It was scorching hot at Red Bull Ring, as the cars lined up for the formation lap. Because Magnussen had been given the penalty before Hamilton, the Briton dropped down only two places instead of three. It meant, that Hamilton started to the race from P4, alongside his teammate Bottas. As the lights went out, Leclerc accelerated into the lead. Verstappen in P2, on the other hand, had a catastrophic start. His RB15 went into the anti-stall mode, which cost dearly for the Dutchman. Bottas took the second place, and was followed by teammate Hamilton. Kimi, who started to the race from P6, had an amazing start. The Iceman managed to jump two positions on the opening lap, and was in sensational P4! McLaren's Norris was 5th and Sebastian had made it from P9 to P6. Verstappen, instead, had dropped down to P7 due to his poor start.
Sebastian's race pace on the soft Pirellis proved excellent, and the German put pressure on Norris. The young Briton defended his position as well as he could, but determined Sebastian found his way past the McLaren pilot. In no time Sebastian was right at Kimi's tail. In spite of the magnificent start, Alfa Romeo's race pace was no match to Ferrari's pace, and Sebastian overtook his ex-teammate, claiming P4 already. Also Verstappen made his way through the field; having passed both Norris and Kimi, the flying Dutchman started hunting Sebastian.
Leclerc was safely controlling the race. Bottas was 3.8 seconds down on the race leader, and Hamilton was 2.4 seconds off his teammate. Sebastian was three seconds down on Hamilton, with one third of the race done. Meanwhile, further down in the pack, Kimi was having an intense battle with Red Bull's Gasly for P7. The Frenchman seemed to have more pace, but experienced Kimi was able to predict every overtaking move, defending his position skillfully.
On lap 22 both Bottas and Vettel pitted for a fresh set of hard Pirellis. The pit stop cost the Finn an extra second or two, as the team had to wait for a moment before releasing Bottas, as Sebastian drove past Bottas' pit box. But Sebastian's pit stop was far from perfect as well. The team had difficulties with attaching one of his tyres, which made the pit stop last five seconds longer than normally. Race leader Leclerc also pitted for a similar tyre strategy to his teammate. Hamilton stayed out, and was now leading the race, with Verstappen second.
However, Hamilton reported on the team radio, that he felt he was missing downforce. He asked the team to check his front wing. The team called him in on lap 30, and they changed him a new front wing. This cost the Briton ten extra seconds, which enabled Sebastian to jump ahead Hamilton during the Briton's pit stop. Verstappen pitted two laps after Hamilton, switching to the hard rubber as well. Due to Hamilton's delayed pit stop, also Max managed to move ahead of the Briton, when re-joining the track.
Around the halfway point of the race, Leclerc was leading the race by 4 seconds to Bottas. Sebastian was third, 4.5 seconds behind the Finn. Sebastian kept banging fastest lap times, rapidly closing the gap to Valtteri. At this point it seemed, that a podium finish would well be within Sebastian's reach. On the other hand, there was certain flying Dutchman sneaking behind Sebastian. Max was absolutely flying on his fresh hard tyres, and Max started to clock fastest lap times.
It was "a piece of cake" for Max to get within DRS distance from Sebastian, whose tyres were ten laps older than Max's. The pressure from Max was immense... Sebastian defended his position like a lion for many laps. However, with 20 laps to go, Max attacked into the outside of Sebastian, overtaking the German successfully. Once having got past, Max soon disappeared into the horizon. Ferrari reacted right away and called Sebastian in for the second time. Sebastian switched to the red-marked soft compound, and re-joined the track behind Hamilton. A determined chase began...
It seemed, that Max's pace got better and better towards the end of the race. The flying Red Bull ace was a second per lap faster than Bottas, who wasn't able to extract the maximum out of his W09, due to an overheating issue. Max already smelled the Finn's blood. On lap 54 Max had closed the gap to Valtteri and was right at the Finn's tail. Max attacked Valtteri many times, and on lap 56 he squeezed it past the Finn! The orange grand stands were cheering fiercely. At this point Max realized, that even victory was within his reach. It was obvious, that Max was seriously going for the victory!
Leclerc, who had stopped ten laps before Verstappen, had a 4.5-second lead. But it was only another mission to be accomplished for the wind-fast Verstappen. With six more laps to go, Max had made it right at the tail of Leclerc. Max showed himself in the Monegasque's mirrors continually, and the overtaking move seemed to be only a matter of time. It was a fierce wheel-to-wheel battle indeed. Max pushed himself into the inside of Leclerc, but the Ferrari ace managed to keep his position -just barely. Only three laps before the chequered flag, Max had decided to take the victory. He attacked Leclerc again, pushing the Ferrari ace wide, moving past Charles. There was even a light contact between the two. It was pure racing at its very best! However, Charles disagreed, and the stewards took the incident into investigation. Hopefully there won't be any result-changing penalties this time!
Behind the top two, there was intense battle between Sebastian and Hamilton for P4. Sebastian had chased down the Briton, making it into the DRS zone. And on the second last lap, Sebastian squeezed past Hamilton, claiming P4! Bottas was only a couple of seconds ahead, and Sebastian started his chase. And he managed to catch the Finn, but the laps ran out. Sensational Max took his first win of the season, which was his sixth career win. I was so happy for Max, he was simply phenomenal at the wheel of his RB15! Disappointed Charles finished the runner-up. Bottas completed the podium, with Sebastian fourth and Hamilton fifth. Once again McLaren delivered a strong race, as Norris finished 6th and teammate Sainz 8th. The McLaren duo was split by Red Bull's Gasly. Alfa Romeo showed impressive performance as well, as Kimi finished 9th and teammate Giovinazzi 10th, scoring his first point of the season.
Hamilton's championship lead shrank into 31 points, which is still a lot of points. Thanks to Max's phenomenal victory, he passed Sebastian in the championship standings, moving third. What an action-packed and entertaining race the Austrian GP turned out! This is definitely, what the fans want to see. Max and Charles marked the youngest 1-2 in the F1 history, with the average age of 21 years and 265 days. Hopefully there's more action like this coming at Silverstone in a fortnight!
Kimi Räikkönen & Sebastian Vettel
sunnuntai 30. kesäkuuta 2019
lauantai 29. kesäkuuta 2019
Austrian GP / Qualifying: Leclerc stole the show by conquering pole!
Spielberg, Austria was under a massive heat wave, as the F1 circus arrived at Red Bull Ring for round 9. The circuit was expected to suit Mercedes in a superior way. However, qualifying proved to be full of surprises, which was a refreshing wind of change.
The first surprise was seen already in Q1. Against all odds, both Ferraris came out on the medium tyres. Leclerc went fastest, with teammate Sebastian third after their first runs. Mercedes' pace seemed surprisingly tame on the soft Pirellis. I thought they were sandbagging, and there was much more to come from them in the following segments. Kimi's first flyer was ruined by Hamilton, who impeded the Iceman. Kimi was in a worrying P16, with only six minutes left. The Mercedes drivers were also struggling till the end of the first session. Hamilton was only 8th and Bottas 12th, as there were less than a minute remaining! Traffic was a problem for many drivers, but Verstappen got his timing right and went fastest. Hamilton delivered on his last run, jumping second in the time sheets. Bottas, too got his lap together, making it third. Leclerc was fourth and Sebastian fifth, both having set their lap times on the medium rubber. Kimi, too managed to set a competitive lap time, and the Iceman had no difficulties to proceed into the second segment. The first driver to miss out on Q2 was Racing Point's Perez, alongside teammate Stroll. Toro Rosso's Kvyat would have made it into Q2, had he not been impeded by Williams' Russell at the very end of the first session. Like expected, both Williams drivers were out of Q2 for the 9th time this season.
