You can tell it has been a while since i last posted on here when my last post is titled "Bahrain to take place in October"! The FIA took some criticism for the way the situation was handled, a situation that finished with Bahrain being cancelled for the season. Personally i think a lot of it was orchestrated, it was a case of going through the procedures for the FIA whilst always knowing the teams would be against things and in the end the race was removed without much face lost for all parties. It was a long winded process though
And then we had Canada. Wonderful Canada. It's hard not to love this grand prix, the drivers breathe in some Montreal air and it seems to bring out mistakes from most of them! It was just a mad day from all the rain to the drama of the final lap. It was a great win from Jenson Button and a very important one for McLaren. Since Spain they've had a very strong car in the races but it is going to need a big streak of points from Button or Hamilton to rein in Vettel in the championship. It's still very much possible but inroads need to be made into the 60 point gap soon.
So onwards to Valencia and stage 1 of 2 for new exhaust rules which some hope will see Vettel's dominance be halted. However it was normal service this afternoon as the German took his 7th pole of the season. Webber pulled out a late lap to join him on the front row ahead of Hamilton, Alonso, Massa and Button.
Whilst Red Bull have had the strangehold in qualifying, the races have been tighter. Coming back to the exhaust changes, this weekend see's the banning of using an engine map in qualifying and then changing it for the race. The only way you can is by plugging in a laptop at a pitstop and that would not be handy. The limit of 10% for off throttle blowing does not come into effect until Silverstone so what you need this weekend is an in between map. I don't know what amount the teams do it (Autosport did suggest Renault had a max of 95% and Red Bull 45%) In qualifying you can run it aggressively as it is just for 1 lap but doing it throughout the race would not be feasible due to fuel and overheating issues. So what the teams need to do is find a medium map, a constant one which will be usable for the whole race. Come Silverstone, things will be even more restricted.
Valencia races have been very processional. In 2009 there wasn't a single overtake. A depressing statistic which shouldn't be repeated tomorrow as we have 2 DRS zones with a combined length of over 1.5km. This should provide some action and i think we'll see the field staying closer than before. The field spread has been quite big in the opening laps in previous years. DRS zones have tended to be about 700-800 metres and i think they should be a bit shorter but for Valencia this sort of length may be what is needed.
This means we could actually have wheel to wheel racing in Valencia tomorrow, a big feature of the 2011 season. We've also seen many incidents. I think it's important to be appreciative of how good these drivers are. It can look so simple on TV but anyone who has been fortunate enough to see the cars in the flesh racing will have got that sensation of speed displayed in front of their eyes. Of course situations get analsyed because they have consequences during a race but we can all be too fickle about certain drivers and dismiss them when really the margins involved are so small and the skill level so high. I'm guilty of this too, i heavily criticised Vettel post race in Spa last year and even was arguing about his race on Twitter with people but that was an overreaction and undeserved. I thought things were getting away from him that day in the heat of the moment but ultimately he recovered to take the title and has driven at a very high level this season and been very impressive as an overall package. So let's not be dismissive of these drivers, they are fantastically talented and some of the racing this year has been excellent.
Tyres key again, the medium compound is proving to be quite a bit slower than the soft tyre so expect the prime tyre to be used as little as possible. A hot day expected tomorrow so may make the medium tyre easier to switch on. The changeover to it and getting it working may be key. In Barcelona, Alonso fell away when the hard tyre came into play and it turned into Vettel v Hamilton for the win. McLaren will hope to get in amongst the Red Bulls so Hamilton can attack for the lead. Lets just hope in a calmer manner for Lewis tomorrow! So Red Bull start as favourites but i think an enthralling race in prospect. Can Hamilton get his season back on track or will Alonso delight his local fans? Let's hope for a fun race
Saturday, June 25, 2011
Friday, June 3, 2011
Bahrain to take place in October
The Bahrain Grand Prix was cancelled weeks before it was due to open the 2011 season after an outbreak of violence. Today we have the news that the race has been reinstated onto the 2011 calendar with a date of October 30th, originally the date of the first ever Indian Grand Prix. It will now be the finale of the season (date TBC, likely December 11th)
A lot of fans are unhappy that the race is being held after the media reports from the country in the last months. This is a very complex situation though and it is not easy to just strike a race off the calendar. There are a lot of stakeholders involved. I'm no political expert but with the F1 connections i've followed some of the story surrounding the Bahrain region this year. It is incredible the PR which is delivered from each side. One portrays a peaceful area, working to restore calm and have dialogue amongst the people. The other a very negative story of death, repression and chaos. None of those who have not been there can't say for certain what is going on but i would guess that the real story is somewhere in the middle.
The teams haven't said much. At least two of them would have boycotted the race if it had been held in March. Mark Webber tweeted yesterday that the race shouldn't be held. However Sebastien Buemi on the 'The Flying Lap' show on Wednesday said that he had family living out there and they were reporting peaceful times and that he had no issue about going to Bahrain. I don;t think the actual security of the race would be a major issue. The teams have been going to Bahrain since 2004 and were even planning a pre season test at Sakhir so it has not been an issue before. Compare that with Brazil where attacks have occurred almost annually against team employees.
Now don't be thinking that i'm some sort of Bahrain political supporter all of a sudden because i'm definitely not! I'm just pointing out that F1 travels to other places where security cannot be guaranteed. I tweeted Will Buxton about the threat of protests days before the GP2 Asia race in the area (this was in February when it all kicked off) and he was unaware of any problems or threats. Of course it then started kicking off. Remember London in the student protests? If you didn't know what England was like and seen that on your news channel you would wonder how safe a place it is. Yet we don't get any worries about postponing Silverstone. Security is more of an issue in Bahrain but you can't guarantee it anywhere in the world.
Human rights is the thing here. Are the Bahraini government treating people wrongly and if so should F1 (even if it is nothing to do with them) being going to the region and be connected with such people? Do the sponsors of F1 teams want to have themselves linked with such an area. China has a terrible record of this as well but F1 still heads to Shanghai and the Olympics, one of the biggest sporting events in the world, were held in the country in 2008. I understand that team members and journalists may not want to travel and they should be allowed to decide and not forced to go if they don't want to. The FIA can cancel an event if fewer than 12 cars are available.
The FIA are caught here. They have a backlash about going ahead with a race in a country which some view as a unjust region. I for one really hope that peace and understanding can be found in Bahrain and across the world. The FIA sent their vice president out to Bahrain this week and he was satisfied with what he found. The area has a contract to host a race and the FIA have checked and found the area to be in a good state. The reason why this race should not go on the grounds of the sport itself is on the basis of logistics. It now seems that the season will finish on December 11th. Two weeks before Christmas and drivers could still be racing for points and for a championship. It is too far and really F1 has to be careful. We all love having races but there has to be some consideration for the human beings who are working around the world for so much of the year. F1 can still be a championship without this. Bahrain should have been told that the calendar is full and that F1 would try and return in 2012. It would have been a better solution.
So as i say i'm no supporter of Bahrain politics, i want to see peace in this world, not bloodshed. However i can understand why the race is back on and if the teams boycott it then that will be up to them. I'm just defending the FIA who have so many people to please and so much money riding on different outcomes for different stakeholders. It shouldn't come down to money but sadly it plays a big part in these things. Contracts and deals are in place. People may well skip/boycott the race and if they do then they have a right to do so. I think we should have waited until 2012 but the race is on and it'll be interesting to see what further reaction there is because this will still run for a while yet
A lot of fans are unhappy that the race is being held after the media reports from the country in the last months. This is a very complex situation though and it is not easy to just strike a race off the calendar. There are a lot of stakeholders involved. I'm no political expert but with the F1 connections i've followed some of the story surrounding the Bahrain region this year. It is incredible the PR which is delivered from each side. One portrays a peaceful area, working to restore calm and have dialogue amongst the people. The other a very negative story of death, repression and chaos. None of those who have not been there can't say for certain what is going on but i would guess that the real story is somewhere in the middle.
The teams haven't said much. At least two of them would have boycotted the race if it had been held in March. Mark Webber tweeted yesterday that the race shouldn't be held. However Sebastien Buemi on the 'The Flying Lap' show on Wednesday said that he had family living out there and they were reporting peaceful times and that he had no issue about going to Bahrain. I don;t think the actual security of the race would be a major issue. The teams have been going to Bahrain since 2004 and were even planning a pre season test at Sakhir so it has not been an issue before. Compare that with Brazil where attacks have occurred almost annually against team employees.
