Category: Formula 1

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Ferrari Formula 1 Lotus Mercedes-Benz

2013 Chinese GP: Post-race press conference

2013 Chinese Grand Prix

Here’s the full post-race press conference transcript from the 2013 Chinese Grand Prix, featuring interviews with race winner Fernando Alonso (Ferrari) and minor place getters Kimi Raikkonen (Lotus) and Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes AMG).

Before you get reading there’s some housekeeping from the race to cover. On lap 15 Mark Webber (Red Bull) collided with Jean-Eric Vergne (Toro Rosso). Stewards have apportioned blame for the incident to Webber and handed him a three spot grid penalty for the next race.

“I was coming from a reasonable distance behind, Jean-Eric was really wide,” explained Webber. “But when we came close to the apex he wanted to hit it, which he is entitled to do, but by then I was committed to the inside and the incident happened.

“It was a couple of laps before our pit stop window, so I had to come in early. The guys thought the tyre was fixed when we left the stop, but it came off on the out lap. We have had a few problems this weekend; I think we could have done something from our start position today, but it wasn’t meant to be.”

In happier news Daniel Ricciardo (Toro Rosso) reckons his seventh placing was well deserved. “The points are very welcome but the really good thing to take away from this is that I think we got to where we were with genuine pace,” he said. “I’ll have to look at a replay and see everything else that happened but I don’t think we benefited from getting lucky with strategy, I think the pace was there for us to finish seventh entirely on merit. And that’s a very nice feeling to take with me to Bahrain.”

[Pic: Ferrari]

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Ferrari Formula 1 Lotus Mercedes-Benz

Fernando Alonso wins 2013 Chinese GP

2013 Chinese Grand Prix

Fernando Alonso (Ferrari) has made up for his first lap exit in Malaysia by collecting maximum points for the win at the Chinese Grand Prix.

Tyre strategy once again ruled the day and it was an odd race really. Nothing happened and everything happened. Drivers were asking their teams if they should be racing the car behind or letting it through, all due to tyre wear and their own individual strategies.

In the end the only real excitement was in the last few laps when Sebastian Vettel (Red Bull), running a brand new set of soft compound tyres, was taking seconds per lap out of Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes AMG) in the chase for the final podium step. Hamilton was able to hang on for third, but only by a couple of tenths from the charging Vettel.

Kimi Raikkonen (Lotus) was second and but for a mishap early in the race which left him with some minor damage to the front of his car he may have been able to put more pressure on Alonso who enjoyed victory with a margin of 10.1 seconds.

Mark Webber’s (Red Bull) horror weekend continued with his left rear wheel falling off as he was coasting back to pit lane with problems. This, after already being forced to start from pit lane due to his fuelling dramas from qualifying.

On the positive side for Australian F1 fans Daniel Ricciardo (Toro Rosso) took the six championship points on offer for seventh place. That’s a career best result for Daniel and we hope his improved form continues.

The stewards will be investigating a host of drivers after the race for using DRS in yellow flag conditions. Should that alter the race results we’ll be sure to let you know.

The F1 circus backs up next weekend in Bahrain. We’ll be away interstate at Targa Tasmania but will endeavour to cover proceedings as best we can.

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Formula 1 Red Bull Racing

“Helmut, yes… whatever. Next question!”

The BBC brings us a short interview with Mark Webber. It was recorded before yesterday’s disappointing qualifying session, where his car ran out of fuel. Which is probably just as well.

As you’d expect the discussion centres around the intra-team controversy from the Malaysian Grand Prix. But it was when Mark was asked about the prospect of Helmut Marko’s claim there will be no more team orders that the Aussie delivered his typically laconic punchline.

[Thanks to Micky for the tip]

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Ferrari Formula 1 Lotus Mercedes-Benz

2013 Chinese GP: Qualifying report

2013 Chinese Grand Prix

Lewis Hamilton claimed his maiden pole position for Mercedes AMG in qualifying at the Chinese Grand Prix earlier today. His time of 1:34.484 gave him a relatively comfortable margin of almost three tenths back to Kimi Raikkonen (Lotus, 1:34.761) and Fernando Alonso (Ferrari, 1:34.788).

The Mercedes duo have shown good pace all weekend and Nico Rosberg (1:34.861) may be a little disappointed to be starting on the second row.

Tyre strategy once again influenced the final qualifying session more than the FIA would probably like with no flying laps set until the closing minutes of the session and two drivers, Sebastian Vettel (Red Bull) and Nico Hulkenberg (Sauber) failing to set a time at all.

