Category: Formula 1

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Formula 1 Mercedes-Benz

2014 Italian GP: Post-race press conference

2014 Italian Grand Prix

Formula 1’s biggest soap opera continued in Monza where Lewis Hamilton won the Italian Grand Prix overnight. Lewis took the lead after Nico Rosberg made a repeat error at the first corner, allowing Hamilton to take the lead unopposed.

It was a bad error from Rosberg, this is true. However, suggestions Rosberg ran wide on purpose are a little hard to believe, we think and more inline with the overhyped fantasy land some journalists or their editors want to create.

Elsewhere Daniel Ricciardo’s late charge earned him unofficial drive of the day plaudits but in the end all that mattered were the 10 points he got for finishing fifth.

“The strategy helped today, it kept the tyres fresh enough to go those extra few laps at the end,” Ricciardo said after the race. “I saw the cars in front of me pit and the pace was still good enough, so seeing that we didn’t have great pace when we were out of position then we thought we would try something different and that’s why we went long, which helped towards the end of the race.

“The start wasn’t ideal, it’s one of the longest runs up to Turn One here from the start line and it’s not a place where you want to have a bad one, but I dropped the clutch and didn’t get the traction, so we will have to look at that, but we kept a cool head and picked our way back through the field. I think fifth, even with a good start, was the best we could do.”

You can read the thoughts of the first three drivers after the race and you’ll see that’s where the Rosberg conspiracy theories began, albeit with a subtle question from Peter Farkas.

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Formula 1 Mercedes-Benz

Lewis Hamilton wins 2014 Italian GP

Lewis Hamilton wins 2014 Italian Grand Prix

Lewis Hamilton has overcome a fortnight of hyperbole and poor start from pole position to win the Italain Grand Prix. He’s now within striking distance of the world championship lead, 22 points behind Nico Rosberg.

Mercedes AMG also enjoyed maximum points with Rosberg coming home in a comfortable second place. The German made an excellent start from P2 leaving Hamilton in his wake. However, an error going into the first chicane after the start-finish line allowed Hamilton to take the lead.

Lewis dropped down to P4 on the opening lap but fought back to increase pressure on Rosberg. When Rosberg went straight on at the chicane Hamilton took control of the race, built a steady margin and was never troubled.

As expected the Williams duo of Felipe Massa and Valtteri Bottas were the next best, filling places P3 and P4. Massa’s podium is his first for Williams and his first taste of champagne since last year’s Spanish Grand Prix.

Daniel Ricciardo’s race started badly, too. Starting from P9 he was soon out of the points in the early stages after he was forced off track through the first corner. Although, his day was salvaged thanks to his ability to run a long first stint in a one-stop race. With fresher tyres as the race drew to a close Daniel was carving through the field. His move to claim P5 from teammate Sebastian Vettel combined superb awareness, race craft and even some cheekiness.

Close behind Vettel were Sergio Perez and Jenson Button, who had a great scrap late in the race swapping positions a few times. Rounding out the top 10 in an otherwise drama free grand prix were Kimi Raikkonen and Kevin Magnussen. The latter copping a five second penalty for forcing Bottas off track.

The visit to Monza represents Formula 1’s final European race for the year as the teams head to Singapore for the next grand prix. While we may not like it the season is sure to stay alive until the final race in Abu Dhabi which will have that controversial double points policy in place.

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Ferrari Formula 1

Haas F1 signs Ferrari engine deal

Gene Haas

The Amercian-based Haas F1 team has announced it will race with Ferrari power units when it takes to the Formula 1 grid in 2016.

“There is no team in Formula One more accomplished than Scuderia Ferrari, and no team with more history. They’ve been a part of Formula 1 from the beginning, and now they’ll be a part of Haas F1 Team’s beginning,” said Gene Haas.

“Formula 1 is the pinnacle of motorsports. It showcases the latest technology and is the most competitive form of racing in the world. Aligning Haas F1 Team with such a tenured and successful company in Scuderia Ferrari provides our team with the greatest opportunity for success in 2016 and beyond.”

