2011 was a season of Dominance. Sebastien Vettel & Red Bull simply pulled away from the Competition. The rest were left battling to be the " Best amongst the Rest ".

2012 though had Big Surprises in store. The return of Kimi Raikkonen to Lotus F1 Team was one such Surprise. His Return ensured that I would follow the sport with renewed vigour. 2012 also took the accolades of being the longest season in F1 History and the only season which featured 6 World Champions - Vettel, Button, Hamilton, Alonso, Raikkonen and Schumacher.

Many Predicted that status quo would be maintained but it turned out to be otherwise.

7 different winners won the first 7 Grand Prix! - Another Record!!

Button, Alonso, Rosberg, Vettel, Maldonado, Webber, Hamilton stood on the top step of the podium.

Ferraris were expected to struggle and Alonso's Victory in Malaysia was simply down to smart strategy in changing weather conditions. Maldonado's victory for Williams at Catalunya & Roberg's for Mercedes at Shanghai too was a famous victory for both teams in a long long time.

Lotus F1 too had a nice start with Kimi notching up 2 Podiums in his comeback year.

The Biggest Disappointment though was for Red Bull who simply couldn't repeat their performances of last season. Ferrari had put all the disappointments of pre-season testing behind as they lead both the Drivers' and the Constructors' Championships.

The Return to Europe in Valencia didn't do Red Bull's Cause any good as Alternator Failure robbed Vettel of a sure victory. Grosjean too suffered the same fate, the Frenchman too had a shot at victory. Alonso was the beneficiary again as he used all incidents to his advantage. Alonso was the first driver in the season to have 2 victories while Raikkonen and Schumacher made it a famous podium. The signs looked ominous...

Mark Webber helped Red Bull to have a comeback of sorts after the Spanish Debacle with a victory at Silverstone and Vettel in 3rd.

Alonso maintained consistency by finishing 2nd in Silverstone and notching up victory in Germany the week after Silverstone. Vettel's Efforts to impress in his home race fell short as he was demoted in the race result from 2nd to 5th for an illegal move on Button. Button and Raikkonen completed the Podium.

Hungary saw the resurgence of Hamilton's Title Challenge with the Lotuses of Raikkonen and Grosjean completing the podium.

Alonso's lead now stood at 40 points and the Spaniard seemed to be favourite to win the title.

Belgium saw a Horrific First Lap incident where Romain Grosjean made contact with Lewis Hamilton and they both slammed into Fernando Alonso and Sergio Perez, eliminating all four on the spot. Vettel reduced the lead by 18 points by finishing 2nd. Button won the race with Raikkonen showcasing some daring moves to take 3rd.

 Hamilton's victory in Italy threw the title race wide open. Vettel's lowly 22nd left him in the lurch. Perez produced a special drive to finish 2nd and Alonso ensured that he kept scoring well by finishing 3rd.

The European Leg ended and the rest of the races were all " Fly Away " Events. Singapore saw Hamilton's Retirement due to Gearbox Failure and Catapulted Vettel to victory. Hamilton was now out of the Title Race. Vettel was now in Title Contention.

Alonso suffered another retirement after contact with Raikkonen on the First Lap and Vettel took advantage of the same to score a full 25 points. The championship fight became as close as it had been all season long. Massa and Kobayashi completed the podium with the latter overwhelmed by the Home Support, first podium for a Japanese Driver since Suzuki in 1990 ( At Suzuka ). Schumacher announced his retirement on the same weekend, this time he wouldn't return.

The Tables turned in Korea. Vettel was now on a rampage as he wrestled back the lead from Alonso with a victory. Webber ensured a Red Bull 1-2 and Alonso ensured damage limitation in 3rd.

The Next Stop - India!! Vettel was in no mood to slip-up and dominated the race to be a 2 Time winner at the Buddh International Circuit. Alonso Benefitted from a Failed KERS unit on Webber's Car to take 2nd while the Australian held off Hamilton to take the final spot on the podium.

Abu Dhabi seemed to have changed the dynamics of the Title Race again. Sebastian Vettel's dominant run was derailed in Abu Dhabi when his car was found to have insufficient fuel after qualifying and he was subsequently moved to the back of the grid. Hamilton's March to Victory was again cut short due to a mechanical failure while Vettel kept moving up the grid, a couple of Safety Car Incidents helping his cause. KIMI RAIKKONEN the ICEMAN was leading the race. Lotus F1 went through a lot of tension and just wanted to ensure victory by ensuring everything was in perfect order. The Iceman though just asserted his authority on the team radio amusing one and all with two sentences that have become world famous. Kimi Raikkoen held off a closing Alonso to take a Famous Victory for the Lotus F1 team. Fernando Alonso was 2nd and was shocked to see Sebastien Vettel sharing the podium with him!

Alonso was only able to reduce Vettel's Lead by 3 points.  

Austin Texas saw United States of America make a return on the F1 Calendar. A Fantastic Circuit saw a fantastic race. Vettel was on the receiving end this time. He was held up by a backmarker with Hamilton closing in on him. Vettel as a result lost the lead to Hamilton. Hamilton took victory with Vettel and Alonso completing the podium. The Result meant that the Driver's Championship would go down to the wire, to the last race in Brazil. Red Bull clinched the Constructor's Title.  

Brazil would produce the last bit of drama. Sebastian Vettel was involved in a first-lap clash with Bruno Senna that damaged his exhaust and spun him around, relegating him to last place. Senna retired on the spot, as did Sergio Perez, who was caught in the crossfire. Changing Weather Conditions saw the race change lead multiple leads. Hulkenberg and Hamilton lead the field and a move by the former on the latter went awry to take Hamilton out of the race. Vettel slowly moved up the field, his car's damage slowly aggravating. His 7th then became 6th. A Paul Di Resta crash on the penultimate lap brought out the safety car. Alonso couldn't improve on his 2nd position as a result.

Vettel had overcome all odds to win his 3rd consecutive Driver's title. Alonso was left contemplating as to what could have been.

Three days after the Brazilian Grand Prix, reports began to surface suggesting that Sebastian Vettel's championship was under threat and that Ferrari would be filing a formal protest against the race results. The challenge centred on a pass Vettel made on Jean-Eric Vergne early in the race ( Under Yellow Light Condition ) The FIA cleared the confusion & both Ferrari and Red Bull Racing announced that they were satisfied with the ruling, thereby preserving Vettel's championship.

 

Fernando Alonso and Kimi Raikkonen completed the top 3 in the Championship. Kimi Raikkonen was the sole driver to have finished every race in the season, finishing outside of the points only once in the season, setting a new record in the process.

It was a great comeback year for the Finn.

 

Sebastien Vettel and Christian Horner with their Trophies :

Fernando settles for 2nd Place :

Kimi, Ice Cool as ever in 3rd Place :

 

2013 is already on us and the competition would be looking to deny Red Bull Racing another title. Only Time will Tell.....

Formula 1 returned to USA after a 5 year sabbatical. A new track was built in Austin, Texas and it promised state-of-the-art facilities and varying gradients on a very challenging track.

The first turn itself was a steep climb towering at 41 m, a recipe for incidents at the start of the race. This track would test the true prowess of the drivers.

However this race was pivotal for 3 reasons. The outcome of this Grand Prix would influence future ventures for Formula 1 in North America.

Red Bull Racing were on the brink of winning their 3rd consecutive Constructor's Title while Sebastien Vettel was on the verge of becoming a Triple World Champion. Ferrari had nothing too lose and it was clear that they would channelise all their efforts in ensuring that Alonso still has a shot at the title at the final race of the season in Brazil.

Let us see how the drama unfolded!

 

 

FREE PRACTICE :

  

Sebastian Vettel was the fastest driver in both FP1 and FP 2. He set a time 1.5 seconds faster than Lewis Hamilton in FP1, and 2 seconds faster than title rival Fernando Alonso. The session was run without incident, though drivers reported that there was very little grip around the circuit. Ma Qinghua was the only reserve driver to take part in the session, replacing Narain Karthikeyan at HRT. He finished the session in twenty-fourth and last position, 10 seconds behind Vettel.

Vettel was again fastest in the FP2. Mark Webber and Alonso completed the top 3. Vettel's running was limited by a water leak that forced him to spend half the session in the pits, while Caterham's Heikki Kovalainen suffered a puncture when he made contact with Scuderia Toro Rosso driver Jean-Eric Vergne.  Pastor Maldonado suffered an engine failure in his Williams late in the session.

Vettel topped the timesheets in FP3 too. Hamilton was 2nd Fastest. The hour-long session was marked by a collision between Sauber's Sergio Perez and the Marussia of Charles Pic that damaged the floor of Pic's car. Perez escaped without penalty. much to the annoyance of Marussia. Jean-Eric Vergne also ran into further trouble, breaking his front suspension when he hit a kerb and stopped on the circuit.

 

 

QUALIFYING :

 

There was very litte grip on the circuit in Q1. Every team sent their drivers out for extended runs  with the objective of laying down enough rubber on the circuit to improve their overall lap time, and trying to time their final flying runs to take full advantage of the circuit.

HRT were initially concerned that they would fail to qualify inside the 107% cut-off, however their decision to send Pedro de la Rosa and Narain Karthikeyan out on the softer option tyres, paid dividends as they made the cut. Karthikeyan's session ended early when he pulled over onto the tarmac run-off at Turn 2, the victim of a mechanical fault.

