F1: Hungarian GP – Race Review

Well, what a race!! After thinking that the race would be fought my the usual suspects of the 2009 season, what a turn around! Where shades of last year and traditional Formula One fashion was resumed. This hour belonged to McLaren and the supreme driver that is, Lewis Hamilton! The world champion holder simply had a flawless race where a lot of things just went his way! Which is a massive turn around from the last race in Germany where nothing went his way! An amazing victory for Hamilton.

So how did he do it? Well after qualifying on the second row, he sat in a good position to use the KERS button on his car. After making up a place off the line, Hamilton was eventually hunting down Webber and Alonso. The Renault driver was fuelled extrememly light so was able to pull away leaving Hamilton to chase down Webber, which he managed to do before the first lap was up! It was then down to him and his old rival Alonso. The former team mates have an amazing history together, and lets be honest, they hate each other!

Alonso was then hit with the bad luck! Coming in a couple of laps early to change worn down tyres, the right front was not put on properly! Renault will now be suspended from the next race because of this incident as it lead to his tyre later falling off, giving Lewis the perfect opportunity which he took with both hands! With perfect pitstops and amazingly fast lap times, Hamilton was able to capture his first victory this season!

With Vettel and Alonso not finishing the race, Kimi (I cannot be bothered to spell his second name but you know who I mean) was able to clinch second place in a McLaren, Ferrari one two finish with Webber getting another podium in third. As for the current championship leader, he had a tough weekend indeed. He only managed a seventh place which does not go well for his title hopes. The car has not gained any pace and has dowgraded in terms of aerodynamics! The car also cannot manage its tyres even with Button so there is limited pace. It will be interesting to see if McLaren can match a fully formed Brawn GP car.

We must spare a thought for Massa who is being held in hospital right now. Q2 yesterday saw a freakish accident in which a spring from Barrichello’s car flew off hitting Massa right on the crash helmet. It was even more freakish after having lost a Formula Two driver last sunday to a similar accident. We are told that Massa will be fine but just has a fractured skull. I’m sure he shall be fit and raring to go for the next race in Valencia in four weeks time. Let’s just hope that he is fine sooner rather than later.

What are your thoughts?

F1: Hungarian GP Preview!

Here we are a year later in Budapest! Over the last year many aspects of the game have changed. Last years winner Heikki Kovalinen will certainly not be this years winner as we have a new front brall with Brawn, Red Bull, and Toyota. Instead of Hamilton Vs Massa, we have Button Vs Vettel! You may recall last years race as the Massa show! He literally demolished the entire race track with his supreme glowing Ferrari!

Last year he overtook the McLaren of Lewis Hamilton and was three laps away from winning the race. But after an epic engine failure, the Fin Heikki took first place with Glock finishing in a stunning second! Not to mention a few punctures to other cars and almost three fires! This basically means we’re in for a boring race compared to the one of 2008.

However, it would be hard to compare this year to last with tremendous changes on the grid. This year we’ll be looking out for Barrichello to lose it again at Brawn saying they are putting Button first and Vettel trying to prove that he’s as good as Michael Schumacher! Not to mention Mark Webber showing that Aussies do have some talent after all.

My predictions on this weeks race? Well the usual will happen in practice where Rosberg shows all the potential to steal the race weekend with his own glory but inevitabley will let Williams down! After that, Hamilton will show some promise and deliver well in respect the uselessness of his car! But again, this weeks race is out of Sebastian Vettel and Jenson Button!

Button has not won a race for a while now so it is becoming quite scary! But my prediction for this race weekend goes to Mark Webber. He is a sort of dark hourse but at the same time, he’s just come off a great victory in Germany! He will surely be full of confidence this weekend. Vettel will definately look good again so I expect a straight battle between both the Red Bull cars with the Brawn’s making the second row.

What are your predictions?

F1: Malaysian GP

The Malaysian grand prix usually provides a real test of straight line speed for the car, as well as measuring down-force ability. It also tests driver endurance with the insanely high humidity and cockpit temperature which apparently can get up to 60 degrees! If this was the case, the drivers would want some sort of shower to cool them down. They did not however want such a big one!

