Tyre-wise the starting grid was extremely interesting. The top four drivers -Mercedes and Ferrari- were on the purple-walled middle compound, whilst the rest of the top ten drivers were on the hyper-softs. The Red Bull duo of Ricciardo and Verstappen had opted for the yellow-marked hardest compound, as they were starting from the back of the grid due to their engine penalties. The pressure was all on the pole-setter Bottas, as the lights went out at Sochi Autodrom. The Finn took a splendid start, and Hamilton played genius team effort, preventing Sebastian from getting in the slip stream of either one of the Silver Arrows. Sebastian was hungry to challenge Hamilton for P2, but there was no chance for overtaking. Sauber's rising star Leclerc, who had started from P7, made an impressive job on the opening laps, making his way past both Force India's Ocon and Haas' Magnussen, claiming P5. Verstappen from P19 took a rocket start and started his glamorous overtaking show right away. The start was surprisingly clean, and there was no need for safety car this time.
Verstappen's storming performance was such a pleasure to watch. He made determinedly his way through the field, one by one. In less than ten laps the flying Dutchman had already climbed up to P5! Teammate Ricciardo had got some damage to his front wing on the opening laps, and the Australian had more difficulties to get past the midfield drivers.
Bottas pitted as the first top driver on lap 12 and switched to the soft rubber. Ferrari's strategy was to try to benefit from the undercut, and the team called Sebastian in on the sequential lap. The German also switched to the soft Pirellis. Hamilton pitted on the following lap, for a similar tyre choice to his rivals. It was extremely tight at the pit exit, and Sebastian managed only just to make it ahead the Briton! Hamilton was clearly extremely unhappy about losing the position to his arch enemy. A couple of laps later the British Mercedes ace decided to attack Sebastian at the start/finish straight. Hamilton got a huge pace advantage after opening his DRS and made it alongside Sebastian. But Sebastian wasn't going to surrender. He defended his position by changing his line, even twice, which isn't allowed by the rules. It was only thanks to Hamilton's supernatural reflexes, that a crash was avoided. However, Hamilton was absolutely stubborn to make it past his arch enemy, and the successful overtaking move took place in Turn 5. Hamilton snatched back his 2nd place. The stewards took Sebastian's move into investigation, but no further action was warranted, which took me by surprise. Without a doubt Sebastian had changed his line twice, which is prohibited by the rules…
Ferrari took Kimi in on lap 19. The Iceman, too opted for a fresh set of the hardest compound, re-joining the track in P5. Unbelievable but true, Max Verstappen was now leading the race, having started from P19! Naturally the Dutchman hadn't pitted yet, but still, what a race the birthday boy was driving! By lap 24 Bottas had chased down Verstappen, and teammate Hamilton was right at the Finn's tail. Sebastian had also closed the gap to Hamilton.
What a crucial turn the race got on lap 25. Bottas was told on the team radio to let his teammate past in Turn 13! Before the race start Mercedes Team Principal Toto Wolff had said, that Bottas would be given a chance to win the race, but the reality proved different. Hamilton moved past his Finnish teammate, and from the on Bottas' job was to slow down Sebastian.
It was absolutely amazing, how competitive lap times Verstappen managed to set in the lead, although there were already over 30 laps on his tyres. Hamilton was lurking for a chance to overtake Max, but the flying Dutchman was not going to let that happen. He came in not until with only ten laps to go. Max switched to the purple-walled ultra-soft compound and re-joined the track in P5.
The pace of the Mercedes duo was very evenly matched, and there were only two seconds separating the teammates. On the penultimate lap Bottas must have thought, that the previous order would be restored and that he would be given the win he deserved. However, the team told the Finn, that the order was to stay unchanged. So Hamilton crossed the finish line as the race winner. This was one of the very rare times, when Hamilton didn't deserve the victory. Bottas would have won the race, had he not been told to give way to his teammate. Mercedes could have switched the positions back, as Sebastian proved no threat to the Silver Arrows. Had Hamilton finished the runner-up, he would still have had a 43-point lead in the drivers' championship standings! But of course, you can never know, if those 7 points will turn out crucial at the end of the season… Kimi finished fourth, followed by the Red Bull duo of Verstappen and Ricciardo. Sauber's Leclerc was the stunning best of the rest and proved again, why he has been given a race seat for Ferrari next season. Magnussen finished 8th for Haas, and the Force India duo of Ocon and Perez rounded out the top ten. Force India also resorted to a team order during the race, but the pink team restored the order of the drivers at the end of the race.
It was no wonder, that the atmosphere on the podium almost reminded of a funeral. Hamilton knew he didn't deserve the win, and Bottas was deeply disappointed due to being robbed of the victory. Sebastian's P3 meant, that he is already massive 50 points down on Hamilton in the drivers' standings. Ferrari are now 53 points down on Mercedes... However, Sebastian's dream of winning the championship is still very much alive. And I believe, that with hard work he can still make the tables turn! He has my support -always. The battle continues in Japan already next week!
P.S. Happy 21st birthday Max! Continue being as awesome as you are!
Kimi Räikkönen & Sebastian Vettel
sunnuntai 30. syyskuuta 2018
lauantai 29. syyskuuta 2018
Russian GP / Qualifying: Bottas led Mercedes to a front row lock-out!
The Russian GP weekend brings back so many immemorial moments from last year, when I got the unforgettable chance to witness the F1 action at the paddock and Ferrari garage. I will never forget the day, when I had the chance to sit down with the Ferrari star driver Sebastian Vettel and interview him for my blog… It was a miraculous moment, a dream come true. Now I'm living in a whole different world. A fortnight ago I was extremely happy, as my youngest son was recovering from the cancer treatments and he kept feeling better every day. Now my world has turned around again, as my middle son has just been diagnosed with cancer. I can't believe this is true! I must be going through a terrible nightmare… How is it possible, that two children in the same family get cancer? I guess it's more likely to win in a lottery than to get a cancer diagnosis twice in the same family during one year! So not even Formula 1 made my day too bright today. However, I desperately needed something else than cancer to think about… Even for a fleeting moment.
