First blood to Hamilton after FP1 at Monza

Lewis Hamilton has begun his Italian Grand Prix weekend in fine form, topping the timing sheets for Mercedes ahead of former team-mate Jenson Button. The British duo were closely followed by the second Mercedes and Championship leader of Nico Rosberg.

The opening practice session of the Italian Grand Prix weekend began in overcast conditions and with a whole host of temporary driver changes. For the opening 30 minutes Sergio Perez would step aside of Dani Juncadella at Force India, whilst Giedo van der Garde once again stepped into the driving seat at Sauber in place of Adrian Sutil, Charles Pic replaced Romain Grosjean at Lotus and Formula Renault 3.5 ace Roberto Merhi made his Formula One debut at Caterham in place of the returning Kamui Kobayashi.

Eventually Marcus Ericsson became the first driver to take to the Autodromo di Monza once the session officially began, leading out a long line of drivers who seemed incredibly eager to get their respective weekends’ underway. Despite the instant flurry of track activity, only installation laps were initially completed, before Max Chilton finally produced a 01:33.435 in the Marussia, a time which the Briton soon improved on with a 01:32.546.

Soon the times began to tumble in traditional style, once more drivers elected to return to the track after completing their installation laps. Jean-Eric Vergne rose to the top for Toro Rosso with a 01:30.511, before Kevin Magnussen in the McLaren soon catapulted himself to the top of the timing sheets with a 01:28.256. The Danish rookie continued to improve as the session progressed, whilst the Red Bull duo of Sebastian Vettel and Daniel Ricciardo both momentarily suffered with DRS issues.

As the Spanish duo of Alonso and Juncadella ran wide at turn one, 2009 World Champion Jenson Button managed to rise ahead of his McLaren team-mate with a 01:27.158. However, normality at the sharp-end of the order was soon resumed, when the Mercedes duo of Nico Rosberg and Lewis Hamilton asserted their authority over proceedings, with the latter in particular producing a 01:27.064.

Whilst Pastor Maldonado proceeded to run wide at turns one and four in the uncompetitive Lotus, Magnussen suffered a rather unforeseen issue when his headrest began to detach itself from his car. The Danish rookie eventually managed to limp back to the pits for repairs, whilst McLaren team-mate Button returned to the top with a 01:26.810. Meanwhile Belgian Grand Prix winner Ricciardo’s session was brought to a premature conclusion after suffering from an engine failure in the Red Bull.

As the session drew to a conclusion, Championship contender Hamilton rose back to the top in the Mercedes with a 01:26.547, a time which the 2008 World Champion soon managed to improve on with a 01:26.187. Meanwhile several drivers began to push beyond the limit in their bid to continue preparing for the weekend ahead, with Merhi, Massa and Perez all running wide at turn one, with the latter bumping precariously over the speed bumps in the process after only just running wide and across the grass at turn eight.

Eventually the checkered flag was unfurled to signal the end of the session, with Lewis Hamilton fastest in the Mercedes ahead of former McLaren team-mate Jenson Button and current team-mate Nico Rosberg. The 22 drivers will return to the Autodromo di Monza later in the day to continue with their preparations during practice two.

Image courtesy of Mercedes AMG Petronas

Nico Rosberg tops an intense final practice in Australia

Nico Rosberg has ended an intense third and final practice session fastest for Mercedes, ahead of Jenson Button in the McLaren and Fernando Alonso in the Ferrari. Lewis Hamilton was 4th in the second Mercedes, whereas Sebastian Vettel ended the session a lowly 12th as preparations ahead of qualifying intensified. 

With dark clouds looming ominously overhead as the session officially got underway, Jean-Eric Vergne became the first driver to take to the track for Toro Rosso and was instantly followed out by a whole host of other drivers who were all eager to continue with their preparations. This included the casualties of Marcus Ericsson and Pastor Maldonado, who both endured extremely tough days on Friday. As the majority of the field completed at least one installation lap, Kimi Raikkonen remained stuck in his garage with an electrical issue plaguing his Ferrari. With a slight shake of the head from the 2007 World Champion, it was crystal clear that all was not well within the Scuderia.

Whilst the Ferrari mechanics busied themselves on rectifying Kimi Raikkonen’s car, Jean-Eric Vergne produced the first timed lap of the session. The Frenchman’s initial benchmark was quickly thwarted by the McLaren of Kevin Magnussen, who managed to produce a 01:33.130. However, the times soon began to tumble as more drivers elected to complete a timed lap, with reigning GP3 Champion Daniil Kvyat rising to the top with a 01:33.079, which the Russian driver managed to immediately improve upon with a 01:32.605. Despite taking a minor excursion through the gravel trap at Turns 9 and 10, a mistake also carried out by team-mate Kevin Magnussen earlier, Jenson Button stormed to the top for McLaren with a 01:32.604 as the session swung into motion.

Former McLaren driver Lewis Hamilton soon rose to the top for Mercedes, before the 2008 World Champion’s team-mate fully asserted himself at the sharp end of the order with a 01:31.736. Whilst Pastor Maldonado’s weekend failed to improve after a trip through the gravel at Turn 12, Sauber confirmed that Esteban Gutierrez’s session was over after the Swiss outfit were forced to carry out a gearbox change on the car. As Lewis Hamilton returned to the top for Mercedes with a 01:30.919, Nico Rosberg was seen bizarrely holding a piece of bodywork in his hand through Turns 9 and 10. The German then threw the bodywork in question, which was apparently an elbow protector, out of the car and continued circulating.

