Hamilton finally takes first Mercedes victory in frenetic Hungarian Grand Prix
Lewis Hamilton has finally secured his first victory for Mercedes, after an exhilarating and frenetic Hungarian Grand Prix around the Hungaroring. The 2008 World Champion was followed by the Lotus of Kimi Raikkonen, with Sebastian Vettel a close 3rd after failing to find a way around the Finnish ace.
At the start Lewis Hamilton managed to maintain his lead into Turn 1, as further back his German team-mate Nico Rosberg endured a frustrating first few corners. The 28-year-old suffered a minor collision with Felipe Massa at Turn 5, which saw him momentarily leave the track as the Brazilian suffered front-wing damage. Meanwhile Sebastian Vettel began to reel in Lewis Hamilton, with Romain Grosjean hot on the German’s heels in the Lotus.
However, after momentarily rising into the DRS zone Sebastian Vettel began to loose time in the wake of Lewis Hamilton’s Mercedes, therefore allowing Romain Grosjean to greatly catch the reigning Champion. On Lap 8 Jean-Eric Vergne and Giedo van der Garde became the first drivers to complete a scheduled pit-stop, one lap before Lewis Hamilton did likewise at the front and therefore gifted the lead down to Sebastian Vettel. However, the German’s lead was short-lived before he also pitted several laps later and allowed Romain Grosjean to assume the lead for Lotus.
The German driver frustratingly returned to the track not only behind Lewis Hamilton but also the McLaren of Jenson Button, who elected to start the race on the medium tyre compound and was therefore on a longer stint. Lewis Hamilton had quickly managed to dispose of his former team-mate, however Sebastian Vettel struggled greatly to match his rivals maneuver. Fernando Alonso pitted from 2nd position on Lap 12, allowing Kimi Raikkonen to rise up into 2nd position and create a Lotus 1-2 at the front. On Lap 13 the Enstone-based outfit elected to perform and double-stop, with both Romain Grosjean and Kimi Raikkonen pitting at the same time, albeit separated by just under ten seconds.
After starting from way down in 10th position, Mark Webber assumed the lead once the Lotus duo pitted. Whilst one Red Bull circulated in the lead of the race, the other was surprisingly struggling behind the McLaren of Jenson Button with both Romain Grosjean and Fernando Alonso catching them both. The three-time Champion lightly collided with the rear of Jenson Button through Turn 2 on Lap 16, as frustrations ran high within the cockpit of the RB9.
Whilst Sebastian Vettel continued to struggle to find a way around the McLaren of Jenson Button, the Force India of Adrian Sutil was forced into an unfortunate retirement due to a hydraulic issue on his car, prematurely ending his 100th Grand Prix. Mark Webber eventually pitted from the lead of the race on Lap 23, allowing Lewis Hamilton to resume his lead at the front. Several laps later Sebastian Vettel finally managed to overtake Jenson Button at Turn 4, in doing so allowing Romain Grosjean to catch the Briton. As the duo negotiated Turns 6 and 7, they collided and subsequently both quickly returned to the pits to check for any damage sustained.
After confirming that no damage had been sustained to either Jenson Button or Romain Grosjean, the two drivers returned to the action with the Frenchman behind Felipe Massa. However, the former GP2 Champion quickly disposed of the Brazilian around the outside of Turn 4. Initially it was perceived as a sensational maneuver, however it was later discovered that he had allegedly gained an advantage by running wide and off of the circuit. The Frenchman was subsequently struck with a drive-thru penalty, ruining his chances of finishing on the podium.
Esteban Gutierrez became the next retirement on Lap 30, after a drive train issue struck his Ferrari-powered Sauber and ended a miserable weekend. Whilst the Mexican returned to the pits, Lewis Hamilton pitted once again from the lead of the race, ceding his lead at the front to the Red Bull of Sebastian Vettel. The Mercedes driver rejoined just behind Mark Webber and Fernando Alonso, however he wasted no time in storming around the outside of the Australian driver at Turn 2, perfecting a masterful overtaking maneuver as Webber ran wide at Turn 3.
