Please, visit the site tomorrow (Tuesday) for full race report :).
Tuesday: Thank you for your compasion. The race report is now available at Girls Like F1 Too main site. Click here.
Monday, May 23, 2011
Announcement + Link
Please, visit the site tomorrow (Tuesday) for full race report :).
Tuesday: Thank you for your compasion. The race report is now available at Girls Like F1 Too main site. Click here.
Monday, May 9, 2011
F1 - Wacky Races Style
Last year, after a few unlucky for Ferrari GPs Fernando Alonso called racing in F1 wacky. Wacky you say, huh? The association could (or rather had to) be only one: the unforgettable cartoon Wacky Races!
Who doesn’t remember Dick Dastardly desperately trying to win a race at all costs? One of the greatest villains of my childhood never managed to get to the finish line first, though he was punching below the belt and taking pains to be faster than the rest just once in his life. And what a colourful rest it was! A bunch of individuals – one creepier and slier than the other. Dick Dastardly may have been the biggest villain of the cartoon, but let’s be honest – none of the racers were saint and each of them had some mischievous dealings of their own targeted at beating the rest.
A Freudian psychologist would probably say that my early childhood experiences with Dick (!) influenced the way I perceive F1 as an adult (yeah… he would definitely add some sexual background as well and father figure), so no wonder I notice traces of Wacky Races behind every corner of modern F1. And that’s where the idea of F1 Wacky Races Style came from. The rules are simple: if F1 was indeed wacky as Fernando says – who would play which part? Here are my suggestions:
Caution: this text is not going to be unbiased. It doesn’t mean that I decided to have a go at this or another driver or team, nothing of that sort! As the cartoon Wacky Races was totally crazy, I decided to do it just the same and base the text on most stereotypical and biased comments one can find circulating in the Internet.
So… ready, steady and… WE ARE RACING!
Dick Dastardly and Muttley in the Mean Machine are… Fernando Alonso and Felipe Massa
Despite it all, he is still the centre of attention and everybody looks at him. Just like children want to know what Dick Dastardly is up to now, even if they say they want him to lose again. As Martin Brundle once said: we know, love and despise [him] all at the same time.Felipe takes the part of Muttley – an unintentional partner in crime. They might be a tandem, but no matter how many mean orders Muttley follows, in the end of the day, it is Dick Dastardly (aka Fernando Alonso) who is perceived to be the responsible one. Muttley can only giggle the way he likes it best ;-).
The Slag Brothers in the Bouldermobile are… Sebastian Vettel and Mark Webber
Slag Brothers used to hit their car (or even better) themselves in order to go faster. You could feel brotherly love in the air! So is the case of Red Bull with Sebastian and Mark pushing each other to the limits, sometimes off the track and the wonderful family-like atmosphere in the camp (as Mark Webber described it: perhaps the best in the paddock).
When it comes to speech – Slag Brothers used a totally incomprehensible language only they could get. With whole due respect – Mark’s Aussie accent doesn’t make it easier for foreigners and Sebastian Vettel doesn’t stay far behind, creating words only he can understand.
The Gruesome Twosome in the Creepy Coupe are… HRT and Virgin
Twosome was awesome. You could never know what would jump out of the little tower they had on their car. So is the case of last year’s newbies: HRT and Virgin. They are doing their best just like all other competitors in our race and you have to respect them for their efforts, but at the same time, you can never tell which part and when stops working or simply falls out of the car, just like the bats used to fly out from the Creepy Coupe.
Professor Pat Pending in the Convert-a-Car is… Adrian Newey
Does it really need any justification? Professor Pat could make a stone fly (which is actually quite a good comparison if we keep in mind that Newey's drivers are Slag Brothers in their stony car). He didn’t win every time, because nobody can do that, but he was still the greatest brain and the biggest magician of the cartoon. Just like Adrian Newey who everybody would love to hire and who, as Stefano Domenicali said it, makes a difference and gives Red Bull (flexi) wings.
Red Max in the Crimson Haybailer is… Michael Schumacher
Flying Red Max took his name from the Red Baron. And who is the F1 Red Baron? He might be silver now, but deep in the hearts and minds of the fans (and maybe even his own) he’ll always be red. Not fighting fair and square, pushing his opponents into the grass, crashing into them and parking his car in the middle of the track to stop the most dangerous enemy. And despite it all he still flies above the rest with records difficult to beat.
Penelope Pitstop in the Compact Pussycat is… Nico Rosberg
Yes, he cut his hair. Yes, he grew a beard. Yes, he changed his image. But he still is the prettiest (prettiest and not most handsome!) of them all. I’m sorry Nico, but it will take more than a few months to get rid of the Britney label. I've almost forgotten – he even got one vote in a poll amongst drivers for the most beautiful woman in F1.
