F1 Madness

Tag: spain

  • F1 2020: Spanish Gp Review – Hamilton coats to victory

    F1 2020: Spanish Gp Review – Hamilton coats to victory

    Fairly straightforward and supremely dominant is probably the best adjectives with which to describe Lewis Hamilton’s latest race victory. Seemingly without too much effort the Mercedes driver racked up career win number 88 by leading every one of the 66 laps of the Spanish grand prix from pole position.

    So dominant was Hamilton that not even Max Verstappen could get close. Eventually, the Red Bull driver finished roughly twenty-four seconds adrift in second. It was another day in which the Dutch driver delivered the best result possible, which keeps him, somewhat, within touching distance in the point’s standings. Elsewhere, Valtteri Bottas was third for Mercedes after a strange lack of pace on the quicker soft tyre in the closing stage of the race. The call to put the Finn out on the soft compound was done with the expectation that he would be able to cruise up to the back of Verstappen, on the medium compound, and take second place off him. However, the pace never materialized and Bottas now sits a rather uncomfortable, and probably insurmountable, 43 points behind Hamilton.

    Racing Point delivered a good haul of points with an impressive drive from Lance Stroll in fourth and masterful tyre management from the one-stopping Sergio Perez in fifth. Carlos Sainz delivered a sixth place for McLaren at his home race but the driver of the day was unquestionably Sebastian Vettel. Normally, seventh place wouldn’t seem all that impressive in a works Ferrari but it was on this occasion. The Ferrari’s lack of pace meant that Vettel started the Spanish Gp from 11th on a circuit notorious for lack of overtaking. It’s been clear from the start of the season that the relationship between Vettel and Ferrari had deteriorated to the point of no return. Nevertheless, one would expect that Ferrari should still be doing their level best to score as many points as possible with both cars.

    2020 Spanish GPBut it doesn’t seem to be the philosophy shared by the team. As on several other occasions throughout his tenure at Ferrari Vettel was again forced to take the reigns on strategy in Sunday’s race. Radio messages clearly indicate Vettel’s inquiries about tyres and strategy to which he received no response. Sometime in the final stint of the race the pitwall suggest trying to go to the end on the soft compound. The lack of care and attention to Vettel is not only indicative of the relationship between the two but also of a team in serious crisis. Somehow, without any help from the team, Vettel ran the soft tyre for nearly forty laps in the end and finished an impressive seventh.

    In eighth was Alex Albon whose gamble to opt for the hard tyre at the first round of stops didn’t pan out. Pierre Gasly scored two points in ninth for Alpha Tauri while Lando Norris claimed the final point in tenth for McLaren. Charles Leclerc, who ran in sixth for most of the race, was the only retirement with a suspected electronic issue.

    When Hamilton jumped out of the car after winning his fifth Spanish Gp he looked like he could probably run a hundred more laps so little effort had he expended. The only driver with the car to challenge Lewis Hamilton is Valtteri Bottas and it doesn’t seem likely that the Finn has the ability to do so. Yes, he may occasionally beat Hamilton to pole and even take a win off him here and there. But the fact remains that Bottas simply isn’t championship material, not against Hamilton anyway.

     

  • F1 2020: Opening Races Officially Announced

    F1 2020: Opening Races Officially Announced

    For most 2020 has been an unprecedented year, so far. Nearly all the plans and ideas and intentions have fallen by the wayside or at the very least significantly delayed. Amongst many other areas of life the world of sport has found itself in suspended animation for several months. Astonishingly, it has been six months, or half a year, since the last F1 race in Abu Dhabi.

    Fortunately the official announcement of the opening eight races for the 2020 season signals an end to the long wait. With due considerations towards health and safety Formula 1, in partnership with the FIA and teams, has facilitated a return to the track. F1 will look markedly different in this new world, as all eight races will take place behind ‘closed doors’. The thought of no fans at Monza, devoid of the passionate Tifosi is nearly unimaginable. But these are the compromises that had to be made in order to go racing.

