Showing posts with label PASTOR MALDONADO. Show all posts
Showing posts with label PASTOR MALDONADO. Show all posts
Wednesday, June 3, 2015
Sunday, February 8, 2015
Comparing the 2015 teammates: Lotus
Romain Grosjean and Pastor Maldonado side by side and head to head again. Some say it will be a disaster and some say that these two guys can bring a lot of points to Lotus in 2015. Personally I think that Grosjean will be better than his teammate even though Maldonado is a race winner.
Let's begin comparing! I'll start with Romain Grosjean. First I will write the year and then the teammate and how it went.
2009 - Fernando Alonso. Grosjean replaced Nelson Piquet Jr. because Flavio Briatore wasn't satisfied with his results. Grosjean on the other hand didn't do that much better. He had even worse results and didn't get a seat for 2010. Alonso won him in every race he finished.
2012 - Kimi Räikkönen. Grosjean got a second chance and was now better than in 2009. He had just won the GP2 series and was hungry for good results. But unfortunately for Grosjean's sake Kimi Räikkönen mopped the floor with him. Grosjean got 96 points and Räikkönen 207. Over twice the amount more than Grosjean. Only Alonso and Räikkönen got twice as much as their teammates in 2012. Was it because they were so good or because their teammates were just that bad? You be the judge.
2013 - Kimi Räikkönen and Heikki Kovalainen. Kovalainen drove in two races but it was pretty clear that he was a bit rusty or he had very bad luck. Grosjean won Kovalainen in the first race but in the second he retired. Räikkönen on the other hand won Grosjean in 11 races and would have won more but retired twice and didn't race in the last two races. Even though Räikkönen was again better it didn't mean that Grosjean had a bad season. Compared to 2012 it was a great year and he got better all the time. I wish him well and good luck.
Let's begin comparing! I'll start with Romain Grosjean. First I will write the year and then the teammate and how it went.
2009 - Fernando Alonso. Grosjean replaced Nelson Piquet Jr. because Flavio Briatore wasn't satisfied with his results. Grosjean on the other hand didn't do that much better. He had even worse results and didn't get a seat for 2010. Alonso won him in every race he finished.
2012 - Kimi Räikkönen. Grosjean got a second chance and was now better than in 2009. He had just won the GP2 series and was hungry for good results. But unfortunately for Grosjean's sake Kimi Räikkönen mopped the floor with him. Grosjean got 96 points and Räikkönen 207. Over twice the amount more than Grosjean. Only Alonso and Räikkönen got twice as much as their teammates in 2012. Was it because they were so good or because their teammates were just that bad? You be the judge.
2013 - Kimi Räikkönen and Heikki Kovalainen. Kovalainen drove in two races but it was pretty clear that he was a bit rusty or he had very bad luck. Grosjean won Kovalainen in the first race but in the second he retired. Räikkönen on the other hand won Grosjean in 11 races and would have won more but retired twice and didn't race in the last two races. Even though Räikkönen was again better it didn't mean that Grosjean had a bad season. Compared to 2012 it was a great year and he got better all the time. I wish him well and good luck.
2014 - Pastor Maldonado. I will compare these two when I have gone through Maldonado's teammates.
Then Pastor Maldonado...
2011 - Rubens Barrichello. Maldonado lost because he got 1 point and Barrichello got 4. Not a good year for Williams.
2012 - Bruno Senna. The only time that Maldonado actually was better than his teammate. He even won a race for Williams so 2012 was much better for them.
2013 - Valtteri Bottas. 2011 all over again but this time he lost to a rookie. 4 points to Bottas and only 1 to Maldonado. He stated to the media that even though he lost to Bottas it was his best season ever. He made it very clear that Bottas is not a regular rookie but a professional with just a little experience.
Then Pastor Maldonado...
2011 - Rubens Barrichello. Maldonado lost because he got 1 point and Barrichello got 4. Not a good year for Williams.
2012 - Bruno Senna. The only time that Maldonado actually was better than his teammate. He even won a race for Williams so 2012 was much better for them.
2013 - Valtteri Bottas. 2011 all over again but this time he lost to a rookie. 4 points to Bottas and only 1 to Maldonado. He stated to the media that even though he lost to Bottas it was his best season ever. He made it very clear that Bottas is not a regular rookie but a professional with just a little experience.
