The Finishing Straight - Italy (by HappyDude88)

BEFORE I round-up the weekend’s events at the final European race of the season, I want to apologise for not producing any blogs of ‘The Finishing Straight,’ for the Hungarian and Belgian rounds of the 2011 FIA Formula One World championship.  I had a busy time in my own life and never found the required time to sum up my weekend’s feelings.  However, I’m back now with this kind of blog for the remainder of the 2011 season, although the competition for the title is now well and truly over.

     The hopeful purists were praying that Spa and Monza would show the weaknesses of the Red Bull Racing Renault package.  It didn’t, it just enhanced itself as one of the best ever cars to have graced Formula One.  In Sebastian Vettel, not only are we witnessing domination of the Schumacher Ferrari days (2001, 2002, 2004 spring to mind,) we are witnessing one of the ultimate legends in the sport.  There will always be comparisons with the likes of Senna, Prost, Fangio and Schumacher in his peak and it’s difficult to judge where you rank Vettel in the various categories.  However, he is the ultimate driver now and has been the class of the field for over a year now.  Anyone who says that he doesn’t deserve his second world championship needs to go and see a brain surgeon before it’s too late!  His win at Monza was so easy; it looked like he hadn’t broken a sweat in achieving it.  He had to make a crucial pass in the race to earn his win and the bravery he showed when Fernando Alonso stuck him on the grass like an animal on lap five was amazing.  Against Alonso, many would have backed off in this situation, but Vettel didn’t and reaped his rewards with the decisive overtake in this race.  Time and again, he has been criticised for his lack of racecraft, but he has pulled off race-winning passes on Felipe Massa in Malaysia, Jenson Button in Barcelona and Alonso again in Belgium, so there’s nothing wrong in this department.  In fact, Sebastian Vettel is for me, one of the top ten drivers to have ever sat in a racing car.  It couldn’t happen to a nicer bloke either.  Schumacher’s records could now be under severe threat when you consider Vettel’s age – maybe HMV should approach the champion-to-be for a job in a desperate boost to improve its failing record sales!

     While Vettel is coasting to the title, fellow compatriot Schumacher is starting to roll back the years, which I’m pleased to see.  He drove superbly to fifth from 24^th on the grid in Spa and repeated the result at Monza, with his strongest outing of the season.  The Mercedes GP chassis, which frankly has been a real letdown this season, looked much better in Italy and Schumacher comfortably had the measure of Nico Rosberg.  Some fantastic positioning combined with a few borderline movement directions saw MS keep a rather cautious Lewis Hamilton at bay for almost half the race.  Was Michael playing with the rules and regulations in his defending?  Well, the race stewards felt no action was required, despite a couple of irritable messages from Mercedes GP boss Ross Brawn on the team radio.  I felt he was pushing his luck a bit, but Michael Schumacher has always done that.  That’s why he’s clever, cunning and a seven-time world champion.  You don’t achieve his feats by accident.  It’s nice to compliment Schumacher, rather than slam him for shocking events he has had in his comeback.  The nightmare of his Istanbul performance in May seems like a long time ago.

DESTROYED: Petrov, Rosberg and Barrichello were innocent victims

      Whilst Schumacher’s driving was legitimate, Vitantonio Liuzzi has some explaining to do, for causing mayhem in the first chicane.  Annoyed at being out-qualified by his team-mate, Daniel Ricciardo for the first time, he lost the plot completely and ruined many races.  He did make a great start, but with Liuzzi’s experience, he should know that you can’t win the race at the first corner.  He couldn’t control the car on the grass and yes, he did get an HRT into the top eight of a Grand Prix for the first time, but not in glorified fashion.  Vitaly Petrov’s fury as he got out of his destroyed Renault and Nico Rosberg’s comment of being ‘torpedoed’ said it all really.  Liuzzi took them out, ruined Rubens Barrichello’s race and scuppered the chances of points for Adrian Sutil and Kamur Kobayashi.  A five-place grid penalty for Singapore doesn’t do justice, especially as he will qualify last anyway.  Then, he has the cheek to blame Heikki Kovalainen for squeezing him on the grass!!  Nice try Tonio, but I think it’s time you find alternative motorsport employment before you destroy anyone else’s race chances.      