Now don't be thinking that i'm some sort of Bahrain political supporter all of a sudden because i'm definitely not! I'm just pointing out that F1 travels to other places where security cannot be guaranteed. I tweeted Will Buxton about the threat of protests days before the GP2 Asia race in the area (this was in February when it all kicked off) and he was unaware of any problems or threats. Of course it then started kicking off. Remember London in the student protests? If you didn't know what England was like and seen that on your news channel you would wonder how safe a place it is. Yet we don't get any worries about postponing Silverstone. Security is more of an issue in Bahrain but you can't guarantee it anywhere in the world.
Human rights is the thing here. Are the Bahraini government treating people wrongly and if so should F1 (even if it is nothing to do with them) being going to the region and be connected with such people? Do the sponsors of F1 teams want to have themselves linked with such an area. China has a terrible record of this as well but F1 still heads to Shanghai and the Olympics, one of the biggest sporting events in the world, were held in the country in 2008. I understand that team members and journalists may not want to travel and they should be allowed to decide and not forced to go if they don't want to. The FIA can cancel an event if fewer than 12 cars are available.
The FIA are caught here. They have a backlash about going ahead with a race in a country which some view as a unjust region. I for one really hope that peace and understanding can be found in Bahrain and across the world. The FIA sent their vice president out to Bahrain this week and he was satisfied with what he found. The area has a contract to host a race and the FIA have checked and found the area to be in a good state. The reason why this race should not go on the grounds of the sport itself is on the basis of logistics. It now seems that the season will finish on December 11th. Two weeks before Christmas and drivers could still be racing for points and for a championship. It is too far and really F1 has to be careful. We all love having races but there has to be some consideration for the human beings who are working around the world for so much of the year. F1 can still be a championship without this. Bahrain should have been told that the calendar is full and that F1 would try and return in 2012. It would have been a better solution.
So as i say i'm no supporter of Bahrain politics, i want to see peace in this world, not bloodshed. However i can understand why the race is back on and if the teams boycott it then that will be up to them. I'm just defending the FIA who have so many people to please and so much money riding on different outcomes for different stakeholders. It shouldn't come down to money but sadly it plays a big part in these things. Contracts and deals are in place. People may well skip/boycott the race and if they do then they have a right to do so. I think we should have waited until 2012 but the race is on and it'll be interesting to see what further reaction there is because this will still run for a while yet
Monday, May 30, 2011
Vettel gets the win he wanted
A gripping 3 way battle was keeping F1 fans hooked to their screens but some traffic chaos deprived us of an epic finish. It was still a weekend full of talking points though...
Vettel makes it 5 out of 6: A lot of people felt Sebastian Vettel was lucky to win this race, comments which i can understand after the race because there was such a tense finish in store, but these are unfair. He delivered a superb lap to take pole position, was making the 1 stop strategy work and withstanding the pressure from Alonso. Of course between the traffic and the tyre degradation it would have been a fascinating finish without the red flag. I reckon, barring any abnormal incidents between the front 3 or a backmarker in the way, Vettel would have either hung on or hit the 'cliff' and fallen to 3rd. Something to ponder is that in Melbourne Perez did 185km on the soft compound and when the safety car was deployed near the end Vettel had done 175km on his set of tyres (same compound) with 30km to go. Red Bull said afterwards that the wrong compound was put on the world champion's car and that what should have been a 2 stopper was adjusted, on the call of Vettel himself, to a 1 stop. However BBC reporter Ted Kravitz had doubts over whether this was actually true. Red Bull changed their pitstop procedures this weekend after concerns Ferrari were reading their strategy in Spain but maybe they should reconsider after some serious confusion at the stop!
This allowed Jenson Button into the lead and he was on the options and pushing very hard whilst Vettel took the conservative route and nursed his primes. However he kept within a pitstop so when Button pitted again he had P1 again. McLaren then opted for a 3 stopper at this point which was a strange move. They had the information that the primes would do over half a race distance and really that cost Button second place and would have meant he was the man troubling Vettel rather than Alonso. Another trick missed by McLaren, though ultimately not mattering, was not pitting Button when the safety car was deployed for a second time. He was 40 seconds ahead of Kobayashi when it was deployed so could have pitted for new primes (no options left), retained third place and caught up to Alonso again but now with fresher rubber to be able to attack better on the final laps. Of course the red flag meant everybody got a chance to change without loss. Many complained this spoilt the restart and it did but it's a very rare situation and really things should be open as conditions can be variable, it was just the circumstances of yesterday that made it a shame.
Hamilton suffers a weekend of mayhem: Lewis Hamilton loves Monaco. Just thinking about flinging a car around the tight streets of Monte Carlo leaves him with a feeling of excitement at a place where his hero Ayrton Senna was so brilliant. Things were going well on Saturday as he topped Q1 and Q2 and had 2 sets of options for the all important Q3. As his main rivals got a time in early on there was no sign of the #3 car. Eventually he appeared but had a terrible sector 1. He blamed Felipe Massa in front but the Ferrari had not blocked the McLaren. Then the big accident for Perez caused a 40 minute delay. 2:26 left on the clock meant 9 cars would get a lap in fine and McLaren had ample time to calculate that. Yet they sent him out over 2 minutes before the session restarted. Cold tyres = no grip and Hamilton soon found that out, ending up cutting a corner and having his time deleted.
So he was clearly fast but it was going to be hard work from 9th on the grid. After several laps on Michael Schumacher's gearbox he made a sweet move into Ste Devote. Then it went downhill. A bad pitstop left him in traffic. Then he made an unrealistic move on Felipe Massa. He accused the Brazilian of turning in on him. Well Lewis that might have been because he was taking a corner... Then the scrap continued into the tunnel. Hamilton got a good run on him (KERS assisted at a guess) and passed in the tunnel. Massa got on the marbles and hit the wall. Race over. Then after the red flag Hamilton was all over Maldonado and into turn 1 had a look, he got half alongside and perhaps he felt it was doable after the earlier Schumacher move but really it was just too ambitious for such a tight corner and he pitched the Williams out of the race which was such a shame. Then came the post race outburst which was all a bit silly and unneeded. Hamilton has had down beat moments in his career before but this really was the worst of the lot. However he has had a habit of bouncing back with some great results so lets see what he bounces back with in Montreal, a place where he is mighty.
Elsewhere it was delight for Kamui Kobayashi with a career best 5th, though he was lucky to escape a penalty for hitting Sutil. Stewards really got that one wrong though he would have stayed 5th anyway. Sutil was 4th having been under constant pressure from the Sauber. The pair made a 1 stop strategy work and were helped by cars in front struggling and then getting stuck in traffic. Sutil emotions are probably mixed because the incident cost him time and then he got a puncture yet he still salvaged 7th! Behind Nick Heidfeld also had a good drive through to 8th and moved up to 6th in the championship. Rubens Barrichello finally got on the score board in 2011 and Sebastien Buemi took the final point after Jaime Alguersuari crashed. In the midst of the chaos near the end, it was intriguing to hear David Coulthard, Red Bull employee, on the BBC say during the replays that "Alguersuari, the man under review" Of course it could just be a general remark about the pressure both Toro Rosso drivers are under with Daniel Ricciardo waiting in the wings but perhaps a hint that it is the Spaniard that could be in line to make way for the Australian as it stands. He does have good backing coming from Spain and his Father but at the minute Buemi is the man picking up the points.
Best wishes to Vitaly Petrov and Sergio Perez after their weekend accidents. Hopefully they'll both be racing in Montreal in 2 weeks.
Vettel makes it 5 out of 6: A lot of people felt Sebastian Vettel was lucky to win this race, comments which i can understand after the race because there was such a tense finish in store, but these are unfair. He delivered a superb lap to take pole position, was making the 1 stop strategy work and withstanding the pressure from Alonso. Of course between the traffic and the tyre degradation it would have been a fascinating finish without the red flag. I reckon, barring any abnormal incidents between the front 3 or a backmarker in the way, Vettel would have either hung on or hit the 'cliff' and fallen to 3rd. Something to ponder is that in Melbourne Perez did 185km on the soft compound and when the safety car was deployed near the end Vettel had done 175km on his set of tyres (same compound) with 30km to go. Red Bull said afterwards that the wrong compound was put on the world champion's car and that what should have been a 2 stopper was adjusted, on the call of Vettel himself, to a 1 stop. However BBC reporter Ted Kravitz had doubts over whether this was actually true. Red Bull changed their pitstop procedures this weekend after concerns Ferrari were reading their strategy in Spain but maybe they should reconsider after some serious confusion at the stop!
