Hamilton Survives Spa

Posted by Carrot on August 29, 2010 | No Comments

With three out of the five championship contenders failing to score at this race, Lewis Hamilton came back after mechanical failure in Hungary to take victory and the lead of the championship in Belgium. A battle of attrition emerged at Spa with a mixture of changeable conditions and race incidents claiming the races of Jenson Button, Sebastian Vettel and Fernando Alonso. Amongst the challengers for the ultimate crown only Mark Webber could stay with Hamilton, coming home in second, but losing the lead in the table to the winning Brit in the process.

Barrichello, in his 300th race start, collected Alonso into the Bus Stop chicane to ruin the Spaniard’s race and a later crash ended his abysmal weekend. Button was wiped out in the same location by an out of control Vettel and Vettel’s own race was ruined by the damage, a later puncture suffered during an attempt at a recovery, a drive through penalty and finally being put out on the wrong tyres by his team. Hamilton and Webber surge clear at the top of the table due to this result, Hamilton 31 points clear of third place man Vettel and Webber 28 points above his team mate.

Outside the championship battle, Robert Kubica again outperformed his Renault machinery to take the final podium place after running second for much of the race. Only a lapse of concentration in the final round of pit stops costing the Pole. Felipe Massa drove almost anonymously to fourth position, though he was unable to consistently challenge those ahead during the race. Adrian Sutil capitalised on Force India’s immense straight line speed to take fifth, illustrating the pace of his car by taking the works Mercedes cars in a drag race down to Les Combes.

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F1 Blog’s Belgian Predictions

Posted by Carrot on August 28, 2010 | No Comments

Carrot’s Predictions

• Belgian Grand Prix 2010 Winner – Either Jenson Button or Mark Webber. The McLaren and Red Bull are strong at different points on the track and both these drivers are stronger in wet and changeable conditions than their team mates.
• Belgian Grand Prix 2010 Pole Position – Mark Webber. Vettel was developing engine gremlins in practice three, so I expect a repeat of Malaysia.
• Belgian Grand Prix 2010 Fastest Lap – Lewis Hamilton. It’s a guess really, if the conditions dry up then it’ll be whoever puts dry tyres on last.
• Other predictions – Schumacher to be out in the second session of qualifying, which will me he starts on the last two rows of the grid.

Mark’s Predictions

No predictions from Mark this week

Euan’s Predictions

• Belgian Grand Prix 2010 Winner – Fernando Alonso. He has been supreme in practice on Friday and I think he looks set for one of his best performances of the season. However the changeable conditions this weekend could end up playing into other driver’s hands.
• Pole Position – Mark Webber or Fernando Alonso. I think they will be battling it out for pole and it will just depend on who strings together the best lap.
• Fastest Lap – Jenson Button. If it rains that could well help the McLarens who have looked better so far this weekend, and combine that with Button’s capability in the wet and I think he could produce the fastest lap of the race.
• Other Predictions – I can see Adrian Sutil pulling a surprise and getting a podium finish, especially with Kimi Raikkonen not being there to crash into him.

Donington regains race licence

Posted by Carrot on August 27, 2010 | No Comments

After being mismanaged during an attempt to host the British Grand Prix, Donington Park has been granted a new race licence after inspections by the sport’s governing bodies. FIA and Motorsport Association representatives visited the circuit yesterday and agreed that the track had been improved to the point where it could host both national and international race events. This returns four wheeled racing to Donington after two wheeled racing was returned with the granting of an ACU licence.

The track was restored from its broken condition after the failed bid at the British Grand Prix with a £2 million investment to improve and repair the track. There are changes to the Esses and an extension of the straight at Goddards corner.

The grand re-opening happens next weekend (3rd to 5th of September) with the Masters Historic Racing Festival.

Do we have any artists reading?

Posted by Carrot on August 23, 2010 | 2 Comments

Ayrton Senna would have been 50 years old this year, and to commemorate this fact his nephew, current HRT racer, Bruno Senna has opened a competition for all F1 fans. Setting the theme as ‘Ayrton Senna’s 50th Anniversary’, fans have the opportunity to design a race helmet for a Grand Prix later this year that will be worn during the race by Bruno.

