Saturday, March 26, 2011
Pirelli, sole Formula 1 tyre supplier for the next three seasons, is colour-coding the ‘Pirelli’ and ‘PZero’ sidewall logos so that spectators can determine what compounds are being used.
The colours chosen are:
· Wet – Orange
· Intermediate – Light blue
· Supersoft – Red
· Soft – Yellow
· Medium – White
· Hard – Silver
At first sight, it appears that it’s going to be difficult to tell some of the types apart, with silver and white in particular being hard to distinguish.
However, the rules stipulate that only two compounds of dry weather tyre can be used at each round, designated ‘prime’ and ‘option’. Pirelli’s cunning plan is that there will always be at least one step between the different tyre specifications on offer.
So, that means all the teams will have a combination of either Medium (white) and Supersoft (red) rubber available to them, or - as is the case for the three opening events in Australia, Malaysia and China - Hard (silver) and Soft (yellow). That ploy should encourage some interesting strategic race decisions, as well as averting any potential identification problems.
As per last season, each driver must use both nominated types of dry tyre during a dry race in order to be included in the results. If a dry race is suspended following an incident and cannot be restarted, a 30 second penalty will be added to a driver’s time if only one variety was used.
Also available at every round of the championship will be the Wet (orange) and Intermediate (light blue) compounds, in case of rain.
Related posts:
Virgin reveals MVR-02
Team Lotus reveals T128
Ferrari F150 unveiled
Two Lotus teams in F1?
Pirelli, sole Formula 1 tyre supplier for the next three seasons, is colour-coding the ‘Pirelli’ and ‘PZero’ sidewall logos so that spectators can determine what compounds are being used.
The colours chosen are:
· Wet – Orange
· Intermediate – Light blue
· Supersoft – Red
· Soft – Yellow
· Medium – White
· Hard – Silver
At first sight, it appears that it’s going to be difficult to tell some of the types apart, with silver and white in particular being hard to distinguish.
However, the rules stipulate that only two compounds of dry weather tyre can be used at each round, designated ‘prime’ and ‘option’. Pirelli’s cunning plan is that there will always be at least one step between the different tyre specifications on offer.
So, that means all the teams will have a combination of either Medium (white) and Supersoft (red) rubber available to them, or - as is the case for the three opening events in Australia, Malaysia and China - Hard (silver) and Soft (yellow). That ploy should encourage some interesting strategic race decisions, as well as averting any potential identification problems.
As per last season, each driver must use both nominated types of dry tyre during a dry race in order to be included in the results. If a dry race is suspended following an incident and cannot be restarted, a 30 second penalty will be added to a driver’s time if only one variety was used.
Also available at every round of the championship will be the Wet (orange) and Intermediate (light blue) compounds, in case of rain.
Related posts:
Virgin reveals MVR-02
Team Lotus reveals T128
Ferrari F150 unveiled
Two Lotus teams in F1?
Monday, February 7, 2011
Marussia Virgin Racing has unveiled its Formula 1 challenger for 2011.
After scoring zero points last season with the VR-01, naturally the team will be hoping for better things from its successor, the MVR-02. The addition of that ‘M’ to the name recognises that Russian sports car manufacturer Marussia Motors bought a large stake in the operation last November.
Virgin is sticking to Cosworth power for the MVR-02, but it hasn’t bothered installing a Kinetic Energy Recovery System (KERS). Wisely, the team recognises that there are bigger issues to address if it wants to slash a couple of seconds off its lap times and improve reliability.
Timo Glock remains as a driver for 2011, but Lucas di Grassi has been replaced by Belgian Jérôme d'Ambrosio.
Marussia Virgin Racing has unveiled its Formula 1 challenger for 2011.
After scoring zero points last season with the VR-01, naturally the team will be hoping for better things from its successor, the MVR-02. The addition of that ‘M’ to the name recognises that Russian sports car manufacturer Marussia Motors bought a large stake in the operation last November.
Virgin is sticking to Cosworth power for the MVR-02, but it hasn’t bothered installing a Kinetic Energy Recovery System (KERS). Wisely, the team recognises that there are bigger issues to address if it wants to slash a couple of seconds off its lap times and improve reliability.
