Tag: max verstappen

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
Toro Rosso Abu Dhabi Grand Prix Preview Quotes

Abu Dhabi Preview Quotes from the Toro Rosso F1 Team

Carlos Sainz

“It’s unbelievable how quickly my first season in Formula 1 has gone by! I still remember this time last year as if it was yesterday…It was a very special moment in my career too as, after the 2014 Abu Dhabi test with our friends at Infiniti Red Bull Racing, I was confirmed as a Scuderia Toro Rosso driver. It will now be good to go back there and race…

“I have some very good memories [of my Toro Rosso season]: scoring my first ever F1 points in my first race in Australia; qualifying in P5 in front of my home crowd in Barcelona; racing from pits to points in Monaco. Okay, then there’s been a bit of an unlucky streak, but we were able to overcome that and I’ve had some more good races lately, like Austin. I’ve learned so, so much this year that I can be sure I’ve become a better driver and I can use this experience to grow even more. This year was all about gaining experience, and that’s what we’ve done!”

Max Verstappen

“It’s a shame that it’s already the last race of the season, it would be good to keep on racing for another few weeks! At least I have my simulator at home, I can race on that until the season starts again!

“I’m very happy with my first year in Formula 1 with Toro Rosso. It’s been a steep learning curve. The Toro Rosso team has scored some really good results, ending up very close to the podium thanks to our two P4’s in Hungary and Austin! I’ve also had a lot of fun out on track – hopefully I can have some more this week.

“Even though [the Yas Marina Circuit] has long straights, there are also plenty of corners, which is good. The atmosphere is also special, with the harbour so close, and it will be interesting to race starting in the daylight and finishing at night. It’s the perfect setting for our last day at school. If we could finish the season sixth, that would be great – so let’s go for it! We will all push together, that’s for sure.”

November 26, 2015
F1 2015: Brazilian GP Review – Rosberg Rules Brazil Race

As far as the show is concerned the Brazilian grand prix didn’t quite live up to its dramatic heights. Nico Rosberg led into turn one followed by Mercedes teammate Lewis Hamilton and the two Ferrari’s of Sebastian Vettel and Kimi Raikkonen.

The battle between Rosberg and Hamilton carried on for quite some time but the German was doing an impressive job of controlling his three time world champion teammate. By being in the lead car on the track it afforded Rosberg control of tyre strategy and the call on when to come in. It left Hamilton at his mercy but the Brit still tried everything to snatch the lead of the race. He stayed within a second of Rosberg for a good number of laps but was unable to create a real overtaking chance. This approach was soon abandoned as it meant that Hamilton’s tyres wouldn’t last the stint if he continued to hound the back of the no.6 Mercedes.

In third place Sebastian Vettel kept a good pace but never truly threatened either Mercedes. He opted for an alternative strategy and ran the soft tyre midway through but still couldn’t threaten. Teammate Kimi Raikkonen was some way off in fourth in what he described as a boring race. The Finn had a late engine change but incurred no grid penalty as it was a unit that had been previously used. Such was the rush job on the engine that Dave Greenwood, Raikkonen’s race engineer, was providing instructions for engine set-up during the race. At a point in the race Greenwood could be heard on the radio apologising to the driver “sorry for all the changes, we’re just trying to get this engine set up.”

Nevertheless, it wasn’t a disastrous weekend for Ferrari as they experienced in Mexico. In fact, the pace has been the best the team has shown in quite a few races. Add to the fact that all but four cars, two Mercedes and two Ferraris’, were lapped on the day and the Italian team can feel darn good about their progress.

Hamilton noted after the race that overtaking on the Interlagos circuit was impossible. However, it didn’t seem too difficult a task for 18-year-old Max Verstappen. The Toro Rosso driver pulled off a few stunning moves around the outside of turn one which any driver on the grid would be proud to achieve. There are many factors which stopped Hamilton from just sending a move up the inside of Rosberg. His experience would’ve told him that he just wasn’t close enough. Mercedes too would’ve strongly cautioned him on the potential outcome of a collision.

How is it then that an 18 year-old Max Verstappen is given the license to even attempt those audacious overtaking moves and a three time champ is not. The argument could be made that Verstappen and Toro Rosso has little to lose should he be involved in a shunt. And yes, it’s only spectacular until it ends in a lot of carbon fibre pieces. But really Verstappen has earned his ‘license’ by proving that his overtaking prowess is no fluke. In China, Belgium and Brazil his moves have been extravagant but clean. And now he is already building his reputation as an uncompromising overtaker which future teams will be familiar with, come to expect, and hopefully not try to suppress. Here’s hoping that Verstappen never loses the fearlessness he has now.