Caterham's Vitaly Petrov struggled early in the session with traffic, and spent most of the twenty minutes outside the 107% cut-off. His final flying lap saw him qualify 21st for the race, one place ahead of team-mate Heikki Kovalainen. Daniel Ricciardo was the seventh and final driver eliminated at the end of Q1.

Sebastian Vettel, who had recorded the fastest time in Q1, went on to beat his best time in Q2. The faster lap times now meant that the softer option compound was a necessity. Despite narrowly beating Ricciardo in Q1, Nico Rosberg was unable to improve his time in Q2, and qualified in 17th overall. The Saubers of Perez and Kobayashi filled out the 8th row of the grid. Jean-Eric Vergne overcame his free practice dramas to qualify 14th. Paul di Resta was disappointed to be eliminated in Q2 when team-mate Nico Hulkenberg comfortably progressed to Q3. Jenson Button had to settle for 12th overall when his McLaren MP4-27 lost all power late in the period, and he later admitted that he was afraid of getting caught up in what he called a "chaotic first lap". Bruno Senna was the last driver eliminated in Q2, qualifying in 11th place.

Sebastian Vettel took pole position with the fastest lap of the weekend. In spite of this, Lewis Hamilton was closer to Vettel than he had been all weekend, missing pole position by just one tenth of a second. Mark Webber qualified 3rd, ahead of Romain Grosjean, who was later demoted to 9th when he received a five-place grid penalty for an unscheduled gearbox change. Kimi Raikkonen , Michael Schumacher,  Felipe Massa, Nico Hulkenberg, Fernando Alonso, Pastor Maldonado completed the top ten.

 

 

Michael Schumacher and Mark Webber were summoned to the stewards' office after qualifying. Schumacher had been cited for blocking Alonso during Q2. Schumacher escaped without punishment, as he had been on a flying lap of his own at the time, and blocking Alonso had not prevented him from advancing to Q3.

Webber, on the other hand, was called to answer charges of missing the mandatory weight check at the end of qualifying. The stewards accepted that Red Bull Racing had made an error and saw that the car was immediately sent to scrutineering once it was realised. Webber escaped with a reprimand, thereby allowing him to keep his grid position for the race.

 

However Ferrari would produce the greatest story of the day. The Team broke the seal of the gearbox of Massa's car causing him to accept a 5 place grid - penalty which would demote him from 7th to 12th and promoted Alonso from 8th to 7th. This allowed the Spaniard to start from the cleaner side of the track and help keep his title hopes alive.

Red Bull too could have countered this move in a similar fashion using Webber and send Alonso back to the dirtier side. However they chose otherwise. Sportsmanship lacking again in this decision by Ferrari.

 

 

RACE :

The Grip on the grid varied drastically between the Cleaner side and the Dirtier side of the Track.

The Five Lights went out and a lot happened going into the First Turn. The Prediction was right, starters on the Dirty Side suffered lack of Traction and lost places rapidly. Sebastian Vettel pulled cleanly away from P1. Mark Webber attacked Lewis Hamilton around the outside in the battle for 2nd. However it was a sensational start for Fernando Alonso who climbed from 7th to 4th in his Ferrari ! Lewis Hamilton lost out to Mark Webber for second, but managed to hold off Alonso.

Michael Schumacher, who started 5th had a terrible lap. First he lost out to Nico Hulkenberg and then to Kimi Raikkonen only to fight back and reclaim his place but in doing so, left the door open to Romain Grosjean who passed both in one move ( Lap 2 )

Lewis Hamilton and Mark Webber were squabbling for 2nd place while Vettel pulled away from the pair. Hamilton's efforts finally paid dividends on Lap 4 as he passed Webber for 2nd.

The Formula 1 Fraternity returned to the Middle East after completing the Races of the Far - East.

The Turn-Around time was very short for the teams as the Race at Abu Dhabi is only a week after the Indian Grand Prix.

 

"We shall fight to the end, we shall not give up." These were the words of Fernando Alonso who knew that his chances of a 3rd World Championship were fading fast.

 

"The Twilight Race" has its own aura and is a popular destination for Formula 1 Fans.

The Circuit at Yas Marina delivered a Race which definitely deserved a place in the History Books!!

 

 

 

FREE PRACTICE :

FP1 saw Ma Qing Hua feature again for HRT while Valtteri Bottas got some Track time instead of Bruno Senna ( Certain Rumours gathering pace ). Jules Bianchi replaced Paul di Resta during FP1. Lewis Hamilton and Jenson Button were the Pace - Setters in FP1 while Sebastien Vettel and Fernando Alonso slotted into 3rd and 4th Respectively. Max Chilton too was given a run and was 22nd at the end of the session.

FP2 was pretty straightforward barring a spin by Karthikeyan. The Times were coming down as the track grip increased. Vettel dethroned Hamilton to go fastest but the McLarens looked sharp. The Lotuses looked the part too with Grosjean and Raikkonen 6th & 7th.

FP3 saw everyone stay on track as Hamilton continued the McLaren Domination with Button while the Red Bull duo of Vettel and Webber stayed in touch of the leaders. Alonso was a distant 8th and his chances of qualifying strong seemed a distant dream.

 

 

QUALIFYING :

Q1 saw Hamilton, Rosberg and Webber as the fastest 3 of the session. Q1 didnt spring any surprises as the usual backmarkers were relegated.

Q2 saw the ouster of Schumacher, Hulkenberg, Perez, Di Resta, Senna, Kobayashi, Ricciardo. Hamilton was closely followed by Webber and Vettel.

Q3 would be one of the most exciting Qualifying Sessions ever. Raikkonen set the early pace but it was quickly eclipsed by Hamilton and Vettel. Lewis Hamilton's time couldn't be challenged and Alonso's title hopes took a big hit when he couldn't improve his overall 6th Fastest time. Webber went 2nd fastest while Maldonado produced a stunning lap into 3rd only to be dumped down to 4th as Vettel slotted into 3rd. Raikkonen, Button, Alonso, Rosberg, Massa, Grosjean completed the top 10.

However it wasn't over. Vettel's car came to a stop under the Yas Hotel after being instructed by the team to do so. The resut of this action would add a different dimension to the Title Race!

 

Red Bull and their engine partner Renault announced that the German had been excluded from qualifying as he did not have required amount of fuel left in his tank to be tested by officials. The result was that Vettel was sent to the back of the grid - but Red Bull opted to make set-up changes before the race, which meant that Sebastian Vettel had to start from the pit lane

A very big decision by the Stewards !! Let us see how the race unfolded!

 

 

RACE : 

At the start of the parade lap, Pedro de la Rosa stalled on the grid in his HRT which caused him to have to start from the pits behind Sebastian Vettel. When the race began, Hamilton led into the first corner, while Kimi Raikkonen passed Mark Webber and Pastor Maldonado to take 2nd. Contact between Bruno Senna and Nico Hulkenberg caused the Force India driver to retire from the race. During the first lap, Fernando Alonso overtook both Button and Webber. Paul di Resta, Romain Grosjean and Nico Rosberg also had damage and headed into the pits. Meanwhile, up front, Lewis Hamilton reported that he had got cold tyres as Kimi Raikkonen tried a bold move around the outside of the McLaren driver. It didn't pay off, though, and Hamilton retained the lead. While this was happening, Vettel took some slight damage to his front wing as he had made contact with Senna while attempting to overtake. ( Lap 3 ). The German was already upto 16th.

On Lap 5, Romain Grosjean made a move on Nico Rosberg at Turns 8 and 9, but ended up with a puncture on the right front which made contact with Rosberg's front wing. Both drivers had to pit - Grosjean for a set of tyres and Rosberg for a new nosecone.

Four laps later, on Lap 8, Rosberg and Narain Karthikeyan were involved in a collision. Karthikeyan braked due to a steering problem, causing Rosberg who was right behind him to crash into him, bringing both out of the race but unharmed, and sending out the safety car. During the safety car period, when Daniel Ricciardo was weaving and braking, Sebastian Vettel was unaware, and he swerved to avoid the Toro Rosso and hit the DRS board at the side of the track, causing more damage to his front wing. Red Bull soon gave the instruction to fit a new front wing on Vettel's car, along with a set of soft tyres. It was the call Vettel was hoping to avoid. Vettel rejoined the field 21st and last.

Vettel tried a move on Grosjean at the end of the long straight, but the Frenchman fought back and retook the position. Vettel didn't give up through and slotted down the inside at the next corner. This time, there was no way back for Grosjean Sebastian Vettel however was told to let Romain Grosjean past to avoid a penalty. Vettel crossed a white line, and went onto the blue part of the track during the overtake. He let Grosjean past only to retake the position a couple of corners later.

On Lap 20, the race leader Lewis Hamilton slowed to a halt as a technical issue with his McLaren put him out of the race. Kimi Raikkonen inherited the lead as a result. No safety car was required as he had parked his car in a safe position. On the next lap, Fernando Alonso managed to overtake Pastor Maldonado with the assistance of DRS. On lap 23, while attempting the same move on Pastor Maldonado, Mark Webber made contact with the Williams, causing him to spin and lose places to Button, Felipe Massa and Sergio Perez, dropping the Australian from 4th to 7th. By this time, Sebastian Vettel had fought his way up to 10th place. Lap 24 saw Jenson Button pass Pastor Maldonado for 3rd.

 

 

Lap 24 witnessed something hillarious. The Lotus team told Kimi Raikkonen that he had a five second lead over Fernando Alonso in 2nd. The Finn repliesd: "Leave me alone I know what I'm doing!"

