Verstappen's Early Red Bull Rush Takes Pole in Bahrain

 

Photo Credit: FIA Pool/LAT Images/Pirelli

An all-new season for Formula 1 has arrived with a slew of pre-season storylines set to be explored as engines turn over for the 2021 Bahrain Grand Prix.

A consistent source of astonishment and a fair level of distain of competitors is the dominance of the Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 Team. A constant fore-runner since the series’ adoption of the current turbo/hybrid power unit format, Mercedes-AMG with Valtteri Bottas as well as seven-time and reigning Formula 1 World Drivers’ Champion Lewis Hamilton continued to have winning pace last season. However, the 2020 season gave glimpses that Red Bull Racing could potentially achieve the enviable task of matching the performance of the German factory team. Max Verstappen’s Honda-powered race car frequently had the pace to fill the mirrors of Bottas and Hamilton last year, At the 2020 season-ending Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, Verstappen and Red Bull Racing put on an impressive showcase taking pole along with the race win convincingly. Though just one event, Red Bull Racing’s performance on the Yas Marina Circuit gives reason to consider 2021 may present Mercedes-AMG with battle unlike any experienced since their seven consecutive Constructors’ championship-winning seasons.

Ahead of Formula 1's season-opening 57-lap event, the 5.412-kilometer Bahrain International Circuit hosted Saturday qualifying to set the grid for the Bahrain Grand Prix. Setting fastest time in the Q1 session, Max Verstappen and his Red Bull Racing team became concerned with the underside of his #33 RB16B race car after the Dutch driver rode a track curb. Though he was bettered on pace in Q2, Verstappen valiantly fought to take pole for the Bahrain Grand Prix late in Q3. Shortly after Lewis Hamilton grabbed the top spot with a 1-minute, 29.385-second lap time, the Honda-powered Red Bull flew across the start/finish line setting the pole of 1 minute, 28.997 seconds. Accounting for his top grid position at Formula 1'a last race of 2020, Verstappen has become the first non-Mercedes driver to score back-to-back poles since Charles Leclerc accomplished the feat during the 2019 campaign.

Though Max Verstappen provided Red Bull Racing with a major reason to celebrate after Bahrain Grand Prix qualifying, the second car driven by new team driver Sergio Perez had a less successful outing. Perez will start 11^th after attempting to advance beyond Q2 on medium compound Pirelli tires.

Photo Credit: Sebastian Kawka for Mercedes-Benz Grand Prix ltd.

Lewis Hamilton starts second for tomorrow’s Bahrain Grand Prix as the defending winner of the event. Setting a top time in the Q3 session that was 0.589 seconds short of Max Verstappen’s benchmark, Hamilton’s Mercedes teammate Valtteri Bottas will launch from third on the second row of the race grid alongside Charles Leclerc. Leclerc and his new teammate Carlos Sainz Jr. gave Scuderia Ferrari and their Tifosi to cheer taking the top two spots in the Q2 session aided by the use of soft compound tires. Sainz will start the Bahrain Grand Prix in eighth place.

Pierre Gasly’s Honda-powered AlphaTauri race car was fifth fastest in Formula 1 qualifying and will start the race beside Daniel Ricciardo who is making his debut with McLaren. McLaren’s return to Mercedes-Benz power showed promise for the squad through Friday practice and contributed to a sixth place after qualifying for Ricciardo and seventh for Lando Norris.

Photo Credit: Mark Sutton/LAT Images/Pirelli

Two-time Formula 1 drivers’ champion Fernando Alonso’s return to Formula 1 racing after a two-year hiatus sees the Spaniard in ninth place ahead of Sunday’s main event driving for Renault’s rebranded Alpine F1 Team. Aston Martin Racing, the rebranded entity that was known as Racing Point last year, starts 2021 with a top qualifying effort coming from Canada’s Lance Stroll who will roll off the grid in tenth place. Stroll’s high-profile new teammate Sebastian Vettel will start the Bahrain Grand Prix in 17^th place after being impeded by local yellow flags in his Q1 session run.

The 2021 Formula 1 season opener is scheduled for Sunday at 6 p.m. local time or 11 a.m. Eastern time.

