Jump to content

*** Formula 1 Thread***


Recommended Posts

The time has come once againThe new season of F1 is here. Officially kicking off in a little more than an hour at 2am EST with the first qualifying session of the year taking place down in Melbourne, Australia at Albert Park.The first race of the year was slated to be held in Bahrain, but it was canceled due to civil unrest. Round 2 thus becomes Round 1.19 races this season (with a new track in India) and new technical changes should make this an exciting year in F1. Here are a few of the technical changes:-Pirelli Tires (back in the sport after 20 years)-Movable Rear Wing-K.E.R.S. makes a return after not being used last year (Kinetic Energy Recovery System)All races airing on Speed Channel in the U.S. (except for the usual 4 shown on FOX in mid-season)Reigning World Champ Sebastian Vettel. Hamilton and Button ready at McLaren. Alonso reppin' for the Tifosi, where - "Only the Championship will do." And a revived M. Schumacher looking ready to return to form in the car he helped Mercedes develope this year (unlike last year where the car he drove didn't have his "fingerprints" on it).Unfortunately we're gonna have to wait 'till next year for a race to return to the U.S., but we've got what we've got this year and it ain't bad... Including happily the return of the Canadian Grand Prix.

Link to post
Share on other sites

Qualifying done.Vettel smashed it! Posting a time of 1:23.529 in Q3 (Qualifying Round 3), it was .4 faster than his last year's Pole time and almost .8 faster than the next fastest time of the session.The top 4 qualifiers are:1 - Sebastian Vettel (16th career Pole, 2nd consecutive in Australia)2 - Lewis Hamilton3 - Mark Webber4 - Jenson ButtonI'll keep stats posted for anyone unable to see qualifying or the races throughout the year. Starting places of other notable drivers will be posted along with results tomorrow in my post-race post.The race starts at 2am EST tomorrow morning (pre-race at 1:30am).

Link to post
Share on other sites

Round 1 in the books.ZbQ3GJJzpV2YNfK5c9Kw.jpgfgNnmqP3-D8PQ0E6AptQ.jpgVettel ran away with the weekend and the race. Winning by more than 20 seconds over 2nd place. He becomes the first reigning World Champ to win the opening race of the next season since Fernando Alonso in Bahrain in '06 (who went on to win the Drivers Championship again that year).Results:WINNERSebastian Vettel (11th career win)P2: Lewis HamiltonP3: Vitaly Petrov (1st career podium)Other notable placements: (finished / started)Fernando Alonso -------- 4th/5thMark Webber ------------ 5th/3rdJenson Button ----------- 6th/4thFelipe Massa ------------- 9th/8thMichael Schumacher ---- DNF/11thNico Rosberg ------------- DNF/7thThe biggest story line aside from Vettel's total domination... has to be Vitaly Petrov. With Robert Kubica suffering multiple injuries from a rally race accident in the off-season, Petrov has become the #1 driver of team Lotus-Renault. In his sophomore season (said to have gotten his drive last year on the team from the sponsorship funding of his home nation, and keeping it for this year by bringing $20 million in sponsorship from said home nation to the team) he has a spectacular qualifying session to earn a 5th place start on the grid and an amazing drive in the race, holding off Alonso in the final few laps, to become the first ever Russian driver to stand on an F1 Podium.2 rookies to look out for are Sergio Perez (who started 13th and finished 7th) and Paul Di Resta (who is the cousin of Dario Franchitti, started 14th and finished 12th). Di Resta's results might not sound like much, but he drives for team Force India which has struggled the past few years to establish themselves in any way since becoming a part of the F1 community. Look for him to get Force India out of the muck. And Perez, seemingly coming out of nowhere (backed by Mexican billionaire Carlos Slim), is the only North American driver in F1 and is already showing in his first career race that barring mechanical failure, North America is sure to have their first true star in Formula One since Jacques Villeneuve retired to sing songs.The next race is in 2 weeks:April 9th, 4am EST - QualifyingApril 10th, 3:30am - Grand Prix of MalaysiaUPDATES:-Sergio Perez and team mate Kamui Kobayashi were both DQ (disqualified) after the race for irregularities on the rear wing, found by FIA inspectors.

Link to post
Share on other sites
  • 2 weeks later...

Round 2: Malaysian GP WeekendIn about 3 hours, at 4am EST, Qualifying for the Malaysian GP begins at Sepang International Circuit. Malaysia is know for it's tendency to rain and rain heavy, both on race day and in Qualifying. Last year, the rain was so heavy and caught so many teams suprisingly off guard that several of the "heavy-hitters" (such as Fernando Alonso and Lewis Hamilton) didn't even make it out of Q1. The new Pirelli tires should also make it interesting if it does rain, given that the Pirelli "wets" (wet weather tires) haven't been used yet this year and virtually got no use in the limited off season testing.For those unfamiliar to the F1 Qualifying format, here's a brief synopsis: Qualifying is made up of 3 parts - Q1, Q2 and Q3. Q1 is 20 minutes long and eliminates the 7 slowest drivers when it's over. Q2 is 15 minutes long with 7 more drivers being eliminated. Q3 is the race for Pole. The final 10 drivers battle it out for 10 minutes, with no refueling, to determine the Grid for Sunday's race.Here are a few other story lines pertaining to this year in Formula One, that I didn't mention last race...-Lotus and Renault have teamed up to form Team Lotus Renault and are suing Team Lotus (which was created last year and is a Malaysian run team) over naming rights.-Nico Hulkenberg (winner of the GP2 championship in '09, team mate of Rubens Barrichello at Williams last year - replacing Nico Rosberg when he left to team up with Schumacher at Mercedes), lost his drive at Williams to Pastor Maldonado (the rookie and 2010 GP2 champ) because Maldonado pur'portedly brought as much as $40 million in sponsorship from his home country of Venezuela. Hulkenberg has now been relegated to being the reserve driver for Force India. This is crazy to me... Not that he lost his job because the new guy brought in big time doe (which is a little messed up, but ok), but because he's now a back up driver for the worst of the established teams in F1. I can understand why he might turn down a featured drive at one of the newer teams like Lotus, Hispania or Virgin, because those teams are miles behind the rest of the field in terms of development and competitiveness, but for none of those teams to offer him a ride (if that is the case) in favor of sticking with drivers like - Vitantonio Liuzzi, Timo Glock or Narain Karthikeyan (who has been out of F1 for 5 years and most recently drove in the Camping World Truck Series) is just grossly silly. And in the case of Narain Karthikeyan, politically oriented. All Hulkenberg does is win. He's won every series that he ever participated in leading up to F1. Nico Hulkenberg is one of the best young drivers in the world.-Kimi Raikkonen (who was my favorite driver in F1 before he inexplicably retired at the end of '09 to go Rally racing) has opted to try out for the Camping World Truck Series instead of returning to Formula One where he belongs and was speculated he would do after his less than stellar year driving Rally cars in 2010. His testing session was held last week.