 

 

Mark Webber tried a move on Felipe Massa but there was contact and Webber was forced off track. Massa spun the car as he hit the gas. ( Lap 26 )

Alonso pitted on lap 29 and rejoined in 6th just behind Vettel. Webber received a Radio Message a Lap later : "Mark, if Sebastian gets a run, don't fight him,"

By lap 31, Vettel was up into second, about twenty seconds behind Kimi Raikkonen, and his subsequent pit stop on lap 37 put him down to 4th. Inspite of a slow pitstop Red Bull managed to get him out before the train of cars from 5th to 11th.

Kimi Raikkonen pitted on Lap 32 and the Finn rejoined the track in the lead, ahead of Sebastian Vettel and Fernando Alonso.

Drama continued on lap 39 as Paul di Resta and Sergio Perez tried to overtake Romain Grosjean. Perez ran wide, and when entering the track again, he collided with Grosjean who then collected Mark Webber, taking the Lotus and Red Bull out of the race and earning Perez a ten-second stop and go penalty. This sent out the safety car once more.

McLaren told Jenson Button that Fernando Alonso had struggled on the restart so he should do his best to get close at the restart. Button acknowledged the message but added: "He's very quick in a straight line, very quick." ( Lap 41 )

Kimi Raikkonen's race engineer Simon Rennie ( I have had the privilege of meeting him a couple of times, great guy ) reminded him to keep warming his tyres ahead of the restart to which the Finn snapped back: "Yes, yes, yes, yes. I'm doing it all the time. You don't have to remind me every second." ( Lap 42 )

 

This is what Formula 1 lacked!! Sheer Entertainment from the ICEMAN!!

 

In the closing laps, Fernando Alonso put in quick laps to catch Kimi Raikkonen but the latter maintained the gap to around a second. Vettel took advantage of the safety car to close up to Jenson Button and get past on lap 51. Raikkonen after immense pressure managed to do just enough to hold off the Ferrari to win the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, his first win in 2012, ahead of Fernando Alonso and Sebastian Vettel.

Kimi Raikkonen punched the air as he crossed the line to take Lotus's first victory in their current guise.

 

Kimi Raikkonen, Fernando Alonso and Sebastien Vettel were the podium finishers. Jenson Button, Pastor Maldonado, Kamui Kobayashi, Felipe Massa, Bruno Senna, Paul di Resta and Daniel Ricciardo completed the top 10.

 

This was his First Victory since the Belgian GP 2009. The Iceman had proved all the doubters wrong as he made more than just a fantastic return to Formula 1.

 

The Lotus Team went beserk in the Pit Garage and I shouted my lungs out at home!!

 

The Iceman Deserved it! The Team Deserved it!! They had shown great character the entire season with the limited resources that they had!

 

The Win had finally come, albeit slightly late. A Win is a Win though!

 

Sebastien Vettel too produced a stunning drive to climb upto 3rd from the back of the grid, a feat that speaks volumes of the Racer in him. Fernando Alonso would be disppointed as he would have hoped that the gap would be considerably less at the end of the weekend.

 

On a Personal Note, I am really glad that Kimi Raikkonen got a win under his belt in his comeback year. He has also been the only driver to finish all the races, not to forget that he has finished in the points in all the races except one.

He consolidated his Position ( 3rd ) in the Championship too with the full 25 points. Lewis Hamilton was left to rue what would have been after having the perfect weekend up until that point.

 

 

This truly was the Best Race of the season.. it had it all - The Controversies, the Incidents, the Safety Cars, the Retirements, the Stunning Drives, the Fantastic Overtakes, the Hillarious Radio Messages and at the end of the day, A WORTHY WINNER!!

 

Lets indulge and savour the celebrations through some stills post-race!

 

 

 

 

ALL HAIL KING KIMI!! THE ICEMAN COMETH!! and the ICEMAN KNOWETH WHAT HE DOETH!!

 

The Formula 1 season is now coming to a close. I have had the privilege of being at 3 Grand Prixs and the Indian Grand Prix was the 4th and Final Race I would be at.

Once again I was a guest of the Lotus F1 Team. A Big Thank you to God and my Dad for their support and for understanding my love for Motorsport.

A Big Thank you to www.excluvsivegp.com too for all the arrangements and making the experience really memorable.

Lotus F1 Team didn't have many guests this year and a Team Suite couldn't be organised. We were accomodated in the Club Suite near the entrance of the Pit-Lane ( 3rd Floor ). It eventually turned out to be a Blessing in Disguise as the Suite was shared by 5 other teams... so the chance to meet other Drivers was bright.

I won't write more.. let the Pictures say it all. ENJOY!!

 

Jerome D'Ambrosio - Lotus F1 Reserve Driver :

 

 

Lotus F1 Team Pit-Crew ( Celebrities in their own Right )  :

 

 

Star Sports Presenter Sanjeev Palar ( Engine Block Fame ) :

 

 

Sebastien Buemi ( Red Bull Racing Team's Reserve Driver, Ex-Toro Rosso ) :

 

 

Johnny Herbert ( Ex-F1 Driver, 3 time British GP Winner ), Simon Lazenby, Sky Sports Presenters. I Love Sky Sports Formula 1 HD. Best Coverage of F1 Races!

 

 

Bernd Maylander ( Formula 1 Safety Car Driver ) : 

 

 

Chris Goodwin ( Ex Co-Commentator with Steve Slater for Start Sports ). Remember listening to him when I was a newbie in the Worldwide followers of Formula 1. Fantastic Presenter. Now he manages Bruno Senna ( Nephew of the Late Great Ayrton Senna ) :

 

 

David Coulthard ( Ex - McLaren Mercedes, Ex - Red Bull Racing, Now a BBC Co-presenter ). Mika Hakkinen's tem-mate. Was a fan of Mika until his Retirement in 2002 and subequent replacement by KIMI. ( Jake of BBC getting Wired-up for the post-qualifying show ) : 

 

 

Daniel Ricciardo ( Scuderia Toro-Rosso Driver ) :

 

 

Pastor Maldonado ( Williams F1 Team Driver, Catalunya GP Winner ) :

 

 

Bruno Senna ( Williams F1 Team Driver, Nephew of the Late Great Ayrton Senna! ) :

 

 

Valtteri Bottas ( Williams F1 Team Reserve Driver ). Another Finn in F1. Had a nice chat. Might support him once Kimi Retires..

 

 

Timo Glock ( Marussia F1 Team Driver ) :

 

 

Charles Pic ( Marussia F1 Team Driver ) :

 

 

Harbhajan Singh ( Indian Cricketer, 400 Scalps to his name!! Fantastic Player ) :

 

 

Martin Brundle ( Ex - F1 Driver, Now a Co-Presenter for Sky Sports F1 ) :

 

 

( L to R ) - Oliver, Fleur, Mable ( Lotus F1 Team ). Thank you Guys for all the Love and Hospitality. Shall Cherish this all my Life!

 

Once again a Special Thanks to www.exclusivegp.com for all the efforts and all the arrangements done.

 

Stay Tuned.. More to Come!

Formula 1 travels back towards the West and its First Stop is Korea. The Results of the Japanese Grand Prix have thrown the Championship Wide Open. Fernando Alonso knew that Ferrari needed to be on the top of the game and expressed his concerns at the lack of performance when compared to that of the Red Bulls.

Sebastien Vettel had pegged back Alonso's lead to 4 points after back-to-back victories in Singapore and Japan.

The Results of the Grand Prix would be pivotal in the Championship Battle....

 

 

FREE PRACTICE :

The first free practice session took place in dry conditions. Lewis Hamilton ended the session as fastest driver, Fernando Alonso who had led most of the ninety-minute session was 2nd while Mark Webber finished in 3rd place.

Sebastian Vettel was fastest in FP2,leading Webber and Alonso. FP2 was an incident free session although Sergio Perez was forced out after 45 minutes of running when his Sauber lost all power and ground to a halt at Turn 12. Perez was able to safely park the car, allowing the session to continue uninterrupted.

Sebastien Vettel continued his dominance into FP3 while the two McLarens of Hamilton & Button slotted into 2nd and 3rd respectively. Red Bull's Mark Webber was 7th after electrical problems with his engine prevented him from getting a run at the end of the session on the 'super-soft' tyre most drivers are expected to use in qualifying.

 

 

QUALIFYING :

Q1 was a very tense one for many teams. Sebsatien Vettel, Jenson Button and Mark Webber were the top 3 of the session.Narain Karthikeyan lost the rear end of his HRT and narrowly missed a Force India who was slowing for Turn 3. Fernando Alonso and Lewis Hamilton had big hiccups as they just made it into Q2 in 16th and 17th Positions respectively. Bruno Senna joined the Caterhams, Marrusias and the HRTs in the Elimination.

Q2 saw Daniel Ricciardo's Toro Rosso come to a halt. Sebastien Vettel was the quickest again. Jenson Button was the Suprise Elimination from the Session. Both the Saubers, Toro Rossos, Pastor Maldonado and Paul di Resta were also eliminated.

Q3 saw another incident when Michael Schumacher was released in the path of Lewis Hamilton however the incident was not pursued. Sebastien Vettel made a rare mistake in the first sector of his Second Flying Lap. The Mistake cost him Pole Position. Mark Webber pipped his Team-Mate to Pole Position. Vettel and Hamilton were 2nd and 3rd respectively. Alonso, Raikkonen, Massa, Grosjean, Hulkenberg, Rosberg, Schumacher completed the top 10.

