Mercedes were never truly threatened in the Formula 1 Grosser Preis von Osterreich 2015, but part was down to some big names struggling badly. Behind the Silver Arrows, Williams returned to the podium, Force India claimed their best result of the season, while McLaren suffered a torrid weekend for the second race running. We take a team-by-team look at Sunday's action in Spielberg...
Mercedes
Nico Rosberg, P1
Lewis Hamilton, P2
Rosberg owned Spielberg from the moment that he grabbed the lead from slow-starting poleman Hamilton. The world champion, who blamed clutch issues for his poor getaway, simply couldn't keep up with Rosberg this day, and added five seconds to his race time when he crossed the white pit lane exit line on the 36th lap. Yet another Mercedes one-two meanwhile put them even further ahead on their way to another constructors' title - although the drivers' fight looks far less settled than it did a few races ago…
Williams
Felipe Massa, P3
Valtteri Bottas, P5
Forty five years to the day since the death of his friend Piers Courage at Zandvoort, Frank Williams witnessed Felipe Massa take his first podium of the season with a great drive in which he benefited from Vettel's pit stop strife but then earned it by keeping the German at bay in the closing stages. Bottas was less impressive this weekend and struggled a little with a brake problem - and Hulkenberg - on his way to an eventual fifth.
Felipe Massa, P3
Valtteri Bottas, P5
Forty five years to the day since the death of his friend Piers Courage at Zandvoort, Frank Williams witnessed Felipe Massa take his first podium of the season with a great drive in which he benefited from Vettel's pit stop strife but then earned it by keeping the German at bay in the closing stages. Bottas was less impressive this weekend and struggled a little with a brake problem - and Hulkenberg - on his way to an eventual fifth.
Ferrari
Sebastian Vettel, P4
Kimi Raikkonen, Retired lap 1, accident
Ferrari should have taken an easy third place, but Vettel lost crucial time and the position to Massa when the right rear wheel proved problematic in his pit stop. The German said he was happy with the way his SF15-T went, and believed they took a step forward in the race. Raikkonen got too much wheelspin on new soft tyres exiting Turn 2 on the opening lap and collided heavily with Alonso. The Finn was extremely lucky to escape injury as the McLaren rode over his cockpit.
Force India
Nico Hulkenberg, P6
Sergio Perez, P9
Hulkenberg followed his great Le Mans weekend by qualifying extraordinarily well and making Bottas work for it as he raced hard to sixth, his best result of the year. Perez got clobbered by Kvyat on the opening lap and suffered severe vibrations with a flat-spotted front tyre late in the race, but nevertheless contributed to a 10-point haul that lifted Force India up two places in the team standings to fifth overall.
Sebastian Vettel, P4
Kimi Raikkonen, Retired lap 1, accident
Ferrari should have taken an easy third place, but Vettel lost crucial time and the position to Massa when the right rear wheel proved problematic in his pit stop. The German said he was happy with the way his SF15-T went, and believed they took a step forward in the race. Raikkonen got too much wheelspin on new soft tyres exiting Turn 2 on the opening lap and collided heavily with Alonso. The Finn was extremely lucky to escape injury as the McLaren rode over his cockpit.
Force India
Nico Hulkenberg, P6
Sergio Perez, P9
Hulkenberg followed his great Le Mans weekend by qualifying extraordinarily well and making Bottas work for it as he raced hard to sixth, his best result of the year. Perez got clobbered by Kvyat on the opening lap and suffered severe vibrations with a flat-spotted front tyre late in the race, but nevertheless contributed to a 10-point haul that lifted Force India up two places in the team standings to fifth overall.
Lotus
Pastor Maldonado, P7
Romain Grosjean, Retired lap 35, gearbox
After recovering from a clutch problem at the start, Maldonado made good use of a set of new soft tyres to pull himself into points contention, and was later flying on supersofts. He made a bit of a meal of taking seventh, with a couple of lively mistakes, but then he was fighting the aggressive and determined Verstappen. Grosjean should have been in that fight too, but steadily lost gears until retirement became inevitable.
Pastor Maldonado, P7
Romain Grosjean, Retired lap 35, gearbox
After recovering from a clutch problem at the start, Maldonado made good use of a set of new soft tyres to pull himself into points contention, and was later flying on supersofts. He made a bit of a meal of taking seventh, with a couple of lively mistakes, but then he was fighting the aggressive and determined Verstappen. Grosjean should have been in that fight too, but steadily lost gears until retirement became inevitable.
