Sergio Perez Suffered From Brake Issues During United States GP

Sergio Perez was struck with a brake issue during the United States Grand Prix, which presented the Mexican driver with a difficult remainder of the race after initially enjoying a competitive opening stint. Perez started the race from 15th, and progressed as high as 7th before making his one and only pit stop.

Despite steadily progressing through the field during the early stages of the race, Sergio Perez discovered an issue with his brake pedal around Lap 10, and began to loose time in every corner thereafter as the issue plagued his speed. After his one and only pit stop, the Mexican driver was relegated back down the order, and only just missed out on scoring points by finishing in 11th position.

“My start worked really well and the first laps were good too.” Explained Sergio Perez, “I had a good pace, and the car was really quick, but then around lap ten I had a problem with the brakes. The pedal became very long and I had big difficulties before every corner. This cost a lot of time and so we didn’t manage to get any points here. Now we will get ourselves together for the final attempt to improve to fifth place in the Constructors’ World Championship next week.”

Kamui Kobayashi endured an equally frustrating United States Grand Prix, with the Japanese driver struggling to heat up the tyres and therefore remained stuck towards the rear of the midfield. Since Kobayashi’s illustrious 3rd place finish at the Japanese Grand Prix, Sauber have only managed to finish in the points once at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix with Kobayashi once again, who finished 6th. The Swiss outfit remain focused, however, in catching Mercedes for fifth in the Constructors’ Championship at the final race at Brazil next weekend.

Picture Copyright © Sauber Motorsport AG

Karthikeyan “Not Entirely Comfortable” Around The Yas Marina Circuit

Narain Karthikeyan has expressed dissatisfaction with his qualifying performance for the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, after once again qualifying 24th and last alongside team-mate Pedro de la Rosa. The Indian driver has never before raced around the Yas Marina circuit, and is still not entirely comfortable around the track.

After being replaced during the opening practice session yesterday by the team’s development driver, Ma Qing Hua, Narain Karthikeyan was unable to begin learning the circuit until the afternoon practice session on Friday. Due to the technical nature of the Yas Marina circuit, Karthikeyan is still struggling greatly with the handling of his F112 in comparison to team-mate Pedro de la Rosa.

“It was a tough qualifying session for me.” Admitted Narain Karthikeyan, after qualifying 24th. “It’s my first time racing in Abu Dhabi and, being such a technical circuit, I’m finding it tougher than expected. I didn’t manage to string together a good lap; I was running well on the first set of tyres but with the second set I found traffic and the rear tyres wore out before I could improve my time. Although I’m not entirely comfortable at this circuit, tomorrow I will give everything like always to try and put in a good performance and finish the race.”

After suffering greatly from brake issues throughout the last two events at Korea and India, HRT are confident they have thwarted their brake issues this weekend at Abu Dhabi. Just like the previous two venues, the Yas Marina circuit is very hard on brakes, and neither drivers have yet to suffer from any brake-related issues all weekend.

“We completed a good practice and qualifying session.” Explained Pedro de la Rosa, “The car was running well and we had no problems with the temperature of the brakes or the engine at a circuit like this one which is so hot, so I’m happy. I think we’ve got good pace for tomorrow’s race and the first objective is to get off to a good start and keep close to the Marussias. We should try to go for one stop, hope for the rear tyres to hold out and try and put some pressure on our rivals.”

Despite Narain Karthikeyan’s tough qualifying hour, the team are confident of another productive race tomorrow. After two races plagued by brake issues, the Spanish outfit are hopeful they can retain their reliability this weekend, as they strive to see both drivers eventually cross the finish line after tomorrow’s 55-lap Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.

Picture Copyright © HRT F1 Team

Vettel Unsure Of Potential Issues On His Car After Qualifying

Sebastian Vettel has remained unsure on whether or not his Red Bull RB8 suffered from any serious issues during qualifying for the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, when plagued with questions during the post-qualifying press conference. However, the reigning World Champion holds no doubt that the outcome could prove significant for the race.

