2015 Belgian Grand Prix preview

Finally the break is over!! Could not have taken one more weekend without a race.

Spa is one of my favorite tracks because in almost every race they host we see something unforgettable.

Everybody remembers what happend in the beginning of 2012 when Romain Grosjean caused a terrible crash and got banned from the next race. There was also a terrible crash in the beginning of the 1998 race which was one of the worst in F1 history. Check the video below. Jordan also took their first 1-2 in their race with Damon Hill and Ralf Schumacher.



In 2000 Mika Häkkinen made one of the coolest moves on Michael Schumacher when he overtook him with Ricardo Zonta in the middle of them in full speed. See Hakkinen and Schumi from this video:



Spa is also the track where Giancarlo Fisichella took pole position for Force India in 2009 and Kimi Räikkönen won the race even though Ferrari had a lot of problems that season. See Fisichella's comments of the good qualifying session:



Here Kimi overtakes Fisichella:



Great memories! Speaking of Kimi Räikkönen did you know that every time he has finished the race in Belgium he has been 1st, 3rd or 4th? That's an interesting statistic because in 2009 Ferrari had a bad season and they won here. Will they do the same this weekend? IT WOULD BE NICE IF THEY DID! I'm tired of seeing Mercedes dominating every race.


Now it's time for my predictions!

Pole position: Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes

The race:

1. Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes
2. Nico Rosberg, Mercedes
3. Kimi Räikkönen, Ferrari

Fastest lap: Kimi Räikkönen, Ferrari

Surprise: Kimi Räikkönen will be the fastest Ferrari driver.

Post your own predictions to our F1-4-LIFE PREDICTORS LEAGUE!

POINTS: 1st - 3
2nd - 5
3rd - 10

+ possible bonus points

HOW IT WORKS: the aim of the game is simply predict who comes where in the race (top3). A total of 18 points can be won on a race day. For example if you get winner and and 3rd place right but 2nd wrong you get 13 points.

HOW TO SUBMIT YOUR PREDICTIONS: send an email to f14lifeblog@gmail.com or message the Facebook page to submit your predictions. You have until lights out to make them. If you submit them when the race has started they won't count. So be quick!

THE PRIZE: the winner of the league will win themselves a admin place on the F1 4 LIFE page along side AE, JT, MW & MH. If you don't want to be an admin you are welcome to participate anyway.

That's it for today and if you want to send me feedback then email me: f14lifeblog@gmail.com

Ferrari updates to boost Sauber at Spa

Sauber are expecting a new Ferrari engine specification to help improve their form at this weekend’s 2015 Formula 1 Shell Belgian Grand Prix, along with a revised aero package designed especially for the Spa-Francorchamps circuit.

The season started strongly for Sauber, with a 14-point haul from the opening round, but the Swiss team have added just eight to their tally since then. However, fresh from the summer shutdown, they are now hoping to turn things around in the second half of the campaign.

“[We are] looking forward to stronger performances thanks to a number of upgrades that will be progressively introduced,” explained head of track engineering, Giampaolo Dall’Ara. “At Spa both C34 will be fitted with more powerful Ferrari power units and track specific wings.

“Traction and braking, although, as usual, important, are second to stability and reactiveness, therefore rather specific set-ups are being worked out.”

Like all his colleagues on the grid, Sauber driver Marcus Ericsson loves the Belgian track and the Swede - who finished 17th for Caterham in his first Grand Prix at Spa last year - is optimistic for the 2015 event in light of his team's car updates.

“In comparison to other circuits, the track is quite long with some interesting corners and long straights,” he commented. “Engine power is the crucial factor, which fits well with our engine update.”

Team mate Felipe Nasr, making his first F1 appearance in Belgium, is another fan of the famed Ardennes venue, though he is reserving judgement on the revised Sauber until he has sampled the car on track.

“Spa is my favourite circuit on the calendar,” said the Brazilian. “The track is unique, having a lot of high-speed corners and a great corner combination. We do have our engine update there, but, as we haven’t run it yet, we don’t know what it is going to be like. We are all looking forward to it and hope this will be a benefit for us.”

Sauber will not be the only team benefitting from engine upgrades this weekend. Honda are understood to be supplying McLaren with an updated version of their power unit for the Belgian round.

(source: f1.com)

The evolution of F1

This might be a bit old for some of you but it's still great! Take a look.

2010 Bahrain Grand Prix (Full Race)

Rookie report of 2015

We’ve reached the half-way point of the season, so what better time to cast an eye over this year’s rookie contenders? There are five newcomers on the grid in 2015 (if you include Marussia’s Will Stevens, who took part in just one Grand Prix last year), spread across three teams - but how is each driver getting on? We explore the stats…

Best qualifying position (before penalties)



Average qualifying position (before penalties)



Best race result



Average classified finishing position (excluding retirements)



Top-ten finishes



Team mate head-to-head



Most common race position



Raced kilometres



Points

Conclusions

In their own ways, each of the rookies has impressed this season. Verstappen’s feisty approach and willingness to indulge in wheel-to-wheel combat has led to him taking an early bath on two occasions, but his extraordinary commitment and confidence - the like of which has rarely been seen in a rookie driver before - have brought rich rewards too.

Take Hungary, where the teenage Dutchman kept a cool head and ultimately profited from others’ misfortune to finish in a season-high fourth place. That result is four positions higher than team mate Sainz’s best, though the slightly more mature Spaniard has performed just as admirably this season, and is ahead of his team mate in several of our categories. It’s also worth remembering that whilst the points differential between the duo looks big now, the difference was just one point before Hungary (where Sainz retired).

