Two safety cars and intermittent rain made for a very interesting Belgian Grand Prix. Tire strategies were based largely on what teams were seeing on the radar. In the end, Lewis Hamilton didn’t have to worry much about weather or crashes. Mark Webber bogged down on the start and that was all that Hamilton needed to take the win and championship lead. Further down the grid, things were a bit more interesting. Continue reading
F1 2010
F1 Hungarian GP: Back Against The Wall
The whole weekend was dominated by Red Bull. In practice, they had the field covered by nearly a second with Sebastian Vettel comfortably ahead of Mark Webber. This race, unsurprisingly, looked like another Red Bull coronation waiting to happen. However, a critical error cost Vettel the win and forced Webber to push his tires harder and farther than anyone believed possible to pick up the win. Continue reading
F1 German GP: Just Following Orders
If you didn’t know what Article 39.1 of the F1 Sporting Regulations was before this race, you will now. The race looked like it would be a Ferrari 1-2 with Felipe Massa leading Fernando Alonso. But then the call went out on the radio: “Fernando is faster than you. Can you confirm that you understood that?” A couple of laps later saw Massa inexplicably slow out of the hairpin and Alonso cruise by en route to victory. To say that this win was controversial would be a wild and dangerous understatement. Continue reading
F1 British GP: Something Old, Something New…
The old wedding adage seemed to fit perfectly for yesterday’s British Grand Prix. The irony of that statement is that the marriage at Red Bull is quickly disintegrating. But something old was Silverstone, host of the first ever round of the Formula One World Championship in 1950. Something new is the Arena Circuit layout which was designed for Moto GP and used for this year’s F1 Grand Prix. Something borrowed was Mark Webber’s front wing which was borrowed by Sebastian Vettel. And something blue was Mark Webber’s Red Bull as it streaked across the line as he took his third win of the season. Continue reading
F1 European GP: Bull Rush
The Red Bull Racing boys picked up their fourth 1-2 qualifying result of the season. They also picked up the lion’s share of the highlights in this race, though they finished at opposite ends of the field. Sebastian Vettel picked up the win while Mark Webber made a spectacular early exit. The big story of the race may have been the penalties handed out during and after the race. During the race one podium driver received a penalty but it didn’t affect his race. After the race, ten drivers were penalized but there wasn’t much shuffling around of the order. Continue reading
F1 Canadian GP: Summer Blockbuster
While Hollywood comes out with movies that are action packed from start to finish and full of crashes and smashes, the Formula One circus decided to stage their own summer blockbuster in Montreal. The Canadian Grand Prix is always a wild affair but this year’s seemed crazier than usual. There was more action crammed into the first seven laps of the race than the first seven races of the season combined. Continue reading
F1 Canadian GP Primer: Drivers and Teams
The Canadian Grand Prix weekend starts tomorrow morning with first practice. Yesterday, I examined all the rules and race strategies that have changed in the two years since the Formula One circus last swept through Montreal. Today, I look at the drivers and teams that will be contesting the 2010 Canadian GP and setting up storylines for the race. Continue reading
F1 Canadian GP Primer: Rules And Strategy
With Formula One’s Canadian Grand Prix taking place this weekend in Montreal, I’m going to catch Canadian race fans up on what will be happening at the track this weekend. The first of the two-part race primer will look at the rules of F1 and strategies employed by teams in the race. Continue reading
F1 Turkish GP: Tangled Webb
It was supposed to be fairly academic. Mark Webber would lead away from pole. Sebastian Vettel would take advantage of the clean line from his third place starting spot to pass Hamilton for second. Then it would be a simple Sunday drive to the finish and another weekend of Red Bull domination. Unfortunately for the energy drink brigade, it didn’t go according to plan. While Red Bull’s plans didn’t come together, Bernie’s plan for a return to America finally came together and Pirelli’s plan for an entrance into F1 is all but sealed. Continue reading
F1 Monaco GP: If These Streets Could Talk
The Monaco Grand Prix is the crown jewel of the Formula One season. It’s a race steeped in history that has seen the great drivers take the checkered flag. A win at Monaco will make your reputation as much as a World Drivers’ Championship would. That just adds to the lore that is the race on the streets of Monte Carlo. And now, Mark Webber can add his name to the list of heroes that have won in Monaco as he dominated with his second consecutive lights-to-flag victory. However, it wasn’t a straight-forward cruise on the public roads of the principality. Continue reading
The Lowdown 