Cars Going Bonkers

Personal commentary. (Australian GP 2015 - Race)

Who would have thought we would have less than twenty people starting the grid in the first race of the season? Not me for sure. We were told yesterday that Manor would be missing the Australian GP today. That brings the total number of drivers from 20 to 18. Valtteri Bottas was admitted to hospital yesterday after qualifying for a back problem he experienced during Q2. This morning, all of us were updated that he would be sitting out for the race because of a tear of the disc in his lower back. So we were down to 17. Right on the installation lap, Daniil Kvyat’s and Kevin Magnussen’s cars would not move ahead like the rest of the other cars. Each to their personal problem: Kvyat with a broken gearbox whereas Magnussen had a Honda engine failure. Before the green lights went out, we only had 15 drivers racing in the 2015 season opener, that is the lowest number of starters we see for a season opener since 1963. Nevertheless, the figure does not stop there.

First laps have become a crucial period in which a driver will try his best to squeeze himself through the mass of slower cars to gain a better position. Aside from the first two drivers at the front, that was what the rest of the 13 drivers tried to do. That was the lap we saw Lewis Hamilton getting far ahead from Nico Rosberg, Sebastian Vettel getting in contact with Kimi Raikkonen, Felipe Nasr sandwiching between the Finn and Pastor Maldonado that sadly sent the next casualty out of the race as Maldonado crashed to the wall. His teammate was not lucky either as Romain Grosjean’s car faced an engine failure just a few minutes later. 

I would say the race was more interesting to watch from the back than the front. The rookies have clearly given their all in their debut race with Carlos Sainz Jr and Felipe Nasr making it into the points. Unfortunately for Max Verstappen who, again, missed the opportunity to finish the race with a possible point due to engine failure. Even Aussie’s favourite Daniel Ricciardo had his chance of a podium robbed away for the RB11’s slow pace. It was clearly a Renault trouble week. The drivers at Sauber have taken the week’s unfortunate development and turned it around into an outstanding achievement by both drivers. They have collected 14 points in their very first race: one as a rookie and another as a new Sauber driver, giving the team the most points they have scored in more than a season. This has placed them third on the constructors’ standings, just one point shy from Ferrari. It is true that the number of drivers on the grid makes it hard to assess the true performance of the car but their overtaking skills on track were enough to prove that Sauber was way better than where they left off last season without a single point.

The Sergio Perez-Jenson Button battle rages on as both went head-to-head to stay ahead of being the last driver. Button was comfortably ahead of Perez for some number of laps and being a three-time champion on this track, he was doing his best to keep up to that record. At lap 12, the Mexican was gaining speed to the Brit for an overtaking attempt. Button did not give in easily, showing us seconds of brilliant defences. It took Perez another two laps before he finally took hold of his former teammate’s position but not without slight contact, severing a bit of his car. With his unstable Honda machinery, it was a bonus for Button to have finished the race albeit coming in last with the possibility of finishing in the points. It is safe to say that Fernando Alonso made the right choice to take this week and the next off to recuperate and make more preparations for the Malaysian GP. If you think of it this way, he would not have been as lucky as his teammate because the car he would have been given would be what Kevin Magnussen drove in.    

Ferrari has found a better footing in the WCC fight. Both drivers have a competent car. If Ferrari would have bucked up on their pitstop: reduce the time taken to pull everything together within a few milliseconds and be more alert at changing the car parts, they would not have caused Kimi Raikkonen and the team their points because the Finn clearly had found the momentum in the car. As for Sebastian Vettel along with Ferrari’s clever strategy, the team had helped move Vettel up head of Felipe Massa for third, delivering a stunning performance in his first race with the Scuderia. Looking happier in the scarlet red colours as compared to the race in 2014, it is clear that the four-time world champion is more comfortable and confident at where he is at to break more records.

