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Tuesday, April 23, 2013

Vettel's Vigor in Bahrain Results in Victory

Photo Credit: Pirelli Photo Service

Last year, it wasn't until the sixth race on the Formula 1 grand prix calendar until a constructor repeated. It took eight race in 2012 before a Fernando Alonso became the first winner of more than one event. This year's Formula 1 contest has already started with three distant winners. Kimi Raikkonen with Lotus F1 Team, Sebastian Vettel with Red Bull Racing and more recently the Ferrari of Fernando Alonso had stood at the top of a 2013 grand prix race podium. Heading into the fourth race of the 2013 Formula 1 season at the Bahrain International Circuit, the question would stand if this year would establish a similar pattern.

Taking his first pole of 2013, German Mercedes-AMG driver Nico Rosberg posted a 1-minute, 32.330-second time on Saturday for the top spot for the 57-lap Bahrain Grand Prix. A second straight pole position for the Mercedes-AMG race team, 2013 has yet to result in a victory for Rosberg or new teammate Lewis Hamilton despite some strong runs. On the starting grid for the 2013 Bahrain Grand Prix, Nico Rosberg was joined by the Red Bull-Renault of Sebastian Vettel. Row two of the starting line-up saw the Ferrari F138 race cars paired with Fernando Alonso claiming an edge over Felipe Massa in qualifying.

Under warm, sunny conditions, the lights went out to signify the 2013 Bahrain Grand Prix commenced. On the opening lap, a three-car incident sustained damage quickly in the early grand prix race. Valtteri Bottas' Williams-Renault, the Caterham-Renault of Giedo Van de Garde and the Jean-Eric Vergne driving a Toro Rosso-Ferrari were involved in a turn-four tangle. Scuderia Toro Rosso's driver Vergne would be the only competitor encountering difficulty preventing him from completing the grand prix.


Photo Credit: Pirelli Photo Service


Immediately into the Bahrain Grand Prix, Sebastian Vettel became working over the pole-winning Mercedes for the lead. When the DRS system was enabled on the third lap, Vettel was able to push his Red Bull-Renault passed Nico Rosberg. When Rosberg fell to second, the Mercedes fell pray to the Ferrari of Fernando Alonso.

On lap five, Alonso took the second spot in the race but soon encountered issues. In a bizarre incident, the DRS rear wing device remained open past the activation zone on lap 7. Stuck open, the Ferrari needed to pit the following lap to have the flap reset. The problem occurred once more on the following lap requiring Fernando Alonso to once again pit. Based on the lost time in the pits and the malfunctioning DRS wing


Photo Credit: Pirelli Photo Service

Sebastian Vettel becomes the first multiple winner of the 2013 Formula 1 tour. Defending his 2012 victory on the Middle East race track, Vettel's 28th Formula 1 victory has permitted the three-time and reigning German driver to grab a 10-point advantage in the Driver's Standings.

In second and third place, the Lotus-Renault runners Kimi Raikkonen and Romain Grosjean accomplish a feat last performed at the Hungarian Grand Prix in 2012. Collecting significant points for the Lotus F1 Team, is elevated to second place in the constructors' championship over Ferrari.


2013 Formula 1
Bahrain Grand Prix
Race Results


Pos # Car # Driver Team Engine





1 1 Sebastian Vettel Red Bull Renault
2 7 Kimi Raikkonen Lotus Renault
3 8 Romain Grosjean Lotus Renault
4 14 Paul di Resta Force India Mercedes-Benz
5 10 Lewis Hamilton Mercedes AMG Mercedes-Benz
6 6 Sergio Perez McLaren Mercedes-Benz
7 2 Mark Webber Red Bull Renault
8 3 Fernando Alonso Ferrari Ferrari
9 9 Nico Rosberg Mercedes AMG Mercedes-Benz
10 5 Jenson Button McLaren Mercedes-Benz
11 16 Pastor Maldonado Williams F1 Renault
12 11 Nico Hulkenberg Sauber Ferrari
13 15 Adrian Sutil Force India Mercedes-Benz
14 17 Valtteri Bottas Williams F1 Renault
15 4 Felipe Massa Ferrari Ferrari
16 19 Daniel Ricciardo Scuderia Toro Rosso Ferrari
17 20 Charles Pic Caterham Renault
18 12 Esteban Gutierrez Sauber Ferrari
19 22 Jules Bianchi Marussia Cosworth
20 23 Max Chilton Marussia Cosworth
21 21 Giedo van der Garde Caterham Renault
22 18 Jean-Eric Vergne Scuderia Toro Rosso Ferrari


