F1 Madness

Tag: mercdes

  • F1 2014 – Malaysia GP Preview: F1 2014’s Acid Test

    F1 2014 – Malaysia GP Preview: F1 2014’s Acid Test

    Roughly a year ago Red Bull’s biggest worry was the unrest between its two drivers. In a ruthless move Sebastian Vettel ignored the now infamous ‘multi-21’call to hold position and pinched victory from Mark Webber.

    Twelve months later the second round of the championship again brings Red Bull and the paddock to Malaysia. The reigning champions arrive at the Sepang International circuit with no points on the board and lingering questions about reliability. Despite having nothing to show for the Australian GP definite progress had been made. The RB10 looked settled and quick with a good aerodynamic base. Their issues have been confined, mainly, the Renault power unit and Christian Horner believes that “massive progress” can be made if the French manufacturer gets on top of its problems.

    The tropical climate of Kuala Lumpur requires a unique approach from drivers and teams. Unlike in Melbourne the Sepang International circuit, with a length of 5.542 km and a total of 56 laps, will test the mettle of the 2014 799px-Sepang_international_circuit_pit_laneF1 cars. Several high speed corners will put aerodynamics under the microscope while a taxing 65% of the lap is spent on full throttle.  The Malaysian GP is additionally notorious for its stiflingly hot and humid conditions which puts serious physical demands on the driver.

    Pirelli has brought its medium and hard compound tyres to combat the relatively abrasive track surface. Tyre degradation hasn’t featured yet in 2014 but Malaysia presents, as the first permanent race track of the year, a substantial demand on tyre performance. When the weather pendulum has tended towards extreme heat track temperatures have reached as high as 52 degrees Celsius. Issues with overheating will be a key area of focus, especially during the long-runs.

    The demands on the hybrid power unit are no less stressful. Twelve seconds is spent on full throttle during the 920 meter long back straight and with only four slow corners Sepang was built with one thing in mind – speed. Several teams were down on power and straight-line speed in the season opener and if those issues have not been solved for this weekend they’ll be nothing more than mobile chicanes.   

    Mercedes have the speed, reliability, performance and the drivers. The Silver Arrows team start the weekend as overwhelming favourites but under a veil of mystery. Lewis Hamilton was set fair with pole position and themika fastest car on the grid in Australia. But one vital element was missing – reliability. Reliability is a word that fans will grow weary of in the initial part of the season but it is the most important commodity in the sport. With it, it ensures the capacity for consistency and crucial points. Without it, success is unattainable.

    Ironically, a lot of noise has been made about the new sound of Formula 1. No longer does the V8 engine scream down the straights and rattle the fillings in your teeth and it’s a shame. It’s a shame because for countless years Formula 1 has been synonymous with bone jarring racket so loud it could cause permanent ear damage.  It’s a shame but it isn’t as dreadful as some would suggest. Sound isn’t what makes this Formula 1. Mika Hakkinen’s inspired simultaneous pass on Michael Schumacher and Ricardo Zonta at the 2000 Belgium GP, Schumi’s unbelievable 4 pit-stop strategy at the 2004 French GP, Kimi Raikkonen’s sensational drive through the field of the 2005 Japanese GP – these and many more moments and races are what define the soul of this gut-wrenchingly passionate  sport. They are revered because of the brilliance of men, in the cockpits and in the factories. While the distinctive sound of Formula 1 may have gone it is true still that the absurd talent and passion never will.

  • F1 2013: Monte Carlo Review – Lights to flag victory for Rosberg

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

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

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

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

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

    nico-rosberg-mercedes-f1After this display of ‘controlled aggression’ as coined by Mark Webber, the questions around Pirelli and what they are offering Formula 1 will deepen. Critics of the 2013 tyre compounds were undoubtedly armed with new ammunition after the Monaco GP and rightly so. Cruising around, three seconds a lap off the possible pace is not what fans want to see and more than likely not what drivers want to be doing. Formula 1 has always been about pushing the limits, daring to go the very edge of what is possible. It may be easy and comfortable to poke holes in Pirelli’s brief Formula 1 sojourn but it is also clear that something needs to change. A second tyre manufacturer to stir the pot perhaps?

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

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

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

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

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

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