MOVING: Sam Michael will be in McLaren colours next season

     McLaren’s decision to appoint the outgoing Williams technical director Sam Michael, as sporting manager is a shrewd decision.  Michael, responsible for Williams best recent period, (2001-03) under Juan Pablo Montoya and Ralf Schumacher will bring some much-needed stability to the team that has been all too evident in missing this season.  Jenson Button is having his best season for a long while, even better than his 2009 championship winning campaign.  Michael will work closely with Hamilton too, which should be a good thing for Lewis, after what has been an erratic season to say the least for Hamilton.  If he can get results out of the likes of Montoya and Schumacher Jnr, who let’s be honest, were mediocre drivers, then I think McLaren are onto a real winner with this appointment.  At least the second and fourth places finishes at Monza all but guaranteed second place in the constructors’ championship for McLaren again.  However, in the words of Ron Dennis; ‘second is the first of the losers.’

      One team that has got their act together as the season has gone on is Scuderia Toro Rosso.  The upgrades they keep bringing have moved them right into the hunt for points on a regular basis.  Jaime Alguesuari’s stunning second-half of the season continues, with a career-best seventh place finish, despite being knocked out in the first part of qualifying.  Despite getting hit in the first corner, Sebastian Buemi was a solid tenth.  Six points finishes for Buemi and five for Alguesuari is really good going and they have closed right onto the tails of the Sauber/Force India squabble for sixth place in the constructors’ championship.  This is a battle I’m looking forward to in the final six flyaway races and I’ve got a feeling that Toro Rosso might sneak the position.  When Paul di Resta has a good weekend, Adrian Sutil doesn’t and vice versa, which is hurting Force India’s potential for double points finishes.  Sauber can’t seem to qualify very well and with Sergio Perez making a few too many mistakes, plus reliable Kamur Kobayashi going off the boil, I think it is Toro Rosso’s position for the taking.

     One team that won’t be featuring in this scrap is Williams.  Just five points all season is a dismal return for a team with such established pedigree in Formula One.  On a day when points were up for grabs, Pastor Maldonado and Rubens Barrichello missed out, in 11^th and 12^th place.  Ninth place will be the worst finish for the team since Sir Frank Williams and Patrick Head came together to form Williams Engineering in 1978.  Maldonado has shown on his day that he is worthy of a place in the sport, but other times, drives like a total hooligan (Belgium qualifying incident with Hamilton in thought here!).  I’m afraid Rubens Barrichello is struggling and looks like a sorry figure in the paddock nowadays.  I don’t quite know what is keeping Rubens around because he doesn’t seem to be enjoying his racing anymore, despite his claims he is.  I’ve been very supportive of Barrichello’s career, particularly in the no.2 job he had to play at Ferrari, but his painful campaign is having echoes of Damon Hill’s pitiful final season in the sport in 1999.  Maybe it is time for Rubens to move aside and give youth a chance.  Romain Grosjean has won the GP2 Championship, is basically owned by Renault and unless Robert Kubica doesn’t return, will be frozen out.  Bruno Senna, Adrian Sutil, even a shock Nico Hulkenberg return have also been mentioned with Williams.  What would be their strongest team?  Probably Sutil/Senna would be good, but Maldonado/Grosjean is more likely, largely because of the millions that Pastor is bringing to the drive for sponsorship.  While I’m talking high sponsorship levels, I wonder what happened to ex-Forti, Sauber and Arrows driver Pedro Diniz.  Answers on a postcard please!

     Finally, there is no doubt who was the driver of the day and the driver of the weekend at Monza.  Solid mentions have to be given out to Bruno Senna, Michael Schumacher and Jenson Button, but Sebastian Vettel was once again, supreme and in a class of one.

IMPERIOUS: Singapore would be ideal for Vettel's title

     So, six flyaway races remain in 2011.  The night spectacular in Singapore begins the long haul next weekend, followed by the classic Suzuka circuit in Japan.  A second visit to Korea beckons, before a new adventure for the inaugural Indian Grand Prix in New Delhi.  The twilight of Abu Dhabi stages the penultimate event, before we wrap up four weeks before Xmas in Brazil on November 27.

It’s no longer a question of if, but when the sensational Mr. Vettel wraps it all up and the setting of night racing in Singapore would be a fitting way to clinch it. 

F1 2010 driver reviews (Part 2)

THIS is part two of my driver-by-driver review of the 2010 F1 season.


