2016 FORMULA 1 RUSSIAN GRAND PRIX - Qualifying

2016 FORMULA 1 RUSSIAN GRAND PRIX - Third practice session

2016 FORMULA 1 RUSSIAN GRAND PRIX - Second practice session

2016 FORMULA 1 RUSSIAN GRAND PRIX - First practice session

F1 2016 Russian GP Drivers Press Conference

2016 Russian Grand Prix preview

The third Grand Prix ever in Russia is up next! I don't remember much from the previous race besides Raikkonen's and Bottas' crash so I will talk about the first race instead.

At the start Nico Rosberg challenged his teammate Lewis Hamilton for the lead but braked too late and had to cut the corner. He was told to let Lewis through and he responded that he would actually want to pit for new tyres. That was his only stop of the race and it seems that it was a good strategy. He was 2nd right after Lewis in the end.

The only man who could have challenged Rosberg for second place was Valtteri Bottas. He actually was 2nd for a long time but got overtaken by Rosberg eventually.

Rosberg overtook Bottas by forcing him off the track and after this maneuver Bottas didn't have the speed to overtake him back.

The race was quite boring and I am not the only one to say so. One of my admins said that same thing right after the race on our Facebook page. If I try to remember something else then the only thing I can think of is Romain Grosjean's stupid mistake with Sauber's Adrian Sutil. He could have avoided that collision for sure but didn't wanna let Sutil through.

The other thing I remember was Ferrari's poor pit crew. What happened during Fernando Alonso's pitstop? That was just awful. First they dropped the car too early and they tried to lift it again but Alonso drove away because they had already given him the green light. I almost laughed at them.

Valtteri Bottas had a great race in 2014 but we shall se if Williams is up for the challenge this year.

Here are some Vital statistics from Formula1.com:

Circuit: Sochi Autodrom

Circuit length: 5.848 km (only Spa and Silverstone are longer)

Circuit width: ranges between 13m to 15m

Number of corners: 18 (12 right, 6 left)

Projected maximum speed: 320 km/h (between Turns 1 and 2)

Projected average speed: 215 km/h 

Projected lap time: 1m 36.9s

Longest straight: 650m (between Turns 1 and 2)

DRS zones: 2 - the first is between Turns 1 and 2 with the detection point prior to Turn 1; the second is between turns 10 and 12 with the detection point prior to Turn 10

Race laps: 53

Race distance: 309.732 km

Fascinating fact: - Sochi Autodrom is the only racing circuit in the world to be located in an Olympic venue, Sochi having played host to the XXII Olympic Winter Games in February this year

Number of Russian drivers to have started at least one Grand Prix: 2 (Vitaly Petrov, Daniil Kvyat)

Best finish by a Russian driver in F1: 2nd (Daniil Kvyat last year)

The last thing are my predictions and they are almost the same as in the previous GP:

Pole position: Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes

Race:

1. Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes
2. Nico Rosberg, Mercedes
3. Sebastian Vettel, Ferrari

Fastest lap: Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes

Surprise: Keep an eye on Daniil Kvyat and Daniel Ricciardo.

Come onboard in this GP if you want to be a part of our 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, JI & PM. If you don't want to be an admin you are welcome to participate anyway.

The History Of The Russian Grand Prix

 

Here's one more video for you guys and tomorrow I will post my 2016 Russian Grand Prix preview.

 

Ayrton Senna's Top 10 Rules For Success

A video I found. I am pretty sure that all the Senna fans will watch this!

Grill The Grid: Felipe Massa

2016 Chinese GP (Full Race)

Sorry guys for not posting this sooner!

Life As An F1 Team Manager: Then And Now

Steve Nielsen, Williams

FIA formally approves 2017 tyre testing changes

Formula One tyre suppliers Pirelli will be able to use 25 car days of testing to prepare for the 2017 season after governing body the FIA formally ratified changes to the sporting regulations.

A meeting of the World Motor Sport Council on Wednesday approved a plan aimed at giving Pirelli additional dates to prepare their tyres for next year.

Proposed regulation changes mean tyre dimensions are set to widen from 2017, with the front tyres due to go from 245mm to 350mm diameter, and the rears from 325mm to 405mm.

