Tag: michael schumacher

F1 2015: Austrian Grand Prix Preview – Power King At Red Bull Ring

Power is defined as the capacity to move with great speed or force. As the Austrian Grand Prix’s four and a half kilometres circuit has only nine corners amongst its three long straights is it the classic power circuit.

Austria’s interest in Formula 1 was indifferent at best until the rise of Jochen Rindt in the mid 1960s. Rindt arrived at the first ever race around the Osterreichring in 1970 but lost out to Jacky Ickx in the Ferrari. He would never return to his home grand prix as he fatally crashed at the following Italian Grand Prix. Rindt remains the only posthumous world champion in the sport.

Austria’s love affair with Formula 1 would be renewed with the revelation of Niki Lauda who would go on to win three Formula 1 world championships. Decades later it would be renamed the A1 Ring and be re-introduced to the Formula 1 calendar in 1997 and host a yearly grand prix until 2003. The controversial 2002 race in which Rubens Barrichello handed victory to teammate Michael Schumacher is inscribed in its and in Formula 1’s infamous history of the Austrian Grand Prix.

In 2011 the circuit was rebranded and brought back to Formula 1 in 2014 as the Red Bull Ring. It was here, twelve months ago, that the Williams duo of Felipe Massa and Valtteri Bottas stunned the paddock by locking out the front row of the grid. In the end victory went to Mercedes driver Nico Rosberg ahead of teammate Lewis Hamilton with Valtteri Bottas in third.

In Canada Williams secured their first podium with Bottas but they can hardly be considered as having turned a corner. If it was not for fellow Finn Kimi Raikkonen’s spin in the Canadian Grand Prix, the podium would have been highly doubtful. It’s been a tricky season for the Grove based team which hasn’t reached the heights of 2014. With all things being equal Massa and Bottas will likely not be at the sharp-end on Sunday but they could still make life very difficult for Ferrari and perhaps even Mercedes in Saturday qualifying.

Besides those with the potential for victory the mid-field battle is worth keeping an eye on as it invariably delivers the most exciting battles of a race. Thanks to their Mercedes power unit Lotus is looking forward to a strong weekend and a decent haul of points. “Looking at the circuit and talking to our drivers and engineers it’s a place that could suit us so we’re feeling quite positive heading there, especially after the E23 showed pretty well in Canada,” said Deputy team Principal Federico Gastaldi.

Seventy percent of the lap around the Red Bull Ring is spent at full throttle bringing the power unit well and truly to the centre of the picture this weekend. Ferrari introduced an upgraded engine during the Canadian Grand Prix weekend but was unable let loose it’s potential. It may not be as simple this weekend either as cooler temperatures in the Styrian Mountains will complicate Ferrari’s potential. When Ferrari has shown a pace advantage this season it has come from being able to switch on and look after the Pirelli tyres in warmer conditions.

The Formula 1 headlines over last little while have been quite spectacular. As Williams’ co-founder Patrick Head received a knighthood from the Queen and Nico Hulkenberg won the Le Mans 24 hours in a LMP1 Porsche it’s now over to Formula 1 to deliver an Austrain Grand Prix worthy of its celebrated history.

June 18, 2015
F1 2006 Monaco GP – Schumacher Chasing Barrichello

Enjoy 3 full minutes on board with Michael Schumacher as he chases down Rubens Barichello to the chequered flag of the 2006 Monaco GP. Turn your speakers right up! This is what Formula One should look and sound like! Be warned … You’re going to be watching this little 2006 Monaco GP clip a couple of times 🙂

May 24, 2015
F1 2015: Malaysia GP Review – Vettel Takes Poignant Ferrari Win

Ferrari has won the Malaysian grand prix and no this is not a very long typo and neither is it something that the Mercedes F1 team ever saw coming.

Sebastian Vettel has fulfilled a long held dream by becoming a race winner with the famed Scuderia Ferrari Formula 1 team. For the majority of last year Vettel readily admits that he was well below par in the 2014 Red Bull. But the now Ferrari driver definitely showed up on Sunday. The former champ’s worked a two-stop strategy to perfection to win the Malaysian grand prix from Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg.

From the first laps that were turned in the first Friday practice session Ferrari’s SF15-T showed an extremely good pace that was comparable to the mighty Mercedes. But surely, it was just a bit of showiness by Ferrari and they were running light on fuel. Surely it was too incredulous to even suggest that any team could match the beast of a Mercedes. Yes, Ferrari had made strides but a full blown resurgence was a long-off goal that they hope to reach in the future. But one of the reasons why we love this, and many other sports, is for the spectacular and the astonishing comeback.

