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Sunday, July 31, 2016

Rosberg Feels At Home With German Grand Prix Pole

Photo Credit: Mercedes AMG

A Formula 1 season officially overcame its halfway point last week in Hungary, the 2016 tour reaches the Hockenheimring in Germany. For only the third time since 1950 and just the second time occurring when part of the Formula 1 calendar, the German Grand Prix was cancelled last year as plans to alternate the race with the Nürburgring fell through.

Returning to the 16-turn, 4.574-kilometer Hockenheim track, home country favourite Mercedes AMG has been fast but the final Saturday practice presented a time differential of just 0.164 seconds between the top four drivers. The two Mercedes AMG cars held a minor gap on Red Bull Racing's Daniel Ricciardo and Kimi Raikkonen's Ferrari in the tune-up ahead of Saturday's qualifying. Despite the close laps set by a Red Bull TAG Heuer and Ferrari, the fight for the pole position ahead of Sunday's 67-lap main event was maintained between Hamilton and teammate Nico Rosberg throughout the time trial session.

As qualifying commenced on the Hockenheimring, the Mercedes AMG immediately demonstrated their supremacy in front of a welcoming German audience. Hot off his fifth victory of the season in Hungary, Lewis Hamilton led Q1 and Q2 sessions of German Grand Prix qualifying. Holding an advantage of 0.242 seconds in Q1 over Nico Rosberg, the lap time interval shrank to just 0.091 seconds after Q2. In the deciding Q3 session, Rosberg overcame an electrical problem to post one meaningful timed run. Recording a 1-minute, 14.363-second lap time, Nico Rosberg was victorious in qualifying to claim the German Grand Prix pole. This year's pole setting time in Q3 is almost 2.2 seconds faster than the 2014 qualifying time. That last German Grand Prix pole was captured by Nico Rosberg en route to a 2014 win. With a fast lap 0.107 seconds slower than his teammate's car, Lewis Hamilton's secures a front row start allowing Mercedes AMG to cement their 7th front 1-2 domination in 2016 Formula 1 competition.

The top-10 that proceeded into Q3 was represented by both drivers of five teams. While Mercedes AMG locked-up the front row, Red Bull Racing, Ferrari, Force India and Williams Martini Racing make up the first five rows of Sunday's race in Hockenheim. The second row of the 2016 German Grand Prix will be dominated by the Red Bull Racing team while the third row is an all-Ferrari matching. Daniel Ricciardo leads Max Verstappen while Kimi Raikkonen found his advantage over 2013 German Grand Prix winner Sebastian Vettel.

While Nico Hulkenberg posted a 7th fastest time in the final qualifying session, the driver for Force India was demoted one position after a mistake with tire labeling led to a penalty. On the grid, Hulkenberg will start 8th while the Williams-Mercedes driven by Valtteri Bottas receives the 7th place spot. The second Force India-Mercedes is found in 9th place. The difference in Q3 qualifying times between the 7th place and 9th place cars were just 0.027 seconds. Rounding out the top-10 for the German Grand Prix is the Williams race car of Felipe Massa.

Along with Nico Hulkenberg, Carlos Sainz Jr and Romain Grosjean have also lost grid positions after the time trial session had ended. Sainz Jr was penalized to a 15th place starting position when it was ruled the Toro Rosso impeded Felipe Massa's on-track momentum in Q2. Placing 15th after the Q2 session, Romain Grosjean driving for Haas F1 Team has suffered a costly transmission issue in the track's final practice. The gearbox problem required the team to swap it out ahead of qualifying resulting in a five-grid place penalty for the Frenchman.

The 12th race on the 21-race Formula 1 schedule for 2016, the German Grand Prix is set for a 2 PM local start time (8 AM in the eastern time zone.

2016 Formula 1German Grand PrixStarting Lineup



Pos # Car # Driver Team Engine
1 6 Nico Rosberg Mercedes AMG Mercedes-Benz
2 44 Lewis Hamilton Mercedes AMG Mercedes-Benz
3 3 Daniel Ricciardo Red Bull TAG Heuer
4 33 Max Verstappen Red Bull TAG Heuer
5 7 Kimi Raikkonen Ferrari Ferrari
6 5 Sebastian Vettel Ferrari Ferrari
7 77 Valtteri Bottas Williams F1 Mercedes-Benz
8 27 Nico Hulkenberg Force India Mercedes-Benz
9 11 Sergio Perez Force India Mercedes-Benz
10 19 Felipe Massa Williams F1 Mercedes-Benz
11 9 Esteban Gutierrez Haas F1 Team Ferrari
12 22 Jenson Button McLaren Honda
13 14 Fernando Alonso McLaren Honda
14 30 Jolyon Palmer Renault Renault
15 55 Carlos Sainz Jr Scuderia Toro Rosso Ferrari
16 20 Kevin Magnussen Renault Renault
17 28 Pascal Wehrlein Manor Mercedes-Benz
18 26 Daniil Kvyat Scuderia Toro Rosso Ferrari
19 98 Rio Haryanto Manor Mercedes-Benz
20 8 Romain Grosjean Haas F1 Team Ferrari
21 12 Felipe Nasr Sauber Ferrari
22 9 Marcus Ericsson Sauber Ferrari

