F1 2011 - The half-term report

IT IS the halfway point in F1 2011, so it’s time for me to assess how some of the drivers have done in the first ten races;

Sebastian Vettel (1^st in the world championship, 216 points – BEST FINISH: 1^st on six occasions

This season, there can be no doubt that Sebastian Vettel tops the class.  Six victories, seven pole positions and over 70 per cent of laps led so far have shown that he has destroyed the opposition on a regular basis so far.  His win in Turkey, considering he missed all of Friday, due to a practice crash showed how awesome he is at the front of the field.  Sunday’s performance at the Nurburgring was below par, but everyone has a bad weekend during any Grand Prix season.  Sebastian probably needs to still shake off the tag of struggling to race in the pack, but great strategy, sensational one lap ability and a reliable car means it will take a miracle for him to be denied a second championship.

GRADE: A+ (An almost flawless campaign so far, he deserves to be where he is)

Lewis Hamilton (3^rd in the world championship, 134 points – BEST FINISH: 1^st in China, Germany)

Lewis Hamilton has had an inconsistent season so far and for his talents, some of his results have been very disappointing.  Considering where McLaren looked in winter testing, third at halfway point is not bad, but Lewis wants more and at times, has overdriven the car.  Run-ins with Felipe Massa and Pastor Maldonado in Monaco; team-mate Jenson Button in Canada, it has either been silly mistakes or masterful drives in 2011 and nothing in-between.  His comments about the race stewards in Monaco didn’t go down very well either and his relationship with McLaren might be permanently damaged after ‘that’ meeting with Christian Horner in Canada.  Nevertheless, the victories in China and Germany showed us why we love Lewis; for his natural aggression and the ability to outperform the machinery he has at his disposal. 

GRADE: A- (Calm it down Lewis, you have shown what you are capable of)

Mark Webber (2^nd in the world championship, 139 points – BEST FINISH: 2^nd in Turkey)

Mark Webber is under pressure this season, especially as he is now definitely playing second fiddle in the Red Bull camp.  At times, he has shown his hard-charging determination and his fightback from 18^th on the grid to a podium finish in China is testimony to that.  He has consistently finished on the podium of late, but no wins in nearly a year tells its own story.  Sometimes, he can just disappear into thin air, as the races in Australia and Spain would highlight.  Considering he is in the best equipment, Mark should have won races by now, so although there is consistency, the extra edge is missing at the moment.  He knows he has it, but the question is, can he deliver it before the season’s end.

GRADE: B+ (Gradual improvements during the year – but needs to start winning soon)

 

Felipe Massa (6^th in the world championship, 62 points – BEST FINISH: 5^th in Malaysia)

Felipe Massa had a lacklustre start to the season, with a terrible opening weekend in Melbourne.  He only just made Q3 and finished an entire minute behind team-mate Fernando Alonso.  His performance in Turkey was erratic too, especially on a circuit where he has ruled before and the Spanish Grand Prix weekend was an unmitigated disaster.  However, he is a reliable foil for Fernando and on occasion, such as China and Canada, can outperform his ace team-mate.  The results haven’t quite been upto scratch, and that will need work in the second half of the season, especially as Fernando will need his help if he stands any remote chance of a shock comeback.

GRADE: B- (Shown flashes of the old Felipe, but not enough to prove he can win races again)

Vitaly Petrov (9^th in the world championship, 32 points – BEST FINISH: 3^rd in Australia)

The season couldn’t have started any better for Vitaly, as he secured a popular podium finish in the Australian Grand Prix.  Since then, he has struggled to deliver high-profile results, but that is down to the Renault’s lack of development rather than the driver failing to live upto standards.  Fifth in Canada and eighth in Turkey were days when Petrov made the most of a day when others struggled.  Valencia and Silverstone aside, he has threatened points on every weekend and with a better car and more support from a higher scoring team-mate, would achieve far more than his points tally suggests.

GRADE: B+ (A pleasant surprise so far – totally written off those critics he had last term)

Fernando Alonso (4^th in the world championship, 130 points – BEST FINISH: 1^st in Britain)

Personally, I think Fernando is driving the best he has ever done in his career.  Time and again, he has dragged even more than what the Ferrari is capable of.  Not once has he shown his general frustrations this season, even after being lapped in Barcelona having led the first 20 laps of his home event.  His success at Silverstone was fully deserved and second place finishes in Monaco and at the Nurburgring show the fire is still well and truly burning brightly.  Alonso will win another title, especially now he is tied down long-term to Ferrari, but Vettel’s sheer pace means that the wait will have to go on a bit longer.

GRADE: A (With better machinery, he would have given Vettel a run all season)

Nick Heidfeld (8^th in the world championship, 34 points – BEST FINISH: 3^rd in Malaysia)

Things didn’t start well for Robert Kubica’s replacement, as major KERS problems left him down in 13^th in Australia.  It looked much better after a brilliant Malaysia weekend, which saw Nick in the top six, run second in the first stint and end up on the podium.  However, he has failed to deliver on that promise.  He has shown a real lack of pace in qualifying and it has really hurt race efforts.  Despite being a consistent point’s finisher, he hasn’t set the world alight.  With Kubica recovering well, plus the likes of Bruno Senna and Romain Grosjean pushing hard, Nick might as well begin looking around for other motorsport employment next season.

GRADE: C+ (A lacklustre campaign from Mr. Reliable, must do better!)

Rubens Barrichello (16^th in the world championship, 4 points – BEST FINISH: 9^th in Monaco)

He has started over 300 races, but perhaps the time has come for Rubens Barrichello to hang up his helmet and make a gracious exit from the sport he still truly loves.  The 2011 Williams is not a good car and his frustrations at times this season have shown, especially as the car has been unreliable too.  It might not be his decision either, especially if Williams continue to require money from drivers for the seats.  Pastor Maldonado has embarrassed him in qualifying too frequently and although he bought home valuable points in Monaco and Canada, the spark seems to have gone. 

