|
Post by -Big Dan- on Oct 7, 2014 22:35:59 GMT 1
Former F1 driver Andrea Di Cesaris has been killed in a motorbike accident in Rome, aged 55. He is still to this day the driver with the dubious honour of having completed the most F1 races without a victory, at 208 races. Full story: www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/formula1/29501069RIP.
|
|
|
Post by paulgilb on Oct 9, 2014 22:55:55 GMT 1
RIP Andrea Regarding Bianchi's crash, a lot has been said about it, but I do feel it could easily have been avoided by starting the double-yellow-flag zone before the previous corner - that way, any aquaplaning cars would go off at that corner instead of the corner with the recovery vehicle (any car that reaches that corner would be travelling slowly). Alex Rossi is scheduled to replace Bianchi for this weekend's Russian GP - however, it is possible that Marussia will only enter one car. Some stats/facts re Japan: First no-score for Ferrari since Britain 2010 (after a record 81-race streak). First race since Singapore 2009 in which no Ferrari-powered car scored. Longest unbroken run of points finishes is now Mercedes on 35 (last no-score: USA 2012). Hamilton would have clinched the title under the 'medals' system (assuming Abu Dhabi would only count as 1 win!). However, under the 10-8-6-5-4-3-2-1 system, Rosberg would be 1 point ahead of Hamilton. Despite 8 wins to Rosberg's 4, Hamilton has led fewer laps this year than Rosberg (mainly due to Rosberg leading the whole of Monaco, which has the most laps of anywhere, most of Canada, and over 20 laps of each of Britain, Italy and Japan). Rosberg has also led exactly 400 laps this year. 4th race to be stopped twice – after Belgium 1981, Austria 1987, and Belgium 1990. First season since 2006 in which Alonso has had 2 mechanical DNFs (in 2006 they also occurred 2 races apart, and one was Monza - but on that occasion the crowd were pleased as he was battling a Ferrari for the title). Bianchi (car #17) was running 17th during the first red flag period, and was running 17th when he crashed. On lap 13 (of all laps!) he was running 4th (4 being Chilton's number), which is the highest a Marussia has ever officially run (whilst Bianchi was running 3rd, he did not cross the start-finish line in that position). At a figure-of-8 circuit: Mercedes managed their 8th front-row lockout and 8th 1-2 of 2014, Rosberg managed his 8th pole and 8th 2nd-place of 2014 (the latter is an outright record), and Hamilton managed his 8th win of the season (either he will the championship or break the record for most-wins-without-winning-the-championship-in-one-season). 21 classified finishers - most since USA 2013. Maldonado’s grid penalty means that Chilton is still yet to start a race from 22nd this year (he has started 21st 7 times). Lotus, Williams and Caterham were the only teams where the driver who started higher was also classified higher (if we were to use qualification position before penalties rather than actual starting positions then Lotus would be replaced by Toro Rosso). First time a Mercedes-powered car has managed pole in Suzuka. 24th track at which Hamilton has started from the front row – equals M Schumacher, trails Prost (30). 34th consecutive race without a McLaren on the front row – longest since 1978-81. 20th different track on which Hamilton has won – equals Vettel, trails M Schumacher (23) and Prost (22). All 4 British wins at Suzuka have come from 2nd on the grid. 3 of Hamilton’s last 4 wins have come by passing Rosberg for the lead on lap 29.
|
|
|
Post by paulgilb on Oct 10, 2014 23:06:14 GMT 1
Marussia are indeed only entering 1 car - so Rossi again misses out on his chance of racing.
Current championship situation:
Ricciardo is 73 points off the lead, so he will still have a chance of the title after Russia whatever happens (with 100 points available from the final 3 races). He is the only non-Mercedes driver who can mathematically win the title.