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2021 Formula 1

Bahrain Grand Prix

Qualifying Results

Pos #	Car #	Driver	Team	Engine
1	33	Max Verstappen	Red Bull Racing	Honda
2	44	Lewis Hamilton	Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 Team	Mercedes-Benz
3	77	Valtteri Bottas	Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 Team	Mercedes-Benz
4	16	Charles Leclerc	Scuderia Misson Winnow Ferrari	Ferrari
5	10	Pierre Gasly	Scuderia AlphaTauri	Honda
6	3	Daniel Ricciardo	McLaren F1 Team	Mercedes-Benz
7	4	Lando Norris	McLaren F1 Team	Mercedes-Benz
8	55	Carlos Sainz Jr	Scuderia Misson Winnow Ferrari	Ferrari
9	14	Fernando Alonso	Alpine F1 Team	Renault
10	18	Lance Stroll	Aston Martin Cognizant F1 Team	Mercedes-Benz
11	11	Sergio Perez	Red Bull Racing	Honda
12	99	Antonio Giovinazzi	Alfa Romeo Racing	Ferrari
13	22	Yuki Tsunoda	Scuderia AlphaTauri	Honda
14	7	Kimi Raikkonen	Alfa Romeo Racing	Ferrari
15	63	George Russell	Williams Racing	Mercedes-Benz
16	31	Esteban Ocon	Alpine F1 Team	Renault
17	6	Nicholas Latifi	Williams Racing	Mercedes-Benz
18	5	Sebastian Vettel	Aston Martin Cognizant F1 Team	Mercedes-Benz
19	47	Mick Schumacher	Uralkali Haas F1 Team	Ferrari
20	9	Nikita Mazepin	Uralkali Haas F1 Team	Ferrari

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1 Racing Mind’s 2020 Formula 1 Mid-Season Team Report Card: Scuderia Ferrari

 

Photo Credit: Ferrari S.p.A.

Team Grade: D+

Driver’s Grade:

Charles Leclerc: B+

Sebastian Vettel: C-

Summary of First Nine Races:

After the 2019 Formula 1 season, Scuderia Ferrari had a decent sense of optimism. Asserting itself as a stable podium-contending team and securing the young, talented Charles Leclerc as a teammate to Sebastian Vettel, Ferrari also faced scrutiny as allegations were made that the Italian team found a power unit exploit.  

For Scuderia Ferrari, the ongoing 2020 Formula 1 season has been a combination of disaster and drama. A less-than competitor car, race incidents as well as an emotional team culture that has not gone unnoticed by outsiders have plagued the organization. 

One of the major targets cited for Ferrari’s difficult 2020 season is the SF1000 race car. According to a BBC Sport article by Andrew Benson, the team realized flaws with the SF1000 after February’s pre-season testing and instituted an upgrade to the vehicle following the first race of the season. Said to have been an uneasy car to drive by both Sebastian Vettel and Charles Leclerc at the early part of the season, the Ferrari SF1000's performance lagging has brought last year’s power unit issue into the conversation for their recent competitive problems.

Charles Leclerc securing a runner-up spot at the Austrian Grand Prix but flaws in the team showed up quickly. In the Styrian Grand Prix, running at the same Red Bull Ring as the Austrian Grand Prix one week later, the Ferraris qualified in a timid 10th and 11th place due in part of it being a wet time trial session. On the opening lap of the grand prix, Leclerc and Vettel collided leading to the eventual retirement of both competitors. The second and so-far final podium scored by Ferrari was at what was a bizarre British Grand Prix where Charles Leclerc took third aided by tire degradation issues of Mercedes that caused Valtteri Bottas to give up his second place late in the Silverstone event. 

Before the 2020 Formula 1 season was launched after it extended break caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, Ferrari announced that Sebastian Vettel would not be returning to the team after this year. It’s debatable to judge how much of an impact that the planned parting is having in regards to the on-track performance this year. At the Spanish Grand Prix, Ferrari’s plan for a single pit stop strategy was accompanied by a radio communication from a frustrated Vettel who was not provided with adequate clarity on their race plans.

Prediction for Rest of the 2020 Season:

During season where the historic race team was ready to commemorate their 1000th grand prix start, Ferrari has little to celebrate as of September. After nine races, many Formula 1 fans and analysts would come to the conclusion that the 2020 season might go down as the worst for the Ferrari team. Scuderia Ferrari has admitted they’re not foreseeing a return to front-running competitiveness until the 2022 season.  