GRADE: D (Going out with a whimper, don’t make the same mistake as many others Rubens!)

Michael Schumacher (10^th in the world championship, 32 points – BEST FINISH: 4^th in Canada)

After a shambolic season opener in Melbourne, Michael has shown flashes of the man we love best.  His drive in Canada reminded us of the glory days and he was desperately unlucky not to get a rostrum.  Like the Williams, he has been severely limited by his machinery this season, but the scrapes he has had with Jaime Alguesuari in Melbourne, Vitaly Petrov in Turkey and Kamur Kobayashi at Silverstone suggest that his judgement is not the same as it was.  He needs more days like Montreal if he doesn’t want to get the label of the ‘worst comeback’ ever!

GRADE: C- (Willing to improve the car, must start beating Rosberg on a regular basis)

Kamur Kobayashi (11^th in the world championship, 27 points – BEST FINISH: 5^th in Monaco)

Kamur Kobayashi is the hottest and greatest racing driver to have ever come out of Japan.  His thrilling attitude towards overtaking has meant that there is never a dull moment when he is around.  Sauber have given him a much better chassis this season and Kamur is starting to produce a string of strong, consistent results.  His enthusiasm for the sport can’t be questioned, especially considering the tough times his country has faced following the devastating tsunami only weeks before the season’s beginning.  Only his qualifying needs to be worked on, but a shrewd team leader he is turning out to be.

GRADE: B- (Great season so far, with few errors of judgement)

Paul di Resta (17^th in the world championship, 2 points – BEST FINISH: 10^th in Australia)

The ability to beat your team-mate on a regular basis makes you a hot property and that certainly is what Paul di Resta is.  He has left Adrian Sutil trailing in his wake at Force India this season and only Valencia and Nurburgring was he significantly outpaced by the German.  However, Paul needs to cut down on the clumsy manoeuvres he is making in races.  He missed out on point’s opportunities in Monaco and Canada by attempting almost impossible overtakes.  With Mercedes chasing after his services long-term, Paul has earnt his right to stay in F1 for the long-term.

GRADE: C+ (Shows great potential, but needs to stay out of trouble more often) 

Jarno Trulli (19^th in the world championship, 0 points – BEST FINISH: 13^th in Australia and Monaco)

Jarno Trulli was dropped from the Team Lotus squad for last weekend’s race and is not hard to see why.  The Italian has been smashed by his team-mate Heikki Kovalainen and continues to complain about the lack of power steering available to his disposal.  Lotus has a new system for him this weekend, so there can now be no excuses.

GRADE: E (Time to move over for the younger generation)

Sebastian Buemi (15^th in the world championship, 8 points – BEST FINISH: 8^th in Australia)

Until Nurburgring, Sebastian Buemi had put in a very good showing in all the races this season.  The Toro Rosso has struggled again this season, but is more firmly in the midfield and four point’s finishes show that Buemi is no slouch in the car.  He has had the measure of Jaime Alguesuari for most of the season and can surely look forward to another season at Toro Rosso next year.

GRADE: C+ (Significant improvements on last year’s horror show)

Adrian Sutil (12^th in the world championship, 18 points – BEST FINISH: 6^th in Germany)

Having been outpaced for large periods this season by Paul di Resta, Adrian has to make massive improvements in the second half of the season.  He threw away points in Canada with some clumsy mistakes and when he has finished races, the team’s strategy has often cost him points.  Nevertheless, he did well to bag some useful points in both Monaco and last Sunday in Germany and although his stock has dropped, the quality on his day is still there.  Considering criminal charges for a nightclub incident in China hang over him, Adrian is doing well to get on with the job in hand.

GRADE: C- (More needed, especially on a Saturday afternoon)

Jenson Button (5^th in the world championship, 109 points – BEST FINISH: 1^st in Canada)

Bad luck has got in the way of Jenson Button in the last few races and that’s a shame, because he has a very good season so far.  Surprisingly, he hasn’t quite managed to get the best out of the new Pirelli tyres, but he won in such brilliant fashion in Canada against all the odds.  He should have won Monaco too and a flying second place in Malaysia proves just why Button is world champion quality.  Saturday’s have been a struggle though and it has just given him far too much to do on too many occasions.

GRADE: B+ (Outstanding on Sundays, too average on Saturdays)

Sergio Perez (14^th in the world championship, 8 points – BEST FINISH: 7^th in Britain)

Although his first campaign will sadly be remembered for the horrific qualifying crash in Monaco, Sergio Perez has proven that Mexico has Got Talent!  Perez’s ability to keep his Pirelli tyres durable has seriously impressed me.  He lost a stunning seventh place in Melbourne to a technical infringement, but has made up for it with strong points results in Spain and at Silverstone.  Sergio is the rookie of the year so far.

GRADE: B- (Able to handle the pressure of Grand Prix racing extremely well)

Vitantonio Liuzzi (20^th in the world championship, 0 points – BEST FINISH: 13^th in Canada)

Tonio has got on with it this season, considering he has a pig of a car to drive.  He has more than matched the Virgin cars this term and although his best years have gone, it’s good to see him outperforming his equipment.  It’s such a shame it took too long to deliver.

GRADE: C (A good effort in rubbish machinery)

2011 British Grand Prix - Flying Fernando charges to British glory

DROUGHT: Ended today by a brilliant Alonso drive at Silverstone

QUICKER pace around the pitstops enabled Fernando Alonso and Ferrari to end their victory drought today.  The double world champion took his first win since last year’s Korean Grand Prix at Silverstone, benefiting from changes to the blowing off-air gases within the exhaust systems on the cars and upgrades on his Ferrari.  However, Sebastian Vettel still finished second to extend his championship lead to 80 points over his nearest challengers.

     The Formula One paddock arrived at Silverstone to greet the new pits and paddock complex.  ‘The Wing’ certainly was the perfect new modern facility for the home of British motorsport and with the typical British summer weather; everyone was greeted to changeable conditions all weekend.  Friday’s practice sessions were a washout, and both qualifying and the race were affected by brief rain showers. 

