Tag: mercedes

F1 2015: Japanese GP First Free Practice Report – Sainz Quickest In Wet

Toro Rosso driver Carlos Sainz set the quickest time in a rain-hit first free practice session in Japan.

Roughly and and a half hours before the start of the first free practice session in Japan the heavens opened and drenched the Suzuka circuit. As usual it did nothing to dampen the spirit of the Japanese fans who turned up in large numbers to get a glimpse of Formula 1.

The initial part of the session remained quiet as team waited out the worst of the condition. As the predication for the rest of the weekend looks decidedly more sunny there wasnt a whole to gain by running in the wet conditions. However, the weather around these parts has been known to be quite volatile in the past and whatever the prediction there is always a chance of inclement weather.

As a result all cars eventually ventured out onto circuit which dried enough towards the end of the session for intermediate tyres to be used. Ferrari’s Kimi Raikkonen set the most laps at fifteen followed closely by Mercedes’ Nico Rosberg with fourteen laps.

Spanish driver Carlos Sainz set the fastest time of the one and a half hour session ahead of Red Bull’s Dannil Kvyat. Nico Rosberg, Sebastian Vettel and Lewis Hamilton completed the top five.

One of the biggest stories, stemming from yesterday, was that the Lotus team had been locked out of its hospitality area as a result of some “unpaid bills.” It’s made for a rather uncomfortable start to the weekend for the team and its drivers whose engineers had to stop off at a famous burger joint for breakfast. Here’s hoping this issue is resolved before long.

Final free practice 1 standings:

September 25, 2015
F1 2015: Japanese GP Preview – Suzuka Surprise In Store?

In less than seven days the Formula 1 paddock goes from the floodlit city streets of Singapore to the sublime Suzuka circuit in Japan.

The return to Suzuka one year after the tragic crash of Jules Bianchi is poignant one. The heartbreaking passing of the French driver has never been too far away from the consciousness but this weekend it will be vaulted to the forefront. The one consolation is that this circuit and all of glorious Formula 1 history is a proper place to pay homage to Jules.

The 5.8 kilometre circuit is a true car tester and it combination of high speed, low speed, elevation changes and demand for accuracy makes it one of the biggest and most satisfying challenges of the calendar. “As a track it’s one of my favourites and I really enjoy the old-school fast corners. The first sector stands out as the most fun,” says Williams driver Valtteri Bottas. “The weather can always play a part so you always need to keep that in mind strategy wise.”

The fast flowing nature of Suzuka will play to the strengths of Williams’ car and the team will be expecting a significantly stronger weekend in terms of outright pace and performance. “In qualifying last year we showed great pace and dominated the second row,” says Rob Smedley. “The team continues to get stronger throughout this year and we can go back there expecting another good performance. It’s important to capitalise on our car performance and score more points than our closest rivals.”

At the start of the season Ferrari would’ve been earmarked as Williams’ closest rivals but with three victories under Sebastian Vettel’s belt the Italian team may too far away from the Martini sponsored team. The victory in Singapore was an excellent but the pace shown throughout the weekend is what was most impressive. But how is it possible that Ferrari suddenly unleashed an unbeatable pace in Singapore? The characteristics of the Marina Bay circuit contributed greatly and so did the use of the supersoft Pirelli compound tyres which Ferrari has always been able to exploit.

However, the real improvement happened two weeks earlier at Monza. The team introduced an upgrade in Monza of which resulted in Kimi Raikkonen qualifying on the front row of the grid only two tenths of the peerless qualifier Lewis Hamilton. Due to the demand on mechanical grip and driveability of the engine Singapore highlighted the gains made from the Monza upgrade.

Now the question is whether the same gains will translate to a substantially different circuit such as Suzuka. The one thing that could be to the detriment of Ferrari is the tyre selection, made by Pirelli, for the grand prix weekend. To cater for the high energy demands of the circuit Pirelli has selected the orange- and white-walled tyres, the two hardest compounds in its range. The weather too will be considerably cooler and will influence the ability of the driver to get the medium and hard compound tyres up to operating temperature.

Twelve months ago Mercedes teammates Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg headed into the Japanese grand prix weekend with a slender three points separating them at the top of the driver’s standings. In 2015, the gap is 41 points with Rosberg trailing Hamilton but this won’t, initially, be the focus of either driver.