Proving itself still capable of competing for top-10 finishes in 2020, the Italian motorsport icon may fall into a position to gain another podium result. With Sebastian Vettel set to leave the team for Aston Martin next year, Ferrari is likely to put most greater focus around Charles Leclerc.

Hamilton Harnesses Top Time in Hot Hungarian Grand Prix Qualifying

Photo Credit: Mercedes AMG

The 2015 Formula 1 season is in the process of crossing its halfway point this weekend as the stage is set for the 30^th annual Hungarian Grand Prix. The race is also the final race before a month-long summer hiatus for Formula 1 teams. For this reason, drivers and teams want to set a good impression before heading into the latter half of the season.

Just outside of the capital of Budapest, the Hungarian Grand Prix is the 10^th event on the 2015 schedule. Second only to the Monaco Grand Prix street circuit, the 4.381-kilometer Hungaroring gains notoriety for being among the slowest and tightest courses the Formula 1 tour has to deal with in the 2015 season. For this reason, handling overrides all-out engine power when racing on the 12-turn track. There is a theory that the Hungarian Grand Prix will allow some of the performance-challenged teams will be on equalized grounds. Last year, Red Bull Racing’s Daniel Ricciardo pulled-off a victory in a series largely dominated by Mercedes AMG. However, with the consistent front-running performance of the Mercedes AMG team in 2015, there is no place where the team’s advantage isn’t shining through.

With the series engaged in the dog days of summer, track temperatures at the Hungaroring soared to the highest levels recorded this Formula 1 season for qualifying. According to tire supplier Pirelli, track temperature held at 52 degrees Celsius. The warmth combined with the dry weather conditions led to a fast track surface. At a Q3 lap time roughly 7/10ths of a second quicker than the 2014 pole time set by teammate Nico Rosberg, Lewis Hamilton recorded a 1-minute, 22.020-second one-lap effort to take the top spot for the 2015 Hungarian Grand Prix. The Hungarian Grand Prix is a race the Brit has won four times. Hamilton’s successful pole run places Mercedes AMG in possession of all 10 pole positions available during the 2015 Formula 1 campaign. Nico Rosberg captures snatched the other front row spot at the Hungaroring.

Leading the second row is the Ferrari driven by Sebastian Vettel. Interestingly, Vettel’s top time in Q3 was still slower than the pole position of Rosberg in 2014 symbolizing how far the Mercedes AMG team is ahead of the competition. Ferrari’s gains have been notable in 2015 in the hands of Sebastian Vettel and occasionally in the car of Kimi Raikkonen who starts fifth Sunday.

Based on their recent performances, a fourth and seventh place starting spot for the Red Bull Racing entrants could be viewed as a success. Defending winner of the Hungarian Grand Prix Daniel Ricciardo will start in fourth (the same position where the Australian won the 2014 race). Russian teammate Daniil Kvyat is placed on the fourth row of the race in the second Red Bull-Renault.

Both Williams Martini Racing cars will start in the top-10 but Head of Performance Engineering for the team Rob Smedley himself responded to the Hungaroring as, "It’s not a circuit that suits us as much as other tracks do". Valtteri Bottas took sixth place in qualifying for the grand prix while Felipe Massa will start in eighth. Rounding out the top-10 in the line-up for the 2015 Hungarian Grand Prix is Max Verstappen and Romain Grosjean.

With weather reports calling for a warm, dry event, the 70-lap Hungarian Grand Prix will start at 8:00 AM Eastern time on Sunday.

2015 Formula 1

Hungarian Grand Prix

Starting Line-up

Pos #	Car #	Driver	Team	Engine
1	44	Lewis Hamilton	Mercedes AMG	Mercedes-Benz
2	6	Nico Rosberg	Mercedes AMG	Mercedes-Benz
3	5	Sebastian Vettel	Ferrari	Ferrari
4	3	Daniel Ricciardo	Red Bull	Renault
5	7	Kimi Raikkonen	Ferrari	Ferrari
6	77	Valtteri Bottas	Williams F1	Renault
7	26	Daniil Kvyat	Red Bull	Renault
8	19	Felipe Massa	Williams	Mercedes-Benz
9	33	Max Verstappen	Scuderia Toro Rosso	Renault
10	8	Romain Grosjean	Lotus	Mercedes-Benz
11	27	Nico Hulkenberg	Force India	Mercedes-Benz
12	55	Carlos Sainz Jr	Scuderia Toro Rosso	Renault
13	11	Sergio Perez	Force India	Mercedes-Benz
14	13	Pastor Maldonado	Lotus	Mercedes-Benz
15	14	Fernando Alonso	McLaren	Honda
16	22	Jenson Button	McLaren	Honda
17	9	Marcus Ericsson	Sauber	Ferrari
18	12	Felipe Nasr	Sauber	Ferrari
19	98	Roberto Merhi	Manor Marussia	Ferrari
20	28	Will Stevens	Manor Marussia	Ferrari