LEAD: Red Bull led the early stages, but they didn't win this time

     The damp circuit around the old start-finish straight meant that all the drivers took no risks and started on intermediate tyres.  Pole sitter Mark Webber lost his lead immediately with a poor getaway and this allowed runaway championship leader Vettel to blast into an immediate lead.  In the early stages, Lewis Hamilton wowed the home crowd with some smooth passes which saw him jump up from a disappointing tenth on the grid into fifth place by the end of the second lap.  The track began to rapidly dry out and with Michael Schumacher setting fastest sector times on dry tyres, the intermediates soon wore out and everyone pitted.  Schumacher didn’t help himself by losing his nosecone against Kamur Kobayashi’s Sauber at Brooklands, which resulted in a ten second stop-go penalty.

     At this stage of the grand prix, Vettel has things under control and the McLaren’s seemed to have more pace than the Ferrari’s.  Jenson Button, who had been at sea on intermediate tyres, pulled off an unbelievable overtake on Felipe Massa around the outside of Stowe corner.  A lap later, Hamilton achieved a similar and braver pass on Alonso into Copse to take third place.  However, Alonso’s pace picked up and he stayed out longer whilst others pitted.  He was helped by two poor Red Bull pitstops which allowed the Spaniard to jump into the lead.  Vettel was delayed by a KERS issue and a problem on the rear jack at his second stop, which relegated him to third behind Hamilton.

     For the next phase of the Grand Prix, Alonso showed searing pace and opened up an 11 second cushion over Hamilton, who did everything he could to hold off a much quicker Vettel.  However, Sebastian used the undercut, by pitting a lap earlier to regain second place.  Button would have been right in the mix too, but his left front mechanic dropped the wheel gun at his final stop.  His chief mechanic waved him away, but the wheel was clearly loose as he left the pits.  Wisely, Jenson stopped on the grass; bitterly disappointed to miss out on a podium attempt again at his home Grand Prix at the 12^th attempt of asking.  McLaren’s race began to unravel as Hamilton was told that he had to seriously conserve fuel in the final stage of the race to get to the chequered flag.  He had little alternative but to cede position to Webber, and it sent the race into two thrilling battles in the closing stages.

     Webber zeroed in on Vettel and ignored team instructions on four separate occasions to ‘maintain the gap!’  He attacked Vettel all the way to the finish and afterwards, his body language at being told over the radio to play second fiddle to his team-mate by Christian Horner spoke volumes.  A few seconds later, Massa went around the outside of Hamilton into the final Club corner and contact was made, damaging the McLaren’s front wing.  However, Lewis kept the inside line into Vale and as Felipe got a snap of oversteer out of the final corner, it allowed Hamilton the chance to keep his fourth place finish in a dramatic conclusion.  However, it was Alonso who took the top prize; his second British GP success (he won in 2006 for Renault) and his 27^th win of all-time, putting him level with Sir Jackie Stewart in the list.

     Behind the first five, Nico Rosberg and Sergio Perez had a race long tussle, with Rosberg coming out on top for sixth place.  Perez did extremely well, as he only made two pitstops and only just beat the pitlane exit at the start of the race after spinning off on the way to the grid.  Nick Heidfeld did well to finish eighth on a dire weekend for Renault, where the cars were miles off the pace.  Schumacher recovered to ninth and Jaime Alguesuari continued his revival with a third consecutive points scoring finish.  For Paul di Resta, it was another race of missed opportunities.  Having started sixth, he looked good for seventh before a mix-up over tyres at his pitstop and a clash with Sebastian Buemi damaged his front wing and eliminated the Toro Rosso driver.  The Scot finished 15^th. 

     For the first time this season, Red Bull were beaten on the day by a far superior package, rather than mistakes and strategy and although the championship battle is all over bar the shouting, everyone has seen today that Ferrari and Fernando Alonso now have a race winning package for the rest of the season.  The Scuderia will be hoping to continue their revival at the Nurburgring in a fortnight’s time.

2011 Canadian Grand Prix - Barnstorming Button earns epic win

A RARE error by the invincible Sebastian Vettel on the last lap handed Jenson Button a brilliant victory at the Canadian Grand Prix.  Button recovered from clashes with team-mate Lewis Hamilton and Fernando Alonso during the four hour epic to record a sensational victory for McLaren in Montreal last night.  His searing pace on slick tyres, on an ever-drying track was the key to the 2009 world champion securing his first victory since China 2010.  Vettel still finished second to increase his championship lead, with Mark Webber coming home in third to notch up another double podium result for Red Bull Racing.

TOUCH: McLaren drivers connect, ending Hamilton's chances

     The race nearly ended in disaster for McLaren, as their two British drivers unbelievably collided on lap eight of the race.  Following a Safety Car start, due to the inclement weather conditions, Lewis Hamilton was already behind Button, after he spun Webber around on the restart at the first bend.  Button got out of shape in the final chicane, allowing Hamilton the opportunity to pull alongside on the finishing straight.  However, an oblivious Jenson moved across to take his normal racing line and the pair contacted, with Hamilton hitting the pitwall and Button.  Lewis was out with damage to his rear suspension, which is a surely the final nail in the coffin of his already slim world championship hopes.

     After a drive-through penalty for exceeding the Safety Car speed limit, Button moved onto intermediate tyres and for a while, it seemed to be the right lottery ticket.  His ability to overtake cars in the midfield had several drivers including Alonso, to be triggered into making the switch.  However, it was a liable move, as a rainstorm of biblical proportions, more akin to Malaysia than Montreal, doused the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve on lap 18.  After five slow circuits behind the pace car, race director Charlie Whiting suspended the race until conditions drastically improved.  In fact, they got worse, and there was immense frustration for the millions of television viewers, drivers and celebrity fans, including Rihanna, who could only wait for the show to get going again.

