2013 Singapore Grand Prix: Has The Night Race Put The Title To Bed?

                          This weekend's Singapore Grand Prix from Marina Bay has perhaps pull the final nail in the coffin of this season's Driver Championship. With Sebastian Vettel leaving the Asian city-state 60 points ahead with only 150 remaining, it seems now a case of when and not if the German will take his fourth consecutive drivers' title. It is an incredible feat, matched only by fellow German Michael Schumacher, and he will be hoping to surpass his compatriot's record in the coming years. With the amount of years left in the Red Bull driver's career, I would not be at all surprised if Vettel did manage to take all of Schumacher's records away from him one-by-one, just less than a decade after people said they would never be beaten. It is an indication of the incredible domination Vettel has had on the sport, and no race has illustrated this more than the Singapore Grand Prix this weekend.

                           The big news in the weeks in between the Italian Grand Prix and the trip to Marina Bay is that Lotus driver Kimi Raikkonen, who had already spurned an approach from Red Bull, decided instead to move to his former employers Ferrari for the start of the 2014 season. My initial reaction to the Finn's decision was that he had decided to return to the team he won his one and only title with, and that the Italian side remained the most likely team to repeat that success with. Therefore, the decision seemed to be odd from the perspective that the Finn turned down Red Bull, but sensible on the basis that he is familiar with many of the Ferrari team, and I feel that he will settle in quicker with. However, reports over the following days suggested that Raikkonen's decision was motivated by both success and finances. The former McLaren man, in interviews with the international media, implied that he had decided to make the move to the Scuderia as Lotus had failed to pay his wages for a month. This simply puts the icing on the cake for the Finn, who has enjoyed a reasonable amount of success with the British team, but he needs to make that step up the grid if he wants to realistically challenge for any titles in the future.

                             Raikkonen, who was also suffering the effects of an injection he had into his back, was clearly still distracted by his new contract, as his qualifying did not go to plan. On any street circuit it is important to qualify well, as those further down the grid are more succeptible to first lap incidents, and getting stuck behind slower cars in front. In Q1, the Red Bulls, who had also dominated the practice sessions, were the only team able to cruise through into Q2 using only the hard tyres. Even the Mercedes, who have been notoriously good on a single lap, were unable to just stay on the hard tyres. Ferrari had an unwanted scare, as Felipe Massa found himself in the bottom 6 as the flag dropped. Fortunately for the Italians, the Brazilian managed to get himself into the relative safety of mid-table, but he did little to put himself in the shop window. The big casualty from Q1 was Paul di Resta. The Brit has struggled in recent races, and is no longer a stranger to exiting in the first qualifying session, so perhaps it should not be such a shock. Q2 saw Raikkonen depart as the big name dropout, as his back caused him too much pain to get his best lap. The man to take his place was Esteban Gutierrez. The Sauber driver managed to break into the top 10 for the first time, outqualifying his more experienced teammate in the progress. Vettel's dominance in the first two qualifying sessions seemed to be continued in the final shootout, as he blasted into the 1:42's, a full seven tenths faster than his nearest rivals. So convinced was the German that he had done enough, he decided not to return to the track, instead becoming a spectator. However, he would have been a nervous onlooker as Nico Rosberg set the fastest first sector on his final lap. As the Mercedes passed the line, Vettel managed a sigh of relief, as Rosberg could only get within a tenth of his initial time.

                                That one tenth would prove pivotal in the run to the first corner. Unusually, the Red Bull was beaten off the line by Rosberg, who powered off the line. Having passed Vettel before the first corner, the Mercedes ran wide into turn 2, allowing Vettel to sneak back up the inside to get the lead back. Behind, the big winner was, once again, Fernando Alonso, who went from 7th to 3rd in the space of two corners. Steering clear of any danger, the Spaniard went all the way around the outside of two rows to claim the final podium spot. In fact, the entire field managed to avoid contact on the opening lap, showing incredible driving accuracy. Once he had maintained his lead, Sebastian Vettel quickly made the break, scampering away from Rosberg. By the time the Mercedes made his first pit stop, Vettel was over 7.5 seconds clear. As the race ran on, it became more and more obvious that Vettel was strolling to a comfortable victory, so attention turned to the chasing pack behind. After the first stops, Hamilton and Grosjean began reeling in Mark Webber quite quickly, with the Australian on older tyres. Just as it looked that the result was inevitable, Daniel Ricciardo made an uncharacteristic error, locking up both front tyres and sliding into the barriers. This brought out the safety car, eradicating Vettel's lead and throwing the result back into the air.

