Korean GP 2010: Alonso Takes Victory At Inaugural Event
Fernando Alonso took victory at the first ever Korean Grand Prix today, and he took full advantage of a double Red Bull retirement to take the lead in the world championship.
Lewis Hamilton was 2nd for McLaren, while under fire Ferrari driver Felipe Massa hung on to third place.
Race Review
The race was delayed significantly due to heavy rain on the new Korean circuit. The drivers completed a handful of laps behind the safety car, before the race was red flagged due to the appalling conditions. Many drivers including Fernando Alonso and Jenson Button complained they couldn’t see past their own steering wheel let alone see the car in front. Even the safety car driver was having trouble keeping it on the circuit!
Once the race was finally cleared to go, the drivers spent some 13 laps behind the safety car. Eventually they were green flagged and allowed on their way, and chaos would ensue for the rest of the race as conditions changed on the slippery fresh circuit.
Sebastian Vettel raced away from team mate Mark Webber, by around 2.5 seconds on the first lap making full use of a clear visor at the front of the field. The Australian Webber would have no luck in the race as he lost control on some astroturf in the built up “city” section of the circuit, sliding into a concrete barrier before careering back across the road and smashing into Nico Rosberg. Both men were out of the race.
Following another safety car period, Vettel began to pull away from Alonso until lap 30 when the safety car would emerge again thanks to Sebastian Buemi’s failed overtake on Timo Glock taking both of them out of the race.
At this point many drivers pitted for intermediates, but Alonso and Vettel had passed the pitlane entry so had to do a full lap under yellows before they could pit in for fresh Bridgestone’s. Vettel emerged in the lead, but there was a problem with Alonso’s right front tyre meaning he was demoted to 3rd. He didn’t stay there for long though, as Hamilton made a mistake on the restart and Fernando took the inside line and dispatched his former team mate with ease. He now began to track down Vettel.
Other drivers caught up in the action included Adrian Sutil who had a bit of a crazy race, slipping and sliding all over the track, bumping other cars but would eventually retire after breaking his suspension against Kamui Kobayashi’s Sauber. Lucas di Grassi hit the wall on lap 25, and Vitaly Petrov had a horrible out of control slide into the barriers on lap 40 writing off the Renault.
Alonso and Hamilton were fairly close to Sebastian Vettel and even closer on the straight entering lap 46, when the Ferrari driver slotted his scarlet machine down the inside of Vettel. The Red Bull’s engine sounded ill, and it gave up on the next straight depositing its inners all over the circuit.
From here on, action was limited and Fernando Alonso took victory and the lead in the drivers championship. Hamilton was 2nd, with Massa in 3rd. Michael Schumacher deserves a special mention for a quality race of consistent driving and some great overtaking to take 4th place.
| Pos | Driver | Team | Time |
| 1 | F. Alonso | Ferrari | 2.48.20.810 |
| 2 | L. Hamilton | McLaren Mercedes | +14.999 |
| 3 | F. Massa | Ferrari | +30.868 |
| 4 | M. Schumacher | Mercedes | +39.688 |
| 5 | R. Kubica | Renault | +47.734 |
| 6 | V. Liuzzi | Force India Mercedes | +53.571 |
| 7 | R. Barrichello | Williams Cosworth | +1.09.257 |
| 8 | K. Kobayashi | Sauber Ferrari | +1.17.889 |
| 9 | N. Heidfeld | Sauber Ferrari | +1.20.107 |
| 10 | N. Hulkenberg | Williams Cosworth | +1.20.851 |
| 11 | J. Alguersuari | Toro Rosso Ferrari | +1.24.146 |
| 12 | J. Button | McLaren Mercedes | +1.29.939 |
| 13 | H. Kovalainen | Lotus Cosworth | + 1 lap |
| 14 | B. Senna | HRT Cosworth | +2 laps |
| 15 | S. Yamamoto | HRT Cosworth | +2 laps |
Retirements
| Driver | Team | Lap | Reason |
| A Sutil | Force India Mercedes | 46 | Incident Damage – Suspension |
| S. Vettel | Red Bull Renault | 45 | Engine Failure |
| V. Petrov | Renault | 40 | Accident |
| T. Glock | Virgin Cosworth | 30 | Accident |
| S. Buemi | Toro Rosso Ferrari | 30 | Accident |
| L. di Grassi | Virgin Cosworth | 25 | Accident |
| J. Trulli | Lotus Cosworth | 25 | Incident Damage |
| M. Webber | Red Bull Renault | 18 | Accident |
| N. Rosberg | Mercedes | 18 | Accident |
Korean GP 2010: Vettel Takes Pole
Sorry for the lack of review, I didn’t get chance to see qualifying!
Pos Driver Team Q1 Q2 Q3 1. Vettel Red Bull-Renault 1:37.123 1:36.074 1:35.585 2. Webber Red Bull-Renault 1:37.373 1:36.039 1:35.659 3. Alonso Ferrari 1:37.144 1:36.287 1:35.766 4. Hamilton McLaren-Mercedes 1:37.113 1:36.197 1:36.062 5. Rosberg Mercedes 1:37.708 1:36.791 1:36.535 6. Massa Ferrari 1:37.515 1:36.169 1:36.571 7. Button McLaren-Mercedes 1:38.123 1:37.064 1:36.731 8. Kubica Renault 1:37.703 1:37.179 1:36.824 9. Schumacher Mercedes 1:37.980 1:37.077 1:36.950 10. Barrichello Williams-Cosworth 1:38.257 1:37.511 1:36.998 11. Hulkenberg Williams-Cosworth 1:38.115 1:37.620 12. Kobayashi Sauber-Ferrari 1:38.429 1:37.643 13. Heidfeld Sauber-Ferrari 1:38.171 1:37.715 14. Sutil Force India-Mercedes 1:38.572 1:37.783 15. Petrov Renault 1:38.174 1:37.799 * 16. Alguersuari Toro Rosso-Ferrari 1:38.583 1:37.853 17. Buemi Toro Rosso-Ferrari 1:38.621 1:38.594 18. Liuzzi Force India-Mercedes 1:38.955 19. Trulli Lotus-Cosworth 1:40.521 20. Glock Virgin-Cosworth 1:40.748 21. Kovalainen Lotus-Cosworth 1:41.768 22. di Grassi Virgin-Cosworth 1:42.325 23. Yamamoto HRT-Cosworth 1:42.444 24. Senna HRT-Cosworth 1:43.283 * Drops five places for Japan penalty
Hispania Fined For Pitlane Incident
Hispania HRT have been fined $5,000 for their pitlane incident involving Japanese driver Sakon Yamamoto in practice for the Korean Grand Prix today.
