After 2010 gave us the potential of some great driver pairings which have been a fascinating element of the season it looks a fairly stable market for 2011. It will be the midfield where the main changes could be...
Key
Confirmed
Almost certain
Maybe
Outside chance
McLaren
Jenson Button
Lewis Hamilton
Both British drivers are under contract until 2012 and the team have been happy with the way both have performed and the partnership seems to have been managed well and been a success.
Mercedes GP
Michael Schumacher
Nico Rosberg
Both drivers have been confirmed by Ross Brawn for 2011 though there has been a recent swirl of rumours saying that Schumacher could walk away from F1. I'll put him as confirmed because that is what Ross said last weekend and he does seem committed to me as well as looking at this project as a long term one. Adrian Sutil has been talking to the team though...
Red Bull
Sebastian Vettel
Mark Webber
Another front runner who have secured their drivers for another season. Some feel that Webber could walk away if he took the title and after some of the tension of this season but i think he will honour his contract for 2011.
Ferrari
Felipe Massa
Fernando Alonso
Massa got a 2 year renewal earlier this season. Robert Kubica has been linked with the seat and is believed to be well admired within Ferrari but whether him and Alonso would be a good pairing for the team remains to be seen.
Williams
Rubens Barrichello
Nico Hukenberg
Barrichello is virtually guaranteed a 19th season in the sport and Hulkenberg is close to securing another season so expect a confirmation of both seats soon.
Renault
Robert Kubica
Vitaly Petrov
Adrian Sutil
Romain Grosjean
Kimi Raikkonen
Timo Glock
Heikki Kovalainen
Robert Kubica has signed a two year deal with the team but the other Renault seat is the most sought after in F1. Vitaly Petrov is the current occupant and his rookie season has seen flashes of brilliance tempered by unforced errors. Adrian Sutil is a likely candidate to replace him with the German putting in consistent performances at Force India this season. Romain Grosjean endured a nightmare few races for Renault last season but is now driving for their associate team in GP2 and is still considered as a potential talent so could yet make a surprise return. He is also set to test for Pirelli which is a useful thing to have on his CV.
Kimi Raikkonen has enquired about a seat but staying in rallying remains the more likely career option for the 2007 world champion. Timo Glock and Heikki Kovalainen both look set to stay with their current teams. The German turned down an opportunity at Renault last year.
Force India
Adrian Sutil
Vitantonio Liuzzi
Paul di Resta
Karun Chandhok
It could be all change for Force India. The team has outperformed expectations but has hit a blip recently. Adrian Sutil may feel he needs to move to progress whilst Vitantonio Liuzzi's performances have frustrated the team. Paul di Resta has driven some practice sessions on Fridays and seems well placed to get an opportunity with the team. If both current drivers are out in 2011, then Indian Karun Chandhok may get an opportunity to drive for Vijay Mallya's team.
Toro Rosso
Sebastien Buemi
Jaime Alguersuari
Both men get another season to impress and will want to do just that with the likes of Daniel Ricciardo making their way through with Red Bull backing.
Lotus
Heikki Kovalainen
Jarno Trulli
Vitaly Petrov
Kovalainen seems happy with the team and will probably stay onboard. Trulli has made it clear he is still motivated to continue racing. A Renault deal is expected to be announced soon and rumours have linked Petrov with being part of that but i think Lotus will stick with what they have for 2011.
Hispania Racing
Bruno Senna
Sakon Yamamoto
Christian Klien
Karun Chandhok
Jacques Villeneuve
It is hard to know what will happen with this team, let alone the drivers! All four currently with the team will likely consider the team. It may not seem a competitive option but it could be the only one available for some of them. Jacques Villeneuve missed out on getting an entry for 2011 with Durango but could yet look to buyout Hispania in order to make the grid and he would likely drive one of the cars if he was successful.
Sauber
Kamui Kobayashi
Nick Heidfeld
Pastor Maldonado
Sergio Perez
Jules Bianchi
Kamui Kobayashi has been confirmed but the other seat remains wide open. Nick Heidfeld has replaced Pedro de la Rosa for the rest of the season so will hope to do enough to keep with the team for 2011. If not, then a number of GP2 drivers, including champion Pastor Maldonado and young hopefuls Sergio Perez and Jules Bianchi could get an opportunity. It would mean a very inexperienced line up for the team, though this has not deterred Peter Sauber in the past. Ferrari link up may see Bianchi get at least a reserve driver role.
