Formula 1 2013

[FLYING MONKEY]

Probably not, but I thought it an interesting question nevertheless. For what it's worth, I think he would have done as Vettel did.

And on the subject of Vettel, I'm of the opinion that ultimately it's a team sport and that team rules have to be abided by and I would hope that he gets a good verbal, or more, from the team for ignoring their instruction. I can see why he did it though and it made for great racing and TV along with the debate surrounding it all, but that doesn't make it right. I've no issue with team orders per se either.

Sure he would have ignored them, McLaren in the senna era always said that they had no team orders because in the words of Ron Dennis Senna would not have listened to them anyway and I doubt Prost would have.

[Backward point]

In a statement reminiscent of Chamberlain's return from Munich, Dr Helmut Marko has declared publicly that peace has broken out within the Red Bull team. Sebastian Vettel has apologised to each and avery member of the team, and has been allowed off the naughty step.

All, we are led to believe, is well once again. Operation World Domination can resume.

Although it rather depends who you believe. The discredited and still ostracised Flavio Briatore, who happens to be Mark Webber's manager, still believes that his driver was the subject of a grievous treachery, and with good reason. Vettel may be wise not to rely on too much assistance from his team mate as the season unfolds, and if there's an Australian occupying the second berth at Red Bull next year, it's likely to be Daniel Ricciardo. Although that currently looks unlikely, as his team-mate, Jean-Eric Vergne, has outperformed him at both races so far.

This week's other Hot Topic as far as Formula 1 is concerned is tyres. Which are the Hot Topic for the first few races of every season since Pirelli got the contract to supply tyres which degrade in line with the wishes of the FIA. After the first few races the teams develop an understanding of the new tyres and learn how not to destroy them. At which point the Hot Topic becomes the use of exhaust gases to aid rear down force, or flexible aerodynamic aids, etc, etc.

The teams most disadvantaged by the current crop of Pirellis are those which produce the most downforce and in doing so place the greatest loads on their tyres. This of course means Red Bull. In qualifying the Red Bull, in Vettel's hands, is clearly faster than anything else, particularly so in fast corners, where the wizardry of Adrian Newey is most in evidence. During the race, when management of tyre life comes into play, the Red Bull appears mortal. Comments in Autosport, Motor Sport et al make mention of the prospect that on tyres which don't degrade as quickly as the Pirellis, the Red Bull could be a second per lap quicker than their rivals. Which would make for a very dull season indeed.

A break now before China, and a chance for the teams to get back to base and make use of the knowledge gained from the first two races - McLaren will no doubt be busy with - well - everything, Force India will need to sort out a means of changing wheels and Ferrari need to learn to interpret the telemetry and understand that if the front wing is hanging by a thread, it's unlikely that the car will make it round the next handful of laps so that the offending item can be changed at the same time as the tyres.

Meanwhile, all is sweetness and light at Red Bull. Depending on who you listen to.


Regards

Ian

[Backward point]

Seconds out................

Well, after apologising to the Red Bull team for overtaking Mark Webber against team orders to win in Malaysia, triple World Champion Sebastian Vettel has now declared that although he apologised for disobeying the team, he doesn't apologise for winning the race.

The spring flowers which had clothed the grounds surrounding the Team HQ in fashionable Milton Keynes have subsequently died, and the fluffy bunny rabbits which hopped playfully in the fields have contracted myxomatosis. Expect relations between the two halves of the pit garage to hit a new low. Odds on a first corner "accident" must be reducing by the minute.

Elsewhere, there's a new acronym in the pit lane, and it's "FRIC" or alternatively "FRICS", either version of which stands for "Front and Rear Inter-Connectivity". Basically, it's a hydraulic connection between the front and rear suspension which helps to maintain a constant ride height, thereby making the aerodynamics behave more consistently, and improving tyre life. Lotus have had such a system since last season, and the car is noted for an ability to maximise the Pirellis, and Mercedes have introduced their version this year.

