Just one week since the German Grand Prix which signalled the half way point in the 2011 season, Formula 1 visits the Hungaroring circuit in Budapest, Hungary.
Germany didn't prove very fruitful for the Formula 1 Results Predictor, which did not manage one correct prediction! Considering that it only acheived one prediction at Silverstone, a definite improvement will be required this weekend! To see for yourself how badly the F1RP did last time, click here.
For this race, we are pleased to introduce as our Guest Predictor, Ewan Marshall. Ewan writes for GPFocus.com, and has appeared as a guest writer for FinalSector Magazine. I have reliably been informed that Ewan is no relation to Gary Marshall, who was our Guest Predictor a couple of weeks ago!
GPFocus.com is a site with news, blogs and information - and they also run their own podcast!
You can also follow Ewan on Twitter @EwanMarshall
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Guest Predictions - Round 11, Hungary
1. Sebastian Vettel - Red Bull Racing
2. Fernando Alonso - Ferrari
3. Lewis Hamilton - McLaren
4. Mark Webber - Red Bull Racing
5. Jenson Button - McLaren
6. Felipe Massa - Ferrari
7. Vitaly Petrov - Renault
8. Nico Rosberg - Mercedes
9. Sergio Perez - Sauber
10. Nick Heidfeld - Renault
11. Michael Schumacher - Mercedes
12. Kamui Kobayashi - Sauber
13. Adrian Sutil - Force India
14. Paul di Resta - Force India
15. Jaime Alguersuari - Toro Rosso
16. Rubens Barrichello - Williams
17. Sebastien Buemi - Toro Rosso
18. Pastor Maldonado - Williams
19. Jarno Trulli - Team Lotus
20. Heikki Kovalainen - Team Lotus
21. Timo Glock - Virgin
22. Jerome D'Ambrosio - Virgin
23. Vitantonio Liuzzi - Hispania
24. Daniel Ricciardo - Hispania
Ewan has suggested that we may once again see three different teams on the podium. He is also expecting a return to form of the Renault team.
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F1RP Prediction - Round 11, Hungary
1. Mark Webber - Red Bull Racing
2. Sebastian Vettel - Red Bull Racing
3. Felipe Massa - Ferrari
4. Jenson Button - McLaren
5. Fernando Alonso - Ferrari
6. Lewis Hamilton - McLaren
7. Vitaly Petrov - Renault
8. Kamui Kobayashi - Sauber
9. Nick Heidfeld - Renault
10. Nico Rosberg - Mercedes
11. Sergio Perez - Sauber
12. Michael Schumacher - Mercedes
13. Rubens Barrichello - Williams
14. Sebastien Buemi - Toro Rosso
15. Jaime Alguersuari - Toro Rosso
16. Adrian Sutil - Force India
17. Pastor Maldonado - Williams
18. Paul di Resta - Force India
19. Heikki Kovalainen - Team Lotus
20. Timo Glock - Virgin
21. Jarno Trulli - Team Lotus
22. Vitantonio Liuzzi - Hispania
23. Daniel Ricciardo - Hispania
24. Jerome D'Ambrosio - Virgin
Although Red Bull seemed to struggle last weekend, the Formula 1 Results Predictor is expecting this to just be a small blip. It is also expecting strong performances from Felipe Massa and the Renault team.
Both Ewan and the F1RP agree on the positioning of Vitaly Petrov (7th) and Jaime Alguersuari (15th).
If you would like to make some predictions, feel free to do so by commenting below!
Attempting To Predict The Results Of Every Race Of The 2011 Formula 1 Season
Showing posts with label Vitaly Petrov. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Vitaly Petrov. Show all posts
Wednesday, 27 July 2011
Monday, 30 May 2011
Petrov & Perez Discharged From Hospital
It is reported that both Vitaly Petrov and Sergio Perez have now been released from hospital, and both are expected to be fit to participate in the Canadian Grand Prix in two weeks time.
Perez's accident in Saturday's qualifying session was recorded at 80G - the highest ever impact in a Formula One car since the recording system was introduced.
For more on this story, visit www.adamcooperf1.com
Monaco Grand Prix - 29 May 2011
The drama for the Monaco Grand Prix started in Saturday's qualifying session, with Sauber's Sergio Perez crashing heavily on the tunnel exit, bringing a red flag to proceedings, and an ambulance to the tend to the young Mexican.
Fortunately, Perez suffered no major injuries, but due to concussion was unable to participate in the race.
As the race started, Alonso got another great start, moving up to third place ahead of Red Bull's Mark Webber. As usual though, it was Sebastian Vettel who led the pack away, with McLaren's Jenson Button in second place.
Button pitted early, which lost him track position, but put in multiple fastest laps to keep him in the hunt.
As Vettel stopped for tyres, a rare mix up from the Red Bull mechanics meant they weren't ready to receive their driver - the electric blankets were still on the new tyres. The team admitted later that the intention had been for Vettel's car to be fitted with a set of super-soft (option) tyres, but instead the soft (prime) tyres had been fitted.
Button pitted again for a second set of tyres, at an unfortunate time, as the safety car came out shortly afterwards to remove Felipe Massa's car which had come to a stop just after the tunnel, after getting involved in an incident with Button's team mate, Hamilton. This meant that Vettel now once again had the lead of the race. However, it started to become clear that Vettel may be heading for the end of the race on his current set of tyres. It was expected that the primes could run a maximum of 45 laps, but with the mix-up in the pits, Vettel was going to have to get over 60 laps out of his tyres if he was going to get to the end of the race.
Alonso, in second but on fresher tyres, was slowly catching the leader. Button was further back still, but his tyres were the newest of the three, and was in turn catching the front two. It was setting up to be a very close finish to the race.
Meanwhile, back down the order, Paul di Resta and Lewis Hamilton had both been given drive through penalties for being too forceful whilst overtaking. Whilst Force India's Adrian Sutil, Sauber's Kamui Kobayashi and Williams' Pastor Maldonado were all looking set to score some good points.
