Articles Tagged ‘Sebastian Vettel’

Red Bull Finish as McLaren & Ferrari Despair

Monday, April 5th, 2010 - Posted by Formula1Blogger

So the Malaysian Grand Prix didn’t end up a water fest as pretty much everyone predicted. In fact, not a single drop of rain fell during the race. Many also predicted the biggest headline out of the race would be the weather, how awful it was, and how the race time needs to be changed again etc etc.

But that didn’t happen – so the second surprise to pop out was the Red Bull 1-2 finish. Yes, I said finish. Sebastian Vettel and Mark Webber have both been plagued recently by dodgy cars, causing Vettel in particular to lose two Grand Prix from commanding positions.

Mark Webber has fared better, however he’s had his share of gremlins too in the car, however luckily during practice sessions.

Despite all that, Vettel pipped Webber to the first corner in Sepang after lights out, and the rest they say, was a parade… (well at least for them it was). Neither Vettel nor Webber moved from P1 and P2 respectively throughout the race, and were never bothered at all by the competition.

Vettel’s now infamous “Number 1″ finger pumps told the whole story at the end of the race – he was clearly relieved to have made it (a) to the finish, and (b) in P1 – probably in that order. However, have they just got lucky this time, or have the Red Bull team figured out their issues with reliability? If it’s the latter, we can say goodbye to the championship race – it’ll all be about the Red Bulls.

That said, they were let off a bit this time over. Both Ferraris and McLarens were starting from pretty much the back of the pack, and had some 10+ cars to go through before getting close to the podiums. Lewis Hamilton predictably steamed through the pack, making up a large number of places, with team mate Jenson Button going backwards, forwards, backwards.

The Ferrari boys also rued their decision on Saturday, which ultimately screwed their race on Sunday. Fernando Alonso’s engine blowout on the penultimate lap was the signing off of a terrible weekend for the team, who were hoping to be back up there. The BBC even reported that it almost looked like Alonso forced the blowout after a frustrating race.

Mercedes driver Nico Rosberg needs a mention. Other than the rolling headline that never disappears that he finished ahead of his team mate (you know, Schumacher), he actually finished P3, grabbing the first Mercedes GP podium this year.

What this has done is setup an interesting top 3 in the drivers championship. A top 3 which actually holds 5 drivers:

  1. Felipe Massa (39)
  2. Fernando Alonso, Sebastien Vettel (37)
  3. Jenson Button, Nico Rosberg (35)

That’s pretty tight, and hold’s the top 4 teams. It’s anyones game right now, but could we call it this early? Let’s have a vote:

After 3 races, who do you think will take the championship?

  • Sebastien Vettel (71%, 12 Votes)
  • Fernando Alonso (18%, 3 Votes)
  • Lewis Hamilton (12%, 2 Votes)
  • Mark Webber (0%, 0 Votes)
  • Jenson Button (0%, 0 Votes)
  • Felipe Massa (0%, 0 Votes)
  • Nico Rosberg (0%, 0 Votes)
  • Michael Schumacher (-1%, 0 Votes)

Total Voters: 17

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Posted in Ferrari, McLaren, Mercedes GP, Opinion, Poll, Red Bull | 1 Comment »

Qualifying Recap: Vettel takes Pole in Bahrain

Saturday, March 13th, 2010 - Posted by Formula1Blogger

The first qualifying session of the Formula One 2010 season has finished, with Red Bull driver Sebastian Vettel stealing the pole position from Ferrari’s Felipe Massa and Fernando Alonso. More surprising was the fact that Massa managed to pip Alonso to P2.

In the first session, nearly all of the new team’s drivers failed to make it through. Interestingly Karun Chandhok managed to get out on track after all, coming last – but getting some well needed laps under his belt before his first F1 GP on Sunday. Quickly following him were Trulli, Kovalainen, Di Grassi, Senna, Glock and Alguersuari.

The second session quickly followed with both Jenson Button and Michael Schumacher finding it increasingly difficult to keep up with the front runners. Both drivers scraped through in 9th and 10th position to make it through to Q3. The only major scalp to go during this session was Rubens Barrichello, who managed 11th.

The final session saw the top 10 drivers running on empty, desperate to get a quick lap, whilst saving the tyres that they now have to start the race with. Vettel was first out on track, with no one showing any clear sign they were going to catch him after that.

Michael Schumacher again struggled to keep up with his younger Mercedes team mate, Nico Rosberg – only making P7, 3 tenths down. This wasn’t new for Schumacher – who has struggled all weekend so far keeping up with Rosberg, and is yet to beat him. In race pace however, it could be a different story.