     Two hours, ten minutes later and the track looked to be in a racing state and following five more Safety Car laps, racing resumed.  Vettel led Kamur Kobayashi’s Sauber and the Ferrari of Felipe Massa.  Massa’s team-mate Alonso had to queue for intermediate tyres when proper racing got underway again, and seconds later, the Spaniard was out of the race.  He didn’t see a faster Button on the inside of turn three, turned in and contact was inevitable.  Alonso ended up beached on the kerb to record his first DNF since Spa last August, whilst Jenson had to tour back to the pits with a puncture.  Behind another Safety Car, it left the Brit 21^st and dead last, and with half the race already gone, his awful afternoon so far looked completed.

     However, he took the brave decision to move onto slick tyres quicker than most of the frontrunners.  Adrian Sutil was the guinea pig, but he whacked his Force India into the barriers, so Button benefited the most and flew up the order as the rest had to pit for suitable rubber.  All of the sudden, Jenson was an amazing fourth behind another Safety Car, with just Vettel, Michael Schumacher’s Mercedes and Webber ahead of him.  Massa had taken himself out of contention by spinning into the wall whilst lapping the Hispania of Vitantonio Liuzzi, and Nick Heidfeld had clipped Kobayashi in turn two, then made a spectacular exit seconds later, as his damaged Renault front wing collapsed under braking for turn three.  The debris from his car meant a sixth Safety Car period of the afternoon.  Kobayashi’s podium chances were already ruined as he stayed out the longest on worn intermediate tyres.

     So, we were set up for the grandstand finish that everyone had been deprived of in Monaco.  Vettel pulled away with ten laps remaining, whilst Schumacher, Webber and Button got locked into an intense scrap for second spot.  Without DRS, Schumacher was powerless to resist the faster Red Bull and McLaren driver, despite his best efforts.  Before having to give way, Webber had a moment out of the final chicane on some damp track and nearly wiped Button out.  

STUNNER: Button's wide smile said it all on the podium

     Clear of those two drivers, Button hunted down Vettel, lapping some two seconds faster than the German.  On the final tour, Sebastian put a wheel on a damp patch in turn six, nearly spun his Red Bull and Button flashed by in an instant to record his greatest Grand Prix success so far.  His reaction afterwards could tell everyone how thrilled he was and Vettel’s reaction on the podium spoke volumes.

     Schumacher produced the best drive of his failed comeback so far, and deserved a podium for his efforts.  Fourth is still Mercedes GP’s best result of the season.  There was more drama on the last lap, as Massa pipped Kobayashi right on the line to wind up a frustrated sixth and seventh.  Ahead of them, Vitaly Petrov stayed out of trouble to record a solid fifth place result for Renault.  Jaime Alguesuari produced a career-saving performance to come home eighth, the best finish of his career.  As in Monaco a fortnight ago, Rubens Barrichello and Sebastian Buemi completed the point’s scorers.  There was immense frustration for Paul di Resta, who looked good for fifth place at one point.  However, a botched overtaking attempt on Heidfeld at the final chicane left the young Scot with a damaged front wing, a drive-through penalty and a late retirement with suspension problems.

     The Canadian Grand Prix was a race full of drama and produced one of the best comebacks ever seen in the history of the sport.  Sebastian Vettel can be beaten, and it has now been proven.  On a bad weekend for British drivers, with Allan McNish’s horror Le Mans crash and Hamilton’s messy afternoon, Jenson Button survived his own mess to produce a fantastic result.  Valencia in a fortnight’s time will do well to serve up half the excitement Montreal managed to produce.

F1 2011 preview (Part 2)

THE new Formula One season begins this weekend, two weeks later than initially planned.  The Australian Grand Prix takes over the mantelpiece of the F1 opener, after Bahrain’s cancellation, following the current unrest in the Middle East.  With another big shake-up in the rules, another new race in India to look forward to and a rather stable driver market this time around, 2011 can beat the drama of 2010.  Can Sebastian Vettel defend his title?  Will Fernando Alonso bounce back from last year’s Abu Dhabi heartbreak?  How will Renault fare without Robert Kubica?  Is Michael Schumacher going to prove his critics wrong?  Have McLaren been sandbagging in testing?  All the talking stops this weekend in Albert Park, so here’s the inside guide.  

Force India Mercedes

14           Adrian Sutil (GER)

15           Paul di Resta (BRI)

As 2010 continued, Force India dropped down the pecking order and 2011 could turn into a very tough one for the Silverstone-based team.  The loss of key technical staff is James Key and Mark Smith has hit the team hard and testing form suggests that they could be looking backwards rather than forwards in the incoming campaign.  Adrian Sutil is a proven point’s scorer and ditched his accident-prone image last year to score some solid points results.  He will do well to match his best results of 5^th in Malaysia and Spa last season.  After four seasons in DTM, culminating in the 2010 championship, Scot Paul di Resta joins the grid.  He deserves his chance, and is bound to be more of a match for Sutil than Vitantonio Liuzzi ever was.  However, the car’s ultimate lack of pace could be the downfall for these two talented racers.

Sauber-Ferrari

16           Kamur Kobayashi (JPN)

17           Sergio Perez (MEX)

The distinctive feature of the Sauber last year was no sponsorship whatsoever.  However, with rich Mexican businessman Carlos Slim onboard, that changes in 2011.  Young Mexican Sergio Perez’s arrival is a interesting move, as it means there will be a lack of experience on the driver front.  Perez looks either fast or wreckless and he is bound to add a lot of flair and charisma to the team.  They have plenty of that in Kamur Kobayashi already.  The Japanese is expected to thrill everyone again with his no holds barred attitude of driving and has all the talent in the world, if he tones down on the wackiness that can lead the Japanese into serious trouble.  The car looks very promising but it may need early development if they wish to be regular point’s scorers.

