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Gentlemen, let your F1 silly season begin

With F1 Silly Season in full swing, Motorsport Editor for Streetmotion, Reynard Gelderblom, wrote in to give us his views on who will be filling which remaining seats in the Formula One paddock. Here are his F1 Silly Season thoughts.

We’ve only just past the halfway point and the proverbial F1 silly season of the 2013 F1 championship is in full swing. Several seats are already filled, but some big questions still remain.

In many ways Kimi Raikkonen’s signature holds the key to various open seats. Then there’s the second McLaren seat too. Let’s clear up who’s in, who’s out and caught in between.

Infiniti Red Bull Racing

Sebastian Vettel is staying with the team and despite rumours linking various names, I was expecting an announcement before the Italian Grand Prix that Daniel Ricciardo will be partnering him. That announcement is now in. But it would’ve been nice to see Raikkonen or Fernando Alonso alongside him. There’s nothing as spectacular as a top team with two of the best drivers on level terms – remember McLaren with Ayrton Senna and Alain Prost at the end of the eighties?

Still, to ensure that the young driver programme remains a success, it is fitting that Mark Webber’s successor comes from the lower ranks. Ricciardo has done enough to secure his opportunity and it is a well earned promotion for him. Unlike Jean-Eric Vergne, the Australian just looked like being the one who stuck his hand up when it mattered … And this did get noticed.

Ferrari

The dream of two top drivers in a front running team can still be realised when the Italian team announce who will be partnering Alonso in 2014. Raikkonen would love to return to Ferrari. The Finn has one goal in mind: Winning. Sadly, despite strong form early in 2013, Lotus has not quite delivered the car to put him in this position.

The question is however: Will Alonso want Raikkonen alongside him? With the Spanish Santander money following Alonso, even a financially strong team like Ferrari must make decision based on money. We all know Fernando doesn’t play well with others on a level playing field, just ask Lewis Hamilton and Nelson Piquet Jnr.

Also, don’t expect Raikkonen to be the nice guy that Felipe Massa was during the 2012 American GP. My views for Ferrari: It’s time for Massa to go and I’d love to see Raikkonen back in a Ferrari. I’m however expecting Nico Hulkenberg to drive the second Ferrari in 2014.

Mercedes

I’ve been guilty of calling Mercedes “just another Toyota”, and calling Hamilton a fool for joining them and Nico Rosberg “just another driver as good as his car”. The truth is I was wrong on all three counts. What we’ve seen so far in 2013 is a team and driver pairing that can well bring back the glory days for the Silver Arrows.

Despite the rule changes and new engines, they’re the only team with a confirmed unchanged line-up for 2014. Everything just seems to build towards something big for Mercedes and consistency may well be the key aspect in the changing world of 2014. Watch out Vettel, that Red Bull cloud may have a very silver lining next season.

Lotus

A lot rides on where Raikkonen will go. Ferrari is an option, McLaren not. If Lotus can provide a fast car and pay him, Lotus may just be the best option for him. And if Lotus wants to be smart, they should also keep their line-up intact. Raikkonen’s record with the team speaks for itself and Romain Grosjean has developed into a more mature driver as well. What if Raikkonen does go to Ferrari though? What about Giedo van der Garde, Adrian Sutil or even GP2 championship leader Stefano Coletti? Of the front running teams, Lotus may be the team who’ll surprise all of us when they announce their driver line-up.

Force India

Paul di Resta will be staying with the team. The big question is who should partner him? Despite being replaced in 2012, Sutil has become somewhat part of the Force India furniture. The German is good, make no mistake about it but if he’s not going to progress up the ladder, is he good enough to deserve yet another season? Jules Bianchi tested for the team at the start of the season and has somehow looked better than in his Marussia. Perhaps it’s time to bring some young blood into the team. Also, given his experience as Mercedes test driver and current GP2 form, don’t discount Sam Bird either.

McLaren

The 2009 World champion Jenson Button does not have a contract yet and don’t be surprised if this will be the last season we’ll see the Brit in F1 either. This has been a somewhat hopeless year for McLaren. Sergio Perez is still contracted and one can only hope that his erratic streak comes to an end. Perhaps we’ll see Button for another season, but I doubt it. I’ve heard a lot of names flying around though: Sutil, Bird and Gary Paffett just being a few of them. Never discount McLaren for fielding young blood. Mika Hakkinen, Raikkonen and Hamilton are just three drivers whose careers took off since joining them. On that note, also don’t be surprised to see the name Valtteri Bottas being mentioned here as well.

Torro Rosso

Ricciardo leaves to join Red Bull and I don’t see Jean-Eric Vergne being given a third season, especially not with him not being in contention for any future Red Bull plans. But which of the Red Bull young drivers do you field? Carlos Sainz, Daniil Kvyat and Antonio Felix da Costa all look promising, but you have to remember that all of them only have GP3 knowledge. Torro Rosso might wait till very late to announce their line-up for 2014. With Renault being announced as their engine supplier, we could we see this also influencing their line-up.