Daniel Ricciardo received a five-place grid penalty for an unscheduled gearbox change. Charles Pic was given a ten-place grid penalty for exceeding the maximum number of engines permitted for use over the course of the season. Narain Karthikeyan failed to set a time after having a brake failure. He was allowed to race at the stewards' discretion.

 

 

 RACE :

The Five Red Lights went out and Sebastien Vettel jumped Mark Webber into First Place on the First Turn. Mark Webber fought back on the Straight into Turn 3 but the German held. It also ensured that no other car had space to challenge the duo on the straight. It was a great start from Fernando Alonso who leapfrogged Lewis Hamilton who got squeezed out at the start. The McLaren driver had a think about a move down the middle of the two Red Bulls, but the gap closed and he was forced to back off. This allowed the championship leader Alonso squeeze down the inside.

The Saubers had an eventful First Lap as both drivers had incidents. Jenson Button was a big loser. The McLaren driver made a good start, but a wreckless Kamui Kobayashi came flying down the inside at Turn Three, missed the braking and smashed into the front right tyre of Button, breaking the suspension and ending the 2009 world champion's race. A Frustrated Button later stated that the drivers should be wary of the techniques adopted as incidents such as these are unforgivable at this level of Motor-Racing. Rosberg too was another retiree, his car hit first by Kamui Kobayashi. Massa passed Raikkonen for 5th place while Kobayashi had to pit for a new front wing. Ricciardo had a brilliant start, rising from 21st to 15th, in his Toro Rosso. Kobayashi was penalised for hitting Jenson Button and Nico Rosberg.

Lewis Hamilton, Hulkenberg, Grosjean pitted on Lap 14 while Mark Webber, Felipe Massa and Kimi Raikkonen a lap later. Sebastien Vettel and Fernando Alonso pitted on Lap 16. Alonso emerged just ahead of Perez whose attempt to move past him backfired and he eventually lost a position to Hamilton. Perez on his wearing tyres was now falling backwards as Massa, Raikkonen passed him in the space of 2 laps. Kamui Kobayashi drove into retirement on Lap 18, a disppointing weekend for the Japanese driver after the joy of being on the podium in his home race only a week earlier.

Vettel was now 6 seconds ahead of Webber who was in turn 3 seconds ahead of Alonso.

Lap 21 saw another twist as Hamilton complained of Loss of Grip ( Attributed later to a Broken Anti-Roll Bar ) and was powerless to fend off Massa who overtook him comfortably using DRS. The Next Couple of laps saw some competitve and safe racing between Hamilton and Raikkonen. Raikkonen tried getting past under DRS on Lap 23 but Hamilton had enough to keep his position into the corner. However a lap later, Kimi was closer and went past him on the outside at the end of the DRS zone. However Hamilton made use of his remaining KERS to wrestle back the position from Raikkonen a turn later. Hamilton finally pitted on Lap 26 and the team had some trouble with Front Right Tyre causing a slight delay.

The Gap at the front was more or less unchanged until the second round of pitstops. Mark Webber was the first to blink when he pitted for a new set of soft tyres on Lap 32. Fernando Alonso pitted on Lap 34 and even a clean pitstop wasn't good enough to get him close to the Red Bull of Mark Webber. Sebastian Vettel had a huge lock-up on Lap 35 and was told by his team to pit immediately.

It was Status Quo at the front after the final round of pitstops.

Lap 38 saw Vettel set the Fastest Lap of the race and he had to be assured by the team that the gap to Webber was adequate enough and there was no need to push unnecessarily. Meanwhile Felipe Massa had closed in on Fernando Alonso and the latter found it to be a little too close for comfort. Ferrari however ensured that Massa would not harry Alonso by asking the former to stay withing 2-3 seconds of his team-mate. Ferrari's customary tactics did the job again as Massa yielded. Meanwhile Paul di Resta finally went past Michael Schumacher who had made this really hard for the British driver up until that lap. Their duel had given Perez an opportunity to close up and try a move on Schumacher but the German kept the door shut.

Lap 40 saw some more action as drivers started experiencing wear on their tyres. Grosjean went on the outside of the McLaren of Hamilton at the end of Turn 3. Hamilton, struggling on failing tyres positioned his car well and forced Grosjean wide; that allowed Nico Hulkenberg to close up and the three of them almost went three abreast towards Turn 4. Hamilton defended again, but Hulkenberg went around the outside of both Hamilton and Grosjean in an absolutely stunning move!!!

Fernando Alonso was now struggling and falling into the hands of Felipe Massa who was setting Blistering laps but the Brazilian had to hold station as instructed by Ferrari.

Hamilton did his 3rd Stop on Lap 43 and rejoined 10th. It had been a race to forget for the team with Button's retirement and Hamilton's lack of race pace after qualifying in such a promising position.

Hamilton's newer tyres had given him the much needed performance and he closed in on Jean-Eric Vergne ( Lap 47 ). The McLaren driver couldn't make a move stick down at Turn Three, but saved some KERS and used it in the run down to Turn Four. Hamilton pulled to the outside and tried to cut back, but Vergne didn't yield his position.

The track was falling apart by Lap 50, a huge embarassment for the organisers. Charles Pic ran over a bit of astroturf which has lodged itself free. A Williams ran wide at the same corner and kicked another piece up in the air.

Fernando Alonso seemed to have some life left in his tyres and was now catching the Red Bull of Mark Webber ( Lap 51 ), the latter however tried to maintain the gap around 4 seconds. The duo of Vergne and Hamilton had caught up with Ricciardo and an interesting battle was in store for the last 5 laps. Lap 53 saw Vergne go past his team-mate Ricciardo although Hamilton had to wait another lap.

The fight at the front was getting really intriguing. Red Bull was asking its drivers to nurse their tyres home!! Vettel was warned of unpredictable braking and the last couple of laps were tense for both Team and Driver.

An absolute nightmare awaited Lewis Hamilton on Lap 54. The McLaren driver picked up a piece of astroturf that attached itself to the side of the car and was seen flapping around. The Briton dropped back from the Toro Rossos as he struggled to keep control of an ill-handling car.

Sebastian Vettel's race engineer was on the radio again, telling him to be careful. The German backed right off and and coasted towards victory.

South Korean Rapper Psy waved the chequered flag as Sebastian Vettel crossed the line to take victory!! Mark Webber with Fernando Alonso were the other podium finishers.

Massa, Raikkonen, Hulkenberg, Grosjean, Vergne, Ricciardo and Hamilton completed the top 10. Hamilton had to fend off a late charge from Perez on the last lap to grab the Solitary Point.

So Red Bull Celebrated its First 1-2 of the Season. Ferrari moved ahead of McLaren in the Constructor Battle but the Drivers' Championship now had a new leader.

Vettel had leapfrogged Alonso to lead the Championship by 6 points. The Red Bulls are now going from strength to strength. Vettel notched up his 4th win of the season, 3 consecutive wins for the German.

The Lotuses of Kimi Raikkonen and Romain Grosjean gathered good points as Kimi extended his lead over Hamilton to retain 3rd place in the Drivers' Championship Standings.

Kimi Raikkonen was also the only driver to have finished every race this season.

 

The Next Round is India!!! I shall be in the Paddock again as a guest of the Lotus F1 Team, so lots of photos coming your way... soon.

Watch this Space!

 

Singapore saw Sebastien Vettel win. Fernando Alonso would now be looking over his shoulder and digging deep to keep his lead in the Championship Alive. The 15th Round of the Formula 1 season was held at Suzuka Japan. Lewis Hamilton's retirement in Singapore left him 4th in the Standings 50 points behind the leader, his title chances now seemingly over.

The Japanese Grand Prix would however produce a result which would bring ecstasy to one driver and angst and frustration for another. Lets see how it all unfolded!

 

FREE PRACTICE :

 

Every car used the option tyres during the second part of qualifying. Di Resta complained over his pit-to-car radio after he had to weave in and out of Webber and Grosjean on a flying lap approaching the final chicane. Felipe Massa, Paul Di Resta, Michael Schumacher, Pastor Maldonado, Nico Rosberg, Daniel Ricciardo, Jean-Eric Vergne failed to make it into Q3. Schumacher's penalty from Singapore demoted him to 23rd from 13th. Vergne after serving his penalty for Impeding started the race from 19th. Thus Senna, Kovalainen and Glock started 2 places further up on the grid in 16th, 17th and 18th respectively, and behind Vergne, de la Rosa, Pic and Petrov moved up 1 place on the grid to start from 20th, 21st and 22nd respectively in front of Schumacher and Karthikeyan.

 

Q3 began with a lack of action on track. However, the McLarens, Red Bulls and Lotuses all chose to do two separate flying lap efforts. Vettel and Webber had set the 1st and 2nd fastest times on the first timed runs. Button was 3rd, followed by Grosjean and Raikkonen and Hamilton's McLaren. During the 2nd timed run, Kimi Raikkonen ran wide at Spoon curve, and whilst returning onto the track, spun and stopped at the edge of the track. Yellow flags were brought out, and Perez was the only driver in front of Raikkonen who did not have to slow down.

Vettel and Webber were both on faster laps than their previous ones, but were unable improve their times because of the yellow flags. They maintained their grid slots, though, as the team took their 1st front row lock-out of the season!!

Vettel claimed his 4th successive pole at the Suzuka circuit, maintaining his 100% record. This was his 34th pole postion. He moved into third in the all-time list for pole positions, behind Michael Schumacher and Ayrton Senna. Vettel had held Fernando Alonso up during his flying lap, but he was given a reprimand. An Important Let-off.