Link to post
Share on other sites

Round 2 QualifyingPgJsplHL8PGeRWAxrxaS.jpgXwNNSBTZqNrE5j-IoB_K.jpgAfter not having posted the fastest time in any of the 3 practice sessions and running the fewest laps of any of the top runners in Qualifying, Vettel and his team timed it perfectly in Q3, leaving the pit with less than 2 minutes left in the session so that he would be the last driver to cross the line after the checkered flag had fallen. Just a few seconds after Lewis Hamilton improved on his session leading fastest lap, a 1:35 flat (1:35.000), Sebastian Vettel claimed Pole with a lap that was more than 1/10 of a second faster than Hamilton's; 1:34.870.Top 4 qualifiers:1 - Sebastian Vettel (17th Career Pole, 2 for 2 this year)2 - Lewis Hamilton (1st front row start in Malaysia)3 - Mark Webber4 - Jenson ButtonSo far it looks like Red Bull and McLaren are going to be the teams to beat this year, with Ferrari not having such an easy go of it so far. But Alonso and Massa are still lurking in the top 10. Pre-race @ 3:30am EST tomorrow with the lights going out @ 4am. Get ya popcorn ready, last years race was one of the best of the year. Alonso, Hamilton and Massa started 19th, 20th and 21st respectively and climbed through the ranks on "one-stoppers" (only 1 pit stop) for finishing places of 6th and 7th for Hamilton and Massa. Alonso would've finished in 5th or higher if his engine hadn't let go on the penultimate lap of the race. What made Alonso's drive in particular, truly amazing, was the fact that he was driving a crippled car for almost the entire race, as shown by his engine blow up. Unable to shift into 4th gear, his consistent place gaining despite his car's limited abilities showed that he might be the best driver in the world - a title that Sebastian Vettel might be able to claim for himself this year, if he can pull off back 2 back Drivers Championships.

Link to post
Share on other sites

Round 2: Malaysian Grand PrixWith overcast skies leading up to the start of the Malaysian GP, held in Kuala Lumpur, the race was free from rain (aside from a light drizzle in the 2nd quarter) and Sebastian Vettel was free to put on another clinic.Running away with the race, not even using K.E.R.S. for almost the entire race, Vettel has become the overwhelming leader in the championship standings with Hamilton having tire issues in the 2nd half and only managing to to achieve a 7th place finish. Results:WINNERSebastian Vettel (12th career win, 4th in a row, back 2 back in Malaysia)P2: Jenson ButtonP3: Nick Heidfeld (13th career podium - F1 record for most podiums without a win)Heidfeld's podium finish is in some ways, akin to a Cinderella Story... His last podium finish came in '09 at the Malaysian GP and after not driving at all in 2010 and getting hammered in the press for his 12th place finish 2 weeks ago in Australia (asking if he had forgotten how to drive), "Quick Nick" showed that driving is the last thing he's forgotten how to do by having an amazing start to the race by jumping into 2nd place by turn 2 of lap 1, after starting in 6th. It should be noted that the only reason Heidfeld is driving for team Lotus Renault this year is because their #1 driver (Robert Kubica) injured himself in a Rally accident during the off season. However, if he keeps this up, we should see Nick back in a more permanent roll next year in F1. His team mate Vitaly Petrov, didn't have such a great finish to his race on the other hand. Starting 8th, he too had a spectacular start on the opening lap by catapulting himself into 4th position. He also drove well for most of the race, but then in the final 1/3, going off line, he caught air coming back onto the track and broke his steering column and could not go on - DNF.Other notable placements: (finish/start)Mark Webber ----------- 4th/3rdFelipe Massa ------------ 5th/7thFernando Alonso ------- 6th/5thMichael Schumacher --- 9th/10thPaul Di Resta ----------- 10th/14thNico Rosberg ----------- 12th/9thSergio Perez ------------ DNF/16thDrivers Championship Standings (D.C.):1. Sebastian Vettel --- 50 pts.2. Jenson Button ------ 26 pts.3. Lewis Hamilton ----- 24 pts.4. Mark Webber ------- 22 pts.5. Fernando Alonso --- 20 pts.Constructors Championship Standings (C.C.):1. Red Bull ---------- 72 pts.2. McLaren ---------- 50 pts.3. Ferrari ------------ 36 pts.4. Lotus Renault --- 30 pts.Only a few days 'till the cars and drivers are back in action at the GP of China in Shanghai next weekend.Practice: April 15th, 2am ESTQualifying: April 16th, 2am ESTRACE: April 17th, 3am EST (pre-race at 2:30am)

Link to post
Share on other sites

Round 3 QualifyingoVOKxI5Ebjeoet4FpO_X.jpgEk4fiU-btFEwH1u9IPu7.jpgFrom the track with the longest grand stand in the world in Malaysia last weekend, to the track with the longest straight this weekend at Shanghai International Circuit: Shanghai, China.Everyone's still looking up at Vettel. Vettel posted a blistering Q3 time of 1:33.706, more than .7 faster than the next fastest time. His team mate (Mark Webber) had a horrible Qualifying session on the other hand, failing to make it out of Q1 for the first time since Bahrain in '09.Top 4 QualifiersPole - Sebastian Vettel (18th career pole, 3 for 3 this year)P2 - Jenson ButtonP3 - Lewis HamiltonP4 - Nico RosbergA few other starting positions:5 - Fernando Alonso6 - Felipe Massa8 - Paul Di Resta10 - Vitaly Petrov (did not post a time in Q3)12 - Sergio Perez14 - Michael Schumacher16 - Nick Heidfeld18 - Mark WebberVettel becomes the first driver to start the first 3 races of the year on Pole since Schumacher in '04 and becomes the first F1 driver to ever have 3 starts on Pole in Shanghai.The cars roll off the Grid tomorrow morning at 3am EST, pre-race at 2:30.