Sauber F1

Sauber needs money. Hulkenberg needs a competitive car and Esteban Gutierrez needs to deliver on his pre-season potential. Sauber also still needs an engine for 2014. There are rumours that Massa could be ending his career with them, but without Ferrari engines I somehow don’t see this materialising. There’s speculation of Russian money coming in, and with that maybe a Russian driver. This could mean that we can see Vitaly Petrov making a comeback to F1. Still, I just get the feeling that Sauber will somehow be happy to have two cars competing for the lower points on the gird in 2014, having at least one competitive driver will be a huge bonus.

Williams

I just want to page through the history files here for a bit: Nigel Mansell, Nelson Piquet, Alain Prost, Damon Hill, Jacques Villeneuve – all names that won championships with them during the last 30 years. Senna lost his life while driving for the then dream team. They’ve brought us drivers like David Coulthard, Button and Montoya and once had Ralf Schumacher being in contention for the title.

Where exactly did things go wrong for them that they’ve become the home of pay drivers such as Pastor Maldonado? I can’t stress this point enough; it’s time for Maldonado to go. 2014 will see them switching to Mercedes engines and with that I’m hoping to see either Sutil or Bird coming in. If Bottas can’t secure a top drive, I’d like to see him retain his seat too.

Marussia

Just ask Timo Glock how loud money can speak at the back of the grid. Max Chilton hasn’t quite lived up to any expectation in 2013 and unless he comes with a hefty cheque, I’d be surprised to see him back. I’d also be surprised to see Bianchi not moving up. This could open doors for Luiz Razia who tested with them at the start of the season, or test driver Rodolfo Gonzalez. For all we know Maldonado might even have a lifeline here. They’re another team with a good young driver programme in both GP2 and GP3, but I foresee money speaking louder than talent here.

Caterham

The same goes for Caterham. Charles Pic is already confirmed and Van der Garde has done enough to move up. Test driver Alexander Rossi is fast, but I doubt if this will be enough.

Money may speak louder than talent at the back, but no one can speak louder than Raikkonen at the front end. Watch this space on Street Motion and F1 Madness as we’ll bring you more F1 silly season updates during the rest of the season.

What changes and surprises do you think the F1 Silly Season will still bring? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below!

Reynard Gelderblom is the motorsport editor for Street Motion.

Keep up to date with the latest local motorsport news by following Street Motion on Twitter.

Photo Credits:

Kimi Raikkonen – F1 Madness Screengrab

Alonso and Massa – Ferrari F1 Twitter team

Sutil – Force India Twitter team

Maldonado – Williams F1 Twitter Team

September 3, 2013
Belgium GP: Post Qualifying Report – Hamilton times it to a tee

The notorious Spa weather had a definitive say in today’s qualifying sessions as Lewis Hamilton snatched pole position in the dying seconds of the session.

The fickle weather dampened the 7 km long circuit enough to prompt the fitting of intermediate tyres all twenty-two cars. It was the opportunists who would cash into the difficult conditions and on this occasion both Caterham and Marussia happily took the gamble to run the medium compound slick tyres towards the end of the first twenty minute session.

As the circuit dried considerably so the laptimes tumbled. The Williams duo who had found themselves heading the timing sheets ultimately ended up outside the top sixteen. Giedo van der Garde for Caterham and Marussia Chilton and Bianchi all advanced the second part of qualifying thanks to some quick thinking tactics.

The second session was run in completely dry conditions and it was Kimi Raikkonen who a set a low 1 minute 48 to end the session quickest of all. While Jenson Button stuck his McLaren into 5^th place on the sheets teammate Perez failed to advance.

The dry running would be confined to the second part of qualifying as the light rain marked the start of the top ten shootout. As the field rushed out of the pitlane on white-walled medium tyres only Paul di Resta opted to remain in his garage. The Force India emerged shortly afterwards on intermediate tyres. It appeared to be a stroke of tactical genius by the Force India team as the other nine cars on circuit all returned to the pitlane for inters.

Di Resta was left with a clear track and what appeared to be the best track conditions as the rain intensified and circuit became a slippery thrill ride. For the majority of the session it looked as if the Scotsman was on course for his first pole position. Nevertheless, there would be a late twist in the tail. The rain had ceased and conditions had hugely improved towards the end of the ten minutes.

As several drivers snatched the top spot it was Lewis Hamilton who timed it to perfection. The Brit was the last driver to cross the line – therefore setting his lap at the time the circuit was at its best.

Hamilton snatched the pole position by two tenths of a second from championship leader Sebastian Vettel. Mark Webber lines up third ahead of the sister Mercedes of Nico Rosberg in fifth. Paul di Resta ended up with fifth place ahead of Jenson Button, Romain Grosjean and Kimi Raikkonen. Fernando Alonso and Felipe Massa rounds out the top ten.

August 24, 2013
Belgian Grand Prix Preview Quotes – Williams F1 Team

Preview Quotes from the Williams F1 Team ahead of this weekend’s Belgian Grand Prix.

Pastor Maldonado, Williams
“Spa is one of my favourite circuits because it has so much history and is so fun to drive. It’s a very technical and fast circuit and you find a very wide range of corners there: uphill, downhill, very slow, medium, fast, short and long corners. It’s the most complete track of the season and this tests you as a driver and also tests the car’s setup. It also has the famous Eau Rouge corner which puts a lot of G force and pressure on your body. You feel this even more during qualifying when you are low on fuel and are trying to get the most from the car. The weather can be changeable and because it is such a long track, there are times where the track can be wet in one sector but dry in another which requires the teams to make some difficult strategy decisions. Two years ago I picked up my first point in Formula One here and hopefully I will be in the points again this weekend.”

