When Rubens Barrichello lines up on the grid on Sunday afternoon in Belgium, he will become the first driver to compete in 300 races. 11 wins and 68 podiums are great achievements for the Brazilian but do not tell the tale of a career that started in South Africa in 1993 and continues 17 years on. To be competitive in Formula 1 is a massive challenge but to have the skill, energy, determination and passion to maintain that high level is very impressive.
It all began in 1993 when Barrichello joined the Jordan team and found himself up against the likes of Martin Brundle, Ricardo Patrese and Alain Prost. When i mention Donnington 1993 most F1 fans will instantly think of Ayrton Senna's stunning first lap and win in damp conditions and rightly so. However this was also the occasion when Barrichello would first show his ability. He started 12th but made several passes to be 4th by the end of the first lap. Mixing it with the Williams of Prost and Damon Hill he was set for a podium until a fuel pressure problem. Unreliability would be the story of his debut season but points were finally scored in Japan. 1994 dawned with points in his homeland and a podium in Aida but then a horrific accident on that black weekend in Imola saw him need life saving treatment after his tongue blocked his airways.
He survived and also had to deal with the loss of his hero Ayrton Senna. He would return and even take pole positon in a weather affected session at Spa. The highlight of 1995 would be second in Montreal though engine failure robbed him of a third place on the final lap in Budapest. 1996 seen 14 points collected but things with Eddie Jordan had soured and BarrichelLo decided to look for a new team
He joined a brand new outfit in the form of Stewart Grand Prix run by ex world champion Jackie Stewart. Only 3 finishes were recorded in 1997 but one of these was a memorable 2nd at a soaked Monte Carlo. 1998 was another year of poor results. This was a frustrating time for Barrichello. At this stage of his career he had established himself as a good driver and regularly defeated his team mates. 1999 was an improved showing for Stewart and there was 3 podiums to celebrate. Other highlights included leading in Brazil and pole position in France. This was a great display of Rubens experience and knowledge. The 60 minute session started wet and most teams were waiting for conditions to improve. Barrichello wanted to go out and get a lap in but his engineer refuted his request. Two cars set times and Barrichello demanded that he get out and do a flying lap. He took provisional pole and as the session continued the weather remained wet and his time stood unbeaten. Shrewd thinking had done the job.
Perhaps this was one of the reasons that Ferrari principal Jean Todt came knocking. The dream move was on and Barrichello was on his way to Maranello to partner Michael Schumacher. He was up against arguably the best driver in the field but now had the machinery to compete for victories. The glory moment came at Hockenheim when staying out on dry tyres in mixed conditions. The emotion of it all poured out on the slow down lap
He finished the season 4th and helped Ferrari to the constructors championship. However this role of support act within the team would play out in 2 successive races in Austria when he moved over for his team mate. Particularly controversial was the 2002 race. Barrichello had dominated practice and qualifying and held the edge over Schumacher, who had a comfortable lead in the championship, all weekend. On the final lap he was ordered to slow and let Schumacher through. Even recently, the Brazilian has insisted that he did not go to Ferrari with the agreement that he would be the number 2 driver in the team
The next two seasons yielded four more victories, including victory at Monza and a stunning drive at Silverstone though car problems robbed him of home glory in Sao Paulo. After a sluggish 2005 for him and the team in general he moved to Honda to partner Jenson Button. He struggled at the start of 2006 to get to grips with the car but eventually gained pace and had a best finish of 4th. The next 2 seasons were pretty miserable as 2007 seen his only pointless season and 2008 wasn't much better as 6th in Melbourne was wiped out by a disqualification though in the rain of Silverstone he scored a brilliant 3rd after switching to the extreme wet tyres.
Now you would think after a couple of years like that the passion for racing would be dwindling but Rubens was determined to retain his seat for 2009 and was open in expressing this desire. Then came the shock pullout by Honda. Rubens career was up in the air but after Ross Brawn saved the team he decided to plump for him over the inexperienced Bruno Senna. All of a sudden he had another season and a car capable of winning.
