No. 5 taking Kahne for a ride
Source: http://www.newsobserver.com/2012/05/18/2073921/no-5-taking-kahne-for-a-ride.html
Zsolt Baumgartner Elie Bayol Don Beauman Karl Gunther Bechem Jean Behra Derek Bell Stefan Bellof Paul Belmondo Tom Belso JeanPierre Beltoise
Robert Kubica Could Be Ruled Out For At Least A Year Following Accident
Polish racing driver Robert Kubica will spend at least one whole year recovering from a rally crash he suffered this morning, according to his surgeon. Kubica, who races for Renault Lotus crashed the Skoda Fabia rally car this morning and was airlifted to hospital suffering serious injuries. He has spent many hours in surgery, with [...]
David Coulthard Piers Courage Chris Craft Jim Crawford Ray Crawford Alberto Crespo Antonio Creus Larry Crockett Tony Crook Art Cross
Spanish Grand Prix fire shows dangers of F1
My flight back to London from the Spanish Grand Prix was full of tired mechanics, exhausted race engineers and sleepy drivers – all of them recovering from an extraordinary weekend of mixed emotions in Barcelona.
It was a very strange feeling on the plane, alongside plenty of Williams personnel who were torn between celebrating a monumental win for the team, yet understandably concerned about their colleagues who remain in hospital after the pit lane fire on Sunday evening.
People know motorsport in inherently dangerous, and that F1 can never rest on its laurels as far as safety is concerned, however, that doesn’t mean it’s not easy to become blasé about our working environment.
Let’s take the pre-race show we do for example. Along with plenty of other media personnel, photographers and guests, we’re in a pit lane surrounded by fuel, electronically charged KERS units, all manner of other mechanical equipment, not to mention F1 cars leaving garages or scorching past at 60mph. The same applies to the grid.
31 people were injured following a fire at the Williams team garage after the Spanish Grand Prix. Photo: Getty
However, with no driver death since 1994 and serious injuries or nasty accidents mercifully rare, it is easy to forget an F1 track still remains a dangerous place.
As the fire blazed in the Williams garage and a horrible acrid smoke filled the air, there was genuine shock this was happening. Most people currently involved in the sport were not around in the dark days when dramatic incidents were common.
It was so unexpected I initially thought it was an old diesel engine starting up, David Coulthard assumed it was a catering fire, and some thought Williams were letting off a flare as a celebration.
The people I’ve spoken to on the flight, and in the departure lounge, actually paint a much more serious picture with Frank Williams and the whole team celebrating their win in the garage as the fuel explosion happened.
At this point is worth mentioning not only the Williams crew who were clearly well trained and dealt with the situation quickly, but also the members of the nearby teams such as Toro Rosso, Force India and HRT who reportedly didn’t think twice before diving in to help the situation.
F1 can seem like such a safe and sterile environment with its perfectly clean garages, and the garage interiors transformed each race by the plastic walls they construct, all in team colours of course. It looks modern, safe and made-for-tv. The reality is that it is still a garage like any other and, for all the commercially driven, PR-controlled world that the viewers see, it remains dangerous.
Thankfully the injuries were limited to just a handful of people. Williams suffered extensive damage to their garage and equipment, including plenty of laptops and other bits of kit which will be frantically replaced before Monaco.
However, as ever, the real cost is human and we’re all thankful it wasn’t more serious.
In fact, it’s not just the garages that can be dangerous places. With just moments left of the race, Eddie Jordan decided he’d love to go and congratulate Frank Williams and went haring off to find him – as only Eddie does. I was sitting in the McLaren hospitality area and Eddie re-appeared just moments latter grimacing in pain.
“I think I’ve broken my ankle,” he wailed. I looked down and his foot was starting to swell outside of his shoe. It transpired he’d tripped on his way to see Frank, and his ankle had taken the brunt of the impact.
Eddie was quite a driver in his day, and like many racing drivers of his era, he lives with damaged ankles from crashing cars.
So, picture the scene. Pastor crosses the line to win and, instead of celebrating, we’re getting Eddie’s foot raised up and tracking down some ice to take down the swelling whilst poor old EJ looks like he might pass out.
I was wondering if I’d have to head outside to host the post-podium celebrations alone, however, ever the soldier, EJ was able to cope with the pain and he hobbled out to cover the end of the race with me.
And what a win.
Pastor has come in for a fair amount of criticism. It’s no secret that he comes with a large chunk of change from Venezuela, which was reportedly one of the big reasons for him replacing Nico Hulkenberg in 2011.
Well, what do we make of his talents now? He’s spent most of the season fighting the Ferraris, and now he’s beaten them. It wasn’t a fluke but genuine pace.
As for Eddie’s foot, well by the time we went on to the F1 Forum the pain was too much and, after the wonderful McLaren doctor Aki strapped it up, we eventually resorted to pushing Eddie around on a tyre trolley to get him around.
Thankfully, as Eddie lives in Monaco, he can now have a rest for a week or so, as we’re heading his way for the next race. And what on earth can Monaco have in store for us?