With the race red flagged, Jensen Button was able to secure a second consecutive victory. However, as the race was not 75% complete, the first 8 places get half points which to be honest, is quite ridiculous. However, nothing would spoil the party for JB with his great Brawn GP car.

This post however, is not so much to do with racing but more to do with the stupid timing of the race. They made the race 5pm Malaysian time. Straight away we know tha visibility will be an issue especially with Malaysia’s ability to change weather almost instantly. The rain was almost inevitable as it is Malaysia but the extent to which it rained was simply phenomenal.

Martin Brundell said as soon as the rain started that you have to be on the right tire. Kimi was not. He selected the extreme wet when there was no water on the track whatsoever! This decision was simply suicidal! What the hell where they thinking?! Timo Glock was the one that had fantastic tire choices and his almost perfectly timed switch to intermediate tires paid great dividends as he secured a podium finish.

The race was right to be abandoned as the amount of standing water was simply un-driveable. Kimi almost sensed this, he must of enjoyed his cold ice cream and coke while his team mate Felipe Massa and Hamilton were still sitting in their respective cars waiting for the restart.

Formula one now takes a two week break which allows time for car development. The McLaren and Ferrari cars have to use this time effectively to even start thinking about catching the Toyota, Red Bull and Brawn GP pace! They will see small tweaks to their cars to attempt to get it to their optimum.

During this break, the diffuser of the Toyota and Brawn GP in particular will be closely looked at to decide if they have interpreted the rules correctly. If they have not, I would imagine they would not be disqualified from the first two races, nor deducted points. But they will have to change it, which may prove costly. If their diffuser is okay to use, I am certain that other teams would want to get their hands on it. The diffuser provides extra down force to the back, it works in a sort of opposite way to aeroplanes.

Let’s hear your thoughts on this years Malaysian GP!

F1: Malaysia Qualifying!

BBC Sport: Brawn GP Qualifying

This is a special post for those who could not be bothered to get up this morning and watch the second formula one weekend of the year! I on the other hand was forced to wake up by The Doc (¬_¬)!

The second week of formula one usually outlines what could happen in the rest of season! If this is the case, well then I guess by November 1st we’ll have a new world champion. Jensen Button has experienced a tremendous roller coaster over the last few months after scares that he would not even be driving this season. However, the newly formed Brawn GP team have provided him with great success. Two consecutive polls and one of them a win! The funding from Virgin will also help their cause!

This year certainly looks like Button’s and no one would bet against him. However, there are other drivers that have a good chance. Jarno Trulli for example almost matched Button’s pace throughout qualifying! The Toyota man really looks good this year, as does Vettel in the Red Bull! He was able to secure P3 but with a ten place grid penalty for what happened last week, he’ll start in p13!

Talking about formula one would not feel right without talking about political issues outside the racing. Lewis Hamilton was at the centre of it again this week but I’m sick of talking about it, and I bet you’re sit of hearing it too! But the McLaren has not been the same this year as it has lacked pace through the corners. He only qualified in

I hate to speculate at this early stage, but if the McLaren’s do not get there car to the pace, Hamilton will not become the first British driver to regain a world championship. Even the Ferrari’s do not look like they can catch the pace of the Brawn, Toyota or Red Bull as Kimi will start tomorrow in P9 as Massa had a ridiculous team decision. The Ferrari engineers thought his Q1 time was enough to see him through to the next round, however it was not and as a result, he will start tomorrow in P16!

This year then certainly will develop to be the closest yet and the level of competition is quickly increasing! The closeness of these races is simply phenomenal and great for the entertainment factor. At the moment though, it looks like Button and his Brawn GP car are simply dominating the circuit! Obviously different circuits demanding different attributes from car and driver will play heavy roles but Button’s pace is simply staggering!

I have a sneaky feeling though, that there will be numerous winners of races this season giving us a close encounter on the road to world championship glory!

My Prediction: Well it’s almost a no brainer, Jensen Button to win! However, it will probably be raining during the race tomorrow, so do not count out those who are fast in the rain (i.e. Kubica, Vettel and Hamilton). Fuel loads look good for Button, he may have two more laps than the first few people behind him which shall aid him in the race. Cars running the KERS will use that to their overtaking advantage during the back straight, and the long straight down to the finish line and the first corner!