Race day in Budapest. Barrichello has his good friend Felipe Massa critically ill in a hospital. He has qualified down the order and finishes outside the points. Despite having the best car in the field, no races have been won and his championship hopes look faint. The head is hanging low. I'll be honest, i really felt on that afternoon that Rubens was demoralised and that he would hang his helmet up at the end of the season. I couldn't have got it more wrong!
He took a well acclaimed win at the next round in Valencia and followed it up with another victory in Monza. He couldn't wrestle the title from team mate Button but played his part in Brawn winning the constructors championship. Following the close of the season, Williams announced that Barrichello was joining them, meaning a 18th year in Formula 1. They struggled at first but things have improved and Williams have spoken very highly of Barrichello. Many felt rookie Nico Hulkenberg would finish off his career but Rubens has held his own and a contract renewal is seen as almost certain.
Rubens Barrichello is a skilled and fast driver. However what has impressed me is his passion. He loves Formula 1, he loves to get up and race. To carry that for so long is an inspiration and shows that drivers can have long careers like him. We have seen youth picked a lot recently in the likes of Jaime Alguersuari, Sebastian Vettel and Lucas di Grassi.
Barrichello though continues to deliver results and is driving as well as ever. His enthusiasm was shown on British TV recently when he appeared on Top Gear and beat the presenter 'The Stig' around the test track, a feat that Jenson Button, Mark Webber and other F1 stars have failed to acheive. When he wakes up on Sunday, he will be determined as ever to do the best he can, driving to the limit. I've mentioned his wet weather skills a few times and with the forecast for Belgium the way it is, you just don't know what magic Rubinho could conjure up for race 300 and beyond...
Showing posts with label Rubens Barichello. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Rubens Barichello. Show all posts
Monday, 23 August 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.
Wednesday, 21 July 2010
Race Rewind: Hockenheim 2000
We go back a decade to reflect on an incredible German grand prix that seen a new winner emerge...
Michael Schumacher arrived at his home race in the championship lead. The German had made a storming start to the season and taken five wins in the opening eight rounds but two consecutive retirements had allowed the McLaren pairing of David Coulthard and Mika Hakkinen to close in. The season was a clear battle between McLaren and Ferrari up front with Jordan and Bennetton also in the mix on occasions.
The drama started unfolding on Saturday. As the 1 hour qualifying session was about to commence, the track was dry but there was rain moving in. Everybody made a dash out and quened up for the green light to come on at the end of the pitlane. Getting space was critical and Heinz-Harald Frentzen decided that cutting the chicane on his out lap to get to the front was the best option. The stewards decided that this was unfair and deleted Frentzen's first flying lap time. As the rest of the session was in wet conditions, competing with the early times was not possible and Frentzen, along with another front runner Rubens Barrichello, who had mechanical problems, found themselves stranded at the back end of the grid.
The Grid:
1. David Coulthard
2. Michael Schumacher
3. Giancarlo Fisichella
4. Mika Hakkinen
5. Pedro de la Rosa
6. Jarno Trulli
7. Alexander Wurz
8. Johny Herbert
9. Jacques Villeneuve
10. Eddie Irvine
11. Jos Verstappen
12. Ricardo Zonta
13. Nick Heidfield
14. Ralf Schumacher
15. Mika Salo
16. Jenson Button
17. Heinz-Harald Frentzen
18. Rubens Barrichello
19. Pedro Diniz
20. Jean Alesi
21. Gaston Mazzacane
22. Marc Gene
The race started in dry conditions. Pole sitter Coulthard went defensive against Schumacher. The Ferrari swung wide going into turn 1 but Fisichella was right behind and collided with the rear of his car and both men were out at turn 1. Reigning world champion Mika Hakkinen had a brilliant start and now led. Meanwhile Barrichello and Frentzen were providing plenty of entertainment with several overtaking moves in the opening laps as they sliced their way through the field. Up front it was comfortable for the McLaren duo.