It’s remarkable to think we’ve had five different race winners in the past five races, and it seems nobody is able to explain why it’s happened or how the following races might play themselves out.
In Spain, we saw Jenson Button and Sebastian Vettel lose pace throughout the weekend. Williams and Ferrari weren’t expected to have the pace to out-race Lotus, whilst Sauber had another strong race.
There wasn’t a Mercedes, McLaren or Red Bull in the top five on the grid.
Who was your driver of the day? I loved watching Lewis’ drive. He has really impressed me this season.
Mind you, one thing that has almost gone unnoticed amongst all the excitement is that we’re already a quarter of the way through the 2012 Formula One season. And if the next 15 races are anything like the first five, then we’re in for some season.
Thanks for sticking with the BBC for the action. We’ve been delighted with the viewing figures and I love seeing your thoughts on Twitter – keep them coming and let’s hope Eddie’s ankle lasts the distance!
Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/jakehumphrey/2012/05/jake.html
Erwin Bauer Zsolt Baumgartner Elie Bayol Don Beauman Karl Gunther Bechem Jean Behra Derek Bell Stefan Bellof Paul Belmondo Tom Belso
A quick catch-up
Sorry that things have been a bit quiet this week. This is because real life intervened and I had to spend my time doing things that normal people do, such as seeing family, moving and tomorrow I will be on the road to Monaco, as it is a lot better these days to rent an [...]
Source: http://joesaward.wordpress.com/2012/05/17/a-quick-catch-up-3/
Bill Cantrell Ivan Capelli Piero Carini Duane Carter Eugenio Castellotti
Power dominates while Sato drives the wheels off en route to his first IndyCar podium…
Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/nofenders/zbjv/~3/OQDOWPndIz0/power-dominates-while-sato-drives.html
Pablo Birger Art Bisch Harry Blanchard Michael Bleekemolen Alex Blignaut Trevor Blokdyk Mark Blundell Raul Boesel Menato Boffa Bob Bondurant
Williams confirms one team member still in hospital
Williams has confirmed that one team member remains in hospital in Barcelona after suffering burns yesterday’s fire, adding that he is in good spirits. Meanwhile the team has again thanked the paddock community for its support. A statement today said: … Continue reading 
Source: http://adamcooperf1.com/2012/05/14/williams-confirms-one-team-member-still-in-hospital/
Michael Andretti Keith Andrews Elio de Angelis Marco Apicella Mário de Araújo Cabral Frank Armi Chuck Arnold Rene Arnoux Peter Arundell Alberto Ascari
Vettel will get faster and faster… but will he be able to overtake?
Frank Dochnal Jose Dolhem Martin Donnelly Carlo Abate George Abecassis Kenny Acheson Andrea de Adamich Philippe Adams Walt Ader Kurt Adolff
Vettel will get faster and faster… but will he be able to overtake?
Bobby Ball Marcel Balsa Lorenzo Bandini Henry Banks Fabrizio Barbazza John Barber Skip Barber Paolo Barilla Rubens Barrichello Michael Bartels
The Great Nico!
Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/nofenders/zbjv/~3/3sQKqkiATmU/great-nico.html
Jean Alesi Jaime Alguersuari Philippe Alliot Cliff Allison Fernando Alonso Giovanna Amati George Amick Red Amick Chris Amon Bob Anderson
Correction: Dario's Struggles story
Source: http://www.newsobserver.com/2012/05/17/2070912/correction-darios-struggles-story.html
Lucien Bianchi Gino Bianco Hans Binder Clemente Biondetti Pablo Birger Art Bisch Harry Blanchard Michael Bleekemolen Alex Blignaut Trevor Blokdyk
How about a wed truck?
This is another one that started with four wheels and tyres added to a body.
Happy with the stance I started some mild customising.
Since I'd already used the flathead engine as the basis for the Ardun powered purple roadster, I figured this one migh be able to use a little extra hors pressure.
Source: http://cs.scaleautomag.com/SCACS/forums/thread/1015794.aspx
John Barber Skip Barber Paolo Barilla Rubens Barrichello Michael Bartels Edgar Barth Giorgio Bassi Erwin Bauer Zsolt Baumgartner Elie Bayol
Video : Fire distrupts Williams’ celebrations after the Spanish Grand Prix
Karl Gunther Bechem Jean Behra Derek Bell Stefan Bellof Paul Belmondo Tom Belso JeanPierre Beltoise Olivier Beretta Allen Berg Georges Berger
Correction: Dario's Struggles story
Source: http://www.newsobserver.com/2012/05/17/2070912/correction-darios-struggles-story.html
George Abecassis Kenny Acheson Andrea de Adamich Philippe Adams Walt Ader Kurt Adolff Fred Agabashian Kurt Ahrens Jr Christijan Albers Michele Alboreto
Vettel will get faster and faster… but will he be able to overtake?
