Archive for the ‘Formula 1’ Category

New AMG Mercedes Unveiled Alongside F1 Car

Tuesday, February 21st, 2012

It’s been an eventful day for Mercedes-Benz and fans alike as two new cars have been unveiled in Barcelona. One being the new F1 challenger and the other being the new SL63 AMG. Whilst Mercedes will be hopeful that the MGP WO3 (F1 car) will be a race winner, they are equally hopeful that the SL63 AMG will be a popular choice for petrol heads with deep pockets.

It’s set to go on sale in June over here and was unveiled in front of a crowd of international press representatives in the Barcelona pit lane alongside the new F1 car. Michael Schumacher and Nico Rosberg were the lucky pair that set it free from cover.

The new SL63 AMG is based around an aluminium and magnesium structure which massively reduces weight; a whole 125kg has been saved compared to its predecessor. That’s almost two medium sized men!

Under the bonnet you’ll find a shiny new 5.5 litre V8 twin-turbo that delivers a beefy 529bhp. This has been achieved by some careful tuning and tinkering to the engine that was used in the E63, CLS63, S63, CL63 and ML63.

The new performance Merc also looks the part, with an AMG developed body kit that appear to be aggressive and outlandish – if you see one of these in your mirrors you’ll know exactly what it is: a thunderbolt of a machine!

The new SL63 AMG also sports a rather clever, aluminium folding hardtop roof and an extra detail includes the automatically tinting Magic Sky Roof system.

The new model is sure to be popular both while it is brand new and when it is available second hand also. AMG Mercedes’ are always brilliantly ferocious cars both in terms of what is under the bonnet and the way they look. They also sound pretty impressive too with deep burbles coming from the AMG tweaked stainless steel exhausts.

The new Mercedes is to be officially and publicly unveiled at the Geneva Motor Show next month, will you be there?

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New F1 Cars Launched

Thursday, February 9th, 2012

I’m sure you wouldn’t have failed to notice that there is a new Formula 1 season imminent and testing has, this week, begun. The cars that have been unveiled have been, to be honest, overwhelmingly ugly.

The dip on the front nose, which is a particular feature of most of the cars this year, is there in order to comply with new regulations that state that the front of the nose must be a certain height. Most of the teams obviously believe that they will gain aerodynamic performance thanks to the dip on the front nose, just in front of the front bulkhead, yet it would seem McLaren are approaching the new regulations from a slightly different angle. Their front nose looks great, purely because it does not include the much talked about drop on the nose. Instead, McLaren’s front nose simply slopes downward and it is without a doubt the best looking car to have been launched yet.

Will it be quick though? It’s all well and good having a great looking car, but if it doesn’t win, then, frankly, it’s a bit of a dog. The Ferrari last year was one of the best looking cars out there, but it only won one race, so with this seasons Ferrari looking like a bit of a dog, perhaps it will blow the competition away…We shall soon find out!

Furthermore, even the designers and drivers themselves have stated that this year’s cars are not the prettiest, with Adrian Newey having been quoted saying: “We’ve kept more or less the same chassis shape, but had to drop the nose just in front of the front bulkhead which, in common with many other teams, has led us to a slightly ugly looking nose. We’ve tried to style it as best we can, but it’s not a feature you would choose to put in were it not for the regulation.”

So, pre-season testing is in full swing and it would appear that all the teams will be using the test sessions to bed-in their cars, run various different aerodynamic set ups, including using the different sessions for some engine remapping and gathering essential telemetry data.

They say a beautiful car is a winning car, so who’s car will be the most beautiful this season, Red Bull? Ferrari? McLaren? Mercedes? Lotus? Or an outside contender? We will just have to wait and see…

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Comeback King?

Tuesday, January 24th, 2012

Those of us that follow all things motorsport will certainly not have missed news this week that a former Formula One World Champion has been settling into his new office – a Lotus F1 seat. Yes, I am of course talking about Kimi Raikkonen’s return to F1 with his new team, Lotus, formerly Renault.

This week he has been blasting around the Valencia test facility whilst he dials himself back into the rhythm of the most demanding motorsport there is. Lotus’ signing of the Finn has excited many of us that follow F1 as we remember him to be an extremely fast talent – one of the quickest over a single lap that I’ve ever seen.

Raikkonen left F1 at the end of the 2009 season, a year where he was driving a Ferrari that was drastically off the pace, yet he still managed to win at Spa, one of the most challenging circuits in the world where the driver can make up for a lack of car performance. Ferrari themselves admitted that 2009’s car was a bit of a dog, however they bounced back with a brilliant machine in 2010 that very nearly won the Drivers’ Championship in the hands of Kimi’s replacement, Fernando Alonso. Maybe Kimi will feel that he could have gone one better than Alonso in that same car?

