Mercedes Laments Lack Of Track Time During Friday Practice
Both Michael Schumacher and Nico Rosberg experienced a tough opening two practice sessions ahead of this weekend’s Japanese Grand Prix, preventing the team from running their full programme during the two 90 minute sessions. Rosberg suffered an oil pressure issue during practice one, whereas Schumacher spun in practice two.
After the surprise signing of Lewis Hamilton prior to the Japanese Grand Prix weekend, Mercedes were enjoying their time in the limelight. However, the Brackley-based outfit were brought back to earth with a bump during the two opening practice sessions at Suzuka, as a plethora of issues plagued the team throughout the majority of the day. The first practice session ran relatively incident free for the team, until Nico Rosberg was forced to stop his car on the circuit after an oil pressure issue on his car.
This forced the Mercedes mechanics to change the 27-year-old’s engine over the lunch period, thus hindering their time on track as the second practice session got underway. Whilst the other teams circulated the Suzuka circuit, collecting valuable data, both Mercedes drivers remained stuck in the pits as Rosberg’s engine was changed and Schumacher’s setup was greatly altered.
“We had a tricky day.” Explained Nico Rosberg, “At the end of the first practice session, the oil pressure sensor told me the system was low on pressure so I switched off the engine. It was coming to the end of its life, so we changed it during lunch to avoid any risks, but it cost some running time this afternoon. We are still not where we want to be in terms of performance and we will have to learn some lessons overnight, in order to make sure we have our tyre management under control.”
Mercedes’ woes didn’t stop there, as Michael Schumacher dipped a wheel onto the grass on the entrance to turn 13 and spun into the barriers. The F1 veteran suffered light damage to his Mercedes W03 machine, and prematurely ended his session walking back to the pits after enduring a tough opening day at Suzuka.
“We had two quite eventful sessions today, with a lot of work on the cars and my off in the afternoon.” Said Michael Schumacher, who will incur a ten-place grid penalty this weekend. “I think I was already concentrating too much on the corner ahead of me and therefore had a wheel on the dirt and went off. Overall, we had not been able to collect as much data as we would have wanted, as we had a lot of breaks working on adjustments to the cars, and we will also have to improve the balance. Obviously, with these temperatures the tyres will be a limiting factor, too. We will now certainly have to work a lot off the track, in front of the computers, and try to find the best approach for tomorrow.”
Mercedes will be hoping their luck picks up through final practice and qualifying tomorrow, as the team aim for a decent qualifying performance, especially with Schumacher’s ten-place grid penalty. The German was penalized for his violent collision with Jean-Eric Vergne during the Singapore Grand Prix, and will therefore start the race no higher than 11th on the grid.
Picture Copyright © Mercedes AMG Petronas
Mitch Evans: “It’s A Dream Come True”
Newly-crowned GP3 Champion Mitch Evans has explained winning the Drivers’ Championship as a “dream come true”, after the MW Arden driver endured a roller-coaster weekend of emotions to clinch the GP3 Championship after a race-long battle with the Lotus of Daniel Abt.
Mitch Evans was a dominant figure within the GP3 paddock throughout the season, as the Kiwi led the Championship Standings all season-long. Although Evans was pushed by fellow competitors Aaro Vainio, Daniel Abt and Antonio Felix da Costa, the rising star shrugged off the opposition despite a disastrously uncompetitive final two races of the season around the Autodromo Nazionale di Monza. Both races saw Mitch Evans flounder towards the back of the pack, after running wide at turn 7 during both races on the Saturday and the Sunday.
“If you told me at the start of the season I would be Champion before this season I wouldn’t be able to describe how I would feel.” Explained Mitch Evans, after finally clinching the Drivers’ Championship, “Now I’ve been crowned Champion, I have no words to describe this. It’s a dream come true. I’ve sacrificed my whole life to come to Europe and it’s so rewarding to win a title in my second year in Europe. There are so many people who made this possible, I can’t name everyone but they know who they are. This championship isn’t just for me, it’s for so many people.”