Behind the two Ferraris’ Valtteri Bottas finished in a very distant fifth for Williams while Force India’s Nico Hulkenberg held off the Red Bull of Daniil Kvyat for a sixth place finish. Felipe Massa finished the race eighth on the track but was later excluded from the results after stewards found that his right-rear tyre “did not comply with the maximum permitted temperature ahead of the start of the race.” The Williams team has announced that it will be appealing the exclusion.

It meant that Lotus driver Romain Grosjean was promoted to eighth ahead of Max Verstappen and the second Lotus of Pastor Maldonado. Despite running an upgraded Renault engine Daniel Ricciardo finished outside the points in eleventh. While McLaren’s Jenson Button and Fernando Alonso ended the race in fourteenth and fifteenth Toro Rosso’s Carlos Sainz was the only retirement with an engine failure.

By winning the Brazilian grand prix Rosberg has secured second place in the driver’s standings and as in Mexico has proven that he has the skill to beat Lewis Hamilton. All that remains now for the championship runner-up is to deliver when it counts most.

November 16, 2015

Massa Excluded From Brazilian Grand Prix Results

Williams Felipe Massa has been excluded from the Brazilian Grand Prix results after it was found that his tyres were too hot before the start of the race.

“The rear right tyre on car 19 did not comply with the maximum tread temperature as specified in the event preview of the official tyre supplier,” said the FIA

“The temperature of the rear right tyre was measured in compliance with the FIA Technical Directive TD/029-15.

“The team did not comply with the FIA Formula One Technical & Sporting Regulations, FIA International Sporting Code and the instructions of the official tyre supplier in the event preview.”

Massa’s tyre temperatures and pressures were measured at the 5-minute signal before the race. FIA officials discovered that his right-rear tyre was 27 Degrees Celsius above the maximum allowable temperature of 110 Degrees Celsius and that the pressure in the same tyre at 137 Degrees Celsius was 0.1 PSI above the minimum starting pressure.

As a result, Massa was disqualified from the race.

This moves Lotus’ Romain Grosjean up to P8 with Toro Rosso’s Max Verstappen being promoted to 9th and Pastor Maldonado takes the final points position.

Williams say that they will appeal the penalty.

Race Classification after exclusion of Massa

Pos	Driver	Team	Laps	Gap
1	Nico Rosberg	Mercedes	71	1h 31:09.090
2	Lewis Hamilton	Mercedes	71	+ 0:07.756
3	Sebastian Vettel	Ferrari	71	+ 0:14.244
4	Kimi Raikkonen	Ferrari	71	+ 0:47.543
5	Valtteri Bottas	Williams	70	+ 1 Lap
6	Nico Hulkenberg	Force India	70	+ 1 Lap
7	Daniil Kvyat	Red Bull	70	+ 1 Lap
EX	Felipe Massa	Williams	70	+ 1 Lap
8	Romain Grosjean	Lotus	70	+ 1 Lap
9	Max Verstappen	Toro Rosso	70	+ 1 Lap
10	Pastor Maldonado	Lotus	70	+ 1 Lap
11	daniel Ricciardo	Red Bull	70	+ 1 Lap
12	Sergio Perez	Force India	70	+ 1 Lap
13	Felipe Nasr	Sauber	70	+ 1 Lap
14	jenson Button	McLaren	70	+ 1 Lap
15	Fernando Alonso	McLaren	70	+ 1 Lap
16	Marcus Ericsson	Sauber	69	+ 2 Laps
17	Will Stevens	Marussia	67	+ 4 Laps
18	Alexander Rossi	Marussia	67	+ 4 Laps
	Carlos Sainz	Toro Rosso	0	Retired

Photo Credit: Williams Martini Racing Formula 1 Team

November 15, 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: Mexico GP FP2 Report – Rosberg Fastest For Mercedes

Mercedes driver Nico Rosberg set the pace in the second free practice session in Mexico.

Conditions looked slightly better than the first free practice session which started with a damp circuit. However, on his first lap of the afternoon Toro Rosso driver Max Verstappen clouted the barrier and in the process destroyed the left front suspension of his car. This prompted a short red flag period in order for the stricken car to be recovered.