Q1 saw everyone come out on the pink-walled hyper-soft Pirellis. The first segment revealed interesting details in terms of the pecking order of the top teams. Mercedes turned out the leading team, as Hamilton went fastest, with teammate Bottas half a second off the Briton. The Red Bull drivers decided to do one attempt only, at the very end of the session. The Red Bull duo's pace was very competitive, as Verstappen was third and teammate Ricciardo fourth. I have to say Ferrari's pace seemed quite worrying, as Sebastian in sixth was full one second off Hamilton's pace! Kimi's P5 wasn't too convincing, either. There were no surprises in terms of the drop out zone. Toro Rosso's Hartley, the McLaren duo of Alonso and Vandoorne and the Williams duo of Sirotkin and Stroll were eliminated from Q2.
Like expected, both Mercedes and Ferrari sent their drivers out on the purple-marked ultra-soft tyres. The two top teams were rolling the dice strategically to see if they could squeak through the segment on the more hardy tyres and gain an advantage in the race. Hamilton continued where he had left off in the first segment, setting the fastest lap time in Q2 as well. This time Bottas was closer, only 0.149s shy of his teammate. Sebastian was third and Kimi fourth, these two being separated by two hundredths of a second only. Q2 saw the Red Bull drivers and Toro Rosso's Gasly not bother to go out at all, as all three of them were to face a grid penalty due to power unit element changes. Also the Renault drivers Hulkenberg and Sainz opted to give the segment a miss, to allow them a free tyre choice in the race. This meant, that drivers like Sauber's Ericsson got a free pass through to Q3. The Mercedes and the Ferraris came out on the hyper-softs at the end of the session. Hamilton set the screens purple in the first two sectors but slowed down in the final sector. Neither one of these top four drivers improved his lap time in the end. Sauber's Leclerc was impressively the best of the rest, claiming P5 in the second segment.
Although Hamilton had set the benchmark in Q1 and Q2, the last segment belonged to Bottas. The Finn laid down a marker early in the final segment, going fastest in the first runs. Hamilton got extremely close, as the British title contender was only four thousandths of a second down on the flying Finn. Ferrari proved unable to match the pace of the Silver Arrows. Sebastian in third was massive six tenths shy of Bottas, followed by teammate Kimi. The shootout for pole was down to the Mercedes teammates. Hamilton blitzed the first sector but ran wide through Turn 7 and had to abort the lap. Bottas has never been outqualified by a teammate at Sochi, not this time either! Bottas snatched over a tenth off his own benchmark, snatching his second pole of the season. Hamilton made it a front row lock-out for the Silver Arrows. Sebastian had a tame first sector on his final run, and the German was a full half second off the ultimate pace. Kimi, on the other hand, made a mistake in the final sector of his last run. The Iceman locked the second row for the Scuderia. In the final results Haas' Magnussen was the best of the midfield, claiming P5. Force India's Ocon qualified 6th and Sauber's Leclerc 7th. Perez was 8th in the sister Force India, with Haas' Grosjean and Sauber's Ericsson completing the top ten respectively.
Last year, in front of my very eyes, Bottas managed to snatch the lead from P3. I hope it's an omen for tomorrow! Sebastian has every opportunity to make it in the lead with a perfect start. The start will be his best chance, as overtaking isn't easy at Sochi Autodrom. The Red Bull duo of Ricciardo and Verstappen will start to the race from the back of the grid, most likely on the ultra-soft Pirellis. It's certainly interesting to see, how far up they will be able to climb during the race. It would be against the odds, was there not a safety car episode in the race. The pressure is all on Sebastian, as he desperately needs to finish the race ahead of Hamilton, to keep his championship hopes alive. I'm confident I'll see a strong fight from the Red Team tomorrow. I believe in Sebastian and Kimi -always. Go Sebastian! Go Kimi! Forza Ferrari!
Q1 saw everyone come out on the pink-walled hyper-soft Pirellis. The first segment revealed interesting details in terms of the pecking order of the top teams. Mercedes turned out the leading team, as Hamilton went fastest, with teammate Bottas half a second off the Briton. The Red Bull drivers decided to do one attempt only, at the very end of the session. The Red Bull duo's pace was very competitive, as Verstappen was third and teammate Ricciardo fourth. I have to say Ferrari's pace seemed quite worrying, as Sebastian in sixth was full one second off Hamilton's pace! Kimi's P5 wasn't too convincing, either. There were no surprises in terms of the drop out zone. Toro Rosso's Hartley, the McLaren duo of Alonso and Vandoorne and the Williams duo of Sirotkin and Stroll were eliminated from Q2.
Like expected, both Mercedes and Ferrari sent their drivers out on the purple-marked ultra-soft tyres. The two top teams were rolling the dice strategically to see if they could squeak through the segment on the more hardy tyres and gain an advantage in the race. Hamilton continued where he had left off in the first segment, setting the fastest lap time in Q2 as well. This time Bottas was closer, only 0.149s shy of his teammate. Sebastian was third and Kimi fourth, these two being separated by two hundredths of a second only. Q2 saw the Red Bull drivers and Toro Rosso's Gasly not bother to go out at all, as all three of them were to face a grid penalty due to power unit element changes. Also the Renault drivers Hulkenberg and Sainz opted to give the segment a miss, to allow them a free tyre choice in the race. This meant, that drivers like Sauber's Ericsson got a free pass through to Q3. The Mercedes and the Ferraris came out on the hyper-softs at the end of the session. Hamilton set the screens purple in the first two sectors but slowed down in the final sector. Neither one of these top four drivers improved his lap time in the end. Sauber's Leclerc was impressively the best of the rest, claiming P5 in the second segment.