Link to post
Share on other sites

Round 3: Shanghai International Circuit; Shanghai, ChinaThe first great race of the year! Massive action and amazing driving, to highlight Round 3 of the 2011 Formula One season.Vettel had his first slip in his bid to claim consecutive Drivers Championships. A poor start, veering over to try to cut off Button as soon as the lights went out, saw him drop to 3rd place by turn 1 of the opening lap with Button and Hamilton both going up the inside. Leading the race until the first pit stop, Button had a lapse of concentration when he pulled into Vettel's pit box with Vettel coming in right behind him. Button pulled forward through Vettel's box, into his own, but the mistake cost him position as Vettel got out ahead of him in the rotation. Schumacher had a nice start to the race, jumping into 9th place from 14th by the end of lap 1. Schumacher also had some pretty good battles during the course of the Grand Prix with the likes of Alonso and Webber, but was only able to finish 1 place higher than his position at the end of the opening lap. The passing action in the race was great and it seems that the layout of the circuit, with the addition of D.R.S. to the cars - Drag Reduction System (the movable rear wing) - makes the Chinese GP one to look forward to for as long as the addition of D.R.S. remains. But the drive of the race has to go to Mark Webber! Starting 18th and pulling 3 pit stops, unlike Vettel, Alonso and Massa who all pulled 2, he furiously climbed through the ranks in the second half of the race with fearless passing and tires that seemed to get better later and later into his more than 20 lap final stint. Without the use of K.E.R.S. all race, his masterful driving and passing technique put him in the position of being able to pass Jenson Button on the final corner of the penultimate lap, which he did, to capture a 3rd place finish (finishing only 7 seconds behind the race winner).Results:WINNERLewis Hamilton (16th career win)P2: Sebastian VettelP3: Mark WebberLewis Hamilton had great drive towards the end of the race, coming from 6 seconds behind Vettel with 10 laps to go, to pass him with 4 laps left and blowing by many other drivers (including team mate Button) in doing so. Nico Rosberg was also one of the ones who got crossed off on Hamilton's list of 'Drivers To Pass.' Nico actually lead the race for the middle 1/3 of it, but lock-ups that flat-spotted his tires and made him go wide in a few corners while defending, forced him to make an early last pit stop and give Vettel the lead.Other notable placements: (finish/start)Jenson Button ---------- 4th/2ndNico Rosberg ----------- 5th/4thFelipe Massa ------------ 6th/6thFernando Alonso ------- 7th/5thMichael Schumacher --- 8th/14thVitaly Petrov ------------ 9th/10thPaul Di Resta ----------- 11th/8thNick Heidfeld ------------ 12th/16thSergio Perez ------------ 17th/12thCurrent D.C. Standings:1. Sebastian Vettel --- 68 pts.2. Lewis Hamilton ----- 47 pts.3. Jenson Button ------ 38 pts.4. Mark Webber ------- 37 pts. 5. Fernando Alonso --- 26 pts.6. Felipe Massa -------- 24 pts.Current C.C. Standings:1. Red Bull ---------- 105 pts.2. McLaren ---------- 85 pts.3. Ferrari ------------ 50 pts.4. Lotus Renault --- 32 pts.As with most races, tires were a big issue for many of the drivers. Altered strategies of doing only 2 pit stops instead of 3, was surprising to see considering the amount of tire degradation we've seen since the reemergence of Pirelli into F1 at the beginning of the season. It'll be interesting to see how the the tires respond to maybe the most famous turn in F1 at this point, the legendary Turn 8 in Turkey, when the European portion of the season kicks off in 3 weeks at the Otodrom in Istanbul.Practice ---------------- May 6th, 7am ESTQualifying ------------- May 7th, 7am ESTTurkish Grand Prix --- May 8th, 7:30am EST

Link to post
Share on other sites
  • 3 weeks later...

Round 4 of the 2011 F1 Season: The Turkish Grand Prix (Qualifying)avHEQcGQdOurBZdiq-IM.jpgcupAqu-0UktlrDOrzGw1.jpgGood morning and Happy GP Weekend. :)After a 3 week break, the next round of F1 racing is back upon us. A beautiful day, outside Istanbul, provided a nice qualifying session and official start to the GP weekend after an overcast and partially rainy practice session on Friday morning.Championship lookers, Red Bull, were back with new haircuts (at least Vettel anyway) and "Eff You" type drives in Q3! After crashing in the 1st practice session on Friday, Sebastian Vettel didn't run at all in practice session 2. He made up for it by posting the fastest time in practice session 3 (which takes place a few hours before qualifying) and embarrassing the rest of the field, with teammate Mark Webber, when they both posted a single lap time (4 minutes into the 10 minute Q3 session) and then got out of their cars with 5 minutes left in the session and let everyone else see if they could beat their times... which no one else in the field was able to!Top 4 QualifiersPole: Sebastian Vettel (19th career pole, 5th in a row)P2: Mark WebberP3: Nico RosbergP4: Lewis HamiltonOther starting positions:5 - Fernando Alonso6 - Jenson Button7 - Vitaly Petrov8 - Michael Schumacher9 - Nick Heidfeld10 - Felipe Massa11 - Paul Di Resta15 - Sergio PerezAccording to rumors, this could be the last race at the Istanbul Circuit (since it is reported that F1 boss, Bernie Ecclelstone, wants to be paid twice as much by the circuit for the privilege of hosting next years race. $26 million, up from the current $13 million price tag.). So if you've never seen the race in Turkey, then you should check it out if possible! It is a driver favorite. With 151 feet of elevation change and one of the greatest corners on any track, the infamous Turn 8 - A.K.A. "Diabolica" (a 4 apices turn - 4 apexes), along with being one of the few counter-clockwise circuits (C.C.C.) on the schedule, it's truly one of the funnest races year after year.Last year the Red Bull teammates of Webber and Vettel, took themselves out on the long back-straight (while running 1-2 in the race) when Vettel tried to overtake Webber for the race lead, going into turn 12. Webber managed to recover to finish 3rd but Vettel wasn't so lucky and had to retire with a DNF. A few laps later, at the same spot on the track, McLaren teammates Hamilton and Button almost made the same mistake in their battle for position against each other with a fight that actually lasted several more corners, all the way past turn 2, with minor contact, but both managed to escape unscathed when team management got on the radio and separated them (after pulling their hair out watching the inter-team battle after what had just happened to Red Bull) and they finished the race 1-2.Pre-race starts at 7:30am EST tomorrow, with the cars rolling off the Grid at 8am. GP2 also gets underway tomorrow. It's the F1 "feeder" series, kind of like the college league to F1's Pro league. All of the young, top drivers in F1 came out of it, including Hamilton, Rosberg, Petrov, Di Resta, Perez and many more. The season opener airs right before the F1 race, at 6am EST. It's a nice appetizer for the GP.

