The F1 gods smiled on us by keeping us away from a typical follow the leader race we get every year in Bahrain. Instead we got Melbourne starting the season with a better track and actual overtaking abilities. I'm all for bringing F1 to new places and new people but going to countries that have little to no motorsport heritage and with these circuits charging so much the cameras are told to not show the stands as they are nearly empty. Does that sound like the way you would open a championship? Yet Bernie seems to not really care about losing Australia which sells out year after year and can say the fans are backing Webber and have the Bathurst 1000 to be proud of.
OK rant over onto the recap.
Qualifying
The surprise of Q1 was the loss of Heidfeld but the fact that the Lotus team was still 2 seconds off the pace of the next car was more surprising. You would think that a Mike Gascoigne design would do better then what we saw. In Q2 Schumacher struggled and ultimately fell at the hurdle. In Q1 Petrov showed what the Renault can do with getting ahead of both Rosberg and Massa to take sixth behind Alonso and both Red Bulls and McLaren. Speaking of McLaren they must be breathing a sigh of relief as they can challenge the Red Bulls which is right where they want to be.
The Race
The real highlights came from Button and Massa going nose to gearbox until a questionable move left Jenson on the wrong side of a drive through penalty. Would have been nice to have actually seen the move from either car to let the viewers find out if Button was really ahead as he claimed but we have to submit to the stewards and hope they made the right call. Despite this he still caught back up with Massa and even passed him legitimately to finish behind Webber who matched his best finish way back in 2002 with Minardi. While Mercedes can take the fact that they only lost both cars due to racing incidents they will hope to have both drivers fighting in the top ten in Malaysia. The big stories ultimately are the fact that Petrov stepped up and took his first podium and showed what both he and the car can do. We never saw the incident that made Heidfeld ultimately limp home only beating the one surviving Lotus and both Virgins but he can see that both drivers can very much challenge for wins this year. The other story came from after the race with both Saubers thrown out. If Peter Sauber has one outstanding element to his reputation its that he doesn't cheat. Why did the stewards wait until the very end of the weekend to decide to do this? Did no one measure the wings at any other point after the team took up their position in the pit lane? It stinks of amateur hour and I can only hope that future races actually look at the cars at some point before the race.
Vettel will be on top of the world with a very dominant win as the circus packs up and heads for Malaysia. With Bernie insisting that the only fans that matter are in Europe (a load of codswollop if you ask me) we seem to be certain to get a wet race. This always makes for an interesting race and I can't wait.
Sunday, 27 March 2011
Saturday, 26 March 2011
Intro, a recap and this years predictions
Firstly a brief history I started commenting on twitter last year about the F1 season and this year thought I would expand to a blog.
Did I lie about it being brief? And now...
The 2010 Recap
Last year Red Bull showed that they are no longer just the fun team with both drivers and constructors Championships. It would have been even sweeter had the house been in order with team favouritism shining through. Although Ferrari have nothing to laugh about themselves with a faster car that could inexplicably not pass the car in front. The other big story was the damp squib comeback of Michael Schumacher who only seemed to create headlines when he nearly forced ex teammate Rubens Barrichello to crash at Hungary. What annoyed me even more than that was the fact that Nico Rosberg was doing exceptionally well getting to 2nd in the Championship before the team reared the development toward Schumacher and as a result the team slipped down the grid. McLaren helped to show Jenson Button was not just lucky with the Brawn and helped him to 2 wins.
The best of the rest had Renault rebuilding from Flavio Briatores era with a strong performance with Kubica pulling in several podiums and Petrov doing well considering he was driving against a more experienced team mate. Williams kept plugging away in the middle of the pack proving that they have a good eye for new talent with Nico Hulkenburg impressing in his debut year and clearly learning from Rubinho. Force India helped Sutil to a near upset by almost beating Schumacher in the Championship with very similar tech with the Mclaren assisted car. Sauber struggled with BMW pulling out at the last minute leaving Peter Sauber to save his team from folding completely. Kobayashi showed his nations 'Banzi' style of driving repaid the faith Peter put in giving him the number one seat after only 2 races the year before. Toro Rosso were unfortunately very disappointing with a car that didn’t really deliver while the sister Red Bulls were gathering all the praise at the front and the Ferrari engine was working better in a Sauber that wasn't even designed for it.
