F1 - 4 - LIFE

Thursday, October 22, 2015

Get your tickets to the next F1 events!

http://www.bookf1.com/?afid=815&next_available_race

Wednesday, October 21, 2015

FIA press conference schedule - United States

America’s first Grand Prix driver since 2007, Alexander Rossi, will be amongst the drivers facing the press in Austin on Thursday, while on Friday Mercedes’ Toto Wolff and Red Bull’s Christian Horner will join other senior team personnel in answering questions from the media. The line-ups in full…

Thursday, October 22, 1100 hours (1600 GMT)
Valtteri Bottas (Williams), Marcus Ericsson (Sauber), Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes), Kimi Raikkonen (Ferrari), Daniel Ricciardo (Red Bull), Alexander Rossi (Marussia)

Friday, October 23, 1600 hours (2100 GMT)
Eric Boullier (McLaren), Matthew Carter (Lotus), Christian Horner (Red Bull), Vijay Mallya (Force India), Franz Tost (Toro Rosso), Toto Wolff (Mercedes)

The qualifying and post-race conferences with the top three drivers will take place immediately after the respective sessions.

(source: f1.com)

I will post a video later tomorrow if you don't have a chance to see this.

Tuesday, October 20, 2015

2015 United States Grand Prix preview

Did you know that 10 different circuits in the United States have staged an F1 world championship round - but only six of those have hosted a US Grand Prix? Or that seven drivers in the current field have led at least one lap on American soil, but only two - Lewis Hamilton and Sebastian Vettel - have actually won? Here are some more facts about the track:

Circuit: Circuit of The Americas

Circuit length: 5.513 km

Number of corners: 20 (9 right, 11 left)

DRS zones: 2

Race laps: 56

Race distance: 308.405 km

2015 tyre compounds: soft, medium

Circuit lap record: 1m 39.347s - Sebastian Vettel, Red Bull, 2012

First world championship US Grand Prix: 1959, Sebring (won by Bruce McLaren, Cooper-Climax)

Number of US Grands Prix: 36 (Watkins Glen - 20; Indianapolis - 8; Phoenix - 3; Austin - 3;
Sebring, Riverside - 1)

Additional Formula One Grands Prix in the US:* 18 (Long Beach - 8; Detroit - 7; Las Vegas - 2; Dallas - 1)
*Not including the Indianapolis 500, which was officially a world championship round between 1950 and 1960.

Longest US Grand Prix: 1960 Riverside (2h 28m 52.2s)

Shortest US Grand Prix: 2005 Indianapolis (1h 29m 43.181s)

Last year's podium: 1 - Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes), 2 - Nico Rosberg (Mercedes), 3 - Daniel Ricciardo (Red Bull)

Most US Grand Prix appearances (current field): 11 - Jenson Button; 9 - Fernando Alonso, Kimi Raikkonen; 7 - Felipe Massa; 5 - Nico Rosberg; 4 - Lewis Hamilton, Sebastian Vettel

Most US Grand Prix wins (driver): 5 - Michael Schumacher; 3 - Jim Clark, Graham Hill, Lewis Hamilton; 2 - Jackie Stewart, Carlos Reutemann, James Hunt, Ayrton Senna; 1 - Bruce McLaren, Stirling Moss, Innes Ireland, Jochen Rindt, Emerson Fittipaldi, Francois Cevert, Ronnie Peterson, Niki Lauda, Gilles Villeneuve, Alan Jones, Alain Prost, Mika Hakkinen, Rubens Barrichello, Sebastian Vettel

Most US Grand Prix wins (constructor): 9 - Ferrari; 8 - Lotus, McLaren; 3 - BRM; 2 - Tyrrell; 1 - Cooper, Matra, Brabham, Williams, Red Bull, Mercedes

Most US Grand Prix wins (engine manufacturer): 11 - Ford; 9 - Ferrari; 4 - Climax, BRM, Mercedes; 3 - Honda; 1 - Renault

Most US Grand Prix pole positions (driver): 4 - Michael Schumacher; 3 - Graham Hill; 2 - Stirling Moss, Jack Brabham, Jim Clark, Mario Andretti, Jackie Stewart, James Hunt, Ayrton Senna, Sebastian Vettel; 1 - Jochen Rindt, Jacky Ickx, Ronnie Peterson, Carlos Reutemann, Niki Lauda, Alan Jones, Bruno Giacomelli, Gerhard Berger, Kimi Raikkonen, Rubens Barrichello, Jarno Trulli, Lewis Hamilton, Nico Rosberg

Most US Grand Prix pole positions (constructor): 8 - Lotus; 7 - Ferrari, McLaren; 2 - Cooper, BRM, Brabham, Tyrrell, Red Bull; 1 - Williams, Alfa Romeo, Toyota, Mercedes

Most US Grand Prix pole positions (engine manufacturer): 11 - Ford; 7 - Ferrari; 5 - Climax; 3 - Mercedes, Honda; 2 - BRM, Renault; 1 - Repco, Alfa Romeo, Toyota

