Malaysia low down

Malaysia is known for it's extreme climate and unpredictable weather, one minute it can be dry the next it'll be raining and stormy - that's exactly what happened just as the race got underway.

Weather whisperers were out in force, for team members on the grid it was a race to see who could predict the weather closest to lights out. It was Intermediates for the whole field, except HRT who went for fully wets.
Lap 1 and by this time it was tipping it down with rain, Lewis Hamilton got off well from pole with teammate Jenson Button chasing close behind in to Turn 1. Romain Grosjean also got off to a superb start up in to 3rd until he clipped Michael Schumacher, they both dropped down to the mid-field after Schumi spun his Merc.
Sauber's Sergio Perez was first to pit opting for full wets, a bold decision which was the start of a brilliant race for the young Mexican, a gamble that payed off well.
Lap 5 saw the first retirement of the race when Romain Grosjean beached his Lotus for the second race in a row, i think once he's over beaching his car during the race Grosjean will be a strong competitor the car looks like it's got what it takes to go all the way to the podium but Lotus' luck hasn't been great so far with Kimi Raikkonen receiving a five place grid drop after changing the gearbox yesterday, needless to say the Iceman worked his way up the field.
On lap 7 Jenson Button declared the last sector "is like a lake"... soon after the safety car was out and the field were bunched up. Eventually two laps later the race was red flagged, the cars lined up on the grid in order of current positions behind the safety car, gazebo's went up and the grid now looked like some dodgy British BBQ party.
The driver who benefited most from the red flag was Toro Rosso's Jean-Eric Vergne who had yet to pit, he put in a great effort to stick (or struggle to stick) with inters while others changed to full wets. The driver who could of done without the red flag the most was Bruno Senna who had only just pitted for wet tyres.

What seemed like forever (50 minutes to be precise), a few claps of thunder and lightening plus a lot of rain later the race restarted under the safety car and the field were on their way again.
Lap 13 and the safety car was in, it was time to get back racing for the remainder of the race.
Pedro de la Rosa got given a drive-through penalty for having team personnel leave the grid too late. After starting in the pits because he stalled at the start of the race before the red flag, the Spaniard's day went for bad to worse.
Lap 14 was the start of pit skittling - Button, Rosberg and Raikkonen were first to pit for inters followed by a hectic lap 15 with front runner Hamilton pitting but was a crucial flaw in the McLaren drivers race, he ended up having to wait while Felipe Massa got in to his pitbox which meant he was behind Alonso when he was released. While the drama was unfolding in the pitlane, Sergio Perez was leading the Grand Prix, holding out for another lap on wet tyres, he then pitted for medium compound tyres - another wise move from the Sauber team.
Meanwhile McLaren's race was falling apart, Jenson Button collided in to the back of HRT's Narain Karthikeyan ruining his race and Karthikeyan's, he struggled with grip and tyre issues for the rest of the race, Button finished in 14th place.

On Lap 17 Alonso made his all important move on Perez for 1st, for the rest of their race they were both dicing each other battling for the top spot, each taking fastest after fastest lap off each other, both holding on to their positions finishing 1st and 2nd, a fantastic performance by Perez; if you didn't think he had talent before then i bet you do now!
Once DRS had been activated reining champion Sebastian Vettel was up to 4th place overtaking Nico Rosberg who then dropped back behind Kimi Raikkonen. The Mercedes seem to have better qualifying pace then race pace.
Sebastian's position soon diminished, as with Button, Vettel collided with Kathikeyan and punctured his left rear, spitting up rubber he pitted for fresh tyres. Vettel's chances of a podium were over and the frustrated German finished in 11th.
*Narain Karthikeyan has been giving a penalty after the incident with Sebastian Vettel, why? You tell me.
Williams' end of race misfortune continued in Sepang with Pastor Maldonado having to box after an engine failure on Lap 55 however teammate Bruno Senna had a blinder of a race and finished in 6th, his best result in a GP and a much needed comeback for the team!
Red Bull had a terrible last lap with Vettel; they played radio hokey-cokey telling him to pit due to damage to rear brake duct after his clash with Kartikeyan, then changing their mind and saying he had to stay out, in, out, in out and finally he finished in 11th, it turns out his radio didn't work and he couldn't hear a thing they were telling him, just as well.
It was all smiles for the podium drivers, even though McLaren overall didn't have the race they hoped they would have had, a podium is a podium and it's more points on the board.