The Spanish team let Yamamoto leave the pit garage with one of the tyre warmers still attached. This was in breach of rules 23.1(j), 30.7 and 30.9
“It is the responsibility of the competitor to release his car after a pitstop only when it is safe to do so,” states article 23.1.
Korean GP 2010: Webber Fastest In FP2
Current championship leader Mark Webber was the fastest man in the second practice session in Korea today. The Australian set the best time in the first meaningful session, just ahead of Ferrari’s Fernando Alonso.
Early pace setter Lewis Hamilton was third, with Robert Kubica 4th and current world champion Jenson Button in 5th.
Pos Driver Team Time Laps 1. Webber Red Bull-Renault 1:37.942 23 2. Alonso Ferrari 1:38.132 + 0.190 30 3. Hamilton McLaren-Mercedes 1:38.279 + 0.337 29 4. Kubica Renault 1:38.718 + 0.776 29 5. Button McLaren-Mercedes 1:38.726 + 0.784 19 6. Massa Ferrari 1:38.820 + 0.878 32 7. Vettel Red Bull-Renault 1:39.204 + 1.262 22 8. Petrov Renault 1:39.267 + 1.325 28 9. Rosberg Mercedes 1:39.268 + 1.326 29 10. Kobayashi Sauber-Ferrari 1:39.564 + 1.622 26 11. Heidfeld Sauber-Ferrari 1:39.588 + 1.646 25 12. Schumacher Mercedes 1:39.598 + 1.656 26 13. Barrichello Williams-Cosworth 1:39.812 + 1.870 35 14. Liuzzi Force India-Mercedes 1:39.881 + 1.939 27 15. Sutil Force India-Mercedes 1:39.971 + 2.029 22 16. Hulkenberg Williams-Cosworth 1:40.478 + 2.536 30 17. Alguersuari Toro Rosso-Ferrari 1:40.578 + 2.636 29 18. Buemi Toro Rosso-Ferrari 1:40.896 + 2.954 32 19. Kovalainen Lotus-Cosworth 1:42.773 + 4.831 29 20. Trulli Lotus-Cosworth 1:42.801 + 4.859 19 21. Glock Virgin-Cosworth 1:43.115 + 5.173 26 22. di Grassi Virgin-Cosworth 1:44.039 + 6.097 29 23. Yamamoto HRT-Cosworth 1:45.166 + 7.224 19 24. Senna HRT-Cosworth 1:46.649 + 8.707 3
Korean GP 2010: Hamilton Fastest In FP1
Lewis Hamilton was the fastest man in the first free practice session ever to be held in South Korea.
The 2008 champion set the best time at the Yeongam Circuit. The times posted however will be rendered largely useless as the session was meerly a taster as the teams and drivers acclimatise themselves to the circuit.
Pos Driver Team Time Gap Laps 1. Lewis Hamilton McLaren-Mercedes 1m40.887s 15 2. Robert Kubica Renault 1m40.968s + 0.081s 18 3. Nico Rosberg Mercedes 1m41.152s + 0.265s 21 4. Sebastian Vettel Red Bull-Renault 1m41.371s + 0.484s 18 5. Jenson Button McLaren-Mercedes 1m41.940s + 1.053s 16 6. Michael Schumacher Mercedes 1m42.022s + 1.135s 25 7. Mark Webber Red Bull-Renault 1m42.202s + 1.315s 23 8. Nick Heidfeld Sauber-Ferrari 1m42.293s + 1.406s 18 9. Nico Hulkenberg Williams-Cosworth 1m42.678s + 1.791s 21 10. Rubens Barrichello Williams-Cosworth 1m42.883s + 1.996s 23 11. Vitaly Petrov Renault 1m42.896s + 2.009s 22 12. Felipe Massa Ferrari 1m43.054s + 2.167s 25 13. Kamui Kobayashi Sauber-Ferrari 1m43.309s + 2.422s 20 14. Adrian Sutil Force India-Mercedes 1m43.602s + 2.715s 18 15. Fernando Alonso Ferrari 1m43.928s + 3.041s 21 16. Sebastien Buemi Toro Rosso-Ferrari 1m43.940s + 3.053s 23 17. Vitantonio Liuzzi Force India-Mercedes 1m44.887s + 4.000s 21 18. Jaime Alguersuari Toro Rosso-Ferrari 1m45.141s + 4.254s 26 19. Timo Glock Virgin-Cosworth 1m45.588s + 4.701s 20 20. Jerome D'Ambrosio Virgin-Cosworth 1m46.613s + 5.726s 17 21. Heikki Kovalainen Lotus-Cosworth 1m47.115s + 6.228s 22 22. Sakon Yamamoto Hispania-Cosworth 1m50.347s + 9.460s 29 23. Bruno Senna Hispania-Cosworth 1m50.821s + 9.934s 15 24. Jarno Trulli Lotus-Cosworth 1m51.701s + 10.814s 11
Japanese GP 2010: Vettel Wins Japanese Grand Prix As Title Stays Wide Open
Sebastian Vettel took the flag and the full 25 points in a thrilling Japanese Grand Prix from Suzuka. The Red Bull driver led his team mate, Mark Webber over the line.
