Is F1’s Start Time Too Late In The Far East?

Once again a Formula 1 track event has been postponed due to an occurrence which used to bring excitement and unpredictability to the sport… rain. Now, the prospect of heavy rain at a Grand Prix results in an arduous wait for the bulk of the rain to pass before proceedings to begin…and then you discover you have run out of daylight!

This has become a common occurrence in the world of Formula 1, with races such as Malaysia, Korea, Japan and now even Australia being struck by postponements. Years ago races used to usually always have an early-to-mid afternoon start time, which used to always account for any unfortunate delays due to bad weather or a large incident. However, recently Formula 1 event start times in the Far East have been moved to later in the day, resulting in very little time remaining in the day should a lengthy delay ensue. This therefore forces the event in question to be postponed, as the fading light at the circuit prevents any further track action.

This unfortunate eventuality has reared its ugly head this weekend at the season-opening Australian Grand Prix, with both Q1 and Q2 delayed before proceedings were eventually postponed after Q1. At European and North American venues, delays are usually the worse things get as the events’ start times are roughly in the early afternoon. However, for the Asian and Australian events, any delays are a major blow as the events’ usually get underway in the late afternoon. Why? To allegedly benefit the European TV audiences, who are sat thousands of miles away in a warm sitting room, whereas fans at the circuit who have paid decent prices are forced to sit in the gloomy conditions and wait for a session which is likely to be postponed.

This never used to be the case in Formula 1, with the start times for the varying sessions of a weekend normally starting early-to-mid afternoon. However, recent years has seen the Asian and Australian Grands Prix start times manipulated beyond belief to benefit the European time zone, just so fans can wake up at a reasonable hour to watch the race. If Formula 1 is a true “World Championship”, then surely the events’ start times should benefit those local fans and not any other time zone.

The 2009 Malaysian Grand Prix featured monsoon-like rain, and forced the race to be stopped.

Let’s take the Malaysian Grand Prix for example, a race held in a climate which usually always features evening thunderstorms. Anybody who has visited these Asian nations will know that monsoon-styled rainfall and thunderstorms are a common occurrence in the late-afternoon/early-evening, exactly the same time the Malaysian Grand Prix is held. With this in mind, it’s no wonder that numerous races around the Sepang International Circuit have been plagued by unbelievably ferocious rainstorms. In 2009, the race lasted only 31 of the scheduled 56 laps before the unrelenting rain struck the circuit.

The same amount of rainfall plagued proceedings last season at Sepang, however despite a minor delay in which the teams were forced to erect gazebos to keep their cars dry on the grid, the race eventually ran its course. Last season the race start time was 4pm local time, practically prime time for a late-afternoon thunderstorm to effect proceedings. However, if the race had started at the normal start time of around 1-2pm, the heavy rain could’ve been avoided and therefore a dry and un-delayed event would have ensued.

For many Formula 1 is the best sport in existence, with hardcore European fans more than happy to wake up whenever required to watch the event live. Less enthusiastic fans could surely utilize their various TV gadgets to record the event, allowing the fans at the event to enjoy their race at a time which suits them and which should avoid “bad light stopped play”, a term used mainly in cricket.

Picture(s) Copyright © Getty Images & Williams F1 Team

Sergio Perez Regarding United States Grand Prix As Home Race

Sergio Perez is treating next weekend’s United States Grand Prix as a home race, seeing as the Texas venue will be the closest to his home town in Guadalajara for eight years. Mexico last hosted a Formula 1 event back in 1992 at Mexico City, a race which was won by Nigel Mansell.

With Sergio Perez enjoying a tremendously competitive 2012 season with Sauber, the Mexican driver is hopeful that many Mexicans will journey to the brand-new Circuit of the Americas for the inaugural race next weekend. Sergio Perez is preparing to start his final two races for Sauber, before switching to McLaren to replace Lewis Hamilton for the 2013 season.

“I am very much looking forward to this race!” Enthused Sergio Perez, “I think it is the closest race for eight years for me to my home town of Guadalajara. I expect many Mexican Formula One fans to attend and this, for sure, will give me an extra boost. Of course I also hope there will be a Mexican Grand Prix one day, because I am aware of the great enthusiasm for Formula One in my country, but for now I regard the race in Austin as my home Grand Prix.”