Jenson Button also struggled to keep up with his McLaren team mate, Lewis Hamilton. Button and Hamilton had been pretty similar in times and performance over previous sessions, but Button just couldn’t string it together for the final push, finishing P8.

Arguably, Rubens Barrichello looks to be in a very strong position in P11. Whilst not immediately obvious, Barrichello gets to pick his tyre compound, selecting the hard tyre, whilst everyone in front of him is on the soft. This means he’ll potentially last far longer out on track and may make up some significant track position.

That said, Vettel and the Ferrari’s are in world of their own, nearly half a second at least in front of the competition. Expect these guys to bring it home, barring any major race incidents. The question is, will they be in the same qualifying positions when the pass the chequered flag? Only tomorrow will tell.

See you on Twitter tomorrow at 1200 GMT for full race coverage.

Final Qualifying Standings

1.  Vettel         Red Bull-Renault

2.  Massa          Ferrari

3.  Alonso         Ferrari

4.  Hamilton       McLaren-Mercedes

5.  Rosberg        Mercedes

6.  Webber         Red Bull-Renault

7.  Schumacher     Mercedes

8.  Button         McLaren-Mercedes

9.  Kubica         Renault

10.  Sutil          Force India-Mercedes

11.  Barrichello    Williams-Cosworth

12.  Liuzzi         Force India-Mercedes

13.  Hulkenberg     Williams-Cosworth

14.  de la Rosa     Sauber-Ferrari

15.  Buemi          Toro Rosso-Ferrari

16.  Kobayashi      Sauber-Ferrari

17.  Petrov         Renault

18.  Alguersuari    Toro Rosso-Ferrari

19.  Glock          Virgin-Cosworth

20.  Trulli         Lotus-Cosworth

21.  Kovalainen     Lotus-Cosworth

22.  di Grassi      Virgin-Cosworth

23.  Senna          HRT-Cosworth

24.  Chandhok       HRT-Cosworth

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Posted in Ferrari, News, Red Bull | No Comments »

Red Bull to stick with Renault Engines

Monday, November 2nd, 2009 - Posted by Formula1Blogger

Christian Horner

Red Bull Racing have confirmed that they will continue working with engine supplier Renault for the immediate future.

The team initially planned to break away and use Mercedes Benz or Cosworth engines after a 2009 season dogged with engine issues that ultimately lost them the championship titles. However, the Mercedes deal was apparently vetoed by key Mercedes partner McLaren, and the Cosworth deal just too risky.

Christian Horner was recently discussing the issue with Germany’s Auto Motor und Sport,

“We have got good foundations. We have been well supported by Renault as you don’t win races and achieve the kind of results we have had without great support from your engine supplier.”

Red Bull and driver Sebastian Vettel missed out on the chance to grab the 2009 titles this year after too many DNFs. Vettel had used up his 9 engines way before he should have, and ended up using old engines from the start of the season to get to the end of the season without taking a penalty.

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Posted in News, Red Bull | No Comments »

Vettel and Red Bull Triumphant in Abu Dhabi

Sunday, November 1st, 2009 - Posted by Victoria Reid

Sebastian Vettel

Sebastian Vettel won the 2009 Abu Dhabi GP after a pit stop strategy gave him the lead over Lewis Hamilton, before the latter had to retire on L17 with brake issues.  Mark Webber held of a determined last-lap charge from Jenson Button to finish second.  Rubens Barrichello and Nick Heidfeld rounded out the top five, as rookie Kamui Kobayashi’s quick driving and one-stop strategy netted him points for sixth position in only his second race.  This win moved Vettel ahead in points, and he finished the season second in the driver’s championship, with Barrichello third and Webber fourth.

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Posted in Brawn GP, McLaren, News, Red Bull | No Comments »

Lewis Hamilton on pole for the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.

Saturday, October 31st, 2009 - Posted by Jack Sargeant

Lewis Hamilton

Lewis Hamilton will line up alongside Red Bull’s Sebastian Vettel for tomorrow’s inaugural Abu Dhabi Grand Prix at the Yas Marina circuit after setting an electrifying lap in Q3, more than 0.5secs faster than the rest of the field.

Hamilton set a 1:40.948 after the chequered flag had dropped in Q3 compared to Vettel’s 1:41.615. The fellow Red Bull driver Mark Webber will line up 3rd alongside Rubens Barrichello and World Champion Jenson Button will start 5th.

Hamilton’s teammate Heikki Kovalainen will start 13th, despite topping Friday Practice 2, although this is because he suffered a brake problem in Q2.

Elsewhere it was a reasonably impressive qualifying session in BMW Sauber’s last ever Grand Prix with Kubica and Heidfeld making it an all BMW 4th row. They qualified 7th and 8th respectively.