Button marginally improved his time, remaining in 3rd place but would eventually become 8th on the grid due to a five-place grid penalty for a gearbox change.

Kamui Kobayashi took an impressive 4th place for Sauber, but immediately after he set the time it was suggested that he had not slowed down in the yellow flag area.He had gone green in that sector on the Timing Screen. However he was allowed to keep the place on the grounds he had not used KERS or DRS as normal. Button's gearbox penalty promoted him to 3rd on the grid. This was the best Qualifying position for a Japanese Driver in his Home Race.

Grosjean, Perez, Raikkonen, Alonso, Hamilton, Hulkenberg completed the Top 10. Hamilton moaned about the setup change which robbed him of a better Qualifying position. Hulkenberg's Gearbox change demoted him to 15th on the grid.

The components were now becoming limited for many teams and everyone would have to be careful about the stipulated number of components over a season.

 

 

 

RACE :

 

Every driver except Jean-Eric Vergne, Charles Pic and Michael Schumacher started the race on the softer compound 'option' tyres.

At the end of the safety car period, and the beginning of lap 3, Vettel sprinted away from Kobayashi, quickly establishing a 3 second lead and building on it. Sergio Perez attempted to overtake Raikkonen for 5th place at Turn 1, but was forced wide and slotted in behind 6th place Hamilton. He managed to overtake Hamilton at the hairpin after a few laps of closing him down, locking his tyres and creeping around the apex. He then began to move back towards the 5th placed Lotus of Raikkonen.

Heikki Kovalainen had surprised everyone when he was at running in 11th position. The incidents of the First Lap were investigated and Romain Grosjean was handed a ten-second stop-go penalty for the collision he caused. He ended up at the back when his Penalty was served. Michael Schumacher meanwhile had climbed his way from 23th to 14th, despite the German losing telemetry to the team.

Vettel and Massa were the drivers showing good pace when Button became the first driver to make a scheduled pit-stop in the race on lap 13. Raikkonen and Hulkenberg pitted on lap 14 from 5th and 8th positions repsectively, having to make their way past Vergne and Kovalainen after their pit stops.

Kobayashi pitted on lap 16 to promote Felipe Massa to 2nd place, but kept Button behind him as both were temporarily held up by drivers yet to stop. Vettel and Massa pitted on lap 20 and maintained their positions. Massa had leap-frogged both Kobayashi and Button with a quick stop and the Brazilian was clearly having a fantastic resurgence. Perez attempted the same move he had overtaken Hamilton with the previous time at the hairpin on lap 20, but this time Hamilton moved to the inside line and Perez carried too much speed into the corner, sliding round and getting stuck in the gravel trap.

On lap 22, Senna was given a drive through penalty for his contact with Rosberg at the start of the race. By this point, Mark Webber had worked his way back up to 9th place, but had to pit a few laps later.

Hamilton and Kobayashi pitted on lap 31, one lap after Raikkonen, who Hamilton was competing with now for 5th spot. He overtook him at Turn 1 on the following lap. Kimi tried overtaking Lewis on the outside and both left enough racing space for each other. Both Veterans showed how racing should be done

Button, Massa and Vettel piited on laps 35, 36 and 38 respectively, and all retained their positions in 4th, 2nd and 1st, with Kobayashi in 3rd. Michael Schumacher opted for a different tyre strategy and was the only driver on the softer tyres when he pitted on lap 37. He spent much of the remainder of the race behind the Toro Rosso of Daniel Ricciardo, fighting for 10th place, but never eventually gaining it due to some impressive defending.

Button spent the final stint of the race closing to within one second of Kobayashi, but never managing to overtake the Sauber driver.

Sebastian Vettel took the 24th victory of his career and became the 1st driver to take consecutive victories in the 2012 season.

Felipe Massa ended the longest streak a Ferrari driver had ever had without a podium by finishing 2nd, taking his first since the 2010 Korean Grand Prix. Kobayashi became the 3rd Japanese driver to score a Formula One podium, in front of his home crowd, with his best result of 3rd place. The McLarens of Button and Hamilton finished in 4th and 5th places, followed by Raikkonen, Hulkenberg, Maldonado, Webber and Ricciardo who completed the top 10. Romain Grosjean retired on the final lap due to a gearbox problem. It was a smart decision by Lotus F1 as the reitrement allowed them to change components for the next race.

As a consequence of his victory and Alonso's retirement, Vettel closed the gap between himself and championship leader Alonso to just 4 points. In an interview after the race, Mark Webber desribed Romain Grosjean as a "first-lap nutcase" with regard to the collision Grosjean caused between them at the race start.

Alonso also questioned Kimi's refusal to lift the throttle, something he feels would have avoided the incident. However Alonso must remember that every driver is here to race. No one will yield positions easily. Ferrari are renowned for influencing decisions and Alonso thought something would be ruled in his favour. However I don't see the reason for his discontent. Fernando was the one who moved across the track, he was the one who tried to block Kimi's run into the First Turn. Kimi has every right to defend and take a position and Fernando must realise that every driver isn't going to capitulate easily.

Mark Webber was frustrated by the shunt he suffered at the start due to Grosjean. He also indicated that the One Race-Ban wasn't enough for Romain. I am sure Grosjean would emerge stronger from this incident and mature as a driver. I pray that we wouldn't see another incident caused due to him.

The Japanese crowd deserve credit for the atmosphere. The Stand were shouting " KAMUI KAMUI !! " for Kamui on the podium.

The Result has thrown this Title race WIDE OPEN! Vettel has the momentum, Alonso has to muster all his resources to keep his lead.

We now turn our attention to Korea and who would have thought that Vettel would be a Contender this season!! Red Bull Racing have turned it around since Singapore!!!

We have reached a very interesting stage in the season. Its that time of the year when Whispers are heard in the Paddock, Rumour Mills are running Overtime and Speculations abound.

 

Some Drivers stay with the Existing Team. Some have the liberty to choose their Drives next season while some wait expectantly for Developments and are chosen based on performances.

 

This Season has sprung big surprises and the "Driver Merry-Go-Round" has been no different.

 

 

The Biggest News over the past couple of days has been Lewis Hamilton's Move to Mercedes AMG Petronas.

 

The Move will have great influence on both this season and the next.

 

McLaren Mercedes have already made a decision and signed Sergio Perez as Lewis' Replacement for the next 3 years. Sergio Perez has had a commendable season producing some outstanding drives with Sauber Ferrari F1 this season.

 

The Movements of these two drivers has added more spice to the Driver Lineups of next season.

 

   

Let us study the signifance of these decisions :

 

The Lewis Hamilton Situation :

 

Hamilton's relationship goes a long way with McLaren and his move away to Mercedes hasn't been received well within the British Media.

In December 1995, at the age of ten, Lewis approached McLaren team principal Ron Dennis at the Autosport Awards ceremony and told him, "I want to race for you one day ... I want to race for McLaren." Less than three years later McLaren and Mercedes-Benz signed him to their Young Driver Support Programme.

The Team comprised of the British Supercar Maker McLaren and German Automaking Giant Mercedes-Benz.

Both worked as a deadly duo to bring great success to the 2nd longest serving team in Formula 1. Lewis entered Formula 1 in 2007 when Kimi Raikkonen left McLaren Mercedes for Scuderia Ferrari. Lewis went on to become the Champion in 2008.

2009 brought a Rapid Change of Events. Brawn GP a debutant team headed by Ross Brawn won the Drivers Championship with Jenson Button and the Constructors Championship.

Mercedes parted ways with McLaren to only become an Engine Supplier to the team till 2015. The 40 % Buy-back by McLaren was completed in 2011.

McLaren lost a good amount of funding from Mercedes but their experience in Formula 1 helped them stay in contention every season. 2010 was a closely contested one while 2011 was just sheer domination by Vettel. Lewis had a season to forget with incidents that questioned his presence in Formula 1. ( 2011 ) 

The team has suffered from the perennial problem of Reliability. They have always had the pace and quality to challenge but reliability issues have always hampered the team's title charge.

 

 

Mercedes went on to aquire Brawn GP and the team was re-christened "Mercedes GP Petronas F1 " ( This year changed to "Mercedes AMG Petronas F1" ) in 2010 with Micahel Schumacher and Nico Rosberg heading the Title Charge.  

Mercedes comprised of an all-German team while McLaren acquired the services of Jenson Button to become the all-English team.

Michael Schumacher joined Mercedes AMG Petronas in 2010 after returning from Retirement but has struggled since. One Pole Position ( taken away due to a gearbox penalty ) and One Podium is all he has been able to achieve up until now.

The team on a whole has enjoyed limited success and were rewarded with their First Victory when Nico Rosberg won in Shanghai this year. Reliability Problems, Driver Errors have dogged their campaigns.

 

 

On Paper Lewis' move seems like a step-back. What influenced such a decision?

  

 

McLaren were quite slow in approaching Lewis for a new deal. They underestimated the prowess of their earlier ally and their lack of urgency cost them.  

Lewis suffered a big setback recently when his Gearbox failed in Singapore while leading the race. Lewis' victory in Monza ( the previous race ) was accepted coldly by Ron Dennis and he was hounded all weekend with questions of Lewis' Contract talks. He stated it was Martin Whitmarsh's responsibility to do what he had to do.

Lewis thanked the team on the radio after his Monza Victory. He sounded quite emotional and it seemed this result might want him to extend his contract with the team. The Retirement at Singapore completely changed the scenario.

