New house, new start. My move has freed me up to go back to what I've missed: writing. And what better way to restart than with the revamped F1 season? After a season dominated by one car and one man, a monumental rule change, one that has been described as the 'largest for a generation', has levelled the playing field this year. Gone are the enormous shouting V8's, in favour of the energy saving hybrid V6s (despite the noise issue that still rankles with Bernie Ecclestone). Along comes a bizarre new chassis, which sees the nose dip in places I never thought possible. New moves, fresh faces. And yet the spirit and prize is the same.
These changes and the new equaliser took effect in the opening race in Australia. After a miserable winter testing session, Red Bull and world champion Sebastien Vettel came to Melbourne on the back foot. The winner of 13 grand prix last term, and the previous nine on the bounce will have left Albert Park in similar mood, after a mechanical problem forced the German out on just the seventh lap. This will be a common theme for this season, with the most reliable car being most likely to be the most successful. The pole sitter on the day, Lewis Hamilton, was also victim to the mechanical curse, falling the lap before Vettel. That left the win to his teammate Nico Rosberg, and a space on the podium for hometown hero Daniel Ricciardo - the first Australian to take to the rostrum at their home event. Given the success of his predecessor Mark Webber, that is quite an incredible statistic! We saw the return to form of Williams and especially McLaren, with new rookie Kevin Magnusson matching the feat of Lewis Hamilton in 2008 by getting himself into 3rd. With Jenson Button following in close behind, McLaren left Australia leading the Constructors Championship. Who would have guessed that at the end of last year?
If the teams thought Australia was bad, they would have been dreading Malaysia. Traditionally one of the most testing circuits on reliability, with temperatures pushing 50 degrees on track, it is a car killer. However, after Mercedes dominance in Melbourne, the rest of the field were granted the ultimate leveller in qualifying: a monsoon. Delaying the beginning of Q1 by fully 45 minutes, the rain just carried on. When the session eventually started, the cars were more concerned with tip-toeing around the circuit to keep it out of the gravel than taking it to the limit. As a result, Q1 began by maintaining the status quo, with a comfortable Mercedes 1-2. However, this safety was obliterated for Vettel with the news that he had a problem with the car and needed to pit for a reboot. Though this seemed to leave his place in qualifying in the balance, Red Bull managed to turn him round quickly and get him safely into Q2.
The next part saw an even more incredible turnaround as Q2 began in a blaze of drama. Toro Rosso's impressive youngster Daniil Kyvat had a nightmare, locking up and careering into the slow moving Fernando Alonso. The Ferrari driver, who had quite wrongly elected to run with the intermediate tyres, saw his front left suspension and wishbone broken, leaving him to limp back to the pits with his qualifying campaign seemingly in tatters and bringing out a red flag. Impressive work from the Ferrari mechanics meant that not only did the Spaniard get back out, but he qualified for Q3 ahead of his illustrious new teammate Kimi Raikkonen. The only real surprise to come out of Q2 was the failure of the high-flying Williams pair to reach the top ten shootout, with both Massa and Bottas unable to make the cut. However, up front Vettel managed to split the two Mercedes to give fans an indication of a competitive final part of qualifying.
Q3, like the two parts before it, began rather anti-climactically, with cars looking to set a banker lap. With the initial fears that Mercedes would run away with the pole, the initial 1-2 seemed set to stay. However, both Red Bull and Ferrari had other ideas. Fernando Alonso, who seemed to have completely recovered from the crash in Q2, got himself between the two German cars, before Sebastien Vettel came within a whisker of grabbing pole. As the chequered flag loomed large, the fight was on between the German and Hamilton for the top spot - or so it seemed. Whilst squabbling with Nico Rosberg to be the last one across the line to start their flying lap, Vettel inexplicably failed to make it before the flag fell, losing his final lap, handing Hamilton the pole on a silver platter. The only other change was Rosberg managing to drag himself into third and within striking distance of the lead. After a qualifying session that began slowly, with everyone assuming a Mercedes coronation, this handed fans some hope of a competitive season. For Hamilton, a personal milestone: he equalled the British record for pole positions that has stood since 1964 and Jim Clark.
In typical Sepang fashion, Sunday saw the return of baking conditions, with the teams preparing for the most challenging weather of the year. As the lights went out, pole-sitter Hamilton got away well, leaving team-mate Rosberg to jump the slow-starting Vettel into 2nd. The big winner was Daniel Ricciardo, who managed to sneak his way around the outside of the two Ferraris before hanging his teammate out to dry on the outside of turn two. With the Mercedes in clean air, Hamilton clearly relished the chance, repeatedly setting fastest lap after fastest lap to ease the gap out to five seconds after just 8 laps. Further back, Ferrari continued to struggle, although not entirely of their own doing. Kimi Raikkonen, embroiled in a close battle with the rookie McLaren of Daniel Magnusson, found himself carrying a right rear puncture after a tussle got too close. This left the Finn limping back to the pits and ending any realistic chance of a large points haul.
The collision hardly did Magnusson any favours either, breaking his front wing and causing him to hold up a gaggle (I believe that is the correct term!) of cars. In a frenetic start up front, Sebastien Vettel began homing in on his teammate before cruising past under DRS. It was the first time that the two had been wheel to wheel since becoming teammates, and the world champion seemed intent on sending a message to his less illustrious companion. As the cars began to look at pit stops, it became clear that the undercut would play a significant part in the race. Ferrari's Fernando Alonso, having made his first stop, began lapping at over two seconds a lap faster than the cars ahead. Although the Red Bulls acted quickly enough to keep Vettel in front of the Spaniard, Daniel Ricciardo eventually fell foul of this. However, by this point, the Mercedes drivers were out of sight of the chasing pack, bringing F1 fans a reminder of the dominant scenes seen so frequently last year.
However, all is not lost. With Rosberg struggling with the balance of his rear tyres, the Red Bull began reeling the German in at almost a second a lap, giving F1 fans an indication that perhaps Mercedes would not run away with races. However, it is worth remembering that Rosberg's was a wounded car, with his teammate continuing to scamper away up front. By the time Hamilton pitted for his second stop, the gap was up to over 10 seconds, at it was looking simply a battle for second.
