Friday 30 March 2012

2014 Formula 1 Technical Regulations: The Dawn of a New Era

"It is like going back to Formula One's stone age." - P. Sauber

Last year, around this time, the F1 big heads were focusing on adopting new technical regulations regarding engines and aerodynamics, beginning 2014.

The organisers behind Formula 1 have been pushing a green-tech agenda in recent years, all in a bid to remain relevant in the face of growing environmentalist pressures. To their merit, they’ve quickly developed KERS  into a vital, race-winning technology which is being trickled down into more “real world” products from Volvo and Porsche, among others.


To keep the good green times going, the FIA has announced that the sport will switch to a new, twin-turbocharged V6 format for its racecars at the start of the 2014 season.

V6 engines in the 1980s
This isn’t Formula 1′s first turbo era – and the last (in the 80s) did indeed lead to advances in turbocharged passenger cars, from the Ferrari F40 to the turbocharged, 4-cylinder variants of Chrysler’s Dodge Caravan minivans. Oddly enough, however, the biggest reason for choosing the V6 configuration over the previously proposed inline 4 cylinder configuration wasn’t based on engineering or economics – it was based on sound.

Formula 1 is – in many ways – is more about spectacle than it is about cars or go-fast electro-bang whizzery, and the scream of a Formula 1 engine at 18,000 rpm is one of those things that, well, let’s just say, if it speaks to you, then it Speaks to YOU.

Expected changes to specifications include:

Combustion engine specifications:
  • 1600cc, V6
  • 15000 rpm max
  • Direct fuel injection up to 500bar
  • Single turbocharger
  • Controlled fuel flow
Energy recovery and storage systems specifications:
  • Kinetic, 120kW on the rear wheels
  • Exhaust energy recovery linked to the turbocharger

80s F1 cars weren't exactly competing in beauty contests
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Expected aerodynamic and rule changes

1.) Smaller front wings

Size of the front wings are further reduced. At present, F1 car may use the full 1,800mm width of the cars – from 2014 they will be cut to 1,650mm.

Further tightening of restrictions at the front and rear of the car, and around the middle of the car to continue the work begun in the 2009 regulations changes to ‘clean up’ the appearance of the cars and reduce the number of small aerodynamic appendages.

2.) Cars driven by electric power only in the pits

All the cars will be power driven only in the pitlane from 2014. Once entered into the pits and until exiting the pits cars must run “in electric mode” with “no ignition and no fuel supply to the engine at all times when being driven in the pit lane.”

For the time being, this ruling is under objection by the teams and highly classified persons in F1.

The main objection is that this will make pitlane silent and dangerous.

3.) Self-starting engine

Drivers will now be able to start the engine “when seated normally at the wheel and without any external assistance.”

This should put an end to drivers retiring from races because of stalled engines.

4.) Minimum weight for the car increased

The minimum weight of the cars will increase again, to 660kg (from 640kg) from 2014.

A minimum weight for the power unit (including the engine and energy recovery system) has been set at 155kg – previously the engine alone was subject to a minimum weight of 95kg.

5.) Extra gear

The number of forward gears will be increased to eight.

Expected design of 2014 cars

2014 regulations expected to significantly alter the design of the chassis


Compared to the 2012 cars, the 2014 designs will be altered significantly: smaller front wing, a flat nose, a wider rear end with a much lower diffuser to increase downforce.
So far, this is all we know regarding the future designs, but expect these aerodynamic elements to alter as more rules will be adopted in the next 2 years before we officially head into 2014. A year that will mark a new era in Formula 1, to the same extent as 2009, which saw smaller teams challenging the big guns in the likes of Ferrari and McLaren. Competition will inevitably be shaken once more. 


Monday 26 March 2012

Why Raikkonen can win races in 2012

Kimi was two years away from F1? Really? When? 

We're just two race weekends into the 2012 season, and it is already becoming clear that Kimi Raikkonen's return is going to be successful. After a one-off Albert Park and a mixed conditions Sepang, we know that McLaren are currently the pace setters, while the rest of the pack follows. Red Bull are not strong enough in qualifying, Mercedes have severe tyre degradation issues, Fernando Alonso surprisingly leads the championship with a prancing horse that's more similar to a donkey, and Sauber already have 30 points in the bag. Perhaps somebody is missing something that's clearly under the radar.

Kimi Raikkonen hasn't had the best of luck in the first two races of the season. In Q1 of Australia, a late helmet change hampered his chances of correcting a simple mistake on his flying lap as he ran out of time to make it into Q2. Nevertheless, he bounced back with a feisty race performance to finish 7th after starting only 17th.

Qualifying 5th in Malaysia, with merely 0.242 seconds off Hamilton's pole was a clear indication that he was ultimately on the pace. "If I hadn't made a mistake in Turn 9, pole would've have been possible, as I lost only a few tenths. These things sometimes happen. It is what it is", Kimi explained.


