Formula 1 Grand Prix

Australian F1 GP - Vettel off to a good start to title defence

2011-03-27T05:58:00.000-07:00

The 2011 F1 season finally got on its way with the Australian F1 Grand Prix.

Red Bull’s Sebastian Vettel got his world championship defence off to the best possible start in Albert Park. Vettel took the checked flag with Hamilton about 22 seconds behind him.

Mercedes' Michael Schumacher and Nico Rosberg did not have a good day. Both having to not complete the race.

Vettel now leads the world championship with 25 points to Hamilton’s 18, Petrov’s 12, and Alonso’s 10, while Red Bull lead the constructors’ title chase with 35 points from McLaren on 24, Renault on 15, Ferrari on 14, Sauber on 10 and Toro Rosso on one.

2011 season starting soon

2011-03-08T06:19:00.000-08:00

Yes!! the F1 season for the year 2011 is starting soon.. With the Australian F1 GP as the first stop, since Bahrain withdrew due to its current national situation.

Australian Grand Prix will start off another season from 25 to 27 Mar.

Much remains to be seen if Michael Schumacher will triumph and improve on last season. I hope he does.

I guess the teams to watch would probably still be Redbull, Ferrari, McLaren.

There are a number of changes this year. Different tires - Pirelli, the return of KERS, and the new moveable rear wings.

It will be difficult to predict who will prevail. Only time will tell how the new changes will affect each team.

Can't wait for the season to begin.

Vettel - F1 Champion !!!!

2010-11-16T07:21:00.000-08:00

Sebastian Vettel has done it ... he's the youngest-ever F1 Champion. Vettel led from start to finish in the last race of the season at Abu Dhabi's Yas Marina. A wrong pit stop strategy practically ended Alonso's chances as he was held up behind Petrov all the way to the checkered flag after his pit stop.

The top 10 Driver's championship table:

Pos	Driver	Nationality	Team	Points
1	Sebastian Vettel	German	RBR-Renault	256
2	Fernando Alonso	Spanish	Ferrari	252
3	Mark Webber	Australian	RBR-Renault	242
4	Lewis Hamilton	British	McLaren-Mercedes	240
5	Jenson Button	British	McLaren-Mercedes	214
6	Felipe Massa	Brazilian	Ferrari	144
7	Nico Rosberg	German	Mercedes GP	142
8	Robert Kubica	Polish	Renault	136
9	Michael Schumacher	German	Mercedes GP	72
10	Rubens Barrichello	Brazilian	Williams-Cosworth	47

Results after Turkish F1 Grand Prix

2010-06-01T22:09:00.000-07:00

If you had watched the Turkish F1 GP, you must have wondered - What was Vettel or Webber thinking? The 2 drivers crashed into each other and, as a result, handed the victory to McLaren. Really dramatic. McLaren finished in 1-2 fashion with Hamilton taking the checkered flag.

Michael Schumacher also did well, finishing 4th, ahead of fellow Mercedes teammate Rosberg.

Drivers' Championship table (Top 10 only):

Pos	Driver	Nationality	Team	Points
1	Mark Webber	Australian	RBR-Renault	93
2	Jenson Button	British	McLaren-Mercedes	88
3	Lewis Hamilton	British	McLaren-Mercedes	84
4	Fernando Alonso	Spanish	Ferrari	79
5	Sebastian Vettel	German	RBR-Renault	78
6	Robert Kubica	Polish	Renault	67
7	Felipe Massa	Brazilian	Ferrari	67
8	Nico Rosberg	German	Mercedes GP	66
9	Michael Schumacher	German	Mercedes GP	34
10	Adrian Sutil	German	Force India-Mercedes	22

Constructor's Championship:

Pos	Team	Points
1	McLaren-Mercedes	172
2	RBR-Renault	171
3	Ferrari	146
4	Mercedes GP	100
5	Renault	73
6	Force India-Mercedes	32
7	Williams-Cosworth	8
8	STR-Ferrari	4
9	BMW Sauber-Ferrari	1
10	Lotus-Cosworth	0
11	HRT-Cosworth	0
12	Virgin-Cosworth	0

Championship standings

2010-05-22T22:41:00.000-07:00

Red Bull does it again. Another 1-2 finish at Monaco.

Driver's Championship (Top 10)

Pos	Driver	Nationality	Team	Points
1	Mark Webber	Australian	RBR-Renault	78
2	Sebastian Vettel	German	RBR-Renault	78
3	Fernando Alonso	Spanish	Ferrari	75
4	Jenson Button	British	McLaren-Mercedes	70
5	Felipe Massa	Brazilian	Ferrari	61
6	Robert Kubica	Polish	Renault	59
7	Lewis Hamilton	British	McLaren-Mercedes	59
8	Nico Rosberg	German	Mercedes GP	56
9	Michael Schumacher	German	Mercedes GP	22
10	Adrian Sutil	German	Force India-Mercedes	20

Constructor's Championship

Pos	Team	Points
1	RBR-Renault	156
2	Ferrari	136
3	McLaren-Mercedes	129
4	Mercedes GP	78
5	Renault	65
6	Force India-Mercedes	30
7	Williams-Cosworth	8
8	STR-Ferrari	4
9	BMW Sauber-Ferrari	0
10	Lotus-Cosworth	0
11	HRT-Cosworth	0
12	Virgin-Cosworth	0

Webber pips Vettel for pole position in Spain

2010-05-08T06:38:00.000-07:00

Once again, the two Red Bull drivers are out driving each other in every qualifying. One moment it was Vettel, and the next moment it was Webber. In the end, it was Mark Webber who took the pole position. The only car that went below 1m20s.

Schumi did well and he finally qualifies ahead of Rosberg in the Mercedes GP, which has some radical changes to make the car for suited to Michael's driving style and competitiveness.

Hometown favourite, Fernando Alonso is in 4th, just behind Hamilton in 3rd. Alonso 4th placing split the 2 McLaren with Button qualifying in 5th.

It will be an interesting race tomorrow. Hope to see Schumi on the podium soon.

Results after Shanghai F1

2010-04-30T06:55:00.000-07:00

McLaren got their 1-2 finish in Shanghai. After the Shanghai F1 Grand Prix, this is how the drivers' and constructors' tables look like.