With just a handful of laps remaining, the three leaders caught a large group of midfield runners who were about to be lapped, with Hamilton at the back of the group.
The leaders managed to pass the cars with the help of the blue flags, and Hamilton tried to follow them through.
Sutil ran wide as Hamilton went to pass his good friend, and the German touched the unforgiving Monaco barrier, which caused his right-rear tyre to puncture. He sensibly drove over a chicane, to get off the racing line, but this appeared to distract Toro Rosso's Jaime Alguersuari, who ran too deep into a corner, and his car mounted the back of Hamilton's McLaren. Alguersuari then ran into the barrier and was followed by the Renault of Vitaly Petrov.
The Spaniard was quickly out of his car, but Petrov wasn't, causing the safety car to appear, before the race was red flagged as the Russian was taken away in an ambulance.
Petrov is believed to be OK however, but he was reporting pain in his legs.
As the cars stopped on the grid as per red flag regulations, the mechanics were able to make amendments to the cars as required. This was great news for Vettel, who was able to have a new set of tyres fitted, and for Hamilton, who's rear wing had taken some damage after the collision with Alguersuari.
The race restarted behind the safety car, but as it peeled off into the pits, Vettel and Alonso appeared to catch Button sleeping, as he was much slower on the restart.
Hamilton lunged into an attempted pass on Pastor Maldonado into the first corner, but sent the rookie into the barrier and out of the race, losing the Williams team what would have been their best finish of the season.
Webber managed a daring pass on Kobayashi, as the race drew to a close, and Vettel took the top step of the podium once again, almost wrapping the Championship up after just six races.
Provisional Race Results:
1. Sebastian Vettel - Red Bull - Prediction 2nd
2. Fernando Alonso - Ferrari - Prediction 5th
3. Jenson Button - McLaren - Prediction 4th
4. Mark Webber - Red Bull - Prediction 1st
5. Kamui Kobayashi - Sauber - Prediction 10th
6. Lewis Hamilton - McLaren - Prediction 6th
7. Adrian Sutil - Force India - Prediction 16th
8. Nick Heidfeld - Renault - Prediction 8th
9. Rubens Barrichello - Williams - Prediction 13th
10. Sebastien Buemi - Toro Rosso - Prediction 11th
11. Nico Rosberg - Mercedes - Prediction 7th
12. Paul di Resta - Force India - Prediction 17th
13. Jarno Trulli - Team Lotus - Prediction 22nd
14. Heikki Kovalainen - Team Lotus - Prediction 20th
15. Jerome D'Ambrosio - Virgin - Prediction 23rd
16. Vitantonio Liuzzi - Hispania - Prediction 19th
17. Narain Karthikeyan - Hispania - Prediction 24th
18. Pastor Maldonado - Williams - Prediction 18th
DNF Vitaly Petrov - Renault - Prediction 9th
DNF Jaime Alguersuari - Toro Rosso - Prediction 12th
DNF Felipe Massa - Ferrari - Prediction 3rd
DNF Michael Schumacher - Mercedes - Prediction 15th
DNF Timo Glock - Virgin - Prediction 21st
DNS Sergio Perez - Sauber - Prediction 14th
Not too many correct predictions this week unfortunately. Primarily due to the high number of retirements that Monaco is so famous for.
The F1RP was helped by Pastor Maldonado being classified as a finisher despite retiring at the end of the race!
Best performer of the day has to be Adrian Sutil, who finished nine places above where he was predicted to finish!
Fortunately, Perez suffered no major injuries, but due to concussion was unable to participate in the race.
As the race started, Alonso got another great start, moving up to third place ahead of Red Bull's Mark Webber. As usual though, it was Sebastian Vettel who led the pack away, with McLaren's Jenson Button in second place.
Button pitted early, which lost him track position, but put in multiple fastest laps to keep him in the hunt.
As Vettel stopped for tyres, a rare mix up from the Red Bull mechanics meant they weren't ready to receive their driver - the electric blankets were still on the new tyres. The team admitted later that the intention had been for Vettel's car to be fitted with a set of super-soft (option) tyres, but instead the soft (prime) tyres had been fitted.
Button pitted again for a second set of tyres, at an unfortunate time, as the safety car came out shortly afterwards to remove Felipe Massa's car which had come to a stop just after the tunnel, after getting involved in an incident with Button's team mate, Hamilton. This meant that Vettel now once again had the lead of the race. However, it started to become clear that Vettel may be heading for the end of the race on his current set of tyres. It was expected that the primes could run a maximum of 45 laps, but with the mix-up in the pits, Vettel was going to have to get over 60 laps out of his tyres if he was going to get to the end of the race.
Alonso, in second but on fresher tyres, was slowly catching the leader. Button was further back still, but his tyres were the newest of the three, and was in turn catching the front two. It was setting up to be a very close finish to the race.
Meanwhile, back down the order, Paul di Resta and Lewis Hamilton had both been given drive through penalties for being too forceful whilst overtaking. Whilst Force India's Adrian Sutil, Sauber's Kamui Kobayashi and Williams' Pastor Maldonado were all looking set to score some good points.
With just a handful of laps remaining, the three leaders caught a large group of midfield runners who were about to be lapped, with Hamilton at the back of the group.
The leaders managed to pass the cars with the help of the blue flags, and Hamilton tried to follow them through.
Sutil ran wide as Hamilton went to pass his good friend, and the German touched the unforgiving Monaco barrier, which caused his right-rear tyre to puncture. He sensibly drove over a chicane, to get off the racing line, but this appeared to distract Toro Rosso's Jaime Alguersuari, who ran too deep into a corner, and his car mounted the back of Hamilton's McLaren. Alguersuari then ran into the barrier and was followed by the Renault of Vitaly Petrov.
The Spaniard was quickly out of his car, but Petrov wasn't, causing the safety car to appear, before the race was red flagged as the Russian was taken away in an ambulance.
Petrov is believed to be OK however, but he was reporting pain in his legs.