There was a surprising aspect in terms of tyre strategy also in Q2. Predictably, Mercedes sent their drivers out on the yellow-marked medium rubber, which was also Verstappen's choice. Against the odds, Ferrari didn't opt for the medium Pirellis, but the Red Team sent their drivers out on the soft tyres. In spite of the heat, the softs are expected to last better than in France a week ago, and the soft compound is considered a competitive tyre choice for the race. No matter, which compound Charles had, the Red Bull Ring seemed to suit him perfectly. Not only had the young Monegasque won there both in GP3 and GP2 series, he also set the fastest lap time in the second session. Sebastian was two tenths down on him, and Verstappen in third was three tenths off the pace. Hamilton and Bottas were only fourth and fifth! Storming Leclerc even managed to improve his lap time in the end, giving a true storm warning for the Mercedes duo. Alfa Romeo's pace seemed promising as well, and both Kimi and Giovinazzi made it within the top ten. Out of the decisive segment were Haas' Grosjean, the Renault duo of Hulkenberg and Ricciardo, Toro Rosso's Albon and McLaren's Sainz. At the end of Q2 there was something worrying happening in Sebastian's pit garage. There was clearly something wrong with his Lina, as there were mechanics working all over his car...
And the problems continued, as Q3 got underway. Soon it was obvious, that there was a major issue in question, and it was something, that wasn't going to be easily fixed. Sebastian was out of the final segment! What a shame indeed! Now that Hamilton seemed to be in trouble, it would have been critically important for Sebastian to claim a grid slot as high up on the grid as possible! I didn't want to admit, that it was true, Sebastian being out of the fight for pole. Especially, as his teammate was absolutely flying! Charles took provisional pole and seemed confident not to give up on it. Bottas was second, three tenths off the super fast Ferrari ace. Verstappen was third, six tenths down on Charles. Hamilton was only fourth after his first attempt, massive seven tenths down on Charles. I was surprised how big the gaps were, as the lap at the Red Bull Ring is the shortest of all circuits on the current calendar. Leclerc didn't let Hamilton even dream about the pole; he improved his lap time on his last run. Hamilton was able to raise his pace, but wasn't able to jump higher than second on his last flyer. Verstappen made his orange-suited fans cheer by qualifying third. Bottas was left fourth, which was a disappointment for the Finn. Haas' Magnussen had a superb day, as the Dane made it fifth in the standings. Norris qualified sixth for McLaren, followed by the Alfa Romeo duo of Kimi and Giovinazzi. Red Bull's Gasly claimed modest P9, and Sebastian was cruelly left in P10 due to his technical woes.
However, there are some changes on the grid in terms of tomorrow's race. Hamilton, who qualified second, has been handed a 3-place grid penalty for impeding Kimi in Q1, which will drop the Briton down in P5. Magnussen, who had a perfect day at the wheel of his Haas by making it 5th on the grid, will drop down to P10 due to a gear box change. This means, that Verstappen will start to the race from the front row! It will be so interesting to see, what will happen at the start! I'm sure that Max is extremely hungry to challenge Charles by any means necessary. Bottas will be promoted to P3, with McLaren's Norris alongside him! The tyre strategy will also be interesting. Which proves to be the right choice for the first stint, softs or mediums? Charles has a chance of his life to get his maiden win tomorrow! I'm afraid that a podium finish is out of Sebastian's reach, but I know he'll fight like a lion, like always. Forza Ferrari!
The first surprise was seen already in Q1. Against all odds, both Ferraris came out on the medium tyres. Leclerc went fastest, with teammate Sebastian third after their first runs. Mercedes' pace seemed surprisingly tame on the soft Pirellis. I thought they were sandbagging, and there was much more to come from them in the following segments. Kimi's first flyer was ruined by Hamilton, who impeded the Iceman. Kimi was in a worrying P16, with only six minutes left. The Mercedes drivers were also struggling till the end of the first session. Hamilton was only 8th and Bottas 12th, as there were less than a minute remaining! Traffic was a problem for many drivers, but Verstappen got his timing right and went fastest. Hamilton delivered on his last run, jumping second in the time sheets. Bottas, too got his lap together, making it third. Leclerc was fourth and Sebastian fifth, both having set their lap times on the medium rubber. Kimi, too managed to set a competitive lap time, and the Iceman had no difficulties to proceed into the second segment. The first driver to miss out on Q2 was Racing Point's Perez, alongside teammate Stroll. Toro Rosso's Kvyat would have made it into Q2, had he not been impeded by Williams' Russell at the very end of the first session. Like expected, both Williams drivers were out of Q2 for the 9th time this season.
There was a surprising aspect in terms of tyre strategy also in Q2. Predictably, Mercedes sent their drivers out on the yellow-marked medium rubber, which was also Verstappen's choice. Against the odds, Ferrari didn't opt for the medium Pirellis, but the Red Team sent their drivers out on the soft tyres. In spite of the heat, the softs are expected to last better than in France a week ago, and the soft compound is considered a competitive tyre choice for the race. No matter, which compound Charles had, the Red Bull Ring seemed to suit him perfectly. Not only had the young Monegasque won there both in GP3 and GP2 series, he also set the fastest lap time in the second session. Sebastian was two tenths down on him, and Verstappen in third was three tenths off the pace. Hamilton and Bottas were only fourth and fifth! Storming Leclerc even managed to improve his lap time in the end, giving a true storm warning for the Mercedes duo. Alfa Romeo's pace seemed promising as well, and both Kimi and Giovinazzi made it within the top ten. Out of the decisive segment were Haas' Grosjean, the Renault duo of Hulkenberg and Ricciardo, Toro Rosso's Albon and McLaren's Sainz. At the end of Q2 there was something worrying happening in Sebastian's pit garage. There was clearly something wrong with his Lina, as there were mechanics working all over his car...
And the problems continued, as Q3 got underway. Soon it was obvious, that there was a major issue in question, and it was something, that wasn't going to be easily fixed. Sebastian was out of the final segment! What a shame indeed! Now that Hamilton seemed to be in trouble, it would have been critically important for Sebastian to claim a grid slot as high up on the grid as possible! I didn't want to admit, that it was true, Sebastian being out of the fight for pole. Especially, as his teammate was absolutely flying! Charles took provisional pole and seemed confident not to give up on it. Bottas was second, three tenths off the super fast Ferrari ace. Verstappen was third, six tenths down on Charles. Hamilton was only fourth after his first attempt, massive seven tenths down on Charles. I was surprised how big the gaps were, as the lap at the Red Bull Ring is the shortest of all circuits on the current calendar. Leclerc didn't let Hamilton even dream about the pole; he improved his lap time on his last run. Hamilton was able to raise his pace, but wasn't able to jump higher than second on his last flyer. Verstappen made his orange-suited fans cheer by qualifying third. Bottas was left fourth, which was a disappointment for the Finn. Haas' Magnussen had a superb day, as the Dane made it fifth in the standings. Norris qualified sixth for McLaren, followed by the Alfa Romeo duo of Kimi and Giovinazzi. Red Bull's Gasly claimed modest P9, and Sebastian was cruelly left in P10 due to his technical woes.
However, there are some changes on the grid in terms of tomorrow's race. Hamilton, who qualified second, has been handed a 3-place grid penalty for impeding Kimi in Q1, which will drop the Briton down in P5. Magnussen, who had a perfect day at the wheel of his Haas by making it 5th on the grid, will drop down to P10 due to a gear box change. This means, that Verstappen will start to the race from the front row! It will be so interesting to see, what will happen at the start! I'm sure that Max is extremely hungry to challenge Charles by any means necessary. Bottas will be promoted to P3, with McLaren's Norris alongside him! The tyre strategy will also be interesting. Which proves to be the right choice for the first stint, softs or mediums? Charles has a chance of his life to get his maiden win tomorrow! I'm afraid that a podium finish is out of Sebastian's reach, but I know he'll fight like a lion, like always. Forza Ferrari!
maanantai 24. kesäkuuta 2019
French GP: Hamilton cruised to victory in a boring race!