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Driver's Championship Table:

Pos	Driver	Nationality	Team	Points
1	Jenson Button	British	McLaren-Mercedes	60
2	Nico Rosberg	German	Mercedes GP	50
3	Fernando Alonso	Spanish	Ferrari	49
4	Lewis Hamilton	British	McLaren-Mercedes	49
5	Sebastian Vettel	German	RBR-Renault	45
6	Felipe Massa	Brazilian	Ferrari	41
7	Robert Kubica	Polish	Renault	40
8	Mark Webber	Australian	RBR-Renault	28
9	Adrian Sutil	German	Force India-Mercedes	10
10	Michael Schumacher	German	Mercedes GP	10
11	Vitantonio Liuzzi	Italian	Force India-Mercedes	8
12	Vitaly Petrov	Russian	Renault	6
13	Rubens Barrichello	Brazilian	Williams-Cosworth	5
14	Jaime Alguersuari	Spanish	STR-Ferrari	2
15	Nico Hulkenberg	German	Williams-Cosworth	1

Constructor's Championship Table.

PosTeamPoints1McLaren-Mercedes1092Ferrari903RBR-Renault734Mercedes GP605Renault466Force India-Mercedes187Williams-Cosworth68STR-Ferrari29BMW Sauber-Ferrari010Lotus-Cosworth011HRT-Cosworth012Virgin-Cosworth0

Standings after Australian F1 GP

2010-04-02T22:28:00.000-07:00

Driver's Championship:

Pos	Driver	Nationality	Team	Points
1	Fernando Alonso	Spanish	Ferrari	37
2	Felipe Massa	Brazilian	Ferrari	33
3	Jenson Button	British	McLaren-Mercedes	31
4	Lewis Hamilton	British	McLaren-Mercedes	23
5	Nico Rosberg	German	Mercedes GP	20
6	Robert Kubica	Polish	Renault	18
7	Sebastian Vettel	German	RBR-Renault	12
8	Michael Schumacher	German	Mercedes GP	9
9	Vitantonio Liuzzi	Italian	Force India-Mercedes	8
10	Mark Webber	Australian	RBR-Renault	6
11	Rubens Barrichello	Brazilian	Williams-Cosworth	5

Constructor's Championship:

Pos	Team	Points
1	Ferrari	70
2	McLaren-Mercedes	54
3	Mercedes GP	29
4	Renault	18
5	RBR-Renault	18
6	Force India-Mercedes	8
7	Williams-Cosworth	5
8	STR-Ferrari	0
9	BMW Sauber-Ferrari	0
10	Lotus-Cosworth	0
11	HRT-Cosworth	0
12	Virgin-Cosworth	0

Button wins Melbourne GP

2010-03-30T06:51:00.000-07:00

Jenson Button moved within six points of the world championship lead on Sunday with a superb victory for McLaren in a dramatic Australian Grand Prix. Who says F1 racing was boring .... there were lots of action and incidents.

A rain shower just before the start saw the field start on intermediate Bridgestone tyres, and after a brush between Button, Ferrari’s Fernando Alonso and Mercedes’ Michael Schumacher, then a heavy crash involving BMW Sauber’s Kamui Kobayashi, Toro Rosso’s Sebastien Buemi and Williams’ Nico Hulkenberg in Turn Six, the safety car was deployed.

When racing resumed on Lap Five drivers then had to judge the best time to switch to slick tyres as the track began to dry out in places. Button made the decision first, but it seemed premature as he momentarily slid off the road as he rejoined from his pit stop on Lap Six.

By Lap Eight, however there were wholesale pit stops as the road dried out, by which time the Englishman had climbed back up the order. When the final stops had been completed by Lap 11 Red Bull’s Sebastian Vettel had a one-second lead over Button, with Robert Kubica third for Renault ahead of a mighty scrap between Mercedes’ Nico Rosberg, fast-starting Felipe Massa for Ferrari, Red Bull’s Mark Webber and McLaren’s Lewis Hamilton as, further back, Alonso recovered having been spun to the back of the pack at the start.

On Lap 56 Hamilton got alongside and fractionally ahead of Alonso, but the Spaniard braked super late, locked up and just maintained the position, and as Hamilton was obliged to back off a fraction Webber charged into the back of him, spinning them both off. The Australian was subsequently reprimanded for causing the collision.

Thus Kubica brought the Renault home a brilliant second from Massa, with Alonso fourth from Rosberg and the recovered Hamilton, who had put in the drive of the race. The final point went to Schumacher.

After a gripping race Alonso still leads the world championship with 37 points to Massa’s 33, Button’s 31, Hamilton’s 23 and Rosberg’s 20. In the constructors’ stakes, Ferrari still lead with 70 from McLaren on 54, Mercedes on 29 and Renault and Red Bull on 18.

After 1st race - Bahrain

2010-03-24T20:01:00.000-07:00

The season finally got underway with the Bahrain GP. Wow!!! Ferrari did very well, finishing 1st and 2nd. Schumi also did pretty well, finishing in 6th in his first F1 race since coming out of retirement.

Drivers table now looks like this:

Pos	Driver	Nationality	Team	Points
1	Fernando Alonso	Spanish	Ferrari	25
2	Felipe Massa	Brazilian	Ferrari	18
3	Lewis Hamilton	British	McLaren-Mercedes	15
4	Sebastian Vettel	German	RBR-Renault	12
5	Nico Rosberg	German	Mercedes Benz GP Ltd	10
6	Michael Schumacher	German	Mercedes Benz GP Ltd	8
7	Jenson Button	British	McLaren-Mercedes	6
8	Mark Webber	Australian	RBR-Renault	4
9	Vitantonio Liuzzi	Italian	Force India-Mercedes	2
10	Rubens Barrichello	Brazilian	Williams-Cosworth	1

Ferrari now leads the Constructor's championship by more than double the points from closest rival .... McLaren-Mercedes. The Constructors table look like this after the 1st race:

Pos	Team	Points
1	Ferrari	43
2	McLaren-Mercedes	21
3	Mercedes Benz GP Ltd	18
4	RBR-Renault	16
5	Force India-Mercedes	2
6	Williams-Cosworth	1
7	Renault	0
8	STR-Ferrari	0
9	Lotus-Cosworth	0
10	BMW Sauber-Ferrari	0
11	HRT-Cosworth	0
12	Virgin-Cosworth	0

Start of 2010 F1 season

2010-03-12T20:21:00.000-08:00

Yes, this weekend is the start of a brand new season!!!

Practice sessions have started and after the first practice session, here's the standings so far.

Mercedes GP
Nico Rosberg, 1m 57.199s, P8/1m 55.409s, P1
Michael Schumacher, 1m 57.662s, P10/1m 55.903s, P3
Rosberg look good and Schumacher did well too.

McLaren
Lewis Hamilton, 1m 56.163s, P6/1m 55.854s, P2
Jenson Button, 1m 57.068s, P5/1m 56.076s, P4
Button and Hamilton look good as well.

Red Bull
Sebastian Vettel, 1m 57.943s, P13/1m 56.459s, P5
Mark Webber, 1m 57.255s, P9/2m 00.444s, P17
Red Bull had a troubled day. Vettel only managed 5th fastest.