Ferrari’s Fernando Alonso finished in 3rd.
Race Review
There was carnage before the start of the race today, when on the way to the dummy grid Lucas di Grassi lost control of his Virgin and smashed into the wall at the 130R. The Brazilian got out of the wrecked VR01 unscathed, but his chances of retaining that race seat for next year are looking slimmer. A shame for the Brazilian as he had enjoyed a good weekend, out qualifying Timo Glock.
The start of the real race wasn’t much better either, a charging Vitaly Petrov cut across the front of Nico Hulkenburg and smashed into the wall in front of the main grandstand. He was out, along with the Williams driver whose car had multiple bits of large damage.
Felipe Massa got caught up in the action too, he went too hot into turn 1, and ended up on the grass. Out of control he slammed straight into Vitantonio Liuzzi’s Force India, wrecking the Mercedes engined machine and knocking them both out of the race.
A safety car was called for due to all the carnage. There was more excitement when that was out as Robert Kubica’s Renault decided to part company with its rear right tyre as he approached the hairpin, the Pole retiring from the race after just a handful of laps. A shame for the Enstone based team, as he had been running in 2nd.
From there on though, the action did slow a little. Red Bull really ran away with the race at the front, with Fernando Alonso clinging on to third place for dear life.
Jenson Button decided to start on the harder prime tyre and ran longer, allowing him a 10 lap or so opportunity to lead the Grand Prix. When he emerged from the pitlane he was behind team mate Lewis Hamilton down in 5th. Hamilton had been racing forward to try and catch Fernando Alonso after his pitstop, but he couldn’t make it and would have to settle for 4th on a poor weekend for the 2008 champion.
Further down field, Michael Schumacher was having a heck of a good Grand Prix. Having already pulled a lovely overtake on former team mate Rubens Barrichello, the Silver Baron as he is now known, was hassling team mate Rosberg. He really tried to get passed, some lovely slipstreaming and racing for many laps. A hint of the Michael of old there, perhaps he is beginning to find form – hopefully he can carry it through to 2011. Sadly though the fight between Rosberg and Schumacher was cut short when Rosberg smashed into the barriers on the Esses.
Home favourite Kamui Kobayashi had a GP to remember too, passing people left right and centre. He eventually finished 7th, with some questionable barging and slipstreaming moves. I think he had been playing F1 2010 on the Xbox before getting in the car today!
So as Vettel took the flag, the championship fight remains wide open. Its Webber’s to lose now, as we head into the final 3 rounds of the year. Hopefully, Korea’s circuit will be finished by the time the circus arrives in 2 weeks…
Race Results
| Pos | Driver | Team | Time |
| 1 | S. Vettel | Red Bull Renault | 1.30.27.323 |
| 2 | M. Webber | Red Bull Renault | +0.905 |
| 3 | F. Alonso | Ferrari | +2.721 |
| 4 | L. Hamilton | McLaren Mercedes | +13.522 |
| 5 | J. Button | McLaren Mercedes | +39.595 |
| 6 | M. Schumacher | Mercedes | +59.933 |
| 7 | K. Kobayashi | Sauber Ferrari | +1.04.038 |
| 8 | N. Heidfeld | Sauber Ferrari | +1.09.648 |
| 9 | R. Barrichello | Williams Cosworth | +1.10.846 |
| 10 | S. Buemi | Toro Rosso Ferrari | +1.12.806 |
| 11 | J. Alguersuari | Toro Rosso Ferrari | +1 lap |
| 12 | H. Kovalainen | Lotus Cosworth | +1 lap |
| 13 | J. Trulli | Lotus Cosworth | +2 laps |
| 14 | T. Glock | Virgin Cosworth | +2 laps |
| 15 | B. Senna | HRT Cosworth | +2 laps |
| 16 | S. Yamamoto | HRT Cosworth | +3 laps |
Retirements
| Driver | Team | Lap | Reason |
| N. Rosberg | Mercedes | 48 | Crash |
| A Sutil | Force India Mercedes | 45 | Engine Failure |
| R. Kubica | Renault | 4 | Rear Tyre Failure |
| N. Hulkenberg | Williams Cosworth | 0 | Crash |
| F. Massa | Ferrari | 0 | Crash |
| V. Petrov | Renault | 0 | Crash |
| V. Liuzzi | Force India Mercedes | 0 | Crash |
| L. di Grassi | Virgin Cosworth | 0 | Crash – Pre Race |
Japanese GP 2010: Vettel Leads Red Bull 1-2 In Qualifying
Sebastian Vettel led a Red Bull 1-2 in qualifying, as the team dominated in Suzuka on the morning of the race.
Lewis Hamilton qualified third, but will drop to 8th due to his gearbox change penalty.