Ferrari had another nightmare with Giancarlo Fisichella in particular, who will start last on the grid and Kimi Raikkonen who will start an average 11th on the grid.

It was a disappointing session for Renault as both of their drivers failed to get through Q1. In twice former world champion Fernando Alonso’s final qualifying for Renault he qualified 16th. His teammate Romain Grosjean will start 19th.

The full classification is below. 

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Posted in BMW Sauber, Brawn GP, Ferrari, Force India, McLaren, News, Red Bull, Renault, Toro Rosso, Toyota, Williams | No Comments »

Driver’s thoughts on the new Yas Marina Circuit.

Friday, October 30th, 2009 - Posted by Jack Sargeant

Yas Marina Circuit, Abu Dhabi

Today was the first time there has ever been a Formula 1 session at the new Yas Marina circuit in Abu Dhabi on today’s Friday Practice day. I have compiled a few of the driver’s thoughts  on the new complex.

The McLaren team seemed impressed with the circuit, Lewis Hamilton who recorded the fastest time in Free Practice 1 said:

“They’ve done an incredible job here. It’s a really nice circuit to drive – there are a lot of technical corners, where braking stability is important. It’s a great track and I really enjoy driving it. The only bit I don’t like is the tunnel – but it’s a challenge!”

And the former world champion’s teammate Heikki Kovalainen who topped the timesheets in Free Practice 2 said:

“The circuit is cool – it’s very smooth with good grip and the kerbs are nice. Turns Two and Three are not easy-flat, but, with the good balance of the car, they’re fun.”

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Posted in Brawn GP, Ferrari, McLaren, News, Red Bull | No Comments »

Vettel Ready for a Fight this Weekend

Friday, October 30th, 2009 - Posted by Formula1Blogger

Sebastian Vettel

Sebastian Vettel has come out of Friday’s Abu Dhabi GP practise sessions with renewed enthusiasm for this weekends race, where he fights for second place in the drivers world championship. Vettel, who currently leads Rubens Barrichello by 2 points was pleased with his car’s performance during practise 1 & 2, giving a nod to engine maker Renault,

“I’d like to say thanks to Renault – many people didn’t believe that we’d succeed without having to change an engine, but here we are having completed a lot of miles on another Friday without a single problem.”

Vettel has had a number of engine problems and DNFs throughout the 2009 season which ultimately lost him the chance at the driver’s title. He has also used up his allotted engine allowance for the season, re-using old engines in order to not incur a grid penalty for a brand new one.

Vettel managed 3rd and 4th respectively in the Friday practise sessions in Abu Dhabi, only the McLaren and Brawn GP cars giving him a run for his money.

“It seems as though we’re quite competitive, although we will have to wait to see how competitive. Even though it’s a new track, it was a normal Friday practice and we were testing which tyre works best.”

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Posted in News, Red Bull | No Comments »

Which Driver will win the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix?

Thursday, October 29th, 2009 - Posted by Formula1Blogger

Abu Dhabi Promo

With the final Grand Prix of the season in Abu Dhabi just days away, and both world championships already wrapped up – the final race will be a free for all to grab some final points, and also lay it all on the line.

Sebastian Vettel and Rubens Barrichello will both be looking to secure 2nd place in the drivers championship. With Brawn GP and Jenson Button already securing the other top spots in the championships Brawn will work hard to make it happen for Barrichello, to finish off an amazing (kind of) debut year for the team.

Lewis Hamilton will undoubtedly drive his heart out as he always does, with his McLaren car really coming up to speed in the latter part of the season, he should be one of the favourites to get the win!

Kimi Raikkonen is also taking part in his final race for Ferrari in Abu Dhabi, so could be looking to seal that with a win, for old times sake. He’s up against it though as Ferrari haven’t updated the car since June.

Our money would be on Hamilton, Vettel or Barrichello – but they’re so many fast cars out there now, it could be any of them? Take a vote:

Which driver will win the Abu Dhabi 2009 Grand Prix?

  • Lewis Hamilton (39%, 15 Votes)
  • Rubens Barichello (21%, 8 Votes)
  • Sebastian Vettel (13%, 5 Votes)
  • Kimi Raikkonen (11%, 4 Votes)
  • Mark Webber (5%, 2 Votes)
  • Jenson Button (5%, 2 Votes)
  • None of the above! (6%, 2 Votes)

Total Voters: 38

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Results close at 1200 GMT Sunday.