Although Hamilton had set the benchmark in Q1 and Q2, the last segment belonged to Bottas. The Finn laid down a marker early in the final segment, going fastest in the first runs. Hamilton got extremely close, as the British title contender was only four thousandths of a second down on the flying Finn. Ferrari proved unable to match the pace of the Silver Arrows. Sebastian in third was massive six tenths shy of Bottas, followed by teammate Kimi. The shootout for pole was down to the Mercedes teammates. Hamilton blitzed the first sector but ran wide through Turn 7 and had to abort the lap. Bottas has never been outqualified by a teammate at Sochi, not this time either! Bottas snatched over a tenth off his own benchmark, snatching his second pole of the season. Hamilton made it a front row lock-out for the Silver Arrows. Sebastian had a tame first sector on his final run, and the German was a full half second off the ultimate pace. Kimi, on the other hand, made a mistake in the final sector of his last run. The Iceman locked the second row for the Scuderia. In the final results Haas' Magnussen was the best of the midfield, claiming P5. Force India's Ocon qualified 6th and Sauber's Leclerc 7th. Perez was 8th in the sister Force India, with Haas' Grosjean and Sauber's Ericsson completing the top ten respectively.
Last year, in front of my very eyes, Bottas managed to snatch the lead from P3. I hope it's an omen for tomorrow! Sebastian has every opportunity to make it in the lead with a perfect start. The start will be his best chance, as overtaking isn't easy at Sochi Autodrom. The Red Bull duo of Ricciardo and Verstappen will start to the race from the back of the grid, most likely on the ultra-soft Pirellis. It's certainly interesting to see, how far up they will be able to climb during the race. It would be against the odds, was there not a safety car episode in the race. The pressure is all on Sebastian, as he desperately needs to finish the race ahead of Hamilton, to keep his championship hopes alive. I'm confident I'll see a strong fight from the Red Team tomorrow. I believe in Sebastian and Kimi -always. Go Sebastian! Go Kimi! Forza Ferrari!
torstai 20. syyskuuta 2018
Singapore GP: Hamilton triumphed to victory as the red cars struggled!
I had a dramatic Singapore GP weekend, which is the reason for writing my blog post not until today. My son's cancer treatments were over already four weeks ago, but last Friday he suddenly got a fast-proceeding infection, which caused low blood pressure. My son was taken to the ICU in a poor condition. I did watch the qualifying in the parents' room, but I actually missed Q2, as the doctor came to talk to me about my son's situation. Luckily my son got out of the ICU on Sunday, but my thoughts were very much with him and I hadn't slept properly for four nights...
Now after two well-slept nights I can look back to the Singapore GP weekend. The floodlights at the magical Marina Bay Street Circuit set the most perfect stage for the round 15. Statistically, Singapore has always suited the red cars extremely well, and Ferrari were the clear favourite for pole. The top three teams -Ferrari, Mercedes and Red Bull- seemed quite evenly matched, as the qualifying got underway. Mercedes sent their drivers out on the purple-walled ultra-softs, whilst the two other top teams opted for the pink-marked softest compound. Mercedes seemed to behave quite restlessly on track, whilst Ferrari proved extremely competitive especially in the first sector. However, Ricciardo in his RB14 topped the timesheets at the end of the first session. The second session belonged to Kimi in his SF71-H, and the Iceman was the fastest man on track. This time Verstappen was the better-performing Red Bull, as the Dutchman was the stunning 2nd. Bottas in P3 had the upper hand on his teammate Hamilton, who was left fourth. However, tables turned dramatically, as the decisive Q3 got underway. As Hamilton started his first run, the timing screens all lit up purple. What a magical lap time the Briton set! His lap was 3.5s faster than last year's pole lap! I couldn't understand, where Hamilton's unbelievable pace suddenly came from. Hamilton had driven quite a slow out lap; was that the secret behind the phenomenal lap? Verstappen was second, three tenths down on Hamilton. Sebastian was surprisingly only third, massive six tenths down on his title rival. Bottas was fourth and Kimi fifth, over a second off Hamilton's pace. The second runs didn't change the order of the top five; there was absolutely no beating Hamilton's super lap, which brought the 79th career pole for the quadruple world champion.
On Sunday the lights went out for the 10th time at the fairy-tale-like Marina Bay Street Circuit. During these ten years there has always been a safety car episode during the race. This year's GP was no exception to the rule. The start of the top five was clean, and Hamilton held on to his lead. Verstappen managed to dive into Turn 1 as the runner-up, but at the straight Sebastian squeezed it past the flying Dutchman, moving second. The overtaking move looked utterly stunning, as there were sparks flying from the rear of both cars. However, there was an incident in the midfield, going into Turn 2. The Force India duo of Perez and Ocon had contact, which threw Ocon into the wall. The Frenchman's race was over, and safety car was deployed. Luckily Sebastian had made his move a short moment before the safety car signal.
Hamilton took an impressive re-start and managed to pull out a small gap to Sebastian right away. Sebastian opened the pit stop roulette on lap 15. He switched to the ultra-softs and re-joined the track in P7. The Mercedes duo of Hamilton and Bottas pitted on the following laps, both opting for a fresh set of soft Pirellis. Red Bull's Verstappen pitted from the lead on lap 18, also for a fresh set of the hardest compound. Sebastian had got stuck behind Force India's Perez when exiting the pits, which proved costly for the German Ferrari ace. Verstappen managed to only just squeeze it ahead Sebastian, when the German re-joined the track! It was a bitter disappointment for Sebastian, who lost the second place back to Max.
Sebastian was suspicious, whether the ultra-softs would last till the end. Degradation wasn't his only concern, as the lap times on the ultra-softs didn't prove competitive enough. Teammate Kimi pitted on lap 23, and the Iceman was sent out on a fresh set of soft Pirellis. Ricciardo pitted not until on lap 28, for a similar tyre choice to Sebastian. After the Australian's pit stop the order of the top five was the same as at the start. Hamilton had a dominant lead, Verstappen was second and Sebastian third. The Finns of Bottas and Kimi were P4 and P5.