Fernando Alonso and Sebastian Vettel both pitted on Lap 34, allowing Lewis Hamilton to quickly resume his lead at the front. Nico Hulkenberg was struck with a drive-thru penalty for speeding the pit-lane on Lap 39, with the German striving to add to Sauber’s meager tally in the Constructors’ Championship. Kimi Raikkonen pitted on Lap 42 from 3rd, before Mark Webber did likewise a lap later. Valtteri Bottas became the third retirement of the race on Lap 44, after the Finnish rookie suffered an engine-related issue and stopped along the start/finish straight. At first it was thought the safety car would be called upon, however the Hungarian marshals soon managed to efficiently clear the stricken Williams under double-waved yellow flags.
Lewis Hamilton pitted for a third time on Lap 50, once again loosing the lead to Sebastian Vettel. Five laps later the German ace also pitted for a third and final time, rejoining behind Kimi Raikkonen as Lewis Hamilton returned into the lead of the race. Mark Webber soon pitted on Lap 59 for soft tyres, creating a thrilling final few laps as Kimi Raikkonen defended heavily against Sebastian Vettel in 3rd with Mark Webber catching the duo at a phenomenal rate.
Nico Rosberg suffered a catastrophic engine failure during the closing stages of the race, as over-heating became an increasing worry for the teams and drivers. Sebastian Vettel almost perfected an overtaking maneuver on Kimi Raikkonen on Lap 68, however the 2007 World Champion was wise to the challenge and defended heavily. Despite the dominant pace witnessed earlier in the weekend, Sebastian Vettel was unable to overtake the Finn as Lewis Hamilton stormed across the line to secure his first ever victory for Mercedes and the German marque’s first with a British driver since Sir Stirling Moss in 1955. Mark Webber failed to catch and challenge his team-mate for 3rd, after his soft tyres eventually degraded during the final laps.
Although Sebastian Vettel was once again unable to secure victory around the tight and twisty confines of the Hungaroring, the German remains in control at the top of the Drivers’ Championship on 172 points, 38 ahead of Kimi Raikkonen in the Lotus. The Finnish sensation will be looking to catch the German next time out around the iconic and daunting Spa-Francorchamps in Belgium, after the lengthy summer break.
PROVISIONAL RACE RESULTS Pos Driver Team 1. Hamilton Mercedes 2. Raikkonen Lotus-Renault 3. Vettel Red Bull-Renault 4. Webber Red Bull-Renault 5. Alonso Ferrari 6. Grosjean Lotus-Renault 7. Button McLaren-Mercedes 8. Massa Ferrari 9. Perez McLaren-Mercedes 10. Maldonado Williams-Renault 11. Hulkenberg Sauber-Ferrari 12. Vergne Toro Rosso-Ferrari 13. Ricciardo Toro Rosso-Ferrari 14. van der Garde Caterham-Renault 15. Pic Caterham-Renault 16. Bianchi Marussia-Cosworth 17. Chilton Marussia-Cosworth DNF Di Resta Force India-Mercedes DNF Rosberg Mercedes DNF Bottas Williams-Renault DNF Gutierrez Sauber-Ferrari DNF Sutil Force India-Mercedes
Picture Copyright © Mercedes AMG Petronas
Berthon fends off Evans to secure maiden GP2 victory at Budapest
Nathaniel Berthon has stormed to his maiden victory in the GP2 Series, after masterfully fending off the charging Mitch Evans around the Hungaroring. The leading duo were followed by Fabio Leimer in the Racing Engineering machine, albeit over ten seconds behind the Kiwi.
At the start Nathaniel Berthon shot into a commanding lead from the reverse grid pole, as Marcus Ericsson rose from 7th to 4th at Turn 1. Further down the order carnage ensued as Sergio Canamasas, Daniel de Jong and Adrian Quaife-Hobbs all made contact. All three drivers were eventually forced into retirement, with Canamasas limping back to the pits without a front or rear-wing. The resulting incident momentarily brought out the safety car, as the ever-efficient Hungarian marshals cleared the stricken cars and detritus littered across the track.
After the opening lap both Ricardo Teixeira and Daniel Abt pitted, as the leaders caught up with the safety car. Eventually the race was resumed, with Nathaniel Berthon propelling himself back into a commanding lead ahead of Mitch Evans. Felipe Nasr stormed up the inside of Simon Trummer at Turn 1, with Stephane Richelmi striving to do likewise but ultimately failing to make the move stick.
As the sprint race progressed, Venezuela GP Lazarus debutant Vittorio Ghirelli leaped across the grass at Turn 2 in a bizarre overtaking maneuver on Johnny Cecotto. Dani Clos suffered from a puncture on Lap 5, after the GP2 returnee made a minor error by skipping across the grass towards the end of the lap. This saw the Spaniard limp back to the pits, and plummet down the order in what was turning out to be a disastrous return to the Series. Whilst the usual excitement ensued throughout the order, Nathaniel Berthon had managed to extend his lead to three seconds over Mitch Evans.