With this, and the battle for the minor places the only close track action, attention turned towards the skies. Radio transmissions between Raikkonen and the Ferrari team intimated a spattering of rain around turn 14, threatening to spice up a rapidly predictable race. As it happened, it wasn't to be. Between the revelation and the chequered flag dropping, there was only one more piece of action worth commenting on. Daniel Ricciardo, after the misfortune of being disqualified in Australia (his fuel level gauge stopped working - something that strangely happened again here, but not on Vettel's car-coincidence?) found himself battling with Fernando Alonso and Nico Hulkenberg for 4th place as he arrived at his pit box for his final stop. However, a wheel failure, followed by a front wing failure a few laps later (both completely unrelated - coincidence?) seemed another example of the German world champion's teammate having the most outrageous bad luck. Where have we seen an Aussie get a raw deal at Red Bull before?
Nevertheless, hats off to Lewis Hamilton, who led home a Mercedes one-two for his first win in Malaysia by fully 15 seconds. Vettel's return to the podium was a welcome one for a man who has been too accustomed to the rostrum in recent years, but I get the feeling we will be seeing silver on that podium a huge amount of times this season. With the mind-numbing repetitiveness of last season, Formula 1 can ill-afford another season as one sided. Unfortunately, this rule change seems to have favoured one car, and until the rest can catch up, there seems little sign of changing.
Analysis of sporting events, talking points and controversies.
Showing posts with label Same. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Same. Show all posts
Wednesday, 2 April 2014
Monday, 7 October 2013
Korean Grand Prix: Mid-Race Mayhem, Same Result
After Sebastian Vettel's dominant win in Singapore last time out, there has been little in the way of controversy and talk in Formula 1. The majority of drivers places have been sorted out for next season, there have been no significant bust-ups, and the titles both seem pretty much sewn up. This means that the last few races can be just be enjoyable on the part of both the drivers and those watching. All we can hope for is more in the way of competitive races, as it has become a bit repetitive with the German winning the last 4 races. Certainly the Red Bulls have adjusted better to the mid-season rule change, after the 'Silverstone-gate' tyre problems prompted a swift rule change. Whether the German has lucked into a fortuitous situation is up for debate, but it could certainly be argued that the title race would be considerably closer had the tyres not been forced to changed.
Yesterday saw the beginning of the end of this 2013 Formula 1 season, with the cars making the short trip from Singapore to Yeongam in South Korea. As I stated earlier, we are now hoping for more competitive races from her to the end of the season. And in the practice sessions, we appeared to get our wish, as the Mercedes seemed far closer to the Red Bulls, Hamilton being ahead of Vettel in both. This set qualifying up much more nicely than it has been ordinarily, as we are currently used to seeing the Red Bull and Vettel dominate. This time, whilst the result was the same, the manner was rather different, promising a rather different type of Grand Prix on the Sunday.
The early minutes of qualifying saw the Mercedes drivers setting the pace, with Hamilton leading his teammate. The structure of the qualifying was unusual, with all the drivers fuelled for three to four timed laps. This meant that the session had the appearance of being slow and tedious. The challenge for those in Q1 was seeing who could get through without using a set of the super soft tyres. As the session progressed, it seemed obvious that it would only be the pace-setting Mercedes of Lewis Hamilton and the Red Bull of Sebastian Vettel that would get this advantage. However, moving onto the super softs, Hulkenberg, Rosberg and then Raikkonen all beat the Hamilton time. Towards the bottom, Paul di Resta, who has been going through a poor patch of form recently, was blocked on his final lap by Jules Bianchi, leaving the Scot perilously close to the cut-off. Fortunately for Force India, the two Williams' drivers struggled in Korea, meaning that di Resta got away with his poor time to qualify for the first time in three races. Q2 had the same structure to it, with Hamilton going quickest early on his new super softs, leaving Vettel to beat that time much later on. This already looked to be far closer than usual, and promised a much more exciting Q3. Further back, the big winners of Q2 were Sauber, with both Hulkenberg and Gutierrez making it into the final session. The Mexican's feat was particularly impressive, having qualified for Q3 on each of the last 2 races. The losers were McLaren, with both cars unable to make it into Q3, despite having started the session well.
Q3 began slowly, with only 5 of the 10 cars choosing to leave the garage immediately. In the race for pole, Red Bull won the first round, with Vettel and Webber edging out Hamilton and Rosberg. Even worse for the German driver, Romain Grosjean managed to get his Lotus between him and his Mercedes teammate. Red Bull were not having things all their own way however, as Mark Webber would have to take a ten place engine penalty after his qualification spot, as punishment for his misdemenour in Singapore. One thing that would have helped Mercedes enormously would have been Vettel to make just a small mistake on his out lap, as he cut it extremely fine with time to get across the line to start a lap. Fortunately for Red Bull, he just about made it. But as it was, he needn't have bothered. Lewis Hamilton was the only car to improve on his previous lap, jumping Webber, but he couldn't beat the world-champion elect. This handed Vettel his 6th pole of the season, and fourth in succession. There remained just a glimmer of hope for his rivals though, as no pole-sitter had ever gone on to win the Grand Prix the following day.
The Yeongam track in South Korea is one I find particularly unusual. Having watched all of the Grand Prix held there, as well as having driven around it (albeit in my bedroom on the Playstation), I find that whilst the short first straight before the first corner avoids the majority of first corner incidents, cars infront are at a distinct disadvantage when it comes to the third and fourth corners. As there are two 1km straights for the drivers to negotiate, those behind have the opportunity to get a fantastic tow and fly straight past. It is little wonder, then, why the pole sitters have traditionally not been particularly successful. The middle section I also find bizarre. Whereas in other tracks I feel like the corners fit the circuit, like at Monza, the Yeongam circuit appears to have deliberately overcomplicated the twisty middle section. The pit entrance/exit also looked similarly overcomplicated, though I was glad to see that the pit exit had been altered for this year. Rather than feeding back into the heart of turn 1, which was certainly dangerous, it now feeds out on the exit of the turn, leading down onto the straight. Though it may not be one of my favourite tracks, it always provides us with great entertainment, and yesterday was no different.