Chuck Daigh Yannick Dalmas Derek Daly Christian Danner Jorge Daponte Anthony Davidson Jimmy Davies Colin Davis Jimmy Daywalt JeanDenis Deletraz
Williams’ celebrations short lived as fire engulfed team garage in an unfortunate incident
Bill Brack Ernesto Brambilla Vittorio Brambilla Toni Branca Gianfranco Brancatelli Eric Brandon Don Branson Tom Bridger Tony Brise Chris Bristow
Vettel sprouts a second finger
Source: http://www.metrof1.com/blogs/metrof1/2011/10/vettel-sprouts-a-second-finger.html
Anthony Davidson Jimmy Davies Colin Davis Jimmy Daywalt JeanDenis Deletraz Patrick Depailler Pedro Diniz Duke Dinsmore Frank Dochnal Jose Dolhem
Work in Russia
There have been interesting times of late in the Krasnodar region of Russia, where the city of Sochi is located. The regional governor Alexander Tkachev is not elected but rather appointed by the Russian government. Tkachev was elected to the office as long ago as 2000, and was then re-elected in 2004, but since 2007 [...]
Source: http://joesaward.wordpress.com/2012/05/15/work-in-russia/
Gerry Ashmore Bill Aston Richard Attwood Manny Ayulo Luca Badoer Giancarlo Baghetti Julian Bailey Mauro Baldi Bobby Ball Marcel Balsa
Hayden Proffitt’s ’62 Bel Air S/S
Well, I've had the itch lately to build a vintage quartermiler. I was about to bring the Revell Hawaiian Charger flopper to the bench, but this old super stocker kept grabbing my eye. Since it's been buried in the stash since sometime in the mid to late nineties, I put the Charger on hold, and will be giving it a go with this one.
I've started doing some research on this car, but haven't found much yet. Maybe someone can help me here, if I have my facts straight, the kit supplied side pipes are wrong, as I thought S/S ran cutouts with with factory exhaust running down through at least the mufflers? Since the kit also has the factory exhaust, this is something I would like to replicate, given it would be correct. I won't be looking to make this car 100% correct and will be ok with some inaccuracies, but do want to make a reasonably accurate model. Any other info, tips, or suggestions are welcome. I do have some Dupli-Color GM Bright Red lacquer that I believe should make for a decent stand in for the Roman Red exterior color.
First up though, I need to make some repairs to the body. Both the A and C pillars on the drivers side are broken (been like that since I bought the kit), but should be an easy fix. The post on the rear of the wing window will need to be replaced with some evergreen, as some of the material is missing.
I have to work this weekend, but I'll try to get some progress pics up soon.
Source: http://cs.scaleautomag.com/SCACS/forums/thread/1016822.aspx
Stefan Bellof Paul Belmondo Tom Belso JeanPierre Beltoise Olivier Beretta Allen Berg Georges Berger Gerhard Berger Eric Bernard Enrique Bernoldi
Alonso sets the standard
Fernando Alonso’s face as he stood on the top step of the podium said it all – a mixture of extreme satisfaction, delight and disbelief.
“Incredible, incredible,” he said in Spanish in his television interviews immediately afterwards, and that seemed as good a summing up as any of one of the most remarkable and thrilling grands prix for some time.
Alonso’s victory was the 28th of his career and it moved him ahead of Sir Jackie Stewart in the all-time list of winners – he is now behind only Michael Schumacher, Alain Prost, Ayrton Senna and Nigel Mansell, whose 31 wins are his next target.
The Ferrari team leader’s presence in such celebrated company is a reminder, as if one was needed, of what a great grand prix driver Alonso is and it was appropriate that his drive on Sunday was one that befitted such a landmark.
Alonso moved up to fifth on the all-time victories list with his win in Malaysia. Photo: Getty
Arguably not the greatest qualifier, Alonso has produced some stunning races in his career, and the one in Malaysia on Sunday ranks up there with the very best.
The Ferrari in its current form has no business whatsoever being able to win a race. In normal, dry conditions, it is way off the pace of the McLaren, Red Bull, Mercedes and Lotus, and almost certainly slower also than the Williams and the Sauber.
And yet there was Alonso, up in fifth place from eighth on the grid by the end of lap one, challenging world champion Sebastian Vettel’s Red Bull, which he moved ahead of thanks to stopping one lap earlier for wet tyres in the downpour that led to the race being stopped on lap six.
What won him the race, though, were the laps after the re-start.
He emerged in the lead on lap 16, helped by McLaren having to hold Lewis Hamilton in the pits as Felipe Massa came past.
After everyone had stopped for intermediate tyres, Alonso was 2.4 seconds ahead of Sauber’s Sergio Perez – of whose stunning performance more later – and 6.2secs ahead of Lewis Hamilton in the McLaren.
At that point, most would have expected Hamilton – one of the greatest wet-weather drivers in history – to close in on the two cars ahead of him. Instead, Alonso pulled away from Perez, who himself pulled away from Hamilton.
This was, as BBC F1 co-commentator David Coulthard said, “Alonso at his brilliant best”, as he built an eight-second lead over Perez in 12 laps.
Alonso is such a benchmark, so peerless, so utterly relentless and unforgiving when he senses a sniff of a win, that it seemed impossible at that stage that he would not win the race.