On Lap 6, Championship leader Stefano Coletti’s race weekend failed to improve as the Monegasque driver was forced to pit for a new front-wing. This naturally saw the 24-year-old fall even further down the order, as many drivers were instructed by their race engineers’ to preserve their tyres for the end of the race. Julian Leal and Alexander Rossi made contact at Turn 1 on Lap 12, with the Colombian driver picking up a puncture and subsequently spinning off at Turn 2. Although Leal was able to return to the track and pit for new tyres, Alexander Rossi was struck with a drive-thru penalty for causing an avoidable incident.
As the race entered its closing stages, the gap between race leader Nathaniel Berthon and Mitch Evans ebbed and flowed, as Johnny Cecotto returned to the pits to retire on Lap 20. Although the reigning GP3 Champion gradually lowered the gap to Nathaniel Berthon, the Kiwi was unable to stop the Frenchman securing his first victory in the Series and Trident Racing’s first since Hungary back in 2011.
Results - 28 laps: Pos Driver Team Time/Gap 1. Nathanael Berthon Trident 45m06.319s 2. Mitch Evans Arden +2.239s 3. Fabio Leimer Racing Engineering +13.441s 4. Marcus Ericsson DAMS +15.983s 5. Felipe Nasr Carlin +23.367s 6. James Calado ART +27.216s 7. Simon Trummer Rapax +31.387s 8. Sam Bird Russian Time +37.958s 9. Stephane Richelmi DAMS +40.002s 10. Rio Haryanto Addax +43.991s 11. Tom Dillmann Russian Time +44.383s 12. Jolyon Palmer Carlin +51.408s 13. Rene Binder Lazarus +51.699s 14. Daniel Abt ART +56.342s 15. Jake Rosenzweig Addax +1m01.084s 16. Alexander Rossi Caterham +1m05.663s 17. Vittorio Ghirelli Lazarus +1m11.592s 18. Jon Lancaster Hilmer +1m12.378s 19. Ricardo Teixeira Trident +1m13.045s 20. Julian Leal Racing Engineering +1 laps Retirements: Stefano Coletti Rapax 27 laps Dani Clos MP 24 laps Johnny Cecotto Jr Arden 19 laps Sergio Canamasas Caterham 1 lap Daniel de Jong MP 0 laps Adrian Quaife-Hobbs Hilmer 0 laps
Picture Copyright © Alastair Staley/GP2 Series Media Service
Aaro Vainio storms to GP3 victory after lights-to-flag drive at Budapest
Aaro Vainio has stormed to his third GP3 victory around the Hungaroring, after a masterful lights-to-flag drive from the Finn who managed to fend off the charging Conor Daly during the closing laps. The leading duo were followed by Russian ace Daniil Kvyat in the MW Arden, with Jack Harvey 4th.
At the start Aaro Vainio stormed into a commanding lead over Conor Daly, as the 27-car field negotiated the tricky first few corners without incident. During the opening few laps Championship leader Tio Ellinas plummeted through the order, after first Patric Niederhauser and then Alex Fontana and Dino Zamparelli all overtook the struggling Cypriot. Whilst the field began to evenly spread themselves out around the tight and twisty confines of the Hungaroring, Aaro Vainio managed to open up a comfortable two second lead over the American ace of Conor Daly.
By Lap 9 Tio Ellinas managed to recover after his highly uncompetitive start to the race, with the Marussia Manor Racing driver managing to overtake Dino Zamparelli down the start/finish straight. As the race progressed numerous battles raged on up and down the order, with the likes of Patric Niederhauser, Giovanni Venturini and Tio Ellinas all battling hard for position. The latter began pushing beyond the limits in the closing stages of the race, as he dipped a wheel onto the grass and run extensively wide on the exit of Turn 4 but managed to rejoin.
The flow of the race was disrupted on Lap 12, after a big shunt between Luis Sa Silva and Emanuele Zonzini, with Samin Gomez also involved but miraculously able to continue. As Sa Silva, Zonzini and Gomez negotiated Turn 1, utter disaster struck when Gomez collided with Sa Silva and the unsuspecting Trident of Zonzini barrel-rolled over the Angolan driver. This incident naturally brought out the safety car, as the efficient marshals cleared the two stricken cars and debris.
