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

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.


     

Teams for the 2010 F1 season

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

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.

Turkish F1 GP

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

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.

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

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 - Qualifying

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

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

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?

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

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

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.

Australian F1 GP - 27-29 March 2009

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

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

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

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

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 GP Practice Session

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?

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?

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

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