Virgin Racing
Timo Glock
Lucas di Grassi
Pastor Maldonado
John Booth recently was confident when he said that he would retain his drivers for next season. di Grassi will be happy enough with that. For Glock he would likely prefer to get a better drive but also seems positive that things will be better for the team in 2011 so the German will most likely stay on.
Showing posts with label Renault. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Renault. Show all posts
Saturday, 18 September 2010
Sunday, 1 August 2010
Webber seizes opportunity on day of milestones
A fifth of the way in to today's 25th Hungarian Grand Prix and things were looking set for a relatively calm race. Sebastian Vettel had maintained the lead from pole position and had a twelve second lead. Fernando Alonso was second and Mark Webber was biding his time in third. Then a piece of debris on turn 11 transformed things. The safety car was deployed and the pit crews were on the move.
Vettel made a late entry in whilst team mate Webber elected to stay out. Lewis Hamilton took advantage of a slight delay for Felipe Massa to take 4th but chaos would then begin to ensue. Nico Rosberg didn't have his right rear tyre attached properly and it rolled through the Sauber box before being launched 20 feet, almost into the spectator area above the pits before hitting a Williams mechanic. He was taken to the medical centre but returned later and even took part in Rubens Barrichello's pitstop later in the race! Meanwhile Renault released Robert Kubica as Adrian Sutil was pulling into the next box and the pair collided. The Pole received a stop/go penalty and retired soon after. Both Mercedes and Renault were fined $50,000.
Webber now led from Vettel but the German was having some radio issues and seemed to allow his focus to drop. He didn't stay close to Webber during the safety car period and when the restart was happening Vettel appeared unaware and claimed afterward that he had no radio message alerting him and didn't see the lights go out on the safety car. His lack of awareness and Webber's eagerness to get a gap pulled to jump Alonso meant he was over 100 metres behind. Cars must stay within 10 car lengths and Vettel soon had a drive through. He served it whilst gesturing furiously, confused as to why he had been penalised. He lost a position to Alonso but was still 3rd.
The race for victory was now on. Webber had been off the pace through Friday and Saturday, not entirely happy with his car and a bit scrappy. The opportunity to take a 4th win of the season enlivened the Australian and he put in a stunning stint of driving, opening up a 22 second gap to pit and maintain a lead. He had took full advantage of the window of opportunity presented to him. Vettel was right behind Alonso but still a bit frustrated. Alonso was excellent, consistent and navigated the traffic superbly.
Lewis Hamilton meanwhile was out of the race after losing drive. He'll hope that he won't need a gearbox change for Spa or else he'll face a 5 place grid drop. The remaining points scorers were well behind but it was excellent results for Vitaly Petrov and Nico Hulkenberg in 5th and 6th. Sauber celebrated their 300th grand prix with a double points finish. Pedro de la Rosa got off the mark this season with 7th whilst Kamui Kobayashi came from the back row to finish 9th behind Jenson Button who recovered from a poor start. He was helped by an early stop before the safety car was deployed.
Rubens Barrichello was 10th after a different strategy. The Brazilian ran long on the hard tyre, not pitting until the last 15 laps. He emerged 11th behind former team mate Michael Schumacher. He set after the Mercedes on his fresh rubber and had a couple of close attempts. With 5 laps left he was finally close enough. Schumacher moved right but Barrichello went down the inside towards turn 1. Schumacher kept squeezing and shoved Barrichello within centimetres of the concrete wall. The Brazilian bravely kept his foot in and even took to the grass to make the move stick. Schumacher was widely criticised but the German defended his actions. The stewards disagreed and Schumacher has been given a 10 place grid drop for Belgium in 4 weeks.
Webber's 6th career win in his 150th race gives him the championship lead. Fernando Alonso remains 5th but is within 20 points. It is simply incredibly close. Red Bull celebrated their 100th grand prix with a 12th win and now lead the constructors championship. They will be frustrated that their massive car advantage was not turned into a 1-2. This advantage could be cut in Spa however as the FIA are to increase the loads that are applied in front wing tests. This may mean that Red Bull will have to make alterations to their front wing at the loss of performance.
Adrian Newey will be hard at work to get round this. The teams will have to take an enforced two week break though at some stage in the month. Belgium will offer a different challenge and McLaren will be desperate to turnaround their fortunes after a lacklustre weekend. Red Bull are back on top but Alonso is on the prowl. It's a long break for the fans but the championship is set up beautifully for a sensational finale.
