2014 Australian Grand Prix (FULL RACE)

Hamilton keeps Mercedes on top as Bahrain test ends

Lewis Hamilton kept Mercedes on top as the first of this year’s four in-season tests concluded in Bahrain.

The Briton finished a comfortable 1.4 seconds clear of the field on the second day, although his best time of 1m 34.136s was set on a development tyre - Mercedes having agreed to dedicate the day exclusively to compound work for Pirelli. 

Each of the 11 teams will do likewise over the eight days of in-season testing, with Caterham and Williams having joined Mercedes as Pirelli’s designated teams for the Bahrain test.

Hamilton was also the only driver to break into triple figures in the lap count, completing 120 in total. That was in stark contrast to Ferrari, whose attempts to improve their form suffered a setback when they were forced to abandon running as a “precautionary measure” when the chassis of Fernando Alonso’s F14 T was found to be damaged. The Spaniard managed just 12 laps.

Jean-Eric Vergne, taking over from team mate Daniil Kvyat at Toro Rosso, went second fastest after focusing on aero work and data acquisition.

“It was not a completely trouble free day, but that’s what testing is about,” the Frenchman said. “We got some serious work done today that can inform us on the way to move forward for the next part of the season. From that point of view, today was very productive and important.”

McLaren opted to stick with Kevin Magnussen on day two, but he also suffered problems as a mechanical issue sent him into the gravel just before midday. 

Fresh from his podium on Sunday, Force India’s Sergio Perez clocked the fourth fastest time, just ahead of Red Bull’s Daniel Ricciardo and Marussia’s Jules Bianchi. The Australian was delayed by an electrical problem in the morning, but was able to undertake aerodynamic work in the afternoon. The Frenchman, meanwhile, spent the morning exploring various set-up options on Pirelli’s medium compound, before moving onto analysing brake developments in the afternoon.

Sauber reserve driver Giedo van der Garde took over from Russian rookie Sergey Sirotkin for the second day, but had to contend with power unit gremlins in the morning. He eventually managed 77 laps en route to finish seventh fastest – more than three seconds down on Hamilton, but still ahead of Alonso.

"We found something interesting during the long runs in the end," said Van der Garde. "Besides that, I think the performance run was also quite good as it was during the hottest part of the day, so the time was pretty good. 

"All in all, I am happy that I got the chance to drive the C33 again and I am looking forward to being back behind the wheel for FP1 in China.”

Caterham were also waylaid by early technical problems on what was a very hot day, with temperatures in excess of 30 degrees Celsius. The team managed to fix its ERS complaints however, and Marcus Ericsson completed 66 laps by the close of play.

That was two more laps than Williams’ reserve driver Felipe Nasr managed. The Brazilian, like Hamilton, spent the day doing development work for Pirelli.

Lotus rounded out the timesheets, with Romain Grosjean suffering power unit issues as he completed just 16 laps in total, the fastest of which was over nine seconds off Hamilton’s best in the F1 W05. 

Unofficial Wednesday times from Bahrain:
1. Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes, 1m 34.136s, 120 laps
2. Jean-Eric Vergne, Toro Rosso, 1m 35.557s, 64 laps
3. Kevin Magnussen, McLaren, 1m 36.203s, 26 laps
4. Sergio Perez, Force India, 1m 36.586s, 63 laps
5. Daniel Ricciardo, Red Bull, 1m 37.310s, 67 laps
6. Jules Bianchi, Marussia, 1m 37.316s, 93 laps
7. Giedo van der Garde, Sauber, 1m 37.623s, 77 laps
8. Fernando Alonso, Ferrari, 1m 37.912s, 12 laps
9. Marcus Ericsson, Caterham, 1m 39.263s, 66 laps
10. Felipe Nasr, Williams, 1m 39.879s, 64 laps
11. Romain Grosjean, Lotus, 1m 43.732s, 16 laps

(source: f1.com)

Rosberg sets the pace in Bahrain testing (DAY 1)

The first of four post-race tests scheduled for 2014 got underway on Tuesday, and it was Mercedes who took up where they left off in Sunday’s Bahrain Grand Prix, as Nico Rosberg clocked the fastest time in Sakhir.

Rosberg's best lap of 1m 35.697s put him just over three-tenths clear of namesake Nico Hulkenberg, second for Force India with a 1m 36.064s.

“Our main aim today was to try different directions with set-up and to get to know the tyres a bit better,” commented Rosberg. “You never stop learning how to get the best out of the tyres, so it has been a productive day from that perspective. We also did a bit of work on the brakes as this is an area I'm not one hundred percent happy with at the moment.”

Fernando Alonso was third for Ferrari. In the morning, the Italian team concentrated on fine tuning various electronic configurations and on taking aerodynamic measurements with constant-speed runs down the main straight. In the afternoon, Alonso carried out short runs to evaluate different set-up choices.

