At 23, Vettel is the youngest F1 champion ever and he totally deserves it. He proved he is the real deal in the last few races. His commitment never wavered following the disappointing engine failure in Korea. Sure, there's been a few times this season that I've doubted that he was ready to be world champion, but he scored the points when it counted at the end of the season.
In contrast, Webber has been off balance since his mistake in Korea. He was always my favourite to the win title. He is an old school driver who built his career without the help of driver development programs and other support systems. But the job of driving a race car is as much a mental challenge as it is a physical one. There's no doubt that he has the driving skill to be a champion but he needs to work on his mindset before it will happen. His mindset will be crucial next season when he has a world champion for a team mate. Webber's feeling that he is being treated unequally, will only grow stronger, unless he is mentally prepared to deal with Vettel.
Race strategy played an important role in the final race and possibly cost Alonso the title. While this may seem unfair to people unfamiliar with the sport, the fact is motor racing is a team sport. The decisions made by the race engineers on the pit wall, by the race strategists at the team's HQ, by the car designer, all play a part in the outcome. There are so many options and permutations that the real surprise they get the strategy right most of the time, not that they got it wrong this time.
Alonso's title hopes might have been saved if it was easier to pass in F1. Considering he was stuck behind a midfield Renault that was driven by the rookie Petrov, the more experienced Alonso should have been able to find a way past. The track layout is partly to blame (why are drivers not consulted about the track design?) but the main problem is that following another F1 car closely is extremely difficult. Next year, we'll see if KERS and a driver controlled rear wing will change anything.
Petrov deserves kudos for driving a faultless race even while under extreme pressure from Alonso. Petrov is driving to keep his ride at Renault next year and he has certainly stepped up to prove he is worthy. I wonder if it was enough to impress the bosses at Renault.
And so ends the best Formula 1 season in my memory. In some ways, I'm sad that it's over but I take solace in the fact it starts all over again in less than sixteen weeks. It will be hard to top this season, though.
Showing posts with label f1 2010. Show all posts
Showing posts with label f1 2010. Show all posts
Monday, November 15, 2010
Monday, November 8, 2010
F1 Brazil 2010
Young Hulkenberg performance was very impressive. He turned the wet qualifying conditions into an advantage to put the midfield Williams on pole position, something the team hasn't achieved in a long time. In the race Hulkenberg demonstrated he has the skills to hold off the likes of Alonso and Hamilton. Considering Williams is thinking about replacing Hulkenberg for next season, he did a great job raising his profile in the best possible way.
It's interesting to compare the relative performance of the Redbull, Ferrari, and Mclaren by looking at the how long it took for each to pass Hulkenberg's Williams. Vettel passed in the first corner. Webber managed on the first lap. Alonso was stuck behind Hulkenberrg for several laps, but eventually made the pass. Hamilton had the hardest time getting past Hulkenberg and is an indication of just how bad Mclaren has been this season.
For Redbull to win a constructors' title after just six seasons in F1, against the established names of Ferrari and Maclaren, is a notable achievement. Redbull have had the best car by a huge margin all season, and if it were not a few mechanical glitches and driver errors, the team probably would have clinched the title a long time ago. However, they persevered through the bad moments and never lost sight of the prize. The only other result in recent memory that stands above Redbull's achievement is Brawn Racing, who won the contructors' title in their rookie season last year.
And then there were four. Drivers that is. Well, Hamilton only has a mathematical chance now, so realistically there are only three contenders for the drivers' title. I hope they get the chance to actually race each other for the title in Abu Dhabi. That would be the perfect ending to the best season ever.
It's interesting to compare the relative performance of the Redbull, Ferrari, and Mclaren by looking at the how long it took for each to pass Hulkenberg's Williams. Vettel passed in the first corner. Webber managed on the first lap. Alonso was stuck behind Hulkenberrg for several laps, but eventually made the pass. Hamilton had the hardest time getting past Hulkenberg and is an indication of just how bad Mclaren has been this season.
For Redbull to win a constructors' title after just six seasons in F1, against the established names of Ferrari and Maclaren, is a notable achievement. Redbull have had the best car by a huge margin all season, and if it were not a few mechanical glitches and driver errors, the team probably would have clinched the title a long time ago. However, they persevered through the bad moments and never lost sight of the prize. The only other result in recent memory that stands above Redbull's achievement is Brawn Racing, who won the contructors' title in their rookie season last year.
And then there were four. Drivers that is. Well, Hamilton only has a mathematical chance now, so realistically there are only three contenders for the drivers' title. I hope they get the chance to actually race each other for the title in Abu Dhabi. That would be the perfect ending to the best season ever.
Sunday, October 24, 2010
F1 Korea 2010
It have may taken a while for the action to get started, but for its debut race, Korea delivered a stonker. Qualifying was nothing special as Redbull took their usual positions of the front row of the grid with Vettel on pole. Race day was very, very different, however.
Rain on race day turned the barely two week old track surface into a pond. The race started behind the safety car, but was red flagged after only four laps. After a long delay, the race restarted under the safety car again and it wasn't until lap 17 that the real racing got under way. It was excruciatingly boring, but safety comes first. The hard part for the officials was deciding that the conditions were good enough for racing, especially as the track conditions did not improve very much while the safety car was out.
In old school F1, the race would have started in the rain and the drivers were expected to just deal with it as best they could. These days the drivers have more of a say, but their feedback is often contradictory. Hamilton thought the conditions were extreme but tolerable while other drivers felt it was just too dangerous. In hindsight, the safety car should have been brought in a few laps earlier, according to Button. As it was, the race ended after sunset which was not ideal either.
Redbull had their worst race of the season. A seemly small error got away from Webber, put him into the wall, and for good measure took out Rosberg who was minding his own business. While Webber's DNF was self inflicted, Vettel's problem was another mechanical failure. It's been a long time since I've seen a F1 engine actually blow its guts out the bottom of the car so spectacularly.
Redbull's troubles basically gifted Alonso with the win, but that's motor racing. The reverse could easily happen in the remaining two races. Hamilton had a very good race with a second place finish but Button has an appalling day as he struggled with grip to finish a twelfth. Schumacher showed some of his old talent for driving in the rain to finish in fifth place, his best showing this season. I wonder if he will be able to keep it up in the remaining races, or was this just due to conditions.
Alonso now leads the drivers' championship but what is unbelievable, is that there are still five contenders with a mathematical chance to win the title. Button has the least realistic chance as it depends on other contenders getting DNFs, but as Redbull's result just demonstrated, that's not completely impossible.
Many drivers took advantage of the several passing opportunities the track offers, but the poor conditions meant that it required great skill and bravery to make a pass work. A dry race at this track is going to be awesome. However, since the construction was delayed by 51 days of continuous rain, I have a feeling that most of the races at this circuit will be wet races.
Rain on race day turned the barely two week old track surface into a pond. The race started behind the safety car, but was red flagged after only four laps. After a long delay, the race restarted under the safety car again and it wasn't until lap 17 that the real racing got under way. It was excruciatingly boring, but safety comes first. The hard part for the officials was deciding that the conditions were good enough for racing, especially as the track conditions did not improve very much while the safety car was out.