His starting position was later denied by the stewards who handed him a five place grid penalty after a late gearbox change was necessary. Starting 10th, without any experience on the wet and intermediate tyres, Raikkonen tiptoed to 5th, and towards the end, nobody was faster than him on the track. On a set of Pirelli primes, he lapped three tenths quicker than anyone else. He immediately boosted a fastest lap time, reminiscent of his 2008 campaign where he was leading the fastest lap times in almost every race of the season.

In pre-season testing, trackside operations director, Alan Permane, was highly impressed with the Finn's first run in an F1 car without refuelling as Raikkonen immediately adapted to 150kg of fuel load.

“We went from 30 to 160kg to show him the sort of difference he could expect, although from qualifying to race it’s even bigger than that. We calculated the time difference from fuel effect and his first lap was absolutely spot on that difference. That was impressive, then he did another 20 laps with just the expected 0.1s per lap tyre degradation. He certainly impressed me from day one.”

Raikkonen has never been a fan of F1′s peripheral stuff, the media and PR side, even if it does pay the bucks. “He just wants to get in the car, drive it fast, work with the engineers and drive it faster,” his race engineer, Mark Slade says. “The rest of it he just sees as an annoyance and a distraction."

Already on Friday morning you could see that Raikkonen's long-runs were beautifully consistent and he was just behind Sebastian Vettel in terms of lap times.

“I think his Friday pace was far below what we can actually achieve", as a confident Mark Slade explains. Again, that pace was masked in qualifying by a five-place grid penalty for a changed gearbox, and then mixed race conditions.

Sebastian Vettel mentioned after Sunday's race that he was not at all surprised by Kimi's pace. "We know the Lotus is good, and is currently a big threat. Especially under Kimi's hands." 

Red Bull's team boss, Christian Horner, apparently agrees. "I think that Kimi has been fast all the time. He was totally blindingly fast in Q2. The power relations seem to change with such a speed, which makes this so interesting. It's good for the sport to see this many competitive drivers", Horner thought.

Former McLaren reserve driver, and current driver for HRT, Pedro De la Rosa, has had a chance to work with Raikkonen before and his words were full of praise after Kimi's recent performances. "Kimi is a phenomenal talent and without a doubt one of the greatest drivers I have ever seen. Kimi and his team looked very competitive this weekend. My uncomplimentary prediction is that Kimi with his team is going to be the biggest surprise of the season", De la Rosa noted. 

Kimi Raikkonen leads Red Bull's Mark Webber

One thing is for certain. Come dry conditions and a trouble-free weekend for the Finn, and current pace setters would be advised to include Kimi Raikkonen in their calculations. Lotus has the pace, and apparently so does the Finn, and with a hopefully stronger development process than last year, the team have every opportunity to clinch a win or two this year. Nevertheless, don't make the mistake to bet against Raikkonen. 





Sunday 25 March 2012

Alonso fends off stunning Perez in Malaysian thriller


Beautiful, absolutely beautiful. - S. Domenicali on team radio with Fernando Alonso

Call it pure luck, call it coincidence, blame it on the weather. Whatever the situation, today's results are carved in stone. Fernando Alonso drove a truly brilliant race to the checkered flag, constantly under pressure by the brilliant Sergio Perez in the Sauber. It has become obvious that the current season might be a turning point towards the better for the sport, as plenty of diversity and unexpected results are starting to fluctuate as the year progresses. Whatever happens in this season from this moment on, the Malaysian Grand Prix will be remembered as one of the most thrilling races since Canada last year. We take a quick look at how the drivers fared today:

