Sunday, July 26, 2009

2009 Hungarian GP: McLaren and Hamilton back to winning ways

Lewis Hamilton and McLaren were back to their winning ways and for the first time this season a non Brawn or a Red Bull car have won a race and a car with a KERS a system which had a development cost between 50 to 100 million won a race. Kimi came 2nd in his Ferrari again a car with the KERS but the main story is about Massa’s crash in the qualifying and his subsequent withdrawal from the race. He has a cracked scull thanks to a part which flew from Barrichello’s car which ended him crashing. Though he is said to be stable, he is still in the ICU and he is in an induced coma. We all hope that he will recover and will be back for the European GP.

Hamilton may have won in style but luck did play a part with Alonso’s pit crew just throwing away the race due to a faulty tire change which resulted in the tire coming of his car and Alonso finally ended up retiring at the end of it. Though Alonso was on a 3 stop strategy, he still could have pushed Hamilton and so could have Kimi if not for a horrible engine stall during his 2nd pit stop which did stall him for a while and cost him precious time but then he did well to come ahead of an inspired Webber and Rosberg who ended up with a late surge.

Red Bull should be disappointed as they had a car which was the best on the track but the first corner where the cars with KERS Kimi’s and Hamilton’s overtaking Vettel just ruined the race for the young German and he finally ended up retiring. This was a track where he could have closed in on Button’s huge lead but instead his teammate Webber suddenly has emerged as a very dangerous rival for Button and if Brawn does not get their cars up to speed, they could well be in big trouble towards the end of the season to sustain the lead they have knocked up in the first half of the season.

Nico Rosberg was just brilliant and he is among the top 5 drivers this year as with a Brawn or a Red Bull, he surely would have won a few races this season and it is not surprising that he is negotiation with big teams like McLaren and BMW for a 2010 drive and don’t be too surprised if he is announced as Hamilton’s teammate for the next season. Kazuki Nakajima should be disappointed to have not finished among points as he fought hard throughout the race and he did deserve a point for his drive in Hungary.

Toyota continue to baffle everybody with their strategy as though they actually have a car which may not be as good as a Brawn or a Red Bull at the early part of the season, but they always had a very consistent car which was 2nd or 3rd fastest throughout the season so far and they continue to somehow miss podium places. The time has come for the team to score a few podium places and even win a race or else they may be out of F1 very soon.

2009 Hungarian GP: McLaren and Hamilton Back to Winning Ways

Lewis Hamilton and McLaren were back to their winning ways and for the first time this season, a non-Brawn or a Red Bull car has won a race. Not to mention a car with a KERS a system, which had a development cost between $50-$100 million, won a race.

Kimi may have finished second in his Ferrari again (a car with the KERS), but the main story is about Massa’s crash in the qualifying and his subsequent withdrawal from the race.

He has a cracked scull thanks to a part that flew from Barrichello’s car, which ended with him crashing. Though he is said to be stable, he is still in the ICU and is in an induced coma. We all hope that he will recover and will be back for the European GP.

Hamilton may have won in style, but luck did play a part with Alonso’s pit crew just throwing away the race due to a faulty tire change. The faulty resulted in the tire coming of his car and Alonso finally ended up retiring at the end of it.

Even though Alonso was on a three-stop strategy, he still could have pushed Hamilton. Kimi could have too if it wasn't for a horrible engine stall during his second pit stop. The stall delayed his timing, costing precious time. However, he did well enough to come ahead of an inspired Webber and Rosberg, who ended up with a late surge.

Red Bull should be disappointed as they had a car which was the best on the track. Still, the first corner where the cars with KERS Kimi’s and Hamilton’s overtaking Vettel just ruined the race for the young German and he finally ended up retiring.

This was a track where he could have closed in on Button’s huge lead but instead, his teammate Webber suddenly has emerged as a very dangerous rival for Button. If Brawn does not get their cars up to speed, they could well be in big trouble towards the end of the season to sustain the lead they have knocked up in the first half of the season.

Nico Rosberg was flat-out brilliant and is among the top-five drivers this year as with a Brawn or a Red Bull. He surely would have won a few races this season and it is not surprising that he is negotiating with big teams like McLaren and BMW for a 2010 drive.