13. Nico Hulkenberg                                  (Williams Cosworth)

HIGH POINT:                    Stunning and shock pole position for the Brazilian Grand Prix

LOW POINT:                    Crashing in the tunnel on the first lap in Monaco

POLE position in Brazil was one of the best pieces of driving I saw all season and Nico Hulkenberg has established himself as an excellent racing driver, even though he is looking for alternate employment after Williams dropped him at the end of the season.  Hulkenberg came with an excellent record in feeder series such as GP2 and A1GP, but he was too cautious and disappointed massively in the first half of the season.  From Valencia onwards, he turned his fortunes around, with the Brazil pole being the peak of his season.  Sixth in Hungary was his best result, though his best race came at Monza, finishing seventh and frustrating Mark Webber for much of the afternoon.  Crashes in Monaco and frustration petulance in Valencia and Singapore shows he still has lots to learn, but this was a competitive rookie season.

14. Jaime Alguesuari                                 (Scuderia Toro Rosso Ferrari)

HIGH POINT:                    Finishing ninth in Malaysia, pulling off two of the best overtaking passes of the season

LOW POINT:                    Attempting to drive Kamur Kobayashi off the road like a petulant schoolchild at the Japanese Grand Prix

HIS first full season in Formula One and Jaime Alguesuari certainly didn’t disgrace himself.  In fact, he made Sebastian Buemi look like a monkey at times and he has established himself firmly as a feisty racer.  This has led to some rash moves, such as running into Buemi on lap one at Hockenheim, and attempting unsuccessfully to drive Kamur Kobayashi off the road at the Japanese Grand Prix.  However, he made the most of a difficult car, collecting ninth place in the season-ending race in Abu Dhabi and tenth in his home event at Barcelona.  Alguesuari’s highlight of the season was an outstanding ninth in Malaysia, pulling off two sensational passes on Vitaly Petrov and Nico Hulkenberg in the race.  Next season will be interesting to see Jaime’s development as a racing driver.

15. Vitaly Petrov                                          (Renault)

HIGH POINT:                    Outstanding drive under pressure from Alonso to finish sixth in the season finale in Abu Dhabi

LOW POINT:                    Crashing into Nico Hulkenberg less than four seconds into the start of the Japanese Grand Prix

VITALY Petrov has shown strong pace, especially in wet conditions.  However, he lacked consistency and made some daft errors that cost his Renault team a shot at fourth place in the constructors’ championship.  Petrov scored five points finishes, all notable efforts.  His best weekend came in Hungary, qualifying seventh and winding up in fifth.  Seventh in the wet in China was a strong showing, as was a ninth place finish at Spa from the back of the grid.  Plus, he held off intense pressure from Alonso to come home sixth in the final race in Abu Dhabi.  However, he has a tendency to become a magnetic attraction with the tyre barriers.  Expensive wrecks in Spa (qualifying), Barcelona (practice), Japan and Korea (whilst in the points) might have cost him his drive.  Petrov could be in for a nervous winter.

16. Heikki Kovalainen                               (Lotus Cosworth)

HIGH POINT:                    Beating Vitaly Petrov fair and square in the Canadian Grand Prix

LOW POINT:                    Being part of the most spectacular shunt of the season with Mark Webber in Valencia

IT WAS always going to be a tough season to judge the drivers in the new teams, but Heikki Kovalainen can hold his head up high, after an excellent season for Lotus.  99% of the time, he was the class of the new boys, and on occasion, troubled the established teams.  Canada was his highlight, ending just 0.2secs behind Kamur Kobayashi in qualifying and beating Vitaly Petrov’s Renault in the race.  Twelfth in the Japanese Grand Prix was his best finish, though this mainly was achieved through attrition.  Heikki will be best remembered in 2010 for being part of the spectacular smash with Mark Webber in Valencia, and having to put out a fire on his own in Singapore, when the marshals stood and watched his burning car.  Heikki’s reputation has been well and truly restored this season, he can’t wait for 2011.

17. Sebastian Buemi                                  (Scuderia Toro Rosso Ferrari)

HIGH POINT:                    Leading the Canadian Grand Prix for a lap and finishing a strong eighth

LOW POINT:                    Chinese Grand Prix practice, when both his front wheels flew off under braking for the penultimate corner

THERE is no doubt that Sebastian Buemi underachieved in 2010, after a strong rookie season in 2009.  He was constantly outperformed by Jaime Alguesuari, in a car that was never the best, but it led to some uncharacteristic errors from the Swiss.  Like Alguesuari, he achieved three points finishes this season with his best being an eighth place finish in Canada, which included leading the race for a lap and passing Michael Schumacher around the outside of turn one.  He came ninth in Valencia, though being mugged by Kamur Kobayashi on the last corner of the race won’t have pleased the bosses.  He crashed on lap one in Australia, China (after a nightmare experience in practice) and Germany.  Sebastian has a lot to do in 2011 if he wants to carve out a longer stay in F1.