But then Perez began to come back at him – showing the differing characteristics of the two cars that have been apparent since the start of pre-season testing. The Ferrari is hard on its tyres and the Sauber is the opposite.
Closer and closer Perez got, first by fractions, then by full seconds until by lap 40 he appeared to have Alonso at his mercy.
Stopping a lap earlier than Perez for ‘slick’ dry-weather tyres put his lead back up to seven seconds, but on these the Sauber was even more superior.
Perez was within a second of Alonso by lap 48 – with eight to go – and what would have been a fully deserved victory by a man who from the beginning of his career last year has looked destined for great things seemed inevitable.
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F1 being what it is, a lot may well be made of the radio call that Perez received at about this point. “Checo, be careful, we need this position,” he was told by his team, who use Ferrari engines. Was this simply a team that is known to be struggling for finance sensibly warning an excited young driver to make sure he didn’t bin it when a valuable podium place was up for grabs? Or was it, as some will surmise, team orders in disguise, an order not to try to deprive the company on whose largesse they have depended in many more seasons than this one of a much-needed win? If it was a team order, Perez didn’t seem to pay any attention – he continued to push hard until he made that fateful error. And team principal Monisha Kaltenborn dismissed any thoughts of a conspiracy.
“What we meant was get the car home,” she said. “It was important to us to get the result – there was nothing else to it. There was no instruction.”
Either of them would have been a deserving winner after two superlative drives – and there were other noteworthy performances down the field, too.
Bruno Senna showed something of his famous uncle’s wet-weather skills with his climb up from last place at the restart to finish an impressive sixth.
And Toro Rosso’s Jean-Eric Vergne, who narrowly missed out on a point on his debut last weekend in Australia, delivered in spades with a sure-footed drive in the treacherous conditions at Sepang.
The Frenchman was the only driver to stick with intermediate tyres in the early downpour, and he continued to perform impressively on his way to eighth place, just behind last year’s rookie of the year Paul di Resta, who also looked good.
Senna, Vergne and most of all Perez clearly have bright futures ahead of them.
But ahead of them all was the man whose consistent excellence over a 10-year career not only they but everyone else in F1 has to aspire to.
“Great race for Alonso, top job, and also Perez,” Jenson Button said on Sunday evening in Malaysia. You can say that again.
Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/andrewbenson/2012/03/alonso_sets_the_standard.html
Stefan Bellof Paul Belmondo Tom Belso JeanPierre Beltoise Olivier Beretta Allen Berg Georges Berger Gerhard Berger Eric Bernard Enrique Bernoldi
Vettel will get faster and faster… but will he be able to overtake?
Art Cross Geoff Crossley Chuck Daigh Yannick Dalmas Derek Daly Christian Danner Jorge Daponte Anthony Davidson Jimmy Davies Colin Davis
The layout and plans of New Jersey circuit revelead in new leaked document
Kevin Cogan Peter Collins Bernard Collomb Alberto Colombo Erik Comas Franco Comotti George Connor George Constantine John Cordts David Coulthard
In The Pits: Stop hating on Danica Patrick
Source: http://www.newsobserver.com/2012/05/14/2063805/in-the-pits-stop-hating-on-danica.html
Martin Brundle Gianmaria Bruni Jimmy Bryan Clemar Bucci
Carroll Shelby sells his last bottle of Snake Oil…
Adolf Brudes Martin Brundle Gianmaria Bruni Jimmy Bryan Clemar Bucci Ronnie Bucknum Ivor Bueb Sebastien Buemi Luiz Bueno Ian Burgess
No need for a flux capacitor – just go to Goodwood
Source: http://www.metrof1.com/blogs/metrof1/2011/09/no-need-for-a-flux-capacitor—just-go-to-goodwood.html
Luiz Bueno Ian Burgess Luciano Burti Roberto Bussinello Jenson Button Tommy Byrne Giulio Cabianca Phil Cade Alex Caffi John CampbellJones
Gearing up for the new F1 season
Hello there? How’s your winter been? I hope this blog finds you well, my friends, and that 2012 is being kind to you. It’s certainly about to get kinder for us F1 fans as the season gets under way this weekend.
My winter flew by faster than Seb in qualifying as I juggled various TV commitments, along with the usual jobs such as visiting the dentist, watching Norwich City (amazing!) and doing a spot of gardening (thankfully my garden is tiny) – all things that between March and November there just isn’t time for!
Thankfully, just a couple of weeks ago I managed to grab a week in the Maldives with my wife, and that break will be valuable as I jump onto a treadmill that will carry us to the end of 2012.
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For me it’s the start of the F1 season, off to the European Football Championship, the British GP, two weeks at the Olympics and then the end of the F1 season followed by Sports Personality of the Year. So time to take a deep breath and dive on in as the stories develop, the drama unfolds and air miles continue to clock up.
As you know this weekend is the start of a new era of F1 coverage on the BBC, and the job for the team over the winter has been to best deal with the cards we’ve been dealt in terms of the broadcast rights.
Having sat through various production meetings, having exchanged emails, swapped ideas and planned how best to bring the season to life, I’m confident we will deliver a new-look season that you will enjoy.