China is all about combining good front grip, as some corners are more than 180 degrees, and top speed for the longest straight of any current Grand Prix circuit. Last year saw Nico Rosberg win from pole, although Raikkonen would have been in with a shout had his tyres not dropped away dramatically towards the end, and it's a circuit which can throw up an unusual result. Red Bull have one of the slowest cars in a straight line, so it's not a circuit which favours them.

Game on.


Regards

Ian

[tifosotony]

Lots of ifs and buts to be sure this weekend. Hopefully we'll see some excitement like we had at the opening MotoGP race.

[TikTokTrev]

Thanks Ian....always interesting to read your analysis.
The Vettel/Webber situation sounds like it's far from over. Great entertainment for us spectators as something is bound to kick off on track some time...absolute nightmare for the team.
One can only imagine at least one change of driver at Red Bull next year.

[jrpippen]

I still don't understand why they would try and dictate which of their drivers win if either of them can in the dying seconds?!

Although If its direct disobedience a short spell in jail should sort it.

[Huertecilla]

I still don't understand why they would try and dictate which of their drivers win if either of them can in the dying seconds?!

Although If its direct disobedience a short spell in jail should sort it.

Punishing your only ace card is worse than shooting yourself in one foot.
The team order was both wrong ánd stupid.
Hope Vettel does more of this.
F1 can be véry boring with all that race control by team orders and stewards shaving any hairy stuff.

[Huertecilla]

Helmut Marko; ´There will not be team orders ever again in the Red Bull team.´

Good!

Can´t see either Ferrari or Mercedes following although racing would gréatly benefit from Massa being alowed to pass Alonso or Niko having it out with Hamilton.

[TikTokTrev]

Helmut Marko; ´There will not be team orders ever again in the Red Bull team.´

Good!

Can´t see either Ferrari or Mercedes following although racing would gréatly benefit from Massa being alowed to pass Alonso or Niko having it out with Hamilton.

I guess from Red Bull's point of view there's not really much point in asking either of the drivers to yield to the other....neither would do it.

And yes it would be really good to see Massa allowed to race and win. I've never really understood his motivation, as it seems to me he is always effectively racing for 2nd place at best.

[Dave+63]

I

And yes it would be really good to see Massa allowed to race and win. I've never really understood his motivation, as it seems to me he is always effectively racing for 2nd place at best.

Well it's a nice place to see out your career and the money can't be bad. He'd not get a drive with any of the other top teams so fighting for second is his best option as far as I can see.

[Tuna1138]

Looking forward to this weekends race, fingers crossed that Button/McLaren can replicate last years result.
Will be interesting to see if McLaren have actually identified car weaknesses and upgraded accordingly

my Oris Gp will be with me this weekend

[Foxey]

Vettel's behaviour and comments are disgraceful.

[Gareth-W]

Vettel's behaviour and comments are disgraceful.

+1

He's taking a leaf out of his hero's (MS) book on debatable personal and race ethics.

[WORKSIMON]

Vettel's behaviour and comments are disgraceful.

I really don't understand his comments, he just seems to contradict himself every time he opens his mouth ????

[Meinessex]

Vettel's behaviour and comments are disgraceful.

You are obviously looking at it from the teams point of view, as its supposed to be a team sport, he should be a team player and do what his team orders him to, what they pay him to.

I however am a fan of racing, I want to see a great race, I want to see the best driver on the day win. This cannot, will not and does not happen when team orders are introduced.

Therefore, I for one appluad his actions, long may they continue.

[Skier]

You are obviously looking at it from the teams point of view, as its supposed to be a team sport, he should be a team player and do what his team orders him to, what they pay him to.

I however am a fan of racing, I want to see a great race, I want to see the best driver on the day win. This cannot, will not and does not happen when team orders are introduced.

Therefore, I for one appluad his actions, long may they continue.

I think people are looking at this from a sporting and human point of view. You are against team orders; so are many. I'm not a fan of team orders and there was a time when they were banned (though still used). Vettel is paid by the team to do a job, he ignored his boss's instructions and in that instance decided that he was calling the shots. That behaviour is arrogant, disrespectful and selfish. Moreover, it has ensured that he will not be supported by Webber or Webber's half of the garage. It has also put Horner in a very difficult position as Marko has sided with Vettel (on this and other issues) so he's virtually bomb-proof.

it's probably the case that Webber won't be with the team next year so he has little to lose by not supporting Vettel though I would doubt he'll doing anything as serious as taking him off the track.