There was no on-track battles for the podium places. However, the backmarkers caused drama for Hamilton on lap 38. Haas' Grosjean and Williams' Sirotkin were having a battle of their own, and Grosjean ignored the blue flags. Verstappen benefitted from Grosjean's and Sirotkin's battle and managed to close the gap to Hamilton. For a moment it looked like Verstappen was going to have a chance to overtake Hamilton. But as soon as Hamilton got past this fighting couple, he opened a gap to Verstappen again. Some laps later Grosjean was given a 5-second time penalty for ignoring the blue flags.
With ten laps to go, it seemed that Bottas, Kimi and Ricciardo were going to have a battle of their own for P4. Kimi was a second down on his compatriot Bottas, and Ricciardo was lurking right behind Kimi. However, following another car proved extremely difficult, let alone making a successful overtaking move. Bottas was stuck behind Renault's Hulkenberg, who was a lap down. However, Bottas had a bizarre problem, as he was unable to get close enough, so that the German would have been shown blue flags.
Hamilton was in a class of his own in the night of Singapore. He took the seventh win of the season and extended his championship lead over Sebastian to 40 points already. Verstappen was the impressive runner-up, which must have felt almost like a victory, after all the engine woes and gear box issues during the weekend, race included. Sebastian completed the podium, but unbelievable but true, the German crossed the finish line massive 40 seconds behind the race winner Hamilton! Where had Ferrari's competitiveness suddenly disappeared? Bottas finished fourth, followed by Kimi and Ricciardo. In the end this year's Singapore GP turned out quite a boring race.
A 40-point lead is quite remarkable, with just six races to go. Many people are saying, that the ability to handle pressure is a weakness for Sebastian. That he cracks under pressure and makes mistakes. He has the rest of the season to prove the critics otherwise. I'm confident that he'll be able to turn the tables in the championship battle. He has done it before; let's not forget, what happened in 2010! Sebastian is a driver, who is capable of making miracles happen. Ferrari are 30 points down on the Silver Arrows in the constructors' standings, but the Red Team still have the chance to win the title! Taken into consideration, how extremely convincingly Kimi has performed this season, nothing is lost yet. Sebastian, Kimi and the Red Team have my support. Onwards and upwards, towards Sochi! Forza Ferrari!
Now after two well-slept nights I can look back to the Singapore GP weekend. The floodlights at the magical Marina Bay Street Circuit set the most perfect stage for the round 15. Statistically, Singapore has always suited the red cars extremely well, and Ferrari were the clear favourite for pole. The top three teams -Ferrari, Mercedes and Red Bull- seemed quite evenly matched, as the qualifying got underway. Mercedes sent their drivers out on the purple-walled ultra-softs, whilst the two other top teams opted for the pink-marked softest compound. Mercedes seemed to behave quite restlessly on track, whilst Ferrari proved extremely competitive especially in the first sector. However, Ricciardo in his RB14 topped the timesheets at the end of the first session. The second session belonged to Kimi in his SF71-H, and the Iceman was the fastest man on track. This time Verstappen was the better-performing Red Bull, as the Dutchman was the stunning 2nd. Bottas in P3 had the upper hand on his teammate Hamilton, who was left fourth. However, tables turned dramatically, as the decisive Q3 got underway. As Hamilton started his first run, the timing screens all lit up purple. What a magical lap time the Briton set! His lap was 3.5s faster than last year's pole lap! I couldn't understand, where Hamilton's unbelievable pace suddenly came from. Hamilton had driven quite a slow out lap; was that the secret behind the phenomenal lap? Verstappen was second, three tenths down on Hamilton. Sebastian was surprisingly only third, massive six tenths down on his title rival. Bottas was fourth and Kimi fifth, over a second off Hamilton's pace. The second runs didn't change the order of the top five; there was absolutely no beating Hamilton's super lap, which brought the 79th career pole for the quadruple world champion.
On Sunday the lights went out for the 10th time at the fairy-tale-like Marina Bay Street Circuit. During these ten years there has always been a safety car episode during the race. This year's GP was no exception to the rule. The start of the top five was clean, and Hamilton held on to his lead. Verstappen managed to dive into Turn 1 as the runner-up, but at the straight Sebastian squeezed it past the flying Dutchman, moving second. The overtaking move looked utterly stunning, as there were sparks flying from the rear of both cars. However, there was an incident in the midfield, going into Turn 2. The Force India duo of Perez and Ocon had contact, which threw Ocon into the wall. The Frenchman's race was over, and safety car was deployed. Luckily Sebastian had made his move a short moment before the safety car signal.
Hamilton took an impressive re-start and managed to pull out a small gap to Sebastian right away. Sebastian opened the pit stop roulette on lap 15. He switched to the ultra-softs and re-joined the track in P7. The Mercedes duo of Hamilton and Bottas pitted on the following laps, both opting for a fresh set of soft Pirellis. Red Bull's Verstappen pitted from the lead on lap 18, also for a fresh set of the hardest compound. Sebastian had got stuck behind Force India's Perez when exiting the pits, which proved costly for the German Ferrari ace. Verstappen managed to only just squeeze it ahead Sebastian, when the German re-joined the track! It was a bitter disappointment for Sebastian, who lost the second place back to Max.
Sebastian was suspicious, whether the ultra-softs would last till the end. Degradation wasn't his only concern, as the lap times on the ultra-softs didn't prove competitive enough. Teammate Kimi pitted on lap 23, and the Iceman was sent out on a fresh set of soft Pirellis. Ricciardo pitted not until on lap 28, for a similar tyre choice to Sebastian. After the Australian's pit stop the order of the top five was the same as at the start. Hamilton had a dominant lead, Verstappen was second and Sebastian third. The Finns of Bottas and Kimi were P4 and P5.