    The opening two rounds will take place at Austria’s Red Bull Ring. The race scheduled for 3 – 5 July will officially be known as the Formula 1 Rolex Grosser Preis von Osterreich while round two, slated for 10 – 12 July will be known as the Formula 1 Pirelli Grosser Preis der Steiermark.

    The paddock will be sans motorhomes for the opening stint of the season and team members will make use of the paddock club facilities for mealtimes. Teams will also keep to themselves during the race weekend and not mingle with members from other teams so as to insure a relative isolation.

    The third round of the season will take place at Hungary’s Hungaroring from 17 – 19 July. Though the 2020 cars have not turned a wheel in anger Austria’s Red Bull Ring and the Hungaroring are traditionally strong circuits for Red Bull. It could be just what Max Verstappen and co needs to be serious contenders right off the bat.

    After several long consultations Formula 1 and other elite sports have obtained a special exemption from the British government to forego the compulsory 14-day self-quarantine upon entering the country. It means that the British grand prix can go ahead. In fact, the brilliant Silverstone circuit will host back-to-back race weekends with the first to take place from 31 July to 02 August. The second race, on 07 – 09 August, is being billed as the Emirates Formula 1 70th Anniversary Grand Prix. As the site of the first ever Formula 1 world championship race in 1950 it seems more than fitting.

    From 14 – 16 August Formula 1 will be at the Circuit de Barcelona Catalunya in Spain for round 6 of the championship. Interestingly, the much hotter weather could have a significantly impact on the racing as Spain’s traditional slot on the F1 calendar sees much cooler conditions.  Round 7 of the calendar has been reserved for the Belgian grand prix around the famed Spa-Francorchamps circuit. The Belgium grand prix retains its original of 28 – 30 August. One week later, on 04 – 06 September, Monza has been penned in as round 8

    While only eight races have been announced the expectation is to run a calendar of 15 – 18 races, which is expected to end in December. Ferrari, which owns the Mugello circuit, has given their consent for a race to be run on the Italian track. Amongst others, Hockenheim and Imola are also believed to be in the mix for addition to the 2020 F1 calendar.

  • F1 2019: Monaco Gp Preview – Win or Bust for Ferrari

    F1 2019: Monaco Gp Preview – Win or Bust for Ferrari

    Formula 1 cars have raced through the sun-kissed streets of Monte Carlo every year since 1950. Decade after decade it the Monaco grand prix stood proud as the jewel in F1’s crown. All the legends have won here from Juan-Manuel Fangio to Sir Jackie Stewart to Ayrton Senna to the great Michael Schumacher. And it is unquestionably the grand prix victory that drivers want in their CV.

    More recently it hasn’t done must to endear itself to modern-day F1 fans. And it isn’t because these fans are a lot of whingers either. It isn’t even that in an over-saturated world that they are easily bored, as some would have you believe. Most, if not all, of these fans appreciate and laud the sport’s venerated history and speak in awe of decades gone by.

    The utter precision and bravery that it demands to fling these marvels of design and engineering through the barrier-lined streets is a feat so outrageous it shouldn’t be possible. But it is. And year after year Formula 1 shows up and proves it possible. As gloriously insane a spectacle as that is it simply isn’t conducive anymore to what modern F1 fans yearn for. There is a great hunger for wheel-to-wheel racing, for overtaking, for edge-of-the-seat racing that leaves you, simultaneously, stunned and exhilarated. And this is nothing something that the Monaco grand prix can deliver anymore.

    Monaco F1 Grand Prix - RaceSeveral decades ago the story was different but with modern F1 cars it just isn’t feasible. The width of the cars alone makes overtaking in Monaco, already at a premium, nearly impossible. This means that Saturday qualifying dictates Sunday’s race, barring unreliability. In the recent past, 2016 to be precise, leader Nico Rosberg drove deliberately slowly and still no one was able to overtake the then Mercedes driver. Off the track, for which the action starts on Thursday, it is the place to be seen. Here you can rub shoulders with the rich and famous provided you have the right invite or the ability to cough up an exorbitant amount of money to make it into the paddock or onto one of the luxury yachts.