Timo Glock remains as a driver for 2011, but Lucas di Grassi has been replaced by Belgian Jérôme d'Ambrosio.
Monday, January 31, 2011
Team Lotus - not to be confused with the Lotus Renault GP Team - has unveiled its 2011 Formula 1 car.
Even if that naming clash is still to be dragged through the courts, thankfully the team has decided not to swap last season’s green and yellow colour scheme for a gold and black one. At least that means spectators will be able to tell the numerous Lotuses apart.
The big changes are under the paintjob, though. Gone are 2010’s Cosworth engines, replaced by motors from Renault which have been combined with gearboxes and hydraulics systems courtesy of Red Bull Technologies.
Together with more aggressive aerodynamics and revised suspension, the Norfolk-based team seems confident that the improved package will be good enough to let drivers Heikki Kovalainen and Jarno Trulli score some points in 2011.
Mike Gascoyne, Chief Technical Officer, said: ‘I think that basically this car looks like a front-running car in every area. We said very clearly that we want to start challenging the established teams and I think that's very achievable.’ Fighting talk indeed.
Related post:
Two Lotus teams in F1?
Team Lotus - not to be confused with the Lotus Renault GP Team - has unveiled its 2011 Formula 1 car.
Even if that naming clash is still to be dragged through the courts, thankfully the team has decided not to swap last season’s green and yellow colour scheme for a gold and black one. At least that means spectators will be able to tell the numerous Lotuses apart.
The big changes are under the paintjob, though. Gone are 2010’s Cosworth engines, replaced by motors from Renault which have been combined with gearboxes and hydraulics systems courtesy of Red Bull Technologies.
Together with more aggressive aerodynamics and revised suspension, the Norfolk-based team seems confident that the improved package will be good enough to let drivers Heikki Kovalainen and Jarno Trulli score some points in 2011.
Mike Gascoyne, Chief Technical Officer, said: ‘I think that basically this car looks like a front-running car in every area. We said very clearly that we want to start challenging the established teams and I think that's very achievable.’ Fighting talk indeed.
Related post:
Two Lotus teams in F1?
Friday, January 28, 2011
Scuderia Ferrari has become the first Formula 1 team to reveal its 2011 car.
Unveiled at Maranello, Italy, Ferrari’s new challenger is named F150 to honour the 150th anniversary of the unification of Italy. Continuing the patriotic theme, it also sports a prominent Italian Tricolore on the rear wing.
Changes to the 2011 car, which has an internal code name of 662, have primarily been made to comply with this season’s revised FIA regulations. That means no double diffuser or blown rear wing, but KERS makes a return and the rear wing is now hydraulically adjustable. Other modifications are courtesy of stricter safety rules regarding cockpit protection, wheel retention and crash testing.
A continued ban on development means the Ferrari’s engine is largely unaltered, although work has been done to improve reliability. The team has also taken the opportunity to completely redesign the rear suspension and tweak that at the front, while the Brembo braking system has been totally revamped too.
But it’s not just those changes that need evaluating ahead of the first race in Bahrain, because there’s also the switch from Bridgestone to Pirelli tyres to factor in, plus Ferrari is saying that the aerodynamic package isn’t yet final. With only fifteen days of pre-season testing allowed, it should all make for a packed schedule.
Ferrari is expecting great things from the F150, especially after Fernando Alonso managed to lose the 2010 drivers’ championship to Sebastian Vettel by just four points, and the team ended up in third spot on the constructors’ table behind Red Bull and McLaren. Both team boss Stefano Domenicali and company president Luca Di Montezemolo are making it very clear that victory in 2011 is the only objective.
And finally, if you’re privileged to drive for one of the top-ranking teams in Formula 1 and you get invited to a nice event to launch a new car, then showing a bit of enthusiasm might be appropriate. Obviously not if your name is Alonso, who - judging by the pictures - was in full miserable git mode. Again.
 |
| Somewhere else you'd rather be, Fernando? Check out that body language. |
 |
| Go on, give us a smile... |
Scuderia Ferrari has become the first Formula 1 team to reveal its 2011 car.