2014 - Romain Grosjean. Maldonado lost to his teammate 8-2 in points and we could also see clearly that Grosjean is nowadays a pretty good driver. Maldonado on the other hand is driving like an amateur. I don't know what has happened to him but he used to be much better. I am pretty sure that Grosjean will be better than Maldonado in 2015.
If you have any questions about the 2015 season's teammates or anything else then sen me a message to f14lifeblog@gmail.com or comment.
Monday, September 1, 2014
Lotus drivers back changes to Monza’s Parabolica
Lotus’s Romain Grosjean and Pastor Maldonado have welcomed the decision to replace the gravel run-off area at Monza’s Parabolica corner with asphalt ahead of next weekend’s Formula 1 Gran Premio d'Italia 2014.
“Parabolica is a very challenging and quick corner so from a safety point of view it is a good thing to have some more margin for the drivers,” said Grosjean.
“I remember sometimes in the past coming into the corner and knowing that if you brake even a little bit too late then you could be straight in the gravel and then straight to the wall at high speed.
“I think that now what you will see is the drivers finding the limits sooner, because we know there will not be the big gravel and crash penalty like previously.”
Team mate Maldonado, meanwhile, does not expect the switch to asphalt run-off to change the way the drivers approach the corner, insisting the right-hander will remain the most critical bend on the circuit.
“You have to get this right at the end of your lap to ensure a good time, and if you get it wrong it also compromises you for the next lap,” he said. “It’s difficult to do this as the car is set-up for low downforce on the straights, so it’s more difficult to drive on the corners - especially a long corner like Parabolica, which is tough and fast, the most crucial at Monza.
“I don’t think [the decision to replace the gravel with asphalt] will make too much difference really. The approach will be the same which is to take it as quickly and efficiently as possible.
“Of course there is the obvious safety element which means that you have less risk if you go off. I think this is good from a safety point of view because it is a quick corner with not that much room on the outside.”
(source: f1.com)
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Sunday, June 29, 2014
Lotus expecting competitive surge at Silverstone
Lotus are confident of breaking back into the top-ten pecking order in next weekend’s 2014 Formula 1 Santander British Grand Prix at Silverstone, a track the Enstone team believe will play to the strengths of their E22 car.
After apparent progress in Spain and Monaco, where Romain Grosjean recorded successive eighth-place finishes, Lotus struggled last time out in Austria. Neither Grosjean nor team mate Pastor Maldonado made it into Q3 on Saturday, and the best either could manage in the race was the latter’s 12th place.
But rather than signalling a downward trend, Lotus believe their Spielberg form was track specific and are expecting to be far closer to the frontrunners in Great Britain.
"Obviously Silverstone is a very different track to Austria, with many more high-speed corners that will suit our car better," technical director Nick Chester explained.
"We've also got a few updates, including a front wing and floor, some different combinations of aerodynamic parts to try and some new set-up concepts to explore.
"We've shown the car can work well on the medium and hard tyres at Barcelona, another high energy circuit, so that gives us added confidence for Silverstone."
Maldonado, who won at Silverstone in GP2 in both 2009 and '10, said the team cannot be complacent, but the Venezuelan admitted he too is anticipating being more competitive in Great Britain.
"The team and Renault Sport F1 hopefully learnt quite a lot [from Spielberg] - there were many issues to manage, but we but we drove through them to get to the end of the race," he said.
"Hopefully the high speed corners [of Silverstone] will work better with our car and it would be great to be back to where we were in Barcelona which is quite a similar circuit to Silverstone.
"Obviously, at the Barcelona test teams were all running to different programmes, so I don't think we're suddenly going to be the fastest car, but I do expect to be further up the order than we have been at recent races."
Grosjean's brace of eighth-place finishes remain the only points Lotus have scored so far in 2014. The team sits eighth in the constructors' championship as a result, with eight points - six ahead of Marussia and four behind Toro Rosso. Grosjean is 13th overall in the drivers' standings, while Maldonado is one of six drivers yet to score a point this year.
(source: f1.com)
Thursday, May 15, 2014
Maldonado hails 'big step forward' for Lotus after test
Pastor Maldonado believes Lotus made real and significant progress during this week's two-day test at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya.
The Venezuelan topped the day-two timesheet and racked up more than 100 laps on what was his first trouble-free day of testing in 2014.
In addition to Maldonado's running, reserve driver Charles Pic managed 70 laps on day one, making the session Lotus's most productive test of the year so far.