Links: BBC Formula One |  Yahoo! Formula One

F1: It’s Back!!!

After a long awaited beginning, the formula one season will be underway this weekend in Melbourne. The winter testing has proved challenging but useful for all teams that will make up the starting grid. Over the last four months, we’ve seen many ups and downs on the formula one frame with many rule changes making this years season both exciting and very anticipating.

Changes:

Where do I begin?! Well the biggest change would be the look of the cars! You’ve probably noticed how ridiculous they look this year compared to last with the narrower rear spoiler and wider front wing.

Another change which is noticable is the tires. This year slick tires are back and boy is this a good change.

KERS has also been added to reduce the amount of wastage energy.

James May Section (Technicals):

The new shape of the cars provide a better aero dynamic package and inturn giving the cars more grip around the corners. However, straight line speed won’t be affected which is a bonus!

Slick tires are those with no grooves in them meaning even further grip around the corners giving the drivers more confidence to approach any corner.

KERS basiacally provides a six second boost with the use of a button. This provides extra horsepower and is ganed from the energy created whilst braking. It’ll come in handy when overtaking or protecting yourself from being overtaken.

The Teams and their Drivers:

McLaren – Lewis Hamilton and Heikki Kovalainen

Ferrari – Felipe Massa and Kimi Raikkonen

BMW – Robert Kubica and Nick Heidfeld

Renault – Fernando Alonso and Nelson Piquet Jr.

Toyota – Jarno Trulli and Timo Glock

Toro Rosso – Sebastien Bourdais and Sebastien Buemi

Red Bull – Mark Webber and Sebastien Vettel

Williams – Nico Rosberg and Kazuki Nakajima

Force India – Adrian Sutil and Giancarlo Fishichella

Brawn GP – Jensen Button and Rubens Barrichello

Hamilton: The Making of a Legend

Lewis Hamilton became the youngest ever Formula One world champion and deservedly so. He’s had a great year and fully deserves his crown. Take nothing away from Massa who was also outstanding.

Many former champions and great drivers have been complimenting Hamilton’s raw talent and how he’s a special find that McLaren have. Even the great Schumacher said that Lewis can beat his phenomenal title of 7 world championships.

I like many, hope that it does happen as Hamilton is starting to develop his game. He’s naturally a racer and naturally an aggressive driver, but as seen in the last couple of races in this years F1 season, he’s also developing his discipline and deciding when it’s right to drive his natural way, or to be more conservative. This is the key to going on and getting those 7 other world titles.

Everyone’s even comparing Hamilton to the greatest driver of all time in Aryton Senna who Lewis bases his style and even his helmet on. However, I think that people are getting way ahead of themselves. There’s no doubt Lewis has the talent, the car, the team and the great ability to cope with pressure, but you need to focus on what’s going on around him.

One factor of the future is obvious: Fernando Alonso. People have really forgotten about this man until the last few races where he’s come alive. They call him the best pound for pound driver today and I don’t disagree with that. If the current Renault man decides to join Ferrari in the future, the rivalry would be brilliant, but Alonso’s too good to lose it with that sort of car.

Robert Kubica will be another factor in his BMW which will be awesome next year. Sebastian Vettel being amoungst those as future rivals. People have compared this guy to Michael Shumacher and to win a GP in a Toro Rosso tells you his true potential. Possibly another future Ferrari driver but he takes over from DC at Red Bull next year.

Despite all of this, Hamilton will certainly be a great driver, possibly one of the best. Whether he’ll get to 7 world championships is another thing.

Well done Lewis!! Hopefully many more to come (but don’t get too ahead of yourselves)!

F1: Interlagos Preview

Interlagos Race Track

It’s been a long yet exciting season in this years formula one. All the teams have had highs and lows but still have taken strides forward with their cars. We’ve really been treated with exhilarating races consisting of moments of magic (Vettel’s Monza victory), as well as moments of complete stupidity (mainly Massa and Ferrari’s pit-lane mayhem).

Although all these events have lead us into the current situation, it all means nothing as everything, and I mean EVERYTHING comes down to the Brazillian Grand Prix this weekend. Lewis Hamilton finds himself in the exact same position as last year going into the race. Seven points ahead of a Ferrari driver but this time its Felipe Massa he’s facing. The points advantage may be Hamilton’s but home advantage goes to Massa.

