Saturday

GRIBKOWSKY AND BRIBERY

This post may not be what you would usually read here at Aqsa's Formula but considering F1 encompasses politics and economics and goes beyond motor racing I feel this blog should too. The story I'm going to talk about is one featuring heavily in the news and so I want to make sure all F1 fans are aware of and understand the issue.

There's been a court case taking place in Munich, Germany and the man on trial is one Gerhard Gribkowsky. You may be aware of this court case already but I'll give you some background information just in case you're not. In July 2011 Gribkowsky was charged with tax evasion, breach of trust and receiving corrupt payments by German prosecutors. He was on the management board of a regional bank called BayernLB and the bank just happened to own a 47% stake in F1. Six years ago Gribkowsky was in charge of managing the sale of BayernLB's share in F1 to CVC Capital Partners. This is a private equity firm which means people give them money and they then use it to buy stakes in businesses. They have a huge portfolio and operate in Europe, the USA and Asia.

So, what is it that Gribkowsky did wrong? Prosecutors claim that he sold the share without updating its true valuation, meaning it was sold at a much cheaper price. He reportedly did this in return for bribes which were disguised as consulting contracts. This made the bribes look like it was money he'd earned for advising the company on what they could do. It's all very clever... Bernie Ecclestone apparently payed Gribkowsky a staggering £28 million ($44m) in bribes but he denies any wrongdoing and claims he was threatened to pay up.

In the trial on Wednesday, Gribkowsky told the court that the allegations of bribery were "essentially true". Ecclestone, naturally, claims that Gribkowsky is only saying this to "save himself" and get a lighter sentence. Gribkowsky has been sentenced to eight years and six months in prison but it is as yet unclear what effect this will have on Mr Ecclestone. No charges have been brought forward against him and he's never been charged by Munich state prosecutors previously.

Now, could it be that the talk of a London Grand Prix, which started at around the same time as Gribkowsky's trial, was all just a big distraction created by the powers that be to get the papers and fans talking about something else? No, surely not...

Aqsa

Friday

LONDON CALLING

This isn't exactly breaking news as I'm sure you've all seen recent reports on a possible London Grand Prix in the press lately. The news has gotten more than a few people excited about the prospect of holding a race in our capital but is it actually a good idea?

As I mentioned above the rumour that there are plans for Grand Prix to take place in London has caused a bit of a stir. Formula 1 goes to some of the most beautiful cities in the world; Monaco, Melbourne, Barcelona and Sao Paulo to name a few, so it's only right that they jewel in Britain's crown should be represented, right? There's no doubt that London is the UK's biggest attraction and millions of people from all around the world come to visit a great city. With plans to take F1 to New York, well New Jersey technically, the global appeal of the sport is set to increase to the American market. There's no doubt that many people will want London to get in on the action. And the city is beautiful. There's a magnificent skyline and some amazing tourist attractions that would provide a perfect backdrop for a Grand Prix.

However, as with any decision, we have to weigh up the negatives of the argument as well. And, I'm afraid, in this case I think there are more cons than pros. London is a busy city. Fact. Staging a Grand Prix there would take a lot of preparation. Not only would roads and tube stations have to be closed for the Grand Prix but putting up grandstands and making sure the roads are fit for racing on would have to be taken care of weeks before. Can one of the world's busiest cities deal with such disruption? Businesses would be affected not only because of transport but also because many tourists won't want to come to London in the run up to a Grand Prix because of the situation with the roads and the underground. London already attracts a lot of tourists so holding an F1 race there won't necessarily increase that number. There's also the issue of finance and funding. I can't imagine any UK government would be willing to fund a race in the Big Smoke and Bernie Ecclestone wouldn't as it would affect his contracts with other circuits. There's also the problem of noise and pollution. This is already a concern in the capital and let's just say that F1 would attract a few more protests if 24 cars travelling in excess of 200 mph were blazing through London. Furthermore, would the race at Silverstone be sacrificed for London or would we hold two races in Britain? Before that decision is made we would need confirmation of a London Grand Prix. I am doubtful, like many people out there, whether the stories about the race are genuine or merely a distraction created by Mr Ecclestone and co. to divert attention away from a certain bribery accusation. Apparently the circuit would be staged in and around the Olympic stadium so could this also be a way of the powers in F1 simply trying to get people talking about Formula 1 in a year when London will be the focus for so many other sports?

I think a London Grand Prix is a great idea in theory but it isn't very practical and we can't even be sure whether or not the rumours are genuine. In the meantime let's just get ready to enjoy the British Grand Prix that is definitely on the calendar; Silverstone, and we only have to wait one week for it all to begin!

Aqsa

AQSA'S PODIUM

It's time for a new regular feature on Aqsa's Formula and, as you've probably worked out, it's called Aqsa's Podium. This is something I will do after every Grand Prix and the idea behind it is quite simple; I'll choose my top 3 drivers of the day and rank them in order of who impressed me the most during the race. My podium will differ from the race's as I don't think you need to be on the podium in order to have had a great race.

So let's get the first ever Aqsa's Podium started for the European Grand Prix.

3. Fernando Alonso




I've put Alonso 3rd because he did drive a great race and pull off many great overtakes to climb to 1st place after starting 11th on the grid. The reason he isn't higher up is because he was definitely helped by the misfortunes of others, particularly Sebastian Vettel.

2. Kimi Raikkonen



Raikkonen did well to take his second 2nd place finish of the season. He'd qualified in 5th and so he too had to overtake in Valencia to get on the podium; the pass on Lewis Hamilton was very impressive. Raikkonen entertained during the race and a win for him this season is imminent, in my opinion.

1. Mark Webber


Qualified in 19th and finished in 4th. Need I say more?

Who were your top 3 drivers for the European Grand Prix?

Aqsa

(Image 1, 2, 3)

Tuesday

SETTING THE SCENE.

Now if you've read my 2 part review on the European Grand Prix you'll know how many different talking points there were. This means there were several images that I could choose from as my 'Setting the Scene' pick; this is both a blessing and a curse. However, when I thought about it, there was only ever one picture I could have possibly chosen.
The podium for Valencia 2012 was made up of Alonso, Raikkonen and Schumacher. Three world champions sharing the podium and probably not the ones you would have picked on Sunday morning. This is even more special because the last time this happened, in exactly the same order, was in 2005 at the French Grand Prix. This also shows how well F1 drivers age; not a lot has changed! This just made me smile and I hope it made you smile too.

Aqsa

P.S. I know I've technically chosen two pictures but they've been combined to make one so it's all fine!

MORE THOUGHTS ON VALENCIA...

In my race review of the European Grand Prix I promised to add more thoughts on the race to the blog. I didn't get a chance to look at Jenson Button's race in my review so that'd be a good place to start. 