Don’t be too surprised if he is announced as Hamilton’s teammate for the next season. Kazuki Nakajima should be disappointed to have not finished among points as he fought hard throughout the race and deserved a point for his drive in Hungary.

Toyota continues to baffle everybody with their strategy. Even though they actually have a car, which may not be as good as a Brawn or a Red Bull, at the early part of the season, they always had a very consistent car which was second or third fastest throughout the season so far.

They continue to somehow miss podium places. The time has come for the team to score a few podium places and even win a race or else they may be out of F1 very soon.

Saturday, July 25, 2009

Hungarian GP Preview: Can the Bulls make it 3 times in a row?

It’s been sometime since a driver got kicked out and replaced by another one and this time in Budapest, young Spanish prodigy Jaime Alguersuari will be making his debut for the Toro Rosso team and he will be the youngest driver to race in F1 at the age of 19 years and 125 days, breaking the record held by Mike Thackwell. He replaces Sébastien Bourdais, who has taken his sacking in a bad way and has even threatened to go to courts.

Once again the Budapest the battle should be between Red Bull Racing and Brawn GP, but this race could throw a curve ball as the olds guns like McLaren seem to have found the pace in practice and don’t be too shocked to see Lewis Hamilton back on the podium. But if practice has to be taken into account then Williams should be leading the championship and not Brawn and once again the team is looking very solid in practice but they have shown improvement and the last few races have been good for the team especially Rosberg who continue to impress everyone and another good showing here would up his market value and he is already pursued by both McLaren and BMW.

Among the Red Bull drivers, Webber looks better than Vettel atleast on practice and who comes on top during the race on Sunday will be very tough to predict but expect both the drivers to fight it out till the end but though this is good for the team when it comes to chasing Brawn for the constructors’ title but when it comes to the driver’s championship with Vettel and Webber eating away valuable points, Button with a 20 point lead look set to take the championship without any major worries. His teammate Barrichello seems relaxed now after his outburst after the German GP and he would do his best to come ahead of Button.

Ferrari seem to have been steadily improving and looks like fighting it out with Williams and Toyota for the position of the 3rd best team on the grid but they have not shown anything spectacular in practice and well that has been the case throughout this season but they have done well in race situation especially Massa who would want to prove a point in Hungary as this is one of his worst tracks and he has not finished ahead of 7th place. Kimi needs a miracle as with the Alonso coming to Ferrari rumours getting stronger by every day, he looks to be man who could lose his race seat and he would want to prove his critics wrong buy not only finishing ahead of Massa but putting a strong show.

With Red Bull courting Mercedes for engines and with the Alonso-Ferrari rumours, Renault pulling the plug from its F1 project seems more likely everyday and though there is a possibility of Flavio Briatore buying the team with Renault supplying the engines, clearly its days as one of the big teams is fast running away and the team will be lucky to score points in Hungary. Nelson Piquet will be under immense pressure once again and if word is out that this could be his last race and he could be replaced by the Frenchman Romain Grosjean for the European GP in Valencia.

Toyota should be a worried team as even with a good package, the team has not been able to deliver on the track while Trulli and Glock are good but neither is a champion driver and they are not able to consistently target podium finishes while BMW who is looking desperate just to score some points will be looking for things to turn around in Budapest.

Force India looks stronger every race and with a little bit of luck they could have scored points this season, but once again they go into a race where they do have a realistic chance of scoring points but they do need a flawless strategy and their drivers need to pull off something special while Toro Rosso with all the attention on Alguersuari and his sheer lack of experience in a F1 car will be hoping that things do go well for him and also Buemi who showed soo much promise during the start of the season looks like fizzling out a bit.

It should be a cracked of a race and expect the Red Bull Vs Brawn and Vettel Vs Webber Vs Button battles to continue while Rosberg and Hamilton could just spoil their party.

Hungarian GP Predictions: 1. Webber 2. Vettel 3. Rosberg 4. Hamilton 5. Button 6. Barrichello 7. Räikkönen 8. Kovalainen

Sunday, July 19, 2009

2010 Possible Driver Line-Up

The 2010 Formula season will be the most exciting when it comes to the driver market as barring a few driver’s on one on the grid is sure on which team they will be landing up in the next few months. We must assume that the FIA-FOTA battle is resolved as otherwise well the driver market will once again be turned topsy turvy. The emergence of Brawn GP and RBR as title contenders has given the sport the trust it badly needed and it has also provided an opportunity for title aspirants a chance to fight it out with the traditional superpowers like Ferrari and McLaren. Also with 3 new teams coming in, 6 seats are open and this provide opportunities for out of favour veterans and young guns both an equal chance of getting into F1.

