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Post by paulgilb on Apr 16, 2015 22:29:56 GMT 1
Some stats/facts:
Both current Ferrari drivers had 1 win and 2 third-places in their first 3 races for the team.
10th consecutive podium for Hamilton - only the 5th time this has been managed.
Alonso's lowest classified finish since Britain 2010 (14th). His only previous 12th-place finish was in his very first race (Australia 2001). This is also the first time he has not finished on the lead lap in China.
Only the third instance of the same 3 drivers on the podium for 3 consecutive races. The others are France-Austria-Germany 2000 (Hakkinen, Coulthard, Barrichello - M Schumacher failed to finish any of those races) and Malaysia-Australia-Malaysia 2000-01 (M Schumacher, Barrichello, Coulthard).
First 3 races of the season all had a safety car - only previous such seasons were 2001 and 2009.
First Chinese GP to have exactly 1 safety car period.
0 points for McLaren after 3 races - first time since 1981.
15th 11-place finish for Perez - he has only finished 12th once.
Second consecutive Chinese GP in which there has been a flag waved near the finish line at the end of lap 55.
3 different drivers have finished 7th so far this season – none has scored any other points this season.
First time since Japan last year that either qualifying or the race has featured 2 Marussias.
The top 10 on the grid were also the top 10 in the race.
First time Hulkenberg has failed to get out of a dry Q1.
First time Alonso has failed to get out of Q1 in 2 consecutive races.
Hamilton & Rosberg locked out the front row for the 18th time and scored their 13th 1-2. Both figures equal Hakkinen & Coulthard.
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Post by paulgilb on Apr 18, 2015 22:10:35 GMT 1
Grid for Bahrain:
1 Hamilton 2 Vettel 3 Rosberg 4 Raikkonen 5 Bottas 6 Massa 7 Ricciardo 8 Hulkenberg 9 Sainz 10 Grosjean 11 Perez 12 Nasr 13 Ericsson 14 Alonso 15 Verstappen 16 Maldonado 17 Kvyat 18 Stevens 19 Merhi 20 Button (no time in Q1)
4th consecutive pole for Hamilton equals his personal record (from 2013). 23rd consecutive Mercedes-powered pole (every race since start of 2014) - only 1 shy of Renault's record from 1992-93 (all powering Williamses).
The two big questions for the race are:
1. How many laps will Button's car complete before breaking down?
2. Will we have someone other than Hamilton, Rosberg and Vettel on the podium?
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Post by Panda on Apr 19, 2015 18:39:36 GMT 1
Top 3 highlights of the race: 1. Suzi Perry 2. Maldonado's comedy routine, which never gets old 3. Raikkonen's uncontrollable display of emotion after finishing 2nd
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Post by smokeyb on Apr 19, 2015 21:02:59 GMT 1
The two big questions for the race are: 1. How many laps will Button's car complete before breaking down? And the answer is None, is this the worst Mclaren ever.
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Post by paulgilb on Apr 19, 2015 21:58:34 GMT 1
So 0 and Yes were the answers to my questions. Overall, it wasn't a bad race, with drama right up until the end. Another couple of laps would have made things interesting (although Ricciardo's engine failure may have resulted in a safety car).
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Post by paulgilb on Apr 22, 2015 21:18:38 GMT 1
Some stats/facts:
Raikkonen's 41st fastest lap (amazing for somebody with only 20 wins) - equals Prost, only trails M Schumacher (77).
5th time Kvyat has finished 9th - he is yet to finish higher.
Only the second time that the only 2 DNFs in a race (excluding DNS's) have been team-mates - the other was also Toro Rosso (Japan 2009).
Perez, Nasr and Alonso all started from positions equal to their car numbers (11th, 12th, 14th).
7 podiums without a win for Raikkonen in Bahrain - second only to Alonso's 8 in Brazil.
First race that Button hasn't started since USA 2005. His 179 consecutive races is second only to Patrese's 187 (Belgium 1982 - Australia 1993).
Rosberg has finished every 2015 race in the same position that he started.
Grosjean has started every 2015 race in an even-numbered position and finished every race in an odd-numbered position (excluding his DNF in Australia). He has also scored more points in 2015 than in the whole of 2014.
Both Williams drivers have had a 4th, a 5th, and a 6th.
21st consecutive season that at least one Ferrari-powered car has managed fastest lap – extends their record (Ferrari did not do so as a constructor in 2012).
20th different track on which Hamilton has scored pole – only Prost has more (22).
23rd time Hamilton and Vettel shared the front row – equals Vettel & Webber.
First time since Bahrain 2013 that both Ferraris qualified in the top 4.
First time since Coulthard in Europe 2007 that a Red Bull dropped out in a dry Q1 without mechanical issues (and Coulthard briefly led that race!).
First Bahrain podium for Ferrari since their 1-2 in 2010.
3 races in a row without points for Alonso – first time since the end of 2009.