Vettel made a late entry in whilst team mate Webber elected to stay out. Lewis Hamilton took advantage of a slight delay for Felipe Massa to take 4th but chaos would then begin to ensue. Nico Rosberg didn't have his right rear tyre attached properly and it rolled through the Sauber box before being launched 20 feet, almost into the spectator area above the pits before hitting a Williams mechanic. He was taken to the medical centre but returned later and even took part in Rubens Barrichello's pitstop later in the race! Meanwhile Renault released Robert Kubica as Adrian Sutil was pulling into the next box and the pair collided. The Pole received a stop/go penalty and retired soon after. Both Mercedes and Renault were fined $50,000.
Webber now led from Vettel but the German was having some radio issues and seemed to allow his focus to drop. He didn't stay close to Webber during the safety car period and when the restart was happening Vettel appeared unaware and claimed afterward that he had no radio message alerting him and didn't see the lights go out on the safety car. His lack of awareness and Webber's eagerness to get a gap pulled to jump Alonso meant he was over 100 metres behind. Cars must stay within 10 car lengths and Vettel soon had a drive through. He served it whilst gesturing furiously, confused as to why he had been penalised. He lost a position to Alonso but was still 3rd.
The race for victory was now on. Webber had been off the pace through Friday and Saturday, not entirely happy with his car and a bit scrappy. The opportunity to take a 4th win of the season enlivened the Australian and he put in a stunning stint of driving, opening up a 22 second gap to pit and maintain a lead. He had took full advantage of the window of opportunity presented to him. Vettel was right behind Alonso but still a bit frustrated. Alonso was excellent, consistent and navigated the traffic superbly.
Lewis Hamilton meanwhile was out of the race after losing drive. He'll hope that he won't need a gearbox change for Spa or else he'll face a 5 place grid drop. The remaining points scorers were well behind but it was excellent results for Vitaly Petrov and Nico Hulkenberg in 5th and 6th. Sauber celebrated their 300th grand prix with a double points finish. Pedro de la Rosa got off the mark this season with 7th whilst Kamui Kobayashi came from the back row to finish 9th behind Jenson Button who recovered from a poor start. He was helped by an early stop before the safety car was deployed.
Rubens Barrichello was 10th after a different strategy. The Brazilian ran long on the hard tyre, not pitting until the last 15 laps. He emerged 11th behind former team mate Michael Schumacher. He set after the Mercedes on his fresh rubber and had a couple of close attempts. With 5 laps left he was finally close enough. Schumacher moved right but Barrichello went down the inside towards turn 1. Schumacher kept squeezing and shoved Barrichello within centimetres of the concrete wall. The Brazilian bravely kept his foot in and even took to the grass to make the move stick. Schumacher was widely criticised but the German defended his actions. The stewards disagreed and Schumacher has been given a 10 place grid drop for Belgium in 4 weeks.
Webber's 6th career win in his 150th race gives him the championship lead. Fernando Alonso remains 5th but is within 20 points. It is simply incredibly close. Red Bull celebrated their 100th grand prix with a 12th win and now lead the constructors championship. They will be frustrated that their massive car advantage was not turned into a 1-2. This advantage could be cut in Spa however as the FIA are to increase the loads that are applied in front wing tests. This may mean that Red Bull will have to make alterations to their front wing at the loss of performance.
Adrian Newey will be hard at work to get round this. The teams will have to take an enforced two week break though at some stage in the month. Belgium will offer a different challenge and McLaren will be desperate to turnaround their fortunes after a lacklustre weekend. Red Bull are back on top but Alonso is on the prowl. It's a long break for the fans but the championship is set up beautifully for a sensational finale.
Friday, 30 July 2010
Red Bull flex their muscles
It was a clear and sunny day in Budapest and the picture on the track was pretty easy to see as well. After the blip of being outpaced by Ferrari five days ago, Red Bull dominated the practice running with Sebastian Vettel finishing the afternoon half a second clear of Fernando Alonso. Indeed the Spaniard and Ferrari look to the only challengers to Vettel and Mark Webber. McLaren were well off the pace and seem to have Renault for company. There was plenty of support for Robert Kubica and Vitaly Petrov in this 'Eastern European' grand prix and both men were quick as the twisty nature of the Hungaroring seem to suit the short wheel base of the R30.