This allowed Jenson Button into the lead and he was on the options and pushing very hard whilst Vettel took the conservative route and nursed his primes. However he kept within a pitstop so when Button pitted again he had P1 again. McLaren then opted for a 3 stopper at this point which was a strange move. They had the information that the primes would do over half a race distance and really that cost Button second place and would have meant he was the man troubling Vettel rather than Alonso. Another trick missed by McLaren, though ultimately not mattering, was not pitting Button when the safety car was deployed for a second time. He was 40 seconds ahead of Kobayashi when it was deployed so could have pitted for new primes (no options left), retained third place and caught up to Alonso again but now with fresher rubber to be able to attack better on the final laps. Of course the red flag meant everybody got a chance to change without loss. Many complained this spoilt the restart and it did but it's a very rare situation and really things should be open as conditions can be variable, it was just the circumstances of yesterday that made it a shame.
Hamilton suffers a weekend of mayhem: Lewis Hamilton loves Monaco. Just thinking about flinging a car around the tight streets of Monte Carlo leaves him with a feeling of excitement at a place where his hero Ayrton Senna was so brilliant. Things were going well on Saturday as he topped Q1 and Q2 and had 2 sets of options for the all important Q3. As his main rivals got a time in early on there was no sign of the #3 car. Eventually he appeared but had a terrible sector 1. He blamed Felipe Massa in front but the Ferrari had not blocked the McLaren. Then the big accident for Perez caused a 40 minute delay. 2:26 left on the clock meant 9 cars would get a lap in fine and McLaren had ample time to calculate that. Yet they sent him out over 2 minutes before the session restarted. Cold tyres = no grip and Hamilton soon found that out, ending up cutting a corner and having his time deleted.
So he was clearly fast but it was going to be hard work from 9th on the grid. After several laps on Michael Schumacher's gearbox he made a sweet move into Ste Devote. Then it went downhill. A bad pitstop left him in traffic. Then he made an unrealistic move on Felipe Massa. He accused the Brazilian of turning in on him. Well Lewis that might have been because he was taking a corner... Then the scrap continued into the tunnel. Hamilton got a good run on him (KERS assisted at a guess) and passed in the tunnel. Massa got on the marbles and hit the wall. Race over. Then after the red flag Hamilton was all over Maldonado and into turn 1 had a look, he got half alongside and perhaps he felt it was doable after the earlier Schumacher move but really it was just too ambitious for such a tight corner and he pitched the Williams out of the race which was such a shame. Then came the post race outburst which was all a bit silly and unneeded. Hamilton has had down beat moments in his career before but this really was the worst of the lot. However he has had a habit of bouncing back with some great results so lets see what he bounces back with in Montreal, a place where he is mighty.
Elsewhere it was delight for Kamui Kobayashi with a career best 5th, though he was lucky to escape a penalty for hitting Sutil. Stewards really got that one wrong though he would have stayed 5th anyway. Sutil was 4th having been under constant pressure from the Sauber. The pair made a 1 stop strategy work and were helped by cars in front struggling and then getting stuck in traffic. Sutil emotions are probably mixed because the incident cost him time and then he got a puncture yet he still salvaged 7th! Behind Nick Heidfeld also had a good drive through to 8th and moved up to 6th in the championship. Rubens Barrichello finally got on the score board in 2011 and Sebastien Buemi took the final point after Jaime Alguersuari crashed. In the midst of the chaos near the end, it was intriguing to hear David Coulthard, Red Bull employee, on the BBC say during the replays that "Alguersuari, the man under review" Of course it could just be a general remark about the pressure both Toro Rosso drivers are under with Daniel Ricciardo waiting in the wings but perhaps a hint that it is the Spaniard that could be in line to make way for the Australian as it stands. He does have good backing coming from Spain and his Father but at the minute Buemi is the man picking up the points.
Best wishes to Vitaly Petrov and Sergio Perez after their weekend accidents. Hopefully they'll both be racing in Montreal in 2 weeks.
Tuesday, May 24, 2011
Vettel holds off Hamilton
A normally dull race was turned into quite the compelling afternoon at Barcelona in another chapter in the drama which is F1 2011...
It was very telling in the scenes before the podium just how relieved and elated Sebastian Vettel was with his victory. He cleared his team mate off the line but was passed by the flying Ferrari of Fernando Alonso. His first stop seem ill timed as he faced traffic on his return to the track but cleared it well and quickly, something which is key this season. From there Hamilton closed in on the hard tyres and harried him home but the German kept everything smooth. He also coped with a KERS unit which was used intermittently. Seems like cooling was an issue for Red Bull. Mark Hughes on the BBC website highlights a possible factor of Red Bull's differential between qualifying and the race being the Pirelli's are too fragile to take the sheer speed the Red Bull achieves. Spain seen the new hard compound and for the first time it seem that rather than protect the tyres it was a case of getting them switched on. Vitaly Petrov described them on Friday like driving on ice. However Red Bull has produced good long runs as well as 1 lap pace so there's more to it than just this one factor, something which i'm sure the other teams are trying to work out!
Whilst the likes of Ferrari and Mercedes suffered a huge drop off in the second half of the race and found themselves lapped, the Red Bull and McLaren cars seem to have an immense pace on it and were able to get superb speed out of them in comparison to others. To see Hamilton so competitive on what should be a strong track for Red Bull was very intriguing. And to see Alonso so horribly slow in the final stints after his fighting podium at Istanbul and start on Sunday was quite surprising and a turnaround indeed.
So onwards to Monaco, where it seems like the pressure has been on to get set up for practice tomorrow. Things not helped by a truck catching fire and causing tarmac at turn 1 to be relaid. Nick Heidfeld said today that he had heard that somebody was smoking whilst handling fuel and that is what triggered it. So Ste Devote might be a bit slippery and we've seen many accidents there in the past. Less in recent years but with DRS allowing higher top speed it might just be tricky again. Super soft and soft tyres this weekend: will that benefit Ferrari who have struggled on the harder compounds? Lotus are hopeful on a track where aerodynamics aren't so critical and the drivers can make a difference.
A safety car period is a good possibility and with so many stops this year that could really mix things up, especially if there is 1 between pit windows which would really see a shake up. Pit and lose track position or try and hang on with old tyres? Should be some fun and games even on the super tight streets of Monte Carlo. Vettel seems to love the circuit but it hasn't always went well for him here so it'll be fascinating to see how Webber, Hamilton and Button (all past winners) go against the dominant force of 2011. Tyre usage will still be key but qualifying will hold some more importance than other places. DRS won't be producing overtakes but should be interesting to see who is bravest using it during qualifying. However no use of it is allowed in the tunnel. Rubens Barrichello has been very vocal about this but if he doesn't want to use DRS in the tunnel then don't activate it, it's that simple! All this moaning coming from a guy who decided it was a good idea to throw a steering wheel onto the track last year as well. Anyway that's the way it is and hopefully it'll be an exciting weekend.
It was very telling in the scenes before the podium just how relieved and elated Sebastian Vettel was with his victory. He cleared his team mate off the line but was passed by the flying Ferrari of Fernando Alonso. His first stop seem ill timed as he faced traffic on his return to the track but cleared it well and quickly, something which is key this season. From there Hamilton closed in on the hard tyres and harried him home but the German kept everything smooth. He also coped with a KERS unit which was used intermittently. Seems like cooling was an issue for Red Bull. Mark Hughes on the BBC website highlights a possible factor of Red Bull's differential between qualifying and the race being the Pirelli's are too fragile to take the sheer speed the Red Bull achieves. Spain seen the new hard compound and for the first time it seem that rather than protect the tyres it was a case of getting them switched on. Vitaly Petrov described them on Friday like driving on ice. However Red Bull has produced good long runs as well as 1 lap pace so there's more to it than just this one factor, something which i'm sure the other teams are trying to work out!
Whilst the likes of Ferrari and Mercedes suffered a huge drop off in the second half of the race and found themselves lapped, the Red Bull and McLaren cars seem to have an immense pace on it and were able to get superb speed out of them in comparison to others. To see Hamilton so competitive on what should be a strong track for Red Bull was very intriguing. And to see Alonso so horribly slow in the final stints after his fighting podium at Istanbul and start on Sunday was quite surprising and a turnaround indeed.