Alonso celebrates Ferrari's victory
Fernando Alonso - 1st
At the final pre-season test, Alonso would probably have sacrificed a body part to be at the top of the championship with a victory to his name by the second race. But despite the many failings of the Ferrari F2012, he has managed to achieve that result fair and square. Felipe Massa's performance in an identical car highlights just how impressive Alonso's has been, but it also shows that Ferrari is still nowhere near where it should be. Nevertheless, damage limitation doesn't get much better and there are updates coming to the car over the next three races that should help to close the gap.
Sergio Perez - 2nd
If there were any doubts about Perez's potential, his performance at Sepang should have put them to bed. For most of the race he was the fastest man on the circuit and it could be argued that Sauber lost the race rather than Ferrari winning it. But that should not detract from what was a sublime display of driving skill in difficult conditions and under a huge amount of pressure. A mistake towards the end of the race dropped him out of contention for victory, but he was still beaming in the press conference - and rightly so as his afternoon's work more than doubled his Formula One points tally.
Sergio Perez celebrates maiden podium finish
Lewis Hamilton - 3rd
Although he finished in the same position he managed in Australia, Hamilton was much happier with his third place in Malaysia. Oddly he couldn't take the fight to the Sauber and Ferrari in front, but that disappointment was balanced by two of his biggest title rivals - Sebastian Vettel and Jenson Button - finishing outside the points. He was unlucky in the pit stops, with pit-lane traffic blocking him from leaving at his first stop and some stubborn electrical tape over his brake ducts delaying his second, but it's also true that the McLaren looked out of sorts on the wet track.
Mark Webber - 4th
It's quickly becoming apparent that this year's Red Bull is not the easiest car to drive now that rear downforce has been limited by the ban on exhaust-blown diffusers. Webber struggled with the balance of his car throughout the race, but still put in a solid performance to finish fourth and keep nicely in touch with the top of the drivers' championship. And no doubt he was the only member of the team smiling when Sebastian Vettel made contact with Narain Karthikeyan's HRT towards the end of the race.
Kimi Raikkonen - 5th
Another solid race performance from the returning 2007 champion, but he is still hankering for a completely dry and straightforward race weekend. It was his first experience on the wet and intermediate Pirelli tyres and he said he took it easy as a result - although one could argue that he sat out of wet practice in Australia by choice when he had the perfect opportunity to sample the new Pirelli Cinturatos. Overall, the feeling is that there's still more to come from Lotus and hopefully Raikkonen will be able to show the E20's full potential at the coming races.
Raikkonen's impressive first run on the wets this season
Bruno Senna - 6th
After a pit stop under the safety car dropped him to last on the grid at the restart it looked as though Senna was in for another disappointing result. However, his Williams came alive when he took on intermediate tyres and appeared to have significantly more grip than the cars ahead of him. His confidence grew and then spilled over into his final stint on the medium tyres as he continued to slice through the field from ninth to sixth.
Paul di Resta - 7th
Another consistent and impressive performance from the Force India driver. He stayed out of trouble to take advantage of others' problems, even though the car still isn't showing the kind of pace that was expected from it after pre-season testing.
Force Indias fighting each other for the points
Jean-Eric Vergne - 8th
He was unlucky not to score his points on his debut in Australia, but put in an even more impressive performance this weekend. The key to his race was staying on intermediates up until the red flag when he was effectively given a free pit stop by switching to full wets on the grid. But he also showed decent pace on the slick tyres towards the race and was closing on di Resta before backing off and settling for the four points.
Nico Hulkenberg - 9th
His ninth place finish meant Force India was the only team to have two cars in the points. It was a solid if unspectacular performance, but that was what was called for in the tricky conditions. He also benefitted from some well-timed pit stops to move up the field.
Michael Schumacher - 10th
One point is better than none, but Schumacher will still be hugely disappointed after starting from his highest grid position since his return. He was tapped into a spin by Romain Grosjean early in the race and from that point onwards faced a tough battle. He showed reasonable pace at the start of stints but the Mercedes' appalling tyre consumption meant he became a sitting duck for cars that were over a second slower than him in qualifying.
Sebastian Vettel - 11th
A fourth place finish looked on the cards until he collided with Narain Karthikeyan and suffered a puncture. He placed the blame squarely at the HRT driver's door and the FIA agreed by giving Karthikeyan a penalty. He lost his radio towards the end of the race, which didn't help and meant he did not hear his engineer's exasperated calls to park the car due to overheating brakes at the end of the race. Fortunately he didn't have a failure.
Vettel struggling for grip as Alonso hunts him down
Daniel Ricciardo - 12th
Although he didn't make any glaring errors he wasn't left jumping for joy by his performance as he finished four places shy of his team-mate. But to be fair to him, Vergne got lucky with his strategy while Ricciardo did not.
Nico Rosberg - 13th
Another disappointing race for Mercedes, with Rosberg now failing to score in either of the first two races. Ran as high as fourth early on but the car can't look after its tyres and he needed to pit for fresh intermediates. That he was pleased to hold off Button on slicks is scant consolation for a team that claims it's made progress.
Jenson Button - 14th
"One of those days" he called it, and fortunately for him it was one where - of the genuine title rivals - only Hamilton and Webber scored solid points. He was his own worst enemy as he clumsily ran in to Karthikeyan, and then had the error compounded when he failed to switch a set of intermediates and needed a further pit stop.
Button damages front wing in the back of Karthikeyan 
Felipe Massa - 15th
The day couldn't have gone much worse for Massa. Not only was he out of the points as his team-mate won, the driver hotly tipped for his seat pulled out a remarkable second. The excuse that he doesn't know why his car reacts differently to its tyres compared to Alonso's is beginning to wear thin.
Vitaly Petrov - 16th
An impressive result as he looked after his tyres to ensure only three stops were needed and showed a consistently strong pace to allow him to battle with the faster cars making their way back through the field. To beat Kovalainen will be a real confidence boost.
Timo Glock - 17th
Marussia has been improving quickly and in the shape of Glock it has a driver that tends to make the most of any situation. In the tricky conditions he brought the car home ahead of a Caterham and rightly praised the team for delivering a reliable car despite a lack of testing.
Heikki Kovalainen - 18th
It's true that he lost time replacing his front wing and that explains his position behind Glock, but even without it he would have lost out to Petrov. A lack of balance was to blame and meant he couldn't reel in the Marussia ahead in the closing laps.
Pastor Maldonado - 19th - Engine
A disappointing result after a good race. Having thrown away points last weekend in Australia it was the car that stopped him scoring today as an engine problem two laps from the end dumped him out of tenth place. Made it difficult for himself by missing his pit box after the race restart but rose impressively through the field after that.
Charles Pic - 20th
Is proving himself to be a safe pair of hands at the very least, but inexperience cost him slightly. Said he was unsure when to pit after the restart and lost a chunk of time, while a clutch problem also hampered him later in the race. Did well to see the flag in such tough conditions.
Pedro de la Rosa - 21st
Was frustrated by a fuel pressure problem which left him static on the grid for the formation lap, negating any progress he could make on wet tyres at the start. He then was penalised for having team members on the grid too close to the race restart, but ensured HRT gathered data with long runs.
Narain Karthikeyan - 22nd
A great first stint on wet tyres saw him up in 10th place when the race was suspended, and his high position could have confused Button who ran in to him soon after. Was harshly penalised for causing a collision when Vettel chopped across his front wing late in the race, but his own error when he went off at turn nine didn't help his final finishing position.
Kamui Kobayashi - 23rd - Brakes
In total contrast to Perez he never got the strategy right, twice staying out on intermediate tyres too long. His pace wasn't helped by a brake problem though, which eventually led to his retirement.
Romain Grosjean - 24th - Accident
Made a strong start but again made contact with another car early in the race, inadvertently tapping Schumacher and himself in to spins after twitching in the wet. Naively pushed too hard too early trying to make up time, however, and spun out of the race on intermediate tyres even before the safety car had been called for.
Grosjean once again retired early in a forgettable race