Ferrari’s comeback from the doldrums has been nothing short of majestic. Yes it is only one race victory but consider that they have come all the way from the proper mess of 2014 to a fair and square victory in Malaysia then it’s exceptionally clear that it has been a monumentally impressive effort from all involved.

While Seb Vettel delivered an astonishing drive to claim victory the eye-catching pace wasn’t restricted to only his Ferrari. Kimi Raikkonen suffered a left-rear puncture early in the piece, dropped down to eighteenth, finished comfortably in fourth place but still rued what he termed a “poor” weekend. “Obviously for the team it’s a pretty good result. It could have been better but I think we did the maximum with what we had today,” said Raikkonen.

The Williams pairing of Valtteri Bottas and Felipe Massa were surprisingly absent from proceedings. The team that ended last season closest to Mercedes were involved a couple of dices in the lower half of the top ten initially but made no impression on Mercedes or Ferrari. A distant fifth and sixth place all they have to show for an otherwise disappointing afternoon.

Amid the Ferrari euphoria 17-year-old Max Verstappen crossed the line in seventh to become the youngest ever points scorer in the 65 year history of the sport. The Dutchmen didn’t luck into his impressive position either he pulled off a few scintillating overtakes and finished ahead of teammate Carlos Sainz in eighth. The 2015 season is only two races old but it is rather difficult not to be excited by Verstappen’s unmistakable talent.

A poor day for Red Bull Racing resulted in ninth and tenth for Daniil Kvyat and Daniel Ricciardo. The 20-year-old Russian can hold his head high after surviving a clash with Force India’s Nico Hulkenberg and beating highly-rated teammate Ricciardo. McLaren showed progress but still failed to reach the chequered flag with either Jenson Button or Fernando Alonso. The Manor F1 team is a worthy mention who after crippling software issues in Australia managed to get Spanish rookie Roberto Merhi to the end of the race.

What makes Ferrari’s victory so much more impressive is that it was achieved, on track, through sheer pace. There was no mistake from Hamilton or Rosberg, or a technical issue with the Mercedes. Some will point to a strategic error by Mercedes but that didn’t have as much of an impact as many want to believe. The simple, but astounding, fact is that Mercedes were out-paced. Kudos to Toto Wolff for admitting that Mercedes were justly beaten.

The extraordinarily high track temperature was in Ferrari’s favour whose tyre conservation is a thing of beauty. But the SF15-T is a quick car and this highly emotional victory will do their morale a world of good. More than that, this win by Ferrari marks a good day for Formula 1. Mercedes’ dominance has been staggeringly impressive but not exactly helpful in the entertainment stakes. Now there is a possibility of a real fight for victories if not the big championship prize at the end of it.

As the German and Italian anthems once again rung out for a victorious Ferrari driver there will have been more than a few teary eyes. The moment was filled with nostalgic memories of the greatly revered Michael Schumacher with whom the combination of these two anthems was so synonymous. Vettel reflected on his early days of peeking over the Maranello fence to watch the great man put the scarlet Ferrari through its paces. Now Sebastian Vettel has emulated his childhood idol with a terrific victory that he will remember for the rest of his life. Grandé Seb!

Ferrari images courtesy of @ScuderiaFerrari

March 29, 2015
F1 Video: Malaysian Grand Prix highlights: Chaos in Sepang

The Malaysian Grand Prix is famous for its unpredictable weather and torrential monsoons. When the heavens open at Sepang, chaos ensues. The 2001 Malaysian Grand Prix was one of the most memorable races with chaos from the first lap, all the way to the end. Cars on fire, plenty of bumping and shoving and the tandem spin off by Ferrari team-mates Michael Schumacher and Rubens Barrichello are but a few of the highlights from this crazy race. Watch this awesome 2001 Malaysian Grand Prix highlights video and enjoy the epicness of it all!

March 25, 2015
FIA release details of new Super Licence points system from 2016

Formula One governing body, the FIA, has released details of a new Super Licence points system that will make it more difficult for drivers to become eligible for F1 racing.

From 2016 onwards, drivers must have accumulated 40 points over a three-year period in order to be eligible to apply for a super licence to compete in Formula One. Points allocation will be based on which other motorsport series’ they have competed in and the results they achieved.

The changes follow much criticism of Toro Rosso’s new 17 year old recruit, Max Verstappen. In future, drivers will have to be at least 18 years old before being allowed to compete in F1 and will also need to spend at least two years in junior single-seater categories.

