INDIA in F1

Tag: Hamilton

  • Hamilton on top again as Vettel sits out Friday session: Spanish GP

    Hamilton obliges fans on Friday. An FIA image
    Hamilton obliges fans on Friday. An FIA image

    Mercedes driver fastest again ahead of team-mate Nico Rosberg and Red Bull Racing’s Daniel Ricciardo.

    Lewis Hamilton continued to set the pace in Barcelona repeating his time-sheet-topping performance of the morning in the day’s second session.

    Mercedes ended the day with top two times as Nico Rosberg joined his team-mate at the top of the order, the German making up for lost time after his opening session was interrupted by power unit problems. He finished just under half a second adrift of Hamilton, who set a best lap of 1:25.524.

    Third place went to Red Bull Racing’s Daniel Ricciardo, the Australian finishing just under a second behind Rosberg, but over half a second up on fourth-place Fernando Alonso.

    Ricciardo was the only Red Bull running in the afternoon, however. After being restricted to just four laps in the morning with an electrical problem, the Austrian team failed to repair the damage caused in the afternoon and the champion was forced to sit out the whole session.

    Alonso, meanwhile, was less than 0.2s ahead of team-mate Kimi Raikkonen, who finished the second in fifth place. The twin Ferraris were followed by the McLarens of Kevin Magnussen and Jenson Button respectively.

    Felipe Massa was eighth for Williams and was followed by the Lotus of Pastor Maldonado. The Lotus driver had a good afternoon completing 42 laps but it was a more tricky outing for team-mate Romain Grosjean.

    The Frenchman suffered with engine woes and brake issues, the latter forcing him to abandon the session after 26 laps.

    Elsewhere, there was a worrying moment for Jean-Eric Vergne late in the session. The Toro Rosso driver came out of the pit only for the right-rear wheel of his STR9 to detach and he was to stop at Turn 2.
    2014 Spanish Grand Prix – Free Practice 2 Times
    1 Lewis Hamilton Mercedes 1:25.524 33
    2 Nico Rosberg Mercedes 1:25.973 0.449 36
    3 Daniel Ricciardo Red Bull Racing 1:26.509 0.985 38
    4 Fernando Alonso Ferrari 1:27.121 1.597 33
    5 Kimi Räikkönen Ferrari 1:27.296 1.772 33
    6 Kevin Magnussen McLaren 1:27.788 2.264 37
    7 Jenson Button McLaren 1:27.811 2.287 29
    8 Felipe Massa Williams 1:27.824 2.300 31
    9 Pastor Maldonado Lotus 1:27.866 2.342 42
    10 Daniil Kvyat Toro Rosso 1:28.049 2.525 35
    11 Nico Hulkenberg Force India 1:28.074 2.550 31
    12 Jean-Eric Vergne Toro Rosso 1:28.246 2.722 30
    13 Adrian Sutil Sauber 1:28.284 2.760 33
    14 Valtteri Bottas Williams 1:28.698 3.174 33
    15 Esteban Gutierrez Sauber 1:29.105 3.581 24
    16 Sergio Perez Force India 1:29.129 3.605 34
    17 Romain Grosjean Lotus 1:29.493 3.969 26
    18 Jules Bianchi Marussia 1:29.991 4.467 26
    19 Max Chilton Marussia 1:31.148 5.624 28
    20 Kamui Kobayashi Caterham 1:31.338 5.814 38
    21 Marcus Ericsson Caterham 1:31.586 6.062 39

    eom/FIA release

  • The fans have been incredible this week: Lewis Hamilton after his hat-trick

    Hamilton with the cup after winning the Chinese GP. A Mercedes AMG Petronas image
    Hamilton with the cup after winning the Chinese GP. A Mercedes AMG Petronas image

    DRIVERS

    1 – Lewis HAMILTON (Mercedes)

    2 – Nico ROSBERG (Mercedes)

    3 – Fernando ALONSO (Ferrari)

    PODIUM INTERVIEWS

    (Conducted by Martin Brundle)

    Three consecutive for Lewis Hamilton – how about that? Great stuff, Lewis. That looked, from where we were sitting, incredibly easy. How was it for you?

    Lewis HAMILTON: Ni hao. The fans have been incredible this week, so I really felt a lot of energy but I really couldn’t do this without all the hard work from the team, it’s incredible. Honestly, I just can’t believe how amazing the car is, and how hard everyone has worked. The results we’re getting is a real true showing of all the hard work.

    Absolutely incredible. You were radioing in and saying ‘my tyres feel good’ and everybody else was screaming to come into the pits. The first stint was just beautiful for you.

    LH: Yeah. Surprisingly, again, as I said, after P2 I had to make a lot of changes in anticipation of today, even though yesterday was wet, but it worked perfectly and I was able to look after the tyres. After that I was just really racing myself. I did lose a lot of time after the first stop but still it was great. I am really happy that Nico is up here with us, it’s great points for the team and they really deserve it.

    You had one little trip off the circuit, obviously when the front tyres were finally going away. A little fright there for you?

    LH: No, no, fortunately there’s lots of run-off area. Basically the left front is the one that’s graining and wearing and I’d gone quite a lot longer than I’d planned and eventually the tyre was dead so I locked it, but it was OK and I recovered.

    Nico, you still lead the Formula One World Championship so some consolation in that respect?

    Nico ROSBERG: Yeah, definitely. That’s there. I’m not going to use the word still because I plan to keep it that way. Definitely in the lead and that’s good. Especially considering that the whole weekend was really, really bad for me. It went completely wrong in so many different respects. Also, in the race we had no telemetry so there was no communication between the car and the pits, so they had no idea what was going on on track and that’s why the start was also so bad and a lot of things came together. So I’m pleased with second and I just look forward to a normal weekend again in Barcelona, full attack again.

    Yeah it was a bad start. Take us through that first corner when you had contact with Valtteri Bottas in the Williams.

    NR: It was just very close, there were cars all over the place. Just had a bit of contract there and it was great that my car held on.

    Then you had to make your way back through the field. You had a little bit of fun coming through?

    NR: It’s really a pleasure to drive this car at the moment. It’s incredible the car that the team has built – fantastic. So thanks to the whole team. And Mercedes. This thing is so quick. It really increases the enjoyment level even further.

    Let’s talk to Fernando Alonso, third for Ferrari. I know there are a lot of Ferrari fans out there and of course Fernando Alonso fans. Fernando, you beat the Red Bulls and you’re third only behind the Mercedes Benz cars. You must be really satisfied with that.

    Fernando ALONSO: Hello everybody, first of all. It was a good weekend. We did improve the car a little bit compared to the first three races, so we felt more competitive and now in the race being here on the podium is some kind of surprise for us, a nice surprise finally. Happy with a podium finish today. I think I’m third in the Drivers’ Championship behind these two guys. So we didn’t have the start of the season that we would like but at the end of the day we’re still in the fight.

    Just briefly you had a big contact with Felipe Massa going into the first corner. You were lucky [there] with no suspension damage.

    FA: Yeah, it was a big contact. I asked on the radio ‘can you check the car’, because it felt OK but I don’t know how it looks from the outside, but it was OK and we managed very lucky to finish the race and hopefully next one it will be a clean start.

    Lewis, we’re back to tracks you know well, obviously Barcelona, you’ve got some testing coming up. Surely you can’t keep improving this car?

    LH: Well, this team is a on a roll that’s for sure. The team have done a great job, as I said. We’re going to keep pushing; we’re going to keep moving forwards. That’s what Mercedes Benz want to do. They want to keep moving forward, developing, hopefully improving the engine, also the car. But as I said, I’m going to be working hard, we’re going to keep working hard because obviously the others are pushing to catch us up. So I hope it continues.

    PRESS CONFERENCE

    Q: Lewis, congratulations, a three-time winner here. How does that feel?