[jez]

For me , Christian Horner is the real looser in this episode . He has been made to look very weak .

[Meinessex]

I think people are looking at this from a sporting and human point of view. You are against team orders; so are many. I'm not a fan of team orders and there was a time when they were banned (though still used). Vettel is paid by the team to do a job, he ignored his boss's instructions and in that instance decided that he was calling the shots. That behaviour is arrogant, disrespectful and selfish. Moreover, it has ensured that he will not be supported by Webber or Webber's half of the garage. It has also put Horner in a very difficult position as Marko has sided with Vettel (on this and other issues) so he's virtually bomb-proof.

it's probably the case that Webber won't be with the team next year so he has little to lose by not supporting Vettel though I would doubt he'll doing anything as serious as taking him off the track.

You are not wrong, all the points you make are valid, however I think what we are all witnessing are internal team politics, these are really internal team problems and really shouldn't be being aired in public.

This kinda thing goes on all the time in other teams, but we never get to hear about it, and we only know about this because of some overheard team radio messages that should have been coded a little better.

Its wrong to make Vettel out to be the villain here, the fault lies with the rules of the sport, he is just exposing F1 for what it is, a money making machine. For us to see great racing week in and week out, the rules need to change, but thats not gonna happen anytime soon because it puts the whole sponsorship money train at risk.

Whats happening with Alonso at Ferrari is far worse IMHO, by getting his demands and team orders written into his contract years in advance, it makes a whole mockery of the racing, at least the other teams alter their team orders on a race by race basis.

Don't feel sorry for Horner, its the kind of problem team managers love to have, whether to come first and second, or second and first, what a tough job he has. ;-)

But don't believe everything he says either, he has to keep Webber happy, he has to stop him throwing his toys out the pram, and if that involves telling a few lies, then thats what he will do.

[Backward point]

The fallout from "Vettel-gate" has barely begun, and is likely to compromise the team's prospects in this year's Constructors championship. Which is the one that the teams are all keen to win, as it dictates their revenue for the following season.

Everybody seems to miss the point that the team on the pit wall have far more information available to them than their drivers. There are a dozen or so technicians shut away in a truck in the paddock analysing data, and at least that number back at base doing the same. All of which is then fed to three or four tactical analysts who in turn report to the pit wall. The drivers have less information than just about everybody else in the team. Ross Brawn made his views quite clear on the radio to Nico Rosberg, as he knew exactly what was going on at the time, whereas his drivers didn't.

Back to the important news from Shanghai, which is that Mark Webber has had a fairly uncompromising hair cut, and the arrival of a new shaving-related sponsor at McLaren in the form of Gillette has prompted the appearance in the paddock of a freshly-shaven Jenson Button.


Regards

Ian

[Huertecilla]

Whats happening with Alonso at Ferrari is far worse IMHO, by getting his demands and team orders written into his contract years in advance, it makes a whole mockery of the racing, at least the other teams alter their team orders on a race by race basis.

It áll makes a mockery of racing and Alonso tops the lot.

For the moment we have Rosberg ahead of Hamilton and Webber ahead of Vettel.

[Huertecilla]

...and better still; Massa ahead too.

[Backward point]

I'm just watching the F1 Show on Sky - a few observations from FP1 and 2:

Mercedes look fast, but are chewing up their tyres - they were only getting two or three laps from the Soft tyre.

Ferrari are fast, and seem to be easier on their tyres. They seem to have found the sweet spot today, and looked good on longer runs as well.

Sergio Perez seems to be over-driving, and looks ragged. Not surprisingly, he spent some time in the pits watching his engineers picking gravel out of his car.

Several drivers are out of position on the time sheets - expect to see improvements from Red Bull and Sauber in particular tomorrow.

Red Bull are, predictably, down towards the bottom of the list of top speeds.

Christian Horner would probably prefer to keep a low profile this weekend, and not have microphones thrust at him accompanied by awkward questions about team morale.