Then came the most unusual and incredible twist. At the side of the straight between turns 1 and 2 there was a man who walked along and at one stage ran across the track. It turned out he was a former Mercedes-Benz employee who was protesting that he had been given a job he could not carry out and was then sacked. He had tried to get onto the grid before the start but had been stopped and was also halted earlier in the year at Magny-Cours. Race Control had no option but to deploy the safety car and this now changed the face of the race. It was a disaster for Coulthard who should have quened behind team mate Hakkinen but unaware of the safety car being on track continued on. By the time he had made his stop, he was at the back of the pack.
The race resumed but was disrupted again within a lap after a huge smash between Pedro Diniz and Jean Alesi. The Frenchman has several spins before coming to the halt with 3 wheels. After that was cleared Hakkinen began to rebuild his lead but the skies had darkened and with 10 laps left rain was beginning to fall. Most drivers pitted for wet tyres but Barrichello risked it and stayed out on dry tyres. The stadium section of the track was now quite wet and the Brazilian was losing 7 seconds in the final sector to the chasing McLarens. However, out in the first 2 sectors in the forest the track was still bone dry. The old configuration was long but also quite spread out and Barichello was able to maintain a decent gap. He took the flag to take his first victory, an emotional moment for Barrichello who was overjoyed at his triumph. He also became the first Brazilian to win a race since Ayrton Senna in 1993.
The victory was useful to his team mate as Schumacher maintained his championship lead. He would eventually take the championship in Japan and become Ferrari's latest world champion, ending a 21 year wait. Barrichello would contribute to the team taking the honours in the constructors championship. The old Hockenheim configuration was only used once more before it was redesigned for 2002 into a new layout which still remains the grand prix circuit today
Michael Schumacher arrived at his home race in the championship lead. The German had made a storming start to the season and taken five wins in the opening eight rounds but two consecutive retirements had allowed the McLaren pairing of David Coulthard and Mika Hakkinen to close in. The season was a clear battle between McLaren and Ferrari up front with Jordan and Bennetton also in the mix on occasions.
The drama started unfolding on Saturday. As the 1 hour qualifying session was about to commence, the track was dry but there was rain moving in. Everybody made a dash out and quened up for the green light to come on at the end of the pitlane. Getting space was critical and Heinz-Harald Frentzen decided that cutting the chicane on his out lap to get to the front was the best option. The stewards decided that this was unfair and deleted Frentzen's first flying lap time. As the rest of the session was in wet conditions, competing with the early times was not possible and Frentzen, along with another front runner Rubens Barrichello, who had mechanical problems, found themselves stranded at the back end of the grid.
The Grid:
1. David Coulthard
2. Michael Schumacher
3. Giancarlo Fisichella
4. Mika Hakkinen
5. Pedro de la Rosa
6. Jarno Trulli
7. Alexander Wurz
8. Johny Herbert
9. Jacques Villeneuve
10. Eddie Irvine
11. Jos Verstappen
12. Ricardo Zonta
13. Nick Heidfield
14. Ralf Schumacher
15. Mika Salo
16. Jenson Button
17. Heinz-Harald Frentzen
18. Rubens Barrichello
19. Pedro Diniz
20. Jean Alesi
21. Gaston Mazzacane
22. Marc Gene
The race started in dry conditions. Pole sitter Coulthard went defensive against Schumacher. The Ferrari swung wide going into turn 1 but Fisichella was right behind and collided with the rear of his car and both men were out at turn 1. Reigning world champion Mika Hakkinen had a brilliant start and now led. Meanwhile Barrichello and Frentzen were providing plenty of entertainment with several overtaking moves in the opening laps as they sliced their way through the field. Up front it was comfortable for the McLaren duo.
Then came the most unusual and incredible twist. At the side of the straight between turns 1 and 2 there was a man who walked along and at one stage ran across the track. It turned out he was a former Mercedes-Benz employee who was protesting that he had been given a job he could not carry out and was then sacked. He had tried to get onto the grid before the start but had been stopped and was also halted earlier in the year at Magny-Cours. Race Control had no option but to deploy the safety car and this now changed the face of the race. It was a disaster for Coulthard who should have quened behind team mate Hakkinen but unaware of the safety car being on track continued on. By the time he had made his stop, he was at the back of the pack.