Their respective performances throughout the Singapore weekend were dismal by their lofty standards and whispers of uncertainty have slightly tainted the belief of the dominant team. But the hesitation won’t last too long as the team should be well within their wheelhouse this weekend. That is, if the tyre pressure regulation doesn’t have anything to do with it.

While Mercedes should re-affirm their pace advantage there will be a few uncomfortable looks over their shoulder at Ferrari this weekend and more than a keen eye will be kept on their rival’s pace. For whatever issue they encounter it is certain that Ferrari are more than ready to pounce.

September 24, 2015
F1 2015: Singapore GP Review – Scintillating Seb Wins In Singapore

There is something about the streets of Singapore and Sebastian Vettel that form an irresistible combination.

As the fireworks lit up the night sky of Singapore it was Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel that ignited the city streets with an electrifying victory. The four time world champion hit the ground running as he obliterated the field in Saturday’s qualifying to take pole position. There wasn’t much looking back after that as he commanded all of the sixty-one laps to the chequered flag.

A textbook getaway off the line and a blistering pace built the gap to second placed Daniel Ricciardo to five seconds within a handful of laps. The sister Ferrari of Kimi Raikkonen kept the Aussie Red Bull driver within sight but was never able to make a move for the position. Raikkonen confirmed after the race that his tyres gave up quite early on his stints. The Finn expressed a bit of surprise at ending up in third given his tyre struggles.

For Seb Vettel there were no such worries as he expertly controlled his pace to secure career victory number 43. After such a dominating period with Red Bull, which yielded four world titles, some thought the move to Ferrari was odd. Yet, it turns out that it was arguably the best thing that could’ve happened to him and the Ferrari team. Many an observation has been made of Vettel’s work ethic and dedication behind the scenes and it is clear that the team are as infatuated with the German as he is with them.

In fourth place is where Mercedes driver Nico Rosberg finished the race after a dismal weekend for the team. The championship leading team were on the back foot from the outset on Friday as they appeared significantly off the pace. Many, including Daniel Ricciardo, expected the Silver Arrows to turn it on for qualifying but that never materialized. Instead, Hamilton and Rosberg were summarily spanked and relegated to the third row of the grid.

As if to add insult to a serious lack of pace unreliability hit Lewis Hamilton as the Brit suffered his first retirement of the season. No one from Mercedes were willing to point out why they were suddenly lacking in pace but they almost certainly have a good idea of how their advantage abruptly evaporated.

It is uncanny how this ultra dominant team seem to not be as good when they aren’t making the running. A warning of overheated brakes came early on from the pitwall to Rosberg and then a mysterious technical failure for Hamilton. There will be much to ponder on in the next couple of days for Mercedes but don’t expect them not to roar back to life in Japan. They will.

The safety car probability around the Marina Bay Circuit remains 100% as it was deployed on two occasions in the race. First it was to collect the Force India of Nico Hulkenberg after he smashed into the side of Williams driver Felipe Massa. The incident, into turn one, was investigated by stewards and Hulkenberg was, rightfully, slapped with a three place grid drop at the next race.

The second safety car period came about as result of a man strolling on the circuit seemingly without a care in the world. It’s always a spine chilling sight to see anyone on the track in the middle of a grand prix. Thankfully, the man didn’t cause any problems before jumping over the wall and off the circuit.

Valtteri Bottas made the best of a difficult weekend for Williams with fifth place ahead of Daniil Kvyat. The Russian started in fourth place but an issue in the pits dropped him down the order. Force India’s Sergio Perez came home in an anonymous seventh ahead of the feisty Max Verstappen in eighth. The second Toro Rosso, driver by Carlos Sainz, finished in ninth but much to the chagrin of the team who had ordered Verstappen to swop position with teammate Sainz. The 17-year-old flat out refused the team order and maintained his position.

As the youngest ever F1 driver Verstappen as already proven that he has enormous potential and that he can stand up for himself. Team orders is always a divisive point on which people often disagree but Verstappen would’ve won some fans with this move. “When we put on our helmets we are rivals,” said Verstappen after the race.