Furthermore, all drivers will be required to hola valid road driver’s licence and pass a test on the Formula One sporting regulations. The existing requirement of completing 300 kilometres in a recent F1 car will also remain.

The junior categories eligible for points, in order of weighting, are: a future FIA F2 championship (60 points for winner), GP2 (50), FIA F3 European championship (40), FIA WEC (LMP1 only) (40), IndyCar (40), GP3 (30), Formula Renault 3.5 (30), Japanese Super Formula (20), national FIA-certified F4 championships (10), national F3 championships (10) and Formula Renault (EuroCup, ALPS or NEC) (5).

These new super licence rules would have prevented ten current F1 drivers from making their grand prix debuts in the last five seasons. They include Red Bull driver Daniel Ricciardo who made his debut in 2011 and scored three race victories last year. Paul di Resta, Marcus Ericsson, Giedo van der Garde and Jean-Eric Vergne are also amongst those who would not have met the requirements to apply for a super licence.

The new super licence regulations also make it more difficult for drivers to make comebacks following a break from the sport. In order to automatically qualify for a superlicence drivers need to have started at least 5 F1 races in the previous year, or at least 15 in the previous 3 years. This means that Michael Schumacher, who returned to F1 after a four-year break, would not have automatically qualified for a new super licence.

January 6, 2015
Message from the Schumacher family

The family of Formula One legend, Michael Schumacher, who is still recovering from severe brain injuries suffered in a skiing accident, have released another message to his fans on his official website.

Today also marks the 20 year anniversary of Schumacher winning his first world drivers’ championship title, and thereby becoming the first German Formula One world championship and igniting an entire nations’ love for motorsport.

The Schumacher family have once again thanked fans for the ongoing support for Michael, saying that “Your wishes give us strength”. Here is the full message from the Schumacher family as published on his official website:

#KeepFightingMichael

Photo Credits: michael-schumacher.de

November 13, 2014
Video: Interlagos memories: Senna vs Schumacher 1992 Brazilian GP

The battle of Ayrton Senna and Michael Schumacher at Interlagos, at the start and early part of the race before Senna retired with engine cutout problems. After the race, Schumacher was upset over the incident in which Senna waved him through and passed him again at the end of the straight, thinking he was taunting him, however Senna’s engine was intermittently cutting out. This further lead to the argument between Senna and Schumacher in France where Senna told Schumacher to come to him first if he had a problem instead of criticizing Senna to the media as he did in the Interlagos post race press conference after the Brazilian Grand Prix.

November 6, 2014
Schumacher “can live a relatively normal life” soon

FIA president and former Ferrari boss, Jean Todt, has delivered some very promising news about Michael Schumacher’s condition since his skiing accident last December.

Todt and Schumacher are close friends and the FIA president has apparently been visiting the Schumacher family regularly since the F1 legend returned home to continue his recovery.

Very little has been made public about Schumacher’s condition and how is recovery is progressing but Todt has reportedly offered the Belgian broadcaster RTL some very positive news.

“We may assume that Schumacher can live a relatively normal life within a short period of time,” Todt said.

“What we can say is that he will probably never again drive a Formula One car.”

According to RTL, Todt visited Schumacher in the week before the Japanese Grand Prix.

“He fights. His condition improves, which is very important,” said Todt, “as is the fact that he is now home with his family.”

There have been no official updates from Schumacher’s spokesperson or his family as yet and we continue to wish him and his family well. #ForzaMichael

Photo Credit: WRi2

October 7, 2014
Schumacher Continues Recovery At Home

Michael Schumacher will return home to continue his recovery and rehabilitation process at home following his skiing accident last December.

Schumacher spent 6 months in a medically induced coma at a hospital in Grenoble after sustaining severe brain injuries. He was later transferred to Lausanne’s University Hospital in June to continue his recovery.

A statement released by Schumacher’s manager read as follows:

“Henceforth, Michael’s rehabilitation will take place at his home.

Considering the severe injuries he suffered, progress has been made in the past weeks and months.

There is still, however, a long and difficult road ahead.

We would like extend our gratitude to the entire team at CHUV Lausanne for their thorough and competent work.

We ask that the privacy of Michael’s family continue to be respected, and that speculations about his state of health are avoided.”

There were no further details regarding the 7-time world champions condition

September 9, 2014
Video: Spa Memories: Raikkonen-Schumacher Battle 2012 Belgian Grand Prix

Relive the epic battle between Michael Schumacher in the Mercedes and Kimi Raikkonen in his Lotus at the 2012 Belgian Grand Prix. Also, the epic pass by Raikkonen on Schumacher at the famous Eau-Rouge corner.

August 8, 2014