By the end of the race, we only have 11 finishers. Mercedes’ one-two win just proves that the WCC title is here to stay. How long will it take for us to see teams getting closer to them to close the gap? Just like Daniel Ricciardo lament of another boring race and Sebastian Vettel's observation of the Mercedes' 34s gap away from the third driver, when will the other teams be able to keep up to their level to give us F1 fans the thrill we were so used to watching in F1 a few years back? With Caterham’s departure from F1 and some other mid-tier teams struggling with finances, when will we see F1 becoming too expensive, leaving these teams failing to meet demands and “disappear” from the F1 world as a result? Also, with the increase of restrictions FIA sets each year, how is F1 still an entertaining motorsport? This is no longer the king of motorsport, it is getting lower in status. With rumours of a Renault comeback and again those annual hearsays of an Audi involvement, will this be enough to challenge the dominant German team or will F1 be a dying rigid motorsport in the future?

Australian Grand Prix Race: 

1. Lewis Hamilton GBR Mercedes-Mercedes 58 laps 1hr 31m 54.067s 

2. Nico Rosberg GER Mercedes-Mercedes +1.3s 

3. Sebastian Vettel GER Ferrari-Ferrari +34.5s 

4. Felipe Massa BRZ Williams-Mercedes +38.1s 

5. Felipe Nasr BRZ Sauber-Ferrari +1m 35.1s 

6. Daniel Ricciardo AUS Red Bull-Renault +1 lap 

7. Nico Hulkenberg GER Force India-Mercedes +1 lap 

8. Marcus Ericsson SWE Sauber-Ferrari +1 lap 

9. Carlos Sainz Jr ESP Toro Rosso-Renault +1 lap 

10. Sergio Perez MEX Force India-Mercedes +1 lap 

11. Jenson Button GBR McLaren-Honda +2 laps 

Not Classified 

Rtd Kimi Raikkonen FIN Ferrari-Ferrari 40 laps completed 

Rtd Max Verstappen NED Toro Rosso-Renault 32 laps completed 

Rtd Romain Grosjean FRA Lotus-Mercedes 0 laps completed 

Rtd Pastor Maldonado VEN Lotus-Mercedes 0 laps completed 

Did Not Start 

Daniil Kvyat RUS Red Bull-Renault gearbox 

Kevin Magnussen DEN McLaren-Honda engine 

Valtteri Bottas FIN Williams-Mercedes back injury 

Will Stevens GBR Manor-Ferrari did not qualify 

Roberto Merhi ESP Manor-Ferrari did not qualify 

Thanks to Michael West (who knows how huge of a fan I am of Vettel) for the photos of Sebastian Vettel and also for all the motivation you would give me every time I blog! :) Sorry if this entry is way lousy than the previous one. I had writer's block yesterday and I kinda rushed through this 24 hours later after the race. My bad. :( 

What's Up Down Under!

Personal commentary (Australian GP 2015 - FP1, FP2, FP3 and Qualifying) 

Hello fellow zombies (not meant to be rude, just a title I came up with for the F1 fans who have either been staying up late or waking up at odd hours for the sessions)! Welcome back to F1 weekends! Is it just me or has the week gone by really quickly? BECAUSE… THE 2015 AUSTRALIAN GRAND PRIX IS ACTUALLY STARTING IN LESS THAN 24 HOURS. THE RACE; THE FIRST RACE OFF THE 2015 F1 CALENDAR. IT’S HAPPENING GUYS, IT’S FINALLY ABOUT TO HAPPEN. *internal screaming* 

I think I say this on behalf of everyone and honestly, Sauber did have all of our attention at the beginning of the week. Unfortunately up to now, they still do.

This morning, Giedo van der Garde posted a Facebook status update with these words.

I would say it is a very mature decision made by the Dutchman, you have to give him praise for this. It must have been hard to leave Albert Park without the “possibility” of a point. I am looking at this matter in a third person F1 fan perspective and one can see that he has been through a lot from Sauber; he has no job, no money and he was treated like a total stranger and junk ever since he was ditched by the team for two other drivers with higher values of money. There is no reason why he should be called a bastard or team wrecker. He is truthfully a victim in this web of broken promises. Then again, it is really sad to see that he will be the one who is going to “tear” one of the Sauber driver (most likely Marcus Ericsson) apart from a F1 drive in such an instant. It does not sound pleasant at all to have been given the opportunity to take part in the testing and even race in the Australian GP only to have that ripped apart when you are already so committed to the team. In my opinion, van der Garde should have applied for a court hearing against Sauber BEFORE the season started. It is just wrong to see how he is going to replace someone now. Ultimately, it is the team’s fault for not starting right; for not thinking straight before actually signing on the drivers for the 2015 season. All I am hoping now is van der Garde and Ericsson will not be bitter towards each other. 