After only several laps behind the safety car the race was resumed, with Conor Daly pressurizing race leader Aaro Vainio. The ART Grand Prix driver was frustratingly denied the luxury of overtaking the race leader, as the duo negotiated Turn 2 practically side-by-side. Further back the traditional GP3 mayhem ensued, as Lewis Williamson suffered a spectacular spin in a cloud of tyre smoke. Melville McKee endured a frustrating end to the race, as he dropped through the order whilst running wide with Jimmy Eriksson between Turns 4 and 5.
Despite the crazy end to the race, Aaro Vainio managed to keep his composure and secure a masterful victory after a mature drive from the Koiranen GP driver. The leading duo were separated by just +0.6 seconds across the line, with Daniil Kvyat just under five seconds behind for MW Arden. Robert Visoiu managed to finish 8th, therefore securing him the reverse grid pole for tomorrow’s second race. The Romanian driver will start alongside Kevin Korjus.
Results - 17 laps: Pos Driver Team Time/Gap 1. Aaro Vainio Koiranen 29m17.213s 2. Conor Daly ART +0.691s 3. Daniil Kvyat MW Arden +4.853s 4. Jack Harvey ART +7.061s 5. Carlos Sainz Jr MW Arden +7.262s 6. Facu Regalia ART +7.507s 7. Kevin Korjus Koiranen +8.588s 8. Robert Visoiu MW Arden +9.307s 9. Patric Niederhauser Jenzer +10.295s 10. Giovanni Venturini Trident +11.550s 11. Alex Fontana Jenzer +12.736s 12. Tio Ellinas Manor +13.175s 13. Dino Zamparelli Manor +14.139s 14. Jimmy Eriksson Status +16.751s 15. Patrick Kujala Koiranen +18.645s 16. Nick Yelloly Carlin +18.793s 17. David Fumanelli Trident +19.245s 18. Melville McKee Bamboo +21.309s 19. Eric Lichtenstein Carlin +21.428s 20. Samin Gomez Jenzer +21.725s 21. Adderly Fong Status +22.012s 22. Josh Webster Status +22.372s 23. Carmen Jorda Bamboo +22.793s 24. Lewis Williamson Bamboo +23.417s Retirements: Driver Team Laps Luis Sa Silva Carlin 12 Emanuele Zonzini Trident 12 Josh Webster Status 6
Picture Copyright © Alastair Staley/GP3 Series Media Service
Jolyon Palmer wins nail-biting Hungarian Grand Prix feature race
Jolyon Palmer has stormed to a sensational victory after a nail-biting GP2 feature race around Budapest’s Hungaroring, with the Briton being followed home by the DAMS of Marcus Ericsson and Carlin team-mate of Felipe Nasr. The race was relatively incident-free, with frenetic track action from the moment the five red lights went out.
Initially the start of the race was aborted, after Ricardo Teixeira stalled on the formation lap. This saw the field complete yet another formation lap, as the MP Motorsport duo of Daniel de Jong and Dani Clos both stalled and were forced to start from the pit-lane along with Ricardo Teixeira. Eventually the race got underway, with pole-man Tom Dillmann suffering from an abysmal getaway. This enabled Felipe Nasr to storm into the lead, with Fabio Leimer 2nd in the Racing Engineering machine.
By the end of the opening lap Tom Dillmann found himself way down in 6th position and battling with team-mate Sam Bird, whereas further down the order Rene Binder also stalled on the grid but eventually managed to get restarted. In traditional GP2 fashion utter mayhem ensued throughout the order during the opening lap, with Jon Lancaster and Daniel Abt coming together as Julian Leal lost his front-wing the ensuring carnage. Stefano Coletti was one of the many drivers who returned to the pits after the opening lap to fix damage sustained during the frenetic opening lap.
At Turn 1, Marcus Ericsson stormed up the inside of Jolyon Palmer for 3rd position, with the Swede’s team-mate Stephane Richelmi also eager to make a move. Already Felipe Nasr had opened up a two second lead, as Tom Dillmann became one of the first drivers to make a scheduled pit-stop along with James Calado, Adrian Quaife-Hobbs and Sergio Canamasas. Marcus Ericsson pitted a lap later along with Alexander Rossi, Sam Bird and Nathaniel Berthon. After making their mandatory pit-stops, James Calado managed to barge his way around Alexander Rossi for 18th after a superb overtaking maneuver.
