China Grand Prix review

Sunday’s Chinese Grand Prix was a joyous culmination of this season’s three reforms flowing in tandem to produce an exhilarating race something which Formula One has sometimes lacked in recent years. The DRS (Drag Reduction System) and KERS (Kinetic Energy Recovery System) complemented each other beautifully so that cars could have that extra boost to pass the road hog in their way once they got behind them. While Pirelli’s new tyres really left the paddock’s strategy men with lots to ponder as they dramatically started to degrade once they’d reached their sell by date.

The big winners on the day were undoubtedly Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg who gambled by making an extra pit stop so that their tyres would still be fresh at the end of the race while other racers were left struggling for grip. This allowed Hamilton to catch this season’s runaway championship leader Sebastian Vettel at a vast rate of knots and gave the McLaren man his first victory of the season.

Throughout the field there was no-stop action something the sport hasn’t seen since Brazil 2008 when the aforementioned Hamilton secured his World Championship on the last corner and very rarely sees without nature’s raining intervention.

One man who deserves special praise for his performance on the Shanghai International circuit was Red Bull’s Mark Webber who has quickly become the sport’s forgotten man this year in the shadow of his team-mate Vettel. The Aussie had a disastrous qualifying performance suffering from technical difficulties, then going out on the harder less preferable tyres and failing to make it through Q1 finishing 18th on the grid. Red Bull’s Team Principal Christian Horner insisted the car was good enough to get through to the next session and wasn’t the most sympathetic to Webber’s plight.

On race day though the six-time race winner lived up to his Twitter name and shown true Aussie grit as he stormed through the field to secure a podium finish on the dying laps. It’s also a great compliment to the quality of Red Bull’s RB7 car that Webber could start so far down and bag a third place. But take nothing away from Webber who put in a stonking drive to position himself back into the title battle. It’s now vital he builds on such a great performance and pins back World Champion Vettel in this year’s championship fight.

Webber’s performance was comparable with the countless times the great Michael Schumacher has bludgeoned his way through the field from the back, when he rode his prancing Ferrari. It was also on par with the magnificent drive Jenson Button put in to secure his maiden F1 victory at the 2006 Hungarian Grand Prix as he started 14th to then win. What makes Webber’s drive on Sunday probably more impressive than Button’s that day was that all this happened in dry conditions showing that Webber, his tyres and his strategy just all clicked.

It has been noticeable so far this season that the new rules have prompted more overtaking than we’ve had in previous years but there’s still been the same old problem. Of a car scampering off into the distance and nobody else being capable of catching them although what was really impressive about Sunday and the new tyres in-particular is that now the teams are literally driving into the unknown. As Pirelli are new this season to F1 the teams don’t know how well the tyres will hold together on certain tracks. This was the case in China when Vettel looked to have sealed another victory only for his tyres to lose significant performance, like the majority of the field’s two-stoppers, leaving him a sitting duck for Hamilton. This unpredictable nature combined with the new technology to assist with overtaking could really help create the best season ever and make F1 the exciting sport all the fans want it to be.

Posted on www.virgin.com

Will Felipe Massa's luck change?

Felipe Massa was lucky to escape with his life during qualifying for the 2009 Hungarian Grand Prix after a stray suspension spring struck the Ferrari driver on the head at a speed of around 160mph. The object brutally shattered the Brazilian’s helmet striking him just above the left eye leaving him in a life-threatening condition.

Thankfully the 11-time racer winner slowly recovered making his F1 return at the start of the 2010 season back in the red of Ferrari. Many pundits questioned whether Massa would return a different man and whether fear may have clouded his desire to win. There could be some truth to that as the Brazilian has gone from title contender to second fiddle at Ferrari since he returned to the sport.

Although it's all too easy to point to his horrific accident and suggest this is the reason for Massa's decline overall the Brazilian has had some rotten misfortune for some time and could certainly challenge Red Bul's Mark Webber for the crown of the sport's unluckiest driver. Look at the Brazilian Grand Prix in 2008, this is when his spirit probably started to waver, he crossed the line in the season decider effectively as the World Champion resulting in premature celebrations in the Ferrari garages.