As the third and final practice session entered it’s halfway stage, Romain Grosjean frustratingly reported back to his mechanics that his car was misfiring, as the Enstone-based team’s weekend failed to improve. Sergio Perez became the next driver to leave the track after making a minor mistake at Turn 13, whilst Kimi Raikkonen did likewise several minutes later at Turn 8. Although Red Bull had endured a somewhat topsy-turvy start to the new season, Sebastian Vettel was certainly on the ball as he amusingly corrected his race engineer over the team radio as to which torque map he required. After failing to complete a lap throughout the session, Williams confirmed that Valtteri Bottas was to incur a five-place grid penalty due to a gearbox change, as even the Mercedes-powered cars began to discover mechanical gremlins.

Eventually Pirelli’s softer tyre compound began to by utilised, with Pastor Maldonado and Nico Hulkenberg becoming the first two drivers to switch to the softer rubber. However, it was Nico Rosberg who fully capitalised on the soft tyre compound, with the German storming to the top with a 01:29.375 whilst Romain Grosjean began to loose his temper with “nothing solved” on his car. Lewis Hamilton became the next driver to make a mistake at Turns 9 and 10, which ultimately prevented the Briton from thwarting his German team-mate at the top. As the session drew to a climactic conclusion, Pastor Maldonado parked his Lotus at Turn 15 to prematurely end his session, whereas Jenson Button once again ran wide at Turns 9 and 10.

The checkered flag was soon unfurled to signify the end of an enthralling third and final practice session, with Nico Rosberg topping the time sheets ahead of Jenson Button in the McLaren and Fernando Alonso in the Ferrari. Lewis Hamilton could only manage 4th fastest, whereas reigning World Champion Sebastian Vettel ended the session way down in 12th. The 22 drivers will return to the Albert Park Circuit later in the day for the all-important qualifying hour, which could well be plagued by inclement weather conditions.

Picture Copyright © Mercedes AMG Petronas

Alonso fastest as Hamilton struggles after opening practice in Australia

Fernando Alonso has ended a frenetic opening practice session ahead of the Australian Grand Prix fastest for Ferrari, after Lewis Hamilton endured a frustrating premature end to his session when an oil pressure sensor alarm shut his engine down during the opening minutes. Alonso was followed at the top by the McLaren of Jenson Button and Williams of Valtteri Bottas.

The 2014 season got underway in a flurry of activity down in the pit-lane, with two-time World Champion Fernando Alonso taking to the track first in the Ferrari ahead of Adrian Sutil and Danish rookie Kevin Magnussen. As many other drivers followed the trio out onto the track to begin their preparations for the weekend ahead, Lewis Hamilton frustratingly ground to a halt on the exit of Turns 9 and 10 with what looked like a technical issue plaguing his machine. Although it was later confirmed that an oil pressure sensor alarm shut the engine down as a precaution, this stoppage signified a premature conclusion to the Briton’s opening practice session Down Under.

After the mechanics had retrieved the stricken Mercedes under double-waved yellow flag conditions, Daniel Ricciardo surprisingly managed to produce the first timed lap of the session with a 01:37.290 in the Red Bull. Whilst his team-mate Sebastian Vettel remained stuck in the confines of the pit-lane, local hero Ricciardo continued to lower the benchmark with a 01:34.600 as the Williams of former GP3 Champion Valtteri Bottas rose up into 2nd position. As more drivers eventually returned to the Albert Park Street Circuit, the times continued to tumble in traditional fashion, with Fernando Alonso and then Nico Rosberg rising to the top with the latter producing a 01:32.784.

As Nico Rosberg continued to improve at the top with a 01:32.604, Daniel Ricciardo ran extensively wide at Turn 12 whereas Sergio Perez performed a half-spin in his Force India at Turn 3 as the drivers slowly got to grips with their new machinery for 2014. Despite the surprising flurry of track activity during the early minutes of the practice session, both Caterham drivers had their running curtailed due to separate technical issues on their cars. Whilst Kamui Kobayashi was struck with a fuel system issue, Swedish rookie Marcus Ericsson suffered with an electrical issue on his CT05 machine.

Meanwhile Jenson Button stormed to the top of the timing sheets with a 01:32.357 in his Mercedes-powered McLaren, before reigning World Champion Sebastian Vettel finally left the pit-lane in his Red Bull with only 38 minutes of the session remaining. The German only managed to complete on exploratory lap, before returning immediately to the pits. As the Red Bull mechanics carried out various checks on the RB10, reigning GP3 Champion Daniil Kvyat struggled greatly through Turns 1 and 2, with the Russian rookie skipping across the grass.

Eventually Fernando Alonso returned to the top for Ferrari with a 01:31.840, as Sebastian Vettel finally completed his first timed lap with a 01:34.593 to go 13th fastest. The German managed to improve on his second run by rising up to 8th, as the Lotus duo of Pastor Maldonado and Romain Grosjean still remained stuck in the pits with their respective mechanics working tirelessly on the cars. Eventually Pastor Maldonado gingerly left the pit-lane, however it was soon clear that various issues were still plaguing his Renault-powered car as smoke was seen ominously emanating from the cockpit of his car. The Venezuelan driver ran extensively wide at Turn 13, before his engine completely cut-out on his return to the pits.

As the opening practice session of the weekend drew to a conclusion, Kevin Magnussen and Daniil Kvyat still struggled with the opening two corners, with the Toro Rosso driver in particular struggling with brake issues on his car. Max Chilton’s session was brought to a premature conclusion when the Briton came to a halt at the end of the pit-lane, whereas Sebastian Vettel was called into the weigh-bridge. Meanwhile the action continued out on track, with Jean-Eric Vergne seemingly also suffering from brake related issues as the Frenchman lost control of his car at Turn 3 and spun into the gravel. Miraculously Vergne managed to keep his car running, and eventually continued circulating.

