November 04, 2009
Toyota Quits F1!
In a perhaps not so shocking announcement, the Toyota Motor Company, parent of Toyota F1 Racing, declared that they were withdrawing from Formula 1, effective immediately.
The images above are from the promotional video ToyotaF1 put out in the preseason, ironically entitled The 2009 Contender. In truth, they were anything but. Their best race of the year was the first one in Australia, where they were one of the Diffuser Three (along with Brawn and Williams) and finished third and fourth despite starting from the back of the field. I honestly expected that they'd break through for their first ever win some time this season.
Instead, they slumped. Seven races without scoring any points at all. After Australia, the most they scored in one race was eight points (three times: Bahrain, when Jarno Trulli was on pole, Singapore, where Timo Glock finished second, and Japan, where Trulli finished second). Four races, 35 of their 56.5 points for the season. Not good. In all, the Toyota team had 13 podium finishes in their eight years in the sport.
It'd been rumored for some time that Toyota needed to get a win this year or they'd quit F1. After all, they've been racing since 2002, reportedly had the largest budget in the sport every year, and they still couldn't get it done. Considering the competition in that category (a bigger budget than Ferrari or McLaren?) that's pretty impressive. But then throw in the huge hits the automotive industry has been taking recently, and something had to give... and it wasn't going to be Toyota's NASCAR teams (they actually win). I thought that their back-to-back second place finishes might be enough to keep the team going but, alas no.
The writing was pretty clear on the wall, however, when Williams announced they would be going with Cosworth engines in 2010. They'd used Toyota engines since 2007, and seemed perfectly happy with them during that time. That was a pretty clear indication that something was up; it's not like Toyota couldn't supply enough engines.
So now both Toyota and Honda are gone from the sport, meaning that for the first time since 1983, there won't be a Japanese manufacturing presence on an F1 grid, and given that Kazoo Nakajima hardly tore up the track this year (except when he crashed) and Kamui Kobyashi is under contract to Toyota Racing (as opposed to Toyota F1), there may not be ANY Japanese links in 2010, other than the Grand Prix of Japan. Considering the fanaticism that country has towards F1, that's rather shocking.
But so it goes. If there's any good to come out of this, it's that the former BMW-Sauber team will now have a space on the grid for 2010.
In a perhaps not so shocking announcement, the Toyota Motor Company, parent of Toyota F1 Racing, declared that they were withdrawing from Formula 1, effective immediately.
The images above are from the promotional video ToyotaF1 put out in the preseason, ironically entitled The 2009 Contender. In truth, they were anything but. Their best race of the year was the first one in Australia, where they were one of the Diffuser Three (along with Brawn and Williams) and finished third and fourth despite starting from the back of the field. I honestly expected that they'd break through for their first ever win some time this season.
Instead, they slumped. Seven races without scoring any points at all. After Australia, the most they scored in one race was eight points (three times: Bahrain, when Jarno Trulli was on pole, Singapore, where Timo Glock finished second, and Japan, where Trulli finished second). Four races, 35 of their 56.5 points for the season. Not good. In all, the Toyota team had 13 podium finishes in their eight years in the sport.
It'd been rumored for some time that Toyota needed to get a win this year or they'd quit F1. After all, they've been racing since 2002, reportedly had the largest budget in the sport every year, and they still couldn't get it done. Considering the competition in that category (a bigger budget than Ferrari or McLaren?) that's pretty impressive. But then throw in the huge hits the automotive industry has been taking recently, and something had to give... and it wasn't going to be Toyota's NASCAR teams (they actually win). I thought that their back-to-back second place finishes might be enough to keep the team going but, alas no.
The writing was pretty clear on the wall, however, when Williams announced they would be going with Cosworth engines in 2010. They'd used Toyota engines since 2007, and seemed perfectly happy with them during that time. That was a pretty clear indication that something was up; it's not like Toyota couldn't supply enough engines.
So now both Toyota and Honda are gone from the sport, meaning that for the first time since 1983, there won't be a Japanese manufacturing presence on an F1 grid, and given that Kazoo Nakajima hardly tore up the track this year (except when he crashed) and Kamui Kobyashi is under contract to Toyota Racing (as opposed to Toyota F1), there may not be ANY Japanese links in 2010, other than the Grand Prix of Japan. Considering the fanaticism that country has towards F1, that's rather shocking.
But so it goes. If there's any good to come out of this, it's that the former BMW-Sauber team will now have a space on the grid for 2010.
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October 31, 2009
F1 Quals: Abu Dhabi 2009!
A quals session without surprises. Let's take a look as the grid, shall we?
The top five positions are held by five of the six race winners this season, which is exactly how it should be for a race that, effectively, means nothing. Only Kimi Raikkonen, winner at Belgium, is out of the fun.
Which, for Ferrari, is a disaster. One of the few worthwhile things still up for grabs is third place in the Constructor's Championship, between McLaren and the Prancing Horse. The two teams are separated by one point, and with Lewis Hamilton at the head of the grid, Kimi's 11th is not what they needed. The only saving grace for the Red Team is that Heikki Kovalaineninninnie, Hamilton's teammate, has to take a five-spot grid penalty after changing his gearbox. That'll drop him down to Giancarlo Fisichella territory, so they might have a little struggle. For what it's worth, the financial difference between third and fourth in the Constructor's standings is about $5million... not chump change, not even for a F1 team.
Second in the Driver's Championship is still up for grabs, and other than having Seb Vettel and Rubens Barrichello 1-2 on the grid, this is probably the best way for the two of them to line up. They're both on the dirty side of the track, neither have any experience with the circuit, and they've both got teammates nearby. The only difference is that Seb's got more fuel on board, by about 8kg. That gives him the advantage, but it'll be close either way.
Spare a second and feel bad for HWMNBN: this is his worst qualifying position (pre-penalty) since 2001, when he drove for Minardi.
I take it back. Don't feel bad for him in the least. When he was interviewed by Peter (Smarmy) Windsor after he was eliminated in Q1, he sounded exactly like a man who didn't give a damn. And why should he? He's going to Ferrari next season for a lot of money. A demonic convergence, right there... it'll be SO easy to hate them.
And let's talk about our polesitter, Lewis Hamilton. He pretty much dominated Quals today, setting fast time in all three sessions, and blowing everybody out of the water in Q3. Hell, he was almost three-quarters of a second faster than second-place Vettel; it was impressive enough that Sebby even made mention of it in the post-qual interview session ("I think both Mark and I were surprised by the gap to Lewis."). Now, to be fair, he does have less fuel on board, but not THAT much less: 658.5kg to 663kg for Vettel. Nope, he just had a fantastic lap, simple as that.
Gonna be a fun ending to a bizarro season... see you tomorrow!
The top five positions are held by five of the six race winners this season, which is exactly how it should be for a race that, effectively, means nothing. Only Kimi Raikkonen, winner at Belgium, is out of the fun.
Which, for Ferrari, is a disaster. One of the few worthwhile things still up for grabs is third place in the Constructor's Championship, between McLaren and the Prancing Horse. The two teams are separated by one point, and with Lewis Hamilton at the head of the grid, Kimi's 11th is not what they needed. The only saving grace for the Red Team is that Heikki Kovalaineninninnie, Hamilton's teammate, has to take a five-spot grid penalty after changing his gearbox. That'll drop him down to Giancarlo Fisichella territory, so they might have a little struggle. For what it's worth, the financial difference between third and fourth in the Constructor's standings is about $5million... not chump change, not even for a F1 team.
Second in the Driver's Championship is still up for grabs, and other than having Seb Vettel and Rubens Barrichello 1-2 on the grid, this is probably the best way for the two of them to line up. They're both on the dirty side of the track, neither have any experience with the circuit, and they've both got teammates nearby. The only difference is that Seb's got more fuel on board, by about 8kg. That gives him the advantage, but it'll be close either way.
Spare a second and feel bad for HWMNBN: this is his worst qualifying position (pre-penalty) since 2001, when he drove for Minardi.
I take it back. Don't feel bad for him in the least. When he was interviewed by Peter (Smarmy) Windsor after he was eliminated in Q1, he sounded exactly like a man who didn't give a damn. And why should he? He's going to Ferrari next season for a lot of money. A demonic convergence, right there... it'll be SO easy to hate them.
And let's talk about our polesitter, Lewis Hamilton. He pretty much dominated Quals today, setting fast time in all three sessions, and blowing everybody out of the water in Q3. Hell, he was almost three-quarters of a second faster than second-place Vettel; it was impressive enough that Sebby even made mention of it in the post-qual interview session ("I think both Mark and I were surprised by the gap to Lewis."). Now, to be fair, he does have less fuel on board, but not THAT much less: 658.5kg to 663kg for Vettel. Nope, he just had a fantastic lap, simple as that.
Gonna be a fun ending to a bizarro season... see you tomorrow!
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October 30, 2009
F1 Practice: Abu Dhabi 2009!
Evening at Yas Marina... actually sounds kind of nice, has a ring to it. Kinda like 'chupathingy.' As with most practice sessions, this one was rather dull and boring. To be honest, the only reason I watched the whole thing was to get used to the new circuit.