Sebastian Vettel and Red Bull Racing to Part Ways After 2014 Formula 1 Season

Photo Credit: Infiniti

Numerous Formula 1 seasons have resulted in one team or even one driver appears to own the podium. Due to the competitive nature of the sport, it is less frequent when a team and driver hit on a victory stride that carries through for four seasons. From 2010 to 2013, the Formula 1 world witnessed a great dynasty when young German driver Sebastian Vettel and the fairly young Red Bull Racing team reached a combined zenith in the sport. Winning 34 of his 39 career races in those four years and becoming the only driver ever to win four-consecutive World Drivers’ Championships during that time, Vettel was a feared competitor who wheeled a Renault-powered blue racing machine with Red Bull livery.

This season, the wheels have appeared to have fallen off what had been a roll in Formula 1. Winless this season, Vettel is on the verge of his first full Formula 1 season without a grand prix victory. While Vettel’s newly acquired teammate Daniel Ricciardo scoring three wins with his Red Bull-Renault in 2014, the team has so far been eclipsed by the dominant Mercedes AMG organization. Bracing to lose the #1 on his race car after this season, Sebastian Vettel has now announced his Red Bull-Renault will also lose its driver after 2014.

For what continues to be regarded as a shocking development, media in the Suzuka garage for this weekend’s Japanese Grand Prix were taken aback by breaking news that the four-time Formula 1 champion Sebastian Vettel will leave his ride after six seasons. While he was regularly in the cockpit of a race car for the Red Bull Racing Formula 1 team since 2009, much of his driving career has involved the energy drink company’s support. Every full season Vettel has spent in Formula 1 has been part of Red Bull Racing or with their sister team Toro Rosso in which he started with in 2008. Publishing a release on his website, Sebastian Vettel published a brief thanked Red Bull for 15 years of fostering his career to the point of becoming one of the most renowned race car drivers in the world. “Now I have decided to take the next step in my career but first I would like to express once again big thanks to Dietrich Mateschitz, Dr Helmut Marko, Christian Horner, the whole Red Bull Family, Infiniti Red Bull Racing and Scuderia Toro Rosso.” said Vettel in his Saturday statement.

Photo credit: Infiniti

On the Red Bull Racing team website, Team Principal Christian Horner responded to the news implying Sebastian Vettel had only formally informed him of this 2015 career direction the night before the announcement. Prior to that conversation, Horner suggested that he might have known the move was happening for some time. “I know him well on and off track and you can see he's had a lot on his mind recently; inevitably you don't take a decision like this lightly, but it was last night that he sat down with us and told us for the first time.” the Red Bull Racing Team Principal replied in his statement. A main fixture of the Red Bull Racing team, Sebastian Vettel also represented luxury car maker Infiniti as the brand's Director of Performance. A team sponsor of Red Bull Racing and corporately affiliated with engine supplier Renault, Infiniti's support of Vettel will likely conclude also at the end of the this year.

Shortly after the news of Vettel’s departure, Red Bull Racing quickly announced their 2015 driver line-up. Daniel Ricciardo, who has impressed with his first year with the team, will be joined by Russian Daniil Kvyat. A 2014 rookie driver competing with Scuderia Toro Rosso (operating as a satellite driver development organization for Red Bull Racing) will travel along the same path as Vettel and Ricciardo to the major team.