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Post by Shireblogger on May 1, 2015 7:43:40 GMT 1
Belated congratulations to Kris Meeke and Paul Nagle for their victory in the Argentine Rally last weekend. Meeke became just the fourth British World Rally Championship event winner in its 42 year history, after Roger Clark, Colin McRae and Richard Burns. In a demanding race, Meeke led from stage 2 until the end, as his rivals fell away as a result of mechanical failures and driving errors. With Elfyn Evans coming 3rd (and securing his first ever podium), it was the first time Britain had placed two drivers on the podium since Burns and McRae finished 1st and 2nd in New Zealand in 2001.
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Post by paulgilb on May 9, 2015 23:24:47 GMT 1
Grid for Spain: 1 Rosberg 2 Hamilton 3 Vettel 4 Bottas 5 Sainz 6 Verstappen 7 Raikkonen 8 Kvyat 9 Massa 10 Ricciardo 11 Grosjean 12 Maldonado 13 Alonso 14 Button 15 Nasr 16 Ericsson 17 Hulkenberg 18 Perez 19 Stevens 20 Merhi A 'Noah's ark' formation from 11-20! Raikkonen did however have a novel excuse for underperforming - namely, that a set of tyres was damaged by the tyre-warming blankets. Also today saw the latest round of Formula E, in Monaco. The circuit was a shorter version of the F1 circuit, with Saint Devote modified (although it may end up getting modified again for next year judging by what happened on lap 1). Sebastien Buemi scored a lights-to-flag victory, becoming the first driver to win twice.
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Post by Panda on May 10, 2015 13:50:22 GMT 1
Also today saw the latest round of Formula E, in Monaco. The circuit was a shorter version of the F1 circuit, with Saint Devote modified (although it may end up getting modified again for next year judging by what happened on lap 1). Sebastien Buemi scored a lights-to-flag victory, becoming the first driver to win twice. That corner was a bit ridiculous. Monaco's narrow at the best of times but sending them down there was like sending them down a back alley. I don't know why they couldn't have had the Monaco round the same weekend as the grand prix and used the full circuit. Maybe they don't want the lap times being shown up by faster formulae...
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Paddy
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Post by Paddy on May 10, 2015 17:16:55 GMT 1
I heard that they worried the cars couldn't make the hill.
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Post by paulgilb on May 10, 2015 22:27:35 GMT 1
Not the best F1 race (but then it was Spain after all), but good to see Rosberg back to winning form.
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Post by paulgilb on May 14, 2015 23:02:14 GMT 1
Some Spanish stats/facts:
9 different winners in the last 9 Spanish GPs. Ricciardo is the only race-winner on the grid not to have won in Spain.
Rosberg keeps alive his run of finishing every 2015 race in the same position that he started.
Hulkenberg (in Malaysia) is still the only driver from outside Mercedes & Ferrari to have run in the top 2 positions at any point this year.
First time since 2007 that only 2 teams have occupied the podium in the first 5 races of a season
5th consecutive race in which both Mercedes have finished on the podium - equals Ferrari in 2002 and 2004 and Mercedes in 2014. In all these cases, one driver failed to score in the following race.
Vettel has already managed the same number of podiums in 2015 as he did in 2014 (4).
Stevens’ finishing positions: 15-16-17. Merhi’s finishing positions: 15-16-17-18.
5 different drivers have finished 5th in the 5 races this year.
Maldonado has had 3 non-mechanical DNFs this year – 3 more than anybody else (excluding Bottas’s DNS).
3 of the 4 drivers with exactly 16 poles to their name have been involved in World Championship deciders that also involved Lewis Hamilton.
24th consecutive Mercedes-powered pole – equals Renault’s record from 1992-93 (all with Williams).
18th time Hamilton and Rosberg have shared the front row – equals Fangio-Ascari and Hakkinen-Coulthard.
Mercedes are the first team to lock out the front row in Catalunya 3 years in a row.
First time Grosjean has qualified lower than 6th in Catalunya.
First time since Abu Dhabi 2009 that both Force Indias dropped out in Q1.
Hulkenberg’s joint-lowest grid position in a dry Q1 without mechanical problems.
14th Hamilton-Rosberg 1-2 for Mercedes – equals Senna and Prost at McLaren.
First time since Italy 2014 that Hamilton lost a place on the opening lap.
First time since France-Britain-Europe 2007 that Raikkonen has led 3 consecutive races.
First time since 2001 that Alonso has gone 4 races without scoring.
First time since 1978 that McLaren have gone 5 races without scoring. First time ever that they have failed to score in the first 5 races of a season.
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Post by Panda on May 15, 2015 22:13:20 GMT 1
Is it bad that I find Susie Wolff's accent highly amusing?
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Post by Shireblogger on May 16, 2015 7:27:54 GMT 1
Is it bad that I find Susie Wolff's accent highly amusing? Yes. Toto Wolff - now he has a funny accent.
