Formula 1 CFA Comments
Bahrain GP 2012 - Qualifying
by Cato Batista, 20/04/2012 23:35:18
Ladies and Gentlemen:
After 3 events we clearly know what the critical factor is to win or lose comes race day: managing tire temperature.
This is Pirelli’s first visit to this track, their choice of compounds –same as China- has shown to be very aggressive after the first day of testing. The softer yellows are 1 sec per lap quicker than the white ones, but no one can make them last more than 8 laps before they hit the dreaded ‘cliff’. The control tire is lasting at least 12 to 14 laps and it’s consistent. In a circuit with limited overtaking, grid position becomes a priority and that’s making the teams to desperately work on a compromise between QF and race strategy for Sunday.
P1- HAM (1.33.532) VET DIR ROS BUT HUL SCH WEB RAI GRO
P2- ROS (1.32.816) WEB VET HAM SCH BUT KOB ALO GRO PER
In less than a week’s time we are witnessing changes in the status quo: Mercedes still the fastest in single lap form (Rosberg almost half a second a in P2) but they are struggling on both tire compounds, particularly the rears. Red Bull is now looking strong, their simulation long-runs stints were the fastest of the lot and a of everybody in QF trim except the Mercs, their customary traction in the low-gear acceleration zones working wonders around here. For the first time McLaren is not looking so optimistic, they can’t find balance under braking causing lock-ups, a serious tire-destruction problem. Lotus is confident this could be their best track of the year so far, Kimi already talking podium finishes, and is not a surprise anymore to find Sauber as the best 5th team, and ...
After 3 events we clearly know what the critical factor is to win or lose comes race day: managing tire temperature.
This is Pirelli’s first visit to this track, their choice of compounds –same as China- has shown to be very aggressive after the first day of testing. The softer yellows are 1 sec per lap quicker than the white ones, but no one can make them last more than 8 laps before they hit the dreaded ‘cliff’. The control tire is lasting at least 12 to 14 laps and it’s consistent. In a circuit with limited overtaking, grid position becomes a priority and that’s making the teams to desperately work on a compromise between QF and race strategy for Sunday.
P1- HAM (1.33.532) VET DIR ROS BUT HUL SCH WEB RAI GRO
P2- ROS (1.32.816) WEB VET HAM SCH BUT KOB ALO GRO PER
In less than a week’s time we are witnessing changes in the status quo: Mercedes still the fastest in single lap form (Rosberg almost half a second a in P2) but they are struggling on both tire compounds, particularly the rears. Red Bull is now looking strong, their simulation long-runs stints were the fastest of the lot and a of everybody in QF trim except the Mercs, their customary traction in the low-gear acceleration zones working wonders around here. For the first time McLaren is not looking so optimistic, they can’t find balance under braking causing lock-ups, a serious tire-destruction problem. Lotus is confident this could be their best track of the year so far, Kimi already talking podium finishes, and is not a surprise anymore to find Sauber as the best 5th team, and ...
Chinese GP 2012 - Results - Maria`s enters the record books
by Cato Batista, 16/04/2012 3:07:05
It has taken them 57 years but now Mercedes has a winning Grand Prix car. With their tire problems solved Rosberg was in complete control for his first well deserved victory. Another great race dominated by pit stop strategy and the closest racing I’ve seen in F1. This is pretty exciting, we now have 3 different cars and drivers taking the first 3 events of the year.
Maria Elisa made history too, masterfully trashing all the boys to jump to second in the overall standings. Her 11 points was about double the haul of most of us thanks to gold scores in 3rd- 4rd -5th places. She was 1 point a of Carlos, the only 2 colleagues to score three 3-pointers. They were followed by Fredrik with 9 points and Champ Ian with 8. For the rest of us (except Matias with 7) this was a disaster: 17 of us only scored between 4 and 6 points!
