European Grand Prix - Valencia Street Circuit, Spain - Race Highlights All the cars lined up on starting grid, order on track: Vettel, Webber, Hamilton, Alonso, Massa, Button, Rosberg, Schumacher, Heidfeld, Sutil, Petrov, Di Resta, Barrichello, Kobayashi, Maldonado, Perez, Buemi, Alguersuari, Kovalainen, Trulli, Glock, Liuzzi, Ambrosio, Karthikeyan. As the five red light illuminates, and European Grand Prix, 2011 is go go go!!! Lap 1: Hamilton made a very slow start. Massa just pushing his teammate, Alonso. Massa made a move on Hamilton. He is wheel to wheel with Hamilton in first corner. But Alonso take advantage and moves ahead of both. Vettel is pulling away from teammate Webber. Order is Vettel, Webber, Alonso, Massa, Hamilton, Rosberg, Button. Rosberg had overtaken Button for 6th. Biggest losers were Petrov and Maldonado. Petrov with hard compound tyres could not maintain the position and was dropped to 15th in the starting. Force India Sutil got ahead of Heidfeld for P9. Excellent start for Force India. Lap 2: Buemi made a very good start. Homeboy Alonso already in 3rd. Pushing hard for 2nd. Lap 3: Vettel is charging his way up the field, he is just pulling away from everybody else. DRS Enabled. Lap 4: Button trying his way past Rosberg. But could not get it quite easily. As DRS is enabled, it would be in few moments that he would make his move. Lap 5: Order on Track: Vettel, Webber, Alonso, Massa, Hamilton, Rosberg, Button, Schumacher, Sutil, Heidfeld, Di Resta, Barrichello, Kobayashi, Buemi, Alguersuari, Petrov, Perez, Kovalainen, Trulli, Maldonado, Glock, Liuzzi, Ambrosio, Karthikeyan. Petrov is losing more positions at the back. His car is struggling for pace. Lap 6: Button passes Rosberg for P6 using DRS. There are two DRS zone on this circuit. It was an impressive overtaking maneuver, Rosberg equivalently did not made the pass easy for Button. Webber set the fastest lap on Lap 5. Lap 7: Force Indian are in strong position currently lapping in P9 and P11. Lap 8: Alonso runs wide as he try harder on Webber. Fastest Lap by race leader Vettel: Lap 7: 1min 44.712sec. Lap 9: Di Resta is advised to look after his rear tyres as it started to degrade and he could not manage to pass Nick Heidfeld due to the tyre degradation. Alonso trying very hard to get past Webber for P2. Whole crowd is cheering for Alonso. Lap 10: Sauber is struggling for pace. As both the Toro Rosso are coming closer to Kobayashi who is currently running in P13. Lap 11: Felipe Massa slides wide on turn 17 but retain his 4th position from Hamilton in 5th. Alonso in pursuit of Webber. Pitstop strategy and DRS both will be required to retain or gain position. Lap 12: Alguersuari trying to pass his own teammate fighting for P14. They are wheel to wheel but given away the fight with respect. Heidfeld, Barrichello, Kobayashi, Maldonado pits in for their first routine pitstop. From softer tyres to softer again. Buemi just held himself to nearly touching the rear end of slower Kobayashi in front. Lap 13: Hamilton pits in. First of the front runner to pit. Rosberg, Sutil also pits in. Hamilton dropped to 6th position. Vettel slides on as he try harder in turn 1. webber in pits too. Drops to P5. 3.2sec of pitstop for Webber. Lap 14: Hamilton chasing Michael Schumacher for P6. Schumacher still to stop. Hamilton charge and overtakes Schumacher as he opens his DRS wing. Fresh tyres allowing him to gain momentum on front runners. Lap 15: Vettel and Alonso pits in from P1 and P2. Drops to P3 and P5. Hamilton set the fastest lap (Lap 14) 1min 44.401sec. Masssa lead the pack as Vettel pitted for 1st stop. Michael Schumacher hits the back of Petrov. Front wing is damaged on Schumacher car. He could not able to stop as Petrov was running on the driving line. He is not limping with a broken front wing. He just came out of pits and requires another pitstop now. Despite of broken front wing, he passes Force India Di Resta. Lap 16: Front Wing went underneath the Schumacher Mercedes. It will be difficult for the mechanics. They have to lift the car. Michael enters the pitlane. Lost 30sec. It dropped him to 22nd position. Points chances lost with that incident. Lap 17: Order on track: Vettel, Webber, Alonso, Hamilton, Massa, Button, Rosberg, Alguersuari, Perez, Sutil, Heidfeld, Barrichello, Di Resta, Buemi, Trulli, Kobayashi, Petrov, Maldonado, Glock, Kovalainen, Schumacher, Ambrosio, Liuzzi, Karthikeyan. Alguersuari and Perez still to pit. They are currently in P8 and P9. Heidfeld is wheel to wheel with Barrichello. Lap 18: Alonso again trying his way past Webber for P2. Lap 19: Fastest Lap by Alonso on Lap 18 as 1min 43.803sec. Alonso within 1sec from Webber. DRS enabled on Alonso car, he is closing in on Webber. Wait for 2nd DRS zone. Just miss the Webber car this time around. Only Alguersuari and Perez are left to pit. They seem to be on 2stop strategy. Lap 20: Alguersuari pits in too. Drops to P15 from 10th. Sutil in P8. Lap 21: Not close enought to try an overtaking maneuver on Webber. Only 0.4sec behind Webber. This lap could see Alonso passing Webber as they reach DRS Zone. Schumacher up in 18th. Alonso goes wheel to wheel with Webber. Get past Webber on first DRS zone. Webber locking up. Fantabulous piece of work by Alonso out there. Lap 22: Alonso in hunt of Vettel now. Perez is on a one stop strategy. Can he do it. Alguersuari passes Perez for P13. As his tyres seems to give away. Lap 23: Track temp. rose to 46deg Celsius. It is very hot out there. Mark Webber set the fastest lap on Lap 23 as 1min 43.583sec. Lap 24: Petrov passes Kobayashi for P15. It seems Petrov is now charging his way up the field. Force India are currently holding strong P8 and P11. Mclaren are ready for pit stop. That is Hamilton for his 2nd routine stop. Lap 25: 4.4sec pitstop for him, that cost him additional 2sec. He drops to P6. There was some problem in his rear tyre that cost him some additional time. Petrov is now chasing Perez for P14. Just fumbled behind him as Perez is way to slow in comparison to Renault at the moment. Fastest Lap set by Vettel on Lap 24 i.e 1min 43.399sec. Lap 26: Petrov get past Perez. Kobayashi also on tail of Perez. He overtakes his teammate with ease as tyres continue to degrade on Perez car. Michael is up in 17th now. He overtakes Maldonado, now in hunt of Perez up ahead. Perez in pits. Schumacher was wheel to wheel with Maldonado before getting the position. Lap 27: Order on track: Vettel, Alonso, Webber, Hamilton, Massa, Button, Rosberg, Alguersuari, Perez, Sutil, Heidfeld, Barrichello, Di Resta, Buemi, Trulli, Kobayashi, Petrov, Maldonado, Glock, Kovalainen, Schumacher, Ambrosio, Liuzzi, Karthikeyan. Kovalainen and Buemi pits in. 2nd stop coming up for drivers. Lap 28: Heidfeld and Di Resta pits in. Petrov pits behind his teammate. Webber also pits from P3 as he was locked behind Alonso. Perfect pitstop for Webber. Drops him to P4. Another soft tyres coming up. Lap 29: Hamilton set another fastest lap on Lap 28 as 1min 43:077sec. Those fresh soft tyres are really warming up. Sutil pits from P8. Comes out in P9. Lap 30: Alonso in pits. Again a perfect stop but Webber takes his position back. Red Bull strategy comes handy. Maldonado shoots the first corner. Hamilton rear tyres are heating up, he is advised to slow down. Vettel in pits. Lap 31: Vettel rejoins in 1st. Superb driving from world champion. Webber set the fastest lap on Lap 30 as 1min 42:993sec. Rosberg and Button in pits. Great overtaking maneuver by Webber as he overtakes Massa who locked the inside line and did not give room to Webber. As Massa laps lapped down Jarno Trulli, Trulli just inches close to hit Alonso. He did not see Alonso was just behind Massa. Lap 32: Massa pits and puts used option tyres. Drops to 5th. Michael Schumacher pits from P15. Drops him to P17. Its not the brightest of day for Schumi. Lap 33: Button locks his front tyre. Vettel set the fastest lap on lap 32 as 1min 42:491sec. Order on track: Vettel, Webber, Alonso, Hamilton, Massa, Button, Alguersuari, Rosberg, Sutil, Heidfeld, Di Resta, Barrichello, Buemi, Kobayashi, Petrov, Perez, Schumacher, Trulli, Maldonado, Kovalainen, Glock, Ambrosio, Liuzzi, Karthikeyan. Vettel laps Michael Schumacher. Button KERS not working. Lap 34: Alguersuari in P7. Still to make his 2nd stop. Lap 35: Alonso closing in on Webber. Webber catches Vettel. Massa is told that he is a second faster than Hamilton. He is pushing hard to catch him. Lap 37: Vettel set the fastest lap on Lap 38 as 1min 42:273sec. Alonso catching Webber quickly. Alguersuari to stay 6more laps on these tyres. Lap 39: As Alguersuari