RESULTS:


FASTEST LAP: Kimi Raikkonen: 1:40.722

Fernando Alonso 1st, Sergio Perez 2nd, Lewis Hamilton 3rd 

The first two opening races have been corkers, full of excitement and unpredictability, this had to be one of the most surprising podiums in a long time. Now for a short (in F1 fan term this actually means it'll feel like forever and a day) three week break until China [April 13-15th] teams and driver will now have a chance to reflect on the season opener's after a jam packed few weeks. Who knows what China will bring but i have a feeling it'll be another nail biting race.

If you are a MotoGP fan though the even longer wait till the first race of the season is soon to be over. Two weeks today Qatar's MotoGP night race will be underway and the start of Casey Stoner's fight for retainment of his championship will begin, along with Moto2 and Moto3 - which has been replaced by 125cc, who'll be the first Moto3 winner in Doha?

Will the Ducati finally make some positive progress and fight for podiums? Will Repsol Honda be as dominate as 2011? How well will the CRT's perform in race conditions? 

We'll soon find out! 

I'm not 100% sure why exactly i am writing this blog post but i feel i need to say this (nothing bad honest)

In recent weeks I've had a huge increase in blog views/followers etc quite frankly i have no idea why, the only promotion i have to my blog is a link in my Twitter bio, i don't promote through begging my Twitter followers to read my recent post (surely I'm not the only one who dislikes constant tweets to the same blog post every five minutes?! A few is fine but the more you post it the less inclined i am to read it), i don't post it to my Facebook or to my personal blog (again, only have a link on my page) but love it or hate it, thank you so much for reading my drivel on F1 and MotoGP!

I first started this blog during last season, just before the summer break, at the time i wasn't sure what exactly I'd post about but i found myself wanting to write about the Hungarian GP, i quite enjoyed re-living the Grand Prix, looking in depth to race times/positions/strategies after the race, so i thought why not continue and if it becomes a chore I'll stop. Well, obviously that didn't happen.
Although my blog is mainly Formula 1, my race low downs also include MotoGP, I decided to include them both together because 1) this blog is for my benefit too, and i tag each post so i can filter them separately and 2) because i was too lazy to make two different blogs when anyone who doesn't like either or can simply skip the designated post.
What I'm basically saying is this is my blog; i post what i feel like posting, I'm not claiming to be good at writing because i know I'm not A+, this is for personal benefit, if you will, and if people happen to enjoy reading it than that is a bonus and i appreciate it a lot (thank you, thank you, thank you)

I know there are hundreds of Motorsport blogs out there, I'm just like one Pirelli tyre in a factory full of hundreds, I'm not quite good enough to get to be selected for a Formula 1 car but everyone starts at the bottom of the pile, who knows maybe one day this Pirelli tyre will be racing in a lower formula.
[I don't want to be a journalist though so i guess you could apply this to general life instead]

If you read this, thanks, it's now that time where i have to get some sleep so i can watch FP1 at Sepang in the early hours of the morning.
The Malaysian GP i know i am going to find hard to watch. The last time i got up early to watch a race at Sepang was for the MotoGP back in October, it started with excitement and ended in tragedy. Marco Simoncelli is Resting In Paradise, all i can wish for this weekend and every other is a happy, safe weekend for everyone. Forever58.

If qualifying is exciting as Australia I'll write a low down, if not I'll be writing a low down on the race. Enjoy the weekend!

Red Bull Rears

Red Bull duo Mark Webber and Sebastian Vettel apparently don't mind you looking at their rear ends if you are behind them... well i would be a bit worried if you could see them from any other angle.

[Pepe Jeans advert]

Unusual advertising seeing as their target audience is aimed at men, possibly instigating that men don't buy their own jeans and this is aimed for the ladies, who knows. 