    LH: It feels incredible. I just have to shout out a big thank you, thank you so much to the team, firstly for embracing me into the team last year and for all the hard work and for them continuously pushing forward. I really hope that the guys back at the factory are enjoying this and really have a great week. I’m so, so happy. I had such a great race, really enjoyed it, particularly the last few laps, y’know? Really trying to keep temperature in the tyres, pushing a little bit more, just to keep temperature up and the car was great.

    Q: You spoke about the work being done in FP2 and then of course the car was good enough for pole in the wet and then good enough to win in the dry. How perfect was it?

    LH: The car was really good. As I said, made lots of changes overnight on Friday night and obviously it was wet for qualifying. So I didn’t get to feel… I didn’t know what it was going to be like today. And really just that hard work sitting down with the engineers, really choosing… we didn’t guess, we really made those steps in anticipation for today and it worked perfectly. I couldn’t really have asked for more.

    Q: The only really big surprise I guess was getting the chequered flag a lap early – which could have tripped you up.

    LH: That was very strange! I was thinking ‘am I seeing things?’ I looked up, I was coming across the line expecting to do another lap and all of a sudden I looked for a split second and I saw the flag, I lifted for a second and I saw there was no-one on the wall, so then I just kept going. I did lose a second or so. I asked the team, they said no, so I just kept going. Very, very strange. It was good to do another lap.

    Q: Nico, you said so many things went wrong. What was your set-up like from Friday FP2 though to the race itself?

    NR: It was all OK. Set-up-wise it was a good team effort this weekend. Because it’s a very unique track here with the understeer being the main problem and the front-left tyre, so you really have to change everything, adapt to the needs of the track and we did well as a team. It wasn’t perfect in the race but it was definitely… pretty good.

    Q: As you played catch-up from the start you could really see what your strengths were in comparison to other cars.

    NR: Yeah, definitely. We have the best car, y’know, and that makes it more enjoyable then to do catch-up, even though of course don’t want to do any catch-up – but I was back there so then catching up was nice with this fast car. It’s a good weapon.

    Q: Then we heard you not entirely happy giving a fuel report every lap.

    NR: No! My telemetry failed, yeah? So I was completely on my own out there. The team then never… doesn’t see any information from the car, so they have nothing to do. Er… well not… they do have things to do! So I had to do all the things on my own out there and, for example, it was then telling the team what my fuel level is so that they could judge if I was using too much fuel or if I’m safe – and I had to do that in Turn One y’know and Turn One is a difficult corner anyways, so yeah, didn’t enjoy that point.

    Q: Fernando, first of all, first podium this year for Ferrari, how satisfying is that?

    FA: It is. Obviously we had a difficult start of the season with some lack of performance in the first races and, y’know it’s good to be on the podium here on the fourth race after a not-easy weekend with changeable weather conditions and a difficult race as well, as Nico touched on. I think with the tyres, being a unique track with the front graining that you need to take care, plus some actions because we were not alone on the race. We managed, I think, quite well to get this podium and this is hopefully some boost of the team and some extra motivation y’know, to keep improving and to do even better in the next couple of races.

    Q: And again, the set-up from FP2 to the race, how good was that?

    FA: I think we make very few changes to be honest, from FP1 to now in the race. We brought some new parts here, a small step that probably we are a little bit more competitive now and we concentrate on Friday testing those parts and not much set-up work to be honest. Yesterday on the wet conditions, now in these days it’s not much to do, wet to dry anyway, so, as I said, the setup, my feeling was quite OK from Friday to now.

    Q: The podium here, what can you promise your home fans at the next grand prix at home?

    FA: We need to see. We need to remain very calm. It has been a very unique race, we make a step forward. We were ninth and tenth fifteen days ago and that was hard, pain a little bit. So, yeah, we need to remain calm. We are happy, we need to enjoy the result today but still a long way to go and we cannot promise anything for Barcelona. We will give 100 per cent again and we will fight – but in terms of result we need to remain very calm and see how development is these three weeks if we can bring some extra new parts for Barcelona.

    QUESTIONS FROM THE FLOOR

    Q: (Michael Schmidt – Auto, Motor und Sport) Nico, when you said that you had to report your fuel consumption or fuel level to the pit lane every lap, why is that? Wouldn’t it be easier that you saw on the dashboard a plus or minus and then you could drive on your own rather than talking to your pits?

    NR: Yeah, you’re right. Just that I didn’t have that function, probably because we don’t really need that normally. It’s fine like that, it’s just reporting once in a while to the paddock. It wasn’t every lap, you know, it was just once in a while so they can put a few dots and see where it’s going. That’s it. So that wasn’t a problem at all, it was just that I didn’t like where I had to do it because it was in turn one and that was not good.

    Q: (Flavio Vanetti – Corriere della Sera) Fernando, you said several times that Ferrari needs a global improvement but is there a priority in this situation, to try to get closer to Mercedes?

    FA: Well, of course it is a priority, we need to close, we need to catch them as soon as possible before the championship is over, so we need to keep scoring points, as many as we can now that we are not super-competitive, try not to lose too much ground on points in the championship, and if in one race we become as competitive as them, try to catch up in terms of points. At the moment, it seems very far away because they have a big advantage and we need to work really hard if we want to have that possibility. There is nothing really special we can do, just don’t give up; we’re in the fourth race in the championship, there ‘s still a long way go but being super-realistic, knowing that the gap is very very big it’s going to be very tough.

    Q: (Livio Oricchio – Universo On Line) Fernando, how can you understand this race? In the last one, you finished a long way behind the Mercedes; this time you were seven seconds behind Nico. Is it the characteristics of the track or the new parts that you brought that has made the car so fast?

    FA: I think it was a combination. As I said, we brought new parts that feel a little more competitive – the car feels a little bit faster – we also tested in Bahrain, they felt OK and we confirmed that here. On the other hand, I personally have had an extremely good weekend, probably at the level of 2012 in terms of driving and feeling comfortable with the car, qualifying, Friday, today. In Bahrain, we were one minute behind the leaders, ninth and tenth and today we are on the podium, seven seconds behind Nico as I said, but Kimi’s one minute behind the leaders. I think it’s a combination. Hopefully I can keep going like this. I felt more comfortable with the car and we will not give up.

    Q: (Alexander Aucott – China Radio International) Lewis, you mentioned the support of the Chinese fans on the podium. Have you seen an increase in support over the years here and is it something that makes them unique here at Shanghai?

    LH: Every year I come here, I feel that the fan base – at least my fan base – feels like it’s growing every year here. Growing up in Stevenage, I never ever thought that I would fly halfway round the world and have so many people who chose to wear my cap, to wear my top, to have my flag and really support me. It’s absolutely phenomenal, and here it’s maybe my second year, I think, that from the moment I’m at the airport – I don’t know how they know I’m there but they know I’m there – it’s almost like they radio to the guys at the hoteland when I get to the hotel – I don’t know how they know I’m at that hotel – but they’re there every morning, every evening, day and night and that’s why I always say we win and we lose together. This morning and on the way, one of my fans she gave me like a digital photo frame and on it, they did a special video for me from all the fan base here and for me, it’s touched my heart so much so I want to say a big thank you to all of them.

    Q: (Luis Fernando Ramos – Racing Magazine) Nico, all the other teams have set their sights on the Barcelona race as their best chance to improve their performance with the novelties on their cars, so how confident is Mercedes that the things you’re going to bring to Barcelona will keep the gap or maybe even extend the gap you have to the other teams?

    NR: Hopefully, more than all the other teams; we want to go to Barcelona with the biggest step, that’s our ambition. Barcelona is a chance for us to extend the advantage that we have and that’s the approach that we have going to Barcelona, 100 percen

     

    eom

  • Hamilton masters wet qualifying for third pole position of the season

    Shanghai, 19 April 2014: Lewis Hamilton marched to a dominant Chinese

    Hamilton tops wet qualifying for his third pole this year. A Mercedes AMG Petronas image
    Hamilton tops wet qualifying for his third pole this year. A Mercedes AMG Petronas image

    Grand Prix pole position at a rain-soaked the Shanghai International Circuit, finishing six tenths clear of Daniel Ricciardo of Red Bull Racing, who in turn beat third-placed team-mate Sebastian Vettel by half a second.