tyres are warming up and worned down, he will be overtaken by drivers at back but still his two stop strategy could land him in between 7th to 9th position. Rosberg in DRS Zone to overtake Alguersuari. Lap 40: Rosberg is attacking Alguersuari for P7, overtakes him with ease. Vettel set the fastest lap on Lap 39 as 1min 41:926sec. Massa is on the tail of Hamilton. Lap 41: Petrov pits in for 3rd and probably final stop. Heidfeld and Barrichello both pits in. Lap 42: Button is advised to stay on these tyres as his KERS is not working. It seem that Red Bull are not the only car that have KERS problem. Lap 43: Webber pits in from P2. Drop to P3. Webber slides wide at the pitlane entry. Cost him few second. Hamilton pits in. Unusual to see Webber pitting ahead of Hamilton as Hamilton was the only front runner to pit so early. Hamilton drops to P6. Force India is currently on P9 and P10. Alguersuari pits in for 2nd and final stop from P8. Rejoins in P11. Great driving by Alguersuari. Lap 44: Petrov in P15 catching Kobayashi ahead of him. Sutil pits in. Lap 45: Ferrari getting ready for pits. Only 8 drivers on lead lap. Petrov finding it difficult to pass Kobayashi. Lap 46: Alonso in pits. Will he get ahead of Webber?.... He gets ahead of Webber, splendid strategy and back markers allowed Alonso to remain ahead of Webber as they complete their final pitstop. Whole crowd cheers for homeboy Spaniard Alonso. This could be his best result on this track. Di Resta is lapping very slowly. Webber try to catch Alonso. All the drivers work on their final stop. Di Resta fights his way as Alonso, Webber lap him. Lap 47: Order on track: Vettel, Alonso, Webber, Massa, Button, Hamilton, Rosberg, Alguersuari, Sutil, Heidfeld, Perez, Buemi, Barrichello, Di Resta, Kobayashi, Petrov, Schumacher, Maldonado, Kovalainen, Trulli, Glock, Ambrosio, Liuzzi, Karthikeyan. If Perez could hold on, this could earn him a 10th or 11th finish. Lap 48: Vettel in pits for his final stop. He will be out in front easily. Webber closing in on Alonso. Vettel opened a gap of 10sec on Alonso who is running in 2nd position. Di Resta lost a lot of places due to that pitlane poker. Lap 49: Webber made a mistake as he shoots the corner. Gap opened between Alonso and Webber. Massa and Button also pits in Only 8drivers on the lead lap. Lap 50: Petrov chasing and working hard to pass Kobayashi. There is a three way battle goin on for P14 between Di Resta, Kobayashi and Petrov. Lap 51: Petrov overtakes Kobayashi but could not manage to maintain the position as he overshoots the corner. Alonso complaining about the backmarkers not giving him space. Lap 52: 6laps remaining: Will Webber be able to pass Alonso for P2? Di Resta bucked up by team to pass Buemi and Barrichello up ahead. Sutil is 4sec away from Alguersuari and closing him fastly. Fighting for P8. Sutil is just 2sec away from Alguersuari. Need another sec to get into DRS activation zone. Lap 53: 5 laps remaining: Order on Track: Vettel, Alonso, Webber, Hamilton, Massa, Button, Rosberg, Alguersuari, Sutil, Heidfeld, Perez, Barrichello, Buemi, Di Resta, Kobayashi, Petrov, Schumacher, Maldonado, Kovalainen, Trulli, Glock, Ambrosio, Liuzzi, Karthikeyan. Lap 54: 4 Laps Remaining: Vettel set the fastest lap on Lap 53 as 1min 41:852sec. Webber is told that he is facing gearbox problems, he has to slow down. He will not be able to compete with Alonso now. He is currently 30sec ahead of Hamilton. Sutil is chasing Alguersuari for P8. Only 0.5sec behind him. Di Resta is chasing Buemi. Both Force India are chasing Toro Rosso. Lap 55: 3 Laps Remaining: Webber is slowing down. Hamilton is going 3sec a lap faster. Lap 56: Penultimate Lap: Sutil is trying very hard as Alguersuari making it difficult for him to pass. He could not pass him this time. 2nd DRS Zone coming up. Both the drivers slide wide a little in final corner. Lap 57: Final Lap: Splendid driver from Sebastian Vettel. He is heading for his 6th victory out of 8 races this season. Vettel won the race. 16th win of his career. He won the race in style. He was untouchable and unbeatable in the whole race. From pole to podium, it was Vettel day out. Crowds cheer for home hero Fernando Alonso who finished the race 2nd ahead of Mark Webber. This is the best result for Alonso on this circuit. Red Bull smashing FIA engine mapping rule. Both the cars finished on podium. Final Classification: Vettel, Alonso, Webber, Hamilton, Massa, Button, Rosberg, Alguersuari, Sutil, Heidfeld, Perez, Barrichello, Buemi, Di Resta, Petrov, Kobayashi, Schumacher, Maldonado, Kovalainen, Trulli, Glock, Ambrosio, Liuzzi, Karthikeyan. It was one of those exceptional races in which all drivers who started finished the race with no major incidents. Only 7drivers were on the lead lap in the end. Total Race time: 1hr 39min 36:169sec.
Monday, June 27, 2011
European GP - Valencia Street Circuit - Lap by Lap Highlights
Vettel unstoppable as he lead the European Grand Prix from pole to podium
Race, European Grand Prix , Valencia Street Circuit, Spain
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What a way to won the race, Sebastian Vettel was unbeatable. He dominated the whole race from pole to podium smashing the FIA rule of no change in engine mapping. For not even a single moment, it was not felt that Vettel is losing at any point. He just cruises his way to increase his wins tally to 16 with winning 6 out of the 8 races this season. He even set the fastest lap of the race today. It was the 2nd consecutive win by Sebastian Vettel on this circuit. It was a perfect start, perfect driving and perfect pitstop for Sebastian Vettel. But nevertheless, it was homeboy Fernando Alonso who keep the grandstand shouting and hailing as they watch Spaniard overtaking Mark Webber for 2nd and retaining the position with the perfect final pitstop which he lost in the mid of the race. This was the best result for Alonso on this track. Fernando Alonso gave Spanish fans something to cheer for. Mark Webber in the second Red Bull was the final podium finisher. He had a slow start that saw him limping back of Ferrari. He worked hard but in the end lost to Fernando Alonso his 2nd position. He could have fighted Alonso for the position but he struggled with gearbox problem in the end. Still, Red Bull top 3 finish proved that they are not at all dependent on Engine Mapping. Lewis Hamilton came home 4th. No real action was seen from him during the race. He kept the fast and trailing Massa at bay who finished 5th. Massa was followed by 2nd Mclaren of Jenson Button. With top 6 position captured by the top 3 teams. Nico Rosberg finished 7th was the only Mercedes that scored points. Michael Schumacher was hit by the speeding Petrov on the turn 1 after his first stop, that caused him a broken front wing and cost him any chance of scoring points. Michael finished 17th. Toro Rosso Jaime Alguersuari finished impressive 8th. His two stop strategy saw him ahead of Force India and Renault. It was a clever driving from the driver. His strategy wins over the speed of the car. Force India also had a strong outing today with Adrian Sutil finishing 9th just half a second behind Jaime Alguersuari. He gave a strong fight to Jaime for 8th position in the end. Adrian Sutil managed to hold his track position during the entire race. Nick Heidfeld in the struggling Renault was the last point scorer. Sensational Rookie Sergio Perez again impressed all by his one stop strategy and finished 11th. Though the Sauber team struggled for grip and pace whole weekend but he managed to get it well ahead of his teammate and Williams team. Rubens Barrichello finished 12th with Sebastien Buemi in the second Toro Rosso 13th. Paul Di Resta after a hard fought weekend lost the momentum in the end that saw him dropping from 11th to 14th. He could not managed to pass Buemi but still gave a strong fight to Petrov and Kobayashi who finished the race just behind him. Petrov lost couple of places in the first lap which saw him dropping to 16th until 10th lap. His choice for hard tyres at the start was a disaster for him. Pastor Maldonado finished 18th. He was followed by Team Lotus, Virgin and HRT at the back. Surprisingly, there were no drama in the entire race, no major incidents. Race saw all 24 drivers finishing the race. There were less areas on track on which drivers could pass each other. But double DRS was the major delight at it provided some of the exceptional overtaking maneuvers. Valencia Street Circuit provided a tough racing today with a soaring track temperature to 45deg Celsius and weather conditions were hot and humid.
