This week’s Formula One videos (week 41)
F1 Driver Nico Rosberg and his F1 Helmet
Nico Rosberg, Formula One driver at Mercedes AMG Petronas, travels back in time. Not long ago, Formula One drivers only wore leather caps. The development over the past decades has been stunning. Today’s helmets are state-of-the-art technology.
F1 News after the Japanese Grand Prix – Sebastian Vettel, Kamui Kobayashi
Sebastian Vettel in Japan – Best Japanese driver ever – Mixed emotions at Ferrari – The madman from turn 1 – The latest championship standings and fastest lap – Hardest braking point in Korea
The Perfect F1 Pit Stop for Nico Rosberg
The Formula One pit stop is a perfect choreography within split seconds. Precision, timing, and teamwork are the key for success. Nico Rosberg and chief strategist James Vowles explain how the Mercedes AMG Petronas team works really hard to make their pit stops perfect.
Solberg’s Crash – 2012 WRC Rallye de France
And the craziest crash ever!
And from another perspective
Montezemolo wants Ferrari to focus on the last five races
By Berthold Bouman
Fernando Alonso’s retirement from the Japanese Grand Prix is the second big blow to the championship aspirations of the Spaniard, who also had to retire from the Belgian Grand Prix at Spa. But Ferrari is not yet ready to throw in the towel and with five races to go there are still 125 points up for grabs, and Ferrari President Luca de Montezemolo wants his team to be fully dedicated to the final five races.
Ferrari President Luca di Montezemolo
“It’s at times like these that I want to see the Ferrari I know,” he said. “A team that is focused and that holds its nerve. I will speak to Fernando by phone soon to give him even more motivation with which to tackle these last five races, with the bit between his teeth, as indeed I expect all the team to do.”
He was pleased to see Felipe Massa back on the podium. “Second place for Felipe was very important in this final part of the season when his contribution is even more vital,” Montezemolo said.
But the flamboyant Ferrari boss also expects his team to work even harder, as all is not lost yet, “I expect a huge effort from our engineers who have already shown they are capable of that and we are perfectly aware that this championship is still in our hands.”
Montezemolo praised Alonso, who in his opinion is the best driver around, ”We know we can count on the strongest driver around at the moment and it’s only mistakes from others at Spa and again at Suzuka, that have prevented him from having a more comfortable lead over his rivals. Let’s not forget that, but for those two collisions, today Fernando would have had at least 30 points more and that’s a conservative estimate.”
And the Italian warned his rivals the tide could easily turn in Ferrari’s favour, “In sport, as in life, the wheel turns and we must not forget that recently it has not done so in a positive way for us, but it does not take much for it to change direction.”
Inconsistent decisions from FIA Stewards during the Japanese GP?
By Berthold Bouman
Although ex-Formula One driver Derek Warwick represented the drivers in the FIA Stewards panel at Suzuka this weekend, and although there have been a lot of improvements over the last two years, the FIA Stewards still don’t seem to have shed their bad habit of making inconsistent decisions.
No penalty for Kimi Raikkonen
After qualifying eyebrows were raised when Toro Rosso driver Jean-Eric Vergne received a three-place grid penalty for “impeding Car 19 (Kovalainen) at Turn 16,” while Red Bull driver and pole sitter Sebastian Vettel was only reprimanded after “The driver of Car 1 (Vettel) impeded Car 5 (Fernando Alonso) at Turn 16.”
In Vergne’s case the Stewards referred to Article 31.7 of the Sporting regulations, which says: “Any driver taking part in any practice session who, in the opinion of the stewards, stops unnecessarily on the circuit or unnecessarily impedes another driver shall be subject to the penalties referred to in Article 31.6.” Article 31.6 says the Stewards are also allowed to give grid penalties to drivers.
Vettel, however, had according to the official FIA documents breached Article 16.1, as he was “Involved in an incident as defined by Article 16.1 of the FIA Formula One Sporting Regulations.” Article 16 is about ‘Incidents’ and sub 1.g says, “Illegitimately impeded another driver during overtaking.”
A very strange decision, as both incidents took place during qualifying, but Vettel only received a warning while Vergne lost three places on the start grid. Vettel clearly, intentionally or not, impeded Alonso who was on a fast qualifying lap and thus hampered the Spaniard’s attempts to improve his time during his last run in Q3.
The next day during the race, Romain Grosjean received a ten-second stop-and-go penalty as he had “Caused a collision with Car 2 (Webber) in Turn 1.” One should keep in mind that Grosjean, who was banned from the Italian Grand Prix after his escapades at Spa two weeks earlier, certainly not had the intention to push Webber into a spin, but he nevertheless got the harshest penalty available.
Also Bruno Senna “Caused a collision with Car 8 (Nico Rosberg) in Turn 1” and received a drive-through penalty as he eliminated the German, who was forced to retire from the race after the Brazilian ran into the back of his Mercedes.
Fernando Alonso, Ferrari
But Kimi Raikkonen in the second Lotus, did in fact the same and collided with Alonso who also spun as his left rear tyre was damaged in the collision, the Ferrari disappeared into the gravel trap and Alonso saw his chances of winning the championship disappearing at the horizon. But Raikkonen wasn’t penalised, he could continue and that was it.