It’s been like the first day at school for some of the new faces to our team this weekend. Gary Anderson and I got the tram together to collect our accreditation when we arrived in Melbourne on Thursday morning and it was great fun being regaled by stories of F1 from the days when Gary was designing race winning cars.
He also had a few decent stories about being employed by Eddie Jordan but I think they’re best left out off the blog – as entertaining as they were!
I’d also really like to welcome Ben Edwards to the fray. Ben is a great commentator who has raced cars himself and spent the last few years commentating on all forms of motor racing.
He’s passionate, informative, hopefully likes a night out and a beer, and best of all he’s as much a journalist as he is a fan. Good luck keeping David Coulthard in check Ben!
Talking of DC, we had our first dinner of the new season together last night as we both headed out for some Japanese food and a drop of sake here in buzzy, beautiful Melbourne.
Pastor Maldonado, Bruno Senna and Lewis Hamilton were all in there tucking into sushi and sashimi while working out whether to chat to each other or act cool and bag an early psychological advantage ahead of a year when the competition will be intense.
They mainly opted for the latter by the way. I’ll post a blog later in the season about how the drivers live and work together while still being rivals – it’s fascinating.
Meanwhile on radio we’ve got a whole new team – and it’s a great line-up of commentator James Allen, pit-lane reporter Jennie Gow and co-commentator Jaime Alguersuari, who brings real insight having just stepped out of an F1 car himself.
So, what have I learned so far this week? Well I’ve been told that the two new drivers at Toro Rosso have made Mark Webber feel more motivated than ever.
I chatted to Jenson Button who (if it’s possible) seems even more chilled out than he did in 2011.
I’ve also been to the other end of the paddock where Caterham say the decision to put Vitaly Petrov in the car instead of Jarno Trulli is the right move regarding both finances and the future – and I’ve heard plenty of speculation and gossip surrounding HRT and Marussia, who have not run at all in pre-season.
Anyway, it’s amazing how quickly we all get back into the swing of F1. My ‘no crisps’ rule lasted all of 30 minutes, the first running order for Saturday’s qualifying show has been written, and I’ve got a date with Chris Moyles on Radio 1.
We’re delighted to be back, I’m really happy DC and EJ remain part of the team, and this weekend don’t worry about setting your alarm.
We’ve got highlights of qualifying at 1pm on Saturday, and a full two-hour highlights show from 2pm on Sunday. We’ll have all the important action, and plenty of driver interviews and race reaction.
Three years ago I started these blogs – there will be plenty more coming your way in our fourth season of coverage. But what you get is up to you – what do you want to see here during the season..?
Have a great weekend. We’re back!
Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/jakehumphrey/2012/03/gearing_up_for_the_new_f1_seas_1.html
Tony Crook Art Cross Geoff Crossley Chuck Daigh Yannick Dalmas Derek Daly Christian Danner Jorge Daponte Anthony Davidson Jimmy Davies
’70 Chevelle, kinda beyond pro-touring
I don't usually do muscle cars, but the Revell / Gearz contest was too interesting to pass up. I don't finish models very often either, but the contest was apparently the backside-directed kick I've needed.
Scale 4" chop, de-chromed body and flush-fitted windshield; Corvette C5-R chassis stretched using the original Chevelle center pan and a partially scratch-built cage and fuel tanks; Chevelle kit 454 modified with front blower and magneto, custom through-frame exhausts; filled parking lights and reshaped, narrowed and painted front bumper; Hood opened up for radiator duct with scratch-built gills; Deckild opened with through-panel vintage Indy-car fuel filler; custom rear panel with C5 taillights and rolled pan; Testors Flaming Orange lacquer and 4 coats of clear.
Just got it entered 10 minutes ago. Whew. Man. Jeez. I'm beat.
Source: http://cs.scaleautomag.com/SCACS/forums/thread/1016470.aspx
Birabongse Bhanubandh Lucien Bianchi Gino Bianco Hans Binder Clemente Biondetti Pablo Birger Art Bisch Harry Blanchard Michael Bleekemolen Alex Blignaut
Vettel collision: A champion under pressure?
Sebastian Vettel’s behaviour during and after the Malaysian Grand Prix has been causing a bit of a fuss in Germany over the past few days.
The media have lapped up his response to his collision with backmarker Narain Karthikeyan, in much the same way as their British counterparts would have done with a similar incident involving Lewis Hamilton, and Vettel has come in for a fair bit of criticism.
On the BBC after the race, Vettel called Karthikeyan an “idiot” for his role in the collision that cost the world champion fourth place.
Speaking in German, the word he chose was “cucumber” – a common insult in that country for bad drivers on the road.
Vettel faces increased competition from outside and inside his Red Bull Team. Photo: Getty/AFP
It has also been pointed out that shots from Vettel’s onboard camera appear to show the 24-year-old Red Bull driver giving Karthikeyan a middle-finger salute as he drives past. This has led some to call for him to be punished by governing body the FIA, which so far is keeping a low profile on the matter.