                                   This lasted next to no time however, as no sooner had the safety car pitted then Vettel made the break once again. With one Red Bull scampering away, the attention turned to the other. Aussie Mark Webber had been battling with Hamilton and Grosjean since the early laps, and this seemed set to be an ongoing rivalry. However, his cause was aided by the sight of Grosjean's engine giving in on lap 38. When the pair then made their final stops, they fell back behind the majority of the chasing pack, meaning a full-throttle race to the finish. It seemed to be a tactical decision that worked, as the Aussie managed to perform the undercut on Nico Rosberg, to take an effective 3rd place. However, this was swiftly wiped away by Raikkonen's ability to perform the same undercut. With both Alonso, who was trying to one stop, and Vettel way up the road, the final podium spot was the only thing up for grabs at this point. With both McLarens one stopping, there were mobile chicanes that needed passing for those behind. However, this often became easier said than done, as Hamilton and Rosberg almost collected one another on several occasions when trying to pass Perez.

                                      Despite chasing Raikkonen down to try and claim the final podium spot, Webber began to struggle massively into the final couple of laps, losing four seconds a lap to the Mercedeses behind. He was eventually passed by both, before being forced to retire with a lack of fuel, and a sick engine, eventually setting fire to itself on the final lap. It is just the latest in a long list of misfortune for the Aussie, who will be glad to leave the sport at this rate! In contrast, his teammate Vettel came home to win the race with ease, leading by over 30 seconds from Fernando Alonso. However, for both, the day ended badly. For Webber, having accepted a lift from Fernando Alonso, he was penalised with a 10 place penalty at the next race in Korea, for three reprimands in a season. For Vettel, despite his dominant victory, almost guaranteeing the title, he was roundly booed on the podium. Whilst this was not the first time (it happened at Monza), the first time could easily be explained as being deep Ferrari territory. Singapore is not. To boo any racer is unacceptable, especially when they have performed so admirably this season. Whilst it could be argued that F1 is getting boring, as the German is sweeping everything and everyone aside, this is not justification for booing someone. I do not recall Schumacher being booed wherever he went, or Senna. I think that we have to credit Red Bull for making a terrific car, and Vettel for driving it so well.

                                     As for the title: it looks over. 60 points is a lot to recoup out of 150. We would need to see a few Vettel non-finishes for this to be anything other than a Red Bull and Vettel success. I simply hope that we do see a few more interesting and close races over the next few weeks, otherwise F1 will begin to become a touch tedious and repetitive. Since the change to the tyres Red Bull have seemed best prepared to deal with the rule changes and the tyres, giving them an inherent advantage. Next season, hopefully we will see a slightly different story, getting us back to the start of the season, where any one of 6 or 7 cars could win races.

2013 British Grand Prix: When Will The Tyres Get Sorted?

             The 2013 Formula 1 season is in full flow, as the roadshow moves onto British soil. The home grand prix of 4 drivers in the field, and home to the owner of the entire franchise. After years of turbulence between the governing body and Silverstone, racing fans will be pleased to see the grand old track claim its rightful place on the Grand Prix calendar. In contrast, a name we will soon see disappearing from Formula 1 is, sadly, Red Bull driver Mark Webber, who announced his retirement from the end of the season before one of his favourite races. The feisty but likeable Aussie will be sorely missed from the paddock, but conspiracy theories have begun emerging that this was a case of 'jump before he was pushed', as his relationship with the World Champion Sebastian Vettel has deteriorated in recent months. With Red Bull inevitably plumping for their three-time World Champion, Webber has arguably been cast out into the cold by Christian Horner after 7 years of loyal service.