As the cars lined up on the grid, Vettel would have known that here, more than anywhere, a good start is essential. Fortunately for the Red Bull driver, he got one, catapulting himself away from the stranded Lewis Hamilton. The Mercedes instantly came under pressure from the fast-starting Grosjean, and found himself behind after the third corner. Further back, the two Ferrari's came millimetres from disaster, as Felipe Massa span, causing teammate Fernando Alonso to take avoiding action. This left the Brazilian way down the field, and compromised Ferrari's goal of securing 2nd in the Constructors Championship. This chaos allowed Daniel Ricciardo, who had started the race in 12th place, to jump to 7th. Even more incredibly, Pastor Maldonado, who had started the race a disappointing 18th, managed to jump to 11th by the end of lap 1. There was no such jump from Webber though. The Australian, having started 13th, could only make up a single place on the opening lap, and was struggling to pass those in front. The McLaren's were particularly troublesome, but having cleared the pair of those, he made his way to 8th by lap 8.
Back up at the front, Vettel had managed to break the DRS gap, but he was not scampering away from the rest as we are so accustomed to seeing from the German. Interestingly, it was Hamilton that seemed to be struggling most during this phase, beginning to fall back from Grosjean and forcing him to pit on lap 9. Just a lap later, presumably to cover the Mercedes stop, the Frenchman was in. However, Hamilton's pace on his out lap was such that he and Grosjean came out side by side, with the Lotus clinging onto second place by the skin of its teeth at the end of sector 1. Vettel, having seen the change in pace, pitted the next lap, but he too lost time to the pair of them, rejoining just 1.5 seconds ahead. Just behind this trio, Daniel Ricciardo, who was trying to 1 stop, occupied 4th. However, this was swiftly taken from him as Rosberg quickly reeled in and passed the Aussie, forcing him to abandon his race strategy and pit.
During the middle section of the race, a number of drivers began complaining of their tyres 'graining'. For those unfamiliar with the term, this is when, due to the extreme temperatures and pressure on the tyre, little balls of rubber begin to form on the tyre's surface. This has the effect of dramatically reducing grip, as the friction means that the tyres begin to slide on the track. Normally, graining cleans up eventually, but too long a period can play havoc with a race strategy and potentially cost vital points. Webber and Alonso both complained about it in the mid-20s lap-wise, but it was Lewis Hamilton that suffered the most. The Mercedes performance dropped dramatically as the race ticked towards lap 30, allowing his teammate to take 2-3 seconds per lap out of the Brit. Eventually, the German caught Hamilton coming onto the pair of 1km straights. He got into the slipstream and opened his DRS. However, no sooner had he moved to overtake, he had a front wing failure. The nose had bent down and was now touching the floor, sending sparks flying everywhere. Much to Hamilton's frustration, Rosberg refused to let him past, and to add insult to injury, then stole the pit stop that Lewis was supposed to have, meaning that Hamilton had to do yet another lap on the ruined tyres. He eventually pitted on lap 30, but that stop pushed him back behind the chasing foursome of Hulkenberg, Alonso, Webber and Raikkonen.
Whilst Rosberg's sparking front wing was dramatic, it was nothing compared to the following 10 laps. Just 2 later, on the same straight, Sergio Perez had a front right tyre delamination, caused by a horrendous flat spot on his tyre. Luckily, this does not seem to be a recurrance of the old Pirelli problems, simply overusage by the driver. The carcass of the tyre was left on the road, along with a sizeable amount of debris. This forced the safety car out, enabling Raikkonen and Hamilton to gain back a few of the places that they had lost. On the restart, Raikkonen took full advantage of a poor Grosjean restart to nip infront of his teammate at turn 1 to claim 2nd. Further back, Sutil attempted to pass Webber on the way into turn 3, but only succeeded in colliding with the Red Bull. The collision must have ignited something in the engine, as Webber's car swiftly set on fire, forcing him to pull over and retire, and prompting the safety car out once again. However, confusion reigned as the marshals car was seen on track before the safety car had managed to pick up the leaders. Eventually, the situation was resolved, but it could have ended very badly.
The race restarted (for the second time) on lap 40, and this time Vettel was not allowed to scamper clear quite as easily, as Raikkonen remained right on his tail. Behind them, Hamilton had a very poor restart, being mugged by the fast starting Nico Hulkenberg for 4th. The Sauber driver was having one of the drives of his career, but he would need to defend superbly to keep this 4th place. Fortunately for the Sauber driver, his set-up enabled him to keep Hamilton behind him in the top speed section, and he used all of his skill and car to keep the Brit behind in the twisty section. It meant that even with DRS, Hamilton could do little about the Sauber, and even resorted to an exasperated question of 'has anyone got any ideas' to his team. Up front, Vettel had begun to pull away from Raikkonen, as the Finn's tyres grew older. This allowed Romain Grosjean to close up on his teammate. Being encouraged by the entire Lotus garage, the Frenchman simply could not make the manoeuver stick, and eventually had to settle for 3rd. The fact that the Lotus team were so keen to have Grosjean ahead of Raikkonen implies that the Finn may have to endure a few tough and awkward races at the British-based team before heading back to Ferrari, as there is a clear sense of favouritism.
But the day, as has so often been the case in recent weeks, belonged to Vettel. Another mature drive from the front to become the first man ever to win the Korean Grand Prix from pole. The records keep tumbling for the German, and I am certain that very soon he will be able to lay claim to the first ever quadruple world champion, where all of his titles have come in succession. For me, it will be interesting to see how Vettel reacts when he is given a car that is not constantly leading races. If he were in Alonso or Hamilton's position now, I think that Vettel may struggle, as we are yet to see him pull off many stunning overtaking moves or come from behind victories. Despite Vettel having won the race, my Driver of the Day is certainly Nico Hulkenberg. A phenomenal drive from 7th, and to keep Lewis Hamilton and Fernando Alonso, two world champions, at bay for the best part of 20 laps, is quite incredible. I would be extremely surprised if he doesn't recieve a phone call from a larger team in the next couple of years offering him a seat. Korea once again delivered on drama, action and intensity, but failed to deliver us a different result than the one we all now all too familiar with.
Yesterday saw the beginning of the end of this 2013 Formula 1 season, with the cars making the short trip from Singapore to Yeongam in South Korea. As I stated earlier, we are now hoping for more competitive races from her to the end of the season. And in the practice sessions, we appeared to get our wish, as the Mercedes seemed far closer to the Red Bulls, Hamilton being ahead of Vettel in both. This set qualifying up much more nicely than it has been ordinarily, as we are currently used to seeing the Red Bull and Vettel dominate. This time, whilst the result was the same, the manner was rather different, promising a rather different type of Grand Prix on the Sunday.