Throughout yesterday morning’s final race, Mitch Evans needed only either finish in the points, or have Daniel Abt denied victory to become Champion. After dropping to the back of the pack on the eighth lap during the finale, Mitch Evans began to rely heavily on Tio Ellinas, who began to reel in race leader and provisional Champion Daniel Abt. Whilst Evans circulated at the back, his only information on the battle at the front came from the various TV screens lining the track, and his mechanics via the team radio.
“Yes, they were and I was also trying to keep an eye on the TV screens.” Continued Mitch Evans, when asked whether his team was keeping him informed on the race. “I guess when Daniel [Abt] got into the lead the team tried to keep as quiet as possible. I knew Abt was leading when I had my puncture, so emotionally I was heartbroken. I was watching Tio [Ellinas] on the TV screen at every chance I had. I probably wasn’t paying enough attention to my driving! I was screaming in my helmet ‘Go Tio’ as I knew that was my only hope for the title. I went to see him and say thank you, he was my lifesaver. If it wasn’t for him, I wouldn’t be sitting here right now.”
After qualifying on pole for the opening race of the weekend, many predicted Mitch Evans would wrap up the Championship on the Saturday afternoon. However, after a problem with the clutch lever at the start, the 18-year-old suffered a disastrous race that had the potential to ruin his hopes of winning the Championship. After retiring from the race, this meant Evans had to start the all-important season finale on the Sunday morning from last. Once again, he suffered a troublesome race, but Daniel Abt’s inability to take victory played into his hands, and enabled him to take the Drivers’ Championship by only finishing 20th during the final race.
“After practice and qualifying I felt really comfortable for the race.” Said Mitch Evans, recapping on his eventful weekend. “I got a shocking start, I had a problem with the clutch leaver and I didn’t nail it. I paid the price for it in turn one so I should take the blame for that. I was unfortunate to get the damage to the car after going over the kerb and it was not able to be repaired. I couldn’t continue. In Race 2, I drove my heart out and I made up 18 positions in the first half of the race and was around P7. I was catching the leaders so it would have been good to have seen where I would have ended up but unfortunately we got a puncture. It’s been a huge emotional roller-coaster this weekend. To have two bad races, and then to win the championship is probably quite unusual but it’s also amazing.”
The previous two Champions of GP3, Esteban Gutierrez and Valtteri Bottas, have since progressed up the motor sport ladder. Gutierrez is now an established GP2 driver, racing for front runners Lotus whereas Valtteri Bottas is currently the Williams F1 reserve driver. Mitch Evans is currently unsure as to where he’ll end up for the 2013 season, with GP2 naturally the most appealing graduation for the Kiwi.
“Winning this championship, I receive a very nice cheque from Pirelli if I graduate to GP2 so that makes the transition to GP2 even more attractive which I think is the ultimate step for me.” Explained Mitch Evans, “Right now I need to get a budget together. For GP2, it will be tricky so we will work hard during the off-season to put a budget together. Hopefully we will be in the same paddock next year.”
Wherever Mitch Evans ends up next season, he’s most certainly on course to becoming one of the stars of the future. The GP2 and GP3 Series were founded to offer young drivers with the ability to show their potential on current F1 circuits. This season, Mitch Evans has done just that and will undoubtedly return next season as competitive as ever…wherever his motor sport career takes him.
Picture Copyright © Daniel Kalisz/GP3 Series Media Service
Max Chilton Storms To GP2 Pole At Monza
Max Chilton was able to capitalize on his earlier pace set during practice, as the Briton stormed to his second pole of the season during the 30 minute qualifying session earlier this afternoon. The Carlin driver will start tomorrow’s race alongside former race winner Giedo van der Garde, who almost clinched pole prior to Chilton’s rise to the top.
Like with the rest of the days running, the GP2 qualifying session was run in glorious weather conditions, a stark contrast to the treacherous conditions experienced at Spa-Francorchamps last weekend. As soon as the session went green, the whole of the GP2 field immediately took to the track. Johnny Cecotto jr., Fabio Leimer and Fabio Onidi all momentarily shared the top spot, before the Caterham of Giedo van der Garde shot to the top to take control of the session.