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Post by Panda on May 21, 2015 23:33:28 GMT 1
Very worrying seeing several airborne crashes during practice for the Indianapolis 500. They've clearly got something very badly wrong with the aerodynamics and I don't think they've done enough to solve the problem. I'm rather concerned for Sunday's race... Nevertheless, this is the starting grid: ROW 1 1. Scott Dixon 2. Will Power 3. Simon Pagenaud ROW 2 4. Tony Kanaan 5. Helio Castroneves 6. Justin Wilson ROW 3 7. Sebastien Bourdais 8. Marco Andretti 9. Josef Newgarden ROW 4 10. JR Hildebrand 11. Carlos Munoz 12. Ed Carpenter ROW 5 13. Oriol Servia 14. Charlie Kimball 15. Juan Pablo Montoya ROW 6 16. Ryan Hunter-Reay 17. Graham Rahal 18. Carlos Huertas ROW 7 19. Simona de Silvestro 20. James Jakes 21. Alex Tagliani ROW 8 22. Sage Karam 23. Conor Daly 24. Townsend Bell ROW 9 25. Takuma Sato 26. Pippa Mann 27. Gabby Chavez ROW 10 28. Sebastian Saavedra 29. Jack Hawksworth 30. Stefano Coletti ROW 11 31. Bryan Clauson 32. Ryan Briscoe 33. James Davison Ryan Briscoe replaces James Hinchcliffe, who originally qualified 24th, but was later seriously injured in a crash in practice. Tristan Vautier drove James Davison's car in qualifying as Davison was racing elsewhere. Vautier was 21st but due to the driver change, Davison starts at the back of the grid. As there were more than 33 entries, someone had to drive Davison's car in qualifying and be quick enough to get him into the race.
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Post by paulgilb on May 23, 2015 23:23:39 GMT 1
Drama in today's Formula E race in Berlin, as Lucas di Grassi was disqualified for running an illegal front wing having dominated the race from lap 1. Trulli started on pole, but fell down the order rapidly, retiring from near last on the final lap. d'Ambrosio inherited the win, becoming the 7th different winner from the 8 races to date.
With 3 races to go (Moscow and then a double-header in London), Piquet leads the championship by 2 points from Buemi, with di Grassi a further 8 points back.
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Post by paulgilb on May 23, 2015 23:35:25 GMT 1
Grid for this weekend's Monaco GP:
1 Hamilton 2 Rosberg 3 Vettel 4 Ricciardo 5 Kvyat 6 Raikkonen 7 Perez 8 Maldonado 9 Verstappen 10 Button 11 Hulkenberg 12 Massa 13 Alonso 14 Nasr 15 Grosjean (gearbox change) 16 Bottas 17 Ericsson 18 Stevens 19 Merhi 20 Sainz (pit-lane start after missing a weighbridge call)
25th consecutive Mercedes-powered pole - breaks Renault's record from 1992-93.
For the second year running, Rosberg managed to go off the track disrupting a British driver (in this case Button, who would likely have reached Q3 if Rosberg had not locked up at Sainte Devote).
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Post by Paddy on May 24, 2015 14:06:39 GMT 1
Blue flags need to go. Make the front runners use their skill and speed!
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Post by Paddy on May 24, 2015 15:01:22 GMT 1
Bernie paid Mercedes to keep the season close?
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Post by Paddy on May 24, 2015 16:44:35 GMT 1
Very worrying seeing several airborne crashes during practice for the Indianapolis 500. They've clearly got something very badly wrong with the aerodynamics and I don't think they've done enough to solve the problem. I'm rather concerned for Sunday's race... Nevertheless, this is the starting grid: ROW 1 1. Scott Dixon 2. Will Power 3. Simon Pagenaud ROW 2 4. Tony Kanaan 5. Helio Castroneves 6. Justin Wilson ROW 3 7. Sebastien Bourdais 8. Marco Andretti 9. Josef Newgarden ROW 4 10. JR Hildebrand 11. Carlos Munoz 12. Ed Carpenter ROW 5 13. Oriol Servia 14. Charlie Kimball 15. Juan Pablo Montoya ROW 6 16. Ryan Hunter-Reay 17. Graham Rahal 18. Carlos Huertas ROW 7 19. Simona de Silvestro 20. James Jakes 21. Alex Tagliani ROW 8 22. Sage Karam 23. Conor Daly 24. Townsend Bell ROW 9 25. Takuma Sato 26. Pippa Mann 27. Gabby Chavez ROW 10 28. Sebastian Saavedra 29. Jack Hawksworth 30. Stefano Coletti ROW 11 31. Bryan Clauson 32. Ryan Briscoe 33. James Davison Ryan Briscoe replaces James Hinchcliffe, who originally qualified 24th, but was later seriously injured in a crash in practice. Tristan Vautier drove James Davison's car in qualifying as Davison was racing elsewhere. Vautier was 21st but due to the driver change, Davison starts at the back of the grid. As there were more than 33 entries, someone had to drive Davison's car in qualifying and be quick enough to get him into the race. Hope Pippa can have a good run. ESPN has it live, now on.
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