McLaren seemed to offer a pay-cut only to improve their contract later to make him the highest paid driver on the grid if he accepted it. He would have earned 25 Million Pounds with all bonuses if he stayed for 5 years.

Lewis has signed a three-year deal, believed to be worth approximately £45m over its duration at Mercedes.

Lewis' Management XIX Entertainment have a strong track record when it comes to delivering lucrative contracts and this is a sweet deal for Lewis.

 

According to me, its a big victory for Mercedes AMG Petronas.

 

They have acquired the services of a driver who knows how to win Championships, they have the necessary funding and their interests are very much at being successful in Formula 1. They are also developing their 2014 Engine as that season will feature a completely new Engine Spec.

 

Lewis will have his Friend and former Karting Team-Mate Nico Rosberg as co-driver and it would be interesting to see the partnership they form from next season.

 

 

McLaren Mercedes have played smart by acquiring the services of Sergio Perez. The Mexican is backed by the World's richest man Carlos Slim and the Woking Based team will have Big Sponsorships from next year. Perez is young and talented and at the age of 22 definitely seems Championship Material.  

The Mexican will earn about £3million a year, a fraction of the annual retainer of £15m which could have climbed to £25m with bonuses and extras for titles if Hamilton had signed for another five years - Wise Saving for the Team.

 

 

McLaren seem to emerge stronger than Lewis from this situation. Lewis will have to earn the top-spot at Mercedes and no longer enjoy the "Special treatment", something he might rue later.

 

   

How does it affect the other Drivers??

 

Felipe Massa should heave a sigh of Relief. The greatest contender for his seat in Scuderia Ferrari has gone to McLaren Mercedes. Perez who was monitored by Ferrari all season and shortlisted to replace Massa for next season has given Massa a new lease of life. Massa seems to be the only driver who would complement the guile and ability of Alonso, so for me he should stay put.

 

Michael Schumacher's indecision for next season cost him his seat at Mercedes AMG Petronas. It remains to be seen if Hamilton's appointment will signal Schumacher's second - and permanent - retirement from the sport. Ross Brawn has hinted at giving Schumacher a role next season but the German seems to be more interested in Racing rather than take a passive role with the team. Scuderia Toro Rosso, Williams F1 and Sauber Ferrari F1 have vacancies and the next few weeks should give us a clear picture.

 

Bruno Senna has some tense weeks ahead of him. His season has been mediocre and his perfromances have been eclipsed by team-mate Pastor Maldonado. Senna has to produce results in the next 2 races to strengthen his chances of a drive next season. Valtteri Bottas, the team's test-driver is shortlisted as his replacement and the chances of seeing 3 Finns on the Grid Next Season seem bright.

  

Lotus F1 Team seem to have the same driver line-up next season but Kimi Raikkonen's Fantastic return to Formula 1 has caused some bigger teams to have a look at him again. Ferrari, his ex-employers and the team with whom he won the Drivers Championship in 2007 seem to be interested but having Alonso and Raikkonen in one team would be too hot to handle for the Italians.

 

Raikkonen is happy at Lotus and the team is continuously improving the car to help him with his title-bid this year. HE SHOULD STAY PUT according to me.

 

   

Red Bull Racing will see no driver movement until next year as they have confirmed the extension of Webber's contract for another year.

 

 

This Season isn't done yet and we have a lot of racing left. The Next Season promises to be a more exciting one though!!

 

Bring it on!!

 

 

 

MONZA, ITALY - The Mecca for Ferrari Fans. The Land of the Tifosi. Great Motorsporting History!

Formula 1 arrived here with the title race wide open. The Fastest Race on the Calender promised to deliver a great weekend and it definitely did.

The Italian Grand Prix was the Last European Race of the Calender and the last 7 races are all "Fly - Aways".

Two DRS Zones ( same as 2011 ) ensured that a lot of overtaking would feature in the race! However DRS was shortened this year . The first DRS zone, located on the straight between the second Lesmo corner and the Variante Ascari, was shortened by 50 meters, while the DRS zone on the front straight was shortened by 5 meters.

Ferrari Powered and Mercedes Powered cars would have an advantage against the Renault Powered Engines ( Better Horsepower ).

Teams have to run the lowest downforce setup and Straight line speed is what counts over clean aerodynamics.

 

PENALTIES :

Another Race dominated by Penalties Galore!

Lotus F1 driver Romain Grosjean received a one-race ban for his involvement in the first-lap incident at the Belgian Grand Prix He was replaced by the team's test and reserve driver, Jerome d'Ambrosio

Pastor Maldonado received a ten-place grid penalty for jumping the start of the Belgian Grand Prix and causing an avoidable accident with Timo Glock.

Paul di Resta was also demoted five places for an unscheduled gearbox change on Saturday morning, his second gearbox penalty of the season.

 

FREE PRACTICE :

Ma Qinghua became the first Chinese driver to take part in a Grand Prix weekend when he drove Narain Karthikeyan's HRT in the first free practice session on Friday morning. Valtteri Bottas drove Bruno Senna's Williams F1 in the same session, while Jules Bianchi took Paul di Resta's place at Force India.

Mercedes AMG driver Michael Schumacher was fastest in the first practice session, Jenson Button and Nico Rosberg completing the top 3. Jerome d'Ambrosio finished the session 15th. Pastor Maldonado and Fernando Alonso suffered technical problems and Stopped on the Circuit.

Lewis Hamilton was the fastest driver in the second session, edging out Button and Alonso. Alonso had another disrupted session with a series of technical problems surrounding the gearbox and brakes that limited his time on the circuit. Schumacher went off-track and finished the session in 10th. He was highly-critical of the speed bumps placed around the Variante della Roggia chicane, claiming they were a safety hazard that could result in serious injury if a driver hit them at speed.

Hamilton was once again fastest in the third session, just one thousandth of a second ahead of Alonso. Paul di Resta finished the session third, while Sebastian Vettel suffered a loss of power on his final lap and pulled over at the Roggia chicane. The Red Bull RB8 was consistently one of the slowest cars through the speed trap. This circuit was the one where the Red Bulls would be the weakest.

 

QUALIFYING :

Nico Hulkenberg failed to set a lap time when his car stopped on the circuit during the first qualifying period. As he was unable to get the car restarted, he was not allowed to take any further part in qualifying. His entry to the race depended on a special dispensation from race stewards, which was subsequently granted. Q1 saw no other surprises.

Q2 saw the exit of Webber, Maldonado, Perez, Senna, Ricciardo and D'Ambrosio. Maldonado was demoted to 22nd after serving his Penalty.

Q3 dealt a big blow to Ferrari's hopes of a victory at their Home Race. Alonso who had topped both Q1 and Q2 headed out with Massa and Failed to set a competitive time in the First Run. The last run left him languising in P10!! It was later revealed that the Anti-Roll Bar had broken on Alonso's Car. This explained the lack of pace.

Lewis Hamilton and Jenson Button made it a McLaren Mercedes 1-2. Massa qualified 3rd. Paul Di Resta was 4th but was demoted to 9th for a gearbox change. Schumacher, Vettel, Rosberg, Raikkonen, Kobayashi, Alonso completed the top 10.

 

RACE :

Everybody got a clean start into the First Turn. Massa jumped Button and almost overtook Hamilton into the First Corner. Button tried to retake the position after 2nd chicane but failed.

It was a brilliant start from Fernando Alonso who jumped upto 7th from 10th.

Hamilton built his lead over Massa while Vettel took the help of DRS to shoot past Schumacher into the First turn ( Lap 4 ). Rosberg and Senna banged wheels with the latter going over bumps. Alonso was now challenging Schumacher for 5th position. Senna went off-track again on Lap 8 while challenging Di Resta and lost a position to Webber in the process.

Lap 9 saw the First Retirement. The rear end of Jean-Eric Vergne's Toro Rosso suddenly stepped out on him as he was braking for Turn One. The car spun around, bumped across the kerbs and sleeping policemen with a heavy impact on landing.

Paul Di Resta was now going backwards ( Lap 11 ) as he complained of tyre degradation. Schumacher too came under intense pressure from Raikkonen. 

Schumacher pitted on Lap 16 and it was clear that he was on a Two Stop Strategy. Button closed in on Massa and passed him on Lap 19, the latter complaining of Telemetry Issues.

Massa pitted on Lap 20 but got stuck behind Ricciardo on his exit.

Sebastian Vettel and Fernando Alonso pitted together on lap 21 from 4th and 5th respectively. A brilliant stop for Ferrari made him rejoin almost side-by-side with the Red Bull driver. They both exited the pit-lane just behind Felipe Massa who was trapped behind the slower Toro Rosso.

Felipe Massa finally overtook the Toro Rosso of Daniel Ricciardo to give himself some breathing space on Lap 22. Vettel almost hit the back of the Toro Rosso as it suffered from lack of Traction out of the Corner.

Jenson Button pitted on Lap 23. The Team struggled with one of the wheel-nuts and he was delayed. However the Quick in-laps ensured that he rejoined the track just ahead of Massa.

Hamilton pitted on lap 24 and Sergio Perez who had started the race in 12th on Hard Tyres was now leading the Race!

Kimi Raikkonen made a move on Nico Hulkenberg's Force India in the first corner for eighth place. ( Lap 25 )

Meanwhile Fernando Alonso and Sebastian Vettel battled it out. Alonso tried a move down the outside at Turn One. Vettel then squeezed the championship leader onto the grass at the first Lesmo corner.  The Spaniard got off the gas and eased back on track. He was quite frustrated on the Radio.

