Sebastian Vettel - A legend in the making

# a special blog on the new double world champion replaced my regular Finishing Straight blog on the Korean Grand Prix.

THE word greatness is often used far too much in sport.  So too is the word, legend.  In the world of Formula One, you can only be considered a true great in the sport if you win the world championship twice.  Winning the title back-to-back is even harder to achieve, especially when you think of the current Formula One field.  The paddock may have been deprived of Robert Kubica this year by his pre-season rally accident, but this current crop of F1 drivers is probably the best in-depth we have had for over 30 years.  Multiple winners Rubens Barrichello, Mark Webber and Felipe Massa, combined with superb British champions Lewis Hamilton and Jenson Button and former conquerors of Grand Prix racing, Michael Schumacher and Fernando Alonso.  So, this makes Sebastian Vettel’s record-breaking achievements in 2011 all the more special.  He truly is a legend in the making.

       Vettel’s F1 career has been full of highs and he made a name for himself from day one in an F1 cockpit.  He set the fastest practice time in Turkey 2006; his first appearance on a Grand Prix weekend as a third driver for BMW Sauber.  When Kubica was ruled out of the 2007 US GP following his aeroplane-like crash in Canada, Vettel stood in for the Pole.  He became the youngest driver to score a world championship point, coming home eighth.  BMW were keen to hold on to this starring talent, but Sebastian was part of the Red Bull young drivers programme and he ended up in a Toro Rosso later in the season, replacing Scott Speed from the Hungarian Grand Prix onwards.  A few races later, he starred in Japan, running a stunning third in the wet at Fuji Speedway before crashing into the back of Mark Webber’s Red Bull behind the Safety Car.  The youngster was devastated and had be consoled by his team for the embarrassing crash, but he bounced back in stunning style to record an outstanding fourth place finish just seven days later in Shanghai.

       Paired with Sebastian Bourdais for the 2008 season, Vettel struggled in the early races to repeat his form from the beginning of 2007.  Unbelievably, he was involved in three first lap accidents which took him out on the first lap in three of the first four races (Australia, Bahrain and Spain).  Once Toro Rosso produced a new car, he started to show his true class, in a car which frankly, would have been doing well to beat Honda and Williams.  Sebastian began a string of points scoring finishes from Hockenheim onwards, but it was Monza 2008 that really made him into a real star of the future.

      On a weekend where the championship challengers struggled in unseasonably wet conditions, Vettel came to the fore.  He delivered an impeccable performance on Saturday to become the youngest driver ever to earn a Formula One pole position.  24 hours later, he drove away from the faster McLaren of Heikki Kovalainen with consummate ease.  He won the race at a canter, to become the youngest driver to ever win a Grand Prix.  It was one of the finest drives I’d ever seen in Formula One and many in the Monza paddock that weekend had the same opinion.  Further point’s finishes in Singapore, Japan and Brazil earnt Sebastian eighth place in the championship final positions, whilst Toro Rosso ended up ahead of senior team, Red Bull in the constructors championship. 

     With David Coulthard going into retirement, Vettel was the perfect fit for the senior Red Bull squad, moving to the team for 2009.  In China, he overcame reliability problems in qualifying to take the team’s first pole position.  On raceday, foul weather conditions greeted the drivers and teams, but once again, Sebastian’s control at the front was total.  He showed his true class to record Red Bull’s first ever race victory.  It was a 1-2 for the team too, with Webber following his new team-mate home.  He also won from the front at Silverstone, Suzuka and Abu Dhabi to finish an excellent second in the drivers’ championship, only being knocked out of the championship running by a poor Q1 in Brazil which saw him drop out of contention.  He did make mistakes, such as colliding with Kubica in Australia and crashing at Monte Carlo, but the potential of this new German was really coming through.