You can add Jenson Button (McLaren, 2:05.673) to that list too. The only reason he completed his slow lap was to ensure he started ahead of Vettel. Both Vettel and Button will start the race on the longer wearing harder compound tyres (mediums), while all those ahead will be on the softs. Will Vettel’s sacrifice and lowly P9 grid position pay dividends?

It was a bit of a shambles for Red Bull today actually. Mark Webber managed just one flying lap in Q2 before being asked by the team to park his car due low fuel. He spent much of Q2 in the top 10, but as the track conditions improved those around him went faster and eventually bumped him down to P14. Worse was to come, though, and Mark will start the race from last place after being penalised as his car contained just 150ml of fuel, well below the one litre required for its mandatory sample.

In better news for Australian fans Daniel Ricciardo (Toro Rosso) made it into the top 10 and will start the race from P7. His teammate, Jean-Eric Vergne, could only manage a time good enough for P16.

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Formula 1 News

Here’s your second look at F1 movie ‘Rush’

Rush movie trailer

It’s only a few days since the first official preview of Ron Howard’s F1 movie Rush came to light and already we’ve got a second clip to see.

As you can see from the recreation of the Nürburgring starting grid captured in the still image above the attention to detail from Howard appears first class. We just have to hope the balance between Hollywood blockbuster and bona fide F1 flick is right.

The advertised premiere date is 20 September 2013, we’ll have to wait and see if that includes Australia as well.

UPDATE: Ron Howard has just completed a Q&A session with fans via twitter, you can read what was asked and what was answered HERE.

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Formula 1 Red Bull Racing

Vettel: I was faster, I passed him, I won

Sebastian Vettel

Look, we don’t want to keep talking about the fallout from the Malaysian Grand Prix, but it’s the gift that keeps on giving. Despite the weeks that have passed, Formula 1’s media spotlight is still pointing directly at Sebastian Vettel. And the three-time champ is only too happy to make the most of the opportunity.

Interviewed by Reuters ahead of this weekend’s Chinese Grand Prix, Vettel says he was faster and Webber didn’t deserve to win at Sepang.

Still claiming he didn’t understand the now infamous ‘multi 21’ instruction Vettel said: “Had I understood the message, then I think I would have thought about it, reflected on what it means, what the team wants me to do, to leave Mark in first place and me finishing second.

“And I think I would have thought about it and probably done the same thing because Mark doesn’t deserve that.”

When asked to expand on his comment that Mark didn’t deserve victory Vettel replied: “I don’t like to talk ill of other people. It’s not my style. I think I said enough. The bottom line is that I was racing, I was faster, I passed him, I won.”

On the question of trust with his Australian teammate Vettel added: “Being completely honest, I never have support from his side. I’ve got a lot of support from the team and I think the team is supporting both of us the same way.

“I respect him a lot as a racing driver but I think there were more than one occasions in the past where he could have helped the team and he didn’t.

“I wouldn’t call it trust to be honest. I think we have a professional relationship.”

The Webber–Vettel rift began after the 2010 Turkish Grand Prix and back then Red Bull was able to stage manage a reconciliation between the pair. We don’t think that will be happening again. It will be fascinating to see how the pair’s on-track relationship develops over the course of the year. This could get very ugly.

[Source: Reuters | Pic: Red Bull/Getty Images]

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Formula 1 Red Bull Racing

No multi 21, no orders, no bull?

Mark Webber and Sebastian Vettel, Red Bull Racing

Red Bull Racing advisor Helmut Marko wants us to believe there will be no more team orders at the reigning championship constructor. “Team orders won’t be given by us anymore,” he told Germany’s Sport Bild.

We’re not sure if Team Principal Christian Horner got the internal memo from Marko or is simply living in reality, but he has already told Sky Sports F1 that the team’s controversial multi 2-1 and multi 1-2 codes need some work, “both our drivers in the last three races have failed to understand both of those messages.”

Hinting that team orders may still be given from pitlane Horner added, “I think we’re going to give up on that code. We need to probably try something else.”

We’re not buying Marko’s claim. If the circumstances dictate and a championship result for Red Bull rests on the fate of team orders, management will not hesitate to make the call, make no mistake about that. This is Formula 1 and, like it or not, team orders are part of the sport’s culture.

[Source: Planet F1 | Pic: Red Bull/Getty Images]

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Formula 1 Red Bull Racing

Vettel urged to apologise to Formula 1

2013 Malaysian Grand Prix

Yes, we’re still talking about that controversial win by Sebastian Vettel at last month’s Malaysian Grand Prix. Five-time grand prix winner John Watson has urged Vettel to apologise to Formula 1 and from what we can tell he’s not joking.