Interesting to watch the way the falling of night affected the lighting across the track. Unlike Singapore, which uses light trusses that follow the layout of the circuit, Abu Dhabi is using the more familiar (and permanent) light standards, much like you'd see in a baseball stadium... just a lot more of them.
I think I actually prefer Singapore's truss system over Abu Dhabi's towers, but only because it looks cooler, like a ribbon of light taking the shape of a racetrack.. Functionally, there doesn't appear to be any difference, though; the track was brightly lighted and visibility appeared to be excellent.
I find it somewhat amusing that the system in Abu Dhabi was designed and built by Musco Lighting of Oskaloosa, Iowa. Or at least I did until I took a look at their website and saw that Musco may very well be the company for motorsports lighting setups in the world. Learn something new every day.
On track, the only real news was that McLaren was 1-2 on the timesheet, Ferrari was lousy, and Robert Kubica's engine done blowed up reeeeal good. That'll pose an interesting quandry for him, as it was the last of the eight engines he was allowed for the season. He can either install a pre-raced one and suffer no grid penalty (since it occurred on Friday), but then have to worry about reliability issues, or put in a new one and take a 10-spot penalty.
Please note that Seb Vettel has been dealing with this problem for the past three races; he's been using his Monza and Spa engines. Lord knows which he's using for here.
The last thing I'll mention here is how amazing the Yas Marina Motorsports complex is. Air-conditioned pit stalls, a first for F1. Two full sets of pits on opposite sides of the track, so the GP2 boys finally get a first-class pit lane (instead of using temporary trailers and tents, essentially). Hell, two full race control towers, which are fairly impressive structures:
And, in another first for F1, all the grandstands are covered, which makes sense considering that Abu Dhabi is kinda warm... the yearly average high temperature is 88 degrees, and humid. Of course, the race is sold out.
Which isn't all that impressive, when you realize that this multi-billion dollar facility seats fewer than 50000 people... 41093, to be exact. Wrigley Field in Chicago, one of the smallest ballparks in Major League Baseball, seats 41118 for baseball, and sells out 81 times a season.
Quals tomorrow.
Interesting to watch the way the falling of night affected the lighting across the track. Unlike Singapore, which uses light trusses that follow the layout of the circuit, Abu Dhabi is using the more familiar (and permanent) light standards, much like you'd see in a baseball stadium... just a lot more of them.
I think I actually prefer Singapore's truss system over Abu Dhabi's towers, but only because it looks cooler, like a ribbon of light taking the shape of a racetrack.. Functionally, there doesn't appear to be any difference, though; the track was brightly lighted and visibility appeared to be excellent.
I find it somewhat amusing that the system in Abu Dhabi was designed and built by Musco Lighting of Oskaloosa, Iowa. Or at least I did until I took a look at their website and saw that Musco may very well be the company for motorsports lighting setups in the world. Learn something new every day.
On track, the only real news was that McLaren was 1-2 on the timesheet, Ferrari was lousy, and Robert Kubica's engine done blowed up reeeeal good. That'll pose an interesting quandry for him, as it was the last of the eight engines he was allowed for the season. He can either install a pre-raced one and suffer no grid penalty (since it occurred on Friday), but then have to worry about reliability issues, or put in a new one and take a 10-spot penalty.
Please note that Seb Vettel has been dealing with this problem for the past three races; he's been using his Monza and Spa engines. Lord knows which he's using for here.
The last thing I'll mention here is how amazing the Yas Marina Motorsports complex is. Air-conditioned pit stalls, a first for F1. Two full sets of pits on opposite sides of the track, so the GP2 boys finally get a first-class pit lane (instead of using temporary trailers and tents, essentially). Hell, two full race control towers, which are fairly impressive structures:
And, in another first for F1, all the grandstands are covered, which makes sense considering that Abu Dhabi is kinda warm... the yearly average high temperature is 88 degrees, and humid. Of course, the race is sold out.
Which isn't all that impressive, when you realize that this multi-billion dollar facility seats fewer than 50000 people... 41093, to be exact. Wrigley Field in Chicago, one of the smallest ballparks in Major League Baseball, seats 41118 for baseball, and sells out 81 times a season.
Quals tomorrow.
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October 23, 2009
Aw, Crap: Todt Elected FIA President
Ladies and Gentlemen, your new President of the FIA, Jean Todt.
It's gonna be like the Emperor Mosley never left.
Ladies and Gentlemen, your new President of the FIA, Jean Todt.
It's gonna be like the Emperor Mosley never left.
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October 20, 2009
We Gots Photos!
And how! Take a gander at this baby:
That's the TF108 Jarno Trulli drove at the 2008 Grand Prix of Japan, near as I can figure... that's certainly the one-off helmet he wore. It's probably sans engine, and is on slicks as opposed to the grooved tires they used last year, but it's one helluva looker!
Pete Z kindly sent this to me a couple of days ago. He's over in Japan and visited a place called Toyota Mega Web, the website for which describes it as "Look! Ride! Feel! Car Theme Park!"
Sounds like a fun way to kill a few hours to me... particularly in "motorsports square", where this picture was almost certainly taken, or in the "history garage", with the GP Archive (with replicas of old F1 cars) or the Alessandro Nannini Cafe. The whole place is located on the manmade island of Odaiba, in Tokyo Bay. Tokyo Big Sight is located there, too, so it becomes a complete geek haven for a while, what with Comiket and all.
Hmmm... Formula 1 and anime/manga... sounds kinda familiar...
Thanks, Pete!
That's the TF108 Jarno Trulli drove at the 2008 Grand Prix of Japan, near as I can figure... that's certainly the one-off helmet he wore. It's probably sans engine, and is on slicks as opposed to the grooved tires they used last year, but it's one helluva looker!
Pete Z kindly sent this to me a couple of days ago. He's over in Japan and visited a place called Toyota Mega Web, the website for which describes it as "Look! Ride! Feel! Car Theme Park!"
Sounds like a fun way to kill a few hours to me... particularly in "motorsports square", where this picture was almost certainly taken, or in the "history garage", with the GP Archive (with replicas of old F1 cars) or the Alessandro Nannini Cafe. The whole place is located on the manmade island of Odaiba, in Tokyo Bay. Tokyo Big Sight is located there, too, so it becomes a complete geek haven for a while, what with Comiket and all.
Hmmm... Formula 1 and anime/manga... sounds kinda familiar...
Thanks, Pete!
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October 18, 2009
Rain Expected for Brazil GP
...and it's supposed to be heavy. Now, the race itself would only be affected if it's ridiculously bad, but it becomes a question about the medical helicopter. If it can't fly, be it because of rain or because of cloud-cover at the hospital, the race is red flagged until it's safe again.
More later.
UPDATE @ 1035: As the cars make their way to the grid, there is no rain. Vettel is in the garage, reportedly with a broken bargeboard; his mechanics were looking quite exercised about something.
UPDATE @ 1045: The Red Bull mechanics left a bag of dry ice in one of the radiator ducts of Vettel's car as he went out for the recon lap. The bag fell out and the car ran over it, breaking some of the bodywork. The mechanics are working furiously on the grid to patch over the crack. Looks like the pressure is getting to the team as a whole...
Racey, the official owl of Formula 1, approves.
If it DOES rain, or is a wet race, we may as well scratch Vettel out of the championship picture right now. He's set up for dry, which is why he qual'd so poorly... and rain'll just bring that problem back.More later.
UPDATE @ 1035: As the cars make their way to the grid, there is no rain. Vettel is in the garage, reportedly with a broken bargeboard; his mechanics were looking quite exercised about something.
UPDATE @ 1045: The Red Bull mechanics left a bag of dry ice in one of the radiator ducts of Vettel's car as he went out for the recon lap. The bag fell out and the car ran over it, breaking some of the bodywork. The mechanics are working furiously on the grid to patch over the crack. Looks like the pressure is getting to the team as a whole...
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October 17, 2009
F1 Quals: Brazil 2009
So it rained a little bit at Interlagos today during Quals.
Yes, just a wee tad.
It took nearly three hours to get all three qualy sessions in because of the rain. The medical car, subbing for the safety car today, turned many, many more laps checking the track than any racer actually put on the cars. Unfortunately, I only set the VCR to run for two hours. As a result, I have yet to actually see Q2 or Q3... after Vitantonio Liuzzi ripped the back of his Force India off after hydroplaning and spinning on the front straight at the very start of Q2, a red flag stopped the session until the weather improved.
90 minutes later, the tape ran out before they restarted. But restart they did, despite Mark Webber, the president of the Grand Prix Driver's Association, saying "I don't think it was the right thing to probably start in those conditions, every driver I spoke to was of the same opinion, fortunately the right decision was made in the end, but TV drives things and we have to start."
Here's the provisional grid:
Vettel, Heikki and Lewis are all reported to have a dry weather setup, gambling on there being no rain tomorrow. Unfortunately for Vettel, he's GOT to win to have any real chance for the driver's championship, and starting sixteenth ain't gonna make that easy for him.