Only for Lewis Hamilton to overtake a slowing Timo Glock on the final corner to secure a fifth place finish which gave the Englishman his first championship as the floods opened in Interlagos and the rain came down on Massa's title dreams. This was an exhilarating finish for fans watching all around the world but to say this was cruel on Massa does't cover it. There's a horrible realisation moment where the cameras homed in on the Brazilian's father, Luiz Antonio, as his celebrations are cut short noticing that Hamilton got the result he needed securing the championship by a solitary point ahead of Massa.

This has to be the moment where Massa lost something as it must have been such a bitter pill to swallow before that he'd always ran his team-mates, Kimi Raikkonen and previously Michael Schumacher, close giving as good as he got but now it has very much been established that Fernando Alonso is Ferrari's title-fighter. Placing Massa in the position of rear gunner and with the horrible understanding that his best chance to win a title has passed him by.

F1 has always been a sport of being in the right place at the right time, ask Jenson Button in 2009, a driver has to take their opportunity as there's no guarantee it'll come around again. Even leading up to his accident in 2009 it was clear to see Massa was a changed man. He competed in 10 races only mounting the podium once and failing to win a Grand Prix.

Since his return he's not won a race either although he did come close to victory at the German Grand Prix in 2010 when he was cruelly denied an emotional win, his first since his accident and since his championship heartache in Brazil, but this was sacrificed for the sake of team-mate Fernando Alonso's title challenge. Massa, who was cruising at the front, got a radio message from engineer Rob Smedley saying: "Fernando is faster than you. Can you confirm you understood that message?" Soon after Alonso passed and the Spaniard took the victory with Smedley messaging a very quiet Massa to say: "Ok mate good lad, stick with him now, sorry." This left a very sour taste given all that Massa had been through and it resulted in Ferrari getting a fine for breaking the rules.

That was a significant moment though as it put into place for all the world to see who Ferrari's number one and number two drivers were. Two races into the new season Massa still looks destined to become one of Formula One's nearly men as there has been no sharp turn in form although he could have gained a rare podium at this weekend's Malaysian Grand Prix if it hadn't have been for a dodgy first pit-stop instead he finished fifth. It's a pity for the Brazilian as he has pace in abundance, race winning pedigree and potential but one thing that he's severely lacking is luck. To be a success at anything your ability needs to complemented by a fair bit of luck and lucky is one thing Massa's career certainly hasn't been.

Originally posted on www.virgin.com

F1 season 2011 preview

Formula One, the world’s most glamorous and at times most controversial sport, returns this weekend with the curtain raiser taking place in Australia. So, we’ve complied a list of things to expect during the 2011 F1 season.

1. Dramatic tyre degradation

This season Formula One has a new chief tyre supplier, Pirelli, who’re replacing Bridgestone. During testing the Italian manufacturer where given the mandate to ensure this season’s tyres are softer as F1 bosses hope to create more overtaking and to test the ability of tacticians as they try to prevent unnecessary pit-stops. It could prove a difficult task balancing the benefits of keeping drivers on track as opposed to bringing them in to change their boots as winter testing has already shown. For example, at Barcelona recently Mercedes’ Michael Schumacher, on fresh Pirellis, caught McLaren’s Lewis Hamilton, struggling on degrading tyres, over a matter of only 3 laps overtaking him and pulling out a 5 second lead on the 2008 World Champion. Striking tyre degradation such as this may lead many teams to bite the bullet and pit much more frequently with many pundits predicting each driver will pit three or four times in every race. Commentator, Martin Brundle, said recently he expected to see some ‘crazy results’ due to the volatile nature of the new tyres and this could be a huge benefit to the midfield teams especially at the start of the season while they are all still adapting.