Pos Driver Team Q1 Q2 Q3 1. Sebastian Vettel Red Bull 1m32.035s 1m31.184s 1m30.785s 2. Mark Webber Red Bull 1m32.476s 1m31.241s 1m30.853s 3. Lewis Hamilton McLaren 1m32.809s 1m31.523s 1m31.169s 4. Robert Kubica Renault 1m32.808s 1m32.042s 1m31.231s 5. Fernando Alonso Ferrari 1m32.555s 1m31.819s 1m31.352s 6. Jenson Button McLaren 1m32.636s 1m31.763s 1m31.378s 7. Nico Rosberg Mercedes 1m32.238s 1m31.886s 1m31.494s 8. Rubens Barrichello Williams 1m32.361s 1m31.874s 1m31.535s 9. Nico Hulkenberg Williams 1m32.211s 1m31.926s 1m31.559s 10. Michael Schumacher Mercedes 1m32.513s 1m32.073s 1m31.846s 11. Nick Heidfeld Sauber 1m33.011s 1m32.187s 12. Felipe Massa Ferrari 1m32.721s 1m32.321s 13. Vitaly Petrov Renault 1m32.849s 1m32.422s 14. Kamui Kobayashi Sauber 1m32.783s 1m32.427s 15. Adrian Sutil Force India 1m33.186s 1m32.659s 16. Jaime Alguersuari Toro Rosso 1m33.471s 1m33.071s 17. Vitantonio Liuzzi Force India 1m33.216s 1m33.154s 18. Sebastien Buemi Toro Rosso 1m33.568s 19. Jarno Trulli Lotus 1m35.346s 20. Heikki Kovalainen Lotus 1m35.464s 21. Lucas di Grassi Virgin 1m36.265s 22. Timo Glock Virgin 1m36.332s 23. Bruno Senna Hispania 1m37.270s 24. Sakon Yamamoto Hispania 1m37.365s
Is Felipe Massa Ready To Leave Ferrari?
As the Formula One “silly” season comes around again, and drivers are beginning to sign on the dotted line to new contracts one of the more overlooked rumours this weekend in Japan has been the possibility that Felipe Massa could be ready to leave Ferrari in search of being an out and out first driver.
The Brazilian was drafted into Ferrari and raced as Michael Schumacher’s understudy in 2006. In 2007, he was overshadowed by Kimi Raikkonen who went on to win the title. In 2008, he missed out on the championship by just a single point and 2009 was the infamous year where he was nearly killed. 2010 has been a difficult year for Massa. he had to move aside in Germany, so that Fernando Alonso could win the race in order to help his world championship challenge. It smelt like Schumacher/Barrichello from years before.
At the time Massa accepted the decision, but has become increasingly unhappy both on and off the track. His performances have slid, and he doesn’t look happy in the garage. On Thursday ahead of the Grand Prix, Massa told reporters that he “Didn’t want to be a 2nd driver, only the first driver. I don’t want to be another Rubens Barrichello”. Hastily, the boss of Ferrari Luca di Montezemolo said that he was still a number 1. But how can a team have two number ones? Especially when the other driver is Fernando Alonso. Lets not forget 2007, when Alonso was challenged at McLaren and he didn’t accept it.
Italian Press and the Suzuka paddock have been awash with rumour that he was ready to leave the team. The main teams he is being linked with are Renault, and believe it or not – Force India. The latter statement shows just how far the little team based in Silverstone has come, to attract a driver like Felipe. Word in the paddock is that now Raikkonen has declined Renault, Adrian Sutil will leave Force India and head across to Enstone to partner Robert Kubica. This leaves the Force India door wide open for Scotsman Paul di Resta to take over from Tonio Liuzzi, and Felipe Massa could slot in as the number 1 driver within the team.
So it looks like Felipe may hold the key to the driver market this season. If he leaves, it leaves a completely empty race seat with Ferrari – who could potentially be the drivers championship winning team. Both drivers at Red Bull and McLaren are secure for 2011, so it would be likely to be an outsider driver coming in to the team. They have a range of options. They could select a youngster, one of their young driver programme drivers, but this is highly risky for the team and they would have to be confident that the driver could perform at the highest level straight from the off.
Their other option is to bring in someone experienced. Kimi Raikkonen rejected Renault for the team, as opposed to rejecting the prospect of Formula One. Could he make a sensational come back to F1 with Ferrari? Another possibility could be Michael Schumacher, the tainted son of the Italian team, has allegedly been offered an ultimatum by his Mercedes Benz bosses – perform or face the sack. Returning to Ferrari would guarantee him continued legend status, and almost certainly a competitive car. If Schumacher did leave Mercedes, then Nico Hulkenberg could go across to the all German team – his race seat at Williams is rumoured to be being offered to Pastor Maldonado, the GP2 World Champion.
It could make for an exciting winter season after all!
Qualifying For The 2010 Japanese Grand Prix Postponed Until Sunday
Qualifying for the 2010 Japanese Grand Prix at Suzuka has been postponed until tomorrow (Sunday 10th).
The session attempted to begin today, but was a total washout as torrential rain poured down on the figure of eight circuit.
It will now be held at 1.50am GMT, 9.30am Japanese time.
It is not the first time the session has had to be postponed until Sunday morning, in 2004 the same thing happened and it was Michael Schumacher who did enough to take pole position that day.
Japanese GP 2010: Red Bull Duo Fastest Again In FP2
The Red Bull duo of Sebastian Vettel and Mark Webber were once again 1st and 2nd in Free Practice at Suzuka. They looked almost unstoppable.
Ferrari got up to pace, with Fernando Alonso leading the session for most of the way until Red Bull smashed the times set by the Spaniard by around 0.8 seconds.
Lewis Hamilton only managed a handful of laps, his McLaren did not finish being rebuilt until there was just 10 minutes of the session left.