Especially the decision to not penalize Raikkonen was a very nebulous decision, inconsistent and incomprehensible for spectators as well. If Raikkonen’s incident was a race incident, then why were the incidents with Senna and Grosjean not race incidents? Or were the stewards just afraid to interfere with the championship and therefore let Vettel and Raikkonen off the hook to avoid a public row?
At least one thing can be said, FIA certainly doesn’t mean ‘Ferrari International Assistance’ as many still mockingly say, because Alonso was the main victim and he was the one who lost the most yesterday at Suzuka, only four points now separate the numbers one and two in the Drivers’ Championship, Alonso and Vettel.
Japanese GP: Webber not happy, race ‘destroyed’ by Grosjean
By Berthold Bouman
Mark Webber finished the Japanese Grand Prix in ninth place, scoring just two points and thus tumbled down the Drivers’ Championship order to fifth place, now 60 points behind leader Fernando Alonso, who had to retire from the race.
Webber: Grosjean destroyed my race
Webber was hit by … yes, again the same guy, Romain Grosjean, who by now has the reputation Andrea de Cesaris had in the 1980s, in those day his nick name was Andrea de Crasharis. The Australian had to pit to check out the damage, and left the pit lane to join the race in last place, not the result he had hoped for after his second qualifying place yesterday.
“My whole weekend was destroyed by one driver’s actions,” Webber said. “If it was the first time Grosjean had done something like that, it would be okay because these things happen in racing,” he explained. And he added, “But he’s done it many, many times this year and at this level that’s not good enough. The stewards will take a look at him, but, ultimately, he has to look in the mirror himself. None of us can do it for him.”
The FIA Stewards have kept an eye on the Frenchman, he was suspended for one race and thus missed the Italian Grand Prix, after he had caused havoc during the start of the Belgian Grand Prix two weeks earlier.
“When I came out of the pits, I was so far behind the penultimate car that I couldn’t rejoin the back of the back by the time the Safety Car pulled in. That meant I was 17s behind the penultimate car when the race re-started, so I had lots of work to do,” a very upset Webber said after the race.
“It’s just so frustrating to have your race wrecked by someone else. I had the opportunity to get a very, very good result today,” Webber said, adding, “It was a chance for me to make big in-roads into the championship rivals around me. But it didn’t happen and there’s no point crying over spilt milk.”
Vettel dominates and wins Japanese GP at Suzuka, Alonso retires
By Berthold Bouman
Sebastian Vettel was unbeatable today and won round 15 of the FIA Formula One World Championship, the Japanese Grand Prix. Also a dream result for two other drivers, Felipe Massa finished in second place for Ferrari, and Kamui Kobayashi was third for Sauber, a great result at his home Grand Prix.
Sebastian Vettel, Red Bull, wins at Suzuka
Vettel, who left from pole, scored the fastest lap and won the race, was elated with the result, “It’s been a fantastic weekend. Yesterday’s qualifying was perfect and today again, the balance of the car was amazing. We didn’t change too much at the stops; it just seemed to work fantastically well.”
A dry and sunny Suzuka circuit today at the start of the race. Kobayashi was away fast and took second place, but it went wrong at the first corner, Championship leader Fernando Alonso spun as Kimi Raikkonen hit him from behind and damaged his left-rear tyre, and the Spaniard was out of the race, which was a big blow to his championship aspirations.
Mark Webber who had started from second place on the grid, was pushed aside by … Romain Grosjean who again braked too late, the Frenchman damaged his front wing and had to pit to replace it, while poor Webber had to pit as well for new tyres and a quick check of his car. Grosjean was handed a 10-second stop-and-go penalty and later with only two laps to go drove his car into the Lotus garage for a tactical retirement, he can now replace a gearbox or engine for the next race without a penalty.
Nico Rosberg was also out of the race as Bruno Senna had hit him from behind, the Brazilian lost his front wing and had to pit for a new one, and later received a drive-through penalty and he ultimately finished in 14th spot, again nothing to write home about.
As a result of the first corner melee, the Safety Car came out, but two laps later it left the track again, Vettel was still leading, followed by Kobayashi, Jenson Button, Felipe Massa and Raikkonen, while Sergio Perez ran wide at the first corner when he tried to overtake the Finn.
Michael Schumacher who had a ten-place grid penalty was by then already in 14th place, after he had started from 23rd spot on the grid. Perez, who had dropped two places, soon had Lewis Hamilton in sight, Hamilton didn’t pay attention for a fraction of a second and that was enough for Perez to take over Hamilton’s sixth spot.
Vettel, meanwhile, had built up a gap of almost five seconds on the number two, Kobayashi, and the German was in fact in command of the race. Hamilton seemed to have problems as now Nico Hulkenberg was closing in on him, at the same time Raikkonen was closing in on Massa who was in fourth place. Also a great start of the race for Heikki Kovalainen, as he was 11th in the Caterham.
