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Sunday, April 30, 2017
2017 PREDICTORS LEAGUE standings after the Russian GP
1. James Redman - 28 points
2. JT (F1-4-LIFE) - 26 points
3. AE (F1-4-LIFE) - 18 points
4. Larry Gallagher - 13 points
(The ones who have not scored points are not on the list)
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.
Saturday, April 29, 2017
Friday, April 28, 2017
Thursday, April 27, 2017
Wednesday, April 26, 2017
Tuesday, April 25, 2017
Monday, April 24, 2017
Sunday, April 23, 2017
2017 Russian Grand Prix preview
The fourth Grand Prix ever in Russia is up next! I don't remember much from the previous races 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 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.
This year Bottas has taken Rosberg's place at Mercedes. We shall see how much it will affect his performance.
I really hope they don't do any team orders! Can't believe Niki Lauda would approve that.
 |
| Valtteri Bottas had a great race in 2014 but we shall se if he is up for the challenge this year. |
Here are some Vital statistics from Formula1.com:
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)
The last thing are my predictions:
Pole position: Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes
Race:
Fastest lap: Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes
Surprise: Keep an eye on Daniil Kvyat.
Pole position: Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes
Race:
- Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes
- Valtteri Bottas, Mercedes
- Sebastian Vettel, Ferrari
Fastest lap: Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes
Surprise: Keep an eye on Daniil Kvyat.
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.
Saturday, April 22, 2017
Friday, April 21, 2017
Thursday, April 20, 2017
Wednesday, April 19, 2017
Tuesday, April 18, 2017
Monday, April 17, 2017
2017 Bahrain Grand Prix review
This race was not the worst but not the best either. This was a race were I got a lot of questions on my mind. For example is Ferrari and Mercedes going to focus on just one driver this year and let the other driver just help the team?
Think about China were Kimi Räikkönen had to ask for himself if he could pit? People were wondering if Ferrari forgot Kimi. This time in Bahrain the same thing happened! Kimi had to scream and shout on the radio to get the team to realize that he should pit. Why is it like this? I mean everything is perfect for his teammate Sebastian Vettel so why is Kimi in so much trouble. Is Kimi the number two driver already? and please guys.... don't think I am overreacting. They did it to Felipe Massa, Rubens Barrichello, Eddie Irvine, Mika Salo and many more before that.
Many have said that the Iceman don't have what it takes anymore but did anybody see how much he overtook in the race even though he had problems with steering and the tyres? The problem is that he hasn't been the number one guy since Lotus and that's why he doesn't get the car to work properly.
Andrea Stella (not working with Ferrari anymore) was Kimi's engineer when he won the championship. He said that Kimi didn't need any advice and just did his job better than any engineer could have explained. Stella said that not even Michael Schumacher could steer like Kimi without any advice. Kimi is a great driver and I have a hard time believing that his time is out. Give him a weekend without problems and he will win again! I guarantee it.
If Ferrari focuses only on one driver then Mercedes must probably do the same. It's harder to beat a one driver team if your own drivers always fight for the points between each other.
Valtteri Bottas took pole and his teammate Lewis Hamilton focused to overtake him right from the start but got overtaken by Vettel. Hamilton should have focused on the guy with more points than Bottas instead.
For some reason Bottas got problems right from the start. Mercedes told him on the radio that his tyres are overheating. Of course Bottas had to be careful and couldn't drive flat out. He managed to keep his lead and later the team told him that he also has a problem with his tyre pressures. Later on in the race he had to let Hamilton pass him.
The moment when Bottas let Hamilton pass, did you guys see that Hamilton almost crashed into Bottas? He was surprised when Bottas slowed down in the fast corner but barely dodged his teammate. I would also like to know if it was Bottas' own decision or the teams to let Hamilton pass.
What did you guys think of Hamilton slowing down in the pits in front of Daniel Ricciardo? Pretty sneaky if you ask me but he got a penalty so that was the end of it. Did you guys think he deserved it? I thought he did.
Ferrari had a better strategy (at least for Vettel) and that's why they won the race. Mercedes should concentrate on that more from now on. No surprise there...
Ferrari had a better strategy (at least for Vettel) and that's why they won the race. Mercedes should concentrate on that more from now on. No surprise there...
I am also happy that we saw again a lot of overtakings. No worries guys! We will still see them even though many was complaining after Melbourne.
That's all for this race and now my predictions+results.
 |
| The Mercedes drivers are getting nervous. Ferrari is looking stronger at the moment. |
Pole position: Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes - WRONG. His teammate Bottas took his first pole.
