A little later than usual here’s your pictorial reminder of the 2013 Bahrain Grand Prix. There’s 87 pics to fill your racing boots this week. Be sure to check back in after the Spanish Grand Prix for more wallpaper-friendly F1 pics in a few weeks.
Category: Red Bull Racing
After the break you can read the full transcript from the first three drivers from the 2013 Bahrain Grand Prix.
Before you do here’s the Aussie update with words from Mark Webber (Red Bull) first and Daniel Ricciardo (Toro Rosso) second.
Mark Webber: “The beginning wasn’t too bad, but we lost quite a bit of time in the second stint trying to clear people. We went aggressive on the first few out laps, which meant we jumped people, but the tyres didn’t like it. That meant the second stint was a disaster really in terms of pace at the end and that loaded the other two stints up.
“In the middle of the race I thought I could get on the podium, but then it was about pace management and it’s a fine line between racing and saving tyres. Others pitted a bit before me at the end, but it wasn’t enough for me to get home. If you race people hard then you run out of tyres, but if you don’t then they come through. In the end it was a pretty good battle with Lewis for both of us; neither of us had any tyres left, but we were trying to race as best we could.”
Daniel Ricciardo: “I got a reasonable start, better than some of the guys around me and I got ahead of Grosjean. Then at some point, I locked up the wheels and lost a position or two. All afternoon, we just struggled with speed: in the first stint, tyre warm-up was a problem and I was losing a lot of time on braking.
“We never really recovered, even though we tried to make a few changes to the balance of the car at the pit stops. We must look into what exactly was wrong with the car as we were really limited in terms of downforce.â€
[Pic: Red Bull/Getty Images]
Sebastian Vettel (Red Bull) started the Bahrain Grand Prix from the front row and went on to pocket yet another easy F1 victory in last night’s race. He finished ahead of the Lotus pairing, with Kimi Raikkonen extending his sequence of race finishes to an impressive 31 by taking second place and Romain Grosjean enjoying his return to the podium in third.
Those paying attention at home will recognise these are the same podium placings we saw in Bahrain last year.
Nico Rosberg (Mercedes) raised a few eyebrows by claiming pole position and his subsequent race finish of ninth proved that surprise was justified. Rosberg just didn’t have the race pace and although he led from the start Vettel was able to overtake him without too much bother on the second lap. And for Vettel that was pretty much the end of his troubles. It is his 28th race win and puts him clear of Sir Jackie Stewart on the all-time winners list.
Perhaps Vettel may have been given a tougher test if the rear wing on Fernando Alonso’s Ferrari had a spine to match its driver. Twice Alonso was forced into the pits in the early stages to have his DRS flap closed, yet he was able to fight his way back into the top 10, finishing eighth and earning himself four very valuable points.
Paul di Resta (Force India) looked set to earn his first podium finish thanks to some good raw pace and a two-stop tyre strategy, the same as Raikkonen, alas for him Grosjean was able to reel him in and demote the Scot to fourth place, which is still a career best for him.
Speaking of being reeled in, Mark Webber’s year and perhaps his whole Red Bull career was encapsulated in the final lap, which he started in fifth place and ended in seventh, all while his teammate cruised to glory. Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes) first, then Sergio Perez (McLaren) got passed Mark and his rapidly deteriorating tyres on the last lap to claim fifth and six places. Not the best result for Mark in his 200th F1 start.
Daniel Ricciardo (Toro Rosso) had an almost anonymous race and after his previous high in China will have been disappointed to finish in P16. But, at least he finished, unlike teammate Jean-Eric Vergne, who got tangled up with backmarkers and was the only driver who failed to finish.
There’s a couple of weeks off before the F1 circus finds its way back to Europe and as is often the case the season is wonderfully placed with so much potential to surprise. Let’s just hope the season doesn’t mirror the result in Bahrain and sees Vettel race off into the sunset unopposed.
[Pic: Red Bull/Getty Images]
Porsche insist no contract has been signed to tie Mark Webber to the company’s new chase for outright success at Le Mans which starts next year.
“Mark Webber has not signed a five year contract with Porsche,” claimed a company executive speaking to German newspaper Die Welt.
“Porsche has a squad of ten highly successful works drivers, forming an excellent basis for the occupation of the LMP1 cockpits from 2014.”
In an interview with Auto Action Wolfgang Hatz, Porsche’s research and development boss added: “We still have plenty of time to decide our driver line up.
“We will use some of our own drivers and add some external drivers—we have two cars and need six drivers next year. There is a test plan, and for sure Mark Webber is not part of them.
“For now we are concentrating on the schedule—the plan is a mid-year roll-out of the car, and in the autumn we will finalise our driver combination. What we need is the best combination of drivers that fit together.
“LMP1 is a team sport, and if you have three of the quickest drivers, I am not sure that this is the best way. Yes, we can have perhaps some Formula 1 drivers in the future, but it is not necessary.”
Trouble is, the wider industry isn’t buying into Porsche’s denials. Audi very much believe Porsche “could go in that direction” admitted a team member at the 6 Hours of Silverstone last weekend.
Meanwhile, former Porsche sportscar legend and four-time Le Mans winner Derek Bell shared his view that Webber will leave F1 for Porsche. “I hear he (Webber) has gone,” he told the Huffington Post.
On the one hand seeing Mark help to lead Stuttgart’s charge at Le Mans makes us excited, but we’ll be sad to see him leave F1 when that day comes.
[Source: Motorsport.com & ESPN F1 | Pic: Red Bull/Getty Images]
Before we head off to Tasmania for a week to follow the close knit tarmac rally community here’s 93 photos from the Chinese Grand Prix. We hope you like them!
During its coverage of the 6 Hours of Silverstone Radio Le Mans announced that Mark Webber has signed a five-year deal with Porsche to join their World Endurance Championship assault. If the rumour is correct Mark will retire from F1 at the end of this year and start with Porsche in 2014.
Rumours of Webber joining Porsche have been simmering for some time but this is the first instance a firm contract has been mentioned.
The rumour was also posted to twitter by Radio Le Mans:
@AussieGrit signs 5 year deal to race with Porsche. Hey welcome back to sportscars, Mark! #greatnews
— Eve Hewitt (@radiolemans) April 14, 2013
When we asked Radio Le Mans for comment this was their reply: “Credible sources but I would not expect to see any confirmation until later in the season. Or could be bargaining chip.”
Let’s not lock this deal away just yet, but if, or when it happens, it clearly won’t be surprise to anyone. Indeed, the way it’s looking it will be more of a surprise if Mark stays in F1 beyond the current season.
[Pic: Red Bull/Getty Images | Thanks to Micky for the tip]
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]
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]
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]
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.â€
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.â€
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]
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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VIDEO: Gone in 2.05 seconds
Among all the hyperbole to have followed since Sebastian Vettel’s controversial win at the Malaysian Grand Prix one thing you may have forgotten were claims that Red Bull broke the pit stop record for changing a set of wheels.
Red Bull themselves have released a statement claiming they bettered the old mark no less than five times. Five! The previous record stood at 2.31 seconds and was set by McLaren at last year’s German GP.
Now, the record stands at just 2.05 seconds, and was set during Mark Webber’s second pit stop at Sepang. Red Bull, though, say the stop wasn’t perfect and that a stop completed in less than two seconds may be seen this year.
Amazing!
[Pic: Red Bull/Getty Images]