After enduring a brake-caliper issue during the third and final practice session earlier in the day, Sebastian Vettel remained slower than Lewis Hamilton throughout the entire qualifying hour around the Yas Marina circuit. The German driver nearly brought a premature end to his qualifying session, after lightly tapping the armco on the exit of turn 19. However, once the session came to a conclusion, the reigning World Champion came to a sudden halt on the circuit, sparking speculation over possible mechanical issues on his car.

When asked whether he knew why he was ordered to stop the car before reaching the pit-lane, Sebastian Vettel remained uncertain on his team’s decision, although he acknowledges the fact that the outcome could well have severe implications on tomorrow’s race.

“I don’t know why I had to stop. I was asked to stop, I guess there was some problem,” explained Sebastian Vettel after qualifying. “It should not be something major. This morning it was not ideal not getting to run. We didn’t get answers we were hoping for. I’m not entirely happy with my qualifying. The last part was tricky for me. I guess I should have been a bit quicker but overall we can be quite happy. The race pace should be good tomorrow. It is a long race here, lots can happen so I am looking forward to tomorrow.”

This incident is reminiscent of Lewis Hamilton at the Spanish Grand Prix, when the Briton secured pole position and then coasted to a halt on the track on his way back to the pits. After much deliberation and controversy, the Briton was eventually demoted to the back of the grid. Regardless of the outcome, a potential penalty could well be hovering ominously over the German.

Picture Copyright © Getty Images

Hamilton Reigns Supreme During Final Practice At Abu Dhabi

Lewis Hamilton has continued McLaren’s competitive start to the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, by ending the third and final practice session fastest ahead of team-mate Jenson Button. The British duo were followed by reigning World Champion Sebastian Vettel, who suffered from brake issues during the session.

With only one practice session remaining for the teams and drivers to prepare for the all-important qualifying session, the drivers instantly took to the Yas Marina circuit as soon as the session began. Once again, the track was bathed in glorious sunshine, as Sergio Perez led out the queue of cars in his Sauber. However, the majority of the drivers only completed installation laps, before returning to the pits.

Eventually, Kamui Kobayashi set the initial pace with a 01:49.193, indicating that the Japanese driver was running with heavy fuel loads. Kobayashi was able to improve the next time around, with a 01:45.628. Kimi Raikkonen quickly shot to the top, before the McLaren of Lewis Hamilton went fastest with a 01:44.264. Although Pastor Maldonado momentarily went fastest, the Briton soon reasserted his authority over proceedings by setting a time one whole second quicker than the Williams driver.

Lewis Hamilton continued to reign supreme at the top of the timing sheets, with the 2008 World Champion steadily improving his advantage to the rest of the field, eventually setting a 01:42.148. Jenson Button slotted into 2nd position, as the McLaren duo once again looked impressive at the front. Romain Grosjean and Bruno Senna became the first two drivers to opt for the soft Pirelli tyre compound, as Sebastian Vettel remained stuck in the pit lane.

As the session progressed, Sebastian Vettel’s mechanics busied themselves around the German’s Red Bull RB8, working tirelessly on the brakes. Eventually it was confirmed that the reigning World Champion was suffering from a brake-caliper issue, which the ever-efficient Red Bull mechanics were able to fix as the session entered it’s closing quarter. With no time yet to be set during the session, the Milton Keynes-based outfit remained hopeful of seeing the German finally take to the track before the session ended.

Eventually the Championship leader took to the track with only several minutes remaining in the session, with his earlier brake issues now corrected on his RB8 machine. Whilst Vettel prepared for his first flying lap of the session, Lewis Hamilton once again marginally improved at the front with a 01:42.130. After aborting his first flying lap, Sebastian Vettel finally set a competitive time in the dying seconds, as the German went 3rd with a relatively impressive 01:42.614.

However, the McLaren duo of Lewis Hamilton and Jenson Button remained fastest at the front as the session came to an end, with the reigning World Champion just pipping his team-mate for 3rd. Ferrari were once again woefully off the pace down in 8th and 11th, despite numerous upgrades to their car. With all three practice sessions now over for the weekend, the teams and drivers will now be preparing for the all-important qualifying hour later in the day, which will determine the starting grid for Sunday’s 55-lap Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.