Jenson finished the race in eighth place after qualifying in ninth. It is no secret that the 2009 world champion has been struggling as of late and his championship hopes have taken a bit of a bruising; he's won six points from the last five races. He hasn't been consistently finishing in the points; something that will be key in the outcome of this season. When he has finished in the points, he has been towards the lower end of the top 10. McLaren told us that they have understood what Jenson's problems with the car were and have taken steps to resolve it. Qualifying wasn't as hard for him as it has been for the last few races and he reached Q3 fairly comfortably. I'm sure 9th wasn't what he would have wanted but it may be a stepping stone to better Qualifying results. Jenson had a fairly uneventful race. He wasn't involved in any collisions etc... But it was clear that he still wasn't at one with the car. Tyre degradation was still a problem for him and he was also suffering from locking up. His position in the points was helped by the retirements of Hamilton, Vettel and Grosjean but I'm sure he thinks it's about time he had some luck.




The British Grand Prix is next up on the 2012 calendar and I'm sure it will be the one that means the most to Button. If his problems were to continue into this race his title hopes would be on some sort of metaphorical life support machine. Every driver wants to perform well and, at the very least, get on the podium at their home Grand Prix so Jenson's woes wouldn't be limited to his championship dreams. The fans will also be hoping there is a significant improvement in Button's performance. Can he and McLaren deliver the goods in a fortnight's time? They've had quite a few races to sort his problems out so Jenson may need a bit more luck.

Force India also stood out for me in this Grand Prix. Both of their drivers capitalised on their top 10 qualifying and won a good amount of points in Valencia. Most impressively, they gained more points than their rivals Williams and Sauber. Hulkenberg finished in 5th with Di Resta in 7th and the team will be aware that they must now bring the updates necessary to change this strong result into a podium in the near future. Both Sauber and Williams have finished on the podium so Force India will be eager to share some of that glory. Paul Di Resta said that he could have qualified higher up and felt he could have gotten a lot closer to the Lotus'. Had they succeeded with that, they may well have got a podium stop in such an eventful race. He is another driver who will want to impress at Silverstone and I'm sure he won't want to be beaten by his teammate again. The Force India drivers make a very interesting pair and I'm sure they will act as a motivation to each other as they are both young, ambitious and talented drivers who know that beating their teammate is their most important challenge. They're not exactly challenging for the Drivers' championship so the inter-team rivalry is what means the most to them.

That's the end of the brief extension to my European Grand Prix review and it just covered the two main points from the race results that I personally found interesting. They're also the most relevant for the British Grand Prix when Button and Di Resta, along with Hamilton, will be the main figures of attention.

My 'Setting the Scene' feature and thoughts on the penalties handed out after the race are still to come... I will also start adding new features to the blog, which is always exciting!

Aqsa

(Image)

Sunday

VALENCIA THRILLS TO SILENCE CRITICS

The race finished a couple of hours ago now but I'm still in a state of shock as to how incredible it was! So much was going on and in Valencia of all places. I told you yesterday that I was really excited for the race because Qualifying showed us the potential it had to be a really great one.Valencia attracts a lot of negativity but it certainly silenced its critics today and it was, in my opinion, the most exciting race of the season so far. I hate to say I told you so, but...

Let's start with the winner of the race. Fernando Alonso won in front of his home fans to become the first double winner of 2012 and he ended the historical run of different winners. His win also means that he now leads the championship by a staggering 20 points from second-placed man Mark Webber. Yesterday, I said Alonso is in danger of falling behind Vettel and Hamilton following his poor 11th-position qualifying. Obviously Alonso read my review and was on a mission to prove me wrong... So let's look at just how Alonso won the race after starting in 11th.


A typically great start from the Spaniard meant that he was able to jump a few places straight off the line. Jenson Button was one of his victims as his woes continued. Then he pulled off some stunning overtakes to reach 4th at a track where we do not usually see a lot of overtakes. With a comfortable 4th position reached and seven places climbed a safety car was deployed. Taking this opportunity to make pit-stops for fresher tyres Alonso followed Lewis Hamilton in to the pit lane. However, despite strong first stops for both Button and Hamilton, McLaren returned to old ways and encountered yet another problem in the pits. This meant that Lewis was stationary for over 14 seconds and Ferrari were able to release Alonso ahead of the Brit. So Alonso was now up into 3rd and, with the pack bunched up again, Romain Grosjean was next on Alonso's hit list. Immediately after the restart Alonso got the job done and the Frenchman had no answers to Alonso's skill and experience. Sebastian Vettel, I'll look at him in more depth later on, got a comfortable getaway from the rest of the drivers but only a couple of corners later he came to a sudden stop. Alonso drove past him and that was it... He controlled his tyres and his pace to take the win with no one presenting a real challenge to him. So 11th to 1st and 111 points in the Drivers' championship. He must be pleased with that. He is also now the only driver to have finished in the points at every race so far. Showing consistency pays off, Alonso had been outperforming his car at the beginning of the season but the team seem to have made significant progress. However, contrasting Alonso's performances with Felipe Massa's shows that he is just a genuine racer and, many would argue, the most complete! He described this win as the most special of all his wins and I expect it means even more in a season like this one. This has been great weekend for Spanish sports fans, that's for sure. Of course, this Grand Prix shows just how, and this is becoming the most used word on my blog, unpredictable this season is so Alonso may have a comfortable lead right now but everything could change in just a short space of time.


Sebastian Vettel will be hoping that this is the case. He is now 26 points off the lead but has underlined that everything can change every fortnight. He also said that he takes confidence in Red Bull's updates and progress away from this weekend rather than anger. He had a "sensational" start, in his own words, and was significantly faster than everyone else before the first round of pit stops. Not only did he pull out of the DRS zone but he built a lead of approximately 10 seconds in a matter of laps. After he pitted, he retained the lead and went on to pull out a 20 second lead over Grosjean, who was running in second. The German clearly had pace in Qualifying and he had it in abundance again today. The news of a safety car deployment must have hurt considering how hard he had worked to pull out such a lead. Even at the start he pulled out a huge lead but didn't hurt his tyres any more than his competitors. Nevertheless, he used the opportunity to pit and he controlled the pack well behind the safety car. He also got a good restart and there was every possibility of him reopening the lead he had. Then, as I mentioned above, he had to immediately stop his car on the side of the track and watch as all of his championship rivals passed him. It is thought that a problem with the alternator was what ended his race prematurely but Red Bull are still investigating the cause. In a season so tight, consistency and finishes in the points will be the deciding factor and this is now Vettel's second no-points result. He is still in the hunt for the title but he will have to hope that he has had his share of bad luck this season and that Alonso's is yet to come.