Another prevalent issue is traffic. It was seen last weekend in the battle between the Ferrari's. Although the lap here is about six seconds longer than Germany, the flowing nature of the circuit means it can be hard for slow cars to get out of the way immediately when caught in a sequence of corners. We could well see some controversy on Sunday regarding that. Concrete on the outside of kerbs was also an issue. Charlie Whiting examined the final corner between sessions and Fernando Alonso also lifted a chunk with his diffuser at turn 9.
The main technical innovation under scrutiny is the flexible front wing which Ferrari and Red Bull. All wings are tested by the FIA with load tests and have to be within a certain threshold or are else deemed illegal. It seems that the two teams have created a wing that can flex but work in such a way that passes the FIA tests. Analysis on the practice coverage earlier showed how the Red Bull front wing was dropping really low on the straight, even seemingly scraping the ground. The Ferrari wing was also dropping but not as much whereas the McLaren wing was maintaining its position. They will be desperate to implement it on their car soon but it will take more than this component alone to bridge the gap to Red Bull, who look very strong for a victorious Sunday
Another prevalent issue is traffic. It was seen last weekend in the battle between the Ferrari's. Although the lap here is about six seconds longer than Germany, the flowing nature of the circuit means it can be hard for slow cars to get out of the way immediately when caught in a sequence of corners. We could well see some controversy on Sunday regarding that. Concrete on the outside of kerbs was also an issue. Charlie Whiting examined the final corner between sessions and Fernando Alonso also lifted a chunk with his diffuser at turn 9.
The main technical innovation under scrutiny is the flexible front wing which Ferrari and Red Bull. All wings are tested by the FIA with load tests and have to be within a certain threshold or are else deemed illegal. It seems that the two teams have created a wing that can flex but work in such a way that passes the FIA tests. Analysis on the practice coverage earlier showed how the Red Bull front wing was dropping really low on the straight, even seemingly scraping the ground. The Ferrari wing was also dropping but not as much whereas the McLaren wing was maintaining its position. They will be desperate to implement it on their car soon but it will take more than this component alone to bridge the gap to Red Bull, who look very strong for a victorious Sunday
Thursday, 29 July 2010
Race Rewind: Budapest 2006
It was a drama filled weekend in Budapest in 2006 with penalties, rain and a new winner in the sport...
The 2006 season had become a battle between two teams, Renault and Ferrari, and more potently a battle between Fernando Alonso and Michael Schumacher. The Spaniard had started the season the way he finished 2005 with early season wins and podiums to build a big championship lead but Schumacher had started to lead a Ferrari revival and he arrived at Hungary 11 points behind the reigning world champion.
The title battle would already begin to develop during Friday practice. Alonso was held up coming out of the final corner by Robert Doornbos, who was getting a run out in the Red Bull. He overtook down the straight and approaching turn 1 brake tested the Dutch driver, who only just avoided a collison. Alonso was called in to the stewards office and penalised him for this and for another incident where he overtook another car through a yellow flag zone. The stewards awarded an unusual penalty, a two second penalty which would be added to each time that the Spaniard set during qualifying.
On a track like the Hungaroring this was a massive blow to Alonso's chances of a big points haul. More pre-qualifying drama was to follow. A red flag on Saturday morning after an engine failure for Jenson Button, which would mean a ten place grid penalty, meant all the cars returned to the pits. Alonso was returning pretty slowly and had debutant Robert Kubica right behind him. Coming into the penultimate corner, Schumacher passed both. Alonso was straight on the radio, relaying what had happened and making a case for a penalty. The stewards agreed and Schumacher was also given a two second penalty for qualifying.