18. Nick Heidfeld                 (BMW Sauber Ferrari)

HIGH POINT:                    Finishing on Kobayashi’s tail to end up eighth in the Japanese Grand Prix

LOW POINT:                    His return to the sport in Singapore, which bought little reward

NICK HEIDFELD cut a forlorn figure for most of 2010, sitting in the Mercedes garage as a reserve driver, twiddling his fingers around, doing nothing.  After a brief stint testing for Pirelli in the summer, Heidfeld was called into the Sauber squad to replace Pedro de la Rosa for the last five races of 2010.  Consequently, it is difficult to judge his season, but he finished four times and gave Kamur Kobayashi a run for his money.  Nick scored points in Japan (8^th) and Korea (9^th) and only narrowly missed out in Abu Dhabi, tracking Felipe Massa for most of the race.  Unfortunately, due to his lack of sponsorship, Heidfeld could end up in the freeze and miss out on a full-time seat again next season, though he certainly proved everyone against of his undoubted consistency and racecraft in his five race stint this campaign.

19. Vitantonio Liuzzi                                  (Force India Mercedes)

HIGH POINT:                    A potential career saving drive in Korea, finishing an excellent sixth

LOW POINT:                    Missing out on Q2 in Shanghai, then wiping out Sebastian Buemi and Kamur Kobayashi on lap one in the race

VITANTONIO Liuzzi was the biggest disappointment of the season, outclassed by Adrian Sutil in the Force India team and likely to be without a race drive next season, even though he has a contract to drive for Force India in 2011.  At times, Liuzzi showed flashes of speed and potential, with fifth on the grid in Canada highlighting this.  He scored most of his points in tricky race conditions, (7^th) in Australia and (6^th) in South Korea.  However, the Italian was knocked out of Q1 on six separate occasions this year, and became a frequent visitor to a crash barrier as the season went on.  Riding over the top of Michael Schumacher at the final event in Abu Dhabi pretty much summed up Liuzzi’s season in 2010: Absolutely forgettable!

20. Timo Glock                                               (Virgin Cosworth)

HIGH POINT:                    Reaching Q2 in both Malaysia and Belgium

LOW POINT:                    His frustration allowed Lucas di Grassi to match him in some race weekends

TIMO Glock might be kicking himself for walking away from a Renault race seat, to endure a torrid season in Virgin’s debut season.  His stock has certainly dropped in recent seasons, and he will always be remembered as the man who gave up and handed Lewis Hamilton the 2008 championship, not that the Brits care about that.  Glock did make the most of the wet conditions to make Q2 in both Malaysia and Belgium and he looked set to pick up a point in Korea, until Sebastian Buemi used him as a brake.  On other weekends, he allowed Lucas di Grassi to match him, particularly in Valencia and Germany.  Progress was being made towards the end of the season, but Glock will lookback on a missed opportunity for better results in a better car over the winter months.

21. Pedro de la Rosa                                   (BMW Sauber Ferrari)

HIGH POINT:                    Finishing seventh in Hungary

LOW POINT:                    Getting sacked by Sauber five races before the end of the campaign

FINISHING the season testing for Pirelli alongside Roman Grosjean, Pedro de la Rosa has probably driven his final F1 race, after a horrific comeback season with Sauber.  He only finished in the points once, a strong seventh place in Hungary and was overshadowed by the rising talent of Kamur Kobayashi in the team.  It was surprising to see de la Rosa’s lack of effort to develop such an appalling car in the early stages of the season, particularly after all his hard work in the past as a McLaren test driver.  This was highlighted by the team’s comments about Pedro after he was replaced by Nick Heidfeld for the final five races of the season.  He is a nice guy, but sadly – his time has come and gone in F1.