To be honest, they never should have run this Quals today. There is plenty of precedent to have quals on Sunday before the race, and if there has ever been a weather-related reason to delay them, this was it.
Still, you race with what you got, and this is what they got.
See you Sunday.
Yes, just a wee tad.
It took nearly three hours to get all three qualy sessions in because of the rain. The medical car, subbing for the safety car today, turned many, many more laps checking the track than any racer actually put on the cars. Unfortunately, I only set the VCR to run for two hours. As a result, I have yet to actually see Q2 or Q3... after Vitantonio Liuzzi ripped the back of his Force India off after hydroplaning and spinning on the front straight at the very start of Q2, a red flag stopped the session until the weather improved.
You don't usually see the axle severed from the car like that...
90 minutes later, the tape ran out before they restarted. But restart they did, despite Mark Webber, the president of the Grand Prix Driver's Association, saying "I don't think it was the right thing to probably start in those conditions, every driver I spoke to was of the same opinion, fortunately the right decision was made in the end, but TV drives things and we have to start."
Here's the provisional grid:
Vettel, Heikki and Lewis are all reported to have a dry weather setup, gambling on there being no rain tomorrow. Unfortunately for Vettel, he's GOT to win to have any real chance for the driver's championship, and starting sixteenth ain't gonna make that easy for him.
To be honest, they never should have run this Quals today. There is plenty of precedent to have quals on Sunday before the race, and if there has ever been a weather-related reason to delay them, this was it.
Still, you race with what you got, and this is what they got.
See you Sunday.
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October 16, 2009
F1 Practice: Brazil 2009!
I watched it.
I don't care.
UPDATE: ...so here's a picture of a bird on the track.
I don't care.
UPDATE: ...so here's a picture of a bird on the track.
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October 13, 2009
F1 on SPEED!: Brazil 2009!
Brazil. Home of the 2016 Summer Olympics, Felipe Massa and Rubens Barrichello, and my least favorite track on the F1 calendar: Interlagos.
Located in the bad part of São Paolo, F1 team-members have actually been attacked by gangs of ruffians and neer-do-wells outside Interlagos' gates, most recently in 2006. Despite this, drivers for the most part are quite fond of the circuit. In recent years, the Brazilian Grand Prix (that's a lot of Grand Prix!) has been the final race of the year, and has brought us some very dramatic moments; last year's race decided the Driver's Championship on the very last turn, after all.
Despite that, though, I despise Interlagos.
Let's look at the map:
The circuit is laid out in a valley between two artificial lakes, which fact gives the track its original name: Interlagos literally means "between the lakes" in Portugese. The official name is Autodromo Jose Carlos Pace, after a Brazilian F1 driver killed in an plane crash.
It's the lakes that give Interlagos its best-known trait: it's bumpy. The weight of the lakes causes the land between to wrinkle, causing the asphalt of the track to flex. Even though there was a resurfacing in 2007, it's still the bumpiest track around. It's also one of the few on the F1 calendar that runs counter-clockwise, for what that's worth.
It's a relatively low-downforce circuit; while the mickey-mousing from turn 6 to turn 11 calls for a lot of grip, the rest of the track is high-speed and good acceleration is a must. Because of this, it wouldn't surprise me to see Force India do well here. It's not as high-speed as Monza or Spa, but it's a quick track to be sure. It's also easy on the brakes, so no fears on that front.
Bridgestone is bringing the super-soft and medium compound tires to Brazil. The new surface isn't particularly abrasive, and only turn 14 has much in the way of high-speed g-loading on the tires, so the rubber should last pretty well.
Even the engines should have an easy time of it, as only about 62% of the time is spent at full throttle. Of course, Seb Vettel is running race-used motors right now, so he's sweating every time he presses down on the gas pedal.
The one saving grace of Interlagos for me is that its basically in the Eastern Time Zone, which means a race at normal times! I'm sure SPEED's Legendary Announce Team appreciates not having to wake up at 230am for a 6am start, for example. Friday Practice will be from 12noon to 140pm, and Quals is Saturday from 12noon to 130pm.
The 2009 Grand Prix of Brazil is Sunday, LIVE, from 1030am to 1pm. It's very possible that we could see BrawnGP win both championships on Sunday, so you've gotta watch!
Oh, and VaucDuck? I've done a little bit of digging, and Overtime Sports Bar & Grill and Zeke's Sports Bar show the races. There's also something called the San Francisco Formula 1 Group that gathers together to watch 'em... tell 'em Wonderduck's Pond sent ya!
Located in the bad part of São Paolo, F1 team-members have actually been attacked by gangs of ruffians and neer-do-wells outside Interlagos' gates, most recently in 2006. Despite this, drivers for the most part are quite fond of the circuit. In recent years, the Brazilian Grand Prix (that's a lot of Grand Prix!) has been the final race of the year, and has brought us some very dramatic moments; last year's race decided the Driver's Championship on the very last turn, after all.
Despite that, though, I despise Interlagos.
Let's look at the map:
The circuit is laid out in a valley between two artificial lakes, which fact gives the track its original name: Interlagos literally means "between the lakes" in Portugese. The official name is Autodromo Jose Carlos Pace, after a Brazilian F1 driver killed in an plane crash.
It's the lakes that give Interlagos its best-known trait: it's bumpy. The weight of the lakes causes the land between to wrinkle, causing the asphalt of the track to flex. Even though there was a resurfacing in 2007, it's still the bumpiest track around. It's also one of the few on the F1 calendar that runs counter-clockwise, for what that's worth.
It's a relatively low-downforce circuit; while the mickey-mousing from turn 6 to turn 11 calls for a lot of grip, the rest of the track is high-speed and good acceleration is a must. Because of this, it wouldn't surprise me to see Force India do well here. It's not as high-speed as Monza or Spa, but it's a quick track to be sure. It's also easy on the brakes, so no fears on that front.
Bridgestone is bringing the super-soft and medium compound tires to Brazil. The new surface isn't particularly abrasive, and only turn 14 has much in the way of high-speed g-loading on the tires, so the rubber should last pretty well.
Even the engines should have an easy time of it, as only about 62% of the time is spent at full throttle. Of course, Seb Vettel is running race-used motors right now, so he's sweating every time he presses down on the gas pedal.
The one saving grace of Interlagos for me is that its basically in the Eastern Time Zone, which means a race at normal times! I'm sure SPEED's Legendary Announce Team appreciates not having to wake up at 230am for a 6am start, for example. Friday Practice will be from 12noon to 140pm, and Quals is Saturday from 12noon to 130pm.
The 2009 Grand Prix of Brazil is Sunday, LIVE, from 1030am to 1pm. It's very possible that we could see BrawnGP win both championships on Sunday, so you've gotta watch!
Oh, and VaucDuck? I've done a little bit of digging, and Overtime Sports Bar & Grill and Zeke's Sports Bar show the races. There's also something called the San Francisco Formula 1 Group that gathers together to watch 'em... tell 'em Wonderduck's Pond sent ya!
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October 11, 2009
Timo Out
Timo Glock, the official favorite driver of Vaucaunson's Duck's wife, Geese, will not be racing at Brazil. While he was held out of the Japanese Grand Prix because of the gash he suffered to his leg in his huge shunt in qualifying, further medical tests back home in Germany revealed he also suffered a fractured vertebra.
This is troubling for a number of reasons, but the biggest is that this is becoming a trend for Glock. If you remember, he's suffered a couple of spine-crumbling crashes in the past. The first was at Australia in 2008:
He got off-track, then discovered what could almost be called a curb in the grass, at which point it was launched into the air. On landing, we all discovered two things: 1) F1 cars have no shock absorbers, and 2) drivers sit directly on the floor of the chassis, with no padding beneath them. The impact to his spine can only be imagined in its intensity.
Four months later, in Germany, his suspension broke and he wound up going backwards into the front straight's inside wall:
This impact was so hard that the Toyota wound up careening all the way back across the width of the track. While F1 cars have a crash structure built into the rear of the chassis, designed to absorb a lot of the impact, there's no way it can take all of it.
While he missed no time from either crash, and indeed finished a career-best second at the race following the German Grand Prix (Hungary), after both accidents there were concerns about his back.
It's possible that the previous crashes had done some unseen damage, weakening his back to where any suitable accident could do serious injury. The doctors don't seem all that concerned -- they still expect him back for Abu Dhabi-- but it's something that's got to be in the back of his mind.
Timo Glock, the official favorite driver of Vaucaunson's Duck's wife, Geese, will not be racing at Brazil. While he was held out of the Japanese Grand Prix because of the gash he suffered to his leg in his huge shunt in qualifying, further medical tests back home in Germany revealed he also suffered a fractured vertebra.
This is troubling for a number of reasons, but the biggest is that this is becoming a trend for Glock. If you remember, he's suffered a couple of spine-crumbling crashes in the past. The first was at Australia in 2008:
He got off-track, then discovered what could almost be called a curb in the grass, at which point it was launched into the air. On landing, we all discovered two things: 1) F1 cars have no shock absorbers, and 2) drivers sit directly on the floor of the chassis, with no padding beneath them. The impact to his spine can only be imagined in its intensity.