The Enstone-based squad had previously suffered poor reliability in testing, with pre-season being particularly torrid. In Bahrain in February the team averaged just 29 laps per day over eight days on track.
Maldonado said his smooth run in Spain was crucial, allowing the team to make strides with both set-up and performance work.
"It's been a big step forward," Maldonado said of the second day. "That was a complete day for us and my first normal day of testing this season.
"We didn't have any problems and we gained a lot of good running with good track conditions compared to [day one]. We ran to plan and completed everything we wanted to do.
"We learnt a lot more about the car, the set-up and performance is improving all the time so I'm feeling more comfortable to push too. Hopefully [that] means we'll be much better for the rest of the season."
Alan Permane, Lotus's trackside operations director, said Lotus's prospects for the rest of the 2014 campaign had been lifted by the two days in Barcelona.
"We completed everything we set out to do today," he explained, "including aero assessments, mapping work, energy recovery scenarios, evaluations of set-up and ride height, tyre usage programmes and so on and I'm pleased to say the E22 didn't miss a beat.
"We completed over 100 laps today so it's been very good to see what is possible when we have good reliability.
"With the data we have collected over the last two days and the progress we've made, we're in much better shape heading to the next races. There is plenty of potential in the E22."
Lotus's positive test performance comes off the back of their first points finish of the year, with Romain Grosjean having claimed eighth place in Barcelona last weekend.
(source: f1.com)
Thursday, March 27, 2014
VIDEO: FIA Thursday press conference - Malaysia
PART 1
PART 2
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Monday, December 23, 2013
Comparing the 2014 teammates: Lotus
I have compared Ferrari's and Red Bull's drivers earlier so now it's time to continue with Lotus.
Romain Grosjean and Pastor Maldonado side by side and head to head. Some say it will be a disaster and some say that these to guys can bring a lot of points to Lotus. We shall wait and see.
Personally I think that Grosjean will be better than his teammate even though Maldonado is a race winner. Last year he won the Spanish Grand Prix. Grosjean has never won a race in Formula One.
The most interesting fact is that this will be the first time Grosjean is driving with somebody who isn't a world champion.
Let's begin comparing! I'll start with Romain Grosjean. First I will write the year and then the teammate and how it went.
2009 - Fernando Alonso. Grosjean replaced Nelson Piquet Jr. because Flavio Briatore wasn't satisfied with his results. Grosjean on the other hand didn't do that much better. He had even worse results and didn't get a seat for 2010. Alonso won him in every race he finished.
2012 - Kimi Räikkönen. Grosjean got a second chance and was now better than in 2009. He had just won the GP2 series and was hungry for good results. But unfortunately for Grosjean's sake Kimi Räikkönen mopped the floor with him. Grosjean got 96 points and Räikkönen 207. Over twice the amount more than Grosjean. Only Alonso and Räikkönen got twice as much as their teammates in 2012. Was it because they were so good or because their teammates were just that bad? You be the judge.
2013 - Kimi Räikkönen and Heikki Kovalainen. Kovalainen drove in two races but it was pretty clear that he was a bit rusty or he had very bad luck. Grosjean won Kovalainen in the first race but in the second he retired. Räikkönen on the other hand won Grosjean in 11 races and would have won more but retired twice and didn't race in the last two races. Even though Räikkönen was again better it didn't mean that Grosjean had a bad season. Compared to 2012 it was a great year and he got better all the time. I wish him well and good luck.
Then Pastor Maldonado. He has always driven for Williams just like Grosjean has always driven for Lotus / Renault. It shall be interesting seeing him in another team. Let's continue...
2011 - Rubens Barrichello. Maldonado lost because he got 1 point and Barrichello got 4. Not a good year for Williams.
2012 - Bruno Senna. The only time that Maldonado actually was better than his teammate. He even won a race for Williams so 2012 was much better for them.
2013 - Valtteri Bottas. 2011 all over again but this time he lost to a rookie. 4 points to Bottas and only 1 to Maldonado. He stated to the media that even though he lost to Bottas it was his best season ever. He made it very clear that Bottas is not a regular rookie but a professional with just a little experience.
So both Maldonado and Grosjean have driven in three seasons but only Maldonado has once been better than his teammate.
Next comparing will be between the two Force India drivers and it will be in a few days.
Romain Grosjean and Pastor Maldonado side by side and head to head. Some say it will be a disaster and some say that these to guys can bring a lot of points to Lotus. We shall wait and see.