22. Jarno Trulli                                               (Lotus Cosworth)

HIGH POINT:                    None

LOW POINT:                    Everything

THERE were times this season when people will have wondered why Jarno Trulli was wasting his time in a backmarker car, especially when he has a perfectly good vineyard in Italy that produces fabulous wines.  Trulli’s early season form was very erratic and moves such as the one in Monaco on Karun Chandok, which nearly took the Indian driver’s head off were attempts you would expect to see from a go-karter, not with someone who has fourteen years Grand Prix experience.  Qualifying was as strong as ever for Jarno, normally ending up as the class of the ‘Class B’ teams, but Heikki Kovalainen battered him on a Sunday afternoon too frequently.  Expect Trulli to be back in 2011, though he is well past his best in the sport.

23. Karun Chandok                                      (HRT Cosworth)

HIGH POINT:                    Recording Hispania’s first ever finish in Australia

LOW POINT:                    Losing his drive through no fault of his own in mid-season

KARUN Chandok may count himself very unlucky to lose his drive mid-season, when Hispania needed cash and axed him from Hockenheim onwards for the money-spinning Japanese driver, Sakon Yamamoto.  Chandok more than equally matched Bruno Senna in a poor motorcar, and recorded the teams first ever race finish in Australia.  He stayed out of trouble in races, although he did hinder Fernando Alonso in Canada by accident that allowed Jenson Button to steal second spot from the Spaniard.  With the Indian GP on the calendar for 2011, fingers crossed that Karun will get another chance in F1, because he deserves it for sure.

24. Christian Klien                                       (HRT Cosworth)

HIGH POINT:                    Outqualifying Senna by over a second on his F1 return in Singapore

LOW POINT:                    Only get three races to prove his quality as a top-line driver

AUSTRIAN Christian Klien has had a very tough time in the last few seasons, sitting on the sidelines as a back-up driver at BMW Sauber and Honda since Red Bull dumped him in 2006.  Klien returned to the cockpit for the first time in four years at the Singapore GP and outqualified his team-mate Bruno Senna by a full second.  Hydraulics failure ended his race prematurely, but he’d laid down his marker and raced again for the limping Hispania team in the final two events, again spanking Senna at his home event in Brazil, although the rookie did dominate him in Abu Dhabi.  Like Nick Heidfeld, Klien is unlikely to drive again sadly, due to his lack of sponsorship levels, which is such a shame for someone who never gives up, whatever the situation.

25. Lucas di Grassi                                        (Virgin Cosworth)

HIGH POINT:                    Recording Virgin’s first-ever race finish in Malaysia, despite not having a big enough fuel tank to finish the race

LOW POINT:                    Crashing on the way to the grid at Suzuka, meaning he never even started

AFTER four years in GP2, Lucas di Grassi finally made the step-up to Formula One this season with the new Virgin team, but struggled to get to grips with the new toy.  On occasion, he would be an equal-match for Timo Glock, but he often more looked like he was drowning out at sea like a drunk sea captain.  His embarrassing crash on cold tyres at Suzuka – on his way to the grid was a mistake that not even a first-time road user should be making.  With Jerome D’Ambrosio waiting in the wings, di Grassi may well have blown his chance.

        26. Bruno Senna                                           (HRT Cosworth)

HIGH POINT:                    Outqualifying and outracing Lucas di Grassi in Istanbul

LOW POINT:                    Shamed in Singapore, finishing a full second behind Christian Klien in qualifying, on Klien’s maiden outing

THE name Senna made a welcome return to the sport, but sadly, Bruno couldn’t live up to the high standards of the his legendary uncle.  True, he had a dog of a car, but Senna couldn’t get the most out of it and allowed Karun Chandok to match him and Christian Klien to beat him in the other Hispania.  Even allowing rent driver Sakon Yamamoto to get close to him on occasion just doesn’t even describe how bad he was at times this season.  He completed the least amount of racing laps and apart from Istanbul and Spa, never looked at home in the team.  Although he probably has more chance than di Grassi in coming back next season for another bite of the cherry, don’t count on it.

27. Sakon Yamamoto                                 (HRT Cosworth)

HIGH POINT:                    Outqualifying Senna in Korea

LOW POINT:                    Getting the drive in the first place!

SAKON Yamamoto is one of those drivers who simply isn’t good enough for F1, yet will never bugger off out of sight.  His big sponsorship backers in Japan have seen to that, which meant we saw him more often than not in yet another backmarker team after experiences with Super Aguri and Spyker in the past.  He gave Bruno Senna some areas to think about and was the more reliable driver in bringing the car to the chequered flag.  However, Sakon has the charisma of Ann Widdecome on the Strictly Come Dancing floor; boring, dull and very uneventful to watch.  The best you can say about Yamamoto is, he will do his maximum, whatever that may be.