| Pos | Driver | Team | Laps | Time | Pits | Grid | Points |
| 1 | Sebastian Vettel | Red Bull - Renault | 57 | 1hr 39min 36.169sec | 3 | 1 | 25 |
| 2 | Fernando Alonso | Ferrari | 57 | + 10.8sec | 3 | 4 | 18 |
| 3 | Mark Webber | Red Bull - Renault | 57 | + 27.2sec | 3 | 2 | 15 |
| 4 | Lewis Hamilton | Mclaren - Mercedes | 57 | + 46.1sec | 3 | 3 | 12 |
| 5 |
Felipe Massa | Ferrari | 57 | + 51.7sec |
3 | 5 | 10 |
| 6 | Jenson Button | Mclaren - Mercedes | 57 | + 60.0sec | 3 | 6 | 8 |
| 7 | Nico Rosberg | Mercedes GP | 57 | + 98.0sec |
3 | 7 | 6 |
| 8 | Jaime Alguersuari | STR - Ferrari | 56 | + 1 Lap | 2 | 18 | 4 |
| 9 | Adrian Sutil | Force India - Mercedes | 56 | + 1 Lap | 3 | 10 | 2 |
| 10 | Nick Heidfeld | Renault | 56 | + 1 Lap | 3 | 9 | 1 |
| 11 | Sergio Perez | Sauber - Ferrari | 56 | + 1 Lap | 1 | 16 | |
| 12 | Rubens Barrichello | Williams - Cosworth | 56 | + 1 Lap | 3 | 13 | |
| 13 | Sebastien Buemi | STR - Ferrari | 56 | + 1 Lap | 3 | 17 | |
| 14 | Paul Di Resta | Force India - Mercedes | 56 | + 1 Lap | 3 | 12 | |
| 15 |
Vitaly Petrov | Renault | 56 | + 1 Lap | 3 | 11 | |
| 16 | Kamui Kobayashi | Sauber - Ferrari | 56 | + 1 Lap | 2 | 14 | |
| 17 |
Michael Schumacher | Mercedes GP | 56 | + 1 Lap | 3 | 8 | |
| 18 | Pastor Maldonado | Williams - Cosworth | 56 | + 1 Lap | 3 | 15 | |
| 19 | Heikki Kovalainen | Lotus - Renault | 55 | + 2 Laps | 3 | 19 | |
| 20 | Jarno Trulli | Lotus - Renault | 55 | + 2 Laps | 2 | 20 | |
| 21 |
Timo Glock | Virgin - Cosworth | 55 | + 2 Laps | 2 | 21 | |
| 22 | Jerome d'Ambrosio | Virgin - Cosworth | 55 | + 2 Laps | 2 | 23 | |
| 23 | Vitantonio Liuzzi | HRT - Cosworth | 54 | + 3 Laps | 3 | 22 | |
| 24 | Narain Karthikeyan | HRT - Cosworth | 54 | + 3 Laps | 3 | 24 | |
| Fastest Lap - Sebastian Vettel, Red Bull - 1min 41.852sec on Lap 53 | |||||||
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| Lap Record - Timo Glock , Toyota (2009) - 1min 38.683sec | |||||||
| F1 2011 Season Drivers Standing | ||
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sebastian Vettel | 186 |
| 2 | Jenson Button | 109 |
| 3 | Mark Webber | 109 |
| 4 | Lewis Hamilton | 97 |
| 5 | Fernando Alonso | 87 |
| 6 | Felipe Massa | 42 |
| 7 | Nico Rosberg | 32 |
| 8 | Vitaly Petrov | 31 |
| 9 | Nick Heidfeld | 30 |
| 10 | Michael Schumacher | 26 |
| 11 | Kamui Kobayashi | 25 |
| 12 | Adrian Sutil | 10 |
| 13 | Jaime Alguersuari | 8 |
| 14 | Sebastien Buemi | 8 |
| 15 | Rubens Barrichello | 4 |
| 16 | Sergio Perez | 2 |
| 17 | Paul Di Resta | 2 |
| Constructors Standing for 2011 Season | ||
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Red Bull | 295 |
| 2 | Mclaren | 206 |
| 3 | Ferrari | 129 |
| 4 | Renault | 61 |
| 5 | Mercedes GP | 58 |
| 6 | Sauber | 27 |
| 7 | Toro Rosso | 16 |
| 8 | Force India | 12 |
| 9 | Williams | 4 |
Saturday, June 25, 2011
Sebastian Vettel grabbed Pole with ease. Red Bull 1-2 shows no effect from Engine Mapping
Qualifying, European Grand Prix , Valencia Street Circuit, Spain
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With 7poles out of 8 this season, Sebastian Vettel increases his pole tally to 22. His shear pace saw him outqualifying everbody else on track in Q2 and Q3. He was the only driver to cross 1min 36sec barrier. As the 10min shootout of Q3 started Alonso, Massa, Vettel, Webber, Button and Hamilton all set out to set the pace. But Vettel 1min 36.975sec a lap surprised them all. It provisionally provided him the pole position and hampered the hopes of many drivers. Mercedes did not look to try any harder to give away the rubber. Heidfeld and Sutil did not come on track to waste any more set of tyres. It was Mark Webber who locked the first row for Red Bull as he snatched the 2nd grid position from Hamilton in the final run. Mark Webber though starting at P2 tomorrow, he just saved himself from out qualifying again in Q1 this season. Ferrari who were looking quite strong during the practice session were outqualified by Hamilton pace and will start at 4th and 5th position. Felipe Massa was the fastest man on track in Q1, he used his new option tyres to save himself an embarrassment of not qualifying in Q1. Jenson Button, last race winner lost the most as he could not better his 6th positioned. Mercedes were not able to compete with the pace of Red Bull, Mclaren and Ferrari and will start at 4th row. But afterall, Red Bull had used all the fresh tyres. May be others have advantage tomorrow. It was a humid and hot outing for the drivers as the track temperature rose to 45deg Celsius before the qualifying ended. Heidfeld will start at 9th position. Alongside him, will be Force India Adrian Sutil. Adrian Sutil 10th position came as a shocker for all specially for Renault driver Vitaly Petrov who was outqualified by Sutil in the dying moments of the Q2 as the flag had been waved off. His teammate Paul Di Resta also drove exceptionally well and will start at 12th position behind Vitaly Petrov. Rubens Barrichello outqualified his teammate this time around and will start at 13th. Maldonado spun his car during Q2 and brought Red Flag out. His car was air lifted before the race could get restarted. But still Maldonado had set the time which allowed him to start at 15th ahead of Sergio Perez and Sebastien Buemi. Sauber is struggling with pace as both Kobayashi and Perez could only managed to position at P14 and P16. 9th row will be shared by Toro Rosso drivers of Buemi and Alguersuari. Alguersuari again failed to qualify for Q2. Behind them, Team Lotus drivers shares the 10th grid. Jarno Trulli spun his Lotus car at the pit entry as the Q1 ends to which he comment that he is not pushing too hard at the moment and he is happy that Lotus is improving. Virgin drivers are again separated by HRT Vitantonio Liuzzi who wil start the race 22nd ahead of Jerome D'Ambosio. Indian Driver Narain Karthikeyan was last and 24th. All the drivers qualified the 107% rule. As FIA regulation for no change in engine mapping, drivers will be running on same engine tweaks and setups for tomorrow race. This could well change the racing scenario tomorrow. But at the moment it looks like, Red Bull is not at all effected by Engine Mapping and had blown away all the speculation regarding their strategy.
| Pos | Driver | Team | Q1 | Q2 | Q3 | Laps |
| 1 | Sebastian Vettel | Red Bull - Renault | 1min 39.116sec | 1min 37.305sec | 1min 36.975sec | 15 |
| 2 | Mark Webber | Red Bull - Renault | 1min 19.956sec | 1min 38.058sec | 1min 37.163sec | 19 |
| 3 | Lewis Hamilton | Mclaren - Mercedes | 1min 39.244sec | 1min 37.727sec | 1min 37.380sec | 13 |
| 4 | Fernando Alonso | Ferrari | 1min 39.725sec | 1min 37.930sec | 1min 37.454sec | 20 |
| 5 | Felipe Massa | Ferrari | 1min 38.413sec | 1min 38.566sec | 1min 37.535sec | 20 |
| 6 | Jenson Button | Mclaren - Mercedes | 1min 39.453sec | 1min 37.749sec | 1min 37.645sec | 14 |
| 7 | Nico Rosberg | Mercedes GP |
1min 39.266sec | 1min 38.373sec | 1min 38.231sec | 15 |
| 8 | Michael Schumacher | Mercedes GP | 1min 39.198sec | 1min 38.365sec | 1min 38.240sec |
18 |
| 9 | Nick Heidfeld | Renault | 1min 39.877sec | 1min 38.781sec | 17 | |
| 10 | Adrian Sutil | Force India -Mercedes | 1min 39.329sec | 1min 39.034sec | 14 | |
| 11 | Vitaly Petrov | Renault | 1min 39.690sec | 1min 39.068sec | 14 | |
| 12 | Paul Di Resta | Force India -Mercedes | 1min 39.852sec | 1min 39.422sec | 16 | |
| 13 | Rubens Barrichello | Williams -Cosworth | 1min 39.602sec | 1min 39.489sec | 19 | |
| 14 | Kamui Kobayashi | Sauber - Ferrari | 1min 40.131sec | 1min 39.525sec | 17 | |
| 15 | Pastor Maldonado | Williams -Cosworth | 1min 39.690sec | 1min 39.645sec | 10 | |
| 16 | Sergio Perez | Sauber-Ferrari | 1min 39.494sec | 1min 39.657sec | 13 | |
| 17 | Sebastien Buemi | STR - Ferrari | 1min 39.679sec | 1min 39.711sec | 8 | |
| 18 | Jaime Alguersuari | STR - Ferrari | 1min 40.232sec | 5 | ||
| 19 | Heikki Kovalainen | Lotus-Renault | 1min 41.664sec | 10 | ||
| 20 | Jarno Trulli | Lotus-Renault | 1min 42.234sec | 9 | ||
| 21 | Timo Glock | Virgin -Cosworth | 1min 42.553sec | 9 | ||
| 22 | Vitantonio Liuzzi | HRT - Cosworth | 1min 43.584sec | 10 | ||
| 23 | Jerome d'Ambrosio | Virgin -Cosworth | 1min 43.735sec | 6 | ||
| 24 | Narain Karthikeyan | HRT - Cosworth | 1min 44.363sec | 9 |
107percent Qualifying Rule Time: 1min 45.301sec.