Now a media pundit Watson said, “The way he acted was dishonest.” Before upping the ante by adding, “He should apologise to the fans of F1 and to the sport.”

Really?

Watson carried on, he was on quite a roll, “[Vettel] has not yet explained why he did not obey the team, apart from making some mealy-mouthed excuse at the time.

“Sebastian had come across as a well-adjusted young man who was also a three time World Champion. But we have had a glimpse of what he is truly capable of and a lot of people will not like the 2013 version.

“If you agree to a plan that after the last pit-stops then the drivers should hold station, then you should stick to that. He gave his word and then did what he wanted which is very poor really.

“And what he did beforehand when he just told the team to tell Mark to get out of the way because he was slower was even worse.

“He should really have paid a penalty for what he did, but there was a snowball’s chance in hell of that happening.”

Speaking freely, Watson says Vettel’s actions are the fault of Red Bull Racing who has allowed the triple world champion’s stature to grow unchecked.

“But if you create the monster then lose control of him, you are going to pay the price. What happened in Malaysia showed that Helmut Marko and Vettel wield the power in the team.

“Christian Horner has done a good job as Team Principal but at the end of the day he could not control his driver.

“Mark knows his status in the team, but then he has known that for a while. But is is hard to see him trusting Sebastian anymore.”

So there you have it. Thankfully there’s another race this weekend and we can hopefully move on.

[Source: The Sun | Pic: Red Bull/Getty Images]

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Formula 1 Motorsports Porsche Red Bull Racing

“He would have all the qualities to drive with us”

2013 Australian Grand Prix

The Mark Webber to Porsche rumour has increased in intensity following the fallout from Sebastian Vettel’s controversial victory at the Malaysian Grand Prix. When we first reported on the rumour in the middle of last year we gave our unwavering support to Webber leading the charge for Porsche at Le Mans in 2014.

Only Mark will know if he has the fire in the belly to continue in Formula 1 beyond this season. Not to mention the patience to deal with the highly charged egos in the sport. The door has been left open by Red Bull boss Dietrich Mateschitz, will Mark stay or will he go?

One thing is certain, these comments from Oliver Hilger, Porsche Motorsport Press manager, reported on the official Le Mans website, will only serve to further heighten the expectations that Mark will be leading the Porsche charge for LMP1 success at La Sarthe next year.

“He would have all the qualities to drive with us,” Hilger said.

“He has been in Formula 1 for more than a decade, he has already raced twice at Le Mans with Mercedes. He knows the road that leads to us in Stuttgart.”

We’ll be sure to keep an eye on this story as it will no doubt develop further over the coming months.

[Source: 24h-lemans.com | Pic: Red Bull/Getty Images]

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Formula 1 News

Here’s your first look at F1 movie ‘Rush’

Trailer for Ron Howard's F1 movie Rush

This is the first official preview of Ron Howard’s F1 movie Rush. One of the hardest things for Howard to achieve will be capturing realistic racing footage. There will be some sequences that won’t look genuine, but if the recreation of Niki Lauda’s crash at the Nürburgring is anything to go by, Howard and his crew have done a fantastic job.

We’re not sure if we’ll see anything new between now and the movie’s release in September, but with the soundtrack appearing recently as well, perhaps a slow trickle of details will further increase the anticipation of Formula 1 fans around the globe.

[Thanks to Dylan for the tip]

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Formula 1

Reviving classic Formula 1 liveries

Restyled F1 livery by Jeremy Hancox

Reviving old skool F1 liveries is becoming something of an art form it would seem. And we’re all the thankful for it.

This time clever clogs designer Jeremy Hancox has come up with four restyled liveries from the 1980s and 90s and applied them to a 21st century F1 car. We thank Jeremy and F1 Fanatic for inviting him to show his wares.

One more thing, car numbers on rear wings: Bring them back!

Here’s the list of cars that have been brought back to the future:

[Source: F1 Fanatic]

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Formula 1 News

Soundtrack from the F1 movie ‘Rush’

Here’s some music from Ron Howard’s movie Rush, about the 1976 Formula 1 championship battle between Niki Lauda and James Hunt. The music was created by noted composer Hans Zimmer.

If you like what you hear you can download the track for yourself via the movie’s official website.

Rush is scheduled for release in September. When we learn more about its Australian release we’ll let you know.