Over the past few seasons, the Singapore Grand Prix has been dominated by Sebastian Vettel and today was no different. At the end of the long and punishing two hour race Vettel secured his third successive win and was the 33rd time he had seen the chequered flag first, surpassing Alonso's tally.
From looking at the 32.627 second lead Vettel had when he passed the chequered flag, it seemed as though he had been controlling and dominating the race, and he had. Apart from the start of the race where he was challenged by Nico Rosberg, nobody could get near him. It looked as though Rosberg would be leading the race after a better start than Vettel, but he ran wide which allowed Vettel to regain the lead almost as quickly as he lost it.
Vettel continued to dominate the race, and by lap 21 he was ahead of Rosberg by 8.838 seconds. Even the introduction of the safety car at lap 25 wasn't going to ruin Vettel's day as when it returned to the pits he re-built an even bigger lead, allowing them to also make a free pit stop, and after around 30 seconds in the pits he still led the race.
However it wasn't smiles all round in the Red Bull camp. Webber looked set for a fourth place finish until around lap 59 of the 61 lap race. Over the team radio we heard that Webber was nursing a problem, which came to a climax on the last lap of the race when his Red Bull starting emitting flames. It was later confirmed that it was a water pressure problem which ended Webber's race. Luckily Fernando Alonso was on hand to give him a lift back to the pits, which only brought more bad luck for Webber. Rules were broken: Webber went onto the track without permission and Alonso illegally picked Webber up on the way back to the pits. Both drivers received a reprimand for their actions, but Webber's day went from bad to worse when the accumulation of his three reprimands means that he will suffer a 10 place grid penalty at the next race in Korea. Personally I think Alonso giving a lift to Webber was a nice sight for fans to see, and yes Mercedes had to take 'evading action' to avoid crashing into the pair, but it isn't something we see at every race and it was a nice touch to end the race.
Speaking of Alonso, he was a strong contender for driver of the day for me. He made a trademark storming start to the race and made the tyres last from lap 25 to the end of the race and still managed to get the Ferrari on the podium in 2nd place. The fact that the Ferrari could be considered less competitive than other cars around it such as the Mercedes and Lotus yet is still able to be dragged into the podium places by Alonso just shows what an amazing job Alonso is doing. It's not as though he has just done it at this race either, he has been consistently out performing the Ferrari, pushing it to the absolute limit and is doing everything he can to keep the championship alive. If he can't beat Vettel, he is doing the next best thing and secured 2nd today like he did in Monza a few weeks ago.
The Singapore GP kept up it's 100% record of using a safety car during the race after Daniel Ricciardo locked up and hit the barriers on lap 25. Romain Grosjean joined him in retirement after a problem with air consumption on lap 34. The final retirement of the day came from the unlucky Paul Di Resta, who on lap 56 ran into the barriers to retire for the third consecutive race. Up until that point he was another contender for driver of the day because of the way he had battled up the field from 17th place, and was in a steady 7th I think before the incident. A pressured man at the moment, but still a hugely talented driver worthy of a top drive in my own opinion, he is just having a bad spell at the wrong time at the moment. His pass on Gutierrez on lap 50 demonstrated some of the great over-taking he is capable of and yes points today would have taken some of the pressure off him.
I thought I was dreaming when Button was running in 3rd on lap 51 and with 10 laps to go, scoring their first podium of the season was McLaren's aim. To be honest they had nothing to lose with trying to get the podium, with them being miles off 4th in the Constructor's Championship and with a lead over Force India. It was great to see Button up there and it would have been amazing if the tyres could have held on, but Raikkonen, Webber, Hamilton, Rosberg and Massa all managed to pass the poor McLaren, which had done the same amount of laps as Fernando Alonso who was in 2nd position. It ended up that Button and Perez finished in 7th and 8th after Webber's problem and this secured a steady amount of points for the team. The search for a podium continues for them and I really do hope they can achieve it this season, after the tough season that they've had.
The driver of the day for me was Kimi Raikkonen. After suffering from a back problem and qualifying outside the top ten, nobody expected him to be on the podium. He battled through the field though, got the strategy right and gave Lotus something to smile about. Lotus will definitely miss him next season, and Ferrari will hopefully be glad that they've got him.