Monday, July 25, 2016

Hamilton Heralded as Hungarian Grand Prix Winner

Photo Credit FOTO STUDIO COLOMBO PER PIRELLI MEDIA


Arriving in Hungary, the 2016 Formula 1 season has officially reached its halfway point. The 10 races prior to the tour's visit to the 4.381-kilometer Hungaroring continues to prove how difficult it is to beat the Mercedes AMG entries. With exception to a Red Bull Racing triumph in the Spanish Grand Prix when the two Mercedes AMG cars beat themselves in the early laps, the German factory team has commanded another season in the open wheel series. However, in 2016, the battle between Mercedes AMG's teammates Nico Rosberg and reigning world champion Lewis Hamilton has grown to be the most Contentious. After a roaring start of the season by Rosberg winning the first four events but followed by Hamilton claiming four of the last five events, the drivers are separated by just one point.

In qualifying, Nico Rosberg edged out Lewis Hamilton in the last minute of the Q3 session to obtain the pole position, The advantage of placement for the Hungarian Grand Prix was short-lived for Rosberg once the lights went out to start the 70-lap event. While Rosberg achieved a reasonable start from his prime grid position with his Mercedes AMG machine, the Red Bull-TAG Heuer driven by Daniel Ricciardo launch was better allowing the Australian to hound the German driver. During that first lap surge, Ricciardo would successfully overtake the race's pole sitter but would not be the leader at the Hungoraring. As the battle between Ricciardo and Rosberg ensued, second-place starting Lewis Hamilton was handed an opportunity to gain the lead of the race. As Lewis Hamilton held the lead in the early laps, teammate  Nico Rosberg fought to pass the Red Bull Racing vehicle. By lap 3, Rosberg had mastered a move around Ricciardo allowing a Mercedes AMG 1-2 running order.

Racing in the middle of summer, drivers competing in the Hungarian Grand Prix were challenged by the hottest track temperatures experienced this season. According to Pirelli, track temperature reached 54 degrees Celsius. Despite the heat and an eventful qualifying session that involved four red flags, the main event on the 14-turn course was conducted as an orderly affair for most teams. Only one retirement took place after 70 laps.

Throughout the Hungarian Grand Prix, the interval between Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg would remain close. A two pit stop strategy was exercised by both Mercedes AMG machines (as was the case with all-but two finishers of the races) resulting in tire changes occurring just one lap apart. Ultimately mirroring each other on pit and tire strategy, the pass for the lead on the opening lap would be the only advantage Lewis Hamilton needed to propel himself to a 48th career Formula 1 victory. Holding on with a 1.977-second margin of victory, Hamilton's 2016 event win was a record-setting fifth for the British driver at the Hungaroring. In post-race transcript, Lewis Hamilton said, "I don't know what the secret is here. Naturally having a great team and everything coming together is key. But it's a track that I think really works well for an aggressive driver".



Photo Credit: Mercedes AMG



Nico Rosberg finished the Hungarian Grand Prix in second place but the event proved quite costly. Rosberg loses his season-long first place spot in the 2016 Formula 1 Drivers' championship standing. Hamilton is now the series' new points leader posting a six-point advantage on Rosberg heading into the next week's German Grand Prix.

Claiming the final podium spot, Daniel Ricciardo in a Red Bull-TAG Heuer grabbed his first top-three position since the Monaco Grand Prix. With Ricciardo's teammate Max Verstappen taking the fifth place finishing position for the 2016 Hungarian Grand Prix, Red Bull Racing closed on Scuderia Ferrari. As Sebastian Vettel placed fourth and Kimi Raikkonen crossed the finish line in sixth, Ferrari maintains second-place in the oveall constructors' championship by one point. Raikkonen's point-scoring run came after a 14th place starting position. Starting the race on soft compound, Raikkonen's race required two stops for supersoft compound Pirelli tires (differing from most teams that started on supersofts and moved to the soft compound).

After a qualifying session where both team cars progressed into the Q3 session (the first instance since adopting the Honda power units in 2015), McLaren Honda was able to only celebrate one driver collecting points in Hungary. Fernando Alonso crossed the finish line in 7th place but Jenson Button experience a hydraulic issue almost immediately into the Hungarian Grand Prix. In attempt to fix the problem, Button and the McLaren team violated Formula 1's radio communication rules. As a penalty, Jenson Button served a drive-through penalty Continuing for most of the race, Button would retire his car on lap 62 when smoke was reported from the McLaren Honda.