The early minutes of qualifying saw the Mercedes drivers setting the pace, with Hamilton leading his teammate. The structure of the qualifying was unusual, with all the drivers fuelled for three to four timed laps. This meant that the session had the appearance of being slow and tedious. The challenge for those in Q1 was seeing who could get through without using a set of the super soft tyres. As the session progressed, it seemed obvious that it would only be the pace-setting Mercedes of Lewis Hamilton and the Red Bull of Sebastian Vettel that would get this advantage. However, moving onto the super softs, Hulkenberg, Rosberg and then Raikkonen all beat the Hamilton time. Towards the bottom, Paul di Resta, who has been going through a poor patch of form recently, was blocked on his final lap by Jules Bianchi, leaving the Scot perilously close to the cut-off. Fortunately for Force India, the two Williams' drivers struggled in Korea, meaning that di Resta got away with his poor time to qualify for the first time in three races. Q2 had the same structure to it, with Hamilton going quickest early on his new super softs, leaving Vettel to beat that time much later on. This already looked to be far closer than usual, and promised a much more exciting Q3. Further back, the big winners of Q2 were Sauber, with both Hulkenberg and Gutierrez making it into the final session. The Mexican's feat was particularly impressive, having qualified for Q3 on each of the last 2 races. The losers were McLaren, with both cars unable to make it into Q3, despite having started the session well.
Q3 began slowly, with only 5 of the 10 cars choosing to leave the garage immediately. In the race for pole, Red Bull won the first round, with Vettel and Webber edging out Hamilton and Rosberg. Even worse for the German driver, Romain Grosjean managed to get his Lotus between him and his Mercedes teammate. Red Bull were not having things all their own way however, as Mark Webber would have to take a ten place engine penalty after his qualification spot, as punishment for his misdemenour in Singapore. One thing that would have helped Mercedes enormously would have been Vettel to make just a small mistake on his out lap, as he cut it extremely fine with time to get across the line to start a lap. Fortunately for Red Bull, he just about made it. But as it was, he needn't have bothered. Lewis Hamilton was the only car to improve on his previous lap, jumping Webber, but he couldn't beat the world-champion elect. This handed Vettel his 6th pole of the season, and fourth in succession. There remained just a glimmer of hope for his rivals though, as no pole-sitter had ever gone on to win the Grand Prix the following day.
The Yeongam track in South Korea is one I find particularly unusual. Having watched all of the Grand Prix held there, as well as having driven around it (albeit in my bedroom on the Playstation), I find that whilst the short first straight before the first corner avoids the majority of first corner incidents, cars infront are at a distinct disadvantage when it comes to the third and fourth corners. As there are two 1km straights for the drivers to negotiate, those behind have the opportunity to get a fantastic tow and fly straight past. It is little wonder, then, why the pole sitters have traditionally not been particularly successful. The middle section I also find bizarre. Whereas in other tracks I feel like the corners fit the circuit, like at Monza, the Yeongam circuit appears to have deliberately overcomplicated the twisty middle section. The pit entrance/exit also looked similarly overcomplicated, though I was glad to see that the pit exit had been altered for this year. Rather than feeding back into the heart of turn 1, which was certainly dangerous, it now feeds out on the exit of the turn, leading down onto the straight. Though it may not be one of my favourite tracks, it always provides us with great entertainment, and yesterday was no different.
As the cars lined up on the grid, Vettel would have known that here, more than anywhere, a good start is essential. Fortunately for the Red Bull driver, he got one, catapulting himself away from the stranded Lewis Hamilton. The Mercedes instantly came under pressure from the fast-starting Grosjean, and found himself behind after the third corner. Further back, the two Ferrari's came millimetres from disaster, as Felipe Massa span, causing teammate Fernando Alonso to take avoiding action. This left the Brazilian way down the field, and compromised Ferrari's goal of securing 2nd in the Constructors Championship. This chaos allowed Daniel Ricciardo, who had started the race in 12th place, to jump to 7th. Even more incredibly, Pastor Maldonado, who had started the race a disappointing 18th, managed to jump to 11th by the end of lap 1. There was no such jump from Webber though. The Australian, having started 13th, could only make up a single place on the opening lap, and was struggling to pass those in front. The McLaren's were particularly troublesome, but having cleared the pair of those, he made his way to 8th by lap 8.
Back up at the front, Vettel had managed to break the DRS gap, but he was not scampering away from the rest as we are so accustomed to seeing from the German. Interestingly, it was Hamilton that seemed to be struggling most during this phase, beginning to fall back from Grosjean and forcing him to pit on lap 9. Just a lap later, presumably to cover the Mercedes stop, the Frenchman was in. However, Hamilton's pace on his out lap was such that he and Grosjean came out side by side, with the Lotus clinging onto second place by the skin of its teeth at the end of sector 1. Vettel, having seen the change in pace, pitted the next lap, but he too lost time to the pair of them, rejoining just 1.5 seconds ahead. Just behind this trio, Daniel Ricciardo, who was trying to 1 stop, occupied 4th. However, this was swiftly taken from him as Rosberg quickly reeled in and passed the Aussie, forcing him to abandon his race strategy and pit.
During the middle section of the race, a number of drivers began complaining of their tyres 'graining'. For those unfamiliar with the term, this is when, due to the extreme temperatures and pressure on the tyre, little balls of rubber begin to form on the tyre's surface. This has the effect of dramatically reducing grip, as the friction means that the tyres begin to slide on the track. Normally, graining cleans up eventually, but too long a period can play havoc with a race strategy and potentially cost vital points. Webber and Alonso both complained about it in the mid-20s lap-wise, but it was Lewis Hamilton that suffered the most. The Mercedes performance dropped dramatically as the race ticked towards lap 30, allowing his teammate to take 2-3 seconds per lap out of the Brit. Eventually, the German caught Hamilton coming onto the pair of 1km straights. He got into the slipstream and opened his DRS. However, no sooner had he moved to overtake, he had a front wing failure. The nose had bent down and was now touching the floor, sending sparks flying everywhere. Much to Hamilton's frustration, Rosberg refused to let him past, and to add insult to injury, then stole the pit stop that Lewis was supposed to have, meaning that Hamilton had to do yet another lap on the ruined tyres. He eventually pitted on lap 30, but that stop pushed him back behind the chasing foursome of Hulkenberg, Alonso, Webber and Raikkonen.