So from the Singapore Grand Prix Vettel has extended his championship lead to 60 points, McLaren's search for a podium finish continues and Mark Webber's last Singapore GP ends in a penalty after a lift from Alonso. Who will be able to challenge Vettel when F1 arrives in Korea and just how long will it be until he secures the championship?
Showing posts with label singapore. Show all posts
Showing posts with label singapore. Show all posts
Monday, 23 September 2013
Wednesday, 11 September 2013
Focus on F1: Favourite Tracks
The F1 world championship now sees teams, the media and fans travel all over the world. Whether it be at the historic track of Monza or the newest track on the calendar in the USA, we all have tracks that we look forward to seeing the cars racing on.
With new tracks being developed and built, it seems as though the calendar is ever expanding and having a proposed 21 races on the calendar for next season increases the amount of miles everybody involved has to travel. The desire within F1 to stage races further away from Europe affects the sport in both negative and positive ways, but it also gives us fans the opportunity to discover some amazing race tracks and atmospheres.
It can be tough to choose a favourite race track on the calendar and this is why I have decided to share my top 5. For some, it can be the memories or heritage of the track which makes it special for me or just because I love the design of the circuit. Either way, my favourite races consist of some classic, some street circuits and some of the oldest tracks on the F1 calendar.
Track Name: Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps
GP Held: Belgium GP
This racetrack is certainly a popular favourite amongst fans and drivers themselves. For me, it is my favourite track of the season because of the challenges it brings the teams and drivers because of it's twisty and hilly nature. I also love that the weather can be unpredictable and this usually shakes up qualifying and the race.
My favourite part of the track is the legendary Eau Rouge, where drivers can exceed 300km/h and so I would really love to personally go to the circuit and see Grand Prix in the future held there.
One of the stand out moments in recent F1 history whilst racing at Spa was in 2012 when Jenson Button took his first pole for McLaren and went to subsequently win the race. However this race also stood out because of the horrific crash at the beginning of the race, caused by the French driver Romain Grosjean.
Track Name: Silverstone Circuit
GP Held: British GP
Being a British supporter, I always look forward to watching the British GP when the cars are in the same country as me. Even watching from the TV, you can see the brilliant atmosphere which fills the stands throughout the weekend and the support for the British drivers and teams is overwhelming. When I think of Silverstone, I always think of the dedicated fans, who often camp even in the pouring rain, just to catch a glimpse of their F1 heroes.
The British GP was first hosted at Silverstone in 1948 and has since then undergone developments, whilst still maintaining the legendary corners such as Stowe, Club, Maggotts and Becketts Corner as well as the Wellington Straight.
One memorable moment from Silverstone in recent history is the 2012 race. Mark Webber hunted down Fernando Alonso and took victory that afternoon, but I will always remember this race because I contributed towards it, like many other followers of the sport.
A few months before the race, Red Bull gave thousands of people the chance to be on their car. For me, this was an amazing opportunity and soon sent in a photo of myself to be added to the car. Although in the end the photos were so small and I have no idea where I was on that car, it was great to know that I essentially won the British GP!
More importantly though, the campaign run by Red Bull raised so much money for the Wings For Life Spinal Cord Research Foundation, as each person involved with the scheme donated a mere 15 euros and it was a brilliant way to both raise awareness and money to continue their research. I don't think this actually received as much coverage as it deserved throughout the weekend of the GP, but from sitting at home both I and all the other people that donated to the cause knew that we had helped make a difference.
Track Name: Circuit Gilles Villeneuve
GP Held: Canadian GP
The circuit formally known as the Circuit Ile Notre Dame is another circuit that I look forward to seeing the world of F1 visit. The 4.361km circuit has claimed many victims at the famous final corner named the Wall Of Champions, but one of my favourite parts of the circuit is the L'Epingle hairpin because I love seeing the cars passing through this particular part of the circuit. Michael Schumacher still remains the most successful driver at this circuit, picking up 7 wins, but it was the 2011 race which will be my most memorable.
The 2011 race currently holds the record for the longest race in F1 history, lasting an astounding 4 hours 4 minutes 39.537 seconds because of the delays caused by the rainstorms that day. It also holds the record for the most times the safety car was deployed during a race (6.) I even joked and tweeted at the time that the winner of the Canadian GP was the safety car.