All i do know is that it's slightly cringe-worthy but i am certainly not complaining! 

Pretty sure Lewis Hamilton was not happy with the sight of Sebastian's (and'Abbey's') rear end last weekend. 

Aussie low down

Today was a perfect day for a stroll around the peaceful Albert Park... a perfect day for some V8 action.
Race day in Australia was dry, slightly on the cooler side but still warmer than Europe (not that that's hard to beat) as the teams and fans geared up for the first Grand Prix of the season.

22 cars lined up on the grid (no HRT) and the five lights went red, we were in for a treat!
Jenson Button got off to a cracking start, passing Lewis Hamilton and lead the pack in to the first corner. Further down the grid first lap chaos was in full swing, Romain Grosjean was unable to translate his qualifying result and slipped back to 6th behind Michael Schumacher.
The home Grand Prix curse hit Mark Webber again, getting off to a bad start hitting Williams driver Bruno Senna while fellow Aussie Daniel Ricciardo got caught up in the first corner mayhem.
Nico Hulkenberg was the first driver out, a dismal return for the promising young gun.
Sebastian Vettel proved critics wrong when he climbed (or drove rather fast) up the grid over taking Nico Rosberg outside turn three in to four, the German was on a mission to prove 1) he can overtake and 2) that Red Bull had race pace.

On Lap 2 Romain Grosjean and Pastor Maldonado had a wheel-to-wheel kiss, ending Grosjean's race, he went off in to the gravel after his suspension buckled, the Frenchman gave Maldonado room but a combination of Grosjean's rookie error of presuming the Venezuelan would give him enough track space and Maldonado barging him in the gravel meant it was all over for the Lotus driver.
Ferrari seemed to have impressive race pace compared to the rest of the weekend, Fernando Alonso managed to stay in the running for the podium throughout the race.

Lap 10 - Michael Schumacher, who had been battling with the front runners, gave up the ghost and steered in to the run-off, slowly managing to get to the pits to retire after gear trouble.
Kimi Raikkonen found himself in the top 10 after starting in 17th finishing up the race in 7th, the iceman made everyone chuckle when he asked why he kept getting the blue flags 'Blue flags are for cars behind Kimi. They're not for you' ... it's good to have him back.

Lap 19, Lewis Hamilton's race didn't go as smoothly as he hoped it would, after pitting for fresh tyres he got stuck behind a very determined Sergio Perez in the Sauber, Perez had a brilliant race being in the mix of the top 5, holding his place on several occasions - he's obviously a big fan of Albert Park after his second strong drive at the Aus GP, he finished in 8th and this year got to keep the points!

The first safety car of the season came out on Lap 37 after Vitaly Petrov pulled up his Caterham on the pit straight, it came in on Lap 42. A lap later Petrov's teammate Heikki Kovalainen boxed and retired from the race, not  good start for the team. *Kovalainen will face a five place grid drop in Malaysia because he crossed the safety car line before the leader -while the safety car was out- when ducking in to the pits.*
Felipe Massa old ways creeped back from last season, however this time it wasn't Lewis Hamilton he was crashing in to but Williams driver Bruno Senna, both having damage to the car pitting straight away, Senna got cleared but Massa parked up his Ferrari (eventually), Bruno Senna later retired on Lap 52.
On the final lap, Pastor Maldonado crashed in an unusual situation; he got his tyres on the grass and vered off in to and up the wall with a heavy bash back down to the tarmac, drivers fine but Williams have missed out of valuable points which would have been more than they scored all last season.
Jenson Button was victorious leading from start to finish, a cool, calm outing for the Brit who has every belief he is going to win the WC again, mentioning the 2009 season over the radio after he won.
An exciting start to what is set to be an exciting season!

FASTEST LAP: Jenson Button : 1:29.187

RESULTS:

[The podium - Jenson Button 1st, Sebastian Vettel 2nd, Lewis Hamilton 3rd]

Favourite Helmet (Yes, the feature is back!):

Of course it has to be Heikki Kovalainen's Angry Bird lid!! 