On Lap 9, Felipe Nasr and Fabio Leimer pitted from the lead of the race, handing the lead down to Jolyon Palmer. As Nasr and Leimer exited the pit-lane, Marcus Ericsson wasted no time in overtaking the duo to rise up to 2nd position, with an excellent maneuver at Turn 2 on Felipe Nasr. Further down the order Jon Lancaster and Sergio Canamasas collide at Turn 12, with both suffering damage which ultimately saw the Caterham driver forced into retirement.
By Lap 17, Jolyon Palmer carried out his mandatory pit-stop. The Carlin mechanics mastered a sensationally quick stop, however Marcus Ericsson still managed to overtake the Briton upon exiting the pit-lane as Johnny Cecotto assumed the lead of the race for Arden International. The Venezuelan driver’s lead was short-lived, as team-mate Mitch Evans soon overtook him at Turn 1. On Lap 19 Jolyon Palmer momentarily overtook Marcus Ericsson around the outside of Turn 2, however the Carlin driver ran extensively wide at Turn 3 and therefore lost his position.
Johnny Cecotto eventually pitted on Lap 20, leaving only Vittorio Ghirelli, Simon Trummer and Mitch Evans out in front without making their mandatory pit-stops. Once again Jolyon Palmer lunged up the inside of Marcus Ericsson, failing to make the move stick after out-braking himself and running wide. The Briton continued to struggle to make the move stick at Turn 1 for several laps, as Ghirelli pitted from 3rd. Simon Trummer assumed the lead of the race a lap later when Mitch Evans pitted, before Jolyon Palmer finally perfected an overtaking maneuver on Marcus Ericsson for 2nd.
Further down the order utter mayhem continued, as Johnny Cecotto slammed into the rear of Tom Dillmann as the Frenchman slowed whilst battling for position. This saw Dillmann plummet through the order, as Cecotto continued to circulate despite a ruined front-wing. This eventually saw the Venezuelan driver struck with a black and orange flag, forcing him to pit for a new nose before being issued with a drive-thru penalty for causing the collision. Meanwhile Simon Trummer finally became the last driver to complete his mandatory pit-stop, allowing Jolyon Palmer to assume a well deserved lead in his Carlin.
After a lengthy battle for position with Jolyon Palmer, Marcus Ericsson now became locked in a grueling battle for 2nd with the other Carlin of Felipe Nasr. The duo banged wheels into Turn 13, before Johnny Cecotto threw the spanner in the works by un-lapping himself on Felipe Nasr and Marcus Ericsson and completely diluting a sensational battle for position. Amid all of the confusion up and down the order, Jake Rosenzweig and Daniel Abt had retired during the closing stages of the race, as Jolyon Palmer secured his second victory in the GP2 Series ahead of Marcus Ericsson and Felipe Nasr. Championship leader Stefano Coletti could only manage 16th, after a tough feature race.
Frenchman Nathaniel Berthon managed to secure the reverse grid pole for Trident Racing, and will start alongside reigning GP3 Champion Mitch Evans in what will surely be a terrific sprint race tomorrow morning.
Results - 36 laps: Pos Driver Team Time/Gap 1. Jolyon Palmer Carlin 57m14.477s 2. Marcus Ericsson DAMS +15.407s 3. Felipe Nasr Carlin +15.794s 4. Fabio Leimer Racing Engineering +19.433s 5. Stephane Richelmi DAMS +19.740s 6. Simon Trummer Rapax +21.499s 7. Mitch Evans Arden +22.584s 8. Nathanel Berthon Trident +36.439s 9. James Calado ART +38.203s 10. Sam Bird Russian Time +44.671s 11. Rio Haryanto Addax +51.951s 12. Daniel de Jong MP +52.520s 13. Alexander Rossi Caterham +54.815s 14. Dani Clos MP +55.990s 15. Julian Leal Racing Engineering +56.302s 16. Stefano Coletti Rapax +57.202s 17. Vittorio Ghirelli Lazarus +58.621s 18. Adrian Quaife-Hobbs Hilmer +1m05.995s 19. Ricardo Teixeira Trident +1m16.133s 20. Tom Dillmann Russian Time +1m33.788s 21. Johnny Cecotto Jr Arden +1 lap 22. Rene Binder Lazarus +1 lap 23. Jon Lancaster Hilmer +1 lap Retirements: Daniel Abt ART 34 laps Jake Rosenzweig Addax 32 laps Sergio Canamasas Caterham 17 laps
Picture Copyright © Alastair Staley/GP2 Series Media Service
Sebastian Vettel fastest after practice one in the heat at Hungary
Sebastian Vettel has continued to assert his authority over proceedings after the first practice session of the Hungarian Grand Prix weekend, with the reigning Champion finishing several tenths ahead of team-mate Mark Webber. The Red Bull duo were followed by Kimi Raikkonen in the Lotus, with Fernando Alonso 4th.