Link to post
Share on other sites

Round 4Istanbul was Constantinople, now it's Istanbul, not ConstantinopleBeen a long time gone, old ConstantinopleWhy did Constantinople get the works...That's nobody's business but the Turks'!Held outside Istanbul, Turkey... Round 4 in the Battle for the World Championships was a very good race, and especially great for the first half of it!A perfect day for racing helped the field get off to an exciting start, particularly between teammates Hamilton and Button. The two recalled shades of last year, with a position battle that started early and lasted for several laps as they swapped places back and forth, nearly ending each others race before the halfway point. They were far from the only great battle on the track, even among teammates. Teammates Vitaly Petrov and Nick Heidfeld had a good go at it as well, and at one point there was a nice 3-way battle between Massa, Button and Rosberg, that saw the 2 veterans (Massa and Button) taking advantage of their younger counterpart before Massa had pit issues that dropped him back in the field. Also, Fernando Alonso had a good duel with Mark Webber in the 2nd half of the race. This GP had the most passes of any GP since they started keeping track of that stat back in the early '90s, more than 80! The '07 European GP previously held the record at 75 overtakes. The only bad part of the race was that they hardly showed Vettel at all... but that was only because he ran away with it, the way (I'm sure) the world expected him to.Results:WINNERSebastian Vettel (13th career win)P2: Mark Webber (3rd consecutive podium in Turkey)P3: Fernando Alonso (1st podium this year)Other placements: (finish/start)Lewis Hamilton --------- 4th/4thNico Rosberg ------------ 5th/3rdJenson Button ---------- 6th/6thNick Heidfeld ------------ 7th/9thVitaly Petrov ------------ 8th/7thFelipe Massa ------------ 11th/10thMichael Schumacher --- 12th/8thSergio Perez ------------ 14th/15thPaul Di Resta ------------ DNF/11thA standout performance has to be attributed to Kamui Kobayashi. He started 23rd, last on the grid since Timo Glock didn't start the race, and finished in 10th place, earning 1 championship point for his effort.D.C. Standings:1. Sebastian Vettel --- 93 pts.2. Lewis Hamilton ----- 59 pts.3. Mark Webber ------- 55 pts.4. Jenson Button ------ 46 pts.5. Fernando Alonso --- 41 pts.C.C. Standings:1. Red Bull ---- 148 pts.2. McLaren --- 105 pts.3. Ferrari ------ 65 pts.2 weeks off until Round 5 of the season, which will take place in Barcelona, Spain at the Circuit de Catalunya.Practice ----------------- May 20th, 8am ESTQualifying -------------- May 21st, 8am ESTSpanish Grand Prix --- May 22nd, 7:30am EST

Link to post
Share on other sites
  • 2 weeks later...

Round 5: QualifyingCxvcZYJOLXCDSc-QCQV7.jpgSXTvSYQEPh1mSo4leXxb.jpgWell, there's a lot of F1 related news to talk about, but I'll start with the results of this morning's Qualifying session...The Circuit de Catalunya is such a great track. I don't really know why I like it so much, but it's one of my favorites. For the 1st time in 5 races, Sebastian Vettel won't be starting a race on pole. Red Bull, again, pulled the same stunt that they did in last race's Q3 session... running 1 hot lap and then parking both cars with about 4 minutes to go in the session. As if trying to get a little "Red Bull magic" to rub off on them, McLaren implemented the same strategy and only ran a single hot lap for each of their cars. Perhaps they figured that they would be able to compete with the Red Bulls, no matter how many laps they ran in the allotted time. It worked for Red Bull. For McLaren, eh... not so much.Top 4 QualifiersPole: Mark Webber (7th career pole)P2: Sebastian Vettel (10th consecutive front row start)P3: Lewis HamiltonP4: Fernando Alonso (best starting position of the year)Other starting positions:5: Jenson Button6: Vitaly Petrov7: Nico Rosberg8: Felipe Massa9: Pastor Maldonado (best start of the year)10: Michael Schumacher (no time posted in Q3)12: Sergio Perez14: Kamui Kobayashi16: Paul Di Resta24: Nick Heidfeld (no time set in qualifying due to a fire under his car in Practice session 3)Now on to F1 related news...The big story that came out this week was the apparent stabbing of Eric Lux, by F1 driver Adrian Sutil, at a nightclub in Shanghai after the Chinese GP. Lux is the CEO of Genii Capital, which owns the team Lotus Renault GP. Sutil drives for team Force India. It appears that Sutil stabbed Lux in the neck with a broken Champagne glass after a conflict arose due to the not sharing of the space in the VIP-box, and apparently Sutil is not denying the allegations, saying - “During a private party there was an unpleasant incident, during which I paid an injury to another person, but malice in my actions were not. I expressed my regret for the incident and apologized..." It is reported that Lux is suing Stuil for 10 million euros.In other news...Kimi Raikkonen (2007 F1 World Champion) made his debut in the Nascar: Camping World Truck Series. Joined by disgraced F1 driver Nelson Piquet Jr., Raikkonen had by all accounts a respectable, if not impressive, 1st race. Starting 31st, he drove his way through traffic and the occasional spin, to finish 15th (which also happens to be the number he has chosen to wear this year). Piquet Jr. started 13th and finished 21st.This is a good thing for Nascar and a good thing for Kimi, depending on how well he does this season. But from my point of view (as a huge F1 and Kimi fan), all I can do is hang my head while shaking it and say "What a dummy." 2 years after becoming the F1 World Champ, he leaves in his prime to go race rally cars... And as if that's not enough, he left as the highest paid driver in F1 and among the highest paid athletes in the world, making between 45 and 55 MILLION dollars a year (we'll call it 50 mill)!!! Tired of raking in the doe, much? Tired of being 1 of the most recognizable faces in the most popular form of motorsport in the WORLD, much??? This is a situation that disgusts me... It's akin to Barry Sanders leaving the game, minus the pay scale. I don't understand it, but I understand that there are pressures on high profile individuals that are hard to grasp by the common man. Kimi's actions just seemed more aloof than stress related. As I posted previously, Kimi was my favorite driver before his premature departure, so my opinion is probably stronger than most. However, I wish him all the luck in whatever he endeavors to do. I just hope he's not regretting, or hasn't regretted, his decision to leave Formula One.Finally...*Sigh... After the 3rd Round of this year's season, I was in 7th place (out of the 20,000 or however many people entered) in the F1 fantasy game on Speed.com. Sadly, I dropped to around 190 after the Turkish GP thanks to Paul Di Resta who started in 11th position but DNF'd. My conspiracy theory is that F1 Officials found out about the Sutil incident (to whom Di Resta is the teammate of) and sabotaged his car, as to not draw to much attention by sabotaging Sutil's car but at the same time penalize the team for the actions of their driver. Looking forward to see if my team can pull it's way back up to the top of the leader board and hopefully Di Resta doesn't have any further setbacks. Team name: "Pittsburgh F1"The Grand Prix of Spain starts tomorrow morning with the Pre-race show at 7:30am EST. The lights go out at 8.