Four months later, in Germany, his suspension broke and he wound up going backwards into the front straight's inside wall:
This impact was so hard that the Toyota wound up careening all the way back across the width of the track. While F1 cars have a crash structure built into the rear of the chassis, designed to absorb a lot of the impact, there's no way it can take all of it.
While he missed no time from either crash, and indeed finished a career-best second at the race following the German Grand Prix (Hungary), after both accidents there were concerns about his back.
It's possible that the previous crashes had done some unseen damage, weakening his back to where any suitable accident could do serious injury. The doctors don't seem all that concerned -- they still expect him back for Abu Dhabi-- but it's something that's got to be in the back of his mind.
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October 07, 2009
F1 News Bits
There's been some doings around the F1 world since Japan, so let's take a look!
*KUBICA TO RENAULT: Robert Kubica, current driver for BMW, was announced today as the replacement for HWMNBN on the Renault roster next season. WIth BMW's dropping off the grid next year, Koobs has been looking for a drive. Realistically, Renault was probably the best he could have hoped for; McLaren technically has two drivers already, as does Ferrari and Brawn, though Brawn will probably drop Barrichello and might lose Button to contract woes. Other than Renault, Toyota was another possibility, though there's a question as to whether they'll be in the sport in 2010. Kubica, who was considered the best young driver in F1 until the arrival of Seb Vettel, has a historical tie to Renault, getting his first ever F1 test in 2005 with the team. Considering the scandals the team has had recently, the arrival of the Pole can't do anything other than help.
*MASSA TEST APPROVED: Last week saw Felipe Massa get behind the wheel of a kart; next week may very well see him get behind the wheel of a F1 car. The FIA, with the unanimous approval of the other nine teams, has granted Ferrari and Massa a test session in the F2007, the same car that Slappy Schumacher drove in his aborted comeback. Massa, recovering from a terrible injury suffered in Hungary, is still saying that there's a chance he'll be back at Abu Dhabi, the final race of the season. And speaking of Abu Dhabi:
*ABU DHABI APPROVED: The new Yas Marina Circuit at Abu Dhabi was given the green light today by Charlie Whiting, the FIA's official Race Director. Without his blessing, the track could not host a F1 event, but it's been cleared for the November 1st series finale. Looks like an interesting layout, too:
They're still doing the landscaping, but it's all expected to be completed in time for the final race weekend.
Finally, I was grocery shopping a few days back and bumped into a tower display of die-cast cars. Mostly they were sports cars, Beetles, and the like, but mixed in with the dull vehicles were F1 racers! Of course, I bought all that I could:
What's impressive is that the paintjobs are easily recognizable... well, mostly. The top car is clearly the Toyota livery. The middle is the pre-Glare with Wheels-era McLaren, but I'm having problems identifying the bottom one. My first thought was late Ligier, but the blue is wrong and the flames are pure fantasy. Of course, it's possible that it's just a made-up color scheme, but considering the other two being based on real liveries, I'm assuming that it's from something!
I'm stumped... any thoughts from the audience?
*KUBICA TO RENAULT: Robert Kubica, current driver for BMW, was announced today as the replacement for HWMNBN on the Renault roster next season. WIth BMW's dropping off the grid next year, Koobs has been looking for a drive. Realistically, Renault was probably the best he could have hoped for; McLaren technically has two drivers already, as does Ferrari and Brawn, though Brawn will probably drop Barrichello and might lose Button to contract woes. Other than Renault, Toyota was another possibility, though there's a question as to whether they'll be in the sport in 2010. Kubica, who was considered the best young driver in F1 until the arrival of Seb Vettel, has a historical tie to Renault, getting his first ever F1 test in 2005 with the team. Considering the scandals the team has had recently, the arrival of the Pole can't do anything other than help.
*MASSA TEST APPROVED: Last week saw Felipe Massa get behind the wheel of a kart; next week may very well see him get behind the wheel of a F1 car. The FIA, with the unanimous approval of the other nine teams, has granted Ferrari and Massa a test session in the F2007, the same car that Slappy Schumacher drove in his aborted comeback. Massa, recovering from a terrible injury suffered in Hungary, is still saying that there's a chance he'll be back at Abu Dhabi, the final race of the season. And speaking of Abu Dhabi:
*ABU DHABI APPROVED: The new Yas Marina Circuit at Abu Dhabi was given the green light today by Charlie Whiting, the FIA's official Race Director. Without his blessing, the track could not host a F1 event, but it's been cleared for the November 1st series finale. Looks like an interesting layout, too:
They're still doing the landscaping, but it's all expected to be completed in time for the final race weekend.
Finally, I was grocery shopping a few days back and bumped into a tower display of die-cast cars. Mostly they were sports cars, Beetles, and the like, but mixed in with the dull vehicles were F1 racers! Of course, I bought all that I could:
What's impressive is that the paintjobs are easily recognizable... well, mostly. The top car is clearly the Toyota livery. The middle is the pre-Glare with Wheels-era McLaren, but I'm having problems identifying the bottom one. My first thought was late Ligier, but the blue is wrong and the flames are pure fantasy. Of course, it's possible that it's just a made-up color scheme, but considering the other two being based on real liveries, I'm assuming that it's from something!
I'm stumped... any thoughts from the audience?
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October 03, 2009
F1 Quals: Suzuka 2009!
Now that was a weird quals session! Let's take a look at the grid, then we'll talk about it:
Okay, we've already talked about the goings-on in Q1, what with Webber breaking his car ahead of time and two drivers going off in the Degner Curve. It was Q2 where everything started to go pear-shaped for the event.
First NKOTT went off (say it with me) in the Degner Curve, and while it was a fierce accident, he jumped out unhurt. The session was red-flagged for eight minutes, however, while the car was craned out of the kittylitter.
Once the session restarted, Jarno Trulli was the first man out, closely followed by his teammate Timo Glock... which is why Trulli was the only man to complete a timed lap before the second red flag came out.
Glock's appeared to have steering problems as he accelerated out of the Casio Triangle and into the final turn, either because something broke or because of massive understeering due to the soft tires "chunking" in 130R. Either way, his steering wheel was cranked hard to the right to no effect when he augured into the tire wall.
While he quickly got the steering wheel detached, it took over two minutes for the medical car to get to him, as it had to do nearly an entire lap to reach the crash site. He was removed from the car and flown to a nearby hospital, where he was treated for a cut on his leg and some back pain. The session was eventually restarted...
...when Sebastien Buemi, already a victim of a crash in Q1, lost it on the exit from the Spoon Curve and spent most of the run down to 130R grinding the right side of his car away.
This wreck actually began back where the two orange-clad track marshals are standing, and he was pressed up against the barrier for most of the intervening space. He came to something approximating a halt some distance past the camera, then slowly took the car into the pits... all of which brought out a local yellow flag, just as many cars were bearing down on the crash site in their first, and because of the red flags, final hot laps for the session.
Once the session was over, HWMNBN, who was 12th and out of Q3, went and bitched at the stewards that many drivers didn't lift and slow down for the yellow flag... more about that later.
Q3 got started, and...
...oh for heaven's sake.
This time, it was Heikki Kovaleinninninninnie who got waaaaay too much curb under his chassis in (again, say it with me) the Degner Curve while on his first hot lap. The McLaren actually got airborne for a moment, then splatted into the tire wall. He was fine, but his car was broken. The red flag came out with about five minutes left in the session, throwing all the usual plans into a cocked hat. The fuel-burning laps suddenly were gone, and drivers would really only get one, maybe two shots at setting a time. After all, on this track the out-lap takes around 2 minutes, a hot lap about 1:32... if a driver gets out on track immediately, he might be able to get a second hot lap in, which is what Jarno Trulli did, but nobody else. The final results are on the grid above.
Now, back to HWMNBN's complaint. Indeed, the FIA stewards agreed with him that some cars didn't slow down as they came upon the Buemi accident, and they've handed down five five-grid-spot penalties.
The first went to Buemi himself, for not parking his car and strewing debris all the way from 130R to the pits (the part before 130R was okay; he wasn't under control then).
The next four five-grid-spot penalties were for not slowing down for the yellow flag, and they went to Adrian Sutil, Jenson Button, Rubens Barrichello.... and HWMNBN.
Methinks the gentleman doth protest too much, hmmm?
Anyway, Ross Brawn confirmed that his drivers didn't slow down. "They swerved to avoid debris, yes, but they didn't slow," said the team boss. Good show, Ross... we here at F1U! love good sportsmanship. HWMNBN, on the other hand, continued to claim that he DID slow down.
Which is why he's called HWMNBN.
Race report tomorrow!
UPDATE: More five-grid-spot penalties! Yayyyyyyy!
Timo Glock's crash was worse than everybody thought, comprehensively damaging his Toyota's chassis; if he's allowed to start the race (since he'll be in a new car, he may not be allowed to. The regs say it's okay to change the chassis before quals, but they're a little vague beyond that...), he'll be doing it from the pit lane.