As the session entered its closing stages, it looked as though the Dutchman was set to secure his second pole position of the season. However, this likelihood was dismissed by rising British star Max Chilton, who sailed to the top of the timing sheets with only several minutes of the session remaining. Giedo van der Garde was able to improve upon his time, however the 27-year-old Dutchman remained in 2nd.
Max Chilton then ended the session in dramatic style, as he pushed to strengthen his lead at the top, the Briton spun upon negotiating turn 11. Chilton embedded his Carlin within the gravel, bringing out the yellow flags and preventing anyone else from improving on their own times. This cemented Chilton on pole position for the main feature race, which will take place tomorrow afternoon.
With 19 drivers qualifying within a second of each other after today’s frenetic 30 minute session, it’s unquestionable that tomorrow’s penultimate feature race will be a hotly contested event. Luiz Razia, who is currently tied atop the Drivers’ Championship with Davide Valsecchi, will start only 12th for tomorrow’s race, and will naturally be striving for a competitive result.
Pos Driver Team Time Gap 1. Max Chilton Carlin 1m31.886s 2. Giedo van der Garde Caterham 1m31.953s + 0.067s 3. Johnny Cecotto Jr Addax 1m32.151s + 0.265s 4. Luca Filippi Coloni 1m32.165s + 0.279s 5. Davide Valsecchi DAMS 1m32.208s + 0.322s 6. Marcus Ericsson iSport 1m32.216s + 0.330s 7. Fabio Leimer Racing Engineering 1m32.324s + 0.438s 8. Fabio Onidi Coloni 1m32.388s + 0.502s 9. Esteban Gutierrez Lotus 1m32.396s + 0.510s 10. Felipe Nasr DAMS 1m32.462s + 0.576s 11. Rio Haryanto Carlin 1m32.471s + 0.585s 12. Luiz Razia Arden 1m32.495s + 0.609s 13. James Calado Lotus 1m32.622s + 0.736s 14. Nigel Melker Ocean 1m32.625s + 0.739s 15. Jolyon Palmer iSport 1m32.659s + 0.773s 16. Stefano Coletti Rapax 1m32.675s + 0.789s 17. Nathanael Berthon Racing Engineering 1m32.769s + 0.883s 18. Sergio Canamasas Lazarus 1m32.772s + 0.886s 19. Simon Trummer Arden 1m32.889s + 1.003s 20. Victor Guerin Ocean 1m32.911s + 1.025s 21. Rene Binder Lazarus 1m32.967s + 1.081s 22. Stephane Richelmi Trident 1m32.969s + 1.083s 23. Julian Leal Trident 1m32.989s + 1.103s 24. Jake Rosenzweig Addax 1m33.109s + 1.223s 25. Rodolfo Gonzalez Caterham 1m33.511s + 1.625s 26. Ricardo Teixeira Rapax 1m33.719s + 1.833s
Picture Copyright © Alastair Staley/GP2 Series Media Service
Narain Karthikeyan Spun After Suffering Suspension Issue
Narain Karthikeyan retired from the Belgian Grand Prix on lap 32 after spinning off at turn 15, ending what had until then been a positive race for the Indian driver. Narain Karthikeyan has confirmed that prior to his spin, he was suffering with suspension issues on his car, which materialized after his second stop.
After the huge incident on the opening lap, Narain Karthikeyan found himself in a very competitive 14th position, largely thanks to the many retirements and pit stops throughout the frenetic opening lap. After the restart, Karthikeyan naturally began to descend through the order, however he enjoyed many on track battles with the likes of Heikki Kovalainen and Charles Pic before eventually spinning off at turn 15.