Link to post
Share on other sites

Round 5Wow, great race. The opening stint belonged to crowd and hometown favorite, Fernando Alonso! From his 4th place starting position, as soon as the lights went out, a great getaway propelled him through the frontrunners to 1st place by the end of turn 1, helped by Mark Webber trying to hold off teammate Sebastian Vettel into the opening turn which he was unable to do. With Alonso jumping into 1st, Vettel slotting into 2nd and Webber dropping to 3rd, the race got off to an exciting start as Hamilton breathed down the necks of the leaders from 4th place and Schumacher rising from his 10th place start, all the way to 6th position. Determined by the opening few laps positioning, pit strategies saw teams go from a 3-stop strategy to a 4-stop strategy and vice versa. With a new compound of the Hard tire (the "Primes") provided for the race, many drivers found themselves having to use it longer than they would've liked to, due to using more sets of the Softer tire (the "Options," the preferred tire) in Qualifying, which gave them fewer unused sets to run during the race. After leading the first 13 laps or so, and unable to open a gap between himself and the 3 drivers behind him, Alonso pitted in a reaction to Vettel, who had pitted the lap before, and came out behind Vettel. Alonso never saw the race lead again. Many battles played out during the course of the race, Alonso vs Webber, Schumacher vs Rosberg and Button vs everyone, but none had the intensity that was found in the battle - Vettel vs Hamilton. This battle was already playing itself into a great one when the 1st pit stops came around, even though the two were separated by a few cars. Seemingly pitting in defense of each other and in reaction to the other, it all lead to the final 15 laps where Hamilton began chasing the Red Bull of Vettel, getting closer and closer with every lap. With Vettel unable to use his K.E.R.S. system consistently, having to not use it for several laps at a time while it cooled down from overheating, Hamilton soon closed the gap to just under 1 second. Doing a great job of getting to Vettel, his work was undone by his inability to get off the final complex of corners as well as Vettel, creating a gap too big for him to close on the front straight, lap after final lap, despite being able to use both K.E.R.S. and his D.R.S. system (Drag Reduction System, the movable rear wing).Results:WINNERSebastian Vettel (14th career win)P2: Lewis HamiltonP3: Jenson ButtonOther placements: (finish/start)Mark Webber ----------- 4th/1stFernando Alonso ------- 5th/4thMichael Schumacher --- 6th/10thNico Rosberg ------------ 7th/7thNick Heidfeld ------------ 8th/24thSergio Perez ------------ 9th/12thKamui Kobayashi ------ 10th/14thVitaly Petrov ------------ 11th/6thPaul Di Resta ----------- 12th/16thPastor Maldonado ----- 15th/9thFelipe Massa ------------ DNF/8thD.C. Standings:Sebastian Vettel ------ 118 pts.Lewis Hamilton -------- 77 pts.Mark Webber ---------- 67 pts.Jenson Button --------- 61 pts.Fernando Alonso ------ 51 pts.C.C. Standings:Red Bull ------ 185 pts.McLaren ----- 138 pts.Ferrari -------- 75 pts.Drive of the race goes to... Nick Heidfeld, starting dead last and finishing in 8th place (with a little help from a 3-stop strategy when most ran a 4-stop)But I think the time has come to pass the torch and pronounce the name of the driver who can now claim the title of "Best Driver In The World" - Sebastian Vettel!I don't make this statement or hand out this honor lightly, but considering his age, the form of motorsport he races in, his accomplishments in said motorsport and the way he drives against his opponents, a few of which who have also held the title of Best Driver In The World in recent years (Alonso, Hamilton and of course Schumacher), it is no stretch to say that Sebastian Vettel is now, indeed, The Best Driver In The World!! And this honor will be cemented for him (and I'll be proven right :club: ) if he wins the 1 race that every F1 driver dreams of winning in their career, coming up this next Sunday...Not long to wait 'til the next race on the schedule for this season, with the Crown Jewel in the calender, the "Grandest Grand Prix of Them All," getting under way with practice of the Grand Prix of Monaco on the Monte Carlo Street Circuit, starting this upcoming Thursday.Practice ------------------- Thursday May 26th, 8am ESTQualifying ----------------- Saturday May 28th, 8am ESTGrand Prix of Monaco --- Sunday May 29th, 7:30am EST