Saturday 24 March 2012

McLaren secure front row, as Michael Schumacher comes alive in Malaysia

It probably comes as no surprise that Hamilton clinched pole position ahead of his teammate, Jenson Button, in Malaysia. In dry conditions, the McLaren seems rather superior in qualifying, as we have seen last weekend in Australia. Nevertheless, merely two tenths of a second separated the top five drivers and it's currently as close and as tight as it gets.

Hamilton, Button and Schumacher
Hamilton was once again in superb form on a one lap flyer. Jenson Button closely followed him, but, as we have seen many times last year, he couldn't quite put up with the pace. However, Button is known to be more of a racer than a qualifier, as he's proven last weekend. Hamilton will be keeping a close look at those rear view mirrors if he doesn't want to endure the same fate as in the last race.

Michael Schumacher seems to be the surprise sleeper of this weekend. The German claimed his best grid position since his return and fans were finally happy to see him share his thoughts on the car in the press conference room as he firmly smiled over that 3rd place. He also ended a long drought of losses in qualifying towards Rosberg in the second Mercedes. His teammate couldn't really handle the pressure of the last moments in Q3 and made several mistakes on his flying lap, leaving him disappointed in only 8th place.

Schumacher prepping for a run in qualifying
The Red Bulls were nowhere in sight. At least that's appropriate to say for Sebastian Vettel, who set his best time on the harder tyre, in favor of pursuing a different and hopefully more effective race startegy from 6th place. Webber, on the other hand, was closer to the rivals, with merely two tenths off the pole, on the medium tyres.

Kimi Raikkonen bounced back from his rather dull mistake in qualifying last weekend. He pushed the Lotus up to 5th place, running the same exact time as Mark Webber. The Finn admitted to a slide in Turn 9, which probably cost him a few tenths and denied him pole position, but nevertheless, he was in much better shape with an improved steering rack, new floor and repaired KERS. However, he faces a five place grid penalty after a gearbox change on Friday, leaving him to start only from 10th tomorrow. Romain Grosjean, his teammate, seemed happy with the car's balance and landed the second Lotus in 7th place, just behind the Red Bulls.

Raikkonen on a flyer
Ferrari are still struggling. Alonso was constantly fighting the car on turn exits, and had to settle for 9th, which is probably a good representative of the team's current performance. Massa, on the other hand, was again knocked out from Q3, as he was struggling to understand the exact balance of the car. Still a weak performance by the Brazilian, but at least this time, he was only three tenths off Alonso's pace.

Tomorrow's race brings again a big pile of uncertainty. With thunderstorms knocking on the door, teams might as well be prepared to run an unpredictable race. Yet, that's what most were expecting today in qualifying, but the clouds ignored the race track. Visibly, conditions are changing fast and that adds to the excitement. If it stays dry, the slick tyres will be put to the degradation test, and managing them will be essential for anyone willing to present a strong performance. And by the looks of it, everyone intends to do so.

The main straight towards the first corner is a long one. Exactly 600 meters between Turn 1 and the starting line is a good opportunity for anyone willing to try his luck on gaining a few positions in the early stages. No doubt, the likes of Button, Vettel, Alonso and Raikkonen will be forcing their hands on the matter.