Valtteri Bottas, Williams
“I first drove at Spa in 2007 in Formula Renault and immediately fell in love with the track. It’s very high speed, flowing and undulating and gives you a real adrenaline rush. Achieving a good car set-up is difficult because of the wide variety of corners, but we will try to get as much information as we can during the practice sessions to find the most appropriate setup for qualifying and the race. I’ve had a good break during the shutdown period but I’m now itching to get back in the car. We have shown some improvements in race pace over the past few races and we know we are heading in the right direction. We will therefore be looking to have another points-scoring result this weekend that will give us good momentum for the second half of the season.”

Xevi Pujolar, Williams chief race engineer
“After the August break it is great to be back racing again and the whole team is looking forward to arriving at Spa-Francorchamps this weekend. It is one of the most challenging circuits in the world for both the car and drivers as you see every kind of corner from long flowing curves to twisty chicanes and hairpins. It’s one of the fastest circuits with an average speed of 230km/h and is also the longest single lap of the year at 7.004km. With DRS and the long lap resulting in large differences in tyre degradation between strategies, overtaking is usually easier here than at many other tracks. Weather is often very changeable here and although early forecasts show a chance of rain on Sunday only, this can quickly change. Also, given the length of the circuit there is an added challenge in selecting tyres in changeable conditions as certain parts of the circuit can be much wetter than others. Overall, we are looking forward to getting the final races of the season underway.”

Remi Taffin, Renault Sport F1 head of track operations
“A massive 70 percent of the 7-kilometre Spa-Francorchamps is spent flat out, meaning the track remains one of the biggest test of engines on the F1 calendar. Even though Monza sees the RS27 at full throttle for a longer time, it is the combination of the wide open throttle with the compressions and steep gradients that gives such an awesome workout. La Source to Eau Rouge and onto the Raidillon sees the engine at maximum revs, diving downhill and then climbing through several metres, putting the engines and internals under considerable stress. Having the right balance between reliability and top end power is always a juggling act as a result – and one that is particularly rewarding when you get it right.”

Photo by the Williams F1 Twitter Team

August 22, 2013
F1 2013 Mid Season Review

Starting with a hazardous Australian Grand Prix with ever changing weather conditions to a controlled race in Hungary we’ve had everything from tyre explosions to loose wheels, pitlane accidents, cars on fire and controversy galore. The 2013 F1 season has been a thrilling, wild ride for teams, drivers and fans alike.

With ten races behind us, it’s time to look at the season so far and how things have been shaping up.

Here is our F1 2013 Mid Season Review ahead of what is set to be an tumultuous second half of the season.

Red Bull Racing – 277 points

Sebastian Vettel – 172 points, Mark Webber – 105 points

Red Bull is still the team to beat and are the only team to really maximise their results every race so far this season. Leading the championship with 60 points over Mercedes in second place, it’s bound to be business as usual for the team following the break. Sebastian Vettel is sitting pretty in the drivers’ championship too – 38 points ahead of his nearest rival, Kimi Raikkonen in second place.

Vettel has raced all out so far this season – even defying team orders to score an extra 6 points – and remains on track for his 4th world championship.

Red Bull have an incredibly quick car – perhaps the quickest on the grid – and have remained incredibly consistent but have suffered like the other teams with tyre degradation issues and saw Vettel retiring from the British Grand Prix with mechanical failures. Vettel however will be very hard to beat going forward and his rivals know it.

Mark Webber, who announced that he will be leaving F1 at the end of the season, has had a more inconsistent – and really unlucky – season. Webber has had no wins yet this season but you can be sure that he’ll be looking to add to his nine career wins before he bows out of F1. His frustration became very clear in Malaysia when Vettel defied team orders to pass Webber for what would have been his only win this season.

Mercedes – 208 points

Lewis Hamilton – 124 points, Nico Rosberg – 84 points

With Niki Lauda and Toto Wolff assuming high profile positions and Lewis Hamilton joining the Brackley based team, all eyes were on Mercedes even before the season got underway.

Nobody expected Hamilton to be challenging for race wins in his first season at Mercedes, but he was on the podium within two races and took his first race win at the Hungarian Grand Prix.

Team mate Nico Rosberg has already recorded two race wins so far this season and continues to impress.

Mercedes has made quite a turn-around this season and their prospects are not looking bad at all. With a 69 point deficit to championship leaders Red Bull, it seems unlikely that they will challenge for the championship though.

Ferrari – 194 points

Fernando Alonso – 133 points, Felipe Massa – 61 points

A mid season review of the Ferrari team’s performance so far this year, seems all too familiar. Ferrari started off really well with both drivers having a really good start to their season.

Alonso banked a solid second place at the first race in Australia, and Massa also started off well – regularly out-qualifying his team mate and recording point finishes.

But things have been on a downward spiral after Alonso’s wins in Spain and China. In contrast to the 2012 season when Alonso had a 40 point lead at the summer break, the team has lost their second place in the championship and qualifying seems to be a big problem for the team. Massa was struck by a number of crashes and race retirements pushing him far behind his team mate as far the driver standings go.