Williams
Nico Hulkenberg, 1m 57.894s, P12/1m 56.501s, P6
Rubens Barrichello, 1m 58.782s, P15/1m 57.452s, P13

Ferrari
Felipe Massa, 1m 57.055s, P4/1m 56.555s, P7
Fernando Alonso, 1m 56.766s, P2/1m 57.140s, P9
Ferrari still not there yet.

Renault
Vitaly Petrov, 1m 58.880s, P16/1m 56.750s, P8
Robert Kubica, 1m 57.041s, P3/1m 58.155s, P15

BMW Sauber
Pedro de la Rosa, 2m 00.250s, P17/1m 57.255s, P10
Kamui Kobayashi, 2m 01.388s, P18/1m 57.352s, P11

Force India
Adrian Sutil, 1m 56.583s, P1/1m 57.361s, P12
Vitantonio Liuzzi, 1m 57.194s, P7/1m 57.833s, P14

Toro Rosso
Jaime Alguersuari 1m 57.722s, P11/1m 59.799s, P16
Sebastien Buemi, 1m 58.399s, P14/No time, P23

Lotus
Heikki Kovalainen, 2m 03.848s, P20/2m 00.873s, P18
Jarno Trulli, 2m 03.970s, P21/2m 00.990s, P19
The famed Lotus name made its official return to racing, with Kovalainen just acing Trulli in each session. Lotus was the fastest newcomers.

Virgin
Timo Glock, 2m 03.680s, P19/2m 02.037s, 20th
Lucas di Grassi, no time, P22/2m02.188, 21st

HRT
Bruno Senna, No time, P23/2m 06.968s, P22
Karun Chandhok, No time, P24/No time, P24

Teams for the 2010 F1 season

2010-02-16T05:20:00.001-08:00

The F1 season is about to start again with the first race in Bahrain. This year there are more teams compared to 2009. some teams have left and new teams have joined the F1.

The biggest comeback would be the return of the legend Michael Schumacher. He is re-united with Ross Brawn under Team Mercedes GP. If the car is good enough, we could see Schumi making a challenge for the Driver's Championship.

Teams for 2010:

1. McLaren

2. Mercedes GP

3. Red Bull

4. Ferrari

5. Williams BMW

6. Renault

7. Force India

8. Toro Rosso

9. Lotus

10. Campos

11. Team US

12. Virgin

Can't wait for the new season to start on 14 Mar 2010 in Bahrain.

Go Ferrari and go Schumi !!!

Singapore F1 Grand Prix

2009-09-29T23:25:00.001-07:00

This year, I chose to stay at home and watch the Singapore Singtel Grand Prix on TV. I must say that the feeling is just not the same. Last year, I bought tickets and experienced the F1 by the trackside. You just do not feel the vibration when watching it on TV.

The race started with much incident with Hamilton in the lead at Turn 1, and the rest of the pack made their way round Turn 1 safely. The 2 Brawn cars made up some track position after a good start. Compared to last year, the Safety car was called upon only once. This was when Adrian Sutil had spun his car and poor Nick Heidfeld's car crashed into the Force India's car. Heidfeld damaged his right rear wheel and was forced to retire, while Sutil was still able to drive his "noseless" car into the pits. Safety car was out for a number of laps and it took a brave track marshal to clear the Force India's nose off the track.

After the Safety Car returned to the pit lane, Vettel was applying good pressure on Hamilton, till he had to do a drive-through penalty for pit lane speeding. Mark Webber crashed his car when his car's brakes failed.

After the 61 laps, it was not a driver or team in the chase for the championship titles . The podium was filled by McLaren (Hamilton), Toyota (Glock) and Renault (Alonso).

I think Alonso did a fantastic race, putting behind him the crashgate scandal. It was a well deserved 3rd place for Alonso. Rumours has it that Alonso will be driving for Ferrari next season ... Can't wait to see him in the red car.

Really missed the loud engine noises ... think I will buy myself tickets next year.

Practice Sessions on 25 Sep 2009 - Singapore F1 GP

2009-09-25T18:28:00.000-07:00

The practice sessions got on the way on 25 Sep 09 at 6pm and 10pm.

It was Deja Vu for Renault .... Grojean crash at exactly the same spot .. Turn 17 ... during Practice 1. Luckily for Renault, the incident happened during practice session. If it was during the race, then it would have been suspected to be another crashgate scandal. There was bad news for Renault, though. Their major sponsor, ING, pulled out.

There was also drama during practice 2. Mark Webber crashed at Turn 23, as he lost control of his car while coming out of Turn 23 onto the Start/Finish straight. It seems like the car hit some dust on the track and lost traction. Or there was a lot of stress on the tires. I guess the teams would be looking at ways to preserve tires during the actual race. This circuit can be quite tough on the tires.

Next up ... qualifying on 26 Sep 09.

Renault cheated?

2009-09-18T09:01:00.000-07:00

Seems like Renault has thrown in the towel and decided not to fight the allegations of fixing the 1st ever Singapore Grand Prix. Top 2 men resigned and that could mean that Renault is admitting to the allegations.

Fernando Alonso won the first ever Singapore night race, after surprising everyone with a really early pitstop on lap 12. Renault had earlier (before the race start) hoped for a safety car incident on a very unfamiliar track, so that Alonso could take advantage of an early pitstop. Coincidentally, Piguet Jr crashed on Lap 14, bringing out the Safety Car. From then on, everything played to the Renault's tune.

Fernando Alonso claims he does not know that and now he has an uphill task of trying to defend his Singapore GP crown under all these allegations.

For me, I am hoping that Ferrari could get onto the podium to overcome the disappointment at the 1st Singapore night race.

Go Ferrari !!!

Ferrari wins at Spa, Force India scores

2009-08-30T07:38:00.001-07:00

Finally, a Ferrari made it to the top of the podium. Kimi Raikkonen brought his Ferrari home after fending off a challenge from Force India's Giancarlo Fisichella. Kimi made a good start, overtaking a stationary Ruben Barrichello at the start of the race. The Ferrari's KERS was put into good use on lap 4 (after the Safety Car went back into the pits), as Kimi overtook Fisichella.

Giancarlo Fisichella surprised everyone when he qualified in pole position, giving Force India their first pole position. By finishing 2nd, he also earned Force India their first constructor's points. It is truely a remarkable day for Force India.

This was one race where Ferrari finished first and last, with Badoer coming in last. It was evident that Badoer lacks experience as Barrichello easily overtook him when Badoer left a big gap at one of the turns.

All in all, this was a great race for Kimi and Ferrari. Next stop, Italy.