The race:
- Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes - WRONG. He was 2nd and Vettel won the race.
- Valtteri Bottas, Mercedes - WRONG. He was 3rd.
- Kimi Räikkönen, Ferrari - WRONG. He was 4th.
Fastest lap: Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes - CORRECT
Surprise: Romain Grosjean will have a great race - CORRECT. He was 8th which is a good score for Haas.
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.
Sunday, April 16, 2017
2017 PREDICTORS LEAGUE standings after the Bahrain GP
1. JT (F1-4-LIFE) - 26 points
2. James Redman - 23 points
3. AE (F1-4-LIFE) - 18 points
4. Larry Gallagher - 13 points
(The ones who have not scored points are not on the list)
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.
Saturday, April 15, 2017
Friday, April 14, 2017
Thursday, April 13, 2017
2017 Bahrain Grand Prix preview
The season just started and it's already time for the third Grand Prix! Will Mercedes and Ferrari continue with their dominance or is Red Bull going to surprise us all and win? I hope to see more surprises this season.
This is going to be the 13th Grand Prix at Sakhir if I remember correctly. It would have been the 13th but the 2011 Bahrain Grand Prix was cancelled because of the Bahraini protests if you still remember?
One of the most interesting thing though is that in 2014 Bahrain switched from daylight to a night race! They will continue like this in 2017 as well.
So what has happened in the past 13 years at this circuit?
In 2004 the first race was a bit boring if I remember correctly. Ferrari was still dominating the series so they had a 1-2 and Button was about half a minute behind them.
In 2005 it was a bit different because now it was the year of Renault. Fernando Alonso won, Jarno Trulli was second in his Toyota and Kimi Räikkönen was third in his McLaren. Alonso and Räikkönen ended up being the two superstars in 2005.
In 2006 all I can remember is that Räikkönen started from the back and was still third in the end. A very impressive performance. In front of him was the two drivers who fought for the championship that year, Michael Schumacher in second and Fernando Alonso in first place.
In 2007 Felipe Massa won the race, Lewis Hamilton was second and Kimi Räikkönen was third again.
In 2008 Massa won again, Räikkönen was second this time and Robert Kubica third. It seems that Massa and Räikkönen have also been very successful at Sakhir.
In 2009 Jenson Button took the only victory for a British driver (until Hamilton won in 2014 and 2015) in Bahrain. Brawn was the team and it was their dominance back then and not Mercedes.. later Brawn became Mercedes.
In 2010 Bahrain was the first race of the season and it was also Alonso's first race at Ferrari. He did the same thing as Räikkönen had done in 2007 by winning the first race at Ferrari.
In 2013 Sebastian Vettel won and the Lotuses of Räikkönen and Grosjean followed him. The same podium result was also in 2012 so these guys really seem to like this track.
In 2014 it was all about Lewis Hamilton's and Nico Rosberg's one on one fight at the top. That made the race one of the most interesting in 2014. I hope we will see something similar this weekend but the Ferraris should join the battle if they have the pace!
In 2015-2016 the Mercs dominated the race again like they did in 2014. No surprise there but in 2016 Kimi Räikkönen got in between the two Mercs which was a nice surprise. I hope to see the Finn up there this year also. He hasn't won a race since he rejoined Ferrari.
So who has been the most successful in Bahrain? If we look at the stuff I just said earlier then Fernando Alonso! He has won 3 races, Hamilton, Massa and Vettel have won 2 and then Button only once. If we talk about other podium positions then Räikkönen has three 2nd places and three 3rd places. He didn't drive there in 2010.
Then it's time for my predictions:
Pole position: Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes
The race:
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.
This is going to be the 13th Grand Prix at Sakhir if I remember correctly. It would have been the 13th but the 2011 Bahrain Grand Prix was cancelled because of the Bahraini protests if you still remember?
One of the most interesting thing though is that in 2014 Bahrain switched from daylight to a night race! They will continue like this in 2017 as well.
So what has happened in the past 13 years at this circuit?
In 2004 the first race was a bit boring if I remember correctly. Ferrari was still dominating the series so they had a 1-2 and Button was about half a minute behind them.
In 2005 it was a bit different because now it was the year of Renault. Fernando Alonso won, Jarno Trulli was second in his Toyota and Kimi Räikkönen was third in his McLaren. Alonso and Räikkönen ended up being the two superstars in 2005.