Then the new teams despite Bernie pushing for them and then just as quickly trying to push them out the door. Lotus raised to the challenge and won the newbie race with a strong foundation and two experienced drivers. HRT at times seemed close to farce with a micro budget and driver changes galore replacing fan favourites in order to make it to the end of the season. Virgin only finish dead last thanks to one result from canned Chandock being better than all the performances that Glock and di Grassi pulled in all year and as a result we got Richard Branson in drag. If I ever see that image I will consider that one more nightmare in my head.
2011 Predictions
If trying to guess the world cup I couldn't hope to guess race by race but I'll still try and see team-by-team and also individual drivers. This was meant to go up before first qualifying season but viruses that shut down your computer have no sense of timing.
Red Bull
Very much the team to beat this year starting at the front and seems like they are staying there if testing is anything to go by. As long as they keep the Pro Vettel side of the garage quiet it should be a better season. However Webber needs to step up as he seems to be making rumblings that he wants to leave and he may not get too many more chances to win a championship.
McLaren
They got close last year but close doesn't cut it. Both drivers are more than capable of winning championships and the car now looks like it can deliver with the successful Hail Mary pass paying off after winter testing had them at one second off the pace. Last year the critics were proven wrong with neither side slinging mud unlike the two closet rivals. However last year Jenson was a Championship contender until the last few races and so didn't need to support Hamilton but how long will this harmony last if one of them struggles with the new tyres or any other addition to the cars this year.
Ferrari
After last year Ferrari will be all guns blazing to try and take a championship this year. Alonso joined so that he could remain competitive and with the bitter taste of Abu Dhabi he knows that the team can deliver both on the track and politically off it. Massa climbed back in the car after a horrific incident but seemed to lose some of his edge that made him champion for all of 30 seconds back in 2008. The pro Fernando side seem to want him gone but if he takes the lead in the championship the team will have no choice. Massa and Webber both seem to be in very similar boats coming into this year and past performance shows that Massa will not go down without a fight, he just needs to remember that.
Mercedes
Schumacher is being paid the big bucks and so the team wants to back him. Rosberg doesn't seem to be intimidated by him and so I think if either one will take a win it'll be Nico and that will be the final nail in Schumachers coffin if his team mate takes the first win for the team and beats him again Michael will be gone at the end of the year and either Sutil or Hulkenburg will move up from Force India to take a number two seat alongside Rosberg.
The team formerly know as Renault
*Inhales deeply* I could go on and on about this and I refer to this team as Renault in order to keep things simple on this blog rather than spending a dozen word explaining which Lotus I refer to. All seemed to be going this teams way until Kubica stuck it in a Italian crash barrier. Now while I support and even want to encourage drivers taking part in other forms of motor sport in the off-season this left Renault up the proverbial creek. With Heidfeld there is a steady head in his former teammates seat for the year. Alongside him is Petrov going into a season knowing full well that he came close to losing his seat at the end of last year so he needs to prove that there is talent along with his money to justify his seat.
Williams
Its unfortunate that Williams was left with a large gap in the budget and being forced to take on a pay driver (but don't mention it, I did it once and think I got away with it). Rubens will hope to keep Williams as the best of the midfield and Maldonado being one of four rookies will be eager to learn form the most experienced driver on the grid.
Force India
After coming within one point of taking sixth place Force India will be trying to keep a more consistent season in order to rule the midfield. Di Resta I think will be that best of the newbies but if he can get one over on Sutil remains to be seen and he could put himself on Mercedes radar when they come looking for a new driver to partner Nico.