      2010 started frustratingly for the Vettel/Red Bull partnership, thanks to reliability problems.  A broken exhaust saw Vettel limp home to fourth in Bahrain and a loose wheel nut sent him spinning out of the lead in Melbourne.  He won in Malaysia, but struggled with the Red Bull chassis and started to come under pressure in the team from team-mate Webber.  It triggered an extraordinary collision between the team-mates in Turkey.  He also drove into Jenson Button’s sidepod at Spa, labelled after that race by McLaren managing director Martin Whitmarsh as “the crash kid.”  However, he came back with fourth at Monza and crushing victories in Japan and Brazil to leave him with a chance of the championship going into the final event in Abu Dhabi.  It was a four-way title shootout and Sebastian drove like a champion all weekend.  He started on pole and won the race.  With an early Safety Car period allowing the likes of Nico Rosberg and Vitaly Petrov to leapfrog Fernando Alonso and Webber, it was enough for Sebastian Vettel to be crowned the 2010 FIA Formula One World Champion; the youngest in the 60 year history of the championship.

      This season, he has been in a class of his own.  The signs were ominous with dominant victories in the first two races in Australia and Malaysia.  A risky tyre strategy nearly paid off in Shanghai, but this time, he had to settle for second behind a hard-charging Hamilton.  After a heavy crash in Turkey practice which ruled him out of any dry running on Friday, he returned to Istanbul Park 24 hours later to take pole position by nearly half a second.  Race victory was a formality.  Vettel’s best two wins of the season came in Spain and Monaco, when his package was not the fastest on raceday.  In the latter, he held off the stiff challenges of Jenson Button and Alonso, having been on a worn set of Pirelli tyres for nearly 60 laps.  Canada brought a rare chink in the armour, running wide on the last lap to allow Button in for a gigantic victory.  He stormed to victory in Valencia and when he couldn’t win, Sebastian would consistently finish second, as he did at Silverstone and in Hungary.  In between this was a torrid home event at the Nurburgring, where he was second best to team-mate Webber all weekend and had to settle for fourth; the only event in 2011 when he hasn’t finished on the rostrum.  After a run of races without a win during the summer, he recovered to win at Spa, Monza and Singapore, again leading all three from the front.  A cautious third place at Suzuka by his own high standards was good enough to secure his second world championship and success last time out in Korea means he can still match Michael Schumacher’s record of 13 wins in a season, set in 2004.

       In qualifying, he has the natural ability of Senna to set a lap when it is required.  He has shown he can overtake to win races like in Barcelona on Massa and Button and Alonso in Belgium.  When he gets infront, he seems to be able to coast to victory without any trouble.  With 100 per cent reliability and a sensational pitcrew around him, it’s no wonder why he has been the one to beat in 2011. 

      What Sebastian Vettel has achieved not just this season, but in his entire Formula One career is truly remarkable.  We shouldn’t be moaning at the domination of one driver at the front, we should be hailing and witnessing one of the true legends of this great sport show their genuine class.  The Vettel dynasty in Grand Prix racing has only just begun; it looks like Schumacher’s records could be beaten after all.

F1 classic races - Canada

IN A new series, I will be looking back at six classic races every weekend from the country about to stage an event in the 2011 FIA Formula One World Championship.  This is my selection, of races in Monaco between 1991 and 2010.  Enjoy the archive!

1991

WINNER: Nelson Piquet (Benetton Ford), 2^nd: Stefano Modena (Tyrrell Honda), 3^rd: Riccardo Patrese (Williams Renault)

NIGEL Mansell totally dominated the 1991 event, but he endured the curse of Murray Walker and the race ended up being won by his bitter rival, Nelson Piquet.  It was Pirelli’s last win in Formula One before they got involved in the sport again this season.  The Williams Renault was turning into the fastest car and they annexed the front row in qualifying.  Mansell beat his team-mate Riccardo Patrese off the startline, with Ayrton Senna giving vain chase in third.  On lap 25, Senna went out with electronic issues, which had also claimed his team-mate Gerhard Berger.  The scene was set for a Williams 1-2, but Patrese’s gearbox starting misbehaving and he dropped to fourth.  On the last lap, Mansell was waving to the crowd in celebration, whilst Walker was using his line ‘his first win of the 1991 season for BBC viewers.’  Round the Casino hairpin and the Williams ground to a halt, with a sudden gearbox failure.  It let Piquet in for a lucky win, whilst the impressive Stefano Modena earnt his best ever Grand Prix finish in a Tyrrell Honda. 

