Friday, February 28, 2014

McLaren drivers out of title race


Is it now a three-way battle for the title? © Getty Images
Fernando Alonso is still the driver in the best position to win the drivers’ title according to the Daily Telegraph’s Tom Cary.
“Focus and concentration will be of paramount importance and there is none stronger in this regard than Ferrari’s Fernando Alonso.”
The Guardian’s Oliver Owen thinks that it is Mark Webber’s title to lose now, and that this may be the Australian’s last realistic chance of winning the title.
“He has driven beautifully. Monaco and Silverstone spring to mind. He has been an uncompromising racer, not giving Vettel or Lewis Hamilton an inch in Turkey and Singapore respectively. Most importantly, he has largely avoided the bouts of brain fade that can wreck a season – his on-track hooning in Melbourne when racing Hamilton being the only exception. But there is a feeling that for Webber it is now or never, that a chance of a tilt at the title may never come again. He is certainly driving as if that is the case and that has been his strength.”
According to The Mirror’s Byron Young, both McLaren drivers are now out of the title hunt after their fourth and fifth place finishes in Suzuka.
“McLaren's title hopes died yesterday in a weekend from Hell at Suzuka. Jenson Button and Lewis Hamilton finished fourth and fifth in a Japanese Grand Prix they had to win to have the remotest chance of keeping their title bid alive."
The Sun’s Michael Spearman was of the same opinion, saying “Lewis Hamilton and Jenson Button's title hopes were in tatters after a shocker in Japan.”

Source: http://blogs.espnf1.com/paperroundf1/archives/2010/10/mclaren_drivers_out_of_title_r_1.php

Karun Chandhok Alain de Changy Colin Chapman

Thursday, February 27, 2014

Kevin Magnussen Q&A: I'm determined to justify McLaren's faith

Despite being a member of McLaren's young driver programme, it was still something of a surprise when Danish rookie Kevin Magnussen was named as Jenson Button's team mate for the 2014 season.

But judging by his timesheet-topping pace at last week's pre-season test in Spain, the 21-year-old is more than ready to step up to Formula One racing, and is determined to make the most of his big opportunity

Source: http://www.formula1.com/news/interviews/2014/2/15463.html

Bob Anderson Conny Andersson Mario Andretti

Monday, February 24, 2014

Ferrari starting to understand the F14 T, says Allison

A

Source: http://adamcooperf1.com/2014/02/24/ferrari-starting-to-understand-the-f14-t-says-allison/

Johnny Cecotto Andrea de Cesaris Francois Cevert

Lewis Hamilton move would not be a huge surprise

If Lewis Hamilton does move to Mercedes from McLaren for next season, as Eddie Jordan believes he will, it would be a massive shock but not a huge surprise.

There has appeared no urgency from either Hamilton or McLaren to sort out a new contract for 2013 and at the same time there have been signs of unease in the relationship.

The 27-year-old's management team have approached all the big teams this summer and they got short shrift from Red Bull and Ferrari.

Mercedes's reaction has been warmer, and negotiations are known to have taken place, but the issue is complicated by Michael Schumacher's situation.

Lewis Hamilton

Lewis Hamilton is on the verge of leaving Mclaren to drive for Mercedes next season. Photo: Getty

Schumacher has not exactly been setting the world on fire this season, with the notable exception of qualifying fastest in Monaco, but at the same time Mercedes cannot be seen to be sacking him because of his status, particularly in Germany.

The German legend is of huge promotional value to Mercedes but the company is split on whether he should continue.

From a marketing point of view, he is a dream - and as he is considered untouchable in Germany any decision to move aside must appear to have come from him.

But those who see the F1 programme from a performance point of view would rather Schumacher stepped down and made way for someone younger and faster.

If they can replace him with someone of the highest calibre - someone such as Hamilton, for example - then that helps, too, as the decision is more easily understandable.

And it is clear after an increasingly uncompetitive season that the team could benefit from employing Hamilton, who is one of F1's 'big three' alongside Fernando Alonso and Sebastian Vettel, neither of whom are available.