European GP - FP3 - Vettel captures the top slot again
Saturday Practice Session - 3, European Grand Prix , Valencia Street Circuit, Spain
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Ferrari enjoyed their dominance in Valencia, but in the end Sebastian Vettel had the last laugh. In the dying moments of the final practice session, he put the fastest time with 1min 37.258sec. As the chequered flag waved, he challenged his own time but had to slow down as Kamui Kobayashi spun and hit the wall in the final corner. Fernando Alonso and Felipe Massa dominated most of the session. Alonso was in 2nd position, beating his own best time of FP2 nearly by 2tenth of a second. Felipe was the only other driver to cross the line in 1min 37sec. Mark Webber was 4th followed by Jenson Button and Nico Rosberg. Lewis struggled and find it difficult to pass in the traffic to end up in 7th. He seemed to be testing on heavy load. Michael had a poor third session with only 8th fastest time. The 7time world champion also spun his Mercedes in the final few minutes. Competition soars in the final practice with Red Bull, Ferrari, Mclaren and Mercedes covering the top 8 position followed by the two Renaults. Force India continues their promising weekend with Adrian Sutil again following the top 5 teams and ended his session in 11th followed by Sergio Perez. Paul Di Resta who had only done 7laps until today finished his session in 13th. He was having some difficulties during his run. Kobayashi in the second Sauber was 14th. He spun his car in the final corner in his final lap after the chequered flag waved in. He kissed the wall that leaved his car with broken front wing. The car will be most probably ready for the Qualifying session. Sebastien Buemi in the leading Toro Rosso was 15th on the time sheet followed by Rubens Barrichello in Williams. For the fact, Williams have always scored points in Valencia since it inaugural run in 2008. Maldonado followed his teammate. Jaime Alguersuari who did not get a run in FP2 following a mechanical problem in his car finished 18th on the timesheet. Toro Rosso is struggling to get the pace out of their car. At the back, it was as usually a fruitful day for Team Lotus being way ahead of newcomers, but this time they were not close enough to compete with Toro Rosso ahead of them. HRT driver Vitantonio Liuzzi separated the two Virgin's at the back. Narain Karthikeyan continue to trail at the back in 24th.
| Pos | Driver | Team | Time | Gap | Laps |
| 1 | Sebastian Vettel | RBR-Renault | 1min 37.258sec | 15 | |
| 2 | Fernando Alonso | Ferrari | 1min 37.678sec | 0.420 | 16 |
| 3 | Felipe Massa | Ferrari | 1min 37.840sec | 0.582 | 17 |
| 4 | Mark Webber | Red Bull - Renault | 1min 38.068sec | 0.810 | 13 |
| 5 | Jenson Button | Mclaren - Mercedes | 1min 38.326sec | 1.068 | 13 |
| 6 | Nico Rosberg | Mercedes | 1min 38.580sec | 1.322 | 15 |
| 7 | Lewis Hamilton | Mclaren - Mercedes | 1min 38.741sec | 1.483 | 13 |
| 8 | Michael Schumacher | Mercedes GP | 1min 38.799sec | 1.541 | 14 |
| 9 | Vitaly Petrov | Renault | 1min 38.822sec | 1.564 | 17 |
| 10 | Nick Heidfeld | Renault | 1min 39.113sec | 1.855 | 15 |
| 11 | Adrian Sutil | Force India - Mercedes | 1min 39.411sec | 2.153 | 19 |
| 12 | Sergio Perez | Sauber - Ferrari | 1min 39.778sec | 2.520 | 18 |
| 13 | Paul Di Resta | Force India - Mercedes | 1min 39.823sec | 2.565 | 18 |
| 14 | Kamui Kobayashi | Sauber - Ferrari | 1min 39.848sec | 2.590 | 18 |
| 15 | Sebastien Buemi | STR - Ferrari | 1min 39.888sec | 2.630 | 17 |
| 16 | Rubens Barrichello | Williams - Cosworth | 1min 39.987sec | 2.729 | 18 |
| 17 | Pastor Maldonado | Williams - Cosworth | 1min 40.004sec | 2.746 | 16 |
| 18 | Jaime Alguersuari | STR - Ferrari | 1min 40.239 | 2.981 | 20 |
| 19 | Heikki Kovalainen | Lotus - Renault | 1min 41.267sec | 4.009 | 15 |
| 20 | Jarno Trulli | Lotus - Renault | 1min 41.690sec | 4.432 | 18 |
| 21 | Timo Glock | Virgin - Cosworth | 1min 42.557sec | 5.299 | 18 |
| 22 | Vitantonio Liuzzi | HRT - Cosworth | 1min 43.243sec | 5.985 | 17 |
| 23 | Jerome d'Ambrosio | Virgin - Cosworth | 1min 43.309sec | 6.051 | 18 |
| 24 | Narain Karthikeyan | HRT - Cosworth | 1min 44.630sec | 7.372 | 19 |
Friday, June 24, 2011
European GP - FP2 - Fernando Alonso cruises his way into 1min 37sec
Friday Practice Session - 2, European Grand Prix , Valencia Street Circuit, Spain
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Fernando Alonso topped the timesheet in the second free practice session with setting the fastest time incredibly at 1min 37.968sec. Lewis Hamilton was 2tenth of a second slower at 1min 38.195sec. Just when, it seemed that Red Bull is enjoying its day out in the second practice with Vettel and Webber setting the fastest time one by one to get past 1min 40, then 1min 39 and then 1min 38. Suddenly, it was homeboy Fernando Alonso who set the 1min 37mark in his Ferrari. For the fact, Fernando Alonso has never finished better than 6th on this track, ever since its first race on this track in 2008. Lewis Hamilton improved to 2nd while world champion Sebastian Vettel who had a rough first session was only 3rd fastest in the 2nd session also.\ Mercedes were having a tough time but after the midway into the second session, they made their mark and gain speed. Michael Schumacher finished 4th fastest with just 3tenth of a second slower than fastest man Alonso. Massa had a rough time in his Ferrari as he went off the track on many occasion but Ferrari speed allowed him to finish 5th on the timesheet. He was followed by Jenson Button in the second Mclaren and Mark Webber in the second Red Bull. Behind them was Nico Rosberg in P8 with the last man to breach the 1min 38barrier. The first 8positions were well occupied by the top 4 teams of Ferrari, Mclaren, Red Bull and Mercedes. Nick Heidfeld in his Renault could only manage to set the 9th fastest time of the session followed by his teammate Vitaly Petrov in 10th. Force India upgrades are paying off as they are able to match the speed of Renault with Adrian Sutil finishing 11th well ahead of Rubens Barrichello who struggled in 12th position. He was followed by his teammate Pastor Maldonado in 13th. Paul Di Resta who was not able to run his VJM04 for most the second session due to heavy damage in the FP1 by Nico Hulkenberg, he only got last 10mins to make his impression between a bundle of cars hovering on track for final run. He managed to get only 7laps in which he put his Force India VJM04 in P14 at 1min 40.363sec. He was followed by Sebastien Buemi in his Toro Rosso. It seems Sauber is struggling to get the pace as Sergio Perez managed only 16th while Kamui Kobayashi was only 17th behind his teammate. Tough Sergio was well ahead and of backmarkers but Kamui Kobayashi was just 7hundreth of a second faster than Heikki Kovalainen in his Lotus. This time around Team Lotus was just a tenth of a second ahead of Virgin's while HRT were way behind them Jaime Alguersuari did not get a run in the second session and was not able to set the time. He was last and 24th. Some of the drivers made mistakes as they nearly miss the corner. Notable of them were Sergio Perez, Felipe Massa, Fernando Alonso. In the end, as there were 22 cars on the track, Vettel went off the track on the same corner with Liuzzi just behind him followed him off the track.