In old school F1, the race would have started in the rain and the drivers were expected to just deal with it as best they could. These days the drivers have more of a say, but their feedback is often contradictory. Hamilton thought the conditions were extreme but tolerable while other drivers felt it was just too dangerous. In hindsight, the safety car should have been brought in a few laps earlier, according to Button. As it was, the race ended after sunset which was not ideal either.
Redbull had their worst race of the season. A seemly small error got away from Webber, put him into the wall, and for good measure took out Rosberg who was minding his own business. While Webber's DNF was self inflicted, Vettel's problem was another mechanical failure. It's been a long time since I've seen a F1 engine actually blow its guts out the bottom of the car so spectacularly.
Redbull's troubles basically gifted Alonso with the win, but that's motor racing. The reverse could easily happen in the remaining two races. Hamilton had a very good race with a second place finish but Button has an appalling day as he struggled with grip to finish a twelfth. Schumacher showed some of his old talent for driving in the rain to finish in fifth place, his best showing this season. I wonder if he will be able to keep it up in the remaining races, or was this just due to conditions.
Alonso now leads the drivers' championship but what is unbelievable, is that there are still five contenders with a mathematical chance to win the title. Button has the least realistic chance as it depends on other contenders getting DNFs, but as Redbull's result just demonstrated, that's not completely impossible.
Many drivers took advantage of the several passing opportunities the track offers, but the poor conditions meant that it required great skill and bravery to make a pass work. A dry race at this track is going to be awesome. However, since the construction was delayed by 51 days of continuous rain, I have a feeling that most of the races at this circuit will be wet races.
Sunday, October 10, 2010
F1 Japan 2010
Heavy rain over Suzuka cancelled Saturday qualifying which was moved to Sunday morning under the rules. Ironically, the last time this rule was invoked, was at Suzuka in 2004! I think it was more of a problem for the television broadcasters than for the teams and drivers.
Drivers love the Suzuka circuit. David Coulthard says it's an old school circuit designed in the 1960s. It's narrow, twisty, and very technical. Suzuka is a true driver's challenge but it's simply not possible for the driver to carry a crappy car around the circuit. Martin Brundle says it separates the men from the boys and that Suzuka terrified him when he drove it in the turbo era cars. It's impressive when driver's describe a track like that.
As expected, Redbull dominated the weekend again locking out the front row of the grid with Vettel on pole. Hamilton impressively qualified in third but had to take a five place penalty for changing a gearbox. This moved Kubica into third on the grid which was a great surprise.
Kubica's position made hime a potential wild card in the race and he demonstrated it by getting a better start to grab second from Webber. The start was a mess with two massive collisions before the first corner. While behind the safety car, a wheel separated from Kubica's car which deprived us of some excitement from the leaders of the race. It was a disaster for Renault as Petrov was one of those involved in the dust up at the start.
The race was exciting but none of it came from the race leaders, Vettel, Webber, and Alonso. The best racing came from Kobayashi who made more passes than any one else. He owned the turn 11 hair pin where he made every pass. Except for the first pass, which was basically out of control, the others were aggressive but very fair. I'm almost sure he passed some drivers twice because he drop back so far after his pit stop.
Schumacher and Rosberg had a nice little fight which demonstrated two points. First, Schumacher is still a capable driver even if we haven't seen much of it this season. Second, Rosberg is more than capable of racing against Schumacher off in a fair fight.
Hamilton has a terrible weekend. He lost third gear and limped to the finish using only fourth through seventh gears to avoid further damage. Somehow he still managed to finish in fifth place which was quite a feat under the conditions. And remember, that was a new gearbox. Some questions are going to be asked.
Webber is still in the lead of the drivers' championship but finishing second or lower is simply not going to win him the drivers' title. His points lead is not enough, so he needs to win one more race or his rivals will a DNF. While the former isn't going to be easy, the latter is just gambling on others having failures in my opinion. Webber's going to have to earn the title and that's the way it should be.
Drivers love the Suzuka circuit. David Coulthard says it's an old school circuit designed in the 1960s. It's narrow, twisty, and very technical. Suzuka is a true driver's challenge but it's simply not possible for the driver to carry a crappy car around the circuit. Martin Brundle says it separates the men from the boys and that Suzuka terrified him when he drove it in the turbo era cars. It's impressive when driver's describe a track like that.
As expected, Redbull dominated the weekend again locking out the front row of the grid with Vettel on pole. Hamilton impressively qualified in third but had to take a five place penalty for changing a gearbox. This moved Kubica into third on the grid which was a great surprise.
Kubica's position made hime a potential wild card in the race and he demonstrated it by getting a better start to grab second from Webber. The start was a mess with two massive collisions before the first corner. While behind the safety car, a wheel separated from Kubica's car which deprived us of some excitement from the leaders of the race. It was a disaster for Renault as Petrov was one of those involved in the dust up at the start.
The race was exciting but none of it came from the race leaders, Vettel, Webber, and Alonso. The best racing came from Kobayashi who made more passes than any one else. He owned the turn 11 hair pin where he made every pass. Except for the first pass, which was basically out of control, the others were aggressive but very fair. I'm almost sure he passed some drivers twice because he drop back so far after his pit stop.
Schumacher and Rosberg had a nice little fight which demonstrated two points. First, Schumacher is still a capable driver even if we haven't seen much of it this season. Second, Rosberg is more than capable of racing against Schumacher off in a fair fight.
Hamilton has a terrible weekend. He lost third gear and limped to the finish using only fourth through seventh gears to avoid further damage. Somehow he still managed to finish in fifth place which was quite a feat under the conditions. And remember, that was a new gearbox. Some questions are going to be asked.
Webber is still in the lead of the drivers' championship but finishing second or lower is simply not going to win him the drivers' title. His points lead is not enough, so he needs to win one more race or his rivals will a DNF. While the former isn't going to be easy, the latter is just gambling on others having failures in my opinion. Webber's going to have to earn the title and that's the way it should be.
Monday, September 27, 2010
F1 Singapore 2010
Redbull may have the best car in Formula 1 but it takes more than that to get the best results. Vettel really should have been on poll but traffic on his first run and a mistake on his second isn't how it's done. Webber couldn't deliver more than fifth on the grid. There's no doubt that Ferrari are much closer to Redbull but it was Alonso's brilliant qualifying lap that got them poll position.
If not for their scruffy qualifying performance, Redbull could have won this race, assuming everything else remained equal. Vettel and Alonso were very evenly matched in the race and traded fastest laps multiple times. Who ever was in the lead was going to win the race. That honour went to Alonso this time but it could so easily have been the other way around.
This circuit doesn't offer many passing opportunities so it was a pleasant surprise how much passing occurred in the race. Webber was amazing! He picked off several cars after he settled in with the hard tires, but he came very close to stuffing it in the wall while chasing down Barrichello. Considering how close the driver's championship fight is, it was great to see him taking such chances. The extra points he earned in this race crucially kept him in the lead of the championship.
Kubica was another passing demon. He had to change tires late in the race due to a slow puncture and the fresh rubber gave him an significant advantage. He went on the attack and passed several drivers, including his team mate, Petrov, to finish seventh. Even with advantage of fresh tires, it's just not that easy to pass on this circuit, so Kubica worked hard for every place he gained. It was another excellent drive from Kubica. He has done a great job this entire season.