Sergeant Blast and Private Meekley in the Army Surplus Special are… Nick Heidfeld and Vitaly Petrov
The extra-military unit: Pirate Nick and Vyborg Rocket that is Vitaly Petrov. Nick may take the role of the Sergant being the more experienced one. Petrov is learning fast, but it’s still Nick who is less meek – waving hands when his team mate crashes into him and… crashing into his teammate if he stands in the way. The military Vyborg Rocket still needs some instruction on how to take corners from time to time and will sometimes give the position back if he thinks that he has taken it unlawfully, but he’s stronger and stronger with every race. Sergeant’s and Private’s tank was aided by a cannon giving them extra boost. Petrov’s indestructible The Ant Hill Mob in the Bulletproof Bomb is… Bernie Ecclestone and whole F1
The gangster-like little man followed by a group of subordinates doing their best for his benefit. One would never tell how much power this inconspicuous man has!
Luke and Blubber Bear in the Arkansas Chuggabug are… Adrian Sutil and Jarno Trulli
Adrian cruises around the circuit carelessly crashing here and there, just like Luke. And whenever he opens his eyes wider, he will see Jarno Trulli biting his teeth – but not with fear (like Blubber Bear used to do it) but with anger. Yes, these boys have some common adventures. Spain, Brazil, Abu Dhabi… it was Sutil’s, Trulli’s fault. Oh dear...
Peter Perfect in the Turbo Terrific is… Jenson Button
Mr. Perfection. Perfect gentleman on and outside of the track. Carrying bags for the ladies, driving the car in a famous silky smooth style. Dashing young gentleman with impeccable hair, clothes and even more perfect girlfriend. She’s his only flaw – just ask the female fans.
Rufus Ruffcut and Sawtooth in the Buzzwagon are… Lewis Hamilton
Buzzwagon guys used to cut through the field, not really caring for any obstacle. And Lewis is doing just the same. What are the chances for the win? Zero… he’ll give it a go! How far is the guy in front? 40 seconds 5 laps from the end… he’ll catch him (or at least crash trying)! There’s a gap over there, a really small one – he’ll try to squeeze in there. No obstacle is scary for Lewis. Pity that not everything can be cut in half and left behind just like this.
Sunday, May 8, 2011
Turkish GP 2011
And when you just think it can’t get any more exciting and hectic, we get Turkish GP! Concerning sole victory, we were back to Australian/Malaysian GPs style with Sebastian Vettel cruising from the start to the finish line with no particular problem (the only one was to lap fighting Sutil and Perez on the penultimate lap), but what a rush it was behind his back!
I wanted to bring myself some more tea at one point of the race and was literally begging the drivers to stop the madness on the track and come back to the 2010 processions for a second, but all for nothing – I left the TV for 2 minutes and it took me another 10 after I came back to get what had actually happened as the order had already changed drastically. For those of you who are acquainted with the classic writing of Jane Austen, as Pride and Prejudice Mrs Bennet would put it: You have no compassion on my poor nerves!
Sebastian Vettel and his team did a great job if we consider the fact that the German crashed in the early stages of FP1 on Friday and therefore, missed whole FP2. Lack of practice and data didn’t stop the reigning world champion from snatching pole on Saturday and transferring it into yet another 25 points today afternoon.
Vettel maintained his position at the start, unlike his teammate who wasn’t fast enough of the line and was overtaken by starting from P3 Nico Rosberg. Lewis Hamilton, starting from the second row, saw an opportunity, but his effort to follow Rosberg and overtake Webber on the outside did not pay off as he went wide and lost his P4 to Fernando Alonso (who seems to have P5 subscription this year as he keeps on starting from this position) and even Jenson Button, who was P6 on the grid. Behind, Petrov lost place to Michael Schumacher, but decided not to yield so easily. An overtaking move by the Russian performed not much later, ended up with a small collision between the Renault driver and the 7-time world champion. It compromised the German’s race as he was forced to duck to the pit lane straight away. It was one of those races, when one has to ask a question whether Schumacher’s decision to come back from his retirement was right. Despite efforts, the Mercedes’ driver finished the race outside of points and was overtaken by nearly anybody who happened to be around, including his former teammates – Felipe Massa and Rubens Barrichello.
Soon after the start Mark Webber retook his second place when he passed Rosberg with the use of DRS. Fernando Alonso followed his footsteps two laps later. The now leading trio (Vettel, Webber, Alonso) turned out to be the podium finishers, but they still had their share of fight to perform, before they could drink the champagne.* Behind them, Hamilton regained one lost position passing Button, but, as his tyres were nearly gone, he lost it before he could even think Gotcha! not even mentioning catching Rosberg (now in P4). Massa, who started from P10 and (having not set a time in Q3) was free to choose any tyres he wanted for the start was making good progress and he soon joined the McLaren drivers’ battle. He managed to get past Lewis Hamilton and the two drivers went both straight into the pit lane on lap 9. With McLaren crew being faster and a bit unsafe release from the Ferrari team, the Brazilian’s efforts to get in front of Hamilton came to nothing as the Brit rejoined the track in front. As expected, the tyres didn’t last long and it took only around 10 laps before we saw the first dose of pit stops. Jenson Button, whose crew chose to pit 3 times instead of the preferred 4-stop strategy, delayed his first pit stop and was now in the lead.