Well now he is driving for the Enstone based team that Alonso won both his Championships with; will Kimi be able to double up his championship trophies with the newly named and rebranded Lotus F1 Team? It would be a bit of dream story if he did!

When Kimi was at his peak throughout the mid noughties, there were so many occasions where he left the others in a cloud of exhaust gases, and I personally thought Kimi was the most exciting driver on the F1 grid. In 2003, driving for McLaren as a youngster who had replaced the legend that was Mika Hakkinen, Raikkonen went on to win his first race in Malaysia and only lost the World Championship by two points at the final round in Japan.

Then in 2005, still at McLaren, Raikkonen again challenged for the title, this time he went head to head with the aforementioned Spaniard, Fernando Alonso. Raikkonen won seven Grand Prix but still lost out on the title by 21 points due to a dreadfully unreliable McLaren that let him down on so many occasions. He retired from three races, all of which Alonso capitalised on by winning, whereas Alonso only retired from one race that season in what was a consistently strong Renault F1 package.

Raikkonen was rewarded however in 2007 when he finally clinched the World Championship by just one point from his rivals, as Kimi won six Grand Prix in a brilliant debut year for Ferrari.

However, what stands out most for me was Raikkonen’s die hard attitude towards racing – at the Nurburgring in 2005, for example, Raikkonen led the race as the drivers began the final lap, however he was suffering from a serious problem with his front tyres, and as he braked for the first corner on the final lap, his suspension gave way and he ploughed into the tyre wall, and out of the race. He had the option to come into the pit and change his tyres before the problem worsened however that would have cost him the lead of the race and some serious points in the Championship, so instead he stayed out and took a chance – unfortunately for him, on this occasion, it was not a case of “he who dares wins”.

Raikkonen was also extremely entertaining to watch as he pulled off some fine overtaking manoeuvres during an era where overtaking was fairly minimal. Raikkonen’s return to F1 is a much anticipated one and everyone will be looking forward to seeing the Finn back on the track and competing once again.

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Webber Takes First Win of 2011 as F1 Season Comes to an End

Monday, November 28th, 2011

The 2011 F1 season has been dominated by just 1 man; Sebastian Vettel, who has set record after record on his way to the World Championship. This season, Vettel not only won the championship, with barely a hint of a challenge from the other drivers, but he also became the youngest ever Double World Champion, the youngest ever Back to Back World Champion, the record holder for most laps led in a season and the record holder for most starts from the front row in a season.

It has been an unbelievably impressive year from the young German, and after taking pole position in qualifying in Brazil on Saturday, breaking Nigel Mansell’s record for most pole positions in a season, it looked as if he was going to end the championship in the same unstoppable form in which he has performed throughout most of it.

However, after another blistering qualifying performance for pole position, Vettel came unstuck during the race with a gearbox problem, giving Mark Webber the chance to finally drive out of the German’s shadow and take his first win of the season.

It was a rare performance problem for Vettel’s Red Bull car which has been incredibly consistent over the year, only failing to finish 1 race, but it was enough of a chance for Webber to take, after failing to win any of the previous races this season, despite multiple starts on the front row of the grid.

The win is likely to give Webber a great confidence boost before the new season, after spending most of 2011 behind his teammate, yet it is Vettel’s amazing records and dominant performance that will be remembered as teams try to build a new car that can beat the Double World Champion next season.

Although he lost first place to Webber, Vettel finished the Brazilian Grand Prix in second whilst Jenson Button came 3rd, ensuring he finished the 2011 season in 2nd place in the drivers World Championship standings behind Vettel.

However, Vettel, Webber and Button will soon be forgetting any accomplishments from this season as they look towards 2012, during which we will see a new American Grand Prix, more adjustments to DRS zones and a rule change on the way the drivers use their exhaust to aid breaking and down force.

With Vettel dominating all year, it has not been the most exciting F1 season there has ever been but with the last 2 races being won by Hamilton and Webber it looks as if things might get a lot more competitive next season.

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Vettel bites the dust in the Abu Dhabi desert

Monday, November 14th, 2011

The Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, this weekend, came with a shock. That shock was the simple fact that the double World Champion, Sebastian Vettel, in his bullet proof Red Bull, suffered a mysterious tyre failure, and so recorded his first DNF since the Korean Grand Prix last season.

The reasons behind the tyre deflating at turn two, we are told, are still unknown, and Pirelli have been quoted saying: “Together with Red Bull Racing, we’re still examining the remains of Sebastian Vettel’s tyre in order to try and piece together what happened. It certainly seems to be a very unusual incident and we’ve already been to look at the place with Sebastian: there seems to be no reason that is immediately obvious and the set of tyres was one that he had already used for qualifying. But until we know for sure, there’s no point in speculating.”