With his right rear tyre bouncing down the gravel trap, many believed that the Indian driver had fallen foul of a loose tyre after his earlier pit stop, however Karthikeyan has since confirmed that he had been suffering with suspension issues since his second stop. Whether the suspension issues were the sole cause of Karthikeyan’s spin is unknown, however Pedro de la Rosa was able to finish the race in 18th and last position, after a bittersweet race at Spa-Francorchamps. The Spanish-outfit have no time to rest, as they join the rest of the F1 fraternity in immediately traveling to Monza for next weekend’s Italian Grand Prix.
Picture Copyright © HRT F1 Team
Heikki Kovalainen Laments Missed Opportunities At Spa
Heikki Kovalainen has expressed dissatisfaction to how his Belgian Grand Prix panned out, after the Finnish driver ended the race a lowly 17th after many mistakes during the 44-lap race. At one point, Kovalainen was running as high as 10th, but several spins and a miscommunication within the pits led to a disastrous afternoon for the Caterham driver.
At the start, Heikki Kovalainen was able to avoid the huge multi-car incident, and found himself 10th once the safety car was deployed. However, once the race restarted Heikki Kovalainen was mobbed of his competitive position by the faster opposition. During the Finn’s first scheduled pit stop, his was released into the oncoming path of one of the HRTs, making light contact in the pits. Coupled with several spins out on track, Heikki Kovalainen’s dismal race saw him finish in 17th position, three positions behind team-mate Vitaly Petrov.
“I had a really good start, avoided all the debris from the start-line crash and was up to tenth when the safety car came out.” Explained Heikki Kovalainen, “There were a couple of quicker cars behind me who got past when the safety car went back in and then I made a small mistake at the last chicane which put me back a couple of places but I made them up quickly and was into a good rhythm just behind Vitaly [Petrov]. At my first stop we had a problem with the release from the box and unfortunately I clipped the HRT as I was heading out, bringing me back in for a new front wing. It’s not been a good weekend but we’ll regroup and come back fighting in Italy at the next race.”
Heikki Kovalainen will be looking to redeem himself at next weekend’s Italian Grand Prix around the historic Monza circuit, as the Finn aims for a better race weekend. Caterham have still yet to score their first World Championship points, and it is undeniable that the Leafield-based outfit have progressed greatly throughout this highly entertaining 2012 season.
Picture Copyright © Caterham F1 Team
Lewis Hamilton Secures Pole For Australia In Frenetic Qualifying
After a winter testing period which showed no indication to the pecking order for 2012, the opening qualifying session at Australia was destined to be an absolute stunner. And it most certainly was as any six of the top drivers’ had the ability to secure pole-position.
As Q1 got underway, it was the Marussia of Timo Glock who left the pits first and set the first timed lap of the session with a 01:32.997. As the rest of the field left the pits, the times began to tumble as Pic, Maldonado and Senna all assumed the top spot.
Further down the order, HRT were making no friends as Narain Karthikeyan got in the way of the Ferrari of Fernando Alonso and blocked the Spaniard. There will be no surprises if the Indian driver receives a penalty from the stewards.
As many of the midfield teams began to opt for the softer Pirelli tyres, Rosberg, Perez, Vergne and Kobayashi all went fastest as the times got quicker. One driver that suffered greatly as the session came to an end was the Iceman of Kimi Raikkonen who failed to progress to Q2 and qualified a lowly 18th on his return to the sport. Both of the Caterham’s, Marussia’s and HRT’s also went out after Q1.
Paul Di Resta was first out as Q2 got underway, with Ferrari under severe pressure to progress to Q3. As Di Resta and Vettel set the initial pace, Ferrari’s weekend went from bad to worse as Fernando Alonso embedded his car in the gravel at turn 1. This prematurely ended the Spaniards progress, a transferred all the pressure to his team-mate Felipe Massa as the red flag came out.
Felipe Massa was unable to deliver as the session returned to green, with the Brazilian incapable of progressing to Q3 and qualifying a terrible 16th for Ferrari. The Italian outfit have an uphill struggle tomorrow as they have qualified 12th and 16th, locked in the tight midfield battle.