2010 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix - Fabulous Sebastian clinches maiden title

SEBASTIAN Vettel became the youngest ever Formula 1 world drivers’ champion, after a copybook driver to victory today in Abu Dhabi.  Under the twilight in the desert, Vettel led from pole to overhaul his nearest rivals, Spain’s Fernando Alonso, team-mate Mark Webber and Britain’s Lewis Hamilton in F1’s first four-way title showdown.

SPIN: Schumacher facing the wrong way before Liuzzi's impact

Vettel made a clean start and showed a lot of confidence to chop an advancing Hamilton into turn one, who had made a slightly better start.  Alonso, who started eight points clear at the start of the race, lost third place to Jenson Button’s fast-starting McLaren and his day slowly disintegrated into one of frustration.  Whilst the leaders safely got around the first few bends, Michael Schumacher’s nightmare comeback season came to a premature end, in dramatic circumstances.  Blocked by Rubens Barrichello’s defensive Williams, Schumacher got on the power out of turn four too quickly and spun his Mercedes wildly in the middle of the pack.  Caught between Sebastian Buemi and Nico Hulkenberg, Vitantonio Liuzzi had nowhere to go and used the Mercedes as a launch pad.  The luckless Italian crashed into the German and landed almost on top of Schumacher’s helmet.  Luckily, both drivers escaped a potentially disastrous outcome unhurt, but the Safety Car had to come out to clear the mess up.

CRUCIAL: This pitstop cost Alonso a third title

During the pace car procedure, Nico Rosberg, Vitaly Petrov and Jaime Alguesuari all elected to pit and remove the weaker race tyre, and this would play a significant factor in the final outcome.  After five laps under yellows, racing resumed and it became clear that Webber’s fading challenge was all but over.  Under pressure from the second Ferrari of Felipe Massa, he clouted a guardrail and headed for the pits.  He then got trapped behind the slower Toro Rosso of Alguesuari and with it, Australia’s hopes of a third world champion in history went away.  Strangely, Ferrari still saw Webber as a threat and elected to get rid of their blistering soft tyres and pit both Massa and more crucially, Alonso.  However, although they kept Alonso ahead of Webber, the Spaniard emerged behind both Rosberg and Petrov, both not needing to pit again.  Despite getting behind Petrov down the backstraight, the Renault’s excellent traction and outstanding f-duct meant that the Russian had little trouble in keeping the championship leader behind him.

With Alonso and Webber floundering in the midfield, this was Vettel’s chance and as the graining stage of his tyres disappeared, he went faster and faster.  His only threat for the win came from Hamilton and when the young German emerged from the pits ahead of Hamilton, separated by Kamur Kobayashi and Robert Kubica, the title was all but his.  Despite some concerns over his radio, he seemed untroubled and coasted to an easy win, his fifth of the season.  Hamilton and Button finished nose-to-tail to complete the rostrum and wrap up second spot for McLaren in the constructors championship.  Now, Vettel had to wait and see if he had done enough.

He had, as Rosberg finished an excellent fourth for Mercedes and Kubica’s strategy to start on the harder of the two tyre compounds paid off massively, as he managed to wind up in fifth, after only lining up 11^th on the grid.  His rookie team-mate Petrov backed the Pole up with sixth, a drive that might well have saved his F1 career.  Seventh place for Alonso was never going to be enough, and his childish behaviour at blaming Petrov by gesturing furiously towards the blameless Russian on the slowing down lap couldn’t have been missed.  Webber wound up a disappointing eighth, simply not quick enough to merit the championship, whilst Alguesuari held off Massa all afternoon to finish an excellent ninth for Toro Rosso, his first points since Barcelona in May.

CELEBRATION: Vettel celebrates a historic achievement

However, the day and the season have belonged to Sebastian Vettel and Red Bull Racing.  Many congratulations to Sebastian on achieving history and there is bound to be more titles to come in the future.  However, aside from the team orders controversy at Hockenheim, the real winner this year has been Formula 1.  It has been a sensational season, quite possibly the best yet in its 60-year era and we only have to wait sixteen weeks until it all happens again.

Roll on Bahrain and Sunday 13^th March 2011! 