                With this news initially detracting from the build-up to the British Grand Prix, thoughts were transferred back onto the job in hand for qualifying. With the early favourites in practice being the traditional one-lap specialist Mercedes cars, it was Ferrari who found themselves lacking in pace in the early stages, with Felipe Massa nearly failing to make it out of Q1. As it finished, it was the usual suspects who ended the first session at the bottom, with home debutant Max Chilton finishing at the back, a full 1.7 seconds behind his teammate. Q2 saw further woe for the usually big teams, as Felipe Massa could only manage 12th. McLaren also struggled, with neither of their cars able to make the top 10 shootout. This time, Britain's Jenson Button outqualified his Mexican counterpart, with 11th the best he could manage. Q3 was all about the battle between the Red Bulls and the Mercedes, with the resurgent Austrian team fighting back against the Silver Arrows' dominance in Q2. However, the Germans were not to be denied, completing a lock-out of the front row. To the home support's delight, it was Stevenage-born Lewis Hamilton who took pole, with a scintillating lap. The question now, though, was could Mercedes translate their qualifying pace into race pace?

                  Even before the start of the race, there was further controversy and heartbreak, with Britain's Paul di Resta being disqualified from his all-time highest qualifying position of 5th, for performing in an underweight car. This meant that he cascaded to the back of the grid. A silly mistake from the Force India team, and one that threatened the Scot's chances of a good points haul on the Sunday. The race itself began equally eventfully. A first corner incident between Webber and Lotus driver Romain Grosjean forced the Red Bull driver off track and way down the field. Back up front, Lewis Hamilton and Vettel began trading fastest laps, with the Mercedes man eventually breaking free of the vital DRS activation point of 1 second. With Hamilton's lap times comparable with Vettel's, the question began to be asked whether the Mercedes had developed a race winning car. Unfortunately for the British driver, disaster then struck. He suffered a left rear tyre failure mid way through lap 8, forcing him to limp back to the pits, costing him bags of time, and any chance of winning the race.

                     With Hamilton's demise, Force India's disappointment the previous day was beginning to be recified by the achievements of Adrian Sutil, who moved into the final podium position. The racing was brought to a shuddering halt just two laps after Hamilton's incident, as Felipe Massa also exited the track courtesy of a left rear tyre failure. Just 5 laps later, in almost exactly the same part of the track, John-Eric Vergne suffered a left rear tyre failure. With three such similar incidents in quick succession, concerns were once again raised over the condition of the Pirelli tyres. With the recent controversy over the Italian manufacturers, they can ill-afford this type of debacle. Whilst spokesmen for the tyre supplier claimed it was more to do with the kerbs at Silverstone than the tyres, these claims fell on deaf ears, with a full inquiry to be held in the future days. After these incidents, the safety car was deployed as sweepers were used in an attempt to clear the track of any debris. When racing eventually resumed on lap 21, Vettel scampered away at the front, eventually taking a lead of 3.2 seconds before his second, and final, pit stop of the afternoon.

                      Further down the field, the action was coming thick and fast. Brits Lewis Hamilton and Paul di Resta found themselves locked in an enthralling battle for the 7th place, with the Mercedes driver beginning to make his way back through the field. With both Alonso, and Raikkonen, coming through after their second pit-stops, Hamilton attacked the Force India, only to fall back behind the chasing pair in successive corners. Back up front, Nico Rosberg made his second pit stop before Vettel, in an attempt to undercut his rival. Advantage Mercedes? The Red Bull mechanics instantly recalculated, bringing their man in the following lap to cover off the Rosberg threat. Vettel rejoined 3 seconds ahead of the Mercedes, with the race now his to lose.

                       Then lap 42 threw the race, and arguably the championship, back into the balance. After a few laps of Rosberg gaining on the triple World Champion, Vettel's Red Bull coasted to a halt, with a gearbox problem ending the leader's Grand Prix, and opening the door for his title contenders. The fact that this was the first time the championship leader had failed to finish anything lower than 4th this year, and the fact that this was the German's first retirement since Italy of the previous year says a lot for the consistency of the Red Bull, clearly illustrating the bedrock upon which Vettel's success has been built. With the safety car once again being deployed, race leader Rosberg used his 13 second advantage to make a precautionary pit-stop, leaving him on fresher tyres to complete the final few laps. Once Vettel's stricken car was removed from the racing line, the contest could begin again. However, after nearly 50 laps without tyre controversy, Sergio Perez's left rear also let go on lap 46, causing further worries of another safety car period. Fortunately, the carcass was cleared quickly, and racing could continue.