During the past 25 years, I've watched Formula 1 action in various places. However, last Saturday was the first time for me, that I watched qualifying at a water park! But as I only need my cell phone and headphones, I have Formula 1 always with me, no matter where I go! :D
Mercedes were the clear favorites, coming to France for round 8. So it was no surprise, that they were setting the pace in qualifying. Mercedes' and Ferrari's tyre strategy in Q2 was well predicted, too. The soft compound had degraded extremely fast in Friday's free practice sessions, which meant, that there was no use for the softest rubber in the race. More surprising was the fact, that also some midfield teams opted for the medium compound in the second session. Both Renault and McLaren sent their drivers out on the yellow-walled Pirellis. Their pace was unpredictably competitive, and all four drivers made it among the top ten. Red Bull had a two-pronged strategy, as Verstappen set his fastest lap time on the medium compound, whilst teammate Gasly was struggling to make it among the top ten on the red-marked soft Pirellis. This time Giovinazzi managed to out-qualify the Iceman, as the Italian made it into the final segment, whilst Kimi was knocked out of Q3. This misfortune, however, proved a lucky setback after all, as Kimi was allowed to choose his tyres for the race, whilst Giovinazzi was forced to start to the race on the fast-degrading softs.
It was absolutely no news at all, that Mercedes locked down the front row, with championship-leading Hamilton having the upper hand on his Finnish teammate. More of news was the fact, that Sebastian made it only 7th on the grid! Teammate Leclerc qualified 3rd, which was well done from the Monegasque. Verstappen was 4th, which was a very familiar grid slot for the flying Dutchman. The most positive surprise of the qualifying were McLaren, as Norris qualified 5th and Sainz 6th. Unbelievable but true, both McLarens were faster than Sebastian in his Ferrari!
Red Bull's Gasly and Alfa Romeo's Giovinazzi were the only drivers to start to the race on the softs. All other top ten drivers were on the more durable medium Pirellis. Kimi, on the other hand, started to the race on the white-marked hard compound, which proved an excellent choice. There were no surprises at the start. Both Mercedes aces had a splendid start, and Hamilton held on to his lead. During the few opening laps, Sebastian seemed stuck behind the McLarens. Sainz had been able to overtake his teammate at the start, so Sebastian's first mission was to get past Norris. Sebastian attacked the young Briton on lap 5, making it past Norris. Two laps later he attacked Sainz, making another successful overtaking move. Sebastian was now fifth in the race, and his pace seemed competitive.
Verstappen was the first top driver to pit on lap 21. He switched to the hard compound and re-joined the track in P5. At this point Hamilton had already a 6-second gap to his teammate. Leclerc pitted a lap after Verstappen, for a similar tyre choice. Charles dropped down to P4, as teammate Sebastian hadn't pitted yet. Both Mercedes drivers pitted as well. After the pit stops Bottas was already 10 seconds down on his dominant teammate. The Finn seemed utterly toothless against his superior teammate. Sebastian pitted after a lock-up on lap 25, also for a fresh set of hard tyres. He re-joined the track in P5, so there were no changes in terms of the top five due to the pit stop roulette. Kimi, who had started to the race on the hard Pirellis, pitted not until on lap 32, for a used set of medium Pirellis. The pit stop dropped the Iceman down to P12.
The gaps between the top five drivers were safe, so there were no battles for positions, which made the race very boring, to be honest. Race leader Hamilton had a 12-second gap to Bottas, and Leclerc was six seconds down on the Finn. Verstappen was fourth and Sebastian fifth. Both McLarens were unable to match Ferrari's pace. On the other hand, Sebastian didn't have enough pace to challenge Verstappen for P4. This made the Red Team switch to "plan F", which meant going for the fastest lap time. Sebastian could easily afford an extra pit stop without losing any positions. The fastest lap time would be firmly on Sebastian's grasp on the fresh set of soft Pirellis!
On the closing laps Norris' orange McLaren was hit with a hydraulic issue, which made the car almost impossible to drive. It was such a shame, as the Spaniard was driving a fantastic race in P7. To Norris' misfortune, Kimi and Hulkenberg, who had a tight battle with each other, both managed to pass the struggling McLaren pilot. Renault's Ricciardo was right at the tail of these two. On the penultimate lap Ricciardo decided to make an audacious move, trying to overtake the duo. The Australian made his move, first on Hulkenberg and then on Kimi, but leaving the track on all four wheels, however.
Hamilton took his sixth win of the season in a superior way. Towards the end of the race, Ferrari's Leclerc had been able to sneak extremely close to Bottas, who was struggling with his pace. However, the Finn maintained his second place. Verstappen finished fourth and Sebastian fifth. Sainz was "the best of the rest", which made McLaren team members extremely happy. Ricciardo crossed the finish line in P7, but the Australian was handed not one but two 5-second time penalties for leaving the track and gaining an advantage! So Ricciardo was dropped down to P11, which promoted Kimi 7th and Hulkenberg 8th. In spite of his technical issues Norris managed to bring his McLaren to the chequered flag in P9. Red Bull's Gasly scored the last point, which was a modest result for the Red Bull driver, comparing to Max's P4 in the sister car. The joy of the day for me was, that Sebastian managed to grab the extra point for the fastest lap time.
All races this season have been won by a Mercedes driver! How boring is that! Hamilton has already a 39-point gap to his teammate in the drivers' standings. The situation is becoming more and more ticklish for Valtteri, who is also fighting for his next year's contract. The battle continues already this week in Austria!
Mercedes were the clear favorites, coming to France for round 8. So it was no surprise, that they were setting the pace in qualifying. Mercedes' and Ferrari's tyre strategy in Q2 was well predicted, too. The soft compound had degraded extremely fast in Friday's free practice sessions, which meant, that there was no use for the softest rubber in the race. More surprising was the fact, that also some midfield teams opted for the medium compound in the second session. Both Renault and McLaren sent their drivers out on the yellow-walled Pirellis. Their pace was unpredictably competitive, and all four drivers made it among the top ten. Red Bull had a two-pronged strategy, as Verstappen set his fastest lap time on the medium compound, whilst teammate Gasly was struggling to make it among the top ten on the red-marked soft Pirellis. This time Giovinazzi managed to out-qualify the Iceman, as the Italian made it into the final segment, whilst Kimi was knocked out of Q3. This misfortune, however, proved a lucky setback after all, as Kimi was allowed to choose his tyres for the race, whilst Giovinazzi was forced to start to the race on the fast-degrading softs.
It was absolutely no news at all, that Mercedes locked down the front row, with championship-leading Hamilton having the upper hand on his Finnish teammate. More of news was the fact, that Sebastian made it only 7th on the grid! Teammate Leclerc qualified 3rd, which was well done from the Monegasque. Verstappen was 4th, which was a very familiar grid slot for the flying Dutchman. The most positive surprise of the qualifying were McLaren, as Norris qualified 5th and Sainz 6th. Unbelievable but true, both McLarens were faster than Sebastian in his Ferrari!
Red Bull's Gasly and Alfa Romeo's Giovinazzi were the only drivers to start to the race on the softs. All other top ten drivers were on the more durable medium Pirellis. Kimi, on the other hand, started to the race on the white-marked hard compound, which proved an excellent choice. There were no surprises at the start. Both Mercedes aces had a splendid start, and Hamilton held on to his lead. During the few opening laps, Sebastian seemed stuck behind the McLarens. Sainz had been able to overtake his teammate at the start, so Sebastian's first mission was to get past Norris. Sebastian attacked the young Briton on lap 5, making it past Norris. Two laps later he attacked Sainz, making another successful overtaking move. Sebastian was now fifth in the race, and his pace seemed competitive.
Verstappen was the first top driver to pit on lap 21. He switched to the hard compound and re-joined the track in P5. At this point Hamilton had already a 6-second gap to his teammate. Leclerc pitted a lap after Verstappen, for a similar tyre choice. Charles dropped down to P4, as teammate Sebastian hadn't pitted yet. Both Mercedes drivers pitted as well. After the pit stops Bottas was already 10 seconds down on his dominant teammate. The Finn seemed utterly toothless against his superior teammate. Sebastian pitted after a lock-up on lap 25, also for a fresh set of hard tyres. He re-joined the track in P5, so there were no changes in terms of the top five due to the pit stop roulette. Kimi, who had started to the race on the hard Pirellis, pitted not until on lap 32, for a used set of medium Pirellis. The pit stop dropped the Iceman down to P12.