The United States Grand Prix will be a leap into the great unknown for all of the 24 drivers next weekend, as they strive to learn the brand-new state-of-the-art Circuit of the Americas quickly throughout the due course of the race weekend. However, Sergio Perez has no worries he’ll be able to quickly learn the new circuit, after spending the majority of his debut season last year learning many of the circuits on the calendar.

“I have no issues about learning new tracks quickly.” Explained Sergio Perez, “In my first Formula One season, which was only last year, I had many tracks to learn. I am sure we will have a good crowd there and I definitely want to put in a strong result for both the Sauber F1 Team and myself.”

Sauber are currently only 12 points behind Mercedes in the Constructors Championship, and remain confident they can catch and overtake the German marque in the remaining two races. Mercedes have failed to score a single World Championship point since the Singapore Grand Prix, and Sauber are hoping to capitalize on this lack of consistency from their nearest competitors.

Picture Copyright © Sauber Motorsport AG

Kamui Kobayashi: “It Hasn’t Sunk In Yet!”

Kamui Kobayashi wowed his faithful supporters during the Japanese Grand Prix earlier today, as their hero stormed to his first career podium at his home Grand Prix around Suzuka. The 26-year-old driver stood his ground during the closing stages of the race, as he fended off the charging McLaren of Jenson Button.

After enduring a tough opening day of practice at Suzuka, Kamui Kobayashi set himself up perfectly for the 53-lap race during qualifying with a superlative lap in the closing stages of Q3. Although Kobayashi ended qualifying 4th overall, he was promoted to 3rd on the grid after Jenson Button took his five-place grid penalty.

At the start of the race, Kobayashi instantly overtook Mark Webber for 2nd as carnage ensued behind him. Although the Japanese driver lost out to the Ferrari of Felipe Massa after the first round of pitstops, he was able remain in 3rd position to claim his first podium finish of his F1 career, following in the footsteps of fellow countryman Aguri Suzuki and Takuma Sato.

“It hasn’t sunk in yet, it is hard to believe – I achieved my first podium in Suzuka!” Explained an elated Kamui Kobayashi, “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. The team has built a great car this year. You can tell this from the podium finishes my team-mate [Sergio Perez] has had. At times I was close to that as well but I never had the luck. It means so much to me that it finally worked out. Maybe from now on things will be easier.”

Throughout the closing laps of the Japanese Grand Prix, Kamui Kobayashi’s 3rd place looked in danger of being snatched away from him by the charging McLaren of Jenson Button. The Briton was on fresher rubber than the Sauber driver, yet was unable to catch and overtake Kobayashi for the final podium position.

“My rear tyres where really bad in the end and I had a lot of oversteer.” Continued Kamui Kobayashi, “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.”

Kamui Kobayashi’s future in Formula 1 still remains unconfirmed, with Sauber’s 2013 driver line-up being greatly speculated within the paddock. Some rumors suggest that GP2 driver Esteban Gutierrez could receive the drive, however with Kobayashi’s superb result this weekend, Sauber may well find themselves in a conundrum over who to select for next season.

Picture Copyright © Sauber Motorsport AG

Kamui Kobayashi Focusing On Remaining Races

Kamui Kobayashi is remaining focused on the remaining six races of the season, as speculation rumbles on regarding the Japanese driver’s future in the sport. With Sergio Perez replacing Lewis Hamilton at McLaren for 2013 after a highly competitive season, Kamui Kobayashi’s future with the team is still unconfirmed.

Whereas Sergio Perez has stormed to three podium finishes this season, Kamui Kobayashi has as of yet been unable to replicate his team-mate’s success. Although the Japanese driver qualified on the front row of the grid at the Belgian Grand Prix, Kobayashi has failed to enjoy the same amount of success as Perez throughout 2012. Largely due to Perez’s superlative pace for Sauber, the Mexican driver will next year find himself racing for a World Championship winning outfit in McLaren, whereas Kobayashi continues to fight for his future at Sauber.