Hamilton is favourite to win the Drivers Championship and become the youngest ever driver to be crowned as championship, Massa still has a chance. One of the main reasons for this is that Massa has the experience of Kimi Raikkonen on his side. Kimi will play a big part as he did last year, because recently he’s been on good form both in qualifying and races. Hamilton however doesn’t have the same privilege with a useless team-mate in Kovalainen.

Heikki hasn’t really been of much use to Lewis apart from building and expanding the car whereas in the race he can’t qualify himself high enough to help. In fairness, he has had some unlucky predicaments such as over-heating brakes etc. But when he hasn’t had problems, he hasn’t proven his worth.

The outcome of the race will also depend on one other person. The best pound for pound driver in formula one. He goes by the name of Fernando Alonso. Forget who he’s driving for, forget about last year, this is the guy that can change things and mix it up. He’s already said that he will help Massa in every way he can to win the title.

My prediction: I think Hamilton will win it if he has a repeat performance of the previous race however I wouldn’t count out Massa as he’s on home territory. A lot of the race outcome depends on what happens in qualifying on Saturday. Hamilton’s been known to produce some truly special laps although Massa in his own was can be a one-lap specialist. Hopefully there’s no Q2 drama for Lewis in this race though, as McLaren have been known to mess around with his strategy at the same point every time.

So forget about the credit crunch, and current recession. Don’t even think about saving the environment. The only place to be this weekend is glued to your screens to watch the Massa-Hamilton battle. ITV1 is the only place to be!!

Links: BBC F1 ITV F1 Yahoo! F1

Recommended read: Interlagos Tech File

F1: Singapore Night Race Review

Alonso wins his first GP in a year.

What an amazing race. Filled with such great-driving, great tatical approaches and most of all, such drama! As a spectator, I cannot think of a better race we’ve had this season, or will have. The two hours of excitment really asked a lot of the drivers, in F1’s first ever night race, and what a success that was. However, I don’t think too many races should be at night as it will lose its unique edge!

Congratulations to Fernando Alonso, who won the race in a physically daunting task. Much credit has to be given to Renault as they tried a different stratergy from everyone else, taking a risk hoping it would pay off, and it did so. The reason for his victory though, has to be because of Nelson Piquet’s crash into the barrier. Normally, I don’t like the fact of safety cars as it messes up the race and gets really boring, but today, it added to the spice. However, take nothing away from Alonso who was immense all weekend (bar qualifying due to fuel problems) and fully deserved his first grand prix victory for a year.

This was an unforgetable weekend for most, except for Ferrari that is. Unsurprisingly, Massa had an eventful pit-stop as he drove away with the fuel pump still stuck in his car. In fairness, he was right to go as the green light flashed on the semi-automatic stop system (other teams use a lollipop). Massa then got a drive through penalty for this and ended up having to take another pit-stop for more fuel. Kimi on the other hand looked strong throughout the race and was the fastest man out there at one point. However, after a milli-second of losing concentration, Kimi lost control of the car and smashed into the wall. No points for Ferrari.

Perhaps the best driver of the day (and my favourite driver), Nico Rosberg. The Williams man was forced to pit for fuel while the pit-lane was closed. This caused a “stop and go” penalty for him which only dropped him down to fourth place. Why this guy didn’t go to McLaren when he had the chance, I do not know! He finished in P2.

Hamilton will be happy with the outcome of this weekend knowing he can finished second to Massa in the remaining races and still be crowned World Champion. I have to give credit to his sensible driving this weekend as he took risks when he needed to (e.g. the pass move on DC in turn 7) and played it safe when he had to (not trying to overtake Rosberg at stupid times). Lewis gained six points from this weekend increasing his lead to 7 points while McLaren also overtook Ferrari in the Drivers Championship.

I can’t wait for the remaining races left of this years F1. Will Hamilton win it? Or will Massa take his glory away from him? Leave your thoughts.

Links: ITV F1 Yahoo F1 BBC F1

F1: Singapore (Night Race) Qualifying Review

Massa's sparks in the first ever night race.

