Category: Formula One

After an entertaining start to a new era of Formula One in Australia, the focus moved swiftly to Malaysia for the second race of the season. The Sepang International Circuit has a history of extreme weather changes- from blinding heat to atrocious rainfall. However this weather which can be just unpredictable at times makes the race weekend another exciting one to look forward too.

So could Nico Rosberg and the Mercedes team carry on from where they left off at Australia? Well here are my highlights of the 2014 Petronas Malaysian Grand Prix.

Hamilton grabs successive Pole Position in the wet

Too say it was wet during Qualifying is an understatement. The heavens truly opened on Saturday as the drivers battled for Pole. And once again, Lewis Hamilton finished top of the time sheets, even though it was just 0.055seconds ahead of Sebastian Vettel- who had a decent weekend in an improving Red Bull car. Nico Rosberg, who won two weeks ago, qualified third. It was qualifying to forget for two drivers. Bottas suffered a three place grid penalty to start 18^th after being accused of holding up another driver and Jenson Button, usually very accurate with his tyre choice, seemed to choose wrongly- meaning he could only secure 10^th position on the grid.

Riccardio struggles again

Daniel Riccardio has found his start at Red Bull a frustrating one. After disqualification in Melbourne- the Australian seemed to have car problems this time around. The first incident occurred during a pit stop. Riccardio pitted as you do and then drove off promptly- however, what he hadn’t noticed was his front left tyre hadn’t been put on properly. This caused the driver to have to pull up in the pits and wait to be dragged back to the Red Bull garage to get the problem fixed. He may have wanted to reverse up the pits but that would have resulted in instant disqualification for unsafe driving and after Australia that was the last thing on his mind. This condemned Daniel to what was at the time a good race where he was comfortable in 4^th– to a disastrous race near the back end of the pack. The young driver’s race got even worse a few laps later when his front wing seemed to collapse and cause him to ultimately retire.

Kimi left frustrated

Kimi Raikkonen is another driver finding times tough at the moment. His return to Ferrari hasn’t got off to the best of starts and in Malaysia; things weren’t going to get better. His race suffered after an incident with young Kevin Magnussen, where the Dane clipped Raikkonen’s rear tyre which resulted in a puncher. The Fin then never really got going- and only finished a disappointing 12^th.

“Bottas is faster than you. Don’t hold him up.”

This was the team order from Williams to Felipe Massa, a man who has in the past had to let drivers go past him. Well it seemed Felipe has had enough of that, and refused to let Bottas through. As team mates, this may dent their relationship, but at the end of the day- Williams finished 7^th and 8^th. The team should come first, and silliness about who overtakes who can lead to serious incidents- do you remember Vettel and Webber for Red Bull in Turkey? Both drivers have an argument in this situation. Massa could claim Bottas was too far back to overtake and make a move for Button in sixth, whereas Bottas will feel he couldn’t do anything with Felipe in the way.

Perfect Weekend for Mercedes

It was Lewis Hamilton’s and Mercedes day in the end as they won the race with a 1^st/2^nd place finish (there first since 1955) which guaranteed them maximum points available for their bid for the constructors championship. Lewis Hamilton was comfortable all race with no real worries as he led for the majority of the race. Nico Rosberg came second to make his lead at the top of the drivers’ championship to 18 points ahead of Lewis Hamilton who with that win rises to second in the standings.

 Drivers Championship Standings (Top 5)

1. Nico Rosberg, Mercedes, 48 Points
2. Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes, 25 Points
3. Fernando Alonso, Ferrari, 24 Points
4. Jenson Button, McLaren, 23 Points
5. Kevin Magnussen, McLaren, 20 Points

 

Constructors’ Championship Standings (Top 5)

1. Mercedes, 68 Points
2. McLaren, 43 Points
3. Ferrari, 30 Points
4. Williams, 20 Points
5. Force India, 19 Points

 

So I leave you with this- Do you think Massa did the right thing in not letting Bottas through? Either comment below Yes or No or tweet me at @leeham1996 with either #MassaYES or #MassaNO.

Formula One has had one of the most anticipated build ups to a new season in history as the sport returned this weekend with new rules and regulations. These changes have been a struggle for certain teams to come to grips with such as World Champions Red Bull however teams like Mercedes have excelled- making themselves the favourites for this seasons constructors championship.