Adding insult to injury, Vettel is now also behind his teammate Mark Webber in the Drivers' championship. Vettel is fourth and Mark second. Webber started the race in 19th and, with this being Valencia, many had written his chances off. His start wasn't that sensational but he was surrounded by cars that he was obviously significantly faster than. Despite this he spent a lot of the race out of the points positions but the safety car and some special overtakes helped him to climb through the pack. He finished in fourth and this high finish was helped by a few DNFs for those in front of him. Regardless, Webber drove a great drive and I think he is definitely in my top 2 for driver of the day. Climbing 15 places is no mean feat at any track but at Valencia, I think it will mean more for his confidence; especially considering Mark's history with this track. Beating Vettel in the championship will also be a nice comfort for him even if it is only by 6 points. Now, honestly, who had written him off for the title? *raises hand*


So whose misfortunes helped Webber? His teammate's for one but Romain Grosjean also lent a hand. After Vettel's retirement Grosjean was second behind leader Alonso. However, he then experienced a similar fate to Sebastian. Lotus have confirmed that his problem was with the alternator. Lotus were faster than Ferrari yesterday so had Grosjean not had this issue he could very well have become the eighth different winner from eight races. I'm sure he would have settled with second place though if it meant he could add to his podium tally. Even after this big disappointment, to know what you have done all you could but your car let you down, Grosjean was still smiling as he spoke to the media after his race had ended. I am really glad he has been given a second chance in Formula 1; not just because of his happy and humble personality but also because he has been giving world champions of the sport a run for their money. As the season goes on, his experience and confidence will increase so I expect big things to come from him in future races.

Kimi Raikkonen went on take 2nd place instead of his Lotus teammate. Grosjean's retirement meant Hamilton was now in 2nd and for a number of laps he defended well against the man we call the Iceman. At one point he even extended the gap between himself and Kimi as it seemed the Finn's tyres were wearing away. However, this breathing space only lasted a short while. A few mistakes from Hamilton, including running wide on the last corner twice, meant Raikkonen got very close once again and this time was able to pull off a clean and tidy pass against Hamilton to claim position. This is Raikkonen's second second-place finish, the first came in Bahrain, so his comeback is going strong. He still looked a bit downcast after the race as he basically said he wouldn't be happy unless he won. Could he go one better in the coming races? Lotus have looked capable of winning on several occasions now but have not yet managed to clinch the top-step on the podium. Should they win, will it be Kimi or Romain to do it for them? I think it is looking more likely to be the Frenchman right now but Kimi is more than capable also. Oh and I said above that Mark was in my top 2 drivers of the day. Kimi shares that position with him...

Michael Schumacher took the final podium spot and it was a really special moment for him. To say he's had a poor season would be an understatement so to finish so high up in the points, especially after Qualifying 12th, is a great achievement. And we can now say that the comeback is officially on. We know Mercedes are able to win races so could that be next on his return to his former glory? I genuinely hope so. I have been  slightly critical of him this season and doubted for how much longer we can put his form down to bad luck but I have wanted him to do well. Luck was on his side today. In a field of a handful of DNFs he did not fall victim to any incidents and finished ahead of his Chinese Grand Prix winner Nico Rosberg. Hopefully this is a sign of things to come for the veteran driver and not merely a 'one-off' incident.

Now on to Lewis Hamilton's race. He didn't get as good a start as Vettel but it wasn't bad. He was unable to get anywhere near Sebastian so DRS was out of the question. His focus had to be on retaining second as opposed to gaining on Vettel. He was unable to do so and lost position to Grosjean. He was shocked at his Qualifying performance indicating that McLaren didn't have a lot of pace so to see him losing out to a Lotus was not a huge surprise. Pit stops followed and it was a tidy one from McLaren. Lewis' tyres were off and on in a mighty impressive 2.9 seconds. I've already told you what happened to Lewis during the safety car phase, and I doubt McLaren fans will want it repeated, but his second stop cost over 14 seconds. Just as everyone was talking about how the practice McLaren put into stops seems to have paid off, they went and effectively ruined Lewis' race. That may be slightly harsh... This meant he was behind Alonso and any hopes of a win were gone. He was also closer to Pastor Maldonado. As the race went on he lost a place to Raikkonen and then Maldonado advanced on the 2008 champion. He came very close to passing him but Lewis retained the driving line and Maldonado was pushed off the race track. As he moved back onto it he collided straight into Lewis; sending Lewis into the barrier and out of the race. This was a golden opportunity for Hamilton to gain an advantage over Vettel but his lead remains at 3 points and he is now 23 off the lead. The stewards analysed the Maldonado incident and decided Pastor was at fault. They chose to give him a 20-second penalty. This means that he loses the one point he won by finishing 10th. His Williams teammate Bruno Senna now holds that point instead. Usually opinions on penalties really do vary but with regards to this one, it seems to me, that most fans are in agreement; it was not harsh enough. Maldonado's reckless driving here cost him and Lewis a lot of points. He had more pace than the McLaren and could have easily passed him before the end of the race. Raikkonen was gone by that point so he only needed to make one pass for a podium finish. Lewis definitely lost the most as a result of the incident and he may feel that the penalty is unjust.




A lot happened at this circuit; that much is clear! It was an extremely interesting and exciting race. The thrill of Valencia 2012 was thanks to, in no small part, the Pirelli tyres and if I see further criticism of what they've 
offered I will be shocked. Do we need further evidence of the positive impact they're having on Formula 1? So Valencia has been the race of the season so far, in my opinion. Would you agree? Get it touch and let me know.

There is honestly so much more that happened in the race that I haven't even covered. Just like yesterday, I could double this review in length but that will make for much longer reading for you. Therefore, I promise to add more posts all about Valencia and previewing what today's events mean for the British Grand Prix, which will take place in a couple of weeks' time. I will also add a 'Setting the Scene' for the race so look out for my choice; there are many events from the race that would be worthy as my pick!

So we have our first double winner of 2012 in Fernando Alonso in a Ferrari that was heavily criticised at the beginning of the season. I guess they are showing why they have the reputation that they do in Formula 1. Alonso now has a nice lead, can he continue to build on it or is his share of bad luck still to come? Can Vettel and Hamilton move onwards and upwards from their misfortunes today and keep Alonso on his toes? Everything is still to play for and everything could change instantly. Well not instantly but in a fortnight... As for the Constructors' championship, Red Bull have somehow increased their lead thanks to the performance of Mark Webber. Is everything still to play in this particular championship battle? We may be able to answer some of this questions after the British Grand Prix as the 2012 F1 season draws closer to it's halfway point.

Aqsa

P.S Jean-Eric Vergne has been given a 10 place grid-drop for Silverstone and a 25,000 Euro fine! More on that to come...

(Images)

Saturday

SEB'S BULL REIGNS IN SPAIN

Sebastian Vettel pulled out a spectacular Q3 performance to take his 33rd career pole; putting him 3rd in the all-time list alongside the legends Jim Clark and Alain Prost. At just 24 years old this is a remarkable achievement and even if he may not have 8/8 poles this season, there is no doubt in my mind that he is the Qualifying king in the current generation of F1. His pole position in Valencia today also meant that he now has a hat-trick of poles at this circuit and he will be hoping to make that a hat-trick of wins tomorrow as well.

I described Vettel's performance as 'spectacular' and it was fully deserving of that accolade. After not really setting the timing screens alight during Q1 and Q2, it seemed that he would only run once in Q3. That was what he went on to do but his one lap was more than enough to guarantee his pole position. A few other drivers crossed the line after Sebastian but none of them could come close to his time. He eventually beat 2nd placed man Lewis Hamilton by 3 tenths of a second when the rest of the top 10 were separated by only 5 tenths. It really was astonishing to see how he did it and he put in a pretty much perfect lap to pull out this margin. Q2 was incredibly tight so I still can't fully comprehend how Vettel managed to do what he did in such a fashion. He himself said it was a "surprising gap". Vettel looked strong in practice yesterday but no one expected for him to be so strong today, especially as he was right in the middle of the pack during Q1 and 2. His pole position also means that, in an extremely competitive field, Red Bull now have three poles in a row; Mark in Monaco and Sebastian in Montreal and Valencia. But are we really surprised?