The attraction Mercedes might have to Hamilton is less clear, given their current struggles, but perhaps the continuing frustrations of his time at McLaren have convinced him it is time for a change.

McLaren struggled by their own high standards in 2009-11, during which time Hamilton did not have a car competitive enough to mount a full-on title challenge.

They came closest in 2010, but it was always a battle against the generally faster Red Bull and Ferrari.

And although McLaren started this season with the fastest car - and have it again after a brief mid-season dip in form - operational errors earlier in the season hit Hamilton's title bid.

Money may well also be an important factor. Hamilton made some cryptic comments in Belgium last weekend about his future move being a "business decision".

Equally, there have been signs of friction between him and McLaren.

In certain quarters of the team, they are uncomfortable about Hamilton's approach to his job and his mindset. And the disconnect was made public this weekend with his ill-advised behaviour on the social networking site Twitter, on which he posted a picture of confidential team telemetry.

Where does that all leave McLaren, Mercedes and Hamilton? Time will tell.

Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/andrewbenson/2012/09/lewis_hamilton_move_would_not.html

Colin Chapman Dave Charlton Pedro Matos Chaves

Sunday, February 23, 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

Jimmy Bryan Clemar Bucci Ronnie Bucknum

2013 Car Launches: Red Bull present their RB9 challenger at Milton Keynes (+Pictures)

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/F1InsightAFormula1Blog/~3/Zo-tSLBbxaU/2013-car-launches-red-bull-present.html

Frank Dochnal Jose Dolhem Martin Donnelly

Saturday, February 22, 2014

Another problem ends Red Bull's day early

Red Bull has cut another day of testing short after discovering a mechanical issue on the RB10 midway through the day three in Bahrain

Source: http://en.espnf1.com/redbull/motorsport/story/146193.html?CMP=OTC-RSS

Johnny Boyd David Brabham Gary Brabham

Pic joins Lotus as third driver

Lotus have appointed former Caterham and Marussia racer Charles Pic as their third driver for the 2014 season.

The 24-year-old Frenchman, who has 39 Grand Prix starts to his name, will conduct simulator work at the Enstone squad's factory, whilst also providing support at races

Source: http://www.formula1.com/news/headlines/2014/2/15486.html

Zsolt Baumgartner Elie Bayol Don Beauman

Friday, February 21, 2014

NASCAR-Sprint Cup-Federated Auto Parts 400 Lineup

Source: http://www.newsobserver.com/2013/09/06/3170364/nascar-sprint-cup-federated-auto.html

Keith Andrews Elio de Angelis Marco Apicella

Massa fastest for Williams as first test ends in Spain

Williams' Felipe Massa set the pace at Jerez on Friday, as the opening pre-season test of 2014 drew to an intriguing close.

The Brazilian was one of seven drivers - six of them using Mercedes or Ferrari power - to complete more than 50 laps of the Spanish circuit, but once again all three Renault-powered teams were forced to cut their running short because of technical issues

Source: http://www.formula1.com/news/headlines/2014/1/15455.html

Marcel Balsa Lorenzo Bandini Henry Banks

Thursday, February 20, 2014

Schumacher 'still in a waking up process'

Michael Schumacher's management have confirmed that doctors are continuing the process of bringing the seven-time world champion out of his medically-induced coma following his skiing accident in December.

"Michael's family would like to again express their sincere thanks for the continuous sympathy coming from all over the world,” said a statement

Source: http://www.formula1.com/news/headlines/2014/2/15474.html

John Barber Skip Barber Paolo Barilla

INDY: Standing start for Long Beach IndyCar

Long Beach will become the latest IndyCar event to switch to standing starts, the series has confirmed

Source: http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/112573

Rubens Barrichello Michael Bartels Edgar Barth

Wednesday, February 19, 2014

INDY: Plowman back in IndyCar with Foyt

Martin Plowman will make his IndyCar return at Indianapolis Motor Speedway in May after securing a two-race deal to drive a second AJ Foyt Racing entry.