The race resumed but was disrupted again within a lap after a huge smash between Pedro Diniz and Jean Alesi. The Frenchman has several spins before coming to the halt with 3 wheels. After that was cleared Hakkinen began to rebuild his lead but the skies had darkened and with 10 laps left rain was beginning to fall. Most drivers pitted for wet tyres but Barrichello risked it and stayed out on dry tyres. The stadium section of the track was now quite wet and the Brazilian was losing 7 seconds in the final sector to the chasing McLarens. However, out in the first 2 sectors in the forest the track was still bone dry. The old configuration was long but also quite spread out and Barichello was able to maintain a decent gap. He took the flag to take his first victory, an emotional moment for Barrichello who was overjoyed at his triumph. He also became the first Brazilian to win a race since Ayrton Senna in 1993.
The victory was useful to his team mate as Schumacher maintained his championship lead. He would eventually take the championship in Japan and become Ferrari's latest world champion, ending a 21 year wait. Barrichello would contribute to the team taking the honours in the constructors championship. The old Hockenheim configuration was only used once more before it was redesigned for 2002 into a new layout which still remains the grand prix circuit today
Wednesday, 7 July 2010
Race Rewind: Silverstone 2003
In the first article of this new feature, I take a look back at the 2003 British Grand Prix
The teams arrived at Silverstone for round 11 with the championship finely poised after a season that had seen 6 different winners in the first 10 races. There were several changes for this year with one lap qualifying introduced in place of the 60 minute session and the points system adjusted so that the top 8 finishers could now score. Early season highlights included Kimi Raikkonen taking his first win in Malaysia as well as Giancarlo Fisichella in a chaotic grand prix in Sao Paulo. Reigning world champion Michael Schumacher then had a dominant spell, taking 4 of the next 5 races before brother Ralf took 2 in a row.
The Grid:
1. Rubens Barrichello
2. Jarno Trulli
3. Kimi Raikkonen
4. Ralf Schumacher
5. Michael Schumacher
6. Cristiano Da Matta
7. Juan Pablo Montoya
8. Fernando Alonso
9. Jacques Villeneuve
10. Antonio Pizzonia
11. Mark Webber
12. David Coulthard
13. Olivier Panis
14. Heinz-Harald Frentzen
15. Giancarlo Fisichella
16. Nick Heidfield
17. Ralph Firman
18. Justin Wilson
19. Jos Verstappen
20. Jenson Button
Rubens Barrichello took pole position but was swallowed up at the start by Jarno Trulli in the Renault, which usually made places at the start, as well as Kimi Raikkonen. Fernando Alonso hounded Michael Schumacher down Hangar straight but was squeezed onto the grass by the German and was subsequently passed by Juan Pablo Montoya. The safety car was deployed on lap 5 after the head rest around David Coulthard flew off at Copse, leaving debris on the racing line. The Scotsman pitted for a new one as well as the Toyota's who were running light on a 3 stop strategy. When racing resumed, Barrichello was immediately onto Raikkonen's tail and made a superb move around the outside of the Finn into the Abbey chicane.
The Brazilian was now chasing Trulli down but then a moment of madness as a man ran onto the track with cars passing him down Hangar straight. Most cars gave Neil Horan a wide berth though Antonio Pizzonia, in what would prove to be his last race for Jaguar before being replaced by Minardi driver Justin Wilson, caused him some concern. The safety car was immediately deployed and the pitlane was absolutely crowded. However the early stoppers stayed out and took full advantage, meaning Toyota were now 1-2. Raikkonen was also able to jump Barrichello. Some drivers, including the Schuamcher brothers had to quene and lost out badly.
Cristiano Da Matta used his experience of racing in the USA well to stay in front when the race went green again but it was Raikkonen on the move as he passed both Trulli and team mate Coulthard on lap 15. He then overtook Oliver Panis but could not get close enough to challenge Da Matta and this was crucial as it meant the field behind remained within striking distance and particularly Barrichello who was recovering positions and closing in. The 3 stoppers would drop back after their 2nd stops and it Barrichello v Raikkonen round 2. Rubens tried at Abbey again but Raikkonen defended hard. The cars were side-by-side into Bridge and Raikkonen carried too much speed into the corner, the McLaren going onto the grass and the Ferrari was through.