Scuderia Toro Rosso Ferrari

18           Sebastian Buemi (SUI)

19           Jaime Alguesuari (SPA)

The departures of Gerhard Berger and Sebastian Vettel hit Toro Rosso very hard at the end of 2008, and they haven’t recovered since.  The car looks very strong and far more consistent than its previous challengers.  Even Lewis Hamilton has told the media to keep a watch on them.  Sebastian Buemi enters his third season and was a massive disappointment last season.  The Swiss driver is under pressure to deliver, especially with the highly-rated Daniel Ricciardo waiting in the wings as third driver.  Buemi will need to perform from the off, if he doesn’t want to go the same way as Scott Speed and Sebastian Bourdais; in earning the sack mid-season.  Plus, we know Franz Tost doesn’t accept any excuses.  Jamie Alguesuari is in a slightly more secure position and has the knack to pull off some daring overtaking moves.  He needs to improve his qualifying performances, and eliminate some of the careless driving which you’d expect to see from a rush hour driver on the M25’s hard shoulder!  With Ricciardo waiting and watching, the loser of this team-mate battle is likely to be out of F1, so this could be an intriguing watch.

Team Lotus Renault

20           Heikki Kovalainen (FIN)

21           Jarno Trulli (ITA)

Team Lotus, as they are now known were the class of the new teams in 2010, and have closed the gap to the midfield in winter testing.  With two experience racers and a strong reserve in Karun Chandok, excuses will be less vain this season.  The move to Renault engines and gearboxes has caused some severe reliability bugs, which has consequently hurt their testing mileages.  However, don’t be surprised if they begin to give Toro Rosso and Force India some severe headaches this season.  Points are a necessity this time around and Heikki Kovalainen looks a class driver, after his mere at McLaren.  Kovalainen is expected to lead the team from the front again and will cause some giant-killing upsets, similar to Takuma Sato at Super Aguri in 2007.  Jarno Trulli’s speed over one lap is still as strong as ever, but his racecraft last year was frankly dismal.  2011 is surely Jarno’s last chance to fulfil anything decent onto his CV, otherwise he will end up like Olivier Panis; winning the Monaco Grand Prix once and did very little else with so much supposed talent.

HRT-Cosworth

22           Narain Karthikeyan (IND)

23           Vitantonio Liuzzi (ITA)

Is this becoming the ‘Andrea Moda’ of 2011?  Remember that joke of the 1992 team that evaded taxes, cars broke down meters from rolling out of the garage.  Well, having your entire car failing to get through customs certainly qualifies for this title.  Narain Karthikeyan is only on board for Indian sponsorship whilst Vitantonio Liuzzi will bring experience of driving for backmarker teams.  With no pre-season testing AGAIN, it is once again going to be a battle for survival till the end of the season for HRT.

Marussia Virgin-Cosworth

24           Timo Glock (GER)

25           Jerome D’Ambrosio (BEL)

They were F1’s joke team of 2010, especially by not building a fuel tank big enough to finish the early season races.  However, the future looks bright, especially with backing from Russian sportscar brand Marussia and a confident new rookie in Jerome D’Ambrosio.  Timo Glock drove brilliantly in the second half of last season and will be there to pick up the pieces and grab the odd point, but they will struggle to be regular midfield runners.

Rules

As with nearly every F1 season, there have been some changes to the rules this season.  The 107% rule returns for qualifying for the first time since 2002 to prove that cars are quick enough to race, this will only apply to Q1 and if the qualifying session is wet, the rule will not be used.  Pirelli replaces Bridgestone as the tyre supplier and has been challenged by the FIA to produce a tyre that grains more and causes drivers to pit more often.  So far, this seems to have worked and it certainly spice up the racing.

     KERS returns after a season away and is once again optional for the teams to use it or not.  The most innovative concept for 2011 is an adjustable rear wing, which will aid more overtaking particularly on very long straights.  Gearboxes must now last five races instead of four in another case of cost cutting measures and the safety car rules have been tweaked once again with the overtake line abolished after the controversy surrounding it last year, meaning drivers again can only overtake when they’ve crossed the start/finish line at the restart.

For the 2011 season, I will be posting the following on the Formula One season

- A race report from all 19 events in the 2011 FIA Formula 1 World Championship

- NEW! F1 classic races (A brief lookback at six/seven classic events from the country that is about to stage a race that weekend)

- NEW! Replacing 'The Conclusions' will be a new personal blog.  'The Finishing Straight' by HappyDude88 will be online every Tuesday after the Grand Prix weekend, where I will be giving my own personal take on the weekend's events.

2010 Japanese Grand Prix - The Conclusions

IN THIS piece, I will be assessing ten key features from each Grand Prix weekend from the 2010 FIA Formula 1 World Championship.  The Japanese Grand Prix at Suzuka provided the fans with a Super Sunday event, and it certainly was for Red Bull Racing, as they cemented their place at the top of both championship standings.  So, this is the round-up of race sixteen out of nineteen in 2010, as five drivers still remain in the fight, with three races to go.

Sebastian Vettel – The Suzuka Maestro

In 2009, his Suzuka victory kept his limping championship aspirations open and this year, Sebastian Vettel managed to repeat the trend.  He was utterly dominant in Japan, although Mark Webber kept him well and truly honest all weekend.  An eighth pole position of the season was converted into his third win of the season, his first since June’s European Grand Prix at Valencia.  In the last two races, Vettel has knuckled down and got the job done, and now can win the final three races and guarantee himself a fortunate championship.  The momentum in the Red Bull camp has swayed back and forth all season, and it is now in the German’s court.  After Belgium, anyone who put a bet on Sebastian winning the title would have looked like a complete fool.  Now, he might well be the narrow favourite into the final three events.

Red Bull Racing – Both Drivers in the Title Fight, A Difficult Situation

With the constructor’s championship looking more and more likely that it will be won by Red Bull Racing, attention will slowly drift to the driver’s battle.  With both drivers in the title fight, Christian Horner finds himself in a very difficult situation.  Plus, with the events of Silverstone bound to still be floating about in Mark Webber’s mind, no favouritism must be allowed.  I’ll give them that, they have given their drivers every chance to fight for the championship, but so did Williams in 1986 (Mansell & Piquet) and McLaren in 2007 (Hamilton & Alonso).  On both occasions, the outsider, Alain Prost and Kimi Raikkonen stole through to claim the glory.  Can Fernando Alonso provide a sting in the tail, and upset the Red Bull applecart.  Don’t count the Spaniard out just yet, especially as Vettel and Webber have already proven this season, to have a chequered history.