Behind Fernando Alonso, Carlos Sainz Jr finished in eighth place for the third consecutive Formula 1 event with a Toro Rosso-Ferrari. Valtteri Bottas took ninth place for Williams Martini Racing while the final point-scoring position in the 2016 Hungarian Grand Prix was obtained by Force India's Nico Hulkenberg.

The final race before Formula 1's summer break, the German Grand Prix set for July 31th at the Hockenheimring.



2016 Formula 1
Hungarian Grand Prix
Race Results


Pos # Car # Driver Team Engine

1 44 Lewis Hamilton Mercedes AMG Mercedes-Benz
2 6 Nico Rosberg Mercedes AMG Mercedes-Benz
3 3 Daniel Ricciardo Red Bull TAG Heuer
4 5 Sebastian Vettel Ferrari Ferrari
5 33 Max Verstappen Red Bull TAG Heuer
6 7 Kimi Raikkonen Ferrari Ferrari
7 14 Fernando Alonso McLaren Honda
8 55 Carlos Sainz Jr Scuderia Toro Rosso Ferrari
9 77 Valtteri Bottas Williams F1 Mercedes-Benz
10 27 Nico Hulkenberg Force India Mercedes-Benz
11 11 Sergio Perez Force India Mercedes-Benz
12 30 Jolyon Palmer Renault Renault
13 9 Esteban Gutierrez Haas F1 Team Ferrari
14 8 Romain Grosjean Haas F1 Team Ferrari
15 20 Kevin Magnussen Renault Renault
16 26 Daniil Kvyat Scuderia Toro Rosso Ferrari
17 12 Felipe Nasr Sauber Ferrari
18 19 Felipe Massa Williams F1 Mercedes-Benz
19 28 Pascal Wehrlein Manor Mercedes-Benz
20 9 Marcus Ericsson Sauber Ferrari
21 98 Rio Haryanto Manor Mercedes-Benz
22 22 Jenson Button McLaren Honda


Tuesday, July 12, 2016

Happy Hamilton Celebrates Third Consecutive British Grand Prix Win

Photo Credit: Mercedes AMG

If you follow mainstream news, it's hard to ignore the United Kingdom has been engaged in a fast-moving transition in an economical sense. Perhaps the British Grand Prix was an ideally-suited distraction for an English audience welcoming momentum of a Formula 1 power unit as opposed to the forces changing a nation.

The 5.891-kilometer track of Silverstone hosts an event that has been a part of Formula 1 since its inception. The British Grand Prix is also a homecoming for several teams including McLaren, Williams Martini Racing and Manor Racing as well as several drivers. Home turf for 2009 Formula 1 champion Jenson Button and 2016 Formula 1 rookie Jolyon Palmer, the most remarkable current name part of the British brigade is the Mercedes AMG driver Lewis Hamilton. Winning the previous Austrian Grand Prix with a daring but contentious last lap incident with teammate Nico Rosberg, Hamilton continued to demonstrate superiority at Silverstone throughout the weekend leading up to Sunday's main race highlighted by his pole position on Saturday achieved in a dramatic late session run.

The British Grand Prix started on wet weather Pirelli race tires as rain soaked the Silverstone Circuit track surface roughly 15 minutes prior to the event's scheduled start. Due to the water on the track, the field was started behind the safety car. Leading the field for the opening laps of the 2016 British Grand Prix, Hamilton immediately showed the pace that has allowed him to win the previous two events at Silverstone.


Photo Credit: FOTO STUDIO COLOMBO PER PIRELLI MEDIA

The strategy for most of the front-running teams was a two-stop plan. The first stop can early with the transfer from wet weather to intermediate tires. By the end of lap 7, every car on the track had made the switch to the compound. As Silverstone track conditions dried, drivers came to the attention of their crews for medium compound tires between lap 15 and 18. As cars negotiated the wet conditions early, the track proved tricky for many runners to maintain traction. Williams Martini Racing driver Valtteri Bottas attempt to overtake the Force India-Mercedes-Benz race car of Nico Hulkenberg proved costly on lap 10. On intermediate tires, Bottas spun falling from a top-10 position in the race to 13th. The race would not improve for the Finnish Williams-Mercedes-Benz driver as would cross the line in 14th place.

Unable to make it to the first pit stop, Manor Racing driver Pascal Wehrlein lost traction on the wet track and ended his grand prix in the gravel run-off area. Collecting his first Formula 1 point on the Red Bull Ring, an early exit on a rain-soaked Silverstone for Wehrlein is a cruel fate. The British Grand Prix would become a double retirement the Mercedes-Benz powered Manor team when Rio Haryanto slid off-track after 24 laps. Despite being in the back half of the 2016 Formula 1 field, Silverstrone is the first place all season where neither Manor Racing car finished.