Eventually the checkered flag was unfurled to signify an end to what was an incredibly frenetic opening 90 minutes of the Australian Grand Prix weekend, with Fernando Alonso fastest at Ferrari ahead of Jenson Button and Valtteri Bottas. Felipe Massa was a close 4th for Williams, with Daniel Ricciardo an impressive 5th for Red Bull. The drivers will return to the Albert Park Street Circuit later in the day, for the second practice session ahead of race on Sunday.

Pos  Driver             Team/Car              Time       Gap       Laps
 1.  Fernando Alonso    Ferrari               1m31.840s            20
 2.  Jenson Button      McLaren-Mercedes      1m32.357s  +0.517s   23
 3.  Valtteri Bottas    Williams-Mercedes     1m32.403s  +0.563s   27
 4.  Felipe Massa       Williams-Mercedes     1m32.431s  +0.591s   19
 5.  Daniel Ricciardo   Red Bull-Renault      1m32.599s  +0.759s   26
 6.  Nico Rosberg       Mercedes              1m32.604s  +0.764s   17
 7.  Sebastian Vettel   Red Bull-Renault      1m32.793s  +0.953s   10
 8.  Kevin Magnussen    McLaren-Mercedes      1m32.847s  +1.007s   28
 9.  Kimi Raikkonen     Ferrari               1m32.977s  +1.137s   18
10.  Jean-Eric Vergne   Toro Rosso-Renault    1m33.446s  +1.606s   30
11.  Nico Hulkenberg    Force India-Mercedes  1m33.533s  +1.693s   23
12.  Sergio Perez       Force India-Mercedes  1m33.855s  +2.015s   24
13.  Daniil Kvyat       Toro Rosso-Renault    1m34.272s  +2.432s   27
14.  Esteban Gutierrez  Sauber-Ferrari        1m35.578s  +3.738s   7
15.  Adrian Sutil       Sauber-Ferrari        1m36.445s  +4.605s   13
16.  Jules Bianchi      Marussia-Ferrari      1m40.859s  +9.019s   6
17.  Max Chilton        Marussia-Ferrari      1m46.922s  +15.082s  4
18.  Marcus Ericsson    Caterham-Renault                           1
19.  Lewis Hamilton     Mercedes                                   1
20.  Kamui Kobayashi    Caterham-Renault                           1
21.  Pastor Maldonado   Lotus-Renault                              2
22.  Romain Grosjean    Lotus-Renault                              2

Picture Copyright © Ferrari Media

Vettel ends the season in record-breaking fashion with victory at Brazil

Sebastian Vettel has ended the 2013 season in record-breaking fashion for Red Bull, after securing his ninth successive race victory after a highly entertaining 71-lap Brazilian Grand Prix. The German was joined on the podium by team-mate Mark Webber in 2nd, with Fernando Alonso 3rd for Ferrari.

With dark clouds looming ominously overhead, the race began in dry conditions for the first time all weekend. Into Turn 1 Nico Rosberg managed to master an overtaking maneuver on fellow countryman Sebastian Vettel for the lead, as Lewis Hamilton also muscled his way up into 3rd position around Mark Webber. Amazingly the field successfully negotiated the opening lap without major incident, with Jenson Button in particular enjoying a marvelous start for McLaren by rising up from 14th to 11th at the end of the opening lap.

Despite denying Sebastian Vettel the luxury of leading into Turn 1 at the start, Nico Rosberg’s lead was unsurprisingly short-lived as the World Champion instantly retaliated by retaking the lead into Turn 1 on the next lap. Lewis Hamilton also began loosing ground as the opening laps of the race unfolded, with the 2008 World Champion dropping to 4th during the second lap as former McLaren team-mate Fernando Alonso muscled his way back around the Briton. As the field stormed around the majestic uphill final corner of the Subida dos Boxes, Romain Grosjean’s Renault V8 bowed out in explosive fashion as the Frenchman was struck with an engine failure.

This resulted in thick white smoke billowing across the Sao Paulo circuit, as Romain Grosjean pulled over at the side of the track to prematurely bring his 2013 season to a conclusion. Eventually the smoke from Romain Grosjean’s Lotus dispersed, with a safety car deployment deemed unnecessary. As the Frenchman sprinted back to the pits, Mark Webber managed to find a way around Lewis Hamilton for 4th position, with the German marque visibly beginning to struggle with Nico Rosberg also loosing a position to Fernando Alonso in 2nd further up the road.

Whilst Sebastian Vettel once again opened up a considerable gap to the rest of the field in the lead of the race, Mark Webber became the next driver to overtake Nico Rosberg for 3rd as the Mercedes duo continued to struggle for pace in the dry conditions. With the German driver beginning to struggle with tyre degradation as the race wore on, he was instructed via the team radio not to hold up team-mate Lewis Hamilton behind him. This led to an overtaking maneuver by Lewis Hamilton on his team-mate, as Mark Webber made it a Red Bull 1-2 at the front by storming around Fernando Alonso.

By Lap 15 Nico Rosberg had continued to loose ground after initially leading the opening lap, as the German driver soon found himself in the clutches of local hero Felipe Massa. The Ferrari man made light work of the Mercedes driver, as he rose ahead of the German for 5th. Meanwhile the opening round of pit-stops had begun to ensue throughout the midfield, with Valtteri Bottas and Adrian Sutil both pitting together on Lap 17. The Force India mechanics managed to perform a sensational stop for the German, who rejoined the action ahead of Valtteri Bottas and even Jean-Eric Vergne on the run down to Turn 4.

After enjoying a superlative start to the race, Jenson Button had managed to scythe his way up through the order to 6th by Lap 20. The 2009 World Champion soon elected to carry out his first pit-stop a lap later, along with Nico Hulkenberg and Paul di Resta. Further up the field Mark Webber made his first pit-stop for Red Bull, and subsequently endured a frustratingly slow stop after an issue on the left-rear. This saw the Australian driver exit the pit-lane behind Fernando Alonso, as his German team-mate proceeded to carry out his first pit-stop.