Heikki Kovaleinninninnie's crash ruined his gearbox, and he'll need to take a 5-spot to change it out. Vitantonio Liuzzi, who wound up with a gearbox full of neutrals in Saturday Practice, had to change his as well, and will now be starting 24th... or last on the grid, one of the two.
The official grid has yet to be released because of all the penalties, but the good folks at SPEEDTV.com thinks it'll look like this:
1 Vettel
2 Trulli
3 Hamilton
4 Heidfeld
5 Raikkonen
6 Barrichello
7 Sutil
8 Rosberg
9 Button
10 Kubica
11 Kovalainen
12 Buemi
13 Alguersuari
14 Fisichella
15 Nakajima
16 Alonso
17 Grosjean
18 Liuzzi
Pitlane: Webber and Glock
We'll see.
Okay, we've already talked about the goings-on in Q1, what with Webber breaking his car ahead of time and two drivers going off in the Degner Curve. It was Q2 where everything started to go pear-shaped for the event.
First NKOTT went off (say it with me) in the Degner Curve, and while it was a fierce accident, he jumped out unhurt. The session was red-flagged for eight minutes, however, while the car was craned out of the kittylitter.
Once the session restarted, Jarno Trulli was the first man out, closely followed by his teammate Timo Glock... which is why Trulli was the only man to complete a timed lap before the second red flag came out.
Glock's appeared to have steering problems as he accelerated out of the Casio Triangle and into the final turn, either because something broke or because of massive understeering due to the soft tires "chunking" in 130R. Either way, his steering wheel was cranked hard to the right to no effect when he augured into the tire wall.
While he quickly got the steering wheel detached, it took over two minutes for the medical car to get to him, as it had to do nearly an entire lap to reach the crash site. He was removed from the car and flown to a nearby hospital, where he was treated for a cut on his leg and some back pain. The session was eventually restarted...
...when Sebastien Buemi, already a victim of a crash in Q1, lost it on the exit from the Spoon Curve and spent most of the run down to 130R grinding the right side of his car away.
This wreck actually began back where the two orange-clad track marshals are standing, and he was pressed up against the barrier for most of the intervening space. He came to something approximating a halt some distance past the camera, then slowly took the car into the pits... all of which brought out a local yellow flag, just as many cars were bearing down on the crash site in their first, and because of the red flags, final hot laps for the session.
Once the session was over, HWMNBN, who was 12th and out of Q3, went and bitched at the stewards that many drivers didn't lift and slow down for the yellow flag... more about that later.
Q3 got started, and...
...oh for heaven's sake.
This time, it was Heikki Kovaleinninninninnie who got waaaaay too much curb under his chassis in (again, say it with me) the Degner Curve while on his first hot lap. The McLaren actually got airborne for a moment, then splatted into the tire wall. He was fine, but his car was broken. The red flag came out with about five minutes left in the session, throwing all the usual plans into a cocked hat. The fuel-burning laps suddenly were gone, and drivers would really only get one, maybe two shots at setting a time. After all, on this track the out-lap takes around 2 minutes, a hot lap about 1:32... if a driver gets out on track immediately, he might be able to get a second hot lap in, which is what Jarno Trulli did, but nobody else. The final results are on the grid above.
Now, back to HWMNBN's complaint. Indeed, the FIA stewards agreed with him that some cars didn't slow down as they came upon the Buemi accident, and they've handed down five five-grid-spot penalties.
The first went to Buemi himself, for not parking his car and strewing debris all the way from 130R to the pits (the part before 130R was okay; he wasn't under control then).
The next four five-grid-spot penalties were for not slowing down for the yellow flag, and they went to Adrian Sutil, Jenson Button, Rubens Barrichello.... and HWMNBN.
Methinks the gentleman doth protest too much, hmmm?
Anyway, Ross Brawn confirmed that his drivers didn't slow down. "They swerved to avoid debris, yes, but they didn't slow," said the team boss. Good show, Ross... we here at F1U! love good sportsmanship. HWMNBN, on the other hand, continued to claim that he DID slow down.
Which is why he's called HWMNBN.
Race report tomorrow!
UPDATE: More five-grid-spot penalties! Yayyyyyyy!
Timo Glock's crash was worse than everybody thought, comprehensively damaging his Toyota's chassis; if he's allowed to start the race (since he'll be in a new car, he may not be allowed to. The regs say it's okay to change the chassis before quals, but they're a little vague beyond that...), he'll be doing it from the pit lane.
Heikki Kovaleinninninnie's crash ruined his gearbox, and he'll need to take a 5-spot to change it out. Vitantonio Liuzzi, who wound up with a gearbox full of neutrals in Saturday Practice, had to change his as well, and will now be starting 24th... or last on the grid, one of the two.
The official grid has yet to be released because of all the penalties, but the good folks at SPEEDTV.com thinks it'll look like this:
1 Vettel
2 Trulli
3 Hamilton
4 Heidfeld
5 Raikkonen
6 Barrichello
7 Sutil
8 Rosberg
9 Button
10 Kubica
11 Kovalainen
12 Buemi
13 Alguersuari
14 Fisichella
15 Nakajima
16 Alonso
17 Grosjean
18 Liuzzi
Pitlane: Webber and Glock
We'll see.
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October 02, 2009
Suzuka Quals Notes 2009
Q1 has just begun, and we've got a bright sunny afternoon in Japan. However, the rain during Friday practice claimed a victim in Saturday's practice. Because of all the rain, the RedBull team had no usable data and sent Mark Webber out with the ride height a little too low. He hit a bump in the Degner Curve, the bottom of the car contacted the asphalt, and suddenly he had no control at all. The car went straight on into the tire barrier, and the chassis was totaled. In fact, the damage was so bad that the team has to build him a new car altogether for the race; he'll not be participating in quals as a result and at the moment will be starting from the pit lane.
Sebastian Buemi in his Toro Rosso just lost it in the exact same place, and probably for the exact same reason. He backed it into the tire barrier a little more gently, but he has yet to re-emerge.
As I say that, Heikki Kovaleininininnie just took a wild ride... at the Degner Curve. This might prove interesting during the race.
There's another typhoon near the Philippines, headed towards Japan. The forecasters have thrown up their hands and stalked away in disgust, so nobody has the faintest idea what weather we'll have for the race.
Championship notes: If Jenson Button finishes 4th or better, he wins the Driver's Championship, no matter what teammate Rubens Barrichello does. If Red Bull doesn't outscore BrawnGP by at least 7 points, Brawn wins the Constructor's Championship... thus, the Mark Webber crash might have stuck a fork in the Red Bull hopes.
Full Qual results later!
Sebastian Buemi in his Toro Rosso just lost it in the exact same place, and probably for the exact same reason. He backed it into the tire barrier a little more gently, but he has yet to re-emerge.
As I say that, Heikki Kovaleininininnie just took a wild ride... at the Degner Curve. This might prove interesting during the race.
There's another typhoon near the Philippines, headed towards Japan. The forecasters have thrown up their hands and stalked away in disgust, so nobody has the faintest idea what weather we'll have for the race.
Championship notes: If Jenson Button finishes 4th or better, he wins the Driver's Championship, no matter what teammate Rubens Barrichello does. If Red Bull doesn't outscore BrawnGP by at least 7 points, Brawn wins the Constructor's Championship... thus, the Mark Webber crash might have stuck a fork in the Red Bull hopes.
Full Qual results later!
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F1 Practice: Suzuka 2009!
The rain never really stopped. Until about eight minutes left in Friday's Practice 2 session, this was the fastest thing on the Suzuka track:
Yup, you know it's a dull session when the mechanics are making origami boats and sailing them in the pit lane. Made it most of the way down, too, until a killjoy track marshal picked it up.
Once cars finally DID make it on track, Adrian Sutil's Force India turned fast lap of the session. That's not saying a whole lot, as it was nearly 10 seconds slower than the morning session, and close to 20 seconds slower than the usual lap at Suzuka, and it sure didn't look like the teams were taking it seriously. One could almost hear the mechanics thinking "don't total the car, lad, don't total the car" as they sent their waterlogged warriors out.
So, not much to report. I'm sure there'll be more after quals... after all, the drivers can't hide in the garage then, no matter how bad the weather gets.
Yup, you know it's a dull session when the mechanics are making origami boats and sailing them in the pit lane. Made it most of the way down, too, until a killjoy track marshal picked it up.
Once cars finally DID make it on track, Adrian Sutil's Force India turned fast lap of the session. That's not saying a whole lot, as it was nearly 10 seconds slower than the morning session, and close to 20 seconds slower than the usual lap at Suzuka, and it sure didn't look like the teams were taking it seriously. One could almost hear the mechanics thinking "don't total the car, lad, don't total the car" as they sent their waterlogged warriors out.
So, not much to report. I'm sure there'll be more after quals... after all, the drivers can't hide in the garage then, no matter how bad the weather gets.
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October 01, 2009
F1 Practice 2 LIVE note
It's wet. Really, really wet. They're running on monsoon tires, there's standing water on the track, it's pouring, nobody's on track, and apparently there's a typhoon brewing in the Sea of Japan, just to make it better for everybody.
Monsoon tires. That's a helluva tread...