    “It was so slippery out there, trying to find the grip, obviously not making mistakes on your lap, and really putting it together, especially when you have these guys [Red Bull] pushing you,” he said of third pole position of the season so far. “It was a tough session. I really enjoyed it. The car was feeling great. It’s a good position for the race and I hope we can follow through tomorrow.”

    Ricciardo edged closest to the Briton in the final moments of the session but the Australian admitted afterwards that he had not got the best out of the session.

    “To be honest, I struggled a bit throughout the session, at least personally I didn’t feel like I was getting on top of the conditions,” he said. “But then the last set of inters, right at the end of Q3, we managed to get a bit more out of it and I put a good lap together, so pretty pleased to be on the front row. A good day.”

    Vettel, meanwhile, finished just under five tenths behind Ricciardo and admitted that the Australian’s better record in qualifying so far was far from pleasing.

    “Daniel is doing a very good job, he has not just had one good weekend, he had good weekends and so far he seems to be able to get the maximum out of the car,” said the defending champion. “On my side, maybe I’m struggling a little bit more, but at the end of the day we have the same car – there’s nothing between cars, so if he manages to beat me, then he beats me on the circuit, fair and square. Of course, that’s not to my liking but equally, I know that I have to do a little bit better.”

    Steady rain at the start of the first made wet Pirellis the tyre of choice but as the 18-minute segment reached its final minutes a number of drivers gambled on a switch to intermediate rubber and as the Sauber drivers began to put in good sector times it looked the right move for those who might otherwise be bounced out in Q1.

    Toro Rosso’s Jean-Eric Vergne made himself safe by jumping to ninth place (which was eventually good enough for 11th) but Sauber’s Esteban Gutierrez was the man caught out, the Mexican failing to improve enough. He was pushed to 17th and out of the session by Lotus’ Romain Grosjean. Behind Gutierrez, the Caterhams of Kamui Kobayashi (P18) and Marcus Ericsson (P20) and the Marussias of Jules Bianchi (P19) and Max Chilton (P21) were also eliminated. Pastor Maldonado, meanwhile, had already bowed out, Lotus unable to ready his car following the problems that caused him to stop on track during the morning’s final practice session.

    Intermediates remained the tyre of choice in Q2 too, with all 16 remaining drivers opting for the green-banded Pirellis. The top of the table took on a familiar look as the Mercedes cars of Hamilton and Rosberg occupied first and third places respectively with the Red Bull of Sebastian Vettel and Daniel Ricciardo second and fourth. Ferrari’s Fernando Alonso also looked solid, the Spaniard eventually taking fifth spot. Behind that quintet the battle for the remaining top 10 places was a fluid affair, largely dependent on the shifting conditions. Late in the segment, Vergne jumped to seventh spot with a good lap but he was the last driver to make a significant improvement and as the rain briefly intensified in the final minute, other failed to make a similar leap.

    It meant that Nico Hulkenberg’s earlier lap of 1:58.847 was good enough to see him through in 10th spot, ahead of Felipe Massa, Vergne and the impressive looking Grosjean. However, out went the second Ferrari of Kimi Raikonen (P11), the McLarens of Jenson Button (P12) and Kevin Magnussen (P15), the Toros Rosso of Daniil Kvyat in 13th place and, suprisingly perhaps, the Force Indias of Adrian Sutil (P14) and Sergio Perez (P16).

    The left the battle for pole and once again Hamilton was untouchable. The Mercedes driver posted a lap of 1:54.348 with his first run to take provisional pole, with Rosberg slotting into second spot ahead of the Red Bulls. Rosberg then attempted to put pressure on his team-mate but a brief lock-up put paid to that ambition. Ricciardo jumped into P2 with the first lap of his final run but Hamilton’s time of 1:53.864 was untouchable and the Briton claimed his third pole of the season.

    2014 Chinese Grand Prix – Qualifying Result
    1 Lewis Hamilton Mercedes 1:53.860 21
    2 Daniel Ricciardo Red Bull Racing-Renault 1:54.455 23
    3 Sebastian Vettel Red Bull Racing-Renault 1:54.960 23
    4 Nico Rosberg Mercedes 1:55.143 22
    5 Fernando Alonso Ferrari 1:55.637 21
    6 Felipe Massa Williams-Mercedes 1:56.147 24
    7 Valtteri Bottas Williams-Mercedes 1:56.282 24
    8 Nico Hulkenberg Force India-Mercedes 1:56.366 23
    9 Jean-Eric Vergne STR-Renault 1:56.773 23
    10 Romain Grosjean Lotus-Renault 1:57.079 22

    11 Kimi Räikkönen Ferrari 1:56.860 17
    12 Jenson Button McLaren-Mercedes 1:56.963 17
    13 Daniil Kvyat STR-Renault 1:57.289 18
    14 Adrian Sutil Sauber-Ferrari  1:57.393 17
    15 Kevin Magnussen McLaren-Mercedes 1:57.675 17
    16 Sergio Perez Force India-Mercedes 1:58.264 17

    17 Esteban Gutierrez Sauber-Ferrari 1:58.988 10
    18 Kamui Kobayashi Caterham-Renault 1:59.260 10
    19 Jules Bianchi Marussia-Ferrari 1:59.326 10
    20 Marcus Ericsson Caterham-Renault 2:00.646 10
    21 Max Chilton Marussia-Ferrari 2:00.865 10
    DNQ Pastor Maldonado Lotus-Renault No time 0

    eom/FIA release

  • Hamilton overcomes morning issues to top afternoon timesheet

    Shanghai, 18 April 2014: Mercedes driver overcomes morning issues to top afternoon timesheet ahead of Fernando Alonso in the Free Practice 2 at here on Good Friday.

    Hamilton tops timesheet in FP2 at Shanghai on Friday. An Mercedes AMG Petronas image
    Hamilton tops timesheet in FP2 at Shanghai on Friday. An Mercedes AMG Petronas image

    Lewis Hamilton set the fastest time of Friday’s second practice session ahead of the Chinese Grand Prix, finishing a tenth ahead of Ferrari’s Fernando Alonso, despite the Briton complaining at the end of the session that “something’s not right with this car”.

    In the morning session Hamilton had been hampered by rear suspension problems and work to fix the issues restricted the Mercedes driver to his garage for the first half hour of the afternoon spell. Once on track, however, Hamilton, using the soft tyres, eclipsed Fernando Alonso with a first run lap of 1:38.315 to claim top spot.

    “It was quite a difficult day today as we missed some of this morning’s session which put us on the back foot slightly, but we were glad to get some laps in the second session at least,” said Hamilton. “We’re not too happy with the balance of the car at the moment, so we need to go and work on that. This circuit is particularly hard on tyres, as it has been every year, so we need to be prepared for that. A few of the other teams look to have improved in terms of pace, which is great as it means we will have a fight.”

    Whether the fight will come from Ferrari remains to be seen. Alonso’s times were certainly impressive given where the team was a fortnight ago, but they carried with them a hint of showboating, with the team’s new boss Marco Mattiacci present for the sessions. Alonso, though, professed himself happy with his day’s work.

    “We have brought some small updates here, which we already tried at the Bahrain test,” he said. “Everything worked well and that’s good news. Leaving aside the performance of the others, I am happy with what we have done today. At every race, all the teams bring something new and we must try and make an additional step forward if we want to be competitive.

    “This track is particularly tough on tyres, with the Softs especially suffering from graining over a long run, so it will be important to work out the tyre plan for Sunday,” he added. “If it rains tomorrow, we will definitely have less information for the race and we will have to rely on guesswork. Let’s hope we make the right choices.”