Sauber
This team is moving back on up the grid with a car that looks to be quick enough to get Q2 with no worries and even breaking into the top ten to be challenging for points if the car is reliable. Kobayashi is going from strength to strength and may even find higher up teams will come knocking should he continue to impress. Perez will be simply looking to keep it on the track but we will have to wait and see with him.
Toro Rosso
The only way is up (apologies if you now have that lousy song stuck in your head) for this team. Although its interesting that before even the first race they are talking about replacing one of the drivers with someone else. Both Buemi and Alguersuari will be out of the traps like... well there seats do depend on it. The team will have to hope to keep up even a little with Seb and Mark this year.
Team Lotus
This team will be looking to take at least on established scalp this year with the same set up as Heidfeld and Petrov. This team may face its biggest challenge in court and not on the track however. Kovalainen will be hoping to lead the team to better things and keep them as the best of the new teams.
Virgin
With this team not really showing up too much in the times at testing the must close the gap at least to Lotus or will not be seen to have accomplished anything this year.
HRT
Oh dear... the car looks like last years with different wings and thanks to them not being able to complete one timed lap at all before qualifying in Melbourne they will not even qualify for race much less finish them. Liuzzi must have been very desperate to sign for this team but if some one moves from Force India then a spot will be open to him so he must be biding his time. After all they are paying him to trundle along at the back this year.
Well that’s how I think the team goals are this year. I'll try to keep this up to date with thoughts after each race and any major stories that brake (he he) over the year.
Did I lie about it being brief? And now...
The 2010 Recap
Last year Red Bull showed that they are no longer just the fun team with both drivers and constructors Championships. It would have been even sweeter had the house been in order with team favouritism shining through. Although Ferrari have nothing to laugh about themselves with a faster car that could inexplicably not pass the car in front. The other big story was the damp squib comeback of Michael Schumacher who only seemed to create headlines when he nearly forced ex teammate Rubens Barrichello to crash at Hungary. What annoyed me even more than that was the fact that Nico Rosberg was doing exceptionally well getting to 2nd in the Championship before the team reared the development toward Schumacher and as a result the team slipped down the grid. McLaren helped to show Jenson Button was not just lucky with the Brawn and helped him to 2 wins.
The best of the rest had Renault rebuilding from Flavio Briatores era with a strong performance with Kubica pulling in several podiums and Petrov doing well considering he was driving against a more experienced team mate. Williams kept plugging away in the middle of the pack proving that they have a good eye for new talent with Nico Hulkenburg impressing in his debut year and clearly learning from Rubinho. Force India helped Sutil to a near upset by almost beating Schumacher in the Championship with very similar tech with the Mclaren assisted car. Sauber struggled with BMW pulling out at the last minute leaving Peter Sauber to save his team from folding completely. Kobayashi showed his nations 'Banzi' style of driving repaid the faith Peter put in giving him the number one seat after only 2 races the year before. Toro Rosso were unfortunately very disappointing with a car that didn’t really deliver while the sister Red Bulls were gathering all the praise at the front and the Ferrari engine was working better in a Sauber that wasn't even designed for it.
Then the new teams despite Bernie pushing for them and then just as quickly trying to push them out the door. Lotus raised to the challenge and won the newbie race with a strong foundation and two experienced drivers. HRT at times seemed close to farce with a micro budget and driver changes galore replacing fan favourites in order to make it to the end of the season. Virgin only finish dead last thanks to one result from canned Chandock being better than all the performances that Glock and di Grassi pulled in all year and as a result we got Richard Branson in drag. If I ever see that image I will consider that one more nightmare in my head.
2011 Predictions
If trying to guess the world cup I couldn't hope to guess race by race but I'll still try and see team-by-team and also individual drivers. This was meant to go up before first qualifying season but viruses that shut down your computer have no sense of timing.
Red Bull
Very much the team to beat this year starting at the front and seems like they are staying there if testing is anything to go by. As long as they keep the Pro Vettel side of the garage quiet it should be a better season. However Webber needs to step up as he seems to be making rumblings that he wants to leave and he may not get too many more chances to win a championship.