Forecasts say that we'll have a wet quals, and a dry race, but nobody has the faintest idea, really.
(Adrian Sutil just said that, in the wet, 130R "really requires a driver to have some balls." Smarmy Windsor just had an on-camera stroke)
Speaking of 130R, in the track preview post, for some reason I said that it was turn 14, when I knew that it was really #15, right past the bridge. Dumb mistake, sorry about that.
Since nothing is going on on-track and there's no visible break on the weather radar for a looooong time, I'm going to bed. Full coverage later.
Monsoon tires. That's a helluva tread...
(Adrian Sutil just said that, in the wet, 130R "really requires a driver to have some balls." Smarmy Windsor just had an on-camera stroke)
Speaking of 130R, in the track preview post, for some reason I said that it was turn 14, when I knew that it was really #15, right past the bridge. Dumb mistake, sorry about that.
Since nothing is going on on-track and there's no visible break on the weather radar for a looooong time, I'm going to bed. Full coverage later.
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September 30, 2009
As If We Needed Another Reason To Hate HWMNBN, And Felipe Massa News
It's finally official: HWMNBN will be driving for Ferrari in the 2010 season. He'll be joined by Felipe Massa, and Giancarlo Fisichella will be the team's third driver.
Which means that Kimi Raikkonnen is out at Ferrari.
Of this, we shall speak no more, unless it is to heap derogatory comments upon it.
Speaking of Felipe Massa, however, he got back behind the wheel for the first time since his horrible accident in Hungary. Sure, it was in a Kart, but it's still the first step in getting back to F1 trim. He turned more than 60 laps on the kart track at his home circuit of Interlagos on Tuesday.
He did manage to beat Baby Yoshi and Diddy Kong, but lost to Mario.
Which means that Kimi Raikkonnen is out at Ferrari.
Of this, we shall speak no more, unless it is to heap derogatory comments upon it.
Speaking of Felipe Massa, however, he got back behind the wheel for the first time since his horrible accident in Hungary. Sure, it was in a Kart, but it's still the first step in getting back to F1 trim. He turned more than 60 laps on the kart track at his home circuit of Interlagos on Tuesday.
He did manage to beat Baby Yoshi and Diddy Kong, but lost to Mario.
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and many of it's drivers have been some of my favorites. I'm not sure how I feel about this new revelation, because I've never been an Alonso fan... I don't like his attitude. So if he's good for the team, I guess it's a good thing, but I'll be rooting for Massa! September 29, 2009
F1 on SPEED!: Japan 2009!
Three races left, and the F1 circus comes to the Land of the Rising Sun. But NOT the same track we've seen the past two years! No more Pole Position jokes.
But that's okay, because the Grand Prix of Japan is returning to Suzuka!
Understand, this is kinda like trading the Hungaroring and getting Spa in return. The Mt Fuji circuit is nice, but Suzuka is the one track that every driver loves. The only figure-of-eight layout on the calendar, it might have the best balance between manueverability and speed as well. The turns are challenging, but they're placed just right so they don't mickey-mouse the track.
Which is not to say the circuit is perfect. No, the powers-that-be took the Legendary Turn known as 130R and mangled it into Turn 14 15, now a double-apex left-hander. 130R (so-called for its radius of 130 meters) used to be, like Eau Rouge, a test of a driver's manhood: only the bravest could take it flat-out. In 2003, however, it was broken up into two separate turns for safety's sake, as it had been extremely dangerous. Allan McNish's crash in 2002 turned out to be the final straw. While he walked away with minor injuries, everybody concerned knew that it was only luck that he wasn't killed. In a cruel twist of fate, motorcycle racer Daijiro Kato was killed in the reprofiled turn in 2003.
As a high-speed circuit, don't be surprised if we see a return to prominence by the Force India cars, by the way. While manueverability is important at Suzuka, it's high-speed manueverability we're talking about (unlike, say, Singapore or Monaco), and FI has shown that it can do that.
There's plenty of elevation changes through the length of the track, so the drivers feel like they're actually going somewhere, too. Downforce levels are expected to be medium-to-high.
SPEED'll be bringing us all the usual action, but NOT at the usual times. Yes, Japan is one of the few races we here in the US can actually watch live without waking up waaaaaaaay too early! Practice 2 comes to us from midnight to 140am Friday morning, with Quals starting at the same time and going until 130am on Saturday morning.
For the race, however, SPEED is pulling out all (well, most) of the stops. From 10p to 11p on Saturday night, we get to see "F1 Rocks!", a three-night concert during the Singapore GP. From 11p to 1130p, they'll show us "Inside Grand Prix," the promo show brought to us by Allianz ("Doing stuff with other people's money: Allianz") and Mr Snooty-Voiced Guy. Finally the race coverage proper begins at 1130pm and goes until 2am.
There'll be a replay from 9pm to 1130pm Sunday night. All times are, of course, Pond Central time. Add one hour for Eastern, subtract two hours for San Francisco time (you listening, Vauc? Maybe find a sports bar or something!), and minus several million hours if you're a time traveler.
This time around, I expect to provide my usual coverage, so we'll see you here!
But that's okay, because the Grand Prix of Japan is returning to Suzuka!
Understand, this is kinda like trading the Hungaroring and getting Spa in return. The Mt Fuji circuit is nice, but Suzuka is the one track that every driver loves. The only figure-of-eight layout on the calendar, it might have the best balance between manueverability and speed as well. The turns are challenging, but they're placed just right so they don't mickey-mouse the track.
Which is not to say the circuit is perfect. No, the powers-that-be took the Legendary Turn known as 130R and mangled it into Turn 14 15, now a double-apex left-hander. 130R (so-called for its radius of 130 meters) used to be, like Eau Rouge, a test of a driver's manhood: only the bravest could take it flat-out. In 2003, however, it was broken up into two separate turns for safety's sake, as it had been extremely dangerous. Allan McNish's crash in 2002 turned out to be the final straw. While he walked away with minor injuries, everybody concerned knew that it was only luck that he wasn't killed. In a cruel twist of fate, motorcycle racer Daijiro Kato was killed in the reprofiled turn in 2003.
As a high-speed circuit, don't be surprised if we see a return to prominence by the Force India cars, by the way. While manueverability is important at Suzuka, it's high-speed manueverability we're talking about (unlike, say, Singapore or Monaco), and FI has shown that it can do that.
There's plenty of elevation changes through the length of the track, so the drivers feel like they're actually going somewhere, too. Downforce levels are expected to be medium-to-high.
SPEED'll be bringing us all the usual action, but NOT at the usual times. Yes, Japan is one of the few races we here in the US can actually watch live without waking up waaaaaaaay too early! Practice 2 comes to us from midnight to 140am Friday morning, with Quals starting at the same time and going until 130am on Saturday morning.
For the race, however, SPEED is pulling out all (well, most) of the stops. From 10p to 11p on Saturday night, we get to see "F1 Rocks!", a three-night concert during the Singapore GP. From 11p to 1130p, they'll show us "Inside Grand Prix," the promo show brought to us by Allianz ("Doing stuff with other people's money: Allianz") and Mr Snooty-Voiced Guy. Finally the race coverage proper begins at 1130pm and goes until 2am.
There'll be a replay from 9pm to 1130pm Sunday night. All times are, of course, Pond Central time. Add one hour for Eastern, subtract two hours for San Francisco time (you listening, Vauc? Maybe find a sports bar or something!), and minus several million hours if you're a time traveler.
This time around, I expect to provide my usual coverage, so we'll see you here!
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September 27, 2009
F1 UPDATE!: Singapore 2009!
Lightning near the track, stunning in the darkness... did we get the first wet night race in F1 history? THIS is your F1U! for the 2009 Grand Prix of Singapore!
*MCLAREN MASSACRE: Lewis Hamilton got a gift pole on Saturday when Rubens Barrichello's crash brought out a red flag just as everybody was beginning their final runs. The McLaren driver took full advantage of his present, running away with the victory. The only time the reigning world champion didn't lead was when he was in the pits. If only their car had been this good at the beginning of the season, he'd be a legit contender now. Instead, he's just looking for as many points as he can get.
*BRAKES BOLLIXED: Singapore's Marina Circuit is known to be hard on brakes. Lots of turns mean they got hot quickly, and essentially never cool down. As they get hotter and hotter, the carbon starts to fail, slowly sloughing away in ever-increasing clouds of brake dust. This has the effect of causing them to go into a death spiral: the loss of mass means they have less ability to radiate away the heat, causing them to fail faster, sending more dust into the air, and losing more mass. To make things worse, the carbon discs get so hot that the aluminum brake calipers actually begin to deform, meaning the drivers have to stomp on the brakes even harder to get them to work... and that increases the heat even farther. Today, both Toro Rosso chargers withdrew with brake problems, as did Renault's Lettuce Grosjean. Red Bull's Mark Webber saw his slim championship hopes disappear when his front-right brake disc exploded, sending him into the wall in a lurid skid. His teammate, Sebastien Vettel dialed his bias nearly all the way to the rear in an attempt to keep his front brakes from a similar fate. Championship leader Jensen Button had to slow down late in the race for the same reason. All of these cars use Brembo brakes. The other teams, users of Hipco or Carbon Industry brakes, certainly had brake wear but nowhere to the extent of the Brembos.