Well, enough of this off-track talk.

Let’s see. What have we got so far in the new season?

·      Mercedes tops the timesheets in every single session. ✓

·      Kimi Raikkonen smiled. ✓

·      Daniel Ricciardo smiled and still is (most likely) smiling. ✓

·      A 17-year-old is driving a F1 car. ✓

·      The first two fastest drivers happen to be less than a second apart from each other. ✓

·      McLaren and Honda finally found a solution to their 2015 contender. X

·      Fernando Alonso has taken an Australian GP crowd selfie. X

·      Sebastian Vettel has a helmet change. X

As you can see, there have been some changes from the previous year. The Mercedes cars do not only have the other Mercedes powered counterparts breathing down their necks, they have the emergence of the prancing horse getting close to them by the second. In two out of the three practice sessions, we see a Ferrari wedged in between or just behind the Mercedes drivers. The man who was able to do so is the newly recruited Ferrari driver Sebastian Vettel, clearly hungry and ready to continue on his list of WDC wins in a team he has so much admiration for. His teammate, though inconsistent, has had better records as compared to the previous year. It seems like Ferrari are about to unveil their resurgence sometime soon. That just brings the competitive level one notch higher in the 2015 F1 season. 

While back at Vettel’s former team Red Bull, especially local boy Daniel Ricciardo, did not seem to be doing too good. The honey badger had to sit out for the entire FP2, completing only nine laps on the first day. Trouble hit again, to both Dans this morning in the final free practice. Ricciardo’s car stopped at the pitlane exit while Kvyat had an equally messed up car. With the new engine rule change from five to four in 2015, Ricciardo is left with three more engine changes before a penalty will be given. However, all hope was not lost when the Aussie headed into qualifying. He finished ahead of his teammate, passing Q3 to finish with seventh.  

The restored Manor Marussia has not made an appearance on the Albert Park circuit at all this entire week and they are also not planning to do so tomorrow. The team is said to be working very hard on rebuilding their electronic systems that are essential in running their cars. Last I read, they have also been summoned to the FIA stewards on them missing out qualifying. There is yet no news on what will befall on the team but I do hope they will be safe from it. They have been working so hard to pull everything together in such a short period of time. To be able to make it to Australia with a car is already a massive achievement. Keep working at it guys! We are all behind your back. I believe you guys will be mentally and physically ready before the Malaysian GP! 

Adding to their load of woes on their shoulders, both Jenson Button and Kevin Magnussen did not make it through Q2. Despite the team’s amazing records on this circuit (five poles), they were instantly knocked out in Q1 along with Ericsson. It is the first time they have been unable to proceed onto Q2 since the 2009 Brazilian GP.  It seems like the duo had expected it all along with Button saying, “This level of performance wasn't a surprise for us: we knew from winter testing that the pace wasn't there, so we knew we weren't going to be competitive here.” I agree, getting a new engine company together with a car is an entirely new process and this is going to take an immense amount of time before they can see themselves racing again with the big leagues. All I am hoping for them is to finish tomorrow’s race. It does not matter where they end up with, seeing them finishing is the best fulfillment at the moment. At least the team will be assured they have found the key to fixing the car in a reliable direction.

The rookies at Toro Rosso have displayed a fine set of lap times in their very first session. Carlos Sainz Jr had pushed the STR10 into Q3 whereas Max Verstappen had made some careless slips during qualifying, as a result he will start from 12^th.

The Lotus who had their new partnership with Mercedes this year sees both drivers getting through Q3, outperforming Force India.

It is already 0235 AEST. It will not be long before we will be in front of our television screen, watching the very first year of the year. It seems like first races tend to be very special no matter where it starts. Thank goodness it starts from the Australian GP instead of the other more boring races though. Boring tracks would have given us a different vibe.

Lewis Hamilton went ahead of his teammate to win pole today. Will their positions stay the same throughout the race? This is neither Sochi nor Yas Marina, it will be in any driver’s fate tomorrow. 