Source: http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/112545

Chris Amon Bob Anderson Conny Andersson

Alonso working 'together' with Raikkonen

Fernando Alonso has stressed he is happy to work alongside Kimi Raikkonen as the Finn returns to Ferrari after a four-year absence...

Source: http://www.planetf1.com/driver/3370/9142574/Alonso-working-together-with-Raikkonen

Tom Bridger Tony Brise Chris Bristow

Tuesday, February 18, 2014

Flashback: F1® racing in January and February

Typically, these days the first two months of the year are reserved for launches and testing, but it hasn't always been that way.

In fact, since 1953 there have been 27 world championship races held in either January or February. We look back over the history of those events

Source: http://www.formula1.com/news/features/2014/2/15478.html

Gary Brabham Jack BrabhamÜ Bill Brack

No need to panic - Ricciardo

Daniel Ricciardo is confident Red Bull can fight back from its disastrous start to pre-season testing so that it is in the running at the first few races of the season

Source: http://en.espnf1.com/redbull/motorsport/story/144101.html?CMP=OTC-RSS

M·rio de Ara˙jo Cabral Frank Armi Chuck Arnold

Sunday, February 16, 2014

Friday, February 14, 2014

Thursday, February 13, 2014

Friday shakedown for new Lotus at Jerez

Having been the only team to miss the opening pre-season test in Spain last week, Lotus will finally give their new car its track debut on Friday when the E22 undergoes a shakedown test as part of a team filming day at Jerez.

Lotus have already released some images of the Renault-powered car, which features a highly unusual, asymmetric split-nose design - one which has garnered much speculation over its legality

Source: http://www.formula1.com/news/headlines/2014/2/15466.html

Adolf Brudes Martin Brundle Gianmaria Bruni

2013 Car Launches: Red Bull present their RB9 challenger at Milton Keynes (+Pictures)

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/F1InsightAFormula1Blog/~3/Zo-tSLBbxaU/2013-car-launches-red-bull-present.html

Jimmy Daywalt JeanDenis Deletraz Patrick Depailler

Wednesday, February 12, 2014

F1: Button: McLaren overhaul will pay off

Jenson Button has faith that Ron Dennis's overhaul of McLaren will pay off, after luring Eric Boullier away from Formula 1 rival Lotus

Source: http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/112483

Conny Andersson Mario Andretti Michael Andretti

'The point of no confidence is quite near'


The wreckage of Jochen Rindt's car at Barcelona © Getty Images
An excellent insight into the world of F1 as it used to be can be found on the regularly-interesting Letters of Note website. It publishes a hitherto unseen letter from Jochen Rindt to Lotus boss Colin Chapman written shortly after Rindt’s crash at Barcelona which was a result of the wing system on Lotus 49 collapsing at speed.
“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

Bill Brack Ernesto Brambilla Vittorio Brambilla

Tuesday, February 11, 2014

Exclusive Q&A with Force India's Sergio Perez

After a season of unexpected struggle at McLaren, Sergio Perez begins a new chapter in his Formula One career this year, lining up at Force India alongside another of the paddock's brightest young talents, Nico Hulkenberg.

So can Perez really progress in 2014, or is he back in a holding pattern as he awaits a true shot at title glory? We spoke to the 23-year-old Mexican to find out

Source: http://www.formula1.com/news/interviews/2014/1/15371.html

Jo Bonnier Roberto Bonomi Juan Manuel Bordeu

Sebastian Vettel Q&A: At least I know the seat fits!

The opening test day of 2014 did not go to plan for Sebastian Vettel and Red Bull, as an unexpected technical glitch kept him in the Jerez garage until the final 15 minutes of the session. Coming to any conclusions about the new RB10 after just three laps is obviously a tough ask, but one thing Vettel was sure of is that racing is going to be very different this season

Source: http://www.formula1.com/news/interviews/2014/1/15434.html

Georges Berger Gerhard Berger Eric Bernard

Monday, February 10, 2014

Massa backs Alonso over Kimi

Felipe Massa believes Fernando Alonso could have the edge over Kimi Raikkonen this season as he is a "very intelligent" driver...