Our expert panel wasn’t surprised by Rosberg’s maiden win: Carlos, Santiago, Lou, Ricky and Ricardo had the German in first. Our favorites to win in China were Button with half our predictions, three for Hamilton and single votes for Webber, Schumacher and Raikkonen. Our best paying positions were Button in 2nd, Hamilton in 3rd and Webber in 4th with 5 picks each. Four of you got 3-pointers for Vettel in 4th, the highest we placed the current Champion. Interesting than half the CFA members expected Alonso to pull another top-six finish; he was included in every position from 3rd to 6th. Our biggest disappointment was old Schummi with 18 of us expecting him to yield points, and the biggest surprise of the day, Grosjean in 6th was brilliantly predicted by ...
Maria Elisa made history too, masterfully trashing all the boys to jump to second in the overall standings. Her 11 points was about double the haul of most of us thanks to gold scores in 3rd- 4rd -5th places. She was 1 point a of Carlos, the only 2 colleagues to score three 3-pointers. They were followed by Fredrik with 9 points and Champ Ian with 8. For the rest of us (except Matias with 7) this was a disaster: 17 of us only scored between 4 and 6 points!
Our expert panel wasn’t surprised by Rosberg’s maiden win: Carlos, Santiago, Lou, Ricky and Ricardo had the German in first. Our favorites to win in China were Button with half our predictions, three for Hamilton and single votes for Webber, Schumacher and Raikkonen. Our best paying positions were Button in 2nd, Hamilton in 3rd and Webber in 4th with 5 picks each. Four of you got 3-pointers for Vettel in 4th, the highest we placed the current Champion. Interesting than half the CFA members expected Alonso to pull another top-six finish; he was included in every position from 3rd to 6th. Our biggest disappointment was old Schummi with 18 of us expecting him to yield points, and the biggest surprise of the day, Grosjean in 6th was brilliantly predicted by ...
Chinese GP 2012 - Race
by Cato Batista, 14/04/2012 19:00:49
Ladies and Gentlemen,
Maiden pole for Rosberg, the first for Mercedes since the fifties, and with Hamilton removed from second to 7th on the grid, we will have all–Silver Arrows front row and one the most difficult race predictions we’d ever faced.
We went from a points-for-all qualifying feast in Malaysia to a total disaster in China. Points leader Uwe somehow got 2 points, one more than Alberto, Curro, Ian, Lou and Ricardo. And that’s it, 7 points collectively, what a record!
This race is going to be a challenge for us. Two Mercedes, 2 McLaren, 2 Lotus, 2 Sauber,1 Ferrari and 1 Red Bull in the top 10. Vettel didn’t make to Q3 after starting the last 3 Chinese GP from the pole; Kimi starts 4th a of both McLarens but still complains he is disappointed with his Lotus’ performance (!); Button admits he is worry of the Sauber long run speed, just as consistent as McLaren’s, and he is got Kobayashi lined up in front of him. Making it to Q3 was an achievement for Ferrari, but with the threat of rain out of the forecast Alonso’s chances look far from good.
The grid for tomorrow:
ROS SCH KOB RAI BUT WEB HAM PER ALO GRO
Tire degradation should be less of an issue than was feared in Malaysia, but with 1.5 seconds in lap times between the 2 compounds this race points to a 3 stop strategy. In paper the DRS zone on the back straight of the circuit (second largest on the calendar) should provide plenty of overtaking opportunities, but in reality all the Teams (except Mercedes?) had set up their gearboxes to reach their top speed at 18,000rpm without deploying the DRS, so ...
Copyright 2001-2024 MANBOS
Maiden pole for Rosberg, the first for Mercedes since the fifties, and with Hamilton removed from second to 7th on the grid, we will have all–Silver Arrows front row and one the most difficult race predictions we’d ever faced.
We went from a points-for-all qualifying feast in Malaysia to a total disaster in China. Points leader Uwe somehow got 2 points, one more than Alberto, Curro, Ian, Lou and Ricardo. And that’s it, 7 points collectively, what a record!