Pos Driver Team Time Laps 1. Vettel Red Bull-Renault 1:31.465 31 2. Webber Red Bull-Renault 1:31.860 + 0.395 29 3. Kubica Renault 1:32.200 + 0.735 32 4. Alonso Ferrari 1:32.362 + 0.897 34 5. Massa Ferrari 1:32.519 + 1.054 35 6. Button McLaren-Mercedes 1:32.533 + 1.068 28 7. Petrov Renault 1:32.703 + 1.238 32 8. Schumacher Mercedes 1:32.831 + 1.366 27 9. Sutil Force India-Mercedes 1:32.842 + 1.377 26 10. Hulkenberg Williams-Cosworth 1:32.851 + 1.386 26 11. Rosberg Mercedes 1:32.880 + 1.415 26 12. Kobayashi Sauber-Ferrari 1:33.471 + 2.006 31 13. Hamilton McLaren-Mercedes 1:33.481 + 2.016 8 14. Barrichello Williams-Cosworth 1:33.564 + 2.099 16 15. Heidfeld Sauber-Ferrari 1:33.697 + 2.232 33 16. Buemi Toro Rosso-Ferrari 1:34.005 + 2.540 32 17. Alguersuari Toro Rosso-Ferrari 1:34.055 + 2.590 37 18. Liuzzi Force India-Mercedes 1:34.310 + 2.845 33 19. Kovalainen Lotus-Cosworth 1:36.095 + 4.630 37 20. Trulli Lotus-Cosworth 1:36.333 + 4.868 33 21. di Grassi Virgin-Cosworth 1:36.630 + 5.165 28 22. Glock Virgin-Cosworth 1:36.834 + 5.369 28 23. Senna HRT-Cosworth 1:37.352 + 5.887 33 24. Yamamoto HRT-Cosworth 1:37.831 + 6.366 34
Japanese GP 2010: Vettel Fastest In Red Bull 1-2 In FP1
Sebastian Vettel topped the time sheets this morning at Suzuka, posting a time marginally quicker than team mate Mark Webber. The Red Bull team looked to be totally dominant in the session.
Lewis Hamilton ended his day in the barriers, a nasty shunt after just 9 laps.
Pos Driver Car Time Gap Laps 1. Sebastian Vettel Red Bull-Renault 1m32.585s 23 2. Mark Webber Red Bull-Renault 1m32.633s + 0.048s 23 3. Robert Kubica Renault 1m33.129s + 0.544s 23 4. Adrian Sutil Force India-Mercedes 1m33.639s + 1.054s 13 5. Lewis Hamilton McLaren-Mercedes 1m33.643s + 1.058s 9 6. Rubens Barrichello Williams-Cosworth 1m33.677s + 1.092s 21 7. Nico Hulkenberg Williams-Cosworth 1m33.707s + 1.122s 24 8. Michael Schumacher Mercedes 1m33.739s + 1.154s 20 9. Nick Heidfeld Sauber-Ferrari 1m33.791s + 1.206s 23 10. Nico Rosberg Mercedes 1m33.831s + 1.246s 9 11. Felipe Massa Ferrari 1m33.929s + 1.344s 25 12. Jenson Button McLaren-Mercedes 1m34.042s + 1.457s 19 13. Fernando Alonso Ferrari 1m34.169s + 1.584s 23 14. Kamui Kobayashi Sauber-Ferrari 1m34.271s + 1.686s 19 15. Vitaly Petrov Renault 1m34.373s + 1.788s 24 16. Vitantonio Liuzzi Force India-Mercedes 1m34.379s + 1.794s 21 17. Sebastien Buemi Toro Rosso-Ferrari 1m34.991s + 2.406s 26 18. Jaime Alguersuari Toro Rosso-Ferrari 1m35.684s + 3.099s 22 19. Heikki Kovalainen Lotus-Cosworth 1m36.949s + 4.364s 25 20. Timo Glock Virgin-Cosworth 1m37.329s + 4.744s 17 21. Jarno Trulli Lotus-Cosworth 1m37.388s + 4.803s 23 22. Jerome D'Ambrosio Virgin-Cosworth 1m37.778s + 5.193s 23 23. Bruno Senna Hispania-Cosworth 1m38.814s + 6.229s 28 24. Sakon Yamamoto Hispania-Cosworth 1m39.443s + 6.858s 26
Support Series: Shortened GP2 Asia Series Calendar Will Give First Viewing Of Pirelli Rubber
The popular winter race series, GP2 Asia have announced their schedule for the 2011 season today. The calendar has been vastly reduced from the past running of the series, which will be entering into its fourth season in February.
The series has proven popular with teams and drivers wishing to prove their skills, or just continue racing through the usually fallow winter months especially with restricted testing in Formula One limited opportunities for young drivers to show top level employers their skills.
The series will be using the 2008-2010 GP2 cars for the first time, the old first edition GP2 car bowed out of service at the end of the last season when Davide Velsecchi won the title. The main GP2 series will be moving to their new cars for 2011. It is even more exciting this year as it gives us our first opportunity to see the new Pirelli rubber, and to see how the logistics behind the scenes and on track performance pan out. There is a jump from GP2 to F1 compounds admittedly, but it will still be a big day for the Italian company and the F1 world will be watching with bated breath.
The season is the shortest so far, and takes in only one pre season test and three rounds at only the Yas Marina Circuit in Abu Dhabi and the Sakhir Circuit in Bahrain. The final round of the series will be a support race to the F1 calendar at Bahrain before the GP2 series takes over as the main support race.
“It is true that this season’s calendar is particularly short due to the fact that we have a new car to deliver to our teams,” said GP2 boss Bruno Michel.
“It will be the first that we use the same car for both GP2 Asia and GP2 Series, and it will definitely be an exciting new season: not only will we have a new car, new tyres, new drivers, but also two new teams with Carlin and Team Air Asia joining us.
“Since the beginning of the GP2 Asia Series, we have seen great races and I am confident that this coming season will provide us with the same quality show. It will be exciting for everyone to see how quickly teams and drivers will adapt to the new car and tyres!”
Calendar:
February 11-12: Yas Marina, Abu Dhabi
February 18-19: Sakhir, Bahrain
March 12-13; Sakhir, Bahrain
Renault Boss Hits Back At Raikkonen
Renault team principal and managing director Eric Boullier has hit out at Kimi Raikkonen for the way he handled the press following his decision not to drive for Renault next season.