So onwards to Monaco, where it seems like the pressure has been on to get set up for practice tomorrow. Things not helped by a truck catching fire and causing tarmac at turn 1 to be relaid. Nick Heidfeld said today that he had heard that somebody was smoking whilst handling fuel and that is what triggered it. So Ste Devote might be a bit slippery and we've seen many accidents there in the past. Less in recent years but with DRS allowing higher top speed it might just be tricky again. Super soft and soft tyres this weekend: will that benefit Ferrari who have struggled on the harder compounds? Lotus are hopeful on a track where aerodynamics aren't so critical and the drivers can make a difference.
A safety car period is a good possibility and with so many stops this year that could really mix things up, especially if there is 1 between pit windows which would really see a shake up. Pit and lose track position or try and hang on with old tyres? Should be some fun and games even on the super tight streets of Monte Carlo. Vettel seems to love the circuit but it hasn't always went well for him here so it'll be fascinating to see how Webber, Hamilton and Button (all past winners) go against the dominant force of 2011. Tyre usage will still be key but qualifying will hold some more importance than other places. DRS won't be producing overtakes but should be interesting to see who is bravest using it during qualifying. However no use of it is allowed in the tunnel. Rubens Barrichello has been very vocal about this but if he doesn't want to use DRS in the tunnel then don't activate it, it's that simple! All this moaning coming from a guy who decided it was a good idea to throw a steering wheel onto the track last year as well. Anyway that's the way it is and hopefully it'll be an exciting weekend.
Thursday, May 12, 2011
Looking at DRS and racing in 2011
The main talking point from the Turkish Grand Prix was the Drag Reduction System (DRS) and whether it was making overtaking too easy and artificial. Here's my thoughts on it...
Let's start by saying why the DRS system was introduced in the first place. A main objective of the teams and the sport was to create more overtaking after a survey a few years back seen more than 80% of fans who answered saying more overtaking was the number one thing they wanted to see. A high figure indeed. Changes would come, the main things were in 2009 with the overhaul of the cars (front and rear wings, bodywork, adjustable front wing) We seen some good action initially but the very clever people of F1 were soon finding new ways of adding downforce and again the problem of cars following closely was occurring with regular ease. So the idea was developed of a rear wing which could be adjusted to reduce drag so a car could increase straight line speed behind another car and make up for the loss which you suffer in the dirty air. So the principle of the adjustable rear wing was to allow cars to have a better chance of overtaking when close to another.
A fair enough principle and when you look at the extra speed it gives a driver it would have probably helped cars get closer in the 2010 season but without too many passes where it was done before the braking zone. So i think it would have really helped things, especially on circuits like Valencia, Barcelona and Budapest where overtaking is very difficult. However this season has seen Pirelli come back to the sport and their tyres are much less durable than the Bridgestones of the past seasons. This has been a massive change in the dynamic of the racing. We've rarely seen this rate of degradation in recent years (Australia 2009 and Canada 2010). The problem of close racing has been fixed by this because there are more variable strategies and people with different levels of grip throughout the race. The DRS 'oversolves the problem' because when you have it coupled with better tyres it is easy to overtake
In the first stints of races this season we have seen good racing and barely any easy overtakes because the tyre wear between cars is relatively equal. So what the DRS has been brought in to do has actually worked well because we've had loads of close battles but never too easy. Come the pitstops and we get the split in strategies and then the chaos really begins as we get people on old tyres attacked by new tyres. So because of this cars are getting close, overtakes happen in unusual places and if they reach the DRS zone then it's just a slam dunk.
I agree that the DRS was too powerful at times in Turkey. A tail wind on race day seem to make the DRS an even stronger weapon than usual. What we should remember is that against the negative of some of these easy passes was a massive amount of battles into turn 12 as well as other duels around the track. There was loads of action and way more than in races of previous seasons. It's not a perfected thing yet but it is an improvement. Fans have spent years frustrated at the processional nature of Sunday afternoons and living in hope of some rain during a race just to make it interesting. This is now gone. The opening 4 races of the season have been 'normal' races. No rain, no safety cars, just a proper grand prix and 3 out of 4 have been crackers in my opinion.
It's important that the FIA continue to analyse the affect the DRS has. Personally i'd like to see the DRS zone reduced slightly. Doing this or moving it to a part of the track which isn't such an obvious overtaking spot would help spread things about a bit. Another option would be having 2 really short zones so a driver would get more regular but smaller 'boosts' so that the disadvantage of the dirty air is combated. Yet another option would be allowing each driver a certain amount of times to use the rear wing during a race. That would make it more strategic and less gimmicky. I still think the 1 second zone idea was a necessary one because that's how bad things had become regarding overtaking but now that we may have improved things it is less needed. The DRS is still a very clever device and has a place in Formula 1. It just isn't needed as prominently now we have the changes to the tyres. Another tweak could be to reduce the gap in the rear wing when the DRS is activated, hence reducing the extra speed gained.
There are other factors in the racing. I've mentioned the tyres and hailed them as a success. 4 stops was probably one too many in Turkey but China showed how the split between 2 and 3 kept the race in suspense until the end. Pirelli are learning all the time. Track design is also key. Just look at those brilliant final corners in Istanbul. Yet some circuits seem unable to simply stick a tight corner at the end of a long straight. It isn't that difficult for most places!
So lets be positive about the fact F1 is actually tackling the on track issues and have tried to improve things. There are still areas to work on but the sport is heading in a good direction. There's been a great buzz about the season so far, people are enjoying it and there is plenty of enthusiasm for what lies ahead in 2011.
So in conclusion, the fundamental issue of the cars being so aerodynamically good and the cars being so grippy remains. This growing issue triggered the creation of the DRS to help cars get close and produce more on track racing. The new tyres have given the teams a strategic and racing headache and allowed more variance in the tactics. Most of the simple passes have come when cars have had major differences in tyre compounds/wear. The DRS alone has helped create lots of action but coupled with other factors can become too powerful at times. However there have been lots of great battles this year to outweigh these negatives. It still needs more analysis and tweaking but the ingredients are there to create a new era of Formula One which delights old and new fans alike
Let's start by saying why the DRS system was introduced in the first place. A main objective of the teams and the sport was to create more overtaking after a survey a few years back seen more than 80% of fans who answered saying more overtaking was the number one thing they wanted to see. A high figure indeed. Changes would come, the main things were in 2009 with the overhaul of the cars (front and rear wings, bodywork, adjustable front wing) We seen some good action initially but the very clever people of F1 were soon finding new ways of adding downforce and again the problem of cars following closely was occurring with regular ease. So the idea was developed of a rear wing which could be adjusted to reduce drag so a car could increase straight line speed behind another car and make up for the loss which you suffer in the dirty air. So the principle of the adjustable rear wing was to allow cars to have a better chance of overtaking when close to another.
A fair enough principle and when you look at the extra speed it gives a driver it would have probably helped cars get closer in the 2010 season but without too many passes where it was done before the braking zone. So i think it would have really helped things, especially on circuits like Valencia, Barcelona and Budapest where overtaking is very difficult. However this season has seen Pirelli come back to the sport and their tyres are much less durable than the Bridgestones of the past seasons. This has been a massive change in the dynamic of the racing. We've rarely seen this rate of degradation in recent years (Australia 2009 and Canada 2010). The problem of close racing has been fixed by this because there are more variable strategies and people with different levels of grip throughout the race. The DRS 'oversolves the problem' because when you have it coupled with better tyres it is easy to overtake
In the first stints of races this season we have seen good racing and barely any easy overtakes because the tyre wear between cars is relatively equal. So what the DRS has been brought in to do has actually worked well because we've had loads of close battles but never too easy. Come the pitstops and we get the split in strategies and then the chaos really begins as we get people on old tyres attacked by new tyres. So because of this cars are getting close, overtakes happen in unusual places and if they reach the DRS zone then it's just a slam dunk.
I agree that the DRS was too powerful at times in Turkey. A tail wind on race day seem to make the DRS an even stronger weapon than usual. What we should remember is that against the negative of some of these easy passes was a massive amount of battles into turn 12 as well as other duels around the track. There was loads of action and way more than in races of previous seasons. It's not a perfected thing yet but it is an improvement. Fans have spent years frustrated at the processional nature of Sunday afternoons and living in hope of some rain during a race just to make it interesting. This is now gone. The opening 4 races of the season have been 'normal' races. No rain, no safety cars, just a proper grand prix and 3 out of 4 have been crackers in my opinion.