    Nico Rosberg was third for Mercedes with a time of 1:38.726, four tenths of a second behind his team-mate, while Daniel Ricciardo took third spot ahead of team-mate Sebastian Vettel, the Australian finishing two tenths clear of the world champion.

    Behind the Red Bulls, Felipe Massa was sixth for Willams, with the second Ferrari of Kimi Raikkonen seventh. McLaren’s Jenson Button was eighth, ahead of Romain Grosjean in a much-improved looking Lotus. Tenth place went to Toro Rosso rookie Daniil Kvyat who finished a tenth ahead of 13th-placed team-mate Jean-Eric Vergne.

    2014 Chinese Grand Prix – Free Practice 2 Times
    1 Lewis Hamilton Mercedes 1:38.315 25
    2 Fernando Alonso Ferrari 1:38.456 0.141 28
    3 Nico Rosberg Mercedes 1:38.726 0.411 30
    4 Daniel Ricciardo Red Bull Racing 1:38.811 0.496 30
    5 Sebastian Vettel Red Bull Racing 1:39.015 0.700 31
    6 Felipe Massa Williams 1:39.118 0.803 25
    7 Kimi Räikkönen Ferrari 1:39.283 0.968 25
    8 Jenson Button McLaren 1:39.491 1.176 29
    9 Romain Grosjean Lotus 1:39.537 1.222 36
    10 Daniil Kvyat Toro Rosso 1:39.648 1.333 26
    11 Nico Hulkenberg Force India 1:39.736 1.421 30
    12 Kevin Magnussen McLaren 1:39.744 1.429 29
    13 Jean-Eric Vergne Toro Rosso 1:39.759 1.444 28
    14 Valtteri Bottas Williams 1:39.830 1.515 25
    15 Sergio Perez Force India 1:40.124 1.809 32
    16 Esteban Gutierrez Sauber 1:40.359 2.044 32
    17 Adrian Sutil Sauber 1:40.395 2.080 30
    18 Pastor Maldonado Lotus 1:40.455 2.140 12
    19 Jules Bianchi Marussia 1:42.327 4.012 27
    20 Max Chilton Marussia 1:43.473 5.158 30
    21 Kamui Kobayashi Caterham 1:43.530 5.215 32
    22 Marcus Ericsson Caterham 1:43.679 5.364 32

    eom/FIA release

  • F1 is now dominated by the car and how quick the car can be: Sergio Perez

    DRIVERS – Adrian SUTIL (Sauber), Sergio PEREZ (Force India), Esteban GUTIERREZ (Sauber), Daniel RICCIARDO (Red Bull Racing), Lewis HAMILTON (Mercedes), Fernando ALONSO (Ferrari)

    PRESS CONFERENCE

    Daniel, some bad news earlier on at the start of this week for you, what was your reaction to that?

    Daniel RICCIARDO: Obviously a little bit disappointed but at the same time I had moved on already. I think Sunday night in Melbourne the damage was already done and I went from a big high to a pretty big low, so I’d sort of already moved on. I hoped but didn’t really expect too much to come from it. So that’s it. I’m here now in Shanghai and that’s it. There’s no more ifs or buts, it’s here, I have 12 points and i just have to play catch-up.

    Fernando, it’s also been an interesting week for you with some interesting news from the team.

    Fernando ALONSO: Yeah, there has been some news from the team and we’re here to try to improve the situation a little bit, be a little bit more competitive, more than we have shown in the first three races. We’re here to fight back.

    Is that slightly unsettling for you?

    FA: I think we need to be honest with our situation. It’s not where we wanted to be. I think there is a lot of room to improve. We need to become better in all the areas from the car. There is a long way to go, the championship is very long and we know that probably in the first (part) of the championship we will not be as competitive as Mercedes or some of the teams that now they are on top but as I said we need to maximise what we have in our hands now, try to score as many points as possible and hopefully we can be very competitive later in the season.

    Lewis, a fantastic race for you in Bahrain and an interesting quote from you saying it was a “real racer’s race”, using the skills that you had acquired as a karter. Are we going to see lots more of that and have you had a look at the race and seen what was happening all the way down the field?

    Lewis HAMILTON: Yeah, it was quite an exciting race, I got to spend some time at home with the family at the weekend and we watched the highlights. Yeah, it was quite interesting to see the duel between each team and between team-mates. As I said it was a bit more like a go-kart race. Whether or not it will always be like that… that was a great race, I hope there are more races like that through the year.

    It was always interests me, as a karting dad, as I have been, when you guys start talking about karting and how it is the purest form of racing. It’s extraordinary that you can race like that, almost like a karter, in a Formula One car.

    LH: Yeah, it is. You don’t see it too often. Obviously in karting you don’t have downforce, you just have mechanical grip, so it is more exciting in general. But to have the staggered tyres, difference between different cars enabling that racing in the last race was quite unique.

    Well any time you like; we’d like some more of it. Esteban can I come to you now? First of all, you said this was one of your best races last year. Obviously we saw you end the last race in not the best way and hopefully there is no lasting damage but tell us about this race from your point of view.

    Esteban GUTIERREZ: Well, yes it was very challenging, especially as the performance at the moment is not where we want to be and this puts everything in a very difficult position. The whole team is really pushing very hard, we are trying to recover our pace and to really be where we belong and where we are aiming to. We have a great team behind and everyone is pushing very hard to achieve that very soon, hopefully very soon.

    And you were perfectly alright the next day after the crash?

    EG: Yeah definitely. Nothing happened. This was the most important thing on the weekend and on the incident as well, apart from really actually what happened. Afterwards it was just necessary to do all the check up and be sure that everything was fine.

    Q: Sergio, obviously an excellent race for you in Bahrain as well. What is it that’s making Force India so competitive at the moment?

    Sergio PÉREZ: It was a great race for the team as well. Nico finishing fifth, a lot of points, second in the Constructors’ so it’s a big motivation for the team. Right now we are maximising every opportunity that we are having. I had a little bit of a difficult start of the season, I struggled in Malaysia with some issues. We managed to come into Bahrain and do a great job and I think right now we have a good package with Mercedes but I think as well the car. We’re beating all the other Mercedes engine [customers], so we’re doing a good job as a team, we are maximising what we have and hopefully we can… we come into a different challenge here in China, very different track to Bahrain so I think it will be a good target for us to try to do as good as we did in Bahrain. It will be a big challenge for us here.

    Q: Adrian, I think there’s quite a few areas that Sauber have to improve. Did you make some progress at the test? What are the areas still to work on?

    Adrian SUTIL: Yes. A little progress has been made at the test with the test drivers in Bahrain, so it was quite conclusive. Of course at the moment we are far too slow. Not really enjoyable but we are looking ahead. It will get better. It’s just a question of time. We need to be a bit patient. So, for here, there are a few things changed already. So, I’m quite excited to see how the car will be. But our plan, especially for the next races going to Europe and going to Barcelona and on, the car should definitely be a different one to drive. It’s not only one area, quite a few areas of the car. It’s the power unit, it’s the weight – and I’m fighting also personally a little bit here and there. It will get there and as soon as we do progress every race weekend, I’m happy. Fingers crossed it’s going to happen very soon.

    QUESTIONS FROM THE FLOOR

    Q: (Flavio Vanetti – Corriere della Sera) Fernando, the new team principle of Ferrari, Marco Mattiacci has no experience related to Formula One. Could it be an issue in your opinion, or not?

    FA: Well, I think we need to give him time and try to see how he settles down. It’s too early to say if, y’know, it will be a very good thing or very bad. I think we need to make sure he has all the facilities ready, all the technical stuff ready, all the team behind him, try to help him settle down as fast as possible. And, yes, try to put him in a condition to feel comfortable from day one. I certainly hope… we are really hoping it will be a successful managing of the team and everyone is looking forward.

    Q: (Kate Walker – Crash.net) A question for all six of you. We’ve heard an awful lot about this year’s technology and how it’s changing the future of Formula One. Looking further ahead, how do you see the role of the driver evolving as the technology becomes more complex?