After yet another three-week gap since the last race weekend, the Formula 1 fraternity reconvened once again in the heat of Budapest for the Hungarian Grand Prix. For the opening practice session of the weekend, Marussia reserve driver Rodolfo Gonzalez once again replaced Max Chilton alongside Jules Bianchi, as Daniel Ricciardo eventually became the first driver to take to the Hungaroring once the session began. The Australian driver was quickly joined by Jules Bianchi and Romain Grosjean, as the entire field carried out their usual installation laps.
Upon returning to the pits, Daniel Ricciardo explained over his team radio how the Hungaroring was extremely dusty, as was evident when Sergio Perez completed one of his many installation laps and kicked up plumes of dust. Eventually reserve driver Rodolfo Gonzalez produced the first timed lap of the day with a 01:39.688, a time which he was able to improve upon shortly afterwards with a 01:37.942. Despite the slow lap times, more drivers soon braved the dust to produce their first timed laps of the day, with Nico Rosberg rising to the top with a 01:29.998.
As the opening session of the weekend continued, McLaren’s Sergio Perez stormed to the top with a 01:25.476, before improving with a 01:24.920 a lap later. Kimi Raikkonen momentarily rose to the top for Lotus, working his way down to a 01:24.056 before Sergio Perez returned to the top with the Mercedes-powered McLaren showing impressive pace in comparison to previous races. Fernando Alonso soon asserted his authority over proceedings with a 01:23.503, before Romain Grosjean and then Jenson Button disposed of the Spaniard. However, the two-time World Champion quickly bounced back producing a 01:23.099 to remain at the top of the timing sheets.
Despite a relatively competitive opening practice session, Pastor Maldonado ran wide at Turn 12 as the session progressed. As the Venezuelan ace composed himself after his minor error, Mark Webber shot to the top of the timing sheets for Red Bull with a 01:22.982, with Kimi Raikkonen slotting into 2nd position behind the Australian. Reigning World Champion Sebastian Vettel soon asserted his authority over proceedings, rising to the top with a 01:22.723 as Jean-Eric Vergne suffered a big spin at Turn 4. Lewis Hamilton also made several minor errors as the session drew to a conclusion, as Kimi Raikkonen suffered from a slow puncture on his Lotus and was forced to crawl back to the pits.
Eventually the checkered flag emerged, signaling the end of the opening practice session. Sebastian Vettel remained fastest ahead of his Red Bull team-mate, with the Lotus of Kimi Raikkonen a close 3rd. Fernando Alonso ended the session 4th fastest, ahead of Romain Grosjean in 5th. The teams’ and drivers’ will return to the Hungaroring later in the day, for the second practice session ahead of the Hungarian Grand Prix.
Pos Driver Team/Car Time Gap Laps 1. Sebastian Vettel Red Bull-Renault 1m22.723s 19 2. Mark Webber Red Bull-Renault 1m22.982s +0.259s 24 3. Kimi Raikkonen Lotus-Renault 1m23.010s +0.287s 20 4. Fernando Alonso Ferrari 1m23.099s +0.376s 22 5. Romain Grosjean Lotus-Renault 1m23.111s +0.388s 20 6. Jenson Button McLaren-Mercedes 1m23.370s +0.647s 26 7. Adrian Sutil Force India-Mercedes 1m23.390s +0.667s 20 8. Nico Rosberg Mercedes 1m23.531s +0.808s 28 9. Sergio Perez McLaren-Mercedes 1m23.591s +0.868s 26 10. Pastor Maldonado Williams-Renault 1m23.911s +1.188s 21 11. Esteban Gutierrez Sauber-Ferrari 1m24.119s +1.396s 21 12. Valtteri Bottas Williams-Renault 1m24.150s +1.427s 27 13. Lewis Hamilton Mercedes 1m24.157s +1.434s 28 14. Jean-Eric Vergne Toro Rosso-Ferrari 1m24.204s +1.481s 15 15. Felipe Massa Ferrari 1m24.299s +1.576s 19 16. Nico Hulkenberg Sauber-Ferrari 1m24.314s +1.591s 23 17. Daniel Ricciardo Toro Rosso-Ferrari 1m24.383s +1.660s 24 18. Paul di Resta Force India-Mercedes 1m24.608s +1.885s 21 19. Charles Pic Caterham-Renault 1m25.827s +3.104s 24 20. Giedo van der Garde Caterham-Renault 1m26.808s +4.085s 25 21. Jules Bianchi Marussia-Cosworth 1m27.617s +4.894s 20 22. Rodolfo Gonzalez Marussia-Cosworth 1m28.927s +6.204s 25
Picture Copyright © Pirelli
All change in GP2 ahead of the Hungarian Grand Prix
Several driver changes have occurred within the GP2 paddock ahead of this weekend’s Hungarian Grand Prix, with former race winner Robin Frijns being replaced by British sensation Adrian Quaife-Hobbs at Hilmer Motorsport after the Dutchman allegedly ran out of money to continue competing in the category.