As the cars stopped on the grid as per red flag regulations, the mechanics were able to make amendments to the cars as required. This was great news for Vettel, who was able to have a new set of tyres fitted, and for Hamilton, who's rear wing had taken some damage after the collision with Alguersuari.
The race restarted behind the safety car, but as it peeled off into the pits, Vettel and Alonso appeared to catch Button sleeping, as he was much slower on the restart.
Hamilton lunged into an attempted pass on Pastor Maldonado into the first corner, but sent the rookie into the barrier and out of the race, losing the Williams team what would have been their best finish of the season.
Webber managed a daring pass on Kobayashi, as the race drew to a close, and Vettel took the top step of the podium once again, almost wrapping the Championship up after just six races.
Provisional Race Results:
1. Sebastian Vettel - Red Bull - Prediction 2nd
2. Fernando Alonso - Ferrari - Prediction 5th
3. Jenson Button - McLaren - Prediction 4th
4. Mark Webber - Red Bull - Prediction 1st
5. Kamui Kobayashi - Sauber - Prediction 10th
6. Lewis Hamilton - McLaren - Prediction 6th
7. Adrian Sutil - Force India - Prediction 16th
8. Nick Heidfeld - Renault - Prediction 8th
9. Rubens Barrichello - Williams - Prediction 13th
10. Sebastien Buemi - Toro Rosso - Prediction 11th
11. Nico Rosberg - Mercedes - Prediction 7th
12. Paul di Resta - Force India - Prediction 17th
13. Jarno Trulli - Team Lotus - Prediction 22nd
14. Heikki Kovalainen - Team Lotus - Prediction 20th
15. Jerome D'Ambrosio - Virgin - Prediction 23rd
16. Vitantonio Liuzzi - Hispania - Prediction 19th
17. Narain Karthikeyan - Hispania - Prediction 24th
18. Pastor Maldonado - Williams - Prediction 18th
DNF Vitaly Petrov - Renault - Prediction 9th
DNF Jaime Alguersuari - Toro Rosso - Prediction 12th
DNF Felipe Massa - Ferrari - Prediction 3rd
DNF Michael Schumacher - Mercedes - Prediction 15th
DNF Timo Glock - Virgin - Prediction 21st
DNS Sergio Perez - Sauber - Prediction 14th
Not too many correct predictions this week unfortunately. Primarily due to the high number of retirements that Monaco is so famous for.
The F1RP was helped by Pastor Maldonado being classified as a finisher despite retiring at the end of the race!
Best performer of the day has to be Adrian Sutil, who finished nine places above where he was predicted to finish!
Saturday, 16 April 2011
Chinese Grand Prix Qualifying
An interesting qualifying session took place this morning, which saw Championship leader Sebastian Vettel claim his usual place at the top of the timesheets, and take pole for tomorrow's Grand Prix. The McLaren duo of Jenson Button and Lewis Hamilton will line up behind the dominant German.
The main news story from the session, however, is that Vettel's highly experienced team mate, Mark Webber, failed to progress beyond Q1. Most teams (including Ferrari and Mercedes) opted to use the option (soft-compound) tyres in an effort to ensure they progressed from the first qualifying session.
Red Bull decided that they were confident enough to run using the prime (hard-compound) tyres only. The Australian was unable to set a quick enough lap, and as the session ended his time was beaten by Williams rookie Pastor Maldonado - running on the option tyres - dropping Webber down to 18th place.
Q2 was equally eventful, with Vitaly Petrov's Lotus-Renault rolling to a stop on the track with just over two minutes left on the clock, bringing the red flags out and halting the session.
As the session recommenced, almost all the drivers (excluding Vettel, the two McLarens, the two Toro Rossos and the car-less Petrov) took to the track, knowing they needed a quick out-lap to start their flying lap before the session time expired. The last lap was particularly important for Petrov's team mate Nick Heidfeld who was the only driver yet to set a time.
The only driver to actually improve on their position in the last lap battle was Nico Rosberg - as Heidfeld only managed 16th.
For full qualifying results, see www.autosport.com
The main news story from the session, however, is that Vettel's highly experienced team mate, Mark Webber, failed to progress beyond Q1. Most teams (including Ferrari and Mercedes) opted to use the option (soft-compound) tyres in an effort to ensure they progressed from the first qualifying session.
Red Bull decided that they were confident enough to run using the prime (hard-compound) tyres only. The Australian was unable to set a quick enough lap, and as the session ended his time was beaten by Williams rookie Pastor Maldonado - running on the option tyres - dropping Webber down to 18th place.
Q2 was equally eventful, with Vitaly Petrov's Lotus-Renault rolling to a stop on the track with just over two minutes left on the clock, bringing the red flags out and halting the session.
As the session recommenced, almost all the drivers (excluding Vettel, the two McLarens, the two Toro Rossos and the car-less Petrov) took to the track, knowing they needed a quick out-lap to start their flying lap before the session time expired. The last lap was particularly important for Petrov's team mate Nick Heidfeld who was the only driver yet to set a time.
The only driver to actually improve on their position in the last lap battle was Nico Rosberg - as Heidfeld only managed 16th.
For full qualifying results, see www.autosport.com
Sunday, 10 April 2011
Malaysian Grand Prix - 10 April 2011
Round 2 of the 2011 World Championship took place early this morning (UK time), and it was clear from yesterday's close qualifying session that this race would be harder to call than the previous race in Australia.
The Championship leader, Sebastian Vettel, started on pole ahead of McLaren's Lewis Hamilton, Vettel's team mate Mark Webber and the second McLaren of Jenson Button.
Webber radioed in a problem in his warm-up lap, which was later revealed to be a KERS issue - the Red Bull team reluctantly running the system as it is believed to be particularly important at this race. It was immediately obvious from the start that the Australian was suffering without the boost off the line, dropping several positions before the first corner.