Unveiled at Maranello, Italy, Ferrari’s new challenger is named F150 to honour the 150th anniversary of the unification of Italy. Continuing the patriotic theme, it also sports a prominent Italian Tricolore on the rear wing.
Changes to the 2011 car, which has an internal code name of 662, have primarily been made to comply with this season’s revised FIA regulations. That means no double diffuser or blown rear wing, but KERS makes a return and the rear wing is now hydraulically adjustable. Other modifications are courtesy of stricter safety rules regarding cockpit protection, wheel retention and crash testing.
A continued ban on development means the Ferrari’s engine is largely unaltered, although work has been done to improve reliability. The team has also taken the opportunity to completely redesign the rear suspension and tweak that at the front, while the Brembo braking system has been totally revamped too.
But it’s not just those changes that need evaluating ahead of the first race in Bahrain, because there’s also the switch from Bridgestone to Pirelli tyres to factor in, plus Ferrari is saying that the aerodynamic package isn’t yet final. With only fifteen days of pre-season testing allowed, it should all make for a packed schedule.
Ferrari is expecting great things from the F150, especially after Fernando Alonso managed to lose the 2010 drivers’ championship to Sebastian Vettel by just four points, and the team ended up in third spot on the constructors’ table behind Red Bull and McLaren. Both team boss Stefano Domenicali and company president Luca Di Montezemolo are making it very clear that victory in 2011 is the only objective.
And finally, if you’re privileged to drive for one of the top-ranking teams in Formula 1 and you get invited to a nice event to launch a new car, then showing a bit of enthusiasm might be appropriate. Obviously not if your name is Alonso, who - judging by the pictures - was in full miserable git mode. Again.
|
| Somewhere else you'd rather be, Fernando? Check out that body language. |
|
| Go on, give us a smile... |
Wednesday, December 8, 2010
The 2011 Formula 1 season could see the bizarre sight of two Lotus-branded teams on the grid.
Group Lotus - the Proton-owned manufacturer of Lotus road cars - has just bought a stake in the former Renault F1 Team, also becoming title sponsor in the process. The move coincides with Renault selling its share in the outfit, although the French firm will continue to supply engines to the newly renamed Lotus Renault GP Team.
 |
| Lotus Renault GP Team - 2011 Livery |
A black and gold livery has been revealed too, which harks back to the cigarette-sponsored Lotus F1 cars of the 1970s and 1980s. It might look striking, but why the team would want to give free subliminal advertising to a tobacco company is anyone’s guess.
Confusingly Lotus Racing, which competed for the first time during 2010 but is nothing to do with Group Lotus, has already announced a couple of significant changes for next season: not only will it be switching from Cosworth to Renault power, but it will also be painting its cars black and gold. What a coincidence.
To make matters even more complicated Lotus Racing has, according to the official FIA 2011 Formula 1 entry list, now rebranded itself as Team Lotus and intends to race under the Lotus Renault name.
However, Group Lotus is claiming that Lotus Racing / Team Lotus / Lotus Renault (take your pick) was only using the Lotus moniker under licence this year, but that licence has now been revoked.
Consequently Team Lotus and Group Lotus are now involved in an escalating battle for the right to continue using the name. But with neither side looking likely to back down, the dispute will probably end up being resolved by the UK High Court sometime in the new year.
The 2011 Formula 1 season could see the bizarre sight of two Lotus-branded teams on the grid.
Group Lotus - the Proton-owned manufacturer of Lotus road cars - has just bought a stake in the former Renault F1 Team, also becoming title sponsor in the process. The move coincides with Renault selling its share in the outfit, although the French firm will continue to supply engines to the newly renamed Lotus Renault GP Team.
|
| Lotus Renault GP Team - 2011 Livery |
A black and gold livery has been revealed too, which harks back to the cigarette-sponsored Lotus F1 cars of the 1970s and 1980s. It might look striking, but why the team would want to give free subliminal advertising to a tobacco company is anyone’s guess.