Vettel’s four championships were coupled with the Red Bull Racing team celebrated a constructors’ title after each season. Chasing their fourth-straight titles heading into the Japanese Grand Prix in 2013, such news of a split between the team and driver occurring at that same event just one year later would have been near unbelievable. However, just as the object of being competitive in Formula 1 is rapidly moving forward, Sebastian Vettel’s abrupt yet amicable parting from Red Bull Racing following the 2014 season is obviously about finding a new, faster line for the future. Having not announced his 2015 plans officially, rumours have strongly pinned the German as destined for Ferrari. Though finding little success with his 2014 Red Bull-Renault, it’s hard to presently figure out if Vettel would be found a winning edge with the Italian Formula 1 team. Ferrari is currently enduring a winless season with former world champions Fernando Alonso and Kimi Raikkonen. If Sebastian Vettel is seated in a Ferrari next season, the situation will somewhat mirror his hero Michael Schumacher’s arrival at the team in 1996.

Final 2013 Formula 1 Pole Captured by Vettel in Brazil

Photo source: Pirelli Photo Service

Concluding what has become a 2013 Formula 1 tour with surprises, the 19-race series wraps in Brazil with a familiar face taking the headlines. Entering the final race of the Formula 1 season, the Red Bull Racing led by German Sebastian Vettel has been operating undefeated in grand prix races for almost three months. Winning the past eight races, Vettel owns the record for most wins in a single season in the premier open wheel racing series. If Sebastian Vettel repeats his pattern for the 2013 Brazilian Grand Prix, the Red Bull-Renault driver will be equalling another mark of greatness. However, with only 71 laps remaining in the 2013 Formula 1 season, the 100 percent effort of other drivers could still potentially unseat the German from a ninth-consecutive race win.  

Punishing the other Formula 1 runners with a Q3 pace, Sebastian Vettel won his seventh pole in a wet session at the Autodromo Jose Carlos Pace. Lapping the 4.309-kilometer Brazilian race track in 1 minute, 26.479 seconds, the #1 Red Bull-Renault eventually rose to the top in a final time trial session delayed by heavy rain. If Vettel succeeds in capturing a ninth grand prix in a row, the German will tie the all-time consecutive winning streak record posted by Alberto Ascari during the 1952 and 1953 race seasons.

For an all-German driver front row, Nico Rosberg mounted the second-fastest effort in qualifying for the Brazilian Grand Prix. The Mercedes AMG race car driven by Rosberg was more than 6/10ths of a second slower on the wet circuit. Four-tenths of a second behind Nico Rosberg's time on track Saturday was Fernando Alonso. A favourite for the driver's championship at the beginning of the 2013, the Alonso and the Ferrari team was slightly off the pace for much of the season provoking a defensive effort late to simply protect the Spanish driver's second place in points. With second place in the drivers' standings locked up in the United States Grand Prix, Alonso will be fighting alongside teammate Felipe Massa to take the runner-up spot in the constructors' championship for the Ferrari team. Within striking distance, Ferrari sits 15 points behind Mercedes AMG for the second-place position. Starting ninth, Felipe Massa's long run with Ferrari will come to an end in his home country.

The biggest  fight remaining in the overall drivers' championship surrounds 3rd place. Separated by the injured Kimi Raikkonen who is not part of the 2013 Brazilian Grand Prix, Lewis Hamilton and Mark Webber are separated by six points. While the Mercedes AMG is struggling to return to the form shown doing the summer, the team appears have found some race pace as of late. In qualifying Webber will be in the fourth-place grid position with Hamilton placed only one spot behind.

In sixth, Romain Grosjean will be working to cap off a marvelous late season effort that his included four podium finishes in the past five grand prix events. Grosjean recently finished in the runner-up position at the United States Grand Prix. Barring complications, it seems Romain Grosjean will be back with the Lotus F1 team next season having excellently stepped up his performance.

Also deserving credit for worthy qualifying performances for the Brazilian Grand Prix, both Toro Rosso drivers secured top-10 spots. Preparing for a 2014 season in the vacated seat of Mark Webber with Red Bull Racing, Daniel Ricciardo just barely beat his teammate Jean-Eric Vergne. With Scuderia Toro Rosso powered by Ferrari engines, the final four vehicles in the top-10 are receiving power from the Italian automaker. Nico Hulkenberg driving for Sauber is located in tenth spot.

For a 71-lap race to complete the 2013 Formula 1 season, the Brazilian Grand Prix is set for Sunday at 2pm local time (11am in the eastern time zone). Just like the weekend so-far in Brazil, rain is slated to be a factor.