Sebastian's Red Bull teammate Mark Webber did surprise everyone with his Qualifying display but it was for all the wrong reasons. The Australian failed to make it through to Q, wait for it, TWO and starts in 19th for the Grand Prix tomorrow. He had extremely limited running in FP3, he only got to do 4 laps, due to hydraulics and brake problems. The team had been working on the car from FP3 to Qualifying but it seems Mark was still ridden with problems. Going out on the soft tyres straight away was an immediate indication that Red Bull and Webber weren't feeling too optimistic about the session. They would have, naturally, expected this move to at least take them through to the top 17 but it wasn't to be. So the season gets crazier; Heikki Kovalainen's Caterham outqualified a Red Bull. Wow... I'm sure Mark Webber will give us something to watch tomorrow as he has a lot of cars ahead of him that a Red Bull really should be eclipsing in terms of performance and pace. So, despite Valencia being a circuit not really famed for its overtaking possibilities, Webber will definitely be making up some places tomorrow and he has a choice of tyres to start the race on. If he can use tyre strategy to maximum effect, he can salvage this race weekend.


Lewis Hamilton qualified in 2nd but he said that he didn't actually expect to finish so high up. This means that the front row will be Vettel-Hamilton for three races now and for the other two Sebastian got a better start than Lewis. He will need to repeat this tomorrow and pull out of the DRS zone in time to avoid the McLaren getting the chance to overtake in what is a very long DRS straight in Valencia. He will be hoping that there isn't a repeat of Montreal and Red Bull must choose the correct strategy this time round. As I have said, Valencia is not really famous for overtaking so should Sebastian get his start and strategy perfect, this race is his to lose. McLaren have not brought updates to Valencia whilst Red Bull have made key developments to the RB8. Can this play in their favour tomorrow? If Lewis were to win he will open up a comfortable championship lead for himself so the pressure is on Messrs Vettel and Alonso to really optimise their performance and get the best result possible!


This will be more of a challenge for Alonso and he could find himself much further behind Hamilton and Vettel after the race tomorrow. This is because he, along with his Ferrari colleague Felipe Massa, failed to make it to Q3 and starts in 11th. Michael Schumacher is just behind him in 12th as his 'bad luck' continues. Fernando was only 0.2 seconds off the pace in Q2 again underlining how narrow the margins are and how there is no room for mistakes in the 2012 F1 season. Massa starts in 13th but was only 0.4 seconds away from Alonso. So he shouldn't feel too disheartened by this. Of course there will be some head-scratching going on at Ferrari. They looked to have made significant steps forward with their car but this seems to be a set-back. They still have a shot at winning some points, particularly with Alonso but it will be a challenge. The start is, therefore, crucial!

Capitalising on the misfortunes of Ferrari, Schumacher and Webber were the likes of Force India's Paul di Resta and Hulkenberg, they start 10th and 8th, and Kamui Kobayashi, who starts in 7th. And even Jenson Button who made it through to Q3 and will start from 9th. Force India and Kobayashi were very impressive today and looked strong throughout the session. For these teams making it through to Q3 despite the tight margins and minimal room for error is a huge achievement and the midfield battle is shaping up to be a very interesting one. Lotus are the midfield team that seem to be running away with that particular battle. There was high expectation from them today but, once again, the success on Saturday failed to materialise. Even when they do look very strong they can't seem to pose a consistent front-row challenge. Nevertheless, Grosjean did enjoy some time at the top of the timesheets today but ultimately starts in 4th; one place ahead of Kimi Raikkonen. It is quite exciting to think about which Lotus driver will be the first to get pole if the car is capable of it. Well, I think it's exciting...

Maldonado and Williams' Spanish success continued today as he rounded off the top 3. It may not be as high up as where he started in Barcelona but it is still an achievement. They start ahead of both Lotuses, both Mercedes' (Rosberg is starting from 6th), both Ferraris and a Red Bull. A very nice position to be in, I'm sure. However, they must ensure that this isn't just a rare occurrence and they need to become more consistent with their top 10 qualifying. Also, Maldonado can be an aggressive, slight understatement there, driver so he needs to keep a cool head and not get mixed up in all the traffic at the start. He needs to maintain his form today for tomorrow as well so that he can pick up a good batch of points for Williams. He fell from hero to zero within the space of one race weekend, Barcelona to Monaco, and was criticised for his aggression and slight immaturity. It is up to him to prove that he isn't just a one-race wonder!


So that sums up the main parts of Qualifying but, if I'm honest, this review could probably double in length if we looked at the performances of Toro Rosso, Mercedes, Perez and Senna. It was a dramatic and exciting session in Valencia and I have no qualms about the fact that the race will also be a good one. Valencia does get a lot of bad press but there is a lot to keep an eye out for tomorrow and there are a fair few drivers who will be looking to right some wrongs from today. Many will have chances to overtake and I'm sure there are places to be made, even in Valencia. I am really looking forward to the race and it may have a big impact on the two championships as well. Mark Webber's misfortunes are a positive for McLaren's Constructors' hopes and Alonso has given Vettel and Hamilton a golden opportunity to ensure that the title battle is a two horse race. So enjoy it, I know I will, and then join me back here to review it all.

See you then...

Aqsa

(Images: dailymail.co.uk)

Friday

PRACTICE MAKES PERFECT.

Before I start talking about the day's action in Valencia I'd just like to say "I'm baaaack!" It feels like I've been away from the blog for a very long time and I hope you haven't felt neglected. As I mentioned in my last post, I have had my A-Level exams for the past fortnight but I am finished now and excited to be able to devote myself to my blog. So expect more regular posts and new features as well, not just race reviews and F1 news.

Now let's get down to business...

The Friday of a race weekend (usually) means we have 2 practice sessions to enjoy and today it was the turn of Valencia to host FP1 and FP2 as it is the European Grand Prix this weekend, of course! As has been the case all too often this season the practice sessions don't really give us much of an indication as to what will happen during Qualifying and even less so for the race. Teams' form doesn't only vary between Grands Prix; it can even change within the space of a couple of days. As we don't know what programmes teams are running during the sessions it is difficult to determine where their strengths lie. However, I think it's safe to assume that most teams will, at least, try to set a few fast, timed laps so that they know what to expect from Qualifying. That being said I doubt they even know what may happen...