A full statement from the FIA read: "The World Motor Sport Council today approved changes to Articles 10.2 and 10.6 of the Formula One Sporting Regulations in order to provide the appointed tyre supplier additional opportunities to undertake testing in preparation for the 2017 season.

"The further testing was deemed to be essential for the purpose of developing the new tyre sizes permitted by the 2017 F1 Technical Regulations.

"The changes will allow 25 car days of testing with current cars, fitted with 2017 tyre sizes, in 2016, 2017 and 2018.

"In addition, there will be an opportunity to test prototype 2017 tyres (in 2016 sizes) on 2013 or 2014 cars – these tests on older cars only apply in 2016."

(source: f1.com)

Grill the grid - Nico Hulkenberg

Winners and Losers - China

With his sixth victory in a row Nico Rosberg was the clear winner in Shanghai on Sunday. But who else left with a tasty Chinese takeaway - and who endured a dog's dinner of a race?

The winners…

Nico Rosberg and Mercedes
Nico Rosberg might choose to play things down right now by reminding all and sundry that there are still another 18 rounds of the 2016 FIA Formula One World Championship to go, but even Mr Cool must be very chuffed by his 17th victory and his third from three races.

As everything went wrong for his main rivals, he dominated the race in great style and yet again never put a wheel wrong as he headed Sebastian Vettel home by 37.7s. It doesn’t get much better than that.


Red Bull
Christian Horner admitted prior to the start that he doubted his team would truly be able to fight for victory, and also suspected that Ferrari’s pace would prove insurmountable. But there was Daniel Ricciardo leading for the first three laps, as Daniil Kvyat blasted down the inside of the Ferraris in the first corner to put Rosberg’s Mercedes in an energy drink sandwich.

It was a shame that Ricciardo then had a debris-induced puncture as Rosberg sped by, but the Australian’s fight back to fourth was one of the highlights of the race and proof that the Red Bull side of the chassis-power unit performance equation is back to its 2010-2013 standards.

Kvyat’s drive to fend off Vettel initially, then follow him home to complete the podium was further proof that you underestimate the team from Milton Keynes at your peril.


Sebastian Vettel
When he clobbered team mate Ferrari Kimi Raikkonen at the start and dropped down to seventh place, it looked like things were over for Sebastian Vettel. But even though he needed a new nose when he stopped under the safety car on the fourth lap, and later damaged the replacement in a collision with Valtteri Bottas, the German was able to exploit good strategy to force his way back up to an albeit distant second place by the finish. That’s a win in anyone’s book.

Max Verstappen
At one stage the young Dutch star was back in 17th place after he had an indifferent opening lap and was then stacked behind Toro Rosso team mate Carlos Sainz during the pit stops on the fourth lap, but you can’t keep a good man down. He put his foot down and drove another of his sensational races to claw his way back into contention, and in the closing laps overhauled Button, Alonso, Perez, Sainz and Bottas to scratch his way up to eighth. With one more lap he likely would have had Hamilton, too.

Pascal Wehrlein
The Manor driver’s plan was to let Hamilton go by at the start then nail himself to the Mercedes’ gearbox in the hope of following it through the field. But when the world champion met trouble in Turn 1, the young German rookie did it his own way. He was 15th at the end of that opening lap, then fourth as his medium tyres carried him on as so many supersoft-shod rivals pitted under the safety car.

He then dropped to fifth, but defended that cleanly but forcefully for a while from more experienced drivers in much faster cars. Inevitably he fell back down the order, but it was yet another reminder that he is very much a man to watch.

And the losers…

Lewis Hamilton and Mercedes
What does the world champion have to do to catch a break in 2016?

He came to China determined to avoid having yet another damage limitation weekend, but first there was the gearbox change and the prospect of a five-place grid drop, then the MGU-H ERS problem in Q1 which prompted an engine change and forced him to start from the back row.

He had made up three places in the first corner, when he got collected by Felipe Nasr, who had to take avoiding action as the errant Kimi Raikkonen veered back on to the track. Delayed by the need to stop for a new front wing, then further hampered by two more stops before the sixth lap, he battled with a car which had yet again lost downforce as a result of collision damage, and could not better seventh when, with only slightly better fortune, fourth was a possibility. As a result, he trails his team mate by 36 points.