Mercedes are 190 points ahead of Red Bull with 215 available, so 25 points from the remaining races (such as a win) will be enough for Mercedes to clinch the title.
|
|
|
Post by paulgilb on Oct 11, 2014 22:30:09 GMT 1
Grid for Russia: 1 Hamilton 2 Rosberg 3 Bottas 4 Button 5 Kvyat 6 Ricciardo 7 Alonso 8 Raikkonen 9 Vergne 10 Vettel 11 Magnussen (gearbox change) 12 Perez 13 Gutierrez 14 Sutil 15 Grosjean 16 Ericsson 17 Hulkenberg (gearbox change) 18 Massa 19 Kobayashi 20 Maldonado (remainder of Japan penalty) 21 Chilton (gearbox change) Maldonado and Chilton actually qualified 20th and 21st, so ended up not getting penalised. I'm pretty sure Maldonado won't have to serve the remaining places of his penalty (as I believe it only carries over for 1 race). Bottas was briefly looking set for pole, but ran wide at the last corner.
|
|
|
Post by paulgilb on Oct 14, 2014 22:51:49 GMT 1
Bit of a disappointing race TBH - but better that than a repeat of what happened in Japan.
Some stats/facts:
Hamilton has equalled Mansell's 31 wins.
Highest starting position for a Russian driver (Petrov's best was 6th).
First time since Canada 1994 (Simtek) that a team entered just 1 car for the whole weekend.
Chilton's first mechanical DNF.
First time a team containing Hamilton has officially won the Constructors' Championship - 31 wins is the most it has taken any driver to manage this.
Under the 10-8-6-5-4-3-2-1 system, Hamilton would be leading by 1 point. Bottas, Vettel, and Alonso would all be separated by just 1 point.
First race since China that no German driver has led a lap.
First time since Austria that the Red Bull that has started ahead has also finished ahead. First time this has happened in a race where both finished since Spain.
19th different track on which Hamilton has managed pole – equals M Schumacher, 1 less than Vettel, 3 less than Prost’s record.
9th front-row lockout for Mercedes this year – most since McLaren in 1998. First team to manage 5 consecutive front-row lockouts since Williams in 1996-97.
Best qualifying for Button in a dry session since India 2012.
McLaren’s longest pole drought since Canada 2001 to Canada 2003.
Joint best qualifying for a Toro Rosso in a dry session (equals Britain 2013).
4th time this year that Vettel has gone out in Q2 – as many as in 2009-2013 put together.
26th podium for Mercedes this year – 1 more than McLaren in 1988.
First time since USA 1982 that the official top 5 finishers all had the same engine make (although Gilles Villeneuve was DQ’d from 3rd in 1982).
Vergne equals Buemi’s record for most starts for Toro Rosso (55).
Worst overall result for Red Bull without accidents/mechanical problems since China 2008.
10th race without points for Lotus – longest streak for the Enstone team since 1985 (when they were Toleman).
And Rosberg may have the record for longest distance raced on a single set of Pirelli tyres.
|
|
|
Post by -Big Dan- on Oct 15, 2014 22:44:41 GMT 1
|
|
|
Post by Panda on Oct 15, 2014 22:53:20 GMT 1
Good of him to do it over a week after every member of the F1 media did it for him.
|
|
|
Post by Shireblogger on Oct 16, 2014 6:17:54 GMT 1
I thought Luca Di Montezemolo had been given the push from Ferrari a month or two ago anyway, so I'm not sure he's in any position to make announcements on behalf of the team.
|
|
|
Post by -Big Dan- on Oct 27, 2014 15:54:29 GMT 1
|
|
|
Post by Panda on Oct 27, 2014 19:49:12 GMT 1
Edging closer to 3-car teams for 2015...
|
|
|
Post by paulgilb on Nov 2, 2014 16:25:20 GMT 1
Grid for USA: 1 Rosberg 2 Hamilton 3 Bottas 4 Massa 5 Ricciardo 6 Alonso 7 Magnussen 8 Raikkonen 9 Sutil 10 Maldonado 11 Perez 12 Button (gearbox change) 13 Hulkenberg 14 Vergne 15 Gutierrez 16 Grosjean 17 Kvyat (engine change - 3 of 10 places served) 18 Vettel (pit-lane start due to power unit change) Might be the first time that all the cars that dropped out in Q1 (Vergne, Gutierrez, Grosjean, Vettel) were from different teams.
|
|
|
Post by paulgilb on Nov 6, 2014 0:09:15 GMT 1
Not a bad race overall - especially given that there were only 16 cars in it after lap 1.