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Posted in Brawn GP, Ferrari, McLaren, Poll, Red Bull | No Comments »

Mark Webber Looking Forward to Abu Dhabi

Monday, October 26th, 2009 - Posted by Formula1Blogger

Mark Webber

With the final race of the 2009 Formula 1 season looming, the drivers have begun to speak about the forthcoming race. Hot on the heels of his win in Brazil last weekend, Mark Webber is now looking forward to the finale in Abu Dhabi, with another Red Bull Racing success in mind.

“I’m expecting Red Bull Racing to be pretty strong in Abu Dhabi. We’ve been pretty strong since Singapore, so there’s no reason to suggest that we can’t be fighting towards the sharp end again, no question about it. As usual, qualifying will be very important on a street circuit and then we’ll see how the race goes from there. We’re looking to finish off on a high for the team.”

A win is hardly optimistic for Webber or Sebastian Vettel (his driving partner), they both proved worthy competitors in Brazil and demonstrated to everyone on the grid that the current car has what it takes. On the Abu Dhabi circuit itself Webber added,

“I’ve heard the Yas Marina circuit has some nice undulations, which sounds good. It’s got a few fast sections to it and a slow section to finish off. I think it will be pretty dusty, but we’ll clean it up pretty quick; it’s always nice to go to a new track.

The last race of the year will be very interesting to go to, as no-one’s raced there before and it’s another street circuit – it sounds fascinating.”

Webber has won his first 2 Grand Prix in this 2009 season, and is clearly looking forward to what he and his Red Bull team can do in 2010,

“I think it will be a good finale to the season and a timely end to the Championship. We’re all ready to start next year now, as the Championship titles are decided.”

Webber was speaking with redbullracing.com

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Posted in Red Bull | No Comments »

Abu Dhabi Preview: New Circuit, New Time, New Champion

Monday, October 26th, 2009 - Posted by Victoria Reid

Abu Dhabi Promo

While there is no contest left for the winner of either the Formula1 driver’s nor constructor’s championship, as Jenson Button and Brawn GP clinched both in Brazil just one week ago, one race remains in the 2009 season.  It is a given that Red Bull will be the second-place constructor, though Sebastian Vettel and Rubens Barrichello will be battling for second-place in the driver’s championship.  Perhaps most important, however, is the battle for third in the constructor’s standings between historic rivals McLaren and Ferrari, who are currently separated by one point.  The end-of-season prize money is considerable, and necessary in this time of cost-cutting.

While it might not seem to be so, the Abu Dhabi GP this weekend at the Yas Marina circuit is likely to prove entertaining for a number of reasons.  Firstly, being the last race of the season, it is likely that multiple announcements about the 2010 season (or at least rumors about them) will appear from the paddock this week.  Also, the Yas Marina circuit is completely new.  The F1 media had a stop-over between the Japanese and Brazilian GPs, with various journalists taken for a ride in a two-seater F1 car by recent driver David Coulthard, hoping-to-be a F1 rookie in 2010 Bruno Senna, or Martin Brundle.  James Allen has published some on-board footage of laps from the promotional day, which gives the viewer fascinating information about what the track looks and feels like.

According to Coulthard, “it’s a two-stage track.  The first half of the lap until corner nine is typical of the new type of track.  There’s the fast section at the beginning from Turn One to the Turn Four tight hairpin with the grandstand literally overhead…The back section of the circuit has a real street circuit feel to it, where you come along the section that takes you to the hotel and then passes underneath it, via a series of 90 degree right-handers and left-handers before opening out to the end of the lap and a medium speed corner on to the start-finish straight.”

There are nineteen turns on the circuit, which will become more interesting as the day turns into night during the GP.  Not to be confused with the accidental twilight race that occurred as the season opener in Australia, this weekend’s Abu Dhabi GP has been designed to light up like the Singapore GP, though the start will be at 5pm local time.

Adding to the possibility for drama, the pit lane exit is a tunnel, and the end of the speed limit requirement occurs before the driver enters the tunnel to return to the circuit.  There are no cranes inside the tunnel to clear cars, but there is apparently “a trapdoor in the wall through which marshals can quickly recover any crashed cars,” according to James Allen.  The marshals in attendance will include 350 British marshals flown in by the British Automobile Racing Club.   Most recently, the circuit officials announced Sunday that all 50,000 grandstand tickets for this Sunday’s race have been sold.

Finally, many current F1 drivers do not yet have signed (or at least announced) contracts for the 2010 season.  Some have even been publicly informed that they are driving for their jobs.  A good showing at Abu Dhabi is very important for all drivers, but particularly these.  If the circuit does not provide enough excitement and good racing through its layout, expect these drivers to do so.  While it may not seem terribly important, this final GP weekend of the 2009 season could prove entertaining indeed.

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Posted in News | No Comments »

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