The gaps between the top five drivers were safe, so there were no battles for positions, which made the race very boring, to be honest. Race leader Hamilton had a 12-second gap to Bottas, and Leclerc was six seconds down on the Finn. Verstappen was fourth and Sebastian fifth. Both McLarens were unable to match Ferrari's pace. On the other hand, Sebastian didn't have enough pace to challenge Verstappen for P4. This made the Red Team switch to "plan F", which meant going for the fastest lap time. Sebastian could easily afford an extra pit stop without losing any positions. The fastest lap time would be firmly on Sebastian's grasp on the fresh set of soft Pirellis!
On the closing laps Norris' orange McLaren was hit with a hydraulic issue, which made the car almost impossible to drive. It was such a shame, as the Spaniard was driving a fantastic race in P7. To Norris' misfortune, Kimi and Hulkenberg, who had a tight battle with each other, both managed to pass the struggling McLaren pilot. Renault's Ricciardo was right at the tail of these two. On the penultimate lap Ricciardo decided to make an audacious move, trying to overtake the duo. The Australian made his move, first on Hulkenberg and then on Kimi, but leaving the track on all four wheels, however.
Hamilton took his sixth win of the season in a superior way. Towards the end of the race, Ferrari's Leclerc had been able to sneak extremely close to Bottas, who was struggling with his pace. However, the Finn maintained his second place. Verstappen finished fourth and Sebastian fifth. Sainz was "the best of the rest", which made McLaren team members extremely happy. Ricciardo crossed the finish line in P7, but the Australian was handed not one but two 5-second time penalties for leaving the track and gaining an advantage! So Ricciardo was dropped down to P11, which promoted Kimi 7th and Hulkenberg 8th. In spite of his technical issues Norris managed to bring his McLaren to the chequered flag in P9. Red Bull's Gasly scored the last point, which was a modest result for the Red Bull driver, comparing to Max's P4 in the sister car. The joy of the day for me was, that Sebastian managed to grab the extra point for the fastest lap time.
All races this season have been won by a Mercedes driver! How boring is that! Hamilton has already a 39-point gap to his teammate in the drivers' standings. The situation is becoming more and more ticklish for Valtteri, who is also fighting for his next year's contract. The battle continues already this week in Austria!
maanantai 10. kesäkuuta 2019
Canadian GP: A controversial penalty turned the race into a farce!
Montreal was hit with a heat wave, as the race day came. The temperature was almost 30 degrees Celsius, which meant an increasing challenge for the soft tyres especially. Hamilton was facing some extra tension, as his W10 had suffered from a hydraulic leak in the morning. However, the mechanics had been able to fix his Silver Arrow in time for the start.
Mercedes and Ferrari started to the race on the medium Pirellis, whilst the other top ten drivers had the soft compound on. Red Bull's Verstappen, who had been promoted to P9 due to Sainz's and Magnussen's penalties, opted for the white-walled hard rubber. All top three cars had a successful start, and I was happy to see Sebastian holding on to his lead. Hamilton and Leclerc followed the German closely. Bottas, who had started to the race from P6, lost a position to Renault's Hulkenberg at the start. It was a bit odd, that Bottas was really struggling with his medium tyres. There was no way he could match his teammate's pace. Verstappen, who had the hard Pirellis on, was making his way up through the field and in no time the Dutchman was already at the Finn's tail.
Sebastian had been able to pull out a two-second gap to Hamilton, as the pit stop window opened. The German pitted on lap 26, for a fresh set of hard tyres. He re-joined the track in P3. Hamilton pitted three laps later, for a similar tyre choice to Sebastian. Leclerc, who was now leading the race, was told on the team radio to extend his first stint. Some laps later also Bottas and Leclerc pitted for a new set of hard Pirellis. Bottas re-joined the track behind Renault's Ricciardo. Although the Finn clearly had more pace, it proved unbelievably difficult to get past the Australian. It took eight long laps, before Valtteri finally managed to overtake Ricciardo. Meanwhile Verstappen, who hadn't pitted yet, complained on the team radio, that his brake pedal went to the floor every time he braked.
Hamilton's pace on the hard tyres was even more convincing than it had been on the medium ones. The Briton had gotten within DRS distance from the German and was pushing flat out. Lap 48 was the decisive and dramatic turning point in the Canadian GP. Sebastian made a tiny mistake and ended up on the grass in Turn 4. He re-joined the track as fast as he could, but was close to lose control of his SF90 with grass on the tyres. He could just barely keep his car on track, and there was a close call with Hamilton, who had to back off to avoid contact with Sebastian. Although the situation looked like a racing incident, the stewards took it into investigation. The verdict was cruel: Sebastian was handed a 5-second time penalty for his unsafe return to the track! I definitely didn't agree with the stewards. Sebastian was clearly trying to re-join the track as safely as possible in those circumstances. It's very hard to predict the grip level, when you re-join the track on dirty tyres. He was just barely able to maintain control of his car, so there wasn't anything he could have done differently. The incident caused no harm for Hamilton, except a missed overtaking move. Did the stewards think, that Sebastian was supposed to brake dramatically and re-join the track in "turtle speed", to make sure he re-joined the track safely? No F1 driver would do that! The penalty turned the otherwise exciting and entertaining race into a farce.
Sebastian was extremely gutted and furious, when he was told about the penalty on the team radio. The only way he was going to win the race was to be able to build up a 5-second gap to Hamilton. But Sebastian knew Hamilton wasn't going to let that happen. Meanwhile, Verstappen finally pitted for a fresh set of medium Pirellis and attacked Ricciardo after his pit stop. The overtaking move on Ricciardo looked almost easy, and Max claimed P5 already.
As Bottas was driving in secured P4, he was called in for a second pit stop three laps before the chequered flag. Valtteri switched to the soft compound and began the chase of the fastest lap time. Thanks to the new soft tyres, Valtteri took the fastest lap time and the extra point under his belt on the closing laps.
Sebastian crossed the finish line first, but didn't win the race, as Hamilton was only two seconds down on the German. What an anti-climax indeed! Hamilton took his seventh race win in Canada, which equals Michael Schumacher's legendary record. Sebastian had to settle for the bitter second place, which he definitely wouldn't have wanted to settle for. Leclerc completed the podium, and Bottas was left off the podium in P4. Verstappen finished the race fifth for Red Bull and Ricciardo sixth for Renault. Nico Hulkenberg made the day successful for Renault, as he finished in P7. Red Bull's Gasly was left in modest P8. Home hero Stroll was responsible for the most positive surprise in the race, as the Canadian drove to the chequered flag in P9, scoring two points. Kvyat scored the last point for Toro Rosso.
Sebastian was so angry after the race. In the heat of the moment he decided not to attend the post-race interviews and parked his Lina in a wrong place. The frustration and disappointment was very understandable. He had just lost the race win due to a controversial penalty by the stewards. In the heat of the moment you do childish things. Like Sebastian took the number 1 board away from Hamilton's car and moved it where his car was supposed to be. He did give an interview on the podium after all. And Sebastian showed great sportsmanship and respect to his rival Hamilton, which he can be very proud of. So in that way he is a good role model for young drivers. But all in all he was definitely robbed of the victory! The majority of people seem to think that the penalty was a wrong call from the stewards. I was so so happy on Saturday, when Sebastian clinched the pole! But yesterday I felt huge disappointment and sadness due to the unexpected loss of victory! This isn't the way that Formula 1 races should be won! No wonder fans are losing their interest in the sport!
I feel Sebastian's pain at the moment. But I know he will get over this and become a stronger driver. His time to win will come, sooner or later. Forza Ferrari! Forza Sebastian!
Mercedes and Ferrari started to the race on the medium Pirellis, whilst the other top ten drivers had the soft compound on. Red Bull's Verstappen, who had been promoted to P9 due to Sainz's and Magnussen's penalties, opted for the white-walled hard rubber. All top three cars had a successful start, and I was happy to see Sebastian holding on to his lead. Hamilton and Leclerc followed the German closely. Bottas, who had started to the race from P6, lost a position to Renault's Hulkenberg at the start. It was a bit odd, that Bottas was really struggling with his medium tyres. There was no way he could match his teammate's pace. Verstappen, who had the hard Pirellis on, was making his way up through the field and in no time the Dutchman was already at the Finn's tail.