2010 Brazilian 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 Brazilian Grand Prix was hardly a classic; in fact it was one of the most boring races of the season.  However, it bought joy for Red Bull Racing and sets up a grand finale in Abu Dhabi this weekend.  So, this is the round-up of the penultimate race in 2010.

Sebastian Vettel – Championship momentum

THUMBS UP: Vettel is delighted with his 4th win of 2010

SINCE his costly errors at Spa, Sebastian Vettel has driven out of his skin and proven to all of his doubters that he will be a world champion in future, although still being the 2010 winner looks a long shot.  Vettel was in a class of one in Sao Paulo at the weekend and once he out dragged the surprised pole sitter Nico Hulkenberg off the startline, there was only ever going to be one winner.  Vettel’s best form comes when he leads from the front.  In this situation, he is almost untouchable.  The momentum is with him in the championship, but he will still need a degree of good fortune to see the decisive swing head his way in Abu Dhabi.  Whether he will play second fiddle, should it be required to team-mate Mark Webber remains to be seen.

Red Bull Racing – Deserved constructors champions

REALISATION: Christian Horner throws his hands in the air

WHEN Vettel and Mark Webber crossed the line on Sunday to seal the team’s fourth 1-2 finish of the season, you could sense the relief on the pitwall.  It is an incredible story, and in just six years.  Red Bull was born in 2005, out of the ashes of the failed Jaguar squad.  David Coulthard built the team up, but there were some very tough and testing times for the team, at times they were seen as the laughing stock in the pitlane.  However, in Adrian Newey, they have the best designer in the business.  Newey has always built world class motorcars, if a little fragile and his 2010 car is a masterpiece.  The drivers and the management have done the best they could to throw all the potential away, but it all came together in the end.  Although he has his critics, including myself – Christian Horner has done a great job to keep the warring Webber and Vettel together, without everything being blown out of proportion.  Lastly big congratulations to everyone in the team.  Long hours have been worked at the factory in Milton Keynes and some members have been with the team from the start, when it was Stewart GP in 1997, so the constructors’ championship is a fully deserved success for Red Bull Racing.

Fernando Alonso – Still in the driving seat

ALTHOUGH Red Bull had the race in their back pocket, Fernando Alonso is still the man in the pound seats heading to Abu Dhabi.  Eight points clear of Mark Webber and 15 ahead of Sebastian Vettel, the consistent Spaniard only needs to finish in the top two in the desert, to become world champion.  Since Silverstone, Alonso has been thinking championship points and it seems like his meticulous mathematical calculations look set to pay off.  Another solid drive at the weekend led to another rostrum, his seventh in eight races.  Fernando Alonso is still the safe bet for this championship.

Nico Hulkenberg – How did he do that?

DEFENCE: Hulkenberg did well to resist Hamilton early on

WHEN you start on pole position and wind up finishing in eighth place, some will think – what went wrong?  Not in the case of Nico Hulkenberg, who did a fantastic job all weekend, considering the limited capabilities he has against the front-running teams.  His Saturday performance, in mixed conditions to shake the F1 order up and clinch his maiden pole position was awe-inspiring.  It reminded me of his dominant days in A1GP in similar track conditions.  His stout defence of Fernando Alonso and Lewis Hamilton may have ruined the race as a front-running battle, but it was brilliant to watch Hulkenberg go up against some of the best, and not be scared by former world champions.  It maybe for commercial reasons, but Williams would be fools to let this exceptional talent slip through their fingers.

Jenson Button – A very difficult weekend

SERVICE: Button gained positions in the pits

JENSON Button gracefully gave up his drivers crown at the same venue where he won it in such fine fashion in 2009.  His drive from eleventh on the grid to fifth in the race was fantastic, and for once, he looked quicker than Lewis Hamilton on raceday.  Button can lookback at a positive first season with McLaren and had it not been for some tricky qualifying sessions and for Vettel driving into the side of him at Spa, it could well have been a different story.  In truth, it was a difficult weekend for Jenson, after his near brush with death on Saturday night (see security problems for more information).  Jenson is the people and true gentleman champion, whatever you may think of his driving abilities.