It was the two Lotus-Renault cars of Nick Heidfeld and Vitaly Petrov who benefited the most at the start, moving up from sixth and eight respectively on the grid, to battling with the leading cars in the first turn.
Tyres played a much bigger part here than in the first race, where Sergio Perez impressively managed to stop just once, whilst in the hotter conditions of Kuala Lumpur, three and four stop strategies were the flavour of the day.
Positions changed regularly due to the high number of stops, with some drivers performing better on the soft and hard tyres than others. In addition, rain arrived (as is so often the case at this track) but lasted for just a few laps, with all drivers opting to stay on the dry tyres.
At approximately half distance, race leader Vettel was told by his race engineer that he was not to use KERS, and the gap he had managed to build to his rivals slowly started to disolve. The issue seemed to resolve itself later in the race, and the German was able to use it on occasion. Alonso was also having issues of his own, with his rear wing not opening when he tried to operate his DRS whilst chasing the apparently struggling Hamilton.
Alonso managed to pass his former team mate, only to lose the position again at the following bend, then, when attempting another move, the Spaniard touched the rear-right wheel of Hamilton's McLaren, ruining the Ferrari's front wing. Alonso was forced to pit for a new nose-cone, but Hamilton appeared to emerge relatively unscathed. His lap times never really recovered though, suggesting there may have been some damage to the rear of his car. Hamilton had to pit once more for tyres, allowing Alonso to leap-frog him position.
At the front, Vettel appeared to be able to match whatever second place Button could throw at him, the gap between the two remained fairly static. Heidfeld looked fairly secure in third place, but Webber had started to mount a late charge, on tyres which were several laps newer than Heidfeld's. The charge came slightly too late though, with Heidfeld managing to keep hold of the final podium place - his first since this same race two years ago.
With only three laps remaining, Petrov ran wide in the sister Lotus-Renault, and tried to maintain his speed through the grass. However, he hit a hidden bump which launched the black and gold car into the air. The car landed heavily, and somehow the steering wheel came away from the cockpit leaving the Russian helpless to direct his stricken vehicle, which fortunately came to a rest in the grass on the other side of the track.
Post race, both Hamilton and Alonso were summoned by the race stewards and were each awarded a 20 second penalty, the McLaren driver for weaving whilst defending, and the Ferrari for causing the subsequent collision. This dropped Hamilton down to eighth behind Kamui Kobayashi, whilst Alonso's sixth place was unaffected. Hamilton, however, admitted he was not surprised by the decision. (For more on this see www.autosport.com)
Provisional race results:
1. Sebastian Vettel - RBR - Prediction 2nd
2. Jenson Button - MCL - Prediction 4th
3. Nick Heidfeld - REN - Prediction 6th
4. Mark Webber - RBR - Prediction 1st
5. Felipe Massa - FER - Prediction 5th
6. Fernando Alonso - FER - Prediction 7th
7. Kamui Kobayashi - SAU - Prediction 15th
8. Lewis Hamilton - MCL - Prediction 3rd
9. Michael Schumacher - MER - Prediction 17th
10. Paul di Resta - FOR - Prediction 14th
11. Adrian Sutil - FOR - Prediction 11th
12. Nico Rosberg - MER - Prediction 9th
13. Sebastien Buemi - STR - Prediction 12th
14. Jaime Alguersuari - STR - Prediction 13th
15. Heikki Kovalainen - LOT - Prediction 20th
16. Timo Glock - VIR - Prediction 19th
17. Vitaly Petrov - REN - Prediction 10th
DNF Vitantonio Liuzzi - HRT - Prediction 24th
DNF Jerome D'Ambrosio - VIR - Prediction 22nd
DNF Jarno Trulli - LOT - Prediction 21st
DNF Sergio Perez - SAU - Prediction 16th
DNF Rubens Barrichello - WIL - Prediction 8th
DNF Narain Karthikeyan - HRT - Prediction 23rd
DNF Pastor Maldonado - WIL - Prediction 18th
A definite improvement from the Formula One Results Predictor in comparison to the last race. Hopefully the predictions will continue to improve as the season progresses!
For more information on the race, visit www.autosport.com
The Championship leader, Sebastian Vettel, started on pole ahead of McLaren's Lewis Hamilton, Vettel's team mate Mark Webber and the second McLaren of Jenson Button.
Webber radioed in a problem in his warm-up lap, which was later revealed to be a KERS issue - the Red Bull team reluctantly running the system as it is believed to be particularly important at this race. It was immediately obvious from the start that the Australian was suffering without the boost off the line, dropping several positions before the first corner.
It was the two Lotus-Renault cars of Nick Heidfeld and Vitaly Petrov who benefited the most at the start, moving up from sixth and eight respectively on the grid, to battling with the leading cars in the first turn.
Tyres played a much bigger part here than in the first race, where Sergio Perez impressively managed to stop just once, whilst in the hotter conditions of Kuala Lumpur, three and four stop strategies were the flavour of the day.
Positions changed regularly due to the high number of stops, with some drivers performing better on the soft and hard tyres than others. In addition, rain arrived (as is so often the case at this track) but lasted for just a few laps, with all drivers opting to stay on the dry tyres.
At approximately half distance, race leader Vettel was told by his race engineer that he was not to use KERS, and the gap he had managed to build to his rivals slowly started to disolve. The issue seemed to resolve itself later in the race, and the German was able to use it on occasion. Alonso was also having issues of his own, with his rear wing not opening when he tried to operate his DRS whilst chasing the apparently struggling Hamilton.
Alonso managed to pass his former team mate, only to lose the position again at the following bend, then, when attempting another move, the Spaniard touched the rear-right wheel of Hamilton's McLaren, ruining the Ferrari's front wing. Alonso was forced to pit for a new nose-cone, but Hamilton appeared to emerge relatively unscathed. His lap times never really recovered though, suggesting there may have been some damage to the rear of his car. Hamilton had to pit once more for tyres, allowing Alonso to leap-frog him position.