Kimi Raikkonen
The veteran Finn looked his most convincing in a long while in China, and seemed set to play a key role in the race until he got hit by his team mate in the first corner. The resultant damage spun him off, then necessitated a stop for a new nose and tyres. After that he struggled initially, but was later able to fight back to fifth on a day when, with only slightly better luck, he might have challenged for victory.


Romain Grosjean
It was his 30th birthday, but the star of Australia and Bahrain didn’t get the present he and Haas were hoping for. A collision with Marcus Ericsson on the opening lap forced him pitward for a new nose, and then he got stacked and further delayed when everyone dived into the pits under the safety car on the fourth lap. Thus, for the first time in their F1 career, Haas scored nil points. Two fastest laps, on the 47th and 48th laps when Grosjean was running supersoft tyres, were no consolation to either party.


Renault
No grip, no traction, poor balance and severe tyre degradation - the Chinese race was a horrible one that Renault will not want to remember, as Kevin Magnussen and Jolyon Palmer trailed home 17th and 22nd respectively, both a lap down on the leaders.

(source: f1.com)

2016 Chinese GP - Post Race Press Conference

2016 Chinese Grand Prix review

The start was very interesting again for the third time. Red Bull's Daniel Ricciardo took the lead and the Ferraris crashed. Sebastian Vettel was so focused on overtaking his teammate Kimi Raikkonen that he left the door open for Red Bull's Daniil Kvyat who overtook the German easily. Vettel crashed with Raikkonen who dropped back and had to pit. Vettel blamed Kvyat for the crash but has today already admitted that it was not Kvyat's fault.

At the back of the grid Mercedes' Lewis Hamilton crashed into one of the Saubers and lost his front wing. He also had to pit on the next lap.

Haas' Romain Grosjean also managed to crash with one of the Saubers and had a broken front wing. Now he also had to pit.

Ricciardo was flying in the front but lost his lead to the Mercedes driver Nico Rosberg when he had a puncture. Now Ricciardo also had to pit in the end of lap 3.

The safety car was deployed on lap 4 because there was so much stuff on the track. Vettel pitted right away and managed to overtake 2 cars just before the pit lane. He had to go two wheels on the grass but did a good job.

Hamilton also pitted on lap 6 and again on lap 7 so that he could continue with the soft tyres as much as possible.

Two laps later the safety car pitted and the race continued with Vettel overtaking 8 cars on 3 laps. Very good work from the 4 time world champion. He continued overtaking cars after this as well but not as fast as on those three laps. Everything went as he had planned but he still managed to have contact with Williams' Valtteri Bottas when he crashed into his rear tyre. Luckily nobody got any serious damage from that. In the end Vettel was second and seemed to be happy with the result because Rosberg was too far away in front.

Red Bull was very strong this weekend! Ricciardo started by leading the race and was fourth at the checkered flag. His teammate Kvyat was third and got his first podium of the season. Red Bull is clearly the third best team now.

All in all Raikkonen did a very good job getting his car to the finish line in fifth. He had been in last place at one point so it was a great day for the Iceman.

Hamilton on the other hand was a disappointment for me. I really thought he would make it to the podium in China even though he started from the back. His car is so good that it was possible.

Rosberg is the only driver from the whole grid who has managed to win the three first races on any season of their careers. It looks like this season will be much more interesting to follow if Hamilton starts to catch his teammate a bit and I am sure that he will. There's still a lot of races to go.

And then as usual it's time for the predictions and how it went.

Pole position: Nico Rosberg, Mercedes - CORRECT.

The race:

1. Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes - WRONG, he was 7th because he started the race from the back.
2. Nico Rosberg, Mercedes - WRONG, he won the race.
3. Sebastian Vettel, Ferrari - WRONG, he was 2nd and Daniil Kvyat was 3rd.

Fastest lap: Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes - WRONG, Daniel Ricciardo was fastest.

Surprise: Keep an eye on Valtteri Bottas - He overtook several cars very nicely but I didn't see anything surprising about it. He could have done better in my opinion. It seems that Williams is now the fourth best team though.

Join our PREDICTORS LEAGUE now!





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, JI & PM. If you don't want to be an admin you are welcome to participate anyway.