Waiting for the Singapore F1 GP ...

2009-08-26T07:30:00.000-07:00

It's about 1 more month to the Singapore F1 Night race. I am really looking forward to that, though I have not gotten my tickets. Still hesitating.

It was nice to see Ruben win the Spanish GP and Kimi taking the last podium spot for Ferrari. Badoer was a bit disappointing to watch. Given the many years he had as a Ferrari test driver, I was expecting him to do much better. Imagine this ... he was testing cars to ensure the cars are perfect for Schumi and other Ferrari drivers, and he kinda screwed up on his debut. Nonetheless, hope to see Badoer do better in the next race.

Schumi is not coming back ...

2009-08-15T04:26:00.000-07:00

So sad that Michael Schumacher is not making his comeback. That's because of his neck injury.

I was really looking forward to seeing him race in Spain and hopefully in Singapore !!! But his health is far more important than making a comeback to help keep Ferrari's season afloat. Now that job will fall on the shoulders of Ferrari's test driver.

At the same, hope Massa is recovering well.

Schumi could be back for Ferrari in Spanish GP

2009-08-02T04:53:00.000-07:00

It was really unfortunate that Messa was injured during the last race. That was a really freak accident. Thank goodness for the helmet. But improving the design of helmets is definitely a must. Hope Messa will recover soon.

Meanwhile, with the Spanish F1 GP coming up in Valencia, Ferrari is one driver short. Guess who has been activated to come out of retirement? It's no other than the seven-time F1 Champion, Michael Schumacher.

Schumi has less than a month now to prepare himself for the race. He has not raced at Valencia and he has not driven the F60 before. With the ban on F1 testing, Schumi could not drive the F60 until practice sessions start in Spain.

It would be great to see the great Michael Schumacher back behind the steering wheel of the F60. He is always exciting to watch. Who knows? He might just turn up in Singapore to race in his first ever night race !!!!!!

Mark Webber wins his first F1 race

2009-07-14T08:18:00.000-07:00

It happened in Germany ... Mark Webber became the first Australian driver to win a F1 race when he overcame a drive through penalty to win the race from start to finish. Ferrari got their first podium finish with Felipe Massa coming in third behind Sebastian Vettel.

But the day, undeniably, belonged to Mark Webber. Well done Mark Webber !!!

1st Mark Webber (Red Bull), 1h36m43.310s;
2nd Sebastian Vettel (Red Bull), 1h36m52.562s;
3rd Felipe Massa (Ferrari), 1h36m59.216s.

British F1 GP - The Bull charges to victory

2009-06-22T04:41:00.000-07:00

Red Bull did a 1-2 finish with Vettel at the top of the podium and Webber coming in 2nd. It was a wekend which Red Bull dominated with Vettel being the fastest in Qualifiers.

Vettel had a good start and lead from start to finish. In a crushingly dominant drive, which underlined the major step forward that the Red Bull team have made on high-speed circuits, Vettel pulled away from Rubens Barrichello's Brawn by as much as a second a lap in a series of quick tours, and never looked remotely challenged.

Both Ferraris managed to finish in the points, though I was hoping that they could do better.

Final results:

1st Sebastian Vettel (Red Bull), 1h22m49.328s;
2nd Mark Webber (Red Bull), 1h23m04.516s;
3rd Rubens Barrichello (Brawn GP), 1h23m30.503s.

Turkish F1 GP - Results

2009-06-08T06:38:00.000-07:00

1st Jenson Button (Brawn GP), 1h26m24.848s;
2nd Mark Webber (Red Bull), 1h26m31.562s;
3rd Sebastian Vettel (Red Bull), 1h26m32.309s.

Looks like only one of my podium prediction was correct. Jenson Button once again finishing first ... extending his lead in the Driver's Championship race and Brawn's grip on the Constructor's Championship.

Turkish F1 GP

2009-06-04T05:15:00.000-07:00

Next up .... Turkey !!!!!

Yep, this weekend 7 Jun is the Turkish F1 Grand Prix. This weekend’s race round Turkey’s Istanbul Park Circuit could show the direction in which the world championship battle will go over the next few Grands Prix. The unusual track, which runs anti-clockwise, places a premium on aerodynamic performance and that is bound to favour the Brawns.

The Ferraris will be strong here, and the team are feeling buoyed after their competitive performances in Spain and Monaco.

Championship leader Jenson Button starts favourite. However, I expect Ferrari to make a challenge if they can get the cars to the first 2 rows of the starting grid.

My prediction for this race is Jenson, Kimi, Rubens for the podium.

Monaco F1 GP - Button does it again

2009-05-25T07:03:00.000-07:00

Yep .. Jenson Button wins again. Brawn finished in the top 2 positions for the Monaco F1 Grand Prix. Thus extending the lead that Brawn has over the other teams in the Constructor's Championship race.

Finishing in 3rd and 4th is Ferrari, Kimi and Massa. Looks like Ferrari is finally making a challenge ... if they can get their cars to start in the first couple of rows. But that's progress, the way I see it.

Let's hope Ferrari can do better in the next race in Turkey.

Shell V-Power at 98 Octane prices

2009-05-18T23:53:00.000-07:00

It's here again .. Shell Petrol Stations are offerring Shell V-Power at 98 octane prices between 7pm to 11pm from 21 May to 24 May 09. Feel the power in your car this weekend.

Shanghai F1 GP - Red Bull in maiden 1-2 finish

2009-04-19T03:30:00.000-07:00

Sebastian Vettel started started from pole position in China on Sunday afternoon, and this time he led team mate Mark Webber home in a superb one-two.

In wet and windy conditions, it was the Mercedes-Benz safety car which led the field for the first eight laps. The safety car had already done more laps this season that Heikki Kovalainen! When the safety car pulled in after the first eight laps, the Red Bulls led until their first refuelling stops, Webber on Lap 14, Vettel on 15.

WIth the wet weather, it was again an exciting race with lots of cars spinning due to less grip. Again, Ferrari finished without the points, thus extending their worst start to the F1 season.

Button extends his championship lead to 21 points, ahead of Barrichello on 15, Vettel on 10 and Webber on 9.5.

The constructor's championship stands as follows:

1. Brawn-Mercedes - 36
2. RBR-Renault - 19.5
3. Toyota - 18.5
4. McLaren-Mercedes - 8
5. BMW Sauber - 4
6. Renault - 4
7. STR-Ferrari - 4
8. Williams-Toyota - 3.5
9. Ferrari - 0
10. Force India-Mercedes - 0

Ferrari is suddenly found in Force India's territory in the constructor's point standing ... that must be very unfamiliar territory for Ferrari.