At the front, Vettel appeared to be able to match whatever second place Button could throw at him, the gap between the two remained fairly static. Heidfeld looked fairly secure in third place, but Webber had started to mount a late charge, on tyres which were several laps newer than Heidfeld's. The charge came slightly too late though, with Heidfeld managing to keep hold of the final podium place - his first since this same race two years ago.
With only three laps remaining, Petrov ran wide in the sister Lotus-Renault, and tried to maintain his speed through the grass. However, he hit a hidden bump which launched the black and gold car into the air. The car landed heavily, and somehow the steering wheel came away from the cockpit leaving the Russian helpless to direct his stricken vehicle, which fortunately came to a rest in the grass on the other side of the track.
Post race, both Hamilton and Alonso were summoned by the race stewards and were each awarded a 20 second penalty, the McLaren driver for weaving whilst defending, and the Ferrari for causing the subsequent collision. This dropped Hamilton down to eighth behind Kamui Kobayashi, whilst Alonso's sixth place was unaffected. Hamilton, however, admitted he was not surprised by the decision. (For more on this see www.autosport.com)
Provisional race results:
1. Sebastian Vettel - RBR - Prediction 2nd
2. Jenson Button - MCL - Prediction 4th
3. Nick Heidfeld - REN - Prediction 6th
4. Mark Webber - RBR - Prediction 1st
5. Felipe Massa - FER - Prediction 5th
6. Fernando Alonso - FER - Prediction 7th
7. Kamui Kobayashi - SAU - Prediction 15th
8. Lewis Hamilton - MCL - Prediction 3rd
9. Michael Schumacher - MER - Prediction 17th
10. Paul di Resta - FOR - Prediction 14th
11. Adrian Sutil - FOR - Prediction 11th
12. Nico Rosberg - MER - Prediction 9th
13. Sebastien Buemi - STR - Prediction 12th
14. Jaime Alguersuari - STR - Prediction 13th
15. Heikki Kovalainen - LOT - Prediction 20th
16. Timo Glock - VIR - Prediction 19th
17. Vitaly Petrov - REN - Prediction 10th
DNF Vitantonio Liuzzi - HRT - Prediction 24th
DNF Jerome D'Ambrosio - VIR - Prediction 22nd
DNF Jarno Trulli - LOT - Prediction 21st
DNF Sergio Perez - SAU - Prediction 16th
DNF Rubens Barrichello - WIL - Prediction 8th
DNF Narain Karthikeyan - HRT - Prediction 23rd
DNF Pastor Maldonado - WIL - Prediction 18th
A definite improvement from the Formula One Results Predictor in comparison to the last race. Hopefully the predictions will continue to improve as the season progresses!
For more information on the race, visit www.autosport.com
Sunday, 27 March 2011
Australian Grand Prix - 27 March 2011
The first race of the 2011 season took place this morning and just like in qualifying yesterday, the reigning World Champion Sebastian Vettel was untouchable.
Starting from pole, the German took a comfortable lead whilst those behind him scrapped for position. This seems all the more impressive, as Red Bull team boss Christian Horner has confirmed that neither Red Bull actually had the KERS system on their cars. (For more on this, visit www.autosport.com)
Fernando Alonso was forced wide at the first corner losing several positions, whilst Vitaly Petrov moved his Lotus-Renault up to fourth.
Barrichello ran through the same gravel trap which ended his qualifying session and dropped him down to the back of the field. As the race progressed he moved back through the field well, but lunged into a poorly executed overtaking attempt on Nico Rosberg, which sent Barrichello spinning and Rosberg was forced to retire as smoke poured from the back of the Silver Arrow following the contact with the Williams. Barrichello received a drive-through penalty for his efforts, but retired later on with transmission damage, just as his team mate Pastor Maldonado had done earlier in the race.
Rosberg's team mate did not fare much better, Jaime Alguersuari touched the rear of Michael Schumacher's car on the exit to the first corner, puncturing his right-rear tyre. Although the former World Champion was able to return to the pits to replace the shredded tyre, he later retired from the race, believing the puncture had caused suspension damage.
A drive-through penalty was also awarded to McLaren's Jenson Button, who was deemed to have cut a corner whilst challenging Felipe Massa for position. The two Ferrari's of Massa and Alonso quickly switched positions behind Button, meaning he was unable to return the position to Massa without letting both scarlet cars pass.
Most drivers opted to use three sets of the new Pirelli tyre's pitting twice, but some - including Mark Webber - seemed to struggle with the compounds and pitted an extra time.
Sauber's Sergio Perez, however, only felt the need to stop once.
It was a great performance from the Sauber drivers, with Perez crossing the line seventh on his debut race, one place ahead of his team mate Kamui Kobayashi. However, the Sauber team were deemed to have infringed a technical ruling regarding to the rear wing, and both drivers have been disqualified. Sauber are believed to be contesting this decision.
The disqualification moved both Force India drivers into the points, with Paul di Resta finishing just behind team mate Adrian Sutil, so a successful debut for the young Scot.
Provisional race results:
1. Sebastian Vettel - RBR - Prediction 9th
2. Lewis Hamilton - MCL - Prediction 8th
3. Vitaly Petrov - REN - Prediction 17th
4. Fernando Alonso - FER - Prediction 2nd
5. Mark Webber - RBR - Prediction 6th
6. Jenson Button - MCL - Prediction 1st
7. Felipe Massa - FER - Prediction 5th
8. Sebastien Buemi - STR - Prediction 16th
9. Adrian Sutil - FOR - Prediction 12th
10. Paul di Resta - FOR - Prediction 10th
11. Jaime Alguersuari - STR - Prediction 14th
12. Nick Heidfeld - REN - Prediction 7th
13. Jarno Trulli - LOT - Prediction 18th
14. Jerome D'Ambrosio - VIR - Prediction 23rd
DNF Timo Glock - VIR - Prediction 22nd
DNF Rubens Barrichello - WIL - Prediction 4th
DNF Nico Rosberg - MER - Prediction 3rd
DNF Heikki Kovalainen - LOT - Prediction 20th
DNF Michael Schumacher - MER - Prediction 11th
DNF Pastor Maldonado - WIL - Prediction 13th
DSQ Sergio Perez - SAU - Prediction 21st
DSQ Kamui Kobayashi - SAU - Prediction 19th
DNQ Vitantonio Liuzzi - HRT - Prediction 15th
DNQ Narain Karthikeyan - HRT - Prediction 24th
Not a great first attempt by the Formula One Results Predictor. Hopefully with this new data, the next race will see an improvement!