As Lewis Hamilton established an unmatched pace, a spirited bout for second place in the British Grand Prix was contested by the second Mercedes AMG race car of Nico Rosberg and the Red Bull-TAG Heuer piloted by Max Verstappen. The drivers battled for a good deal of the race for the runner-up spot with each holding the position through on-track passes.

Leading flag to flag, Lewis Hamilton won the 2016 British Grand Prix convincingly with a 6.9-second lead over the next car that crossed the finish line. Hamilton's 47th career victory in Formula 1, is closes to within four grand prix wins of Alain Prost in the overall record books. Having won his home event four times (including three consecutive years with his 2016 victory), Lewis Hamilton declared the British Grand Prix as the "Best weekend of the whole year!" in post-race transcript. "The engineers and mechanics did a great job, so big thanks to all of them once again. And then the crowd… I mean, where do they all come from? It’s absolutely amazing! Nothing we see in any other country even comes close – and that for me just shows the passion us Brits have for sport, regardless of the weather. It’s pouring down and these guys are just like “yeah, we love it!” This is beyond my wildest dreams, honestly." described Hamilton who enjoys a great personal attachment to the race at Silverstone.


Photo Credit: Mercedes AMG

Losing 7 points on Hamilton in the championship initially with a second-place finish, Rosberg and his Mercedes AMG team's conduct was a subject to an investigation. A radio communication between Rosberg and his crew regarding an issue with his race car led to unlawful instructions being given to the driver. Due to Formula 1's strict and specific rules on radio instructions, the communication between the Mercedes AMG team and Nico Rosberg cost him the runner-up spot. Given a 10-second penalty for violating the radio rules, Rosberg was demoted to third while Max Verstappen was elevated to second place in the final results. Entering the next race in Hungary, Nico Rosberg possesses just a single point lead on teammate Lewis Hamilton in the season's standings.

Max Verstappen out-qualified his Red Bull Racing teammate Daniel Ricciardo for the first time on the Silverstone Circuit Saturday and parlayed it into a second consecutive podium finish. Ricciardo in the second Red Bull-TAG Heuer took the checkered flag in fourth place. Kimi Raikkonen finished as the fifth driver to cross the finish line. Earlier in the week prior to the British Grand Prix, Raikkonen and Scuderia Ferrari agreed to rejoin for a 2017 season. Red Bull Racing and Ferrari are in heavy competition in the 2016 constructors' championship second place position. Ferrari leave the British Grand Prix ahead of Red Bull Racing by just 9 points.

After a disappointing Austrian Grand Prix for Force India, Silverstone resulted in both team drivers taking points. Sergio Perez took sixth place roughly 8/10ths of a second ahead of teammate Nico Hulkenberg.

Forced to 11th place at the start of the grand prix, Sebastian Vettel was stalled in his progression up the field in 52 laps. A five-second time penalty assessed to the German Ferrari driver for a late incident with Felipe Massa did not affect him in the final results where he crossed the line in 9th place. Toro Rosso driver Daniil Kvyat came from a 15th place starting position to grab the final point available in the 2016 British Grand Prix. The race was a double-point scoring outing for Scuderia Toro Rosso as Carlos Sainz Jr. bettered Kvyat's effort with 8th place.

Formula 1 drivers and teams receive an upcoming off-week from competition while the Hungarian Grand Prix is set for July 24th.


2016 Formula 1
British Grand Prix
Race Results 


Pos #/ Car #/ Driver/ Team/ Engine

1 44 Lewis Hamilton Mercedes AMG Mercedes-Benz
2 33 Max Verstappen Red Bull TAG Heuer
3 6 Nico Rosberg Mercedes AMG Mercedes-Benz
4 3 Daniel Ricciardo Red Bull TAG Heuer
5 7 Kimi Raikkonen Ferrari Ferrari
6 11 Sergio Perez Force India Mercedes-Benz
7 27 Nico Hulkenberg Force India Mercedes-Benz
8 55 Carlos Sainz Jr Scuderia Toro Rosso Ferrari
9 5 Sebastian Vettel Ferrari Ferrari
10 26 Daniil Kvyat Scuderia Toro Rosso Ferrari
11 19 Felipe Massa Williams F1 Mercedes-Benz
12 22 Jenson Button McLaren Honda
13 14 Fernando Alonso McLaren Honda
14 77 Valtteri Bottas Williams F1 Mercedes-Benz
15 12 Felipe Nasr Sauber Ferrari
16 9 Esteban Gutierrez Haas F1 Team Ferrari
17 20 Kevin Magnussen Renault Renault
18 8 Romain Grosjean Haas F1 Team Ferrari
19 98 Rio Haryanto Manor Mercedes-Benz
20 30 Jolyon Palmer Renault Renault
21 9 Marcus Ericsson Sauber Ferrari
22 28 Pascal Wehrlein Manor Mercedes-Benz


Sunday, July 10, 2016

Record Pole Run for Hamilton Marks Eventful British Homecoming

Photo Credit: Mercedes AMG

The British Grand Prix is among one of the original mainstays on the Formula 1 calendar since its inception in 1950. The previous Second World War airfield in Silverstone was first competed upon for a grand prix race in 1948 for which the circuit has undergone a series of redesigns. The current track for Formula 1 competition is a 5.891-kilometer, 18-turn configuration.