This season started with action, crashes and pure adrenalin, just as any Formula One season should. Here is my review of the 2014 Australian GP.

Albert Park

This is my favourite venue on the F1 calendar because it is fast, and particularly unpredictable, it’s very rare for a driver to win this race season after season.  With a particularly fast second sector and a slow final few corners, many have retired in this race due to driver mistakes. The question posed this season was whether drivers would manage to finish the race let alone challenging for points.

Rules and Regulation changes and their impact

Many changes were on show in Australia. The new V6 engines sound totally different to past engines used in the sport. The new petrol cap means cars must run from the beginning to the end of the race on one tank of petrol without filling back up, and the new eco-system and car system means if something faults the car becomes impossible to drive- therefore many retirements occurred at the weekend. Most noticeably, World champion Sebastian Vettel and world championship favourite Lewis Hamilton both retired due to car problems. It was also a weekend to forget for Lotus who finished last in the qualifying and both cars retired during the race.

The Debutants

It was a weekend to remember for some new drivers, especially McLaren Mercedes new boy Kevin Magnussen. The young Dane managed to secure a highly respectable fourth in qualifying and then third in the race- further pushed up to second following the disqualification of Daniel Riccardio. The Aussie himself before the disqualification had qualified and finished in a comfortable second. Also impressing fans was Torro Rosso’s Russian new boy Kvyat.

Rosberg Cruising to Victory

German Nico Rosberg came a comfortable 1^st place in Australia and impressed with the very impressive Mercedes car. He won by a comfortable 26 seconds or so. The established f1 driver follows his father’s footsteps by winning the Australian open and therefore leads the championship after round 1.

Who do you think will win this season’s World Championship? Please comment below or tweet me at @leeham1996 with your answer and #F12014Winner.

As we enter the final stages of another F1 season, it has once again been dominated by perhaps one of the best talents to ever take part in the sport, Sebastian Vettel. The German has one the past four races and seems likely to make it four consecutive world championships.

The German has been in a league of his own in the past few races, with his latest win in the Singapore nightlight the most convincing, leading to cries of moaning and booing for the current World champ. People don’t like to see dominance in a sport, and the fans are now starting to get somewhat annoyed about the lack of competition.

We can’t just Blame Sebastian for this though, he is a marvellous talent to watch and it’s just a shame that he doesn’t seem to have anyone capable to mount a serious challenge on the German. There are no cars either that can match the pace of Vettel’s Red Bull. Lotus made an early statement of intent along with Mercedes and Ferrari, but as the season has progressed the Red Bull has developed and just can’t be matched for raw pace and ability.

It would be nice to see some more competition in the sport, but personally I enjoy watching Sebastian Vettel, he is truly a world class maestro at Formula One. He manages to take the car to the extreme and pull results out, even if it doesn’t look likely. He can be too aggressive at times, silly mistakes causing him to miss out of the points or take someone out of the race, most ironically, the incident at the Turkey GP in 2011 when Vettel took out Red Bull team mate Mark Webber.

Although the Championship looks wrapped up; there is no reason why the last few races can be competitive. It isn’t over until the Fat Lady sings.

As we hit the midpoint of the 2013 Formula One World Championship, rumours are already spreading around regarding the starting grid for the 2014 season, with many drivers linked to moves to other teams or being dropped. These are the current rumours spreading around the pit lane and my opinion whether they may go through or not.

One of the biggest rumours is that “Ice Man” Kimi Raikkonen could be the man current world champions Red Bull choose to replace the outgoing Aussie Mark Webber, who is leaving at the end of the season. Raikkonen has had a very stable return to the sport after a short spell in rally, and he secured a very respectable 3^rd position in the drivers’ championship last year. I think Kimi has it in him to secure another world championship; having already conquered in motorsports elite competition in 2007 with the ever present Ferrari. With the raw pace and success that has come with Red Bull in the last few seasons, there is no question this would be a very good move for the Fin, as it may ignite a much more realistic title challenge. So watch this space as this is a deal which can be seen as realistic and very much possible.