They’ve just not kept up with the pace of development at Red Bull. Alonso has slipped back into third place in the championship – but it would be silly to discount the Spaniard just yet – his entire championship lead was wiped clean by Vettel in the second half of the 2012 season so that should be a clear indication of how quickly things can change.

Lotus – 183 points

Kimi Raikkonen – 134 points, Romain Grosjean – 49 points

The Lotus F1 Team started the 2013 season on a high, with a win for Kimi Raikkonen at the Australian Grand Prix. But that early strong form has not led to further victories for Raikkonen or the team, with the Finn collecting five second-place finishes and teammate Romain Grosjean – the former ‘first lap nutcase’ added two third-places to his name.

Lotus have been in the midst of the battle at every race. Their constant evolution and the way the tyres work for them has made this team a contender for the podium every race weekend. But their downfall is Saturday qualifying – the E21 has simply not had the outright pace in qualifying to make Sundays a little easier for the team.

Raikkonen has moved up to second place in the championship, one point ahead of Alonso, but if he hopes to catch Vettel they’re going to need to start winning races and with technical director James Allison leaving for Ferrari, it remains to be seen whether they’ll be able to keep up the development pace that will be required to catch the Red Bull.

Force India – 59 points

Paul di Resta – 36 points, Adrian Sutil – 23 points

For the purposes of a mid season review it can be said that Force India have had a pretty impressive season in general – especially in the earlier part of the calendar. Their car has far outshone the team’s resources and their drivers have both delivered on track, scoring points and making Force India’s mark as the strongest of the mid-field teams.

Adrian Sutil, who recently celebrated his 100th race, has driven really well especially in Monaco when he fearlessly overtook his rivals on the narrow street circuit. But unfortunately, like his team mate Paul Di Resta, the pace has just not lasted and they’ve both been rather lack-lustre of late. The final two races before the mid season break were their worst of the year so far and the tyre change in Budapest seemed to affect them particularly negatively.

Both drivers have worked really hard though and this has culminated in the team now ahead of McLaren in the Constructors’ championship. The Woking-based team is breathing down their necks though and they’ll have to pull up their socks in the remainder of the season if they hope to hold onto 5th place in the championship.

McLaren – 57 points

Jenson Button – 39 points, Sergio Perez – 18 points

The fact that McLaren is being discussed this far down in the mid season review should be a clear indication of the difficult, disappointing season the Woking-based team have had. McLaren are used to being in the heat of the battle for the championship but are currently on 6th in the standings, behind Force India. The dramatic slump in their form will certainly be a surprise to most.

Their drivers both try really hard – sometimes a little too hard as is often the case with Sergio Perez, but their car can’t keep up and they’re left fighting the mid-field.

Jenson Button’s strategy calls have been his only saving grace – in the last four races he was able to challenge for 5th and 6th places but this is obviously not where the team are used to being.

McLaren has said that they are no longer developing their 2013 car and are now working on their 2014 car instead, so don’t expect too much from them in the second half of the season. Jenson Button however has said he is very positive going into the Belgian Grand Prix and has predicted a podium at Spa. Let’s wait and see how that pans out.

Toro Rosso – 24 points

Daniel Ricciardo – 11 points, Jean-Eric Vergne – 13 points

Toro Rosso may not be fighting for titles and race wins but they have shown some significant progress during the season so far.

Daniel Ricciardo, who is still first in line for Mark Webber’s Red Bull seat, has put in some very strong qualifying performances.

Team mate Jean-Eric Vergne has brought home some very impressive race drives. With Vergne out of the running for the Red Bull seat, one can only hope that the Frenchman will still come out fighting for the rest of the season as the battle of the team mates has been the most interesting thing to watch within the Toro Rosso team.

It is unsure how long Toro Rosso will continue development on their current car, given the mammoth task of developing the much-changed 2014 cars that lies ahead.

Sauber – 7 points

Nico Hulkenberg – 7 points, Esteban Gutierrez – 0 points

Sauber has had a really challenging season so far and the mid season review of their performance leaves a disappointed taste in the mouth. Everyone had great hopes for Sauber – their car was the star of the 2013 car launches, but things have just not materialised for the team.

I guess a lot can be blamed on their budget and financial troubles but from the very beginning Sauber were on the back foot with a car that has struggled from the word go, and two brand new drivers in the team.

Nico Hulkenberg has done his best with the car he’s been given and has managed to secure 7 points for the team. His team mate Esteban Gutierrez has not done too badly for a rookie but has failed to bring home any points.

Sauber have closed a deal with Russian investors to help save the team, so let’s hope that pans out well for them or we may never see a C-33.

Williams – 1 point

Pastor Maldonado – 1 point, Valtteri Bottas – 0 points

At the back of the grid it’s been a very disappointing season for the Williams team. After winning a race last year in the FW34 we all expected much more from the FW35 but alas. They only scored their first point for the entire season at the Hungarian Grand Prix in Budapest.