Toro Rosso
Max Verstappen, P8
Carlos Sainz, Retired lap 35, power loss
Once again Verstappen was in fabulous form and was one of the stars of the race with his passing moves and refusal to be beaten. His fight with Maldonado was spectacular, hard and entertaining, despite his tyres being finished. Had he not got caught up behind stable mate Kvyat for two laps, he might just have held on to what would have been a deserved seventh place.
Sainz was less forceful and earned himself a pit lane speeding penalty, which was understandable as he was departing after a delay with a wheel during his tyre change, but in any case he didn't go the distance after suffering power loss.
Red Bull
Daniel Ricciardo, P10
Daniil Kvyat, P12
Ricciardo earned a single point for Dietrich Mateschitz in Red Bull's home race, after doing an impressive 50 laps on a set of new soft Pirellis and then pushing aggressively on supersofts. It was a great drive but not a great result, but he said he was pleased with the RB11 in the race. Kvyat had a first-lap pit stop after damaging his nose on Perez's Force India, and thereafter struggled to 12th.
Max Verstappen, P8
Carlos Sainz, Retired lap 35, power loss
Once again Verstappen was in fabulous form and was one of the stars of the race with his passing moves and refusal to be beaten. His fight with Maldonado was spectacular, hard and entertaining, despite his tyres being finished. Had he not got caught up behind stable mate Kvyat for two laps, he might just have held on to what would have been a deserved seventh place.
Sainz was less forceful and earned himself a pit lane speeding penalty, which was understandable as he was departing after a delay with a wheel during his tyre change, but in any case he didn't go the distance after suffering power loss.
Red Bull
Daniel Ricciardo, P10
Daniil Kvyat, P12
Ricciardo earned a single point for Dietrich Mateschitz in Red Bull's home race, after doing an impressive 50 laps on a set of new soft Pirellis and then pushing aggressively on supersofts. It was a great drive but not a great result, but he said he was pleased with the RB11 in the race. Kvyat had a first-lap pit stop after damaging his nose on Perez's Force India, and thereafter struggled to 12th.
Sauber
Felipe Nasr, P11
Marcus Ericsson, P13
Nasr looked a points contender until overheating brakes forced him to ease off, and he lost 10th to Ricciardo late on. Ericsson twice had to reset his car's electronics on the way to a disappointed 13th.
Felipe Nasr, P11
Marcus Ericsson, P13
Nasr looked a points contender until overheating brakes forced him to ease off, and he lost 10th to Ricciardo late on. Ericsson twice had to reset his car's electronics on the way to a disappointed 13th.
Marussia
Roberto Merhi, P14
Will Stevens, Retired lap 2, punctured oil radiator
Marussia lost Stevens on the second lap after debris punctured an oil radiator, but Merhi maintained the team's record of finishing at least one car in every race they have competed in this season.
Roberto Merhi, P14
Will Stevens, Retired lap 2, punctured oil radiator
Marussia lost Stevens on the second lap after debris punctured an oil radiator, but Merhi maintained the team's record of finishing at least one car in every race they have competed in this season.
McLaren
Jenson Button, Retired lap 8, sensor failure
Fernando Alonso, Retired lap 1, accident
McLaren's awful weekend ended early, as Raikkonen lost it exiting Turn 2 on the opening lap and collected an innocent Alonso. Then Button, having made his mandatory 10s stop-and-go pit call - penalty for pre-race changes of several power unit elements - within the first three laps, came in again and was retired with a sensor problem just when he was preparing to try and go through non-stop after switching to a set of soft Pirellis.
Jenson Button, Retired lap 8, sensor failure
Fernando Alonso, Retired lap 1, accident
McLaren's awful weekend ended early, as Raikkonen lost it exiting Turn 2 on the opening lap and collected an innocent Alonso. Then Button, having made his mandatory 10s stop-and-go pit call - penalty for pre-race changes of several power unit elements - within the first three laps, came in again and was retired with a sensor problem just when he was preparing to try and go through non-stop after switching to a set of soft Pirellis.
(source: f1.com)
No comments:
Post a Comment