What to expect? McLaren could get away with it once again. The question is, which driver will take the car home first? Expect Vettel to interfere with that tyre strategy, should the rain avoid the track. There's a lot going on in the mix, and it's nearly impossible to predict the outcome of tomorrow's race. Let the weather and the drivers decide.


Wednesday 21 March 2012

Round 02: Malaysia - McLaren vs. Who?

Still some unanswered questions. 


Red Bull? Mercedes? Lotus? Perhaps Ferrari to bounce back and deliver a stronger performance after a poor showing in Australia? Seems highly unlikely, at least during dry conditions. However, the weather is the trickiest in Malaysia, and a dry race is currently out of the question if you read the forecasts for this weekend. Expect showers to pop up at random hours during practice, qualifying and the race. Add that all up and you've got a promise of a chaotic weekend. The obvious key element for success will be a strong reaction towards rapidly changing conditions.

Dark clouds above the race track in Kuala Lumpur
After displaying a flawless performance last weekend, Jenson Button will be looking to duplicate that form in Malaysia. And weather conditions seem to be playing to his hands. Hamilton will surely not settle for a lower position than his teammate. After finishing behind Button and Vettel in Australia, he will be focusing on replicating the qualifying form and keeping up to pace with his teammate this time.

The Red Bulls will surely want to chase the McLarens for a win this time around. However, because it's only been a week since the last race, there wasn't much time for any new parts and aero elements to develop and fit on the cars. Therefore, performances are expected to be pretty much the same, if we are looking at a dry qualifying session. Nevertheless, Red Bull are relying on their race pace and will be praying for a few thunderstorms, perhaps even sending out Vettel for a rain dance in the paddock.

Hamilton on his fastest lap in 2011 (Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia)
Lotus have kept their word of joining the front runners. In qualifying last weekend, Grosjean was the only man close enough to the McLarens, proving that the car has enough pace to compete for a podium at least. The Frenchman will need to focus on finishing the race this time, while Kimi Raikkonen must be on his toes during qualifying. The Lotus E20 seems quite quick during qualifying, with a race pace similar to the front runners and most importantly, it can manage the tyres fairly well. Expect them to prove a serious threat for the big guns.

Mercedes also play a big part in the chasing pack behind McLaren. The two Germans were on scrub tyres during qualifying, so their pace over one lap still remains a big question mark. Tyre degradation made them suffer during the race, and surely it will be no different here, as the temperatures are much higher. If anything, they can only rely on strong showers to switch to inters and wets during the race, otherwise they are most likely going to struggle to keep up on the slicks.

Having endured a terrible qualifying last weekend, Ferrari made up for a small part of it during the race. Alonso finished 5th, pushing the car way over its limit, while Massa was horrendously slow, almost being caught by the Caterham of Heikki Kovalainen, but retired before such a shocking pass would take place. Alonso mentioned that they will not bounce back this weekend, so, again, unless there are showers, the Ferrari seems way off the benchmark, unfortunately.

Williams struggling in wet weather in Malaysia
The current forecast shows strong thunderstorms all weekend, although this could change very quickly and we may as well be in for a dry race for all we know. Nevertheless, it's no rocket science that this Malaysian weekend is expected to top the race in Australia in terms of...well, everything! More info on weather and the track in a new post in the upcoming days.












Saturday 17 March 2012

Round 01: Australia - Race Day

Welcome to race day at the 2012 Formula 1 Australian Grand Prix in Albert Park, Melbourne. Australia will be ready to host the first race of the season in just a couple of hours as we head into what could be a rather interesting and unpredictable competition.

The sun is shining in Melbourne (Sunday, March 18th)


Track preparations and events have already begun, with the drivers' parade soon to follow. In the mean time, let's take a look at what to consider before the race begins.

Important information ahead of the race:

  •  Sauber's Sergio Perez has been given a 5 grid place penalty for a late gearbox change on Saturday evening. Perez was 17th on the grid. Therefore, every driver behind him moves up one position at the start of the race. 
  • Both HRTs failed to qualify for the race, as they couldn't manage to set a time within the 107% rule. They have packed up and already left for Malaysia. 
Preparations for race day (Sunday, March 18th)

Weather:
  • Current conditions are represented by light clouds above the track, with an average air temperature of 18 degrees, the wind blowing SE at 19 Km/h, a humidity of 68% and no showers in sight. Expect higher temperatures of 23 degrees later in the afternoon and a dry race. 

Things to watch:
  • Safety car. In the past there have almost always been safety car periods during the races in Melbourne, so expect it to be no different this time around. It's a tight first couple of corner combinations, and with a grid of 22 drivers, not all of them might make it past Turn 1 & 2. 
  • Tyre degradation. Not much is known so far about how well the new Pirellis might behave during a race. One thing's certain: the man who best manages them throughout the session will be king. 
  • Red Bull. Although beaten to quite an extent during qualifying, expect Red Bull to strike back. Their race simulations in winter testing have shown promise, and it's highly likely that they'll be looking to repeat a similar performance. 
  • Lotus. The dark horses of this season have proven that their pace in winter testing was no showboating. Expect Grosjean to rock a few boats and challenge the McLarens. And after a shocking performance on his comeback qualifying session, Raikkonen will be looking to prove he's got the competitive edge. Expect him to climb much higher up the order. 