The car lacks downforce and both Pastor Maldonado and team mate Valtteri Bottas have found the car difficult to drive, resulting in the team doing a mid season review of their own and overhauling their technical team. Most notably, technical director Mike Coughlan has left the team and been replaced by former Renault and Marussia man, Pat Symonds. He is bound to make a huge difference to the team but I’m afraid it’s a little too late to expect it to make a difference for the 2013 season though so let’s hope they’re already working on next year’s car.

Marussia – 0 points

Jules Bianchi – 0 points, Max Chilton – 0 points)

Marussia continues their battle for tenth place in the championship with the Caterham team. They started the season very impressively and after the Australian Grand Prix you would have been forgiven for thinking they may even be set to trouble the mid-field teams this season, but instead they’ve pretty much been racing the Caterham team all season.

They have gained a lot since last year though, especially in the form of rookie driver Jules Bianchi who has had some impressive performances.

His fellow rookie team mate Max Chilton has struggled a little to come to grips with driving an F1 car but the Marussia team have been impressed by his consistency and the feedback they get from him.

They’ve been dealt a pretty big blow with Pat Symonds leaving for Williams but for now, they still hold on to tenth place thanks to Bianchi’s 13th place finish in Malaysia.

We’re not expecting much in terms of development from the Marussia team for the rest of the season but for now, it seems they should be able to stay ahead of the green machines for the remainder of the season.

Caterham – 0 points

Charles Pic – 0 points, Giedo van der Garde – 0 points

Caterham’s season has been an uphill battle all the way. The team was targeting the mid-field but have just not managed to make any headway. It was only after Heikki Kovalainen was called in to advise the team that they started making some headway and finally in Bahrain – at the fourth race of the season – they managed to out qualify Marussia.

Slowly but surely their car has been improving and their upgrades have steadily resulted in progress. In Hungary they were able to easily out qualify both Marussia’s.

Both Giedo van der Garde and Charles Pic have put in solid performances, doing they best they can with what they have so they’ll be hoping that they can take back tenth from Marussia before the end of the season.

And that’s a wrap on our mid season review of the 2013 Formula 1 season. The first half of the season has been a thrilling one but has been dominated by tyres. With that behind us, and teams now on revised Pirelli rubber, the second half of the season should see some real battles taking shape. As we head to Spa for the Belgian Grand Prix you can bet that everyone will be bringing their A game.

What are you hoping for in the second half of the season? Share your thoughts in the comments section below.

Photo credits:

Photo of Bianchi’s car on fire – F1 Madness screen grab

Photo of Vettel gearbox failure – F1 Madness screen grab, Sky Sports HD

Lewis Hamilton after the Hungarian GP – Mercedes F1 Twitter Team

Massa and Alonso – Ferrari F1 Twitter team

Raikkonen – Lotus F1 Team

Adrian Sutil – Force India Twitter team

Jenson Button – Wikimedia Commons

Daniel Ricciardo – Red Bull Twitter Team

Sauber launch – Sauber F1 Team

Pastor Maldonado – Williams F1 Twitter Team

Max Chilton – Marussia F1 Twitter team

Giedo van der Garde – MyCaterham Twitter team

August 19, 2013
F1 2013: Hungarian GP Race Review – Miracle man Hamilton routs the pack

Ten races into the 2013 Formula 1 season Lewis Hamilton has claimed his first win of the year and the first for his Mercedes team at the Hungarian grand prix.

Red Bull and Mercedes found themselves locked in the battle for pole position on Saturday. 2008 world champion Lewis Hamilton snatched pole position from Sebastian Vettel’s grasp by a mere 0.038s. It couldn’t get any closer and it couldn’t have been a more perfect lap for the Brit. Regarded as a qualifying ace, Hamilton has played second fiddle to teammate Rosberg but if the tables were going to turn Hungary is where it would happen. On three occasions Hamilton had won the Hungarian GP. However, all of these victories were behind the wheel of a McLaren. This weekend Hamilton mentioned those who thought he was daft to make the move to Mercedes. He regards his first victory for Mercedes as one the most special of his sparkling career and though he may not say it, he will be enormously satisfied to have proved the non-believers wrong.

While Hamilton had it mostly his own way for all of the seventy laps of the race the battle for the podium positions was anything but straightforward.

Sebastian Vettel barely maintained second place off the starting line before he had to defend against a feisty Romain Grosjean in a somewhat pacier Lotus in the early stages of the race. Despite Grosjean’s best efforts however the notoriously difficult overtaking conditions around the Hungaroring meant he stayed behind the Red Bull driver.

Ferrari’s Fernando Alonso made his customary lightening start but could only gain one position to run fourth at the end of the first lap. The afternoon wasn’t one to remember for the Marenello based team as Alonso lacked the pace to fight amongst the frontrunners for the entire race. “We didn’t have the pace. We were too slow with the soft. We were too slow on the medium. We just had no pace,” said a frustrated Alonso.

There is no doubt that as a true championship winning driver Fernando Alonso can be expected to be fighting for this world title until the last possible moment. Questions have always been about how a driver will acclimatise to team, how he will adapt to the DNA of a new car. In Alonso and Ferrari’s situation it’s the opposite. The question is can Ferrari deliver a car that is worthy of Alonso; and if not how much longer can Fernando Alonso be expected to remain loyal to the prancing horse? Ferrari and Fernando Alonso were also fined 15,000 Euro for illegally using DRS three times while not within the prescribed one second range of the car in front.