Some stats/facts:
Hamilton has overtaken Mansell's 31 victories and now equals Alonso. He is only the 7th driver to win 5+ races in a row.
3rd time in the last 4 seasons that a driver has taken 10+ wins - it had only happened twice previously (M Schumacher in 2002 and 2004).
Mercedes' 10th 1-2 of the season - equals McLaren in 1988 (from 16 races).
Sutil has yet to complete a racing lap in Austin.
First time this year that the pole lap was faster than last year's (excluding wet qualifying sessions).
First race since Germany 2009 that all drivers in the race had scored points previously.
Maldonado's first point since Hungary 2013. Spain 2012 still accounts for over half his career points (25/49).
5th time this year that Raikkonen has finished outside the top 10 (i.e. not counting DNFs whether classified or not) - prior to this year he had only managed it 5 times in his whole career.
First time since Abu Dhabi 2010 that there were only 2 British drivers on the grid.
First time car #13 has scored points. #37 is now the lowest number not to have scored.
Vettel has scored exactly 1600 points.
The drivers currently in 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and 4th in the standings have yet to finish races in 4th, 3rd, 2nd, and 1st respectively this year but have each finished in every other top 4 position.
Under the 10-8-6-5-4-3-2-1 system, Hamilton would be 3 points ahead of Rosberg. Vettel and Alonso would be tied on points in this system as well.
First team to manage 6 consecutive front-row lockouts since Williams managed 8 in 1993.
6th time Mercedes engines have locked out the front row this year - most in 1 season since Ford Cosworth managed 11 in 1973.
17th consecutive pole for a Mercedes-engined car - longest since Renault managed 24 in 1992-93.
First time Vettel was knocked out in Q1 since Brazil 2009. First time in a dry qualifying session since Monaco 2008.
4th time in the last 5 races that Hulkenberg has started 13th.
Maldonado's best starting position since this race 2 years ago.
Vergne has started all 3 of his US GPs from 14th.
Second time in the last 3 years that Hamilton has won the US GP by overtaking for the lead on the back straight.
Hamilton's 68th podium - equals Barrichello (who would have made a surprise comeback if Caterham hadn't gone into administration).
Mercedes drivers have managed 28 podiums between them this year - only 1 shy of Ferrari in 2004 (18 races).
Vettel has managed fastest lap in all 3 Austin races but only won 1 of them.
Hulkenberg is the only driver to have scored points for either Force India or Sauber in Austin (he has scored for both teams).
Toro Rosso's first US GP points.
The double points rule means that the title cannot be decided in Brazil.
|
|
|
Post by Shireblogger on Nov 6, 2014 2:10:37 GMT 1
Thanks, as always for these. I especially like... Maldonado.....Spain 2012 still accounts for over half his career points (25/49). First time car #13 has scored points. #37 is now the lowest number not to have scored. I especially don't like... The double points rule means that the title cannot be decided in Brazil. Is this one correct, or should it be locked out front two rows ? 6th time Mercedes engines have locked out the front row this year - most in 1 season since Ford Cosworth managed 11 in 1973.
|
|
|
Post by paulgilb on Nov 8, 2014 23:40:51 GMT 1
Is this one correct, or should it be locked out front two rows ? 6th time Mercedes engines have locked out the front row this year - most in 1 season since Ford Cosworth managed 11 in 1973. Yes it should - and we now have the 7th occurrence this year in Brazil: 1 Rosberg 2 Hamilton 3 Massa 4 Bottas 5 Button 6 Vettel 7 Magnussen 8 Alonso 9 Ricciardo 10 Raikkonen 11 Gutierrez 12 Hulkenberg 13 Sutil 14 Grosjean 15 Vergne 16 Maldonado 17 Kvyat (no time in Q2 + remainder of power unit penalty) 18 Perez (penalty from US)
|
|
|
Post by paulgilb on Nov 14, 2014 0:00:29 GMT 1
Brazilian GP stats/facts:
Mercedes' 11th 1-2 this season - beats McLaren's 10 in 1988 (although there were only 16 races that year).