| Pos | Driver | Team | Time | Gap | Laps |
| 1 | Fernando Alonso | Ferrari | 1min 37.968sec | 35 | |
| 2 | Lewis Hamilton | Mclaren - Mercedes | 1min 38.195sec | 0.227 | 26 |
| 3 | Sebastian Vettel | RBR-Renault | 1min 38.265sec | 0.297 | 31 |
| 4 | Michael Schumacher | Mercedes GP | 1min 38.315sec | 0.347 | 33 |
| 5 | Felipe Massa | Ferrari | 1min 38.443sec | 0.475 | 32 |
| 6 | Jenson Button | Mclaren - Mercedes | 1min 38.483sec | 0.515 | 30 |
| 7 | Mark Webber | Red Bull - Renault | 1min 38.531sec | 0.563 | 26 |
| 8 | Nico Rosberg | Mercedes | 1min 38.981sec | 1.013 | 33 |
| 9 | Nick Heidfeld | Renault | 1min 39.040sec | 1.072 | 35 |
| 10 | Vitaly Petrov | Renault | 1min 39.586sec | 1.618 | 27 |
| 11 | Adrian Sutil | Force India - Mercedes | 1min 39.626sec | 1.658 | 31 |
| 12 | Rubens Barrichello | Williams - Cosworth | 1min 40.020sec | 2.052 | 34 |
| 13 | Pastor Maldonado | Williams - Cosworth | 1min 40.301sec | 2.333 | 34 |
| 14 | Paul Di Resta | Force India - Mercedes | 1min 40.363sec | 2.395 | 7 |
| 15 | Sebastien Buemi | STR - Ferrari | 1min 40.454sec | 2.486 | 32 |
| 16 | Sergio Perez | Sauber - Ferrari | 1min 40.531sec | 2.563 | 37 |
| 17 | Kamui Kobayashi | Sauber - Ferrari | 1min 42.083sec | 4.115 | 34 |
| 18 | Heikki Kovalainen | Lotus - Renault | 1min 42.156sec | 4.188 | 39 |
| 19 | Jarno Trulli | Lotus - Renault | 1min 42.239sec | 4.271 | 25 |
| 20 | Timo Glock | Virgin - Cosworth | 1min 42.273sec | 4.305 | 21 |
| 21 | Jerome d'Ambrosio | Virgin - Cosworth | 1min 42.809sec | 4.841 | 36 |
| 22 | Vitantonio Liuzzi | HRT - Cosworth | 1min 44.460sec | 6.492 | 29 |
| 23 | Narain Karthikeyan | HRT - Cosworth | 1min 46.906sec | 8.938 | 16 |
| 24 | Jaime Alguersuari | STR - Ferrari | No Time |
European GP - FP1 - Mark Webber kept Red Bull still on top after change in engine mapping rule
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Mark Webber set the fastest time in the Free Practice Session 1 here in Valencia, even after FIA announced the change in rules for engine mapping that helped Red Bull the maximum. Friday 1st practice session started on a dirty track with drivers gaining the speed gradually as the day progressed. Many drivers went off track on turn 12-13 chicane, as they tried to lock their front tyres. Felipe Massa was the common victim at the turn. Mark Webber cruised his way into 1min 40's comfortably ahead of Vitaly Petrov and Fernando Alonso. However his teammate world champion Sebastian Vettel finished only 16th. Vitaly Petrov and Fernando Alonso were almost a second slower than Mark Webber Red Bull followed by Lewis Hamilton. Nick Heidfeld in his second Renault was 5th fastest ahead of Massa. Last race winner Jenson Button only managed to finish in 7th. Adrian Sutil was the star of the first practice session cruising his Force India at 1min 41.955 sec was 8th fastest. Mercedes struggle to make a mark as Nico Rosberg was only 9th fastest and was not able to make it to 1min 41sec. Jaime Alguersuari this time beats his teammate reserve driver Daniel Ricciardo. They are separated by Michael Schumacher. Rubens Barrichello put his Williams ahead of his teammate at 13th. Sergio Perez once again returned to F1 after his horrifying crash in qualifying in Monaco. He finished 14th for the first practice session ahead of Pastor Maldonando. Kamui Kobayashi could not make his mark as he was only 17th fastest. Force India reserve driver Nico Hulkenberg hit the barriers as his rear wing locks down causing him to hit the wall. He was only 18th on the timesheet. The accident caused VJM04 front and rear wing damage, rear suspension and side bodywork. However the car will be probably ready for FP2. Heiki Kovalainen as usual well ahead of the newcomers Virgin and HRT. He is followed by Virgin and HRT. Indian Driver Karun Chandhok unfortunate Friday practice session run continues as he was unable to set the time in his Lotus due to gearbox problem. He was advised not to drive in 2nd gear just before he parked his car in the garage. He was only able to continue for 2laps.
| Pos | Driver | Team | Time | Gap | Laps |
| 1 | Mark Webber | Red Bull - Renault | 1min 40.403sec | 22 | |
| 2 | Vitaly Petrov | Renault | 1min 41.227sec | 0.824 | 20 |
| 3 | Fernando Alonso | Ferrari | 1min 41.239sec | 0.836 | 22 |
| 4 | Lewis Hamilton | Mclaren - Mercedes | 1min 41.510sec | 1.107 | 23 |
| 5 | Nick Heidfeld | Renault | 1min 41.580sec | 1.177 | 24 |
| 6 | Felipe Massa | Ferrari | 1min 41.758sec | 1.355 | 23 |
| 7 | Jenson Button | Mclaren - Mercedes | 1min 41.926sec | 1.523 | 14 |
| 8 | Adrain Sutil | Force India-Mercedes | 1min 41.955sec | 1.552 | 20 |
| 9 | Nico Rosberg | Mercedes GP | 1min 42.043sec | 1.640 | 22 |
| 10 | Jaime Alguersuari | STR - Ferrari | 1min 42.216sec | 1.813 | 29 |
| 11 | Michael Schumacher | Mercedes GP | 1min 42.270sec | 1.867 | 26 |
| 12 | Daniel Ricciardo | STR - Ferrari | 1min 42.412sec | 2.009 | 27 |
| 13 | Rubens Barrichello | Williams - Cosworth | 1min 42.704sec | 2.301 | 23 |
| 14 | Sergio Perez | Sauber - Ferrari | 1min 42.738sec | 2.335 | 20 |
| 15 | Pastor Maldonado | Williams - Cosworth | 1min 42.841sec | 2.438 | 28 |
| 16 | Sebastian Vettel | Red Bull - Renault | 1min 42.941sec | 2.538 | 21 |
| 17 | Kamui Kobayashi | Sauber - Ferrari | 1min 43.201sec | 2.798 | 18 |
| 18 | Nico Hulkenberg | Force India - Mercedes | 1min 43.769sec | 3.366 | 7 |
| 19 | Heikki Kovalainen | Lotus - Renault | 1min 44.136sec | 3.733 | 17 |
| 20 | Jerome d'Ambrosio | Virgin - Cosworth | 1min 45.026sec | 4.623 | 17 |
| 21 | Timo Glock | Virgin - Cosworth | 1min 45.221sec | 4.818 | 19 |
| 22 | Vitantonio Liuzzi | HRT - Cosworth | 1min 45.494sec | 5.091 | 24 |
| 23 | Narain Karthikeyan | HRT - Cosworth | 1min 46.926sec | 6.523 | 27 |
| 24 | Karun Chandhok | Lotus-Renault | No Time | 2 |
Bernie wants BBC
Bernie Ecclestone has said he will do his best to keep Formula One on the BBC amid reports that the broadcaster will not be able to afford to renew its contract in 2013.
A story in the Sunday Times cited a senior source in the BBC saying the broadcaster is considering cutting its F1 coverage in order to continue to fund its digital channels, such as BBC4. However, Ecclestone, who works on behalf of CVC Capital Partners to manage F1's commercial rights, has since told the Times that he is committed to keeping the sport on free-to-air TV.
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"We want Formula One to stay free to viewers," Ecclestone said. "That is 100%. The BBC have done a great job for us and we like their shows and the people obviously like it because so many are watching. |
The Sunday Times report said "F1 costs £1 a head for every viewer", but the statistics it based that on appear to be at odds with those from inside the sport. Formula One Teams Association chairman and McLaren boss Martin Whitmarsh said the story undersold the value of F1 to the BBC.
"Formula One insiders have been surprised by the recent newspaper reports, since they contain significant statistical inaccuracies," he told the Daily Telegraph. "The reality is that the Formula One viewing figures in the UK are high and getting higher.
"In terms of average viewership, peak viewership and average share of viewership - the three key indices for TV executives - more people are watching Formula One this year than last year or indeed than in recent previous years. For example, the average share of viewership for the BBC's coverage of the recent Chinese Grand Prix, which' Lewis Hamilton won, was more than 50%.
"In other words, as many people were watching Formula One in the UK that Sunday morning as were watching every other channel combined - including all terrestrial channels and all satellite channels - a staggeringly impressive statistic. And the TV viewing figures for other recent grands prix have been massively impressive too.