This race is going to be a challenge for us. Two Mercedes, 2 McLaren, 2 Lotus, 2 Sauber,1 Ferrari and 1 Red Bull in the top 10. Vettel didn’t make to Q3 after starting the last 3 Chinese GP from the pole; Kimi starts 4th a of both McLarens but still complains he is disappointed with his Lotus’ performance (!); Button admits he is worry of the Sauber long run speed, just as consistent as McLaren’s, and he is got Kobayashi lined up in front of him. Making it to Q3 was an achievement for Ferrari, but with the threat of rain out of the forecast Alonso’s chances look far from good.
The grid for tomorrow:
ROS SCH KOB RAI BUT WEB HAM PER ALO GRO
Tire degradation should be less of an issue than was feared in Malaysia, but with 1.5 seconds in lap times between the 2 compounds this race points to a 3 stop strategy. In paper the DRS zone on the back straight of the circuit (second largest on the calendar) should provide plenty of overtaking opportunities, but in reality all the Teams (except Mercedes?) had set up their gearboxes to reach their top speed at 18,000rpm without deploying the DRS, so ...
Chinese GP 2012 - QF (yes, there will be Bahrain GP)
by Cato Batista, 13/04/2012 20:53:39
Ladies and Gentlemen,
Overnight showers left the circuit still wet for the opening practice session. It was damp, cold and most teams postponed their programs for the 90min P2. Hamilton was the fastest using the soft tire towards the end of P1 session followed by the Mercedes, Saubers and Red Bulls. In the afternoon, with the track still very green, it was the same 3 big teams (Ferrari used to be one of them) taking the top of the charts.
McLaren is running a new floor/diffuser and revised front wing; no doubt they have the best balanced package, but Red Bull is looking closer and maybe a bit faster on long runs and tire conservation. As for Mercedes don’t be surprised if you find them on pole tomorrow, the W03 is flying with its DRS-special rear wing in combination with the 2 long straights, Schummi was the quickest overall today. Compared to the competition it makes its tires to reach optimal working temperature in only lap, all the ideal conditions for a strong QF performance, but it’s still suffering from high degradation particularly with the harder compound, as we have seen in race conditions (and no DRS). And where is Ferrari? Alonso was brutally honest in keeping the tiffosi down to earth: they don’t think they will even make it to Q3 tomorrow.
P1 – HAM (1.37.106) ROS SCH PER KOB WEB VET BUT RIC VER (ALO 11, MAS 12)
P2 – SCH (1.35.973) HAM VET WEB ROS BUT KOB DIR HUL ALO
After 2 races the picture starts to get a bit clearer: McLaren good in QF and race conditions; Mercedes super fast in QF but struggling in race trim; Red Bull (running ...
Overnight showers left the circuit still wet for the opening practice session. It was damp, cold and most teams postponed their programs for the 90min P2. Hamilton was the fastest using the soft tire towards the end of P1 session followed by the Mercedes, Saubers and Red Bulls. In the afternoon, with the track still very green, it was the same 3 big teams (Ferrari used to be one of them) taking the top of the charts.
McLaren is running a new floor/diffuser and revised front wing; no doubt they have the best balanced package, but Red Bull is looking closer and maybe a bit faster on long runs and tire conservation. As for Mercedes don’t be surprised if you find them on pole tomorrow, the W03 is flying with its DRS-special rear wing in combination with the 2 long straights, Schummi was the quickest overall today. Compared to the competition it makes its tires to reach optimal working temperature in only lap, all the ideal conditions for a strong QF performance, but it’s still suffering from high degradation particularly with the harder compound, as we have seen in race conditions (and no DRS). And where is Ferrari? Alonso was brutally honest in keeping the tiffosi down to earth: they don’t think they will even make it to Q3 tomorrow.
P1 – HAM (1.37.106) ROS SCH PER KOB WEB VET BUT RIC VER (ALO 11, MAS 12)
P2 – SCH (1.35.973) HAM VET WEB ROS BUT KOB DIR HUL ALO
After 2 races the picture starts to get a bit clearer: McLaren good in QF and race conditions; Mercedes super fast in QF but struggling in race trim; Red Bull (running ...
Copyright 2001-2024 MANBOS