Whilst Rosberg's sparking front wing was dramatic, it was nothing compared to the following 10 laps. Just 2 later, on the same straight, Sergio Perez had a front right tyre delamination, caused by a horrendous flat spot on his tyre. Luckily, this does not seem to be a recurrance of the old Pirelli problems, simply overusage by the driver. The carcass of the tyre was left on the road, along with a sizeable amount of debris. This forced the safety car out, enabling Raikkonen and Hamilton to gain back a few of the places that they had lost. On the restart, Raikkonen took full advantage of a poor Grosjean restart to nip infront of his teammate at turn 1 to claim 2nd. Further back, Sutil attempted to pass Webber on the way into turn 3, but only succeeded in colliding with the Red Bull. The collision must have ignited something in the engine, as Webber's car swiftly set on fire, forcing him to pull over and retire, and prompting the safety car out once again. However, confusion reigned as the marshals car was seen on track before the safety car had managed to pick up the leaders. Eventually, the situation was resolved, but it could have ended very badly.
The race restarted (for the second time) on lap 40, and this time Vettel was not allowed to scamper clear quite as easily, as Raikkonen remained right on his tail. Behind them, Hamilton had a very poor restart, being mugged by the fast starting Nico Hulkenberg for 4th. The Sauber driver was having one of the drives of his career, but he would need to defend superbly to keep this 4th place. Fortunately for the Sauber driver, his set-up enabled him to keep Hamilton behind him in the top speed section, and he used all of his skill and car to keep the Brit behind in the twisty section. It meant that even with DRS, Hamilton could do little about the Sauber, and even resorted to an exasperated question of 'has anyone got any ideas' to his team. Up front, Vettel had begun to pull away from Raikkonen, as the Finn's tyres grew older. This allowed Romain Grosjean to close up on his teammate. Being encouraged by the entire Lotus garage, the Frenchman simply could not make the manoeuver stick, and eventually had to settle for 3rd. The fact that the Lotus team were so keen to have Grosjean ahead of Raikkonen implies that the Finn may have to endure a few tough and awkward races at the British-based team before heading back to Ferrari, as there is a clear sense of favouritism.
But the day, as has so often been the case in recent weeks, belonged to Vettel. Another mature drive from the front to become the first man ever to win the Korean Grand Prix from pole. The records keep tumbling for the German, and I am certain that very soon he will be able to lay claim to the first ever quadruple world champion, where all of his titles have come in succession. For me, it will be interesting to see how Vettel reacts when he is given a car that is not constantly leading races. If he were in Alonso or Hamilton's position now, I think that Vettel may struggle, as we are yet to see him pull off many stunning overtaking moves or come from behind victories. Despite Vettel having won the race, my Driver of the Day is certainly Nico Hulkenberg. A phenomenal drive from 7th, and to keep Lewis Hamilton and Fernando Alonso, two world champions, at bay for the best part of 20 laps, is quite incredible. I would be extremely surprised if he doesn't recieve a phone call from a larger team in the next couple of years offering him a seat. Korea once again delivered on drama, action and intensity, but failed to deliver us a different result than the one we all now all too familiar with.
Wednesday, 14 August 2013
Manchester City: New Man, Same Spending Plan
2012/2013: 2nd
Transfer(s) In: Fernandinho (Shakhtar Donetsk, £30 Million), Jesus Navas (Sevilla, £15 Million), Alvaro Negredo (Sevilla, £20 Million), Stevan Jovetic (Fiorentina, £22 Million), Manuel Pellegrini (Malaga, Free), Martin Demichelis (Atletico Madrid, £4 Million)
Transfer(s) Out: Maicon (AS Roma, £3 Million), Carlos Tevez (Juventus, £12 Million), Kolo Toure (Liverpool, Free), Wayne Bridge, Roque Santa Cruz (Both Released), Roberto Mancini (Sacked), Scott Sinclair (West Bromwich Albion, Loan), Gareth Barry (Everton, Loan)
Transfers Review:
Yet another season where Manchester City have spent big in the transfer market. After a season where they missed out on many of their targets (Hazard, van Persie), Manchester City ensured that they didn't miss out on their top targets this time around, securing the signatures of Fernandinho and Jesus Navas very early in the window for large fees. Fernandinho's transfer in particular was suggested as being for a highly inflated transfer fee, but with the spending power of City, £30 Million can be spent without thinking. However, with the new Financial Fair Play regulations, arguments have been raised that this is perhaps one of the last seasons where we see inflated transfer fees. I disagree, but it is hard to imagine how a football club can easily circumvent these new rules. If we compare their signings to who I thought they would sign in my season review post, we see that I did actually predict the signing of Jesus Navas, along with a replacement for Mario Balotelli.
They was one transfer target that City did miss out on this season. Edinson Cavani had been admired for a while by the City scouts, and his name repeatedly cropped up on the radar of the world's richest club. However, when Napoli asked for a fee of £55 Million for the striker, City decided that this was too much to pay for the Uruguayan, opting instead for the La Liga striker Alvaro Negredo, and the promising young Montenegran Stevan Jovetic from Fiorentina. This took their summer spending to £90 Million, and with Martin Demichelis being brought in as defensive cover, City decided that the £100 Million mark would not be broken.
In terms of outgoings, Manchester City have let several names go, the most high profile of which was long term wantaway striker Carlos Tevez. After the 'refusing to play' debacle in their title winning season, Tevez returned to the club last year with a better attitude. Having made his intentions not to sign a new contract clear, in order to get any money back for the Argentine, City had to sell him this summer. Juventus got the deal done very quickly, for a reported fee of £12 Million. Other first team departures include Maicon after a brief spell in Manchester, Kolo Toure, after his contract expired, and the failures Wayne Bridge and Roque Santa Cruz.