It's important that the FIA continue to analyse the affect the DRS has. Personally i'd like to see the DRS zone reduced slightly. Doing this or moving it to a part of the track which isn't such an obvious overtaking spot would help spread things about a bit. Another option would be having 2 really short zones so a driver would get more regular but smaller 'boosts' so that the disadvantage of the dirty air is combated. Yet another option would be allowing each driver a certain amount of times to use the rear wing during a race. That would make it more strategic and less gimmicky. I still think the 1 second zone idea was a necessary one because that's how bad things had become regarding overtaking but now that we may have improved things it is less needed. The DRS is still a very clever device and has a place in Formula 1. It just isn't needed as prominently now we have the changes to the tyres. Another tweak could be to reduce the gap in the rear wing when the DRS is activated, hence reducing the extra speed gained.
There are other factors in the racing. I've mentioned the tyres and hailed them as a success. 4 stops was probably one too many in Turkey but China showed how the split between 2 and 3 kept the race in suspense until the end. Pirelli are learning all the time. Track design is also key. Just look at those brilliant final corners in Istanbul. Yet some circuits seem unable to simply stick a tight corner at the end of a long straight. It isn't that difficult for most places!
So lets be positive about the fact F1 is actually tackling the on track issues and have tried to improve things. There are still areas to work on but the sport is heading in a good direction. There's been a great buzz about the season so far, people are enjoying it and there is plenty of enthusiasm for what lies ahead in 2011.
So in conclusion, the fundamental issue of the cars being so aerodynamically good and the cars being so grippy remains. This growing issue triggered the creation of the DRS to help cars get close and produce more on track racing. The new tyres have given the teams a strategic and racing headache and allowed more variance in the tactics. Most of the simple passes have come when cars have had major differences in tyre compounds/wear. The DRS alone has helped create lots of action but coupled with other factors can become too powerful at times. However there have been lots of great battles this year to outweigh these negatives. It still needs more analysis and tweaking but the ingredients are there to create a new era of Formula One which delights old and new fans alike
Thursday, April 28, 2011
The F1 Wedding
There's quite a Royal occasion taking place in London this week dominating the headlines but what lets have some fun and turn the Royal Wedding into the F1 Wedding...
Now on BBC1 it's time for the event of the year, the F1 wedding, presented by Jake Humphrey (Cue a minute of the chain and a big dramatic VT)
Jake Humphrey: Good morning and welcome along to the F1 wedding. I'm live outside Westminister Abbey and alongside me as usual is David Coulthard and Eddie Jordan. Didn't really bother with the dress code did you Eddie?
Eddie Jordan: I don't know what you mean
David Coulthard: I think what he is getting at is the fact that a purple shirt with green trousers isn't really the best idea for a weddi... well for anything.
JH: It's a sunny day with not a cloud in the sky but we are told rain is imminent. It always is were F1 is concerned. Of course we are set up for a belter today. But only 1 driver can tie the knot today. We have the home guys, Lewis Hamilton and Jenson Button fighting it out. Sebastian Vettel as well and team principal Christian Horner has conveniently found the time for a quick chat
Christian Horner: Good morning
JH: So your thoughts on (passing traffic drowns out the remainder of the question)
CH: Well the weekend so far has (more traffic noise)
JH: Fascinating stuff. Just in case you're wondering about these people gathering around us they are actually members of the Horner fan club. Must be great to have a load of young women stalking your every move eh Christian
CH: Well... (Shouts of 'We love you Christian')
JH: As you're going redder than a Ferrari we'll leave it there
CH: See you again sometime
JH: Yeah give it about 20 minutes
DC: You can clearly see there Jake the confidence in the Red Bull team, i would definitely be backing Seb for success today
JH: Well there's a surprise
DC: Indeed
EJ: This German kid, he's just great. He's young, funny, fast, relaxed, so cool and collected, it's a breath of fresh air. When i was a team boss i brought many young talents into the sport and it was great to have the likes...
JH: Moving on and Ted is down in the Abbey with some news for us
Ted Kravitz: Hello everyone. Tension starting to build down here. I'm just outside the vestry and there are the perspective wives lingering about, Nicole, Jessica, Vivian, Isabell. Of course the drivers are racing into London and soon we'll see who can make it here first.
JH: Thanks Ted. Of course after the main event we'll be at the reception with red button coverage and Lee McKenzie is down there for us, over to you Lee.
Lee McKenzie: Morning guys, i'm down here at Buckingham Palace with Jaime Alguersuari and Sebastien Buemi. Both of you must be bitterly disappointed to have missed out on the main event.
Jaime Alguersuari: NO NO! FOR SURE IT'S A SHAME BUT IT MEANS I GET TO DJ HERE SO WILL BE LOTS OF FUN AND DANCE JAJA!
Sebastien Buemi: I'm giving out free Red Bull in case some people are flagging later tonight haha
LMcK: We can see Daniel Ricciardo lurking about, any worries?
JA: He is?
SB: I thought you hid his passport man!
LMcK: I think we'll go back to you Jake
JH: Well it's just me and Eddie now as David has went into the Abbey to join Martin in the gallery. Let's quickly go back to Ted though because we hear there has been some drama outside London Ted
TK: Yes and i'm afraid it's bad news for Lewis Hamilton because he has received a drive over penalty for too many lane changes on the M25.
JH: A drive over penalty? That's a new one
TK: Yes indeed, specific for this event. It means Lewis must drive over Tower Bridge and back again so that really compromises his chances of marrying Nicole today.
JH: Let's join the guys in the Abbey and Martin, drama already
Martin Brundle: Yes indeed, Lewis really should know by now the rules of the UK roads but hey that'll teach the tax evader for moving to Switzerland. Lee's found another driver
LMcK: I'm with Jarno Trulli, Jarno it must be bitterly disappointing to be missing the wedding?
Jarno Trulli: Ah yes but a i am ere and have a brought a big collection of wine and a tonight everyone will a be enjoying themselves with a my fine tastes.
JH: Guests starting to arrive down here and Felipe Massa and Rob Smedley have joined us. Your wife not make it today Felipe.
Felipe Massa: Well for sure she would have liked to come but really me and Rob have a closer relationship and the invite was for me + 1 so it made sense.
Rob Smedley: Mr Sunshine looks beautiful eh? A great day and we'll be banging on that dancefloor later, hahaha
MB: More action here guys, Petrov has stopped in what appears to be a housing estate.
DC: Clearly he had made good progress to reach the city area but something has gone wrong, here's a replay...
MB: Well he's made a wrong turn there but he could have still rerouted but WOAH! LOOK AT THAT!
DC: He didn't see the speed bump sign at all!
MB: He must have hit it at about 120mph and the thing just took off, a huge incident there for the Russian.
JH: Down here outside the Abbey there is a fantastic buzz. Air Asia 1 Malaysia Team Lotus Norfolk just arrived in Caterham's and we might just catch a quick word with Mike Gasgoyne. Mike, lots of questions on peoples lips but the big one, can Norwich get promoted to the Premier League?
Mike Gasgoyne: Well of course Jake, we are simply the best team about. Lotus progressing as well, we beat Perez in China and if 10 other drivers get penalties like him in a race we'll score points easily
JH: Didn't go so well earlier though for Heikki on the road.
MG: It didn't but let's look at the positives, he managed to put the fire out himself and save the Fire brigade a trip out so great teamwork there
MB: Sebastian Vettel has dropped behind a bit and here's his team radio, lets see what is wrong.
Sebastian Vettel: Rocky, do i use the sat nav or not?
Rocky: Negative, negative, do not use the sat nav
SV: So what do i do?
Rocky: Plan B, we are changing to Plan B.
SV: But i didn't bring the map! Adrian said it would affect the packaging of the car so took it off!
MB: All gone wrong there for Red Bull, challenge looks over
DC: Well it may have but you can't blame Red Bull for that, the sat nav is developed by a outside company so no fault of the team at Milton Keynes.
MB: Ted has some news for us
TK: Yes drama for the Sauber team who had arrived here as part of the guestlist for today but they've all been kicked out of the Abbey. Their jackets were found to be outside of the minimum measurements which are required by the regulations by 3mm so no service for them today.
MB: They'll be very frustrated with that!
TK: Indeed though we believe it was a simple manufacturing error and no-one will be held to account for the incident. Won't stop some speculating though...
LMcK: I'm still at the palace and joined by Virgin drivers Timo Glock and Jerome D'Ambrosio. Early retirements then guys?
Timo Glock: Well we are a bit confused because we thought we had to come here and we did so but there's been a misunderstanding...
Jerome D'Ambrosio: You see on the menu tonight for desert is Rhubarb and Custard so the team took that as being us
TG: *sighs*
LMcK: Unlucky guys
JH: i've just found a lot of well suited men here. With me are Romain Grosjean, Bruno Senna, Fairuz Fauzy and Ho Pin Tung. Not going to the wedding guys?