Last but not least...

Here's the driver photo for the season (the first half at least) Lewis and Kimi; like a boss. Though i think they should have been told to take their shades off, can't have them looking more bad ass then the rest of them!

The start of hopefully a safe and thrilling season.

Next up Sepang, Malaysia at the end of the week.

Don't forget if you have Twitter you can follow me @Maddyyf1 

What's gone on down under so far

I don't usually write Qualifying low-down's, last season became repetitive when it came to the drivers putting in their best lap, all but a few times 2011 quali was a breeze for Sebastian Vettel, he clenched pole after pole with pointed finger in tow.

Sebastian's dominance in Formula 1 seems to have turned tables proving for a thrilling qualifying session at Albert Park in Melbourne, so how could i not write up my thoughts on such an exciting start to the season?!

Throughout the previous practise session, teams were all over the place, with different tests and runs going on, rain on Friday and a lack of grip around the track has proved tricky for the majority of the drivers, this could be an accumulation of factors: the ban of the off-throttle blown diffuser or the fact that it is a street circuit, laying down rubber hasn't been happening this weekend.

Qualifying:

With the sun shining down on the street track, quali was underway. Q1 was a shocker for all the wrong reasons; both HRT's cars failed to set a lap time in the 107% rule, with a severe lack of track action this weekend it was hardly surprising however Narain Karthikeyan kicked up controversy after holding up others when they were on flying laps. As a result of HRT's lack of running and unable to set a competitive time they will NOT be participating in the Grand Prix tomorrow, sound familiar?

At the back of the grid will be Sergio Perez after being demoted 5 grid places due to a gearbox change, joining him at the back will be both Marussia cars (Charles Pic and Timo Glock) and both Caterham's (Heikki Kovalainen and Vitaly Petrov)

The most shocking was the knock-out of Kimi Raikkonen who didn't make it in to Q2, a strategy mishap see's him starting in 17th after gaining a place because of Perez's grid drop.

Q2 didn't fail to drum up excitement when Fernando Alonso beached the Ferrari in the gravel early on in the session, an extremely disappointing weekend of the team with Felipe Massa qualifying behind his team mate (even though Alonso stuck it in the gravel) in 16th, a serious re-evaluation to take place at Ferrari, the drivers have been battling with the rear end unable to tame the prancing horse. 

Paul Di Resta had a qualifying to forget after only managing to get 15th while teammate Nico Hulkenberg went through to Q3 (starting 9th)

Q3 saw the racer from Perth, Daniel Ricciardo through, he didn't set a time and starts in 10th for his first home Grand Prix.

Pastor Maldonado put a great effort, qualifying in 8th, in what appears to be a much more competitive Williams this season, which is a relief to see! 

While Mercedes looked strong all through practise' with controversy over their DRS activated f-duct, which the FIA say is legal, under pressure to be up the front Nico Rosberg could only manage 7th when it mattered, Michael Schumacher starts 4th.

Red Bull's didn't look so dominant with Vettel starting in 6th behind team mate Mark Webber - both Aussies in the top 10 for the Australian Grand Prix.

The shocker of Q3 was Romain Grosjean who sits behind both McLaren's in 3rd - a superb effort from the returnee Frenchman, fast, precise and made it count on his debut with Lotus, let's see if he can translate that in to a good race position.

Fronting the field from pole position in tomorrow's GP is Lewis Hamilton, a turn around from last year and a positive winter for the McLaren team has certainly started to pay off with Jenson Button starting behind his teammate. 

It is all to race for, with a tight grid who know's what'll happen tomorrow but i for one, can't wait for the 2012 season opener!

Back of the pack

Yesterday both HRT and Marussia revealed their challengers for the season after missing all three pre-season tests and failing crash tests but now, for the moment, that is behind them, tests are now all passed, cars are now launched and full focus is now on Melbourne.

Marussia had a whizz round Silverstone at their launch of the new car...