Malaysian F1 GP - Results

2009-04-08T06:48:00.000-07:00

What a race!!! First the timing of the race was shifted back to about 5pm so that more viewers from Europe can watch the race. Second, the race did not even finish!!!! The heavy downpour suspended the race. If they had not shifted the timing of the race back by 2 hours, the race would have completed in perfect weather ....

I was watching the race on TV, and must say that it was really bad weather when the rain came down on Sepang. There was hardly any visibility at all. How did the drivers know there was a bend when I can't even see the track via a car camera!!!! What a crazy race!!!.

When the red flag came out on lap 32, the order read: Button, Glock, Heidfeld (a long way behind after a spin), Trulli, Barrichello, Hamilton, Rosberg, Webber, Massa, Bourdais, Alonso, Nakajima, Piquet, Raikkonen, Sutil, Vettel, Buemi and Fisichella (who had spun twice).

At 18.52 hours (or 6.52pm) the race directors finally called it off. Button had won, it was just a matter of deciding how far they would go back to decide the order behind him. In the end, that was lap 31, giving a race finishing order of:

Button, Heidfeld, Glock; Trulli, Barrichello, Webber, Hamilton and Rosberg as the points scorers. Then: Massa, Bourdais, Alonso, Nakajima, Piquet, Raikkonen, Vettel, Buemi, Sutil and Fisichella.

Since the race had gone past the 50 percent mark but not 75 percent, half points were awarded. But for Button, it was the chance to extend his championship lead from 10 points to 15, with Barrichello next on 10 from Trulli on 8.5. In the constructors' championship, Brawn have 25 to Toyota's 16.5.

For Ferrari, the season has started really bad for them, scoring nothing after 2 races. Hope they will pick up some points soon ... starting with the Shanghai GP.

Malaysian F1 GP - Qualifying

2009-04-04T04:17:00.000-07:00

Once again, Brawn GP has shown its speed and strength by taking the pole position in the Malaysian GP.

Brawn GP's Jenson Button and Toyota's Jarno Trulli fought a tense battle for supremacy in Sepang qualifying on Saturday afternoon, with pole position finally falling to the Briton in 1m 35.181s. Trulli's final effort yielded 1m 35.273s, good enough to take second place from Sebastian Vettel's Red Bull, which the German had lapped in 1m 35.518s.

Rubens Barrichello was fourth on 1m 35.651s, ahead of Timo Glock on 1m 35.690s, Nico Rosberg in the Williams on 1m 35.750s, Mark Webber in the second Red Bull on 1m 35.797s and Robert Kubica in the lead BMW Sauber on 1m 36.106s.

It was not a great day for Ferrari, with Kimi Raikkonen their best runner in ninth on 1m 36.170s, ahead of Fernando Alonso who only did one run for 1m 37.659s in the Renault.

Lewis Hamilton and Heikki Kovalainen in the McLarens on 1m 34.905s and 1m 34.924s respectively. Sebastien Bourdais was 15th on 1m 35.431s.

As the final times were posted in Q1, the shock sank in that Felipe Massa had missed the cut for Ferrari, finishing a glum 16th on 1m 35.642s as he was unable to generate good tyre temperature.

Factor in Vettel's 10-grid place drop from Australia, and Barrichello's five-place drop after his gearbox change on Friday, and the starting order reads:

Button, Trulli; Glock, Rosberg; Webber, Kubica; Raikkonen, Barrichello; Alonso, Heidfeld; Nakajima, Hamilton; Vettel, Kovalainen; Bourdais, Massa; Piquet, Fisichella; Sutil, Buemi.

Malaysian F1 GP - Practice 2

2009-04-03T07:58:00.000-07:00

Kimi Raikkonen led team mate Felipe Massa in a Ferrari one-two in Friday afternoon’s second practice session for the Malaysian Grand Prix at Sepang. The Finn dipped below Massa’s 2008 pole time of 1m 35.748s with 1m 35.707s, and the Brazilian was just 0.125s slower on 1m 35.832s.

The Ferraris took control halfway through, and Sebastian Vettel in the Red Bull got closest to them as Williams and Brawn lacked the sheer pace they have shown of late. Rubens Barrichello and Jenson Button clocked 1m 36.161s and 1m 36.254s respectively.

It looks like things are going fine for Ferrari so far ... let's see how they do for qualifying.

Malaysian F1 GP

2009-04-02T07:45:00.000-07:00

The 2nd race of the 2009 season will be in Malaysia, Sepang circuit. Based on what was seen during the Australian F1 GP, it seems that the Brawn GP will once again be the team to look out for.

Hamilton was disqualified for the Austalian GP after investigations revealed that McLaren had instructed Hamilton to let Trulli pass when the safety car was out on the tracks.

Sepang circuit has always be one of the favourite circuit of many F1 drivers, despite the intense heat.

Once again, I would be rooting for Ferrari to finish on the podium, despite their struggles during the Australian GP.

Australian F1 GP - Guess who won?

2009-03-29T17:50:00.000-07:00

Not Ferrari, not McLaren. It's Brawn GP !!!!

Who would have expected a team, which few months back was practically non-existent after Honda announced its withdrawal from F1 GP, would emerged winners and taking the top 2 spots on the podium.

Imagine ... with Honda pulling out, both Jenson and Ruben were practically looking at losing their job in the driver's seat. Then came Brawn GP, with their sponsor Virgin. With their new technical director, Ross Brawn at the helm, the car was blowing away its competition during the testing phase.

Despite the official protest on the Brawn's car diffuser design, Jenson Button led the race from start to finish. This was a historical win for Brawn. Its maiden F1 GP race and Brawn clinched the top 2 spot on the podium. This car is really looking to be way ahead of the rest of the field.

Ferrari clearly struggled during the race with steering problems (Massa) and tyre problems (Raikkonen).

Looks like Brawn GP will be giving Ferrari and McLaren a run for their money this 2009 season. Next stop ..... Malaysian F1 GP at Sepang.

Driver numbers for 2009 F1 season

2009-03-25T06:13:00.000-07:00

The FIA issued a revised entry list for the 2009 FIA Formula One World Championship, with driver number changes at three teams.