2. A new Brit

The gird now has three British drivers with the arrival of Scot, Paul Di Resta, the 24-year-old has been on the cusp of joining an F1 team for many years as he’s previously been linked with drives at Mclaren, Force India and Toyota. Finally the 2010 DTM Champion has got his chance joining Force India, who he tested for in 2008, as a replacement for Italian Antonio Liuzzi. Unlike most rookies who drive in F1, based on a sponsors’ cheque, Di Resta has a proven pedigree of being a motor sport champion. He won the Formula Three Euroseries and Masters of Formula 3 championships in 2006 and has consistently finished in the top three overall standing in the German touring car series, DTM, over the last three seasons before winning the competition last year. As Force India are firmly placed in the middle of the field not much is expected of the Scot but he’ll be determined to achieve consistent points finishes to put him on the radar of front running teams. To help him reach his potential and equal the feats of F1’s two other British drivers, Jenson Button and Lewis Hamilton, by becoming World Champion in a few seasons time.



3. A struggling Mclaren

Over winter testing Mclaren Mercedes new car, the MP4-26, has struggled for pace and reliability and has left many wondering if the team are capable of mounting a challenge for the drivers and constructors titles. Drivers, Jenson Button and Lewis Hamilton, have both toed the party-line saying they’re content but they must be frustrated by the car’s apparent lack of performance. A feeling which must be privately felt within the team too as Mclaren Team Principal Martin Whitmarsh has confirmed his team are making ’dramatic’ alterations to the car before this weekend’s Australian Grand Prix. These changes centre upon giving the MP4-26 a new floor and exhaust system. Whitmarsh said: “There's a risk in that but I think it was the right thing to do and we're hopeful that the risk comes off and the car becomes a lot more competitive.” He defiantly concluded that he felt the new Mclaren could now become over a second a lap quicker. Success for Britain’s two former World Champions could depend hugely on this early season gamble as rivals Ferrari and Red Bull look to be this season’s pace setters once more.

4. Team Orders

The clause which banned team’s engineering an advantage for their ‘lead driver’ has been removed and now teams can again freely tell their ‘second drivers’ to let their team-mates past them. Team orders came to prominence during Michael Schumacher’s dominant era with Ferrari when team-mates Eddie Irvine, Rubens Barrichello and Felipe Massa were all told to move aside to give the German race victories. The Scuderia were adjudged to be up to their old tricks last season when Felipe Massa surrendered what would have been an emotional first victory since returning from a near fatal accident to allow Fernando Alonso to win the German Grand Prix. Massa‘s race engineer Rob Smedley radioed the Brazilian and said ‘Fernando is faster than you’ moments later Alonso was past Massa with Smedley radioing a solitary ‘sorry’ to the distraught Brazilian. Ferrari were given a slap on the wrist for their actions by the FIA and rival teams heavily criticised their use of team orders, none more than Red Bull Team Principal Christian Horner, it will be interesting to see if he uses team orders now the ban has been lifted after all it could have saved him a lot of hassle last season as drivers Sebastian Vettel and Mark Webber regularly tangled with each other nearly blowing their championship hopes.

5. An improved Michael Schumacher

The big talking point of the 2010 season was the return of the legendary Michael Schumacher as he signed up to race for the new Mercedes team, previously World Champions Brawn GP, and this caused euphoria amongst millions of F1 fans across the world. Although in-truth the seven-time World Champion’s comeback was far from plain sailing. He was regularly out-performed by team-mate Nico Rosberg, who almost doubled Schumacher’s point haul of 72, he also struggled to get to grips with qualifying often not making the top ten shoot-out in Q3 and worst of all the German never even mounted the podium with his best finish being fourth in Korea. It was a real shock for many F1 purists who wanted their idol to waltz back behind the wheel of an F1 car and re-establish his dominance from his Ferrari years. In winter testing the prospects have looked good for Schumacher as he quite frequently topped the time sheets despite many saying the Mercedes lacks pace. After his disastrous return, where he ended the championship ninth, you won’t find many predicting he’ll become a World Champion for the eighth time in 2011 but they’re hopeful he’ll at least grace the podium from time-to-time and possibly win a race, this would be a great sign-off for a true great, who probably won’t be on the grid in 2012.