    FA: I think it’s going to be pretty similar to what we saw in the last couple of years. Drivers still have an input on the result and developing the car – but as we know Formula One is a category that is dominated by the performance of the car, in a way. We saw in Bahrain also in the last couple of laps, they were fighting two team-mates, two team-mates, two team-mates until the tenth or twelfth position. It’s difficult to get away from that order. It has been more or less like this in the past. I don’t see any big difference. Probably it’s a little bit more extreme now with all the technology as you said. In the past there were some strange cases in races like Monaco or things like that, maybe a midfield car could fight for a podium etcetera. In this last couple of years it’s difficult to see that but, y’know, you take it or you go in another category. It is what it is.

    Sergio?

    SP: I fully agree with Fernando. I think you are as good as your car. The level your team is and the performance your team has. We’ve seen it in the past. Drivers changing teams and sometimes you can be in a very good team and show very strong potential, win some races. Sometimes you don’t even go into the points – and it’s related to the level of the car. But I think the drivers still have a big influence on the development and the result but it’s a factor now that Formula One is dominated by the car and how quick your car can be.

    Q: (Livio Oricchio – Universo On Line) Fernando, what were you celebrating at the end of the last race as you took the chequered flag and took your hand out of the cockpit and punched the air?

    FA: Yeah, I was saying thanks to the mechanics. I said it a hundred times after the race also. They’d been working hard on Saturday. As you know, we had a problem on the engine side, on the power unit that slowed us a little bit in Q1, Q2 and then furthermore in Q3. We didn’t have the solution for the problem, even on Sunday at 12 o’ clock so we still were not completely sure that the car was perfectly OK and then in the race, we had everything in place – they did a fantastic job so when we crossed the line, they were on the pit wall saying hallo and I said hallo to them.

    Q: (Luigi Perna – La Gazzetta dello Sport) Fernando, it was quite shocking, the replacement of the team principal after three races. I don’t know if you agree but in your opinion, is that enough to solve the problem – to save the season – or not?

    FA: Well, I think we need to assess what Stefano decided. He was probably not any more in  the mood to continue and with the feeling of taking the weight on his shoulders. He made a very responsible move. It’s not easy, when you have a very privileged position in one Formula One team to be able to step back and to say ‘maybe it’s better to move’. But he did it, just for Ferrari’s interest and improvement so that’s something that we cannot forget and now we have to respect that decision. From that point, for sure, it’s not that in this race we will improve one second, because I don’t think Stefano was doing the front wing or the rear wing or whatever by his hands, so probably we need to wait a little bit of time and see what we can improve and try to help all the team with the new people coming to make us a little bit stronger and try to get back some of the success from the past.

    Q: (Qian Jun – Oriental Morning Post) To all of you, this year the FIA has introduced a penalty point system. After just three Grands Prix, Jules Bianchi has four points and Pastor has three points. Do you think anybody will reach 12 points this season, and what’s your opinion on this regulation?

    AS: I think it’s OK. I’m not sure if anyone will reach the full 12 but after three races, having four, then he should reach it very soon. Let’s see how it’s going to be. Most important is that there was a change from last year because there were at certain times some penalties,  especially for the backmarkers, which were not doing anything. If you’re last and you get a ten place penalty you’re still last and that’s it. This is a little bit different and I think there was a reason why it should be changed and now we need a little bit of time to see if it is working. I hope so.

    DR: Yeah, I think you reach 12 if you’re a bad boy but yeah, I think this system is OK. It’s trying to keep us in line, really, so if it helps then yeah.

    EG: I think it’s a good system. It puts some conscience on ourselves to not do wrong moves and to respect each other and to race in a fair way, which is how racing should be.

    Q: (Luis Fernando Ramos – Racing Magazine) To Lewis and Fernando, as World Champions. We will have the 20th anniversary of Ayrton Senna’s death in a few weeks. I wanted to ask what are your memories from that day and if Senna was the driver that you most looked up to when you were in karting in those days?

    LH: Yeah. For me, it’s not unknown, I always comment on it: when I was a kid I had all the books, all the videos, he was the driver I looked up to, way before I even started racing. He kind of inspired me to even be a driver and of course, on the day of his passing, his death was… it was very difficult for me to show my emotions in my family so I went off to a quiet place and it was very difficult for several days to really… your hero’s gone. But an incredible legend; you can still learn things from how he approached racing and how he drove. You like to think that one day you may be recognised as someone that was able to drive similarly to him.

    FA: Yeah, the same for me: he was an inspiration. I remember some of the races that we could see in the news in Spain, because we didn’t have the TV coverage of Formula One, but yeah, I remember I went to school – on my book, I didn’t have (pictures of) girls, obviously I was too young to have girls on the book but I had Ayrton there and the same in my room. I had a big poster of Ayrton and even my first go-karts were in the colours of Ayrton’s McLaren because my father also liked him. It was a very sad moment. I know there is something happening at Imola in Italy in the next weekends and I intend to be there, just to be close on this unfortunately important day.

    Q: (Jerome Bourret – L’Equipe) Fernando, have you already had a discussion with your new team principal about the things you would like to change in the team and if not, what are the points you would like to discuss with him?

    FA: No, I haven’t had the chance… I don’t know if he’s coming here, I guess so, so it would be a good time to welcome him. I don’t really have much to say. I drive the car. He will be good enough to recognise what are the weak areas of the team, what are the strong areas of the team and hopefully improve them. I think that as drivers, we will try to drive as fast as we can, Kimi and I, and try to help him in whatever field our help is required.

    Q: (David Croft – Sky Sports F1) Fernando, you’ve worked and driven under a variety of team principals in Formula One. Where would Stefano Domenicali rank amongst your other team bosses and what do you think Ferrari will miss most about him?

    FA: I think that Stefano was a great man, first of all. I’m a close friend of his, not just on the circuit. We ski together every January 1st in Italy in the mountains. We still have a close relationship. We’ve been talking all the week long. I think that will continue, because we have known each for many years and we have worked very closely for this couple of years, so that’s important, to separate work from friendship. Then, as a team principal, I think he made good choices, good things. Obviously we missed opportunities in 2010, in 2012. They missed opportunities in 2008 with Felipe (Massa). If not, he could probably have three championships in his pocket. I think he brought in Pat Fry, he brought James Allison, Raikkonen, so I think all the things that people ask from him he was giving to them, probably, as I said, the results in the sports are important and the pressure at Ferrari is also quite big, so he made his decision which we respect and we will try to move forward in different directions but try to move forward. I’m happy with the time that we passed together.

    eom

    Drivers at the Thursday FIA press conference in China. A Sahara Force India image
    Drivers at the Thursday FIA press conference in China. A Sahara Force India image

  • Hamilton sets fastest time on new Pirelli experimental tyre

    Sakhir, 9 April 2014:Pirelli has completed the first in-season test using the current 2014 cars: an innovation for this year designed to help the Italian tyre-maker develop suitable tyres for the latest-generation Formula One cars.

    A total of eight new constructions and six new compounds were tested during the two days: split between Caterham on Tuesday then Mercedes and Williams on Wednesday.

    Hamilton fastest on Second Day of testing in Bahrain on 9 April 2014. A Pirelli image
    Hamilton fastest on Second Day of testing in Bahrain on 9 April 2014. A Pirelli image

    Only one variable was tested at a time, so if a new compound was being tested, then the construction would be the current one (and vice versa). The teams alternated prototype runs with baseline runs on the existing tyres, for comparison purposes.

    The 250 experimental tyres brought to Bahrain, distinguished by being free from any colour stripes on the sidewall, were exclusively designed with 2015 in mind. Over the course of the two days, Pirelli completed a total of 110 laps and around 595 kilometres with experimental tyres, in ambient and track temperatures that were a lot hotter than those of the grand prix weekend.