Source: http://www.planetf1.com/driver/3370/9148307/Massa-backs-Alonso-over-Kimi

Mike Beuttler Birabongse Bhanubandh Lucien Bianchi

Force India technical director Andrew Green on the VJM07

Force India stole a march on their rivals on Wednesday when they became the first team to reveal their 2014 car. The Mercedes-powered VJM07 sports a striking new livery, but the real story is the changes that lie beneath the skin, as technical director Andrew Green, explains

Source: http://www.formula1.com/news/interviews/2014/1/15397.html

Andrea de Cesaris Francois Cevert Eugene Chaboud

Saturday, February 8, 2014

Continuity key for Red Bull - Webber

Mark Webber says continuity has been the key to Red Bull's success and doubts poaching staff is a guarantee of improvement

Source: http://en.espnf1.com/redbull/motorsport/story/141109.html?CMP=OTC-RSS

Ian Ashley Gerry Ashmore Bill Aston

Friday shakedown for new Lotus at Jerez

Having been the only team to miss the opening pre-season test in Spain last week, Lotus will finally give their new car its track debut on Friday when the E22 undergoes a shakedown test as part of a team filming day at Jerez.

Lotus have already released some images of the Renault-powered car, which features a highly unusual, asymmetric split-nose design - one which has garnered much speculation over its legality

Source: http://www.formula1.com/news/headlines/2014/2/15466.html

Olivier Beretta Allen Berg Georges Berger

Friday, February 7, 2014

Massa backs Alonso over Kimi

Felipe Massa believes Fernando Alonso could have the edge over Kimi Raikkonen this season as he is a "very intelligent" driver...

Source: http://www.planetf1.com/driver/3370/9148307/Massa-backs-Alonso-over-Kimi

Don Branson Tom Bridger Tony Brise

Exclusive Q&A with Force India's Sergio Perez

After a season of unexpected struggle at McLaren, Sergio Perez begins a new chapter in his Formula One career this year, lining up at Force India alongside another of the paddock's brightest young talents, Nico Hulkenberg.

So can Perez really progress in 2014, or is he back in a holding pattern as he awaits a true shot at title glory? We spoke to the 23-year-old Mexican to find out

Source: http://www.formula1.com/news/interviews/2014/1/15371.html

Allen Berg Georges Berger Gerhard Berger

Thursday, February 6, 2014

Red Bull to launch at Jerez

Red Bull has announced that its 2014 car will be unveiled for the first time at the Jerez test

Source: http://en.espnf1.com/redbull/motorsport/story/141895.html?CMP=OTC-RSS

Birabongse Bhanubandh Lucien Bianchi Gino Bianco

Hamilton's tough decision

Since BBC Sport chief analyst Eddie Jordan reported on this website last week that Lewis Hamilton was on the verge of switching to Mercedes from McLaren next year, Formula 1 has been awash with speculation about the 2008 world champion's future.

McLaren did their best at last weekend's Italian Grand Prix to dismiss the story - team boss Martin Whitmarsh even joked: "Any sentence that begins, 'Eddie Jordan understands' is immediately questionable, isn't it?"

But it was noticeable that not only did McLaren not deny the story was true, they said very little to suggest Hamilton was staying with them.

From Whitmarsh, it was: "Lewis and his management have made their position clear to us", "my understanding is we're talking to him" and "I'm pretty convinced we will have a very good, competitive driving line-up next year."

None of which translates as "Hamilton is staying".

From second left - Lewis Hamilton, Martin Whitmarsh, Jenson Button

Hamilton was triumphant at Monza, but how many more races will he win with McLaren? Photo: Getty

As for the doubts cast on the veracity of the story, the source is strong and credible, and the core information - that Hamilton has agreed terms on a contract with Mercedes for next year - is based in fact.