I'll begin with looking at this Grand Prix's reigning champions Sebastian Vettel and Red Bull. The two-time Valencia winner, 2010 and 2011, went 2nd fastest in FP1 and fastest of all in FP2. Teammate Mark Webber was 3rd and 9th in FP1 and FP2 respectively. Judging by these positions it is clear that Red Bull will be strong this weekend. FP2 was very mixed up, which I'll get to later, but, despite this, it seems that Red Bull's updates have been successful ones. They have made modifications to their car for this race that are designed to increase the downforce at the rear of the car; something the team used to maximum advantage in 2010 and 2011 with their exhaust-blown diffuser. As this has been banned for 2012 the team have struggled with recapturing the same level of dominance and race wins they previously enjoyed. Could the new updates mean that the Red Bull team we are used to seeing is back? They have still performed well so far this season and during a lot of unpredictability and instability they still lead in the Constructors' championship. Vettel stated, after practice, that the team had a strict programme which they stuck to and that lap times are not yet allowing them to make any conclusions regrading their "new bits"


Now let me get back to how crazy FP2 was, which I mentioned above. First of all, Force India's Nico Hulkenberg was second fastest in the session but I highly doubt that we'll see a Force India so high up in the rankings in Qualifying tomorrow. Paul di Resta was sixth and both Force India drivers have already proven that they can get in to Q3. They are just more used to being in the lower part of the top 10. The car clearly has pace so I think we can expect to see them in Q3 tomorrow. They will face stiff competition from fellow midfield runners Sauber. 

Out of all the midfield teams it is safe to say that Lotus and Sauber have definitely made the most progress. With 2 podiums already under their belt this season, Sauber will be looking for more of the same this weekend in Valencia. Kobayashi was 3rd in FP2. Lotus may be looking to go a step higher than Sauber and take a race win. They have looked likely to do so for a few races now but the highest they've ever managed is 2nd place. The higher temperatures in Valencia will favour Lotus. They have performed well in these conditions before because they are so easy on their tyres. Should they pull off the win, we will have 8 different winners from 8 races after Lewis became the 7th man to win a race last time out. I'm getting a little ahead of myself now, we have Qualifying to deal with first and Valencia is a track, unlike Montreal, where pole position is very important for eventually taking the win so Lotus will have to pull some pace out of the bag and grab their first pole of the 2012 season to increase their chances of a race win. Grosjean and Raikkonen were only eighth and eleventh fastest in the afternoon session but as I said, FP2 was very mixed up so I wouldn't look at these results as realistic expectations for Qualifying. The team know that they can make up a lot more positions for both drivers. 

McLaren will probably share these beliefs. A more than disappointing FP2 led to their drivers finishing 12th and 14th with Jenson Button ahead of Canadian Grand Prix winner Lewis Hamilton. In the morning Button and Hamilton were fourth and eighth respectively. Button's struggles for the past three or four races have been well-documented but he was looking much more comfortable today. With getting through to Q3 being Button's main priority as of late, whilst Hamilton has a shot at pole, Jenson will be hoping he doesn't have it quite as hard tomorrow and McLaren have said that they understand what his problems were and have tried to solve them. Only time will tell whether they have been successful but, with the way this season is going, we will probably see him leading the championship at the end of the weekend...


So Qualifying tomorrow will be a very exciting one and there will be a lot to look out for. Have Button and McLaren ironed out their issues? Can Lotus present a strong challenge for pole position? Which of the midfield teams can make it to Q3? I should mention that Pastor Maldonado was the man who beat Vettel in FP1. Williams clearly like driving in Spain, so can they pull off another shock pole position? With the Qualifying position in Valencia being notoriously important for the eventual race outcome, everyone will be giving it their all tomorrow. I don't want to put a downer on the race already, especially as I've been looking forward to it as the light at the end of my metaphorical exam tunnel, but I have a feeling that Qualifying will be more exciting than the actual race. That being said, I can't wait for this entire weekend to kick off so bring on the European Grand Prix weekend! Oh and England vs. Italy in Euro 2012; what a great time to be a sports fan! Even if you don't like football I think you can appreciate the significance of this match! Anyway, I digress... 

I'll see you back here tomorrow afternoon, after Qualifying, to digest everything that happens!

Aqsa

Thursday

VETTELMAN

See what I did there? ^ Like a celeb couple name thing? Ok, moving on...

This is just a really quick post (I have a German exam tomorrow!) to add the video of Sebastian Vettel on the Late Show with David Letterman for you. Most people have probably already seen it as it's been around for a while now but I thought I'd put on the old blog in case you haven't. So enjoy...
Seb is really quite funny, isn't he? I like that we can get to see his sense of humour but this interview is nowhere near as good as the one from Top Gear, which you should definitely have a little Youtube search for if you haven't seen it.

Aqsa

PS I have my A-Level exams, German is tomorrow as I've already told you, so that's why updating has been a little slow. Normal service will resume when I finally have my freedom back.

PPS I still wrote reviews for practice, qualifying and the race for the Canadian GP despite having an exam two days later. That's dedication, that is...

PPPS When I said freedom I didn't mean to be offensive. I know I have it a lot easier than many thousands of people out there. It was just the best way to describe my exam hell.

PPPPS Just kidding, I'm done!

Sunday

HAMILTON MAKES HISTORY IN CANADA

It may not have lived up to its 2011 predecessor but the Canadian Grand Prix provided plenty of thrills and spills and added to the history books by giving Formula 1 its seventh different winner from the seventh race of the season. After a strong Qualifying yesterday, I did think Sebastian Vettel could run away with the win but it seems fate was on the side of Lewis Hamilton. He drove magnificently at the circuit that gave him his first ever win to win his first Grand Prix of the 2012 season and McLaren's first win since the first race in Melbourne (a lot of firsts)!
Despite Sebastian getting a good enough start and pulling out of the DRS zone when he needed to, he just did not have the pace he had in abundance yesterday. Once Lewis started getting close to him it was clear the McLaren was stronger on the day and the position would soon be lost. Red Bull turned to pit stop strategy but after McLaren's stint in the pits they emerged victorious meaning the undercut had not worked for the reigning champions. Alonso stayed out slightly longer than his rivals and led the race during that period and when he made the inevitable pit stop, he retained his lead. This was not to last for long though as Lewis eventually passed him with the help of DRS and McLaren's fine straight-line speed. As Hamilton was pulling away from Alonso, Alonso was pulling away from Vettel and all 3 had some clear air to run in. Tyre management was clearly crucial and, with no Pirelli data following last year's rain-filled race, a 2-stop strategy was what we were expecting. It was McLaren's plan and, as they kept telling Lewis, they also thought others would pit again. As it turned out they were the only team to pit their driver from the battle for the lead. Another error led to a delayed stint in the pit lane for Lewis and he knew he had some work to do. He began to cut the lead Alonso and Vettel had over him at an incredible rate and he demonstrated just what a car can do on fresh rubber. As the tyres fell away from Vettel and Alonso it was apparent that their 1-stop strategy would fail them and Lewis passed Vettel with great ease. The German didn't even put up a fight; with DRS and fresher tyres at his disposal there was no stopping Hamilton and Vettel would only have hurt his tyres more had he kept up the fight. 2 laps later Fernando Alonso would learn this very lesson. Lewis took a few glimpses at the Ferrari before he passed it on lap 64 to take the lead and his first win of the 2012 season. It was now just a matter of bringing it home for Hamilton and he did exactly that. 