*BUTTON, BARRICHELLO BATTLE: WIth his fifth-place finish, Championship leader Jensen Button added another point to his lead over teammate Rubens Barrichello, who finished in 6th. Increasing his total to 84, he's nearly eliminated Seb Vettel and his 59 points as well. With three races left, Rubens is 15 points adrift. As a team, BrawnGP has a 42.5 point lead over Red Bull for the Constructor's Championship as well.
*DRIVER OF THE RACE: His career is in jeopardy. His team is desperate for a good result. Today, Toyota's Timo Glockenspiel announced that he needs to be looked at for 2010 by bringing his TF109 home with a strong 2nd place finish after starting 6th. He's proven that he's a good driver this season with repeated points-scoring results after starting waaaaay down the grid (and sometimes from the pit lane), and today it all came together.
*TEAM OF THE RACE: No one team really distinguished itself today, so we'll give the award to BrawnGP. They finished 5th and 6th, and nearly clinched the Manufacturer's Championship in the process. Not bad for a first-year team.
*MOVE OF THE RACE: None whatsoever. After the opening lap, if there was an on-track pass, we never saw it. Oh well. So, instead, we'll give it to the unnamed trackworker who braved oncoming cars to dash onto the circuit and remove a piece of bodywork from the racing line. A dangerous move indeed, despite the local yellow flags. Well done!
*MOOOOOOO-OOOVE OF THE RACE: Force India's Adrian Sutil had been desperate to get past NKOTT for a few laps. He could get close, but couldn't quite make a move. On lap 21, however, he seemed to see something open up and made his try. It didn't work, and in an almost comical result the Force India performed a slow-speed pirouette as NKOTT continued on his merry way. Sutil, however, quite used to watching the world go spinning around his helmet, kept his foot on the gas pedal and kept the car rotating without coming to a stop and immediately began to advance back onto the track...
...right into the side of the BMW of Grizzly Nick Heidfeld.
Heidfeld was out on the spot. Sutil managed to limp back to the pits despite having the entire nose back to the suspension removed, though he would retire from the race four laps later. Whoops.
*DRIVER QUOTES OF THE RACE:
more...
*MCLAREN MASSACRE: Lewis Hamilton got a gift pole on Saturday when Rubens Barrichello's crash brought out a red flag just as everybody was beginning their final runs. The McLaren driver took full advantage of his present, running away with the victory. The only time the reigning world champion didn't lead was when he was in the pits. If only their car had been this good at the beginning of the season, he'd be a legit contender now. Instead, he's just looking for as many points as he can get.
*BRAKES BOLLIXED: Singapore's Marina Circuit is known to be hard on brakes. Lots of turns mean they got hot quickly, and essentially never cool down. As they get hotter and hotter, the carbon starts to fail, slowly sloughing away in ever-increasing clouds of brake dust. This has the effect of causing them to go into a death spiral: the loss of mass means they have less ability to radiate away the heat, causing them to fail faster, sending more dust into the air, and losing more mass. To make things worse, the carbon discs get so hot that the aluminum brake calipers actually begin to deform, meaning the drivers have to stomp on the brakes even harder to get them to work... and that increases the heat even farther. Today, both Toro Rosso chargers withdrew with brake problems, as did Renault's Lettuce Grosjean. Red Bull's Mark Webber saw his slim championship hopes disappear when his front-right brake disc exploded, sending him into the wall in a lurid skid. His teammate, Sebastien Vettel dialed his bias nearly all the way to the rear in an attempt to keep his front brakes from a similar fate. Championship leader Jensen Button had to slow down late in the race for the same reason. All of these cars use Brembo brakes. The other teams, users of Hipco or Carbon Industry brakes, certainly had brake wear but nowhere to the extent of the Brembos.
*BUTTON, BARRICHELLO BATTLE: WIth his fifth-place finish, Championship leader Jensen Button added another point to his lead over teammate Rubens Barrichello, who finished in 6th. Increasing his total to 84, he's nearly eliminated Seb Vettel and his 59 points as well. With three races left, Rubens is 15 points adrift. As a team, BrawnGP has a 42.5 point lead over Red Bull for the Constructor's Championship as well.
*DRIVER OF THE RACE: His career is in jeopardy. His team is desperate for a good result. Today, Toyota's Timo Glockenspiel announced that he needs to be looked at for 2010 by bringing his TF109 home with a strong 2nd place finish after starting 6th. He's proven that he's a good driver this season with repeated points-scoring results after starting waaaaay down the grid (and sometimes from the pit lane), and today it all came together.
*TEAM OF THE RACE: No one team really distinguished itself today, so we'll give the award to BrawnGP. They finished 5th and 6th, and nearly clinched the Manufacturer's Championship in the process. Not bad for a first-year team.
*MOVE OF THE RACE: None whatsoever. After the opening lap, if there was an on-track pass, we never saw it. Oh well. So, instead, we'll give it to the unnamed trackworker who braved oncoming cars to dash onto the circuit and remove a piece of bodywork from the racing line. A dangerous move indeed, despite the local yellow flags. Well done!
A winner is you!
*MOOOOOOO-OOOVE OF THE RACE: Force India's Adrian Sutil had been desperate to get past NKOTT for a few laps. He could get close, but couldn't quite make a move. On lap 21, however, he seemed to see something open up and made his try. It didn't work, and in an almost comical result the Force India performed a slow-speed pirouette as NKOTT continued on his merry way. Sutil, however, quite used to watching the world go spinning around his helmet, kept his foot on the gas pedal and kept the car rotating without coming to a stop and immediately began to advance back onto the track...
...right into the side of the BMW of Grizzly Nick Heidfeld.
Heidfeld was out on the spot. Sutil managed to limp back to the pits despite having the entire nose back to the suspension removed, though he would retire from the race four laps later. Whoops.
*DRIVER QUOTES OF THE RACE:
more...
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September 23, 2009
F1 On SPEED!: Singapore 2009!
F1 marches on.
This time around, we head to Singapore, a track with a difference. And what difference is that?
Yep, it's the only night race on the F1 calendar. Oh, make no mistake, Abu Dhabi will have part of their inaugural race at night, it's true, but Singapore is entirely without sunlight. Last year's race had some... um... interesting moments in it, for which Renault received a two-year suspended ban, but will the second year match up? Let's take a look at the track map, shall we?
The street circuit at Singapore (and it is a true street circuit, unlike Valencia) is probably the most interesting track on the calendar to my eyes. Oh, don't get me wrong, it's not as fun as Spa, or as difficult as Monaco, or anything like that, but it's full of... um... easter eggs for the watcher.
The cars race past some interesting buildings, including the legendary Raffles Hotel and the Fullerton Hotel as well. There's a straightaway that's actually a bridge (between turns 13 and 14). It actually runs beneath the some grandstands in the short chute between 18 and 19. It passes under a highway near turn 1. There's a shorter bridge between 12 and 13. All in all, it's a fun track to look at.
To drive, however, not so much. To a man, the drivers decried the circuit, calling it dangerous and unforgiving. Felipe Massa called the curbs around the track "little tortoises that would wreck the car if you get something wrong." Lewis Hamilton said that it was twice as hard to drive as Monaco, particularly when you take into account the hot and humid Singapore weather. The release point for the pit lane was also a major accident waiting to happen, as it had cars rejoining the track just before the entry to the first turn. Some points of the track were also incredibly bumpy, to the point where drivers were concerned that their suspensions were at risk just from driving on the circuit.
Well, they can't do anything about the weather, but modifications to the circuit have been made for 2009. The pit exit has been repositioned to come after turn 1, and the entry is now before turn 22, instead of actually in the turn. The tortoises have been filed down, and some curbs have been repositioned to boot. As a result, the track has been slightly lengthened, from 5.067km to 5.073km. The turn 10 chicane, which was named "Singapore Sling" in a poll of local F1 fans, has been tightened up a touch, so as to slow it even more. Finally, the worst of the bumps in the street have been resurfaced.
As one would expect with a street circuit, Singapore is a high-downforce track, much like Monaco in that regard. It's also a very tough track for brakes, maybe as hard as the Canadian track (though in a different way). With 23 turns, they get hot fast, then stay that way for the whole race, meaning heavy wear. Canada has slow turns coming after long straights, meaning the brakes get too cool and don't work as well. That means they're used harder for those turns, meaning more wear.
The good folks at SPEED will be mostly bringing us their usual sterling coverage, of course. Friday's second practice comes to us live from 830am to 1010am. Saturday's coverage of Quals is scheduled from 9am to 1030am, but may be shortened by a half-hour due to conflicting coverage of the American LeMans Series "Petit LeMans" race, which begins at 10am. If that's the case,expect them to show only the last few minutes of Q1, if at all. The race comes to us LIVE on Sunday from 630am to 9am, with a replay from 130pm to 4pm.