A classic event for the motor racing tour, the British Grand Prix's place as the 10th round in the 2016 Formula 1 series allowed it to immediate follow a surrealistic Austrian Grand Prix. Winning the race in a wild and controversial battle with teammate Nico Rosberg, Brit Lewis Hamilton arrives with the support of a friendly home crowd at Silverstone. In qualifying, Hamilton was intent to claim his fourth pole for the British Grand Prix.

Backed by a speedy Mercedes AMG race car, Lewis Hamilton almost foiled his own pole in the session. Sitting a top time early in the Q3 session, Hamilton's initial effort was celebrated by his home country crowd before the audience and driver were confronted with a sense of loss. Stewards judged Lewis Hamilton had fallen out of the racing boundaries on the Silverstone track section out of turn 9. Prior to qualifying, drivers were informed track limits would be enforced under a situation of zero-tolerance in certain areas of the Silverstone Circuit. Hamilton's pole time was disallowed leaving the reigning world champion in a late scramble to propel his Mercedes AMG back to the optimum position for the start of Sunday's British Grand Prix. Within the late stage of qualifying, Hamilton triumphantly reclaimed the pole position with a lap record of 1-minute, 29.287 seconds. Lewis Hamilton is looking for his third consecutive British Grand Prix victory on Sunday.

Starting on the front row of the British Grand Prix is 2013 race winner Nico Rosberg in the second Mercedes AMG 0.319 seconds slower than the pole sitting time. Contending for the all-important World Drivers' Championship, this season has put both drivers in the deepest direct conflict in their fourth year as teammates. Less than a week after the Austrian Grand Prix's last lap scuffle and an acrimonious exchange of words in post-race, Hamilton and Rosberg appears to be playing nice so far this weekend at Silverstone.  

A Red Bull Tag Heuer race car will be positioned right behind each front row starting Mercedes AMG. Occupying the second row, Max Verstappen emerged from qualifying faster than teammate Daniel Ricciardo. In the short history of Red Bull Racing current driver lineup, the British Grand Prix will be the first time Verstappen will start ahead of Ricciardo in a grand prix event.

Behind the Red Bull Racing owned second row, Scuderia Ferrari accounted collectively as the third-fastest time in qualifying. Possessing two former winners of the British Grand Prix. Kimi Raikkonen will start fifth in the first race since the announcement the Finnish driver will be returning to Ferrari next season. Raikkonen claimed an advantage of 6/10ths of a second over his teammate Sebastian Vettel. Vettel qualified 6th for the British Grand Prix but will have to start in 11th place following a gearbox change made to his Ferrari.

Ferrari S.p.A.

Promoted to sixth place on the starting grid, Williams Martini Racing driver Valtteri Bottas posted a runner-up finish in the 2014 event at Silverstone. Carlos Sainz Jr. is positioned in seventh spot alongside Force India driver Nico Hulkenberg. With the British Grand Prix track known for fast cornering, more encouraging signs are revealed by the Honda engine for 2016. Fernando Alonso splits Force India teammates Hulkenberg and Sergio Perez with his McLaren Honda race car in ninth place.

A race for 52 laps on the Silverstone Circuit, the British Grand Prix is set for 1 PM local time (8 AM eastern time).


2016 Formula 1
British Grand Prix
Starting Lineup


Pos # Car # Driver Team Engine

1 44 Lewis Hamilton Mercedes AMG Mercedes-Benz
2 6 Nico Rosberg Mercedes AMG Mercedes-Benz
3 33 Max Verstappen Red Bull TAG Heuer
4 3 Daniel Ricciardo Red Bull TAG Heuer
5 7 Kimi Raikkonen Ferrari Ferrari
6 77 Valtteri Bottas Williams F1 Mercedes-Benz
7 55 Carlos Sainz Jr Scuderia Toro Rosso Ferrari
8 27 Nico Hulkenberg Force India Mercedes-Benz
9 14 Fernando Alonso McLaren Honda
10 11 Sergio Perez Force India Mercedes-Benz
11 5 Sebastian Vettel Ferrari Ferrari
12 19 Felipe Massa Williams F1 Mercedes-Benz
13 8 Romain Grosjean Haas F1 Team Ferrari
14 9 Esteban Gutierrez Haas F1 Team Ferrari
15 26 Daniil Kvyat Scuderia Toro Rosso Ferrari
16 20 Kevin Magnussen Renault Renault
17 22 Jenson Button McLaren Honda
18 30 Jolyon Palmer Renault Renault
19 98 Rio Haryanto Manor Mercedes-Benz
20 28 Pascal Wehrlein Manor Mercedes-Benz
21 12 Felipe Nasr Sauber Ferrari
22 9 Marcus Ericsson Sauber Ferrari