1995

SOLE: Win for Jean Alesi in his career came emotionally in 1995

WINNER: Jean Alesi (Ferrari), 2^nd: Rubens Barrichello (Jordan Peugeot), 3^rd: Eddie Irvine (Jordan Peugeot)

ON HIS 31^st birthday, Jean Alesi secured an emotional and popular victory in Montreal.  To add fuel to the fire, the Frenchman was driving Ferrari No.27, driven in the past by the Canadian darling, Gilles Villeneuve.  Michael Schumacher had been storming to an easy win, but the champion suffered a gear selection problem, which robbed the German of certain victory.  Thanks to a late tangle between Martin Brundle and Gerhard Berger, Schumacher still finished fifth.  Alesi only just made it to the line, as he spluttered to a halt out of fuel on the slowing down lap.  For once, his luck held together when he needed it most.  Gearbox failure left an unhappy Damon Hill on the sidelines and this allowed the two Jordan’s of Rubens Barrichello and Eddie Irvine through into an unlikely double podium result for the underperforming squad.

1998

WINNER: Michael Schumacher (Ferrari), 2^nd: Giancarlo Fisichella (Benetton Playlife), 3^rd: Eddie Irvine (Ferrari)

IN AN incredible event, Michael Schumacher produced a stirring comeback drive to win and relight a fading championship challenge.  He was helped by a miserable day for the all-conquering McLaren’s, who both retired.  Mika Hakkinen’s gearbox got jammed at a restart, whilst David Coulthard pulled off with transmission failure.  There had been a restart after Alexander Wurz clipped Jean Alesi and barrel-rolled his Benetton three times into the gravel trap.  On the second start, Ralf Schumacher spun his Jordan wildly, and Alesi, limping around with no front wing after contact with Eddie Irvine, was collected by Jarno Trulli.  The Prost car ended up on the top of Alesi’s spare chassis.  Irvine recovered from a puncture to finish a fighting third.  Even after the McLaren’s disappearance, Schumacher Snr didn’t make life easy for himself.  On lap 20, he returned to the racetrack after a scheduled pitstop and pushed the Williams of Heinz-Harald Frentzen off the circuit.  Patrick Head was furious, and with good justification.  Schumacher was given a stop-go penalty and then survived a vicious attempt by Damon Hill to put him in the wall on his comeback charge.  Hill was accused of dangerous weaving by his former enemy, and his luck ran out, as his throttle cut out, which wrecked his podium chances.  On a charge, Schumacher hunted down the long-time leader Giancarlo Fisichella, got ahead after his second stop and went onto record a stunning victory.  After his rolling antics early on, Wurz did very well to finish a superb fourth in the spare Benetton.

2005

WINNER: Kimi Raikkonen (McLaren Mercedes), 2^nd: Michael Schumacher (Ferrari), 3^rd: Rubens Barrichello (Ferrari)

THIS was a case of waiting for your rivals to falter and Kimi Raikkonen did that in 2005.  Raikkonen was behind the two Renault’s and his team-mate for the majority of the afternoon, but benefited from their dramas to win in Canada.  First, Giancarlo Fisichella crawled around to retire with a total hydraulic failure, gutted to lose a potential race victory.  Next, runaway championship leader Fernando Alonso made a rare mistake touched a wall and terminally damaged his rear suspension.  Finally, Juan Pablo Montoya was so incensed by a poor McLaren strategy call, that he exited the pits with the red light still on during a Safety Car period.  The Colombian was promptly disqualified.  Raikkonen survived a late steering scare to hold off Michael Schumacher for his third win of the season, whilst Rubens Barrichello came through from a pitlane start to finish third for Ferrari.

2007

LUCKY: Kubica escaped serious injury from this smash in 2007

WINNER: Lewis Hamilton (McLaren Mercedes), 2^nd: Nick Heidfeld (BMW Sauber), 3^rd: Alexander Wurz (Williams Toyota)