Pos  Driver              Team/Car              Time       Gap       Laps
 1.  Lewis Hamilton      McLaren-Mercedes      1m42.130s            18
 2.  Jenson Button       McLaren-Mercedes      1m42.420s  + 0.290s  17
 3.  Sebastian Vettel    Red Bull-Renault      1m42.614s  + 0.484s  7
 4.  Mark Webber         Red Bull-Renault      1m42.743s  + 0.613s  18
 5.  Nico Hulkenberg     Force India-Mercedes  1m42.750s  + 0.620s  19
 6.  Romain Grosjean     Lotus-Renault         1m43.015s  + 0.885s  18
 7.  Pastor Maldonado    Williams-Renault      1m43.064s  + 0.934s  19
 8.  Fernando Alonso     Ferrari               1m43.133s  + 1.003s  15
 9.  Kimi Raikkonen      Lotus-Renault         1m43.184s  + 1.054s  22
10.  Paul di Resta       Force India-Mercedes  1m43.338s  + 1.208s  19
11.  Felipe Massa        Ferrari               1m43.480s  + 1.350s  17
12.  Sergio Perez        Sauber-Ferrari        1m43.571s  + 1.441s  20
13.  Nico Rosberg        Mercedes              1m43.593s  + 1.463s  20
14.  Michael Schumacher  Mercedes              1m43.635s  + 1.505s  19
15.  Kamui Kobayashi     Sauber-Ferrari        1m44.010s  + 1.880s  22
16.  Jean-Eric Vergne    Toro Rosso-Ferrari    1m44.025s  + 1.895s  18
17.  Bruno Senna         Williams-Renault      1m44.071s  + 1.941s  19
18.  Daniel Ricciardo    Toro Rosso-Ferrari    1m44.149s  + 2.019s  19
19.  Heikki Kovalainen   Caterham-Renault      1m45.301s  + 3.171s  22
20.  Timo Glock          Marussia-Cosworth     1m45.879s  + 3.749s  19
21.  Charles Pic         Marussia-Cosworth     1m46.036s  + 3.906s  19
22.  Vitaly Petrov       Caterham-Renault      1m46.261s  + 4.131s  22
23.  Pedro de la Rosa    HRT-Cosworth          1m46.554s  + 4.424s  20
24.  Narain Karthikeyan  HRT-Cosworth          1m47.032s  + 4.902s  22

Picture Copyright © McLaren F1 Team

Caterham Planning Several New Upgrades For Abu Dhabi

Caterham are planning several new upgrades for this weekend’s Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, which the outfit are hoping will see them gain around three to four tenths of a second in lap time. This comes as the team aims to end the 2012 season on a high, after further extending the gap to rivals Marussia and HRT throughout the year.

These new upgrades will be the first extensive upgrade for the team in recent races, and will incorporate a number of new features including a revised exhaust layout within the new rear bodywork, new front brake duct assemblies and detailed updates to the floor, diffuser and front wing. This comes as Caterham aim to overtake Marussia in the Constructors’ Championship, a feat which could earn the Leafield-based outfit a much more lucrative income ahead of the 2013 season.

Once again at this weekend’s Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, Caterham’s reserve driver Giedo van der Garde will get behind the wheel of the Caterham CT01 for the opening practice session on Friday. This will be the Dutchman’s fourth weekend in succession where he has appeared during practice one, and will this weekend be replacing Vitaly Petrov. Giedo van der Garde has previous knowledge of the Yas Marina circuit, and is eager to put his knowledge to good use as he prepares to test the new upgrades.

“Abu Dhabi’s the first track I’ll be driving on in FP1 at this stage of the season that I’ve raced on before.” Explained Giedo van der Garde, “With the obvious limits we work under in FP1 that’s a big advantage as it means I’m not having to learn my way around on my first couple of laps, and as we’re usually doing somewhere between 20 to 25 laps in first practice it means I can help the team even more right from the first run.

“After the Abu Dhabi race I’ll be staying on for the young driver test, and that’ll be another really good step forward in my development – two full days in the car on a track I’ve already driven on, and with a group of people who I’ve worked closely with for the last couple of months will give me a great chance to help the team get as much as they can from the test, and give me the opportunity to keep developing without some of the constraints of a race weekend FP1.”