Wednesday, April 17, 2013

Alonso Achieves Awesomeness with Win in China

Photo credit: Pirelli Photo Service

Running on the 3.387-mile Shanghai International Circuit, qualifying has set up a very interesting scenario. Seeking to defend their historic race victory, the factory team Mercedes AMG car of Lewis Hamilton acquired the top grid position for the 2013 Chinese Grand Prix. Pole winner of the previous two Formula 1 races Sebastian Vettel was ninth starting the Chinese Grand Prix. Fellow Red Bull-Renault Mark Webber was 14th fastest in qualifying but was excluded when he ran low of gasoline on-track during a Q2 run. Since the team was unable to provide a one-liter fuel sample as required by Formula 1 rules, Webber's time was excluded and he would start the race in China from the pit lane. This is the first grand prix since Vettel's infamous pass on his Red Bull teammate at the Malaysian Grand Prix.

When the lights went out, Lewis Hamilton launched to an early lead. However, Hamilton's front row companion Kimi Raikkonen suffered from excessive wheel spin. For the Ferrari F138 race cars of Fernando Alonso and Felipe Masssa, the slower-moving Raikkonen provided ample opportunity to take improve their positions. Into the first turn, the Mercedes AMG car led while the Ferraris gain pursuit.

Lewis Hamilton had an Initial advantage in the Chinese Grand Prix but would soon fall victim to the second and third place Ferraris. By lap 3, the DRS zones were enabled on the Shanghai International Circuit giving Alonso and Massa an chance to pass the Mercedes. Since Hamilton was unable to build a one-second interval over his challengers, the pair whizzed by the Mercedes on lap 4. Lewis Hamilton was able to fight back on the following lap ahead of early pit stops.

In the early laps of the 2013 Chinese Grand Prix, several incidents of contact on the Shanghai International Circuit. On lap 6, the Sauber-Ferrari driven by Esteban Gutierrez speared Adrian Sutil's Force India-Mercedes. Leaving a shower of carbon fiber debris, Gutierrez's damaged car was parked off-track. Sutil was able to continue to the pit lane but the rear wing structure would not allow the car to stay in the event. A collision with the McLaren of Sergio Perez and Kimi Raikkonen's Lotus-Renault was a potentially race-defining move. Suffering some noticeable damage to the front nose of the Lotus-Renault race car, Raikkonen and his team would be fortunate not to require a replacement front section.

One lap prior to the Perez-Raikkonen collision, the Red Bull-Renault of Mark Webber and the Toro Rosso-Ferrari piloted by Jean-Eric Vergne made contact. The Red Bull race car attempted to make a late-braking move on the Toro Rosso but Vergne arced in while Webber attempted to pass. Resulting in damage to Mark Webber's front wing, the race would get worse for the Australian. Already experiencing a difficult race weekend based on qualifying, Webber's awful 2013 Chinese Grand Prix ended on the 15th turn when the right rear wheel of his Red Bull-Renault fell off on lap 17, shortly after a pit stop. Mark Webber's retirement concluded an unpleasant weekend for the Red Bull Racing driver.

Photo Credit: Ferrari North America

While many cars started on soft compound Pirelli tires, much of the field opted to stick to medium compound slick tires following their first pit stop. The latter stage of the event was decided with the timing of pit stops. On lap 43 of the 2014 Chinese Grand Prix, Sebastian Vettel lost the lead to Fernando Alonso. Vettel was running on tires 10 laps older than the now race-leading Ferrari. Once in the lead, Alonso's Ferrari quickly built up a lead expanding to over five seconds in just four laps. Losing ground to Fernando Alonso, the second-place Red Bull-Renault of Sebastian Vettel came in for the soft compound tires on lap 51.

With Vettel unable to contend with the Ferrari in the late laps, Fernando Alonso sailed to victory with a 10.1-second lead over the Lotus-Renault of Kimi Raikkonen. Prevailing in his first 2013 grand prix, Alonso joins Lewis Hamilton as the only two-time winners of the Formula 1 race at the Shanghai International Circuit. The win is also Alonso's 31st career race victory coming on his 200th grand prix start.