Lewis Hamilton – Another Weekend of Woe

It was another dark weekend in Lewis Hamilton’s fading world championship challenge.  A crash into the barriers at the formidable Degner curves left him with next to no track time in Friday practice.  Hamilton went into qualifying further on the backfoot, thanks to Saturday’s washout and a five-place grid penalty for changing a gearbox.  McLaren failed to spot that Hamilton’s box had collected terminal damage in his collision with Mark Webber in Singapore.  Had they spotted the problem straightaway, Hamilton would have been a serious threat from third on the grid.  Instead, their costly lack of judgement left Lewis languishing in eighth and needing a miracle in the race.  That never looked like happening, and in the race, he lost third gear with his new gearbox, meaning he could only use fourth to seventh gear for the last 15 laps.  Hamilton limped home in fifth, and put a brave face on the latest disappointment.  Don’t write McLaren off just yet, but Korea next weekend is a win or bust situation for both Hamilton and Jenson Button if they want to stay in the title battle.

Robert Kubica – High Expectations Gone in Minutes

After his heroics at Spa, Robert Kubica would have been confident of his chances at Suzuka, a circuit where he could make the most of Renault’s excellent f-duct device.  The Pole was stunning all weekend, qualifying an excellent third, following Hamilton’s demotion, over a second faster than team-mate Vitaly Petrov on Sunday morning.  At the green, Kubica jumped a slow-starting Webber and was harrying Vettel, when a wheel fell off his car behind the Safety Car.  Three laps in, and those high expectations of his had gone in minutes.  Kubica probably didn’t have the race distance pace to beat the Red Bull’s, but the final podium spot was up for grabs, so this was a missed opportunity for Renault.  With no score, the team can now forget catching Mercedes now for fourth in the constructor’s championship. 

Japanese Chaos – Amateur Acrobatics from Petrov, Massa & Alguesuari

Five seconds into the Japanese Grand Prix and Vitaly Petrov’s race is already over, after one of the most amateurish pieces of driving I’ve seen in recent years.  Starting 13^th, Petrov made a great start, but failed to check his mirrors and cut across an innocent Nico Hulkenberg, when he was nowhere near clear of the Williams.  Petrov then had the decency to blame Nick Heidfeld for the incident, but the television replays confirmed his fate.  A five-place grid penalty in Korea beckons and the Russian can surely now kiss goodbye to hanging onto that Renault seat for 2011.  If Petrov’s moment was crazy, Felipe Massa’s attempt to pass two cars on the grass was kamikaze!  Massa screwed up qualifying on Sunday morning and started a dismal 12^th.  Into turn one; he attempted to pass Nico Rosberg and Adrian Sutil on wet grass, a move which you might expect from a debutant, but not a seasoned pro like Massa.  His Ferrari slewed across the track and took out the luckless Vitantonio Liuzzi, destroying the Force India in the process.  How Massa didn’t earn a grid penalty boggles the mind, considering his manoeuvre was just as bad as Petrov’s!  To top off an amateurish day, Jaime Alguesuari takes the award for the daftest attempt at driving a rival off the road.  Angered by a clumsy move that Kamur Kobayashi pulled on him earlier in the race, the Spaniard was passed again in the closing stages, around the outside of the hairpin by the feisty Japanese driver.  Rather than accept defeat, he turned his Toro Rosso into a ramming rod!  Despite three bashes at the Sauber’s sidepod, Alguesuari got what he deserved, which was a damaged front wing, and consequently lost the final point to team-mate Sebastian Buemi.  It was a stupid moment of madness from a young driver who has shown flashes of talent this season, and rounded off a day of amateurish driving that would make Jedward look like music world beaters!

Forget Formula 1 at Suzuka – It’s more Like the Boat Race!

Saturday’s washout in Japan meant it was a repeat of the 2004 event, when a threatened typhoon in the region moved qualifying to a Sunday morning.  The fans on Saturday that came got a soaking, and Kamur Kobayashi criticised the FIA for taking a full 90 minutes to cancel qualifying, when in reality, it never was going to happen.  The conditions were more appropriate for the boat race, rather than an F1 qualifying session.  The two-day event worked well here again in Japan, and although it shouldn’t be a permanent switch to this format, maybe we need to look into this area for races that could be affected more by the weather, like Malaysia and China for instance.

Kamur Kobayashi – Showing His True Potential on Home Soil

As the season has developed, Kamur Kobayashi has turned into an excellent race driver.  Earlier in the campaign, Kobayashi looked like a nervous wreck, but as the Sauber has gradually improved over the season, so has the Japanese racecraft.  Although he was sixth at Silverstone, Suzuka was undoubtedly his best performance of the campaign.  He should have made Q3, but messed up the final chicane on his best lap and started back in 14^th.  Despite a poor start, and the wrong strategy, Kobayashi was the man of the race, pulling over brilliant passes into the hairpin on Adrian Sutil, Rubens Barrichello and team-mate Nick Heidfeld, as well as surviving an assault from Jaime Alguesuari.  Seventh place was a fitting result; he looks set to only improve on his massive potential.

130R Shows It Bites Again – Lucas di Grassi’s Warm-Up Smash

Lucas di Grassi had impressed in outqualifying Timo Glock in Japan, but he didn’t make the start, after making a mess off his Virgin Racing car on the way to the grid!  Di Grassi was warming up his tyres and brakes, when it appears he went offline in the daunting 130R corner, which despite recent modifications, still doesn’t take any prisoners.  The result was one very battered Virgin and one rather sheepish Brazilian driver.  Although it looked more like a car failure than driver error, this has done di Grassi no favours in his battle to hold onto his Virgin drive for next season. 