MR01

Marussia are the only team other than McLaren to not have a stepped nose, maybe this could work in their favour as the McLaren was looking stong in testing and of course they now have a technical partnership with Marussia.
The livery is a familiar black and red, just in different places. To me, it looks a lot like their GP3 car, not a bad thing but for some could get slightly confusing.

Meanwhile over in Spain, HRT took their F112 out for a spin around Barcelona...

F112

Surprised? I was! The HRT looks very impressive with an over-haul on the livery this year, is this the start of a new and improved team?! I hope the car is just as impressive on the track as it is off.

Slowly but surely we now have all the teams and drivers raring to go for the first race of the season in Australia in just under two weeks time, HURRAY!
The wait is almost over however, for those in the UK it could be over a lot sooner; at the end of the week. No, there's no secret GP but if like me if you really want F1 to hurry up then Sky F1 launches at the end of the week!  They'll start off airing after the launch, filled with magazine shows, legends shows, Grand Prix previews and more to keep us occupied till FP1.

Over on the BBC they have launched today now with a full team line up including Jaime Alguersuari who will be co-commentating with James Allen on BBC 5live radio. Out of the cockpit and now behind the mike, i hope this won't become permeant and that we'll see him on the grid next season, saying that i wish him the best, he'll certainly offer the inside scoop from a drivers perspective for the BBC.

A little piece of F1 history

I know some Formula 1 fans aren't as interested in the history of the sport but for me i like knowing the history of the sport i love, drivers, teams, events that changed the sport in to what it is today. Iconic moments, the good and the sad times. 

The history of Formula 1 is fascinating in my view, if only F1 history was a subject in school i would have loved it!

Anyway today i was thinking of my first Grand Prix experience then i thought 'Hmm, i wonder how many grand prix's have been held on my birthday' (don't say you've never thought about it, or is it just me?) then i came across the 1992 British Grand Prix - the very day i was born.

July 12th 1992...

Was the 9th round (/16) of the Formula 1 1992 World Championship, held at Silverstone Circuit on July 12th. Nigel Mansell was on pole and went on to win the race and took the fastest lap, 1:18.965. He was joined on the podium by Ricciardo Patrese (2nd) and Martin Brundle (3rd) It was Nigel Mansell’s 28th win, which meant he overtook Jackie Stewart as the most successful British driver, Jackie won 27 Grand Prix’s.

It was Ayrton Senna’s third retirement in a row, this had (at the time) only happened to him once before, two years before in the 1990 season, which he won his second championship, and only happened to him once after the 1992 season, two years later in 1994. [Make of that what you will]

The 1992 British Grand Prix also saw the debut of the next generation of ‘Hill’, Damon Hill followed in his father Graham’s footsteps and made his first start for the Brabham team, finishing 16th. 

Mansell’s win at this Grand Prix is still iconic today with footage and photo’s cropping up from after the race when fans swamped the track and blocked Mansell from being able to return from the pits, causing safety concerns but showing die-hard passion.

The 1992 season as a whole was a successful year for British racing, a British Driver Champion and a British Constructor Champions, which was the team Mansell was driving for, Williams. It was the teams fifth constructors championship. The second and third constructors in 1992 were also British based teams, McLaren and Benneton with Brit teams Lotus, Tyrrell and Footwork finishing in fifth, sixth and seventh respectively. The only team to break up the top seven British teams were Italian team Ferrari who finished fifth. 

So, Formula 1 and i were obviously fate. I have many happy memories, especially such as celebrating my 18th birthday at the Silverstone GP in 2010 (it was on the 11th but still) my first live Grand Prix experience, 18 years before that Nigel Mansell was on track to becoming World Champion. In 2010 Sebastian Vettel was on more of a rollercoaster to becoming World Champion with a punctured tyre and an angry teammate who’s front wing got pinched and placed on his car. At least we know F1 drama never changes!

Now 20 years from Nigel winning his Championship, who will triumph this year? Will Sebastian Vettel make 3 a luckier number then Ayrton did? Or maybe on the 20th anniversary year of Nige’s title Lewis or Jenson will get their second championship? Alonso and Webber will most certainly be in the title hunt too, who knows maybe others will be as well.

Are you excited? I know i am!