So, with just a couple of hours to go before the race kicks off in Melbourne, there's still time to place some bets, but I would not encourage anyone to do so. It's looking to be really tight this time around. 


A wake-up call for Kimi Raikkonen?

"There's no point to blame anybody and everyone is as disappointed as me. It is what it is. And it's a bad start." - Kimi Raikkonen

One of the biggest headlines after qualifying on Saturday in Melbourne was Kimi Raikkonen's dropout very early in the session. He was about to start a flying lap, with under 2 minutes to go before the checkered flag, and made a mistake as he was exiting Turn 10. His lap was compromised, yet he still had enough time to do another run. However, he was nursing his tyres and performing an out-lap, having no idea that he should've been running to start a quick lap as soon as possible since there was simply no time left. By the time he realized what was at stake, the checkered flag was out and he was left without a proper flyer. Having spoken to the media, Raikkonen acknowledged that this was a bad start for his comeback season, but made it clear that his team did not inform him that he was supposed to rush a new lap, as in the cockpit, he is completely unaware of how much time there is left in a session.

Raikkonen prepares for a run in qualifying

Now to analyze the current situation. All weekend, Raikkonen had been complaining about power steering issues in his E20. It was obvious that the car was not completely up to his liking. After Lotus had replaced the experimental steering column with the one he was using in Barcelona, the Finn was more comfortable in the car, but emphasized that not everything was perfect. All in all, he had a completely laidback and relaxed attitude, something which fans and critics alike are familiar with. Well, that attitude cost him a lot today.

Grosjean and Kimi were setting a similar lap time in the early stages of Q1. Both having pitted, they were reasonably comfortable with the cars' performance on the medium compound. As it is usual in Q1, some weaker teams are out in the late stages to perform quick times on soft compounds to secure their entrance into Q2. Therefore, it often happens that drivers in bigger teams who are not on their toes lose positions very quickly in the final few minutes. Kimi should've been aware of that, as he is no stranger to these circumstances. Despite that, the Finn chose to exit the pits very late and took a big risk by heading out on the medium compounds once again. The risk was even higher, as there was huge traffic at that point, and any slight error would've proved a fatal blow. Which it did.

Raikkonen on his flying lap
Raikkonen made a mistake, which is understandable, having been two years away from F1. However, a few misunderstandings took place a few minutes after. Kimi was not aware he had no time to snooze as he was finishing his compromised lap. The team somehow failed to inform him he was out of time. By the time he was about to start a new flying lap, the session was over. Who was at fault?

Kimi explains the situation to his personal trainer
Firstly, Kimi was too relaxed about the whole situation. You don't come back after two years and gamble straight away on your first qualifying session. Especially when you know the car isn't in an ideal setup and you're not completely comfortable with it. Genuinely, you go out and try to make the most of what time you have left. The medium compounds would've been enough for him to make it to Q2, as on his flying lap, he was on a similar pace as Grosjean in the first two sectors. His problem? He was simply overly confident and relaxed when he shouldn't have been.

Secondly, what exactly was his engineer doing? Normally you would inform your driver about the whole situation. This was not the case. The team was just as much at fault as Kimi himself, who looked rather disoriented during the whole session, caught behind traffic and everything.

Not much to say to the media
This qualifying session serves as a good wake-up call for Kimi Raikkonen, who needs to step up and be on his toes, as he seemingly has a very competitive teammate. His overly relaxed temperament will not be an advantage for him this season. Yet, he still has an opportunity to perform well in the race, as the car seems to be a solid construction all in all.


Hamilton on pole in chaotic qualifying session

"Today, McLaren were out of reach"  - S. Vettel

That statement would not be unusual if it came from Hamilton or Button, and if it were about Sebastian Vettel. Not many have expected Red Bull to be in this kind of position, both on the grid and in a spiritual state. The RB8 was marked as pole favorite all week, but, ultimately, this is the nature of this sport - anything can happen in Formula 1, and it usually does. 



All those who expected a few surprises in qualifying today have hit the nail on the head. First biggest surprise and an obvious shock to the paddock was Kimi Raikkonen's Q2 dropout. The Finn is not enjoying a great comeback at the moment, after admitting to a driver error on his flying lap, and falling short of starting a new one just before the checkered flag was out. Watching Kimi, you could sense a bit of disorientation, as he was always in traffic, albeit on a similar pace as Grosjean. However, timing is key, and going out late to do a final run to improve on your position is always a gamble, considering there's a full pack of 24 drivers on the grid and there's the risk of getting stuck behind a slower car. His main issue so far seemed to be his laidback attitude, which did not help him get back in the groove. It didn't take long for critics to question his commitment and motivation again. 