    Pirelli’s motorsport director Paul Hembery said: “The opportunity to test with the current cars is something that we have always wished for and it was vital to have this written into the regulations this year. We made useful progress throughout both days of the prototype tyre test, trying out a number of solutions with 2015 in mind, in demanding conditions. Having accumulated this valuable data over two days, we will now analyse it carefully to assess the best development direction for the next in-season test in Barcelona, where we expect to see further evolutions in car performance.”

    Testing facts:

    The maximum temperature reached was 35 degrees ambient and 44 degrees on track at 2pm on Wednesday.

    The fastest time set throughout the two days of the test was a 1m34.136s benchmark from Hamilton on Wednesday morning, on an experimental tyre.

    As well as the running on experimental tyres, the teams that were not testing specifically for Pirelli ran with the current tyres. Teams are allowed an overall maximum total of 135 sets of tyres for testing this year, including the in-season tests.

    Caterham ran a total of 64 laps with Robin Frijns on Tuesday before a hydraulic problem curtailed running in the afternoon. Frijns tested one new construction and two new compounds.

    On Wednesday Mercedes ran a total of 120 laps with Lewis Hamilton, testing three new constructions and three new compounds. Williams ran a total of 64 laps with Felipe Nasr, testing two new constructions and one new compound. The team stopped in the afternoon with a technical issue.

    The next in-season test will take place after the Spanish Grand Prix. Sauber and Toro Rosso will test for Pirelli on the opening day, followed by Force India and McLaren on day two. The final tyre test will be held at Silverstone, after the British Grand Prix. Ferrari and Lotus will drive on the opening day, followed by Red Bull and Marussia on day two.

    Testing times:

    Day 1

    Rosberg Mercedes 1m35.697s Soft
    Hulkenberg Force India 1m36.064s Soft
    Alonso Ferrari 1m36.626s Medium
    Magnussen McLaren 1m36.634s Soft
    Bottas Williams 1m37.305s Soft
    Chilton Marussia 1m37.678s Supersoft
    Ricciardo Red Bull 1m38.326s Soft
    Sirotkin Sauber 1m39.023s Soft
    Frijns Caterham 1m40.027s Experimental
    Maldonado Lotus 1m40.183s Soft
    Kvyat Toro Rosso 1m40.452s Soft

    Day 2

    Hamilton Mercedes 1m34.136s Experimental
    Vergne Toro Rosso 1m35.557s Supersoft
    Magnussen McLaren 1m36.203s Soft
    Perez Force India 1m36.586s Soft
    Ricciardo Red Bull 1m37.310s Soft
    Bianchi Marussia 1m37.316s Supersoft
    Van der Garde Sauber 1m37.623s Soft
    Alonso Ferrari 1m37.912s Medium
    Ericsson Caterham 1m39.263s Soft
    Nasr Williams 1m39.879s Experimental
    Grosjean Lotus 1m43.732s Soft

  • Hamilton, Rosberg finish 1-2 again; Perez on podium for Force India

    Bahrain, 6 April 2014: Mercedes AMG Petronas team once again won the first two positions, with Lewis Hamilton taking a thrilling Bahrain Grand Prix victory, the Briton finishing just one second ahead of team-mate Nico Rosberg at the end of a race-long battle.

    Sahara Force India’s Sergio Perez, meanwhile, scored his first podium finish since the Italian Grand Prix of 2012 ahead of Daniel Ricciardo, who delivered an impressive, aggressive drive for Red Bull Racing after starting 13th. Perez’s third place was Force India’s first podium finish since Giancarlo Fisichella’s second place at the 2009 Belgian Grand Hamilton after winning the Bahrain GP. F1 6Apr2014 GP03BAH. Mercedes picPrix.

    The battle for the podium places was mirrored right the way down the field, with epic duels occurring throughout the points-scoring positions, with Nico  Hulkenberg seeing off the challenge of Sebastian Vettel to take fifth place, a defence that then left the champion, who was without DRS and down on power to fend off a final charge from the Williams cars of Felipe Massa and Valtteri Bottas.

    At the race start, Hamilton made the better getaway and passed Rosberg into turn one, the first salvo in a conflict that would develop into a titanic struggle in the closing stages.

    Behind them, Bottas made a poor start from third, slipping back to fifth. It was a different story for team-mate Felipe Massa, however. The Brazilian made an excellent start and was soon up to third, ahead of Sergio Perez and Jenson Button.

    Kimi Raikkonen, meanwhile, was in trouble. The Finn, who started fifth but lost out to team-mate Fernando Alonso at the start, also tangled with Kevin Magnussen on lap one with the result that both dropped back – Magnussen to 12th and Raikkonen to ninth, just ahead of Sebastian Vettel.

    Rosberg’s first attempt to wrestle back control came on laps 17-18 when the German twice went past his team-mate only for Hamilton to find a fight his way back.

    The race then ebbed and flowed as the teams’ race strategies unfolded through the opening two stints. Up and down the order positions changed hands with staggering regularity as those on three stops dived for the pits and those on two remained on track. Among them all differing choices of tyres compound for different stints also defined whether drivers were powering through the order or defending stoutly.

    And it was a difference of compound that defined the final huge battle between Hamilton and Rosberg.

    On lap 41, Sauber’s Esteban Gutierrez was making his way through Turn One when Pastor Maldonado straight-lined the corner and smashed into the Mexican.

    Gutierrez’s car was flipped over and off track and the safety car emerged. Both Hamilton and Rosberg arrowed towards the pit lane and took on fresh tyres. The Briton, though, had to take on the prime medium tyres for his final laps while Rosberg, having used the prime in his second stint, had the option of the quicker soft tyre.

    With any time advantage Hamilton had built up all but erased, the race was now a contest between Hamilton’s ability to defend and Rosberg’s ability to find a chink in his team-mate’s armour.

    Behind them the two-stopping Force Indias of Perez and Hulkenberg were third and fourth respectively, ahead of Button, and the twin Red Bulls of Vettel and Ricciardo. Three-stopping Massa and Bottas were eighth and ninth, ahead of Alonso, who had also opted for a three-stop race.

    The Safety Car came in at the end of lap 46 and the battle between the leading Mercedes duo began in earnest, as did the tussle between the Force Indias, with Perez robustly fending off a move by Hulkenberg into turn one. Ahead, Hamilton retained his lead.

    Further back the Red Bulls both passed Button, who dropped to seventh. He was soon dumped to eighth as Massa too swept past.

    A battle then developed between Ricciardo and Vettel with the Australian eventually muscling past the champion on lap 50 after they had swapped position several times. Ricciardo then set off after Hulkenberg and eventually reeled in and passed the German on lap 54, claiming fourth place.

    At the front the leaders were tussling again, with Rosberg continually probing, prodding and looking to seize on the slightest error from Hamilton. The Briton was inch perfect, however, and Rosberg could find nothing to exploit as he attempted to take the lead.

    And that was how the order remained over the closing laps, with Hamilton successfully fending off Rosberg to take his second win of the year. Behind them Perez took his first podium finish since the Italian Grand Prix of 2012.

    Ricciardo delivered a superb drive to covert a 13th-place start into fourth position for Red Bull, while Hulkenberg was fifth in the second Force India.

    Champion Sebastian Vettel, claiming to be down on power, defended well to take sixth ahead of the Williams cars of Massa and Bottas. The final two points positions were taken by the Ferraris of Fernando Alonso and Kimi Raikkonen.