Confusingly Lotus Racing, which competed for the first time during 2010 but is nothing to do with Group Lotus, has already announced a couple of significant changes for next season: not only will it be switching from Cosworth to Renault power, but it will also be painting its cars black and gold. What a coincidence.
To make matters even more complicated Lotus Racing has, according to the official FIA 2011 Formula 1 entry list, now rebranded itself as Team Lotus and intends to race under the Lotus Renault name.
However, Group Lotus is claiming that Lotus Racing / Team Lotus / Lotus Renault (take your pick) was only using the Lotus moniker under licence this year, but that licence has now been revoked.
Consequently Team Lotus and Group Lotus are now involved in an escalating battle for the right to continue using the name. But with neither side looking likely to back down, the dispute will probably end up being resolved by the UK High Court sometime in the new year.
Wednesday, October 27, 2010
Following his victory at the Yeongam construction site, venue of the inaugural South Korean Formula 1 Grand Prix, Fernando Alonso is now set to win the 2010 drivers’ championship.
That’s if the odds currently being offered by UK online bookmakers are anything to go by. They all seem to have the moaning Spaniard as favourite.
Driver | Betfred | Paddy Power | Ladbrokes | 888 Sport |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fernando Alonso | 1/2 | 4/6 | 4/6 | 8/13 |
| Mark Webber | 9/4 | 2/1 | 2/1 | 15/8 |
| Lewis Hamilton | 12/1 | 10/1 | 8/1 | 10/1 |
| Sebastian Vettel | 16/1 | 11/1 | 12/1 | 12/1 |
| Jenson Button | 500/1 | N/A | 250/1 | 250/1 |
Indeed, Alonso could secure the title at the next round, which is in Brazil, if he wins that race and nearest challenger Mark Webber finishes fifth or lower. Otherwise, the fight will go to the season’s final event in Abu Dhabi.
2010 Championship standings after the South Korean Formula 1 Grand Prix:
Pos. | Driver | Team | Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Fernando Alonso | Ferrari | 231 |
| 2 | Mark Webber | Red Bull-Renault | 220 |
| 3 | Lewis Hamilton | McLaren-Mercedes | 210 |
| 4 | Sebastian Vettel | Red Bull-Renault | 206 |
| 5 | Jenson Button | McLaren-Mercedes | 189 |
| 6 | Felipe Massa | Ferrari | 143 |
| 7 | Robert Kubica | Renault | 124 |
| 8 | Nico Rosberg | Mercedes GP | 122 |
| 9 | Michael Schumacher | Mercedes GP | 66 |
| 10 | Rubens Barrichello | Williams-Cosworth | 47 |
| 11 | Adrian Sutil | Force India-Mercedes | 47 |
| 12 | Kamui Kobayashi | BMW Sauber-Ferrari | 31 |
| 13 | Vitantonio Liuzzi | Force India-Mercedes | 21 |
| 14 | Vitaly Petrov | Renault | 19 |
| 15 | Nico Hulkenberg | Williams-Cosworth | 18 |
| 16 | Sebastien Buemi | Toro Rosso-Ferrari | 8 |
| 18 | Nick Heidfeld | BMW Sauber-Ferrari | 6 |
| 19 | Jaime Alguersuari | Toro Rosso-Ferrari | 3 |
| 20 | Heikki Kovalainen | Lotus-Cosworth | 0 |
| 21 | Jarno Trulli | Lotus-Cosworth | 0 |
| 22 | Bruno Senna | Hispania-Cosworth | 0 |
| 23 | Lucas di Grassi | Virgin-Cosworth | 0 |
| 24 | Karun Chandhok | Hispania-Cosworth | 0 |
| 25 | Timo Glock | Virgin-Cosworth | 0 |
| 26 | Sakon Yamamoto | Hispania-Cosworth | 0 |
| 27 | Christian Klien | Hispania-Cosworth | 0 |
Following his victory at the Yeongam construction site, venue of the inaugural South Korean Formula 1 Grand Prix, Fernando Alonso is now set to win the 2010 drivers’ championship.
That’s if the odds currently being offered by UK online bookmakers are anything to go by. They all seem to have the moaning Spaniard as favourite.