2013 Formula 1
Brazilian Grand Prix
Qualifying Results

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

Webber Outruns Vettel in Abu Dhabi Grand Prix Qualifying

Photo Credit: Infiniti

For Red Bull Racing and Sebastian Vettel, the 2013 season has already been successful. Following victory at last week's Indian Grand Prix, Vettel has become a four-time Formula 1 World Drivers' Champion and awarded his team enough points to secure a fourth manufacturer's crown. The acclaimed 2013 Formula 1 champion, Vettel and the #1 car attends the 2013 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix with more relaxation than the 21 other cars. With contentious point fights still in play (including a tight second place constructors' championship battle between Mercedes AMG and Ferrari), the Yas Marina Circuit in the United Arab Emirates will provide some tense on-track action.

Sealing his fourth consecutive drivers' title, anyone expecting the German driver to relax his pace for Abu Dhabi Grand Prix qualifying would be sorely misguided. In Q3, Sebastian Vettel posted a 1 minute, 40.075 second lap around the 5.554-kilometer track. An impressive time that eclipses his 2009 lap record, Vettel would not be the polesitter for Sunday's main event. Cracking around the Yas Marina Circuit in 1 minute, 39.957 seconds, the Red Bull-Renault of Mark Webber is receiving the preferential first place spot. After a pole drought for much of the 2013 season, the Australian Webber is ending his tenure at Red Bull Racing with two poles in the last three races.

Behind the all-Red Bull Racing front row starting the 2013 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, the Mercedes AMG team has filled the second row. By more than 8/100th of a second, Nico Rosberg claimed the advantage over Lewis Hamilton. Having speed through late spring to summer of this season, the factory German race team has been scrambling to regain their once dominating qualifying pace. Only four points ahead of Scuderia Ferrari heading into this weekend's event, Mercedes AMG has shown a stronger hand in qualifying. Felipe Massa posted a time on Saturday equating to a seventh place starting effort for Sunday. Fernando Alonso just missed making the 10-car pack in Q3. 

The fifth place starting spot of the 2013 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix underwent a post-race change with the exclusion of a well-known figure. Reigning winner of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix Kimi Raikkonen will be forced to the rear after his Lotus-Renault E21 car failed a floor deflection test. The failure was caused when a part broke on-track causing the floor to flex more than allowed by Formula 1 rules. Lotus F1 Team principal Eric Boullier commented on the race team's website saying, “No advantage was sought or gained in the incident and the relevant part has been replaced". Raikkonen will have to start 22rd Sunday. Lotus F1 Team's second car driven by the recently hot Romain Grosjean will be promoted to sixth behind Nico Hulkenberg. Hulkenberg's fifth place effort in qualifying with a Suaber-Ferrari race car is also consistent with a meaningful late season effort on the Formula 1 tour.       
Racing for 55 laps Sunday around the Yas Marina Circuit, the 2013 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix operates later in the day than most Formula 1 races. Starting at 5pm local time, the result is an 8am race in the Eastern time zone.



2013 Formula 1
Abu Dhabi Grand Prix
Starting Grid

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

Pit Strategy Nets Vettel Victory in Thrilling Japanese Grand Prix

Photo Credit: Nissan/Infiniti

Since 1987, the Suzuka Circuit has served as the host of the Japanese Grand Prix for all but two years in between the 2013 event. Over that time, the Honda owned race track has produced some storied fights for Formula 1 supremacy. The Alain Prost/Aryton Senna championship battles in 1989 and 1990 remains as the most memorable. Though there was not going to be a tight drivers' point battle heading towards the 5.807-kilometer track, there was a slim chance the race could result in the crowning of the 2013 championship. Heading into the Japanese Grand Prix, Sebastian Vettel needed just 24 points on Ferrari driver Fernando Alonso to seal his Fourth consecutive championship.

Aside from the champion, the Suzuka Circuit is known for producing some hard-fought races along all competitors. The 53-lap, 2013 edition of the Japanese Grand Prix would perhaps rank as one of the finest of the season.

With Mark Webber sitting on pole for the first time in 2013, the Australian is counting down his tenure at Red Bull Racing as Sunday's race was staged. With Webber's teammate Sebastian Vettel starting alongside, the Red Bull-Renaults seemingly appeared to be on easy street for leading into the first corner. What was not foreseen as the lights went out to commence the 2013 Japanese Grand Prix was a faltering by both Red Bull-Renault race cars on the start. Instantly on the race's start Romain Grosjean shot by Vettel and Webber for the lead.