Despite making the team some lengthy set-up changes to his car between runs, McLaren’s Kevin Magnussen was the day’s busiest driver, the Dane racking up 102 laps without problem en route to fourth on the timesheet.

Just behind Magnussen was Williams’ Valtteri Bottas. The team reported a productive day, despite Bottas - who hands overs to reserve Felipe Nasr on Wednesday - only completing 28 laps in the Mercedes-powered FW36.

“We had good mix of tests today with aero, mechanical, car set-up, electronics and power unit, and we managed to get through everything which is hugely encouraging,” said Rob Smedley, head of vehicle performance. “The results were very positive and we collected a lot of good data, which is good news.”

Seventh fastest was Red Bull’s Daniel Ricciardo, who commented: “We didn’t get in any performance runs today but we did some good long runs in the afternoon with three set-up changes and we got some good feedback from that. I think during last weekend we struggled a bit in P1 and P3, the daytime sessions in the heat, but the car felt a lot better today in those conditions, particularly on those long runs.

“We’re still a little behind but we’re chipping away and I’m sure over the course of this test and in China we’ll get a little bit closer. For the moment, though, we’ll take every little bit we can get. We’re learning and we’re making progress.”

Each of the 11 F1 teams has agreed to dedicate one day of testing this year exclusively to tyre development work for Pirelli. On Tuesday it was Caterham’s turn, with test and reserve driver Robin Frijns at the wheel of the CT05. Unfortunately, a hydraulics leak just before lunch brought a premature end to the Dutchman’s day. Williams are Pirelli’s designated team on Wednesday.

Power unit-related problems limited Lotus’s Pastor Maldonado to just 16 laps, while at Toro Rosso, Daniil Kvyat was on driving duty as the team focussed on tyre and chassis work over long runs, aimed at developing the STR9 in race trim as well as giving the Russian rookie extra mileage under race conditions. He hands over to team mate Jean-Eric Vergne on Wednesday.

“Even if you can’t see it from looking at the timing screen, this was a productive day during which we learned a lot,” said Kvyat. “It was very useful for me, giving me a lot of laps away from the race weekend environment. We also learned something about why our pace was not as strong as we had expected in Sunday’s race. I think this in-season testing is a very useful thing, not just for the teams, but also for guys like me who have to catch up in terms of experience.”

Testing concludes in Bahrain on Wednesday.

Unofficial Tuesday times from Bahrain:
1. Nico Rosberg, Mercedes, 1m 35.697s, 121 laps
2. Nico Hulkenberg, Force India, 1m 36.064s, 69 laps
3. Fernando Alonso, Ferrari, 1m 36.626s, 69 laps
4. Kevin Magnussen, McLaren, 1m 36.634s, 102 laps
5. Valtteri Bottas, Williams, 1m 37.305s, 28 laps
6. Max Chilton, Marussia, 1m 37.678s, 60 laps
7. Daniel Ricciardo, Red Bull, 1m 38.326s, 91 laps
8. Sergey Sirotkin, Sauber, 1m 39.023s, 76 laps
9. Robin Frijns, Caterham, 1m 40.027s, 63 laps
10. Pastor Maldonado, Lotus, 1m 40.183s, 16 laps
11. Daniil Kvyat, Toro Rosso, 1m 40.452s, 67 laps

(source: f1.com)

We have made this season more interesting on the F1-4-LIFE Facebook page!

One of my admins came up with a great idea. It's a game! We posted this on the Facebook page earlier today:

"ITS OFFICIAL!
POINTS: 1st - 3
2nd - 5
3rd - 10

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. If you get winner and and 3rd place right but 2nd wrong you get 13 points same if you get 1 correct. eg. 2nd you get 5 points. If a driver wins the race and you said he would come 2nd or 3rd no points would be awarded. Same if he came in another position, and you predicted that wrong. A table will be posted up every race weekend. The point scoring system will change once the cars become more competitive. Everyone will say a merc 1,2 so it won't be close or fun.

HOW TO SUBMIT YOUR PREDICTIONS: message the 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! like the Mercedes.

THE PRIZE: the winner of the league will win themselves a admin place on the F1 4 LIFE page along side JT, AE & MW. If you don't want to be an admin you are welcome to participate anyway. We may also come up with some other small prize if it helps.

Inbox the page to submit your entry and make your predictions for the 2014 Chinese grand prix! -JT"

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You may also post your answers on this blog page or send email to f14lifeblog@gmail.com

Personally I like this for several reasons and here's one - I always try to guess the top3 in my GP previews and now you can do it with me!

Let the games begin!

Australia 2014 F1 class photo and drivers parade

If you have missed it then here it is ;)

2014 Bahrain Grand Prix review

This was one of the best races in a looooong time! Proper racing just like I like it. It was also nice that they had changed it to a night race. It worked better that way in my opinion.

First of all nice to see that Kimi Räikkönen finally got the car to work in qualifying. He was 6th and got to start 5th when his teammate Fernando Alonso was only 10th. Unfortunately he got stuck behind Valtteri Bottas in the start when his car didn't move an inch at first.