    The reality is though that most F1 save for months, even years, to make it to a racetrack somewhere in the world and hardly entertain the thought of being able to attend a grand prix on the French Riviera. It seems nearly unthinkable to imagine an F1 calendar with the Monaco grand prix. But what it even more inconceivable is that those who tend to the sport do not take into account what the fans want and can afford.

    Monaco Grand Prix 2014 Safety CarFor the foreseeable future there is a Monaco grand prix and this weekend someone will again loft the famous first place trophy into the air as the winner. In recent years Mercedes have struggled with equal tyre warm-up across both axles of their car. However, recent form in Singapore, also a street-track, suggests that they have begun to get on top of the issue. Valtteri Bottas will be interesting to watch here, as Monaco has never been a strong circuit for the Finn. It’s a good place then to show that new-for-2019 Bottas is not only a force to be reckoned with but also a bonafide championship contender.

    Red Bull won here in 2018 with Daniel Ricciardo despite a loss of power. It could well be Max Verstappen’s chance to shine on the famous streets provided he can keep his Red Bull out of the barrier – a feat he didn’t accomplish in 2018.

    For Ferrari, as in Spain, it’s win or bust. Anything other than the top step of the podium will be devastating to their championship aspirations that are already hanging by a catastrophically thin thread.

  • F1 2017: Fan Survey Results Revealed

    F1 2017: Fan Survey Results Revealed

    The global fan survey conducted by the Motorsport Network has been released today and details several aspects fans deem most important to the sport.

    Download your copy of the Report here:

    F1 Survey Fans Report 2017

  • F1 2017: Spanish Gp Review – Hamilton Fights To Spanish Win

    F1 2017: Spanish Gp Review – Hamilton Fights To Spanish Win

    For eighty-eight percent of the time all races around the circuit de Catalunya have been won from pole position. While this stat was re-affirmed in 2017 by pole sitter Lewis Hamilton’s victory it was nearly as straightforward as that.

    Lewis Hamilton and Mercedes were made to work hard for all of the sixty-six laps of the Spanish grand prix. A clever switch on tyre strategy, which had the Brit on the quicker tyre at the end of the race, provided the opportunity for victory, which Hamilton translated into the 55th win of his career.

    The Ferrari of Sebastian Vettel dominated the first half of the grand prix but a combination of Valtteri Bottas serving as a blocker for Hamilton and a slow call on strategy, cost him the top step of the podium. Ultimately the pair finished less than four seconds apart. It was nearly as satisfying an afternoon for their teammates. Kimi Raikkonen retired on lap one with a broken steering-arm following clash into turn one between Bottas, Raikkonen, and Verstappen. The incident also brought Verstappen’s race to an end was, rightly, deemed to be a racing incident. Later in the piece Bottas Mercedes engine expired putting him out of the race. Though no fault of their own, Raikkonen and Bottas’ retirements could be significant. It could begin the process of Ferrari and Mercedes needing to discuss which driver to back in the fight for championship. In a battle that appears to be as close as the 2017 is there isn’t much more time before this call will need to be made.

    052The retirements meant that Red Bull’s Daniel Ricciardo finished third but it was a day that the Austrian team will want to forget as soon as possible. The expectation that Red Bull’s highly anticipated upgrade package would push them towards the two front running teams was emphatically crushed by the fact that Ricciardo finished some seventy-five seconds adrift. This margin is especially worrying considering that the Spanish circuit is predominantly focused on aerodynamics. Nevertheless, the characteristics of the next grand prix in Monaco should alleviate their pain somewhat. But it’s still unlikely that they’ll trouble Ferrari or Mercedes should all things be equal.