There was no on-track battles for the podium places. However, the backmarkers caused drama for Hamilton on lap 38. Haas' Grosjean and Williams' Sirotkin were having a battle of their own, and Grosjean ignored the blue flags. Verstappen benefitted from Grosjean's and Sirotkin's battle and managed to close the gap to Hamilton. For a moment it looked like Verstappen was going to have a chance to overtake Hamilton. But as soon as Hamilton got past this fighting couple, he opened a gap to Verstappen again. Some laps later Grosjean was given a 5-second time penalty for ignoring the blue flags.
With ten laps to go, it seemed that Bottas, Kimi and Ricciardo were going to have a battle of their own for P4. Kimi was a second down on his compatriot Bottas, and Ricciardo was lurking right behind Kimi. However, following another car proved extremely difficult, let alone making a successful overtaking move. Bottas was stuck behind Renault's Hulkenberg, who was a lap down. However, Bottas had a bizarre problem, as he was unable to get close enough, so that the German would have been shown blue flags.
Hamilton was in a class of his own in the night of Singapore. He took the seventh win of the season and extended his championship lead over Sebastian to 40 points already. Verstappen was the impressive runner-up, which must have felt almost like a victory, after all the engine woes and gear box issues during the weekend, race included. Sebastian completed the podium, but unbelievable but true, the German crossed the finish line massive 40 seconds behind the race winner Hamilton! Where had Ferrari's competitiveness suddenly disappeared? Bottas finished fourth, followed by Kimi and Ricciardo. In the end this year's Singapore GP turned out quite a boring race.
A 40-point lead is quite remarkable, with just six races to go. Many people are saying, that the ability to handle pressure is a weakness for Sebastian. That he cracks under pressure and makes mistakes. He has the rest of the season to prove the critics otherwise. I'm confident that he'll be able to turn the tables in the championship battle. He has done it before; let's not forget, what happened in 2010! Sebastian is a driver, who is capable of making miracles happen. Ferrari are 30 points down on the Silver Arrows in the constructors' standings, but the Red Team still have the chance to win the title! Taken into consideration, how extremely convincingly Kimi has performed this season, nothing is lost yet. Sebastian, Kimi and the Red Team have my support. Onwards and upwards, towards Sochi! Forza Ferrari!
sunnuntai 2. syyskuuta 2018
Italian GP: Not even the perfect drive brought Kimi the victory!
There was so much tension in the air, as the start of the Italian GP was at hand. The "red sea" in the grandstands was eagerly waiting for their home heroes to win. And the odds were definitely on the Red Team's side, as Kimi and Sebastian were to start from the front row. According to my perfect plan the red-suited home heroes were going to make it a 1-2...
The start was extremely intense. Kimi on pole got a perfect start, and he was absolutely determined to dive first into Turn 1. Sebastian clearly dreamt of a chance to challenge his teammate right at the start, but Kimi defended his lead with attitude. Hamilton, too was trying everything to get past at least one of the Ferraris. Going into Variante, the Briton was already challenging Sebastian for P2. It led into a bizarre situation, where Sebastian ended up hitting Hamilton's Mercedes. The contact caused Sebastian to spin; there was also significant damage to the front wing and side-pod of the German's SF71-H. Sebastian had to pit for a new nose. He also switched to the soft Pirellis. However, safety car had been deployed, because Sauber's Ericsson had hit Hartley's Toro Rosso at the start, ending the race for the New Zealander. Thanks to the safety car, Sebastian's race wasn't totally ruined, although he had naturally dropped down to the back of the pack.
Safety car came in on lap 3. And what a hair-raising re-start it was! Hamilton was stubborn to snatch the lead from Kimi, and the Briton attacked in Turn 1, making it past Kimi. But Kimi wasn't going to let the lead be taken away from him. Going into Variante, the Iceman made a move on Hamilton, taking back the lead! It was fantastic to see such passionate Kimi on track. What a battle of titans this was going to be! Red Bull's Verstappen had managed to pass Bottas at the start, and the Finn had difficulties to match the Dutchman's pace, although Red Bull's race pace was everything but competitive.
The battle for victory was so electrifying. Kimi proved unable to pull away from Hamilton. The gap between these rivals varied from DRS distance to a bit over a second. There was no room for mistakes. Ferrari called Kimi in already on lap 21, and the Iceman switched to the yellow-marked middle compound. Kimi's pit stop was close to perfection, as it took only 2.2 seconds. Mercedes, too seemed ready to call Hamilton in, but it was all about bluffing, and both Mercedes aces stayed out. By that time Sebastian had made it past Renault's Sainz, claiming P7 already. Sebastian definitely offered a spectacular overtaking show, making his way through the field one by one.
Kimi had re-joined the track in P4, and now it was all about racing against the clock. The gap to Hamilton had to maintain under 24 seconds, in order for Kimi to take the lead after Hamilton's pit stop. And Kimi definitely knew, what he had to do. The flying Iceman kept banging fastest lap times, which meant headache for Hamilton. Meanwhile, Ricciardo's race came to a premature end, as the Australian's RB14 was hit with a power unit issue, unfortunately not the first one this season. What a frustrating race for the Honey Badger, who had had to start to the race from the back of the pack and after a hard struggle had to settle for DNF.
Hamilton pitted not until on lap 29. The Briton opted for the soft compound as well, and re-joined the track in P3. His teammate Bottas was now leading the race, and Kimi in P2 was rapidly closing the gap to his fellow countryman... The team's message to Bottas was clear: "Keep Kimi behind". Hamilton was now 5 seconds behind the Iceman. Meanwhile, Sebastian pitted for the second time, for another set of super-soft Pirellis. Sebastian re-joined the track in P10, which meant, that he had to make the overtaking round all over again...
Bottas did, what the team wanted him to do; he defended his position with determination, and managed to keep Kimi behind. In other words, Bottas gave the perfect help to Hamilton, who managed to close the gap to Kimi, and was in no time right at the Iceman's tail. Kimi tried his best to find an opportunity to overtake his compatriot, but the Iceman was stuck. Until Bottas pitted on lap 36, also for a fresh set of soft tyres. The Finn re-joined the track in P4; helping Hamilton and stretching his first stint cost him losing a position to Verstappen.