Ferrari

Both Massa and Kimi Raikkonen have contracts till the end of 2010 but this season has been their worst ever and it will be harsh on blaming the performance on drivers alone but both the drivers have seen their fortunes take a twist after the 2007 season. Kimi after winning a miraculous championship in 2007 has been on a downhill and he barely looks like a championship contender while teammate Massa nearly pulled off a title win in 2008 and has looked the better driver in the last 2 years. Massa is having the last laugh as once he was mocked in the pit lane as the only driver who would play 2nd fiddle to Schumacher and now the same guy is the best team for the Scuderia.

But the biggest open secret of the year is Alonso coming to Ferrari for 2010. The Spanish giant Santander is switching sponsoring agreement from McLaren and Ferrari and as a part of the deal Alonso will also come to Ferrari next year. But the one issue is that Kimi still has a contract and if we are too be believed, Kimi will be forced out and should retire by the year end.

McLaren Mercedes

Lewis Hamilton has a contract signed for the next season but it is highly doubtful if Heikki Kovalainen will retain his seat. He has been a perfect # 2 for Hamilton but then his performance is still not to the level which you will expect from a McLaren driver. It is most likely that he will be replaced next season but who will replace him will be very interesting as Haug is interested in having a German driver in the McLaren team and Vettel seem to be on top of his wish list but with a long contract with Red Bull I don’t think Vettel will come to McLaren while Nico Rosberg is suddenly the most wanted driver on the grid as he is keen on moving away from Williams as they are yet to provide him with a championship winning car as they have promised him for years plus he is very good friends with Hamilton may also be good for the team. Webber after an impressive 2009 will also be on the team’s list but after an amazing year with RBR, it is unlikely he will leave the team. Adrian Sutil will be the long shot for the team and so will be Glock but he does have a contract with Toyota for the next season.

Williams Toyota

Once they were part of the Big 4 of the F1 but their fortunes have dwindled ever since Renault left them and though they did show signs of recovery with BMW, but once BMW left them too they have been on a downhill and now the team has become a stepping stone of sorts for young drivers. Nico Rosberg has been with the team since 2006 and it is most likely that he will leave the team the next year as he is in negotiations with more than one team for 2010. They do have Nicolas Hülkenberg another impressive German who is currently leading the GP2 series and he is most likely to take Rosberg’s seat. Kazuki Nakajima is there because of the Toyota links and Williams will be in trouble if they manage to retain Rosberg and clearly Hülkenberg wants a race seat in 2010 and he will look for other options if Williams does not provide him a drive. Kamui Kobayashi another Ferrari backed driver could be the man who may replace Nakajima for 2010.

Renault

It would be great to see Renault still on the grid for 2010 and so far they seem to be committed but then after Honda’s last minute pull anything can happen and if they do pull out Flavio Briatore will buy the team and may try to do a Brawn but they will get Renault engines for 2010. If Alonso does not go to Ferrari then he will be Renault’s #1 driver for the next season but who will partner him will be very interesting as Renault does have a lot of options. If Renault is still there then Romain Grosjean is the man who will get the seat while if Alonso exits then Romain will be partnered by Heikki Kovalainen or one of the 2 Brazilian duos of Lucas Di Grassi or Bruno Senna. But this surely will be the end for Piquet.

BMW Sauber

Both Kubica and Heidfeld do not have a contract for 2010 and there is apparently a clause in the reserve driver Klien’s contract that BMW should provide him a race seat for 2010 so if that is serious then either Kubica or Heidfeld have to go. Already Heidfeld has said that he is talking to teams and it is most unlikely that for 2010 he will be retained while Kubica is most likely to be with the team for 2010 but who will be his teammate should be interesting as though the team will try to get Rosberg but it is most likely to be Klien.