It got worse for McLaren as Raikkonen went wide at Stowe, allowing Montoya to nip past. Coulthard did improve things, recovering to take 5th behind Michael Schumacher as both men passed Trulli late on. Da Matta converted his surprise early lead into 2 points while Jenson Button had a great drive from the back of the grid after suspension failure in qualifying to get the final point in 8th. Giancarlo Fisichella had a spectacular suspension failure through Becketts, fortunately the Italian hit nobody in a high speed off. The day belonged to Barrichello though as he crossed the line 5 seconds clear of Montoya for a superb win after a great show of overtaking
The summer would see Europe hit by a heatwave and this hurt Bridgestone and Ferrari in particular. However controversy would follow when Michelin had to make changes to the design of their tyres. Williams and McLaren fumed at this and suddenly Schumacher was back in the title hunt. He went to Japan for the final race just needing a point to secure the title whilst Raikkonen needed a win to have any chance. Schuamcher had a poor and scrappy race but managed to get the point needed to take his 6th world championship while Barrichello took another victory in the far east.
The teams arrived at Silverstone for round 11 with the championship finely poised after a season that had seen 6 different winners in the first 10 races. There were several changes for this year with one lap qualifying introduced in place of the 60 minute session and the points system adjusted so that the top 8 finishers could now score. Early season highlights included Kimi Raikkonen taking his first win in Malaysia as well as Giancarlo Fisichella in a chaotic grand prix in Sao Paulo. Reigning world champion Michael Schumacher then had a dominant spell, taking 4 of the next 5 races before brother Ralf took 2 in a row.
The Grid:
1. Rubens Barrichello
2. Jarno Trulli
3. Kimi Raikkonen
4. Ralf Schumacher
5. Michael Schumacher
6. Cristiano Da Matta
7. Juan Pablo Montoya
8. Fernando Alonso
9. Jacques Villeneuve
10. Antonio Pizzonia
11. Mark Webber
12. David Coulthard
13. Olivier Panis
14. Heinz-Harald Frentzen
15. Giancarlo Fisichella
16. Nick Heidfield
17. Ralph Firman
18. Justin Wilson
19. Jos Verstappen
20. Jenson Button
Rubens Barrichello took pole position but was swallowed up at the start by Jarno Trulli in the Renault, which usually made places at the start, as well as Kimi Raikkonen. Fernando Alonso hounded Michael Schumacher down Hangar straight but was squeezed onto the grass by the German and was subsequently passed by Juan Pablo Montoya. The safety car was deployed on lap 5 after the head rest around David Coulthard flew off at Copse, leaving debris on the racing line. The Scotsman pitted for a new one as well as the Toyota's who were running light on a 3 stop strategy. When racing resumed, Barrichello was immediately onto Raikkonen's tail and made a superb move around the outside of the Finn into the Abbey chicane.
The Brazilian was now chasing Trulli down but then a moment of madness as a man ran onto the track with cars passing him down Hangar straight. Most cars gave Neil Horan a wide berth though Antonio Pizzonia, in what would prove to be his last race for Jaguar before being replaced by Minardi driver Justin Wilson, caused him some concern. The safety car was immediately deployed and the pitlane was absolutely crowded. However the early stoppers stayed out and took full advantage, meaning Toyota were now 1-2. Raikkonen was also able to jump Barrichello. Some drivers, including the Schuamcher brothers had to quene and lost out badly.
Cristiano Da Matta used his experience of racing in the USA well to stay in front when the race went green again but it was Raikkonen on the move as he passed both Trulli and team mate Coulthard on lap 15. He then overtook Oliver Panis but could not get close enough to challenge Da Matta and this was crucial as it meant the field behind remained within striking distance and particularly Barrichello who was recovering positions and closing in. The 3 stoppers would drop back after their 2nd stops and it Barrichello v Raikkonen round 2. Rubens tried at Abbey again but Raikkonen defended hard. The cars were side-by-side into Bridge and Raikkonen carried too much speed into the corner, the McLaren going onto the grass and the Ferrari was through.