    2014 Bahrain Grand Prix – Race Result
    1 Lewis Hamilton Mercedes 57 Winner 2 25
    2 Nico Rosberg Mercedes 57 +1.0 secs 1 18
    3 Sergio Perez Force India-Mercedes 57 +24.0 secs 4 15
    4 Daniel Ricciardo Red Bull Racing-Renault 57 +24.4 secs 13 12
    5 Nico Hulkenberg Force India-Mercedes 57 +28.6 secs 11 10
    6 Sebastian Vettel Red Bull Racing-Renault 57 +29.8 secs 10 8
    7 Felipe Massa Williams-Mercedes 57 +31.2 secs 7 6
    8 Valtteri Bottas Williams-Mercedes 57 +31.8 secs 3 4
    9 Fernando Alonso Ferrari 57 +32.5 secs 9 2
    10 Kimi Räikkönen Ferrari 57 +33.4 secs 5 1
    11 Daniil Kvyat STR-Renault 57 +41.3 secs 12
    12 Romain Grosjean Lotus-Renault 57 +43.1 secs 16
    13 Max Chilton Marussia-Ferrari 57 +59.9 secs 21
    14 Pastor Maldonado Lotus-Renault 57 +62.8 secs 17
    15 Kamui Kobayashi Caterham-Renault 57 +87.9 secs 18
    16 Jules Bianchi Marussia-Ferrari 56 +1 Lap 19
    17 Jenson Button McLaren-Mercedes 55 +2 Laps 6
    Ret Kevin Magnussen McLaren-Mercedes 40 +17 Laps 8
    Ret Esteban Gutierrez Sauber-Ferrari 39 Accident 15
    Ret Marcus Ericsson Caterham-Renault 33 +24 Laps 20
    Ret Jean-Eric Vergne STR-Renault 18 +39 Laps 14
    Ret Adrian Sutil Sauber-Ferrari 17 +40 Laps 22

    eom

  • Hamilton fastest in FP 1: Bahrain GP

    Bahrain, 4 April 2014: Mercedes continued to dominate free practice for the Bahrain Grand Prix as Lewis Hamilton topped the evening timesheet, three tenths of a second ahead of team-mate Nico Rosberg. As in the day’s first session, Ferrari’s Fernando Alonso was third fastest.

    Alonso’s best time was just over a second adrift of Hamilton’s benchmark, pointing to the continued superiority Mercedes have over their rivals.

    “It’s been a pretty decent day for us,” said Hamilton afterwards. “The car felt good from the outset, which allowed us to spend time getting to grips with the tyres. The softs in particular seem to be working well and we saw a fair difference in lap time between them and the mediums.

    “The focus today was on the second

    Hamilton on Friday in Bahrain. A Mercedes AMG Petronas photo
    Hamilton on Friday in Bahrain. A Mercedes AMG Petronas photo

    session as the timing and conditions reflects that of the rest of the weekend and the difference in temperature between the sessions was quite large,” he added. “The key was to not react too much to that change in terms of our approach to set-up and we seemed to manage that well. It was great driving under the spotlights here: the circuit looks even better at night and you don’t really notice a difference in terms of visibility. It’s actually quite nice to be driving in cooler conditions too. As always there are still some tweaks we can make to improve the car, but overall I’m feeling good.”

    Red Bull Racing’s Daniel Ricciardo was fourth fastest, more than two tenths ahead of team-mate Sebastian Vettel, who finished seventh in the floodlit session. Fifth place went to Williams’s Felipe Massa, with Jenson Button sixth for McLaren.

    The top 10 order was rounded out by Toro Rosso’s increasingly impressive Daniil Kvyat in eighth place, fellow rookie Kevin Magnussen of McLaren in ninth and Force India’s Sergip Perez in tenth.

    While the session was headlined by Mercedes’ seemingly unassailable pace, it was marked for others by incidents and technical issues.

    Lotus’ Pastor Maldonado hit trouble when he clipped a kerb in Turn Four and briefly became airborne. Team-mate Romain Grosjean’s problems were of a less nervy kind, though equally frustrating, as he complained of a engine misfire.

    The Frenchman managed to post 23 laps, however, considerably more than fellow Renault-powered runner Marcus Ericcson of Caterham, who completed just 10 laps in the session and late on was forced to pull over as his CT05 suffered another problem.

    Sauber’s Adrian Sutil has earlier also exited the session, the German pulling over in Turn Six and clambering out of his stricken car. Elsewhere, Max Chilton’s session ended early when a problem with his Marussia’s rear end pitched the Briton into a spin and he skidded out in Turn Four.

    2014 Bahrain Grand Prix – Free Practice 2 Result 
    1 Lewis Hamilton Mercedes 1:34.325 28
    2 Nico Rosberg Mercedes 1:34.690 0.365 31
    3 Fernando Alonso Ferrari 1:35.360 1.035 28
    4 Daniel Ricciardo Red Bull Racing 1:35.433 1.108 28
    5 Felipe Massa Williams 1:35.442 1.117 13
    6 Jenson Button McLaren 1:35.528 1.203 21
    7 Sebastian Vettel Red Bull Racing 1:35.606 1.281 30
    8 Daniil Kvyat Toro Rosso 1:35.640 1.315 31
    9 Kevin Magnussen McLaren 1:35.662 1.337 22
    10 Sergio Perez Force India 1:35.802 1.477 40
    11 Valtteri Bottas Williams 1:35.920 1.595 9
    12 Jean-Eric Vergne Toro Rosso 1:35.972 1.647 33
    13 Nico Hulkenberg Force India 1:35.998 1.673 18
    14 Kimi Räikkönen Ferrari 1:36.366 2.041 33
    15 Adrian Sutil Sauber 1:36.962 2.637 13
    16 Esteban Gutierrez Sauber 1:36.975 2.650 35
    17 Pastor Maldonado Lotus 1:37.259 2.934 25
    18 Romain Grosjean Lotus 1:37.599 3.274 23
    19 Jules Bianchi Marussia 1:37.800 3.475 15
    20 Max Chilton Marussia 1:38.247 3.922 10
    21 Kamui Kobayashi Caterham 1:38.257 3.932 33
    22 Marcus Ericsson Caterham 1:39.136 4.811 30

    eom

  • Teams approach changes as they race under lights: Bahrain GP preview

    Bahrain, 2 April 2014: The F1 bandwagon moves on to a race under floodlights in Bahrain, just a few days after the Malaysian Grand Prix, where Mercedes stormed to its first one-two finish since the 1955 Italian Grand Prix, Formula One arrives in Bahrain for round three of the 2014 FIA Formula One World Championship.

    Mercedes AMG Petronas clearly showed that it is the best outfit at the moment and if Nico Rosberg opened the tally with a near-perfect win in the Australian GP, teammate Lewis Hamilton led all but a fraction of a lap at Sepang even as Rosberg finished second for a creditable 1-2 for Mercedes. Vettel showcased the power of a Red Bull Racing team as made quick recovery after poor testing days and gained some valuable points though the other car had different problems at the Petronas Malaysian GP. Nico Hulkenberg, who led, for about half a lap, and was in fourth place for sometime, could not stop Alonso in a Ferrari, but finished a wonderful 5th, being on a two-lap strategy. Teammate Sergio Perez failed to finish the race.

    And as the Bahrain International Circuit celebrates the tenth anniversary and  joins, Singapore and Abu Dhabi, in staging a race which would be staged fully or partially at night and the 6pm start, it will change how the teams approach the race.

    For instance, the cooler temperatures of the evening will lead to changes in balance and grip levels. Teams do, however, have some data on these conditions with the two pre-season tests held at this circuit running into the cooler early evening hours on a number of occasions. The bonus, too, is that the lower temperatures will place less stress on the cooling capabilities of the new power units, a particular issue for some in the run-up to the start of this season.

    Elsewhere, the Bahrain track features a mix of slow-speed corners at the end of straights which means that the BIC is one of the most severe on brakes all season. However, while this also means that tyres take some punishment, especially in terms of longitudinal energy going into the tyres, Pirelli is bringing its medium and soft compound tyres this weekend.

    This race always presents an intriguing set of challenges but this year a whole new set of variables has been thrown into the mix via the sport’s new regulations and the first F1 night-race in Bahrain’s history. Mercedes have dominated so far this season, but under the BIC floodlights anything could happen.