Monday, July 4, 2016

Lewis Hamilton Wins Intensely Dramatic Austrian Grand Prix

Photo Credit: Mercedes AMG

For what was a thrilling 71-lap grand prix on the 4.326-kilometer Red Bull Ring in Spielberg, Austria, it took the last lap to decide the victor in the 2016 competition between the drivers and teams of Formula 1. For the win, it was an interteam battle between the Silver Arrows appears to reveal a hint at allies in crisis with each other once again.  

Catapulting from a fifth place starting spot to first place late in the Austrian Grand Prix, current Formula 1 points leader Nico Rosberg heading into the race had leapfrogged the Red Bull Racing car of Max Verstappen on lap 62. Verstappen was persevering from a lap 15 pit stop in the late stage as his team elected for a one-stop strategy. Both Mercedes AMG cars were placed on two-stop plans proving to be an advantage late in the grand prix.  

An event Rosberg had gotten used to winning in the past to trips to the Red Bull Ring, the German's final laps were not a pleasure cruise. The use of supersoft Pirelli tires and late-race braking meant Rosberg was unable to built a defining interval over challengers. Snaking past Verstappen on lap 63, Lewis Hamilton began to reel in his teammate's car. Starting the race on pole, Hamilton's first pit stop featured a shaky left rear tire change. While it resulted in no more than a second delay, that stop and Rosberg being on softer tires following the second trip to pit road placed Hamilton behind his teammate on lap 56. As both cars swept past the Red Bull Tag Heuer race car, Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg were within a second of each other by lap 67.

Starting the final lap, Rosberg flew by the start/finish line with Hamilton close in tow seeking an opportunity to steal the Austrian Grand Prix from his teammate. The moment presented itself into the first turn on lap 71 as the #44 machine of Lewis Hamilton braked late. As Hamilton gained momentum on the outside of Rosberg, the German on the inside line went wide into the corner. Through the block of his teammate for the final lap, the cars of Rosberg and Hamilton made contact with each other. Despite Hamilton being forced to recover into the runoff area outside of the first turn, the #44 car would roar ahead of Nico Rosberg's car as the collision damaged the front wing of the 2014 and 2015 Austrian Grand Prix winner.

Through the remaining distance of the final lap, Lewis Hamilton was left unopposed as he collected his 46th career Formula 1 victory and 1st win at the Austrian Grand Prix. As for teammate Nico Rosberg, the shattered front wing on his Mercedes AMG car resulted in him falling into the clutches of both Max Verstappen and Ferrari's Kimi Raikkonen. Crossing the line fourth, Rosberg would later penalized by stewards for the collision between himself and Hamilton. A 10-second time penalty, the German driver retained the position since he held a roughly 14-second advantage on the fifth place car.


Photo Credit: Mercedes AMG


The latest of many incidents that have occurred between the Mercedes AMG teammates since the 2014 season, the 2016 season sees both drivers on a perhaps the most equal competitive plane. In the ongoing championship, Nico Rosberg now holds an 11-point lead on Lewis Hamilton following the Austrian Grand Prix.  While Hamilton seemed content to accept the last lap contest as a racing deal, Rosberg without the race win was understandably less accepting. "I had the inside line and we both went into the corner a bit long. I was surprised that Lewis turned in and it ultimately meant that we came together" said Rosberg in post-race transcript. Even the Head of Mercedes-Benz Motorsport Toto Wolff could not ignore the last lap incident. "It was incredibly frustrating for the team to see a one-two finish potentially become a double DNF on the final lap of the race" commented Wolff who realizes he may be facing heated tensions between the Mercedes AMG drivers. "As for the collision, I am not going to try and put blame more on one side than the other; it always takes two to tango and, as we have said before, this should not happen between team-mates. We will now let the emotions settle before we sit down and discuss our next steps." Wolff added.


Photo Credit: FOTO STUDIO COLOMBO PER PIRELLI MEDIA


Max Verstappen's second place finish 5.7 seconds behind Hamilton was an impressive homecoming finish by Red Bull Racing. Narrowing beating Raikkonen to the finish line, Verstappen earned his first podium result since his win at the Spanish Grand Prix.