It got worse for McLaren as Raikkonen went wide at Stowe, allowing Montoya to nip past. Coulthard did improve things, recovering to take 5th behind Michael Schumacher as both men passed Trulli late on. Da Matta converted his surprise early lead into 2 points while Jenson Button had a great drive from the back of the grid after suspension failure in qualifying to get the final point in 8th. Giancarlo Fisichella had a spectacular suspension failure through Becketts, fortunately the Italian hit nobody in a high speed off. The day belonged to Barrichello though as he crossed the line 5 seconds clear of Montoya for a superb win after a great show of overtaking
The summer would see Europe hit by a heatwave and this hurt Bridgestone and Ferrari in particular. However controversy would follow when Michelin had to make changes to the design of their tyres. Williams and McLaren fumed at this and suddenly Schumacher was back in the title hunt. He went to Japan for the final race just needing a point to secure the title whilst Raikkonen needed a win to have any chance. Schuamcher had a poor and scrappy race but managed to get the point needed to take his 6th world championship while Barrichello took another victory in the far east.
Sunday, 16 May 2010
Webber wins amongst Monaco mess
Mark Webber continued his dominant streak in Formula 1, absolutely dominating the Monaco Grand Prix. He smashed the opposition, including team mate Sebastian Vettel, with searing pace and composure through the midst of 4 safety car periods. There was smashing of a different kind down the field with Williams pair Nico Hulkenberg and Rubens Barichello suffering heavy crashes while Jarno Trulli took a ride on Karun Chandok with less than 4 laps to go. The 3rd of 4 safety car periods was a brief affair after a drain cover was apparently loose at turn 3 but this appeared to be a false alarm. Drain covers had caused delays during practice last year. Robert Kubica took a second podium for Renault, recovering from a poor start where he was passed by Vettel to fend off Felipe Massa and Lewis Hamilton.
They both had quiet races but it was rather more eventful for Fernando Alonso. He started from the pitlane on soft tyres but pitted on lap 1 after the safety car was deployed for Hulkenbergs crash, the German crashing in the tunnel after a front wing mounting failure. Alonso, now on hard tyres, began his charge clearing Chandhok before overcoming a robust rearguard action from Lucas Di Grassi. Moves out of the tunnel on Trulli, Glock and Kovalainen followed. The pitstops were in full swing now, Schumacher jumping Barichello who had passed both Mercedes at turn 1. When it all shook out, Alonso was 6th, brilliantly making the strategy work to be only 2 places behind Massa. The top ten was settled but Webber's pace at the front was to be pegged by constant safety cars.
Barichello suffered a failure on his left rear tyre going up the hill to Casino Square. As the Brazilian came to a halt in the middle of the track, he proceeded to chuck his steering wheel out on the track. It bounced onto the racing line and Karun Chandhok swept it up in his HRT. He carried it through until the tunnel where it bounced out. Bruno Senna in the other HRT then ran it over! It was a very silly thing for Barichello to do. He defended himself on twitter, saying emotions were high after his crash but really it was unneccessary and potentially dangerous. Another safety car followed for the drain cover issue and things were set again.
Webber started to back off and Vettel was pushing to catch but with 4 laps to go, he still had 4 seconds in hand but was approaching the battle for 14th between Chandhok and Trulli. The Italian had been on the Indians tail for a long time and made a lunge into Rascasse which proved dramatically unsuccessful as he ended up on top of the HRT. Webber narrowly avoided this but the gap was down to 1.5 seconds. The incident was initially being dealt with under yellows but eventually Bernd Maylander was called upon.