Felipe Nasr has also looked very good up against more experienced team mate Marcus Ericsson, even as Sauber’s form has dipped. Indeed, Ericsson’s average qualifying and race positions (14 and 11.9 respectively) are both worse than Nasr’s. Like Sainz, the Brazilian has rarely made an error - a factor that’s contributed to both his impressive points tally and extremely high mileage.

It’s much harder to judge Marussia’s rookie duo as they are at the back of the field and rarely in direct competition with other drivers, but in general Will Stevens and Roberto Merhi look very evenly matched. Stevens has the edge in the qualifying head-to-head, but it’s worth remembering that Merhi is taller than his team mate and his extra weight cannot be equalised. In race situations this appears to have been far less of a disadvantage.

Overall, none of the rookies looks out of his depth at this level. Indeed, several seem destined for long careers at the pinnacle of motorsport.

(source: f1.com)

Who will drive for Haas in 2016?

A new team will join the Formula One racing in 2016, in the shape of Gene Haas's eponymous outfit. The factory is in place, key personnel have been secured - but the burning question of who will be driving is yet to be answered. We run down a list of the most likely candidates...


Jean-Eric Vergne

The former Toro Rosso ace is a frontrunner for a seat at Haas thanks to his test driver role at Ferrari, who will be providing the American team's power units. With two top-six finishes across 58 starts, as well as an enviable record when team mate to Daniel Ricciardo, Vergne would certainly bring pedigree to the fledgling squad, as well as the kind of experience no ‘homegrown' driver - let alone another 25-year-old - could currently offer. The Frenchman won't lack motivation either - having lost his Toro Rosso seat (somewhat harshly in the eyes of many) to Russian teen Daniil Kvyat at the end of 2013, he'll no doubt be keen to show the Red Bull hierarchy they were wrong to let him go. The only thing working against Vergne is his lack of experience of the current breed of hybrid power units, though his test work for Ferrari - which has involved simulator sessions at Maranello - negates this to a certain extent. Vergne has also stayed race sharp by competing in Formula E, finishing the inaugural season in seventh place with two podium finishes. He's has already put pen to paper on a deal to continue in the series, but his plans might change if F1 racing were to become a realistic option again… 

 
Esteban Gutierrez

Like Vergne, Gutierrez's role as Ferrari reserve driver has, according to team owner Gene Haas, placed him on a shortlist of candidates for a drive with the American squad. The Mexican's F1 CV might not look as impressive as Vergne's on paper (just six points over 38 race starts), but Gutierrez does have first-hand race experience of Ferrari's V6 hybrid power unit, having raced for Sauber in 2014. His popularity in his homeland also means he's well placed to bring sponsorship to the team, which makes him an even more attractive proposition. The information Gutierrez has picked up by spending 2015 race weekends with Ferrari could also prove valuable from an operations standpoint, though his lack of actual on-track action isn't - his stints behind the wheel for the Prancing Horse have been limited to demonstration runs and simulator sessions.

Nico Hulkenberg

In many ways, Hulkenberg would be the ‘dream' signing for Haas. Still only 27, the German has experience in spades, with four full F1 seasons already under his belt. In that time he has only been out-scored by his team mate once - his debut season, when he was up against Rubens Barrichello - and while podiums have thus far eluded him, he is firmly established among the F1 elite. But would the man himself take the risk of leaving Force India to switch to a new and unproven team? The close links with Ferrari are the obvious lure, but even so there are some serious question marks about how much of a backward step it would constitute. Hulkenberg has already competed against - and comfortably outshone - then-rookie Gutierrez at a Ferrari-engined team in 2013. Would he want to try for a repeat and the outside chance of landing a works drive with the Scuderia?

Alexander Rossi

Haas have made it clear that nationality will not guarantee anyone a race seat, and that securing someone with F1 experience remains the priority. American Alexander Rossi potentially ticks both boxes. Still only 23, he has competed in Grand Prix practice sessions for both Caterham and Marussia, and driven in four further official tests. Now back in GP2, where he can boast one victory and eight podiums from one full- and two half-season campaigns, Rossi is perhaps the best-placed American to make the step up to a permanent F1 seat should Haas come calling.

Other potential names in the frame

IndyCar racewinner Josef Newgarden, 24, is one of the brightest young talents in American motorsport and has both the ability and age to potentially make the switch to F1 racing. Compatriot Danica Patrickhas cooled the early excitement that she might be in the frame, although Haas himself has said that "anything is possible" in relation to the 33-year-old making the switch from Nascar. Adrian Sutil, a veteran of 128 Grand Prix starts, was another name connected to the US squad, although he now appears to be out of the running. Haas, however, remains flexible, stating that he would be interested in any driver competing in F1 this year, should they become available.

(source: f1.com)

AE's F1 Dream Team

So Formula1.com has asked many drivers and team principals about their dream teams. I thought that I would also make my own. After I have done mine I would like you guys to do the same on the Facebook page.

The drivers are probably not a big surprise for you guys because I have said several times that these are my all time favorites:

Ayrton Senna (1984-1994) and Mika Häkkinen (1991-2001).

The team boss would be Jean Todt. He did an awesome job with Ferrari making Michael Schumacher and Kimi Räikkönen world champions. Of course Schumi had already won two championships with Benetton, but with Jean Todt as his leader he won five more.

Last but not least is the car my dream team would use. Everybody probably thought that I would choose the MP4/4 but I think that the best car of modern F1 is the F2004 of Ferrari. Schumi and Barrichello were unstoppable with that car. Do you really think Schumi would have broken all of those records without a car like that and the previous versions before it? Take a look at this picture!

What is your dream team?