Driver | Betfred | Paddy Power | Ladbrokes | 888 Sport |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fernando Alonso | 1/2 | 4/6 | 4/6 | 8/13 |
| Mark Webber | 9/4 | 2/1 | 2/1 | 15/8 |
| Lewis Hamilton | 12/1 | 10/1 | 8/1 | 10/1 |
| Sebastian Vettel | 16/1 | 11/1 | 12/1 | 12/1 |
| Jenson Button | 500/1 | N/A | 250/1 | 250/1 |
Indeed, Alonso could secure the title at the next round, which is in Brazil, if he wins that race and nearest challenger Mark Webber finishes fifth or lower. Otherwise, the fight will go to the season’s final event in Abu Dhabi.
2010 Championship standings after the South Korean Formula 1 Grand Prix:
Pos. | Driver | Team | Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Fernando Alonso | Ferrari | 231 |
| 2 | Mark Webber | Red Bull-Renault | 220 |
| 3 | Lewis Hamilton | McLaren-Mercedes | 210 |
| 4 | Sebastian Vettel | Red Bull-Renault | 206 |
| 5 | Jenson Button | McLaren-Mercedes | 189 |
| 6 | Felipe Massa | Ferrari | 143 |
| 7 | Robert Kubica | Renault | 124 |
| 8 | Nico Rosberg | Mercedes GP | 122 |
| 9 | Michael Schumacher | Mercedes GP | 66 |
| 10 | Rubens Barrichello | Williams-Cosworth | 47 |
| 11 | Adrian Sutil | Force India-Mercedes | 47 |
| 12 | Kamui Kobayashi | BMW Sauber-Ferrari | 31 |
| 13 | Vitantonio Liuzzi | Force India-Mercedes | 21 |
| 14 | Vitaly Petrov | Renault | 19 |
| 15 | Nico Hulkenberg | Williams-Cosworth | 18 |
| 16 | Sebastien Buemi | Toro Rosso-Ferrari | 8 |
| 18 | Nick Heidfeld | BMW Sauber-Ferrari | 6 |
| 19 | Jaime Alguersuari | Toro Rosso-Ferrari | 3 |
| 20 | Heikki Kovalainen | Lotus-Cosworth | 0 |
| 21 | Jarno Trulli | Lotus-Cosworth | 0 |
| 22 | Bruno Senna | Hispania-Cosworth | 0 |
| 23 | Lucas di Grassi | Virgin-Cosworth | 0 |
| 24 | Karun Chandhok | Hispania-Cosworth | 0 |
| 25 | Timo Glock | Virgin-Cosworth | 0 |
| 26 | Sakon Yamamoto | Hispania-Cosworth | 0 |
| 27 | Christian Klien | Hispania-Cosworth | 0 |
Friday, September 10, 2010
The 2011 Formula 1 season is going to be a busy one because, with the addition of India, there’ll be twenty races in the schedule.
Running from the middle of March to the end of November, Bahrain remains the opening event, although Brazil becomes the finale instead of Abu Dhabi.
The teams still get a month-long break in the summer between Hungary and Belgium, but the trade-off is that four races will take place the week after their preceding events.
As confirmed by the FIA World Motor Sport Council this week, the calendar is:
Date | Race |
|---|---|
| 13 March | Bahrain |
| 27 March | Australia |
| 10 April | Malaysia |
| 17 April | China |
| 08 May | Turkey |
| 22 May | Spain |
| 29 May | Monaco |
| 12 June | Canada |
| 26 June | Europe |
| 10 July | Great Britain |
| 24 July | Germany |
| 31 July | Hungary |
| 28 August | Belgium |
| 11 September | Italy |
| 25 September | Singapore |
| 09 October | Japan |
| 16 October | Korea |
| 30 October | India |
| 13 November | Abu Dhabi |
| 27 November | Brazil |
The 2011 Formula 1 season is going to be a busy one because, with the addition of India, there’ll be twenty races in the schedule.
Running from the middle of March to the end of November, Bahrain remains the opening event, although Brazil becomes the finale instead of Abu Dhabi.
The teams still get a month-long break in the summer between Hungary and Belgium, but the trade-off is that four races will take place the week after their preceding events.