The 2007 World Champion told press yesterday that he had never had any desire to drive for Renault, and that he was disappointed the team had talked up, using his name, the link to him racing with them.
The aggressive manner in which he dealt with the press yesterday angered Boullier enough to hit out at Raikkonen in an exclusive interview with Autosport today from Japan.
“We have not piggy-backed on Kimi’s image at all, which is what he has been claiming in the press,” Boullier said
“We were contacted by his managers after Spa. They wanted to enter into discussions and at that time we said: ‘Please wait. Yes, we are very flattered that you have contacted us, but we need to finish the evaluation of Vitaly’s [Petrov] potential and from that point, when we have our own conclusion, we will get back to you.’ There was nothing else.
“Since then, I had not got back to them because we had not finished the evaluation of the potential of Vitaly and there was nothing else to say. I never used the media, and I don’t see the benefit of telling to the media that Kimi is interested and chasing us. What would be the purpose of this?
“At the end, there was clearly a big interest in the media and during the last week the media kept reporting about our contact. I guess it was because there was nothing else to report, and I guess Kimi got upset to have all this in the press.
“But I always stuck to my word – and when it was public I was fair and courteous. Yes we were flattered to be contacted but I didn’t say anything else. Now, I think it is clear for me, and clear for him, and this is the end of the discussion.”
He admitted he was disappointed the Finn would not be racing with the team in 2011, but that they would now be looking at other targets. Those targets are said to include Nick Heidfeld and Adrian Sutil.
Suzuka Exciting But Safety Not Quite There – Barrichello
Rubens Barrichello, the most experienced F1 driver of all time, has said as much as he enjoys driving at Suzuka the trackside safety is not quite up to standard when compared with other new circuits around the world.
The Brazilian, who races with Williams this season, said that the safety and run off areas were not quite as good as they are on many of the newer circuits.
He added however that he, and the rest of the grid did really enjoy driving at the track.
“It is [on the limit], it’s kind of adrenaline all the time, and the drivers love it and appreciate it so much,” said Barrichello.
“The work that has been done has helped, but it is still – if you take the esses for example – an old-fashioned circuit that could do with a little more run-off area.
“There are two ways of looking at it. Being a racing driver you end up being a bit mad anyway, so you like to work with that adrenaline and having the walls alongside and so on.
“But for a simple, normal guy, you would like to see more asphalt, because crashes in those areas are not easy ones.”
Heidfeld Hopeful Of Securing 2011 Seat
Nick Heidfeld has said he is hopeful of finding a race seat for the 2011 season, after Sauber announced this week they would sign young Mexican Sergio Perez.
Heidfeld had been drafted in to the Sauber team to replace Pedro de La Rosa for the final few races of the season. The 33 year old, who had previously driven for the team in both its privateer and BMW ownership days had been hopeful of racing for the team in 2011.
However he is now looking for a seat in another team, and some big teams like Renault and Williams have yet to confirm their driver line ups.
“I think it will happen,” he said of his prospects of landing a race drive. “But until it’s signed, you can never be sure.
“Obviously there are not that many places left for next year, but we are doing our best. It’s looking positive, definitely.”
“I didn’t know about it [Perez signing for 2011] before I signed for this year,” said Heidfeld. “Obviously I knew that there were things going on in the background and Peter [Sauber] informed me before it was made official.
“Actually, I didn’t complain. Quite the opposite – I congratulated him because it’s great news for the team and especially for the guys in Hinwil who I have worked with for seven years. I’m happy that they can continue with a partner in Telmex that secures the future and gives them the possibility to move further up.”
Court Reverses Force India Sponsorship Division – Damages To Be Awarded
A UK court of appeal have today reversed a previous decision made by another British court regarding the Force India sponsorship debate, which started back in 2008. The court had previously judged that Etihad Airlines, and Aldar two prominent Abu Dhabi based businesses had breached contracts with the Force India team and were forced to pay them $4.7million in damages.
However, under appeal the decision appears to have been reversed.
Etihad and Aldar began sponsoring the Spyker F1 Team in 2007, however when Vijay Mallya bought the team at the end of the season and renamed it Force India the two companies left one year into their three year deal.
The new appeal have said that Etihad and Aldar had every right to leave the deal, as the team had changed hands and also because of rival sponsors being brought onboard. The judge ruled that Mallya’s own airline, Kingfisher, being a title sponsor alongside Etihad would not have worked out for the Abu Dhabi based airline and therefore they had every right to leave.
Force India have been told to pay costs and may yet be forced to pay damages.
Double Blow For Renault As Raikkonen Rules Out Drive and Bob Bell Resigns
The Renault F1 Team suffered a double blow today as Kimi Raikkonen ruled out driving for the Enstone based team, and managing director Bob Bell resigned.
There had been much speculation linking the 2007 World Champion, Kimi Raikkonen, with a race seat at Renault. The team are looking to change second drivers for the 2011 season, and Raikkonen had allegedly been in contact with the team. He provided a big marketing capital for the squad which is still recovering from the crash-gate scandal that nearly sent it out of business in 2008/9.
Raikkonen however declared that he had never spoken to Renault or Eric Boulier, and indeed had absolutely no intentions of joining Renault in F1 next year. He did not say he wouldn’t be driving in F1 however, although we can safely assume that he will be competing with Citroen Red Bull once again as there are no other top level race seats on offer at this time.
Speaking to Finnish newspaper Turun Sanomat, Raikkonen said: “I am very disappointed with how they have used my name for their own marketing. I have never even seriously considered driving for Renault, and I can assure you that I am 100 per cent sure that I will not drive for Renault next season.”
It leaves the door wide open for him to race again in 2012 though, as we speculated some months ago that the Finn was being lined up to replace Mark Webber at Red Bull from that season.
A second blow for Renault came this morning when managing director Bob Bell announced that he would be resigning from his post.