However, with pressure on Kamui Kobayashi to perform well in the remaining six races of the season, the 26-year-old has stipulated that he is remaining focused on producing competitive results for the Hinwil-based outfit in the remaining six races. Kobayashi’s personal best result so far this season was 4th at the German Grand Prix, however a podium finish in the remaining races would certainly be welcomed by both himself and the team.

“I have no idea [who he’ll be driving for in 2013]. I think we still have six races left to race and Suzuka for me is pretty important, so I just try to focus and think later.” Explained Kamui Kobayashi, who’s personal best result on home soil was 7th in 2010. “These two drivers [Hamilton and Perez] are the first movement [in the driver market] so this is quite exciting for the rest of the time.”

When asked whether Kamui Kobayashi viewed racing in front if his adoring home fans as a distraction or an encouragement, the Japanese driver was quick to confirm that he saw it as more of an encouragement. Like many drivers up and down the grid, Kobayashi views his local support as positive, and is eager to reward them with a competitive result this weekend.

“I think it’s more an encouragement, that means it’s great to be here, back to Suzuka, which is a really great circuit and my favorite as well.” Confirmed Kobayashi, “And definitely our car could be competitive here as well. After Singapore, which is a little bit difficult circuit for us, back to Suzuka which is our best track, I think it will be great. Really, there will be a big amount of power from a lot of fans and the Japanese people at the race.”

The last Japanese driver to step onto the podium was Takuma Sato at the 2004 French Grand Prix, however it is unquestionable that Kamui Kobayashi is striving to change that stat as the 2012 seasons draws to a conclusion. It’s clearly evident that the Ferrari-powered Sauber C31 can produce competitive results, however it has so far only been Sergio Perez who has unlocked its true potential.

Picture Copyright © Getty Images

Fernando Alonso: “Nothing Compares To This Victory”

Fernando Alonso has explained how his victory in Sunday’s European Grand Prix was one of the best feelings the Spaniard has felt in terms of emotions, after the Ferrari man stormed from a lowly 11th on the grid to take a memorable victory in front of his adoring home fans.

After surging through the field in the first part of the race, Fernando Alonso eventually rose to the lead when Sebastian Vettel suffered one of his rare mechanical issues. The Red Bull driver was seen slowing on the track on lap 34, only moments after the race had restarted after the one and only safety car period. Initially it was thought Romain Grosjean was going to pose a threat to the Spaniard, however when the Frenchman also retired in similar fashion to Sebastian Vettel, Alonso remained unchallenged as he stormed to his second race victory of the 2012 season.

“It’s difficult to express in words what is the feeling now.” Explained Alonso, in the TV press conference after the race. “Winning a home Grand Prix is something unique – a very special feeling. I had the opportunity to do this in Barcelona in 2006 with Renault and I still remember that day perfectly. And now I did the same here in Valencia, with this special team, Ferrari, with all the grandstand full of red color and Spanish flags. Feeling very proud to be a Spanish sportsman at the moment and winning in Spain this race is probably the best victory I ever felt in terms of emotions. Nothing maybe compares to this one.”

When asked whether the Spaniard was worried as to whether his tyres were going to drop off, in similar fashion to the Canadian Grand Prix when Alonso plummeted in the closing laps, he assured the media that his tyres did in fact go off. However, with the majority of the field suffering from similar tyre wear, Fernando Alonso was able to stay in the lead unlike the Canadian Grand Prix.

“No, they did [go off]. I was not worried. They did. They did, about eight laps from the end.” Continued the 30-year-old. “I said to the team ‘the tyres are finished, we need to do something’. They said: ‘wait one more sector because they are not quicker than you at this moment’. The next sector they were the same as me. So they said: ‘wait one more lap to see how much quicker they are’ and the next lap they were the same time as us. Wait another lap and wait another and then it was three laps from the end and they were in the same lap times and we went until the end. But the tyres were as finished as in Canada but it was for everybody this time.”

Fernando Alonso has now broken the unique trend of a different winner at each race in 2012, becoming the first driver of the season to become a repeat winner. The Spaniard now heads to the British Grand Prix at Silverstone leading the Drivers’ Championship with 111 points. Alonso won around the legendary Silverstone circuit last season for Ferrari, and would undeniably love to do likewise again this year.