After 14 laps Button and Raikkonen were the first to pit and to change to the hard tyres, Kobayashi did the same one lap later. The Japanese driver rejoined right behind the Toro Rosso of Jean-Eric Vergne, a great opportunity for Button to close in on the Sauber. But Kobayashi was smarter and took over the Frenchman’s place and at the same time managed to keep Button behind him, which with hindsight was a key moment in the race.
Button reported he had gearbox problems, but his team told him everything was okay. Next to pit were Vettel and Hamilton, but McLaren had a small problem during the pit stop again and Hamilton rejoined the race just ahead of Perez. Perez tried to overtake him, but this time his move was too optimistic and he ended up in the gravel trap and the Mexican had to retire.
Massa had made a great pit stop and was now second just ahead of Kobayashi, but ten seconds behind leader Vettel, who had no problems at all to stay in the lead, again this was a key moment in the race. Hamilton reported his front tyres were going off, and now Hulkenberg closed in on the 2008 champion, the German tried everything he could but didn’t want to ruin his new set of tyres and duly decided to stay behind the McLaren.
With 26 laps to go the order was: Vettel, Massa, Kobayashi, Button, Raikkonen, and Hamilton was sixth. Webber, who was in tenth place, made his second stop, but stayed on the soft tyres which meant he had to make yet another stop.
Third place for Kobayashi
Meanwhile Vettel had extended his lead and now had 12 seconds on Massa, next to pit were Kobayashi, Hamilton and Hulkenberg, Hamilton emerged from the pit lane just ahead of Raikkonen, the Finn tried to overtake him but Hamilton didn’t give him an inch and stayed ahead of the Lotus, and also Raikkonen decided to spare his tyres and gave up the fight.
Button pitted on lap 36 and rejoined in fourth place, just ahead of Hamilton. Next of the top five to make a stop was Massa, and he managed to keep his second place. Last man to make a stop was Vettel, and he had no problems at all to stay in the lead with 13 laps still to go.
Despite the fact Button suspected he had a gearbox problem, he was still in fourth place and with ten laps to go he closed in on Kobayashi. But Sauber saw the danger and instructed Kobayashi to up his pace, and the Japanese driver crossed the finish line in third place in front of his home crowd.
Of course Vettel was unbeatable again, Massa finished second and gave Ferrari something to be proud of as he scored 18 points for the Constructors’ Championship and another podium place for the Scuderia from Maranello.
Thus Vettel closed in on championship leader Alonso, and now is only four points behind the Spaniard in second place, Raikkonen is still third in the Drivers’ Championship with 157 points.
Vettel commented after the race, “It’s a shame for Alonso, it’s not something you hope for and it could happen to us at the next race. We’ve seen this year there are a lot of up and downs and things change quickly — we have to keep our heads down and take it step by step.”
Massa, who hadn’t been on the podium since the 2010 Korean Grand Prix, said, “It was a fantastic race! Being back on the podium after almost two years away is just great and I feel really uplifted. They have been two tough years for me and, sometimes, a million things go through your mind, some of them bad, but finally I can be happy!”
But the happiest man at Suzuka was without a doubt Kobayashi, he finally got what he had dreamed of: a podium place at his home Grand Prix, and he still couldn’t believe it. “It hasn’t sunk in yet, it is hard to believe — I achieved my first podium in Suzuka! It was a fantastic race and we have been working really hard to get to this point since we were lacking pace on Friday. But the Sauber F1 Team did a great job to recover from there.”
And he added, “My rear tyres where really bad in the end and I had a lot of oversteer. But regardless of this I had to push to defend my podium place. Only during the final lap did I allow myself to really think I can keep him behind me, because then the best overtaking opportunity at the end of the straight was over, and then I saw all the fans and the raised hands. It meant a lot to me and I want to thank the Japanese fans.”
Next race is already next weekend, the Korean Grand Prix at the Yeongam circuit.
Hamilton suddenly interested in McLaren technical details
By Berthold Bouman
Lewis Hamilton, who will leave his current team and will drive for Mercedes next season, has shown a sudden interest in the details of his McLaren MP4-27, that is the claim of the UK Independent newspaper. According to the newspaper Hamilton has shown a renewed interest in the technical aspects of his McLaren, especially the exhaust system and the telemetry seem to be his favourites.
Martin Whitmarsh and Lewis Hamilton
During the Friday FIA press conference at Suzuka, Hamilton tried to dodge questions about his move to Mercedes, and when again quizzed about his new employer he said, “I’m not really here to talk about that this weekend. I’m here to talk about trying to win this World Championship still.”
Sergio Perez wasn’t interested in talking about his new employer either, and said he was also concentrating on the six final races of the season. But when Hamilton was asked about Perez taking over his car next year, he couldn’t help himself saying, “Trust me, it will be a good car next year as well, I know.” And then he turned to Perez and jokingly said, “I know exactly what’s going on next year with your car!”
McLaren Team Principal Martin Whitmarsh tried to play down the risk Hamilton could take McLaren’s secrets to Mercedes, “I think Lewis has been part of the team for a long time, I think he knows the people and what we’re trying to do, but I don’t think there’s any great secrets in that, so I don’t think it’s a concern.”