The most eagerly anticipated race probably in the history of formula one had its qualifying session today. The Singapore street circuit looks phenomenal underneath the black sky with bright lights beaming down onto the track. The 24-corner track has both narrow and wide sections mixing up the Valencia and Monaco grand prix’s and great to watch for the fans. It also provides a new challenge for the teams as they have to alter their cars for the bumpy ground.

Felipe Massa took the night race’s first ever pole position with a simply outstanding lap. Hamilton did get provisional pole but in the dying moments, Massa had to deliver, and deliver he did. Hamilton did well after Q2 scares of just qualifying in 10th. The brief scare was an eye-opener to the leader of the current drivers championship as he only did one lap in Q1. To be honest, it looked like he only needed that one lap, anything more would of been a waste but in the end, he got on the front row of the grid.

Kimi will start tomorrow’s race in P3. He looked back to his old self after he had a scare in Q1 almost not qualifying. After that, he was consistently fast and almost had pole, something we haven’t been able to say for a while now. Vettel also looked very strong today which is understandable from the confidence he gained from the previous win in Monza. The youngest ever winner of an F1 grand prix almost got within the top four but starts in P7 behind Heikki, Kubica, and Nick Heidfeld.

Fernando Alonso, was the previous holder of the youngest ever winner and he would probably want to put today behind him as tragedy struck at the beginning of Q2. The Spaniard’s car stopped after the fuel wasn’t getting to the engine to make it run which they should fix by tomorrow. El Alonso was one of the big guns and could’ve fought through into the front of the grid as he was fast in practice all week. He starts in P15.

Overall, a good day in terms of entertainment. Many teams will be happy with their performances over the entire week and will look forward to tomorrow, where round one of the four races to the crown of the drivers championship will be decided. I was a little concerned about Hamilton’s body language in the post-qualifying interview as he didn’t look comfortable. Unfortunately, I couldn’t hear what he was saying because the idiots at ITV couldn’t position the mic correctly!

My Verdict: Tomorrow’s race will be great to watch but I’m not sure about the entire result. Part of me hopes for rain as it adds to the spice but if it does, the race have a boring safety car since rain in Singapore comes down heavily. Could there be an upset? Will Hamilton still be at the top of the drivers championship after tomorrow? Leave your thoughts!

Links: ITV F1 Yahoo F1 BBC F1

F1: Monza Qualifying Review

Vettel wins his first F1 pole in Monza

After an incredible week in Spa, with a lot of controversy off the field regarding the stewards decision to strip Hamilton of his victory but I’ll come to that part later. Like last week, the weather played a pivitol role in the outcome of qualifying at least. Heikki was consinstently fast throughout qualifying and was actually the first person to dig into the 1.35’s. But pole position went to

the phenomenal Vettel who recently signed to replace DC next season for Red Bull.

The rainy races are fantastic to watch because anything can happen which essentially closes the performance gaps between cars and relies more on driver input. Today’s qualifying was an even contest with Hamilton, Kimi and Robert Kubica getting knocked out in Q2! This was the most surprising and eventful time during the entire day. Kimi and Kubica just struggled to find time and grip and whether that’s down to car setup or just being rubbish in the wet, I don’t know.

Lewis’ P15 start is down to one thing. His/his engineer’s tire choice. The commentators called it a risk, I just think they’re damn right insane. I can see why they tried the intermediate tire as tram lines were appearing after Q1. If they really wanted to try it, they could have for a lap to see its performance. But why after seeing that it was rubbish did McLaren not bring Hamilton into the pit (just like a pit-stop) to change his tires and send him back out again on the extreme wets to get him into at least the pole position shoot out?!?!

Take nothing away from Vettel who probably would still have got pole even if the bigger three drivers qualified for Q3 as he was amazingly quick. This kid does have a bright future ahead of him and will surely be a Ferrari or McLaren driver in the future. Other good performances this weekend was Vettel’s Toro Rosso team mate Bourdais who starts in P4. Mark Webber also had a good session starting alongside Bourdais in P3.

Quick mention on Massa who also struggled. Hamilton will be hunting him down throughout the race so he must also look to head for the top of the grid. Massa starts in 6th place behind Rosberg who was also quick in Williams’ 500th grand prix weekend. Can he capture some points?

For full qualifying times and the starting grid for tomorrow’s race, click here