Besides the chaotic end at the front for the end of the 2016 Austrian Grand Prix, the event was filled with moments that skewed from brilliant to wacky. Among the most alarming incident was a tire failure on the Ferrari of Sebastian Vettel. Occurring on lap 29, the Ferrari sailed down the Red Bull Ring's front stretch as the rear right Pirelli racing slick shredded apart. A sudden failure, Vettel's car slid sideways briefly before impacting the track's inner retaining wall front end first. Thankfully, the impact with the wall was not severe enough to cause injury to the four-time world champion driver as Vettel climbed out of the Ferrari with the race under a safety car. Having yet to pit on the supersoft tires he started the race on, there was also reports Sebastian Vettel brushed the notorious curbing on the Red Bull Ring. With Ferrari, Pirelli is investigating the tire failure. A podium finish obtained by the second Ferrari of Kimi Raikkonen provided some consolation to the efforts for the Italian team.

Back to the start of the 2016 Austrian Grand Prix, Lewis Hamilton shared the front row with the Force India race car driven by Nico Hulkenburg in a surprise qualifying result. Unfortunately, Hulkenberg was quickly displaced from the position on the start of the race falling to fifth in the first lap. The German driver of the Force India-Mercedes ultimately had to retire his car with braking issues. While Nico Hulkenberg's race ended in the pits reacting to a brake problem, teammate Sergio Perez crashed on the final lap of the Austrian Grand Prix stopping power on his car was impaired.


Photo Credit: Force India F1 Team


A retirement overshadowed by the Mercedes AMG scuffle on the final lap, Perez's retirement affected the back end of the top-10 running order. As the Force India dropped out of its eight-place position, the major benefactor was the driver running 11th. Pascal Wehrlein, first-year Formula 1 pilot for Manor Racing, scored his first-ever point in competition as he crossed the checkered flag in tenth-place. The 2015 DTM champion German racer collected the first point for the entity Manor Racing since the buyout when it was known as Marussia F1 Team.

Other remarkable finishes in the Austrian Grand Prix included Jenson Button crossing the line in sixth place after a strong qualifying effort by the Honda-powered McLaren. 71 laps at the Red Bull Ring also ended favourably for the Haas F1 Team car driven by Romain Grosjean. After scoring points in three of the first four races for the rookie organization, the American-based Formula 1 team has been brought to reality by the competition of the series. Five races since Haas F1 Team's last top-10 finish, Grosjean collected a seventh place result.

With the 2016 Formula 1 season approaching its halfway point, the British Grand Prix at historic Silverstone is the next round. The 10th race of the 2016 tour is set for July 10th.

   
2016 Formula 1
Austrian Grand Prix
Race Results

Pos #/ Car #/ Driver/ Team/ Engine

1 44 Lewis Hamilton Mercedes AMG Mercedes-Benz
2 33 Max Verstappen Red Bull TAG Heuer
3 7 Kimi Raikkonen Ferrari Ferrari
4 6 Nico Rosberg Mercedes AMG Mercedes-Benz
5 3 Daniel Ricciardo Red Bull TAG Heuer
6 22 Jenson Button McLaren Honda
7 8 Romain Grosjean Haas F1 Team Ferrari
8 55 Carlos Sainz Jr Scuderia Toro Rosso Ferrari
9 77 Valtteri Bottas Williams F1 Mercedes-Benz
10 28 Pascal Wehrlein Manor Mercedes-Benz
11 9 Esteban Gutierrez Haas F1 Team Ferrari
12 30 Jolyon Palmer Renault Renault
13 12 Felipe Nasr Sauber Ferrari
14 20 Kevin Magnussen Renault Renault
15 9 Marcus Ericsson Sauber Ferrari
16 98 Rio Haryanto Manor Mercedes-Benz
17 11 Sergio Perez Force India Mercedes-Benz
18 14 Fernando Alonso McLaren Honda
19 27 Nico Hulkenberg Force India Mercedes-Benz
20 19 Felipe Massa Williams F1 Mercedes-Benz
21 5 Sebastian Vettel Ferrari Ferrari
22 26 Daniil Kvyat Scuderia Toro Rosso Ferrari

 

Sunday, July 3, 2016

Hamilton's Pole Brings Reality to Bizarre Starting Grid for Austrian Grand Prix

Photo Credit: Mercedes AMG

The 2016 Formula 1 season is quickly approaching its halfway point and is only four races away from its month-long summer break. Following a picturesque European Grand Prix on the city streets of Baku, Formula 1 drivers and teams are reacquainted with a permanent, purpose-built track in Spielberg, Austria. The 2016 Austrian Grand Prix is occurring on the 4.326-kilometer Red Bull Ring well-known for providing similar punishments as street courses for mistakes.

Saturday's qualifying for the Austrian Grand Prix was dominated by the familiar Silver Arrows race car. In all three sessions of time trials at the Red Bull Ring, Lewis Hamilton's Mercedes AMG vehicle was at the top including in Q3 where he posted a 1-minute, 7.922-second lap time to claim pole. Achieving the time on Pirelli's ultrasoft tires, the effort was accomplished as the track dried late in Q3 after rain started in late Q2. While Hamilton is a favourite to win, the past two Austrian Grand Prix races have not been won by the pole sitter.