That does not necessarily mean Hamilton will move but it does mean he is thinking about it seriously. And you can make what you will of his downbeat behaviour throughout the Monza weekend - even after he won the race.

In the paddock, the general view was that a move would be a mistake - but it is a much more complicated decision than that.

Firstly, McLaren have undoubtedly been more competitive than Mercedes in the last three years. Between them, Hamilton and team-mate Jenson Button have won 16 races since the start of 2010; Mercedes only one, with Nico Rosberg in China this season.

Over an extended period, McLaren have a winning pedigree beyond that of any other team. Only Ferrari have won more grands prix, and they have been in F1 for 16 years longer.

Hamilton, who has been nurtured by the team since he was 13, says: "I want to win." On pure performance, there's only one choice, right?

In F1, things are rarely that simple.

Yes, McLaren usually have a good car, but until this year it had been a long time since they had unquestionably the best.

It was close with Ferrari in 2007-8, although hindsight would suggest now that the McLaren was probably not quite as good then. In which case, you probably have to go back to 2005 to find the last time McLaren had conclusively the fastest car in F1.

This is known to have irked Hamilton in 2010-11, and played some part in the cocktail of issues that led to his difficult season last year, when his frustration at the car's inability to compete for the title and problems with his family and his girlfriend led to what he admitted was his worst season in the sport.

That all changed this season. The McLaren is again setting the pace. But a series of operational problems in the opening races badly affected Hamilton, costing him 40 points. Add those points to his current total and he would be leading Ferrari's Fernando Alonso, not trailing him by a win and a fourth place.

Hamilton has done well to disguise his disappointment publicly, but it was around this time that his management started approaching McLaren's rivals about job opportunities.

On top of that, McLaren are entering an uncertain period. For the first time next year, they will have to pay for their Mercedes engines - that's in the region of eight million euros they cannot spend on the performance of the car unless they find it from other sources.

Tied in with this is the question of salary. McLaren have made it clear they cannot afford Hamilton at any price. The word is they have offered him a cut in money for next season, on the basis that they cannot afford anything more. This might be offset by other compromises, such as over PR appearances, flights and so on.

Already on about half of what Alonso earns at Ferrari, one can imagine how that has gone down with Hamilton - especially as McLaren's portfolio of sponsors makes it very difficult for a driver to do personal deals elsewhere to top up his earnings. That's because almost anywhere he looks there's a clash with a company that has links with McLaren.

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Meanwhile, Mercedes are by definition a "works" team with factory engines, have the might of an automotive giant behind them. They can pay Hamilton a lot more than his current salary - believed to be about £13m - if they want to. And at Mercedes there is also a lot more freedom for a driver to do personal sponsorship deals.

The funding for Mercedes' F1 team comes entirely from external sponsors - and the budget is reputedly significantly less than enjoyed by Red Bull and Ferrari. But it is underwritten by the parent company so even if there is a sponsorship shortfall it doesn't affect the team.

Performance-wise, the team that is now Mercedes actually won the world title more recently than McLaren, when they were Brawn in 2009. Ironically, the man who won it was Button. His success - and what he interpreted as the team's ambivalence about him staying - led to him moving to McLaren.

Admittedly, Brawn's success in 2009 was tainted by the row over double-diffusers that clouded that season. Once everyone had them, the car was no longer as competitive as it had been.

Mercedes have certainly been under-performing since then, but that can at least partly be explained by the fact that Brawn, facing serious financial problems, slashed their staff by 40% in 2009. As Mercedes, they have been slowly building levels up again.

The pressure on the team to up their game is massive - hence the huge investment in terms of staffing and resources in the last 18 months or so.

And while they are a long way behind McLaren this season, they are on an upward trend, even if it is significantly slower than either the team or the Mercedes board would like.

Equally, few in F1 would disagree that Hamilton is one of the three best drivers in the world, alongside Alonso and Sebastian Vettel. Mercedes don't have any of them.