As confirmed by the FIA World Motor Sport Council this week, the calendar is:
Date | Race |
|---|---|
| 13 March | Bahrain |
| 27 March | Australia |
| 10 April | Malaysia |
| 17 April | China |
| 08 May | Turkey |
| 22 May | Spain |
| 29 May | Monaco |
| 12 June | Canada |
| 26 June | Europe |
| 10 July | Great Britain |
| 24 July | Germany |
| 31 July | Hungary |
| 28 August | Belgium |
| 11 September | Italy |
| 25 September | Singapore |
| 09 October | Japan |
| 16 October | Korea |
| 30 October | India |
| 13 November | Abu Dhabi |
| 27 November | Brazil |
Friday, September 3, 2010
Will the inaugural South Korean Grand Prix actually take place on 24 October?
Construction of the Yeongam circuit, designed by Hermann Tilke, is still not yet finished. It should have had its FIA inspection by the end of July, as the regulations state that that should happen at least 90 days ahead of a venue’s first international event. That particular target has clearly been missed by some margin.
 |
| Yeongam Circuit |
However, in order to help ensure the South Korean round remains on the 2010 Formula 1 calendar, the FIA has now decided to relax the rules by delaying its final inspection until 21 September. The organisers remain upbeat, saying the track is currently “90% complete”. Only 10% to go, then.
As a sign of progress, a Red Bull F1 car is due to complete a lap this weekend, driven by Karun Chandhok. Incidentally, his race seat at Hispania Racing now seems to be in jeopardy, because Sakon Yamamoto will almost certainly be contesting the season’s remaining races. The move is, allegedly, due to the personal sponsorship that the Japanese driver brings to the team.
Meanwhile, in Texas, the first details have emerged of the Austin circuit which will host the US Grand Prix from 2012. The 3.4 mile long lap has apparently been inspired by classic tracks, and features substantial elevation changes.
It’s another Tilke project so, as with Yeongam, fans will doubtless just be hoping that the tracks allow for decent racing and overtaking. That has definitely not been the case with some other of his designs, such as boring Bahrain and the dreadful Valencia street circuit.
Will the inaugural South Korean Grand Prix actually take place on 24 October?
Construction of the Yeongam circuit, designed by Hermann Tilke, is still not yet finished. It should have had its FIA inspection by the end of July, as the regulations state that that should happen at least 90 days ahead of a venue’s first international event. That particular target has clearly been missed by some margin.
|
| Yeongam Circuit |
However, in order to help ensure the South Korean round remains on the 2010 Formula 1 calendar, the FIA has now decided to relax the rules by delaying its final inspection until 21 September. The organisers remain upbeat, saying the track is currently “90% complete”. Only 10% to go, then.
As a sign of progress, a Red Bull F1 car is due to complete a lap this weekend, driven by Karun Chandhok. Incidentally, his race seat at Hispania Racing now seems to be in jeopardy, because Sakon Yamamoto will almost certainly be contesting the season’s remaining races. The move is, allegedly, due to the personal sponsorship that the Japanese driver brings to the team.
Meanwhile, in Texas, the first details have emerged of the Austin circuit which will host the US Grand Prix from 2012. The 3.4 mile long lap has apparently been inspired by classic tracks, and features substantial elevation changes.
It’s another Tilke project so, as with Yeongam, fans will doubtless just be hoping that the tracks allow for decent racing and overtaking. That has definitely not been the case with some other of his designs, such as boring Bahrain and the dreadful Valencia street circuit.
Sunday, July 11, 2010
Mark Webber deserved his British Grand Prix win, especially after the Red Bull team’s fiasco on Saturday. The strange decision, made just before qualifying, to take the new design of front wing off the Australian’s car and give it to team-mate Sebastian Vettel instead certainly caused trouble.
Webber’s "Not bad for a number two driver" radio message to team boss Christian Horner on the slowing down lap was especially telling. It seemed to be evidence of a growing tension in the team, something that has been brewing ever since the two Red Bulls had their infamous coming together during the Istanbul race.