Hamilton had 9 laps fresher tyres, and he was frighteningly close to Kimi. Driving behind Bottas had caused heavy degradation on Kimi's tyres, and the situation worsened lap by lap. My heart pounded when I watched the battle between the two. Every cell in me was hoping, that Kimi would be able to hold Hamilton back, and the Iceman would get his well-deserved win. That would have been the perfect fairy-tale... But like you all know, life doesn't often go like in fairy-tales. After a ten-lap heroic battle, Kimi's rear tyres were completely blistered and gone, and Hamilton forced himself past the Iceman, going into Turn 1. What a bitter moment it was! Kimi had done everything he possibly could to defend his lead, but there was nothing he could do about the dying tyres.
Meanwhile, there was drama between Verstappen and Bottas, who were battling for the fourth place. With ten laps to go, Bottas was hungry to make a move on Verstappen in Turn 1. Verstappen ended up changing his line at the braking, which caused contact between the two; Bottas went off track but was able to continue. The stewards took this incident into investigation, and Verstappen was handed a 5-second time penalty for changing his line at the braking.
As soon as Hamilton managed to make it past Kimi, he disappeared into the horizon. Kimi had no chance to match the Briton's pace on his dying tyres. Luckily there was no threat coming from behind. Bottas was challenging Verstappen for P4, although the Finn was going to claim P4 anyway due to the Dutchman's time penalty. However, the Dutchman was absolutely stubborn and wasn't going to let Bottas past, no matter the penalty.
Although Ferrari held all the keys for a possible 1-2 today, Hamilton crossed the finish line as the race winner, which was a massive disappointment for the passionate home crowd. Kimi had fought like a lion, and he was the stunning runner-up. He was also voted as the Driver of the Day. Due to Verstappen's penalty Bottas was third and Vettel fourth, and the hot-headed Red Bull ace had to settle for P5. Grosjean made it an impressive P6 for Haas. The Frenchman was followed by the pink duo of Ocon and Perez. Sainz finished the race in P9, and Williams' Stroll was the last man to score points.
Sebastian's competitive instinct is definitely one of his strengths. But sometimes it turns out as a weakness as well. Sebastian is a master of controlling the race, when he has the lead in his hands. But losing to his teammate is awfully hard for him. The disappointment and frustration of losing makes him do bad and hesitated decisions... Today's crash to Hamilton was completely unnecessary. He should have thought things further than a few corners away... It was only the opening lap, there was the whole race ahead of him! But he was so hungry to get the lead, which is completely understandable. He wanted to give the best result to the Tifosi... Everyone has a weakness, even the four-time world champion. But I hope Sebastian knows, that he has my support, and the support of millions of other fans. Bad moments come and go. He can learn from this and bounce back stronger. He has done it before, so I know he can do it again! He has what it takes to turn the tables in the fight for the championship.
However, the crash proved costly for Sebastian. Hamilton extended his lead to 30 points in the championship standings. Now the gap is bigger than any time before this season. Ferrari are 25 points down on Mercedes in the constructors' standings.
Then there's always the "what if". With a longer first stint, would Kimi have been able to keep his lead? We're never going to find out. But after today's race one thing is for sure; Ferrari HAVE TO renew Kimi's contract for next year! They are absolutely out of their minds, if they don't! They have a pure diamond in Kimi! So I'm looking forward to a contract announcement soon!
The start was extremely intense. Kimi on pole got a perfect start, and he was absolutely determined to dive first into Turn 1. Sebastian clearly dreamt of a chance to challenge his teammate right at the start, but Kimi defended his lead with attitude. Hamilton, too was trying everything to get past at least one of the Ferraris. Going into Variante, the Briton was already challenging Sebastian for P2. It led into a bizarre situation, where Sebastian ended up hitting Hamilton's Mercedes. The contact caused Sebastian to spin; there was also significant damage to the front wing and side-pod of the German's SF71-H. Sebastian had to pit for a new nose. He also switched to the soft Pirellis. However, safety car had been deployed, because Sauber's Ericsson had hit Hartley's Toro Rosso at the start, ending the race for the New Zealander. Thanks to the safety car, Sebastian's race wasn't totally ruined, although he had naturally dropped down to the back of the pack.
Safety car came in on lap 3. And what a hair-raising re-start it was! Hamilton was stubborn to snatch the lead from Kimi, and the Briton attacked in Turn 1, making it past Kimi. But Kimi wasn't going to let the lead be taken away from him. Going into Variante, the Iceman made a move on Hamilton, taking back the lead! It was fantastic to see such passionate Kimi on track. What a battle of titans this was going to be! Red Bull's Verstappen had managed to pass Bottas at the start, and the Finn had difficulties to match the Dutchman's pace, although Red Bull's race pace was everything but competitive.
The battle for victory was so electrifying. Kimi proved unable to pull away from Hamilton. The gap between these rivals varied from DRS distance to a bit over a second. There was no room for mistakes. Ferrari called Kimi in already on lap 21, and the Iceman switched to the yellow-marked middle compound. Kimi's pit stop was close to perfection, as it took only 2.2 seconds. Mercedes, too seemed ready to call Hamilton in, but it was all about bluffing, and both Mercedes aces stayed out. By that time Sebastian had made it past Renault's Sainz, claiming P7 already. Sebastian definitely offered a spectacular overtaking show, making his way through the field one by one.
Kimi had re-joined the track in P4, and now it was all about racing against the clock. The gap to Hamilton had to maintain under 24 seconds, in order for Kimi to take the lead after Hamilton's pit stop. And Kimi definitely knew, what he had to do. The flying Iceman kept banging fastest lap times, which meant headache for Hamilton. Meanwhile, Ricciardo's race came to a premature end, as the Australian's RB14 was hit with a power unit issue, unfortunately not the first one this season. What a frustrating race for the Honey Badger, who had had to start to the race from the back of the pack and after a hard struggle had to settle for DNF.