It's impossible to know how much faster the car would go in their hands than it has done so far in those of Rosberg and Michael Schumacher. Some might argue not at all. But, that's not how Hamilton, who raced and beat Rosberg in their formative years, will look at it.

Add all that up, and the decision doesn't seem so easy after all.

Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/andrewbenson/2012/09/hamiltons_tough_decision.html

David Clapham Jim ClarkÜ Kevin Cogan

Wednesday, February 5, 2014

Cool, canny Alonso seems to have all the answers

The remarkable story of Fernando Alonso and Ferrari's incredible season continued at the German Grand Prix as the Spaniard became the first man to win three races in 2012 and moved into an imposing lead in the world championship.

Those three victories have all been very different, but equally impressive. And each has demonstrated specific aspects of the formidable army of Alonso's talents.

In Malaysia in the second race of the season, at a time when the Ferrari was not competitive in the dry, he grabbed the opportunity provided by rain to take a most unexpected first win.

In Valencia last month, it was Alonso's opportunism and clinical overtaking abilities that were to the fore.

Fernando Alonso tops the podium in Hockenheim

Other drivers may wonder how to stop Alonso's relentless drive to a third title. Photo: Getty

And in Germany on Sunday his victory was founded on his relentlessness, canniness and virtual imperviousness to pressure.

Ferrari, lest we forget, started the season with a car that was the best part of a second and a half off the pace. Their progress since then has been hugely impressive.

But vastly improved though the car is, it was not, as Alonso himself, his team boss Stefano Domenicali and Red Bull's Sebastian Vettel all pointed out after the race on Sunday, the fastest car in Germany.

Vettel's Red Bull - which finished second but was demoted to fifth for passing Jenson Button by going off the track - and the McLaren appeared to have a slight pace advantage over the Ferrari, given their ability to stay within a second of it for lap after lap.

But Alonso cleverly managed his race so he was always just out of reach of them when it mattered.

He pushed hard in the first sector every lap so he was always far enough ahead at the start of the DRS overtaking zone to ensure his pursuers were not quite close enough to try to pass him into the Turn 6 hairpin.

After that, he could afford to back off through the middle sector of the lap, taking the stress out of his tyres, before doing it all over again the next time around.

Managing the delicate Pirelli tyres in this way also meant he could push that bit harder in the laps immediately preceding his two pit stops and ensure he kept his lead through them.

Equally, he showed the presence of mind to realise when Lewis Hamilton unlapped himself on Vettel shortly before the second stops that if he could, unlike the Red Bull driver, keep Hamilton behind, it would give him a crucial advantage at the stop.

It was not quite "67 qualifying laps", as Domenicali described it after the race, but it was certainly a masterful demonstration of control and intelligence.

And there was no arguing with another of the Italian's post-race verdicts. "(Alonso) is at the peak of his personal performance, no doubt about it," Domenicali said.

It was the 30th victory of Alonso's career, and he is now only one behind Nigel Mansell in the all-time winners' list. The way he is driving, he will surely move ahead of the Englishman into fourth place behind Michael Schumacher, Alain Prost and Ayrton Senna before the end of the year.

At the halfway point of the season, Alonso now looks down on his pursuers in the championship from the lofty vantage point of a 34-point advantage.

That is not, as Red Bull team principal Christian Horner correctly pointed out in Germany, "insurmountable" with 10 races still to go and 250 points up for grabs. But catching him when he is driving as well as this will take some doing.

Alonso is clearly enjoying the situation, and is taking opportunities to rub his rivals' noses in it a little.

He is not the only driver to have been wound up by the index-finger salute Vettel employed every time he took one of his 11 wins and 15 pole positions on the way to the title last year.

So it was amusing to see Alonso do the same thing after he had beaten the German to pole position at Vettel's home race on Saturday.

The exchange between Alonso, Button and Vettel as they climbed out of their cars immediately after the race was also illuminating.