It was an amazing day for Jenson Button. Although by the time the race was red flagged at lap 41 he had collided with his then team mate Lewis Hamilton, been through the pits about 6 times I think and ended up at the back of the grid. When the race was finally restarted a few hours later we watched as Jenson amazingly made his way back through the field, overtaking car after car. When we reached the last lap of the race, he only had Sebastian Vettel in front of him. Half way through that lap Vettel made a mistake and Button grabbed a brilliant victory. It was really for me one of those moments we will look back on in the future and I can say I was watching all that unfold!
Track Name: Autodromo Nazionale Monza
GP Held: Italian GP
The fastest and oldest track on the F1 calendar is always a special race for drivers, especially those who are driving the Ferraris. The first race was held in 1922 and similarly to Silverstone and other iconic tracks it has undergone development in the years gone by. However, there are still iconic parts of the circuit such as Ascari and Parabolica which are some of the most popular and well known parts of the circuit.
Similarly to Silverstone, the passion and atmosphere at the Italian Grand Prix is amazing to see. After every race held there the Tifosi and other fans are seen flooding the start finish straight and there is just a sea of red to pay homage to Ferrari. In the past few years we've seen Ferrari driver Alonso on the podium and one highlight from this track was this year when he stood on the podium and took a photo of himself and the thousands of supporters below him. To me this just reiterated the passion and love of the sport in all aspects, from the driver to the fans to the history of the track and sport.
Track Name: Marina Bay Street Circuit
GP Held: Singapore GP
Although F1 has been racing in Singapore since 1966, 2008 was the first year that we travelled to the Marina Bay Street Circuit. I am not typically a fan of street circuits and you can probably tell my heart is in the classic race circuits, but there is just something I like about the Marina Bay circuit. This may be because of the stark contrast between Monza and this circuit as F1 usually travels here immediately after the Italian GP. Unlike Monza which is fast and requires low downforce setups, Marina Bay requires higher downforce and is not as fast.
Another aspect about this track that I like is that it is held at night time, which makes the circuit different from the other races we experience throughout the season. It is something about the floodlights which reminds me of a karting track for some reason and it reminds me of when I went karting.
Whether you are a fan of F1, a driver, a race engineer, a journalist or even a marshal, there will be tracks which you will always look forward to visiting within the season. There may be tracks which you have grown to love or ones that hold special memories or even just tracks that you have always loved. It may be an old track or even a new track, but one thing that is for sure is that every track is special in some way.
With new tracks being developed and built, it seems as though the calendar is ever expanding and having a proposed 21 races on the calendar for next season increases the amount of miles everybody involved has to travel. The desire within F1 to stage races further away from Europe affects the sport in both negative and positive ways, but it also gives us fans the opportunity to discover some amazing race tracks and atmospheres.
It can be tough to choose a favourite race track on the calendar and this is why I have decided to share my top 5. For some, it can be the memories or heritage of the track which makes it special for me or just because I love the design of the circuit. Either way, my favourite races consist of some classic, some street circuits and some of the oldest tracks on the F1 calendar.
Track Name: Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps
GP Held: Belgium GP
This racetrack is certainly a popular favourite amongst fans and drivers themselves. For me, it is my favourite track of the season because of the challenges it brings the teams and drivers because of it's twisty and hilly nature. I also love that the weather can be unpredictable and this usually shakes up qualifying and the race.
My favourite part of the track is the legendary Eau Rouge, where drivers can exceed 300km/h and so I would really love to personally go to the circuit and see Grand Prix in the future held there.
One of the stand out moments in recent F1 history whilst racing at Spa was in 2012 when Jenson Button took his first pole for McLaren and went to subsequently win the race. However this race also stood out because of the horrific crash at the beginning of the race, caused by the French driver Romain Grosjean.
Track Name: Silverstone Circuit
GP Held: British GP
Being a British supporter, I always look forward to watching the British GP when the cars are in the same country as me. Even watching from the TV, you can see the brilliant atmosphere which fills the stands throughout the weekend and the support for the British drivers and teams is overwhelming. When I think of Silverstone, I always think of the dedicated fans, who often camp even in the pouring rain, just to catch a glimpse of their F1 heroes.