Picture Copyright © Pirelli

Ferrari Unveil 2012 Car

Ferrari have unveiled their 2012 Formula 1 car, the F2012, with the covers being pulled off by their drivers’ Fernando Alonso and Felipe Massa. The nose of the car is reminiscent of Caterham’s platypus-style step nose, which has been regarded as ugly by many F1 fans.

With a heavy snow fall canceling the planned shakedown at Fiorano, Ferrari opted to launch their car online instead, with the team unsure as to whether they’ll be able to run their car before the Jerez test which begin next week.

With Caterham’s car being unveiled last month featuring a “platypus-style” nose design, many believed the new design was ugly. When it was believed the same design would be copied throughout the grid, many were surprised (and relieved) to see McLaren design a sleeker curved nose which featured no step or platypus-style.

However Ferrari’s new F2012 car features the new nose design, with promises for a more radical approach to the design to try and reinstate the team to their race winning ways. Whether the new and radical design will achieve this, Alonso and Massa will be itching to find out.

Pre-season testing begins at Jerez next week, where Felipe Massa will test the new car first. With the heavy snow fall at their Fiorano circuit, it looks unlikely Ferrari will be able to run their car prior to this test.

Jules Bianchi Becomes Force India Reserve Driver

French Formula 1 fans will have more to cheer about today as it has been confirmed that French driver Jules Bianchi has become the new Force India reserve driver, a move which will see him partake in at least nine Friday practice sessions over the season. 

Jules Bianchi has been a member of Ferrari for the last few years and has recently become the leading candidate as a potential replacement for Felipe Massa, joining Sergio Perez, Paul Di Resta and Robert Kubica in a long list of drivers potentially set to replace the Brazilian. 

With the Frenchman joining Force India as their official reserve driver, it has been confirmed that Bianchi will remain part of the Ferrari Young Drivers’ Programme, even though he will take part in at least nine Friday practice sessions over the course of the 2012 season for Force India. 

Last season, Bianchi finished 3rd in the GP2 Series, racing for Lotus ART and winning one race at the British Grand Prix along the way. He also competed in last seasons GP2 Asia Series, again for Lotus ART, finishing as the runner up behind Romain Grosjean who incidentally is racing for Lotus in Formula 1 this season.  

Jules Bianchi will be hoping that history repeats itself this season, as the last three Force India reserve drivers have gone on to pick up a full time race seat in F1 the following season with Tonio Liuzzi, Paul Di Resta and Nico Hulkenberg all eventually becoming F1 drivers after being a Force India reserve driver.

Jules Bianchi becomes the fourth French driver in F1 for 2012, joining fellow countryman Romain Grosjean, Jean-Eric Vergne and Charles Pic. 

2012 Pirelli Tyres Receive New Markings

The Pirelli tyres for the coming 2012 season have received new markings to help make it clearer to fans which type of tyres the drivers are using throughout the season, with a new range of wet tyres also unveiled.

The colors which depict the different types of tyre have been slightly tweaked, with the writing becoming more bolder with the bands near the lettering becoming slightly larger. There has also been a slight change to help fans differentiate between the white (medium) tyres and the silver (hard) tyres with the writing on the silver variant becoming more darker.

Pirelli have also changed the range of wet tyres that will be on offer to the F1 teams throughout the season, with the P-Zero range being replaced by the Cinturato range which Pirelli made famous in the 1950s. The colors of the wet tyres have also been changed, with the full wets now in blue with the intermediate tyres in green.

In 2012, Pirelli also hope to help make F1 more exciting, with a more aggressive approach from Pirelli in its tyres compounds. Pirelli will also allow the Formula One Management (FOM) more access more data, with the idea that the data will then be able to be adopted in an on-screen graphic which will be able to show the fans how old a particular tyre is.

Pirelli have also slightly changed the construction of the tyre, with the end result being a slightly squarer variant which is aimed at helping improve grip and handling for the 2012 season.

Pirelli enter their second year as sole tyre supplier for the F1 teams after replacing Bridgestone, who were the sole supplier after Michelin ended their involvement in F1 after the 2006 season.

Russian driver Vitaly Petrov was today hinted at potentially joining Pirelli as their test driver, however both Petrov and Pirelli denied these rumors.