Mercedes' 30th podium this season - beats Ferrari's 29 in 2004.
651 points for Mercedes this year - beats Red Bull's 650 in 2011.
First time since 1988 that two team-mates each took 5+ victories in the season.
6th 6th-place finish for Alonso this year - equals Fisichella in 2006.
Neither Hamilton nor Rosberg will finish the season empty-handed - Rosberg has clinched the Pole Position trophy, and Hamilton has clinched the Fastest Lap trophy.
All 3 races this year in which both Toro Rossos have finished outside the points have seen Vergne finish 13th.
Raikkonen's 5 best results this year have all been at non-Tilkedromes.
First time this year that both the pole lap and the fastest race lap were faster than in 2013.
18th consecutive Mercedes-powered pole - equals Ford Cosworth's longest run (USA 1968 - Netherlands 1970), only trails Renault (France 1992-Japan 1993).
Mercedes' 28th front-row start this season - equals Williams in 1993.
First Brazilian GP since 1993 that Ferrari did not qualify a car inside the top 7.
Perez's first Q1 exit that was not due to a mechanical problem.
600th podium for a British driver.
Second time (after Berger in 1985-86) that a driver has finished in 6th 3 races in a row.
None of the last 3 Brazilian GP winners have yet won a subsequent race (obviously Rosberg hasn't yet had the chance to do so).
Massa is the first Brazilian driver to manage 5 podiums in Brazil (Senna, Piquet, and Fittipaldi all only managed 4).
|
|
|
Post by paulgilb on Nov 14, 2014 0:15:32 GMT 1
Hamilton currently leads Rosberg by 17 points, meaning that he only needs to finish 2nd in Abu Dhabi to win the title. Without the double points rule, 6th place would have been enough.
Curiously, under the 10-8-6-5-4-3-2-1 system, Hamilton would be 1 point ahead of Rosberg.
|
|
|
Post by paulgilb on Nov 20, 2014 23:59:01 GMT 1
Abu Dhabi this weekend, which sees the likely-to-be-shortlived return of Caterham, with Will Stevens replacing Marcus Ericsson.
We also have the second round of the Formula E season in Putrajaya, Malaysia. Matthew Brabham (grandson of Jack) replaces Charles Pic at Andretti Autosport, and Antonio Felix da Costa replaces Takuma Sato at Amlin Aguri.
|
|
|
Post by paulgilb on Nov 22, 2014 23:27:09 GMT 1
Grid for Abu Dhabi:
1 Rosberg 2 Hamilton 3 Bottas 4 Massa 5 Kvyat 6 Button 7 Raikkonen 8 Alonso 9 Magnussen 10 Vergne 11 Perez 12 Hulkenberg 13 Sutil 14 Gutierrez 15 Maldonado 16 Kobayashi 17 Stevens 18 Grosjean (20-place penalty for power unit change) 19 Ricciardo (excluded due to front wing irregularity) 20 Vettel (excluded due to front wing irregularity) Grosjean's 20-place grid penalty is not due to grid penalties being doubled in line with points for this race, but rather a sum of 3 separate penalties for changing various parts of his power unit. Having only served 4 places, he will have to serve a drive-through penalty in the race. Mercedes engines have managed a 100% pole rate this year - equalling Ford Cosworth in 1969.
|
|
|
Post by Robin on Nov 24, 2014 10:29:16 GMT 1
Well done Lewis, your victory was thoroughly deserved! You are a true champion and have made Britain proud
|
|
|
Post by -Big Dan- on Nov 24, 2014 11:11:25 GMT 1
He may have had the best car on the grid, but the fact that there were no team orders between himself and Nico meant that he had to fight for every single victory that he got. Many congrats Lewis, you've earned it.
|
|