                       Immediately after the restart, it was clear that Mark Webber had not given up on his chances of, at least, a podium finish. He began cutting through the field, dispatching Ricciardo and Sutil, before a stunning pass on Kimi Raikkonen secured the Aussie 2nd place. Could he now catch Rosberg for the most unlikely of wins? Similar movements were going on behind, with Alonso and Hamilton also making late dashes through the field. From 8th and 9th places at the race restart, the pair finished in a remarkable 3rd and 4th place respectively, overtaking 5 cars each in 6 laps. Just up the road, Webber was closing in on Rosberg, getting the gap down as low as 0.7 of a second. This was going to come down to a final corner finish. Unfortunately for the Aussie, he had perhaps one lap too few, running out of time, and having to settle for 2nd place. Whilst the fairytale send-off from Silverstone will not happen, he can nevertheless be extremely proud of a tremendous drive, on a day where, for once, he got the better of Sebastian Vettel.

                        The events of yesterday has heaped further doubt onto the reliability of the Pirelli tyres, with many in the FIA undoubtedly questioning whether it they are more trouble than they are worth. I would not at all be surprised if we saw a switch back to the Bridgestones or Michelins of yesteryear in the very near future, as Pirelli have demonstrated they cannot be trusted. As for the title race, whether yesterday was a blip or the beginnings of a collapse or reliability issue cannot be decided in one race. The next few races will certainly be interesting, as it now gives those around Red Bull hope that they can push their cars into failure.

F1 Monaco Grand Prix: Mercedes Finally Manage The Tyres?

The Monaco Grand Prix, the most historic and glamorous F1 race on the calendar, is always set on the backdrop of vast wealth, with yachts and diamonds as far as the eye can see. Underneath all the materialism, a serious Formula 1 race takes place on the streets of Monte Carlo. Historically, McLaren are the most successful team around this famous circuit, but come to Monaco with a vastly inferior car than the team are used to. Red Bull and Ferrari have shared the majority of the race victories so far this season, with Kimi Raikkonen the only other man to win a Grand Prix outside these two constructors. Mercedes have promised much in qualifying, but have too often failed to deliver when the lights go out. In Monaco, where qualifying is of utmost importance, Mercedes had another chance to rectify this problem. However, even before the event started, the team was embroiled in controversy.

 

Mercedes, on the Saturday, were the subject of a Ferrari and Red Bull protest, accusing them of doing illegal testing. Pirelli, the F1 tyre supplier, used the Mercedes team to a tyre test between the Spanish and Monaco grand prix. As in-season testing is illegal in F1, the other top teams are now accusing the German constructors of attempting to gain an unfair advantage with the tyres. In defence of Mercedes, Pirelli made a statement, suggesting that they had a contract with the FIA, which allows the Italian suppliers to ‘limited testing’. This debate overshadowed the events of the race, as the dispute was to be determined after the event.

 

In practice session 3 (P3), the first real drama of the weekend on track unfolded, with carnage being the best adjective. Felipe Massa, Romain Grosjean and Adrian Sutil all had significant impacts with the vicious Monaco barriers, with the Brazilian needing all four corners of his car replacing. This meant that he was unable to complete a qualifying lap, meaning that he would start from the very back of the grid. For a grand prix track like Monaco, this is a virtual death sentence in terms of points. With overtaking so difficult, any mistakes can prove pivotal for the whole weekend. Such mistakes got even more likely in qualifying.

 

Saturday morning broke with drizzle and rain hanging overhead, making track conditions even more perilous, and room for driver error even lower. Q1 saw havoc, as the changeable weather conditions saw all of the drivers out early to set banker laps, with the genuine possibility that any of the top runners could fall. The ever improving track conditions meant that the times tumbled towards the end of the session, leaving Paul di Resta the big name casualty in Q1. Caterham’s Guido van der Garde, on the other hand, was the primary beneficiary, progressing from Q1 for the first time in his career. Q2, on a drying track proved just as difficult for the drivers, as the switch to slick tyres seemed imminent but a wrong decision could cost you a place in the top 10. Despite the confusion, the only big name casualty from Q2 was Lotus driver Romain Grosjean. Fernando Alonso had looked like he was in trouble, but a good decision on tyres got him out of danger, and comfortably into Q3. Q3 was undertaken with the track practically bone dry, and the super soft tyres made their first proper appearance. This left Mercedes, and Nico Rosberg, to take their 4^th and 3^rd consecutive pole positions respectively. Even more importantly for the German constructors, Lewis Hamilton managed to put his car alongside Rosberg’s, giving Mercedes a first row lockout. A priceless achievement, with overtaking so difficult in Monaco, it allowed Mercedes to control the race pace.