And he added, “I think if I was pursuing intellectual property from other teams, I’d probably go for engineers not drivers.” And Whitmarsh further commented, “But I think, again, Lewis is respectful of the team and what it’s doing, and I think he knows we’re going to do everything we can in the remaining six races to try and win, and try and win some championships. The best way to do that is to work together, be open and carry on as you ordinarily would.”
Most driver contracts have a clause that says drivers are not allowed to pass technical information when they leave their team to join another team, but Hamilton is of course at liberty to tell Mercedes what he has learned and has been taught at McLaren, and what he can still remember about his car.
But that is all theoretically of course, and meanwhile McLaren will certainly not give him more inside information about the 2013 McLaren, as he will not drive it in 2013. And last but not least, neither Hamilton, nor his boss-to-be, Ross Brawn, are fools; Hamilton will certainly not show up at the Mercedes headquarters in Brackley with a briefcase under his arm containing all McLaren’s ‘secrets’.
And that is why Hamilton said, “We’ve got six races ahead in a great team that I’ve had a great, an incredible journey with, and I’m working on trying to finish that on a high.”
Japanese GP: Kobayashi eyes podium finish at Suzuka
By Berthold Bouman
Kamui Kobayashi was the surprise of the day during qualifying for his home Grand Prix at Suzuka, a circuit he knows inside-out. The Japanese driver took fourth place with a lap of 1m31.700s, just 0,410 seconds slower than pole sitter Sebastian Vettel.
Great result for Sauber and Kobayashi
Kobayashi was happy with the result, and he indeed had every reason to be happy as he left Romain Grosjean, his team mate Sergio Perez, Fernando Alonso, Kimi Raikkonen and Lewis Hamilton far behind him. “I am happy because I think I achieved the maximum possible today,” said the Sauber driver.
Like other drivers he did lose time due to the yellow flags after Raikkonen had crashed during the closing stages of qualifying. “On my last lap I lost a bit of time because of the yellow flag when I backed off and switched off the DRS.”
Due to Jenson Button’s penalty, Kobayashi will start from third place on the grid tomorrow. “From where I am starting I should have a chance to fight for a podium finish, and it would be a dream come true if I could achieve my first podium in Formula One in front of my home crowd.
“But first of all I have to manage a good start, and then I should have more luck than in Spa this year where I started from the front row but got involved in an accident.”
Perez, who will move to McLaren next year, qualified in sixth spot but will also move up one place, is also aiming for a podium finish. “My last lap in Q3 wasn’t perfect but still good. I am very happy for the team that we have achieved such a strong qualifying result today.
“They have done a great job because initially on Friday here we were really lacking pace. It was a strong and speedy recovery and I’m confident tomorrow in the race we will be able to fight for another podium,” the Mexican said.
Monisha Kaltenborn was elated with today’s result, “P4 and P6 in qualifying — this is a sensational result! We brought a new aero package to Suzuka, did a lot of work evaluating it yesterday and finally got the reward.”
And she added, “Great compliments to the team and, in particular, to the two drivers who both did a great job. Now our goal is to convert this qualifying result into a great race.”
Japanese GP: Busy weekend so far for the FIA Stewards at Suzuka
By Berthold Bouman
Already a busy weekend for the FIA Stewards at the Suzuka circuit where round 15 of the FIA Formula One World Championship, the Japanese Grand Prix, takes place. This weekend ex-Formula One driver Derek Warwick represents the drivers and the Briton together with Lars Osterlind, Enzo Spano and Kazunari Yamanashi are, as it is officially called, the Stewards of the Meeting this weekend.
Busy weekend for FIA Stewards
On Friday Kimi Raikkonen was fined 2,200 Euro for speeding in the pit lane, Dutchman Giedo van der Garde, who took over Heikki Kovalainen’s Caterham during the morning session, was found guilty of the same offence and was fined 400 Euro. Marussia’s Charles Pic was under investigation as his car ‘did not stay to the right of the bollard located on the left at Pit Entry’, but no further action was taken.
Jenson Button used a new gearbox during the final free practice session on Saturday morning, and thus received a five-place grid penalty for tomorrow’s race. On Friday McLaren’s Paddy Lowe had said that the team’s gearbox problems were over, but apparently he was wrong, and it will be another tough weekend for Button.
Also during Practice 3 Pic received a penalty for ‘impeding Car 4 [Lewis Hamilton] between Turns 15 & 16 [last chicane], a breach of Article 31.7 of the FIA Formula One Sporting Regulations, the Frenchman received an official reprimand.
Next on the list is Force India driver Nico Hulkenberg, who also had a new gearbox for qualifying, and also received a five-place grid penalty as gearboxes are required to last for five consecutive events. His team was forced to change the gearbox after the German had crashed during Practice 3.
Hulkenberg commented, “I’m in the car, so I’m responsible for what happened. It wasn’t a silly mistake, just a small lock-up and with the way that corner is, there was no way to recover it. The timing was pretty bad and now we have to deal with the situation as best as we can.”
Toro Rosso driver Jean-Eric Vergne received a three-place grid penalty for impeding Car 19 [Kovalainen] at Turn 16.