Unlike Mark Webber, Sebastian Vettel enjoyed a smooth pit-stop which enabled the German to rejoin the action back in the lead of the race ahead of Fernando Alonso and Mark Webber. Despite enduring a slow pit-stop earlier in the race, Mark Webber soon managed to repeat an overtaking maneuver on Fernando Alonso for 2nd position whilst also producing the fastest lap of the race for good measure. Meanwhile Lewis Hamilton found himself stuck behind the Ferrari of Felipe Massa in the battle for 4th position, with team-mate Nico Rosberg loosing out greatly during the first round of pit-stops and dropping down to a lowly 7th position.

With Lewis Hamilton striving to find a way around Felipe Massa for 4th, the departing Ferrari driver came under investigation from the race stewards for crossing the white line at the entrance to the pit-lane. Eventually the Brazilian driver was struck with a drive-thru penalty for his misdemeanors, gifting Lewis Hamilton 4th position as light rain began to fall intermittently around the Sao Paulo circuit.

After frustratingly being forced to serve his drive-thru penalty, Felipe Massa returned to the pits for his second scheduled pit-stop on Lap 43 along with the McLaren of Jenson Button. Nico Rosberg and Sergio Perez followed the duo into the pits a lap later for their second stops, as Adrian Sutil cheekily un-lapped himself by overtaking Sebastian Vettel. The race leader allowed several other drivers through to un-lap themselves shortly afterwards, raising numerous question marks within the paddock.

The race was momentarily plunged into a state of utter confusion on Lap 46, as Lewis Hamilton failed to notice the Williams of Valtteri Bottas trying to un-lap himself around the outside of Turn 4. This led to a collision between the two, with Valtteri Bottas spinning violently into retirement with left-rear damage whilst Lewis Hamilton was forced to limp back to the pits with a shredded right-rear tyre. With Red Bull understandably expecting the safety car to be deployed, both Sebastian Vettel and Mark Webber immediately pitted. This caused outright confusion within the Red Bull garage, with the team instead expecting Mark Webber first.

Eventually both drivers were served and were amazingly able to maintain their track position, despite stacking in the pit-lane. Although Fernando Alonso also pitted during the confusion, the Spaniard was able to close right up to the rear of Mark Webber. However, the experienced Australian driver managed to defend his 2nd position as Sebastian Vettel once again began breaking away at the front. With the race stewards investigating the incident between Lewis Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas, the Briton was adjudged to have been at fault and was therefore called into the pits for a drive-thru penalty.

This penalty subsequently saw Lewis Hamilton drop to a lowly 11th, as Mercedes continued to endure a difficult race. Despite the setback of being forced to pit for new tyres and also a drive-thru penalty, Lewis Hamilton soon began clawing his way back through the order as the race entered its closing stages. Meanwhile the race stewards handed Giedo van der Garde a drive-thru penalty for ignoring blue flags, striking a huge blow in Caterham’s aim of rising ahead of Marussia in the Constructors’ Championship.

The battle at the back of the pack was effectively brought to a premature conclusion of Lap 60, when Charles Pic spun on the exit of Turn 5 due to broken rear suspension on his Caterham. The Frenchman pulled to the side of the track after regaining control of his car, leaving only team-mate Giedo van der Garde out on track. As the last few laps ticked away Pastor Maldonado and Jean-Eric Vergne had a minor collision at Turns 1 and 2, with the departing Williams driver leaving the Frenchman no room at the apex of Turn 1. Luckily both drivers managed to continue circulating, with the race stewards electing to further investigate the issue after the race.

Despite the increasing rainfall over the Autodromo Jose Carlos Pace, the order at the front remained relatively unchanged as Sebastian Vettel breezed across the line to secure his record-shattering ninth successive victory. The German finished just over ten seconds ahead of his Australian team-mate Mark Webber, with Fernando Alonso an impressive 3rd for Ferrari. Nico Rosberg finished an imperative 5th for Mercedes despite leading the opening lap, allowing the German marque to secure 2nd position the Constructors’ Championship. Lewis Hamilton’s 9th place finish wasn’t enough for him to secure 3rd place in the Drivers’ Championship, as Mark Webber leapfrogged the 2008 World Champion.

Once again the season has been brought to a frenetic conclusion around the legendary Autodromo Jose Carlos Pace, with a mixture of rain and immense track action enthralling many. The end of the Brazilian Grand Prix also marked the end of an era in Formula 1, with the V8 engines bowing out in fine form amid a huge change of technical regulations for next season. Mark Webber also retires from the world of Formula 1 after securing his 42nd career podium finish, and will undoubtedly be missed by many. The Formula 1 fraternity will return once again next March, after what will surely be an intriguing winter break.

Picture Copyright © Pirelli

Fernando Alonso fastest after shortened opening practice at Austin

Fernando Alonso has ended the opening practice session of the United States Grand Prix fastest for Ferrari, after a shortened session around the Circuit of the Americas. Jenson Button followed the former World Champion in 2nd for McLaren, with Valtteri Bottas an impressive 3rd fastest for Williams.

After yet another dominant performance by Sebastian Vettel last time out around Abu Dhabi’s Yas Marina Circuit, the Formula 1 fraternity reconvened at Austin for the second running of the United States Grand Prix around the sensational Circuit of the Americas. With numerous driver announcements rocking the paddock in the build-up to the race weekend, the many drivers were understandably eager to get proceedings underway during the opening practice session.