For as long as it has been broadcast in the UK, F1 has been on free-to-air and many of the team's sponsorship deals depend on the extra exposure that brings to the sport. Whitmarsh said it would hit the teams hard if the rights were bought by a subscription channel.
"It's crucial to the commercial model of Formula One that TV coverage should remain free-to-air, and therefore universally accessible, and therefore widely consumed and enjoyed by large numbers of viewers - and the BBC delivers that in the UK," he said. "Moreover, besides the quantity of viewership, the quality of the BBC's coverage is consistently high too - which is just as important. Also important is the demographic data - which shows that F1 is now attracting an increasing number of younger and female viewers, which is also very positive.
"Formula One is the pinnacle of world motorsport - always has been, always will be. As such, it's appropriate that the BBC should continue to cover it. I think it would be very sad, and most unwise, if the BBC were to disappoint so many millions of British sports fans by axeing it, and that's why I don't believe for a moment that they'd seriously consider doing such a thing."
Red Bull strength curbed as FIA bans use of Exhaust blown diffuser after Valencia
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As has happened so often in Formula One, the teams cleverly exploited a gap in the regulations to boost their cars' performance. Back in 2009, teams began to use the blast of exhaust gases to the rear diffuser to generate more downforce and hence cornering grip.
However they had a problem. As the drivers closed the throttle the exhaust flow reduced and the back of the car became unstable just when drivers needed the grip most.
Engineers quickly found a solution to the problem. Instead of closing the throttle to cut off the power, they instead retarded the ignition timing when the driver backed off the accelerator. As the pressures inside the engine remained high, so did the blast of the exhaust onto the diffuser.
Then at the beginning of this season, we began to hear a new, distinctive rasp from car exhausts as they braked for corners. Renault, who also supply engines to Red Bull, had taken the concept even further by continuing to spray fuel into the red-hot exhausts on the over-run.
As the fuel burned and expanded, this ‘afterburner' boosted still further the airflow onto the diffuser. However the use of the technology provoked a clamp-down from the FIA.
"An exhaust system is there for the purpose of exhausting gasses from the engine and when you're off-throttle, it isn't doing that any more" explains FIA Technical Delegate Charlie Whiting. He believes therefore, that the exhaust is being used to influence the aerodynamic characteristics of the car, which infringes the technical regulations regarding the use of driver controlled aerodynamics.
From the race after Valencia, the British Grand Prix, teams will be limited to just 10% of the airflow in the cars' exhausts when the driver lifts off the accelerator. From 2012, the FIA plans to outlaw all use of blown diffusers, demanding that exhausts will exit upwards through the bodywork, well away from any aerodynamic aid.
It perhaps puts a little more pressure on Sebastian Vettel to repeat his 2010 performance at the Valencia street circuit. Last year he put the Red Bull firmly on pole position then cruised to a comfortable victory ahead of the McLarens of Hamilton and Button.
The omens look strong for a similar performance from Vettel this year, although team mate Mark Webber will not be keen to repeat his ‘Red Bull Air Race' aerobatics after clobbering Heikki Kovalainen's Lotus!
McLaren's pace in Montreal raises the question though, even if Vettel's Red Bull diffuser is going to give him one last blast, will it be enough to give him the championship? For a precedent, look back to 2009, when Brawn GP's development of the ‘double diffuser' gave Button six wins from the first seven races before the other teams could match their technology.
When his rivals caught up, after the Turkish GP at the start of June, the Briton never won again that year. However Vettel, Webber, Hamilton, Barrichello and Raikkonen all scored wins. Splitting the points total between them allowed Button to clinch the title in Brazil with a race remaining.
Ironically if the Red Bull's performance does dip Vettel might hope that not just McLaren, but Ferrari might start winning, to split the points from the second half of the season. Alternatively he could just prove us all wrong, by continuing his early season winning streak right through the year!
FIA banned engine alteration after qualifying
Formula One teams will no longer be able to either change or tinker with their engines in between the start of qualifying and the Grand Prix itself, a letter sent to them from the governing body the FIA has revealed.
A copy of the letter obtained by AFP reveals that whilst the teams are not strictly breaking any rules by making alterations to their engines the FIA believe it goes against the spirit of the 'parc ferme'.
A spokesperson for the FIA confirmed to AFP the contents of the letter.
"The FIA, the regulatory authority of F1, has let it be known to the teams that after analysing the statistics from the first seven Grand Prix, they noticed astonishing differences in the engines performances in certain cars," the spokesperson said.
"Our philosophy is very simple: that the governing body intervenes when it perceives that the rules have not been respected, because those rules have been taken advantage of owing to them having too much flexibility."
The FIA laid matters out in more technical detail in their letter.
"It has become obvious that some engine and control system set-up parameters are routinely changed during post-qualifying parc fermé.
"It appears that teams have been relying upon the fact that physical connections to the car are permitted by the Article 34.1 of the F1 Sporting Regulations and electrical units may be freely accessed.
"In our view this is totally inconsistent with the intention of the parc fermé regulations, i.e. that cars should be raced exactly as they qualified.
"Even though electrical units may be freely accessed there is no provision within the regulations for making any changes to the set-up of any of the units.
"It is therefore our view that, with immediate effect, from the time at which each car first leaves the pits during qualifying until the start of the race, no changes to the set-up of any electronic control unit may take place.
"We also feel that in accordance with Article 2.7 of the F1 Technical Regulations the onus should be placed upon each team to satisfy us that the above requirements are adhered to."
The next race on the calendar is this Sunday's European Grand Prix in Valencia, Spain.
F1 Rocks : First Ever Metallica Show on Indian Soil tickets up for sale
Sale of Tickets for the show will start on 3rd July, 2011 at 12:00 PM onwards on www.ticketgenie.in
"Metallica has earlier confirmed their First Ever show on Indian Soil on the occasion of the First Ever Indian Grand Prix."
There first official visit to the country will come at a time when high adrenaline will be rushing into the every Indian Body with the Inaugural Indian Grand Prix, Oct 30, 2011.
The heavy metal giants, famous for anthems like Enter Sandman…, Nothing Else Matters… and For Whom The Bell Tolls…, under F1 Rocks, will be rocking First Ever Indian Grand Prix, on October 28, 2011 in Gurgaon, Near Delhi, India.
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Those who would like to watch their favorite band performing can book the tickets on www.ticketgenie.in as the Sale of Ticket will start from 3rd July at 12:00 PM (Noon) local time.
Sale of Ticket was delayed for some reason and it was earlier planned to start on May 4.
The time of the Show is also not yet confirmed.
Batmobile goes eco Friendly
Former Formula 1 designer and McLaren maestro Gordon Murray is behind the design. The remodelled Batmobiles are not new. In the latest edition, Murray and Co have kept the outside of the motor monster more realistic, choosing a subtler shape compared to the Tim Burton-era or Chris Nolan knockout roller in latest Dark Knight film.
Though it is powered by emission-less hydrogen-powered fuel cell, Wayne has not gone completely green with it still employing an afterburner. By any standards, there isn’t any doubt that Gordon Murray has created a charming and pragmatic F1-style, hydrogen-powered Batmobile.
The green monster sports front-mounted lasers, sonar and virtual wheels — diodes in the wheel that would create a high-voltage field lifting the car 40mm off the ground. It also has lots of LEDs to woo the audience.
If you are fortunate to be England or in Europe when the show goes on stage, you will be lucky enough to witness the green Batmobile doing wonders on the podium
A gap in the grand prix calendar was a chance for the Running Showcar team to head for the streets of Hong Kong today in the Red Bull Dragon Run.
More than 43,000 spectators lined Lung Wo Road, to watch Toro Rosso's Jaime Alguersuari put the Red Bull Racing Showcar through its paces and perform short sprints, burnouts, engine breaks and donuts.
Afterwards Jaime said: “I am very happy to get the chance to visit this energetic and fast-paced city. Hong Kong is not unlike the Formula One driver's life – always progressive, professional and concentrated. I love driving an F1 car, and it's great fun driving it away from the race track, to be able to drive an F1 car on the streets of Hong Kong, one of the busiest cities in the world, is crazy, so I am very fortunate to accomplished that.”
Superbike and drift show demonstrations plus high speed car formations were the support acts to the Showcar spectacular. There were also the great and good of Hong Hong on hand to see the action and try their hand on the Red Bull Racing simulator including Hong Kong racing drivers Darryl O’Young and Poon Siu-Fan, Hong Kong team football player Lo Hwan-yu, 2010 Guangzhou Asian Games Men’s Windsurfing Champion CHAN King-yin and aspiring go-kart driver, and brilliantly named, Jacky Chan.
Hong Kong, Argentina, Mexico want to grab F1 calendar spots
Hong Kong, Argentina, Mexico want to grab F1 calendar spot and Hong Kong has taken its "first step" toward the Formula One calendar.
That step was a F1 single seater demonstration put on by Red Bull in the Chinese city-state featuring Jaime Alguersuari.
Automobile association president Wesley Wan is quoted by AFP as admitting Hong Kong is interested in staging a proper Grand Prix "one day."
"This is the first step in gaining the support of the people," he told the South China Morning Post.