Comparisons have been drawn with McLaren’s Jenson Button – who also failed to score any points in Malaysia, but who reacted with his usual calm.
Vettel, some in Germany have said, doesn’t know how to lose.
They point out that last year he won 11 races on his way to one of the most dominant championship victories in Formula 1 history. Failing to win four races in a row in that context, the critics say, should not elicit this kind of reaction.
Vettel has not spoken in public since leaving Malaysia, and Red Bull are shrugging it off.
After the race on Sunday, team principal Christian Horner defended Vettel’s driving in the collision with Karthikeyan, saying that it was the Indian’s “responsibility to get out of the way of the leaders as he is a lapped car”.
Although the stewards penalised Karthikeyan for the incident, others are not sure it’s quite so clear-cut.
One leading F1 figure told me: “It was completely Vettel’s fault – he needed to give Karthikeyan more space. He only had to clear the last inch and he cut across the front of him. He was showing a bit of frustration and it bit him.”
Certainly Vettel has found himself at the start of 2012 in a situation with which he is not familiar.
Vettel has had the fastest car in F1 since at least the middle of 2009, and he has used it to good effect.
But now things are different. Red Bull’s new car is not a match for the McLaren, and it has also been behind one Mercedes and one Lotus on the grid in each of the first two races.
For a man who is as driven to win – to dominate even – as Vettel is, that will not be a comfortable situation.
Nor will it have escaped his attention that team-mate Mark Webber has so far out-qualified him in both races this year – again, quite a turnaround from 2011, when the Australian managed it only three times in 19 grands prix.
It is early days, but so far the comparison between the two Red Bull drivers looks much more like it was in the first part of 2010 – before the team started fully exploiting the exhaust-blown diffusers that dominated the last 18 months and which have been banned for this season.
Webber was never that comfortable in last season’s Red Bull – and while he came to match Vettel on race pace in the second half of last season, he never really got on terms with him in qualifying.
Much of that was to do with the behaviour of the car on corner entry, where the exhaust-blown diffusers were so powerful in increasing performance.
Red Bull’s decline has also coincided with the stiffening of the front-wing load test, an attempt to stop teams allowing the ends of the wing to droop towards the track at speed to increase downforce. Red Bull were noticeably better at doing this than the other teams.
It may be an unrelated coincidence, but this year’s Red Bull suffers from understeer, a lack of front-end grip – a handling characteristic Webber is comfortable with, while Vettel prefers oversteer.
This is not the first time Vettel has been criticised for letting his emotion get the better of him when things are not going his way.
There was the infamous ‘nutter’ sign he directed at Webber following their collision in the 2010 Turkish Grand Prix.
There were also mistakes in Britain, Belgium and Singapore that year as he very nearly gifted the world title to Ferrari and Fernando Alonso, who lost it only after a strategic error in the final race.
Such was Vettel’s domination in 2011 that it never arose- leading some to say he had reached a new level of maturity both in and out of the car.
The truth of that claim looks set to be tested this year, as Red Bull and Vettel struggle to regain a position that the driver at least seems to consider is rightfully his.
Meanwhile, his rivals will have been watching with interest.
Webber, Alonso, Button and Hamilton remember Vettel’s behaviour in 2010 all too well.
Betraying his emotions in such an obvious way will be seen by them as a weakness – they will look at it and think he is rattled.
So it is true to say on the one hand that Vettel’s reaction proves he is a winner.
But it is also the case that learning how to lose gracefully – as Button and Alonso, particularly, have learnt in recent years – has its benefits as well.
Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/andrewbenson/2012/03/vettel_collision_a_champion_un.html
Eric Bernard Enrique Bernoldi Enrico Bertaggia Tony Bettenhausen Mike Beuttler Birabongse Bhanubandh Lucien Bianchi Gino Bianco Hans Binder Clemente Biondetti
Remembering Gilles
Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/nofenders/zbjv/~3/LchGZmfK_sY/remembering-gilles.html
Lorenzo Bandini Henry Banks Fabrizio Barbazza John Barber Skip Barber Paolo Barilla Rubens Barrichello Michael Bartels Edgar Barth Giorgio Bassi
NASCAR fines Kurt Busch
Source: http://www.newsobserver.com/2012/05/15/2066361/nascar-fines-kurt-busch.html
Zsolt Baumgartner Elie Bayol Don Beauman Karl Gunther Bechem Jean Behra Derek Bell Stefan Bellof Paul Belmondo Tom Belso JeanPierre Beltoise
IndyCar teams take cautious approach to practice
Source: http://www.newsobserver.com/2012/05/14/2063745/indycar-teams-take-cautious-approach.html
Chuck Arnold Rene Arnoux Peter Arundell Alberto Ascari Peter Ashdown Ian Ashley Gerry Ashmore Bill Aston Richard Attwood Manny Ayulo
Spanish Grand Prix 2012 – Maldonado’s superb drive grants him maiden victory
Mike Beuttler Birabongse Bhanubandh Lucien Bianchi Gino Bianco Hans Binder Clemente Biondetti Pablo Birger Art Bisch Harry Blanchard Michael Bleekemolen
Tweets from F1 Drivers, Teams and Media
Andrea de Cesaris Francois Cevert Eugene Chaboud Jay Chamberlain Karun Chandhok Alain de Changy Colin Chapman Dave Charlton Pedro Matos Chaves Bill Cheesbourg
Hamilton excluded from Spanish GP after claiming Pole position…
Jean Alesi Jaime Alguersuari Philippe Alliot Cliff Allison Fernando Alonso Giovanna Amati George Amick Red Amick Chris Amon Bob Anderson
Vote for your Spanish GP Driver of the Weekend | 2012 Spanish Grand Prix
Vote for your Spanish GP Driver of the Weekend is an original article from F1 Fanatic. If this article has been published anywhere other than F1 Fanatic it is an infringement of copyright.