Personally I think that Grosjean will be better than his teammate even though Maldonado is a race winner. Last year he won the Spanish Grand Prix. Grosjean has never won a race in Formula One.
The most interesting fact is that this will be the first time Grosjean is driving with somebody who isn't a world champion.
Let's begin comparing! I'll start with Romain Grosjean. First I will write the year and then the teammate and how it went.
2009 - Fernando Alonso. Grosjean replaced Nelson Piquet Jr. because Flavio Briatore wasn't satisfied with his results. Grosjean on the other hand didn't do that much better. He had even worse results and didn't get a seat for 2010. Alonso won him in every race he finished.
2012 - Kimi Räikkönen. Grosjean got a second chance and was now better than in 2009. He had just won the GP2 series and was hungry for good results. But unfortunately for Grosjean's sake Kimi Räikkönen mopped the floor with him. Grosjean got 96 points and Räikkönen 207. Over twice the amount more than Grosjean. Only Alonso and Räikkönen got twice as much as their teammates in 2012. Was it because they were so good or because their teammates were just that bad? You be the judge.
2013 - Kimi Räikkönen and Heikki Kovalainen. Kovalainen drove in two races but it was pretty clear that he was a bit rusty or he had very bad luck. Grosjean won Kovalainen in the first race but in the second he retired. Räikkönen on the other hand won Grosjean in 11 races and would have won more but retired twice and didn't race in the last two races. Even though Räikkönen was again better it didn't mean that Grosjean had a bad season. Compared to 2012 it was a great year and he got better all the time. I wish him well and good luck.
Then Pastor Maldonado. He has always driven for Williams just like Grosjean has always driven for Lotus / Renault. It shall be interesting seeing him in another team. Let's continue...
2011 - Rubens Barrichello. Maldonado lost because he got 1 point and Barrichello got 4. Not a good year for Williams.
2012 - Bruno Senna. The only time that Maldonado actually was better than his teammate. He even won a race for Williams so 2012 was much better for them.
2013 - Valtteri Bottas. 2011 all over again but this time he lost to a rookie. 4 points to Bottas and only 1 to Maldonado. He stated to the media that even though he lost to Bottas it was his best season ever. He made it very clear that Bottas is not a regular rookie but a professional with just a little experience.
So both Maldonado and Grosjean have driven in three seasons but only Maldonado has once been better than his teammate.
Next comparing will be between the two Force India drivers and it will be in a few days.
Friday, November 29, 2013
F1.COM: Maldonado to race for Lotus alongside Grosjean in 2014
Lotus have signed Pastor Maldonado for the 2014 season, it was announced on Friday. Maldonado, who leaves Williams after three seasons with the British team, replaces the Ferrari-bound Kimi Raikkonen.
With Lotus also retaining Romain Grosjean after his strong 2013 campaign, Maldonado’s confirmation effectively ends Nico Hulkenberg’s chances of moving to the Enstone-based squad from Sauber.
“It is a fantastic opportunity for me to join Lotus F1 Team for 2014,” said Maldonado. “It’s no secret that I have wanted a change of scene to help push on with my Formula One career and Lotus F1 Team offered the very best opportunity for me to be competitive next season. The regulations and cars will change significantly so it is a very good time for a fresh start. I can’t wait to be racing in black and gold.”
Maldonado, the 2010 GP2 Series champion, made his F1 debut with Williams in 2011 and went on to become the first Venezuelan to win a Grand Prix with his 2012 victory in Spain. This year he has scored just a single point on his way to 18th place in the drivers’ championship.
Grosjean’s re-signing with Lotus means the Frenchman goes into this third successive season of F1 competition with the team, having scored 132 points - including six podium finishes - in 2013, placing him seventh in the drivers’ championship.
“I am very happy to have official confirmation that I will be continuing to drive for Lotus F1 Team next season,” said Grosjean. “This past year has been tremendously satisfying for me. We have worked well together, and I know everyone at Enstone is motivated to continue the fight for every last point available. I am very excited about next year’s car and I cannot wait to get out on track for pre-season testing before heading to Australia for the first race of the season.”
Commenting on Lotus’s 2014 driver line-up, team principal Eric Boullier said: “It is with great pleasure that we can formally confirm that Romain Grosjean will continue with Lotus F1 Team next season. He has really made the most of his tremendous talent over the latter part of the 2013 season and will be a fantastic asset to our 2014 challenge.