As is the norm in F1 this has been described as a “multi-year deal” although the exact terms remain confidential. Gene Haas’ CNC business, Haas Automation, signed a sponsorship deal with Scuderia Ferrari a few months back and the alignment of his F1 team with Ferrari was therefore expected.

[Pic: Getty Images]

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Formula 1 Red Bull Racing Video

Reflecting on Daniel’s first F1 win

Daniel Ricciardo wins the 2014 Canadian Grand Prix

Red Bull Racing has released a video celebrating Daniel Ricciardo’s maiden F1 victory, achieved at the Canadian Grand Prix. In effect it’s a stop animation clip, but the frames were captured so close together it’s almost one fluid motion. It’s very cool.

Join us as we take the jump, settle back to watch the video and enjoy reliving Daniel’s win, frame by frame.

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Formula 1 Red Bull Racing

Daniel Ricciardo awarded the Trofeo Bandini

Daniel Ricciardo awarded the Lorenzo Bandini Trophy

Daniel Ricciardo has become the 21st recipient of the Lorenzo Bandini Trophy, awarded to the professional racing driver who most impressed the judging panel in the year prior, usually from the world of Formula 1. Daniel joins the likes of Michael Schumacher (2003), Fernando Alonso (2005), Mark Webber (2006), and Sebastian Vettel (2009) as previous winners.

The trophy is named after the Italian former F1 driver Lorenzo Bandini and was presented in the small village of Brisighella by members of the Bandini family and David Missiroli, the Brisighella town mayor. Brisighella is close to the Imola circuit and the Faenza factory of the Scuderia Toro Rosso team.

“I was quite overwhelmed with the reception I received at the event. The Italians really love their motorsport,” Daniel said. “To be awarded with the Lorenzo Bandini trophy was an honour and to join the many great drivers on that list makes me proud.”

The event was a pretty big deal, too, with a 270-strong dinner held in celebration attended by F1 identities such as Giancarlo Minardi and Aldo Costa, currently a designer with Mercedes AMG F1.

Let’s hope this isn’t the last F1-related trophy Daniel receives in his career.

[Source: Red Bull Racing]

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Formula 1 Video

It’s another awesome F1 fan video

F1 - The modern era

Patrick Krutyj has produced another excellent Formula 1 video compilation. This time we get a fair bit of 2014 action, along with some great moments from recent years. It’s 5 minutes and 53 seconds we think you will enjoy quite a lot.

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Formula 1 Toro Rosso Video

Vercrashen Jr upholds the family name

Max Verstappen crashes in Rotterdam demo

The man boy many deem too young to drive in Formula 1, Max Verstappen, has ensured that the Vercrashen family name will live on, thanks to an embarrassing bungle in a demonstration run in Rotterdam yesterday. It was a pretty minor mishap and thankfully it was only Max’s pride that suffered.

Perhaps one day Max will have the last laugh on people like me who are enjoying a cheap shot at the 16-year-old’s expense. We certainly wish him well in his future motorsport endeavours.

You can see a couple of videos from Max’s run after the break, starting, of course, with the cock up, before a crash-free onboard run.

[Source: WTF1]

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Formula 1 Mercedes-Benz

Mercedes AMG F1 tweets for advice re Nico and Lewis

2014 Belgian Grand Prix

Yes, you read that right!

While some degree of fallout from the Nico Rosberg contact on Lewis Hamilton from the Belgian Grand Prix was inevitable the heights it has reached is rather astounding. From team bosses making outlandish statements in public, to Lewis claiming Nico did it on purpose, to the general media hyperbole.

It’s not helped by the largely British-focused media wanting to see their home boy get the post-season chocolates. And, yes, Nico did make a mistake in clipping Lewis’ left rear tyre. But does anyone seriously believe that Nico hit Lewis as part of  a planned and deliberate move?

Rosberg may not be the wheel-to-wheel racer that Hamilton is, as the general commentariat believes, but there’s no way he did that on purpose.