A STAR was well and truly born in this event in 2007, as Lewis Hamilton overcame four nerve-racking Safety Car periods to earn his first ever Formula One victory.  His feat was overshadowed by a sickening crash for the BMW Sauber of Robert Kubica.  On lap 27, shortly after the first Safety Car period to recover Adrian Sutil’s crashed Spyker, Kubica clipped the Toyota of Jarno Trulli on the rundown to the Casino hairpin.  The Pole’s front wing went underneath his chassis, launching him airborne and violently into the crash barriers.  The car totally disintegrated and the remains rolled back across the road to the opposite guardrail.  Incredibly, Kubica escaped with just a sprained ankle and would miss only one event in his full recovery.  Aside for one lap during the first Safety Car, Hamilton led throughout and stayed cool under intense scrutiny, on a day when the more experienced got into trouble.  Both Felipe Massa and Giancarlo Fisichella were disqualified for repeating Juan Pablo Montoya’s mistake in 2005, by charging back into the race with the red light still on at the pitlane exit.  Hamilton’s team-mate, Fernando Alonso went off the track four times at the first corner during the race, and finished a lame 7^th, having been sensationally passed in the closing stages by Takuma Sato’s Super Aguri Honda.  Hamilton cruised over the line relatively comfortably to head home Nick Heidfeld’s BMW and Alexander Wurz, who secured his first podium for ten years.  He’d started down in 19^th on the grid, which highlighted the chaos that was Canada 2007.

2010

WINNER: Lewis Hamilton (McLaren Mercedes), 2^nd: Jenson Button (McLaren Mercedes), 3^rd: Fernando Alonso (Ferrari)

LEWIS Hamilton managed his tyres the best last season to earn back-to-back wins on Formula One’s return to North America following a one year sabbatical.  Hamilton led Jenson Button and Fernando Alonso home, in the only event that saw drivers having to make multiple pitstops on a dry racing day.  Had it not been for some rotten luck in traffic against Jarno Trulli and Karun Chandok, Alonso might well have stolen the win for Ferrari.  Sebastian Vettel nursed a gearbox issue to finish fourth, just ahead of team-mate Mark Webber, who’d tried a different race strategy in an effort to win, but wound up fifth.  In his comeback season, Michael Schumacher drove appallingly and got criticised for squeezing Robert Kubica onto the grass and Felipe Massa into the wall.  He finished in 11^th.

Kubica fights for his F1 career after horror rally shunt

JEOPARDY: Robert Kubica is facing the biggest fight of his career so far

THE Polish racing driver Robert Kubica is fighting for his F1 career tonight, after suffering multiple fractures in a horror rally crash.  Kubica, 26, crashed into a church wall on the final day of a rally in Italy.  BBC Radio 5 Live’s David Croft reports that Kubica was trapped in his wrecked Skoda Fabia for upto an hour.  He was airlifted to hospital in Genoa, where he is undergoing surgery for multiple fractures.

REMAINS: The wreckage of Kubica's Skoda Fabia rally car

His condition is not life threatening, but his manager Daniele Morelli confirmed his injuries, which are a broken right leg, broken right arm and more worryingly, broken right hand.  Surgeons are attempting to resurrect Kubica’s feeling in his right hand.  If unable to do so, his Formula One career looks to be over.  Morelli told reporters at the hospital; “Surgeons are trying to re-establish the functionality of his right hand.  Robert is very strong and he will pull through.”

Kubica made his Grand Prix debut for BMW Sauber in the 2006 Hungarian Grand Prix and is one of the leading stars in the rising talent of Formula One field.  The Krakow born driver has only won one race; the 2008 Canadian Grand Prix at Montreal, but has put in a string of impressive performances in recent years, most particularly at Renault last season.  He finished eighth in the drivers’ championship last season, finishing second in Australia and third in Belgium and Monaco.  He is no stranger to massive crashes.  Robert had titanium bolts in his right arm inserted when he was seriously injured in a road accident in 2003.  Four years later, he walked away unscathed for a potentially fatal shunt at the Canadian Grand Prix, when he clipped Jarno Trulli’s Toyota and was launched into an aeroplane wreck.  A sprained ankle was the only injury here.

It was just over 4km into the first stage of the rally that Kubica was taking part in; a hobby he likes to do away from the F1 paddock.  Croft reported more on how the crash happened; “It is understood that when Kubica hit the wall, a barrier penetrated the footwell of his car, causing the injuries.”  “The main concern is with Kubica’s right hand, which has lost a load of blood.  However, reports of amputation are wide of the mark.”