Pre-Season:
Manchester City's pre-season got off to a poor start, with two consecutive defeats in their tour of South Africa. Though the team consisted mostly of youth players, it was hardly the start that Manuel Pellegrini needed for his new club. The first real taste of competitive football came at the Barclays Asia Trophy, where Manchester City were drawn to play South China in the semi-final. On a horrendous pitch, despite dominating the play, City only managed the one goal, scored by Edin Dzeko, taking them to the final. There they met Sunderland, where another Edin Dzeko goal inspired City to their first 'silverware' of their pre-season tour. After the success in Hong Kong, City moved back to Europe to take part in the Audi Cup. In the semi-final, they met AC Milan. In an incredible first half, City took a 5-0 lead after just half an hour, only to see the Rossoneri fight back to reduce the arrears to 2 by half time. A boring second half followed, meaning that City progressed to the final to face Bayern Munich.
The match against the current European champions, who had had a much longer preparation time, seemed the best test of City's European aspirations. It proved that City were close to the European champions, but still needing plenty of practice before they can realistically challenge, as they lost 2-1. They finished their pre-season tour on home soil, with a match at the Emirates to face Arsenal. Here, they suffered arguably their worst pre-season result going down 3-1. This suggests that City's spending has not necessarily improved their chemistry and playing style, but we will only know for sure after the first couple of months.
Key Players:
After a poor season by his own high standards, Vincent Kompany will need to be back to his best if City are going to reclaim the title this season. He proved during the 2011/2012 season that he is one of the best defender in the world. Dangerous from set pieces, as well as having superb anticipation and marking skills, the Manchester City captain is a leader both on and off the field and will need to inspire his teammates this campaign.
Of all the new signings, I think that the one that City most needed was Jesus Navas. I am not just saying that because I predicted that signing in my season review post, but because City had no wide alternative if they failed to steamroller a team through the middle. Now, they have a world class plan B, which Pellegrini may actually turn into plan A. Navas's prodigious pace and skill makes him a threat to all Premier League defences, and I am certain he will make himself a key player this season.
Key Fixture Dates:
22/09/2013: Manchester City vs Manchester United
27/10/2013: Chelsea vs Manchester City
23/11/2013: Manchester City vs Tottenham
14/12/2013: Manchester City vs Arsenal
29/01/2014: Tottenham vs Manchester City
01/02/2014: Manchester City vs Chelsea
01/03/2014: Manchester United vs Manchester City
29/03/2014: Arsenal vs Manchester City
Top Goalscorer:
After an unfortunate season with injuries, I think this will be the season where we see Sergio Aguero back to his best. The title winner missed a couple of months of their defence, which could have proved vital. His goal against Manchester United in April showed that his poaching instinct has not faded, and I am certain that he will challenge for the Golden Boot this time around. I expect at least 20 goals from the Argentine, with his pace and finishing ability being of critical importance for City.
Prediction:
Based on the relative strength of squads, I think few would doubt that Manchester City have the strongest set of individuals this season. However, as with last season, the best set of individuals does not mean the best team. Getting the new players to gel, along with fixing the problems from last campaign, and settling into the Premier League, means that Manuel Pellegrini's job will be considerably more tough than either of the other title contenders. However, 'The Engineer's' experience both in domestic and contintental competitions worldwide means that I feel he will leapfrog his city rivals, but will not do quite enough to clinch the title. Whether he keeps his job will depend on his European credentials.
Manchester City 2013/2014: 2nd
Transfer(s) In: Fernandinho (Shakhtar Donetsk, £30 Million), Jesus Navas (Sevilla, £15 Million), Alvaro Negredo (Sevilla, £20 Million), Stevan Jovetic (Fiorentina, £22 Million), Manuel Pellegrini (Malaga, Free), Martin Demichelis (Atletico Madrid, £4 Million)
Transfer(s) Out: Maicon (AS Roma, £3 Million), Carlos Tevez (Juventus, £12 Million), Kolo Toure (Liverpool, Free), Wayne Bridge, Roque Santa Cruz (Both Released), Roberto Mancini (Sacked), Scott Sinclair (West Bromwich Albion, Loan), Gareth Barry (Everton, Loan)
Transfers Review:
Yet another season where Manchester City have spent big in the transfer market. After a season where they missed out on many of their targets (Hazard, van Persie), Manchester City ensured that they didn't miss out on their top targets this time around, securing the signatures of Fernandinho and Jesus Navas very early in the window for large fees. Fernandinho's transfer in particular was suggested as being for a highly inflated transfer fee, but with the spending power of City, £30 Million can be spent without thinking. However, with the new Financial Fair Play regulations, arguments have been raised that this is perhaps one of the last seasons where we see inflated transfer fees. I disagree, but it is hard to imagine how a football club can easily circumvent these new rules. If we compare their signings to who I thought they would sign in my season review post, we see that I did actually predict the signing of Jesus Navas, along with a replacement for Mario Balotelli.
They was one transfer target that City did miss out on this season. Edinson Cavani had been admired for a while by the City scouts, and his name repeatedly cropped up on the radar of the world's richest club. However, when Napoli asked for a fee of £55 Million for the striker, City decided that this was too much to pay for the Uruguayan, opting instead for the La Liga striker Alvaro Negredo, and the promising young Montenegran Stevan Jovetic from Fiorentina. This took their summer spending to £90 Million, and with Martin Demichelis being brought in as defensive cover, City decided that the £100 Million mark would not be broken.
In terms of outgoings, Manchester City have let several names go, the most high profile of which was long term wantaway striker Carlos Tevez. After the 'refusing to play' debacle in their title winning season, Tevez returned to the club last year with a better attitude. Having made his intentions not to sign a new contract clear, in order to get any money back for the Argentine, City had to sell him this summer. Juventus got the deal done very quickly, for a reported fee of £12 Million. Other first team departures include Maicon after a brief spell in Manchester, Kolo Toure, after his contract expired, and the failures Wayne Bridge and Roque Santa Cruz.
Pre-Season:
Manchester City's pre-season got off to a poor start, with two consecutive defeats in their tour of South Africa. Though the team consisted mostly of youth players, it was hardly the start that Manuel Pellegrini needed for his new club. The first real taste of competitive football came at the Barclays Asia Trophy, where Manchester City were drawn to play South China in the semi-final. On a horrendous pitch, despite dominating the play, City only managed the one goal, scored by Edin Dzeko, taking them to the final. There they met Sunderland, where another Edin Dzeko goal inspired City to their first 'silverware' of their pre-season tour. After the success in Hong Kong, City moved back to Europe to take part in the Audi Cup. In the semi-final, they met AC Milan. In an incredible first half, City took a 5-0 lead after just half an hour, only to see the Rossoneri fight back to reduce the arrears to 2 by half time. A boring second half followed, meaning that City progressed to the final to face Bayern Munich.