Kimi Raikkonen took pole position for McLaren and was joined on the front row by Felipe Massa. Schumacher and Alonso took 12th and 15th respectively
The Grid
1. Raikkonen
2. Massa
3. Barrichello
4. de la Rosa
5. Webber
6. R Schumacher
7. Fisichella
8. Trulli
9. Kubica
10. Heidfeld
11. M Schumacher
12. Coulthard
13. Klien*
14. Button
15. Alonso
16. Monteiro
17. Liuzzi
18. Rosberg
19. Speed
20. Sato
21. Yamamoto
22. Albers
*Klien started from the pitlane
Raceday dawned wet and murky. Conditions were tricky and Pedro de la Rosa showed that by spinning on the parade lap. He did recover though. At the start Raikkonen held the lead while Barrichello took second, using a wide line through turn 1 which yielded more grip. Schumacher had an incredible start, exiting turn 1 in 6th but Alonso was also battling hard. Several moves on the opening laps took him to 6th and he then passed Schumacher around the outside of turn 5. The Renault was on Michelin tyres and they were working better in the conditions than the Bridgestone tyres which were on the Ferrari. Jenson Button was also making his way through the field and soon passed the struggling German. Meanwhile de la Rosa passed Barrichello to make it a McLaren 1-2
Things got worse for Schumacher when he slide into the rear of Giancarlo Fisichella and damaged the front wing. The Italian crashed out of the race soon after, along with Christian Klien and Robert Kubica, though the Polish driver recovered to the pits and changed the front nose of the car. A bigger crash would follow on lap 26 when Raikkonen ran into the back of Vitantonio Liuzzi whilst trying to lap the Toro Rosso. It was a big impact and put both men out. The safety car was also deployed. In the restart, Schumacher had a spin while Alonso pulled out a big lead. Button started to pull back towards Alonso as the track started to dry. Button decided to short fuel at his stop and keep his tyres on. This was a good decision as it was too soon for dry tyres whilst dark clouds were still looming.
Alonso was now in for his final stop and put the dry tyres on. As he emerged back on track he struggled to slow down for the first corner. It seem he was just getting the tyres up to temperature but into the next corner a wheel nut bounced off the car and a driveshaft failure pitched him into the barriers. Button now had a commanding lead and Schumacher was now second as he had stayed out on his intermediate tyres whilst de la Rosa and Heidfeld were on dry tyres. The McLaren was all over Schumacher and after several attempts he finally squeezed through. Heidfeld was next and there was slight contact. Schumacher had damage to his right front suspension ansd with only three laps to go was out. It was a major missed opprtunity. Ross Brawn would admit after the season that in hindsight he should have advised the German to bag some points and take less risks.
It was a brilliant race for the top three. Button took his first victory for himself and Honda whilst de la Rosa took his best ever result. Heidfeld came 3rd and gave BMW-Sauber their first ever podium finish. Robert Kubica came 7th on his debut but was later disqualified as his car was two kilograms underweight, believed to be because he finished on extremely worn tyres. This promoted Schumacher to 8th as he was classified 9th after his late retirement and meant he gained one point on Alonso in the championship battle.
The two men would continue to battle hard in a championship that had many twists. Schumacher announced in Monza that he would be retiring and took the championship lead in China. However, engine failure in Japan meant Alonso only needed a point in Brazil and he took second position to take a second consecutive world championship
The 2006 season had become a battle between two teams, Renault and Ferrari, and more potently a battle between Fernando Alonso and Michael Schumacher. The Spaniard had started the season the way he finished 2005 with early season wins and podiums to build a big championship lead but Schumacher had started to lead a Ferrari revival and he arrived at Hungary 11 points behind the reigning world champion.
The title battle would already begin to develop during Friday practice. Alonso was held up coming out of the final corner by Robert Doornbos, who was getting a run out in the Red Bull. He overtook down the straight and approaching turn 1 brake tested the Dutch driver, who only just avoided a collison. Alonso was called in to the stewards office and penalised him for this and for another incident where he overtook another car through a yellow flag zone. The stewards awarded an unusual penalty, a two second penalty which would be added to each time that the Spaniard set during qualifying.
On a track like the Hungaroring this was a massive blow to Alonso's chances of a big points haul. More pre-qualifying drama was to follow. A red flag on Saturday morning after an engine failure for Jenson Button, which would mean a ten place grid penalty, meant all the cars returned to the pits. Alonso was returning pretty slowly and had debutant Robert Kubica right behind him. Coming into the penultimate corner, Schumacher passed both. Alonso was straight on the radio, relaying what had happened and making a case for a penalty. The stewards agreed and Schumacher was also given a two second penalty for qualifying.