2016 PREDICTORS LEAGUE standings after the Chinese GP

1. Larry Gallagher - 23 points

2. James Redman - 21 points

3. Leonardo Machado - 18 points

4. AE (F1-4-LIFE) - 15 points

4. JI (F1-4-LIFE) - 15 points

4. Darcy P. Lang - 15 points

7. Denis Borges Nastasi - 13 points

8. JT (F1-4-LIFE) - 8 points

8. PM (F1-4-LIFE) - 8 points

9. MW (F1-4-LIFE) - 0 points

9. MH (F1-4-LIFE) - 0 points

9. Vitor Lobo - 0 points

9. Dylan Curry - 0 points

Come onboard in the next GP if you want to be a part of our 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, JI & PM. If you don't want to be an admin you are welcome to participate anyway.

2016 Driver Standings after the Chinese GP

2016 Constructor Standings after the Chinese GP

2016 FORMULA 1 PIRELLI CHINESE GRAND PRIX - Race

2016 FORMULA 1 PIRELLI CHINESE GRAND PRIX - Qualifying

2016 FORMULA 1 PIRELLI CHINESE GRAND PRIX - Third practice session

2016 FORMULA 1 PIRELLI CHINESE GRAND PRIX - Second practice session

2016 FORMULA 1 PIRELLI CHINESE GRAND PRIX - First practice session

2016 Chinese GP - Drivers Press Conference

F1 Circuit Guide 2016: Chinese Grand Prix

2016 Chinese Grand Prix preview

This is already the 13th time we come to China for a Grand Prix weekend.

The first event back in 2004 ended with Rubens Barrichello taking the checkered flag as the race winner was followed by Jenson Button and Kimi Räikkönen. Michael Schumacher had spun off the track in qualifying and didn't set a time. He started from the pit lane and was 12th in the race.

Then in 2005 Renault was the best car so the podium had the two Renaults in front (Fernando Alonso and Giancarlo Fisichella) and Kimi Räikkönen was best of the rest in third.

The next year in 2006 the same thing - Renault was the best car but what is this? The Renaults were 2nd and 3rd and the winner was Michael Schumacher! Well.. the 2nd best car was Ferrari so it wasn't that strange after all. Let's see if Ferrari can pull off one of those this weekend.

My favorite race in China was probably in 2007. McLaren's Fernando Alonso and Lewis Hamilton had been the favorites for the championship and in this race something else happened. Their luck changed and the black horse (also known as the Iceman) started breathing down their necks. Hamilton made a mistake and then...

 


Kimi won the race! He really needed that victory. Alonso was 2nd in his McLaren, Felipe Massa was third in his Ferrari and Sebastian Vettel was 4th in his Toro Rosso which was his best result at that point and here's his reaction...

 


In 2008 Hamilton didn't make a mistake and won the race followed by the two Ferraris of Felipe Massa and Kimi Räikkönen.

The year after that it was all about Brawn GP and also Red Bull started showing some improvement as well.  In this race Sebastian Vettel took the first win ever for Red Bull and Mark Webber was 2nd which made it a perfect day for them. Jenson Button was 3rd after winning the two previous races.

In 2010 Red Bull were very hungry after they barely lost to Brawn in 2009. They wanted to win more than ever but the man who had switched teams from Brawn to McLaren (Jenson Button) won the race! His teammate Lewis Hamilton was 2nd and Nico Rosberg was 3rd.

Then in 2011 it was the other McLaren driver, Lewis Hamilton who won the race. This time the Red Bull's were right behind in 2nd and 3rd.

In 2012 Lewis Hamilton's current teammate Nico Rosberg took his maiden victory in Shanghai followed by Jenson Button and Lewis Hamilton.

Lewis Hamilton was on the podium in 2013 as well but in 3rd. Just Fernando Alonso and Kimi Räikkönen were in front of him.

In 2014 the Mercs Lewis and Nico took 1st and 2nd. Fernando Alonso was 3rd which was a miracle if you ask me. The F14-T was just awful. 

Last year it was the mercs again in the same order. But this time it was Sebastian Vettel 3rd with Ferrari and not Fernando Alonso. Kimi Räikkönen was 4th which was no surprise because the newer Ferrari was much better than in 2014. This year Ferrari is even stronger and it will make things more interesting. 