    Hamilton bounces back in Malaysia. Can he win another World Championship. A file photo from Mercedes AMG Petronas F1 team.
    Hamilton bounces back in Malaysia. Can he win another World Championship. A file photo from Mercedes AMG Petronas F1 team.

    eom

  • Hamilton leads Mercedes’n 1-2 in 59 years; Vettel third

    Sepang, 30 March

    Hamilton (right) and Rosberg take 1-2 places in the Malaysian GP on Sunday as they pose with their engineer (centre). A Mercedes photo
    Hamilton (right) and Rosberg take 1-2 places in the Malaysian GP on Sunday as they pose with their engineer (centre). A Mercedes photo

    2014: Lewis Hamilton took his first victory of 2014, with Nico Rosberg finishing second to hand Mercedes its first one-two finish since the 1955 Italian Grand Prix. Sebastian Vettel finished third for Red Bull Racing.

    After starting from pole Hamilton dominated the race, eventually claiming his 23rd career win some 17 seconds ahead of his team-mate.

    “I’m incredibly happy,” said Hamilton afterwards. “It’s my eighth year here and I finally got that win. I really just owe it all to the team. They did a fantastic job, the guys back at the factory have been pushing non-stop to get the car to where it is. To get a one-two… it’s quite special when you get a one-two. I’ve not had many in my career and so that makes it even more special. A great day.”

    Hamilton, starting from pole position, comfortably held his lead away from the lights, but Vettel, who had started second, was surprised by the hard-charging Rosberg. The Red Bull Racing driver attempted to close the door by forcing Rosberg towards the track limits but the Mercedes driver to sneak past and took second.

    Daniel Ricciardo also profited at the start. From fifth on the grid he first muscled past Fernando Alonso to claim fourth and then found a way by Vettel as the German tussled with Rosberg who made a mistake in turn three.

    Behind them, Alonso was down to fifth and being harried by Force India’s Nico Hulkenberg, a battle that would be reversed later in the race.

    It was Alonso’s Ferrari team-mate Kimi Raikkonen who was in the bigger trouble however. The Finn had a right rear puncture, caused in a coming together with Kevin Magnussen’s McLaren. Raikkonen limped back to the pits for a replacement but Magnussen, with front wing damage, stayed out and was soon stable in eighth place behind team-mate Jenson Button.

    Vettel, meanwhile, was soon making his way back up the order, comfortably passing Ricciardo for third position.

    At the front, though, Hamilton was carving out an impressive lead. With just nine laps on the board, the Mercedes driver had a 5.4-second advantage over team-mate Rosberg, who in turn had 3.8 seconds in hand over Vettel.

    Magnussen headed to the pits at the end of the same lap for new tyres and a new nosecone but almost as soon as the Dane rejoined the race he was hit with a five-second stop/go penalty for causing the collision with Raikkonen at the start.

    Kvyat was the next man into the pit lane, the Toro Rosso driver making his first stop at the end of lap 10. That triggered the first round of visits to the pit lane for new rubber. Alonso pitted on lap 11 for medium tyres and he was followed a lap later by Ricciardo and Williams’ Felipe Massa.

    Ricciardo emerged into the path of Alonso and the two battled hard through the next few corners before the Red Bull Racing driver gained the upper hand. Vettel pitted from third place on lap 13, again for mediums, and came out just ahead of his team-mate, who immediately tucked in behind the champion.

    At the front, Hamilton pitted at the end of lap 15 and when Nico Hulkenberg pitted on lap 16, the order had become Hamilton, followed 9.4 seconds later by Rosberg and then Vettel a further 1.9s back. Ricciardo was comfortable in fourth ahead of Alonso, with Hulkenberg sixth. Almost 10 seconds further back was Button, with Massa eighth, ahead of Toro Rosso’s Daniil Kvyat and the second Williams of Valtteri Bottas.

    Following the second round of stops, again triggered by Kvat on lap 22, Vettel closed right up on second-placed Rosberg. On lap 35 the gap between the two dropped to half a second and Vettel surely thought he’d have a chance of reclaiming second. The Mercedes driver responded, however, and within two laps he’d opened up his advantage to 1.2s.

    “At some stage it looked like we were pretty evenly matched but then it was like he found another gear, he was just pulling away,” said Vettel. “In the end I was just trying to get the car home.”

    Behind the pair Alonso, in fifth. was beginning to reel in Ricciardo, his deficit to the Red Bull Racing car dropping to 1.5s by lap 38. Pace wasn’t what promoted the Ferrari driver past the Australian, however.

    On lap 40 Ricciardo headed to pit lane for his final stop but his crew failed to correctly attach his front left wheel. The Australian halted in the pit lane and called for the crew to bring him back. They did so, but in the confusion Ricciardo’s front wing was damaged by a jack and soon after he rejoined the race his wing broke and began to cut through his front right tyre.

    He returned to the pit lane again for repairs but his woes didn’t end there. He went out again but was soon handed a 10-second stop/go penalty for an unsafe release. After serving the penalty with his fifth visit of the afternoon to the pit lane he was dropped to 16th place. He eventually retired from the race on lap 50.

    Following the race the stewards also hit Ricciardo with a 10-place grid penalty at next weekend’s Bahrain GP.

    His misfortune meant that Alonso jumped ahead of the Red Bull driver, but not into fourth place. That was now occupied by Hulkenberg, who was gambling on a two-stop race.

    Alonso was over 10 seconds adrift of the Force India driver but with the German’s tyres degrading, Alonso swiftly began to close in and with seven laps to go the gap was halved.

    Ahead, the front runners were all holding out on medium tyres in the hope that the rain that had been forecast for the end of the race would come. On lap 49 Red Bull Racing blinked and Vettel was called in for the prime hard tyres. Rosberg responded and a lap later he too pitted for the orange banded Pirelli. Race leader Hamilton followed on lap 51.

    Alonso, meanwhile, was now hounding Hulkenberg for fourth place and on lap 53, the Spaniard muscled his way past out of turn two. There was a big battle taking place for seventh place between Williams team-mates Massa and Bottas,

    The Brazilian was told that the Finn was faster and should be let through but Massa chose not to heed the request and battled hard to keep hold of his six points.

    At the front though the Mercedes drivers were cruising. Hamilton was setting fastest laps, 15 seconds ahead of Rosberg, while the German was a comfortable 10 seconds ahead of Vettel and it was in that order that the trio took the flag.

    Alonso duly claimed fourth, agead of Hulkenberg, with Jenson Button sixth for McLaren. With Massa finishing ahead of Bottas, the final two points-scoring places were claimed by Magnussen and Kvyat.

    2014 Malaysian Grand Prix – Race result
    1 Lewis Hamilton Mercedes 56 1:40:25.974 25
    2 Nico Rosberg Mercedes 56 +17.3 secs 18
    3 Sebastian Vettel Red Bull Racing 56 +24.5 secs 15
    4 Fernando Alonso Ferrari 56 +35.9 secs 12
    5 Nico Hulkenberg Force India 56 +47.1 secs 10
    6 Jenson Button McLaren 56 +83.6 secs 8
    7 Felipe Massa Williams 56 +85.0 secs 6
    8 Valtteri Bottas Williams 56 +85.5 secs 4
    9 Kevin Magnussen McLaren 55 +1 Lap 2
    10 Daniil Kvyat Toro Rosso 55 +1 Lap 1
    11 Romain Grosjean Lotus 55 +1 Lap
    12 Kimi Räikkönen Ferrari 55 +1 Lap
    13 Kamui Kobayashi Caterham 55 +1 Lap
    14 Marcus Ericsson Caterham 54 +2 Lap
    15 Max Chilton Marussia 54 +2 Lap
    Ret Daniel Ricciardo Red Bull Racing 49 +7 Lap
    Ret Esteban Gutierrez Sauber 35 +21 Laps
    Ret Adrian Sutil Sauber 32 +24 Laps
    Ret Jean-Eric Vergne Toro Rosso18 +38 Laps
    Ret Jules Bianchi Marussia 8 +48 Laps
    Ret Pastor Maldonado Lotus 7 +49 Laps
    DNS Sergio Perez Force India 0 +56 Laps

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