For more information regarding the race, visit www.autosport.com
Starting from pole, the German took a comfortable lead whilst those behind him scrapped for position. This seems all the more impressive, as Red Bull team boss Christian Horner has confirmed that neither Red Bull actually had the KERS system on their cars. (For more on this, visit www.autosport.com)
Fernando Alonso was forced wide at the first corner losing several positions, whilst Vitaly Petrov moved his Lotus-Renault up to fourth.
Barrichello ran through the same gravel trap which ended his qualifying session and dropped him down to the back of the field. As the race progressed he moved back through the field well, but lunged into a poorly executed overtaking attempt on Nico Rosberg, which sent Barrichello spinning and Rosberg was forced to retire as smoke poured from the back of the Silver Arrow following the contact with the Williams. Barrichello received a drive-through penalty for his efforts, but retired later on with transmission damage, just as his team mate Pastor Maldonado had done earlier in the race.
Rosberg's team mate did not fare much better, Jaime Alguersuari touched the rear of Michael Schumacher's car on the exit to the first corner, puncturing his right-rear tyre. Although the former World Champion was able to return to the pits to replace the shredded tyre, he later retired from the race, believing the puncture had caused suspension damage.
A drive-through penalty was also awarded to McLaren's Jenson Button, who was deemed to have cut a corner whilst challenging Felipe Massa for position. The two Ferrari's of Massa and Alonso quickly switched positions behind Button, meaning he was unable to return the position to Massa without letting both scarlet cars pass.
Most drivers opted to use three sets of the new Pirelli tyre's pitting twice, but some - including Mark Webber - seemed to struggle with the compounds and pitted an extra time.
Sauber's Sergio Perez, however, only felt the need to stop once.
It was a great performance from the Sauber drivers, with Perez crossing the line seventh on his debut race, one place ahead of his team mate Kamui Kobayashi. However, the Sauber team were deemed to have infringed a technical ruling regarding to the rear wing, and both drivers have been disqualified. Sauber are believed to be contesting this decision.
The disqualification moved both Force India drivers into the points, with Paul di Resta finishing just behind team mate Adrian Sutil, so a successful debut for the young Scot.
Provisional race results:
1. Sebastian Vettel - RBR - Prediction 9th
2. Lewis Hamilton - MCL - Prediction 8th
3. Vitaly Petrov - REN - Prediction 17th
4. Fernando Alonso - FER - Prediction 2nd
5. Mark Webber - RBR - Prediction 6th
6. Jenson Button - MCL - Prediction 1st
7. Felipe Massa - FER - Prediction 5th
8. Sebastien Buemi - STR - Prediction 16th
9. Adrian Sutil - FOR - Prediction 12th
10. Paul di Resta - FOR - Prediction 10th
11. Jaime Alguersuari - STR - Prediction 14th
12. Nick Heidfeld - REN - Prediction 7th
13. Jarno Trulli - LOT - Prediction 18th
14. Jerome D'Ambrosio - VIR - Prediction 23rd
DNF Timo Glock - VIR - Prediction 22nd
DNF Rubens Barrichello - WIL - Prediction 4th
DNF Nico Rosberg - MER - Prediction 3rd
DNF Heikki Kovalainen - LOT - Prediction 20th
DNF Michael Schumacher - MER - Prediction 11th
DNF Pastor Maldonado - WIL - Prediction 13th
DSQ Sergio Perez - SAU - Prediction 21st
DSQ Kamui Kobayashi - SAU - Prediction 19th
DNQ Vitantonio Liuzzi - HRT - Prediction 15th
DNQ Narain Karthikeyan - HRT - Prediction 24th
Not a great first attempt by the Formula One Results Predictor. Hopefully with this new data, the next race will see an improvement!
For more information regarding the race, visit www.autosport.com
Thursday, 24 March 2011
2011 Preview: The Best Of The Rest
The penultimate part of our 2011 preview focuses on the the top three 'midfield' teams.
All of these teams are previous World Champions, albeit possibly under a different name. The teams will be aiming for podiums, and attempting to challenge the top three whenever possible, whilst trying to keep the teams behind them at bay.
- - -
The first team to look at today is AT&T Williams. Finishing sixth in 2010 surely felt like - and was - a great result for the team, who fought a season long battle with Force India, eventually just pipping them to the post.
However, looking back at the teams illustrious history, which consists of nine World Championships and 113 race wins, sixth place might seem like an underacheivement.
What needs to be taken into consideration is that William are the only independent team left on the grid, and it is no secret that they do not have the financial clout to match some of their rivals.
Williams did manage to acheive a pole position last year, through Nico Hulkenberg's memorable lap in Brazil, but the young German was dropped for this season, in favour of a driver with more financial backing.
The number one driver for this season is once again veteran Brazilian, Rubens Barrichello. The most experienced driver on the field with over 300 Grand Prix to his name, Barrichello will provide the team with a wealth of technical information and constructive feedback on performance to help the team develop the car further.
After spending several seasons playing second fiddle to more successful team mates including Michael Schumacher and, more recently, Jenson Button, Barrichello will appreciate leading a team and will want to prove he still has what it takes to compete at the front of the field.
The teams second driver, the man with the Nico Hulkenberg-sized shoes to fill, is Pastor Maldonado. The young Venezuelan has looked quick so far in testing, but has made a few costly errors, with team boss Frank Williams saying that he is perhaps a little "too comfortable" with the car. Hopefully, Maldonado will have found the limit of his car and his own ability by the time the season begins.