Hamilton's attempted pass on Webber was a classic Hamilton manoeuvre. He saw an opportunity and just went for it. It didn't work this time but it would be a sad day when Hamilton decides to play it safe. Webber was very lucky to escape that incident as the right front wheel was badly damaged. I have no idea how the tire maintained pressure after being pushed so far off the rim.
Four races to go and there's still five contenders in the drivers' championship. It just doesn't get any better than this.
If not for their scruffy qualifying performance, Redbull could have won this race, assuming everything else remained equal. Vettel and Alonso were very evenly matched in the race and traded fastest laps multiple times. Who ever was in the lead was going to win the race. That honour went to Alonso this time but it could so easily have been the other way around.
This circuit doesn't offer many passing opportunities so it was a pleasant surprise how much passing occurred in the race. Webber was amazing! He picked off several cars after he settled in with the hard tires, but he came very close to stuffing it in the wall while chasing down Barrichello. Considering how close the driver's championship fight is, it was great to see him taking such chances. The extra points he earned in this race crucially kept him in the lead of the championship.
Kubica was another passing demon. He had to change tires late in the race due to a slow puncture and the fresh rubber gave him an significant advantage. He went on the attack and passed several drivers, including his team mate, Petrov, to finish seventh. Even with advantage of fresh tires, it's just not that easy to pass on this circuit, so Kubica worked hard for every place he gained. It was another excellent drive from Kubica. He has done a great job this entire season.
Hamilton's attempted pass on Webber was a classic Hamilton manoeuvre. He saw an opportunity and just went for it. It didn't work this time but it would be a sad day when Hamilton decides to play it safe. Webber was very lucky to escape that incident as the right front wheel was badly damaged. I have no idea how the tire maintained pressure after being pushed so far off the rim.
Four races to go and there's still five contenders in the drivers' championship. It just doesn't get any better than this.
Monday, September 13, 2010
F1 Italy 2010
Classic tracks produce classic races. And at Monza, it can't get any more classic than a Ferrari taking pole position and then winning the race. Even better, on a circuit where passing is possible, there was so much wheel to wheel action it was one of the best races of the season, and there's still five more to go!
Button was my driver of the weekend. He opted for a contrary high down force set up on his car but made it work. He qualified second splitting the Ferraris with Alonso on pole and Massa third on the grid. Button snatched the lead on the first corner of the race and held that position for more than half the race against Alonso in a faster Ferrari. Button only lost the lead because he pitted before Alonso who put the clear track to good use. The Ferrari was quicker so I'm not sure that Button could have won, even with a better strategy, but it was a great effort.
Redbull was not supposed to do well at Monza which is a pure straight line power circuit, but Vettel and Webber still finished fourth and sixth respectively. Which, by coincidence, was exactly the reverse of how they qualified, so they both had very interesting races. Webber might have beaten Vettel, if Webber had continued to attack Hulkenberg, instead of expecting the stewards to give him a penalty, which they decided wasn't necessary.
Hamiliton tried a little too hard on the first lap and damaged his car. Even with the DNF, he retains second in the championship, but those kinds of errors are what might decide the title in the end. With only five races to go, there are still five drivers who could win the title. That's just astonishing and isn't something I'm used seeing in Formula 1.
Button was my driver of the weekend. He opted for a contrary high down force set up on his car but made it work. He qualified second splitting the Ferraris with Alonso on pole and Massa third on the grid. Button snatched the lead on the first corner of the race and held that position for more than half the race against Alonso in a faster Ferrari. Button only lost the lead because he pitted before Alonso who put the clear track to good use. The Ferrari was quicker so I'm not sure that Button could have won, even with a better strategy, but it was a great effort.
Redbull was not supposed to do well at Monza which is a pure straight line power circuit, but Vettel and Webber still finished fourth and sixth respectively. Which, by coincidence, was exactly the reverse of how they qualified, so they both had very interesting races. Webber might have beaten Vettel, if Webber had continued to attack Hulkenberg, instead of expecting the stewards to give him a penalty, which they decided wasn't necessary.
Hamiliton tried a little too hard on the first lap and damaged his car. Even with the DNF, he retains second in the championship, but those kinds of errors are what might decide the title in the end. With only five races to go, there are still five drivers who could win the title. That's just astonishing and isn't something I'm used seeing in Formula 1.
Monday, August 30, 2010
F1 Belgium 2010
It was another Spa classic. There was some great wheel to wheel racing. The usual variable weather made conditions very unpredictable. There were lots of racing incidents to keep us entertained. It was a thoroughly enjoyable race.
Webber worked around a wet qualifying session to get poll position, with Hamilton in second and a surprising Kubica in third. Webber had a terrible start though and dropped six places before the first corner, but still managed to finish second, mainly because he kept his head while others were losing theirs.
Vettel was involved in more incidents than any other driver. I still don't understand how Vettel managed to spin nose first into the side of Button. What makes the collision even more strange is that, according to Button, the braking zone going into the second last corner was completely dry. That makes it a driver error, plain and simple. In my view Vettel hasn't shown himself to be a worthy championship contender. He is undoubtedly very talented but needs a few more years to mature.
There were interesting opportunities to compare factory versus customer teams. First was Renault and the Redbull which uses Renault engines. Even though the Redbull is widely acknowledged as the best car, the Renault faired very well I thought. Next was Ferrari versus BMW Sauber which oddly uses Ferrari power. I expected the Ferrari to blow by the Sauber which is a struggling middle-pack team, but the Sauber actually put up a credible fight.
Finally there was Mercedes versus Force India with Mercedes engines. On the one hand, I'll concede the Force India car is a mature design. On the other hand, I'm sure the Mercedes team have more resources, if not a bigger budget, than Force India so it is still a little embarrassing to be beaten by the customer team.
Best wheel-to-wheel moment was Alonso trying to pass Sutil's Force India. From Alonso's in-car camera view, Sutil slowly falls back at first. When he almost out of view, the Force India suddenly surges forward as they approach the braking zone. I'm sure Alonso must have thought, "Oh crap!" in Spanish, considering that Sutil had the racing line. The truly impressive part is, Sutil still managed to slow down and take the corner, which speaks volumes about Sutil's confidence in the handling of his car. Great moment!
Webber worked around a wet qualifying session to get poll position, with Hamilton in second and a surprising Kubica in third. Webber had a terrible start though and dropped six places before the first corner, but still managed to finish second, mainly because he kept his head while others were losing theirs.
Vettel was involved in more incidents than any other driver. I still don't understand how Vettel managed to spin nose first into the side of Button. What makes the collision even more strange is that, according to Button, the braking zone going into the second last corner was completely dry. That makes it a driver error, plain and simple. In my view Vettel hasn't shown himself to be a worthy championship contender. He is undoubtedly very talented but needs a few more years to mature.
There were interesting opportunities to compare factory versus customer teams. First was Renault and the Redbull which uses Renault engines. Even though the Redbull is widely acknowledged as the best car, the Renault faired very well I thought. Next was Ferrari versus BMW Sauber which oddly uses Ferrari power. I expected the Ferrari to blow by the Sauber which is a struggling middle-pack team, but the Sauber actually put up a credible fight.