The full entry list of constructors and drivers is as follows:

McLaren Mercedes
1 Lewis Hamilton (GB)
2 Heikki Kovalainen (FIN)

Ferrari
3 Felipe Massa (BR)
4 Kimi Raikkonen (FIN)

BMW Sauber
5 Robert Kubica (PL)
6 Nick Heidfeld (D)

Renault
7 Fernando Alonso (E)
8 Nelson Piquet (BR)

Toyota
9 Jarno Trulli (I)
10 Timo Glock (D)

STR Ferrari
11 Sebastien Bourdais (F)
12 Sebastien Buemi (CH)

Red Bull Renault
14 Mark Webber (AUS)
15 Sebastian Vettel (D)

Williams Toyota
16 Nico Rosberg (D)
17 Kazuki Nakajima (J)

Force India Mercedes
18 Adrian Sutil (D)
19 Giancarlo Fisichella (I)

Brawn Mercedes
20 Jenson Button (GB)
21 Rubens Barrichello (BR)

2009 Changes for F1 races and cars

2009-03-23T06:04:00.000-07:00

This season, there are major changes implemented for F1 cars. Major changes are aimed at enhancing the F1 race by allowing more overtaking opportunities while at the same time reducing costs.

The most significant changes is to the aerodynamics of the F1 cars, with smaller rear wings and wider front wings which, may be adjusted by the driver, twice per lap. Another major change is the implementation of KERS, the Kinetic Energy Recovery Systems which can give drivers up to an additional 85 horsepower for 6.6 seconds a lap. This is available via a steering-wheel mounted ‘boost button’. Then there is the return to slick tyres, a ban on testing once the season has started, and the requirement that engines have to cover twice the mileage that they were allowed in 2008.

KERS represents largely uncharted territory, while giving F1 a crucial green edge to its activities. While it offers a calculable performance advantage, KERS also presents significant problems with packaging, since KERS will affect a car’s crucial weight distribution. Then there is the issue of deploying KERS, which has an effect on a car’s handling and balance at critical times during each lap. With KERS the problem is exacerbated by the weight of the system, and the fact that it has to be mounted towards the rear of the car, thus complicating weight distribution.

Safety car - The pit lane will now remain open throughout any safety-car period, allowing drivers to refuel without penalty. However, to ensure that drivers are not tempted to speed back to the pit lane, a new software system which employs GPS and the cars’ standard ECU has been introduced. When the safety car is deployed, each driver is given a minimum ‘back to pit’ time based on his position on track. If he arrives in the pit lane before that time he will be penalised.

Singapore F1 Marina Bay Circuit - 3 corners named.

2009-03-18T23:43:00.000-07:00

A contest "It's Your Turn" was held to get the public to suggest names for 3 of the corners of the Singapore F1 Marina Bay circuit. Judges had to pick the winning names from a total of 1440 entries.

Turn 1 of the Marina Bay street circuit after the start-finish straight has been named Sheares, after the Benjamin Sheares Bridge which runs over it.

Turn 7, the scene of many a thrilling overtaking manoeuvre near the War Memorial, will now be known as Memorial. Imagine you (the driver) being overtaken at this corner by your rival .... you can bet both drivers will remember that moment.

The tricky 10th corner has been christened Singapore Sling. Tackle this turn well and drivers will "slingshot" ahead of the chasing pack.

Australian F1 GP - 27-29 March 2009

2009-03-11T07:28:00.000-07:00

Time flies .. and it is the month of March already. That means that we are coming to the start of the 2009 F1 Grand Prix season.

The 2009 season will start with the race in Australia on the 27 Mar 2009, with the actual race on 29 Mar 2009. Can't wait for it to start. I hope that the red car will triumph this season.

Season's race schedule: http://singaporef1gp.blogspot.com/2008/11/latest-2009-schedule.html

Changes to Singapore F1 Marina Circuit .... More overtaking chances, safer and hopefully more exciting

2009-02-04T06:55:00.000-08:00

Following the huge success of last year’s inaugural Singapore Grand Prix, organisers announced that the layout of the Marina Bay circuit will be improved further ahead of the 2009 event.

Following consultation with the FIA and the teams, minor changes will be made to Turns One, 13 and 14 to further increase the potential for overtaking. Road surface improvements will be mnade to Turns Five, Six and Seven. Changes will also be made to the pit-lane entry and exit as well as the Turn 22 runoff area.

The changes to Turn One will result in slower cornering speed so that it provides potential overtaking opportunities in the braking zone at the approach to the corner. Turn 13, the tight left-handed hairpin after the historic Anderson Bridge, will see increased cornering speed, and more opportunity for overtaking in the braking zone at Turn 14. With this revision, the cars are likely to reach speeds of approximately 275km/h along Esplanade Drive. Wow !!! Capturing the cars on camera at such speeds wil be a real challenge.

During the 2008 Singapore Grand Prix, cars entering the pit lane and cars lapping the track travelled at vastly different speeds. To improve safety, a dedicated pit-lane entry will be constructed. The pit exit will also be changed. Following suggestions from the FIA, the pit lane will be realigned and lengthened for 2009, exiting on the drivers’ left at Turn Two, away from the racing line and onto a part of the circuit where the cars will all be accelerating. .

The 2009 Singapore Grand Prix will take place from September 25-27. Let's hope this year's race will be even more exciting, and I personally hope that a Ferrari will win the race.

Ferrari unveils F60

2009-01-18T06:29:00.000-08:00

Ferrari was the first team to officially launch their 2009 car after unveiling the F60. It is the car that will be driven by Felipe Massa and Kimi Raikkonen as they defend the Italian squad's 2008 constructors' title.

The F60 features a lower, wider front wing and a taller, narrower rear wing. Its name commemorates what will be Ferrari’s 60th F1 campaign. The F60 is the 55th single-seater produced by Ferrari to contest the world championship and it made its track debut at the team's Mugello circuit, with Massa behind the wheel. The new car has far fewer aerodynamic appendages on its bodywork compared to its predecessor, due to the rule changes designed to cut downforce and promote more overtaking.

The F60’s design also takes into account two other major rule changes - the return of slick tyres and the option to use a Kinetic Energy Recovery System (KERS). Ferrari’s KERS has been designed in collaboration with Magneti Marelli and is centrally mounted on the engine under the rear part of the chassis.The car’s seven-speed transmission has been redesigned to optimise its aerodynamic efficiency, while Ferrari’s Type 056 V8 has been modified in accordance with the new ruling that requires engines to last for three Grand Prix meetings from 2009, with rev limits cut from 19,000 to 18,000 rpm.

Follow the below link to see official photos of the new Ferrari's F60.
http://www.formula1.com/gallery/launches/2009/342.html

Motorsport Facility of the Year 2008

2008-11-14T07:11:00.000-08:00

Wow, what an achievement for Singapore!!!!

The Marina Bay circuit was awarded the title of motorsport facility of the year and was commended for its revolutionary lighting system, and for the location of the track, which was situated right in the heart of the Central Business District.

Being the first ever night race, I have to agree that the lighting system was really fantastic. Night was turned into day with those lights. The circuit has a great backdrop of the city with its night lighting and it was a sight to behold as the cars raced round the circuit.