Brawn GP

The team is yet to have an engine supplier for 2010 but Mercedes is keen to supply them and unless cost becomes an issue the team will most likely continue its partnership with the German manufacturer. The team should win both the titles for 2010 as Red Bull may have a realistic chance for the constructor’s championship but for the driver’s championship with both Vettel and Webber eating points of each other mean it does benefit Button and in the end he may win the title because of it. Rubens Barrichello is certain to leave to team and he is pissed with the team he believes that the team is intentionally causing him wins as they want Button to win the title and at his age well I don’t think any of the top teams would want his service. There was a talk that both Rosberg and Heidfeld are in talk with Brawn and they would be a solid addition to the team. Another long shot is having Anthony Davidson as a 2nd driver but then that is unlikely to happen unless the team has a financial crunch.

Red Bull Racing

The team is most likely to become another Mercedes customer team or even BMW may supply them in their quest to get back Vettel but Red Bull is most likely to change its drivers as both Vettel and Webber have done exceedingly well and the team would like to continue this partnership. The only worry for the team in the long run is that Vettel may go off to Ferrari as he has indicated that the Italian outfit is his dream team while Webber will most likely end his career with Red Bull.

Toyota

It will be great of the Japanese outfit to survive but with Glock as the only driver with a contract for 2010, it should be interesting to see who partners him and though Trulli is most likely to partner him, there is a chance of either Kazuki Nakajima or Kamui Kobayashi can also get into the team.

Toro Rosso

Another team which does not have a engine supplier for 2010 and they should retail Ferrari for the next year and Sebastien Buemi is most likely to race for them. He will be partnered by Jaime Alguersuari and there is an outside chance that he will switch seats for some races with Brendon Hartley.

Force India Mercedes

The team has signed a long term deal with Mercedes and this means that the team may have to accommodate a Mercedes driver for the next year. Adrian Sutil will retain his seat while teammate Giancarlo Fisichella should retire by the end of the year and will take a development role with the team. British driver Paul di Resta may partner him while Vitantonio Liuzzi also does claim that he too has a race seat. Karun Chandhok is an outside chance for the seat.

USF1 Cosworth

USF1 wanted American drivers for the team and though in all possibility there should be one of them but it is doubtful if the team will go with 2 inexperienced drivers as among the American drivers the only person with F1 experience is Scott Speed and his days in F1 did not go too well. It would be amazing if the team managed to get Danica Patrick in the team as she is infact the one of the most popular female athletes around and she is a marketing dream for the team. It will be great for F1 if she does make it while among the other who does have a chance. Others who will be considered will include Conor Daly, Marco Andretti and Kyle Busch.

Veterans like Rubens Barrichello and even those who have left F1 like Montoya or Jacques Villeneuve do have an outside chance but the ideal combination for the team will be Barrichello and Danica Patrick.

Campos Cosworth

The Spanish team has indicated that it would like to have an all Spanish line-up and so this means that it has a wide choice from the range of veterans like Pedro de la Rosa or Marc Gené to young hopefuls like Javier Villa and Roldán Rodríguez. So far if it is to be believed de la Rosa is confirmed as one of their drivers while he is most likely to be partnered by the Russian Vitaly Petrov, Mexican Sergio Pérez or even experience GP2 driver Giorgio Pantano. But one thing is certain is that though there is talk of Danica Patrick and USF1, Campos have signed in Natacha Gachnang as a reserve driver and she could be the only female driver anywhere close to the grid during the 2010 season.

Manor Cosworth

The only reason Manor is on the grid is due to due to its alleged links with Mosley. The team will be the most underfunded team and who drivers for it will be equally mysterious. Anthony Davidson should be the favourite to take the seat while he should be partnered by Adam Carroll or even guys like Bruno Senna and Lucas di Grassi have a chance of getting a drive. But don’t expect any miracles from this team for 2010.

The driver market is very open for 2010 and Alonso once again will play a crucial role but Nico Rosberg and Nick Heidfeld will be the 2 most wanted drivers in the line-up.