Giedo van der Garde will be joined Alexander Rossi during the two-day Young Driver Test after this weekend’s Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, which will feature the likes of McLaren and Red Bull. If the upgrades work well on the car, expect a competitive end to the season towards the back of the pack, as Caterham strive to leapfrog Marussia in the Constructors’ Championship.

Picture Copyright © Caterham F1 Team

HRT Plagued With Returning Brake Issues At India

HRT once again suffered overheating brakes at the Indian Grand Prix, which ultimately stunted their progress and saw Pedro de la Rosa spin into retirement on lap 44. This recurring issue for the Spanish outfit is most worrying, as the next race at the Yas Marina circuit features equally high braking points around the track.

After slowly improving during each practice session at the beginning of the race weekend, HRT entered the Indian Grand Prix with high expectations. However, after only the third lap the duo of Narain Karthikeyan and Pedro de la Rosa began to endure the first signs of overheating brakes. This issue forced de la Rosa into retirement last time out at the Korean Grand Prix, and began to once again impede the teams progress as the race wore on.

With both Karthikeyan and de la Rosa giving way to reduce the brake temperatures throughout the race, the duo began to loose ground greatly to their nearest competitors at Marussia. Eventually, the overheating became too intense for de la Rosa’s machine as he spun off the track at turn four and lightly tapped the barriers. Luckily the car wasn’t too damaged, however the worrying issues remain a major talking point within the paddock.

“It’s a shame that I had to retire because the car was running well on the hard tyres but, with no warning, the brakes failed.” Explained Pedro de la Rosa, “We have to understand why this failure occurred and fix it because Abu Dhabi is another challenging circuit for the brakes.”

Although Pedro de la Rosa was forced into retirement due to the issues with the brakes, local hero Narain Karthikeyan was able to control the overheating and finish his home race for a second year in succession. Karthikeyan was at a further disadvantage in comparison to team-mate de la Rosa, after the 35-year-old lost a small piece of his front-wing during the opening lap.

“I got off to a good start but had an incident on the first corner and lost a chunk of my front wing.” Said Narain Karthikeyan, “The damage wasn’t too severe but we had problems with the balance of the car from then on. But the greatest problem was the overheating of the brakes. They warned me on the radio that I had to look after them because we had to make it to the end. And we did that.”

With next weekend’s Abu Dhabi Grand Prix set feature further high braking zones, HRT will be frantically searching the cause of this continuing issue on their cars. Luckily for de la Rosa, there was enough run off space to avoid a big collision. However, due to the semi-street circuit nature of Yas Marina, the same issue could have bigger repercussions it returns next weekend.

Picture Copyright © HRT F1 Team

Broken Brake Disc Hampered Narain Karthikeyan In Qualifying

Narain Karthikeyan’s qualifying session was brought to a premature end halfway through Q1, after the HRT driver suffered a broken brake disc and spun out heading into turn three. The Indian driver was lucky not to collect one of the Force India’s during his spin, which saw him eventually limp back to the pits unable to set a timed lap.

Although the marshals have decided to let Karthikeyan race in tomorrow’s Korean Grand Prix, after being unable to set a time within the 107% rule, the Indian driver was still lamenting a tough day at the office at the Korea International Circuit. The team immediately set to fixing the issue, with the hope that it will not return during the race and throw Karthikeyan into yet another perilous spin during the race.

“We were in quite a good position after the third free practice session as I’d adapted very well to the circuit and the car was performing great.” Explained Narain Karthikeyan, who was unable to set a timed lap. “But once again I was unlucky this season and we had a mechanical issue on the first lap of qualifying. Now we must analyze the problem to fix it and avoid it from springing up again. Tomorrow we will try to recover those positive vibes.”

HRT’s miserable qualifying session failed to improve after Karthikeyan’s high-speed spin, with Pedro de la Rosa only able to qualify 23rd +4.673 seconds off the pace to the leaders in the opening qualifying segment. With Charles Pic incurring a ten-place grid penalty, the HRT duo will instead start tomorrow’s race from 22nd and 23rd, albeit with a large speed disadvantage to their nearest rivals.