Recently, Torro Rosso driver Daniel Riccardio has been testing a RB9 and performed admirably. The difference in Riccardio joining Red Bull would be he would very much play second fiddle to Sebastian Vettel, whereas Kimi would make the competition between the two drivers more intensifying. Riccardio hasn’t for me really shone out as a future world champion, he has been average in the Torro Rosso for the past two seasons, he needs to gain more points finishes in my opinion to even be considered for a move to a team higher up the grid.

A final rumour spreading around comes away from Red Bull and more towards Ferrari, the most iconic team in F1 History. Current Brazilian and long serving driver Felipe Massa has been rumoured to lose his seat at the end of the season when his current contract expires, with his replacement being touted as either Force India’s British driver Paul Di Resta or Sauber’s German powerhouse driver Nico Hulkenburg. This move would satisfy Di Resta immensely due to his Italian links with his family, and this could make his relationship with the Italian team a lot stronger and friendlier. Paul and Nico have both shown their qualities behind the wheel and I do think they could both push towards a World Championship with a competitive team, no offense to Force India and Sauber.

These are like I’ve said Rumours, and they may not all become reality, but I’d keep an eye on these rumours because I believe they can become reality very easily, a future star will shine in the next few seasons, we’ll just have to wait to find out which lucky driver that will be.

Round 7 of the F1 championship sees the franchise spend a weekend in Canada. This was the first race since the debate surrounding the pirelli tyres and Mercedes.
Qualifying saw poor performances by top drivers as Felipe Massa ended 16th, as well as the mclaren pairing Jenson Button and Sergio Perez both went out at q2. It was a familiar story up front as Seb Vettel gained yet another pole position as the championship leader looked quick on the Montreal track. A highlight of the session was Bottas, who ended 3rd in his Williams, his best ever qualifying in f1 and Williams best result this season.
Vettel made a strong start, making a quick start and gaining a lead early on. It was a disastrous start for Bottas though, as his Williams was overtaken by Webber and Rosberg early.
It was a race to forget for Sutil, as he span on lap 6 which saw him drop from 8th to 13th, it was a miracle no car hit the stranded German. The incident was reviewed by race stewards. Kimi Raikonnen also had a rather troublesome race; as he suffered similar problems as he did in China and then on lap 23, had his right rear tyre fail to go on during a pit stop.
One driver looking good for a podium place was Mark Webber- that was until his front wing came off in an incident involving caterham rookie Van Der Gaarde. Webber relucted to go to the pits and consequently was overtaken by Fernando Alonso on lap 42.
Van Der Gaarde eventually retired on lap 48 along with Sauber driver Nico Hulkenburg as the two drivers collided and both suffered race ending problems.
Back to Adrian Sutil, the German was given a penalty for failing to respond to a blue flag- which looked to end his hope of a points finish.
With 7 laps remaining; Alonso managed to eventually overtake Lewis Hamilton to gain second place.
But the race was Seb Vettels from the very start. The German was always in control and will extend his lead at the top of the F1 world championship.

Result: 1. Vettel; 2.Alonso; 3.Hamilton; 4.Webber; 5.Rosberg; 6.Vergne;7.Di Resta; 8.Massa; 9.Raikkonen; 10.Sutil

Retirements: Van Der Graade; Hulkenburg; Guiterrez

Lewis Hamilton believes his Mercedes is capable of helping him achieve a maiden win with his new team and told Sky Sports that he can win a race this year. The 2008 World Champion has made a decent start to the 2013 season, although Bahrain didn’t go to plan for the silver arrows.

Although Mercedes have only won a solitary race in their 3 seasons of competitiveness, Hamilton has expressed his confidence of standing on top podium at some stage this season.

“I am Hopeful we can win this year, particularly as we have things coming in the pipeline with upgrades and improvements for the car”. Hamilton told Sky Sports f1’s Martin Brundle in an exclusive interview.

When asked about his view on moving teams in the close season, Hamilton stated “The team is different, different set of people who I’m really enjoying working with and it’s a new set of challenges, which is what I wanted”.

Lewis Hamilton has obviously enjoyed making the transaction from Mclaren to Mercedes and his next opportunity to try and win for the first time with Mercedes is the Spanish GP in two weeks time.