Link to post
Share on other sites

Round 6: Qualifying for the Grand Prix of MonacoYXIC_9JRZG_cRZZ2LqHA.jpgIaNE6tK7wyC0v5HhcSYA.jpgPerfect weather for the Practice sessions and Qualifying didn't prevent there from being a few crashes in all the different sessions. The most notable of which was Sergio Perez's huge crash with 2:30 to go in Q3. This particular point on the track is where Nico Rosberg also had a crash in the final practice session before Qualifying (P3). Coming out of the tunnel, the surface of the track seems to be bumpier than in recent years. Both drivers lost control of their cars at this point. At the end of the tunnel straight, there's a chicane and a padded wall after that, which helps to separate the next part of the straight from the secondary pit lane. Both drivers hit the right armco leading into the chicane, which propelled them past the chicane and towards the tire wall. Rosberg was lucky enough to miss the wall and was flung onto the second leg of the straight, Perez on the other hand wasn't so lucky. His devastating crash, hitting the barrier at a 90 degree angle, postponed the rest of Qualifying for more than 30 minutes. It took several minutes for safety workers to get the unconscious driver out of his car. It has been reported that he has since regained consciousness and is talking, reporting pain in his legs. It's probably unlikely, but if he is able to participate in the race tomorrow, he will start 10th.Lewis Hamilton executed a faulty strategy in an attempt to wait until the end of the session to go out and put 1 flying lap in to earn his starting position. His... "Red Bull-esque" attempt failed with the Perez accident taking more time off the clock than optimal and leaving him with 1 less lap to run. 7th was all he could accomplish.Top 4 QualifiersPole: Sebastian Vettel (20th career pole)P2: Jenson ButtonP3: Mark WebberP4: Fernando AlonsoOther starting positions:5: Michael Schumacher6: Felipe Massa7: Lewis Hamilton8: Nico Rosberg9: Pastor Maldonado10: Sergio Perez11: Vitaly Petrov13: Kamui Kobayashi14: Paul Di Resta 16: Nick HeidfeldWatching the on-board camera view while drivers go around the streets of Monte Carlo is truly amazing, especially when they showed the on-board cam of Vettel's car as he set his pole earning time. His lap was the 2nd fastest ever recorded at the track and was only a few hundredths of a second off of the fastest time, set by Kimi Raikkonen in 2004 in which he had V10 engine in his car and much stickier tires.Well wishes to Sergio Perez that hopefully he can get back to racing soon.Race fans have a big day tomorrow that should be filled with lots of excitement. Grand Prix of Monaco, 100th Anniversary Indy 500 race and the Nascar Coca-Cola 600. I don't watch Nascar... but I'm not above mentioning it.Mark Webber won last year's Grand Prix from pole, and Vettel is the only driver in the top 5 that has never won in Monaco. Should be a great race tomorrow, the room for error on these streets at the speeds these guys are traveling, is NIL! The race starts at 8am EST, Pre-race at 7:30am. The GP2 race airs right before, at 6am.Hope everyone has a great Memorial Day weekend.

Link to post
Share on other sites

Round 6: Grand Prix of MonacoA beautiful day in Monte Carlo...Another day of perfect weather gave rise to the most exciting race of the year so far! The Jewel in the F1 crown lived up to it's status. The Grand Prix of Monaco was nothing short of spectacular. I'll say a little something about the race winner, afterwards, but 1st on to the action: A good getaway for Alonso and Rosberg on lap 1 where Schumacher dropped back to 10th. Schumacher then, in the hairpin on lap 1, passed Hamilton for 9th place. On lap 10, Hamilton retook the position with an amazing pass of Schumacher, going into turn 1. Schumacher later retired on about lap 40 of 78. Before that though, Hamilton had a good fight with Massa for several laps. It culminated with Hamilton putting a pass on Massa (that didn't stick) down in the hairpin, where contact was made, shedding bits off of Hamilton's front wing (Hamilton was later penalized with a drive-through penalty for the incident). He then tried to pass Massa again, a few corners later, in the tunnel, which made Massa go wide and hit the wall, unable to finish the race. A huge battle then ensued between Vettel (in 1st place), Alonzo (in 2nd) and button (in 3rd). Catching up to Vettel every lap, Alonso was soon on his tail. With Vettel seemingly holding up Alonso, Button soon joined the party with the freshest tires of the three. Vettel fought for several laps to hold off Alonso and in turn, Alonso, while trying to pass Vettel, had to display defense of his own with Button waiting in the wings. Lapping faster than any others, the leaders soon came upon a train of lapped traffic to deal with in the midst of their fisticuffs. Just entering the train, with 10 laps to go, a huge crash including Jaime Alguersuari, Vitaly Petrov and Lewis hamilton (right in front of Vettel, Alonso and Button) brought out the safety car and then a red flag to the race, which stopped the action. Petrov was injured in the crash, unconscious when paramedics arrived and sent off in an ambulance to the hospital. For the 1st time in F1 history, a race more than 75% complete was restarted after a red flag. Results:WINNERSebastian Vettel (15th career win, 5 of 6 the season, 7 of the last 8)P2: Fernando Alonso (1st podium in Monaco since '07)P3: Jenson Button (3rd podium in Monaco)Other placements: (finish/start)Mark Webber ----------- 4th/3rdKamui Kobayashi------- 5th/12thLewis Hamilton --------- 6th/9thAdrian Sutil ------------- 7th/14thNick Heidfeld ----------- 8th/15thNico Rosberg ----------- 11th/7thPaul Di Resta ----------- 12th/13thMichael Schumacher --- DNF/5thFelipe Massa ------------ DNF/6thPastor Maldonado ------ DNF/8thVitaly Petrov ------------ DNF/10thWord from officials is that both Sergio Perez and Vitaly Petrov should be OK. Perez suffering from a concussion but will race in Canada, and Petrov reporting pain in his legs but should also be good to go next race.In closing, I just want to talk about Sebastian Vettel for a minute. This race was 78 laps long, the projected length that the hard compound of tire would last on the circuit was 25 laps. Vettel pitted on lap 16. He wore the same pair of tires until the lap 69 crash that brought out the red flag! 53 laps on the same pair of tires, with Alonso starting to breath down his neck for the final 20 when they were at least 10 laps past their prime, and holding him off.

But I think the time has come to pass the torch and pronounce the name of the driver who can now claim the title of "Best Driver In The World" - Sebastian Vettel!I don't make this statement or hand out this honor lightly, but considering his age, the form of motorsport he races in, his accomplishments in said motorsport and the way he drives against his opponents, a few of which who have also held the title of Best Driver In The World in recent years (Alonso, Hamilton and of course Schumacher), it is no stretch to say that Sebastian Vettel is now, indeed, The Best Driver In The World!! And this honor will be cemented for him (and I'll be proven right :club: ) if he wins the 1 race that every F1 driver dreams of winning in their career, coming up this next Sunday...
Even though the red flag allowed Vettel to put on a fresh set of rubber for the final 7 laps (which I don't think should've been allowed and should be changed in the rules), he demonstrated a level of driving ability that has maybe never been seen in a driver of his age. According to practice and qualifying times, the hard compound of tire was a full 1.5 seconds slower than the soft compound, Vettel was on the hard compound and Alonso and Button were on the soft compound as they began chasing him down. Vettel did change to a fresh set of softs during the red flag, which undoubtedly helped him retain the lead for the final 7 laps, but he also managed to keep the lead with Alonso less than a second behind him on tires that had been going away for 30 laps. This kid is special. Already en route to his second consecutive Drivers Championship after the 6th race of the season. He will be the youngest driver to ever win the championship back to back (and is already the youngest world champ in F1), beating both of Alonso's records. The next Schumacher...???2 weeks 'til they're back in action... North America awaits!Practice ---------------------------------------------------------- Friday June 10th, 2pm ESTQualifying ------------------------------------------------------- Saturday June 11th, 2pm ESTGrand Prix of Canada at the Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve --- Sunday June 12th, 1pm EST on FOX
Link to post
Share on other sites
  • 2 weeks later...

