The regulation states that crossing the pit entry line is prohibited. While Raikkonen received a five second penalty for breaching the same rule in the 2016 Azerbaijan grand prix Hamilton was given only a reprimand. Remarkably, the stewards considered the fact that the “team candidly admitted the mistake and the fact that there was confusion” as a mitigating factor.  Considering this and the inconsistency of the rule application teams will undoubtedly store this nugget for future reference.

    Nonetheless, Hamilton’s drive was a stellar one. His control on the soft tyre and ability to master the slippery conditions makes this victory, arguably, one of the best of his career. The one two victory for Mercedes regains them the lead in the constructors standings by eight points while Hamilton returns to the top of the driver’s standings as well. Raikkonen’s third place, his fourth podium in four races, keeps his third in the standings and some would say still within striking distance should all thing be equal.

    0112Elsewhere, Verstappen finished fourth after a gamble on the intermediate tyres didn’t pay off. Renault’s Nico Hulkenberg proved best of the rest in fifth with Romain Grosjean, Sergio Perez, Esteban Ocon, Marcus Ericsson, and Toro Rosso’s Brendon Hartley rounding out the top ten. Meanwhile, in addition to Vettel and Ricciardo both McLaren drivers and both the Williams’ failed to reach the chequered flag.

    Hamilton now takes a 17-point lead to the Hungarian grand prix next weekend where Ferrari and especially Red Bull are expected to have the upper hand.

    All images courtesy of Pirelli Motorsport

  • F1 2018: German Gp Review – Ferrari Favourite?

    F1 2018: German Gp Review – Ferrari Favourite?

    Formula 1 returns to Germany and the Hockenheimring for the eleventh round of the absorbing 2018 season.

    Throughout the decades Germany and Formula 1 have become synonymous, arguably, because of a man named Michael Schumacher. Schumi’s unprecedented brilliance not only made him a record breaking seven times world champion but also catapulted F1 to superstardom in Germany. What’s more, Schumacher’s relentless genius easily transcended the boundaries of his sport and seeped into the consciousness of sports fans around the globe. To this day hardly anyone would speak of Formula 1 with mentioning the unmatched genius of Schumacher. Keep fighting Michael.

    These days there is another German at the forefront of the sport. Sebastian Vettel, aiming to win a fifth world title, currently leads the driver’s standings by eight points from Lewis Hamilton. And if he was determined to take victory at Silverstone one can only imagine that he’ll be even more resolute to win on home soil.

    Ferrari’s stunning pace in Silverstone would’ve come as a bit of a surprise to Mercedes given the team’ long running domination of the British circuit. Mercedes have been an incredible team at the forefront of Formula 1 for the last three and a half years. But they’ve been placed under enormous pressure in 2018. Ferrari has pushed the German mark into uncharted territory and they haven’t responded in the most elegant of ways. Off the track technical director James Allison called Raikkonen’s clash of wheels with Hamilton in Silverstone “either incompetent or deliberate”. Peculiar statements like this only tell of one thing – they’re starting to feel the pressure.

    Mercedes-Benz, MotorsportNevertheless, they are an incredibly resourceful and driven team who will bounce back sooner rather than later. Their first opportunity to do so comes this weekend around the 4.574 km Hockenheimring. The circuit’s layout is a blend of long straights and a final sector of medium-speed corners that should play to the strengths of a superior aero package and may bring Red Bull somewhat in to play.

    The hairpin in the first sector of the lap is a key area for overtaking and demands good braking performance. Despite a relatively short lap drivers and engineers seek to strike a balance between top-speed and downforce. “You’d like to have the downforce for the stadium and to keep it steady on the brakes but equally you don’t want too much drag on the straights,” says Red Bull driver Daniel Ricciardo.

    GP CANADA F1/2017The final sector is not favourable for overtaking but the stadium section is a vital element to what makes the German GP unique. The decidedly muted sound of Formula 1 cars should make it possible to hear the cheering of the crowds, should a certain German driver be leading the race.

    The driver’s will need to vigilant at the start of the race as the first corner tightens dramatically before opening up onto the straight. Although there is an expanse of run-off area a touching of wheels or front-wing is a high probability.

    Though it may be the home race of Mercedes it’s likely to be a difficult task for Hamilton and co to beat Ferrari to the chequered flag. And if either Hamilton or Bottas best the Italian team it’ll be 67 laps you wouldn’t want to miss.

  • F1 2018: Spanish Gp Preview – Merc, Ferrari, Red Bull In The Mix

    F1 2018: Spanish Gp Preview – Merc, Ferrari, Red Bull In The Mix

    Formula heads to Spain’s circuit de Catalunya for the fifth round of the 2018 season.

    Amid the enthralling on track action of the season there has been many, significant, developments off it. Firstly, it was recently announced that the aerodynamic rules for the 2019 will be modified with the aim of allowing cars to follow each more easily. This, the FIA hopes, will ultimately aid in overtaking. The revision include a wider, simplified front wing and brake duct with no aero winglets and a wider and deeper rear wing that will increase the effectiveness of DRS. These changes are a bit of a quick fix for the 2019 season while the FIA are planning a comprehensive overhaul of the sport’s technical regulations for 2021.

    On the face of it anything that improves the ability to overtake is a positive. However, several teams voted against the 2019 changes and for good reason. The changes proposed by the FIA aren’t trivial and will likely force several teams into completely changing aerodynamic philosophy of their cars. And a re-designed aero package precipitates a re-design that will likely cost teams a lot of money.

    Elsewhere, the local authorities of Miami will vote this week on a bid to bring F1 to Florida from 2019 onwards. The bid is being backed by Miami mayor Francis Suarez and with American-owned Liberty Media wanting to expand the sport’s presence in the US it seems like a no-brainer. The first images of a possible layout for the Miami street-track have been revealed and it features a, first-ever, bridge that runs across the water and back, an idea first touted by Bernie Ecclestone in the 1980s. With F1’s calendar already bulging with 21 races it remains to be seen how a Miami Gp will be slotted in.

    spain-hamilton-rosbergAmidst it all there is a grand prix to be had this weekend around a circuit that teams and drivers know all to well. The circuit de Catalunya has long been the pre-season testing venue of choice meaning that teams arrive at the Southern-Spain track with a vast amount of data and know-how. Still the cars tested in late-February will be significantly different to what they arrive with this weekend. What’s more, it is the traditional trend that the Spanish grand prix weekend sees several teams bolt on upgrade packages to their respective cars.

    While Lewis Hamilton may have taken victory in a chaotic Azerbaijan grand prix he has been decidedly lacking in his usually near-faultless form. Still, he comes into the weekend with a four-point lead over Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel and with the expectation of being near the sharp-end of the grid.

    However, what has been most thrilling about F1 in 2018 is that no grand prix weekend has been predictable. Whether it be because of safety-cars, pit strategy, or out-right pace the potential has been there for at least six drivers to stand on top of the podium.

    Your money could be on Mercedes as they traditionally excel in Spain, or Ferrari who have seemingly built a car that can perform well at all circuits, including over one lap. Or you could put your money on Red Bull. After all it was here that Max Verstappen won his first race and who would bet against an ultra-confident Daniel Ricciardo? If nothing else this is what fans of the sport have wanted, and deserved, for the last several years – the beautiful unpredictability of Formula 1.