Source: http://f1fanatics.wordpress.com/2011/02/06/robert-kubica-hospitalised-following-rally-accident/
Sunday, August 31, 2014
Set-up puts Red Bull in strong position - Ricciardo
Source: http://en.espnf1.com/belgium/motorsport/story/172155.html?CMP=OTC-RSS
Saturday, August 30, 2014
Fri: Merc, Ferrari, Williams, McLaren
Source: http://www.planetf1.com/driver/3370/9434612/Fri-Merc-Ferrari-Williams-McLaren
Belgium analysis - the gloves come off in Mercedes title fight
Rosberg's seemingly minor error of judgement had major consequences, costing the team a potential one-two, ending Hamilton's victory hopes, and ratcheting up the pair's already tense championship rivalry yet another notch
Source: http://www.formula1.com/news/features/2014/8/16262.html
Friday, August 29, 2014
Campaign launched to save Team Lotus
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Source: http://blogs.espnf1.com/paperroundf1/archives/2010/11/campaign_launched_to_save_team_1.php
Coulthard slams 'irresponsible' approach to new teams
Source: http://en.espnf1.com/f1/motorsport/story/10465.html?CMP=OTC-RSS
Thursday, August 28, 2014
Raikkonen: Incident-free race was all I needed
Raikkonen briefly led during the first round of pit stops and was in podium contention throughout, running third until the final five laps when Williams' Valtteri Bottas was able to slip by
Source: http://www.formula1.com/news/headlines/2014/8/16261.html
MAG: AUTOSPORT magazine delayed
Wednesday, August 27, 2014
Vote for your 2014 Belgian GP Driver of the Weekend | 2014 Belgian Grand Prix
Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/f1fanatic/~3/GDvdJwR0WT8/
Tuesday, August 26, 2014
DTM: Kovalainen gets BMW DTM test
Monday, August 25, 2014
Nico Rosberg Q&A: First Spa-Francorchamps pole special
Source: http://www.formula1.com/news/interviews/2014/8/16248.html
Sunday, August 24, 2014
Renault could make radical changes for 2015
Source: http://en.espnf1.com/f1/motorsport/story/170647.html?CMP=OTC-RSS
Saturday, August 23, 2014
Vettel takes over at the top
As Sebastian Vettel put down his winner’s trophy after holding it up in celebration on the Korean Grand Prix podium, Fernando Alonso tapped him on the back and reached out to shake his hand. It was a symbolic reflection of the championship lead being handed from one to the other.
After three consecutive victories for Vettel and Red Bull, the last two of which have been utterly dominant, it does not look as though Alonso is going to be getting it back.
Alonso will push to the end, of course, and he made all the right noises after the race, talking about Ferrari “moving in the right direction” and only needing “a little step to compete with Red Bull”.
“Four beautiful races to come with good possibilities for us to fight for the championship,” he said, adding: “Now we need to score seven points more than Sebastian. That will be extremely tough but we believe we can do it.”
Sebastian Vettel won the Korean GP by finishing ahead of team-mate Mark Webber and Ferrari's Fernando Alonso (left). Photo: Reuters
Indeed, a couple of hours after the race, Alonso was quoting samurai warrior-philosophy again on his Twitter account, just as he had in Japan a week before.
"I've never been able to win from start to finish,” he wrote. “I only learned not to be left behind in any situation."
Fighting against the seemingly inevitable is his only option. The facts are that the Ferrari has been slower than the Red Bull in terms of outright pace all year, and there is no reason to suspect anything different in the final four races of the season.
Vettel’s victory in Korea was utterly crushing in the manner of so many of his 11 wins in his dominant 2011 season. The Red Bull has moved on to another level since Singapore and Vettel, as he always does in that position, has gone with it.
Up and down the pit lane, people are questioning how Red Bull have done it, and a lot of attention has fallen on the team’s new ‘double DRS’ system.
This takes an idea introduced in different form by Mercedes at the start the season and, typically of Red Bull’s design genius Adrian Newey, applies it in a more elegant and effective way.