The final possible line-up for 2010

Brawn: Jenson Button/ Nick Heidfeld
Red Bull: Sebastian Vettel/ Mark Webber
Toyota: Timo Glock/ Jarno Trulli
Ferrari: Fernando Alonso/ Felipe Massa
Williams: Nico Hulkenberg/Kamui Kobayashi
McLaren: Lewis Hamilton/Nico Rosberg
Renault: Romain Grosjean/Heikki Kovalainen
BMW-Sauber: Robert Kubica/Christian Klien
Toro Rosso: Sebastien Buemi/ Jaime Alguersuari
Force India: Adrian Sutil/Vitantonio Liuzzi
USF1: Rubens Barrichello/Danica Patrick
Campos: Pedro de la Rosa/Vitaly Petrov
Manor: Anthony Davidson/ Bruno Senna

Sunday, July 12, 2009

2009 German GP: Webber wins his first race as the Bull Run continues

Mark Webber after 132 race starts finally won his first race and it was a moment which he would cherish forever as not only did Webber proved that he can be as good as his phenomenally talented teammate Vettel but he also put his name down in the championship conquest for what could turn out to be a most exiting championship chase against Button. To make the day better his teammate Vettel came 2nd and Red Bull Racing for the 3rd time this year managed a 1-2 finish and closed in on the gap against Brawn GP.

Brawn though were expected to dominate on a track which would have suited them in the end had a race to forget as not only the expected rains screwed their strategy but also their pit decisions put them out of contention of podium finishes and instead gave their drivers 5th and 6th places. Though they do have a large lead, but Vettel and Webber are 2nd and 3rd in the drivers’ championship and with 8 more races to go, now it is realistic for them to hunt down Button for the title. Barrichello once again was upset with the team and has questioned its strategy and the way things are going it is unlikely that Barrichello will stay with Brawn post this season.

The German GP also sort of saw a Ferrari revival with Massa gaining an unexpected 3rd place finish and getting his first podium of the season. Massa is clearly the #1 driver for Ferrari and has proved that given a good car he is infact more reliable than Kimi in leading a championship team and with the rumours of Alonso coming to Ferrari in 2010 well Kimi should be a worried man as his performance during the last few race weekends have been very average and this could very well the end for the Finish driver.

Speaking of Alonso, he yet again managed a solid performance with a Renault which does not deserve to score points as he managed to come 7th while teammate Piquet continue to improve as he came 13th and at one stage looked like he had a chance for points. Though Alonso and Webber were the drivers of the race, German talent Rosberg managed to come in 4th after starting from 15th on the grid and was very consistent throughout the race and well this could have impressed the higher-ups in McLaren and BMW as if you do believe the German media, he is expected to land a drive in either one of them for the next season.

Lewis Hamilton came 18th while teammate Kovalainen came in 8th but the irony was that Lewis’s car had all the updates and he realistically had a chance to finish on podium but some over enthusiastic drive in the start effectively screwed his race and he had to just drive along and just let the others pass him as he was behind by well over a lap while Kovalainen managed to have a lucky start and at one stage was coming in 2nd but then due to some lacklustre driving he only could finish at 8 but any points is good for the team which is having one of its worst season ever.

Another home team the BMW though at no stage did look like it was seriously challenging for points but it was good to see the team near the top 10 rather than behind the grid and the car may not have yet found it’s sweet post but both Heidfeld and Kubica were pretty impressive while Toyota though had the package to be as fast as a Brawn or a RBR once again disappointed with Trulli coming in 17th while Glock came only 9th. It’s a pity to see Toyota with a good package struggling for points but had it had someone like Alonso driving for it, well they could be even challenging for wins by now.

There is something about Force India and Kimi as once again Kimi was involved in a racing incident which effectively ruined Sutil’s race and Force India’s dream of scoring F1 points. The team has really made improvements and it is clearly better than the other bottom placed team Toro Rosso and also the team has managed to give the likes of BMW, Renault and even McLaren at times a run for its money. We all just hope the team manages to score points by the time the season gets over.

It was a good German GP and though the crowd would have liked Vettel to win the race, but though Vettel may not be the Kaiser yet, he is one in the making and it was always good to see a prancing horse car once again on the podium. A few more races like this can give Brawn and Button some sleepless nights as Red Bull are on a accent and come the Hungarian GP Brawn may have to come up with something or else the Bulls may just run away leaving Brawn behind.