Brazilian driver Felipe Nasr completed a solid drive for Sauber to snatch the final point on offer in tenth. Along with the retirements of Hamilton and Hulkenberg was Felipe Massa with a suspected gearbox issue. The two McLaren’s also had to end their respective races prematurely.

A notable mention goes to American driver Alexander Rossi who made his F1 debut this weekend for the Manor Marussia team. Rossi has agreed terms to drive five of the last seven races of the season and performed impressively to finish ahead of Will Stevens who has been with the team since the start of the season.

Not many would’ve thought that with six races to go in the 2015 season that a Ferrari driver could be in with a shout of taking the title. Yes, Singapore and its characteristics complimented the Ferrari but the engine upgrade introduced for Monza has made a telling impact. Yes, Vettel sits forty-nine points adrift of Hamilton and yes Mercedes won’t suddenly disappear from the top of the timing sheets each weekend. But this was a stunning reminder that Ferrari will ready and able to pounce on the smallest of slips.

September 20, 2015
F1 2015 Singapore GP Qualifying Report – Vettel Storms To Pole

Ferrari driver Sebastian Vettel stormed to a dominant pole position for Sunday’s Singapore grand prix.

The one hour qualifying session started with the expectation of a tight fight for the front row of the grid. Yet, based on pure form and history Mercedes just couldnt be discounted. However, neither Lewis Hamilton nor teammate Nico Rosberg even factored in the final ten minutes of the electrifying session.

Instead it was Sebastian Vettel who obliterated the field with a majestic pole position lap. Red Bull’s Daniel Ricciardo will start alongside his former teammate on the front row of the grid while Kimi Raikkonen will share the second row of the grid with the other Red Bull Daniil Kvyat.

The first of the Mercedes, in the form of Lewis Hamilton, was down in fifth place a staggering 1.4 seconds off Vettel’s pole time. In sixth position Nico Rosberg kept close company with his teammate but set a laptime 1.5 seconds off the ultimate pace.

Valtteri Bottas will start seventh for Williams while Max Verstappen, Felipe Massa and Lotus’ Romain Grosjean round out the top ten. Both Force India driver were unlucky to be caught out by the yellow flag that came out for Carlos Sainz who tapped the wall in Q2 and left some debris on track.

Fernando Alonso’s day at the office wasnt too shabby with twelfth place whilst teammate Jenson Button wasnt unhappy with fifteenth place on the grid.

Final qualifying standings:

September 19, 2015
F1 2015: Singapore Third Free Practice Report – Vettel Dominates

Ferrari driver Sebastian Vettel dominated the timing sheets at the end of the third free practice session ahead of Sunday’s Singapore grand prix.

The hour long session came to its conclusion with Sebastian Vettel and teammate Kimi Raikkonen in the first two position for the Ferrari team. As if to underline their pace from Friday’s practice sessions both Red Bull drivers in the form of Dannil Kvyat and Daniel Ricciardo set the third and fourth quickest times respectively.

The first of the Mercdes was Lewis Hamilton in fifth position ahead of teammate Nico Rosberg. However, it is expected that Mercedes will literally and figuratively ‘turn up the wick’ when it comes time for the all important qualifying session. McLaren’s Fernando Alonso set the seventh fastest time overall whilst teammate Jenson Button was thirteenth fastest. Williams didnt inspire a great deal of confidence with their pace as Valtteri Bottas managed only the eleventh fastest time overall and Felipe Massa was down in fourteenth place.

Nico Hulkenberg and Sergio Perez were expected to show a good turn of pace in their B-spec Force India but may be saving their best for quali. The two drivers ended the session twelfth and sixteenth respectively.

Final free practice three standings:

September 19, 2015
F1 2015: Singapore Free Practice Two Report – Kvyat Quickest

Red Bull Racing’s Daniil Kvyat lapped the Marina Bay circuit quickest of all to top the timing sheet at the end of the second free practice session in Singapore.

The Russian driver delivered a stunning lap of 1:46:142 to snag the top spot ahead of Kimi Raikkonen’s Ferrari who trailed by 0.039 in second place. Daniel Ricciardo confirmed Red Bull’s one lap place with the third quickest time and couldve gone even quicker were it not for a bit of traffic on his quick lap.