Mercedes GP – Another Mixed Weekend

It was another mixed weekend for Mercedes GP, though they showed more competitive pace, which means that they are now almost uncatchable in their fight with Renault for fourth in the constructors championship.  Michael Schumacher, having had one of the worst weekends of his career in Singapore, had one of his best weekends of his poor comeback season in Japan.  Istanbul aside, Schumacher showed a consistent pace all weekend, and had the measure of Nico Rosberg throughout.  However, Rosberg still outqualified the seven-time world champion, with a brilliant sixth on the grid, compared to tenth for Schumacher, although Michael had an f-duct issue in Q3.  At the start, Rosberg botched his getaway, and was lucky not to be taken out by the out of control Massa at Turn One.  He smartly pitted under the Safety Car, which allowed him to jump a faster Schumacher, despite Schumacher looking the faster, especially after he pulled off a great pass on Rubens Barrichello into the final chicane, shortly after the restart.  A fantastic team result went sour with six laps to go, when a wheel flew off Rosberg’s car, pitching the hapless Nico into the barriers at the Dunlop Curve.  Schumacher survived to finish a solid sixth, so despite the late DNF for Rosberg, slight progress was made.

 

BBC Gambles on Lee McKenzie Presenting – Did It Pay Off?

With Jake Humphrey away to cover the Commonwealth Games in Delhi for the BBC, Lee McKenzie moved up from pitlane duty to host the BBC’s coverage of the Japanese Grand Prix.  Lee’s performance was never going to be upto the typical high standard of Jake, but it was a decent effort at short notice, although Jake’s presence was missed throughout the weekend.  McKenzie did well to keep Eddie Jordan and David Coulthard on a tight leech, though her mathematical skills and calling Martin Whitmarsh, Martin Whittaker after the race left a lot to be desired!  However, Jonathan Legard’s boring commentary in Suzuka could have spelt the death knell in his F1 commentating career, especially when BBC TV lost sound in the closing stages and we heard David Croft going bananas at Rosberg’s crash, when Legard’s version (heard on the highlights programme) had as much excitement as a wet sponge!  Surely the BBC has got to consider promoting Crofty to its TV coverage.  As for Lee McKenzie, it was an okay performance, but we will be glad that Jake is back to resume duty in Korea next weekend.

2010 Turkish Grand Prix - The Conclusions

In this piece, I will be assessing ten key features from each Grand Prix weekend from the 2010 FIA Formula 1 World Championship.  Round seven brought the teams to Istanbul Park for the Turkish Grand Prix.  In a country where East meets west, there was plenty of intrigue, if once again the lack of overtaking was severely highlighted.  Plus a controversial collision that could have severe implications for the front running team in Grand Prix racing at the moment.  Time to look back then at the seventh event of 2010, which turned into an unlikely triumph for some, and an utter catastrophe for others.

Red Bull Racing Play The Blame Game – And Produce The Perfect Crime!!

It was looking all so perfect for Red Bull Racing once again.  Okay, their dominance which had been shown in the previous two events had been nullified, by a McLaren upgrade, but nevertheless the team were heading for another 1-2 finish.  Then on Lap 41, Sebastian Vettel slipstreams Mark Webber down the backstraight at Istanbul Park.  Webber gives his German team-mate minimal space, but enough to stay on the track.  Vettel pulls ahead approaching Turn 12, but then inexplicably turns right into a left-hand bend, connecting with Webber.  It was an embarrassing own goal for the team, and with it, 43 points going straight down the drainpipe.  Vettel spun into retirement, lucky not to take Webber out, who needed a new front wing, before resuming, finishing on the podium.  After the race, the drivers played the blame game, both blaming the other for the unnecessary incident.  To be honest, both are stupid enough to get involved in such a needless shunt, but having the incident several times afterwards, I’m firmly putting the blame at Vettel’s door.  In Formula One, the first golden rule is never to collide with your own team-mate.  Sadly on Sunday for Red Bull, their drivers forgot that rule and produced the perfect crime.

Sebastian Vettel – The Real Darling of Red Bull

After the embarrassing incident between his two drivers, Red Bull team boss Christian Horner spoke in private to Sebastian Vettel and Mark Webber.  Later, he told the BBC that the accident was caused by ‘not enough space being given!’  His view was backed up firmly by Red Bull senior boss, Helmut Marko, firmly putting the blame squarely at Webber’s door.  I find this absolutely ridiculous to believe, as Webber didn’t do much wrong.  This proves that Sebastian Vettel is the real darling of Red Bull Racing.  On Sunday, Vettel blotted his copybook big-time, and if I was his team boss, I probably would have shouted at him, swore at him, attempt to get the message across that everything is not your own way.  Instead, he got the arm-around-the-shoulder technique, firmly not deserved.  This incident must leave Mark Webber seething and rueful that he hasn’t received the fair support he deserves.  Sure, he may have extended his championship advantage, but the relationship with his team may well have gone beyond repair.  Maybe it is a sign that all things aren’t well with Webber’s contract negotiations.  Either way, if Ferrari is interested in Mark, snap Webber up now I think would be the message. 

McLaren – Once Again Taking Full Advantage Of Others Own-Goals!

So, as Red Bull Racing shot themselves in the foot, McLaren took full advantage of others own-goals once again.  As in Melbourne and Shanghai, they cashed in with reaped rewards.  Plus, they showed Red Bull that an inter-team battle can be done fair and square, without the need to bash each other’s cars all over the place.  Less than ten laps after ‘that’ incident, Lewis Hamilton and Jenson Button went wheel-to-wheel in a fantastic scrap for the victory.  Lewis edged it, to claim his first win of 2010.  It was a lucky success for Hamilton, but he managed to split the Red Bulls in qualifying and lady luck hasn’t smiled on him too much this season, when you think of the botched pit strategy in Australia, and the tyre explosion in the closing stages of the Spanish Grand Prix.  Consequently, it was about time that he received some good fortune.  Istanbul was a good weekend for the world champion too, who had gone off the boil in Barcelona and Monte Carlo.  Jenson Button was a fraction behind Hamilton all weekend, but back at the sharp end, which will give him full encouragement.  McLaren are now a very dangerous player in the championship battle.