Kimi Raikkonen took pole position for McLaren and was joined on the front row by Felipe Massa. Schumacher and Alonso took 12th and 15th respectively
The Grid
1. Raikkonen
2. Massa
3. Barrichello
4. de la Rosa
5. Webber
6. R Schumacher
7. Fisichella
8. Trulli
9. Kubica
10. Heidfeld
11. M Schumacher
12. Coulthard
13. Klien*
14. Button
15. Alonso
16. Monteiro
17. Liuzzi
18. Rosberg
19. Speed
20. Sato
21. Yamamoto
22. Albers
*Klien started from the pitlane
Raceday dawned wet and murky. Conditions were tricky and Pedro de la Rosa showed that by spinning on the parade lap. He did recover though. At the start Raikkonen held the lead while Barrichello took second, using a wide line through turn 1 which yielded more grip. Schumacher had an incredible start, exiting turn 1 in 6th but Alonso was also battling hard. Several moves on the opening laps took him to 6th and he then passed Schumacher around the outside of turn 5. The Renault was on Michelin tyres and they were working better in the conditions than the Bridgestone tyres which were on the Ferrari. Jenson Button was also making his way through the field and soon passed the struggling German. Meanwhile de la Rosa passed Barrichello to make it a McLaren 1-2
Things got worse for Schumacher when he slide into the rear of Giancarlo Fisichella and damaged the front wing. The Italian crashed out of the race soon after, along with Christian Klien and Robert Kubica, though the Polish driver recovered to the pits and changed the front nose of the car. A bigger crash would follow on lap 26 when Raikkonen ran into the back of Vitantonio Liuzzi whilst trying to lap the Toro Rosso. It was a big impact and put both men out. The safety car was also deployed. In the restart, Schumacher had a spin while Alonso pulled out a big lead. Button started to pull back towards Alonso as the track started to dry. Button decided to short fuel at his stop and keep his tyres on. This was a good decision as it was too soon for dry tyres whilst dark clouds were still looming.
Alonso was now in for his final stop and put the dry tyres on. As he emerged back on track he struggled to slow down for the first corner. It seem he was just getting the tyres up to temperature but into the next corner a wheel nut bounced off the car and a driveshaft failure pitched him into the barriers. Button now had a commanding lead and Schumacher was now second as he had stayed out on his intermediate tyres whilst de la Rosa and Heidfeld were on dry tyres. The McLaren was all over Schumacher and after several attempts he finally squeezed through. Heidfeld was next and there was slight contact. Schumacher had damage to his right front suspension ansd with only three laps to go was out. It was a major missed opprtunity. Ross Brawn would admit after the season that in hindsight he should have advised the German to bag some points and take less risks.
It was a brilliant race for the top three. Button took his first victory for himself and Honda whilst de la Rosa took his best ever result. Heidfeld came 3rd and gave BMW-Sauber their first ever podium finish. Robert Kubica came 7th on his debut but was later disqualified as his car was two kilograms underweight, believed to be because he finished on extremely worn tyres. This promoted Schumacher to 8th as he was classified 9th after his late retirement and meant he gained one point on Alonso in the championship battle.
The two men would continue to battle hard in a championship that had many twists. Schumacher announced in Monza that he would be retiring and took the championship lead in China. However, engine failure in Japan meant Alonso only needed a point in Brazil and he took second position to take a second consecutive world championship
Tuesday, 27 July 2010
Looking back at team orders
Some people having been asking me about team orders that have occurred in the past so lets take a brief look back at some famous instances in the past...
San Marino 1982 - A boycott by some teams left the field depleted and after both Renault cars retired, Ferrari had a 1-2 with Giles Villeneuve and Didier Pironi and were well clear of the pack so Ferrari ordered their drivers to slow and take it easy. Villeneuve seen this as an order to hold station. Pironi though passed the Canadian but the lead soon changed hands again. Villeneuve thought that the Italian was putting on a show but when Pironi nipped by on the last lap and took the victory, Villeneuve was seething and was irate with his team mate. Tragically he would be killed two weeks later at Zolder.
Melbourne 1998 - McLaren arrived at the opening round of the 1998 season with a car that was much quicker than any other team. They locked out the front row on Saturday and the race was their own to lose. It was decided that whichever driver made the first corner first would be allowed to take the win unchallenged and that both Mika Hakkinen and David Coulthard could run a controlled pace as the team feared unreliability would scupper their hopes if they pushed to the limit. Hakkinen maintained the lead from pole and looked set for a win. However on lap 36 he entered the pits after he misunderstood a radio message (which was later alleged to be interference from a third party) and lost the lead. Coulthard was made aware about the error and with 3 laps to go slowed and allowed the Finnish driver to take the win.