The GP2 Series will also welcome two returnees for this weekend’s proceedings, with 30-year-old Angolan Ricardo Teixeira replacing Kevin Ceccon at Trident Racing and former HRT reserve driver Dani Clos replacing Adrian Quaife-Hobbs at MP Motorsport. Ricardo Teixeira last competed in the category last season with Rapax, and failed to score a single point. He initially made his debut in the Series with Trident Racing in 2008, before a season competing in Formula 2. In 2011 Teixeira tested for Team Lotus (now known as Caterham) at both Valencia and Barcelona.
With Adrian Quaife-Hobbs moving to Hilmer Motorsport to replace Robin Frijns, Dutch newcomers MP Motorsport have called upon the services of former Formula 1 reserve driver and GP2 driver Dani Clos. The 24-year-old Spaniard created history last season during practice one at the Spanish Grand Prix, creating the first all-Spanish line-up in a Spanish Formula 1 team at Barcelona alongside Pedro de la Rosa. Clos continued to enjoy six outings with HRT last season, before the team failed to find a new owner for 2013. Dani Clos last competed in the GP2 Series last season with Barwa Addax for four races, and was a race winner with Racing Engineering at Istanbul in 2010.
“We’re delighted to welcome Dani to the team,” enthused MP Motorsport team principal, Sander Dorsman. “The experience he brings to the team will be priceless. He’s won in GP2 and has tested in Formula 1. We’re all really looking forward to working with him for the first time in Hungary this weekend.”
Although Adrian Quaife-Hobs will understandably be eager to continue progressing during his debut season in the GP2 Series with Hilmer Motorsport, many are surprised to see a talent such as Robin Frijns run out of budget to continue competing in the category. The reigning Formula Renault 3.5 Series Champion made his debut in the Series in Bahrain with the German outfit, before winning the Spanish Grand Prix feature race and finishing 2nd in the sprint race.
“So that was it then. No money no drive,” explained Robin Frijns, on the social networking site Twitter. “Winning Championship [sic] is not enough these days! Good luck for all the GP2 boys!”
The 21-year-old Dutchman is currently Sauber’s reserve driver, and drove for the Swiss outfit during their Young Driver Test at Silverstone last week. He will unquestionably be striving to return to the Series, after a highly competitive start to the season. For the likes of Dani Clos, Ricardo Teixeira and Adrian Quaife-Hobbs, it is their time to shine behind the wheel of the Renault-powered Dallara GP2/11.
Picture Copyright © Malcolm Griffiths/GP2 Series Media Service & HRT F1 Team
FIA lowers pit-lane speed limit ahead of Hungarian GP
Formula 1’s governing body, the FIA, has confirmed a change in the pit-lane speed limit for the race ahead of this weekend’s Hungarian Grand Prix. This decision will see the speed limit remain at 80Km/h for the whole race weekend, after an FOM cameraman was struck on the head by a loose wheel during the German Grand Prix last time out.
The alteration of the sport’s rules comes after the World Motor Sport Council voted in favour of the changes, which were originally planned to be introduced next season. Usually the pit-lane speed limit for the race is 100Km/h, with the rest of the weekend at 80Km/h. These new rules will see the speed limit remain at the lower 80Km/h, therefore preventing such an incident which occurred at the German Grand Prix after Mark Webber was released from his pit-box with his right-rear tyre loose, which subsequently worked its way completely loose and bowled over an FOM cameraman.