Ferrari – The 800^th Race Turns into a Flat Pancake

The Bahrain 1-2 must seem a decade ago for Ferrari, as their season continues to unravel alarmingly.  At Istanbul, a track where the team has had a lot of success in the past, the pace of the cars was absolutely nowhere.  The Scuderia may well have been celebrating their 800^th race in Formula One, but the party turned into a flat pancake.  Fernando Alonso failed in Q2, starting a frustrated 12^th, admitting it was ‘the best he could do!’  Three-time Turkey winner Felipe Massa wasn’t much better, back in 8^th.  In the race, Massa only improved to 7^th, thanks to Vettel’s DNF, whilst Alonso needed to use excessive force on Vitaly Petrov’s Renault in the dying moments to earn 8^th place.  However, these aren’t the results expected, and the pressure on Stefano Domenicalli must be growing after this mediocre weekend.  Ferrari are now struggling to hold off Renault for 4^th best team in Formula One at the moment, and they are in severe danger of being out of both championship battles before mid-season for the second successive campaign.

Michael Schumacher – The Renaissance Continues

The great renaissance of Michael Schumacher continues to become one of the major talking points in 2010.  He had his strongest weekend of the season in Turkey, though still miles off the pace of the pacesetters, Red Bull and McLaren.  He qualified 5^th, even chucking his car at the Turn 8 scenery, trying to find that extra tenth.  An aggressive start saw the German pass his new nemesis, Jenson Button off the line.  Critically for Button, he got back ahead before the end of lap 1, and raced away from Schumacher.  However, Michael had no problems from behind, now beginning to overshadow Nico Rosberg’s efforts on a regular basis.  4^th place was a fitting reward for a fine weekend.  Mercedes are in no shape this season to be championship contenders whatsoever, but if they keep improving, don’t be surprised to see Schumacher back on the top step before the end of the season.

Kamur Kobayashi – Answering Some of the Doubters

Until Turkey last weekend, we had seen very little of Kamur Kobayashi in 2010, apart from destroying his car half the time against Toro Rosso’s and Williams’.  In Istanbul, he answered some of the doubters, with a fighting performance to 10^th, Sauber’s first championship point of what has been a depressing campaign so far.  Kobayashi was a little star on Saturday, overcoming the likes of Fernando Alonso and Adrian Sutil to make the top ten.  He then endured a race-long scrap with Sutil, which he ended up losing bravely to the Force India driver.  However, Petrov’s late puncture allowed him back into the magical point’s positions.  It will put a monkey off his back, and answer some of the doubters, who must have been questioning whether his stunning drives for Toyota at the back end of 2009, were just a fluke.  Now, he needs to take the next step forward, and become a regular point’s threat.  However, this is a solid start.

Hispania Racing – Moving Off the Back, Genuinely!

The Hispania Racing cars still look all over the place, but there was a step forward last weekend for the team.  Bruno Senna managed to genuinely out qualify someone else, other than team-mate Karun Chandok for the first time this season.  The unlucky fellow was Virgin’s Lucas di Grassi.  Then in the race, Senna managed to keep up with di Grassi, and then overtook his fellow countryman around the outside of Turn 12, in a classy move.  Sadly, both cars ended up retiring, as reliability issues continue to halt the progress of the new teams.  However, this was a positive weekend for Hispania, their first since the end of their tempestuous marriage with car chassis, Dallara.  Can they move off the back on a regular basis, only time will tell? 

Formula One Heads Stateside Again – Positive Or Negative?

Before F1 arrived in Istanbul, news broke of the return for the Grand Prix circus to America.  A new circuit in Texas will breakthrough on the calendar for the 2012 season, after agreeing a deal with Bernie Ecclestone and circuit designer, Hermann Tilke.  The last time Formula One was in the US, was back in 2007, when Lewis Hamilton charged to victory at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.  It is a welcome return for America to the sport, but another traditional race is bound to disappear.  With India due for next year, 2012 could have upto twenty-one races.  Currently, Turkey, Japan and China do not have contracts for 2012, and you can’t see the teams agreeing to too many more races on a yearly calendar.  It is a positive for America to be back in F1, hosting a race, but if a star circuit like Istanbul or Suzuka disappears as a result, then it will turn into a massive negative. 

Pirelli On The Verge – Are They The Right Supplier?

Another battle in the paddock, behind the scenes is the competition to become F1’s tyre supplier for 2011.  Japanese giant Bridgestone is pulling out at the end of the season, due to cost-cutting measures.  Favourites seem now to be Pirelli, though Michelin are interested in creating the tyre war again.  Pirelli were last in Formula One in 1991, when they supplied the Benetton team amongst others.  Will they be the right supplier for the sport?  Well, Bridgestone will be missed, having given great service to the sport in the last fourteen years.  However, Pirelli are likely to give a great deal of passion and commitment to the sport, so I would back them over Michelin any day, especially when the 2005 ‘Indygate’ tyre scandal springs to mind.

Vitantonio Liuzzi – Losing the Battle for His F1 Future

The pressure is increasing on Force India’s Vitantonio Liuzzi and he is losing the battle to hold onto his drive.  As Scot Paul di Resta continues to impress on Fridays for the team, and in DTM, Liuzzi’s performances continue to dwindle.  Whilst Adrian Sutil has scored points in four of the last five races, Liuzzi has only managed a 9^th placed result in Monaco, and in Turkey, was hopelessly off the pace.  Despite running the f-duct, whereas his team-mate did not, Liuzzi was knocked out in Q1 for the second time this season.  A first-lap clash with Sebastian Buemi put an end to a decent race effort, but 13^th place is simply not good enough for a team that wants to break out of the midfield.  Changing a driver mid-season is always a risky element, but Vijay Mallya may have to consider this as an option if Tonio continues to underachieve in the coming races.