Natalie Pinkham looks extremely ravishable.


Regards

Ian

[BrianR]

Natalie Pinkham looks extremely ravishable.

I'll drink to that!

[Dazzler]

Well that will teach Webber to speak out against the Golden Boy. No first corner incident now.

[Backward point]

Well that will teach Webber to speak out against the Golden Boy. No first corner incident now.

Hmmmm.......... Conspiracy theorists, start your laptops!

Webber may start from the pit lane, as Vettel did in Abu Dhabi last year, which would mean that the team can make changes to the car - the Red Bull is relatively slow in a straight line, which is quite a disadvantage at Shanghai, even with two DRS zones, and a gearbox change wouldn't disadvantage him. Vettel went out on the Medium tyre and didn't set a qualifying time, so he can start on those tyres, the harder of the available compounds - the pundits are estimating the first stops will need to be around lap 5 for those starting on the Soft tyres. With those out of the way, the smart money appears to be on Ferrari and Lotus, both having shown some real pace without damaging their tyres.


Regards

Ian

[Huertecilla]

I found it sursprising that despite the lack og top speed Raikonen managed to put his Lotes in second and still not smoke his tires.

[hogthrob]

So are the Mercedes expected to be harder on their tyres, and consequently not be able to run at maximum pace?

I think we can expect to see Vettel trying to barge past Button at the start.

[and6868]

Anyone notice on sky that Hill and Herbet didnt have wrist watches on? Strange as Herbet had a daytona last time and Hill had something he endorses but cant remeber the name. Just looked strange with sleves rolled up and nothing there!
And

[~dadam02~]

Anyone notice on sky that Hill and Herbet didnt have wrist watches on? Strange as Herbet had a daytona last time and Hill had something he endorses but cant remeber the name. Just looked strange with sleves rolled up and nothing there!
And

Hill was sporting a bit of a watch tan also. Saw Herbert rocking a Speedy in Texas last season.

[TikTokTrev]

Hill was sporting a bit of a watch tan also. Saw Herbert rocking a Speedy in Texas last season.

Sounds like the endorsement money has dried up, and they would rather go bare wristed than give a 'freebie'.

[CardShark]

Anyone notice on sky that Hill and Herbet didnt have wrist watches on? Strange as Herbet had a daytona last time and Hill had something he endorses but cant remeber the name. Just looked strange with sleves rolled up and nothing there!
And

Didn't notice for quali but JH was wearing a white faced Daytona for P2 yesterday.

[Backward point]

Johnny Herbert would have received a Daytona for winning Le Mans in 1991. If that helps.

Doesn't explain why he wasn't wearing one for Qualifying, though.

[hogthrob]

Watching the race, I couldn't help thinking how dull and processional it would have been without the tyre shenanigans and two DRS zones.

[Backward point]

There are (as yet unconfirmed) reports that Mark Webber has signed a five-year deal to drive for Porsche in the World Endurance Championship from 2014.

[aldfort]

BBC 2 at 17.30 for those who have not had enough motorsport related watching today.

Title of the documentary is a little bit far fetched. But I'll leave others to comment on that further.

Todays rave was interesting, if a little boring to watch. Last lap was sort of good.

[TikTokTrev]

Watching the race, I couldn't help thinking how dull and processional it would have been without the tyre shenanigans and two DRS zones.

I agree absolutely. Whilst I enjoyed seeing the differing strategies play out the 'action' and DRS overtakes feel a bit contrived nowadays.

[hogthrob]

I agree absolutely. Whilst I enjoyed seeing the differing strategies play out the 'action' and DRS overtakes feel a bit contrived nowadays.

It doesn't normally bother me, but a soft tyre that was only good for a handful of laps was ridiculous.

After they had settled down following the start, they were just going round line astern, until DRS was enabled, and the pit stops started. I pictured a race without DRS, where they stayed in that order.

I don't blame the tyres and DRS though, it's the fault of the track designs and a consequence of modern aerodynamics. It didn't stop Alonso pulling off a couple of good overtakes though.

[tifosotony]

I hope you'll forgive the bias but.....Forza!!!!