Singapore 2008 - After a poor season, Renault look to have good pace for the inaugural Singapore Grand Prix but a fuel pump issue in Q2 leaves Fernando Alonso in 15th position. Pat Symonds and Nelson Piquet agree that the Brazilian will crash soon after an early stop for Alonso, taking advantage of the pitlane being closed when a safety car is deployed. Piquet crashed his car and Alonso took the victory before the scandal was exposed almost a year later after Piquet was sacked by Renault.
San Marino 1982 - A boycott by some teams left the field depleted and after both Renault cars retired, Ferrari had a 1-2 with Giles Villeneuve and Didier Pironi and were well clear of the pack so Ferrari ordered their drivers to slow and take it easy. Villeneuve seen this as an order to hold station. Pironi though passed the Canadian but the lead soon changed hands again. Villeneuve thought that the Italian was putting on a show but when Pironi nipped by on the last lap and took the victory, Villeneuve was seething and was irate with his team mate. Tragically he would be killed two weeks later at Zolder.
Melbourne 1998 - McLaren arrived at the opening round of the 1998 season with a car that was much quicker than any other team. They locked out the front row on Saturday and the race was their own to lose. It was decided that whichever driver made the first corner first would be allowed to take the win unchallenged and that both Mika Hakkinen and David Coulthard could run a controlled pace as the team feared unreliability would scupper their hopes if they pushed to the limit. Hakkinen maintained the lead from pole and looked set for a win. However on lap 36 he entered the pits after he misunderstood a radio message (which was later alleged to be interference from a third party) and lost the lead. Coulthard was made aware about the error and with 3 laps to go slowed and allowed the Finnish driver to take the win.
Singapore 2008 - After a poor season, Renault look to have good pace for the inaugural Singapore Grand Prix but a fuel pump issue in Q2 leaves Fernando Alonso in 15th position. Pat Symonds and Nelson Piquet agree that the Brazilian will crash soon after an early stop for Alonso, taking advantage of the pitlane being closed when a safety car is deployed. Piquet crashed his car and Alonso took the victory before the scandal was exposed almost a year later after Piquet was sacked by Renault.
Tuesday, 4 May 2010
The State of Play after Round 4 (Part 2)
In part 2 of my review of the opening races of the 2010 season, i'll look at how the midfield battle is shaping up.
Renault - After a winter of changes for the team, many thought that Reanult may find it a struggle to be competitive but strong development as well as good strategy as seen the team already claim 46 points. Robert Kubica's podium finish in Melbourne was a great fillip for the team and this has been backed up with more points in the last 2 races. Vitaly Petrov has struggled for 1 lap pace in qualifying but has shown his qualities on Sundays with strong starts and agressive overtaking. The Russian failed to finish the first 3 races owing to mechancial issues and a spin in Australia but his impressive 7th place finish in Shanghai shows he more than a pay driver for the Enstone team. Renault have brought a trickle of upgrades to each race so won't have such a big upgrade for Barcelona as other teams so i expect them to be battling with the likes of Force India rather than troubling Mercedes but the atmosphere in the team seems very positive and very determined to continue the season strongly.
Force India - The team at Silverstone have continued the progress of 2009 and are now capable of consistent points finishes. Its been a mixed bag for the drivers. Adrain Sutil has been in every Q3 session but a collision and engine problem meant no points until Malaysia where he showed improved concentration and maturity to hold off a charging Lewis Hamilton. Vitantonio Liuzzi though has struggled to match Sutil's pace, particularly in qualifying where he has blamed traffic for his woes. Points came in the opening 2 races but he will want to start getting closer to his German team mate. With Paul Di Resta getting outings in the car on Friday's (though not in Monaco due to more time required for setup purposes) Liuzzi knows that underperforming will leave his seat under scrutiny.
Williams - It's been a quiet start for Williams. Rubens Barichello has extracted decent performance from the FW32 whilst highly acclaimed rookie Nico Hulkenberg has struggled to show his potential with a spin in Bahrain and being taken out on lap 1 at Melbourne before getting a point in Sepang. A gamble on slicks failed in Shanghai resulting in the German finishing behind Heikki Kovalainen in the Lotus. Williams have major upgrades coming for Monaco so the full potential of these is unlikely to be seen until Istanbul.