With Kimi Raikkonen electing to undergo back surgery in Finland, Lotus were forced to appoint Heikki Kovalainen as the Iceman’s replacement at the Enstone-based outfit. Further down the order the usual reserve drivers were eager to take to the track for their respective teams, including newly-Crowned GP3 Champion Daniil Kvyat at Toro Rosso, local hero Alexander Rossi at Caterham and Rodolfo Gonzalez at Marussia. However, the start of the session was frustratingly delayed by 30 minutes due to heavy fog, leaving only an hour of track action for the awaiting drivers.

Once the fog had lifted the session was finally started, with Formula 1 returnee Heikki Kovalainen understandably becoming the first driver to take to the track for Lotus. The Finn was instantly followed by a whole host of drivers, including the Ferrari duo of Fernando Alonso and Felipe Massa with newly-crowned GP3 Champion Daniil Kvyat also making his first official Formula 1 appearance. With several drivers electing against returning to the pits after the usual installation lap, Jenson Button produced the first timed lap of the session with a 01:41.943. The 2009 World Champion soon lowered the benchmark even further to a 01:39.943, as team-mate Sergio Perez and local hero Alexander Rossi also produced lap times.

However, no sooner had the session entered full swing before it was red flagged and halted once more. With no driver making contact with the barrier or stopping out on track in a precarious location, the reason behind the sudden red flag delay was initially unclear before the race stewards explained it was due to further problems with the medical helicopter. The problem in question was the lack of a medical helicopter, which had still not made its way to the track after the earlier fog delay. After an amusing delay of over half an hour, the helicopter in question finally made an appearance which resulted in the session being resumed.

Paul di Resta led out a long queue of eager drivers once the session returned to green flag conditions, with all 22 drivers eventually taking to the Circuit of the Americas in a bid to enjoy as much track time as possible. As the times soon began to tumble, Fernando Alonso rose to the top for Ferrari with a 01:38.767, with rookie Valtteri Bottas slotting into a competitive 2nd position ahead of the Lotus of Romain Grosjean. The Spaniard was able to improve once again at the front with 01:38.343, as the likes of Charles Pic, Adrian Sutil and Jenson Button ran wide at Turns 14, 19 and 12 respectively.

As the unusual session neared its conclusion, Jenson Button managed to improve with a 01:38.371 to rise to 2nd for McLaren. Meanwhile the Briton’s team-mate returned to the pits to bring his opening session of the weekend to a conclusion, with Sergio Perez residing in 12th position. Only several minutes before the conclusion to proceedings, Marussia reserve driver Rodolfo Gonzalez ground to a halt at Turn 13 with a mechanical issue on his car, bringing out yellow flags in the process. This saw the timing screens remain unchanged throughout the final minute, with Ferrari’s Fernando Alonso surprisingly fastest despite suffering a minor back injury last time out at Abu Dhabi. The Spaniard was followed by Jenson Button, with Valtteri Bottas an impressive 3rd.

The 22 drivers will understandably be eager to return to the Circuit of the Americas later in the day for practice two, with what will hopefully be a full 90 minute session.

Pos Driver                Team                    Time       Gap      Laps
 1. Fernando Alonso       Ferrari                 1m38.343s            16
 2. Jenson Button         McLaren-Mercedes        1m38.371s  +0.028s  25
 3. Valtteri Bottas       Williams-Renault        1m38.388s  +0.045s  17
 4. Esteban Gutierrez     Sauber-Ferrari          1m38.532s  +0.189s  18
 5. Nico Rosberg          Mercedes                1m38.657s  +0.314s  21
 6. Lewis Hamilton        Mercedes                1m38.979s  +0.636s  21
 7. Felipe Massa          Ferrari                 1m39.005s  +0.662s  17
 8. Mark Webber           Red Bull-Renault        1m39.083s  +0.740s  17
 9. Nico Hulkenberg       Sauber-Ferrari          1m39.158s  +0.815s  17
10. Pastor Maldonado      Williams-Renault        1m39.200s  +0.857s  15
11. Romain Grosjean       Lotus-Renault           1m39.238s  +0.895s  13
12. Sergio Perez          McLaren-Mercedes        1m39.256s  +0.913s  17
13. Heikki Kovalainen     Lotus-Renault           1m39.487s  +1.144s  18
14. Adrian Sutil          Force India-Mercedes    1m39.699s  +1.356s  15
15. Paul di Resta         Force India-Mercedes    1m39.836s  +1.493s  15
16. Daniel Ricciardo      Toro Rosso-Ferrari      1m39.863s  +1.520s  19
17. Daniil Kvyat          Toro Rosso-Ferrari      1m40.065s  +1.722s  20
18. Sebastian Vettel      Red Bull-Renault        1m40.662s  +2.319s  21
19. Alexander Rossi       Caterham-Renault        1m41.399s  +3.056s  21
20. Max Chilton           Marussia-Cosworth       1m41.605s  +3.262s  19
21. Charles Pic           Caterham-Renault        1m42.054s  +3.711s  19
22. Rodolfo Gonzalez      Marussia-Cosworth       1m43.716s  +5.373s  17

Picture Copyright © Pirelli

Hamilton fastest as Raikkonen crashes during practice one at Korea

Lewis Hamilton has managed to end the opening practice session of the Korean Grand Prix weekend fastest overall, only just ahead of reigning World Champion Sebastian Vettel. Mark Webber ended the session 3rd for Red Bull, whereas Kimi Raikkonen endured a heavy incident towards the end of the session.

After a two week gap since Sebastian Vettel’s sensational display of dominance around the illuminated streets of Singapore, the Formula 1 paddock reconvened at Yeongam for the fourth running of the Korean Grand Prix. Despite serious threats of a typhoon presenting inclement weather conditions on race day, the opening practice session of the weekend began in glorious and sunny weather conditions. For the first session, reserve drivers’ James Calado and Rodolfo Gonzalez replaced Paul di Resta and Jules Bianchi at their respective outfits, in a bid to enjoy some pivotal running in Formula 1.