- - -
Next, we have Lotus Renault GP. Classified fifth last season, the Renault-powered team have two World Championships to their name, thanks to current Ferrari number one, Fernando Alonso.
However, the management team have been forced to make major changes in recent years following the departure of Flavio Briatore and Pat Symonds in the wake of the race-fixing allegations levied at them by former driver Nelson Piquet Jr.
Most of the off-season news has revolved around the team, as number one driver and World Championship hopeful Robert Kubica was involved in a serious rally accident. Although the Pole thankfully seems to be making good progress in his recovery, there were plenty of rumours regarding his replacement.
It was eventually Nick Heidfeld who was selected as Kubica's replacement. The experienced German was out of contract for 2011, despite recording good results for Sauber at the end of 2010 after replacing Pedro de la Rosa.
Although Heidfeld has never won a race (despite acheiving several podiums), he is widely recognised as being a very consistent driver, setting the record for finishing the most consecutive Grands Prix (33).
Heidfeld will certainly have a point to prove this season in order to ensure he is offered a drive next year, and the car looks good enough to help him acheive that!
The team's second driver is once again Vitaly Petrov. The young Russian's financial backing was certainly a key factor in helping him to obtain a drive last year.
He struggled to adapt to the car at the beginning of the season, and crashed more times than his team would have liked. However, Petrov noticeably improved as the season progressed, scoring points on several occassions.
Alonso fans will probably best remember him for his faultless performance in Abu Dhabi, the final race of the season, where he calmly kept World Championship contenders Fernando Alonso and Mark Webber behind him for over half the race, which handed the World Championship title to Webber's team mate Sebastian Vettel.
- - -
Finally, Mercedes GP Petronas F1 Team. Finishing fourth in their debut season after acquiring the World Championship winning Brawn GP, this Mercedes-Benz-engined team are probably the most likely team, if any, to break into the top three.
Mercedes most valuable asset is arguably the genius of Team Principal Ross Brawn, and his strong relationship with star driver Schumacher.
The team's number one driver needs no introduction. Seven-time World Champion Michael Schumacher's return to Formula One was surely the biggest talking point at the start of the 2010 season.
At first the veteran German seemed to struggle with the car and tyres, which had changed considerably in the relatively short time he had been away from the sport.
Never far from controversy, Schumacher received a great deal of criticism after squeezing his former team mate Rubens Barrichello towards the pit wall during the Hungarian Grand Prix.
Schumacher has already stated that he does not expect to be challenging for the World Championship this season, but he believes they may be able to fight for race wins.
In an unchanged line-up from last year, Nico Rosberg maintains the team's second seat. The German driver performed very consistently last year, and was never far behind the leading pack. He also quite comfortably outscored his World famous team mate last season, and will want to acheive the same again in 2011.
With significant updates having been introduced by the team during pre-season testing, it is fairly safe to say that they will continue to develop further updates as the season unfolds.
- - -
2011 is expected to be a season where tactics will play a significant part in races, so it will be interesting whether the genius tacticians at Mercedes and Williams in particular can use this to their advantage.
All of these teams are previous World Champions, albeit possibly under a different name. The teams will be aiming for podiums, and attempting to challenge the top three whenever possible, whilst trying to keep the teams behind them at bay.
- - -
The first team to look at today is AT&T Williams. Finishing sixth in 2010 surely felt like - and was - a great result for the team, who fought a season long battle with Force India, eventually just pipping them to the post.
However, looking back at the teams illustrious history, which consists of nine World Championships and 113 race wins, sixth place might seem like an underacheivement.
What needs to be taken into consideration is that William are the only independent team left on the grid, and it is no secret that they do not have the financial clout to match some of their rivals.
Williams did manage to acheive a pole position last year, through Nico Hulkenberg's memorable lap in Brazil, but the young German was dropped for this season, in favour of a driver with more financial backing.
The number one driver for this season is once again veteran Brazilian, Rubens Barrichello. The most experienced driver on the field with over 300 Grand Prix to his name, Barrichello will provide the team with a wealth of technical information and constructive feedback on performance to help the team develop the car further.
After spending several seasons playing second fiddle to more successful team mates including Michael Schumacher and, more recently, Jenson Button, Barrichello will appreciate leading a team and will want to prove he still has what it takes to compete at the front of the field.
The teams second driver, the man with the Nico Hulkenberg-sized shoes to fill, is Pastor Maldonado. The young Venezuelan has looked quick so far in testing, but has made a few costly errors, with team boss Frank Williams saying that he is perhaps a little "too comfortable" with the car. Hopefully, Maldonado will have found the limit of his car and his own ability by the time the season begins.
- - -
Next, we have Lotus Renault GP. Classified fifth last season, the Renault-powered team have two World Championships to their name, thanks to current Ferrari number one, Fernando Alonso.
However, the management team have been forced to make major changes in recent years following the departure of Flavio Briatore and Pat Symonds in the wake of the race-fixing allegations levied at them by former driver Nelson Piquet Jr.
Most of the off-season news has revolved around the team, as number one driver and World Championship hopeful Robert Kubica was involved in a serious rally accident. Although the Pole thankfully seems to be making good progress in his recovery, there were plenty of rumours regarding his replacement.
It was eventually Nick Heidfeld who was selected as Kubica's replacement. The experienced German was out of contract for 2011, despite recording good results for Sauber at the end of 2010 after replacing Pedro de la Rosa.
Although Heidfeld has never won a race (despite acheiving several podiums), he is widely recognised as being a very consistent driver, setting the record for finishing the most consecutive Grands Prix (33).
Heidfeld will certainly have a point to prove this season in order to ensure he is offered a drive next year, and the car looks good enough to help him acheive that!
The team's second driver is once again Vitaly Petrov. The young Russian's financial backing was certainly a key factor in helping him to obtain a drive last year.