Hamilton pitted not until on lap 29. The Briton opted for the soft compound as well, and re-joined the track in P3. His teammate Bottas was now leading the race, and Kimi in P2 was rapidly closing the gap to his fellow countryman... The team's message to Bottas was clear: "Keep Kimi behind". Hamilton was now 5 seconds behind the Iceman. Meanwhile, Sebastian pitted for the second time, for another set of super-soft Pirellis. Sebastian re-joined the track in P10, which meant, that he had to make the overtaking round all over again...
Bottas did, what the team wanted him to do; he defended his position with determination, and managed to keep Kimi behind. In other words, Bottas gave the perfect help to Hamilton, who managed to close the gap to Kimi, and was in no time right at the Iceman's tail. Kimi tried his best to find an opportunity to overtake his compatriot, but the Iceman was stuck. Until Bottas pitted on lap 36, also for a fresh set of soft tyres. The Finn re-joined the track in P4; helping Hamilton and stretching his first stint cost him losing a position to Verstappen.
Hamilton had 9 laps fresher tyres, and he was frighteningly close to Kimi. Driving behind Bottas had caused heavy degradation on Kimi's tyres, and the situation worsened lap by lap. My heart pounded when I watched the battle between the two. Every cell in me was hoping, that Kimi would be able to hold Hamilton back, and the Iceman would get his well-deserved win. That would have been the perfect fairy-tale... But like you all know, life doesn't often go like in fairy-tales. After a ten-lap heroic battle, Kimi's rear tyres were completely blistered and gone, and Hamilton forced himself past the Iceman, going into Turn 1. What a bitter moment it was! Kimi had done everything he possibly could to defend his lead, but there was nothing he could do about the dying tyres.
Meanwhile, there was drama between Verstappen and Bottas, who were battling for the fourth place. With ten laps to go, Bottas was hungry to make a move on Verstappen in Turn 1. Verstappen ended up changing his line at the braking, which caused contact between the two; Bottas went off track but was able to continue. The stewards took this incident into investigation, and Verstappen was handed a 5-second time penalty for changing his line at the braking.
As soon as Hamilton managed to make it past Kimi, he disappeared into the horizon. Kimi had no chance to match the Briton's pace on his dying tyres. Luckily there was no threat coming from behind. Bottas was challenging Verstappen for P4, although the Finn was going to claim P4 anyway due to the Dutchman's time penalty. However, the Dutchman was absolutely stubborn and wasn't going to let Bottas past, no matter the penalty.
Although Ferrari held all the keys for a possible 1-2 today, Hamilton crossed the finish line as the race winner, which was a massive disappointment for the passionate home crowd. Kimi had fought like a lion, and he was the stunning runner-up. He was also voted as the Driver of the Day. Due to Verstappen's penalty Bottas was third and Vettel fourth, and the hot-headed Red Bull ace had to settle for P5. Grosjean made it an impressive P6 for Haas. The Frenchman was followed by the pink duo of Ocon and Perez. Sainz finished the race in P9, and Williams' Stroll was the last man to score points.
Sebastian's competitive instinct is definitely one of his strengths. But sometimes it turns out as a weakness as well. Sebastian is a master of controlling the race, when he has the lead in his hands. But losing to his teammate is awfully hard for him. The disappointment and frustration of losing makes him do bad and hesitated decisions... Today's crash to Hamilton was completely unnecessary. He should have thought things further than a few corners away... It was only the opening lap, there was the whole race ahead of him! But he was so hungry to get the lead, which is completely understandable. He wanted to give the best result to the Tifosi... Everyone has a weakness, even the four-time world champion. But I hope Sebastian knows, that he has my support, and the support of millions of other fans. Bad moments come and go. He can learn from this and bounce back stronger. He has done it before, so I know he can do it again! He has what it takes to turn the tables in the fight for the championship.
However, the crash proved costly for Sebastian. Hamilton extended his lead to 30 points in the championship standings. Now the gap is bigger than any time before this season. Ferrari are 25 points down on Mercedes in the constructors' standings.
Then there's always the "what if". With a longer first stint, would Kimi have been able to keep his lead? We're never going to find out. But after today's race one thing is for sure; Ferrari HAVE TO renew Kimi's contract for next year! They are absolutely out of their minds, if they don't! They have a pure diamond in Kimi! So I'm looking forward to a contract announcement soon!
Italian GP / Qualifying: Sensational Kimi led Ferrari to a front-row lock-out!
The weather forecast had predicted a rainy Saturday for Monza, but luckily the conditions were dry, as the qualifying kicked off. Everyone headed out on the red-walled super-softs. Ferrari showed flying pace right from the start. Sebastian made two flying laps, split by a cool-down lap, and made it on top of the timesheets. Teammate Kimi was only two tenths off his teammate's pace. After the first runs Hamilton, who was struggling especially in the final sector, was a massive half-a-second off Sebastian. Bottas seemed to be struggling with his performance even more, as the Finn was already eight tenths off pace. However, at the end of the session, Hamilton managed to slice the deficit in half on his second run. At this point I had a strong intuition saying, that the shootout for pole was going to be between the red-suited teammates. The most positive surprise of the first segment was the performance of Williams, as both Sirotkin and Stroll managed to make it through to Q2. Sirotkin was 11th and Stroll 13th, which was delightful variation, as in many previous races they have been the two slowest drivers on track. Force India's Perez made a shock exit from Q1, but only by one thousandth of a second! Out with the Mexican were the Sauber duo of Leclerc and Ericsson, Toro Rosso's Hartley and McLaren's Vandoorne. The battle to get through to Q2 was utterly hair-raising, as Sainz in 8th and Hartley in 18th were separated by just two tenths!