Finally there was Mercedes versus Force India with Mercedes engines. On the one hand, I'll concede the Force India car is a mature design. On the other hand, I'm sure the Mercedes team have more resources, if not a bigger budget, than Force India so it is still a little embarrassing to be beaten by the customer team.
Best wheel-to-wheel moment was Alonso trying to pass Sutil's Force India. From Alonso's in-car camera view, Sutil slowly falls back at first. When he almost out of view, the Force India suddenly surges forward as they approach the braking zone. I'm sure Alonso must have thought, "Oh crap!" in Spanish, considering that Sutil had the racing line. The truly impressive part is, Sutil still managed to slow down and take the corner, which speaks volumes about Sutil's confidence in the handling of his car. Great moment!
Monday, August 2, 2010
F1 Hungary 2010
On a track that suited their car, the Red Bulls completely dominated with another lockout of the front row, with Vettel on pole and Webber struggling a little match his team mate. The Ferraris took the second row with Alonso in third. The Maclarens are definitely falling behind in their development with Hamilton carrying the car to fifth but almost two seconds off Vettel's time. Button, who needs a more balanced car to deliver his best, only managed to qualify eleventh!
Vettel's conversion rate from pole to win is terrible and this race was no different. Vettel led comfortably until a safety car was deployed. He pitted and rejoined in second placed behind Webber and the safety car. For some reason, Vettel dropped back behind Webber just before the safety car returned to the pits. The rules require drivers maintain a minimum distance behind the safety car and Vettel was given a drive through penalty for his lapse of concentration.
That dropped Vettel to third behind Alonso. As expected Vettel caught Alonso fairly easily but, as the old saying goes, passing was another matter. Vettel was clearly upset by the penalty, and if he had been able to calm down, he would have had a good chance of finding a way around Alonso. Although the Ferrari was faster in a straight line, the Redbull is much better overall, but Vettel's mental state made the attack all but impossible.
Webber's win was critical to his championship hopes, but with only 25 points separating the top 5 contenders, there is still a lot of work to do. The championship fight is still wide open.
As is usual under a safety car, everyone dives into the pits looking for a tactical advantage. The chaos in the pit lane was some of the most dangerous I've seen in a while. First Rosberg's right rear wheel was not properly attached and it came loose as he exits the pit box. The wheel rolled through two crowded pit boxes and can be seen bouncing up into the air as it hit something! It was finally arrested by a Williams mechanic who got some bruises for his trouble. I shudder to think if that wheel had hit someone...
In the second incident, the Renault lollipop man failed to recognise that one of the cars approaching in the pit lane was a Force India about to enter the next pit box. He released Kubica who immediately collided with Sutil as they crossed paths. It was just lucky that the accident wasn't much worse than it was. The pit lane speed limit is still 100 km/h so if the cars had hit each other just a little differently...
Schumacher has sunk to an new low for his tactics with Barrichello. I'll concede that the view from inside an F1 car is very limited, so maybe Schumacher didn't know how close he came to running Barrichello into the wall. But surely, after watching the replays where it's obvious how dangerous the manoeuvre was, the sporting thing to do would be to apologize, even if it was insincere. Instead, he blames Barrichello for taking the wrong line! That's just crass!
Well, Schumacher did apologize later, but only after the stewards handed him a penalty for unnecessarily impeding Barrichello. Schumacher looses ten places on the grid at the next race. Given how poorly he has been qualifying, that could put him last on the grid, or very close to it. He deserves to be there.
Vettel's conversion rate from pole to win is terrible and this race was no different. Vettel led comfortably until a safety car was deployed. He pitted and rejoined in second placed behind Webber and the safety car. For some reason, Vettel dropped back behind Webber just before the safety car returned to the pits. The rules require drivers maintain a minimum distance behind the safety car and Vettel was given a drive through penalty for his lapse of concentration.
That dropped Vettel to third behind Alonso. As expected Vettel caught Alonso fairly easily but, as the old saying goes, passing was another matter. Vettel was clearly upset by the penalty, and if he had been able to calm down, he would have had a good chance of finding a way around Alonso. Although the Ferrari was faster in a straight line, the Redbull is much better overall, but Vettel's mental state made the attack all but impossible.
Webber's win was critical to his championship hopes, but with only 25 points separating the top 5 contenders, there is still a lot of work to do. The championship fight is still wide open.
As is usual under a safety car, everyone dives into the pits looking for a tactical advantage. The chaos in the pit lane was some of the most dangerous I've seen in a while. First Rosberg's right rear wheel was not properly attached and it came loose as he exits the pit box. The wheel rolled through two crowded pit boxes and can be seen bouncing up into the air as it hit something! It was finally arrested by a Williams mechanic who got some bruises for his trouble. I shudder to think if that wheel had hit someone...
In the second incident, the Renault lollipop man failed to recognise that one of the cars approaching in the pit lane was a Force India about to enter the next pit box. He released Kubica who immediately collided with Sutil as they crossed paths. It was just lucky that the accident wasn't much worse than it was. The pit lane speed limit is still 100 km/h so if the cars had hit each other just a little differently...
Schumacher has sunk to an new low for his tactics with Barrichello. I'll concede that the view from inside an F1 car is very limited, so maybe Schumacher didn't know how close he came to running Barrichello into the wall. But surely, after watching the replays where it's obvious how dangerous the manoeuvre was, the sporting thing to do would be to apologize, even if it was insincere. Instead, he blames Barrichello for taking the wrong line! That's just crass!
Well, Schumacher did apologize later, but only after the stewards handed him a penalty for unnecessarily impeding Barrichello. Schumacher looses ten places on the grid at the next race. Given how poorly he has been qualifying, that could put him last on the grid, or very close to it. He deserves to be there.
Monday, July 26, 2010
F1 Germany 2010
Ferrari was surprisingly fast and came very, very close to a Alonso-Massa one-two in the grid. Vettel spoiled the party, however, with a sensational qualifying lap that was only 0.002 seconds faster than Alonso. Webber blew his qualifying lap but still managed fourth on the grid, ahead of the Maclarens who were having difficulties.
Vettel's start was sloppy. He fixated on Alonso, almost forcing him into the wall, which allowed Massa to waltz into lead. Alonso held his line and kept his second place while Vettel fell back to third. Did I mention his start was very sloppy?
The race kind of settled down after the first lap, and it looked like an easy one-two finish for Ferrari, except that the wrong driver was going to win. Then Massa received message on his radio and a few turns later slowed down and Alonso passed to take the lead. Now, the message did not explicitly tell Massa to let Alonso pass, but the intent was clear. In other words, it was a team order that altered the out come of the race, which is clearly against the regulations.
I was miffed. We were deprived of seeing some interesting racing. If Alonso was indeed faster, he had more than enough laps to prove it and try to pass Massa. A win for Massa would have been particularly poignant as it was one year since his accident. The worst part was the team orders overshadowed Ferrari's wonderful race performance. Anyway, the stewards agreed that it was team orders and sanctioned Ferrari with a fine, although the result was allowed stand. It was all very ugly.