6. A rotation of drivers at Hispania Racing

It’s fair to say of last season’s three new teams, Hispania, struggled substantially more than Virgin Racing or Lotus with no pre-season testing and non-stop financial difficulties it was a wonder they got on the grid at times. During races their fortunes didn’t improve much with their drivers consistently finishing at the very back of the field, if at all, which lead to them finishing last in the constructors championship. They arguably didn’t help themselves by using four drivers, Karun Chandhok, Bruno Senna, Sakon Yamamoto and Christian Kilen, throughout the season which prevented any stability as Hispania tried to find their feet in the sport. This season they’re starting with two new drivers former Jordan racer Narain Karthikeyan and Antonio Liuzzi, who drove for Force India next year, both have substantially more F1 experience and sponsorship than their predecessors but don’t be surprised to see an also-ran from seasons gone by replacing one of them during the season. Maybe Takuma Sato will fancy a mid-season F1 return.

7. Warring team-mates

As the golden rule of F1 goes, you have to beat your team-mate, from Mclaren’s two Brits to Red Bull’s bickering duo there are sure to be some heated in-team rivalries this season. The most memorable moment of warring team-mates last season had to be when Sebastian Vettel and Mark Webber clashed at the Turkish Grand Prix wiping Vettel out of the race while jeopardising Red Bull’s title hopes. Now that Vettel is a World Champion it will be interesting to see if Webber is expected to defer to the young German and furthermore if the fiery Aussie complies. A similar situation could happen at Mercedes too after Nico Rosberg pummelled Michael Schumacher last season it’s unlikely the veteran will settle for second driver status. Also at the front it’ll be intriguing to see whether Fernando Alonso and Felipe Massa start the season on a level-footing. Given that last year the Brazilian had to be the yielding rear-gunner to the two-time World Champion. One thing is for sure with the reinstating of team orders some teams will clearly define a number one and number two driver which probably isn’t a bad idea. As the civil war at Mclaren between Lewis Hamilton and Fernando Alonso in 2007 cost the team the title as Kimi Raikkonen’s Ferrari, who started the final race third in the championship, piped them to the World Championship.



8. A possible return for Robert Kubica
The big tragedy of pre-season was the accident to Renault’s, Robert Kubica, as he was allowed to compete for Skoda in the Ronde di Andora rally but the Pole unfortunately crashed leaving his F1 career in the balance. The one-time race winner suffered various hand, arm and leg injuries which needed multiple operations to repair. There is no way that he’d be able to take the seat of his vastly improved, Lotus Renault GP, for the opening months of the season but F1 fans would undoubtedly love to see him back behind the wheel before the season finishes. In the mean-time his former BMW team-mate, Nick Heidfeld, is deputising for Kubica which could put the in-experienced, Vitaly Petrov’s, position with the team in doubt should Heidfeld do well for Renault in Kubica’s absence. As the pairing of Kubica and Heidfeld made BMW a very fearsome team during their time together previously and would again with Lotus Renault GP if the Pole recovers this season.

9. The First Indian Grand Prix

This season on October 30th F1’s inaugural Indian GP will take place at the Jaypee Group Circuit, in Greater Nodia. The sprawling circuit consists of 16 largely medium speed corners with cars having an expected average lap speed of around 210 kph. The grand stands will house around 150,00 spectators with plans in-place to extend that to 200,000 should the race become popular with fans. When the F1 circus arrives in India in the thick of the season the grid will have an Indian team, Force India, and an Indian driver, Narain Karthikeyan (If Hispania haven’t replaced him by then).

10. Controversies

F1 is nothing without the traditional scandal each season. In recent years we’ve seen spying between Mclaren and Ferrari, illegal car designs, Piquet-gate and even allegations about former FIA President Max Mosley’s private life. This year nothing much has arisen yet other than trash talk between teams with Lewis Hamilton recently describing Red Bull as ‘just a drinks company’ this is pretty light stuff at the moment but it’ll be sure to simmer during the season. There is bound to be controversies surrounding the legality of teams’ diffusers as has become the norm in recent years. Plans to make F1 more interesting are also sure to cause debate with big cheese, Bernie Ecclestone, recently proposing artificial rain to make races more of a spectacle and being roundly shot down by the paddock. Whatever happens this year there is certain to be as much action the track as there is on it as always.