At the start of the session reserve driver Rodolfo Gonzalez became the first driver to take to the track for Marussia, and was quickly followed by many others who were keen begin their preparations for the weekend ahead. As per usual many drivers up and down the paddock elected to carry out installation laps, with Pastor Maldonado and Sebastian Vettel in particular sporting a vast array of sensors on their respective machines. Eventually the Marussia of Rodolfo Gonzalez became the first driver to produce a timed lap, with a 01:52.294. The Venezuelan driver continued to improve as the session progressed, gradually working his way down to a 01:46.810 as Marussia’s preparations for the weekend ahead continued.

Despite continuing to improve around the Korea International Circuit, Rodolfo Gonzalez’s session was brought to a sudden halt, after a hefty collision with the wall. The 27-year-old Venezuelan driver ran wide on the exit of Turn 13, and was subsequently speared into the retaining concrete wall. The resulting incident destroyed the Marussia’s front-wing, as Gonzalez limped back to the pits for repairs.

After the debris that littered the exit of Turn 13 was cleared by the Korean marshals, the drivers gradually returned to the circuit to continue with their preparations. Sergio Perez soon rose to the top for McLaren with a 01:44.258, a time which the Mexican sensation was able to improve upon greatly down to a 01:41.960. James Calado and Valtteri Bottas slotted into 2nd and 3rd position respectively, as more driver continued returning to the Korea International Circuit. James Calado suffered a minor spin at Turn 12 as the session progressed, whereas Felipe Massa was informed of a left-front puncture on his Ferrari which forced the Brazilian driver to return to the pits.

Nico Rosberg soon rose to the top for Mercedes, with the German producing a 01:41.498 for the German marque. His reign was soon brought to a conclusion by the Ferrari of Fernando Alonso, who managed to produce a 01:41.437 for the Scuderia. The times continued to tumble as the session progressed, as reigning Champion Sebastian Vettel momentarily rose to the top for Red Bull before Nico Rosberg returned to the top with a 01:40.364. The German driver continued to improve at the front for Mercedes, with a 01:40.117 as Mark Webber slotted into 2nd position for Red Bull.

As the session entered its final stages Lewis Hamilton rose to the top for Mercedes with a 01:39.630, as Nico Rosberg’s Mercedes was seemingly struck with an issue, as the German’s seat was removed from his car to allow his mechanics access to a hydraulic filling point. Whilst Nico Rosberg remained in the pit-lane, the Red Bull duo of Mark Webber and Sebastian Vettel began to improve out on track, resulting in Sebastian Vettel producing a 01:39.667 to go 2nd fastest and only +0.037 seconds behind Lewis Hamilton.

The opening session was brought to an explosive conclusion, as Kimi Raikkonen lost the rear of his Lotus through the final complex of corners and slammed violently into the retaining tyre barrier. The resulting incident utterly destroyed both the front and the rear of the Finn’s car, undoubtedly increasing his back issues in the process. The checkered flag was ultimately unfurled amid yellow flags, as Kimi Raikkonen walked the short distance back to the pits leaving behind a completely wrecked Lotus.

Whilst the Lotus mechanics prepared for a lengthy rebuild before practice two, Lewis Hamilton ended the opening session fastest overall for Mercedes only just ahead of the ever threatening Red Bull’s of Sebastian Vettel and Mark Webber. The preparations for the weekend ahead will continue later in the day, when the Formula 1 paddock returns to the Korea International Circuit for the second practice session.

Pos Driver                Team                  Time       Gap    Laps
 1. Lewis Hamilton        Mercedes              1m39.630s           20
 2. Sebastian Vettel      Red Bull-Renault      1m39.667s  +0.037s  20
 3. Mark Webber           Red Bull-Renault      1m39.816s  +0.186s  19
 4. Nico Rosberg          Mercedes              1m40.117s  +0.487s  20
 5. Jenson Button         McLaren-Mercedes      1m40.215s  +0.585s  22
 6. Fernando Alonso       Ferrari               1m40.374s  +0.744s  18
 7. Romain Grosjean       Lotus-Renault         1m40.396s  +0.766s  19
 8. Kimi Raikkonen        Lotus-Renault         1m40.677s  +1.047s  15
 9. Sergio Perez          McLaren-Mercedes      1m40.860s  +1.230s  20
10. Felipe Massa          Ferrari               1m40.880s  +1.250s  13
11. Nico Hulkenberg       Sauber-Ferrari        1m40.899s  +1.269s  20
12. Adrian Sutil          Force India-Mercedes  1m41.432s  +1.802s  18
13. Pastor Maldonado      Williams-Renault      1m41.482s  +1.852s  22
14. Esteban Gutierrez     Sauber-Ferrari        1m41.626s  +1.996s  21
15. Jean-Eric Vergne      Toro Rosso-Ferrari    1m41.924s  +2.294s  19
16. Valtteri Bottas       Williams-Renault      1m42.002s  +2.372s  20
17. Daniel Ricciardo      Toro Rosso-Ferrari    1m42.043s  +2.413s  18
18. James Calado          Force India-Mercedes  1m43.008s  +3.378s  21
19. Charles Pic           Caterham-Renault      1m43.660s  +4.030s  20
20. Giedo van der Garde   Caterham-Renault      1m43.883s  +4.253s  19
21. Max Chilton           Marussia-Cosworth     1m44.100s  +4.470s  14
22. Rodolfo Gonzalez      Marussia-Cosworth     1m46.810s  +7.180s  10

Picture Copyright © Mercedes AMG Petronas

 

 

Paul di Resta Fastest In Wet Opening Practice Session At Canada

Paul di Resta has ended the opening practice session of the Canadian Grand Prix weekend fastest for Force India, in what was a wet/dry opening 90 minutes of track action around Montreal’s Circuit Gilles Villeneuve. The Scotsman finished ahead of the McLaren of Jenson Button, with Romain Grosjean 3rd for Lotus.