In 2006 all I can remember is that Räikkönen started from the back and was still third in the end. A very impressive performance. In front of him was the two drivers who fought for the championship that year, Michael Schumacher in second and Fernando Alonso in first place.
In 2007 Felipe Massa won the race, Lewis Hamilton was second and Kimi Räikkönen was third again.
In 2008 Massa won again, Räikkönen was second this time and Robert Kubica third. It seems that Massa and Räikkönen have also been very successful at Sakhir.
In 2009 Jenson Button took the only victory for a British driver (until Hamilton won in 2014 and 2015) in Bahrain. Brawn was the team and it was their dominance back then and not Mercedes.. later Brawn became Mercedes.
In 2010 Bahrain was the first race of the season and it was also Alonso's first race at Ferrari. He did the same thing as Räikkönen had done in 2007 by winning the first race at Ferrari.
In 2013 Sebastian Vettel won and the Lotuses of Räikkönen and Grosjean followed him. The same podium result was also in 2012 so these guys really seem to like this track.
In 2014 it was all about Lewis Hamilton's and Nico Rosberg's one on one fight at the top. That made the race one of the most interesting in 2014. I hope we will see something similar this weekend but the Ferraris should join the battle if they have the pace!
In 2015-2016 the Mercs dominated the race again like they did in 2014. No surprise there but in 2016 Kimi Räikkönen got in between the two Mercs which was a nice surprise. I hope to see the Finn up there this year also. He hasn't won a race since he rejoined Ferrari.
So who has been the most successful in Bahrain? If we look at the stuff I just said earlier then Fernando Alonso! He has won 3 races, Hamilton, Massa and Vettel have won 2 and then Button only once. If we talk about other podium positions then Räikkönen has three 2nd places and three 3rd places. He didn't drive there in 2010.
Then it's time for my predictions:
Pole position: Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes
The race:
- Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes
- Valtteri Bottas, Mercedes
- Kimi Räikkönen, Ferrari
Fastest lap: Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes
Surprise: Romain Grosjean will have a great race.
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.
Wednesday, April 12, 2017
Tuesday, April 11, 2017
Monday, April 10, 2017
2017 Chinese Grand Prix review
After the formation lap Ferrari's Sebastian Vettel stopped his car in the 2nd grid spot but half of his car was outside of it. What was that all about?! Did he really think that it was legal to do so? The weirdest thing was that he didn't even get a penalty for it. Probably because his start wasn't that good so they forgave him.
Vettel's teammate Kimi Räikkönen got a better start but had to brake so that he wouldn't hit the German's rear.
The Mercs both got a good start. Lewis Hamilton lead the race and Valtteri Bottas almost overtook Vettel. Even though he was faster he didn't have the room to overtake in the corner.
The one who had much better room was Red Bull's Daniel Ricciardo and he got pass the Iceman (aka Räikkönen).
Both Williams drivers had really bad luck. Felipe Massa dropped back three positions at least! but that's mostly because Williams isn't very good in the rain. Lance Stroll on the other hand got hit by Force India's Sergio Perez and had to retire from the race. Stroll got a lot of criticism for retiring but I don't see how it was his fault. He had no place to go at that point.
Before Sauber's Antonio Giovinazzi started his 4th lap he crashed his car at the same spot as he did in qualifying. The safety car was then deployed. In my opinion the crash happened because it was too early for slicks.
When the safety car was out we saw several drivers pit for slicks as well. Hamilton and Bottas first but the Finn dropped back a bit because he had to queue behind Hamilton. When they were on track Bottas also spun which made it more difficult for him. When you drive over a puddle of water with slicks that will happen and he knows it. If you can't see it in time then you are just a passenger in your own car.
Bottas also got a lot of negative feedback from the media but I don't think that he was a bad choice for Mercedes. It's unfair to judge the whole driver based on one mistake. Have people forgotten how good he has been before this race? In the previous race or the seasons before? Not many mistakes from him over the years but as Keke Rosberg used to say... "according to the media you are as good as your previous race performance". The Finn blamed himself but I was just wondering that who's idea was it to put slicks on when the track was still wet? Maybe the gamble wasn't good for everybody... They are different drivers and different personalities.
The safety car came into the pits and we could right away hear Räikkönen complain on the radio that there is a problem with his engine. He had no torque what so ever. Of course many thought that Räikkönen was making excuses but I don't think he did. He knows how the car felt in testing and haven't had the same feeling since. I remember in 2014 when he complained about the car and everybody said he was making excuses, Fernando Alonso, who was his teammate at the time tried his car in testing and said the car was undrivable. Guess you need someone like Alonso to verify for it to be true.