Raikkonen drops out of Q2

Another shocking story of the day was the horrendous form of the Ferraris. Quite a few people thought they were bluffing about their performance. Well, today they've done a good job in proving them wrong. Fernando Alonso made a mistake in Q2, braking on the grass, and ending up in the gravel trap. His time set before that was nowhere near enough to allow him a Q3 entry, so the mistake aside, it's safe to say he was still too slow to make it happen. Felipe Massa was again in a terrible form, significantly slower than his team-mate in all sectors. This is not what he is supposed to be doing in a season where he must prove his worth at Ferrari, although it seems to be a rather difficult task to accomplish in such a car. 

Alonso ends Ferrari's qualifying in the gravel trap
The third story, which might be harder to digest, is Red Bull's slim chances of getting into pole position.   Having dominated qualifying sessions last year, Vettel must have expected more than 6th place, behind his teammate. Ever since the last day in Barcelona testing, doubts began to arise regarding Red Bull's performance. The two drivers were clearly unhappy with how the car was behaving. Downforce was their key element and strongest point last year, and with the FIA having the blown exhausts banned, it was expected of them to slightly struggle. Hopes were strong, though, up until Q3, when most people were expecting Vettel to pull out a stunning lap out of his pocket, as he was usually doing it last year. Fans were left waiting until there was nothing left to be waiting for. The checkered flag was out, and Red Bull were nowhere near the top. 

The Red Bulls were struggling all weekend
The fourth story, which is probably the biggest positive surprise today, is Romain Grosjean's third place in qualifying. The Frenchman deserved all the respect for demonstrating that Lotus' pace in testing was genuine. Critics began to label them as "dark horses", and they seemed to have come close to that title. Although almost 4 tenths off the pole, Grosjean will be looking for a solid podium finish and maybe even challenging for a win if he can keep up with the McLaren's. 

Speaking of which, Hamilton and Button were miles away from anybody. It doesn't come as much of a surprise that they were in contention for pole position. It comes as a surprise that they were dominating Q3. Hamilton set a blistering time in the initial phase of the third session, 0.7s ahead of anybody. Jenson Button soon joined him, with a minor gap of not even a tenth of a second. McLaren were not bluffing when they mentioned earlier this week that they were masking their performance all along.

Mercedes should be slightly disappointed. After showing early promise in Q1 and Q2, Rosberg and Schumacher ultimately fell short of challenging for pole position. Both drivers, however, were on a scrub set of soft tyres, which probably also hindered their performance. Rosberg made a mistake during his flying lap, probably due to the excitement, which left him only in 7th place, while Schumacher had a solid run, which landed him in the best qualifying position since his return. Do not write Mercedes off just yet. 

Analyse it as much as you want, McLaren were out of reach today for anybody. Make no mistake, though. The race is always the deciding factor. There are two DRS zones, which could make it easier for drivers to overtake, and with tyre degradation still a mystery, the tables can turn very easily. By this time tomorrow, someone will be celebrating with a lot of champagne on top of that podium. Given the level of competitiveness this weekend, it's impossible to tell who. 















Thursday 15 March 2012

The 2012 Formula 1 Season - Round 1: Australia

It's time for some answers. 

Right. With only hours to go until the 2012 season officially kicks off in Melbourne, Australia, there has been a significant amount of activity around the paddock of Albert Park.

On Thursday morning, late showers hit the track and there was plenty of head scratching going on as to how the weekend would unfold due to the highly unpredictable weather. Nevertheless, the rain has stopped, but it's more than likely that this temporary moment is just the calm before the storm.

Thursday morning was very busy for the entire paddock (Thursday, March 15th)

A common thing on every Thursday before any grand prix weekend is a press conference, usually with drivers and team principals from different teams. Today, the conference was focused mainly on Charles Pic (Marussia), Kimi Raikkonen (Lotus), Daniel Ricciardo (Toro Rosso), Jenson Button (McLaren), Sebastian Vettel (Red Bull) and Mark Webber (Red Bull). The full transcript of the Q&A session can be found at http://www.formula1.com, for those that are interested.


Current time in Melbourne: 11:30 p.m. Friday practice gets underway at 12:30 p.m., so with approximately 14 hours to go, it's time for some answers and predictions 


On Form


After a disappointing campaign in 2011, Lewis Hamilton will be looking to impress and recover from his rather disastrous season. He's got the car to do it, the McLaren looks highly competitive and all the current weather conditions seem to be in his favor. His times in winter testing were promising, so he'll most likely focus on transferring that energy into qualifying and the race on Sunday. 


Prediction: Pole position (40% chance), Victory (50%)


Lewis Hamilton during photoshooting in Albert Park (Thursday, March 15th)


Out of Form


After a rather disappointing winter session, Ferrari very much look to be struggling, despite various sources claiming otherwise. The car seems to be suffering mainly due to severe traction problems and high tyre degradation. The F2012 is often a victim of understeer on corner exits, thus it is eating the tyres much more aggressively compared to the other cars. This might not be such a problem during qualifying, but their race will be compromised unless they find a solution on Friday. 