On lap 12, Vitaly Petrov decided to attack his teammate and nearly repeated what the Red Bull drivers did in Istanbul last year as he was close to crash with Nick Heidfeld. Enraged Heidfeld, pushed out of the track, found time and energy to show his Russian friend some friendly fist gestures. Meanwhile, at the front, Hamilton managed to overtake Rosberg, who now found himself between the 2008 world champion and Ferrari’s Felipe Massa. The Brazilian was doing his best to get in front of the Mercedes, but couldn’t as Rosberg (now right behind Hamilton) was also able to use his moveable rear wing.
Laps 20–24 saw an entertaining battle between Rosberg-Massa-Button trio. Massa finally overtook Rosberg only to lose the position a few seconds later. However, he didn’t give up and made another, this time effective, attempt. Button didn’t waste time and swallowed the German too. Soon he was in front of Massa as well. On lap 30 Fernando Alonso finally caught Webber and passed him on turn 12 with a little help of DRS.
By the third turn of pit stops it was clear that Vettel would win with Alonso and Webber fighting for the remaining two podium places. Massa, who looked as if he could have settled for a 5–7 place was delayed in his pit stop, losing some valuable seconds, which cost him points finish at the end. Lewis Hamilton was another driver who was unlucky in the pits. The McLaren team decided to split their strategies: Lewis Hamilton, who was forced to pit as early as lap 9, switched to 4-stop strategy, which proved to be a better choice. Jenson Button, known for his silky smooth style, was supposed to look after his tyres better and gain time pitting 3 times only. The British team copied Ferrari’s strategy from China with one stop less than the competitors and just like in the case of Scuderia 3 weeks ago – they lost it there. Jenson Button became a sitting duck in the closing stages of the race, trying to finish the race anywhere he could and was passed by, amongst others, Nico Rosberg. The most significant sign of a bad strategy choice was the fact that Button was overtaken by Lewis Hamilton, who not only had one stop more, but it also was a faulty stop which cost the 2008 world champion some time.
With Button’s worn tyres, Hamilton’s and Massa’s longer pit stops, Brazilian’s excursion outside of the track and Vettel out of reach, Webber and Alonso were left to fight for the second place between themselves. Webber stopped for the last time one lap earlier (lap 45) and was still in P3 when Alonso rejoined the track 12 laps from the chequered flag. Having the advantage of DRS, the Aussie didn’t have to wait long and the podium was established 6 laps from the end with Webber passing Alonso for P2.
Worth noticing is the performance of Kamui Kobayashi. The Japanese didn’t set a time in the qualifying session, but was nevertheless allowed to start in the race. From the back of the grid, the Sauber’s driver made it to P10 and snatched 1 point for his team, being even P5 at the beginning of the race when many drivers opted to pit early and he was left out longer on his hard slicks. Timo Glock didn’t start in the race at all as he got stuck in his garage with gear box problems. Williams had yet another miserable race with neither of the drivers scoring points. Rubens Barrichello finished 15th and Pastor Maldonado was so eager to get to the points that he earned a drive through penalty for speeding in the pit lane.
Mercedes seem to have made some progress with Nico Rosberg delivering a great result (P3) on Saturday. Ferrari, who is another team in need of a significant step forward, was still almost a second away from pole in qualifying but the gap to McLaren was already smaller (Alonso split the two British drivers on the grid) . Their race pace looked very promising too: Fernando Alonso could go as fast as the Red Bulls throughout all the race, and Felipe Massa, if not for a bad pit stop, could have finished the race in a much better position than he started it.
Despite the Pirelli tyres providing for lots of action and (questioned by some as artificial) DRS enabling drivers to overtake more than ever before, one remains unchanged: pole position on Saturday is the best way to secure the victory on Sunday.
After 4 GPs Sebastian Vettel is still untouchable in the WDC lead with 93 points, followed by Lewis Hamilton (59), Mark Webber (55), Jenson Button (46) and Fernando Alonso (41). Like Vettel, his team is reigning in the WCC having gathered as much as 148 points with McLaren on 105 and Ferrari further behind on 65.
Full results here.
* I've just learnt that (due to age limit) Vettel was not allowed to drink champagne leaving more for Webber and Alonso. He really is the youngest world champion in history!
* I've just learnt that (due to age limit) Vettel was not allowed to drink champagne leaving more for Webber and Alonso. He really is the youngest world champion in history!
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