Photo Credit: Andrew Ferraro/Lotus F1 Team

With the leaders running smoothly into turn 1, the cars driven by Jules Bianchi and Giedo van der Garde wrecked. No safety car was deployed since both cars were well off into the turn one run-off area but activation of the DRS system was delayed. Another early retirement from the Japanese Grand Prix was Lewis Hamilton who suffered a cut tire due to contact. The damage to Hamilton's Mercedes AMG proved quite severe resulting in parking the race machine after seven laps.

From fourth to first into the turn corner, the Lotus-Renault of Romain Grosjean's breathtaking pass was one of the Frenchman's trademark daring maneuvers. While his aggression is renowned, the Frenchman's foil has been his inexperience and poor sense in the past Formula 1 seasons. Last year, Grosjean's driving also resulted in the Lotus F1 Team driver being parked by the Formula 1 sanctioning body for making too many mistakes. In 2013, Romain Grosjean has been showing a more level-headed approach that has kept him out of trouble but has not exactly equated the driver registering better performances. The start of the Japanese Grand Prix could be a turning point for Grosjean. Setting several fastest laps, Grosjean pulled out a 3.3-second lead over second place Mark Webber by lap 11. Turning over the lead on a lap 12 pit stop, Romain Grosjean's Lotus-Renault would remain at the front of the Japanese Grand Prix becoming a source of excitement throughout the Formula 1 event.

With Romain Grosjean, Mark Webber and Sebastian Vettel trading the lead among themselves through pit stops, one of those drivers operated on a three-stop strategy for Pirelli racing slicks. Red Bull Racing's Mark Webber ran shorter stints on his tires harnessing the performance of newer compound rubber rolling on the Suzuka Circuit. Running an awkward third for much of the Japanese Grand Prix, Sebastian Vettel elected to bring his Red Bull-Renault to pit road on only two occasions. Banking on the increased track position outweighing the advantage on fresher tires, Sebastian Vettel would proceed with his gamble on lap 37.

Mark Webber pitted for the final time in lap 42 taking faster medium compound tires back out on track for the final 11 laps of the 2013 Japanese Grand Prix. Quickly catching than-second place Romain Grosjean on harder compound rubber, the task of passing the formidable Lotus-Renault proved difficult for Webber's Red Bull-Renault. A battle taking place roughly 9 seconds behind Sebastian Vettel, the second place fight between Grosjean and Webber would benefit the championship points leader every lap it waged. In fact, when Mark Webber was finally able to snatch the runner-up position from the Lotus-Renault, there would be only two laps for the Australian driver to catch Vettel. Proving far too much of a gap, Sebastian Vettel crossed the line 7.1 seconds ahead of his Red Bull Racing teammate for a fifth-straight victory on the 2013 Formula 1 racing calendar.




Photo Credit: Pirelli Photo Service

The triumph was Vettel's fourth Japanese Grand Prix win in five seasons. As a result of a fourth place finish by Fernando Alonso's Ferrari, the 2013 World Drivers' championship will remain in play for at least one more race. Vettel needs only to finish fifth place or better to fend off even the best efforts of Alonso for the season's title. Describing the race as a "very rewarding win", Vettel added, "The Championship is the big target of course, but the season is very long still and the best way to wrap it up is not to think about it. I’m happy to go home for a bit now and to relax before we go out to India. That’s an impressive country and I’m looking forward to racing there in a couple of weeks.”

The second-place finish for Mark Webber was not the desired victory the Australian wanted but was his first podium since the Italian Grand Prix. "I did my best and in the end it was a good result.”, said Webber after 53 laps at Suzuka. As for third place Romain Grosjean, he talked at length about what could be a career-defining run. "It was superb to go past both the Red Bulls like that and it’ll be one of my best memories of the year. The car was fantastic on the first set of tyres and we managed to pull away, but then the Red Bulls were able to reel us in later on. Ultimately, we were the only car to almost catch the bull. It’s been a great home race for my engineer; it’s always good to come to Japan and it’s really good to be back on the podium again.”, said Grosjean.

The next event for the 2013 Formula 1 season will take place October 27th with the running of the Indian Grand Prix.


2013 Formula 1
Japanese Grand Prix
Race Results

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