The British GP was first hosted at Silverstone in 1948 and has since then undergone developments, whilst still maintaining the legendary corners such as Stowe, Club, Maggotts and Becketts Corner as well as the Wellington Straight.
One memorable moment from Silverstone in recent history is the 2012 race. Mark Webber hunted down Fernando Alonso and took victory that afternoon, but I will always remember this race because I contributed towards it, like many other followers of the sport.
A few months before the race, Red Bull gave thousands of people the chance to be on their car. For me, this was an amazing opportunity and soon sent in a photo of myself to be added to the car. Although in the end the photos were so small and I have no idea where I was on that car, it was great to know that I essentially won the British GP!
More importantly though, the campaign run by Red Bull raised so much money for the Wings For Life Spinal Cord Research Foundation, as each person involved with the scheme donated a mere 15 euros and it was a brilliant way to both raise awareness and money to continue their research. I don't think this actually received as much coverage as it deserved throughout the weekend of the GP, but from sitting at home both I and all the other people that donated to the cause knew that we had helped make a difference.
Track Name: Circuit Gilles Villeneuve
GP Held: Canadian GP
The circuit formally known as the Circuit Ile Notre Dame is another circuit that I look forward to seeing the world of F1 visit. The 4.361km circuit has claimed many victims at the famous final corner named the Wall Of Champions, but one of my favourite parts of the circuit is the L'Epingle hairpin because I love seeing the cars passing through this particular part of the circuit. Michael Schumacher still remains the most successful driver at this circuit, picking up 7 wins, but it was the 2011 race which will be my most memorable.
The 2011 race currently holds the record for the longest race in F1 history, lasting an astounding 4 hours 4 minutes 39.537 seconds because of the delays caused by the rainstorms that day. It also holds the record for the most times the safety car was deployed during a race (6.) I even joked and tweeted at the time that the winner of the Canadian GP was the safety car.
It was an amazing day for Jenson Button. Although by the time the race was red flagged at lap 41 he had collided with his then team mate Lewis Hamilton, been through the pits about 6 times I think and ended up at the back of the grid. When the race was finally restarted a few hours later we watched as Jenson amazingly made his way back through the field, overtaking car after car. When we reached the last lap of the race, he only had Sebastian Vettel in front of him. Half way through that lap Vettel made a mistake and Button grabbed a brilliant victory. It was really for me one of those moments we will look back on in the future and I can say I was watching all that unfold!
Track Name: Autodromo Nazionale Monza
GP Held: Italian GP
The fastest and oldest track on the F1 calendar is always a special race for drivers, especially those who are driving the Ferraris. The first race was held in 1922 and similarly to Silverstone and other iconic tracks it has undergone development in the years gone by. However, there are still iconic parts of the circuit such as Ascari and Parabolica which are some of the most popular and well known parts of the circuit.
Similarly to Silverstone, the passion and atmosphere at the Italian Grand Prix is amazing to see. After every race held there the Tifosi and other fans are seen flooding the start finish straight and there is just a sea of red to pay homage to Ferrari. In the past few years we've seen Ferrari driver Alonso on the podium and one highlight from this track was this year when he stood on the podium and took a photo of himself and the thousands of supporters below him. To me this just reiterated the passion and love of the sport in all aspects, from the driver to the fans to the history of the track and sport.
Track Name: Marina Bay Street Circuit
GP Held: Singapore GP
Although F1 has been racing in Singapore since 1966, 2008 was the first year that we travelled to the Marina Bay Street Circuit. I am not typically a fan of street circuits and you can probably tell my heart is in the classic race circuits, but there is just something I like about the Marina Bay circuit. This may be because of the stark contrast between Monza and this circuit as F1 usually travels here immediately after the Italian GP. Unlike Monza which is fast and requires low downforce setups, Marina Bay requires higher downforce and is not as fast.
Another aspect about this track that I like is that it is held at night time, which makes the circuit different from the other races we experience throughout the season. It is something about the floodlights which reminds me of a karting track for some reason and it reminds me of when I went karting.
Whether you are a fan of F1, a driver, a race engineer, a journalist or even a marshal, there will be tracks which you will always look forward to visiting within the season. There may be tracks which you have grown to love or ones that hold special memories or even just tracks that you have always loved. It may be an old track or even a new track, but one thing that is for sure is that every track is special in some way.
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