Fernando Alonso's woes continued. He'd hurt his already pained tyres in the battle with Lewis and Romain Grosjean was hot on his back. 2 laps after Lewis passed him the Frenchman did the same. He was followed by Sergio Perez and the Mexican was able to do what he missed out on in Malaysia; he passed Alonso to take his second podium of the season so far! Sebastian Vettel couldn't manage his tyres any longer and had no choice but to switch to a 2-stop. Perhaps had he done this earlier, he too could have had a spot on the podium. Nevertheless, with new tyres, he too was able to add to Alonso's troubles and climbed up to fourth. He also set the fastest lap of the race at the end of the Grand Prix showing what he was capable of on newer tyres and low fuel. If the race was a few laps longer who knows where he would have finished...

Romain Grosjean and Sergio Perez performed astonishingly to take the two podium places behind Hamilton. Both are enjoying great starts to this season and even though Grosjean has faced criticisms because of his starts and the incidents he gets involved in, he came through the pack to take 2nd. Perez started in 13th and, as he was also on a 1-stop like Grosjean, used the degradation others were facing to his advantage. This means a lot for the drivers and their teams and I think Lotus needed this podium to boost the team and prove that they can return to podium winning ways. Kimi Raikkonen finished 8th in the other Lotus which, although not as high up as you'd expect, was an improvement on his Qualifying result. He will want to do better than this and return to his early-season form. Getting beaten in such a way by his younger, less experienced teammate won't feel too nice either... Kamui Kobayashi ended up in 9th meaning this was, all in all, a very positive race for the Sauber team and Chelsea FC are getting the dividends from their sponsorship deal. Results like this are crucial for a team like Sauber as it attracts the attention of more sponsors meaning more funding for research and development. I expect big things from this team next season and from their drivers. If they stay with Sauber, that is.

Let's talk about Mercedes... Nico Rosberg finished 6th and enjoyed a few battles along the way to this result. Tussles with Mark Webber and Felipe Massa stand out and he did beat both of them by the end of the race. He qualified in 5th so it would be slightly disappointing to lose a place but his disappointment won't compare to Michael Schumacher's. The veteran German driver's bad luck continued and he must be thinking that he just can't catch a break this season. This time it was a problem with his DRS wing that ended his race. Unusually, the flap wouldn't close and as that is a clear breach of rules, to have the wing open outside of DRS zones, the team frantically tried to force it shut. With no technology to do this they were using all the strength in their arms but the wing was having none of it. Another DNF for Schumacher means more questions over his F1 future will be raised.

The bad luck continued for Mr Jenson Button as well. He'd hoped his alternative tyre strategy would help him move up a few places but he made the mistake of using a set of tyres to set a timed lap in Q3. Has he followed Sebastian Vettel's strategy in Monaco he may have had a different race. Or maybe not... He struggled to get his tyres up to temperature and wasn't at one with them for the duration of the Grand Prix. Despite starting on the harder of the two tyres, Button couldn't stay out longer than others and his pit stops and customary lack of grip left him finishing in 16th position. His performances in recent races are of stark contrast to his teammate's. The incredibly lacklustre display we saw from him today means that he has only picked up 2 points from the last 4 races. He had a great start in Melbourne by winning the first race but form has slipped for the world champion since then and I'm sure he too is at a loss as to why this is happening. He told the BBC that he is "confused and very lost" after what he described as probably his "worst race for many, many years". Can he turn things around in time for Valencia and the European Grand Prix?

Felipe Massa didn't do very well by finishing in 10th after what was his best Qualifying this season. He dropped four places but the fact that his teammate lost the same amount of places during the last few laps of the race may act as some sort of comfort. Although I doubt that. He did still finish 5 places above him. Paul Di Resta also failed to capitalise on a strong Qualifying and he just missed out on points. He finished 11th, just ahead of teammate Niko Hulkenberg.

So Canada delivered the goods and helped to rewrite history. Lewis Hamilton's win helped McLaren reduce the gap to Red Bull in the Constructors' but they know that you need to get both drivers finishing solidly in the points to win that championship. As far as the drivers' championship is concerned, everything has been blown wide open. Hamilton leads it. Alonso is 2 points behind. Vettel is a further 1 behind. Who knows how this season will end but there are still 13 whole Grands Prix for us to enjoy before we see a champion being crowned. More pressing matters include the European Grand Prix which takes place in 2 weeks' time. Can we get 8 winners from 8 races? We'll find out soon enough...

Aqsa

(Images)

Saturday

SEB STUNS TO GET A GREAT POLE POSITION

Sebastian Vettel summed up everyone's expectations for the race tomorrow; "It's going to be interesting". But I think that is a definite understatement if today's Qualifying is anything to go by. The session had drama and excitement throughout and this only increased as we got closer and closer to the pole shoot-out! I remember thinking, halfway during Q3, "Oh my God there are still 5 minutes left, I don't know if I can take it!" And that sums my thoughts up, I could end this review right now...

After the end of Q1 your usual suspects were dropped with the addition of Toro Rosso's Jean-Eric Vergne. He was out-qualified by both of the Caterham cars and his teammate; adding to his Qualifying woes this season. He must improve his performances on Saturdays or at least match fellow Toro Rosso driver Daniel Ricciardo in order to reduce some of the pressure on him in the notoriously ruthless team.

Vettel topped the timesheets during Q1 and repeated this in Q2; he certainly looked like the man to beat! Alonso and Hamilton were also up there but Hamilton's teammate Button scraped through thanks to an error from Maldonado. The Spanish Grand Prix winner hit the Wall of Champions and spun to effectively end his shot at getting into the top 10. Also into the top 10 was the Force India of Paul Di Resta, who out-qualified his teammate Hulkenberg. An impressive drive from Di Resta saw him qualify in 8th, ahead of Michael Schumacher and Jenson Button. Button's Qualifying troubles continued in Canada and he was struggling with locking up during the session. Of course, Montreal is a circuit Jenson Button knows well after his great performance in 2011; he moved from 24th to win the race! He may have been helped by the rain at the time but it still required immense driver skill. Let's see what he can do tomorrow from 10th...

Kimi Raikkonen, for the second weekend in a row, was lacklustre in Qualifying. This time, however, he failed to even make it to Q3. Lotus were again strong contenders, many had believed, for a front-row start but they failed to live up to those expectations. Raikkonen qualified 12th with Grosjean performing slightly better to finish 7th.

The star of the day was, however, Sebastian Vettel. Not only was he the fastest man throughout, he was also the only driver to pass the 1 minute 14 seconds barrier. His first Q3 time would have been enough to get him pole position but he only went and improved that meaning it was quite a comfortable session for him. You could tell that he was really pushing for it today and all of his hard work paid off. Pole was really Lewis' to lose after his form in FP1 and FP2.  He starts 2nd meaning the front row resembles that of Bahrain and after everyone talking about how exciting that battle at the start will be, it makes you remember how the same was being said then as well. Little came of it with Vettel getting a better start and driving to the chequered flag. Can he replicate this tomorrow? If he does, he'll become the first driver to take two wins this season and return to the top of the Drivers' Championship.