The winner will receive a replica of the helmet they have designed signed by Bruno Senna along with a picture of him wearing the design at a race. The helmet that is actually worn during the race will be auctioned off to benefit the Ayrton Senna Foundation. The foundation was formed in 1994, shortly after Ayrton’s death and continues his work, that he did anonymously during his life, of improving the prospects of young people in Senna’s native Brazil.

Entries will be accepted until the the 12th of September at Bruno’s website. A short list of five finalists will be chosen with the winner then decided by public vote.

Carrot’s Take on Team Orders

Posted by Carrot on August 23, 2010 | No Comments

The fallout from Ferrari’s actions in Germany isn’t likely to die away any time soon, especially with reports this week that the Scuderia is looking at the possibility of civil action. According to reports, should the World Motor Sport Council choose to strip them of their points when they meet following the referral from the German stewards, Ferrari will launch legal action in an attempt to retain them. Given this backdrop I thought I’d put forward some of my own thoughts on the matter.

For starters I think that Ferrari will have a case in court, provided that the WMSC strips them of the points on the charge of team orders. Even in the regulations of sports there must still be a principle of habeas corpus, the WMSC cannot produce a team order as evidence then you cannot penalise someone for using them. We’ve all heard the radio transmissions and sat through the torturous denials made by Ferrari after the race. Without a whistle blower with some irrefutable evidence there is no way to hang a charge on what happened in Germany. What the WMSC can do is strip them of points based on the charge of bringing the sport into disrepute. If they do that, Ferrari are going to have a tough time in any court trying to get their points back. No matter what we all think “Fernando is faster than you” is not a team order, it is information about the relative race pace of another car. Yes, we all know it was code, but with Massa saying it was his decision there’s absolutely no way to prove a team order and Massa isn’t going to say a word if he enjoys driving a front running car. In court it’s not about what Ferrari did, but what can be proved that they did.

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Aussie Grit Comes Good In Hungary

Posted by Carrot on August 1, 2010 | No Comments

Making the most of a split strategy and the massive pace of the Red Bull, Mark Webber took his fourth victory of the season this afternoon. The win takes Webber and Red Bull to the top of the standings and mean the Aussie has now won twice as many races this year as every other driver that has stood on the top step of the podium. Webber takes both momentum and the psychological edge over his team mate and the rest of the field into the summer break. Not bad for a number two driver….

Vettel on the other hand is starting to crack. Outright rage was displayed in the car and excuses in the drivers’ room before the podium. TV viewers heard very clearly “It was not intentional” from the young German. Put simply? Tough. You know the rules of the sport and it’s your job to be in a place where you aren’t breaking them with or without intentions to do so. Nico Rosberg would have won a race in the Williams in Singapore if it wasn’t for an unintentional mistake. He got penalised, the precedent was set and is known in the paddock.

Alonso managed to steal an extra place this afternoon. Holding Vettel behind him with the pace of the Red Bull means he got points that he really shouldn’t have been in contention for. Excellent driving from the Spaniard meant he took more points to bring him into contention in the championship and categorically asserted himself as the rightful number one at Ferrari after all the controversy in Germany. Alonso’s ability not withstanding, his holding of Vettel surely brings Vettel’s ability to overtake into question. The Red Bull had at least a second a lap on the Ferrari and Vettel still had enough tyre life to record the fastest lap of the race in the last few laps. What was he doing apart from that? There weren’t even any half looks or attempts to slipstream the Ferrari out of the last corner, something that should be even easier to attempt with the acceleration of the Renault engine. Massa brought the second Ferrari home in a lonely fourth, still a good result given the performance of the McLaren this weekend.

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F1 Blog’s Hungarian Predictions

Posted by Carrot on July 30, 2010 | No Comments

Carrot’s Predictions

• Hungarian Grand Prix 2010 Winner – Mark Webber. The Aussie is slightly faster on the prime tyre than his team mate and we all saw his pace in Monaco which is the nearest in track profile to the Hungaroring. However if the weather turns to rain, as is forecast, you’ve got to keep an eye on Fernando Alonso and Jenson Button after their performances in 2006.
• Hungarian Grand Prix 2010 Pole Position – Sebastian Vettel. On the option tyre and low fuel the young German is untouchable.
• Hungarian Grand Prix 2010 Fastest Lap – Sebastian Vettel. He’ll want to check off that achievement while following his team mate home.