Round 7: QualifyingVSMEZLfVYGbJjBcio_aK.jpg65-6FxaNNJC2LpUSRc90.jpgPacked grandstands yesterday and today for all the practice sessions and qualifying really make it a party atmosphere in Montreal. With street festivals all around, Canadians really do appreciate and embrace the Grand Prix race that they host annually at the track named for their patron saint of motorsport. Bravo Canada!Overcast skies in Montreal today served slight concern, with the threat of rain and the difficulty it made getting heat into the tires. These things, however, didn't prevent several drivers from breaking the lap record (seen above), set in a year with more powerful engines (v10) and much stickier tires (the result of the tire war between Bridgestone and Michelin, which Bridgestone won). Sebastian Vettel lead the charge, smashing the the lap record and earning Pole with a time of 1:13.014.Top 4 QualifiersPole: Sebastian Vettel (21st career pole, 6 of 7 this year)P2: Fernando AlonsoP3: Felipe MassaP4: Mark WebberOther starting positions:5. Lewis Hamilton6. Nico Rosberg7. Jenson Button8. Michael Schumacher9. Nick Heidfeld10. Vitaly Petrov11. Paul Di Resta13. Kamui KobayashiSergio Perez drove in the first practice session on Friday but reported to not be feeling 100% after getting out of the car, still feeling the effects of his massive crash 2 weeks ago in Monaco. Pedro De La Rosa will sub in for the race, he starts 17th.With their best starts of the year, Vettel will by surrounded by the Ferrari red of Alonso and Massa. They would seem to be coming into form, with Alonso starting 4th the previous 2 races and making the podium in 2 of the past 3. It appears Massa is now ready to join him. With their qualifying times around .2 slower than Vettel, they still have a big mountain to climb if they're gonna see any victories in the next few races or at all this year. Just like last year though, they're coming on stronger, closer to the 2nd half of the season. I'll have to remember that for next year when I'm picking my Fantasy Team, haha.The Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve on the Ile de Notre Dame in the Saint Lawrence River, sight of the 1967 World's Fair and the 1976 Summer Olympics, really is a very nice course. Shades and reminiscent of Monza, with the trees hugging the circuit and the long straights, but the sequence of chicanes in sectors 1 and 2 give it a particularly nice touch. One driver who feels right at home on this track is Lewis Hamilton. This was the sight of his 1st ever win in F1, back in '08, and he is the reigning race winner. It's also the sight of maybe his most embarrassing mishap when in '09 he didn't see the red light at the end of the pit lane (which means they can't go back on track) and ran into the back of Kimi Raikkonen while he (kimi) was at pit exit waiting for the light to turn green, taking both drivers out of the race.This race marks the start of a 4 race stretch that will be aired on FOX. This includes the European GP, the British GP and the German GP. All races will air at 1 or 2pm EST. Tomorrow's race starts at 1.

Link to post
Share on other sites

Round 7: Canadian Grand PrixIn The Beginning... The clouds opened and thus a deluge sprang forth...For the first time in a few years a race was started behind the safety car, creating an ominous start with there sure to be many accidents. After 25 laps the red flag was brought out, suspending race action due to dangerous conditions. Before that, however, there were a few incidents. Chief among them was Lewis Hamilton and Jenson Button breaking the number 1 rule of racing... DON'T TAKE OUT YOUR TEAMMATE! With poor visibility, Hamilton came up from behind and along side as Button was moving over, sending Hamilton into the wall and ending his race. Button survived unscathed. Soon after that, came the delay. Hamilton also had an incident with Mark Webber on lap 1, turn 1, where he clipped Webber's left rear, spinning Webber and dropping him back many places. No damage to either car as a result.The red flag delay was over 2 hours long, creating the longest race in F1 history (just over 4 hours). But when the race finally did restart, it was nothing short of spectacular from that point on! Kamui Kobayashi had made his way up to 2nd place when the delay came, with Felipe Massa right behind him in 3rd. Vettel rocketed away from the restart. Restarting on "wets" (wet weather tires), several drivers took the gamble and changed to intermediate tires (the designation between drys and wets) 1 lap after the restart. Not long after that, a few rolled the dice and went to dry tires. This is where the awesomeness ensued. Jenson Button jumped onto drys and soon started catapulting himself through the field. He came upon Fernando Alonso, who was still on inters, and had the door closed on him by Alonso as he tried coming up the inside into one of the chicanes. He caught Alonso's right rear which spun Alonso and beached him on a high curb as Button drove on, ending Alonso's race. Button was forced to serve a drive though penalty. With that and having do go back to the pits to change a punctured tire, he was dropped to dead last. Michael Schumacher was having a great run at this point. Passing Webber, he found himself in 2nd place, being one of the first drivers to change to drys while others ahead of him went longer on inters than they should have. Webber, having not dropped back too far, began challenging Schumacher in a very good battle. Using all the skills he retained as a 7 time World Champion and winning in Montreal 7 times, Schumacher held off Webber for many laps until... from out of nowhere came Jenson Button on an amazing flier. The 3 stayed within a car length of each other for several laps, then pressured by Webber, Schumacher slid a little wide with Webber in the Hairpin and, in the perfect position to pounce, Button just squeaked by both of them up the inside. Webber got Schumacher a few laps later. Pulling away from the other 2, only 1 target remained for Button... Sebastian Vettel. 15 seconds behind with 10 laps to go, he seemed to call on the driving gods and summon a power that was almost other worldly. With 3 laps to go he was within 2 seconds. The gap appeared to be too great as Vettel maintained the distance for the previous 2 laps, preventing Button from closing any further, and since you have to be within 1 second of the car ahead to be able to use the D.R.S., it was looking like Button was gonna have to settle for 2nd place and a great drive. Then, somehow, on the penultimate lap, Button was able to get the gap to under a second going into the back straight, which is the D.R.S. zone. Leading into the final lap, Vettel still seemed to be in control even though Button was breathing down his neck. Half way through the lap, in sector 2 (turn 6 to be precise), the unthinkable happened. Vettel made a driver error, finding one of the few slick patches still left on the track, he slid barely off the course onto the paved runoff. He recovered quickly but the loss of momentum was the opening Button needed and the damage was done. Button sailed by and Vettel was left to wonder - "What have I done?!?!" Whatever he did do, there was nothing he could do with only half a lap remaining.WINNERJenson Button (10th career win)P2: Sebastian VettelP3: Mark WebberOther placements: (finish/start)Michael Schumacher --- 4th/8thVitaly Petrov ------------ 5th/10thFelipe Massa ------------ 6th/3rdKamui Kobayashi ------- 7th/13thFernando Alonso ------- DNF/2ndLewis Hamilton --------- DNF/5thNick Heidfeld ------------ DNF/9thPaul Di Resta ------------ DNF/11thPedro De La Rosa (sub for Sergio Perez) - 12th/17thD.C. Standings:Sebastian Vettel --- 161 pts.Jenson Button ------ 101 pts.Mark Webber ------- 94 pts.Lewis Hamilton ----- 85 ptsFernando Alonso --- 69 pts.C.C. Standings:Red Bull --- 255 pts.McLaren --- 186 pts.Ferrari ----- 101 pts.Jenson Button made the most pit stops of any driver in the race (6) and becomes only the 2nd driver in F1 history to win a race while only leading on the final lap (both times it happened in Montreal), turning settling for 2nd place and a great drive to a race win and an amazing drive!If you missed it, you can catch the replay on Tuesday at noon on Speed Channel.In other news: Nico Rosberg (Team Mercedes driver and teammate of Micheal Schumacher) is reported to have signed a 5 year extension with the team, worth 80 million euros. He will become the highest paid driver to have never won a Formula 1 race if this is true. Schumacher is also reported to be signing an extension though 2014 soon.2 weeks off 'til the next race, returning to Europe.Practice ------------------ Friday June 24th, 8am EST on SpeedQualifying --------------- Saturday June 25th, 8am EST on SpeedEuropean Grand Prix --- Sunday June 26th, 1pm EST on FOX