It means that when the DRS overtaking aid is activated – and its use is free in practice and qualifying – the car benefits from a greater drag reduction, and therefore more straight-line speed than its rivals.
Vettel has been at pains to emphasise that this does not help Red Bull in the race, when they can only use the DRS in a specified zone when overtaking other cars. But that’s not the whole story.
The greater drag reduction in qualifying means that the team can run the car with more downforce than they would otherwise be able to – because the ‘double DRS’ means they do not suffer the normal straight-line speed deficit of doing so.
That means the car’s overall lap time is quicker, whether in race or qualifying. So although the Red Bull drivers can’t use the ‘double DRS’ as a lap-time aid in the actual grands prix, they are still benefiting from having it on the car.
And they are not at risk on straights in the race because the extra overall pace, from the greater downforce, means they are far enough ahead of their rivals for them not to be able to challenge them, let alone overtake them. As long as they qualify at the front, anyway.
It’s not all down to the ‘double DRS’, though. McLaren technical director Paddy Lowe said in Korea: “They appear to have made a good step on their car. I doubt that is all down to that system. I doubt if a lot of it is down to that system, actually. You’ll probably find it’s just general development.”
BBC F1 technical analyst Gary Anderson will go into more details on this in his column on Monday. Whatever the reasons for it, though, Red Bull’s rediscovered dominant form means Alonso is in trouble.
While Red Bull have been adding great chunks of performance to their car, Ferrari have been fiddling around with rear-wing design, a relatively small factor in overall car performance.
They have admitted they are struggling with inconsistency between the results they are getting in testing new parts in their wind tunnel and their performance on the track, so it is hard to see how they will close the gap on a Red Bull team still working flat out on their own updates.
The Ferrari has proved adaptable and consistent, delivering strong performances at every race since a major upgrade after the first four grands prix of the year.
But the only time Alonso has had definitively the quickest car is when it has been raining. It is in the wet that he took one of his three wins, and both his poles.
But he cannot realistically expect it to rain in the next three races in Delhi, Abu Dhabi and Austin, Texas. And after that only Brazil remains. So Alonso is effectively hoping for Vettel to hit problems, as he more or less admitted himself on Sunday.
How he must be ruing the bad breaks of those first-corner retirements in Belgium and Japan – even if they did effectively only cancel out Vettel’s two alternator failures in Valencia and Monza.
If anyone had reason on Sunday to regret what might have been, though, it was Lewis Hamilton, who has driven fantastically well all season only to be let down by his McLaren team in one way or another.
Hamilton, his title hopes over, wasted no time in pointing out after the race in Korea that the broken anti-roll bar that dropped him from fourth to 10th was the second suspension failure in as many races, and a broken gearbox robbed him of victory at the previous race in Singapore.
Operational problems in the early races of the season also cost him a big chunk of points.
Hamilton wears his heart on his sleeve, and in one off-the-cuff remark to Finnish television after the race, he revealed a great deal about why he has decided to move to Mercedes next year.
“It’s a day to forget,” Hamilton said. “A year to forget as well. I’m looking forward to a fresh start next year.”
In other words, I’ve had enough of four years of not being good enough, for various reasons, and I might as well try my luck elsewhere.
There was another post-race comment from Hamilton, too, that said an awful lot. “I hope Fernando keeps pushing,” he said.
Hamilton did not reply when asked directly whether that meant he wanted Alonso to win the title. But you can be sure that remark is a reflection of Hamilton’s belief that he is better than Vettel, that only Alonso is his equal.
Whether that is a correct interpretation of the standing of the three best drivers in the world, it will take more than this season to tell.
In the meantime, if Alonso and Ferrari are not to be mistaken in their belief that they still have a chance, “keeping pushing” is exactly what they must do. Like never before.
Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/andrewbenson/2012/10/as_sebastian_vettel_put_down.html
Friday, August 22, 2014
Stefan GP denied entry
Source: http://en.espnf1.com/f1/motorsport/story/10079.html?CMP=OTC-RSS
Exclusive Franz Tost Q&A: FP1 sessions planned for Verstappen
Source: http://www.formula1.com/news/interviews/2014/8/16228.html
Thursday, August 21, 2014
Caterham replace Kobayashi with Lotterer for Belgium
Caterham insist Kobayashi remains part of the team, but believe that Lotterer's experience and feedback will help to improve the performance of the CT05
Source: http://www.formula1.com/news/headlines/2014/8/16217.html
Sochi circuit ‘ready to host Russian Grand Prix’ | F1 Fanatic Round-up
Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/f1fanatic/~3/px8jsm_jcTY/
Wednesday, August 20, 2014
US F1 loses sponsor
Source: http://en.espnf1.com/f1/motorsport/story/9485.html?CMP=OTC-RSS
Tuesday, August 19, 2014
Ricciardo feared early retirement
Source: http://en.espnf1.com/hungary/motorsport/story/169723.html?CMP=OTC-RSS
Eau Rouge may not be flat-out any more – Sutil | 2014 Belgian Grand Prix
Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/f1fanatic/~3/3EBvzLB3vyQ/
Monday, August 18, 2014
Team order rule needs a re-think
Jean Todt arives for Wednesday's hearing |
“Whether you are for or against team orders, if the FIA could not back up its own rules and nail a competitor in a blatant case such as this the rule really does need reviewing. Perhaps Ferrari’s thinly-veiled threat to take the matter to the civil courts if they were punished too harshly scared the governing body, who as much as admitted the flimsiness of its rule."Paul Weaver, reporting for the Guardian in Monza, was in favour of the ruling which keeps alive Ferrari’s slim chances in an enthralling championship.
“The World Motor Sport Council was right not to ruin a compelling Formula One season by taking away the 25 points Alonso collected in Germany. That would have put him out of the five-man title race. But the council was widely expected to increase the fine and possibly deduct points from the team, as opposed to the individual. In the end, it could be argued that common sense prevailed. But the decision will dismay those who were upset by the way Ferrari handled the situation as much as anything else.”The Daily Mail's Jonathan McEvoy expressed outrage at the FIA tearing up its own rule book by allowing Ferrari to escape unpunished.
"Although the race stewards fined them £65,000 for giving team orders in July, the FIA World Motor Sport Council, to whom the matter was referred, decided not to impose any further punishment. It leaves the sport's rulers open to derision. It was, after all, their rule they undermined. In a statement, the WMSC said the regulation banning team orders 'should be reviewed'."
Source: http://blogs.espnf1.com/paperroundf1/archives/2010/09/team_order_rule_needs_a_rethin_1.php
Sunday, August 17, 2014
Time running out for Alonso
As Sebastian Vettel headed down the pit lane after winning the Indian Grand Prix, team-mate Mark Webber's Red Bull behind gave him a couple of little nudges as they headed to their correct parking places.
"I switched off the car," Vettel said. "I was told to park the car under the podium and I couldn't remember where it was from last year and Mark gave me a little bit of a push."
He added that he thought it was his "only mistake" of the day, which sounds about right.
The victory was his fourth in a row, a new achievement for the German despite his domination on the way to the world championship last year, and he has now led every racing lap since Lewis Hamilton's McLaren retired from the lead of the Singapore Grand Prix four races ago.
It also moves Vettel to one win short of the tally of Sir Jackie Stewart. At this rate, Vettel will not only pass the Scot's number of victories before the end of the year but join him as a three-time world champion as well.
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Vettel is still only 13 points ahead of his only remaining realistic rival, Ferrari's Fernando Alonso, which is less than a driver earns for a third place, but it is the scale of Red Bull's current superiority that has led many to suspect the battle is already effectively over.
Vettel was fastest in every practice session in India and took yet another pole position. After the German's crushing wins in Japan and Korea, the only surprise at the Buddh International Circuit was that Red Bull's margin over the rest of the field was smaller than expected in qualifying.
In the race, though, Vettel was completely untouchable.
In the first 20 laps, he was not that much faster than team-mate Mark Webber in second place, and the Australian was being pretty much matched by Alonso.