Number of US GP wins from pole: 16 from 36; one from three in Austin

Lowest US GP winning grid position: 10th (Bruce McLaren, Cooper/Climax, at Sebring in 1959)

Most US GP podium places (current field): 3 - Lewis Hamilton, 2 - Felipe Massa, Fernando Alonso, Sebastian Vettel; 1 - Kimi Raikkonen, Romain Grosjean, Nico Rosberg, Daniel Ricciardo

Number of American drivers to have started at least one Grand Prix: 39

Best F1 finish by an American driver: 1st (by five different drivers - Mario Andretti, Dan Gurney, Phil Hill, Peter Revson, Richie Ginther)

Best finish by an American driver on US soil: 1st (Mario Andretti, in the USA West Grand Prix at Long Beach, 1977)

Maximum number of world championship points still available to a single driver: 100

Fascinating fact: Bruce McLaren, Jochen Rindt and Emerson Fittipaldi are among a number of well-known drivers to have claimed their breakthrough F1 wins in United States Grands Prix. Of the current grid, though eight different drivers have led at least one lap, only Lewis Hamilton (2007, 2012 and 2014) and Sebastian Vettel (2013) have triumphed on US soil.

Now let's see my predictions:

Pole position: Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes

Race:

Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes
Sebastian Vettel, Ferrari
Kimi Räikkönen, Ferrari

Fastest lap: Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes

Surprise: Keep an eye on Nico Hulkenberg. He has been pretty good in Austin with Sauber and Force India.

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

The rules:

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: 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! like the Mercedes.

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 and JI. If you don't want to be an admin you are welcome to participate anyway. We may also come up with some other prize if it helps.

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

Monday, October 19, 2015

The United States Grand Prix - did you know?

The only American driver on the grid

Did you know that Lewis Hamilton and Sebastian Vettel are the only current drivers to have won in the USA, or that the Circuit of The Americas is one of just four anticlockwise tracks on the calendar? Ahead of the 2015 Formula 1 United States Grand Prix in Austin, we present some of the more obscure facts and figures about the race...

The Circuit of The Americas (COTA) in Austin, Texas is one of the most undulating tracks on the calendar, with a difference of 30.9m between the highest point (Turn 1, 157.4m above sea level) and the lowest point (between Turns 19 and 20, 126.5m above sea level).

This year's race is the fourth to be held at COTA. It is one of just four anticlockwise circuits on the calendar (the others are Singapore, Abu Dhabi and Brazil).

Austin is the sixth venue to have hosted the United States Grand Prix following Sebring (1959), Riverside (1960), Watkins Glen (1961-80), Phoenix (1989-91) and Indianapolis (2000-07). Of course, Indianapolis also plays host to the Indy 500 which was a round of the F1 world championship between 1950 and 1960.

A further four American venues have hosted rounds of the world championship under different race titles. They are Long Beach (1976-83), Las Vegas (1981-82), Detroit (1982-88) and Dallas (1984).
American drivers have won 33 rounds of the world championship (the tenth highest total for any nationality) - yet an American has never won the United States Grand Prix. However, US racing legend Mario Andretti did win the United States Grand Prix West at Long Beach in 1977.

Alexander Rossi will be the only American on the grid for this year's race. The Californian is the 152nd American to have started a world championship event, but only the 48th to have started a Grand Prix (the other 104 only took part in the Indy 500 between 1950 and 1960).

Statistically the most successful driver in United States Grand Prix history is Michael Schumacher with five victories. Jim Clark, Graham Hill and last year's Austin winner Lewis Hamilton all have three wins on American soil.

Aside from Hamilton (who won at Indianapolis in 2007 and COTA in 2012 and 2014), the only other current driver to have won in America is Sebastian Vettel, who took victory in Austin in 2013. Six other members of the grid have US podiums to their names - Felipe Massa, Fernando Alonso, Kimi Raikkonen, Romain Grosjean, Daniel Ricciardo and Nico Rosberg.

In terms of manufacturers, Ferrari have the best record in United States Grand Prix history with nine victories. However, the Scuderia are yet to triumph at COTA, with McLaren (2012), Red Bull (2013) and Mercedes (2014) taking the spoils in the three races to date.

If he finishes nine points ahead of Sebastian Vettel and two points ahead of team mate Nico Rosberg, Hamilton will become the first British driver in F1 history to claim back-to-back world titles. Moreover, he will become just the second British driver in history (after Jackie Stewart) - and the 10th all-time - to score three or more world championship crowns.

Hamilton has won nine races so far this season, and he'll need to win the remaining four if he wants to match Sebastian Vettel's single season record of 13 victories, set in 2013.

Vettel, incidentally, holds the lap record in Austin, going round in 1m 39.347s in the 2012 race. The German, who made his F1 debut in the United States in 2007, also claimed the first of his two successive United States pole positions in 2012. Nico Rosberg is the only other man to have taken pole in Austin.

And finally, Sauber will celebrate their 400th Grand Prix in the United States. Their first was the South African Grand Prix in 1993, and since then they have claimed one win, 26 podium finishes, one pole position, five fastest laps and 808 points. Will they add to that tally in Austin?

(source: f1.com)