Vettel's start was sloppy. He fixated on Alonso, almost forcing him into the wall, which allowed Massa to waltz into lead. Alonso held his line and kept his second place while Vettel fell back to third. Did I mention his start was very sloppy?
The race kind of settled down after the first lap, and it looked like an easy one-two finish for Ferrari, except that the wrong driver was going to win. Then Massa received message on his radio and a few turns later slowed down and Alonso passed to take the lead. Now, the message did not explicitly tell Massa to let Alonso pass, but the intent was clear. In other words, it was a team order that altered the out come of the race, which is clearly against the regulations.
I was miffed. We were deprived of seeing some interesting racing. If Alonso was indeed faster, he had more than enough laps to prove it and try to pass Massa. A win for Massa would have been particularly poignant as it was one year since his accident. The worst part was the team orders overshadowed Ferrari's wonderful race performance. Anyway, the stewards agreed that it was team orders and sanctioned Ferrari with a fine, although the result was allowed stand. It was all very ugly.
Monday, July 12, 2010
F1 Great Britain 2010
Redbull once again locked out the front row of the grid but they just can't seem to avoid stirring up controversy. A late decision to move a front wing assembly to Vettel's car, left Webber visibly angry and frustrated. Watch his body language in the official post qualifying interview. Webber actually checks his watch while Vettel is answering a question! Ouch!
Vettel made a poor start which allowed Webber to pull along side. They probably would have raced for the lead on the first lap, but Vettel had a puncture which sent him to the back of the field. Vettel seemed to have given up until a safety car bunched the cars together again. He found new motivation and was very entertaining as he fought his was back through the field to finish seventh. Webber drove a fantastic race and made no errors, which was really the only way he could have lost the race. In typical Webber fashion, he rubbed the noses of the team bosses in his victory. "Not bad for the number two driver!"
Mclaren tested a blown diffuser on Friday but heating caused big problems. They went back to the old diffuser, which meant they were essentially starting over on Saturday. Hamilton basically carried the car to fourth on the grid. Button qualified in fourteenth which reflected the car's true pace. Still, Button drove brilliantly to finish fourth which, together with Hamilton's second place finish, was a great surprise for everyone, including the team itself.
There was a lot of passing in the race which was very surprising. It's not that passing suddenly got easier, but that drivers were willing to use the marginal opportunities that the changes in the track offered them. It required a measured amount of daring to pull of a pass which is what makes for great racing.
I'm glad the F1 powers-that-be finally came to their senses and recognised that the sport needs historic circuits such as Silverstone, which will host the British Grand Prix for at least ten years. I hope similar deals are being considered for other historic tracks, which would enable them to plan upgrades in same way that Silverstone is doing.
Vettel made a poor start which allowed Webber to pull along side. They probably would have raced for the lead on the first lap, but Vettel had a puncture which sent him to the back of the field. Vettel seemed to have given up until a safety car bunched the cars together again. He found new motivation and was very entertaining as he fought his was back through the field to finish seventh. Webber drove a fantastic race and made no errors, which was really the only way he could have lost the race. In typical Webber fashion, he rubbed the noses of the team bosses in his victory. "Not bad for the number two driver!"
Mclaren tested a blown diffuser on Friday but heating caused big problems. They went back to the old diffuser, which meant they were essentially starting over on Saturday. Hamilton basically carried the car to fourth on the grid. Button qualified in fourteenth which reflected the car's true pace. Still, Button drove brilliantly to finish fourth which, together with Hamilton's second place finish, was a great surprise for everyone, including the team itself.
There was a lot of passing in the race which was very surprising. It's not that passing suddenly got easier, but that drivers were willing to use the marginal opportunities that the changes in the track offered them. It required a measured amount of daring to pull of a pass which is what makes for great racing.
I'm glad the F1 powers-that-be finally came to their senses and recognised that the sport needs historic circuits such as Silverstone, which will host the British Grand Prix for at least ten years. I hope similar deals are being considered for other historic tracks, which would enable them to plan upgrades in same way that Silverstone is doing.
Sunday, June 27, 2010
F1 2010 Europe
It was a surprisingly exciting race at a circuit that is usually somewhat pedestrian. Vettel was back on form and put in an unbeatable qualifying lap. The difference this time was that he converted that pole position into a race win for the first time this season.
Webber qualified in second place but for some reason went backwards through the field on the first lap. The reason for loosing so many places was never explained but it put Webber out of position and racing Kovalainen's Lotus on lap eight, which led to this horrific crash. There's nothing scarier than seeing a race car flying through the air at over 300 km/h. Thankfully, an F1 car is incredibly strong which allowed Webber to walk away.
It was the first time Webber had to pass a Lotus for position and he completely misjudged how early the Lotus brakes compared to the Redbull. I think everyone learned an important lesson about how to race against the slower cars from the new teams. You can't ask the slower teams not to race for position and the top teams need to be a little more cautious when racing the slower cars.
The driver of the day was Kobayashi. He was in third place after the safety car returned to the pits and was only two seconds off the pace of Vettel, while also looking after his first set of tires for almost the entire race. But the the rules requires a tire change which he did with only four laps remaining. The fresh rubber enabled him to pass both Alonso and Buemi. The latter pass was a classic last corner, do-or-die, manoeuvre. Awesome! Kobayashi demonstrated he drives with his head as well as his right foot.
Webber qualified in second place but for some reason went backwards through the field on the first lap. The reason for loosing so many places was never explained but it put Webber out of position and racing Kovalainen's Lotus on lap eight, which led to this horrific crash. There's nothing scarier than seeing a race car flying through the air at over 300 km/h. Thankfully, an F1 car is incredibly strong which allowed Webber to walk away.
It was the first time Webber had to pass a Lotus for position and he completely misjudged how early the Lotus brakes compared to the Redbull. I think everyone learned an important lesson about how to race against the slower cars from the new teams. You can't ask the slower teams not to race for position and the top teams need to be a little more cautious when racing the slower cars.
The driver of the day was Kobayashi. He was in third place after the safety car returned to the pits and was only two seconds off the pace of Vettel, while also looking after his first set of tires for almost the entire race. But the the rules requires a tire change which he did with only four laps remaining. The fresh rubber enabled him to pass both Alonso and Buemi. The latter pass was a classic last corner, do-or-die, manoeuvre. Awesome! Kobayashi demonstrated he drives with his head as well as his right foot.
Wednesday, June 16, 2010
F1 Canada 2010
It was great race! There were incidents galore, wheel to wheel to racing, and some real honest to goodness passing. Surprisingly, there was no safety car which was very unusual for the Canadian Grand Prix. Credit for the great racing goes to the tires which were marginal for the track conditions.
For the moment Maclaren have gained the upper hand over Redbull. Hamilton put in an amazing qualifying lap which finally broke Rebull's stranglehold on poll position. Webber and Vettel had to settle for second and third place on the grid. Button who only managed to qualify fifth, acknowledged that Hamilton's qualifying lap was untouchable.
Redbull's Achilles heel as always, was reliability. Webber required a gearbox change which cost a five place grid penalty. Vettel also had a gearbox problem,during the race and had to nurse the car to a fourth place finish.