Lap 28 saw Hamilton retake the lead from Perez, the Mexican still to pit for medium Tyres ( Options ).

Alonso finally succeeded and passed Vettel on Lap 29. The incident earlier between the two was under investigation by the Stewards.

Lap 31 turned out to be the most interesting lap. Perez made his only stop and emerged 8th. Vettel was given a Drive-Through Penalty for pushing Alonso onto the grass. Then it all changed for one of the McLaren Mercedes.

Jenson Button lost Fuel-pressure in his car and retired on Lap 33! His Car simply came to a stop as he lost drive. A Potential 1-2 lost. Kimi Raikkonen and Sergio Perez battled and the Finn had to dig deep to hold his place. However the latter muscled his way past on Lap 36. Massa Received the following Radio Message on Lap 37 : "Think about how you're going to manage the tyres. Think about how you're going to manage the tyres, Felipe. Fernando is behind."

Hockenheim 2010 anyone??

Schumacher was down to 11th after his 2nd pitstop. Alonso passed Massa who hardly put up a fight after being told that his team-mate was 0.9 seconds behind ( Lap 40 ). A lap later Vettel went past his team-mate Webber into 6th position and was closing in on Kimi Raikkonen.

On Lap 43 Mark Webber was informed that Sebastian Vettel had a car problem which might stop him suddenly. Meanwhile, Sergio Perez was taking chunks out of the Felipe Massa's lead.

Perez overtook Massa on the backstraight just before Parabolica on Lap 44. This move might just change the driver lineup for Ferrari next year. Massa drove brilliantly but Perez seemed simply better. Perez was now closing in on Alonso and passed him without fuss using DRS around the outside at Ascari. ( Lap 46 ).

Lap 48 saw another big retirement. Sebastien Vettel was asked to stop his car immediately and retire from the race. Radio Message : "Stop the car, we must save the engine."

Perez was slowly closing in on Hamilton but catching him would be difficult considering the remaining number of laps. Mark Webber suffered a big spin on lap 50 as he came out of Ascari hit the kerbs and lost the backend. However a couple of laps later he was cruising to the pits into retirement after suffering massive flatspots. The Red Bulls had scored NO Points!!!

Lewis Hamilton had done a flawless race losing his lead only for his Pitstop. The Victory also revived his championship hopes.

Sergio Perez produced a Fine Drive to finish 2nd after having started 12th!! Fernando Alonso gave the Tifosi something to cheer by finishing 3rd.

Massa, Raikkonen, Schumacher ( who was charging up the field ), Rosberg, Di Resta, Kobayashi, Senna completed the Top 10.

 

 

Alonso now had a 37 point lead ( 179 points ) over Lewis Hamilton ( 142 Points ) and KIMI RAIKKONEN's Consistent performances helped him to jump up into 3rd at 141 points.

 

  

VETTEL - ALONSO INCIDENT :

Alonso had closed in on Vettel and tried a move on the outside of the First Lesmo Corner. Vettel held the racing line trying to get the best traction out of the Corner. Vettel would have seen Alonso right behind him in his mirrors and left racing space. However that racing space dwindled as Alonso finally out of tarmac was pushed onto grass. 

According to me it was a Simple Racing Incident and Alonso's Rant is unjustified. Rather he should have taken it in his stride. Ferrari is known to influence decisions and the Stewards' decision here is Questionable. 

 

MASSA - ALONSO Situation :

"Fernando is faster than you" - Hockenheim 2010. Fernando was the driver challenging for the Championship and Ferrari deemed it fit to use such a transmission to change the result of the race to favour Alonso's Title Bid.

This Race the Transmission was slightly different but the end result same.

"Think about how you're going to manage the tyres. Think about how you're going to manage the tyres, Felipe. Fernando is behind."

Massa has been talked about a lot this season. Experts have felt that he has lost his drive and is a mere shadow of himself after his accident in Hungary in 2009.

However if Fernando claims to be the driver he is, I would prefer seeing Real Racing between the two rather than an easy capitulation by Massa caused by Ferrari's Coded Transmissions. Someone else might not accept this the way Massa does. Alonso is a great driver and is the best driver on the grid this year according to me. He just has to live up to his reputation.

 

With the European Races over, its now time to head to the "Monaco of the East", The Only Night Race on the Calender - The Singapore Grand Prix.

 

I shall be at the event. I hope you join me too!!  

Formula 1 returned after the Summer Break. The Venue? - Spa Francorchamps at Belgium.

One of the fastest circuits on the calender and also known for its inclement weather, Spa produces some of the most thrilling races of the season.

A lot happened this year too, both on and off-track. Michael Schumacher celebrated his 300th Grand Prix Start! The Veteran really loves Formula 1. The Red Bull Duo of Webber and Vettel knew they had to score big to curtail Alonso's lead upfront.

 

FREE PRACTICE :

The Practice session was spoilt by Torrential Rain. Rain in both the sessions minimised running for the teams. Lotus F1 were unable to test their improved version of DRS that they call the 'Device'.

Kamui Kobayashi was fastest in the First practice while Marussia's Charles Pic was the fastest in Second Practice. Massa suffered a scare in FP1 when his car grounded to a halt as he was about to enter the pits at the end of the installation lap.

The Final Free Practice on Saturday gave teams some much needed Track time. Fernando Alonso topped the Final Practice.

 

QUALIFYING :

Mark Webber and Nico Rosberg were on the backfoot after being penalised 5 places for a Gearbox change.

Q1 saw the Elimination of Nico Rosberg, the German being demoted from 18th to 23rd due to the penalty.

Q2 brought in more shocks as Vettel, Hulkenberg, Schumacher, Massa failed to make the cut. Red Bull expected Vettel to be the lead driver but the German's poor qualifying seemed to have dashed their hopes.

Q3 was exciting as teams tried to outdo each other. However it was Jenson Button who dominated Qualifying topping the time sheets in Q2 and Q3.

Button was joined by Kobayashi!! Maldonado and Raikkonen completed Row 2. Perez and Alonso were P5 and P6. Webber, Hamilton, Grosjean, Di Resta completed the top 10.

Webber's gearbox change demoted him from P7 to P12.  Pastor Maldonado received a three-place grid penalty for impeding Nico Hulkenberg in Q1 ( P3 to P6 ).

 

 

RACE :

Kobayashi had smoke coming from his Brakes after the cars lined up for the start. What followed though was shocking. The Five Lights went out and Maldonado seemed to have made a jump-start. Button and Raikkonen were clear into La Source but right behind them unfolded a carnage that was as bad as the Spa in 1998. Grosjean's Lotus went over Hamilton's and Alonso's. Perez lost his rear wing the accident and Kobayashi suffered heavy damage. The sheer amount of Debris meant that the Safety Car had to be summoned. Alonso was too shaken by the accident and the Medical team took their time attending him. The incident meant that the Red Bull Duo of Vettel and Webber had a golden chance of reducing Alonso's lead in the Championship.

The Force Indias catapulted to 3rd and 4th after the incident.

The Race restarted on Lap 5 and Button had a clean getaway. Raikkonen was passed by Hulkenberg on Kemmel Straight. Pastor Maldonado drove into retirement without a Front Wing at Les Combes. Michael Schumacher had moved upto 5th from 13th on the grid and passed Paul Di Resta for 4th Position on Lap 6.

Vettel moved up the order passing Massa and Webber. Schumacher powered past Raikkonen at the top of the hill around the outside at Les Combes. ( Lap 10 ). Kimi Raikkonen complained to the team about the lack of grip.

Raikkonen and Webber pitted on Lap 11 switching to hard tyres. Raikkonen then passed Rosberg and jumped Hulkenberg after the latter's pitstop.

Another Incident happened on Lap 16. Caterham F1 performed an unsafe release of Heikki Kovalainen in the pit lane and he hit the back of the HRT that was pulling into pit box just in front.

Hulkenberg, Ricciardo & Webber passed Rosberg on Lap 17 as the German's One Pit Stop Strategy seemed to be failing him.

Sebastien Vettel was closing in on his compatriot Schumacher and tried to pass him at the Bus Stop chichane at the outside ( Lap 20 ) However at that same instant Schumacher dived into the pits and miraculously there wasn't any contact between the two drivers.  

Button also pitted on Lap 20 and the team performed the pit stop in a blistering 2.6 seconds! Vettel pitted on lap 22 and emerged 6th just ahead of Ricciardo and more importantly Schumacher who had got stuck behind the Toro Rosso.

Button was slowly building his lead at the front while Vettel and Schumacher started moving back up the grid.

Hulkenberg, Massa, Webber made their final pitstops on Lap 27 and Kimi Raikkonen a lap later. Another incident occured as Red Bull released Webber from the box just before Massa entered his.

The positions on lap 30 : Jenson Button, Sebastian Vettel, Michael Schumacher, Kimi Raikkonen, Nico Hulkenberg, Mark Webber, Jean-Eric Vergne and Daniel Ricciardo.

Raikkonen was now piling pressure on Schumacher and almost made the move stick passing the German on the outside of the Bus Stop Chichane but Schumacher with the help of DRS reclaimed 3rd place going into Les Combes.

Michael Schumacher locked up out of La Source which compromised his exit. ( Lap 34 )  As a result, Kimi Raikkonen was all over the back of the Mercedes as they approached Eau Rouge. Unprepared to wait any longer, the Flying Finn overtook him on the outside at Eau Rouge. A very brave overtake!!