Barrichello and Massa – Out of luck

LIMPING: Barrichello struggles on after his puncture

BRAZIL’s main men in the field were out of luck and the pressure is building on both of their future F1 careers.  Due to sponsorship being urgently required, Rubens Barrichello is fighting to hang onto his seat at Williams, despite delivering some of his best driving ever in the 18 year F1 career.  His dreadful and annual jinx at Interlagos struck again, when he tagged Jaime Alguesuari very lightly in the race, yet still picked up a puncture.  It just had to happen to Rubens, didn’t it?  I do hope he will still be in Formula One next year, but it is starting to look very doubtful.  On a short-term basis, Felipe Massa is safe, but his long-term future with Ferrari must be called into question.  Massa is an expert in Brazil, having won this event twice before.  Yet he seemed to have as many contacts as Piers Morgan would with celebrities.  Sebastian Buemi, Barrichello and Vitaly Petrov can all testify to that.  Massa was very lacklustre again, even though a loose wheel at his first pitstop did leave him on the backfoot.  He has been little help to Ferrari, except the controversial Hockenheim switch, which would make Alonso winning the championship even more special, because he hasn’t needed a great deal of assistance, especially in the last third of the season.

Senna and di Grassi – Both running out of time?

WHILST Barrichello and Massa suffered misfortune, the two Brazilian rookies continue to disappoint and are starting to run out of time to prove themselves, although they are in backmarker teams.  Lucas di Grassi has had a testing rookie season, but he is nowhere near Timo Glock in the Virgin team and recorded another DNF on Sunday.  In fact, di Grassi seemed undecided whether to park the car, or to trundle along at the back of the field.  It was maybe the highlight of the entire event!  Bruno Senna may never have raced in Sao Paulo before, but he still trailed Christian Klien by nearly an entire second in qualifying, which is ridiculous, considering Senna has driven that car all season and this was only Klien’s second event of the season.  When Japanese pay-driver Sakon Yamamoto starts matching you, then you realise how bad Senna has been this season.  I predict that Sunday’s Abu Dhabi finale will be their last event in Formula One.  Sadly, neither has been able to cut the mustard at this level.

Force India – Team mates at war!

AGAIN: Another Force India wreck from Tonio Liuzzi

NICO Hulkenberg’s eighth place finish was very bad news for Force India, as it meant they slipped behind Williams in their private battle for sixth in the constructor’s championship.  It doesn’t help either when you’re team-mates start bickering amongst each other.  Vitantonio Liuzzi spun in Q1 and inadvertently blocked Adrian Sutil, who was on a flying lap.  Sutil dropped out in Q1 and wasn’t shy in holding back.  He blasted Liuzzi for his inconsistent driving standards and dropped a dig at the team’s lack of development in the second half of the season.  Sutil has a tough decision to make about his future but there aren’t many options for him around.  I still think that a Renault drive alongside Robert Kubica would be his best bet if he wants to move up the grid.  Liuzzi qualified 17^th, bottom in Q2 – then crashed another Force India in the race.  He also hit out at Sutil for his driving standards, which seemed a bit harsh, considering Adrian’s improvement apart from the car crash that was Korea last time out.  Like di Grassi and Senna, I think Liuzzi will be bidding farewell to the sport after Sunday’s showpiece.

Brazil’s security problems

ARRIVAL: Button had a traumatic Saturday experience

The attack on Jenson Button’s car after he left the paddock on Saturday evening will raise serious doubts over the future of the Brazilian Grand Prix.  Not only does the Interlagos circuit need a massive update in his facilities, which look so 1996 in this 21^st century world, it needs to tighten up its security levels.  Button, his father and manager Richard Goddard were lucky that the driver of their car floored the throttle when he saw the gang that had guns on them.  Three Sauber mechanics weren’t so lucky, and were forced to hand over all of their equipment in their rucksacks.  It is important for F1 to visit South America every year, but not if this is going to be a repetitive incident.  With the Olympics and Football World Cup heading into Brazil in the next six years, they must improve security and reduce gang warfare that dominates the country.

2011 calendar – Good or bad?

SCRAPPING: Will the cars be in Brazil for a long-term future

LAST Wednesday, the FIA ratified the 20-race calendar for the 2011 season.  As expected, the new event in India will take place on the final weekend of October.  The season won’t finish until November 27, in Brazil – which is far too late to finish any championship.  More back-to-back events are required to prevent this scenario happening again.  Most of the rest of this year’s calendar remains in place, with Bahrain hanging onto the season opener and Silverstone keeping its traditional mid-July slot.  However, with more countries wanting races, changes will need to be made for 2011 and the circuit promoters at Valencia, Istanbul, Shanghai and Interlagos must be aware that they could very soon be ready for the chop, if Bernie gets his way.