“Romain will be joined by Pastor Maldonado; a driver I have known since he drove for me at DAMS in the 2005 World Series by Renault season. It is clear that Pastor has pace and potential - demonstrated by his 2010 GP2 Series title success and then through strong races throughout his career at Williams F1 Team - and we are convinced that we will be able to provide the correct environment to enable him to flourish regularly on track.
“We have been working on our new car in alignment with the new regulations for over two years and we are confident that we have a very good solution to all the challenges ahead. With Romain and Pastor I believe Lotus F1 Team will be able to cause quite a few surprises next year.”
(Source f1.com)
Monday, November 25, 2013
2013 Brazilian Grand Prix review
The season ended yestarday with Red Bull's 1-2-finish with Sebastian Vettel 1st and Mark Webber 2nd. Fernando Alonso managed finally to bring his Ferrari to the podium by taking 3rd place. He said that if Felipe Massa would have been behind him he would have let him pass and give him one last Ferrari podium.
In my opinion Alonso seemed very sad and emotional on the podium. He's friends Mark Webber and Felipe Massa were both leaving him in a way or another. Webber is leaving the sport and Massa is leaving Ferrari to Williams.
Mark Webber on the other hand was happy and started celebrating right after the finish. He even took his helmet and gloves of and drove around in his Red Bull for the last time. It is very rare to see a drivers face when they are driving. Can't remember a similar situation.
I remember when Häkkinen won for the last time. He took his seat belt of and almost stood in his car when it was moving slowly. At the press conference he said "hasta la vista".
Mark tripped and fell on the podium when he was chasing Alonso but he smiled the whole time. That is how I will remember him, just smiling and having fun on the podium. It's almost emotional for me as well when I think about it.
Mark was a driver that amazed me right from the start. In his first GP he overtook the very experienced Mika Salo in his Toyota with a Minardi and took 5th place. Mark celebrated like he had won the race because the Minardi's were always the last ones to cross the finish line. It was also his home GP so that was even better for him.
All the best wishes to Mark Webber. He was a great driver and a character we will miss in F1 who always spoke his mind and didn't care what others said.
Thank you Mark Webber for entertaining us all these years!
It was also the last race for Felipe Massa at Ferrari. It didn't end very well when he got a drive through penalty for a very stupid reason. Everybody were crossing that white line all the time and he was the only one who got a penalty for it.
If you don't know what I am talking about then he got a penalty for crossing the white line before the pit lane.
It was also Pastor Maldonado's last race with Williams. The result wasn't that good for him either. I don't know what was wrong with him. Going of the track, caused a small collision and spinning etc. Let's see were he ends up next year. Some say that it will be Lotus now if Nico Hülkenbeg is going to rejoin Force India.
Valtteri Bottas was driving pretty good again but lost a wheel when he was overtaking Lewis Hamilton. They were on different laps but anyways if Bottas had more speed then why stay behind?
Hamilton also got a puncture and a penalty for causing the collision which ruined his race. He was close to a podium finish.
Lotus driver Romain Grosjean had bad luck when his Renault engine failed which is pretty rare nowadays.
The other Lotus driver Heikki Kovalainen had an awful start again. They had changed his bottom of the car before qualifying which effected his performance. You can clearly see that he was fast in the practice sessions but couldn't match the same kind of times in qualifying.
He blamed himself again just like the last GP but Lotus confirmed that they had made some changes on his car that weren't good. So Lotus didn't deserve more than 4th place in the constructors championship when Ferrari took third and Mercedes took second place.
Red Bull and Sebastian Vettel had already won the championships but made their victory even stronger by winning the last race with a 1-2 like I said earlier.
Sebastian Vettel and Felipe Massa performed a little show for the crowd by making some donuts in front of the main grandstands. Is this going to be a habit in the future?
Now it's time to compare guesses with results starting with guesses:
Pole position: Mark Webber, Red Bull - WRONG. It was the other Red Bull again (Sebastian Vettel)
Race:
Race:
- Mark Webber, Red Bull - WRONG. I really hoped for a "movie finish" but it never happened.
- Sebastian Vettel, Red Bull - WRONG. These drivers were both up there but the order was reversed.
- Nico Hulkenberg, Sauber - WRONG. Hulkenberg was 8th. This is the most wrong I have ever had.
Fastest lap: Sebastian Vettel, Red Bull - WRONG. I got the pole and fastest lap mixed up. Webber was fastest of the race.