Sebastian had been able to pull out a two-second gap to Hamilton, as the pit stop window opened. The German pitted on lap 26, for a fresh set of hard tyres. He re-joined the track in P3. Hamilton pitted three laps later, for a similar tyre choice to Sebastian. Leclerc, who was now leading the race, was told on the team radio to extend his first stint. Some laps later also Bottas and Leclerc pitted for a new set of hard Pirellis. Bottas re-joined the track behind Renault's Ricciardo. Although the Finn clearly had more pace, it proved unbelievably difficult to get past the Australian. It took eight long laps, before Valtteri finally managed to overtake Ricciardo. Meanwhile Verstappen, who hadn't pitted yet, complained on the team radio, that his brake pedal went to the floor every time he braked.
Hamilton's pace on the hard tyres was even more convincing than it had been on the medium ones. The Briton had gotten within DRS distance from the German and was pushing flat out. Lap 48 was the decisive and dramatic turning point in the Canadian GP. Sebastian made a tiny mistake and ended up on the grass in Turn 4. He re-joined the track as fast as he could, but was close to lose control of his SF90 with grass on the tyres. He could just barely keep his car on track, and there was a close call with Hamilton, who had to back off to avoid contact with Sebastian. Although the situation looked like a racing incident, the stewards took it into investigation. The verdict was cruel: Sebastian was handed a 5-second time penalty for his unsafe return to the track! I definitely didn't agree with the stewards. Sebastian was clearly trying to re-join the track as safely as possible in those circumstances. It's very hard to predict the grip level, when you re-join the track on dirty tyres. He was just barely able to maintain control of his car, so there wasn't anything he could have done differently. The incident caused no harm for Hamilton, except a missed overtaking move. Did the stewards think, that Sebastian was supposed to brake dramatically and re-join the track in "turtle speed", to make sure he re-joined the track safely? No F1 driver would do that! The penalty turned the otherwise exciting and entertaining race into a farce.
Sebastian was extremely gutted and furious, when he was told about the penalty on the team radio. The only way he was going to win the race was to be able to build up a 5-second gap to Hamilton. But Sebastian knew Hamilton wasn't going to let that happen. Meanwhile, Verstappen finally pitted for a fresh set of medium Pirellis and attacked Ricciardo after his pit stop. The overtaking move on Ricciardo looked almost easy, and Max claimed P5 already.
As Bottas was driving in secured P4, he was called in for a second pit stop three laps before the chequered flag. Valtteri switched to the soft compound and began the chase of the fastest lap time. Thanks to the new soft tyres, Valtteri took the fastest lap time and the extra point under his belt on the closing laps.
Sebastian crossed the finish line first, but didn't win the race, as Hamilton was only two seconds down on the German. What an anti-climax indeed! Hamilton took his seventh race win in Canada, which equals Michael Schumacher's legendary record. Sebastian had to settle for the bitter second place, which he definitely wouldn't have wanted to settle for. Leclerc completed the podium, and Bottas was left off the podium in P4. Verstappen finished the race fifth for Red Bull and Ricciardo sixth for Renault. Nico Hulkenberg made the day successful for Renault, as he finished in P7. Red Bull's Gasly was left in modest P8. Home hero Stroll was responsible for the most positive surprise in the race, as the Canadian drove to the chequered flag in P9, scoring two points. Kvyat scored the last point for Toro Rosso.
Sebastian was so angry after the race. In the heat of the moment he decided not to attend the post-race interviews and parked his Lina in a wrong place. The frustration and disappointment was very understandable. He had just lost the race win due to a controversial penalty by the stewards. In the heat of the moment you do childish things. Like Sebastian took the number 1 board away from Hamilton's car and moved it where his car was supposed to be. He did give an interview on the podium after all. And Sebastian showed great sportsmanship and respect to his rival Hamilton, which he can be very proud of. So in that way he is a good role model for young drivers. But all in all he was definitely robbed of the victory! The majority of people seem to think that the penalty was a wrong call from the stewards. I was so so happy on Saturday, when Sebastian clinched the pole! But yesterday I felt huge disappointment and sadness due to the unexpected loss of victory! This isn't the way that Formula 1 races should be won! No wonder fans are losing their interest in the sport!
I feel Sebastian's pain at the moment. But I know he will get over this and become a stronger driver. His time to win will come, sooner or later. Forza Ferrari! Forza Sebastian!
sunnuntai 9. kesäkuuta 2019
Canadian GP / Qualifying: Magical Sebastian back on top form!
Coming to Canada, my expectations weren't too high in terms of Ferrari's performance, as Mercedes had dominated all first six rounds of the season. And in addition to that, Mercedes had brought a power unit upgrade to Montreal, which was planned to make the Silver Arrows even more competitive and dominant.
In the first session the holder of the top spot changed continually. After the first flyers Leclerc was the fastest man on track, with Verstappen second, Hamilton third and Bottas fourth. After a cool-down lap Sebastian made a second run, jumping second in the standings, only a tenth off his teammate's pace. But like expected, there was more to come from the Mercedes drivers. Bottas gave his answer and went fastest, with teammate Hamilton right behind. Only a moment later the red-suited drivers bounced back, challenging the Silver Arrows for real. Sebastian clocked the fastest lap time, with teammate Leclerc only 0.014s down on the German! The top two teams' pace seemed surprisingly evenly matched, as Bottas in third was also 0.029s off Sebastian only. Hamilton in fourth was three tenths off the pace. Alfa Romeo Racing, which had had a competitive start to the season, was still struggling, like in Monaco two weeks ago. Kimi managed to make it 10th in the standings at the end of the session, but unfortunately many others improved their lap times as well. Ironically, it was Kimi's teammate Giovinazzi, who managed to jump 15th at the end, knocking Kimi out of Q2 for the first time this season. This was the very first time, that the Italian managed to out-qualify the Iceman. Out of the second session were also the Racing Point duo of Perez and Stroll and the Williams duo of Russell and Kubica.
As the Gilles Villeneuve Circuit is known to be extremely demanding on tyres, the top teams wanted to avoid using the soft tyres in the race. That's why both Mercedes and Ferrari sent their drivers out on the medium compound. The medium rubber proved extremely competitive, as Sebastian went fastest, edging Hamilton by 0.027s only. Red Bull decided to send Verstappen out on the yellow-walled mediums as well, but the Dutchman's pace left a little to hope for. He was soon dropped from P4 down to P6, and the track conditions kept improving... Leclerc, whose first run had been everything but flawless, now went fastest on his second attempt. But the young Monegasque was robbed of the top spot by his teammate only a short moment later. Verstappen's teammate Gasly had opted for the soft compound, and the Frenchman went second fastest. As there were seven minutes remaining in the clock, Verstappen was in modest P11, which meant trouble for the Dutchman. He had been unable to improve his lap time due to traffic and loss of grip. He had no choice but to pit for a fresh set of soft tyres. With only five minutes to go, Hamilton set the benchmark with a tiny 0.085-second gap to teammate Bottas. However, the end of Q2 turned out dramatic. Magnussen lost control of his Haas on his final time-lap, which threw the Dane into the Wall of Champions! Red flags were out, which meant bad news for many drivers, who were still on their time-lap. The biggest casualty was definitely Verstappen, who was out of the last segment! Also Magnussen's teammate Grosjean got eliminated because of the crash. Ironically, Magnussen would have made it into Q3, had he not crashed out!
The start of Q3 was delayed due to Magnussen's crash, as the marshals had it difficult to get the Haas transferred out of the way. This time the most competitive midfield teams were Renault and McLaren, which got their both cars into the last session. The battle for pole was going to be hair-raising, as the gap between Mercedes and Ferrari seemed absolutely tenuous. Hamilton laid his hands on provisional pole, by 0.188s to Sebastian. Leclerc was third after his first flyer. Bottas, on the other hand, had a true moment of scare on his first flyer, as the Finn spun in Turn 2 in high speed! Miraculously he managed to avoid hitting anything, but now it was all down to the very last attempt. At the end of the session Hamilton was hungry to improve his lap time, which the Briton also did. However, Sebastian had an absolutely magical last sector, which made him claim pole by a two-tenth gap to Hamilton! It was a truly phenomenal effort from Sebastian, who managed to repeat his last year's success in Montreal. Hamilton split the red-suited drivers, as Leclerc qualified third. The most positive surprise of the qualifying was Renault's Ricciardo, who made it 4th on the grid! Gasly qualified fifth, and Mercedes ace Bottas was left 6th after his mistake-filled last run, which is by far the worst grid slot for the Finn this season. Hulkenberg made it an impressive day for Renault by qualifying 7th. The McLaren duo of Norris and Sainz was left 8th and 9th (and Magnussen 10th).