[Foxy100]

I was at Silverstone today and it looks awful. Silly corners everywhere and some shiny new Bernie-friendly facilities. I'd much rather see it as it was for years, with cars with no downforce. Bring back Brands, Donnington and cigar cars!

[andy tims]

I was at Silverstone today and it looks awful. Silly corners everywhere and some shiny new Bernie-friendly facilities. I'd much rather see it as it was for years, with cars with no downforce. Bring back Brands, Donnington and cigar cars!

The new Silverstone is pretty good to ride - not driven it yet. The loss of Bridge being the only negative.

As for today's F1 - too much DRS advantage, but at least those who see a Q3 time generally prevailed. Webbers wheel - WTF? Great drive by Kimi with a damaged nose. Most of the real excitement was in the last 2 laps with Vettel chasing down Hamilton.

[duffy78]

Good strategy by redbull with vettel, showed what the soft tyre could do if used properly.

DRS advantage was a bit OTT this time round, should've have kept the one zone as per last year. Also seeing a car that was behind someone in the drs detection zone pass that someone using superior power / driving abs then once in front in the actual drs zone being able to open the wing to defend any attempt at a repass needs to be knocked on the head.

[DandyHighwayMan]

My wife worked as a contractor at Lotus until last Thursday as a cleaning Supervisor. She had worked there for the past 11 years. The financial woes of the Enstone based team has suffered many ups and downs over the years as Benetton then Renault and now Lotus.

Her company hadn't been paid since December 2012. Many of their suppliers havent been paid and staff wages have been sporadic for the last two months. They are in crises talks with the FIA over thie financial position. This isn't info from a bitter ex contractor as she's been and still is an avid supporter of the team for years and we both know many people employed by them.

I hope that their position gets turned around as Kimi is the most exciting thing to have happened to the team since Alonso and it finally looks as if they have a competetive package to challenge the front running teams.

It would be a sad day for British Motorsport to see a large team as the Enstone mob having to bail out.

[Backward point]

There were rumours that all was not well at Enstone, and I believe that FOM had released funds early to them last year to assist cashflow. I hadn't realised that it was as bad as you've described, though - if a company stops paying their suppliers, it only usually ends badly.

The issue appears to lie with the ownership of the team, which is (currently) owned by Genii Capital, part funded by a loan from the Proton parent company, DRB-Hicom. the loan was initially the sponsorship which they received from Lotus, as part of the now discredited Lotus CEO Dany Bahar's world domination strategy. The sponsorship was converted into a loan, secured by a Debenture capturing the assets of the team, including the premises at Enstone, and all team property such as the wind tunnel, cars, equipment etc.

If things have reached this point, other than a sizeable injection of cash, there don't appear to be too many options available. The team have made an impressive start to the season, and are consistent front runners, but if there's no cash available to develop the car, they'll only go backwards. More to the point, any of the unpaid creditors could take action to place the team (via the operating company) into administration, which would undoubtedly preclude their racing activities. I'm sure that there are clauses in the contracts between the teams and FOM concerning financial stability.

I'll try to do some more investigations later.


Regards

Ian

[Keke]

Gerard Lopez says he is hopeful they will find a title sponsor soon but he does not want to sell Lotus too cheap.

"There are a number of title sponsors that we can sign up, but any title sponsor is for three to five years and we think the value we have today in the paddock and the championship is one that should be recognised," he said.

Source: http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/106787

[Backward point]

I suspect that Gerard Lopez, in his position as head of the Private Equity company which has the sole interest of generating a return for its' shareholders is telling the media the version of the situation which paints the situation in the best light for Genii Capital in order to protect their investment.

If, as noted above, the team aren't paying all of their suppliers, the only options are a cash injection or administration invoked by one or more of the unpaid creditors.

More anon.


Ian

[Keke]

I suspect that Gerard Lopez, in his position as head of the Private Equity company which has the sole interest of generating a return for its' shareholders is telling the media the version of the situation which paints the situation in the best light for Genii Capital in order to protect their investment.

My thoughts exactly.