He struggled to adapt to the car at the beginning of the season, and crashed more times than his team would have liked. However, Petrov noticeably improved as the season progressed, scoring points on several occassions.
Alonso fans will probably best remember him for his faultless performance in Abu Dhabi, the final race of the season, where he calmly kept World Championship contenders Fernando Alonso and Mark Webber behind him for over half the race, which handed the World Championship title to Webber's team mate Sebastian Vettel.
- - -
Finally, Mercedes GP Petronas F1 Team. Finishing fourth in their debut season after acquiring the World Championship winning Brawn GP, this Mercedes-Benz-engined team are probably the most likely team, if any, to break into the top three.
Mercedes most valuable asset is arguably the genius of Team Principal Ross Brawn, and his strong relationship with star driver Schumacher.
The team's number one driver needs no introduction. Seven-time World Champion Michael Schumacher's return to Formula One was surely the biggest talking point at the start of the 2010 season.
At first the veteran German seemed to struggle with the car and tyres, which had changed considerably in the relatively short time he had been away from the sport.
Never far from controversy, Schumacher received a great deal of criticism after squeezing his former team mate Rubens Barrichello towards the pit wall during the Hungarian Grand Prix.
Schumacher has already stated that he does not expect to be challenging for the World Championship this season, but he believes they may be able to fight for race wins.
In an unchanged line-up from last year, Nico Rosberg maintains the team's second seat. The German driver performed very consistently last year, and was never far behind the leading pack. He also quite comfortably outscored his World famous team mate last season, and will want to acheive the same again in 2011.
With significant updates having been introduced by the team during pre-season testing, it is fairly safe to say that they will continue to develop further updates as the season unfolds.
- - -
2011 is expected to be a season where tactics will play a significant part in races, so it will be interesting whether the genius tacticians at Mercedes and Williams in particular can use this to their advantage.
Wednesday, 9 March 2011
Testing Results, Barcelona - 09 March 2011
Once again, Red Bull topped the timesheets today, with some consistent driving and a few quick laps from reigning World Champion Sebastian Vettel.
Sebastien Buemi was second quickest for Toro Rosso, but he was half a second off the German's pace.
Vitaly Petrov acheived another top three for Lotus-Renault with another productive test session.
McLaren's Lewis Hamilton set the fourth quickest time of the day, despite only recording half as many laps as the top three. However, he echoed his team mate's previous comments, saying that he did not expect to be challenging for the title this season.
For more, see www.autosport.com
Sebastien Buemi was second quickest for Toro Rosso, but he was half a second off the German's pace.
Vitaly Petrov acheived another top three for Lotus-Renault with another productive test session.
McLaren's Lewis Hamilton set the fourth quickest time of the day, despite only recording half as many laps as the top three. However, he echoed his team mate's previous comments, saying that he did not expect to be challenging for the title this season.
For more, see www.autosport.com
Tuesday, 8 March 2011
Testing Returns To Barcelona
The final week of pre-season tests began today - held in Barcelona instead of Bahrain as originally planned, due to the unstable political situation in the Country.
Red Bull's Mark Webber set the fastest time of the day, which was faster than anyone managed to acheive at the track a month ago.
Second was Jenson Button, although he was quick to admit that his McLaren team will not be quick enough to compete with Ferrari or Red Bull in the first race in Australia in under three weeks time.
Vitaly Petrov took third for Lotus-Renault, running in the afternoon in place of his team mate Nick Heidfeld who only drove in the morning due to suffering from a cold.
At the close of the session, it appeared that Sauber's Sergio Perez would take the headlines with a blistering time, significantly quicker than Webber's, however it later emerged that the Mexican had cut the chicane, and therefore the time would not count.
For more details on today's session, visit www.autosport.com
Red Bull's Mark Webber set the fastest time of the day, which was faster than anyone managed to acheive at the track a month ago.
Second was Jenson Button, although he was quick to admit that his McLaren team will not be quick enough to compete with Ferrari or Red Bull in the first race in Australia in under three weeks time.
Vitaly Petrov took third for Lotus-Renault, running in the afternoon in place of his team mate Nick Heidfeld who only drove in the morning due to suffering from a cold.
At the close of the session, it appeared that Sauber's Sergio Perez would take the headlines with a blistering time, significantly quicker than Webber's, however it later emerged that the Mexican had cut the chicane, and therefore the time would not count.
For more details on today's session, visit www.autosport.com
Sunday, 20 February 2011
Testing Day 3 & Bahrain Update
With a possible sign that Mercedes troubles are not as bad as originally thought, Nico Rosberg set the fastest time in today's Barcelona test.
Vitaly Petrov was second fastest for Lotus-Renault, with Lewis Hamilton putting a McLaren in the top three for the first time in a while.
Also, Autosport are reporting that the decision as to whether the Bahrain Grand Prix will go ahead will be made tomorrow, so many people interested in both Formula One and International politics will be waiting on this decision with great interest.
For more, see www.autosport.com
Saturday, 12 February 2011
Testing Updates
Just to give you a brief update of what had been happening at Jerez over the last few days:
Thursday, Felipe Massa was fastest for Ferrari with claims that Mercedes were struggling.
Friday, lots of incidents, including an accident for Perez in the Sauber, and several spins for Petrov in the Lotus-Renault.
Schumacher finished fastest, however there were rumours that his Mercedes was running on low fuel!
For more see www.bbc.co.uk/sport
Monday, 7 February 2011
Kubica - Monday's Update
Further reports are reporting good news with regards to the injured Robert Kubica. He will, however require further surgery, as yesterday's seven hour operation was focussed on the main trauma - the badly injured right hand.
Lotus-Renault GP boss Eric Boullier, and Kubica's team-mate Vitaly Petrov are due to visit their colleague today.
Boullier is very optimistic, and has even suggested the Pole may only be out for a few months, rather than the year suggested by surgeons.
Kubica's friend, Ferrari's Fernando Alonso, has also visited the hospital, but it is not clear whether he was able to speak to Kubica.
For more, see www.autosport.com
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