Due to his crash, Magnussen will start to the race from the pit lane. Sainz has been given a 3-place grid penalty for impeding Toro Rosso's Albon. These penalties benefit Verstappen, who will start to the race from P9. Canada has offered colorful racing in the previous years, so I'm looking forward to an action-packed race. Will Sebastian be able to hold on to his lead at the start? I certainly hope so! How aggressive will Verstappen be? He will certainly benefit from the soft tyres at the beginning of the race. The team, which does better job with tyre management, has the key to victory today. And I really hope, that it will be the Red Team! Success would be such a welcomed change after the problem-filled first third of the season!
In the first session the holder of the top spot changed continually. After the first flyers Leclerc was the fastest man on track, with Verstappen second, Hamilton third and Bottas fourth. After a cool-down lap Sebastian made a second run, jumping second in the standings, only a tenth off his teammate's pace. But like expected, there was more to come from the Mercedes drivers. Bottas gave his answer and went fastest, with teammate Hamilton right behind. Only a moment later the red-suited drivers bounced back, challenging the Silver Arrows for real. Sebastian clocked the fastest lap time, with teammate Leclerc only 0.014s down on the German! The top two teams' pace seemed surprisingly evenly matched, as Bottas in third was also 0.029s off Sebastian only. Hamilton in fourth was three tenths off the pace. Alfa Romeo Racing, which had had a competitive start to the season, was still struggling, like in Monaco two weeks ago. Kimi managed to make it 10th in the standings at the end of the session, but unfortunately many others improved their lap times as well. Ironically, it was Kimi's teammate Giovinazzi, who managed to jump 15th at the end, knocking Kimi out of Q2 for the first time this season. This was the very first time, that the Italian managed to out-qualify the Iceman. Out of the second session were also the Racing Point duo of Perez and Stroll and the Williams duo of Russell and Kubica.
As the Gilles Villeneuve Circuit is known to be extremely demanding on tyres, the top teams wanted to avoid using the soft tyres in the race. That's why both Mercedes and Ferrari sent their drivers out on the medium compound. The medium rubber proved extremely competitive, as Sebastian went fastest, edging Hamilton by 0.027s only. Red Bull decided to send Verstappen out on the yellow-walled mediums as well, but the Dutchman's pace left a little to hope for. He was soon dropped from P4 down to P6, and the track conditions kept improving... Leclerc, whose first run had been everything but flawless, now went fastest on his second attempt. But the young Monegasque was robbed of the top spot by his teammate only a short moment later. Verstappen's teammate Gasly had opted for the soft compound, and the Frenchman went second fastest. As there were seven minutes remaining in the clock, Verstappen was in modest P11, which meant trouble for the Dutchman. He had been unable to improve his lap time due to traffic and loss of grip. He had no choice but to pit for a fresh set of soft tyres. With only five minutes to go, Hamilton set the benchmark with a tiny 0.085-second gap to teammate Bottas. However, the end of Q2 turned out dramatic. Magnussen lost control of his Haas on his final time-lap, which threw the Dane into the Wall of Champions! Red flags were out, which meant bad news for many drivers, who were still on their time-lap. The biggest casualty was definitely Verstappen, who was out of the last segment! Also Magnussen's teammate Grosjean got eliminated because of the crash. Ironically, Magnussen would have made it into Q3, had he not crashed out!
The start of Q3 was delayed due to Magnussen's crash, as the marshals had it difficult to get the Haas transferred out of the way. This time the most competitive midfield teams were Renault and McLaren, which got their both cars into the last session. The battle for pole was going to be hair-raising, as the gap between Mercedes and Ferrari seemed absolutely tenuous. Hamilton laid his hands on provisional pole, by 0.188s to Sebastian. Leclerc was third after his first flyer. Bottas, on the other hand, had a true moment of scare on his first flyer, as the Finn spun in Turn 2 in high speed! Miraculously he managed to avoid hitting anything, but now it was all down to the very last attempt. At the end of the session Hamilton was hungry to improve his lap time, which the Briton also did. However, Sebastian had an absolutely magical last sector, which made him claim pole by a two-tenth gap to Hamilton! It was a truly phenomenal effort from Sebastian, who managed to repeat his last year's success in Montreal. Hamilton split the red-suited drivers, as Leclerc qualified third. The most positive surprise of the qualifying was Renault's Ricciardo, who made it 4th on the grid! Gasly qualified fifth, and Mercedes ace Bottas was left 6th after his mistake-filled last run, which is by far the worst grid slot for the Finn this season. Hulkenberg made it an impressive day for Renault by qualifying 7th. The McLaren duo of Norris and Sainz was left 8th and 9th (and Magnussen 10th).
Due to his crash, Magnussen will start to the race from the pit lane. Sainz has been given a 3-place grid penalty for impeding Toro Rosso's Albon. These penalties benefit Verstappen, who will start to the race from P9. Canada has offered colorful racing in the previous years, so I'm looking forward to an action-packed race. Will Sebastian be able to hold on to his lead at the start? I certainly hope so! How aggressive will Verstappen be? He will certainly benefit from the soft tyres at the beginning of the race. The team, which does better job with tyre management, has the key to victory today. And I really hope, that it will be the Red Team! Success would be such a welcomed change after the problem-filled first third of the season!
sunnuntai 26. toukokuuta 2019
Monaco GP: Sebastian split the Mercedes drivers!
The weather in Monte Carlo was part cloud, but there was a 90% risk of rain during the race. The start held no surprises. Hamilton on pole got an excellent start and get-away, holding on to the lead. Verstappen, who had started from P3, was very hungry to challenge Bottas for P2. However, Max was mature enough to know, that venturesome moves on the narrow streets of the Municipality weren't a good idea, so Bottas maintained his second place. Sebastian was fourth, followed by Renault's Ricciardo, who had been able to overtake Haas' Magnussen at the start. Unfortunately Kimi had some contact on the opening lap, which caused damage to his front wing. The Iceman dropped down to P17, which was a disappointing start to the race for the Finn.
Ferrari's Leclerc was passionate about gaining positions right away. On lap 8 he was in modest P13, right behind Haas' Grosjean. Monaco isn't known for overtaking opportunities, but Leclerc was absolutely stubborn. He made an audacious move on the Frenchman, moving 12th. A lap later he was within DRS distance from Renault's Hulkenberg. Once again Charles was determined to get past, by any means necessary. He made a move on the German, but ended up hitting a barrier. This caused the Monegasque a rear-right puncture, and he had to limp into the pits. Pieces of the punctured tyre and the floor of his SF90 were flying off, as Charles made his way towards the pits. There was so much debris on the track, that safety car was deployed.
The top drivers pitted right away. Mercedes called both their drivers in on the same lap, which cost Bottas a little time, as Hamilton had the advantage to be the first Mercedes driver to pit. Both opted for a fresh set of medium Pirellis. However, Valtteri's battle against Verstappen heated up during the pit stop. Red Bull released Verstappen, but Bottas was just driving past the Red Bull box! Their cars touched, and some small pieces flew off from Valtteri's Mercedes. Verstappen made it ahead of the Finn, claiming P2. However, the contact caused Valtteri a puncture, and he had to pit again on the following lap. Valtteri also switched to the white-walled hard rubber. The extra pit stop cost the Finn a position, as Sebastian had been able to move third during Valtteri's second pit stop.