Further proof was Vettel’s cryptic comments in a post-race interview, which suggested the ‘good fun happy family’ image of Red Bull is just a thin veneer that’s starting to crack in places. "Obviously I focus on myself and so does he I guess," said the German. "Especially after what happened in the past people have different opinions. I have opinions, I have my experiences and sometimes, good and bad, you get to know people a little better and see their true faces. So I think I have learned my lesson and focus on myself."
At least Red Bull managed to get both its cars into the points. Over at Ferrari, it was a disastrous afternoon at Silverstone. Fernando Alonso unsurprisingly seemed a bit miffed at the stewards’ decision to give him a drive-through penalty after he cut a corner to pass the Renault of Robert Kubica.
Arguably it was a harsh punishment, especially as Alonso didn’t really have anywhere else to go, and Kubica then retired soon after. The icing on the cake was that the penalty had to be served immediately after the Safety Car had been out, which meant most of the field could stream by as the Spaniard drove slowly down the pit lane.
But maybe Alonso should have let Kubica back through straight away after the incident, instead of getting on the radio to ask Ferrari to sort something out with the race officials? He certainly didn’t bother with the radio much after his drive-through, petulantly telling his team not to talk to him for the rest of the race. And he wasn’t in the mood for a chat afterwards, either, apparently being ‘too angry’ to be interviewed. A while later though Alonso had calmed down enough to say, allegedly without any hint of sarcasm, "What the stewards say is always right so I am not too upset." Yeah, right.
Conversely, McLaren managed to salvage a decent result from what could have been a race to forget. Jenson Button clawed his way up from fourteenth on the grid to an eventual fourth place, thanks to some decent early overtaking, retirements and a good pit stop strategy. Only a rumoured lack of fuel meant he couldn’t go on to challenge Nico Rosberg in his Mercedes for third place.
Team-mate Lewis Hamilton meanwhile secured second spot, benefiting from Vettel’s first lap puncture. He now leads the championship with 145 points, 12 ahead of Button in second.
Mark Webber deserved his British Grand Prix win, especially after the Red Bull team’s fiasco on Saturday. The strange decision, made just before qualifying, to take the new design of front wing off the Australian’s car and give it to team-mate Sebastian Vettel instead certainly caused trouble.
Webber’s "Not bad for a number two driver" radio message to team boss Christian Horner on the slowing down lap was especially telling. It seemed to be evidence of a growing tension in the team, something that has been brewing ever since the two Red Bulls had their infamous coming together during the Istanbul race.
Further proof was Vettel’s cryptic comments in a post-race interview, which suggested the ‘good fun happy family’ image of Red Bull is just a thin veneer that’s starting to crack in places. "Obviously I focus on myself and so does he I guess," said the German. "Especially after what happened in the past people have different opinions. I have opinions, I have my experiences and sometimes, good and bad, you get to know people a little better and see their true faces. So I think I have learned my lesson and focus on myself."
At least Red Bull managed to get both its cars into the points. Over at Ferrari, it was a disastrous afternoon at Silverstone. Fernando Alonso unsurprisingly seemed a bit miffed at the stewards’ decision to give him a drive-through penalty after he cut a corner to pass the Renault of Robert Kubica.
Arguably it was a harsh punishment, especially as Alonso didn’t really have anywhere else to go, and Kubica then retired soon after. The icing on the cake was that the penalty had to be served immediately after the Safety Car had been out, which meant most of the field could stream by as the Spaniard drove slowly down the pit lane.
But maybe Alonso should have let Kubica back through straight away after the incident, instead of getting on the radio to ask Ferrari to sort something out with the race officials? He certainly didn’t bother with the radio much after his drive-through, petulantly telling his team not to talk to him for the rest of the race. And he wasn’t in the mood for a chat afterwards, either, apparently being ‘too angry’ to be interviewed. A while later though Alonso had calmed down enough to say, allegedly without any hint of sarcasm, "What the stewards say is always right so I am not too upset." Yeah, right.
Conversely, McLaren managed to salvage a decent result from what could have been a race to forget. Jenson Button clawed his way up from fourteenth on the grid to an eventual fourth place, thanks to some decent early overtaking, retirements and a good pit stop strategy. Only a rumoured lack of fuel meant he couldn’t go on to challenge Nico Rosberg in his Mercedes for third place.