FORM: Robert was fastest in testing last week, but his form has been halted

Even if he makes a full recovery, Kubica is all but certain to miss the F1 season opener in Bahrain, which is just 35 days away.  With the injuries looking so sustained, I’d expect him to be on the sidelines for the best part of three months.  The Renault team are devastated; especially after Kubica set the fastest time of the first F1 test of 2011 in Valencia last Thursday.  Reserve drivers, Bruno Senna and Romain Grosjean are both expected to feature in this week’s testing programme alongside regular Russian Vitaly Petrov.  Both Senna and Grosjean have raced in F1 before, and would be seen as an excellent one-off choice.  However, if Kubica is going to be missing a large proportion of the campaign, then a more suitable replacement such as Force India test driver Nico Hulkenberg or his former team-mate at BMW Sauber, Nick Heidfeld must be considered.  

Support for Kubica has flooded through on Twitter from his fellow racing colleagues.  Jenson Button wrote on his page; “Shocking news about Robert Kubica, I wish him a speedy recovery.”  Toro Rosso’s Sebastian Buemi’s thoughts are also with his pal; “All my support to Robert Kubica.  I am with you man.”

The current surgery is thought to be going okay, but it is too early to say the implications.  However, Kubica’s presence in the F1 paddock will be missed come the season opener in Bahrain.  I wish him all the best for a speedy and safe recovery, and hope to see him back in a racing car real soon. 

F1 2010 driver reviews (Part 1)

NINETEEN hard-fought races and every driver have their own story to tell.  Here is my opinion of all the drivers from 2010 and how they did. . .

1.        Sebastian Vettel                                  (Red Bull Racing)

HIGH POINT:                   Winning the world championship in style, with victory in Abu Dhabi

LOW POINT:                    Cracking under pressure and crashing into an innocent Jenson Button at Spa

SEBASTIAN Vettel has become the youngest champion in F1 history, and he deserves the world championship.  His record on Saturday was outstanding, with ten pole positions.  His dominant drives to victory in Malaysia, Europe and Japan were highly impressive, as once again, Vettel showed that once he got away at the front; no-one could stop him.  Sure, he had some bad luck along the way, with a brake failure in Melbourne and the crushing engine blow-up that finished his Korean Grand Prix prematurely.  Glaring errors in Istanbul and Spa cost more points, but his meticulous drives in the last five races, with a close second to Fernando Alonso in Singapore and three wins earned him the ultimate prize.  Congratulations to Germany’s youngest new find.

2.       Lewis Hamilton                                    (McLaren Mercedes)

HIGH POINT:                   Managing his tyres the best to record another victory in Canada

LOW POINT:                   A costly move on Felipe Massa during the first lap of the Italian Grand Prix that left him with no points

IT has been a rollercoaster year for Lewis Hamilton, but once more, his driving quality has shone through, in a car that simply wasn’t world championship material.  Hamilton’s aggression and patience earned him three fantastic victories in Istanbul Park, Montreal and in slippery conditions at Spa.  However, he shall lookback at some costly errors from team and driver which lost him the chance of the second world championship.  A poor strategy left him high and dry in Melbourne, whilst a late tyre failure robbed Lewis of a deserved second place in the closing stages of the Spanish Grand Prix.  However, it was two fumigating DNF’s in Singapore (coming off worse in a clash with Webber) and in Monza (his fault for trying a move on Massa that never was to work.  Lewis will feel this is a title that slipped away.

3. Fernando Alonso                                 (Ferrari)

HIGH POINT:                   A masterful weekend to win on his first Monza race as a Ferrari driver

LOW POINT:                    Smashing the car into the wall during practice, that cost him a chance of winning the Monaco Grand Prix

FERNANDO Alonso will be delighted with his season’s efforts, but too many mistakes early on in the season, plus a dodgy Ferrari strategy in the final race of the season ruined the Spaniard’s chances of a third world championship in 2010.  Alonso made a dream start to his Ferrari career with victory in the season opener in Bahrain.  Strong podium results in Spain and Canada were punctured by a blatant jump start in Shanghai, a practice crash in Monaco, spinning on the first corner in Melbourne and another accident at Spa.  He won controversially in Hockenheim, due to the help of Felipe Massa, and his victories in Singapore, Monza and Korea towards the end of the campaign showed that Alonso can still deliver under pressure.  However, like Hamilton – he      will realise that it could well have been glory.