Joining Felipe Massa and Fernando Alonso in the bottom seven after Q2 was Jean-Eric Vergne, Kamui Kobayashi, Bruno Senna, Paul Di Resta and Sergio Perez.
After an action filled first two sessions in qualifying, much of the same was expected in the final pole-position shootout as 10 drivers had 10 minutes to try their best to set a fast time. As was seen in Q1 and Q2, the action was immense as Nico Rosberg sent the benchmark time with 01:25.847.
As the rest of the drivers’ set their timed laps, Lewis Hamilton surged to the top with a 01:24.922, a time which raised eyebrows on the Mercedes pit wall. In traditional Q3 fashion, the top drivers’ returned to the track with only minutes remaining, with Red Bull once again able to have Sebastian Vettel last out which meant the reigning Champion would cross the line last.
However, as the times were set, it was evident neither of the Mercedes drivers’ could better Hamilton’s time. Mark Webber failed to do so as all eyes fell on Hamilton’s team-mate Jenson Button and the remaining Red Bull of Sebastian Vettel.
In a surprise twist, the sole Lotus of Romain Grosjean shot to 2nd place, before being demoted to 3rd by Jenson Button. This was how the top three remained as Hamilton led an all-McLaren front row ahead of tomorrow’s Australian Grand Prix. Sebastian Vettel was out-qualified by team-mate Mark Webber and was, for him, a lowly 6th.
Tomorrow’s race is set to be a mouth-watering prospect, with a race which could well see the Safety Car make its first appearance of 2012!
Qualifying Classification:
Pos Driver Team Time Gap
1. Lewis Hamilton McLaren-Mercedes 1m24.922s 2. Jenson Button McLaren-Mercedes 1m25.074s + 0.152 3. Romain Grosjean Lotus-Renault 1m25.302s + 0.380 4. Michael Schumacher Mercedes 1m25.336s + 0.414 5. Mark Webber Red Bull-Renault 1m25.651s + 0.729 6. Sebastian Vettel Red Bull-Renault 1m25.668s + 0.746 7. Nico Rosberg Mercedes 1m25.686s + 0.764 8. Pastor Maldonado Williams-Renault 1m25.908s + 0.986 9. Nico Hulkenberg Force India-Mercedes 1m26.451s + 1.529 10. Daniel Ricciardo Toro Rosso-Ferrari No time Q2 cut-off time: 1m26.319s Gap ** 11. Jean-Eric Vergne Toro Rosso-Ferrari 1m26.429s + 0.960 12. Fernando Alonso Ferrari 1m26.4942 + 1.025 13. Kamui Kobayashi Sauber-Ferrari 1m26.590s + 1.121 14. Bruno Senna Williams-Renault 1m26.663s + 1.194 15. Paul di Resta Force India-Mercedes 1m27.086s + 1.617 16. Felipe Massa Ferrari 1m27.497s + 2.028 17. Sergio Perez Sauber-Ferrari No time Q1 cut-off time: 1m27.633s Gap * 18. Kimi Raikkonen Lotus-Renault 1m27.758s + 1.576 19. Heikki Kovalainen Caterham-Renault 1m28.679s + 2.497 20. Vitaly Petrov Caterham-Renault 1m29.018s + 2.836 21. Timo Glock Marussia-Cosworth 1m30.923s + 4.741 22. Charles Pic Marussia-Cosworth 1m31.670s + 5.488 23. Pedro de la Rosa HRT-Cosworth 1m33.495s + 7.313 24. Narain Karthikeyan HRT-Cosworth 1m33.643s + 7.461 107% time: 1m32.214s
Picture Copyright © Reuters
Felipe Massa’s Woes Continue Into 2012
After a disastrous 2011 season for Felipe Massa, which saw him become the first Ferrari driver not to step on the podium since Ivan Capelli in 1992, it looks like 2012 is shaping up to be an equally frustrating year for the Brazilian.
In 2011, Massa suffered a season-long feud with Lewis Hamilton which saw the two come together on track numerous times over the course of the season. Felipe Massa was also overshadowed by a much stronger team-mate in Fernando Alonso, who secured Ferrari’s only win of the year at the British Grand Prix.