Compare all the drivers’ performances and vote for who you think was the best driver of the Spanish Grand Prix weekend.
Vote for your Spanish GP Driver of the Weekend is an original article from F1 Fanatic. If this article has been published anywhere other than F1 Fanatic it is an infringement of copyright.
Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/f1fanatic/~3/DN0hNxUwD1k/
Zsolt Baumgartner Elie Bayol Don Beauman Karl Gunther Bechem Jean Behra Derek Bell Stefan Bellof Paul Belmondo Tom Belso JeanPierre Beltoise
Pirelli : Technical notes for the 2012 Spanish Grand Prix
Gerhard Berger Eric Bernard Enrique Bernoldi Enrico Bertaggia Tony Bettenhausen Mike Beuttler Birabongse Bhanubandh Lucien Bianchi Gino Bianco Hans Binder
This one tends to keep ‘em guessing.
Most folks can't recognise what it started as?
Source: http://cs.scaleautomag.com/SCACS/forums/thread/1016055.aspx
Jean Alesi Jaime Alguersuari Philippe Alliot
Hamilton and Maldonado share the front row in Spain | 2012 Spanish Grand Prix qualifying
Hamilton and Maldonado share the front row in Spain is an original article from F1 Fanatic. If this article has been published anywhere other than F1 Fanatic it is an infringement of copyright.
Lewis Hamilton beat Pastor Maldonado to pole position in Spain as Fernando Alonso took third at home.
Hamilton and Maldonado share the front row in Spain is an original article from F1 Fanatic. If this article has been published anywhere other than F1 Fanatic it is an infringement of copyright.
Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/f1fanatic/~3/RZVf7pRIsrU/
Menato Boffa Bob Bondurant Felice Bonetto Jo Bonnier Roberto Bonomi Juan Manuel Bordeu Slim Borgudd Luki Botha JeanChristophe Boullion Sebastien Bourdais
Hamilton excluded from Spanish GP after claiming Pole position…
Jenson Button Tommy Byrne Giulio Cabianca Phil Cade Alex Caffi John CampbellJones Adrián Campos John Cannon Eitel Cantoni Bill Cantrell
The perfect paint finish from an airbrush
I'm still new to this whole painting model cars with an airbrush and was hoping for some help in obtaining the perfect finish. I'm looking for tips or steps from start to finish that leads me to a nice glossy smooth finish. Some of the questions I have are, how many coats of primer, how many coats of paint, do you sand between each coat of primer and paint, what grit sandpaper is used between all coats, proper drying time? I know this is a loaded question but a step by step would be nice and allow me to get out on the right foot. If there are other articles or posts you could suggest, that would be good too.
Thanks in advance for your help.
Source: http://cs.scaleautomag.com/SCACS/forums/thread/1016025.aspx
Carlo Abate George Abecassis Kenny Acheson Andrea de Adamich Philippe Adams Walt Ader Kurt Adolff Fred Agabashian Kurt Ahrens Jr Christijan Albers
Drinks?
Source: http://www.metrof1.com/blogs/metrof1/2011/11/drinks.html
Marcel Balsa Lorenzo Bandini Henry Banks Fabrizio Barbazza John Barber Skip Barber Paolo Barilla Rubens Barrichello Michael Bartels Edgar Barth
Formula 1 rewind?
Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/nofenders/zbjv/~3/O_Z1ZqGZQ3c/formula-1-rewind.html
Fabrizio Barbazza John Barber Skip Barber Paolo Barilla Rubens Barrichello Michael Bartels Edgar Barth Giorgio Bassi Erwin Bauer Zsolt Baumgartner
Alonso sets the standard
Fernando Alonso’s face as he stood on the top step of the podium said it all – a mixture of extreme satisfaction, delight and disbelief.
“Incredible, incredible,” he said in Spanish in his television interviews immediately afterwards, and that seemed as good a summing up as any of one of the most remarkable and thrilling grands prix for some time.
Alonso’s victory was the 28th of his career and it moved him ahead of Sir Jackie Stewart in the all-time list of winners – he is now behind only Michael Schumacher, Alain Prost, Ayrton Senna and Nigel Mansell, whose 31 wins are his next target.