4.        Mark Webber                                        (Red Bull Racing)

HIGH POINT:                   Dominant weekend in Monaco to win F1’s jewel in the crown

LOW POINT:                    Running wide and the smash in Korea that ultimately cost him his championship chance

DIFFICULT was the only word to describe Mark Webber’s start to the season.  A scrappy home race in Melbourne was followed by leaving the door wide open into the first corner of the Malaysian Grand Prix that allowed Vettel to win.  Flawless displays followed in Spain and Monaco, and then another win was lost by the controversial clash with Vettel in Turkey.  His 196mph flip over Heikki Kovalainen in Valencia will always be remembered for a lucky escape, and then he won against the odds at Silverstone – on a weekend when it seemed like the whole team was against him.  Another win in Budapest followed, but a lack of pace in the final third of the season, along with the unfortunate error he made in Korea was to undo his bid.  A campaign that promised so much, yet ultimately – delivered so little.

5.        Jenson Button                                       (McLaren Mercedes)

HIGH POINT:                   A masterful decision to switch onto slicks that ultimately won him the Australian Grand Prix

LOW POINT:                    Surprising lack of pace in Korea that ultimately derailed his championship bid

JENSON Button has produced a very solid first season at McLaren, and even though he lost his crown as champion, he was a contender all the way until the penultimate race of the season.  Masterful and well-judged calls on strategy won Jenson two early season events in mixed conditions.  The way he won in Melbourne and in Shanghai reminded everyone of why he took the title.  His gamble on a high downforce set-up almost won him the Italian Grand Prix too, only to be denied by an inspired Alonso.  Ultimately, it was moments such as Vettel smashing into him in Spa, a lack of pace in Korea and a cooked engine in Monaco that derailed his title bid, along with a lack of pace on Saturdays.  However, Jenson has answered all his doubters this season and proven why he has been a world champion.

6.        Robert Kubica                                       (Renault)

HIGH POINT:                   Chasing the Red Bulls home to an outstanding third place in Monaco

LOW POINT:                    Outpaced and outperformed by his rookie team-mate Vitaly Petrov at Budapest

RENAULT loves him and he loves them and Robert Kubica put in a number of stellar drives in a car that never had race-winning potential in 2010, despite marked improvements on the previous year’s efforts.  There were three podiums for Kubica this season, with his best drives coming in Monaco (qualified 2^nd) and finished third and a third place finish on a power circuit at Spa, one that that the Renault team weren’t expecting.  Robert’s best result came in Melbourne, where he held off stiff challenges from the Ferrari’s to come home a delighted second.  Suzuka could have yielded a strong result but for a loose wheel after another stunning Q3 performance.  Hungary was his weak weekend, outperformed by Petrov and crashed in the pits with Adrian Sutil.  Give Kubica a car next season and he will be right up there.

7.        Nico Rosberg                  (Mercedes GP)

HIGH POINT:                   A fantastic performance in China that saw him leading the early stages and finish with a deserved podium

LOW POINT:                    Back-to-back retirements in the Far East (Japan and Korea) through no fault of his own

NICO Rosberg was always going to be under scrutiny this campaign, especially being paired alongside a seven-time world champion.  Ultimately, he delivered and left Michael Schumacher looking very ordinary that it was no surprise when he was beating him mid-season on a regular basis.  Early season podiums in Malaysia and China left Rosberg up in second place in the championship after the four flyaway events, but the return to Europe was a struggle, with a new chassis not adjusted to his likely.  Another fighting third place followed at Silverstone and Nico was desperately unlucky not to at least pick up a podium in Korea, when he was taken out by the spinning Mark Webber.  His stock has risen this season to high proportions, so it will be interesting to see what he can do in a better car next season.

8.        Felipe Massa                                          (Ferrari)

HIGH POINT:                   An excellent return to Grand Prix racing bought him a second place result in the Bahrain season opener

LOW POINT:                    Failing to get into Q3 at Suzuka, and then wiping himself out in the first corner fracas

FELIPE Massa has had a frustrating and very disappointing season.  Psychically, doubts still remain over his fitness following the near-fatal crash he had in qualifying for last year’s Hungarian GP.  After three races, Massa led the championship – with podiums in Bahrain and Australia and a solid seventh place from 21^st on the grid in Sepang.  Afterwards, his season went downhill with some bad errors of judgement, such as hitting his team-mate at the start of the British Grand Prix and driving across the grass at Suzuka, wiping out Vitantonio Liuzzi in the process.  Rostrums did follow late season at Monza and in South Korea, but he will not be looking back at 2010 very fondly.  In fact, his season will always be tarnished for the controversial switch in German, which cost Felipe a deserved victory.