This award really shows the appreciation to the people who brought the F1 to Singapore. Well done, Singapore !!!!

Latest 2009 schedule

2008-11-09T05:49:00.000-08:00

2009 FIA Formula One World Championship

29 March Australia
5 April Malaysia
19 April China
26 April Bahrain
10 May Spain
24 May Monaco
7 June Turkey
21 June Great Britain
12 July Germany
26 July Hungary
23 August Europe (Valencia)
30 August Belgium
13 September Italy
27 September Singapore
4 October Japan
18 October Brazil
1 November Abu Dhabi

Massa wins the race .. but Hamilton wins the "war"

2008-11-04T05:14:00.000-08:00

The 2008 F1 Grand Prix has officially ended with the completion of the Brazilian F1 GP. Hometown hero, Massa, led from start to finish to take the chequered flag. You can imagine the joy on Massa's face when he crossed the line. However, that joy soon turned to tears a few seconds later. Hamilton dramatically overtook Timo Glock on the final turn to cross the finish line in 5th position to claim the Drivers' Championship title by a single point.

Nonetheless, Massa took his lost of the drivers' championship title graciously. And I must say, Hamilton definitely kept his cool and deserved to win the title. Of course, the Constructors' title went to Ferrari, for the 16th time.

What a season!!! For me, it was a great F1 season, especialy when the F1 rolled into Singapore for its first ever night race. I cannot described the feeling of being at the Singapore F1 race, the lights, the sounds of the F1 roaring past you, and the thrill of trying to capture a F1 car (speeding past you at high speed) on my DSLR camera. That was really a test of my amatuer phtography skills. I will be looking forward to 2009 when the next season starts again, with the Singapore GP being the key interest on my calendar.

Brazilian F1 Grand Prix

2008-11-02T07:27:00.000-08:00

The last race of the 2008 season will start soon. Yes! Massa qualified first and Hamilton starts from 4th position. This race is expected to be close, with Hamilton needing only a top 5 finish to clinch the drivers' championship. Toyota's Trulli was a surprise package after he qualified in 2nd position, after edging Kimi to 3rd position.

If the weather remains dry, it should favour Ferrari, as Hamilton has shown that he is very capable in wet weather conditions.

Starting Grid for Brazilian F1 Grand Prix:
1st - Massa
2nd - Trulli
3rd - Raikkonen
4th - Hamilton
5th - Kovalainen
6th - Alonso
7th - Vettel
8th - Heidfeld
9th - Bourdais
10th - Glock
11th - Piquet
12th - Webber
13th - Kubica
14th - Coulthard
15th - Barrichello
16th - Nakajima
17th - Button
18th - Rosberg
19th - Fisichella
20th - Sutil

Stay tuned for the post race blog.

Brazilian GP Practice Session

2008-11-01T08:14:00.000-07:00

This is the last race on the 2008 F1 calanedar. Looks like this race is really going to be interesting and it will certainly determine if either Hamilton or Massa will be crowned the champion in the Driver's Championship table.

Massa clocked the fastest time in the practice session, sending out a strong signal to Hamilton (probably) that he is gunning for the driver's title. However, Hamilton was not far behind in the practice session.

For Massa to win the championship, Hamilton needs to finish in a position lower than 5th or have an engine/mechanical failure (since Hamilton is running on the same engine used for the last race). Reliability could be an issue for the Mclaren car.

This last race will be really interesting. I am gunning for Massa to win the race and hopefully the championship.

Standardised Engines for all F1 cars?

2008-10-30T06:51:00.000-07:00

With the global economies looking to head for a downturn, FIA is looking for ways to cut costs in order to help teams keep their budget low. One of the idea they are toying with is that of using standardised engines on all cars.

I find this very ironical. F1 has always been a sport where engine manufacturers put their new engines to the test. Engines are also one component of the cars which the leading teams (like Ferrari, Honda, Toyota, Mclaren, etc) take pride to improve and that is what makes the contructors' championship interesting. Apart from car setup, race strategies used by teams, reliability of their engines are also important if they want to win the contructors' title.

It is probably why Ferrari and Toyota have expressed their displeasure and they could withdraw from the F1 if FIA gets their way on the standardised engines issue. If they go the way of standardised engines, then they might as well scrap the F1 and focus on A1 GP (where every team uses the standardised car).

In my opinion, what is F1 without Ferrari.

Who is going where in F1?

2008-10-24T08:19:00.000-07:00

As the season draws to a close with the upcoming Brazilian F1 GP, it is interesting to know which team the drivers will be driving for in 2009 season.

Ferrari: Kimi Raikkonen and Felipe Massa will continue their Ferrari partnership at least until the end of 2010. However, there are still those who believe the Finn could turn his back on the Scuderia - and Formula One - at the end of the year. The man himself is insisting the loss of his drivers’ title - possibly to his team mate - will only inspire him to come back stronger in 2009. And given his revived form in recent races, only the most cynical would disagree.

McLaren: Lewis Hamilton is securely signed until the end of 2012 and Heikki Kovalainen has been confirmed for a second season with the Woking team.

BMW Sauber: Robert Kubica was no doubt high on the shopping list of many a team boss for 2009. In the end the Pole opted to stick with BMW, for one more season at least. Nick Heidfeld’s qualifying problems prompted the team to delay their ’09 announcement, but with those now solved, the team are keeping their faith in the German, ensuring an unchanged line-up.

Renault: Fernando Alonso is staying put, especially after back-to-back wins in Singapore and Japan in a much improved R28. Who is his likely 2009 team mate? Nelson Piquet’s future remains uncertain.

Toyota: Jarno Trulli and Timo Glock have proved a consistent and competitive pairing in 2008 and both will continue in 2009. It will be Glock’s second season and Trulli’s fifth with the Japanese team, who still await that elusive first win.

Toro Rosso: With Sebastian Vettel departing for Red Bull Racing, there’s at least one ’09 vacancy up for grabs. Gerhard Berger has admitted he’s having a tough time making a decision on Sebastien Bourdais (who in turn has said he can’t wait around forever). It looks like there is likely to be new faces at Toro Rosso in 2009.

Red Bull Racing: Another clear cut line-up here, with Mark Webber retained and Monza winner Vettel stepping up from Toro Rosso to replace the retirement-bound father-to-be David Coulthard.

Williams: Nico Rosberg stays put for 2009, along with Japanese team mate Kazuki Nakajima.

Honda: Honda have one of the most experienced and successful line-ups on the grid and both Jenson Button and Rubens Barrichello are keen to remain for 2009. But neither driver has been confirmed, most likely because Alonso’s future plans remain uncertain. In the unlikely event that the Spaniard is tempted away from Renault, who would be for the chop? According to reports it’s Barrichello, with some even suggesting that Honda bosses in Japan are keen to replace the veteran Brazilian with a younger name regardless of the Alonso outcome.