A second, albeit short, red flag session came about as the Lotus of Romain Grosjean grinded to a halt with a suspected gearbox issue. Earlier in the session Williams’ Valtteri Bottas was lucky to only lose his front-wing in a high speed collision with the barrier.

Despite an improvement in laptimes from the tyres the circuit conditions remained tricky with several drivers running wide, spinning and having to compensate for extremely low grip.

Halfway through the session spots of rain were visible and intensified as it ten minutes to go on the clock. Nico Rosberg set the most laps, at thirty-six, in his Mercedes and was followed closely on the timing sheets by Red Bull’s Daniil Kvyat and Daniel Ricciardo.

Final Free Practice Two Standings:

October 30, 2015
F1 2015: Mexico GP FP1 Report – Verstappen Tops

Toro Rosso driver Max Verstappen topped the timing sheets at the end of the first free practice session for the Mexican grand prix.

The talented teenager set the fastest time according to the timing screens but in reality the laptime was achieved by cutting one of the corners on the Autrodromo Hermanos Rodriguez.

The session started in slightly damp conditions which forced all drivers onto the green side-walled intermediate tyres for the initial installation laps. The circuit appeared to dry relatively quickly as the intermediate tyre became obsolete and eventually replaced but the white-walled medium compound tyre.

Whilst conditions proved slippery with several drivers having off track excursion no major incidents were noted during the one and a half hour session. However, the Mercedes team were the first to encounter brake temperature issues. Shortly after overtaking Ferrari driver Sebastian Vettel both the rear brakes on Nico Rosberg’s Mercedes caught fire. The sister car of Lewis Hamilton was also warned on escalating brake temperatures. It wasn’t only confined to Mercedes as Toro Rosso driver Max Verstappen was also told to cool his brakes.

In the most peculiar fashion McLaren’s Fernando Alonso later toured around the completely dry circuit on the intermediate tyre. As it turns out the team had noticed a cut on the set of slicks the Spaniard had run earlier in the session and didn’t want to risk the same occurrence on a second set of tyres.

Final Free Practice 1 Standings:

October 30, 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: Texas GP Preview – F1 Heads Down South

The old saying goes that everything is bigger and better in Texas and it’s hard to argue with it. The Circuit of the Americas, introduced in 2012, is already a favourite on the F1 calendar and in 2015 has the potential to crown a champion.

The Circuit of the Americas, designed by Herman Tilke, gets a resounding stamp of approval from all the drivers on the grid and is easily the best of the newer tracks on the F1 calendar. “The track has some special parts, especially the first sector and the uphill turn one. You can take a few different lines through the corner and you can brake really late for it, which makes it a good place to overtake,” says Force India driver Sergio Perez.

In fact the entire first sector is a combination of elegant flowing high-speed corners of which turns three through eight are reminiscent of Silverstone’s Maggots-Becketts complex. A long back strait and relatively slow final section of corners make up the rest on the 5.5 km circuit.

However it seems, at best, doubtful that we’ll get to see F1 cars at full-tilt around this circuit as the weather predicts for rain on Friday and Saturday. The forecast on race day could see a break in the clouds. Should there be an opportunity for dry running Pirelli have made the medium (white-walled) and soft (yellow-walled) compound available this weekend.

There will be considerable attention on all cars running the Renault power unit this weekend. The French manufacturer is bringing its biggest, and highly anticipated, upgrade, to the race weekend amid intense speculation about its future in the sport.

Several weeks ago Renault signed a letter of intent to purchase the Lotus F1 team but hasn’t made a move on the financially beleaguered team since then, at least not publicly. Not only that, but an improved performance from the power unit may also serve as the perfect platform for Red Bull make its way back to running Renault power in 2016.

As it stands, Red Bull has no engine to put in the back of their 2016 car. At this stage the 2016 Red is likely deep into its development cycle which will make pulling out of the sport very costly. Yes, the divorce between Red Bull and Renault resulted in both parties airing dirty laundry and some rather testy statements about incompetence were thrown about. But a categorical no from Mercedes and a more than reluctant Ferrari has put the Austrian team in quite a mess. Besides, there won’t be any hard feelings between Red Bull and Renault after all just look at the splendidly semi-restored relationship between Fernando Alonso and Ron Dennis.

There is also another matter that will take centre stage in Texas as Lewis Hamilton bids to become a three time Formula 1 world champion. The challenge from teammate Nico Rosberg has been severely diminished due to a couple of reliability issues for the German. As if Rosberg’s retirements haven’t been nasty enough the cruel irony is that he will probably help Lewis Hamilton claim his third driver’s title this weekend.