After standing on his Ferrari's nose to milk the applause, Alonso turned to Button and said: "You couldn't beat me?" He then pointed to Vettel and said: "He couldn't either."

All part of the game, but a little reminder to both men of what a formidable job Alonso is doing this season.

The race underlined how close the performance is between the top three teams this year.

Red Bull had a shaky start to the season by their standards - although to nowhere near the extent of Ferrari - but have had on balance the fastest car in the dry since the Bahrain Grand Prix back in April.

And while McLaren have had a shaky couple of races in Valencia and Silverstone, they showed potential race-winning pace in Germany following the introduction of a major upgrade.

Despite a car damaged when he suffered an early puncture on debris left from a first-corner shunt ironically involving Alonso's team-mate Felipe Massa, Hamilton was able to run with the leaders before his retirement with gearbox damage.

And Button impressively fought his way up to second place from sixth on the grid, closing a five-second gap on Alonso and Vettel once he was into third place.

This has not been Button's greatest season, as he would be the first to admit.

Germany was the first race at which he has outqualified Hamilton in 2012 and even that may well have been down to the different tyre strategies they ran in qualifying.

Nevertheless, he remains a world-class grand prix driver and Germany proved the folly of those who had written him off after his recent struggles.

And despite Alonso's lead in the championship, the season is finely poised.

Germany was a low-key race for Mark Webber, who was unhappy with his car on the harder of the two tyres but remains second in the championship. And Red Bull's two drivers clearly have the equipment to make life difficult for Alonso.

The McLaren drivers are determined to make something of their season still and Lotus are quick enough to cause the three big teams some serious concern.

Mercedes, meanwhile, have a bit of work to do to turn around their tendency to qualify reasonably well and then go backwards in the race.

"It's going to be a great, great season," said McLaren boss Martin Whitmarsh on Sunday. "It already has been a great season."

And the next instalment is already less than seven days away in Hungary next weekend.

Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/andrewbenson/2012/07/cool_canny_alonso_looks_diffic.html

Ivan Capelli Piero Carini Duane Carter

New Formula One documentary to be unveiled in Austin, entitled ‘1’

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/F1InsightAFormula1Blog/~3/DGbPqlc_1CI/new-formula-one-documentary-to-be.html

Rubens Barrichello Michael Bartels Edgar Barth

Tuesday, February 4, 2014

Kamui Kobayashi Q&A: It's great to be back

After being dropped by Sauber at the end of 2012, fan favourite Kamui Kobayashi spent a year away racing sportscars with Ferrari. Now, thanks in no small part to the financial generosity of his loyal supporters, he's back on the grid with Caterham. Of course, the 2014 rule changes mean this year's cars are a world apart from the F1 machines he drove last time out. So what's Kobayashi's verdict after the first pre-season test

Source: http://www.formula1.com/news/interviews/2014/1/15457.html

Mark Blundell Raul Boesel Menato Boffa

Vettel's second day cut short

Sebastian Vettel's second day of testing came to an early end on Tuesday after an "energy store issue" with his Red Bull in the afternoon

Source: http://en.espnf1.com/redbull/motorsport/story/143529.html?CMP=OTC-RSS

Jorge Daponte Anthony Davidson Jimmy Davies

Sunday, February 2, 2014

Kamui Kobayashi Q&A: It's great to be back

After being dropped by Sauber at the end of 2012, fan favourite Kamui Kobayashi spent a year away racing sportscars with Ferrari. Now, thanks in no small part to the financial generosity of his loyal supporters, he's back on the grid with Caterham. Of course, the 2014 rule changes mean this year's cars are a world apart from the F1 machines he drove last time out. So what's Kobayashi's verdict after the first pre-season test

Source: http://www.formula1.com/news/interviews/2014/1/15457.html

Henry Banks Fabrizio Barbazza John Barber

F1: Red Bull ends Jerez test early

Red Bull called an early end to its troubled week of Formula 1 testing at Jerez in Spain on Friday.

Source: http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/112375

Luiz Bueno Ian Burgess Luciano Burti