Sunday's start of the Austrian Grand Prix will be another occasion two Mercedes-Benz powered machines will be on the front row. However, the second vehicle counting for the honour will not be Nico Rosberg. While Rosberg was second fastest in the Q3 session, his Mercedes AMG car has been shuffled deeper down the starting line due to a penalty. Instead, the Mercedes-Benz engined Force India race car of German driver Nico Hulkenberg has possession of second place starting spot. A Force India F1 Team car showed remarkable speed in Baku in the hands of Sergio Perez and ultimately finished third.



Photo Credit: Force India F1 Team

Qualifying results and starting line-up for the 2016 Austrian Grand Prix features many adjustments due to grid penalties. Mercedes AMG's Nico Rosberg and Ferrari's Sebastian Vettel have both been handed five-grid place penalties for gearbox changes made prior to qualifying. Rosberg actually start in fifth place since Vettel was in fourth position where he was demoted. Nico Rosberg has won both Austrian Grand Prix races held since the race was reinstated on the Formula 1 calendar. Renault's Jolyon Palmer, Rio Haryanto for Manor Racing and Sauber's Felipe Nasr have also been penalized by three places for insufficiently slowing down for yellow flags effectively placing them at the back of the field.

With big names like Rosberg and Vettel leaving qualifying with less than satisfying starting positions, surprises in the final results have seen some less heard names near the front for Sunday's race in Austria. A stunning qualifying result for the McLaren Honda team was achieved by Jenson Button. The 2009 Formula 1 World Drivers' Champion will start third alongside Kimi Raikkonen's Ferrari. Just outside of the top-10, Estaban Gutierrez starts 11th for the Haas F1 Team two positions ahead of teammate Romain Grosjean. Sandwiched between the two Haas F1 Team cars is Pascal Wehrlien. The Manor Racing powered Mercedes-Benz race car

The Austrian Grand Prix's 2016 edition marks the third year Formula 1 cars have returned to the track formerly known as the A1 Ring and before than the Osterreichring. After being off the world racing series' schedule since 2003, the race was revived in 2014 after Red Bull co-founder Dietrich Mateschitz bought the race complex and reestablished to its current state. With Mateschitz also the owner of two Formula 1 race teams (Red Bull Racing and Scuderia Toro Rosso) there seems to be a reason to believe some added pressure is on the four cars to make a strong showing. Daniel Ricciardo in a Red Bull Tag Heuer led the contingent with what has resulted in a fifth place starting position following Rosberg's penalty. The second Red Bull Racing car of Max Verstappen is placed eighth for the Austrian Grand Prix.

As for the team of Scuderia Toro Rosso, qualifying proved to be a nightmare for drivers Carlos Sainz Jr and Daniil Kvyat. While Kvyat was able to post a lap time, the Russian ended the session in the track barriers when his vehicle's suspension was damaged. Becoming the third suspension failure on a Toro Rosso vehicle less than two weeks following a double-failure during the European Grand Prix, team's Chief Race Engineer Phil Charles cited the large curbing of the Red Bull Ring the source of breakage. Carlos Sainz Jr starts in 15th place after the Ferrari engine for his race car was changed after the final practice session.

Scheduled to start at 2PM local time (8AM eastern time) the 71-lap Austrian Grand Prix is likely to be a two pit stop race according to Pirelli.


2016 Formula 1
Austrian Grand Prix
Starting Grid

Pos #/ Car #/ Driver/ Team/ Engine

1 44 Lewis Hamilton Mercedes AMG Mercedes-Benz
2 27 Nico Hulkenberg Force India Mercedes-Benz
3 22 Jenson Button McLaren Honda
4 7 Kimi Raikkonen Ferrari Ferrari
5 3 Daniel Ricciardo Red Bull TAG Heuer
6 6 Nico Rosberg Mercedes AMG Mercedes-Benz
7 77 Valtteri Bottas Williams F1 Mercedes-Benz
8 33 Max Verstappen Red Bull TAG Heuer
9 5 Sebastian Vettel Ferrari Ferrari
10 19 Felipe Massa Williams F1 Mercedes-Benz
11 9 Esteban Gutierrez Haas F1 Team Ferrari
12 28 Pascal Wehrlein Manor Mercedes-Benz
13 8 Romain Grosjean Haas F1 Team Ferrari
14 14 Fernando Alonso McLaren Honda
15 55 Carlos Sainz Jr Scuderia Toro Rosso Ferrari
16 11 Sergio Perez Force India Mercedes-Benz
17 20 Kevin Magnussen Renault Renault
18 26 Daniil Kvyat Scuderia Toro Rosso Ferrari
19 9 Marcus Ericsson Sauber Ferrari
20 30 Jolyon Palmer Renault Renault
21 98 Rio Haryanto Manor Mercedes-Benz
22 12 Felipe Nasr Sauber Ferrari