Team-mate Lewis Hamilton meanwhile secured second spot, benefiting from Vettel’s first lap puncture. He now leads the championship with 145 points, 12 ahead of Button in second.
Monday, June 28, 2010
Is it time to ditch Valencia from the Formula 1 calendar? The only interesting incidents during this weekend’s race were Mark Webber’s frightening crash (which thankfully he emerged unscathed from), Lewis Hamilton’s passing of the Safety Car (after which Fernando Alonso spent the rest of the afternoon on the radio whinging to his team), Kamui Kobayashi’s performance in his Sauber, and a stray bottle on the track.
Indeed, the excitement levels only mounted after the race, as everyone waited to see whether the race stewards would impose penalties on Jenson Button, Rubens Barrichello, Nico Hulkenberg, Robert Kubica, Vitaly Petrov, Adrian Sutil, Sebastien Buemi, Pedro de la Rosa and Vitantonio Liuzzi for going too quickly behind the Safety Car.
In the end, they were all each given a five second penalty, which hardly affected the standings: the moaning Alonso got promoted one place to eighth, while Nico Rosberg was awarded tenth place and a single point.
Yet again, the problem lies with the circuit layout, because it appears almost impossible to overtake. This was visibly demonstrated after the Safety Car returned to the pits. An out of place Kobayashi, who was running third (after he hadn’t bothered to stop for new tyres), headed a convoy of cars for lap after lap that made no real attempt to pass one another. That makes for a dull spectacle.
Ironically, two of the few passing manoeuvres during the race were later performed by Kobayashi after he eventually pitted. Exploiting the advantage of comparatively fresh tyres, he got by Alonso on the penultimate lap, and then overtook Buemi on the very last corner of the race.
Certainly Ferrari’s complaining isn’t doing them any favours. Yes, it was bad luck that Alonso ended up in ninth on the track after the Safety Car deployment, and the situation was even worse for Felipe Massa. But to claim that the result was in some way manipulated by the FIA against Ferrari is ridiculous, especially when many would argue that Ferrari has benefited from FIA decisions on several occasions in the past.
Is it time to ditch Valencia from the Formula 1 calendar? The only interesting incidents during this weekend’s race were Mark Webber’s frightening crash (which thankfully he emerged unscathed from), Lewis Hamilton’s passing of the Safety Car (after which Fernando Alonso spent the rest of the afternoon on the radio whinging to his team), Kamui Kobayashi’s performance in his Sauber, and a stray bottle on the track.
Indeed, the excitement levels only mounted after the race, as everyone waited to see whether the race stewards would impose penalties on Jenson Button, Rubens Barrichello, Nico Hulkenberg, Robert Kubica, Vitaly Petrov, Adrian Sutil, Sebastien Buemi, Pedro de la Rosa and Vitantonio Liuzzi for going too quickly behind the Safety Car.
In the end, they were all each given a five second penalty, which hardly affected the standings: the moaning Alonso got promoted one place to eighth, while Nico Rosberg was awarded tenth place and a single point.
Yet again, the problem lies with the circuit layout, because it appears almost impossible to overtake. This was visibly demonstrated after the Safety Car returned to the pits. An out of place Kobayashi, who was running third (after he hadn’t bothered to stop for new tyres), headed a convoy of cars for lap after lap that made no real attempt to pass one another. That makes for a dull spectacle.
Ironically, two of the few passing manoeuvres during the race were later performed by Kobayashi after he eventually pitted. Exploiting the advantage of comparatively fresh tyres, he got by Alonso on the penultimate lap, and then overtook Buemi on the very last corner of the race.
Certainly Ferrari’s complaining isn’t doing them any favours. Yes, it was bad luck that Alonso ended up in ninth on the track after the Safety Car deployment, and the situation was even worse for Felipe Massa. But to claim that the result was in some way manipulated by the FIA against Ferrari is ridiculous, especially when many would argue that Ferrari has benefited from FIA decisions on several occasions in the past.