Schumacher Struggled to hold onto 4th as Hulkenberg was now all over him. He finally passed him for good when Schumacher switched to "Plan B" and pitted.  Massa on newer tyres passed Webber and was up into 5th place on Lap 37.

A lot was happening at the back of the field too as the Marussia Drivers battled for 15th place and the HRT and Caterham F1 of Pedro de la Rosa and Heikki Kovalainen went head to head.

Senna running in 8th on worn out tyres came under intense pressure from  Jean-Eric Vergne and Ricciardo and pitted on lap 41.

The top 10 at the Chequered Flag : Button, Vettel, Raikkonen, Hulkenberg, Massa, Webber, Schumacher, Vergne, Ricciardo, Di Resta.

A great revival for Button who went through a considerable slump after his victory at the opening race in Australia. Sahara Force India F1 had a great day with both the drivers in good point scoring positions.

However the biggest beneficiaries were Vettel, Webber and Raikkonen who cut down on Alonso's lead at the front.

Incidents between Webber and Massa and the Caterham and HRT concerning Unsafe release from the Pits were Investigated after the race. No action taken. The incident concerning Schumacher and Vettel on lap 20 didn't affect the results either.

However Maldonado received a Double Penalty. A 5 place demotion at Monza for jumping at the start and another 5 place penalty for the collision with Timo Glock on lap 5. The collision was avoidable according to race stewards and this explains Maldonado's retirement of Lap 5. Maldonado later stated that his fingers slipped off the clutch causing the Jump-Start.

The Biggest News was concerning the First Lap Carnage. Romain Grosjean was fined 50,000 euros & was given a one-race ban at the Italian Grand Prix for his role in the crash at the start.

 

 

The Incident at La Source :

Grosjean made a better start than Hamilton alongside him and cut sharply across the track, squeezing the McLaren driver up against the white line. Contact was inevitable, and as Hamilton lost control of his car the McLaren pushed the Lotus into the cars ahead which were slowing for the first corner. The Lotus cut across the front of Alonso's car, passing close to his helmet. Hamilton's car hit the side of Kamui Kobayashi's, and the other Sauber of Sergio Perez was knocked into Maldonado. Only Kobayashi and Maldonado emerged from the crash, Kobayashi with a substantial hole in the side of his car. Kobayashi who had started on the front row for Sauber, pitted after the accident and resumed in last place.

This clearly was Grosjean's Mistake.

I remember what Sir Jackie Stewart talked about in the paddock at Silvertsone! He stated that young drivers in F1 are too impatient. They don't realise that they can wait for one corner and attack the car in front at the next. They dont think strategies or about pacing themselves. They want to push all the time. This is one reason that Veterans of the Sport lead the Championship and the rest are languishing in positions they shouldn't be in.

Maldonado is ending up in the bad books more often than not. When he isn't dashing others, he impedes, does jump starts and all other sorts of things he shouldn't be doing at this level. Grosjean is too impatient, rather he seems restless. He is a great driver but he needs to realise that you cannot do everything in one lap. Most of his retirements have resulted from sheer haste. He needs to learn from Kimi. Its extremely important to give racing room to your opponent. Today's move was too immature. Hamilton would not have backed out. La Source just didnt have enough room for the cars and the drivers just missed the braking point to make matters worse. Hope Eric Boullier helps Romain to channelise his abilities for good.

Thankfully No one was Injured!

Some Stills captured of the Crash :

 

Looking ahead to MONZA :

Looking on to Monza, Ferrari would definitely want to mount a counter attack. The Renault Powered Red Bull and Lotus Cars were struggling in Straight Line speed at Spa. Lotus F1 really need to test the Device at Monza to give Kimi Raikkonen a chance to win. The races that follow are also high speed circuits, so this should be of utmost importance. High Downforce setups don't compromise the Straight line speed for the McLaren Mercedes too much but it isn't the same for the Renault Powered Cars.

Lets Hope for the best!! Time to greet the TIFOSI!!

11 races of the season done and dusted. 9 races to go! The season is just past the halfway mark and a lot would have been made clear by this time of the year.....but this isn't that year!

11 races and so much has happened in this season. This isn't a season of dominance for a Michael Schumacher or Fernando Alonso or Sebastien Vettel.

Six World Champions and some more in the making have made it a season to remember!

 

List of Winners this Season :

1) Australian GP - Jenson Button ( McLaren Mercedes )

2) Malaysian GP - Fernando Alonso ( Scuderia Ferrari )

3) Chinese GP - Nico Rosberg ( Mercedes AMG Petronas )

4) Bahrain GP - Sebastien Vettel ( Red Bull Racing )

5) Spanish GP - Pastor Maldonado ( AT&T Williams F1 Team )

6) Monaco GP - Mark Webber ( Red Bull Racing )

7) Canadian GP - Lewis Hamilton ( McLaren Mercedes )

8) European GP - Fernando Alonso ( Scuderia Ferrari )

9) Silverstone GP - Mark Webber ( Red Bull Racing )

10) German GP - Fernando Alonso ( Scuderia Ferrari )

11) Hungarian GP - Lewis Hamilton ( McLaren Mercedes )

 

A New Record was set this season as the first 7 races were won by 7 different drivers!

 

Fernando Alonso has amazed everyone with his performance this season. Experts thought that the Ferrari was not good enough for a title challenge. Alonso thought otherwise and is comfortably leading the championship by 30 points ( 164 Points ). 3 wins so far for the Spaniard

Mark Webber has lead the charge for Red Bull. The Australian trails Alonso by 30 points in second place ( 124 Points ). His performance this year has been more than just commendable. He has been successful in giving his team-mate and Two Time World Champion Sebastien Vettel a really hard time.

The Defending Champion Vettel trails Webber only by 2 points ( 122 Points ). This season the German has been inconsistent and has only one win under his belt. His ragged performances have still helped him to stay on his team-mate's tail. This season is going to be very difficult for the German.

Lewis Hamilton is 4th and behind Vettel by 5 points ( 117 Points ). Hamilton came to the fore in Canada and did exceptionally well in Hungary. His performaces have been mercurial over the whole season.

Kimi Raikkonen has not won a race but is 5th one point behind Hamilton in the Standings ( 116 Points ). The Flying Finn has been amazingly consistent scoring points in every race except one ( Chinese ). The Car has performed well although it needs to be perfect to fetch Kimi a victory. It is a matter of when rather than whether.

Nico Rosberg ( 77 Points ), Jenson Button ( 76 points ) and Romain Grosjean ( 76 Points ) are locked in battle in Positions 6,7 and 8 respectively. Nico and Jenson have wins apiece and Romain still needs to step on the top step of the podium. Nico hasn't had much to offer after his win in China.

Jenson too has had a season to forget after a very promising win at the opening race. Misfortunes have troubled the British Driver.

Grosjean has been mercurial in his performances. He could have been higher up in the championship had it not been for some mistakes that sent him into retirement in 3 races and a component failure in Valencia robbed him of a possible victory.

 

The Constructors' Battle is a hard fought one.

Red Bull Racing sit pretty in First with 246 points. McLaren Mercedes, Lotus F1 Team and Scuderia Ferrari are locked in a heated battle for 2nd place with 193, 192 and 189 points respectively.

The Sauber Ferrari F1 have had a decent season and the Williams F1 won a race. However both the Williams' drivers have been prone to incidents dashing thier chances of better finishes.

 

Fernando Alonso seems to be the clear favourite. He deserves praise for the way he has performed even with a Ferrari that isn't the best car on the grid.

This is also the time when Teams decide their lead drivers . The Decision is an easy one for Ferrari, McLaren Mercedes and Lotus F1. Alonso, Hamilton and Raikkonen should get full backing from the respective teams. I still have doubts for Hamilton and Raikkonen. Button and Grosjean are trailing by a good number of points, so giving support to their team-mates would be a wise decision now.

Red Bull clearly face a dilemma. Webber has played second fiddle to Vettel long enough. He is leading the German but the gap is only 2 points. I reckon that a duel between the two might just aid Alonso's Title Charge. The Duo of Hamilton and Raikkonen are within Striking distance. The Driver's Championship is too close to call.

This Championship is Alonso's to lose.

 

The Trio of McLaren Mercedes, Lotus F1 and Scuderia Ferrari have to play catch - up in the Constructors. The position at the top seems safe for Red Bull Racing. Scuderia Ferrari have struggled due to lack of results from Felipe Massa. Alonso has borne that burden all along.

Lotus F1 can boast of a good season as both drivers have performed well and Raikkonen has been more consistent of the duo. Race Victories are of utmost importance and the lack of this till now might just affect the team's challenge to the title.

McLaren Mercedes have benefitted from both their drivers albeit it hasn't been consistent. The Team has had a rough season but they have dug deep to keep themselves in contention.

This might be a bold prediction... Red Bull wins the Constructors, Lotus F1 in 2nd, Scuderia Ferrari in 3rd and McLaren Mercedes in 4th.

 

Mercedes AMG Petronas and Sauber Ferrari F1 are also battling for 5th place and the duo of Williams F1 and Sahara Force India F1 for 7th. I expect Mercedes AMG Petronas and Williams F1 to come out on top.

 

We now look forward to the Belgian Grand Prix at Spa - Francorchamps. Kimi Raikkonen is called the KING OF SPA.

Lets hope that the Iceman stays cool, flies around track like the Flying Finn and emerges at the end as the King.

 

The Season is a long one and a lot can change over the final 9 races.

 

Whatever the Outcome, I Am Loving It!!