Surprise: Nico Hulkenberg and Felipe Massa will shine at this GP. <----- they did but unfortunately they had nothing to show for it.
I would also like to thank all my readers for a great season!
I have posted something for you every day ever since I started and I will continue doing that. I promise!
Tuesday, November 19, 2013
2013 United States Grand Prix review
Vettel won again but the race was still interesting in many ways. The most interesting things for me were Räikkönen's replacement Heikki Kovalainen and the young rookie Valtteri Bottas.
Williams has had one of the worst season of the teams history. Pastor Maldonado has scored only one point this season and now Bottas was 8th at the USGP. That was good news not only for Williams but for the young Finn as well. He really showed that he is able to overtake when the car has what it takes to compete.
Right at the start he overtook Kovalainen and then later Esteban Gutierrez in a high speed chase.
I was very impressed with Bottas! And yes I have said many times that he is a pro driver waiting for his chance.
Have also promised that I will stop talking about him until he actually does something. That didn't take long when I made that promise in Abu Dhabi two weeks ago.
Heikki Kovalainen was a big disappointment right from the start, but when I heard that the problems was because of his KERS, front wing/lack of down force and tire temperatures I understood that it wasn't his fault. I really thought at first that he is a bit rusty but don't think so anymore. His speed in the practice sessions and qualifying was very similar to Kimi Räikkönen so it can't be that bad.
Even Davide Valsecchi who at first said that Kovalainen was a bad choice changed his mind about him.
It takes a racing driver to see how good Kovalainen was performing. But all in all I was still very disappointed with his results. I really wanted to see him higher up fighting with the other top drivers.
Both of the Ferrari's were very slow. Even Alonso had problems keeping Nico Hulkenberg behind him but that is also because Hulkenberg is an awesome driver and not just the lack of Ferrari's speed.
Then I thought that I should mention the name of Romain Grosjean who drove almost like Räikkönen would have driven. It was probably a big relief for Team Lotus when they weren't sure if their two drivers could bring same kind of points home as Räikkönen usually does.
Mika Salo asked Eric Boullier before the race if Grosjean could fight for 2nd place. Boullier answered right away by saying "No, no, no. The Red Bulls will be first and second". It seems that the result was a bit better than even he could have expected. At least when we talk about Grosjean. In Kovalainen's case everything was wrong. Even the first "normal" pit stop was 2 seconds slower than Grosjeans. What was taking so long guys?
And like I always do at the end of the reviews - Here are the guesses from the preview and the actual results:
Pole position: Sebastian Vettel, Red Bull - CORRECT
Race:
- Sebastian Vettel, Red Bull - CORRECT
- Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes - ONLY WRONG GUESS IN THE TOP3. LH WAS 4TH AND GROSJEAN WAS 2ND.
- Mark Webber, Red Bull - CORRECT
Fastest lap: Sebastian Vettel, Red Bull - CORRECT
Surprise: Heikki Kovalainen seems to be a mystery to many but I believe
that he will be higher up than Grosjean. This guy is better than many
may think. Keep an eye on him if you haven't already done that.
He has been good in the practice sessions so far and is performing stronger than his teammate.
He performed better in the long runs than Grosjean at the practice sessions but then after that everything started going downhill for the former Caterham pilot. I really hoped that he wouldn't retire from the race and he didn't but the problems that he had were almost the same thing.
The biggest surprise for me was the new speed found in the Williams cars. Unfortunately only Bottas could take advantage of the new setups. Maldonado was held up in the qualifying session by Max Chilton and Esteban Gutierrez. Maldonado's position was 18th when Bottas was 9th.
Maldonado had earlier even complained that Williams has been favoring Bottas and making his (Maldonado's) time there more difficult on purpose.
That is a stupid thing to say because Williams needs every point they can get. Valtteri Bottas said that he is going to fight for some more points next weekend at Interlagos. Let's hope that will happen.
Tomorrow I will post the 2013 Brazilian GP preview which is the last preview of the season.
Wednesday, November 13, 2013
What is going on in F1 right now?
Have anyone else noticed how much is going on right now in this sport?
I'm going to talk about issues regarding:
- Kimi Räikkönen
- Ferrari and Lotus
- Kimi's replacement
- Nico Hülkenberg and Pastor Maldonado
- Heikki Kovalainen
- Team Williams and the drivers
- McLaren and Sergio Perez
At first Lotus and Räikkönen were fighting about money. Then Kimi decided not to race because of his back pains. Some people speculated that he was lying but I don't believe in that. Back pain is the biggest problem with older F1 drivers. Everyone has had back pains, even Alonso has the same problem but not as bad.