The opening practice session ahead of the Canadian Grand Prix got underway in gloomy and wet weather conditions around the legendary Circuit Gilles Villeneuve, with the Sauber of Esteban Gutierrez and Marussia of Max Chilton eventually becoming the first drivers to take to the Montreal circuit. Naturally the entire field elected to carry out numerous installation laps, with Sebastian Vettel in particular returning to the pits after every lap to complete a practice start at the end of the pit-lane.

Whereas the reigning World Champion continued to complete practice starts at the end of the pit-lane, Esteban Gutierrez produced the first timed lap of the weekend with a 01:34.113. The Mexican driver managed to continue improving, eventually working his way down to a 01:30.224 on the full wet Cinturato tyres. The 21-year-old’s reign at the top was short-lived, however, as Mark Webber soon rose to the top for Red Bull after producing a 01:29.412 on the intermediate tyres. The Australian ace then lowered the benchmark even further with a 01:27.909, as more drivers began braving the elements on the intermediate tyre.

As Valtteri Bottas got to grips with the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve and skipped through the grass at Turn 3, Kimi Raikkonen rose to the top for Lotus with a 01:27.334, before Jean-Eric Vergne thwarted the Finn as the times at the top began to tumble thanks to the improving weather conditions. Nico Rosberg soon asserted his authority over proceedings with a 01:26.051 for the German marque, before improving with a 01:24.902. The German ace seems intent on continuing from where he left off after the Monaco Grand Prix last time out.

Jules Bianchi ran straight on at Turn 3 as the opening practice session progressed, forcing the Frenchman to prematurely end his session after struggling to engage the reverse gear. Whilst Jules Bianchi began his walk back to the pits, Mercedes continued to dominate at the front as Lewis Hamilton produced a time +0.616 seconds behind his team-mate to go 2nd fastest. Nico Rosberg continued to improve at the top for the German marque as the session entered its closing stages, as the Toro Rosso duo of Jean-Eric Vergne and Daniel Ricciardo became the first to switch to Pirelli’s dry tyres in the improving weather conditions.

Nico Rosberg once again improved at the top with a 01:23.680, before reigning World Champion Sebastian Vettel stormed to the top for Red Bull with a 01:23.047. The German sensation has surprisingly yet to win a race around Montreal’s Circuit Gilles Villeneuve, and will be striving to bring an end to that stat this weekend. Sergio Perez and Nico Hulkenberg made minor errors as the session drew to a close, before Jenson Button rose to the top for McLaren with a 01:21.551.

Pastor Maldonado made contact with the wall at Turns 3 and 4 during the final minutes of the session, as the Venezuelan driver spun into the wall and destroyed the front of his Williams. The 28-year-old’s stricken Williams was quickly cleared, allowing Paul di Resta to rise to the top for Force India as the checkered flag emerged signaling the end of the opening practice session. The Scotsman was followed home at the front by Jenson Button in the McLaren and Romain Grosjean in the Lotus.

The teams and drivers will return to the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve later in the day for the second practice session ahead of Sunday’s 70-lap Canadian Grand Prix. The drivers will naturally be hoping the rain fails to return for practice two, as they continue their many preparations for the weekend ahead.

Pos Driver                Team                      Time      Gap      Laps
 1. Paul di Resta         Force India-Mercedes      1m21.020s            10
 2. Jenson Button         McLaren-Mercedes          1m21.108s  + 0.088s  20
 3. Romain Grosjean       Lotus-Renault             1m21.258s  + 0.238s  21
 4. Fernando Alonso       Ferrari                   1m21.308s  + 0.288s  16
 5. Kimi Raikkonen        Lotus-Renault             1m21.608s  + 0.588s  22
 6. Daniel Ricciardo      Toro Rosso-Ferrari        1m22.068s  + 1.048s  18
 7. Nico Rosberg          Mercedes                  1m22.402s  + 1.382s  22
 8. Sergio Perez          McLaren-Mercedes          1m22.587s  + 1.567s  17
 9. Sebastian Vettel      Red Bull-Renault          1m23.047s  + 2.027s  26
10. Mark Webber           Red Bull-Renault          1m23.131s  + 2.111s  16
11. Felipe Massa          Ferrari                   1m23.341s  + 2.321s  13
12. Valtteri Bottas       Williams-Renault          1m23.352s  + 2.332s  17
13. Jean-Eric Vergne      Toro Rosso-Ferrari        1m23.3e6s  + 2.366s  19
14. Adrian Sutil          Force India-Mercedes      1m23.417s  + 2.397s  19
15. Esteban Gutierrez     Sauber-Ferrari            1m23.957s  + 2.937s  33
16. Lewis Hamilton        Mercedes                  1m25.054s  + 4.034s  21
17. Nico Hulkenberg       Sauber-Ferrari            1m25.354s  + 4.334s  22
18. Giedo van der Garde   Caterham-Renault          1m25.753s  + 4.733s  21
19. Max Chilton           Marussia-Cosworth         1m25.821s  + 4.801s  19
20. Charles Pic           Caterham-Renault          1m27.143s  + 6.123s  20
21. Pastor Maldonado      Williams-Renault          1m27.522s  + 6.502s  11
22. Jules Bianchi         Marussia-Cosworth         1m29.306s  + 8.286s   8

Picture Copyright © Force India F1 Team

Martin Whitmarsh Eager To Return To Winning Ways

Martin Whitmarsh is hopeful that McLaren can return to their winning ways this year, after a disastrous start to the new season for the Woking-based outfit. Since Lewis Hamilton’s departure during the winter period to Mercedes, McLaren has entered an uncompetitive streak that has left them without a single podium finish so far this season.