This particular Sunday was all about Lewis Hamilton. Doubts about how Mercedes would fare of the new Pirelli tyres were on the forefront of most people’s minds. In the post qualifying press conference, despite being on pole position, Lewis Hamilton said that it would take ‘a miracle’ for him to win the Hungarian grand prix. However, as the race progressed it was evident that Hamilton was not going to face the immense level of tyre degradation the team had suffered at previous race weekends. Hamilton was the first of the frontrunners to enter the pitlane as he swopped his softs for the medium compound tyres on lap nine.

As Vettel encountered a slower Jenson Button after his first pit stop Lewis Hamilton edged the gap out to nearly ten seconds over the Red Bull driver. By the halfway mark of the race it was evident, due to Hamilton’s pace that the three time former winner of the Hungarian GP was not going to be caught.

It set up a fight between the two Red Bull’s and the two-stopping Lotus of Kimi Raikkonen. The Finn had pitted thirteen laps earlier than Vettel and should have been a sitting duck for Vettel and his fresh rubber. Raikkonen, not a pushover by any stretch of the imagination, held off the German for second place. Raikkonen completed the longest stint of laps on the medium compound – 33 laps in total.

Mark Webber put in a fighting drive to recover from tenth on the grid to fourth on Sunday. Fernando Alonso held off Romain Grosjean for fifth in a typically determined drive. Grosjean pulled off a tremendous move around the outside of turn four to overtake Felipe Massa but was later struck with a harsh drive-through penalty for leaving the circuit and gaining an advantage. It went from bad to worse for Grosjean as he was hit with a 20 second post race penalty for a causing a collision with Jenson Button. Nevertheless, Grosjean retains his sixth place finish.

Jenson Button and Felipe Massa finished seventh and eighth respectively while the sister McLaren of Sergio Perez was ninth. Nico Rosberg’s late retirement from the race, which appeared to be engine related, gave Pastor Maldonado tenth place overall and Williams their first point of the 2013 season.

Lewis Hamilton ended his victory drought in great style by taking a dominant fourth victory at the Hugaroring. A first win for Mercedes will undoubtedly by cherished but what was more impressive about Hamilton’s drive was the sheer determination and hunger that practically oozed from the former champ. An on song Lewis Hamilton is a formidable opponent and if Hungary is anything to go by he is far from letting go of this championship without a fight.

Photo credits:

Lewis Hamilton – Photo via Mercedes F1 Twitter Team

Grosjean vs Vettel – Screen grab by F1 Madness Team

Alonso – Screen grab by F1 Madness Team

Raikkonen – Lotus F1 Twitter Team

July 28, 2013
2013 Formula 1 Mid Season F1 Technical Round Up – Part 3

In the final part of this F1 technical round up we take a look at the remainder of the teams on the grid.

Sauber F1 Team

The 2012 Sauber C31 was a very good car. It was very kind to the tyres and it had very good race pace. This season’s C32 is not as quick as the car from the previous season and they have been struggling for pace. They’ve been bringing new developments to each race to try and get the car back on pace. The team are making slow progress and with their recent financial issues all sorted out now, they should be able to continue development on the 2013 car.

Sauber have been regularly changing the nose of the car. At the Spanish Grand Prix they had a front wing with the FOM camera mounted at the tip of the nose, giving it a hammerhead shark-like appearance.

At the next race in Canada there was a bulge (like a pelican beak) on the underside of the nose cone with the FOM cameras moved slightly back. The front wing itself has been pretty much unchanged since Spain with only slight changes made to the front wing cascade.

At the start of the season Sauber had a dipped rear wing. The central portion of the wing was extended a bit further down.

This configuration allowed them to run a little less aggressive angle of attack while still maintaining down force.

At the Spanish Grand Prix, the team brought a more conventional straight wing and have stuck with that configuration since.

Williams

The Williams F1 team have really been struggling with their 2013 car. The car is nowhere near the pace of their 2012 car. They had tremendous qualifying pace last season, yet this season they struggle to make it through to Q2 in some qualifying sessions.

They haven’t been able to stick to one front wing design. At the German Grand Prix they tested two different types of front wing designs. While this is normal for any team, they have not yet been able to find a design that works for them. Each configuration has a different cascade and is often missing the inverted “L” cascade near the center of the wing.

They’ve also changed the nose of car. The front pillars were similar to that of Ferrari’s at the Spanish Grand Prix, where the pillars extend from the tip of the nose to the wing. At the British Grand Prix they introduced a nose with a bit of a bulge on the underside with the pillars joining further back.

Around the side of the car they’ve added four vertical vortex generators to help the airflow to the exhaust.

At the rear of the car they’ve been running their boomerang wing which bends upwards from the main plane.

Toro Rosso

Like Force India, Toro Rosso have had a rather good start to the season. In the last few races they’ve shown that they can be competitive with Daniel Ricciardo finishing in the points.

The big change came to the car at the Spanish Grand Prix where they implemented a cross-under tunnel layout similar to their big brother team, Red Bull. Unlike the Red Bull solution where the cross-tunnel is totally closed off, Toro Rosso’s is only partially closed off.