The Iceman was sure that he would have surgery after the 2013 season, but after visiting Ferrari's factory he had a discussion with Luca di Montezemolo. Suddenly he decided to have surgery before the end of the season. My first reaction was that did Luca effect Kimi's decision to have surgery earlier? Who knows?
Luca di Montezemolo has stated that he knew nothing about Kimi's plans but thought that it was a good idea to have surgery now so that he would be in better condition before the 2014 season.
Some even speculated that Kimi helped Ferrari (his next team) by skipping the last races with Lotus so that Ferrari would have one team less to fight against. True or not but I think it will help them and hurt Lotus much more.
Some said that Lotus saved money when they don't have to pay Räikkönen for more points, but the truth is that Lotus also gets money depending on their position in the constructors championship.
Kimi could have secured the 3rd spot for Lotus or even the 2nd! They would have got much more money with that.
The team that is 2nd in the standings gets so much money that they can afford to pay their motors for the next season and maybe even the drivers salary. Now they will probably be 4th and they will loose millions of dollars.
Grosjean can't help them alone with this situation. They need a driver like Kimi or they can't keep up the good pace. So this is the part where we can start talking about Kimi's replacement.
At first everybody was sure that Valsecchi would get a shot and I understand why, he is the reserve driver. The only problem is that he has never competed in a Formula One race and they need points like hell right now. They don't have time for Valsecchi to develop when there is two races to go.
Team Lotus needs somebody that is experienced and available. Now who could that be?
First there was Nico Hulkenberg that could probably drive for Lotus next year. He said no. WHY?!?
He hasn't got his salary either from Sauber who also has money issues just like Lotus so he could leave any time he wants. Still he decides to stay with Sauber. Maybe he got nervous and thought that if he fails with Lotus in the two remaining races he looses his seat at Lotus next year? Just a theory so don't hate me for that comment. It was just a thought and maybe a stupid one.
Then there was Pastor Maldonado who's sponsors have failed to support Williams. He could have probably left right away as well but didn't. Was he also afraid or did his money truly run out? Lotus would have needed Maldonado's money also so he could have had a chance next year as well, but now it doesn't look good. We shall wait and see.
Some people said that Buemi could jump in the Lotus. I don't understand that because he works for Red Bull as the number 3 driver and they don't wanna send him anywhere. Trust me they don't.
After all these choices we come to a man who has beaten all his teammates in his career except Lewis Hamilton at McLaren, which was in his words the most difficult time of his career mentally. He has won the race of champions beating Michael Schumacher, Sebastian Loeb and many others. He almost won the first ever GP2 series with a car that wasn't even the best. This man is a GP winner but didn't get a seat this year when Caterham ran out of money. He is Heikki Kovalainen and Lotus chose him.
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| Heikki Kovalainen after winning the Race of Champions |
This is Heikki's last chance to show everybody that he still has what it takes to be in this series. If he fails then everything is over for him and he can start doing something else. I wish him luck.
Team Williams is next on the list. They decided to kick out Pastor Maldonado when he can't support the team financially anymore. He even stated to the press that the team only wanted his money. Sad but if he has problems to beat Valtteri Bottas who is a total rookie then he isn't probably what Williams needs.
Valtteri Bottas on the other hand has only just started his career and has a great mentor to help him.. Mika Häkkinen.
The new driver for the team is Felipe Massa who has found his motivation again. He is not the number two driver anymore but the leader of the team! He will bring Williams back to the top. Just watch out for the young boy Bottas. He is waiting for the right moment to attack the top drivers on the track.
McLaren has had problems this year and are kicking out Sergio Perez. He had a chance but they wanted more from the young driver. Perez himself has stated that McLaren is a chaotic team with no order and that they are not fair.
Former F1 driver Jan Magnussen's son Kevin is probably going to replace Perez. They have actually said it already but no names have been written down on any contracts. So everything is still possible.
Now I have written more than I would wanna read so it's best to stop here.
If you have questions or wanna leave a comment please do.
Sunday, August 25, 2013
Megafactories - Williams Formula 1
Labels:
DOCUMENTARY,
F1,
FORMULA ONE,
GP,
GRAND PRIX RACING,
PASTOR MALDONADO,
UNE,
UNO,
WILLIAMS,
YOUTUBE
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