Bell had been with the team since it was known as Benetton in 1997. He briefly moved to Jordan, before returning in 2002 when Renault bought the team and turned it into a factory based operation. In a variance of roles he helped guide Fernando Alonso to two world championships, and countless race wins. He became team principal and managing director, steering the team at the end of last season when Flavio Briatore and Pat Symonds were banned from F1 for their roles in Crash-Gate.
Eric Boullier now takes on the role of managing director alongside his normal team principal position.
“We would like to thank Bob Bell for his contribution to the performance of the team and for helping see us through a period of transition since Genii Capital became a shareholder in the Renault F1 team,” Team chariman Gerard Lopez said.
“We are entrusting the post of managing director to Eric Boullier and we have every confidence that, under his leadership, we will achieve our racing objectives.
“Throughout the 2010 season, we have been assessing what is required to continue improving our level of competitiveness and we believe we are well positioned for the challenges ahead.”
Peter Warr, Former Lotus Team Boss Dies
Peter Warr, best known for his role as team boss at Lotus has sadly passed away.
Warr worked alongside Colin Chapman from 1969, guided Jochen Rindt in 1970 and Emerson Fitipaldi in 1972. He famously brought Ayrton Senna to the team, despite John Players the title sponsor of the team being against the move. In 1982 he took over Lotus following Colin Chapman’s death, and worked there until 1989 when he retired and became a permanent FIA steward.
He also famously said of Nigel Mansell “That man won’t win anything while I have a hole in my a*se”. Of course, Mansell went on to be the most successful British driver of all time and held the F1 World title and CART title at the same time.
“Not only have I lost a good friend who was the team manager for Lotus when Colin Chapman ran the company but Peter Warr, who died yesterday of a heart attack will be missed by the thousands of people that knew him,” Bernie Ecclestone told the official Formula 1 website.
“When Peter was in Formula 1 he helped me to build it to what it is today. Thank you Peter.”
Our thoughts are with his family.
Perez To Race With Sauber For 2011 Season
Mexican rising star Sergio Perez has been announced as one of Sauber’s race drivers for the 2011 season.
Perez, who drove in this season’s GP2 Series, will join Kaumi Kobayashi at the Swiss based outfit. Sauber took over the team once again at the start of the season, following BMW’s withdrawal from the sport.
“Formula 1 is the dream of every young racing driver,” said Perez. “And now this dream is about to come true for me.
“Although I’m very much aware that this is also a big challenge and responsibility, I’m happy to accept that and am proud to be representing my country in the highest category of motor racing.
“I would like to thank Peter Sauber for the faith he’s shown in me and I’ll do everything I can to make the most of this wonderful opportunity.”
Along with a new driver, Sauber also announced a major sponsorship deal with Telmex, the telecommunications company owned by Mexican entrepreneur Carlos Slim.
“Sauber has been not only a very successful racing team but also a strong talent developer of some of the most recognised names in racing since their early stages as well as one of the most respected people in the sport,” said Telmex chairman Carlos Slim Domit, the eldest son of Slim.
“Their decision of having Sergio with them is very significant on his career to become a top driver representing Mexico. For Telmex and our racing project Escuderia Telmex it’s a great step forward, and we feel very proud to be able to consolidate these years of work for having a Mexican driver in F1 with Sauber Motorsport.”
Peter Sauber added: “Telmex has been involved in motor sport for a number of years already and supports drivers in various race series. Now they are making the key step up into the top category of motor racing, and we are happy and proud that they are taking this step with us.”
Sauber have already changed drivers this season, with Nick Heidfeld replacing Pedro de La Rosa. The German now has no seat for 2011, although he is being linked with a drive at Renault.
Renault Keep Options Open As Raikkonen Motivation Questioned
Renault boss Eric Boullier has said the Enstone based squad are keeping their options open with regard a team mate for Robert Kubica next season. While current Renault number 2, Vitaly Petrov, has not been ruled out of racing in 2011 the speculation has been high that the Russian would make way for a new driver at the resurgent team.
Kimi Raikkonen has been hotly tipped by many, including ourselves, for a race seat with the team. The Finn, who was world champion in 2007, has contacted the team twice and Renault say they are flattered by the interest. However Boullier is concerned about the motivation of the former Ferrari and McLaren driver.
“He [Raikkonen] contacted us but, once again, our main issue at the moment is whether we should keep Petrov; only if this question is negated we will look for replacement.” Boullier told Formula1.com
“I would have to speak personally with him first, look him in the eyes to see if I see enough motivation there for him to return to Formula 1.
“It doesn’t make sense to hire somebody – even a former World Champion – if you can’t be sure that his motivation is still one hundred percent. Why should you invest in somebody who leaves you guessing?”
Boullier added that there were possibilites away from Raikkonen in the form of Adrian Sutil and Nick Heidfeld.
“Now I have to choose my words very carefully” Boullier continued when asked about Sutil and Heidfeld,
“Let’s put it this way: we don’t have a direct contact right now and the door is not open yet, but we have signaled that it could open under certain circumstances.”
Raikkonen is still the hot favourite for the race seat, but looks like he will have to prove himself to the team if he is to be on the grid at the start of 2011.
Toro Rosso Sale Denied – Many Interested In Purchasing Team
Dietrich Mateschitz has been forced to deny that one of his Formula One teams, Scuderia Toro Rosso is up for sale.
It had been reported online earlier this week that the team, based in Faenza, was up for sale at a paltry €30million. The team was formerly known as Minardi until the end of 2005 when Mateschitz took control of the outfit and rebranded it to fit in with his Red Bull portfolio. Designed as a feeder team to the main Red Bull squad, it had been using repaints of the senior teams cars until this year when the rules on customer cars was finally sorted.