This does not mean that it’s less effective though. The Red Bull has a Renault engine and the Toro Rosso runs Ferrari engines. They both have very different characteristics when they’re off throttle, on the throttle etc. This is probably why the Toro Rosso solution differs slightly.

They also have their own version of a low down force rear wing which is similar to the wing that Sauber was running at the start of the season. They returned to a straight rear wing set up at the British Grand Prix.

It does look like the team have found a good balance between speed down the straights and speed around the corners. It will be interesting to see how they get on in the remainder of the season.

Caterham

Caterham started the 2013 season with a 2012 spec’d car. At the Spanish Grand Prix the team introduced a whole raft of changes which made it more like a CT-03 v2.0.

They re-profiled the whole nose cone. The new spec used a vanity panel and featured a bulge on the underside. The front wing was also changed with new cascades.

The side pods featured twin element air flow conditioners with the rear element curving over the top of the side pods. Very similar to what Ferrari tested.

The rear wing was improved to make it more efficient and horizontal strakes were added to the endplate to direct airflow.

That rounds up our look at F1 technical upgrades and updates that the teams have made to their cars throughout the season so far. It is going to be very interesting to see who can up their game for the remainder of the season, and which teams will be left behind. We’ll bring you all the F1 technical updates we can throughout the rest of the season. But now, on to Hungary!

July 24, 2013
2013 Formula 1 Mid Season F1 Technical Round Up – Part 2

In this second part of our F1 technical round up we take a look at McLaren, Lotus and Force India.

McLaren

McLaren have had a very tough start to the season. Their 2013 car is nowhere near their 2012 contender, the MP4-27. With a whole new front suspension setup, McLaren have had their fair share of hardship this season.

At the front of the car, McLaren have kept most of the design of their front wing from the 2012 car. While other teams are are sporting 5 to 7 tiered wings, the front wing on the McLaren has three tiers. This configuration has hardly been touched throughout the season and they’ve been running the same front wing for the past few races.

Around the side of the car, they’ve ditched the horizontal side pod airflow conditioners at the top of the side pods for curved vertical vortex generators from the Spanish Grand Prix with the Red Bull type “D” wing to condition the flow around the side of the car.

Towards the rear of the car, they’ve tightened up the bodywork in the coke bottle region. They’ve added a vertical slot on the rear wing endplate to minimise tyre squirt.

With McLaren now concentrating on next season’s car, it is unlikely that they will make many further updates to the current car. We should see development parts for the 2014 car surface during free practice in the last few races.

Lotus F1 team

Lotus kicked off their 2013 campaign very well with a victory in the F1 season opener in Australia and Kimi Riakkonen has also consistently scored points for the Enstone based team.

Lotus is running a 4 tiered front wing with a split vertical element. The split element helps to direct the airflow whenever the car changes direction. They’ve also added a curved horizontal vane on the front wing endplate to help create a vortex of air around the side of the car.

In a few races this season, they’ve run a bulge on the underside of the nosecone, which helps the airflow along the underside of the car.

Lotus are also running a similar cross-under tunnel to Red Bull, where the air from the outer edge of the side pods is directed to the center of the car to exit at the diffuser.

The one big F1 technical development which Lotus were testing throughout the second half of the 2012 season and again at the British and German Grands Prix is their passive DRS or DRD.

The device works by receiving high speed air from intakes around the air box above the driver’s head. The air then travels down the back of the car and exits from a periscope type outlet just below the rear wing, which then stalls the rear wing at high speed. This reduces the rear wing’s effect and it gives the car a higher speed.

The trick to this device lies in when the wing stalls. You don’t want it to stall half-way through a high speed corner. Nor do you want to it not to stall down a straight where DRS is not active. It’s quite tricky to get it right but it looks as if Lotus have found a way around this problem. They’ve added a bleed pipe that exits just above the monkey seat. The reason that this is legal is that it requires no input from the driver to activate. It uses the speed of the air coming into the airbox to stall the wing.

Force India

Force India have been the strongest of the mid-field teams so far this season. They’re currently even ahead of McLaren in the Constructors’ Championship.

As far as their F1 technical upgrades go, Force India have a 4 tiered front wing with the same vertical guide vanes on the main plane of the wing that we can see on the Red Bull.

These guide vanes work in conjunction with the guide vanes on the back of the wing to guide the air to the edge of the wing for better vortex generation.

On the underside of the nose cone, they have followed the top teams in splitting the turning vanes. The split in the turning vanes helps to keep the airflow under the car a bit more constant when the car changes direction.

And around the back of the car, they too, have a slot in the end plate of the rear wing that helps to minimise the tyre squirt.

And that’s it for part two of our F1 technical Round Up. In part three we’ll look at the Sauber, Toro Rosso, Williams, Caterham and Marussia F1 teams.

July 24, 2013
Codemasters to Launch F1 2013 game

Codemaster’s has announced that F1 2013 will be released, worldwide, in the next few months.

The software company, who made their first F1 game in 2011, announced a new feature of the game that is sure to please the purists. A new gameplay mode, called F1 Classics, will be featured that allows fans a chance at taking on legendary drivers on some of the most iconic racing tracks throughout the world.