 

The start of the race was typically chaotic, with cars attempting to go three abreast through what would ordinarily be a single file corner. Sebastian Vettel, knowing the importance of splitting the Mercedes drivers, started pressurising Hamilton intensely, giving the Brit a mirror full of Red Bull. However, he found it difficult to pass, allowing Rosberg to begin scampering away at the front. Further down the field, collisions between Pastor Maldonado and Guido van der Garde wrecked the pair’s race, and gave an indication of what was to come. The two McLaren drivers, after a dressing down post-Bahrain, continued to squabble, with Jenson Button’s ire all too evident over the radio. After the initial jostling for position, it became ever more obvious that this was to be a strategic race, meaning that whoever managed the tyres best would win, with the Mercedes being traditionally poor at this.

 

Felipe Massa’s weekend then went from bad to worse on lap 31, with the Brazilian involved in a carbon copy of his P3 crash, putting him out of the race, and into the hospital for checks. This brought the safety car out, eliminating Nico Rosberg’s lead, and allowing the Red Bulls to jump Lewis Hamilton in the stops, giving them the perfect opportunity to attack the race leader. However, after a long safety car period, it looked like the Mercedes’ tyres were in better shape than their Austrian counterparts, enabling Nico Rosberg to escape once more, and put Hamilton on the rear wing of Webber. Once again, due to the largely ineffectual DRS zone into St Devote, positions were maintained, meaning that up to half distance, Hamilton had to look at the rear wing of the Aussie’s Red Bull. Then, in a very crash-heavy Grand Prix, Marussia’s Max Chilton and Pastor Maldonado collided, skewing the Venezuelan into the barriers. Gilles Bianchi, the next man on the scene, careered into the already displaced barrier, bringing out the red flag.

 

This stop benefitted the Red Bull drivers, allowing them to change their badly worn tyres on the newly-formed grid. After a coming-together with Sergio Perez, championship-chasing Fernando Alonso was told to give the place back to the Mexican after the restart. This had disastrous consequences for the Ferrari man, with him falling back behind both Sutil and Button before the end of the race. Red Bull’s tyre changes also had relatively little effect, as once again Rosberg was able to scurry clear, and put Hamilton all over the back of Webber. Whilst little changed at the front, a final safety car period was still to come. Under pressure Lotus driver Romain Grosjean mistimed his braking point and careered into the Toro Rosso of Daniel Ricciardo. This will have done little to enamour himself to the Lotus bosses, and will also have annoyed Rosberg, as once again his hard-earned lead was eradicated. Nevertheless, despite these setbacks, the Mercedes driver held on to claim his first Monaco success, and become part of the first father-son pairing to win the historic grand prix, with father Keke having won the 1973 Monaco GP. Sebastien Vettel’s 2^nd place also represented a significant success, as his title rivals Alonso (7^th) and Raikkonen (10^th) both finished way down the field, extending the German’s overall lead. Despite his disappointing 10^th place finish, Kimi Raikkonen will still have cause to smile, as he extended his scoring run to 24 races, now just two behind Michael Schumacher’s record. Knowing the Finn though, he will not be smiling!

 

       The Monaco Grand Prix has often been criticised for a lack of overtaking, and this one did little to rectify that tag. It did, however, show fantastic driving skill to keep their cars out of the barriers at such speed, and entertainment when they failed to. The pre-race rhetoric was all about who could manage the tyres best. Mercedes clearly could, as they kept outrunning the Red Bulls after successive safety car stints. However, with the recent controversy, the question has to be asked whether they have managed to master the tyres through illegal means? I am certain that this row will rumble on for a while, and I hope it does not detract from future races.