With question marks now over the security of Massa’s drive with Ferrari, it’s unquestionable that the Brazilian has no option but to up his game in 2012. And so far it’s not gone according to plan, as Massa spun off and beached himself in the gravel in only the first practice session of the Australian Grand Prix.
The incident occurred at turn 9, where the Red Bull of Christian Klien had a violent shunt under similar circumstances in 2006. Back in the Ferrari garage, there was shakes of the head as the mechanics watched the replay of the spin, clearly noticing Massa dip his left-rear wheel on the grass. This caused Massa to loose control of his Ferrari, and prematurely end his session deep in the gravel.
Whether this early mistake will set the tone for Massa’s 2012 season, or whether he’ll bounce back strong, time will tell. However, one thing is for certain and it’s that Massa has a lot to prove if he wishes to remain a Ferrari driver for much longer.
Picture Copyright © Reuters
McLaren’s Fastest During Opening Session Of 2012
After months of anticipation, the 2012 season finally got underway at Melbourne’s Albert Park circuit as FP1 started in damp conditions. It was a slow start as the teams tentatively took to the track on Pirelli’s new Cinturato wet tyres, with Nico Rosberg and Nico Hulkenberg even opting for full wets at the beginning.
Heavy rain fell overnight at the Albert Park circuit, and continued intermittently throughout the morning presenting the drivers’ with a damp track as the first track event of 2012 got underway. First out on the intermediate tyres was French rookie Jean-Eric Vergne, who was quickly joined by his team-mate at Toro Rosso Daniel Ricciardo.
Nico Rosberg pushed his Mercedes to the limit early, running wide at turn 11. At one of the fastest parts of the track, this could’ve been a much worse mistake for the German and was lucky to escape unscathed as the Mercedes trundled over the grass.
As the majority of the field completed their installation laps, local driver Daniel Ricciardo set the first timed lap of the weekend with a 01:47.448, and was quickly joined at the top by team-mate Jean-Eric Vergne. The two happily swapped fastest laps before the Ferrari of Fernando Alonso spoiled their fun.
The misery continued for Spanish outfit HRT, as Narain Karthikeyan’s car ground to a halt on track. It was later discovered the car was suffering from an oil pressure sensor failure, which will create further problems for HRT who are undeniably struggling to get their cars working for 2012.
Lotus were also suffering from issues, as returning World Champion Kimi Raikkonen once again suffered with steering issues, limiting the Iceman’s running throughout the session.
As the track began to dry, Nico Rosberg went fastest with 01:37.147, which was quickly beaten by the Sauber of Kamui Kobayashi who set a 01:36.906. With the track obviously ready for dry tyres, Sauber’s Sergio Perez was the first driver to brave the track on dry Pirelli’s. His team-mate, Kobayashi, quickly copied him and posted a time five seconds faster with a 01:31.751.
Mark Webber then became the first driver from the sharp end of the grid to set a true fastest lap, as the Australian driver set a 01:30.520. The luxury of being fastest didn’t last long for Webber, as Kobayashi returned to the top once again, becoming the first driver to set a time within the 01:29s with a 01:29.722.
Several drivers’ spun during FP1, with rookie Jean-Eric Vergne running wide at turn 15 and running down the escape road. However, the most surprising action from the first practice session was from Felipe Massa, who embedded his Ferrari in gravel after spinning at turn 9. The Brazilian dipped a wheel on the grass, and lost control of the car. This prompted several shakes of the head from the Ferrari pit.
As the session came to a close, Mercedes power took over as Michael Schumacher went fastest before 2009 World Champion Jenson Button topped the timing sheets with a 01:27.560. Button’s team-mate at McLaren, Lewis Hamilton then slotted into 2nd place, creating a McLaren 1-2 as the opening session of the 2012 season came to a close.