Red Bull's Ricciardo sat out the second session, as a series of engine component changes had triggered a hefty grid penalty for Sunday's race. This time the tyre strategy was very straight-forward; everyone came out on the softest compound. Hamilton is known for his magical skill to find extra speed, when it is needed, and the Briton proved this quality again at the Temple of Speed. He went fastest, but only for a short moment. Sebastian went wide at Parabolica, but he still managed to cut 13 thousandths of a second off Hamilton's time! Sebastian was the fastest man of the second session, followed by Hamilton and Kimi. Williams' Stroll continued his magnificent performance and made it 8th, making his way to Q3 for the first time this season. Haas' Magnussen and McLaren's Alonso, on the other hand, had a bizarre-looking squabble, as they battled for track position, which in turn ruined their final runs, and neither one of them made it Q3. In addition to Ricciardo, also Renault's Hulkenberg had been handed a grid penalty for engine element changes. Sirotkin didn't manage to match his teammate's performance, and the Russian was out of Q3.
Q3 offered an absolutely nail-biting finale. The 14-year-old track record by Montoya was first smashed by Hamilton, who took provisional pole after setting an outstanding lap. However, Kimi's final sector was absolutely magical, and the Iceman was only 0.069s down on the Briton. Sebastian was third after his first run, 0.1s down on Hamilton. Bottas was still struggling with his performance, and a half-a-second gap to his teammate definitely caught my eye. The second runs set up a true thriller. Hamilton improved his lap time on his second run, which meant smashing the track record again. Then came Sebastian, smashing it again. But then there came the on-flames-driving Iceman, who smashed the track record once more, making it on pole for the first time since the 2017 Monaco GP! Kimi's 1.19.119s-lap was the fastest lap in F1 history! Kimi is the oldest pole-setter since Nigel Mansell in 1994! Kimi's pole lap was absolutely phenomenal and sensational. For a moment Sebastian thought, that he had clinched pole, and he seemed quite flabbergasted when he was told on the team radio, that Kimi was on pole. However, this is Sebastian's very first front-row grid slot at Monza in his Ferrari career. Ferrari should have taken a front-row lock-out already at Spa last week, but now it finally came! Unbelievable but true, this is only Ferrari's first front-row lock-out at Monza since 2000. Also, Mercedes have led every lap of every Italian GP since the start of the current turbo hybrid era. So it's definitely breaking news, that Ferrari conquered the front row today.
Oh, I'm so overwhelmingly praising Ferrari for their phenomenal performance, that I was about to forget the rest of the top ten. Bottas made it an all-Mercedes second row, although the Finn was only a pale shadow of what he has used to be this season. Verstappen made it 5th for Red Bull, with Haas' Grosjean completing the third row. Renault's Sainz, Force India's Ocon, Toro Rosso's Gasly and Williams' Stroll rounded out the top ten.
I was so happy for Kimi's pole position! It was about time for the Iceman to be back on top! I hope Ferrari gives him a chance to win the race. A red 1-2 on their home soil would be something absolutely magical! But to finish first, first you have to finish... Forza Ferrari!
Red Bull's Ricciardo sat out the second session, as a series of engine component changes had triggered a hefty grid penalty for Sunday's race. This time the tyre strategy was very straight-forward; everyone came out on the softest compound. Hamilton is known for his magical skill to find extra speed, when it is needed, and the Briton proved this quality again at the Temple of Speed. He went fastest, but only for a short moment. Sebastian went wide at Parabolica, but he still managed to cut 13 thousandths of a second off Hamilton's time! Sebastian was the fastest man of the second session, followed by Hamilton and Kimi. Williams' Stroll continued his magnificent performance and made it 8th, making his way to Q3 for the first time this season. Haas' Magnussen and McLaren's Alonso, on the other hand, had a bizarre-looking squabble, as they battled for track position, which in turn ruined their final runs, and neither one of them made it Q3. In addition to Ricciardo, also Renault's Hulkenberg had been handed a grid penalty for engine element changes. Sirotkin didn't manage to match his teammate's performance, and the Russian was out of Q3.
Q3 offered an absolutely nail-biting finale. The 14-year-old track record by Montoya was first smashed by Hamilton, who took provisional pole after setting an outstanding lap. However, Kimi's final sector was absolutely magical, and the Iceman was only 0.069s down on the Briton. Sebastian was third after his first run, 0.1s down on Hamilton. Bottas was still struggling with his performance, and a half-a-second gap to his teammate definitely caught my eye. The second runs set up a true thriller. Hamilton improved his lap time on his second run, which meant smashing the track record again. Then came Sebastian, smashing it again. But then there came the on-flames-driving Iceman, who smashed the track record once more, making it on pole for the first time since the 2017 Monaco GP! Kimi's 1.19.119s-lap was the fastest lap in F1 history! Kimi is the oldest pole-setter since Nigel Mansell in 1994! Kimi's pole lap was absolutely phenomenal and sensational. For a moment Sebastian thought, that he had clinched pole, and he seemed quite flabbergasted when he was told on the team radio, that Kimi was on pole. However, this is Sebastian's very first front-row grid slot at Monza in his Ferrari career. Ferrari should have taken a front-row lock-out already at Spa last week, but now it finally came! Unbelievable but true, this is only Ferrari's first front-row lock-out at Monza since 2000. Also, Mercedes have led every lap of every Italian GP since the start of the current turbo hybrid era. So it's definitely breaking news, that Ferrari conquered the front row today.
Oh, I'm so overwhelmingly praising Ferrari for their phenomenal performance, that I was about to forget the rest of the top ten. Bottas made it an all-Mercedes second row, although the Finn was only a pale shadow of what he has used to be this season. Verstappen made it 5th for Red Bull, with Haas' Grosjean completing the third row. Renault's Sainz, Force India's Ocon, Toro Rosso's Gasly and Williams' Stroll rounded out the top ten.
I was so happy for Kimi's pole position! It was about time for the Iceman to be back on top! I hope Ferrari gives him a chance to win the race. A red 1-2 on their home soil would be something absolutely magical! But to finish first, first you have to finish... Forza Ferrari!
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