    Force India continued their impressive run with yet another double points finish. Sergio Perez in fourth and Esteban Ocon in fifth underlined what a stellar job this privateer team is doing with, likely, a quarter of the budget of the bigwigs. Renault too is continuing to make progress as Nico Hulkenberg finished sixth overall. Spanish driver Carlos Sainz finished seventh in front of his home crowd in the Toro Rosso while Pascal Wehrlein upped his stock in Formula 1 with a fine eighth place finish in a Sauber which has been difficult to drive this year. Sauber’s point score now means that McLaren are the only team with zero points on the board.

    048Dannil Kvyat came from twentieth on the grid to ninth while Romain Grosjean snapped up the final point in tenth for Haas. Perfomance-wise it was a better weekend for McLaren but Fernando Alonso could still only manage twelfth place by the chequered flag.

    Notably nearly all the drivers remarked on the physicality of the race and how they were on the limit for all of the 66 laps. This is in stark contrast to last year where drivers were cruising around five to six seconds off the pace in order to conserve their tyres. A tip of the hat then to the FOM, FIA, and Pirelli doing their bit to provide a more intense experience for drivers and spectators alike.

    One of the most fascinating developments to emerge from the weekend is that despite the fact that tens of millions of rands have been spent on upgrade packages and countless man-hours have been invested the battle between Mercedes and Ferrari appear to be as close as ever. For fans it couldn’t be better news as it means an enthralling season in prospect.

  • F1 2017: Spanish Gp Free Practice 2 Report – Mercedes In Front

    F1 2017: Spanish Gp Free Practice 2 Report – Mercedes In Front

    Lewis Hamilton topped the second free practice session ahead of the Spanish grand prix.

    The Mercedes driver quickest time of 1:20:802 was 90 thousands of a second quicker than his teammate Valtteri Bottas in seconds. The two Ferrari’s of Kimi Raikkonen and Sebastian Vettel were third and fourth quickest with Raikkonen three tenths off the quickest time. The Red Bull’s of Daniel Ricciardo and Max Verstappen rounded out the top five.

    Conditions around the circuit de Catalunya seemed tricky as intermittent gusts of wind upset the cars in several corners. In addition, the compounds nominated by Pirelli, medium and soft, seemed difficult to keep within the optimal operating temperature.

    A brief red flag period was experienced as debris from Carlos Sainz’s Toro Rosso was collected in turn 10. Nevertheless, when running got underway it was Mercedes who appeared to have the upper hand in long run simulations. At Ferrari it was Raikkonen who appeared to have a few tenths in hand over teammate Sebastian Vettel. While Friday’s long run simulations appear deceptive it does appear as if Mercedes are ahead by a few tenths of a second.

    Final Free Practice 2 Standings:

    Screen Shot 2017-05-12 at 3.33.11 PM

  • F1 2017: Spanish Gp Free Practice 1 Report – Mercedes Lead The Way

    F1 2017: Spanish Gp Free Practice 1 Report – Mercedes Lead The Way

    Lewis Hamilton led the way from his Mercedes teammate Valtteri Bottas in the first free practice session of the Spanish grand prix.

    The ninety-minute session was topped by Hamilton’s 1:21:521 which was  29 thousands quicker than Bottas’ P2 time. The two Ferrari’s followed in third and fourth with Raikkonen setting a 1:22:456 ahead of Vettel, on a 1:22:600.

    Early in the session Fernando Alonso’s McLaren spectacularly expired after only a half a lap out of the pitlane. The team reported a rather obvious engine failure while Alonso left the circuit for a round of tennis. The Renault of Sergey Sirotkin suffered a water leak which limited his running in the session to only ten laps.

    While several teams utilized the session to evaluate new upgrades and updates to their cars it remains to be seen what sort of impact these new updates will have on the pecking order.