FP1 Classification:
Pos Driver Team Time Laps 1. Jenson Button McLaren-Mercedes 1m27.560s 11 2. Lewis Hamilton McLaren-Mercedes 1m27.805s + 0.245 14 3. Michael Schumacher Mercedes 1m28.235s + 0.675 17 4. Fernando Alonso Ferrari 1m28.360s + 0.800 21 5. Mark Webber Red Bull-Renault 1m28.467s + 0.907 21 6. Nico Rosberg Mercedes 1m28.683s + 1.123 22 7. Daniel Ricciardo Toro Rosso-Ferrari 1m28.908s + 1.348 23 8. Pastor Maldonado Williams-Renault 1m29.415s + 1.855 16 9. Kimi Raikkonen Lotus-Renault 1m29.565s + 2.005 8 10. Kamui Kobayashi Sauber-Ferrari 1m29.722s + 2.162 26 11. Sebastian Vettel Red Bull-Renault 1m29.790s + 2.230 21 12. Nico Hulkenberg Force India-Mercedes 1m29.865s + 2.305 17 13. Paul di Resta Force India-Mercedes 1m29.881s + 2.321 18 14. Bruno Senna Williams-Renault 1m29.953s + 2.393 21 15. Sergio Perez Sauber-Ferrari 1m30.124s + 2.564 22 16. Romain Grosjean Lotus-Renault 1m30.515s + 2.955 16 17. Heikki Kovalainen Caterham-Renault 1m30.586s + 3.026 16 18. Felipe Massa Ferrari 1m30.743s + 3.183 11 19. Jean-Eric Vergne Toro Rosso-Ferrari 1m31.178s + 3.618 17 20. Vitaly Petrov Caterham-Renault 1m31.983s + 4.423 8 21. Timo Glock Marussia-Cosworth 1m34.730s + 7.170 8 22. Charles Pic Marussia-Cosworth 1m40.256s + 12.696 11 23. Narain Karthikeyan HRT-Cosworth no time 3 24. Pedro de la Rosa HRT-Cosworth no time 0
Picture Copyright © Pirelli
Hamilton Wins Abu Dhabi Grand Prix As Vettel Retires
Lewis Hamilton has secured his first Grand Prix victory since the German Grand Prix earlier in the year as he has won the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix being the first driver other than Sebastian Vettel to win this particular race.
The race thrown potentially wide open when World Champion, Sebastian Vettel, suffered a rare failure on the first lap when he had a puncture which threw the car off the track, allowing the entire field the flow through before allowing him to rejoin with a totally destroyed right rear tyre as he began his limp back to the pits.
After being gifted the lead due to Vettel’s error, Lewis Hamilton immediately jumped to attention and flew into the lead, pushing over a one second lead to Fernando Alonso who was able to barge his way past 2009 World Champion, Jenson Button, who was unable to defend his position heading down into Turn 8 and who then became under severe pressure from the surviving Red Bull of Mark Webber.
As Sebastian Vettel came limping back to the pits it became apparent that the damage to the car from the flailing tyre was more than first perceived and before anyone could gather their breath from the first lap melee, Sebastian Vettel was out of the car and officially a retirement for the first time since last years Korean Grand Prix when his engine literally exploded showering the track in burning pieces of debris.
After this initial burst of excitement, many predicted an exciting battle for the win between Alonso and Hamilton reminiscent of 2007 when the two were team-mates, yet Hamilton was able to maintain the gap whereas Button had to start serious defending from Webber as the two began wheel banging in between the two DRS Zones.
The answer to Button’s lack of speed over Webber was released through a piece of team radio on Lap 12 when it was announced Button had a KERs failure and with Webber using both KERs and DRS against him, it was an intense couple of laps as the two swapped places throughout the two DRS Zones.