"My dream is that Hong Kong, like Singapore, Malaysia and China, will be a stop on the Grand Prix circuit," added Wan.
He revealed that Hong Kong was singled out as a potential F1 venue prior to 1997.
"And as far as a street circuit is concerned, if Monte Carlo and Singapore can have it, why can't Hong Kong?" he said.
Reports on Friday also said former F1 hosts Argentina, eyeing the renovation of the Velociudad circuit in Zarate, and Mexico, which was recently visited by Charlie Whiting, have been earmarked as potential future venues for Grands Prix.
The Mexican link is particularly interesting, given the involvement at Sauber this year of the world's richest man Carlos Slim, who is already backing the Swiss team's Mexican rookie Sergio Perez.
After sitting out Canada in the wake of his Monaco qualifying crash and hospitalization, 21-year-old Perez said on Friday he hopes to return next weekend.
"I feel perfectly well and I’m very much looking forward to racing in Valencia," he said.
Finally Renault Closed Lotus name dispute
Sponsor Group Lotus' chief Dany Bahar met with reporters for lunch on Friday where he said it is possible the Malaysian owned car maker will eye ownership of Formula 1's Enstone based team one day.
But for now "We are absolutely fine as it is," he is quoted as saying by Reuters.
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Officially, the team is called Lotus Renault GP this year but some commentators and fans refer to Tony Fernandes' entirely separate Malaysian team as 'Lotus'.
Bahar indicated he is happy with the Renault chassis name for now.
"If we decide to go for the long term (ownership) then a renaming would be an issue," he said. "But at the moment it's out of the question and it's not something we are pursuing. Out of the question until 2013."
The reference to 2013 could be because until the current Concorde Agreement runs out, team name changes must be agreed by all rival bosses, including Team Lotus' Fernandes who is embroiled in a bitter naming dispute with Group Lotus.
A recent court battle allowed Fernandes to keep the Lotus name, while Renault was cleared to keep racing in the iconic black and gold Lotus livery.
"It's a nice livery that is perceived well by the people, especially on the road car side, so I see no reason why we should change it," said Bahar.
Thursday, June 23, 2011
Lotus will introduce KERS in 2012
Team Lotus' latest sponsor deal will mean the Formula One outfit runs KERS technology in 2012.
Team owner and boss Tony Fernandes announced this week the green T128 cars will begin running General Electric branding from Silverstone in July.
Asked by CNN if the wide ranging agreement will lead to Team Lotus running energy recovery technology in Formula 1 next year, he said: "Without a doubt. Definitely, next year, we will have KERS… so it's a big plus, not only financially, but technologically".
In 2011, Team Lotus is one of only a few teams not already using KERS technology.
Indian Grand Prix is not blighted by ticketing problems, said Ashish Hemrajani
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Indian Formula One Grand Prix on October 30 will face none of the ticketing fiascos that have blighted recent major sporting events in the country, the head of ticketing for the race said on Friday.
A focus on technology and good customer support will ensure the Indian Grand Prix is not blighted by ticketing problems, said Ashish Hemrajani, founder and chief executive officer of Bigtree Entertainment, the holding company for the race's official ticketing partner Bookmyshow.com.
"You'd never face that kind of problem here," Hemrajani said in a telephone interview.
"That's really our strength -- excellent customer support, a robust system and the focus on technology.
"It's all about technology. If you know that you are going to get that kind of traffic, you have to learn to manage it. We will ensure anything like that does not happen.
"We do ticketing for events, concerts, plays... In the Indian Premier League (IPL) we do it for Mumbai, Delhi, Punjab and Rajasthan.
"Even in IPL, there was tremendous rush but nothing went wrong. We are used to handling it. Our system works seamlessly."
He said tickets -- three-day passes priced between Rupees 3,000 to 50,000 ($67 to $1,112) -- will go on sale next month once he gets the go-ahead from race promoters.
With Indian driver Narain Karthikeyan (HRT-Cosworth) on the grid and a team (Force India-Mercedes) bearing the country's name, Hemrajani expects every ticket to sell.
"This is the first time that it's being held in the country. There is a lot of media hype around the race," he said.
"It's a very attractive price range, pretty encouraging to get people to come to the arena.
"Of course it helps to have Indian drivers and an Indian team out there. If you see the race in Monza, you see so many fans turning up and cheering for Ferrari."
Renault impatiently wants four cylinder turbo engine in F1
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Renault, one of the leading engine providers in Formula 1, have said that they are now getting quite impatient about the International Automobile Federation (FIA) decision and clarification regarding the 2013 engine change regulations.
Renault provides engines to three teams in the sport which includes Red Bull Racing, Lotus Renault GP and Team Lotus. It is quite surprising since these three teams are the best in their own category.
Red Bull Racing are the best out of the top running teams, Lotus Renault GP are the best out of the mid-running teams of the sport while Team Lotus are the best out of the three ‘back-running’ teams.
Starting from the 2013 Formula 1 season, the teams will have to use a four-cylinder turbo engine instead of the V8 engines being used currently.
If the FIA decides to implement this major change in the engine regulations, then many engine providing companies of the sport are going to go through a major problem.
Engine providing companies including Ferrari and Mercedes have also requested the FIA to delay this change because of financial issues as they would have to understand and develop these engines from scratch.
“We want to know what to do rather than delay or defer. It seems to me that the situation is losing control. We understand and respect the ideas of Ferrari, Mercedes and Cosworth, but we are not willing to accept delays or to see things change in this way. The matter is becoming a problem. It is not clear who is managing the sport,” Renault’s managing director Jean-Francois Caubet told the media.
The president of the FIA, Jean Todt also revealed that Renault even told the FIA that they would quit the sport if the 2013 rule changes go ahead but as Caubet recently stated that Renault just wants the FIA to clear things out for them, it seems that they might not quit after all.
Many people including Formula 1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone and Ferrari president Luca di Montezemolo are against this change as it would change the whole ‘environment’ of the sport.
F1 Heiress - Petra Ecclestone buys America's most expensive home
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The late TV producer Aaron Spelling’s Los Angeles mansion and 5-acre estate (57,000-square foot) is ranked as America’s most expensive home.The Mansion, which was known as "The Manor," had a listing price of $150 million and has been on the market since 2009, according to the Wall Street Journal. |
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he Spellings bought the property in the 1980s and after tearing down the existing home, the mansion was rebuilt by Spelling and his wife, Candy, in 1991 in Los Angeles’ exclusive Holmby Hills neighborhood. It was considered the largest residence in Los Angeles county by far at the time.
The mansion is reportedly being sold to 22 year old F1 Heiress, Petra Eccelestone, younger daughter of F1 Boss Bernie Ecclestone. However the amount paid has not yet been disclosed.
She is a fashion designer who launched the now defunct menswear label FORM in 2008. Petra also owns a six-story home in London's Chelsea district, which was purchased for a reported $90.9 million. The heiress is engaged to businessman James Stunt and plans to split her time between London and Los Angeles leading up to their August wedding.
The property sprawls over 5 acres and features more than 100 rooms, a staircase inspired by the sweeping stairway in the film “Gone with the Wind,” and multiple flower-cutting and gift-wrapping rooms.
Candy Spelling, who owned the property had no immediate comment on the sale. In December 2010, she announced plans to downsize and sold a 15,555-square-foot condominium in Century City for $35 million.
Aaron Spelling, who died in 2006 at age 83, was one of Hollywood’s most prolific television producers. His credits included such prime-time series as “Beverly Hills, 90210,” “Melrose Place,” “Dynasty” and “The Love Boat.”
"This is not right time to bring Gutierrez in",Peter Sauber
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Peter Sauber has said it would make no sense to promote reserve driver Esteban Gutierrez into a Formula One race seat just yet - as he ruled out the possibility of the youngster being called into action if Sergio Perez has to skip another race.
Sauber had to recruit McLaren reserve Pedro de la Rosa for last weekend's Canadian Grand Prix after Perez was forced to withdraw from the event following Friday practice when he felt unwell.
The team has no doubts that Perez will be back to full fitness for next weekend's race in Valencia, but Sauber has already dismissed talk that Gutierrez could be given an opportunity if there are ongoing issues for his regular driver.
When asked about why Gutierrez was not put in the car to replace Perez, Sauber said: "I understand this question, but if these people think a little bit it is absolutely clear.
"We are responsible for him, and have had a contract with him for a couple of years. It is very important to bring him slowly into F1.
"It would be completely wrong to put him in the car [in Canada] if there was the possibility it makes absolutely no sense. It is important that he can concentrate on GP2, which is not easy, and to make progress there."
Although de la Rosa will likely be on stand-by in Valencia should Perez not be able to race, Sauber says he is not putting in place any official back-up plans.
"I don't think about that," he said. "For me, it is clear that Sergio can drive.
Kolles' eye on 2012 car
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Hispania Racing Team team principal Colin Kolles has said that he is quite happy with his team’s performance in the 2011 Canadian Grand Prix after a very poor start to the season.
He also mentioned that HRT really worked hard during the Montreal race weekend and that he wants better results from their drivers in the remainder of the 2011 Formula 1 season.