Lewis Hamilton was fourth quickest ahead of the Ferrari of Sebastian Vettel. In sixth place it was Checo Perez with a 1:46:659 and only then Nico Rosberg, in eight, on a 1:46:781. It could just have been a scrappy run for the German but his long run pace wasnt encouraging either.

While teammate Hamilton lapped in the 1:51s on his supersoft tyres Rosberg struggled to maintain a consistent pace. Red Bull, in the form of both Kvyat and Ricciardo, turned an impressive pace on both compounds of tyres whilst Sebastian Vettel and Kimi Raikkonen put their hat in the ring too. It is isnt quite to the business end of the weekend and Mercedes may yet still blow the field away; but as it stands, dare we say it, it appears as if the Silver Arrows may have a fight on their hands.

Earlier in the session Manor F1 driver Will Stevens acquainted himself with the barrier of turn eight and momentarily brought out the red flag. It’s already proving to be quite an expensive weekend for Manor as both their drivers have tangled with the unforgiving barriers of the Singapore street circuit.

Final free practice 2 standings:

September 18, 2015
F1 2015: Singapore Free Practice 1 Report – Rosberg Heads The Field

Nico Rosberg has topped the timing sheets in the first free practice session for Sunday’s Singapore grand prix.

The Mercedes driver topped the 1 and a half hour session throughout with teammate Lewis Hamilton a scant three tenths off his ultimate pace. Red Bull Racing’s Daniel Ricciardo showed strongly in third ahead of both Ferrari’s of Sebastian Vettel and Kimi Raikkonen.

The feared murky conditions appeared to have no impact on running as dusk quickly gave way darkness as the floodlights took over. Several drivers showed their prowess as they handled some impressive power slides into turn one. Apart from a couple of brushes with a few barriers the drivers were keeping their noses clean. That was until the newest F1 rookie Alexander Rossi crashed underneath the grandstand, destroying the right-hand side of his Manor F1 car. The American driver has been catapulted into a race seat and will compete in five of the last seven race weekends.

McLaren’s Fernando Alonso showed an improved turn of pace to end the session 11th fastest. Williams, who usually play it close to the vest in the early part of the weekend, were 6th fastest with Valtteri Bottas while Felipe Massa seem to run the standard program as set the 17th quickest time overall.

Final Free Practice 1 standings:

September 18, 2015
F1 2015: Singapore GP Preview – Scores To Settle In Singapore

Formula 1 has swopped the sprawling European country side for the city lights of Singapore as the paddock readies for the thirteenth round of the championship.

As far as street race go the Singapore grand prix doesn’t have that much in common with its so-called Monegasque counterpart. While the Monte Carlo grand prix is steeped in regal history Singapore brings a more modern feel to the paddock.

Singapore made its debut on the calendar back in 2008 as F1’s first ever night race. It would become known for the controversial, pre-planned, crash of then Renault driver Nelson Piquet Jr. It was later uncovered that team principal Flavio Briatore has ordered the young Brazilian driver to deliberately crash and induce the deployment of the safety-car to aid teammate Fernando Alonso. The Spaniard would take a second victory around the streets as a Ferrari driver in 2010. It’s a happy hunting ground for Sebastian Vettel too who has seen the chequered flag first on three occasions.

The Marina Bay circuit is a five kilometre test of extreme concentration under intense conditions. Was the race only a handful of laps we’d scoff at the idea that this floodlit circuit could be seriously hard work for drivers. But with sixty-one laps, each with twenty-three corners and oppressive humidity the Singapore grand prix demands both physical and mental concentration of the highest order.

There could be more than two Mercedes in the mix as well. The importance of horsepower can be played down somewhat around a street circuit which could open the door for a few contenders. In Hungary and Monaco Red Bull Racing were well in the mix with both Daniil Kvyat and Daniel Ricciardo.

If there increased competitiveness is a given this weekend then this is the only clarity that the once near unbeatable team appear to have at this moment. The uncertainty of the team’s future is being fuelled by the fact that its deal with engine supplier Renault runs out at the end of the season. As it stands, it looks as if the only two choices on the table for the Austrian team are either a year-old Ferrari engine or an abrupt adios to the sport. Renault itself is believed to be close in taking a 65% controlling interest in the Lotus team.