Thursday, July 9, 2009

German GP Preview: Vettel’s date with destiny

Sebastian Vettel did something to Jenson Button which one driver has managed to do and that is not only beat him on a dry race but also dominate the race to an extend that Button for the first time failed to reach the podium. Brawn GP fans may blame that the track and the conditions for their cat but again during their dominating win, they had no such crib and hailed Button’s win to Schumacher’s 2004 title victory. Well for all you know Button can still in that fashion but then in a few days his will face his most serious contender as for Vettel apart from Monza this could be a crucial race for his future ambitions of taking over as the new Kaiser and become the new Red Baron and a win in the historic Nürburgring could also bring back the interest in the championship and not on things outside the track which this season has overshadowed F1.

Though this track should favour the Brawn GP and Jenson knows this track pretty well to once again win this season but his teammate should be inspired after his podium finish and very importantly ahead of Button in his home grand prix and so expect Barrichello to re-launch his quest for not only the title but also the man who would be the Cinderella Man for Brawn GP. Red Bull after a stunning 1-2 finish in Silverstone should be strong for this race and though they may be very slightly behind Brawn but then that can be overcome by sound strategy and an inspirational drive from their drivers can put the Bulls once again on the podium and can also close the gap in the Constructors Championship.

Toyota seem to look like one team which can close in on the top 2 and though they are registered as a Japanese team and Fuji is their track but then they are the only team in the grid to have a base in Germany and with a German Timo Glock piloting the car for them expect huge support for the team which should expect both its drivers on points while the other car with a Toyota engine Williams also have a young German talent who has beaten Hamilton in the junior formula levels and had he been in a Williams teams in the late 80’s or early 90’s would have been fighting for a championship or could have even won one. Williams does not want to become another Lotus and they showed improvement in the last race and though there is no denial about their pace in practice but when it comes to racing situation Williams does lag behind Brawn GP, Red Bull & Toyota while they have been impressively ahead of McLaren and Ferrari but it will be a very good performance for the team if they manage to finish ahead of these 2 teams along with Renault as these 4 used to be the big 4 of F1 and also on BMW who famously dumped Williams and took over Sauber to form their own team.

Ferrari though they managed to get both their drivers to score points are still some way off winning pace leave alone podium finishes but they are slowly improving and the team has well given up on the season but the interesting thing to look for will be the driver battle as Massa has been the better driver of the 2 since mid-way last season and with the rumours of Alonso switching to Ferrari next season, Kimi needs a performance like the 2007 season to maintain his seat. In Germany you can always see the Tifosi in full strength and well it could be the legacy of Schumacher but then the next Schumacher’s performance could also count a lot.

McLaren’s season has become from bad to worse and after the British GP, well they looked even worse than Force India a private team which has a tie-up with McLaren and is more or less like a customer to it is actually faster than the works team. Also Mercedes would also want its official team to do well after the embarrassing performance of its team this season. Another German team BMW is having its worst season ever and after an amazing 2008 they continue on their nightmare of a season with rumours of Heidfeld leaving is also very high. For the sake of drivers scoring points would be something that the team would want to but then they also need a lot of luck and maybe even rain to help them out.

Alonso is the only reason Renault has score points this season and the best driver on the planet is yet again stuck with a car which is not at all helping him and though he has not denied the rumours of his eminent move to Ferrari but the question is only when and even if the Spaniard does not move next season his teammate Piquet should be going into every race when the axe will be on him and with the likes of French prodigy Romain Grosjean and Senna waiting in the wings, Piquet needs to do something which he has never done in his entire career and which is step a few levels up and race like a champion.

Force India continue on their accent up and though they have not scored points they have been pretty impressive and off-late looked faster than Toro Rosso and at times quicker than even outfits like BMW, Renault and yes even McLaren. Though their best bet of scoring points may have gone off but then don’t be too shocked if either of Fisi or Sutil managed to score points by the end of the season while sister team Red Bull challenging Brawn for both the titles it is a bit sad to see Toro Rosso after a decent start now languishing at the bottom and the same team last season was ahead of Honda, Red Bull, Williams and Force India. Hope the team does turn things very soon and this could be the best season to challenge the likes of BMW and Renault.

Rain is predicted for the race and though the track is expected to favour Brawn but even in conditions where the track will be moist and with a cool breeze around, it will not be Brawn’s liking and they would suffer from tyre heating issues and well if it also rains, well Red Bull can thank their stars and could continue to eat away Brawn’ early season advantage and pull off an impossible comeback.