But then Vettel cut loose, suddenly lapping 0.5 seconds faster than before. Team boss Christian Horner admitted that, not sure about tyre wear, Vettel had simply been measuring his pace in the opening third of the race.
Ferrari and McLaren both appeared to be in better shape after the single pit stops, more comfortable on the 'hard' tyre than the 'soft', but even then it was clear Vettel was in total control.
For the dispassionate observer wanting to see close racing, Red Bull's current form may be depressing, but it is hard not to admire what they have achieved this season.
For the first time in two years, they started the championship without a dominant car, and although they had strong race pace they were struggling to qualify at the front - the position from which they used to crush their opposition in 2011.
But they have worked away diligently at a series of upgrades aimed at allowing them to run the car as they did last year, and the breakthrough came in Singapore.
Further modifications came on stream in Japan and Korea and now Red Bull have a car that on pure pace is out of reach of their rivals.
It is the qualifying pace that is the key - start at the front and you can run in clear air, dictate the pace of the race, and are not affected by the turbulence of other cars. In this position, Vettel is close to unbeatable.
The start of the season, when there were seven different winners in seven races, seems a very long time ago.
Red Bull are a brilliant team, managed without compromise by Christian Horner and led by a genius designer in Adrian Newey, working in perfect harmony with a great driver. In many ways, it is similar to the way Lotus boss Colin Chapman and Jim Clark dominated the mid-1960s.
How they have done it, BBC F1 technical analyst Gary Anderson has expanded on in his column. For now, the problem for their rivals is what to do about it.
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Alonso was as impressive in India as he has been all season, aggressive and inch perfect in the opening laps as he fought past both McLaren drivers, and relentless in his pursuit of Webber for second place.
The fact that the Spaniard passed the Australian was down to a degree of luck, it has to be said. Webber's Kers power-boost system was working only intermittently, and crucially he got held up behind some backmarkers, allowing Alonso to close to within one second - which meant he was within the margin that allows use of the DRS overtaking aid.
Once there, it took only two laps for Alonso to pass Webber, who without Kers, was defenceless on the long straight against a Ferrari with better straight-line speed anyway, and also employing Kers and DRS.
Nevertheless, to even keep the Red Bulls honest was quite an achievement by Alonso - no-one else was even close.
If there is such a thing as a driver 'deserving' the world title more than another, most people in F1 would say Alonso has been the stand-out competitor of the year.
As Lewis Hamilton put it in India: "Fernando unfortunately doesn't have as quick a car as Sebastian; it's nothing to do with his driving skills, that's for sure."
F1, though, is not purely a drivers' championship - he has to have a car, and at the moment Alonso is fighting an unequal battle with inferior equipment.
And in any case, Alonso himself would undoubtedly say that the driver who ends the season with the most points is the deserving champion.
Red Bull are now virtually certain to clinch a third consecutive constructors' title - indeed they seem likely to do so in Abu Dhabi next weekend.
For all Vettel's recent domination, though, in purely mathematical terms the drivers' championship remains wide open.
Thirteen points sounds a decent amount but the margin between Vettel and Alonso is, in F1's old scoring system abandoned only at the end of 2009, the equivalent of less than four points.
One retirement by Vettel, or a marginal improvement in the performance of Ferrari in the final three races, could tip the balance back in Alonso's favour. Time, though, is running out.
Alonso said on Sunday that the team did have improvements due in the next three races, and there was a hint in some of the other things he said over the weekend that the team expect them to amount to something more substantial than Ferrari have introduced for a while.
McLaren sporting director Sam Michael said on Sunday evening: "The performance can swing from one track to the other by a couple of tenths, and that's all there is in it at the moment - 0.2-0.3secs in terms of qualifying.
"And if you can have that performance, from the front row you have a better chance. So even if no-one upgraded their cars there would still be a reasonable chance that people could have a go at them.
"If Ferrari have a competitive car, then obviously Alonso can still do it."
In the context of the overpowering brilliance of Red Bull, though, that is a big if.
Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/andrewbenson/2012/10/time_running_out_for_alonso_in.html
Saturday, August 16, 2014
Exclusive Vijay Mallya Q&A: Force India can catch Williams
Although the team failed to score through either Nico Hulkenberg or Sergio Perez for the first time in 2014 in Hungary, team boss Vijay Mallya is confident his Mercedes-powered squad can continue to take the fight to the Formula One frontrunners
Source: http://www.formula1.com/news/interviews/2014/7/16184.html
F3: Blomqvist dodges rain to set pace
Friday, August 15, 2014
OTHER: Obituary: Martino Finotto 1933-2014
Thursday, August 14, 2014
Williams and Red Bull closing the gap to Mercedes | 2014 F1 season
Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/f1fanatic/~3/1NqtV7tPP4I/
Wednesday, August 13, 2014
Alonso “keeping Ferrari alive” – Andretti | F1 Fanatic Round-up
Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/f1fanatic/~3/15asol34TUE/
Vettel blamed for poor Hockenheim turnout
Source: http://en.espnf1.com/germany/motorsport/story/168575.html?CMP=OTC-RSS
Tuesday, August 12, 2014
'Schumi could return home soon'
Source: http://www.planetf1.com/driver/3370/9390575/-Schumi-could-return-home-soon-
Monday, August 11, 2014
Ferrari engine boss departs
Source: http://www.planetf1.com/driver/3370/9402587/Ferrari-engine-boss-departs
Sunday, August 10, 2014
'The point of no confidence is quite near'
The wreckage of Jochen Rindt's car at Barcelona |
“Colin. I have been racing F1 for 5 years and I have made one mistake (I rammed Chris Amon in Clermont Ferrand) and I had one accident in Zandvoort due to gear selection failure otherwise I managed to stay out of trouble. This situation changed rapidly since I joined your team. “Honestly your cars are so quick that we would still be competitive with a few extra pounds used to make the weakest parts stronger, on top of that I think you ought to spend some time checking what your different employes are doing, I sure the wishbones on the F2 car would have looked different. Please give my suggestions some thought, I can only drive a car in which I have some confidence, and I feel the point of no confidence is quite near.”A little more than a year later Rindt's Lotus suffered mechanical breakdown just before braking into one of the corners. He swerved violently to the left and crashed into a poorly-installed barrier, killing him instantly.
Source: http://blogs.espnf1.com/paperroundf1/archives/2010/09/the_point_of_no_confidence_is.php
Saturday, August 9, 2014
MOTOGP: Edwards set to skip several races
Friday, August 8, 2014
'The point of no confidence is quite near'
The wreckage of Jochen Rindt's car at Barcelona |
“Colin. I have been racing F1 for 5 years and I have made one mistake (I rammed Chris Amon in Clermont Ferrand) and I had one accident in Zandvoort due to gear selection failure otherwise I managed to stay out of trouble. This situation changed rapidly since I joined your team. “Honestly your cars are so quick that we would still be competitive with a few extra pounds used to make the weakest parts stronger, on top of that I think you ought to spend some time checking what your different employes are doing, I sure the wishbones on the F2 car would have looked different. Please give my suggestions some thought, I can only drive a car in which I have some confidence, and I feel the point of no confidence is quite near.”A little more than a year later Rindt's Lotus suffered mechanical breakdown just before braking into one of the corners. He swerved violently to the left and crashed into a poorly-installed barrier, killing him instantly.
Source: http://blogs.espnf1.com/paperroundf1/archives/2010/09/the_point_of_no_confidence_is.php
Thursday, August 7, 2014
Exclusive Vijay Mallya Q&A: Force India can catch Williams
Although the team failed to score through either Nico Hulkenberg or Sergio Perez for the first time in 2014 in Hungary, team boss Vijay Mallya is confident his Mercedes-powered squad can continue to take the fight to the Formula One frontrunners
Source: http://www.formula1.com/news/interviews/2014/7/16184.html
Ecclestone pays £59m to end bribery trial | 2014 F1 season
Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/f1fanatic/~3/EWDtje6Hy3Y/