So we entered the final lap still under safety car conditions. Race Control said that the safety car would pit at the end of the lap. At the time, i felt that you could still overtake after the safety car line, which is a new rule for this year. As Alonso exited Rascasse he got a slide on and Michael Schumacher got alongside and passed into the final corner. For Mercedes a fair move but Ferrari disagreed. The steward's sided with Ferrari and gave Schumacher a 20 second penalty, putting him out of the points and giving Sebastien Buemi a point. Conspiracy theorists will have a field day with the fact Damon Hill was involved in the decision and its something i will try and analyse tomorrow. It's an issue which has certainly divided opinion.
I said Webber needed consistency to have a championship chance and he has stepped uop his game. Sebastian Vettel hasn't been near him these past 2 weekends and the battle is now royally on. Another Alonso recovery drive keeps him in the hunt but things have turned against McLaren, if not at crisis point. Jenson Button had a poor start and then had an enine failure after a bung was left in a radiator. An unexpected mistake from a team like McLaren. Lewis Hamilton had brake issues and ran a conservative pace in the second half of the race. Onto Turkey in 2 weeks for round 7. A mix of slow and fast corners as well as the famed turn 8. Red Bull are the team on top of both championships and they have more upgrades for Istanbul. A frightening prospect.
They both had quiet races but it was rather more eventful for Fernando Alonso. He started from the pitlane on soft tyres but pitted on lap 1 after the safety car was deployed for Hulkenbergs crash, the German crashing in the tunnel after a front wing mounting failure. Alonso, now on hard tyres, began his charge clearing Chandhok before overcoming a robust rearguard action from Lucas Di Grassi. Moves out of the tunnel on Trulli, Glock and Kovalainen followed. The pitstops were in full swing now, Schumacher jumping Barichello who had passed both Mercedes at turn 1. When it all shook out, Alonso was 6th, brilliantly making the strategy work to be only 2 places behind Massa. The top ten was settled but Webber's pace at the front was to be pegged by constant safety cars.
Barichello suffered a failure on his left rear tyre going up the hill to Casino Square. As the Brazilian came to a halt in the middle of the track, he proceeded to chuck his steering wheel out on the track. It bounced onto the racing line and Karun Chandhok swept it up in his HRT. He carried it through until the tunnel where it bounced out. Bruno Senna in the other HRT then ran it over! It was a very silly thing for Barichello to do. He defended himself on twitter, saying emotions were high after his crash but really it was unneccessary and potentially dangerous. Another safety car followed for the drain cover issue and things were set again.
Webber started to back off and Vettel was pushing to catch but with 4 laps to go, he still had 4 seconds in hand but was approaching the battle for 14th between Chandhok and Trulli. The Italian had been on the Indians tail for a long time and made a lunge into Rascasse which proved dramatically unsuccessful as he ended up on top of the HRT. Webber narrowly avoided this but the gap was down to 1.5 seconds. The incident was initially being dealt with under yellows but eventually Bernd Maylander was called upon.
So we entered the final lap still under safety car conditions. Race Control said that the safety car would pit at the end of the lap. At the time, i felt that you could still overtake after the safety car line, which is a new rule for this year. As Alonso exited Rascasse he got a slide on and Michael Schumacher got alongside and passed into the final corner. For Mercedes a fair move but Ferrari disagreed. The steward's sided with Ferrari and gave Schumacher a 20 second penalty, putting him out of the points and giving Sebastien Buemi a point. Conspiracy theorists will have a field day with the fact Damon Hill was involved in the decision and its something i will try and analyse tomorrow. It's an issue which has certainly divided opinion.
I said Webber needed consistency to have a championship chance and he has stepped uop his game. Sebastian Vettel hasn't been near him these past 2 weekends and the battle is now royally on. Another Alonso recovery drive keeps him in the hunt but things have turned against McLaren, if not at crisis point. Jenson Button had a poor start and then had an enine failure after a bung was left in a radiator. An unexpected mistake from a team like McLaren. Lewis Hamilton had brake issues and ran a conservative pace in the second half of the race. Onto Turkey in 2 weeks for round 7. A mix of slow and fast corners as well as the famed turn 8. Red Bull are the team on top of both championships and they have more upgrades for Istanbul. A frightening prospect.
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