But by far he most tricky decision for the FIA Stewards to make involved pole sitter Sebastian Vettel, who was under investigation for blocking the Ferrari of Fernando Alonso during the closing stages of qualifying. An official FIA statement read, “The driver of Car 1 impeded Car 5 at Turn 16.” Vettel was involved “in an incident as defined by Article 16.1 of the FIA Formula One Sporting Regulations.” The German was lucky and only got an official reprimand for his action.
Vettel grabs pole for Japanese GP, escapes penalty for blocking Alonso
By Berthold Bouman
Sebastian Vettel took pole for the Japanese Grand Prix at the Suzuka circuit this morning, but the German was lucky to escape with an official reprimand from the FIA Stewards after he had been accused of blocking the Ferrari of Fernando Alonso during Q3. The incident took place at the last chicane, after yellow flags were waved due to Kimi Raikkonen’s crash.
Vettel on pole for Japanese GP
After he scored his fourth consecutive pole at Suzuka the 2010 and 2011 World Champion said, “I’m very happy with today’s result. I think we had a very smooth qualifying session, nearly perfect so we couldn’t really ask for more.
“The car felt fantastic from the start; we didn’t have the best start to the weekend, yesterday morning I wasn’t very happy but then we seem to get it better every time we go out. So I’m very pleased with the result and very happy that the car feels fantastic around here.”
Vettel’s team colleague Mark Webber was second, while Kamui Kobayashi made the most out of his home Grand Prix and the Japanese driver will leave from third place on the grid tomorrow.
In Q1 drivers went out on the hard tyres for a first run and it was awesome to watch drivers go through the 130R Curve with DRS completely opened. Kimi Raikkonen was the first to set a time, but the first representative lap time came from his team mate Romain Grosjean, who lapped the circuit in 1m33.328s.
Both Pastor Maldonado and Nico Hulkenberg had to wait until their car was fixed, Hulkenberg had crashed during Practice 3 and he had to wait until a new gearbox was mounted. Sergio Perez was the first of a number of drivers today to run wide at the Spoon Curve while at the same time Felipe Massa set the benchmark in Q1 with a lap of 1m32.946s.
Maldonado had to wait long before he could leave the Williams garage, and went out on the softs to make sure he would make it into Q2, not surprisingly, he set the second fastest time. With only four minutes to go, Michael Schumacher and Hulkenberg were the last drivers to venture out onto the circuit, Hulkenberg, also on the softs, took over second place from Maldonado, while Schumacher ran wide at the second Degner Curve and had to start a new fast lap.
Schumacher was visibly struggling with his car, but ultimately he scored 16th place, on the hard tyres, and not on the softs like the others. Bruno Senna, Heikki Kovalainen, Timo Glock, Pedro de la Rosa, Charles Pic, Vitaly Petrov and Narain Karthikeyan did not make it into Q2.
Thus 17 drivers had 15 minutes to qualify for the third and last session. Again a waiting game unfolded, as most drivers stayed in the garage to save tyres for tomorrow’s race. Kobayashi decided to entertain the Japanese crowd, as did Hulkenberg and Vettel and it was the current World Champion who set the fastest time with a lap of 1m31.501s.
With seven minutes to go Schumacher was again the only driver to not have set a time, also Nico Rosberg returned to the garage while in 13th place. Only five minutes to go and now all drivers had returned to the garage, and were waiting for the right moment to make their final run for a position in Q3.
Alonso wasn’t certain he could keep his eighth place and went out to improve his position, this time he ended up on a safe third place. But Felipe Massa, Paul di Resta, Schumacher, Maldonado, Rosberg, Daniel Ricciardo and his team mate Jean-Eric Vergne did not make it into Q3.
Both Red Bulls and McLarens were quick out for a first run in Q3, Vettel soon took first place with a time of 1m30.839s, Webber was second and Button third. But Q3 became a shoot-out again, as the order was determined during the very last lap in which drivers had to set their final time. Hamilton at this point was already 1.5 seconds slower than Vettel, while Alonso hadn’t even set a timed lap yet.
The only real threat for Vettel was his team mate Webber, but the Australian wasn’t able to improve his time, as Raikkonen crashed at the famous Spoon Curve, and the yellow flags came out which meant it was difficult to improve lap times. Button did improve his time, but stayed in third position, Kobayashi was fourth for Sauber.
As a result of his team mate’s crash, Grosjean in the second Lotus took fifth place, Perez in the second Sauber was sixth, Alonso seventh and the unlucky Raikkonen eighth. Hamilton, who yesterday said he had the best car ever at Suzuka, was ninth and Hulkenberg was tenth.
Mark Webber, Red Bull Racing
The Red Bull front row is a good ‘tonic’
Webber said, “I am happy to be on the front row and I’m really looking forward to a good result tomorrow. For the team, it’s just a great tonic at this point of the championship to
have the cars towards the front again.”
Third place man Button lamented his grid penalty, “It was a good qualifying session — both my Q3 laps felt good. My gearbox penalty means it’s disappointing to be starting so far back, though.” But he was still optimistic about tomorrow’s race, “The championship is a long-shot for me, I know that, but I’d love to do well in front of the Japanese crowd; I’ll be going for the win.”