The second and third place finishing race cars for the 2013 Chinese Grand Prix both encountered challenging races. Kimi Raikkonen's uncharacteristically poor launch and early contact were not enough to prevent a podium result for the Lotus F1 Team driver. Raikkonen recaptured his starting spot for his second podium result in the opening three races of the 2013 Formula 1 tour. Worn tires and some lapped traffic in the latter stage of the 2013 Chinese Grand Prix almost cost Lewis Hamilton the final podium spot for Mercedes AMG. After the chaotic scene with his win in Malaysia, Red Bull Racing's Sebastian Vettel recovered from ninth on the starting grid to settled with a fourth place finish in China. Vettel just barely missed the podium as a last lap bobble on one corner cost him the momentum to take third away from Lewis Hamilton.


Photo credit: Pirelli Photo Service


With one exception, the top-10 finishers used three stops over the 56-lap distance of the 2013 Chinese Grand Prix. Having started the race on medium Pirelli slick tires, Jenson Button held on to fifth place as him and his McLaren team opted with a two-stop strategy. Making his first pit stop on lap 23, Button ended the race on soft compound tires. McLaren also tried a two-stop plan with Sergio Perez but it resulted with the Mexican placing outside of the points.

The second Ferrari driven by Felipe Massa finished sixth more than 40 seconds behind Alnoso. Daniel Ricciardo piloting a Ferrari-powered Toro Rosso finished a career-high seventh place. Paul di Resta collected his second eighth place result in 2013 crossing the finish line 2.4 seconds ahead of Romain Grosjean. After a turbulent 2012 season with Lotus F1 Team, Grosjean has collected points on all three races starting off this season. Nico Hulkenberg grabbed the final point available by driving his Sauber-Ferrari to the checkered flag in tenth spot.

Next race on the 2013 Formula 1 racing calendar is the Bahrain Grand Prix on April 21st.


 
2013 Formula 1
Chinese Grand Prix
Race Results


Pos # Car # Driver Team Engine





1 3 Fernando Alonso Ferrari Ferrari
2 7 Kimi Raikkonen Lotus Renault
3 10 Lewis Hamilton Mercedes AMG Mercedes-Benz
4 1 Sebastian Vettel Red Bull Renault
5 5 Jenson Button McLaren Mercedes-Benz
6 4 Felipe Massa Ferrari Ferrari
7 19 Daniel Ricciardo Scuderia Toro Rosso Ferrari
8 14 Paul di Resta Force India Mercedes-Benz
9 8 Romain Grosjean Lotus Renault
10 11 Nico Hulkenberg Sauber Ferrari
11 6 Sergio Perez McLaren Mercedes-Benz
12 18 Jean-Eric Vergne Scuderia Toro Rosso Ferrari
13 17 Valtteri Bottas Williams F1 Renault
14 16 Pastor Maldonado Williams F1 Renault
15 22 Jules Bianchi Marussia Cosworth
16 20 Charles Pic Caterham Renault
17 23 Max Chilton Marussia Cosworth
18 21 Giedo van der Garde Caterham Renault
19 9 Nico Rosberg Mercedes AMG Mercedes-Benz
20 2 Mark Webber Red Bull Renault
21 15 Adrian Sutil Force India Mercedes-Benz
22 12 Esteban Gutierrez Sauber Ferrari

Saturday, April 13, 2013

Not-So Shanghai Surprise: Hamilton Takes Pole for Chinese Grand Prix

Photo Credit: Mercedes AMG



Starting the 2013 Formula 1 season with two races on back-to-back weekends, the V8 engines of 22 powerful open wheel cars fell silent for a two-weekend break in the action. Hosting the third event for the 2013 tour, the Shanghai International Circuit is the sight for the Chinese Grand Prix.

Last year, Nico Rosberg secured for the Mercedes AMG team's first and so far only victory in China. For 2013, the racing organization seeks to repeat their feat with either Rosberg or the newly-added former World Champion Lewis Hamilton. On their way to the win in 2012, Mercedes captured pole for the Sunday event. In six of the previous nine Chinese Grand Prix races, the pole position was the path to first place across the line. Heading into the 2013 running of the Chinese Formula 1 race, qualifying possesses a historical importance.