Link to post
Share on other sites
  • 2 weeks later...

Round 8: QualifyingszyNVi5RJNv5ieBiSvyn.jpgr7Q-EyXLvlZmp_0F72T7.jpgDespite regulation changes to make the cars slower, Vettel still posted the fastest lap ever recorded in Valencia - the 1st lap ever set in the 1:36's (1:36.975).Top 4 QualifiersPole: Sebastian VettelP2: Mark WebberP3: Lewis HamiltonP4: Fernando AlonsoOther starting positions:5. Felipe Massa6. Jenson Button7. Nico Rosberg8. Michael Schumacher9. Nick Heidfeld11. Vitaly Petrov12. Paul Di Resta14. Kamui Kobayashi16. Sergio PerezAs with the last race, there will be 2 D.R.S. zones active during the race.The Race starts tomorrow at Noon EST on FOXThe GP2 race starts tomorrow morning at 6am EST on Speed Channel

Link to post
Share on other sites

Round 8: European Grand PrixWell, the race wasn't really that exciting. That's ok though, with so many great races already this year, I think it's only right that a little balance was restored with the sort of "blah" race that was the European Grand Prix.Vettel dominated again, completing that "hat trick" in the process: a race win, from pole, and fastest lap. Hamilton had a bad start but found his footing later. No big crashes like last year when Webber ran up the back of Heikki Kovalainen and did a back flip, landed on his head, eventually finding his way right side up before crashing into the tire wall. The only big move in position of the top runners was Michael Schumacher, losing many positions having to make an extra pit stop after having his front wing broken in turn 1 when another driver came across his bow and clipped him as he was leaving the pit. Results:WINNERSebastian Vettel (70th race start, 16th career win)P2: Fernando AlonsoP3: Mark WebberOther placements: (finish/start)Lewis Hamilton ---------- 4th/3rdFelipe Massa ------------- 5th/5thJenson Button ----------- 6th/6thNico Rosberg ------------ 7th/7thNick Heidfeld ------------ 10th/8thSergio Perez ------------ 11th/16thPaul Di Resta ------------ 14th/12thVitaly Petrov ------------ 15th/11thKamui Kobayashi ------- 16th/14thMichael Schumacher --- 17th/8th Current D.C. Standings:Sebastian Vettel --- 186 pts.Jenson Button -------109 pts.Mark Webber ------- 109 pts.Lewis Hamilton ----- 97 pts.Fernando Alonso --- 87 pts.Current C.C. Standings:Red Bull --- 295 pts.McLaren --- 206 pts.Ferrari ----- 129 pts.Vettel becomes the 1st driver in F1 history to place no lower than 2nd in the first 8 races of a season. He also passes Lewis Hamilton in career wins and ties Sir Sterling Moss.Even though the race was just - meh, let me tell you the part I hated the most: Leigh Diffey sitting in for Bob Varsha as one of the commentators. He's probably a nice guy to be around but I can't stand him in the booth. He's almost as bad as the guy that filled in for the first few races of 2010 after Peter Windsor left, before Will Buxton could replace him - Westbury Gillett. That dude was horrible, with his goofy-ass grin and not knowing how to tone it the fck down. I'm so glad Will Buxton finally took over, now if we could only get him to do the post race interviews too.Next race: 2 weeks at legendary Silverstone.Practice --------------- Friday July 8th, 8am EST on SpeedQualifying ------------ Saturday July 9th, 8am EST on SpeedBritish Grand Prix --- Sunday July 10th, Noon EST on FOX

Link to post
Share on other sites
  • 4 years later...

Any opinions on the 2016 season? What do you think of the extreme difference from the top teams down to the rest? Personally, I find it somewhat boring to know even before a race that the victory will only be obtainable by 2-3 drivers. Would it be better with more equal cars and engines?

Link to post
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
×
×
  • Create New...