9.        Adrian Sutil                     (Force India Mercedes)

HIGH POINT:                   Brilliant fifth place finish at the Belgian Grand Prix

LOW POINT:                   Smashing into cars left, right and centre in Korea

HAVING been an accident waiting to happen in 2009, Adrian Sutil emerged as a matured man in 2010, scoring points in nine races and putting in some notably strong drives.  Sutil’s best moments came early season, where he qualified fourth in Malaysia and finished fifth, holding off Lewis Hamilton.  He did well to finish seventh in Barcelona, under pressure from Robert Kubica all day and pulled off a super pass on the old master, Michael Schumacher on his way to eighth at Silverstone.  Spa was his best weekend, qualifying eighth, and finishing fifth, passing Schumacher and harassing Massa’s much stronger Ferrari all day.  In Korea, he returned to his old self, crashing into several cars and not reporting brake issues.  However, his maturity has impressed me and now; I think Adrian is ready for the big time.

10.     Kamur Kobayashi                                 (BMW Sauber Ferrari)

HIGH POINT:                   Making the most of the Safety Car strategy and pulled off a cheeky pass on Alonso in Valencia

LOW POINT:                   A messy Singapore Grand Prix, crashing into Schumacher and Bruno Senna in the race

KAMUR Kobayashi is one of the most exciting drivers to watch in Formula One, and he simply doesn’t give a damn about the reputations of the best.  Japan’s finest had a nightmare start to the season, lucky to walkaway from a big first lap shunt in Australia and basically, looking like a miniature figure of the man who starred for Toyota at the backend of last season.  Valencia was his turning point, making the most of an advanced strategy to run third for most of the race, and then pull off cheeky passes on Alonso and Buemi in the last two laps.  After that, Kobayashi didn’t lookback, with sixth at Silverstone his best finish, a notable ninth in Budapest from the back row of the grid and a stunning seventh in his homeland, after pulling off five fantastic passes.  Kobayashi has proven in 2010 that Japan has talent in F1.

11.     Rubens Barrichello                            (Williams Cosworth)

HIGH POINT:                   Finishing a strong fifth at Silverstone and beating The Stig around the Top Gear racetrack!

LOW POINT:                    His 300^th GP event at Spa, which didn’t even last a lap

STICKING around next year for a 19^th season, Rubens Barrichello’s versatility has given Williams a solid foundation to build on.  There were testing times early on in the championship, including shock Q1 elimination in Spain and running behind Bruno Senna’s slow Hispania for the first ten laps of the Turkish Grand Prix.  However, from Valencia, when new updates came on the car, Barrichello looked a far happier driver, winding up 4^th in Valencia, followed up by fifth at Silverstone and later in the season, sixth place in Singapore.  His on-track clashes with Michael Schumacher also stood out, mainly when Schumi tried to put him into the pitwall in Hungary.  Spa was a major disappointment, smashing into Alonso on lap one of GP 300.  He will be back for more in 2011.

12.     Michael Schumacher                       `                       (Mercedes GP)

HIGH POINT:                   Spirited drive in Korea to wind up fourth in very challenging conditions

LOW POINT:                    Shocking drive in Singapore – quite possibly the worst ever in his great career

THE comeback was a failure, one of the most spectacular flops of 2010 and Michael Schumacher will know that deep down, even if he refuses to admit it.  Not even a single podium for the first time in his F1 career since 1991 left him trailing behind his team-mate Nico Rosberg.  Three fourth place results in Barcelona, Istanbul and Korea were the stand-outs, as was a strong sixth on one of his favourite circuits, Suzuka.  Schumacher’s moments of madness though will stand out sadly though, especially the dangerous chop on Barrichello in Hungary on far worse tyres.  His attempts to shove Robert Kubica and Felipe Massa into concrete walls in Canada can’t be forgotten, nor can his diabolical event in Singapore, when he drove like a granny.  2011 will be a make or break season for the former great.

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.