Current leader Fernando Alonso did a great job today by really challenging for pole and many had thought he would get it. Ok I don't know if a lot of you did because I certainly didn't so I'll rephrase... Johnny Herbert on Sky F1 thought he would get it. It's clear that Ferrari have stepped up their game and with a driver like Alonso they can challenge for possibly the win and definitely the podium tomorrow. Felipe Massa also performed well today by qualifying in sixth; he too is improving as Ferrari improve as a team. Could he grab a podium spot tomorrow? Probably not but he can pick up a handful of points...

Here's the top 10 in full:

  1. Sebastian Vettel
  2. Lewis Hamilton
  3. Fernando Alonso
  4. Mark Webber (who said he was surprised to even qualify in 4th)
  5. Nico Rosberg (slightly disappointing for him and Merceded)
  6. Felipe Massa
  7. Romain Grosjean
  8. Paul Di Resta
  9. Michael Schumacher
  10. Jenson Button
I cannot wait for tomorrow's Canadian Grand Prix and if previous races in Montreal are anything to go by, we are in for a treat.

Aqsa

P.S. Sorry for the late review! I will try to be more prompt with tomorrow's race review.

(Images)

PRACTICE MAKES PERFECT.

As I write, FP3 for the Canadian Grand Prix is underway meaning we've already had 2 sessions over in Canada to try and learn something about what may happen this weekend. Lewis Hamilton  topped the timesheets in both sessions showing that he will be a definite pole contender for Qualifying in a few hours time. The McLaren driver showed impressive speed and is certainly the favourite for pole. He's already been on pole twice, three times if you're a McLaren fan, this season and he can add to his tally today. However, he will still face a challenge. In FP2 the top 3 cars were covered by just 0.151 seconds.

Behind Hamilton were the two Ferraris; Alonso and Massa were 2nd and 3rd respectively. Ferrari seem to have put their early season woes behind them and, they too, were impressive in practice. Despite the car seemingly much better in the race than in Qualfying a few races ago, the team demonstrated in Monaco that they are now fast enough on Saturday too. To get both of their cars in the top 3 in FP2 was no mean feat but the vital thing will be to replicate this form in Qualifying. However, as has been the case many times this season, the practice sessions can be misleading. So we will have to wait for Qualifying in Montreal to be over before we can pass judgement on the progress Ferrari seem to have made.
Red Bull had a satisfactory Friday and it does not look like having to change their floor has had much of an impact on their car's performance. Sebastian Vettel finished 2nd and then 4th but Mark Webber finished 5th and 11th in FP1 and FP2 in Canada. Following a great drive and win in Monaco for Mark and Red Bull after starting from pole position, we know that he can put the RB8 at the very front, or close to the very front, of the grid. However, the Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve in Montreal is a different beast altogether and we will have to wait and see what Red Bull can do this weekend. Will Sebastian Vettel, once again, not run in Q3? He seems to be fast, judging from the practice sessions, but that can all change in Qualifying if he can not optimise tyre performance. Running on the super-softs in FP1 and finishing 2nd indicates that he may have a shot at pole position.

Mercedes are also thought to be pole position contenders today. Many have speculated that they have not shown their true form during practice and with their 'super-DRS' they are capable of doing well in Canada. Michael Schumacher was declared to be 'back' after going fastest on Saturday in Monaco; can he make it 2 in a row? Or will his teammate Nico Rosberg take his second pole of the season? His first came a few races ago in China.

So I have focused on the frontrunners' performance in practice in this review but there's so much chopping and changing of pecking orders that the top 10 shoot-out will be one of the most exciting yet. Not only is it all "very close" in the words of Mr. Vettel but Canada offers a circuit that always manages to throw up a surprise or two. Of course, whilst the person who is favourite for pole always changes, so do the cars that make up the rest of the top 10 once the usual favourites go through. Can Force India improve on their strong performance in Monaco? Will Williams be able to challenge for the top spot again?

Qualifying in Canada will most certainly be thrilling and there is a lot to look out for as well. Not only will we be thinking about who gets pole or which cars from the 'midfield' make it through to Q3, we will want to look out for who actually runs in Q3, whether or not Jenson can make it out of Q2 (will it even matter to him? We know what he is capable of here!), and whether the man who gets pole position gets to stay there without being subjected to a penalty.

I can not wait for Qualifying to get started so, whether you're watching it in a few hours or waiting for BBC highlights later in the evening, make sure you're back here for my Qualifying review...

Aqsa

(Images)


UPDATE: FP3 is over and Vettel topped the results by, wait for it, six-thousandths of a second. My oh my, it really is so close. He was ahead of Alonso and Hamilton. Now tell me that hasn't made you a hundred times more excited for Qualifying... You can't, can you? Oh, and the top 16 were covered by ONE second!

Thursday

SEB'S GOING TO NEW YORK

After the Canadian Grand Prix the majority of the F1 circus will be catching their planes on Sunday night to head back home to Europe. Sebastian Vettel won't be joining them...

The double world champion will, instead, be taking a slight detour and visiting the Big Apple instead. A man after my own heart... He will be visiting to undertake his role as Infiniti Global Ambassador and spend time promoting the brand. He will also be promoting next year's Grand Prix of America which will be held in New Jersey with the New York City skyline as it's backdrop. He will drive the planned circuit in an Infiniti IPL G Coupe road car; part of Infiniti's performance car division. There is no doubt that this race is highly anticipated and will be the jewel in F1's crown next year. Sebastian Vettel's visit will be a great PR stunt for the circuit planners and help them attract attention to the race and increase the buzz around it; as if they need to! I'm already excited beyond words and it's over a year away!
The German will also make an appearance on a popular American chat show; The Late Show with David Letterman. Following Vettel's infamous Top Gear performance his profile amongst British fans was significantly raised. I'm sure this appearance will be great not only for Seb and Red Bull but for the sport's profile in the USA aswell. Allowing a wide audience to get to know one of the sport's biggest personalities will, without doubt, increase at least a few people's appetite for F1. I think Sebastian is great with the media and fans so I'm definitely looking forward to watching the interview. I'll post the video on here if I can find it...

Aqsa

P.S. If there are any American fans reading this, will you be watching Vettel's appearance? And are you looking forward to the New Jersey race?

P.P.S. If anyone wants to buy me tickets for the aforementioned New Jersey race, I'll be more than happy for you to do so.

Wednesday

CANADA'S COMING

So the glitz and glamour of the Monaco Grand Prix is over for another year and the attention of the F1 world now turns to the slightly less glamourous Montreal. No offence to Montreal or anything...

The Canadian Grand Prix has a lot to live up to following the record-breaking events that took place in Monaco! The race in Monte Carlo gave us 6 different winners from 6 races; the first time this has ever happened in Formula 1. At the beginning of the year, think all the way back to pre-season testing, we all knew that the 2012 season ahead was going to be tighter and more competitive than what we've been used to in recent years but no one could have predicted just how tight things would be. Can Canada give us the 7th winner from 7 winners and add to the history books?
From what I can gather from the Twitosphere and other places online, it seems that Lotus are again looking like favourites this weekend. I, like many of you, had pretty big expectations of the team in Monaco. Many had said Lotus could take their very first race win of the 2012 Formula 1 season but instead they came home with a DNF for Grosjean and a ninth place for Raikkonen. I'm sure the team were also disappointed with their results and it will be interesting to see whether they could become the sixth constructor to win a race in Canada. They are definitely capable and strong enough to challenge the other teams that will also be looking for a win.