McLaren
They got close last year but close doesn't cut it. Both drivers are more than capable of winning championships and the car now looks like it can deliver with the successful Hail Mary pass paying off after winter testing had them at one second off the pace. Last year the critics were proven wrong with neither side slinging mud unlike the two closet rivals. However last year Jenson was a Championship contender until the last few races and so didn't need to support Hamilton but how long will this harmony last if one of them struggles with the new tyres or any other addition to the cars this year.
Ferrari
After last year Ferrari will be all guns blazing to try and take a championship this year. Alonso joined so that he could remain competitive and with the bitter taste of Abu Dhabi he knows that the team can deliver both on the track and politically off it. Massa climbed back in the car after a horrific incident but seemed to lose some of his edge that made him champion for all of 30 seconds back in 2008. The pro Fernando side seem to want him gone but if he takes the lead in the championship the team will have no choice. Massa and Webber both seem to be in very similar boats coming into this year and past performance shows that Massa will not go down without a fight, he just needs to remember that.
Mercedes
Schumacher is being paid the big bucks and so the team wants to back him. Rosberg doesn't seem to be intimidated by him and so I think if either one will take a win it'll be Nico and that will be the final nail in Schumachers coffin if his team mate takes the first win for the team and beats him again Michael will be gone at the end of the year and either Sutil or Hulkenburg will move up from Force India to take a number two seat alongside Rosberg.
The team formerly know as Renault
*Inhales deeply* I could go on and on about this and I refer to this team as Renault in order to keep things simple on this blog rather than spending a dozen word explaining which Lotus I refer to. All seemed to be going this teams way until Kubica stuck it in a Italian crash barrier. Now while I support and even want to encourage drivers taking part in other forms of motor sport in the off-season this left Renault up the proverbial creek. With Heidfeld there is a steady head in his former teammates seat for the year. Alongside him is Petrov going into a season knowing full well that he came close to losing his seat at the end of last year so he needs to prove that there is talent along with his money to justify his seat.
Williams
Its unfortunate that Williams was left with a large gap in the budget and being forced to take on a pay driver (but don't mention it, I did it once and think I got away with it). Rubens will hope to keep Williams as the best of the midfield and Maldonado being one of four rookies will be eager to learn form the most experienced driver on the grid.
Force India
After coming within one point of taking sixth place Force India will be trying to keep a more consistent season in order to rule the midfield. Di Resta I think will be that best of the newbies but if he can get one over on Sutil remains to be seen and he could put himself on Mercedes radar when they come looking for a new driver to partner Nico.
Sauber
This team is moving back on up the grid with a car that looks to be quick enough to get Q2 with no worries and even breaking into the top ten to be challenging for points if the car is reliable. Kobayashi is going from strength to strength and may even find higher up teams will come knocking should he continue to impress. Perez will be simply looking to keep it on the track but we will have to wait and see with him.
Toro Rosso
The only way is up (apologies if you now have that lousy song stuck in your head) for this team. Although its interesting that before even the first race they are talking about replacing one of the drivers with someone else. Both Buemi and Alguersuari will be out of the traps like... well there seats do depend on it. The team will have to hope to keep up even a little with Seb and Mark this year.
Team Lotus
This team will be looking to take at least on established scalp this year with the same set up as Heidfeld and Petrov. This team may face its biggest challenge in court and not on the track however. Kovalainen will be hoping to lead the team to better things and keep them as the best of the new teams.
Virgin
With this team not really showing up too much in the times at testing the must close the gap at least to Lotus or will not be seen to have accomplished anything this year.
HRT
Oh dear... the car looks like last years with different wings and thanks to them not being able to complete one timed lap at all before qualifying in Melbourne they will not even qualify for race much less finish them. Liuzzi must have been very desperate to sign for this team but if some one moves from Force India then a spot will be open to him so he must be biding his time. After all they are paying him to trundle along at the back this year.
Well that’s how I think the team goals are this year. I'll try to keep this up to date with thoughts after each race and any major stories that brake (he he) over the year.
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