Romain Grosjean: Well we are actually on reserve in case a guest has to pull out
Bruno Senna: You never know when you may be needed
JH: But do you need this many
Fairuz Fauzy: Oh yes we are all key to the operation
Will Buxton: You keep telling yourself that Fairuz. Sorry for butting in Jake
JH: You were just saying what we were all thinking mate. Crikey a lot of police sirens coming down the street. And look who it is, can you believe it, it's Robert Kubica!
Jonathan Legard: Up, over the hill, look at him in his wheelchair, he's on a charge!!
JH: Jonathan!? You were warned not to show up
JL: Come on Jakey boy, just let me do 1 more event, for old times sake
EJ: Looks like that Kubica fella hasn't lost any of his speed, clocked doing 45mph in the speed trap.
TK: More news from the vestry and it's of a couple of non appearances on the guest list. First up Rubens Barrichello who isn't attending as he knows the ceremony will just be a load of 'blah blah blah' and he doesn't want to hear that. Also Hispania have put out a press release saying they won't make it after being held up at Barcelona airport. Reports that Colin Kolles got stuck going through the security gate have been denied.
MB: Right, things beginning to hot up now. We know that Rosberg leads Button and Hamilton but the Mercedes driver has already seen his fuel light flashing and is having to short shift around these tight streets
DC: Jenson driving around these mini roundabouts beautifully, 1 sweep of the wheel in and 1 sweep out, so smooth.
MB: Hamilton has stopped at Kwik-fit!
DC: Tyres look destroyed and that really has hurt his chances, fresh rubber now though.
MB: Rosberg is spluttering, he's running out of fuel and there goes Button, Jenson Button leads in the final stages and the crowd are going wild!
DC: What you are seeing here is a drive of experience, of composure, a man who has been serene and never looked like making a mistake all da...
MB: He's stopping! What's going on, well hang on he's running up the steps to the church but the doors closed?
DC: He's stopped at St Pauls Catherdal! He's at the wrong church, what a terrible mistake!
MB: That's incredible, i mean the look of the 2 buildings are different! He's jumped back in but the engine is off and i think it's all over for him.
DC: Well he's starting to run Martin and it isn't that far to go and could he repeat what he did in Monaco and sprint to the finish and to the glory of success!
MB: Hamilton flying though, he's ripping it up on those new tyres, smoke everywhere. Good job we're not in Melbourne!
DC: Jenson still has a bit to go. Surely Lewis will overtake him soon. Here it comes and he is through
MB: Hamilton comes through the final corners and he does is! He takes the chequered flag, parks it and is sprinting up that aisle.
JH: What a race that was, tweet me your thoughts and now lets hand over to Jean Todt for the ceremony
Jean Todt: Before we finalise everything, is there anyone here who has a reason why these 2 people should not be marry?
Charlie Whiting: Yes!
Lewis Hamilton: Not Charlie...
CW: Car number 3 has just been checked and has been found to have Michelin tyres fitted, completely against the regulations.
LH: Dude, it was all Kwik-fit had man, bless the poor guy who had to do it himself, ite
CW: Sorry no other tyre is allowed, especially a crappy French one which can't even handle a banked corner.
Jenson Button: *gasping* Where did i finish?
JT: You are our new winner Jenson. *20 minutes of blah blah blah and vows* Congratulations Jenson and Jessica! You are the F1 wedding couple of 2011!
LMcK: Down here at the reception, things are really rocking. Sutil is on the piano, Vettel has Ke$ha on full blast and Jaime is DJing with Sakon Yamamoto.
JH: Sakon Yamamoto? He's not with a team at the minute, how'd he get in?
LMcK: Let's just say Bernies wallet is now bulging even more than normal
JH: David has rejoined us. You spotted Nick Heidfeld anywhere today?
DC: Can't say i have
EJ: Me either
JH: Ted?
TK: I haven't actually but apparently he's been down in peckham selling off TW steel watches. Says that this time next year he'll have become a millionaire and have won a race.
JH: What a dreamer. That's all from us, thank you very much for watching. Congrats to Jenson and Jessica. See you next time.
Now on BBC1 it's time for the event of the year, the F1 wedding, presented by Jake Humphrey (Cue a minute of the chain and a big dramatic VT)
Jake Humphrey: Good morning and welcome along to the F1 wedding. I'm live outside Westminister Abbey and alongside me as usual is David Coulthard and Eddie Jordan. Didn't really bother with the dress code did you Eddie?
Eddie Jordan: I don't know what you mean
David Coulthard: I think what he is getting at is the fact that a purple shirt with green trousers isn't really the best idea for a weddi... well for anything.
JH: It's a sunny day with not a cloud in the sky but we are told rain is imminent. It always is were F1 is concerned. Of course we are set up for a belter today. But only 1 driver can tie the knot today. We have the home guys, Lewis Hamilton and Jenson Button fighting it out. Sebastian Vettel as well and team principal Christian Horner has conveniently found the time for a quick chat
Christian Horner: Good morning
JH: So your thoughts on (passing traffic drowns out the remainder of the question)
CH: Well the weekend so far has (more traffic noise)
JH: Fascinating stuff. Just in case you're wondering about these people gathering around us they are actually members of the Horner fan club. Must be great to have a load of young women stalking your every move eh Christian
CH: Well... (Shouts of 'We love you Christian')
JH: As you're going redder than a Ferrari we'll leave it there
CH: See you again sometime
JH: Yeah give it about 20 minutes
DC: You can clearly see there Jake the confidence in the Red Bull team, i would definitely be backing Seb for success today
JH: Well there's a surprise
DC: Indeed
EJ: This German kid, he's just great. He's young, funny, fast, relaxed, so cool and collected, it's a breath of fresh air. When i was a team boss i brought many young talents into the sport and it was great to have the likes...
JH: Moving on and Ted is down in the Abbey with some news for us
Ted Kravitz: Hello everyone. Tension starting to build down here. I'm just outside the vestry and there are the perspective wives lingering about, Nicole, Jessica, Vivian, Isabell. Of course the drivers are racing into London and soon we'll see who can make it here first.
JH: Thanks Ted. Of course after the main event we'll be at the reception with red button coverage and Lee McKenzie is down there for us, over to you Lee.
Lee McKenzie: Morning guys, i'm down here at Buckingham Palace with Jaime Alguersuari and Sebastien Buemi. Both of you must be bitterly disappointed to have missed out on the main event.
Jaime Alguersuari: NO NO! FOR SURE IT'S A SHAME BUT IT MEANS I GET TO DJ HERE SO WILL BE LOTS OF FUN AND DANCE JAJA!
Sebastien Buemi: I'm giving out free Red Bull in case some people are flagging later tonight haha
LMcK: We can see Daniel Ricciardo lurking about, any worries?
JA: He is?
SB: I thought you hid his passport man!
LMcK: I think we'll go back to you Jake
JH: Well it's just me and Eddie now as David has went into the Abbey to join Martin in the gallery. Let's quickly go back to Ted though because we hear there has been some drama outside London Ted
TK: Yes and i'm afraid it's bad news for Lewis Hamilton because he has received a drive over penalty for too many lane changes on the M25.
JH: A drive over penalty? That's a new one
TK: Yes indeed, specific for this event. It means Lewis must drive over Tower Bridge and back again so that really compromises his chances of marrying Nicole today.
JH: Let's join the guys in the Abbey and Martin, drama already
Martin Brundle: Yes indeed, Lewis really should know by now the rules of the UK roads but hey that'll teach the tax evader for moving to Switzerland. Lee's found another driver
LMcK: I'm with Jarno Trulli, Jarno it must be bitterly disappointing to be missing the wedding?
Jarno Trulli: Ah yes but a i am ere and have a brought a big collection of wine and a tonight everyone will a be enjoying themselves with a my fine tastes.
JH: Guests starting to arrive down here and Felipe Massa and Rob Smedley have joined us. Your wife not make it today Felipe.
Felipe Massa: Well for sure she would have liked to come but really me and Rob have a closer relationship and the invite was for me + 1 so it made sense.
Rob Smedley: Mr Sunshine looks beautiful eh? A great day and we'll be banging on that dancefloor later, hahaha
MB: More action here guys, Petrov has stopped in what appears to be a housing estate.
DC: Clearly he had made good progress to reach the city area but something has gone wrong, here's a replay...
MB: Well he's made a wrong turn there but he could have still rerouted but WOAH! LOOK AT THAT!