A lot of grid penalties today, Button, Hulkenberg, Vergne all have grid penalties, while Schumacher has a ten-place grid penalty which was handed to him during the Singapore Grand Prix after he had crashed into the back of the Toro Rosso of Vergne.
The weather in Suzuka should be warm and sunny again tomorrow, and keep your eyes on Kobayashi, who is more determined than ever to finish on the podium, he knows the circuit like no other driver, and could be the surprise of the day tomorrow.
Japanese GP: No double DRS for Lotus during race at Suzuka
By Berthold Bouman
Lotus will not use the double DRS system for the race at Suzuka this weekend. The system was tested again this the morning by drivers Kimi Raikkonen and Romain Grosjean, but the team decided to remove it again for the afternoon practice session.
KERS problems for Raikkonen
According to a team statement Lotus were not able to get the DDRS device functioning at ‘sufficient level’ and therefore it will not be used this weekend. Lotus were able to get the new floor and wings working so those will stay on the car for the rest of the weekend. “We evaluated ‘The Device’ in the morning but were unable to make it switch effectively so we won’t be using it for the rest of the weekend,” Technical Director James Allison said.
Grosjean was happy with the overall result of both Friday practises, but there is still a lot of work to do. “We’re still not quite where we want to be but the team has been working hard and hopefully we’ll make a similar step forward tomorrow. Suzuka is not an easy track on the car; the demands on the tyres are really high but the car felt consistent with both compounds which is a big positive,” said the Frenchman.
Bad luck for Raikkonen as he experienced KERS problems today, which limited his running. “We didn’t get much running because of the issue with the KERS, but at least it happened today and we got it fixed. It wasn’t ideal for helping us find the best set-up but there’s nothing you can do about these things. Suzuka is not the easiest place to get the car set up, but we still have tomorrow’s practice before qualifying,” Raikkonen said.
Allison is confident Lotus will do well at Suzuka this weekend, “We look in OK shape on both the hard and soft rubber as well as on high fuel, and we feel there is more to come from the car tomorrow ahead of qualifying.”
Japanese GP: McLaren and Red Bull dominate Friday practice at Suzuka
By Berthold Bouman
During the first free practice session for round 15 of the FIA Formula One World Championship, the Japanese Grand Prix at Suzuka, Jenson Button was fastest for McLaren with a time of 1m34.507s. Second was his team colleague Lewis Hamilton who was 0.233 seconds slower than leader Button, while Mark Webber was third for Red Bull.
Button fastest in first practice
Both Mercedes drivers Nico Rosberg and Michael Schumacher took fourth and fifth place respectively for Mercedes this morning on a dry and sunny Suzuka circuit. The first 11 places were all within one second of leader Button, Fernando Alonso was 11th for Ferrari, 0.977 seconds off the pace, while Felipe Massa was seventh.
In the morning there were the occasional off-track outings, most notably by Schumacher, who will retire at the end of the season, who went off at the Degner Curve, and went off again during the second session and ran wide at the Spoon Curve and hit the barrier hard, his car had to be towed away, the German was unharmed and later admitted a driver error had caused his crash.
Not so impressive were both Lotus drivers, Kimi Raikkonen was 13th and Romain Grosjean 14th during the morning session, although Grosjean improved during the second session and scored the sixth fastest time.
Valtteri Bottas took over the wheel from Bruno Senna’s Williams in the morning but scored a disappointing 18th time, while Dutchman Giedo van der Garde borrowed the Caterham of Heikki Kovalainen and was 23rd, almost five seconds slower than Button.
Sebastian Vettel was 17th this morning and didn’t seem to be all that worried about his performance, as he indeed improved his time and scored third place in the afternoon. His team mate Webber was the fastest driver in the afternoon with a lap of 1m32.493s, almost two seconds faster than Button’s time in the morning, which was set on the harder tyre compound, while Webber, like most drivers, set his time during the second session on the softs.
Hamilton was again second in the afternoon, but was 0.214 seconds slower than Webber, while Nico Hulkenberg in the Force India took fourth place behind Vettel, but Paul di Resta in the second Force India caused a red flag just five minutes into the afternoon session as he crashed at the Spoon Curve, damaged his car and was forced to abandon the second practice session without setting a timed lap.
Raikkonen experienced KERS problems and spent most of the time in the afternoon in the Lotus garage after he literally had to jump out of his car to make sure he wouldn’t get zapped by his unwilling KERS system, according to his team the battery had overheated.
Also technical problems for Rosberg, as his mechanics had to change the Mercedes engine after his car had stopped at the end of the first session, but he was nevertheless 11th during the second session, just behind Schumacher who was tenth.
Webber was fastest in the second session
Mixed fortunes for the Williams drivers, Pastor Maldonado was tenth in the morning, while Senna was the fastest Williams driver in the afternoon with a lap of 1m33.499s, good for eighth place.
Toro Rosso drivers Daniel Ricciardo and Jean-Eric Vergne were very consistent as they took 15th and 16th place in the morning and 16th and 17th place in the afternoon. Also bad luck for Vitaly Petrov in the Caterham, he had a rear wing failure on the start-finish straight and ended up in the gravel trap at Turn 1, just before the chequered flag was waved to signal the end of the second session.