Felipe Massa's start was probably the best of his career. He just launched away but couldn't pass the Mercs of course.

Kevin Magnussen hit Kimi in the back again! Second time in a row that he does this and Kimi's third race out of three where somebody hits him from behind. Very unlucky season so far for him.

Alonso passed Kimi easily because of his problems and stayed in front of him most of the race. Alonso fought again with Nico Hülkenberg like he has done in every race so far this season.

Did you guys see Luca Di Montezemolo's face when the HULK overtook Alonso? He looked really pissed off! I bet he blamed the drivers again as he usually does. He should wake up and see that the car is terrible.

The F14-T is the worst since 2009 but at least Kimi got podiums and a win that year. Another very interesting point is this: How far back would Ferrari be without drivers like Alonso and Räikkönen?! They are probably the best drivers working together in my opinion. I mean who wouldn't want Räikkönen and Alonso driving for them? Without them Ferrari would be fighting against Marussia in the back! Believe me or not but to me it's pretty obvious that the drivers are not to blame here.

Enough about Ferrari. So what about Lotus? They finished the race with both cars this time but what was going on in Pastor Maldonado's mind?! In the beginning he crashed with Jean-Eric Vergne and later he smashed straight into Esteban Gutierrez like a snow plow! Take a look:



Maldonado got a 5-grid penalty for China. That's it?! Daniel Ricciardo got a 10-grid penalty because his wheel was loose. Which was more dangerous? Ricciardo didn't even do anything wrong and it was worse. So so stupid!

More about Ricciardo! I loved it when they told Sebastian Vettel on the radio "Daniel is faster than you". I guess this was a slightly better day for the Aussie fans.

If we talk more about the radio conversations then we should bring up Massa. In the previous race he didn't wanna move to the side when Bottas was faster than him and had newer tyres. Now he asked Williams if Bottas could let him pass. WHAT?! well actually he didn't say it straight out but everybody knew what he meant when he said that Bottas' tyres look bad from behind, it's slippery etc. They didn't respond and Bottas got to decide on his own when to come in to the pits.

Bottas came to the pits at the best possible moment and it looked like he could have taken third place in the end. Unfortunately for his sake the safety car kind of ruined it for both him and Massa. I was waiting to see them fight for the third spot at the end part of the race but it was Force India instead who benefitted from this.

Sergio Perez was better than his teammate in the end. He drove a phenomenal race and was one of the stars of the day. Why couldn't he perform with McLaren like that? One reason was probably that McLaren was terrible last year.

What else? Nico Rosberg and Lewis Hamilton were fighting like Senna and Prost at the top! If they continue with that then this season will be very interesting even though they would dominate the whole season. I don't even care! More fighting like that and I am happy.

Then some bad news. Jean-Eric Vergne was hospitalized after the race. He didn't eat and drink enough because he wanted to stay fit and light weighted. Bad idea.

Adrian Sutil raced without water in the car so that his car would be slightly faster. He retired the race so it did him no good.

Then it's time for my guesses and the actual results as usual:

Pole position: Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes - CORRECT

The race:

1. Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes - CORRECT
2. Fernando Alonso, Ferrari - WRONG! FERRARI HAS NOTHING ON THE MERCEDES POWERED ENGINES RIGHT NOW. Nico Rosberg was 2nd.
3. Kimi Räikkönen, Ferrari - WRONG! Sergio Perez was 3rd.

Fastest lap: Nico Rosberg, Mercedes - CORRECT

Surprise: Romain Grosjean, Lotus - The only surprise with Grosjean was that both of the Lotuses finished the race. The biggest surprise was Sergio Perez if you ask me.

Sakhir stats - the 900th Grand Prix in numbers

The 900th world championship Grand Prix was not just a thriller - it was also a race full of interesting statistical occurrences.

With victory in Bahrain, Mercedes became the first team since Renault in 2006 to win three consecutive races to start a season. The Silver Arrows also became the first team since McLaren in 2010 to score consecutive one-two finishes. Coincidentally, the winner of those races for McLaren was Lewis Hamilton - and that was also the last time the Briton won back-to-back races. Hamilton now has as many race wins as legendary five-time world champion Juan Manuel Fangio - 24.

Behind Mercedes, Force India scored their first podium since the 2009 Belgian Grand Prix, and only their second since Vijay Mallya assumed control of the team and changed their name from Spyker. Sergio Perez scored his fourth F1 podium finish and is now just three podiums behind Pedro Rodriguez for most rostrums by a Mexican driver.

Sunday’s race in Bahrain - the tenth in the desert - was a milestone Grand Prix for Rosberg and McLaren’s Jenson Button, though they enjoyed contrasting fortunes. The German came home second in what was his 150th Grand Prix start, whilst Button was robbed of a points finish in his landmark 250th race after clutch problems. He was eventually classified 17th. 

I will post a longer review of the race later today.