These new rulings by the FIA will mean that the overall length of a pit-stop will increase, with cars running through the pits at a considerably slower pace than beforehand. This in turn could create strategic headaches for the many of the teams, forcing a rethink in the amount of pit-stops carried out during a race. The FIA has also confirmed that it will become mandatory for all team personnel working on a car in the pits to wear helmets, adding yet another precaution to avoid head injuries within the freneticism in the pit-lane.
Picture Copyright © Williams F1 Team
Felipe Massa Aiming For Victory At Monza
Felipe Massa has confirmed he will be entering the Italian Grand Prix with an aim of securing his first victory since the 2008 Brazilian Grand Prix, when the Ferrari driver was beaten to the Drivers’ Championship on home soil by the McLaren of Lewis Hamilton. Massa starts the Italian Grand Prix from 3rd on the grid, behind the McLaren duo.
Felipe Massa has endured several frustratingly uncompetitive seasons in Formula 1, since the Brazilian driver was injured during qualifying for the 2009 Hungarian Grand Prix. Since his return to the sport in 2010, Massa has struggled to match the pace of his team-mate, Fernando Alonso. Whereas Fernando Alonso has won numerous races for the Scuderia, Felipe Massa has visibly become the number two driver to the 2-time World Champion.
Due to the Brazilian’s lackluster performance in recent years, rumors have been floating around the paddock that Felipe Massa will leave Ferrari at the end of the current season. However, this weekend sees Massa start well ahead of team-mate Fernando Alonso, with a realistic chance of a return to the podium for the first time since the Korean Grand Prix back in 2010. When asked whether victory was Massa’s aim for the race, the Brazilian driver confirmed his ambition is set firmly on securing his 12th race victory.
“That’s always the direction we need to take.” Confirmed Felipe Massa, “We go to the grid thinking about victory, thinking about doing the maximum you can to win the race and that’s what I’m going to do tomorrow. They [McLaren] are very strong, they are quick but we have 53 laps in the race, we know how different the race can be compared to qualifying so for sure I want to try everything I can.”
Fernando Alonso will undoubtedly be storming his way through the field during the race, eager to take the fight to the McLaren duo of Lewis Hamilton and Jenson Button. However, Felipe Massa has his own career to fight for, with a perfect opportunity to secure a competitive finish at Ferrari’s own back yard.
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James Allison Confirms Double-DRS Won’t Reappear Until Suzuka
Lotus technical director James Allison has confirmed that the teams rendition of the Double-DRS device will not reappear on their cars until the Japanese Grand Prix at Suzuka, after initially planning to run the device at the Belgian Grand Prix last time out. This comes after Lotus confirmed they would not introduce the device at Monza.
After Kimi Raikkonen tested the device during practice for both the German and Hungarian Grands Prix, Lotus initially planned to run the device for the first time on both cars during the Belgian Grand Prix. However, the heavy rain forced Lotus to abandon plans to run the device for the weekend, after running on Friday was hampered due to the treacherous on track conditions.
Due to the vast change in aero configuration for this weekend’s Italian Grand Prix around the high-speed Autodromo Nazionale Monza, Lotus also confirmed they would not be introducing the device this weekend, stating that the Singapore Grand Prix later this month could be the earliest the device would be reintroduced.
However, those plans have been delayed by yet a further race, with the team’s technical director James Allison now confirming that the device won’t reappear until the Japanese Grand Prix in October. Lotus team principal Eric Boullier is still confident Kimi Raikkonen can win the Drivers’ Championship, despite his inability to win in Belgium.
“Although we would like to have it at Monza – because it is the type of circuit that rewards such a thing – we don’t have the DRS device configured to cope with the Monza level of downforce,” explained James Allison, as the team gears up for the Italian Grand Prix. “So it is not even on the table. In Singapore you won’t see it either, because it’s too high a downforce circuit with insufficient straights for it to be worthwhile. The earliest you might see it now is Suzuka.”
With reserve driver Jerome D’Ambrosio standing in for the banned Romain Grosjean as this weekend’s Italian Grand Prix, any realistic hope Lotus have of victory lies heavily on the shoulders of Kimi Raikkonen. The Finn has never been victorious around Monza, and will be undoubtedly striving to change that stat once the track action gets underway this weekend.
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