And last but not least, Lotus tested their new double DRS but will later decide whether they will use it during qualifying and the race as well.
FIA moves to stop new flexing front wing saga
By Berthold Bouman
The FIA has revised the regulations concerning the flexibility of aerodynamic parts, as McLaren allegedly used a new front wing design that enabled the front wing to flex backwards. The German Auto, Motor und Sport magazine reported Ferrari had complained about the McLaren wing and had asked FIA officials to act, as the Maranello-based team thought the wing was illegal.
McLaren front wing at Singapore GP
The new trick this time is that the wing can move as the pillars that support it, can rotate or ‘twist’ in such a way that under high speed the wing moves backwards a bit, there is less drag and thus the trick results in a higher top-speed on the straights. Also the airflow under the car is improved, which has an effect on the way the air passes through the rear diffuser, which gives more traction.
Red Bull was the first team to recognise the potential of the new idea, and introduced a new longer nose during the Singapore Grand Prix that could even rotate further than the one used by McLaren.
McLaren Team Principal Martin Whitmarsh this week said the new flexing wing saga was just ‘business as usual’, “From time to time questions and disputes arise between teams, who feel that other teams are too flexible or whatever. I don’t envisage any particular problems for McLaren in that regard, and consequently I don’t think that it is anything that will harm us.”
Red Bull design wizard Adrian Newey, however, thinks the tightness of the regulations are the real culprit. “I think it is a shame that they are so tight in a way, there’s no doubt that it stifles some of the creativity. But that’s the world we live in,” he said. The competition is also tight Newey said, “The grid is so tight if you can find two tenths of a second in the final qualifying session, that can move you quite a few grid positions.”
According to Autosport, the FIA has now revised the way the flexibility is tested, the new test should now expose any twisting of the pillars as well. It is also understood all teams passed the new test at Suzuka today, but teams were warned in advance so they might have changed their front wings to pass the test.
Mercedes’ reaction on Michael Schumacher’s retirement
By Berthold Bouman
Michael Schumacher announced his retirement this morning in Suzuka, and Mercedes paid tribute to the seven-times World Champion, read the official comments of Ross Brawn, Norbert Haug and his team mate Nico Rosberg.
Ross Brawn, Mercedes Team Principal
Ross Brawn, Mercedes Team Principal
“Having worked with Michael for so many years, it is an emotional day today as he announces his retirement from Formula One for the second, and final, time. We have enjoyed so many experiences together during our time at Benetton, Ferrari and Mercedes, and I feel very proud, honoured and privileged to have had the opportunity to work with Michael so closely. In my opinion, he is the greatest Formula One driver, and the records which he holds in our sport speak volumes for his success and commitment.
“On behalf of everyone at our Silver Arrows team, we wish Michael all the best with his future plans and extend our sincere thanks to him for his commitment, passion and hard work during our three years together. We have not achieved the results that we would have wished during this time; however Michael’s contribution to our development and the future of our team has been significant. Whatever Michael decides to do next, I am sure that he will be keeping a close eye on our progress in the years to come.”
Norbert Haug, Mercedes Motorsport Director
“Our team, Mercedes-Benz and Daimler would like to offer our heartfelt thanks to Michael for all his work, his exemplary commitment and his loyalty. For our brand, he was and remains not just a first-class racing driver and, through his record until 2006, the most successful of all time; but also a global idol and, last but not least, a great company ambassador who is admired across the world. Michael began his professional racing career in 1989 as a member of the Mercedes Junior Team in Group C Prototypes, and he will conclude it at the end of this season with our Mercedes AMG Petronas Silver Arrows works team, as he informed first us and then the international media today.
“Michael did a fantastic job during the build-up phase of our still-young Silver Arrows works team and, although we have not yet achieved our targets in our third season, Michael’s invaluable hard work has established the foundations for future success. For this, we give him our thanks and recognition. All of us in the team – and first and foremost Michael – are working hard to have six more races in which we can show a respectable level of performance together. Thank you, Michael, for everything: it was, and is, a pleasure to work with you.”
Nico Rosberg, Mercedes driver
“This is a big loss for our sport. Michael did a huge amount to make Formula One so popular in Germany, and lots of fans switched on their TV sets because of him. He achieved so much. It has been and continues to be something special and a great experience for me to drive with him and against him. In the last three years we pushed the team hard together which will help us in the years to come. I wish him all the best for the future.”
Michael Schumacher: Record holder of Formula One records
By Berthold Bouman
Michael Schumacher announced his second retirement from Formula One today, and there isn’t a Formula One driver on this planet who holds as many records as Schumacher. The now 43-year old German started his career in 1991 during the Belgium Grand Prix at the circuit of Spa-Francorchamps for the team of Eddie Jordan. He qualified in seventh place, but his race was short as he had to give up during the first lap due to a broken clutch, he didn’t even get further than Eau Rouge.