Red Bull will be looking for their third win of the season after they became the first team to win twice last time out. However, issues with the floor of the RB8 may mean they aren't as competitive as they'd like to be or as they were in the last few races. Whether their now illegal floor gave them an unfair advantage over other teams will become apparent in Canada if they suffer from a dip in form. Helmut Marko said that Red Bull were planning to change their floor in Canada anyway but many have been skeptical about the truth of this; why fix something that isn't broken, right?

I'm sure the race in Canada won't fail to deliver the goods! All the races thus far have had their fair share of excitement and that excitement has come in various forms so there's no reason as to why Canada should be any less thrilling. F1 this season has been so unpredictable so there really is no way of knowing what may happen or who will be strong on the day. Form has varied for every team between the races and a strong performance one week does not mean you'll be strong in the next race. Of course, tyre strategy will play a big role and, what with this being Canada and all, I'm sure the weather will also throw up some surprises. I don't think Friday's practice sessions will help improve our understanding of what will happen on Sunday but it seems that's just all part of the fun and games this year!

I guess I am getting used to the way this season will shape up but is Jenson Button right? Will fans eventually get bored of the unpredictability and become disillusioned with the sport? I know I certainly won't!

Do you think this unpredictability of this season has run its course? Is it time to see some stability in team's form? Do you want to see a clear pecking order between teams? Get in touch and tell me what you think of how this season is playing out. Also, do you have any predictions for Canada- who will get pole and who will win?

Aqsa, @aqsasformula

Sunday

A FLAWED FLOOR.

Following an investigation into the floor of Red Bull's RB8, the FIA has deemed it to be illegal. There was some concern amongst teams after the Bahrain Grand Prix but, on that occasion, the FIA sided with Red Bull on the matter. Clearly, teams still felt unsure about the legality of the Red Bull's floor design after Monaco and took the matter to the FIA again. After the race in Monte Carlo, Stefano Domenicali told the BBC that his team feels no reason to protest but it seems that pressure from Ferrari, McLaren and Mercedes led to the FIA reviewing it's decision.

Christian Horner and Red Bull sought clarification from the governing body after some "fuss" was created after Bahrain to ensure that the car was in line with regulations. The feedback they received from the FIA was positive and so they continued to run with this version of their car; as far as they were concerned no rules were being breached. The team had also ran the car in Malaysia and then Barcelona and Horner also added "There are other cars running in similar situations."
After Qualifying in Monaco there was further controversy and Red Bull simply put it down to people complaining whenever a car is competitive; a fair point for them to make when Charlie Whiting himself apparently told Red Bull that he's convinced the floor is legal. The issue arose over a hole in the Red Bull floor that teams felt contravenes the rules. Fully enclosed holes are not allowed to be located on the surface of the step plane of the floor. Arguments had even centred around what constitutes a hole.


Nevertheless, regardless of what Red Bull argue, the FIA have taken their final decision and this means that the Red Bull team won't get to enjoy the Jubilee celebrations too much. They have a lot of work to do over in Milton Keynes so that they have a new, fully compliant floor that keeps them competitive for the next Grand Prix which takes place in Canada in a week's time.


How will this affect the team's hopes for the race? We'll have to wait and see...


Aqsa, @aqsasformula

SAUBER GIVES YOU WINGS.

You've probably already seen this picture but I just think it's so cool so I had to post it on here. And if you haven't already seen it, you're welcome!
And Sauber succeed where Red Bull have failed.

Aqsa, @aqsasformula

Friday

THE QUESTION WE'RE ALL ASKING

Well I've asked it anyway. If you haven't, you really should be!
Lewis Hamilton is one of many drivers who aren't completely sure as to where they will be racing next season. However, unlike with some of them, I think we can be sure that Lewis will have a seat, it's just a matter of where. His McLaren contract is still valid for another 14 races but speculation has already begun over whether he will renew said contract. Or whether he should!

Many tabloids have reported that the new deal McLaren will offer Hamilton will make him the best paid driver in Formula 1; things aren't looking too bad for him, are they? The case for him staying at McLaren must include the fact that he's comfortable there. It's an environment he knows well and he has experienced a lot with the team; wins and losses alike. A move to another team would change the dynamic he's used to and, if the move is to another top team, could lead to driver line-ups Lewis may not feel very secure with. If he went to Ferrari he'd be reunited with Fernando Alonso. I can't think either of the pair would be too keen on such a reunion. A Red Bull move would mean he partners Sebastian Vettel. Vettel's relationship with Red Bull is similar to Lewis' with McLaren. Lewis may not feel appreciated in this team and would probably sense a bias towards the German; whether it was there or not. Of course, at either of these teams he would be the 'number 2' driver. This is the position he's in this season but I think he'll beat Jenson Button in the championship this year if he continues with his consistency in the points. The other option is a move to Mercedes. McLaren use Mercedes engines so it wouldn't be a move too alienating for the Brit. He'd partner Nico Rosberg and I don't think he'd feel too threatened by this. Therefore, if he were to move, I'd say Mercedes was his best option!

But why are we even talking of a potential move? The team seem eager to sign another contract with Lewis and he's won a world championship with them. The team haven't won a Constructors' championship since 1998 but that doesn't mean they can't provide Lewis with a car he can win the Drivers' championship with. They've already shown they can... Despite the team's issues during the 2011 season they picked things up towards the end and at the beginning of 2012 looked to be the team to beat. Form has slipped slightly as the races have gone by but this season is ever-changing and it won't be long before they can challenge for a win again.

Lewis has shown the raw pace the MP4-27 has. He is consistently fast in Saturday Qualifying sessions and always seems to be in with a chance of fighting for pole; can Red Bull/Vettel and Ferrari/Alonso say the same? He is fourth in the Drivers' championship at the moment but, as I've already said, things are always changing this season. More consistent results from Hamilton and he could be in the lead again. And his championship woes are seemingly insignificant compared to his teammate's...

Taking everything into consideration, I don't think Lewis should be thinking of moving away from McLaren. He is used to how the team operates and, it seems to me, he has a good relationship with team members and senior personnel. Despite McLaren slipping behind Red Bull in their championship battle, Lewis is still very much in the hunt for his second title. His car is, without doubt, competitive and fast. It will be long before contracts are read, considered and signed so Hamilton can still wait to see how the season plays out and see what other drivers and teams do. He can't move to another team if they've already signed a driver up. But if Lewis did want my advice I'd  tell him to stay with McLaren.

Do you agree with me? Should Lewis leave the team he's been with since he was a youngster for the likes of Red Bull, Ferrari or Mercedes? Or should he stay with a team he knows well and has proven it can win him championships?

Aqsa

P.S. It's my birthday today and if you left me a comment it would be a very nice present indeed!
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