Neither the prime (hard) nor the option (soft) tire were very durable on the resurfaced track, which made tire choice very difficult. For the first time this season, there was a split in tire strategy, with Maclaren choosing to qualify and start on the option tire. The problem was the option tire lasted only about six laps, instead of the expected ten.
Redbull's decision to put their cars an opposite tire strategy after the first pit stop, might have worked if they had reversed which car got the soft tire. Vettel received soft tires but his mechanical problems prevented him from taking advantage the tires. Webber needed the soft tire when he was leading the race to build up a cushion. Hindsight and all that...
Hamilton and Alonso almost collided in pits when Maclaren released Hamilton a little too early. They actually raced side-by-side down the pit exit until Hamilton finally conceded to Alonso. I was very surprised that the incident escaped investigation by the stewards.
Schumacher has a very scruffy weekend. He only qualified thirteenth. In the race, he had several close calls with a number of other drivers. It's obvious that Schumacher hasn't lost his killer instinct but it also looked unnecessarily aggressive. Frankly, I'm surprised that only the incident with Massa was investigated, which was the lesser incident compare to the one with Kubica in my opinion.
For the moment Maclaren have gained the upper hand over Redbull. Hamilton put in an amazing qualifying lap which finally broke Rebull's stranglehold on poll position. Webber and Vettel had to settle for second and third place on the grid. Button who only managed to qualify fifth, acknowledged that Hamilton's qualifying lap was untouchable.
Redbull's Achilles heel as always, was reliability. Webber required a gearbox change which cost a five place grid penalty. Vettel also had a gearbox problem,during the race and had to nurse the car to a fourth place finish.
Neither the prime (hard) nor the option (soft) tire were very durable on the resurfaced track, which made tire choice very difficult. For the first time this season, there was a split in tire strategy, with Maclaren choosing to qualify and start on the option tire. The problem was the option tire lasted only about six laps, instead of the expected ten.
Redbull's decision to put their cars an opposite tire strategy after the first pit stop, might have worked if they had reversed which car got the soft tire. Vettel received soft tires but his mechanical problems prevented him from taking advantage the tires. Webber needed the soft tire when he was leading the race to build up a cushion. Hindsight and all that...
Hamilton and Alonso almost collided in pits when Maclaren released Hamilton a little too early. They actually raced side-by-side down the pit exit until Hamilton finally conceded to Alonso. I was very surprised that the incident escaped investigation by the stewards.
Schumacher has a very scruffy weekend. He only qualified thirteenth. In the race, he had several close calls with a number of other drivers. It's obvious that Schumacher hasn't lost his killer instinct but it also looked unnecessarily aggressive. Frankly, I'm surprised that only the incident with Massa was investigated, which was the lesser incident compare to the one with Kubica in my opinion.
Monday, May 31, 2010
F1 Turkey 2010
It was an exciting race. The Mclarens were clearly much closer to the Redbulls in the race compared to qualifying. Hamilton pushed Webber quite hard until the pit stops. Redbull reacted quickly when Hamilton pitted, but he had a problem in the stop so Webber easily held on to the lead. Vettel later passed Hamilton in the pits which setup another possible Redbull one-two finish.
That is, until Vettel decided to pass Webber and it ended in tears. The general opinion seems to be that Vettel turned into Webber unnecessarily. Webber could definitely have given Vettel a little more room, but Vettel was never in any danger of being forced of the road. They hadn't reached the breaking point for the corner yet, so Vettel had time to make a different choice. The collision took Vettel out of the race and dropped Webber back to third, leaving Mclaren with a potential one-two finish.
But then Button saw an opportunity and decided to have a go at Hamilton. Fortunately, this one ended much less dramatically, but it was great wheel-to-wheel fight which lasted four corners. There was even some contact, which was heart stopping after the incident between the Redbulls, but Hamilton won the fight fairly. The reason this did not end in tears was that Hamilton and Button gave each other just that little bit more room, which is very important in a twitchy F1 car.
I throughly enjoyed this race which once again demonstrated that passing is key for exciting racing.
That is, until Vettel decided to pass Webber and it ended in tears. The general opinion seems to be that Vettel turned into Webber unnecessarily. Webber could definitely have given Vettel a little more room, but Vettel was never in any danger of being forced of the road. They hadn't reached the breaking point for the corner yet, so Vettel had time to make a different choice. The collision took Vettel out of the race and dropped Webber back to third, leaving Mclaren with a potential one-two finish.
But then Button saw an opportunity and decided to have a go at Hamilton. Fortunately, this one ended much less dramatically, but it was great wheel-to-wheel fight which lasted four corners. There was even some contact, which was heart stopping after the incident between the Redbulls, but Hamilton won the fight fairly. The reason this did not end in tears was that Hamilton and Button gave each other just that little bit more room, which is very important in a twitchy F1 car.
I throughly enjoyed this race which once again demonstrated that passing is key for exciting racing.
Monday, May 17, 2010
F1 2010 Monaco
Another dominating display by Redbull and Mark Webber who had back to back polls and wins. Webber's qualifying lap was a massive .3 seconds faster than Kubica, who beat Vettel into the second grid slot. Kubica and Renault's performance was quite surprising as they beat all the main contenders, except Redbull. The other teams should be a getting a little worried. Redbull's car is good on any kind of circuit and they have two drivers who are capable of winning the championship.
Webber lead the race from start to finish despite four safety cars wiping out the gap he had built up. Vettel passed Kubica in the first corner to take second, place but was never able to close on Webber. In fact, Vettel came under pressure from Kubica later in the race. Vettel must be wondering what went wrong while Webber now has a psychological advantage of his team mate. Should be interesting to see how Vettel fights back in the next race.
Alonso destroyed his car in Saturday morning practice and it could not be rebuilt in time for qualifying. As a result Alonso started form the pit lane and had to duel with all the drivers from the slower teams as he charged through the field. Alonso quickly found out that most of them were not going to jump out the way. It was reasonable as they were fighting for position, but Alonso was definitely losing his cool. Watching Di Grassi throw his Virgin Racing car around in front of Alonso was both scary and impressive.
Schumacher got a six place penalty for passing Alonso while under the safety car on last lap. The wording of that rule is very bad which is likely what caused the different interpretation between the teams.
Webber lead the race from start to finish despite four safety cars wiping out the gap he had built up. Vettel passed Kubica in the first corner to take second, place but was never able to close on Webber. In fact, Vettel came under pressure from Kubica later in the race. Vettel must be wondering what went wrong while Webber now has a psychological advantage of his team mate. Should be interesting to see how Vettel fights back in the next race.
Alonso destroyed his car in Saturday morning practice and it could not be rebuilt in time for qualifying. As a result Alonso started form the pit lane and had to duel with all the drivers from the slower teams as he charged through the field. Alonso quickly found out that most of them were not going to jump out the way. It was reasonable as they were fighting for position, but Alonso was definitely losing his cool. Watching Di Grassi throw his Virgin Racing car around in front of Alonso was both scary and impressive.
Schumacher got a six place penalty for passing Alonso while under the safety car on last lap. The wording of that rule is very bad which is likely what caused the different interpretation between the teams.