DC: He didn't see the speed bump sign at all!
MB: He must have hit it at about 120mph and the thing just took off, a huge incident there for the Russian.
JH: Down here outside the Abbey there is a fantastic buzz. Air Asia 1 Malaysia Team Lotus Norfolk just arrived in Caterham's and we might just catch a quick word with Mike Gasgoyne. Mike, lots of questions on peoples lips but the big one, can Norwich get promoted to the Premier League?
Mike Gasgoyne: Well of course Jake, we are simply the best team about. Lotus progressing as well, we beat Perez in China and if 10 other drivers get penalties like him in a race we'll score points easily
JH: Didn't go so well earlier though for Heikki on the road.
MG: It didn't but let's look at the positives, he managed to put the fire out himself and save the Fire brigade a trip out so great teamwork there
MB: Sebastian Vettel has dropped behind a bit and here's his team radio, lets see what is wrong.
Sebastian Vettel: Rocky, do i use the sat nav or not?
Rocky: Negative, negative, do not use the sat nav
SV: So what do i do?
Rocky: Plan B, we are changing to Plan B.
SV: But i didn't bring the map! Adrian said it would affect the packaging of the car so took it off!
MB: All gone wrong there for Red Bull, challenge looks over
DC: Well it may have but you can't blame Red Bull for that, the sat nav is developed by a outside company so no fault of the team at Milton Keynes.
MB: Ted has some news for us
TK: Yes drama for the Sauber team who had arrived here as part of the guestlist for today but they've all been kicked out of the Abbey. Their jackets were found to be outside of the minimum measurements which are required by the regulations by 3mm so no service for them today.
MB: They'll be very frustrated with that!
TK: Indeed though we believe it was a simple manufacturing error and no-one will be held to account for the incident. Won't stop some speculating though...
LMcK: I'm still at the palace and joined by Virgin drivers Timo Glock and Jerome D'Ambrosio. Early retirements then guys?
Timo Glock: Well we are a bit confused because we thought we had to come here and we did so but there's been a misunderstanding...
Jerome D'Ambrosio: You see on the menu tonight for desert is Rhubarb and Custard so the team took that as being us
TG: *sighs*
LMcK: Unlucky guys
JH: i've just found a lot of well suited men here. With me are Romain Grosjean, Bruno Senna, Fairuz Fauzy and Ho Pin Tung. Not going to the wedding guys?
Romain Grosjean: Well we are actually on reserve in case a guest has to pull out
Bruno Senna: You never know when you may be needed
JH: But do you need this many
Fairuz Fauzy: Oh yes we are all key to the operation
Will Buxton: You keep telling yourself that Fairuz. Sorry for butting in Jake
JH: You were just saying what we were all thinking mate. Crikey a lot of police sirens coming down the street. And look who it is, can you believe it, it's Robert Kubica!
Jonathan Legard: Up, over the hill, look at him in his wheelchair, he's on a charge!!
JH: Jonathan!? You were warned not to show up
JL: Come on Jakey boy, just let me do 1 more event, for old times sake
EJ: Looks like that Kubica fella hasn't lost any of his speed, clocked doing 45mph in the speed trap.
TK: More news from the vestry and it's of a couple of non appearances on the guest list. First up Rubens Barrichello who isn't attending as he knows the ceremony will just be a load of 'blah blah blah' and he doesn't want to hear that. Also Hispania have put out a press release saying they won't make it after being held up at Barcelona airport. Reports that Colin Kolles got stuck going through the security gate have been denied.
MB: Right, things beginning to hot up now. We know that Rosberg leads Button and Hamilton but the Mercedes driver has already seen his fuel light flashing and is having to short shift around these tight streets
DC: Jenson driving around these mini roundabouts beautifully, 1 sweep of the wheel in and 1 sweep out, so smooth.
MB: Hamilton has stopped at Kwik-fit!
DC: Tyres look destroyed and that really has hurt his chances, fresh rubber now though.
MB: Rosberg is spluttering, he's running out of fuel and there goes Button, Jenson Button leads in the final stages and the crowd are going wild!
DC: What you are seeing here is a drive of experience, of composure, a man who has been serene and never looked like making a mistake all da...
MB: He's stopping! What's going on, well hang on he's running up the steps to the church but the doors closed?
DC: He's stopped at St Pauls Catherdal! He's at the wrong church, what a terrible mistake!
MB: That's incredible, i mean the look of the 2 buildings are different! He's jumped back in but the engine is off and i think it's all over for him.
DC: Well he's starting to run Martin and it isn't that far to go and could he repeat what he did in Monaco and sprint to the finish and to the glory of success!
MB: Hamilton flying though, he's ripping it up on those new tyres, smoke everywhere. Good job we're not in Melbourne!
DC: Jenson still has a bit to go. Surely Lewis will overtake him soon. Here it comes and he is through
MB: Hamilton comes through the final corners and he does is! He takes the chequered flag, parks it and is sprinting up that aisle.
JH: What a race that was, tweet me your thoughts and now lets hand over to Jean Todt for the ceremony
Jean Todt: Before we finalise everything, is there anyone here who has a reason why these 2 people should not be marry?
Charlie Whiting: Yes!
Lewis Hamilton: Not Charlie...
CW: Car number 3 has just been checked and has been found to have Michelin tyres fitted, completely against the regulations.
LH: Dude, it was all Kwik-fit had man, bless the poor guy who had to do it himself, ite
CW: Sorry no other tyre is allowed, especially a crappy French one which can't even handle a banked corner.
Jenson Button: *gasping* Where did i finish?
JT: You are our new winner Jenson. *20 minutes of blah blah blah and vows* Congratulations Jenson and Jessica! You are the F1 wedding couple of 2011!
LMcK: Down here at the reception, things are really rocking. Sutil is on the piano, Vettel has Ke$ha on full blast and Jaime is DJing with Sakon Yamamoto.
JH: Sakon Yamamoto? He's not with a team at the minute, how'd he get in?
LMcK: Let's just say Bernies wallet is now bulging even more than normal
JH: David has rejoined us. You spotted Nick Heidfeld anywhere today?
DC: Can't say i have
EJ: Me either
JH: Ted?
TK: I haven't actually but apparently he's been down in peckham selling off TW steel watches. Says that this time next year he'll have become a millionaire and have won a race.
JH: What a dreamer. That's all from us, thank you very much for watching. Congrats to Jenson and Jessica. See you next time.
Thursday, April 21, 2011
Hamilton supreme in Chinese classic
Another thrilling race in Shanghai as Lewis Hamilton ended Sebastian Vettel's winning run with a late race charge...
Hamilton soars as Button loses out: Jenson Button had a good start and was holding the lead ok in the first stint. Of course with Lewis Hamilton and Sebastian Vettel close behind the timing of the first pitstop was key. McLaren ended up running a 3 stop strategy on both cars but the initial plan was to 2 stop. The team came out for Button on lap 14 but he didn't come in until the next lap. He then made a terrible error by pulling into the Red Bull box. That cost both him and Vettel time. One possible theory (and this is simply guesswork!) is that Button was trying to stay out for as long as possible to make a 2 stop work better but that the team, having seen others behind pit, were reacting to the pace of the likes of Rosberg and changing to a 3 stopper because of the speed of other cars. So perhaps there was quite a bit of radio conversation and who knows amidst the busy nature of racing in 2011 maybe Jenson got distracted at the key moment in the pitlane. His pace was subdued after that and he would eventually get outdone by Hamilton.
Indeed Hamilton had been compromised because he had to wait an extra lap to pit and fell back on worn tyres, being overtaken by Vettel and Felipe Massa in consecutive laps. However his second stint was better, aided by a fresh set of options he had saved. It was interesting that a week on from Malaysia he had made such an effort to do so and it was clear after qualifying that tyres were on his mind and that he had deliberately plotted a strategy designed to maximise his race performance. Going for the extra stop really played better into his more attacking style and into the final stint he was back in the hunt and did a clean job of taking the cars ahead for a great victory.
Vettel's streak broken as Webber fights back: Red Bull ended up with 2 cars on the podium yet the fact that disappointment was felt by the team shows how far they've come. Vettel got a poor start but recovered positions at the first stop to find himself behind Nico Rosberg. Red Bull went for a 2 stop strategy and although it turned out to be the wrong decision there wasn't much in it. Having done 15 laps in the race in his qualifying tyres, he only managed a 17 lap stint in the middle of the race. That left him 24 laps on the primes and it proved to be slightly too much to hold off Hamilton. One mistake i did feel Red Bull made was sending the German out for a second run in Q3 when it was pretty clear that pole position was in the bag. Easy to say with hindsight but Vettel's first run was a good one and he would have not eeked out much more time even if it had been needed. In previous seasons this would not have been a big deal but it seems that putting a heat cycle into these Pirelli tyres really does take some life out of them if they are then reused. Expect quieter qualifying sessions with the current circumstances.