Mark’s Predictions

• Hungarian Grand Prix 2010 Winner – Sebastian Vettel. Provided he gets away from the grid well, I can see Vettel leading from start to finish.
• Hungarian Grand Prix 2010 Pole Position – No Prediction. I have only just returned home after working away so missed qualifying.
• Hungarian Grand Prix 2010 Fastest Lap – Sebastian Vettel.

Euan’s Predictions

• Hungarian Grand Prix 2010 Winner – Sebastian Vettel. He has been top of the charts in the 1st and 2nd free practices in Hungary, so I think he’ll continue this form in the race, however perhaps not from pole.
• Pole Position – I think Fernando Alonso could come up with a great lap in qualifying and grab pole position away from Vettel, in contrast to what happened at Hockenheim.
• Fastest Lap – Mark Webber in an attempt to challenge for race victory.
• Other Predictions – I can see both Renault and Sauber getting good finishes on Sunday, expect to see a significant improvement from Vitaly Petrov and Pedro De La Rosa.

Chandhok Out Again

Posted by Carrot on July 30, 2010 | No Comments

Indian driver Karun Chandhok will miss another race this weekend. The young driver, who is currently the second highest of the new team drivers in the standings after Heikki Kovalainen, will be replaced by Sakon Yamamoto. This is the second race in a row that Chandhok has been forced to sit out after also missing last week’s German Grand Prix.

This certainly underlines the desperate financial situation that Hispania are in. If it was a driver change to improve performance surely Chandhok would have been left in the cockpit or the second reserve driver, the experienced Christian Klien, would be driving instead of Yamamoto. Hispania are risking alienating potential sponsors for next year by taking this ‘hand to mouth’ approach, the new market of Indian sponsors will surely be displeased that the team is benching Chandhok. This approach could also prove the various paddock personalities that predict that not all the new teams will be on the grid next year, most recently this was voiced by Bernie Ecclestone in the same interview where he said that the new teams, apart from Lotus, were not of value to the sport.

Monaco Safe For Another 10 Years

Posted by Mark on July 28, 2010 | No Comments

The Formula One Administration has announced that it has reached an agreement with the Automobile Club de Monaco for the Monaco Grand Prix to remain on the calendar for the next 10 years. Bernie Ecclestone previously suggested F1 did not need Monaco, saying: “We can do without Monaco, they don’t pay enough.” Monaco first hosted a race back in 1929 and todays deal with see it continue until 2020.

Now The Dust Has Settled….

Posted by Mark on July 28, 2010 | No Comments

I thought I would give it a few days before adding my thoughts on the Ferrari team orders controversy. I don’t think any F1 fan has an issue with a driver moving over to help his team mate win the world championship once the maths mean he can no longer do it himself. In 2007 we saw Massa do exactly that when he let Raikkonen pass him on his way to winning the world championship in Brazil, but at this stage in the season when both Massa and Alonso are still in with a shout of the championship, it is disappointing to see, particularly after Massa had made a great start and driven well throughout.

In 2002 Ferrari got it wrong with it’s team orders and I am sorry to say they got it wrong again in 2010.

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• Hamilton Survives Spa
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Authors

• Ben (1)
• Carrot (44)
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Drivers Championship 2010

01. L Hamilton 182
02. M Webber 179
03. S Vettel 151
04. J Button 147
05. F Alonso 141
06. F Massa 109
07. R Kubica 104
08. N Rosberg 102
09. A Sutil 45
10. M Schumacher 44

Constructors Championship 2010

01. Red Bull-Renault 330
02. McLaren-Mercedes 329
03. Ferrari 250
04. Mercedes GP 146
05. Renault 123
06. Force India-Mercedes 58
07. Williams-Cosworth 40
08. BMW Sauber-Ferrari 27
09. Toro Rosso-Ferrari 10
10. Lotus-Cosworth 0
11. Hispania-Cosworth 0
12. Virgin-Cosworth 0