Monday, May 10, 2010
F1 Spain 2010
Redbull completely dominated both in qualifying and in the race. Webber edged Vettel for the poll. Webber critically stayed in front of Vettel through the first corner and avoided the same situation from Malaysia. After that, Webber cruised to his first win of the season. The Redbull remains fragile with Vettel having a brake problem which prevented a one-two finish, but he still managed to nurse the car to the finish for a well deserved third.
Even though there were a few fights for position all through the field, overall the race was quite boring. I was hoping the fight between Button and Schumacher would be epic, but Button gave Schumacher way too much respect. Button had the faster car but Schumacher's experience made up the difference easily. And of course, passing is the number one problem in F1, which didn't help Button's efforts.
The teams brought a lot of upgrades as expected for the first race back in Europe, but not all of it worked. Unfortunately, Redbull's improvements did work, which made them look even stronger. Not being allowed to test anything except on race weekend is going to play a role this season as there still four contenders vying for the constructors' title.
Ferrari had their own version of the F-duct. It gives a massive 9 km/h advantage in straight line speed over the Redbull, so there's no doubt that the F-duct is effective. However, watching Alonso drive with one hand while activating the system was a little worrying. Alonso is more than capable of handling it of course, but it just increases the chance of a mistake. There's talk of banning F-ducts next year.
The best moment in the whole race was Alonso being told on the radio that Schumacher was holding up the field. Now there's something you don't hear everyday! Surprisingly, Schumacher was quicker than Rosberg which led to speculation that he is being sidelined at Mercedes in favour of Schumacher. I hope that is not the case, as it is a waste of a talented young driver, which would be a real shame.
Even though there were a few fights for position all through the field, overall the race was quite boring. I was hoping the fight between Button and Schumacher would be epic, but Button gave Schumacher way too much respect. Button had the faster car but Schumacher's experience made up the difference easily. And of course, passing is the number one problem in F1, which didn't help Button's efforts.
The teams brought a lot of upgrades as expected for the first race back in Europe, but not all of it worked. Unfortunately, Redbull's improvements did work, which made them look even stronger. Not being allowed to test anything except on race weekend is going to play a role this season as there still four contenders vying for the constructors' title.
Ferrari had their own version of the F-duct. It gives a massive 9 km/h advantage in straight line speed over the Redbull, so there's no doubt that the F-duct is effective. However, watching Alonso drive with one hand while activating the system was a little worrying. Alonso is more than capable of handling it of course, but it just increases the chance of a mistake. There's talk of banning F-ducts next year.
The best moment in the whole race was Alonso being told on the radio that Schumacher was holding up the field. Now there's something you don't hear everyday! Surprisingly, Schumacher was quicker than Rosberg which led to speculation that he is being sidelined at Mercedes in favour of Schumacher. I hope that is not the case, as it is a waste of a talented young driver, which would be a real shame.
Sunday, April 18, 2010
F1 China 2010
Redbull locked out the front row of the grid for the second time in four races after some stunning qualifying laps, nets Vettel and Webber first and second respectively. Unfortunately, Redbull were unable to capitalize on their grid positions in the race where wet conditions made strategy more important than raw performance.
The race start was dry enough that everyone (except Virgin Racing, I think) started on slicks, but a first lap incident brought out the safety car. While behind the SC, the rain became worse and Button switched to the intermediate wet tires a full lap before everyone else. This crafty choice is what eventually won him the race. Button is really showing that he deserves to be world champion.
As usual, the rain brought plenty of close racing and some impressive driving under difficult circumstances. The latest generation of intermediate tires are apparently not as durable as they were in previous years, and by the end of the race, everyone was struggling with extremely worn tires. Unfortunately, there was was some very scruffy driving as well.
In one example, while making a pit stop, Hamilton passed and almost collided with Vettel in the pit entry lane. Then the teams released them from the pit boxes at almost the same time, and they almost collided again! They drove side by side down the pit lane with Vettel slightly in front, before Hamilton finally backed off. What was that all about?!
The FIA has banned automatic ride height adjustment a systems, which almost everyone suspected Redbull of using. Their qualifying pace seemed to support their claim that they were not. On the other hand it will require a similar performance in a dry race to fully refute the suspicion. This wet race doesn't do that yet. Apparently Ferrari are developing a manual ride height adjustment system, which can be changed during a pit stop.
Redbull's situation is very interesting. They clearly have the best car and yet they are only third in the constructors standings. Vettel is a potential world champion but is only fifth in the drivers standings, while Webber, who is no slouch either, is only eighth. I know it's early in the season but their race day performance will have to improve noticeably, if they hope to win some championship titles. Perhaps they've been holding back some upgrades for the return to Europe. Time will tell.
The race start was dry enough that everyone (except Virgin Racing, I think) started on slicks, but a first lap incident brought out the safety car. While behind the SC, the rain became worse and Button switched to the intermediate wet tires a full lap before everyone else. This crafty choice is what eventually won him the race. Button is really showing that he deserves to be world champion.
As usual, the rain brought plenty of close racing and some impressive driving under difficult circumstances. The latest generation of intermediate tires are apparently not as durable as they were in previous years, and by the end of the race, everyone was struggling with extremely worn tires. Unfortunately, there was was some very scruffy driving as well.
In one example, while making a pit stop, Hamilton passed and almost collided with Vettel in the pit entry lane. Then the teams released them from the pit boxes at almost the same time, and they almost collided again! They drove side by side down the pit lane with Vettel slightly in front, before Hamilton finally backed off. What was that all about?!
The FIA has banned automatic ride height adjustment a systems, which almost everyone suspected Redbull of using. Their qualifying pace seemed to support their claim that they were not. On the other hand it will require a similar performance in a dry race to fully refute the suspicion. This wet race doesn't do that yet. Apparently Ferrari are developing a manual ride height adjustment system, which can be changed during a pit stop.
Redbull's situation is very interesting. They clearly have the best car and yet they are only third in the constructors standings. Vettel is a potential world champion but is only fifth in the drivers standings, while Webber, who is no slouch either, is only eighth. I know it's early in the season but their race day performance will have to improve noticeably, if they hope to win some championship titles. Perhaps they've been holding back some upgrades for the return to Europe. Time will tell.
Monday, April 5, 2010
F1 Malaysia 2010
Qualifying was an example of old school strategy versus technical strategy. In old school, the wet conditions dictated getting a qualifying lap on the books. The technical strategists looked at the weather prediction data and believed it. The weather patterns around Sepang is generally unpredictable and Ferrari and Maclaren both paid dearly for putting their faith in the data.
After the third qualifying session resumed, Webber's bold choice to use intermediate wet tires when every one else was on full wets, was another example of old school, seat of the pants racing. Webber put in an awesome qualifying lap in absolutely atrocious conditions to grab only his second career pole. Webber effort really made up for his mistakes in Australia.
The race start saw some amazing driving as Vettel made a bold move on Webber in the first corner to jump from third to first position in the first corner. But Hamilton's magnificent charge from twentieth to twelfth had me on the edge of my seat. Even more impressive was that everyone got through the first corner with no serious contact as those faster cars carved their way through the field.