    Final Free Practice 1 Standings:

    Screen Shot 2017-05-12 at 11.33.02 AM

  • F1 2017: Spanish Gp Preview – Back To Europe

    F1 2017: Spanish Gp Preview – Back To Europe

    There isn’t too much about Spain’s circuit de Catalunya that isn’t already known. As the fifth round of the 2017 season this staple of the Formula 1 calendar has, over the years, become the definitive barometer of car performance.

    The 4.6-kilometer layout of the Spanish circuit comprises the perfect mixtures to test car balance and aerodynamic efficiency while the start/finish strait provides a modest test of power output. The high and medium speed turns, which litter the first sector, test stability and grip while the lower speed third sector is the perfect test of low speed mechanical grip. A quick car through the twisty bits of Catalunya’s final sector invariably translates into a good at street circuits such as Monaco and Singapore.

    From this, it would suggest that Ferrari would be favourite and they are. The stellar aerodynamic package that they have produced in 2017 will be the Italian team’s biggest weapon. In Bahrain the Ferrari excelled in the high to medium speed first sector and in Russia both the Ferrari’s performance in the final, twisty, sector dwarfed what Mercedes was able to produce. Combine these two sectors and you have a layout similar to the circuit de Catalunya.

    TEST F1/2017 - T2 SPAGNAWhat may be Ferrari’s Achilles heel are the compounds which tyre supplier Pirelli has nominated for the weekend. While the track surface in Spain tends to be more abrasive in order to get the soft, medium, and hard compounds to its optimal working range will require a substantial track temperature. “I’m not sure if it’ll help us or not but I just don’t think it’s going to be good for anyone,” said Red Bull’s Daniel Ricciardo. “Hopefully for Barcelona’s sake it’s hot and therefore these harder tyres work, but if it’s cold then it’s going to be a struggle for everyone.”

    The Spanish grand prix weekend, while important for every team and driver on the grid, is vital to the rest of Red Bull’s 2017 campaign. In 2016 the Milton Keyes based team left the Spanish circuit with Max Verstappen as a first-time grand prix winner and with great expectations. The overhaul in regulations held the expectation that Red Bull would be a championship contender in 2017. Nevertheless, the season has started with the team significantly off the pace but they hope that their plan to rectify this begins to fall in place this weekend.

    red-bull-tagThe hope is that the introduction of a B-spec car and a “revamped” chassis will allow the team to make a significant step forward. “I hope we can be a bit closer to the top teams or that we can at least follow them,” said 2016 Spanish Gp winner Max Verstappen. “That would already be a good step forward.” Ironically, even without a chassis upgrade the characteristics of the Spanish circuit traditionally plays well to the strengths of the Red Bull.

    In Russia, for reasons unknown, Lewis Hamilton was considerably off the pace. And while both Ferraris and his teammate beat him up it gave Valtteri Bottas a crucial boost of confidence that could be telling. As for Ferrari, their biggest asset is the belief that they have more than a good chance of being at the sharp-end. And if the temperatures soar it’ll likely take more than a good performance to topple them this weekend.

  • Vettel Ends His Pre-Season Testing Top of the Time Sheets

    Vettel Ends His Pre-Season Testing Top of the Time Sheets

    Sebastian Vettel topped the timing sheets for Ferrari on the penultimate day of testing before the start of the 2017 season.

    The session before lunch was topped by Ferrari driver Sebastian Vettel who set a time of 1:19:024 on a set of the purple marked ultra softy tyres. However, what was eye-catching about the German’s time was the manner in which he set it. Twice on his approach to the start/finish line he deliberately lifted off the throttle making his time significantly slower than it would’ve been. There could be several reasons for this approach but most point to Ferrari wanting to disguise their true pace ahead of the season-opener in Australia.

    Mercedes had another good day with 147 laps between Lewis Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas. Hamilton was 2nd fastest just a little over three tenths down on Vettel’s time. Hamilton also setting his time on the ultra soft tyres. Taking over in the afternoon was Bottas who completed 95 laps before calling it a day.