It seems that the most successful drivers at Shanghai are Lewis Hamilton, Fernando Alonso, Kimi Räikkönen, Jenson Button and Sebastian Vettel.. oh and Nico Rosberg too! So the champions and a future champion perhaps. Rosberg has been very good in the first two races. I hope he will make it much more difficult for his teammate this year.

One other thing people are still wondering about is that will Alonso race or not. We shall wait and see.

And then as usual it's time for the predictions.

Pole position: Nico Rosberg, Mercedes

The race:

1. Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes
2. Nico Rosberg, Mercedes
3. Sebastian Vettel, Ferrari

Fastest lap: Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes

Surprise: Keep an eye on Valtteri Bottas.

Join our PREDICTORS LEAGUE now!





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, JI & PM. If you don't want to be an admin you are welcome to participate anyway.

The History Of The Chinese Grand Prix

2016 BAHRAIN GP (FULL RACE)

Christian Horner's Red Bull Factory Tour (video)

MiniDrivers - 8x02 - 2016 Bahrain GP

Qualifying set to use 2015 format from China

Formula One qualifying is expected to return to last year’s system from next weekend’s 2016 Formula 1 Pirelli Chinese Grand Prix, it has been announced.

It follows widespread criticism of the revised elimination format used in Australia and Bahrain, which failed to produce the intended change in spectacle.

A statement from F1 governing body, the FIA, and Formula One Management (FOM) said: "At the unanimous request of the teams in a letter received today, Jean Todt, President of the FIA, and Bernie Ecclestone, commercial rights holder representative, accepted, in the interests of the Championship, to submit a proposal to the F1 Commission and World Motor Sport Council to revert to the qualifying format in force in 2015."

If approved by the F1 governing bodies, the change will take effect from the next round in Shanghai and will apply for the rest of the season. The 2015 format, which had been in place since the start of 2010, will see the six slowest cars eliminated at the end of Q1 and Q2, leaving 10 to fight it out for pole in Q3, with their grid positions based on their best lap times at the end of qualifying.

Todt and Ecclestone also welcomed the idea put forward by the teams to have a global assessment of the format of the Grand Prix weekend for 2017.

(source: f1.com)

Pirelli reveal driver tyre choices for China

Pirelli have revealed the tyres that each driver has selected for the third race of the season in China on April 17.

Once again Mercedes duo Lewis Hamilton and his world championship-leading team mate Nico Rosberg have picked different allocations, with the former plumping for an extra set of mediums and the latter an extra set of softs.

Four other teams have differing strategies amongst their drivers: Williams, Renault, Toro Rosso and Haas.

Ferrari have an extra set of supersofts available to them compared to chief rivals Mercedes, but not as many as Williams, McLaren and Haas, who have all opted for seven sets of the red-marked tyre compound.

The individual driver choices are shown below:

DRIVER	TEAM	MEDIUM	SOFT	SUPERSOFT
Lewis Hamilton	Mercedes	4	4	5
Nico Rosberg	Mercedes	3	5	5
Sebastian Vettel	Ferrari	3	4	6
Kimi Raikkonen	Ferrari	3	4	6
Valtteri Bottas	Williams	2	4	7
Felipe Massa	Williams	1	5	7
Daniel Ricciardo	Red Bull	2	5	6
Daniil Kvyat	Red Bull	2	5	6
Kevin Magnussen	Renault	2	5	6
Jolyon Palmer	Renault	3	4	6
Nico Hulkenberg	Force India	2	5	6
Sergio Perez	Force India	2	5	6
Max Verstappen	Toro Rosso	3	5	5
Carlos Sainz	Toro Rosso	2	6	5
Fernando Alonso	McLaren	2	4	7
Jenson Button	McLaren	2	4	7
Marcus Ericsson	Sauber	5	4	4
Felipe Nasr	Sauber	5	4	4
Pascal Wehrlein	Manor	4	5	4
Rio Haryanto	Manor	4	5	4
Romain Grosjean	Haas	1	5	7
Esteban Gutierrez	Haas	2	4	7

Under the 2016 regulations, Pirelli make three of their five dry-weather tyre compounds available at each event.

The Italian company allocates two sets of tyres for the race (only one of which must be used) and one set which can only be used in Q3 (the softest of the chosen three compounds). Each driver is then able to choose 10 further sets of tyres from the three compounds - which for China are supersoft, soft and medium - to take their weekend allocation to 13.

(source: f1.com)