Shortly afterwards the front runners began their first pit stops as Felipe Massa was the first to blink as he was quickly followed a lap later by his team-mate of Alonso and the two McLaren’s of Hamilton and Button as the McLaren mechanics pulled off a stunning display of team work as they pitted both cars almost together without compromising their race pace and track position. A lap later it was Mark Webber’s turn to pit and if Red Bull’s race couldn’t get any worse it unfortunately did as their pit stop was painstakingly slow as all four tyres failed to get changed in unison, ruining Webber’s chance of continuing his battle with Button. Another rare mistake as Red Bull’s pitstops have usually been superb this season.
After these first flock of pit stops the normality was resumed at the front as Hamilton led convincingly over Alonso with Button third still without the KERs boost working. Due to Webber’s slow pit stop he had lost out to the second Ferrari of Felipe Massa and was now bogged down in fifth place only around six seconds ahead of Nico Rosberg in the Mercedes.
On Lap 20, Belgian rookie Jerome D’Ambrosio became the second retirement of the day as he suffered from mechanical issues with his Virgin Racing car, ending what could be his second-to-last race with two potential drivers aiming to take his race seat in 2012. Two laps later the Toro Rosso of Sebastien Buemi joined Vettel and D’Ambrosio as he retired with unfortunate gearbox troubles, his body language speaking much louder than words in the pits as he is also another driving fighting for his drive next season as the graduates from GP2 and GP3 are looming closer.
With the race at the sharp end of the field a stalemate and the DRS dominating the majority of the passing throughout the field, excitement was hard to come by. However on Lap 30 the woes of the Williams team continued as Pastor Maldonado received a drive thru penalty due to ignoring blue flags and several laps later he was offending again as he was side-by-side with the Toro Rosso of Jaime Alguersuari as the front runners were frantically trying to weave their way through them. Unfortunately for them, Alguersuari and Maldonado were literally neck and neck alongside each other through Turns 11, 12 and 13. Now although the rules are rules and drivers should immediately jump out of the way once they see flying blue flags, where exactly could Maldonado and Alguersuari have gone? They were both racing each other and had their battle ruined by blue flags and subsequently came under investigation for the offense, the outcome to be drawn up after the race.
Felipe Massa suffered yet another disastrous race as he spun his Ferrari heading into Turn 1 and lost out to Mark Webber, the Brazilian being in danger of becoming the first Ferrari driver since Ivan Capelli in 1992 to not get his Ferrari on the podium.
Whether the race was boring or not, it depends on your attitude to these modern Tilke designed tracks. Regardless of that, though, it is refreshing to see three drivers on the podium, not one of them being a Red Bull, and having what looks like the Hamilton of old back again. Hopefully he came maintain this and not slip back into his old ways in Brazil.
Race Classification:
The Abu Dhabi Grand Prix Yas Marina, United Arab Emirates; 55 laps; 305.355km; Weather: Clear. Classified: Pos Driver Team Time 1. Hamilton McLaren-Mercedes 1h37:11.886 2. Alonso Ferrari + 8.457 3. Button McLaren-Mercedes + 25.881 4. Webber Red Bull-Renault + 35.784 5. Massa Ferrari + 50.578 6. Rosberg Mercedes + 52.317 7. Schumacher Mercedes + 1:15.900 8. Sutil Force India-Mercedes + 1:17.100 9. Di Resta Force India-Mercedes + 1:40.000 10. Kobayashi Sauber-Ferrari + 1 lap 11. Perez Sauber-Ferrari + 1 lap 12. Barrichello Williams-Cosworth + 1 lap 13. Petrov Renault + 1 lap 14. Maldonado Williams-Cosworth + 1 lap 15. Alguersuari Toro Rosso-Ferrari + 1 lap 16. Senna Renault + 1 lap 17. Kovalainen Lotus-Renault + 1 lap 18. Trulli Lotus-Renault + 2 laps 19. Glock Virgin-Cosworth + 2 laps 20. Liuzzi HRT-Cosworth + 2 laps Fastest lap: Webber, 1:42.612 Not classified/retirements: Driver Team On lap Ricciardo HRT-Cosworth 49 Buemi Toro Rosso-Ferrari 19 D'Ambrosio Virgin-Cosworth 18 Vettel Red Bull-Renault 1
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