Australian GP Qualifying: 

1 Lewis Hamilton Mercedes 1:26.327s
2 Nico Rosberg Mercedes 1:26.921s 0.594s
3 Felipe Massa Williams 1:27.718s 1.391s
4 Sebastian Vettel Ferrari 1:27.757s 1.430s
5 Kimi Raikkonen Ferrari 1:27.790s 1.463s
6 Valtteri Bottas Williams 1:28.087s 1.760s
7 Daniel Ricciardo Red Bull 1:2;8.329s 2.002s
8 Carlos Sainz Jr. Toro Rosso 1:28.510s 2.183s
9 Romain Grosjean Lotus 1:28.560s 2.233s
10 Pastor Maldonado Lotus 1:29.480s 3.153s
11 Felipe NasrSauber 1:28.800s 
12 Max Verstappen Toro Rosso 1:28.868s 
13 Daniil Kvyat Red Bull 1:29.070s 
14 Nico Hulkenberg Force India 1:29.208s 
15 Sergio Perez Force India 1:29.209s 
16 Marcus Ericsson Sauber 1:31.376s 
17 Jenson Button McLaren 1:31.422s 
18 Kevin Magnussen McLaren 1:32.037s 

When Venusians Take the Wheel

Personal commentary. 

We are exactly one week away from the season opener in Australia. If detailed figures are what you are asking for, I am pleased to announce that we are technically one day away to the Australian GP week, five days to the first two practices and six days to the third practice along with qualifying. 

What is more important is the fact that today marks the one-year anniversary of the disappearance of the MH370. It still remains a mystery on how the plane ever disappeared from the face of this earth. I am not really good with words on serious matters like this but I do hope the best for the loved ones of the victims. I understand how hard it is to recover from this disastrous tragedy seeing how there is not a single piece of evidence to come to a resolution. I wish them to stay strong and hopefully (just hopefully) they will grow numb to this significant one year of their disappearance. I know it does sound cruel of me but I think it is the best for all. Forgetting and leaving the people we love most in the deepest abyss of our memories leave us more time to enjoy the remainder of our lives. Just take a moment to imagine this. Our lives revolve around a large hour glass. The amount of sand in it is infinite right up to when the last bits of sand passes through its neck. Each of us has a certain number of chances from a permanent visit with Death, each of us has a different shape and size of a personal hour glass. I wouldn't say it is about luck, it is more of when is one's "time up". SO in conclusion, don't blame anyone, don't hold grudges, don't be sad. No one wanted that to happen, no one even saw that happening. Wherever these victims are, living or dead, it is time to wake up and start reliving. Again, I wish the best for the family members, friends, acquaintances and colleagues who had these people in any part of the lives. Just move on, one wouldn't know when those remaining grains of sand will touch the bottom of your hourglass. 

Coincidentally, this day also marks a momentous milestone for women: a day to celebrate the many achievements of a woman. Thank you to all the women out there who have become inspirations to younger girls like me by proving themselves as stronger heads than the opposite sex. The gratitude also extends to the men who have given these women the opportunity to rise up the ranks. There is definitely still room for improvement. There are still women who have been disregarded as sex symbols; women who are deemed trophy wives or full time managers of the household.

My main purpose of coming up with this blog post today is to discuss about the women in the motorsport world, acquiring this inspiration from last week's announcement of Carmen Jordá's new role in F1. It is International Women's Day after all and what better way to get one's thinking cap on about this disputed topic by blogging about it in a female motorsport fanatic perspective.

Let's admit this, everything gets controversial whenever there is a woman involved in a male-dominated industry. I have to admit that men are the stronger sex, they seem to be born with that naturally powerful image. Even so, has anyone contemplated if the world had started the other way round? What if women was the sex god chose to be at the top of the sex pyramid? Just think about it. Yes, men are the breadwinners but what makes them so special just because they are physically built to be muscular so they can work on the more demanding tasks? I might also include that men are also the factor towards the gender of a baby but has anyone spared a thought for women? Women are the ones who have to put up with a new being in the womb for nine months, adding weight to the mom as she has to travel and carry on her day. They face the monthly “shaves of death” (you should know what I mean, the hint would be “monthly”) and yet there are those masochists who still look down on women.