The match against the current European champions, who had had a much longer preparation time, seemed the best test of City's European aspirations. It proved that City were close to the European champions, but still needing plenty of practice before they can realistically challenge, as they lost 2-1. They finished their pre-season tour on home soil, with a match at the Emirates to face Arsenal. Here, they suffered arguably their worst pre-season result going down 3-1. This suggests that City's spending has not necessarily improved their chemistry and playing style, but we will only know for sure after the first couple of months.
Key Players:
After a poor season by his own high standards, Vincent Kompany will need to be back to his best if City are going to reclaim the title this season. He proved during the 2011/2012 season that he is one of the best defender in the world. Dangerous from set pieces, as well as having superb anticipation and marking skills, the Manchester City captain is a leader both on and off the field and will need to inspire his teammates this campaign.
Of all the new signings, I think that the one that City most needed was Jesus Navas. I am not just saying that because I predicted that signing in my season review post, but because City had no wide alternative if they failed to steamroller a team through the middle. Now, they have a world class plan B, which Pellegrini may actually turn into plan A. Navas's prodigious pace and skill makes him a threat to all Premier League defences, and I am certain he will make himself a key player this season.
Key Fixture Dates:
22/09/2013: Manchester City vs Manchester United
27/10/2013: Chelsea vs Manchester City
23/11/2013: Manchester City vs Tottenham
14/12/2013: Manchester City vs Arsenal
29/01/2014: Tottenham vs Manchester City
01/02/2014: Manchester City vs Chelsea
01/03/2014: Manchester United vs Manchester City
29/03/2014: Arsenal vs Manchester City
Top Goalscorer:
After an unfortunate season with injuries, I think this will be the season where we see Sergio Aguero back to his best. The title winner missed a couple of months of their defence, which could have proved vital. His goal against Manchester United in April showed that his poaching instinct has not faded, and I am certain that he will challenge for the Golden Boot this time around. I expect at least 20 goals from the Argentine, with his pace and finishing ability being of critical importance for City.
Prediction:
Based on the relative strength of squads, I think few would doubt that Manchester City have the strongest set of individuals this season. However, as with last season, the best set of individuals does not mean the best team. Getting the new players to gel, along with fixing the problems from last campaign, and settling into the Premier League, means that Manuel Pellegrini's job will be considerably more tough than either of the other title contenders. However, 'The Engineer's' experience both in domestic and contintental competitions worldwide means that I feel he will leapfrog his city rivals, but will not do quite enough to clinch the title. Whether he keeps his job will depend on his European credentials.
Manchester City 2013/2014: 2nd
Saturday, 8 June 2013
The 2013 French Open Finals: Same Old, Same Old?
In the French Open preview post, I set out who I thought would be the most likely candidates for both the men's and women's championships, hoping for a surprise or two along the way. As the end of another Grand Slam draws ever nearer, it is clear from the four finalists that this has not happened. No Goran Ivanisevic-style surprise for us this time around, with the biggest shock being that it is clay-court specialist David Ferrer, and not Roger Federer, in the men's final with Rafa Nadal. The top four domination of the men's game seems set to continue, with only Federer's position being weakened by the events of the last two weeks. In the women's game, it is arguably even more predictable, as the family that have monopolised the game for the past decade and a half remain in control, albeit halved in power.
With a little examination of the finalists and their run to the tournament's summit, we can see how monotonous today's game is. It could certainly be argued that has always been the case, especially in the men's game, with dominance from the likes of Borg, McEnroe, Connors, Becker, Agassi, Sampras, and more recently, Federer regularly characterising tennis. Therefore repeatedly seeing the same names perhaps should not be surprising. However, with the increased publicity and awareness of tennis in recent years, should we have expected to see more competition than experienced previously?
I will begin with today's women's final, contested between pre-tournament favourite Serena Williams, and reigning champion Maria Sharapova. Beginning with Serena, her route to the final has been relatively simple. Crushing her first three opponents for the loss of just 6 games, she cruised into the second week, doing little to challenge the assertion that the tournament winner is practically pre-determined. Another straight-sets victory in the fourth round against the 15th seed, Roberta Vinci, suggests that even the top 20 is not particularly competitive, seeing the American into the quarter final without dropping a set. There she met Svetlana Kuznetsova, who, despite being unseeded, is considered a very dangerous player. So it proved, with Serena being pushed all the way to the full three sets, claiming a 6-3 victory in the 3rd. The loss of a set evidently angered Williams, as she destroyed 5th seed Sara Errani in the subsequent semi-final to progress to yet another final, eradicating the memories of last year's shocking 1st round exit at Roland Garros.
Her opponent, Maria Sharapova, has had an altogether more strenuous passage to her second successive Parisian final. Despite winning all of her opening four matches without dropping a set, matching the achievement of Serena, she found it considerably more difficult than the American to whitewash opponents, conceding more and more games in each match she was involved in. The quarter final saw the Russian concede her first set of the tournament against Serb, Jelena Jankovic. A horrendous start saw the reigning champion lose the first set 6-0 to the world number 18, and though she recovered to win in three sets, she can ill-afford to reproduce this start against Serena. Her semi final also saw her lose a set, with Victoria Azarenka levelling the match after a strong start from Maria. Her battling third set victory shows that she certainly has the fight to challenge Serena. Whether a poor start would prove fatal is difficult to tell. Serena is definitely the favourite for today's final, but I would not count out Maria.