Amid the imminent French takeover the struggling Japanese sits Ferrari who will fancy their chances this weekend. Whilst team boss Maurizio Arrivabene has been singing the praises of his drivers the engine department delivered an upgrade for Monza with which Raikkonen was pleasantly surprised. While Singapore doesn’t demand the same straight line speed as Monza the upgrade would have brought a slight improvement to the driveability and power delivery to the engine which is important around the twisting streets.

Two weeks ago Sebastian Vettel delivered a morale boosting second place at the team’s home race. But a boost in confidence won’t be enough to halt the Lewis Hamilton behemoth. It has to start in qualifying where it’s going to require another exceptional run in qualifying if they are to have any say in Sunday’s proceedings.

A 53 point chasm sits between Hamilton and Nico Rosberg and while the numbers are against the German it is in the mental game where he has taken the biggest beating, even without the Monza failure. If Nico Rosberg has the psychological ability to fight back he must now lay it all on the line.

September 16, 2015
“Today Was A Massive Step In the Wrong Direction” – Rosberg

Mercedes’ Nico Rosberg that his retirement from the race at the Italian Grand Prix in Monza was a massive step backward for the German.

Rosberg was forced to take an engine change after the new unit, which the team spent all its development tokens on, had a coolant leak which contaminated the engine. The German had to revert back to the engine which he used in Belgium, which had already run 6 races.

Rosberg was running in 3rd place and closing in on 2nd place man, Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel, when two laps from the end of the race the engine gave up in a cloud of smoke and flames on the run to Della Roggia.

It was a tough weekend all round for Rosberg who wants to put it behind him. He’s already looking forward to Singapore in two weeks time.

“This weekend was very tough for me,” commented Rosberg after the race.

“There were just too many problems with my car which made it impossible to fight for the win.

“It hurts a lot when you have to retire with just two or three laps to go. A few corners earlier, I felt already that I had lost some power but was still hoping I could make it.

“Today was a massive step in the wrong direction for me in the Championship – but to complain doesn’t help in these situations.

“I just need to keep pushing and come back even stronger. Giving up is not an option for me.

“I will push hard to turn things in the right direction – starting in Singapore, which is one of my favourite races. I’m looking forward to it already.”

September 6, 2015
Mercedes turned Rosberg’s engine up before it failed

It has been revealed that the Mercedes F1 team turned the power up on Nico Rosberg’s engine shortly before it failed ending his hopes of finishing the Italian Grand Prix.

F1 championship title contender Rosberg lost a lot of ground off the start of the race after having to dodge the stalled Ferrari of Kimi Raikkonen and dropped back to sixth place from fourth on the grid.

He had managed to make up a lot of the lost ground during the race and, in the late stages, was starting to catch Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel for the second step on the podium. In a bid to help Rosberg catch Vettel, Mercedes turned the power of his engine up. The 6 race old power unit expired in a plume of smoke just three laps before the end of the race.

Toto Wolff, Mercedes Motorsport Chief admitted that Rosberg had been given the go ahead to push the Spa-spec engine harder to chase Vettel. The engine had been put back into Rosberg’s Mercedes after his new spec power unit encountered problems during the final practice session on Saturday ahead of qualifying for the Italian GP.

“We gave it a little push at the end to try to catch Sebastian and this is when it decided to call it a day,” he said.

“The engine was on its sixth race, so it was very high on miles,” Wolff added.

“And we didn’t get any warnings.”

Hamilton now leads Rosberg by 53 points following the German’s retirement from the race. Hamilton’s victory – following being cleared of a tyre pressure infringement on both cars – has put him well clear of his main title rival.

“It’s a fact that it’s a massive step in the wrong direction,” said Rosberg.

“It’s the biggest loss I’ve had in one day throughout the whole season, so that’s very bad, and I now need to catch up a few points.

“I keep going. Giving up doesn’t exist for me, so I’ll just keep fighting, and I’ve got to try to win the next couple of races somehow.

“The whole weekend just went completely wrong, and unlucky I think.

“So many repercussions of this engine issue… it wasn’t an engine issue actually, it was a chassis issue that made me have to change.

“To have it explode two laps from the end was unbelievable. It’s even more disappointing.

“I was going to have a good go at Vettel because finally I had the brakes cool enough to attack, and I could ramp up the electric power, and I was going to really go for it.”

September 6, 2015