Unlike the previous two qualifying sessions of the 2013 Formula 1 season, Saturday's time trials at the Shanghai International Circuit was entirely conducted on a dry racetrack. This led to the typical "watch and wait" strategy by major teams. In Q1, it wasn't until halfway through the session until a race car recorded a lap. With drivers swarming the 3.387-mile road course in the dying moment of Q1, the Mercedes AMG team topped the time chart with Lewis Hamilton leading teammate Nico Rosberg by just over a tenth of a second.

Hamilton retains the top spot after the Q2 time trial session wrapped. Fernando Alonso with Ferrari and Sebastian Vettel's Red Bull-Renault were the closest challengers to the leading Mercedes AMG driver. Notable developments in Q2 was the struggling McLaren team. Sergio Perez could do no better than 12th fastest on Saturday while Jenson Button needed to make a last minute effort to vault himself into sixth place at the end of the second session. After than the McLaren team, the Red Bull Racing squadron also experienced an off day in Chinese Grand Prix qualifying. With less than seven minutes remaining in the Q2 cycle, Mark Webber pulled his Red Bull-Renault off-track unexpectedly. Webber will be starting 14th for Red Bull Racing for Sunday's main event.




Photo Credit: Pirelli Photo Service

Maintaining the advantage he had in the previous two sessions, Lewis Hamilton locked up pole for the Chinese Grand Prix in Q3. Clocking a time of 1 minute, 34.484 seconds, Hamilton allows Mercedes AMG to opportunity to defend the event once again with one of their vehicles at the top of the starting grid. Lewis Hamilton is the only two-time event winner in China since the Formula 1 tour began holding an event at the Shanghai International Circuit in 2006.

Starting beside the pole-winning Mercedes will be Kimi Raikkonen driving for Lotus F1 Team. Raikkonen's time was less than three tenths of a second off Lewis Hamilton's pace. On the second row for the 2013 Chinese Grand Prix will be Ferrari's Fernando Alonso and the second Mercedes AMG car driven by reigning race winner Nico Rosberg.

Besides the troubles for Mark Webber's car, the Red Bull Racing team operated outside of their comfort zone in 2013 qualifying. Winner of the previous two qualifying sessions of the season, Sebastian Vettel chose not to log a lap in the final Q3 session. Vettel will start the Chinese Grand Prix in ninth place. The Red Bull Racing organization decided to place medium Pirelli tires on Vettel's race car before the end of Q3 in what appears to be a race strategy. According to Pirelli, the medium compound slick tires can run about twice the distance of soft rubber. McLaren has also elected to use a similar tire strategy for the race car Jenson Button. Button logged a slow lap in Q3 allowing the McLaren-Mercedes to start one position higher than Sebastian Vettel.

A 56-lap affair, the 2013 Chinese Grand Prix is slated to start at 3 PM local time (3 AM eastern time).



2013 Formula 1
Chinese Grand Prix
Qualifying Results

Pos # Car # Driver Team Engine





1 10 Lewis Hamilton Mercedes AMG Mercedes-Benz
2 7 Kimi Raikkonen Lotus Renault
3 3 Fernando Alonso Ferrari Ferrari
4 9 Nico Rosberg Mercedes AMG Mercedes-Benz
5 4 Felipe Massa Ferrari Ferrari
6 8 Romain Grosjean Lotus Renault
7 19 Daniel Ricciardo Scuderia Toro Rosso Ferrari
8 5 Jenson Button McLaren Mercedes-Benz
9 1 Sebastian Vettel Red Bull Renault
10 11 Nico Hulkenberg Sauber Ferrari
11 14 Paul di Resta Force India Mercedes-Benz
12 6 Sergio Perez McLaren Mercedes-Benz
13 15 Adrian Sutil Force India Mercedes-Benz
14 2 Mark Webber Red Bull Renault
15 16 Pastor Maldonado Williams F1 Renault
16 18 Jean-Eric Vergne Scuderia Toro Rosso Ferrari
17 17 Valtteri Bottas Williams F1 Renault
18 12 Esteban Gutierrez Sauber Ferrari
19 22 Jules Bianchi Marussia Cosworth
20 23 Max Chilton Marussia Cosworth
21 20 Charles Pic Caterham Renault
22 21 Giedo van der Garde Caterham Renault