The F1 Classics gameplay mode will be introduced by legendary Murray Walker and will enable gamers to race the classic Williams, Lotus and Ferrari cars of the 80s.Gamers will be able to compete on famous circuits such as Brands Hatch and Jerez against greats of the sports like Mario Andretti, Nigel Mansell, Emerson Fittipaldi and Gerhard Berger. Codemasters have suggested that more legends may be include in the F1 Classics mode but at still to confirm exactly which heroes from the past will make an appearance.

F1 2013 will be available on PC, Xbox 360 and Playstation3.

Codemasters have released these ‘work in progress’ screenshots to whet the appetite.

July 16, 2013

Everything you need to know about the Young Driver’s Test

Formula 1’s annual Young Driver’s Test starts tomorrow on the Silverstone race track.

However, this year’s three day test session has a bit of a twist to it. As a result of the tyre troubles at Silverstone grand prix the test has been transformed into an emergency tyre test for the Italian manufacturer to regain its footing in the sport.

Teams won’t have free reign to do as the please throughout the three days though. Formula 1’s governing body, the FIA, has clearly stipulated what can and cannot be done.

The FIA will send its own observer to the test session to ensure that no current race driver complete any development work for their respective teams.
The current race drivers may complete one full day of work on the emergency tyre testing program.
The ‘young driver’ will be permitted to carry out development work on their team cars.

Mercedes will sit out the three day test session as the Brackley based team serves a ban imposed on them for conducting a tyre test after the Spanish grand prix. Lewis Hamilton has voiced his concern on the dangers of Mercedes not being allowed to test the new tyres before their introduction at the Hungarian grand prix.

“I don’t know if people fully appreciate how big a negative it is for us not to do the test.We are going to go to Hungary when other people have gone and tested (the new tyres with) different ride-heights, different pressures, got their car ready for a long run so they arrive ready.We don’t have any of that information so when we get there we’re going to go into it blind.We shouldn’t be in this position in sport, but that’s the way it is,” said Hamilton.

But it seems the Brit’s fears will be assuaged as Pirelli motorsport director, Paul Hemberey, announced that Mercedes will recieve data on findings about the new tyres.

The Young Driver’s Test was institued with the aim of showcasing up-and-coming talents that could, potentially, be the future of Formula 1.Several current drivers will be present at the test but in amongst will be some eager drivers keen to make their mark.

Team	Wednesday 17th	Thursday 18th	Friday 19th
*Red Bull*	Antonio Felix da Costa Daniel Ricciardo	Antonio Felix da Costa Daniel Ricciardo	Carlos Sainz Jnr Sebastian Vettel
*Ferrari*	Davide Rigon	Davide Rigon	Felipe Massa Davide Rigon
*McLaren*	Kevin Magnussen	Oliver Turvey	Gary Paffett
*Lotus*	Nicolas Prost	Davide Valsecchi	Nicolas Prost
*Mercedes*	Banned
*Sauber*	Robin Frijns	Robin Frijns Nico Hulkenberg	Kimiya Sato
*Force India*	James Calado	Paul di Resta	Adrian Sutil
*Williams*	Daniel Juncadella	Pastor Maldonado	Susie Wolff
*Toro Rosso*	Johnny Cecotto Jnr	Carlos Sainz Jnr	Jean-Eric Vergne Daniil Kvyat
*Caterham*	Alexander Rossi	Will Stevens	Charles Pic Giedo van der Garde
*Marussia*	Tio Ellinas Max Chilton	Rodolfo Gonzalez	Rodolfo Gonzalez Jules Bianchi

July 16, 2013

Susie Wolff, Daniel Juncadella to join Maldonado for Williams at Young Driver Test

Susie Wolff and Daniel Juncadella will join Williams driver Pastor Maldonado at the upcoming Young Driver Test at Silverstone.

Susie Wolff has completed a number of straight line tests for Williams but this will be her first participation in an official test session. She is hoping to get a better understanding of the car which will help her in her development feedback at the factory simulator testing which she regularly participates in.

“It’s a fantastic opportunity for me, so now it is up to me to prepare myself the best that I can for the day,” she said. “It’s going to be a big challenge but the most important thing is to do a solid and consistent job and to give good feedback to the team to be able to prove I am at the level to compete on a day such as this. Most of my work is based in the simulator which is why this day is so important for me. It will give me a better understanding of what the car is like on track and how that correlates to the simulator which will also help further develop the work I can do there.”

Daniel Juncadella is currently racing in DTM and like any young driver is relishing the opportunity to test in a Formula One team.

“It’s a great chance for me and I hope I can help the team next week,” he said. “It’s an important test for any young driver as there aren’t many opportunities to drive a Formula one car. I had my first taste of Formula One as a prize for winning the 2012 Formula 3 Euro Series title, but it was a 2009 car so I therefore see this as being the real deal, having the chance to drive a current car in a full test. I’ve spent a couple of days at the factory getting to know the team and I felt at home. Looking at the history of the team is also amazing and so to get this chance with Williams, a team so many great drivers have raced for, makes it even more special.”

Now that current race drivers are also permitted to take part in the Young Driver Test, Pastor Maldonado will also get a day behind the wheel of the Williams taking part in tyre development tests for Pirelli.

Photo: Williams F1 Team

July 16, 2013