3 laps after the safety car Max Verstappen overtook his teammate Ricciardo. What a battle! I like watching Verstappen fight for his positions. That's just pure racing!
On lap 20 Vettel finally overtook Räikkönen. It was weird that it took him over 10 laps to achieve but only 2 laps to overtake Ricciardo. When Vettel overtook Ricciardo they also touched but luckily nothing bad happened.
6 laps later Vettel also overtook Verstappen when he locked his front tyres. Verstappen had to pit but in my opinion it helped him a lot to get better tyres. One reason was that when he got out on track again he had no problem overtaking Bottas who had much older tyres.
Red Bull sees that it's a good idea to change tyres and asks Ricciardo also to pit for supersofts. Ferrari asks Vettel also to do the same and then Mercedes wants to secure their position by asking Hamilton to pit for new tyres.
The only one who didn't pit was Räikkönen. He was wondering on the radio what position they thought Räikkönen would finish in if he wouldn't pit. He continued to say that there's more than 20 laps to go so what is going on? Ferrari then told him to pit also. Did they forget him or what was going on? Very weird thinking if you ask me.
When Räikkönen pitted he dropped from 2nd to 6th place but overtook Toro Rosso's Carlos Sainz quickly for 5th. I guess his new tyres worked better. Sad that they didn't change them sooner.
On the last lap I really enjoyed seeing the two Red Bulls fight for the last podium finish. This was made possible by Haas' Romain Grosjean for not letting the Red Bulls pass even though he got blue flags. Verstappen complained on the radio and asked the team to do something.
They crossed the finish line and nobody really changed their position on the last lap.
In my opinion this was a much better race than Melbourne. We also saw more overtaking which was a relief!
And then as usual it's time for the predictions and the results.
Pole position: Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes - CORRECT
The race:
- Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes - CORRECT
- Valtteri Bottas, Mercedes - WRONG. Vettel was 2nd and Bottas was 6th.
- Kimi Räikkönen, Ferrari - WRONG. Verstappen was 3rd and Räikkönen was 5th.
Fastest lap: Kimi Räikkönen, Ferrari - WRONG. Hamilton was fastest.
Surprise: Esteban Ocon, Force India - He got points again but didn't really surprise anybody. Or did he?
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.
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.
Sunday, April 9, 2017
2017 PREDICTORS LEAGUE standings after the Chinese Grand Prix
1. James Redman - 23 points
2. JT (F1-4-LIFE) - 18 points
3. AE (F1-4-LIFE) - 13 points
4. Larry Gallagher - 5 points
(The ones who have not scored points are not on the list)
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.
Saturday, April 8, 2017
Friday, April 7, 2017
Thursday, April 6, 2017
Wednesday, April 5, 2017
Tuesday, April 4, 2017
Monday, April 3, 2017
Sunday, April 2, 2017
2017 Chinese Grand Prix preview
This is already the 14th time we come to China for a Formula One Grand Prix.
The first event back in 2004 ended with Rubens Barrichello taking the checkered flag as the race winner 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. I mean they did in the first race in Melbourne so why not repeat it? Make Mercedes a little nervous.
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, Lewis Hamilton, who won the race. This time the Red Bulls were right behind in 2nd and 3rd.
In 2012 Lewis Hamilton's former teammate Nico Rosberg took his maiden victory 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 Ferrari F14-T was just awful.
Two years ago 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. This year Ferrari is even stronger and it will make things more interesting.
Last year Nico Rosberg won with Mercedes, Sebastian Vettel was 2nd and Daniil Kvyat was 3rd. This was the race were Vettel said that Kvyat "came like a torpedo from the inside" and didn't like his driving style. After a while he switched seats with Max Verstappen.
It seems that the most successful drivers at Shanghai are Lewis Hamilton, Fernando Alonso, Kimi Räikkönen and Sebastian Vettel. Hamilton's new teammate, Valtteri Bottas, is also one to keep an eye on. He is hungry and was very disappointed after his 3rd place in Australia. He wants more!
And then as usual it's time for the predictions.
Pole position: Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes
The race:
- Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes
- Valtteri Bottas, Mercedes
- Kimi Räikkönen, Ferrari
Fastest lap: Kimi Räikkönen, Ferrari
Surprise: Esteban Ocon, Force India
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.
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.
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