Kolles termed the Canadian Grand Prix as an unbelievable experience, as they made a good run for the first time in the season at the Montreal racetrack.
The team principal added that although HRT were a small team, but they are efficient and have an ability to show a strong performance against their rivals.
Hispania team had a poor start to their 2011 season, as the both of their drivers Vitantonio Liuzzi and Narain Karthikeyan were unable to finish their race due to technical problems in their cars. The team failed to deliver a good performance until the Monaco Grand Prix. However, in the recently held Montreal race weekend, the team driver Liuzzi made a good progress among the strong rivals and finished his race in the 13th spot.
The team faced a lot of criticism at the start of the 2011 Formula 1 season. However, after having a good showing in the Canadian race weekend, Kolles had to say something.
He said, “Time will always show who is right and who is wrong. Of course there are always things to be improved and criticism is ok as long as people understand what they are talking about.”
He went on to mention, “The team in itself is a strong team with a lot of dedicated people who give their 100% and work very hard. We are a small team but very efficient. This is all relative. Some people feel pressure and some don’t. The fact is that you have to push every day.”
The HRT team principal informed the media that they will start their wind tunnel programme at the Mercedes facility next month in July.
Apart from that, he added there are still a lot of races remaining in this season, so they have a chance to improve their performance. In addition, he said they can achieve their goals for the 2011 constructors’ championship in the upcoming races.
Michael Schumacher voted as the Greatest German Sports Personality
Germans have rated seven-time Formula One champion Michael Schumacher their greatest sporting figure of all time, despite his so-far lackluster comeback.
The Bild daily said Thursday it gave readers a choice of 50 candidates after Dirk Nowitzki last weekend became the first German to win the NBA basketball title.
It says more than 56,000 readers responded, and more than 28 percent of them chose Schumacher. In second place was football great Franz Beckenbauer, with just under 13 percent — followed by Nowitzki, with 12.4 percent.
Formula One's reigning German champion, Sebastian Vettel, was 10th with 1.8 percent of the votes.
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Michael Schumacher has won seven Formula 1 championships in his 18-year long career in the sport. He won 5 championships with Ferrari in 5 years consecutively from 2000-2004 while the rest of the two championships were won by him back in 1994 and 1995 with Team Benetton.
Michael has 91 race victories under his belt with 154 podium positions in 274 race starts which means that he has a podium scoring percentage of around 56 percent. It means that out of every two races on average, Schumacher scores a podium in at least one of them. Other than that, he has scored 68 pole positions so far in his career.
Funding Fears Ease Over 2012 US Grand Prix
Fears have eased that Austin's city council could scupper the 2012 US Grand Prix.
It emerged last week that if council members refuse to sign up as "endorsing municipality," the race organizers' $25 million in annual state funding for the Circuit of the Americas project is in doubt.
The council agreement would involve Austin contributing $4m per year to Texas' Major Events Trust Fund, even though the race organizers are pledging to pick up the bill.
Earlier reports had said the organizers were hoping the $4m would be funded by taxpayers in subsequent years, but it now emerges that they have agreed to pay up for the full decade of the Formula One contract.
"This confirms what I've been saying all along — that the city would be contributing no up-front money, and that the city would not be at risk," confirmed Austin mayor Lee Leffingwell.
Asked if the agreement will be formalized by the time the council meets next week, he is quoted by the Austin Chronicle: "I would hope so."
The inaugural race at the Circuit of the Americas (currently being constructed in South-East Travis County) is scheduled for June 17, 2012.
Full Throttle Productions (the local group behind the project) told council last week that it planned to pay the $4 million for the first year of the 10 year hosting contract.
Spelman said that today's latest decision to pay the full 10-year contribution appears to have been triggered by his declaration that he intended to move to postpone council's decision (tentatively scheduled for June 23).
"I wanted to allow a full nine days for the public to review the economic study," Spelman told NewsDesk, "as we do in all chapter 380 [incentive] agreements.This is not a chapter 380 agreement – it's with the state's Major Events Trust Fund – but it's close enough that I think we needed to treat it the same way."
Recycled Materials to F1 Style car to participate in UK Formula Student Contest
Palestinian students had developed a Formula 1 style racing car using the recycled Materials. Eleven Palestinian students from UNRWA's Khan Younis Training Centre (KYTC) in Gaza created the car from scratch.
The student team leader was 19 year old Osama Al Othmani. He said "the team hopes to be able to collect enough funding to travel the car to the prestigious UK Formula Student competition, one of Europe's biggest student motor-sport events."
The contest, to be held from 14-17 July, serves as a talent-nurturing and recruitment event for companies such as Jaguar Land Rover, Mercedes-Benz and Shell.
The team is urgently seeking funding to ship their car and travel to the UK.
With financial support from Bank of Palestine, Pal Tel Group Foundation and Al Quds (Jerusalem) Bank, the Khan Younis team have been working round the clock in preparation for the competition, according to the supervisor, Ghassan Abu Orf.
Final part that goes on car is the label ‘Made in Gaza’
Eurosafe keeps cladders safe at Buddh International Circuit
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Eurosafe Solutions designed the 40m long suspended cradle access system, which is thought to be one of the largest in the world, working in partnership with IMS in Sheffield UK, which has project managed the installation process.
The suspended cradle will be used by contractors involved in the installation of soffitt cladding for the stadium, which is part of a major regeneration of the whole area now known as Sport City.
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Eurosafe was approached by the specialist cladding contractors; a joint venture partnership between an UK and an Indian contractor because of its track record of installing complex access systems on buildings in the UK and around the world. The company has designed and overseen the fabrication of the huge metal structure, which will enable the safe installation of the cladding when working at heights of 40m.
Eurosafe Solutions and the other local companies involved were up against a strict deadline to ensure the huge structure could be built within just a couple of months. The suspended cradle system was shipped to India at the end of last year. John Boyle, director at Eurosafe Solutions and a team of six engineers from the company have recently returned from India, where they installed the cradle system working in temperatures of 40degC
Mr Boyle said, "This is such an exciting and prestigious project to work on. It was an eye opening trip too, obviously India is still a developing country with many people living in poverty and it was an interesting experience with all the workers and their families living on site! There were some detailed logistical planning required when we thought we might not be able to get the cradle from when it had been docked to site, but we had planned for all eventualities so everything worked out in the end and the installation itself ran very smoothly.
"The stadium is literally being built in the middle of the farmland with nothing else around for miles. However, it is shaping up to be a phenomenal, expansive structure that we are very proud to be part of. It is fantastic that South Yorkshire's design and manufacturing expertise has been used in this way on a major international project that will ensure the safety of construction workers at these tremendous heights. It will certainly be a project that will go down in Eurosafe's history."
The stadium, which will host the first Indian Grand Prix in October 2011, cost $300 million to build and involves 6500 construction workers. It is expected to generate $170 million of annual income and created 10000 jobs.
Lotus Signed wind tunnel agreement with williams
Team Lotus have agreed a deal with Williams to use one of the former champions two wind tunnels from September.
Team Lotus plan to use the Williams facility at Grove in England in conjunction with the Aerolab base in Italy which they are already using until the tunnel at their own Hingham factory becomes operational.
"From a practical perspective there are the obvious benefits of increasing our wind tunnel activity and using a state of the art facility in the UK," Team Lotus principal Tony Fernandes said.
"The other side of the agreement is that I owe a great deal of thanks to Frank Williams, Patrick Head and (chairman) Adam Parr as they were the first people I ever worked with in Formula One."
Fernandes AirAsia airline was a Williams sponsor before he entered the sport with his own team last year.
Kubica Might return to Formula 1 for Brazilian GP
Robert Kubica’s manager Daniel Morelli has said the former Lotus Renault GP driver might return to Formula 1 until the final race of the 2011 Formula 1 season which is expected to take place in Brazil by the end of November.
“Recovery is progressing positively. The right leg is fine: if that was the problem, then Robert would practically be ready. No, that's not our worry. The Italian GP is held in September, so it's in just three months' time, but we can think about the final race of the season,” Morelli told the media.
Kubica went through a near fatal accident back in February 2011 during a weekend rally event. Due to that, he nearly lost his right hand. However, his doctors did a decent job and now the nervous system of his right hand is recovering quite stably.
The Polish driver is currently going through the rehabilitation process in Genoa in order to restore his right hand’s full functionality and probably get back to Formula 1 once again as soon as possible. Other than that, his leg was fractured in the accident as well which has recovered fully now.
According to Daniel Morelli, Kubica’s leg is not an issue anymore but since his right hand is still not functioning completely, the rehabilitation process is still in progress and as soon as his hand recovers fully, he would come back to Formula 1.
“In any case, when Robert gets in the simulator, he'll immediately understand whether he's able to come back, how and when, without the need of a stop-watch,” he said.
Kubica was looking pretty good this year during the first couple of pre-season test sessions and it was believed that he might be one of the top running drivers of the sport in 2011. He scored a couple of podiums in 2010 as well despite the fact that his car was not as competitive as the top running teams’ cars.
It would be interesting to see how Robert performs after his return as the fans are expecting a lot from him next year.