The rest of the race was very enjoyable as there were plenty of fights all the way through the field. There was even some passing! Alonso was outstanding as he wrestled with a car with a down shift problem which finally overstressed the engine, causing it to expire. It always amazes me that drivers can wring so much out of a sick car. Sutil and Hamilton's fight was also worth a mention. The Force India was very quick and forced Hamilton to eventually concede there was no way past. Sutil drove perfectly even with Hamilton breathing down his neck. Redbull finally shook off the reliability monkey to finished with a well deserved one-two.
Malaysia demonstrated a couple of things. First, a dry race can be exciting. Yes, passing is definitely a problem, there's no doubt about that, but this circuit offers classic passing opportunities which a few bold drivers used to good effect. Second, there's more to racing than passing. Sometimes it's little things like the air wrench getting stuck on Webber's right front wheel which cost him two seconds in his pit stop. Other times its getting the strategy all wrong. So yes, the passing needs to be improved, but there are other reasons folks like me enjoy this sport.
After the third qualifying session resumed, Webber's bold choice to use intermediate wet tires when every one else was on full wets, was another example of old school, seat of the pants racing. Webber put in an awesome qualifying lap in absolutely atrocious conditions to grab only his second career pole. Webber effort really made up for his mistakes in Australia.
The race start saw some amazing driving as Vettel made a bold move on Webber in the first corner to jump from third to first position in the first corner. But Hamilton's magnificent charge from twentieth to twelfth had me on the edge of my seat. Even more impressive was that everyone got through the first corner with no serious contact as those faster cars carved their way through the field.
The rest of the race was very enjoyable as there were plenty of fights all the way through the field. There was even some passing! Alonso was outstanding as he wrestled with a car with a down shift problem which finally overstressed the engine, causing it to expire. It always amazes me that drivers can wring so much out of a sick car. Sutil and Hamilton's fight was also worth a mention. The Force India was very quick and forced Hamilton to eventually concede there was no way past. Sutil drove perfectly even with Hamilton breathing down his neck. Redbull finally shook off the reliability monkey to finished with a well deserved one-two.
Malaysia demonstrated a couple of things. First, a dry race can be exciting. Yes, passing is definitely a problem, there's no doubt about that, but this circuit offers classic passing opportunities which a few bold drivers used to good effect. Second, there's more to racing than passing. Sometimes it's little things like the air wrench getting stuck on Webber's right front wheel which cost him two seconds in his pit stop. Other times its getting the strategy all wrong. So yes, the passing needs to be improved, but there are other reasons folks like me enjoy this sport.
Tuesday, March 30, 2010
F1 Australia 2010
It was sooooo boring!
I'm joking! ^_^ With all the hand ringing over how boring Bahrain was, Australia should keep everyone quiet at least for short while.
Vettel's qualifying lap was absolutely stunning and is worth rewatching but once again reliability robbed him of the victory, after a mechanical failure caused him to crash. Webber had an embarrassing race and managed only ninth place. This was not the expected outcome after Redbull locked out the front row of the grid. On the other hand, the Redbull is undoubtedly very fast, and solving reliability issues is preferable to finding more speed.
The difference between Button and Hamilton was very evident in this race. Button displayed an impressively cool head when he called for a risky change to slicks. Hamilton on the other hand was obviously upset with the team's decision to make a second tire change. It may tell us something about why Martin Wittmarsh brought Button into the team, since it balances the teams opportunities during a race weekend.
Even though the race was very exciting, the very real problem of passing was clearly evident when the performance of the cars is very close. The number being mentioned is 3 seconds a lap, which is how much faster you need to be in order to pass. 3 seconds a lap in an F1 car is an enormous difference and is clearly immpossible when the top cars are so evenly matched.
I'm joking! ^_^ With all the hand ringing over how boring Bahrain was, Australia should keep everyone quiet at least for short while.
Vettel's qualifying lap was absolutely stunning and is worth rewatching but once again reliability robbed him of the victory, after a mechanical failure caused him to crash. Webber had an embarrassing race and managed only ninth place. This was not the expected outcome after Redbull locked out the front row of the grid. On the other hand, the Redbull is undoubtedly very fast, and solving reliability issues is preferable to finding more speed.
The difference between Button and Hamilton was very evident in this race. Button displayed an impressively cool head when he called for a risky change to slicks. Hamilton on the other hand was obviously upset with the team's decision to make a second tire change. It may tell us something about why Martin Wittmarsh brought Button into the team, since it balances the teams opportunities during a race weekend.
Even though the race was very exciting, the very real problem of passing was clearly evident when the performance of the cars is very close. The number being mentioned is 3 seconds a lap, which is how much faster you need to be in order to pass. 3 seconds a lap in an F1 car is an enormous difference and is clearly immpossible when the top cars are so evenly matched.
Monday, March 15, 2010
F1 2010 Bahrain
The first race of the 2010 season is in the record books. Redbull Racing picked up where they left off last year with an outstanding qualifying performance by Vettel. Unfortunately, they seem to have kept the gremlins from last year as well, and Vettel was barely able to hang on to fourth place. With all the technology that goes into a F1 car, it's amazing a low tech exhaust problem can still destroy your race.
Even if Vettel had not had his problems, it's doubtful that the Ferrari's would have been able a make fight of it, as they had problems with over heating, which of course meant they couldn't really follow to closely. Which in turn makes passing difficult. Maclaren's aerodynamic problems were a surprise as this car has been in development since the middle of last season. None of the top teams have the perfect package yet, so we can expect to see lots of improvements as the season progresses.
The new rule that forces the top 10 qualifiers to start the race on the same tires as they used in qualifing, is going to take the strategists a few races to figure out. In most cases the best qualifying tire is not the best race tire, so if you want pole you are going to hurt for the first few laps of the race. I wonder who will be the first to give up on pole just to start on the optimum tire. It's not an unreasonable strategy.
There are lots of new teams and drivers this year. Some of the drivers hadn't even sat in the car before Friday practice. That's cutting it close! But Lotus definitely deserves applause for having both cars finish the race. That's quite a feat for any new team.
Even if Vettel had not had his problems, it's doubtful that the Ferrari's would have been able a make fight of it, as they had problems with over heating, which of course meant they couldn't really follow to closely. Which in turn makes passing difficult. Maclaren's aerodynamic problems were a surprise as this car has been in development since the middle of last season. None of the top teams have the perfect package yet, so we can expect to see lots of improvements as the season progresses.
The new rule that forces the top 10 qualifiers to start the race on the same tires as they used in qualifing, is going to take the strategists a few races to figure out. In most cases the best qualifying tire is not the best race tire, so if you want pole you are going to hurt for the first few laps of the race. I wonder who will be the first to give up on pole just to start on the optimum tire. It's not an unreasonable strategy.
There are lots of new teams and drivers this year. Some of the drivers hadn't even sat in the car before Friday practice. That's cutting it close! But Lotus definitely deserves applause for having both cars finish the race. That's quite a feat for any new team.
Tuesday, March 9, 2010
Classic Lotus Porn
With the Lotus name returning to Formula One, and for the benefit of those lucky enough (you know who you are ^^) to have owned a Lotus, here is some classic Lotus porn. However, what strikes me is how small the old F1 cars were. Use the driver's head for scale and compare with a modern F1 car. Those old cars were like scary 300 km/h go-karts. And the driver was about as exposed, too.
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