Michael Schumacher, Mercedes
The German became Formula One World Champion a record seven times, in 1994, 1995, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003 and 2004, before he at the end of 2006 decided to retire. He has until today participated in 302 races of which he started 301, not a record as his ex-Ferrari team mate Rubens Barrichello holds the record with 326 Grands Prix.
Schumacher scored 91 wins during his career, 40 more than Alain Prost (41) and 50 more than Ayrton Senna (31). But Schumacher’s winning percentage, 30,13% is not a record, as Argentinian legend Juan Manuel Fangio holds that record with a percentage of 46,15%.
He also holds the record of the most wins during one season, in 2004 he won 13 of the 18 races, which boils down to 72%, not the highest percentage, as Italian Alberto Ascari won six of the 8 races in 1952, which is 75%.
Schumacher shares the category ‘Most consecutive wins’ again with Ascari, both have a record of seven consecutive wins, Ascari in 1952-1953, Schumacher in 2004 as he won the European, Canadian, United States, French, British, German and Hungarian Grand Prix.
In the category ‘Most consecutive wins from first race of season’, Schumacher this time shares the record with Nigel Mansell, both won five consecutive races, Schumacher in 2004, Mansell in 1992, the same year he became World Champion.
He is also a winner when it comes to ‘Most wins at the same Grand Prix’, he won the French Grand Prix eight times, in 1994, 1995, 1997, 1998, 2001, 2002, 2004 and 2006. He also won the Canadian and San Marino Grand Prix seven times, and the Belgian, Spanish, Japanese and European Grand Prix six times.
He also holds the record of most pole positions, he scored 68 poles in 302 races, a percentage of 22,52. But the record of percentage of pole positions goes to Fangio again, he scored a percentage of 55,77, or 29 poles in 52 races. And Schumacher therefore scored pole position and the victory in 40 races of the 302 he participated in, and scored pole, victory and the fastest lap in 22 races.
Most pole positions at the same venue is shared by Schumacher and Senna, Schumacher was eight times on pole for the Japanese Grand Prix, Senna was eight times on pole for the San Marino Grand Prix.
The German started the race from the front row in 116 of his 302 races, or 38,41%. He also holds the record of 77 fastest race laps, second is Prost with 41, and third is Kimi Raikkonen with 37 fastest laps. Schumacher also holds the record of ‘Most fastest laps in one season’, as he in 2004 ten times scored the fastest lap in the 18 races of that season.
Michael Schumacher, Mercedes
He scored a total of 155 podium places, second is Prost with 106, and Fernando Alonso is currently third with 81 podium places. In 2002 he scored a record of 17 podium places during the 17 races of that season, and during the 2001-2002 season he scored a record of 19 consecutive podium places.
Schumacher scored a record of 1560 points during his career, and finished in the points in 220 of his 302 Grands Prix, he also holds the record of ‘Most consecutive points finishes’, as he from 2001 until 2003 finished in the points 24 times.
He led 11 races from start to finish, and led 142 races for at least one lap. Which adds up to 5,111 laps leading a Grand Prix, Senna is second with 2,987 laps, third is Prost with 2,684 laps. And Schumacher therefore was in the lead for 24,144 km in total.
In total he won 22 different Grands Prix, won 72 races for one team, Ferrari, and he holds many more records, the ones above are the most interesting records. It also must be said he lost a few records, as he during the 52 races after his comeback in 2010, did not score one single win, and only one podium place, which had a big impact on the percentages.
And there is no better way than to conclude this story with Schumacher’s own words this morning at Suzuka, “I would like now to concentrate until the end of the season for the last races, and enjoy them together with you. Let’s have fun!”
Japanese GP: Felipe Massa concentrating on Suzuka race, instead of worrying about future
By Berthold Bouman
Although Felipe Massa’s future at Ferrari is still very uncertain, the Brazilian wants to concentrate on the race at Suzuka this weekend, instead of worrying about his future at the Reds. Compared to Fernando Alonso’s first position in the Drivers’ Championship, Massa’s tenth place is disappointing to say the least.
Massa wants to concentrate on racing and scoring points
“Of course my future is important, but right now it’s the results that are the most important thing, which means I have to concentrate on each race as it comes. I know what I can do, what I can give to the team and what are my talents. The best plan is to race without worrying about the future,” said Massa.
And he added, “The preparation is more or less similar to the other races, although having said that, it’s true that Suzuka is quite a demanding circuit to drive from the physical point of view.” In 2006 Massa took pole position at Suzuka, “Suzuka is a very difficult and complex track, where a driver can make the difference, showing plenty of aggression through the high-speed corners, so to be the fastest man in qualifying there is definitely a good feeling.”
He was optimistic about his chances this year, “Our car can be competitive at Suzuka, because there are plenty of high-speed corners which suits the F2012, as can be seen from the fact we were competitive in Silverstone back in the summer and these two tracks have some characteristics in common, in terms of the required levels of downforce and how you set up the car.”
The Brazilian driver is certainly impressed with the progress his team has made after a very difficult start of the season, “We have tested constantly, nearly always bringing new parts to the track at each race. The job is all about scoring one more point than the others when it comes to the final race and so I hope we can improve it even more for the remaining races than we have done so far!”
Berthold Bouman's Grand Prix Journal 