On Saturday evening i was pondering the future of Mark Webber. Out in Q1, the 2 junior Red Bull drivers doing brilliantly in making the top 10 and a bit of pressure was building even at this early stage of 2011. Would he let his head drop or fight back? Sunday showed it was the latter as he come from 18th to take a superb podium. Qualifying was a poor show, he only used the prime tyres and the car seem fine. If it had not been surely they would have given him some options. Why they didn't give him more laps at least was bizarre from the team. Anyway his pace on Sunday was mighty and showed that the RB7 is still the quickest out there. There were some conflicting reports about whether he had his KERS working or not. The actual details were that it worked until lap 24. He actually could have remarkably beaten Vettel because he had an off early in the race which cost him around 4 seconds so without that he probably would have caught his team mate late on. We also seen from his race that using the prime tyre early could be a good tactic this year. If we get an early safety car at some races i can envisage drivers pitting to get rid of it or even pitting for it and pitting again a lap later just so they can get it out of the way.
Felipe finds some form: Felipe Massa was unhappy after the race. This is good though because rather than the mentality of "i beat Fernando, that'll do" it was a case of him wanting more from the afternoon. His pace was good for a 2 stopper and i felt that was the right approach from Ferrari because they didn't have the pace to the teams in front so it was worthwhile trying something different. Unfortunately for the Brazilian track position is not as important this year and he was caught by a few drivers late on. Still it was nice to see him in the mix and battling with the drivers at the front Not much to say on Alonso's race, the Spaniard didn't seem quick throughout and limped home a frustrated 7th.
F1 changes a roaring success: It really was a tremendous race and credit to Pirelli who seem have got it right with the tyres. The DRS system is making for much more close action. Some say it has made passing too easy. My response to that is that some of the overtakes are indeed 'simple' but for those few easy passes you get lots of good one's and good battles. It also created moves in other places. For example Hamilton was able to get close to Button with DRS which allowed him a chance of passing into turn 1. In my opinion we are much better with racing like this than than what we have witnessed in some other seasons. Remember we were at a circuit which has seen little overtaking in dry races. It also helps more variable strategies become viable. On Sunday we got over 80 overtakes and the whole race was absorbing and thrilling. A peak audience of 5 million in the UK says a lot as well.
There is some talk that in Turkey we could have 2 DRS zones, perhaps with just 1 activation zone. So say we had zone's on the back and pit straights. There would be an activation point before the first one and if you are within a second of another car you can then use your DRS in the 2 zones for that particular lap. Now i think that would be too much and is unneeded unless it is a case of having the zones made shorter. So rather than one big (800 metre) gain in the lap you could make two smaller (400 metre) gains. This could eliminate the 'easy' overtakes but still allow cars to get close. The FIA may trial this in Istanbul. Another way could be giving the drivers a finite amount to use it during the race but this doesn't seem to be in the pipeline for now anyway. i think it is feasible and certainly feel it would be a great way to make the KERS more tactical at least.
Hamilton soars as Button loses out: Jenson Button had a good start and was holding the lead ok in the first stint. Of course with Lewis Hamilton and Sebastian Vettel close behind the timing of the first pitstop was key. McLaren ended up running a 3 stop strategy on both cars but the initial plan was to 2 stop. The team came out for Button on lap 14 but he didn't come in until the next lap. He then made a terrible error by pulling into the Red Bull box. That cost both him and Vettel time. One possible theory (and this is simply guesswork!) is that Button was trying to stay out for as long as possible to make a 2 stop work better but that the team, having seen others behind pit, were reacting to the pace of the likes of Rosberg and changing to a 3 stopper because of the speed of other cars. So perhaps there was quite a bit of radio conversation and who knows amidst the busy nature of racing in 2011 maybe Jenson got distracted at the key moment in the pitlane. His pace was subdued after that and he would eventually get outdone by Hamilton.
Indeed Hamilton had been compromised because he had to wait an extra lap to pit and fell back on worn tyres, being overtaken by Vettel and Felipe Massa in consecutive laps. However his second stint was better, aided by a fresh set of options he had saved. It was interesting that a week on from Malaysia he had made such an effort to do so and it was clear after qualifying that tyres were on his mind and that he had deliberately plotted a strategy designed to maximise his race performance. Going for the extra stop really played better into his more attacking style and into the final stint he was back in the hunt and did a clean job of taking the cars ahead for a great victory.
Vettel's streak broken as Webber fights back: Red Bull ended up with 2 cars on the podium yet the fact that disappointment was felt by the team shows how far they've come. Vettel got a poor start but recovered positions at the first stop to find himself behind Nico Rosberg. Red Bull went for a 2 stop strategy and although it turned out to be the wrong decision there wasn't much in it. Having done 15 laps in the race in his qualifying tyres, he only managed a 17 lap stint in the middle of the race. That left him 24 laps on the primes and it proved to be slightly too much to hold off Hamilton. One mistake i did feel Red Bull made was sending the German out for a second run in Q3 when it was pretty clear that pole position was in the bag. Easy to say with hindsight but Vettel's first run was a good one and he would have not eeked out much more time even if it had been needed. In previous seasons this would not have been a big deal but it seems that putting a heat cycle into these Pirelli tyres really does take some life out of them if they are then reused. Expect quieter qualifying sessions with the current circumstances.
On Saturday evening i was pondering the future of Mark Webber. Out in Q1, the 2 junior Red Bull drivers doing brilliantly in making the top 10 and a bit of pressure was building even at this early stage of 2011. Would he let his head drop or fight back? Sunday showed it was the latter as he come from 18th to take a superb podium. Qualifying was a poor show, he only used the prime tyres and the car seem fine. If it had not been surely they would have given him some options. Why they didn't give him more laps at least was bizarre from the team. Anyway his pace on Sunday was mighty and showed that the RB7 is still the quickest out there. There were some conflicting reports about whether he had his KERS working or not. The actual details were that it worked until lap 24. He actually could have remarkably beaten Vettel because he had an off early in the race which cost him around 4 seconds so without that he probably would have caught his team mate late on. We also seen from his race that using the prime tyre early could be a good tactic this year. If we get an early safety car at some races i can envisage drivers pitting to get rid of it or even pitting for it and pitting again a lap later just so they can get it out of the way.
Felipe finds some form: Felipe Massa was unhappy after the race. This is good though because rather than the mentality of "i beat Fernando, that'll do" it was a case of him wanting more from the afternoon. His pace was good for a 2 stopper and i felt that was the right approach from Ferrari because they didn't have the pace to the teams in front so it was worthwhile trying something different. Unfortunately for the Brazilian track position is not as important this year and he was caught by a few drivers late on. Still it was nice to see him in the mix and battling with the drivers at the front Not much to say on Alonso's race, the Spaniard didn't seem quick throughout and limped home a frustrated 7th.
F1 changes a roaring success: It really was a tremendous race and credit to Pirelli who seem have got it right with the tyres. The DRS system is making for much more close action. Some say it has made passing too easy. My response to that is that some of the overtakes are indeed 'simple' but for those few easy passes you get lots of good one's and good battles. It also created moves in other places. For example Hamilton was able to get close to Button with DRS which allowed him a chance of passing into turn 1. In my opinion we are much better with racing like this than than what we have witnessed in some other seasons. Remember we were at a circuit which has seen little overtaking in dry races. It also helps more variable strategies become viable. On Sunday we got over 80 overtakes and the whole race was absorbing and thrilling. A peak audience of 5 million in the UK says a lot as well.
There is some talk that in Turkey we could have 2 DRS zones, perhaps with just 1 activation zone. So say we had zone's on the back and pit straights. There would be an activation point before the first one and if you are within a second of another car you can then use your DRS in the 2 zones for that particular lap. Now i think that would be too much and is unneeded unless it is a case of having the zones made shorter. So rather than one big (800 metre) gain in the lap you could make two smaller (400 metre) gains. This could eliminate the 'easy' overtakes but still allow cars to get close. The FIA may trial this in Istanbul. Another way could be giving the drivers a finite amount to use it during the race but this doesn't seem to be in the pipeline for now anyway. i think it is feasible and certainly feel it would be a great way to make the KERS more tactical at least.
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