    It was not a smooth start to the day for Toro Rosso who suffered with technical issues in the morning session. But things looked much more encouraging in the afternoon session and Daniil Kvyat was able to put in some good times and his fastest time of 1:20.416 earned him 4th fastest.

    Quietly going about their business was the Haas team with Kevin Magnussen at the wheel of the VF-17. Magnussen set the 5th fastest time of the day and completed a very respectable 119 laps. Finishing behind Haas on the day was Daniel Ricciardo for Red Bull who seemed somewhat off the pace today. Red Bull have put the pace down to setup. Despite the slow pace Ricciardo completed 128 laps in the RB13.

    There were yet more woes for McLaren as Stoffel Vandoorne ground to halt and brought out the red flag. The Belgian’s stoppage wasn’t crash related but it was an electrical issue. This comes merely a day after Alonso fingered Honda as the villain in McLaren’s 2017 story. Vandoorne manage to complete 48 laps before the chequered flag and finished 7th fastest.

    Both Sauber drivers were out in the car once again today with Pascal Wehrlein 9th fastest and Marcus Ericsson 11th fastest. Between the the Sauber drivers was Renault’s Jolyon Palmer in 10th.

    The two Williams drivers finished 11th and 12th with Felipe Massa ahead of rookie Lance Stroll. Williams concentrated on race simulations and long run tyre evaluation. They had a very good day of running and between the two drivers completed 165 laps.

     

  • F1 2017: Official Testing Day 2 Wrap-Up

    F1 2017: Official Testing Day 2 Wrap-Up

    Official testing entered its second day ahead of the start of the 2017 Formula 1 season.

    Three time champion Lewis Hamilton set the early morning pace with a quickest time of 1:20:983 on the red-walled Supersoft Pirelli compound tyres. It was a another difficult day for McLaren as this time Stoffel Vandoorne saw his running curtailed by engine/power unit issues. The McLaren team was forced to change the engine which cost several hours. Vandoorne managed to get back out and completed 40 laps before calling it a day.

    Meanwhile, Canadian rookie Lance Stroll stepped into the cockpit of the Williams for his first official day of testing but binned the FW40 shortly afterwards. While the driver walked away unscathed from the relatively minor crash the team announced an early end to their day’s running as they had no spare parts for the car. Stroll completed a total of twelve laps.

     

    “It is still early days and I have only done a handful of laps,” said Stroll.

    “I am just getting to grips with the FW40, and there is still a lot of time ahead of us. It was good to finally get behind the wheel to just get a feel for it.

    “Like I said, it is still early days, so I need to do a lot more running before I know exactly where I am and where the car is at. I will have a much better picture once we have more laps under our belts, but it was good to break the ice and I am looking forward to some more running.”

    Elsewhere, Haas F1’s Kevin Magnussen racked up a century of laps and a solid day of run for the American team. The dane ended the days running in fourth with a total of 118 laps under the belt. Red Bull’s Max Verstappen completed his running in third with 89 laps on the board.

    It was a slow start for Ferrari reserve driver Antonio Giovinazzi on his first outing for Sauber. He sat out most of the morning session with a power unit issue. The Sauber team were able to replace the engine and get him out for an installation lap just before the lunch break. He was back out after lunch and completed 67 laps in the Sauber C36.

     

    “It was a positive day for me, despite the issues we had in the morning,” said Giovinazzi.

    “In the afternoon I was able to get up to speed running a good amount of laps. I want to thank the Sauber F1 Team again for this opportunity. Now I am looking forward to being back in the car tomorrow.”

    Later in the afternoon Ferrari’s Kimi Raikkonen set the quickest lap of the day. His lap of 1:20:960 was set on the yellow-walled soft tyre. Reports were that Raikkonen was not feeling entirely healthy but the Finn nevertheless completed 108 laps for the day.

    Valtteri Bottas took over from teammate Lewis Hamilton in the afternoon and ran several race simulation stints in the W08. The Finnish driver clocked 102 laps by the end of the afternoon.