Moving on to the men's final, it appears almost unnecessary to reveal that Rafa Nadal is in another French Open final, as his dominance of the Grand Slam is well documented. The 7-times winner has had a more difficult route to this year's centrepiece than many would have expected. In both his first, and second round matches, he could only manage to win in 4 sets, suggesting signs of a Lukas Rosol-esque repeat, and the shock tennis seemingly requires. Nevertheless, he stabilised in later rounds, progressing from there to the semi finals without dropping a set, including a particularly impressive performance against Stanislav Wawrinka in the quarter-finals. There he met world number 1 Novak Djokovic, and yesterday saw one of the best matches in French Open history. A rollercoaster semi-final, with both men having ample opportunity to claim victory, Nadal triumphed in a mammoth 4 and a half hour, 5 set encounter, winning the final set 9-7 to progress to his eighth Roland Garros final. His trials and tribulations along the way, however, suggests that it is becoming ever more difficult to remain successful in the men's game.
In contrast, tomorrow will mark the inaugural Grand Slam final of David Ferrer's career. The clay court specialist has had a remarkably successful journey to the final, being the only one of the four finalists in either the men's or women's games not to drop a set. Bearing in mind the dominance of Rafa Nadal in recent years here, there are few who would have predicted that! Most impressive were his victories in the quarter and semi finals against firstly Tommy Robredo, whom he dispatched comfortably 6-2, 6-1, 6-1, and then home favourite Jo-Wilfried Tsonga. With an expectant home crowd, desperate for a French Grand Slam winner, to comprehensively beat the Frenchman 6-1, 7-6, 6-2 is highly impressive. To beat Nadal he will have to be at the top of his game, and get a touch of luck along the way, but with the form he is in, there is no reason why we can't see a significant shock tomorrow. It would certainly be nice to show that there is a bit of variety in the game.
The game of tennis has always had dominating factors, but certainly with the increasing coverage and publicity, I would have expected to see a more competitive tournament. If we compare tennis to another sport that has seen a recent increase in publicity, like Formula 1, we see the dominance of certain players maintained in tennis, and a much more competitive and open field in the latter. This makes me wonder if we will ever see a truly competitive tennis tournament, without there being some element of pre-determined nature to them. Until we do, moments like Ivanisevic's at Wimbledon will continue to be tennis gold.
With a little examination of the finalists and their run to the tournament's summit, we can see how monotonous today's game is. It could certainly be argued that has always been the case, especially in the men's game, with dominance from the likes of Borg, McEnroe, Connors, Becker, Agassi, Sampras, and more recently, Federer regularly characterising tennis. Therefore repeatedly seeing the same names perhaps should not be surprising. However, with the increased publicity and awareness of tennis in recent years, should we have expected to see more competition than experienced previously?
I will begin with today's women's final, contested between pre-tournament favourite Serena Williams, and reigning champion Maria Sharapova. Beginning with Serena, her route to the final has been relatively simple. Crushing her first three opponents for the loss of just 6 games, she cruised into the second week, doing little to challenge the assertion that the tournament winner is practically pre-determined. Another straight-sets victory in the fourth round against the 15th seed, Roberta Vinci, suggests that even the top 20 is not particularly competitive, seeing the American into the quarter final without dropping a set. There she met Svetlana Kuznetsova, who, despite being unseeded, is considered a very dangerous player. So it proved, with Serena being pushed all the way to the full three sets, claiming a 6-3 victory in the 3rd. The loss of a set evidently angered Williams, as she destroyed 5th seed Sara Errani in the subsequent semi-final to progress to yet another final, eradicating the memories of last year's shocking 1st round exit at Roland Garros.
Her opponent, Maria Sharapova, has had an altogether more strenuous passage to her second successive Parisian final. Despite winning all of her opening four matches without dropping a set, matching the achievement of Serena, she found it considerably more difficult than the American to whitewash opponents, conceding more and more games in each match she was involved in. The quarter final saw the Russian concede her first set of the tournament against Serb, Jelena Jankovic. A horrendous start saw the reigning champion lose the first set 6-0 to the world number 18, and though she recovered to win in three sets, she can ill-afford to reproduce this start against Serena. Her semi final also saw her lose a set, with Victoria Azarenka levelling the match after a strong start from Maria. Her battling third set victory shows that she certainly has the fight to challenge Serena. Whether a poor start would prove fatal is difficult to tell. Serena is definitely the favourite for today's final, but I would not count out Maria.
Moving on to the men's final, it appears almost unnecessary to reveal that Rafa Nadal is in another French Open final, as his dominance of the Grand Slam is well documented. The 7-times winner has had a more difficult route to this year's centrepiece than many would have expected. In both his first, and second round matches, he could only manage to win in 4 sets, suggesting signs of a Lukas Rosol-esque repeat, and the shock tennis seemingly requires. Nevertheless, he stabilised in later rounds, progressing from there to the semi finals without dropping a set, including a particularly impressive performance against Stanislav Wawrinka in the quarter-finals. There he met world number 1 Novak Djokovic, and yesterday saw one of the best matches in French Open history. A rollercoaster semi-final, with both men having ample opportunity to claim victory, Nadal triumphed in a mammoth 4 and a half hour, 5 set encounter, winning the final set 9-7 to progress to his eighth Roland Garros final. His trials and tribulations along the way, however, suggests that it is becoming ever more difficult to remain successful in the men's game.
In contrast, tomorrow will mark the inaugural Grand Slam final of David Ferrer's career. The clay court specialist has had a remarkably successful journey to the final, being the only one of the four finalists in either the men's or women's games not to drop a set. Bearing in mind the dominance of Rafa Nadal in recent years here, there are few who would have predicted that! Most impressive were his victories in the quarter and semi finals against firstly Tommy Robredo, whom he dispatched comfortably 6-2, 6-1, 6-1, and then home favourite Jo-Wilfried Tsonga. With an expectant home crowd, desperate for a French Grand Slam winner, to comprehensively beat the Frenchman 6-1, 7-6, 6-2 is highly impressive. To beat Nadal he will have to be at the top of his game, and get a touch of luck along the way, but with the form he is in, there is no reason why we can't see a significant shock tomorrow. It would certainly be nice to show that there is a bit of variety in the game.
The game of tennis has always had dominating factors, but certainly with the increasing coverage and publicity, I would have expected to see a more competitive tournament. If we compare tennis to another sport that has seen a recent increase in publicity, like Formula 1, we see the dominance of certain players maintained in tennis, and a much more competitive and open field in the latter. This makes me wonder if we will ever see a truly competitive tennis tournament, without there being some element of pre-determined nature to them. Until we do, moments like Ivanisevic's at Wimbledon will continue to be tennis gold.
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