Mercedes shouldn’t be troubled in Texas which will leave its two drivers to battle it out. If Rosberg finishes second to his teammate and keeps Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel at bay Hamilton will be crowned champion.

Now we know that stranger things have happened in Formula 1. Just think about Hamilton’s first championship triumph in most dramatic fashion at the 2008 Brazilian grand prix. By no means should any possibility ever be ruled out in Formula 1.

Championship Permutations

Hamilton is champion if…

Hamilton 1^st Vettel 3^rd or lower

Hamilton 2^nd Vettel 6^th or lower Rosberg 3^rd or lower

Hamilton 3^rd Vettel 7^th or lower Rosberg 4^th or lower

Hamilton 4^th Vettel 9^th or lower Rosberg 5^th or lower

Hamilton 5^th Vettel 10^th or lower Rosberg 6^th or lower

October 22, 2015
F1 2015: Russian GP Review – Russia Redeemed

It isn’t often in Formula 1 that you get what you ask for. Ahead of the second ever Russian grand prix the request was for a race with a bit more zest and the Sochi Autodrom delivered.

Where it concerned the winner of the race it wasn’t high on the entertainment stakes. Lewis Hamilton ambled to career victory number 42 in his Mercedes without so much as a whiff of a challenge.

It appeared at the start of the race as if the double world champ would have some work to do as Mercedes teammate Nico Rosberg maintained his pole position off the starting line. But it wasn’t to be for Rosberg as he was forced into retirement with a broken throttle pedal. It the lead up to the race the call for Rosberg to step up and take the fight to Hamilton and he responded with an authoritative qualifying performance.

Alas, now and then the unpredictability of F1 rears its head and inserts a searing reminder of how cruel the sport can be. If Rosberg’s admittedly fragile championship dream was hanging by a thread before it has now been completely obliterated. The German driver trails Hamilton by 73 points with a maximum of 100 still available.

Ferrari driver Sebastian Vettel was never within striking distance of Hamilton but showed a solid enough turn of pace for a comfortable second place. The four-time champion pulled off two crucial moves on Raikkonen and Perez for his second place finish.

The race had two safety car deployments the first of which came on lap one for a collision between the Force India of Nico Hulkenberg and the Sauber of Marcus Ericsson. The safety car was deployed a second time as Romain Grosjean crashed his Lotus heavily into the barrier on the outside of turn three.

While Grosjean’s race was over it prompted a roll of the strategy dice for Red Bull’s Daniel Ricciardo and Force India’s Sergio Perez. The two drivers would attempt a run to the flag, some 40 laps away, on one set of the yellow-walled soft compound tyre. For Ricciardo it came to naught as he had to retire his Red Bull with a suspected suspension issue.

However, Perez was clinging onto third for dear life. But as Williams’ Valtteri Bottas and Ferrari’s Kimi Raikkonen, with fresher tyres, closed him down at a rate of knots it appeared that the Mexican would be consigned to the very least a fifth place finish. Unexpectedly, Raikkonen’s attempt to overtake countryman Bottas proved a bit too feisty and the two collided into turn 4. The clash put Bottas out of the race and left Raikkonen with a damaged car. Ever the opportunist, Perez swept past to take a deserved third place finish.

Willliams’ Felipe Massa recovered from fifteenth on the grid to finish fourth; Raikkonen crossed the line in fifth but was later slapped with a 30 second penalty for the Bottas collision which drops him down to eighth. Local hero Daniil Kvyat finished fifth in his Red Bull ahead of Sauber’s Felipe Nasr, Lotus’ Pastor Maldonado, McLaren’s Jenson Button and Toro Rosso’s Max Verstappen, in tenth. The sister McLaren of Fernando Alonso would’ve finished in tenth but the Spaniard was given a five second penalty for not respecting track limits.

Subsequently, Raikkonen’s thirty second penalty has resulted in Mercedes being crowned the 2015 constructors champions. In F1 you’re only as good as your last race and while the 2014 Russian grand prix was a straight up bore fest it’s 2015 edition delivered a race sizzling enough so that we can declare Russia redeemed.

(Podium image courtesy of Pirelli Motorsport).

October 11, 2015

Tag: max verstappen

Abu Dhabi Preview Quotes from the Toro Rosso F1 Team