This time last season, McLaren had already secured one race victory and four further podium finishes. This amounted to 92 points, only nine behind Red Bull. This season has so far been a completely different story for the Woking-based outfit, who have so far scored a meager 23 points. Both Jenson Button and Sergio Perez have contributed to that tally, however the team’s overall lack of pace has been largely down to their MP4-28, which has been a frustrating and stark step back from their 2012 machine.

However, team principal Martin Whitmarsh is confident the team can return to their former glory. Admittedly a Championship challenge is now highly unlikely, especially with Red Bull, Lotus and Ferrari’s competitive starts to the season. Despite McLaren’s disappointing start to the season, Whitmarsh is eager to see his team at least return to the podium in future races.

“The truth is I just want to see us getting back on the podium and getting on the top step.” Explained Martin Whitmarsh, in an interview with Sky Sports F1 after the Bahrain Grand Prix. “I am thinking more about that and it is one step at a time. I didn’t enjoy all of the race today, but I enjoyed quite a lot of it which is nice, but going racing when you don’t think you can win is not something that I enjoy particularly. I want to get back to the point where we are arriving on a Thursday with the anticipation that ‘we can win this weekend’. That is where we have to get to.”

During the Bahrain Grand Prix, the McLaren duo of Jenson Button and Sergio Perez fought extremely hard between each other. The Mexican ace, who has replaced Lewis Hamilton at the team, almost collided with his team-mate on numerous occasions, however Martin Whitmarsh firmly believes it was the right thing to do to let the two race against each other, despite Jenson Button’s comments over the radio.

“I have told him [Perez] that one of the maneuvers was beyond what is acceptable, but he is a young guy and I want him to enjoy the moment and enjoy what he did on Sunday with some really spirited driving.” Continued Martin Whitmarsh, “I had a lot of people telling me to ‘stop this, stop this it is hurting us,’ but I didn’t and I think we have already seen a few times this season that if you don’t then the guy behind is always going to think he was faster. It can go horribly wrong, but I think in the long-term it was the best thing to do and let both of the guys know they are racing each other. Some of the driving was marginal between the two of them but that is what happens when you let your drivers race.”

McLaren will be hoping that their upgrade package scheduled for the Spanish Grand Prix next time out will enable the team to continue progressing, after a mediocre start to the new season. McLaren are unaccustomed to such uncompetitiveness in the sport, and will unquestionably return to their renowned strength as the season progresses. However, Championship glory is as good as over for both Jenson Button and Sergio Perez, however the duo will continue striving for victories at every available opportunity.

Picture Copyright © McLaren F1 Team

Jenson Button & Paul di Resta Positive Towards Pirelli’s Tyres

Amid controversy surrounding Pirelli’s 2013 tyre range, Jenson Button and Paul di Resta have explained how they believe the Italian supplier’s new range has had a positive impact on the sport. Throughout the opening three races, “tyres” has been mentioned incessantly as the grid has struggled to understand the new range.

However, Jenson Button in particular has explained how he thinks the opening three races of the new season have been extremely entertaining, despite the Briton’s lack of decent results after McLaren’s woeful start to their 2013 campaign. Last time out in China, the 2009 World Champion opted for a two-stop strategy which enabled him to progress from 8th to 5th during the 56-lap race. There is no question that the Pirelli tyres have contributed to a lot more overtaking in recent races, however some fans have been divided in their opinions on whether this is good or bad for the sport.

“I think there’s been a lot of overtaking.” Explained Jenson Button, in defense of Pirelli who have received lots of negativity in recent weeks. “You know, we’re never going to be happy with everything in this sport or in any sport but I think the racing has been good fun. I was on the receiving end of most of it at the last race, because obviously doing less stops you’re running old tyres most of the time, so there’s people overtaking you most of the time. So it’s not the enjoyable part of it for me, but I think if you were doing a three-stop strategy at the last race it was a fun race. They seemed like they were able to push pretty hard.

“In the past we had tyres that would last the whole race and there wasn’t any overtaking. It’s very difficult to get the correct balance. But we’re having two or three stops which I think is what the idea was for racing in 2013 so that’s good and there are a lot of teams fighting at the front. I think Formula One’s great at the moment. I’m really enjoying racing.”

Paul di Resta has also spoken out in defence of Pirelli’s 2013 range of tyres.

Paul di Resta also believes Pirelli’s unpredictable tyres are having a positive impact on the sport, with midfield team’s such as Force India able to punch well above their weight as the tyres level the playing field. During the season-opening Australian Grand Prix, Adrian Sutil led 11 laps during the race after starting the race from 12th on the grid. Last season teams such as Sauber and Williams reaped the rewards of the unpredictability caused by the tyres, something Paul di Resta and Force India are keen to do this season.

“I see it as a very positive thing in the position that we are as a team, midfield, where Jenson’s fighting at the moment.” Said Paul di Resta, “Obviously we’re trying to take it to them, but being unpredictable gives you chances. Equally, when you see the big guys at the front, putting a load through the tyres in qualifying, it plays into our hands towards the end of stints. At the end of a Grand Prix, that’s valuable points for us and if you can take a gamble and it pays off, like the position we were in last year, we definitely didn’t have a car that deserved to be sixth but we got ourselves to do that and went away with some very big success. That leads momentum into other Grands Prix.”

It’s unquestionable that Pirelli has injected much more action and excitement into the sport in recent years, irregardless of the complaints throughout the paddock in recent weeks. Naturally those teams’ and drivers’ who would usually fail to score points on a regular basis are going to sing the praises of Pirelli, in a sport which now has more emphasis than ever before on strategy.

Picture(s) Copyright © Getty Images