Picture Copyright © HRT F1 Team

No Action On Vettel And Button

Sebastian Vettel has miraculously avoided loosing his victory during the aftermath of the Singapore Grand Prix, as the reigning World Champion and Jenson Button were called up in front of the race stewards with regards to their near-collision during the first safety car period.

As the safety car scampered away, Sebastian Vettel effectively took control of the pace of the field, however the German broke suddenly just prior to returning to racing speeds, which nearly saw Jenson Button slam into the rear of the Red Bull. Luckily, however, an incident was avoided which allowed Vettel and Button to finish the race 1st and 2nd respectively.

After much deliberation by the race stewards, headed by former F1 driver and current Sportscar driver Allan McNish, it was decided no action would be taken against the Red Bull driver. A penalty could have been detrimental to the German’s victory, and would most definitely have seen Button promoted to race victor.

“After examination of the telemetry overlay for throttle, steering and brake traces of both cars did not indicate any erratic driving behavior on the part of the race leader [Vettel].” Read a statement issued by the race stewards, almost two hours after the race.

Picture Copyright © Getty Images

McLaren Using Adjustable Rear Brake Duct?

A rumor has begun to gather momentum in the Formula 1 paddock of McLaren using a mechanic adjustable rear brake duct, which alters the heat going into the tyre via the wheel. The device could be providing the Woking based team with a legal way to manage their tyre temperatures during a race weekend.

During pre-season testing, the device was first spotted and has been supposedly used since the Chinese Grand Prix after McLaren suffered with tyre temperature issues in the wet race in Malaysia. The device works by a mechanic adjusting the brake duct opening around the disc which in turn sends more heat through the wheel, thus increasing the temperature of the tyre.

It is currently unknown as to whether this device is present on any of the other cars on the grid. The device isn’t classified as ‘moveable aero’, and therefore is considered legal as it is believed the device isn’t adjusted during the race. 

In a season which has been heavily dictated by the Pirelli tyres so far, this device could well begin to be copied up and down the grid. With a three-day test at Mugello starting today, it’ll be interesting to see whether the device is used and whether any of the other teams introduce a similar device as they prepare for the beginning the European leg of the season.

Picture Copyright © Getty Images

Smiles At HRT As They Complete 56-Lap Malaysian Grand Prix

With all eyes at the front of the field during today’s Malaysian Grand Prix, it’s worth noting that HRT completed the full race distance relatively trouble free after failing to qualify at the season-opener in Melbourne. Apart from Karthikeyan being involved in several collisions with Button and Vettel, the team are proud of their achievements.

The race started off on a rocky note for the Spanish outfit, as Pedro de la Rosa stalled on the grid and had to subsequently start the race from the pit-lane. However the team opted for a correct tyre strategy as the rain fell, with both cars’ on the full wets when the race was suspended. At that moment de la Rosa was 17th and Narain Karthikeyan was a stunning 10th.

As the race continued after nearly an hours break, Pedro de la Rosa was issued with a drive-through penalty, whereas Karthikeyan began to loose places, and eventually made contact with Jenson Button who lost grip on the wet track and damaged his nose. Narain Karthikeyan wasn’t out of the wars yet, as later on in the race Sebastian Vettel also made contact with the Indian driver, which caused Vettel’s left-rear tyre to get a puncture as well as suffer from rear brake damage.

However, the atmosphere within the team is now very positive heading into the Chinese Grand Prix in three weeks time, as the Spanish team continue to improve throughout every session they partake in.

“I must say I really enjoyed myself in that race.” Said Pedro de la Rosa, “It really was the best race to make my debut with HRT. I don’t think anyone could imagine we would finish after starting from the pit lane due to an issue with the fuel pressure that we were dragging over from yesterday. My team-mate also finished so that’s doubly satisfying. I’m very happy for the team, we accomplished our objective. Now we have to go a little bit further.”

HRT’s next target is to begin battling with Marussia for the final spots on the grid during qualifying, and continue to improve during the races.

Picture Copyright © HRT F1 Team