Speculating you say? Well we can certainly begin to speculate a number of scenarios, such as the idea that the other drivers took it upon themselves to run down to turn two and sprinkle pins on the kerb in order to catch out the first man through…

Of course, that was not the case! However, the level of mystery concerning such a strange tyre failure does make the mind wonder…

Furthermore, the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix provided us with a much welcome revival of British motorsport figure, Lewis Hamilton! He won the race ahead of rival, Fernando Alonso, which he greatly needed, and it was fantastic to see the pleasure and relief he took from it. It was a tremendously cool, calm, and calculating drive – he paced himself relative to his pursuers pace and never lost sight of the fact that he had to win, not only for himself, but for his Mum, who was a guest in the McLaren garage this weekend.

In addition, Jenson Button brought his ailing McLaren home to third position after he suffered a KERS failure early on in the race that saw him off the pace for the most part. To beat Webber, in the Red Bull, to third position without KERS is a truly valiant effort, and without his difficulties we could well have seen a British one-two in the desert. So, once again this season, well done Jenson! It’s been his best season in F1, and considering that he has won the World Championship in a previous season, that really does emphasise Vettel’s brilliance and dominance this year!

The next round in Brazil should provide an exhilarating finale, and it will be interesting to see whether Vettel will end the season how he started, with others trailing in his exhaust gases.

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F1 Arrives in India

Friday, October 28th, 2011

This weekend sees the F1 circus making its first ever trip to India. Year upon year F1 seems to reach new audiences and spread further and further afield. In 2004 we saw the first ever Grand Prix in China and in Bahrain. In 2005 we saw the first ever Grand Prix in Turkey, in 2008 we saw the first ever Formula One Singapore Grand Prix, in 2009 we saw the first ever Abu Dhabi Grand Prix and in 2010 we saw the first ever Korean Grand Prix. This year, India will be added to the every growing list of new F1 venues.

Formula One has always been a global sport, however it has grown exponentially in Asia over the last ten years or so; let’s not forget the Malaysian Grand Prix that was added to the calendar in 1999 of course. Formula One’s expansion in Asia is, at the end of the day, commercial and political, however as an F1 audience we have too benefited enormously from thrilling motor racing and also thrilling spectacles.

Hopefully this weekend will follow suit as we hope for some exciting, wheel to wheel action! The added bonus with an Indian Grand Prix is that we, in the UK, will not even have to get up early as the race will begin at 9.30am. A nice way to wake up on Sunday I think!

The circuit, upon first glance, looks great! It has some fantastic winding corners that first of all look fast! There is also a customary long straight where drivers will really be able to deploy their KERS, and if it is allowed on that particular section of the circuit, their DRS. These two additions to the F1 machines this year has divided opinion, however, there is no denying we have seen some exhilarating action, and there is also no denying that such devices often leave drivers trailing in a haze of exhaust gases.

With F1 pulling in waves of crowds all over the world, we hope there will be packed grandstands for India’s first every Grand Prix. Question is, who will take the first win on Indian soil, will it be the peerless and unrivalled Sebastian Vettel? Or will we see a British victor? It’s been a fascinating season, and with three Grand Prix to go, including this weekend, we hope that we will see yet more scintillating action.

With the passing of two huge motor racing talents, Dan Wheldon and Marco Simoncelli, the past two weeks has been very difficult for the Motorsport community; let’s hope this weekend we will have something to smile about with some exciting on track action. I think I speak for everyone here though when I say, F1 drivers: please try to keep it as safe as possible!

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King Vettel Crowned 2011 Champion of the World

Monday, October 10th, 2011

The 2011 Formula One season has produced some of the most exciting races in recent memory, not least the Canadian Grand Prix, which for me, was the most exciting race I can ever recall. Yesterday’s Japanese Grand Prix was another thrill ride with the top three all finishing within a couple of seconds of each other. Button, Alonso, and of course, the peerless Vettel, crossed the line after 53 laps with just 2.006 seconds between them. This really emphasises how competitive Formula One has become towards the close of the season. If it had started that way then perhaps it would still be game on in the Championship for the three, who have, undoubtedly been the class of the field.

However, that is not the case as this past weekend saw Sebastian Vettel become the youngest double World Champion in the history of the sport. It’s difficult to find the right superlatives to describe such a young man without sounding the same as everybody else. Therefore, instead, I will simply state the facts as they currently are: Sebastian Vettel is the youngest driver to score a point, the youngest driver on the podium, the youngest driver to take pole position, the youngest driver to win a Grand Prix, the youngest World Champion, and now the youngest back-to-back double World Champion. He is 24 years and 98 days old, and simply untouchable!