The re-start took place on lap 14. Race leader Hamilton was the only top four driver on the medium Pirellis; Verstappen, Sebastian and Bottas all had the hard compound on their cars. In spite of pitting for a fresh set of soft tyres, Leclerc was struggling badly with his performance. Hitting the wall had caused major damage to the floor of his SF90, and the Monegasque drove his Ferrari into the garage and retired the race. The stewards had taken Bottas' and Verstappen's pit lane incident into investigation for a suspected unsafe release. And the stewards gave their verdict; Max was handed a 5-second time penalty for the unsafe release!
The top four were driving closely in single file. Hamilton's lap times were actually quite slow, as the Briton had to make sure, that his tyres would last till the end. Verstappen had made it within DRS distance from Hamilton, as there were still 35 laps to go. Hamilton complained on the team radio, that he didn't believe, that he was going to make it till the chequered flag on those tyres. However, a second pit stop wasn't an option, as it would have dropped the reigning world champion out of the podium. Verstappen put serious pressure on Hamilton and kept lurking for even a slightest chance to overtake his rival. But finding a place to overtake without a venturesome move proved extremely difficult. With two laps to go, the Dutchman decided to give it a try at the swimming pool chicane. But it was too optimistic a move, and the cars made light contact. Luckily there was no damage to either one of the cars. Hamilton maintained his lead, and Max kept following him.
Against all odds, Hamilton was able to make it to the chequered flag on his completely dead tyres! This was Hamilton's 13th win in the last 20 races. Due to Max's 5-second penalty, the Dutchman dropped out of podium. Sebastian finished the race second, and Bottas completed the podium. It was about time to get another result than a Mercedes 1-2! It was a shame, that Max was fourth, as he had shown fiery and passionate driving. But it was absolutely heart-warming to see Sebastian on the second step of the podium. He really deserved a good result. Red Bull's Gasly finished fifth and also got the extra point for the fastest lap time. His fifth place was well secured at the end of the race, so the Frenchman could afford an extra pit stop for a new set of soft tyres. Sainz finished 6th for McLaren and Kvyat 7th for Toro Rosso. Teammate Albon was 8th, Renault's Ricciardo 9th and Haas' Grosjean scored the last point. Unfortunately Kimi's race left a handful to hope for, as the Iceman was only 17th in the final standings. Against the odds, rain didn't interfere with the course of the race.
Hamilton increased his lead into 17 points in the drivers' championship standings. At this point it's crystal clear, that the battle for championship will be between the Mercedes teammates. Sebastian is third, 55 points down on Hamilton. Sebastian has a close fight with Verstappen for the third place, as Max is only four points off Sebastian. Practically Mercedes have already won the constructors' championship... I don't see any way, how Ferrari would be able to turn a 118-point defeat into a victory in 15 races!
Championship aside, my heart always beats for Sebastian (and a little for Kimi and Max as well). I'm looking forward to Canada, which offers a new chance for the Red Team to take a leap forward in terms of performance. Go Sebastian!
Ferrari's Leclerc was passionate about gaining positions right away. On lap 8 he was in modest P13, right behind Haas' Grosjean. Monaco isn't known for overtaking opportunities, but Leclerc was absolutely stubborn. He made an audacious move on the Frenchman, moving 12th. A lap later he was within DRS distance from Renault's Hulkenberg. Once again Charles was determined to get past, by any means necessary. He made a move on the German, but ended up hitting a barrier. This caused the Monegasque a rear-right puncture, and he had to limp into the pits. Pieces of the punctured tyre and the floor of his SF90 were flying off, as Charles made his way towards the pits. There was so much debris on the track, that safety car was deployed.
The top drivers pitted right away. Mercedes called both their drivers in on the same lap, which cost Bottas a little time, as Hamilton had the advantage to be the first Mercedes driver to pit. Both opted for a fresh set of medium Pirellis. However, Valtteri's battle against Verstappen heated up during the pit stop. Red Bull released Verstappen, but Bottas was just driving past the Red Bull box! Their cars touched, and some small pieces flew off from Valtteri's Mercedes. Verstappen made it ahead of the Finn, claiming P2. However, the contact caused Valtteri a puncture, and he had to pit again on the following lap. Valtteri also switched to the white-walled hard rubber. The extra pit stop cost the Finn a position, as Sebastian had been able to move third during Valtteri's second pit stop.
The re-start took place on lap 14. Race leader Hamilton was the only top four driver on the medium Pirellis; Verstappen, Sebastian and Bottas all had the hard compound on their cars. In spite of pitting for a fresh set of soft tyres, Leclerc was struggling badly with his performance. Hitting the wall had caused major damage to the floor of his SF90, and the Monegasque drove his Ferrari into the garage and retired the race. The stewards had taken Bottas' and Verstappen's pit lane incident into investigation for a suspected unsafe release. And the stewards gave their verdict; Max was handed a 5-second time penalty for the unsafe release!
The top four were driving closely in single file. Hamilton's lap times were actually quite slow, as the Briton had to make sure, that his tyres would last till the end. Verstappen had made it within DRS distance from Hamilton, as there were still 35 laps to go. Hamilton complained on the team radio, that he didn't believe, that he was going to make it till the chequered flag on those tyres. However, a second pit stop wasn't an option, as it would have dropped the reigning world champion out of the podium. Verstappen put serious pressure on Hamilton and kept lurking for even a slightest chance to overtake his rival. But finding a place to overtake without a venturesome move proved extremely difficult. With two laps to go, the Dutchman decided to give it a try at the swimming pool chicane. But it was too optimistic a move, and the cars made light contact. Luckily there was no damage to either one of the cars. Hamilton maintained his lead, and Max kept following him.
Against all odds, Hamilton was able to make it to the chequered flag on his completely dead tyres! This was Hamilton's 13th win in the last 20 races. Due to Max's 5-second penalty, the Dutchman dropped out of podium. Sebastian finished the race second, and Bottas completed the podium. It was about time to get another result than a Mercedes 1-2! It was a shame, that Max was fourth, as he had shown fiery and passionate driving. But it was absolutely heart-warming to see Sebastian on the second step of the podium. He really deserved a good result. Red Bull's Gasly finished fifth and also got the extra point for the fastest lap time. His fifth place was well secured at the end of the race, so the Frenchman could afford an extra pit stop for a new set of soft tyres. Sainz finished 6th for McLaren and Kvyat 7th for Toro Rosso. Teammate Albon was 8th, Renault's Ricciardo 9th and Haas' Grosjean scored the last point. Unfortunately Kimi's race left a handful to hope for, as the Iceman was only 17th in the final standings. Against the odds, rain didn't interfere with the course of the race.
Hamilton increased his lead into 17 points in the drivers' championship standings. At this point it's crystal clear, that the battle for championship will be between the Mercedes teammates. Sebastian is third, 55 points down on Hamilton. Sebastian has a close fight with Verstappen for the third place, as Max is only four points off Sebastian. Practically Mercedes have already won the constructors' championship... I don't see any way, how Ferrari would be able to turn a 118-point defeat into a victory in 15 races!
Championship aside, my heart always beats for Sebastian (and a little for Kimi and Max as well). I'm looking forward to Canada, which offers a new chance for the Red Team to take a leap forward in terms of performance. Go Sebastian!
lauantai 25. toukokuuta 2019
Monaco GP / Qualifying: Mercedes made Monaco their turf!
This weekend it was time for the legendary Monaco GP, as the F1 caravan arrived in Monte Carlo for round 6. The glamour of Monte Carlo was overshadowed by the passing of Niki Lauda, the triple F1 world champion, who had passed away on Monday at the age of 70. The iconic F1 star has been remembered by all teams. All Mercedes team members wear a black crape this weekend. Sebastian wears a special helmet, inspired by Niki Lauda. A true racer and a legend is now gone, but he will never be forgotten.