Having women in the motorsport world is not a foreign issue. There are many ways of seeing who is the first woman to break into the motorsport scene. The first woman to compete in a form of motorsport dates back to 1897. It was just a motorised tricycle race but at that time, it was one of the rare occasions to have women behind a steering device. The first woman to actually race on an international level is French driver Hélène van Zuylen just one year later. She had this participation advantage due to her husband who was the organiser of the III Grand Prix de l'ACF, also known as the French Grand Prix when it was not part of the Formula One championship. She was an influential female motoring pioneer who had gathered female drivers of her time to compete under the Belle Epoch together. As more women receive more rights, the post World War I period saw more women take part in motor racing. 

Here is just a list of some prominent woman figures who have the honour of representing the female population and their highest achievements in some well-known motorsports:

Formula One: 1958 Maria Teresa de Filippis (Italian), pioneer in the sport (5 races with 3 starts)

Formula E: 2014* Katherine Legge (British), 24^th (2 races with 1 start)

                              Michela Cerruti (Italy), 22^nd (4 races with 3 starts)

WEC: 2012 Keiko Ihara (Japanese), 3^rd (2014)

DTM: 2006 Susie Wolff (British), 13^th (2010)

                   Vanina Ickx (Belgian), 19^th (2006)

WRC: 1990 Louise Aitken-Walker (British), FIA Ladies’ World Rally Champion

NASCAR: 1949 Sara Christian (American), 13^th

Indy Car Series: 1977 Janet Guthrie (American), 9^th (1978)

* season still ongoing

Of course, some female drivers have surpassed their fellow heroes’ accomplishments but I personally feel there is still a long way to go. I would say this is still in its beginning stages despite the fact that many women have successfully broken into the motorsport world. Just look at the highly prestigious motorsport category. Have we seen any female F1 drivers having a full time drive: racing in all seasons throughout the season and not just during practices? NO. Take GP3 for another example, the only female driver to have scored points is Alice Powell. She only scored that one point in one race. Then what about the latest female F1 driver recruit Carmen Jordá? Hasn’t won a single motorsport category she has participated in her life (so far) and voila: “We are happy to announce Carmen Jordá as a Development Driver for Lotus F1 Team.” This, to me, definitely does not make the most logical sense.

Isn't it strange to hear this from a girl? I know I do sound really critical of this entire situation but trust me, I would say I am 99.9% feminist. I look up to Malala Yousafzai, Christiane Amanpour, Aung Sang Suu Kyi, Amelia Earhart, Katniss Everdeen and Disney’s Mulan (I know the last two are fictional). I love seeing women in any kinds of motorsport, just like how I love seeing how my women of inspiration get to succeed in getting their  points heard and fulfilled. The current female drivers deserve to be where they are now, getting places, getting promoted but the question once again comes down to this: do some of them deserve this? Is it worth seeing a female driver get that desired role only to not perform up the mark and receive more gender stereotypes as a result? Also, is it just me or do most female drivers have rather sensual poses in their photoshoots? I understand they are women but is it really necessary to portray them that way? It is basically sending the wrong message to the audience, that women drivers are only pretty to the eye and they are basically not skilful racers (Danica Patrick is one of the exceptions).

In spite of all the negatives I have pointed out so far, there is always light at the end of the tunnel. There are a good deal of girls who have taken an interest in karting at a very young age in this 21^st century. They grow up loving and embracing it; dreaming of joining the major leagues when their time comes. For now, having a steady number of women getting their hands on higher categories of motorsport is a good way to start of in this eminently men-populated sport. We even see that in the management side of motorsport; Claire Williams and Monisha Kaltenborn are the only female F1 team principals we have so far who show a great deal of authority in holding their position over the team. I believe female drivers will soon be on equal footing as the male drivers in a few years time and add another few more years down the road to actually outdo them.

Once again, I would like to wish all women Happy International Women’s Day. To all the female drivers, thanks for sacrificing your time to actually concentrate full time on your motorsport career (I know how hard it is to be a normal woman: starting/raising a family when you’re in this field) and thank you for proving to us that women CAN race. Lella Lombardi for one is by far the only female F1 driver to have scored points (though it is just a 0.5). You ladies are the greatest inspiration of all to future female drivers and you should be really proud of how far you have come. :) Keep up the fabulous job and kick the guys’ asses! :p 

I would like to acknowledge Google and FIA for the immense amount of information I have extracted as part of this blog post. They truly deserve the credit. :D