Anyway, without wanting to get further sucked into the soap opera the Mercedes garage has become, we were somewhat amused to see the team has taken to twitter overnight to seek advice from the general public.

No, we don’t think any of the feedback will be read by the team’s decision makers, let alone influence their thinking, but it’s still an intriguing approach to take given the profile the topic is commanding.

You can see the tweets from Mercedes after the break (follow the links for full responses). As you’d expect there were plenty of smart arses in the peanut gallery. Here’s a selection of our favourite responses:

On how to implement team orders
@dwaynepin I would start by re hiring Ross Brawn.
@ewanorandy Maybe tell Rosberg to let Hamilton win… that’s what most people want

On the question of suspending a driver for breaking team rules
@gokrazyinc yes suspend, to make sure this does not happen again!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
@McLaren_Soul Look, you can’t suspend Nico after a racing incident but defend Lewis when he disobeys team orders or takes Nico out of track

Smart social media strategy, or just plain dumb?

[via twitter]

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Ferrari Formula 1 Video

Who wants to hear V10s scream around Monza?

Ferrari F2002 V10 at Monza

We thought that would be a resounding yes!

There’s just a week to go until Monza comes alive for its annual Formula 1 carnival. It’s expected that Mercedes will race off into the distance with the superior speed of the F1 W05 Hybrid. But as we’ve seen in the last two races if the Nico v Lewis battle continues to stuff things up others will be ready to pounce.

One thing is clear, these 2014-spec F1 machines won’t sound anywhere near as dramatic as these V10 masters from days gone by. Get some headphones, connect your PC to your stereo, just do whatever you can to get the volume up as loud as you dare and rejoice!

THIS SOUND IS MAGNIFICENT!!!

It’s funny, too, how an otherwise empty racetrack, even one as important as Monza, can feel so eerie when there’s no crowd and no advertising. Thankfully a pair of Ferrari F2002s and an F2001 and F2005 are on hand to do their bit to liven up the atmosphere.

[Source: WTF1]

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Formula 1 Infiniti

VIDEO: Sebastian does Sochi

Sebastian Vettel drives a lap of Sochi F1 circuit

Infiniti’s Director of Performance, aka Sebastian Vettel, has become the first Formula 1 driver to complete a flying lap of the Sochi Autodrom Grand Prix circuit.

Forget, for a moment, the debate over whether F1 should be going to Russia; the race will go on. So you may as well jump in the car with Seb and have a look around before the lights go out on 12 October.

Fellow Red Bull ambassador David Coulthard was with Sebastian in Sochi and had this to say: “There are several corners where you could do yourself some serious damage—they’re fast and it’s a street circuit with walls.”

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Accessories & Tech Formula 1 Red Bull Racing Video

Where the neon signs are pretty

RedBull RB8 donuts

We all know thermal imaging cameras in Formula 1 are pretty cool. And that’s just when they show a tyre heating up under load during a corner. Imagine how totally awesome it would be to see an F1 car doing donuts!

Thanks to FLIR Systems we don’t have to wonder anymore. Instead, we can marvel at the pretty lights of the Red Bull RB8 performing its dance for us at a recent demonstration event.

[Source: WTF1]

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Formula 1 Mercedes-Benz Red Bull Racing

2014 Belgian GP: Post-race press conference

2014 Belgian Grand Prix

It’s always great waking up the morning after an Aussie has won a Formula 1 race. One of the pleasures that comes with Daniel Ricciardo’s win at the Belgian Grand Prix is reading the thoughts he gave to the media after the race.

Remarkably, Daniel Ricciardo’s three wins so far this season is only one behind Nico Rosberg’s four victories. And while we do hear a lot from Daniel, of course, the press focused on the contact between Rosberg and Lewis Hamilton. That contact not only ruined Hamilton’s race but gave Daniel a small opportunity to win and, thankfully, he was able to rise to the challenge.

[Pic: Red Bull/Getty Images]

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