Force India: Comments from team owner Vijay Mallya would lead you to believe that Force India’s line-up of Giancarlo Fisichella and Adrian Sutil is a dead cert to remain unchanged. However, there has been no official announcement, so nothing is confirmed yet.

2009 F1 Grand Prix schedule

2008-10-11T08:36:00.000-07:00

The F1 schedule has been released. There will be 18 races in all. The race of interest to me would of course be the Singapore leg of the F1 calendar, where I would once again get tickets to watch the race. The Canadian Grand Prix is replaced by Abu Dhabi Grand Prix (the last race).

2009 FORMULA 1 ING AUSTRALIAN GRAND PRIX (Melbourne) : 26 - 29 Mar

2009 FORMULA 1 PETRONAS MALAYSIAN GRAND PRIX (Kuala Lumpur) : 03 - 05 Apr

2009 FORMULA 1 GULF AIR BAHRAIN GRAND PRIX (Bahrain) : 17 - 19 Apr

FORMULA 1 GRAN PREMIO DE ESPANA TELEFONICA 2009 (Catalunya) : 08 - 10 May

FORMULA 1 GRAND PRIX DE MONACO 2009 (Monte Carlo) : 21 - 24 May

2009 FORMULA 1 TURKISH GRAND PRIX (Istanbul) : 05 - 07 Jun

2009 FORMULA 1 SANTANDER BRITISH GRAND PRIX (Silverstone) : 19 - 21 Jun

FORMULA 1 GRAND PRIX DE FRANCE 2009 (Magny-Cours) : 26 - 28 Jun

FORMULA 1 GROSSER PREIS SANTANDER VON DEUTSCHLAND 2009 (Nürburgring) : 10 - 12 Jul

FORMULA 1 ING MAGYAR NAGYDIJ 2009 (Budapest) : 24 - 26 Jul

2009 FORMULA 1 TELEFONICA GRAND PRIX OF EUROPE (Valencia) : 21 - 23 Aug

2009 FORMULA 1 ING BELGIAN GRAND PRIX (Spa-Francorchamps) : 28 - 30 Aug

FORMULA 1 GRAN PREMIO SANTANDER D'ITALIA 2009 (Monza) : 11 - 13 Sep

2009 FORMULA 1 SINGAPORE GRAND PRIX (Singapore) : 25 - 27 Sep

2009 FORMULA 1 FUJI TELEVISION JAPANESE GRAND PRIX (Suzuka) : 09 - 11 Oct

2009 FORMULA 1 CHINESE GRAND PRIX (Shanghai) : 16 - 18 Oct

FORMULA 1 GRANDE PREMIO DO BRASIL 2009 (Sao Paulo) : 30 Oct - 01 Nov

2009 FORMULA 1 ETIHAD AIRWAYS ABU DHABI GRAND PRIX (Abu Dhabi) : 13 - 15 Nov

Pictures from F1 support races.

2008-10-04T05:07:00.001-07:00

The Porsche Carrera Race ..... with our very own Singaporean drivers.

THe BMW Formula race .....

The Aston Martin race ... featuring Aston Martin DB8s

Guess not many people are interested in these 3 support races as the majority of the crowd only started streaming into the circuit around 6pm.

Pictures from 1st Singapore Singtel F1 Grand Prix

2008-10-02T07:00:00.000-07:00

Here are some pictures taken during the night race. It was a worthwhile trip to the F1. It gave a different perspective of watching the F1 race, compared to watching it on TV. Definitely will get tickets to 2009's Singtel F1 Grand Prix, and hope to improve on my photography skills to take better sports photos.

That is the safety car leading the pack down the circuit after Nelsinhq Piquet's accident.

Here's a shot of Heikki's car at the One Raffles Link turn.

A Force India's car.

Toyota's F1 car.

A glimse of Massa's car at turn into City Hall's part of the circuit. Travelling in excess of 200km/h

Massa at the turn at Fullerton Hotel, after Anderson's Bridge

Fernando Alonso at the Fullerton Hotel's turn, after Anderson's Bridge

Game over for Rubens Barrichello's Honda

A glimpse of Kimi at the turn outside Singapore Recreation Club.

Kovalainen's Mclaren-Mercedes

This was how fast Massa was taking the corner outside Singapore Recreation Club. I was panning the camera so fast that the foreground is so blurred.

Singapore F1 Night race - Drivers Parade

2008-10-01T19:39:00.001-07:00

Managed to get some photographs of the F1 drivers during the Drivers' Parade with my camera. Photos are taken from SRC. Pictures may appear a little blurry due to panning, since the vintage cars are also moving quite fast at this particular fast corner of the race circuit.

First F1 Night Race - Singpore F1 Grand Prix

2008-09-28T20:35:00.000-07:00

Yes .. the day has finally arrived. The first ever F1 Grand Prix to be held at night and it is right here at our door step in Singapore.

Expecting a big crowd, I started my journey to the F1 circuit as early as 2.30pm. I arrived at the gates at about 3pm. The Aston Martin support race has already began, as I joined the queue to clear the security checks. The checks were very quick and thorough. Nonetheless, I was through the gates within 5 mins.

Little known to some poeple, there were 3 support races prior to the F1 night race. They are the Aston Martin , BMW and the Porsche Carrera races. Aston Martin race featured drivers in their Aston Martin DB8s. The races lasted for 10 laps. Engine noise was very loud, but cannot be compared to the loudness of an F1 engine. The next race was the BMW race. This feature cars looking similar to F1s but smaller. I was surprised as I was expecting to see BMWs going past me. The 3rd support race was the Porsche race, featuring Porsche Carreras. Engines were quieter then the Aston Martins.

The inaugural F1 night race started at 8pm and before the first 20 laps was completed, out came the safety car. I guess the turning point of Massa's race came with his first pitstop. What was the lollipop man doing !!!! Lifting the lollipop (albeit a digital lollipop) when the fuel dispenser was still connected to Massa's car !!! That cost Massa and Kimi their race as they fought hard to regain track position. Both Ferraris finished without a single point for the first time this season and Ferrari lost their contructor's first position to Mclaren. In the end ... it was Fernando Alonso who took the chequered flag with Nico Rosberg coming in 2nd, and Lewis Hamilton finishing 3rd. Hamilton now leads by 7 pooonts from Massa in the F1 Drivers Championship standings.

Will be posting some pictures soon, once I get them sorted out. I must say that the F1 cars were travelling at such high speeds, it made photo taking a real challenge for an amatuer photographer (like me). Stay tuned.