Prediction: Pole position (20% chance), Victory (20%)

One to Watch

Kimi Raikkonen will be looking to prove critics wrong regarding his comeback. The Finn seems to be having a solid car in his hands, with the Lotus E20 looking quite promising. During winter testing, Raikkonen seemed to have adapted to the new tyres rather quickly and was up to speed on the very first day in Jerez, with two solid and consistent race simulations in Barcelona later on. Of course, nobody expects him to win on his first race since returning to the sport, but quite a few people have been claiming he's got what it takes to finish on the podium. Having won in Melbourne before, along with finishing three other times on the podium, Kimi seems confident and cool about the whole situation, but, truth be told, when is he not?

Prediction: Pole position (20% chance), Victory (10%)

Kimi Raikkonen, Photoshooting, Albert Park (Thursday, March 15th)

The F1 Reader Blog prediction

No matter how many surprises are expected to happen during this weekend, one thing is carved in stone: Sebastian Vettel and Red Bull seem to be the ones to beat. Having completed a dominating season, Vettel should be on his absolute finest form, and with a championship winning car under him, he is definitely race winning favorite here in Melbourne. Although this time around, he might not have it so easily. 









Tuesday 13 March 2012

The 2012 Australian Grand Prix Preview (Part 2)

"You never know where you are until you get to Melbourne and everyone pulls their pants down". 


That is the general consensus around the paddock. As the 2012 Formula 1 season officially gets underway in two days time, team principals and drivers are intrigued at who's got what and who stands where in the pecking order. And those kind of mysteries are very good for the fans and the sport. 






As Friday draws ever closer, most teams and drivers have already arrived in the paddock in Melbourne. The cars and various supplies have already been set up in the garages, while drivers such as Fernando Alonso and Timo Glock have given Albert Park a taste with their bicycles. While we're at it, let's discuss some of the track's characteristics and most important features, as well as what drivers need to look out for when driving around Albert Park.


Red Bull garage; Albert Park, Melbourne, Australia (Tuesday, March 13th) 


A. Track characteristics


Albert Park Circuit; 5.303 kilometres
Race distance: 58 laps = 307.574 kilometers,16 corners in total, none particularly high energy.
Top speed: 318km/h (with Drag Reduction System on rear wing)

Full throttle – 65% of the lap
Total fuel needed for race distance: 152 kilos
Time spent braking: 13% of the lap
Number of braking zones: 8.  
Brake wear: High













Timetable

Fri 16 March 2012
Practice 112:30 - 14:00
Practice 216:30 - 18:00
Sat 17 March 2012
Practice 314:00 - 15:00
Qualifying17:00
Sun 18 March 2012
Race17:00
*Times are set to local time in Melbourne, for info on the timetable according to your time zone, please visit: http://www.formula1.com

Weather Forecast - unpredictable
The forecast for Saturday and Sunday is for a warm dry day with temperatures around 21-22 degrees and only 20% chance of rain. However, thunderstorms are forecast for Friday’s practice. According to other sources, it is expected to rain heavily on Sunday during the race. Clearly unpredictable weather this time around. 

Chance of a safety car - relatively high
The chance of a safety car at Albert Park is 57% . The average number of safety car interventions for the race is 1.7 (in 2006 there were four).

B. What drivers need to look out for

The start and the first corner. Albert Park is known for its incidents at Turn 1 & 2, as it's a quite tricky, fast  paced and tight corner combination. With 24 drivers on the grid, it's likely that not all of them will make it past these turns. 

Changing weather conditions. Melbourne, particularly at this time of the year, is often a victim of sudden thunderstorms. Conditions can change at a rapid pace and the driver able to master these situations will hold the key to a successful race. 

Tyre degradation. Pirelli bring the Soft and Medium compounds to the first race. In winter testing, track and air temperatures were relatively lower in Barcelona than in Melbourne, so it's safe to say that on Sunday, teams will be looking to gather some data on how the tyres perform at higher temperatures.

The start of the Australian Grand Prix in 2011


C. What to expect?

Team principals and drivers all agreed that this could be a freaky start to the season. Times have never been so close in winter testing, and performance levels for each team remain a complete mystery until Saturday in qualifying. 

However, clever people will bet on Sebastian Vettel clinching at least a pole, if not a win. McLaren look set to challenge the Bulls, with Mercedes, Lotus and Ferrari very close behind. Dark horses in the form of Lotus or Force India are likely to cause some pleasant surprises, especially in qualifying. 

Not much is known at this time, and even the info we have so far on who's standing where, might be faulty. As Vettel brilliantly explained: "You never know where you are until you get to Melbourne and everyone pulls their pants down. Then you can see what they have got and you show what you have got"

Sebastian Vettel celebrating his win at Melbourne in 2011