A programming note: there will probably be no Quals post on Saturday here at The Pond, and any post on Practice will come very late, if at all. The F1 Update! will, however, arrive as usual on Sunday.
See you then!
This time around, we head to Singapore, a track with a difference. And what difference is that?
Yep, it's the only night race on the F1 calendar. Oh, make no mistake, Abu Dhabi will have part of their inaugural race at night, it's true, but Singapore is entirely without sunlight. Last year's race had some... um... interesting moments in it, for which Renault received a two-year suspended ban, but will the second year match up? Let's take a look at the track map, shall we?
The street circuit at Singapore (and it is a true street circuit, unlike Valencia) is probably the most interesting track on the calendar to my eyes. Oh, don't get me wrong, it's not as fun as Spa, or as difficult as Monaco, or anything like that, but it's full of... um... easter eggs for the watcher.
The cars race past some interesting buildings, including the legendary Raffles Hotel and the Fullerton Hotel as well. There's a straightaway that's actually a bridge (between turns 13 and 14). It actually runs beneath the some grandstands in the short chute between 18 and 19. It passes under a highway near turn 1. There's a shorter bridge between 12 and 13. All in all, it's a fun track to look at.
To drive, however, not so much. To a man, the drivers decried the circuit, calling it dangerous and unforgiving. Felipe Massa called the curbs around the track "little tortoises that would wreck the car if you get something wrong." Lewis Hamilton said that it was twice as hard to drive as Monaco, particularly when you take into account the hot and humid Singapore weather. The release point for the pit lane was also a major accident waiting to happen, as it had cars rejoining the track just before the entry to the first turn. Some points of the track were also incredibly bumpy, to the point where drivers were concerned that their suspensions were at risk just from driving on the circuit.
Well, they can't do anything about the weather, but modifications to the circuit have been made for 2009. The pit exit has been repositioned to come after turn 1, and the entry is now before turn 22, instead of actually in the turn. The tortoises have been filed down, and some curbs have been repositioned to boot. As a result, the track has been slightly lengthened, from 5.067km to 5.073km. The turn 10 chicane, which was named "Singapore Sling" in a poll of local F1 fans, has been tightened up a touch, so as to slow it even more. Finally, the worst of the bumps in the street have been resurfaced.
As one would expect with a street circuit, Singapore is a high-downforce track, much like Monaco in that regard. It's also a very tough track for brakes, maybe as hard as the Canadian track (though in a different way). With 23 turns, they get hot fast, then stay that way for the whole race, meaning heavy wear. Canada has slow turns coming after long straights, meaning the brakes get too cool and don't work as well. That means they're used harder for those turns, meaning more wear.
The good folks at SPEED will be mostly bringing us their usual sterling coverage, of course. Friday's second practice comes to us live from 830am to 1010am. Saturday's coverage of Quals is scheduled from 9am to 1030am, but may be shortened by a half-hour due to conflicting coverage of the American LeMans Series "Petit LeMans" race, which begins at 10am. If that's the case,expect them to show only the last few minutes of Q1, if at all. The race comes to us LIVE on Sunday from 630am to 9am, with a replay from 130pm to 4pm.
A programming note: there will probably be no Quals post on Saturday here at The Pond, and any post on Practice will come very late, if at all. The F1 Update! will, however, arrive as usual on Sunday.
See you then!
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September 16, 2009
F1 News & Notes: Big Stuff Edition
With Renault's hearing on the whole Nelson Piquet Jr crash at Singapore last year coming up this Monday, it appears that the team is bracing for a bad result. Earlier today, executive director of engineering Pat Symonds and team boss Flavio Briatore left the team, though it is currently unknown if the two jumped or were pushed. However, there is this: Renault also announced that they "will not dispute the recent allegations made by the FIA concerning the 2008 Singapore Grand Prix."
In other words, someone at Renault, the company, has decided that someone high up in the Renault, the team asked Piquet Jr to crash, and has taken steps to try and minimize the overall damage. Since the two most likely candidates for the order have now left F1, the team is probably hoping that the World MotorSports Council (WMSC) will be lenient in whatever penalties they hand down.
Fortunately for us, a lot of evidence has been leaked to the media over the past few days. Everything from a copy of Piquet Jr's statement, telemetry data from his car during the crash (which shows that he accelerated through the crash, instead of braking as one would normally do when control is lost), transcripts of Renault's radio conversations during the incident, to a transcript of Symonds' interview with FIA investigators have all come to light, and it isn't a pretty picture for the team.
For example, here's a snippet from the Symonds' interview:
Investigator: "Mr Symonds, are you aware that there was going to be a crash on lap 14?" Symonds: "I don't want to answer that question."
Investigator: "Mr Piquet Jr says, having had the initial meeting with you and Flavio Briatore, you then met with him individually with the map of the circuit. Do you remember that? Symonds: "I won't answer. Rather not answer that. I don't recall it, but it sounds like Nelson's talked a lot more about it."
Investigator: "Mr Piquet Jr also says that at that meeting, you pointed out a specific place on the circuit where he was to have the accident and said it was because it was the furthest away from any of the safety or lifting equipment, and gave the most likely chance of a safety car being deployed."
Symonds: "I don't . . . I don't want to answer that question."
Ouch. Penalties could range anywhere from a slap on the wrist to full exclusion from the season.
In other news, Team Lotus is back in F1! They were awarded BMW's spot on the grid for 2010 since the German manufacturer withdrew from the sport after the announcement of the three new teams. The brand is currently owned by a Malaysian consortium, though the company itself is still based in Norfolk, England. For the time being, the team itself will stay in England until a new technical center is built at the Sepang raceway. In a statement, the team announced that "the car will be made in Malaysia by Malaysians," and will name their drivers by October 31st. They'll be using Cosworth engines, like the other three new teams.
Finally, BMW has been given the 14th spot on the grid. I can hear you thinking "huh? Didn't they quit the sport?" Well, yes, they did... but nobody wanted a F1 team that wasn't going to be allowed to actually race in F1, so the team duly reapplied to be accepted for the 2010 season. The FIA hasn't actually given them the right to race in 2010 yet, though. At the moment, the 14th slot only means that if any other team drops out of the Championship *coughRenaultcough*, the team that was BMW will get their spot. In addition, there is some speculation that the FIA will allow all 14 teams to run in 2010 anyway. At the same time, BMW announced that the team had been purchased by Swiss company Qadbak Investments, and it appears that the Sauber name will still be associated with the team.
So, there's the latest news from the F1 World.
In other words, someone at Renault, the company, has decided that someone high up in the Renault, the team asked Piquet Jr to crash, and has taken steps to try and minimize the overall damage. Since the two most likely candidates for the order have now left F1, the team is probably hoping that the World MotorSports Council (WMSC) will be lenient in whatever penalties they hand down.
Fortunately for us, a lot of evidence has been leaked to the media over the past few days. Everything from a copy of Piquet Jr's statement, telemetry data from his car during the crash (which shows that he accelerated through the crash, instead of braking as one would normally do when control is lost), transcripts of Renault's radio conversations during the incident, to a transcript of Symonds' interview with FIA investigators have all come to light, and it isn't a pretty picture for the team.
For example, here's a snippet from the Symonds' interview:
Investigator: "Mr Symonds, are you aware that there was going to be a crash on lap 14?" Symonds: "I don't want to answer that question."
Investigator: "Mr Piquet Jr says, having had the initial meeting with you and Flavio Briatore, you then met with him individually with the map of the circuit. Do you remember that? Symonds: "I won't answer. Rather not answer that. I don't recall it, but it sounds like Nelson's talked a lot more about it."
Investigator: "Mr Piquet Jr also says that at that meeting, you pointed out a specific place on the circuit where he was to have the accident and said it was because it was the furthest away from any of the safety or lifting equipment, and gave the most likely chance of a safety car being deployed."
Symonds: "I don't . . . I don't want to answer that question."
Ouch. Penalties could range anywhere from a slap on the wrist to full exclusion from the season.
In other news, Team Lotus is back in F1! They were awarded BMW's spot on the grid for 2010 since the German manufacturer withdrew from the sport after the announcement of the three new teams. The brand is currently owned by a Malaysian consortium, though the company itself is still based in Norfolk, England. For the time being, the team itself will stay in England until a new technical center is built at the Sepang raceway. In a statement, the team announced that "the car will be made in Malaysia by Malaysians," and will name their drivers by October 31st. They'll be using Cosworth engines, like the other three new teams.Finally, BMW has been given the 14th spot on the grid. I can hear you thinking "huh? Didn't they quit the sport?" Well, yes, they did... but nobody wanted a F1 team that wasn't going to be allowed to actually race in F1, so the team duly reapplied to be accepted for the 2010 season. The FIA hasn't actually given them the right to race in 2010 yet, though. At the moment, the 14th slot only means that if any other team drops out of the Championship *coughRenaultcough*, the team that was BMW will get their spot. In addition, there is some speculation that the FIA will allow all 14 teams to run in 2010 anyway. At the same time, BMW announced that the team had been purchased by Swiss company Qadbak Investments, and it appears that the Sauber name will still be associated with the team.
So, there's the latest news from the F1 World.
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