Torro Rosso - Red Bull's 'B' team is now a constructor in its own right from this season, meaning a tough challenge for Sebastien Buemi and Jaime Alguersuari. It's been a wretched start for Buemi who has suffered 2 first lap retirements as well as having a damaged car in Sepang. He also suffered a terrifying accident in practice at Shanghai when both front wheels came off at the end of the back straight. Alguersuari has shown in his first full season glimpses of the underlying ability which i personally feel he has. He was chucked into F1 with little knowledge of the car but his performance in Sepang in getting ninth, including a brilliant pass on Nico Hulkenberg showed promise. The chance of more points in China was missed after damaging his front wing. Torro Rosso have a new engine cover and new brake ducts for Spain and are bullish in their hopes of challenging for Q3.
Sauber - It's been a miserable start for the Swiss squad with testing pace not being replicated in races and poor reliabilty meaning the team is yet to score this season. Pedro De La Rosa came closest in Melbourne before losing out to Michael Schumacher in the closing laps. A good call on tyres in China left him fifth before more mechancial woes. Kamui Kobayashi has had a terrible time of it, being unable to show the promise shown with Toyota due to 4 DNF's. Sauber have a large package coming for De La Rosa's home race and new technical director James Key will be hoping for increased performance and that both cars will at least see the chequered flag
Renault - After a winter of changes for the team, many thought that Reanult may find it a struggle to be competitive but strong development as well as good strategy as seen the team already claim 46 points. Robert Kubica's podium finish in Melbourne was a great fillip for the team and this has been backed up with more points in the last 2 races. Vitaly Petrov has struggled for 1 lap pace in qualifying but has shown his qualities on Sundays with strong starts and agressive overtaking. The Russian failed to finish the first 3 races owing to mechancial issues and a spin in Australia but his impressive 7th place finish in Shanghai shows he more than a pay driver for the Enstone team. Renault have brought a trickle of upgrades to each race so won't have such a big upgrade for Barcelona as other teams so i expect them to be battling with the likes of Force India rather than troubling Mercedes but the atmosphere in the team seems very positive and very determined to continue the season strongly.
Force India - The team at Silverstone have continued the progress of 2009 and are now capable of consistent points finishes. Its been a mixed bag for the drivers. Adrain Sutil has been in every Q3 session but a collision and engine problem meant no points until Malaysia where he showed improved concentration and maturity to hold off a charging Lewis Hamilton. Vitantonio Liuzzi though has struggled to match Sutil's pace, particularly in qualifying where he has blamed traffic for his woes. Points came in the opening 2 races but he will want to start getting closer to his German team mate. With Paul Di Resta getting outings in the car on Friday's (though not in Monaco due to more time required for setup purposes) Liuzzi knows that underperforming will leave his seat under scrutiny.
Williams - It's been a quiet start for Williams. Rubens Barichello has extracted decent performance from the FW32 whilst highly acclaimed rookie Nico Hulkenberg has struggled to show his potential with a spin in Bahrain and being taken out on lap 1 at Melbourne before getting a point in Sepang. A gamble on slicks failed in Shanghai resulting in the German finishing behind Heikki Kovalainen in the Lotus. Williams have major upgrades coming for Monaco so the full potential of these is unlikely to be seen until Istanbul.
Torro Rosso - Red Bull's 'B' team is now a constructor in its own right from this season, meaning a tough challenge for Sebastien Buemi and Jaime Alguersuari. It's been a wretched start for Buemi who has suffered 2 first lap retirements as well as having a damaged car in Sepang. He also suffered a terrifying accident in practice at Shanghai when both front wheels came off at the end of the back straight. Alguersuari has shown in his first full season glimpses of the underlying ability which i personally feel he has. He was chucked into F1 with little knowledge of the car but his performance in Sepang in getting ninth, including a brilliant pass on Nico Hulkenberg showed promise. The chance of more points in China was missed after damaging his front wing. Torro Rosso have a new engine cover and new brake ducts for Spain and are bullish in their hopes of challenging for Q3.
Sauber - It's been a miserable start for the Swiss squad with testing pace not being replicated in races and poor reliabilty meaning the team is yet to score this season. Pedro De La Rosa came closest in Melbourne before losing out to Michael Schumacher in the closing laps. A good call on tyres in China left him fifth before more mechancial woes. Kamui Kobayashi has had a terrible time of it, being unable to show the promise shown with Toyota due to 4 DNF's. Sauber have a large package coming for De La Rosa's home race and new technical director James Key will be hoping for increased performance and that both cars will at least see the chequered flag
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