The team are most famous for producing the 2010 title challenger Sebastian Vettel who joined at the end of 2007, winning their first and only Grand Prix at Monza in 2008. He was then promoted to the senior Red Bull Racing team.
“There are constant rumors about it, but now we have no plans to sell Toro Rosso,” Mateschitz’s PA told 422race.com.
Despite the denial of sale there are reported to already be a number of people interested in purchasing the team, should Mateschitz decide to sell. These include Carlos Slim, the Mexican entrepreneur who has always been interested in buying in to the F1 dream. Another interested party is Jacques Villeneuve along with the Duragno group who failed to succeed in becoming the 13th team for 2011. Stefan GP have also been linked with purchasing the team now they have severed all links with the former Toyota outfit.
Schumi Hoping For Good Japanese Result
Michael Schumacher has said he is hoping to have a good result at one of his favourite circuits, Suzuka, next time out as the Formula One season begins to draw to a close.
Schumacher, 41, has had a miserable return season in F1 with Mercedes Benz. Last time out in Singapore he only managed to finish in 13th place. However with good omens from the past at this track, the German is hoping for a good result.
“Suzuka was always one of my favourite circuits of the year as driving the track is simply sensational in parts. Suzuka is technically demanding and has interesting corner combinations so it was a really good feeling when you got it together,” Schumacher said.
“I am heading to Japan with some good memories in mind as the track in Suzuka was the scene of some great races for me. Obviously I hope that we can add more and I am definitely up for the challenge. I am sure we will try to get the maximum out of our weekend.”
Rumour had been hotting up that Michael would retire at the end of the current season once and for all, but these rumours have been denied by his agent.
Raikkonen Should Come Back To Formula One – Renault Isn’t Such A Raw Deal
Kimi Raikkonen has always been a whirlwind character, a proper playboy – the modern day James Hunt if you please. Back in 2001 he came out of nowehere to join Sauber, and immediately proved a quick racer. A few years with McLaren and those oh so nearly titles, led him to go off to Ferrari and take his first and only F1 crown in 2007. A tough 2008 and 2009 meant that he walked away from F1 to spend the current year in World Rally.
The World Rally experience has been very tough for the Finn, who only has a handful of finishes to his name let alone winning an event. Again, in the current French World Rally he crashed and went from 7th down to 50th place.
Since leaving, there has been massive speculation about him returning to Formula One. Initially with Red Bull, although now that looks unlikely as Webber and Vettel will be retained for next year. Some link Raikkonen with a return to Ferrari, to replace the underperforming Felipe Massa but the more likely scenario is that Raikkonen heads off to Renault.
Renault have been a resurgent force this season. The manufacturer sold out to Genii Capital Group following the crash gate saga, and with a new management, technical and driver team they have had some great results including podium finishes. Robert Kubica has proved a solid driver choice, although Vitaly Petrov less so. The rookie Russian has had sparks of brilliance, but all too often is off the pace or ending his races in the wall. In Singapore, he was slow and then crashed out in qualifying.
The problems with Petrov have caused him not to get a contract for next season just yet, with Renault boss Eric Boullier confirming they are talking to Raikkonen about a return to F1.
“It is definitely getting closer to when we will make a decision,” Boullier told Autosport. “But we really want to consider all of the options.
“I decided to tell some drivers that we will not carry on discussions with them, so we know wait and see – but Kimi remains one of our scenarios.
“I have said many times that I want to meet with him first before we do anything more. I want to understand more about his wish to come back.”
Like many drivers, Raikkonen has said that once he won the world championship there was little point in staying in F1. However, with his WRC career not looking good, and the 2011 cars appearing to take some adapting to, perhaps now is the right time for a come back. Renault might not have been his choice some seasons ago, but now it might not be such a raw deal. 2010 has proven they can design and produce a good car, even on a budget. With Raikkonen at the wheel there is no reason why it shouldn’t win races.
Kimi doesn’t need the money now, so it would probably best for him not to ask for a Ferrari level salary. It was assumed in 2008 he was paid some $52million by the Scuderia. Renault hold concerns over the possibly outlay on wages, however they should consider the amount of sponsorship and interest they could gain from having him on board. More sponsors could be attracted to the cars, and Raikkonen has a loyal band of supporters who would raid the merchandise section and give Renault a huge presence at the races.
I really do hope Kimi does return to F1, as that would make 2011 a truly thrilling prospect. Alonso, Hamilton, Raikkonen, Schumacher, Button as world champions – maybe a new one to add to that list but we won’t know until the end of the year! Add into that mix Vettel, Webber, Rosberg and Kubica and it looks like it could be a classic season.
Porsche Evaluating F1 Entry Possibility
Porsche CEO Matthias Mueller has told reporters from AutoCar Magazine that Porsche are considering entering Formula One in attempts to diversify their competition portfolio and to reduce competition among the brands it owns.
Currently Porsche compete in Le Mans Prototype (LMP) racing, as do Audi who Porsche now own through their deal with Volkswagen. VW have previously expressed some interest in joining F1, but in the distant future. However those plans to join, which were considered initially to be done under the Bugatti name, appear to have been pushed forward rapidly.
“With LMP1, there are two classes and two brands – Audi and Porsche. We do not like to both go into LMP1 [against each other]; that is not so funny,” Mueller told Autocar’s website at the Paris Motorshow
“So therefore we have to discuss whether it makes better sense for one of the [two] brands to go into LMP1, and the other brand into F1. So we will have a round-table to discuss the pros and cons.”
Initially the plan looks likely to be entering as an engine supplier, but it could turn into a whole team as there is still an empty slot on the grid which was not filled for the 2011 season. Surely Porsche would be a better candidate than many who attempted to get onto the grid for 2011. They would be likely to join from 2013 when the new engine regulations take effect.