The Ferrari team leader’s presence in such celebrated company is a reminder, as if one was needed, of what a great grand prix driver Alonso is and it was appropriate that his drive on Sunday was one that befitted such a landmark.
Alonso moved up to fifth on the all-time victories list with his win in Malaysia. Photo: Getty
Arguably not the greatest qualifier, Alonso has produced some stunning races in his career, and the one in Malaysia on Sunday ranks up there with the very best.
The Ferrari in its current form has no business whatsoever being able to win a race. In normal, dry conditions, it is way off the pace of the McLaren, Red Bull, Mercedes and Lotus, and almost certainly slower also than the Williams and the Sauber.
And yet there was Alonso, up in fifth place from eighth on the grid by the end of lap one, challenging world champion Sebastian Vettel’s Red Bull, which he moved ahead of thanks to stopping one lap earlier for wet tyres in the downpour that led to the race being stopped on lap six.
What won him the race, though, were the laps after the re-start.
He emerged in the lead on lap 16, helped by McLaren having to hold Lewis Hamilton in the pits as Felipe Massa came past.
After everyone had stopped for intermediate tyres, Alonso was 2.4 seconds ahead of Sauber’s Sergio Perez – of whose stunning performance more later – and 6.2secs ahead of Lewis Hamilton in the McLaren.
At that point, most would have expected Hamilton – one of the greatest wet-weather drivers in history – to close in on the two cars ahead of him. Instead, Alonso pulled away from Perez, who himself pulled away from Hamilton.
This was, as BBC F1 co-commentator David Coulthard said, “Alonso at his brilliant best”, as he built an eight-second lead over Perez in 12 laps.
Alonso is such a benchmark, so peerless, so utterly relentless and unforgiving when he senses a sniff of a win, that it seemed impossible at that stage that he would not win the race.
But then Perez began to come back at him – showing the differing characteristics of the two cars that have been apparent since the start of pre-season testing. The Ferrari is hard on its tyres and the Sauber is the opposite.
Closer and closer Perez got, first by fractions, then by full seconds until by lap 40 he appeared to have Alonso at his mercy.
Stopping a lap earlier than Perez for ‘slick’ dry-weather tyres put his lead back up to seven seconds, but on these the Sauber was even more superior.
Perez was within a second of Alonso by lap 48 – with eight to go – and what would have been a fully deserved victory by a man who from the beginning of his career last year has looked destined for great things seemed inevitable.
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F1 being what it is, a lot may well be made of the radio call that Perez received at about this point. “Checo, be careful, we need this position,” he was told by his team, who use Ferrari engines. Was this simply a team that is known to be struggling for finance sensibly warning an excited young driver to make sure he didn’t bin it when a valuable podium place was up for grabs? Or was it, as some will surmise, team orders in disguise, an order not to try to deprive the company on whose largesse they have depended in many more seasons than this one of a much-needed win? If it was a team order, Perez didn’t seem to pay any attention – he continued to push hard until he made that fateful error. And team principal Monisha Kaltenborn dismissed any thoughts of a conspiracy.
“What we meant was get the car home,” she said. “It was important to us to get the result – there was nothing else to it. There was no instruction.”
Either of them would have been a deserving winner after two superlative drives – and there were other noteworthy performances down the field, too.
Bruno Senna showed something of his famous uncle’s wet-weather skills with his climb up from last place at the restart to finish an impressive sixth.
And Toro Rosso’s Jean-Eric Vergne, who narrowly missed out on a point on his debut last weekend in Australia, delivered in spades with a sure-footed drive in the treacherous conditions at Sepang.
The Frenchman was the only driver to stick with intermediate tyres in the early downpour, and he continued to perform impressively on his way to eighth place, just behind last year’s rookie of the year Paul di Resta, who also looked good.
Senna, Vergne and most of all Perez clearly have bright futures ahead of them.
But ahead of them all was the man whose consistent excellence over a 10-year career not only they but everyone else in F1 has to aspire to.
“Great race for Alonso, top job, and also Perez,” Jenson Button said on Sunday evening in Malaysia. You can say that again.
Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/andrewbenson/2012/03/alonso_sets_the_standard.html
Chris Craft Jim Crawford Ray Crawford Alberto Crespo Antonio Creus Larry Crockett Tony Crook Art Cross Geoff Crossley Chuck Daigh
2012 Formula 1 Korean Grand Prix
Frank Armi Chuck Arnold Rene Arnoux Peter Arundell Alberto Ascari Peter Ashdown Ian Ashley Gerry Ashmore Bill Aston Richard Attwood
2012 Formula 1 United States Grand Prix
Ivor Bueb Sebastien Buemi Luiz Bueno Ian Burgess Luciano Burti Roberto Bussinello Jenson Button Tommy Byrne Giulio Cabianca Phil Cade
Vettel sprouts a second finger
Source: http://www.metrof1.com/blogs/metrof1/2011/10/vettel-sprouts-a-second-finger.html
Jimmy Daywalt JeanDenis Deletraz Patrick Depailler Pedro Diniz Duke Dinsmore Frank Dochnal Jose Dolhem Martin Donnelly Carlo Abate George Abecassis