Whilst Vettel is deservedly receiving huge praise the world over today, including here, we must remember the team that has made it all possible. The little British, although Austrian owned, Milton Keynes based outfit, Red Bull. Except they’re anything but little. The Red Bull brand is a global phenomenon, and since putting their money into Formula One they have transformed the former back running team, previously under the guise of Jaguar, and before that Stewart Grand Prix.

The drinks company bought the team from Jaguar in 2004, before making their debut at the 2005 Australian Grand Prix. Christian Horner, the new Team Boss, had a clear desire and focus to take the team to great heights, and to leave all competition trailing in their exhaust fumes. This was emphasised by his recruitment of technical genius, Adrian Newey. Their goal was to build for the future. Six years down the line we can certainly say they succeeded.

In 2010 they went on to win both the Constructors and Drivers Championship in fine style, with Vettel clinching the World Title at the last round in Abu Dhabi. This year however has been slightly more straightforward, and Vettel has dominated proceedings. He has won nine races and finished on the podium four other times. His lowest finish has been fourth, ironically at his home Grand Prix, in Germany.

It seems that we are currently watching the early stages of one of the F1 greats, one of the all time legends. Someone that people will hail for generations to come, someone with the same aura as Senna and Schumacher, and the same never give in attitude that we have admired from such drivers in the past.

We will undoubtedly see Vettel up on that podium a number of times in the remainder of this season, and who can begrudge him such glory? He truly is a remarkable young man, and it is little surprise that he currently has the world at his feet.

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Alonso Charges to Victory at Tricky Silverstone

Monday, July 11th, 2011

The Formula One circus rolled into Silverstone this past weekend, to thrill enormous British crowds. The 100,000+ people in the stands and around the circuit on grass banks, were hopeful of a British victory, and with three Brits starting in the top ten it seemed a real possibility, especially in changeable conditions where we know Jenson Button, in particular, excels. Unfortunately, the highest placed Brit, come the finish, was Lewis Hamilton in fourth place. However, crowds and fans would not be too disappointed considering the excitement they were treated too.

With Sebastian Vettel having won six out of eight races this season, and as he blasted past Mark Webber before even reaching turn one, it looked like we would have a familiar story: Sebastian Vettel wins, Red Bull domination continues. Yet that was not the case. Round nine of this enthralling F1 season threw up great surprise, excitement and great challenges for the drivers and teams alike.

The opening stages were extremely difficult for drivers as a unique situation had developed whereby half the circuit was bone-dry, and half was soaking wet. The intermediate tyre was the only option, and the drivers had to contend with maintaining the tyre durability whilst maintaining enough heat and grip to be fast all the way around the circuit. Vettel, unsurprisingly, did a superb job and by the first round of pit-stops, when the track had now dried out, he had a significant lead. The McLaren’s and Ferrari’s in the meantime were scrapping for position, while the two Red Bull drivers sailed ahead. Button pulled off the pass of the day as he tore round the outside before then diving up the inside of Felipe Massa’s Ferrari. Hamilton also pleased the British crowd with a brave move up the inside of Fernando Alonso as they headed into the famously fast Copse Corner. Alonso would then fight back to re-pass Hamilton on lap 24.

Once everyone had switched to dry tyres we then began to see increased pace from Ferrari’s Fernando Alonso. He managed to catch Webber in second before then overtaking him with a bold move. Alonso then set about hunting down Vettel in the lead, and as Red Bull, uncharacteristically, had a slow second stop, Alonso leapfrogged Vettel in the next pit-stop phase. We then looked set to have an intense battle between Vettel and Alonso for the victory. However, Alonso stormed away with the lead and went on to win. It was an incredible victory for the Spaniard, and a great day for Ferrari fans the world around. Webber pushed hard to challenge Vettel, however, Red-Bull team orders kept him at bay in the closing stages, whilst Massa and Hamilton fought fearlessly all the way to the finish line with Hamilton coming home in fourth, Massa fifth.

Jenson Button, however, had a weekend to forget as he was forced to retire after a pit-lane blunder from his mechanics. They failed to attach the front right wheel properly and consequently Button was left a dejected figure.

The British Grand Prix, to some extent, had to deliver following the controversy on Saturday surrounding the meetings and arguments over the use of exhaust gases to generate further downforce. Politics and technical jargon aside, the 2011 British Grand Prix was a bare-knuckled brawl between world class drivers, epitomised by Massa and Hamilton trading body parts in the final turns. Bring on Germany in two weeks!

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