[CardShark]

Certainly not a done deal, but Kimi to Red Bull? One can safely presume that RB are preparing for Webber's departure, most probably to Porsche, at least.

http://www.motorsport.com/f1/news/lo...n-deal-report/

Vettel vs Raikkonen. That'd be interesting!

Also shows Lotus' apparent need for additional funding.

[Backward point]

To the disappointment of many, though not Bernie Ecclestone, we come to the second Grand Prix in so many weekends, in Bahrain. Sky has got into the habit of showing races from previous years at the chosen venue in the days running up to the weekend, and I watched most of the 2008 race last evening, to remind myself just what a godawful circuit it is. Herr Tilke didn't have much in the way of real estate to build on, but even so, his "slow corner leading on to long straight followed by a hairpin" idea of what makes a race track found full expression here in the desert.

Grip isn't enhanced by sand being constantly blown on to the track, either. Pirelli originally planned on using the Hard and Soft compounds for this one, but had a change of mind and the pneus de choix are now Hard and Medium. The change of heart happened before last weekend's controversy over the longevity of the Soft tyre.

It would be nice to relate that there has been an outbreak of peace at Red Bull, but it hasn't happened. Vettel remains the chosen one, and Maaaaak Wibbah would very much like to exact some retribution for Sepang. Christian Horner and Helmut Marko have insisted that they will no longer try to impose team orders.

As noted above, all may not be well at Lotus, who continue to outperform their lack of budget, while Gerard Lopez continues to look for a major investor in order that Genii Capital can make a dignified exit. They, and Ferrari, seem to have found a means of not destroying their tyres and along with Red Bull look like safe bets for the podium.

The other major news story (given that so many denials of the "Mark Webber signs for Porsche" have been made that it must be true) is the return of Heikki Kovalainen to Caterham. Prompted by the dismal performances of Charles Pic, and in particular Guido van der Garde thus far, Heikki is now the team's nominated reserve driver, and will drive in FP1 in Bahrain. Van der Garde in particular will be watching nervously.


More later.


Regards

Ian

[Foucault717]

This thread was a good find. I'll be monitoring it from now on.

[Backward point]

At long last we've finished with racing in nouveau riche countries* on identikit Tilkedromes and F1 returns to proper circuits in Europe, and indeed to Barcelona, which is the track with which the teams are most familiar, as it's the venue for pre-season testing. So there's no excuse for not putting on a good show, particularly as Pirelli will be providing an additional set of hard tyres for Fridays.

Originally the intention was to encourage teams towards the lower end of the food chain to use the opportunity to give (sell) seat time to young drivers as opportunities are severely limited nowadays due to the lack of testing, and indeed this may happen, but as of this weekend everybody gets them. So, in theory, Fridays should see more on-track action.

Although Barcelona, being the first race in Europe, is traditionally where major updates appear, so expect the track to be awash with flo-vis by Friday lunch time. Equally, it's notable for the first appearances of the teams' new paddock palaces, an annual display of one-upmanship if ever there was one. Because teams are allocated specific areas of paddock tarmac, the only way for a team to express their individuality and ego is to build upwards, and the aluminium and carbon fibre origami creations of the top teams are truly wondrous creations.

So what (or who) has been creating headlines and column inches during the break after Bahrain? Well, McLaren for a start, and not just because of the new tension between the two halves of the garage. Sergio Perez appears to have been bitten by the Formula 1 equivalent of a dog with rabies, and will be looking to assert himself this weekend, but that's only one of the stories emerging from Woking recently - rumours that Ron Dennis was being edged out have surfaced, which comes as a surprise, because Ron is one of the more astute political operators in the paddock, which is saying something.

Of lesser importance is the admission that they're not expecting the updates to the car to turn it into a front runner.

Obviously, tension also runs high at Red Bull, but that's a given. Another "Mark Webber to retire from Formula 1" rumour was being bandied around (and denied) during the last few days.

Further updates as and when.


Regards

Ian


*For now. Obviously I don't include Australia in this. They are neither nouveau nor riche, and have announced an Ashes squad that includes several names that I'm sure are completely unfamiliar to the selectors themselves.