The Monaco qualifying is known for the traffic. Getting a competitive lap time is all about getting the right track position. All cars came out right away, as the light turned green, as it was crucial to set a banker lap, had there been yellow flags or virtual safety car. Red Bull had convincing pace, as they had had also last year. Verstappen went fastest in the halfway point of the first session. Sebastian had a very tame start to the session, and he was only 10th fastest, as there were 8 minutes left in the clock. Mercedes' Bottas gave a storm warning by going fastest, with five minutes remaining. Sebastian was still struggling with the rhythm at the end of the session. He set the screens purple in the first sector, but touched the barrier in the sector two, which forced the German to abandon his flyer. He was just barely able to start his last flyer in time. And what a flyer it turned out! Sebastian went fastest, topping the time sheets in Q1! He was followed by the Mercedes duo of Hamilton and Bottas. Verstappen was fourth and Toro Rosso's Kvyat fifth. But what was an unbelievable and unexpected catastrophe for Ferrari, was the elimination of home hero Leclerc! The Monegasque wasn't sent out again at the end of the session, which proved an extremely costly error. The track conditions improved so significantly, that Charles' time, which had been set at the beginning of Q2, simply wasn't competitive enough! Poor Charles had to face a bitter disappointment in front of his home crowd, being the first driver to be knocked out of Q2. Both Racing Points and both Williams cars were also out of the second session.
The Silver Arrows were back in business, as Q2 got underway. Bottas set the benchmark by clocking a new track record! Teammate Hamilton was four tenths behind his Finnish teammate respectively. Verstappen showed impressive performance and went second fastest. After the first runs Sebastian was only 9th in the standings, 1.2s off Bottas' pace. With five minutes remaining in the clock, all 15 cars were out on track. Verstappen at the wheel of his RB15 snatched the top spot from Bottas, who was followed by teammate Hamilton. Sebastian found the rhythm on his last run, jumping fourth. However, there was no matching the Silver Arrows' pace, as Sebastian was massive six tenths off the pace. Although both Alfa Romeos had been among the top ten in the last free practice session in the morning, their pace had somehow mysteriously vanished, coming to the qualifying. Against all odds, Kimi was only 14th and had no hopes of getting into Q3. Teammate Giovinazzi in P15 shared his teammate's fate. Also Renault's Hulkenberg, McLaren's Norris and Haas' Grosjean were knocked out of the final segment.
The question was, whether Mercedes ace Bottas was going to claim his fourth consecutive pole. The flying Finn had a phenomenal start to the last segment, grabbing firmly on the provisional pole. Hamilton didn't manage to put together a competitive lap time on his first attempt, but his second flyer made him jump second in the standings. Two tenths of a second were separating the Mercedes teammates. Verstappen was third, with almost a four-tenth gap to the Finn. Unfortunately Sebastian wasn't capable of challenging the top three by any means. However, the second runs at the end of the session played a crucial role. Once again Sebastian set the screens purple in the first sector, but touched the barrier in sector two, already for the second time! No wonder he was unable to improve his lap time. Bottas had an issue with the traffic on his last warm-up lap, which meant, that starting his last flyer, his tyre temperatures weren't in the perfect window. The Finn proved unable to improve his lap time, whilst his teammate pulled out a perfect lap, snatching pole! Bottas, who qualified only 0.086s behind his teammate, was extremely disappointed with his second place. On the narrow streets of Monte Carlo, the pole position is bigger an advantage than at any other race track on the F1 calendar. Verstappen maintained his third place, and Sebastian was left fourth. This was the first time this season for Sebastian having qualified out of the top three. Red Bull's Gasly and Haas' Magnussen locked down the third row, followed by Renault's Ricciardo and Toro Rosso's Kvyat. McLaren's Sainz and Toro Rosso's Albon were the last of the top ten.
In Monaco the qualifying is usually more exciting than the race, as overtaking is considered almost impossible on the streets of the Municipality. Hamilton, being the pole-setter, has an extremely high chance of winning the race tomorrow. I wouldn't be surprised if it was the sixth 1-2 for Mercedes tomorrow. But I certainly hope it won't! The Monaco GP requires perfect and 100 % concentration from the driver throughout the race, as the narrow track with walls close, won't forgive any mistakes. Mistakes like Sebastian made in the last free practice, where he ended up into the wall after a lock-up. It certainly would be a refreshing change to see some red surprises in the race!
The Monaco qualifying is known for the traffic. Getting a competitive lap time is all about getting the right track position. All cars came out right away, as the light turned green, as it was crucial to set a banker lap, had there been yellow flags or virtual safety car. Red Bull had convincing pace, as they had had also last year. Verstappen went fastest in the halfway point of the first session. Sebastian had a very tame start to the session, and he was only 10th fastest, as there were 8 minutes left in the clock. Mercedes' Bottas gave a storm warning by going fastest, with five minutes remaining. Sebastian was still struggling with the rhythm at the end of the session. He set the screens purple in the first sector, but touched the barrier in the sector two, which forced the German to abandon his flyer. He was just barely able to start his last flyer in time. And what a flyer it turned out! Sebastian went fastest, topping the time sheets in Q1! He was followed by the Mercedes duo of Hamilton and Bottas. Verstappen was fourth and Toro Rosso's Kvyat fifth. But what was an unbelievable and unexpected catastrophe for Ferrari, was the elimination of home hero Leclerc! The Monegasque wasn't sent out again at the end of the session, which proved an extremely costly error. The track conditions improved so significantly, that Charles' time, which had been set at the beginning of Q2, simply wasn't competitive enough! Poor Charles had to face a bitter disappointment in front of his home crowd, being the first driver to be knocked out of Q2. Both Racing Points and both Williams cars were also out of the second session.
The Silver Arrows were back in business, as Q2 got underway. Bottas set the benchmark by clocking a new track record! Teammate Hamilton was four tenths behind his Finnish teammate respectively. Verstappen showed impressive performance and went second fastest. After the first runs Sebastian was only 9th in the standings, 1.2s off Bottas' pace. With five minutes remaining in the clock, all 15 cars were out on track. Verstappen at the wheel of his RB15 snatched the top spot from Bottas, who was followed by teammate Hamilton. Sebastian found the rhythm on his last run, jumping fourth. However, there was no matching the Silver Arrows' pace, as Sebastian was massive six tenths off the pace. Although both Alfa Romeos had been among the top ten in the last free practice session in the morning, their pace had somehow mysteriously vanished, coming to the qualifying. Against all odds, Kimi was only 14th and had no hopes of getting into Q3. Teammate Giovinazzi in P15 shared his teammate's fate. Also Renault's Hulkenberg, McLaren's Norris and Haas' Grosjean were knocked out of the final segment.
The question was, whether Mercedes ace Bottas was going to claim his fourth consecutive pole. The flying Finn had a phenomenal start to the last segment, grabbing firmly on the provisional pole. Hamilton didn't manage to put together a competitive lap time on his first attempt, but his second flyer made him jump second in the standings. Two tenths of a second were separating the Mercedes teammates. Verstappen was third, with almost a four-tenth gap to the Finn. Unfortunately Sebastian wasn't capable of challenging the top three by any means. However, the second runs at the end of the session played a crucial role. Once again Sebastian set the screens purple in the first sector, but touched the barrier in sector two, already for the second time! No wonder he was unable to improve his lap time. Bottas had an issue with the traffic on his last warm-up lap, which meant, that starting his last flyer, his tyre temperatures weren't in the perfect window. The Finn proved unable to improve his lap time, whilst his teammate pulled out a perfect lap, snatching pole! Bottas, who qualified only 0.086s behind his teammate, was extremely disappointed with his second place. On the narrow streets of Monte Carlo, the pole position is bigger an advantage than at any other race track on the F1 calendar. Verstappen maintained his third place, and Sebastian was left fourth. This was the first time this season for Sebastian having qualified out of the top three. Red Bull's Gasly and Haas' Magnussen locked down the third row, followed by Renault's Ricciardo and Toro Rosso's Kvyat. McLaren's Sainz and Toro Rosso's Albon were the last of the top ten.
In Monaco the qualifying is usually more exciting than the race, as overtaking is considered almost impossible on the streets of the Municipality. Hamilton, being the pole-setter, has an extremely high chance of winning the race tomorrow. I wouldn't be surprised if it was the sixth 1-2 for Mercedes tomorrow. But I certainly hope it won't! The Monaco GP requires perfect and 100 % concentration from the driver throughout the race, as the narrow track with walls close, won't forgive any mistakes. Mistakes like Sebastian made in the last free practice, where he ended up into the wall after a lock-up. It certainly would be a refreshing change to see some red surprises in the race!
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