FORMULA 1 - 2014

[ptrthgr8]

A budget cap? Ugh. It's like F1 is going from bad to worse. Salary caps in sports certainly lead to parity... but "parity" is just another word for "mediocrity." How unfortunate.

[mgravito]

A budget cap? Ugh. It's like F1 is going from bad to worse. Salary caps in sports certainly lead to parity... but "parity" is just another word for "mediocrity." How unfortunate.

It works in some sports, but F1 is built on advancements in automotive technology. It may help in the short term but the technology will become stale 5-6 years down the line.

[PaulP]

Practice 1

Times
01 Lewis Hamilton Mercedes 1:37.502 14 laps
02 Nico Rosberg Mercedes 1:37.733 +0.231 13 laps
03 Fernando Alonso Ferrari 1:37.953 +0.451 17 laps
04 Nico Hulkenberg Force India 1:38.122 +0.620 10 laps
05 Jenson Button McLaren 1:38.636 +1.134 16 laps
6 Kimi Raikkonen Ferrari 1:38.783 +1.281 12 laps
07 Kevin Magnussen McLaren 1:38.949 +1.447 15 laps
08 Daniil Kvyat Toro Rosso 1:39.056 +1.554 23 laps
09 Sergio Perez Force India 1:39.102 +1.600 21 laps
10 Sebastian Vettel Red Bull 1:39.389 +1.887 16 laps
11 Felipe Massa Williams 1:39.533 +2.031 11 laps
12 Jean-Eric Vergne Toro Rosso 1:39.862 +2.360 26 laps
13 Felipe Nasr Williams 1:40.078 +2.576 14 laps
14 Daniel Ricciardo Red Bull 1:40.406 +2.904 19 laps
15 Adrian Sutil Sauber 1:40.652 +3.150 20 laps
16 Pastor Maldonado Lotus 1:40.793 +3.291 31 laps
17 Jules Bianchi Marussia 1:40.889 +3.387 20 laps
18 Giedo van der Garde Sauber 1:40.913 +3.411 20 laps
19 Romain Grosjean Lotus 1:41.036 +3.534 24 laps
20 Max Chilton Marussia 1:41.794 +4.292 20 laps
21 Robin Frijns Caterham 1:42.417 +4.915 35 laps
22 Marcus Ericsson Caterham 1:42.711 +5.209 21 laps

[PaulP]

Practice 2

Times
01 Lewis Hamilton Mercedes 1:34.325 28 laps
02 Nico Rosberg Mercedes 1:34.690 +0.365 31 laps
03 Fernando Alonso Ferrari 1:35.360 +1.035 28 laps
04 Daniel Ricciardo Red Bull 1:35.433 +1.108 28 laps
05 Felipe Massa Williams 1:35.442 +1.117 13 laps
06 Jenson Button McLaren 1:35.528 +1.203 21 laps
07 Sebastian Vettel Red Bull 1:35.606 +1.281 29 laps
08 Daniil Kvyat Toro Rosso 1:35.640 +1.315 31 laps
09 Kevin Magnussen McLaren 1:35.662 +1.337 22 laps
10 Sergio Perez Force India 1:35.802 +1.477 40 laps
11 Valtteri Bottas Williams 1:35.920 +1.595 9 laps
12 Jean-Eric Vergne Toro Rosso 1:35.972 +1.647 32 laps
13 Nico Hulkenberg Force India 1:35.998 +1.673 18 laps
14 Kimi Raikkonen Ferrari 1:36.366 +2.041 32 laps
15 Adrian Sutil Sauber 1:36.962 +2.637 13 laps
16 Esteban Gutierrez Sauber 1:36.975 +2.650 35 laps
17 Pastor Maldonado Lotus 1:37.259 +2.934 24 laps
18 Romain Grosjean Lotus 1:37.599 +3.274 23 laps
19 Jules Bianchi Marussia 1:37.800 +3.475 15 laps
20 Max Chilton Marussia 1:38.247 +3.922 10 laps
21 Kamui Kobayashi Caterham 1:38.257 +3.932 33 laps
22 Marcus Ericsson Caterham 1:39.136 +4.811 30 laps

[PaulP]

Qualifying

Times
01 Nico Rosberg Mercedes 1:33.185
02 Lewis Hamilton Mercedes 1:33.464 0.279
03 Daniel Ricciardo Red Bull 1:34.051 0.866
04 Valtteri Bottas Williams 1:34.247 1.062
05 Sergio Perez Force India 1:34.346 1.161
06 Kimi Raikkonen Ferrari 1:34.368 1.183
07 Jenson Button McLaren 1:34.387 1.202
08 Felipe Massa Williams 1:34.511 1.326
09 Kevin Magnussen McLaren 1:34.712 1.527
10 Fernando Alonso Ferrari 1:34.992 1.807
11 Sebastian Vettel Red Bull 1:34.985
12 Nico Hulkenberg Force India 1:35.116
13 Daniil Kvyat Toro Rosso 1:35.145
14 Jean-Eric Vergne Toro Rosso 1:35.286
15 Esteban Gutierrez Sauber 1:35.891
16 Romain Grosjean Lotus 1:35.908
17 Pastor Maldonado Lotus 1:36.663
18 Adrian Sutil Sauber 1:36.840
19 Kamui Kobayashi Caterham 1:37.085
20 Jules Bianchi Marussia 1:37.310
21 Marcus Ericsson Caterham 1:37.875
22 Max Chilton Marussia 1:37.913

[MIKA27]

Qualifying

Times

01 Nico Rosberg Mercedes 1:33.185

02 Lewis Hamilton Mercedes 1:33.464 0.279

03 Daniel Ricciardo Red Bull 1:34.051 0.866

04 Valtteri Bottas Williams 1:34.247 1.062

05 Sergio Perez Force India 1:34.346 1.161

06 Kimi Raikkonen Ferrari 1:34.368 1.183

07 Jenson Button McLaren 1:34.387 1.202

08 Felipe Massa Williams 1:34.511 1.326

09 Kevin Magnussen McLaren 1:34.712 1.527

10 Fernando Alonso Ferrari 1:34.992 1.807

11 Sebastian Vettel Red Bull 1:34.985

12 Nico Hulkenberg Force India 1:35.116

13 Daniil Kvyat Toro Rosso 1:35.145

14 Jean-Eric Vergne Toro Rosso 1:35.286

15 Esteban Gutierrez Sauber 1:35.891

16 Romain Grosjean Lotus 1:35.908

17 Pastor Maldonado Lotus 1:36.663

18 Adrian Sutil Sauber 1:36.840

19 Kamui Kobayashi Caterham 1:37.085

20 Jules Bianchi Marussia 1:37.310

21 Marcus Ericsson Caterham 1:37.875

22 Max Chilton Marussia 1:37.913

Thank you for posting Paul!

[MIKA27]

Bahrain Qualifying: Rosberg steals pole from Hamilton as Mercedes dominate

After playing second fiddle to Lewis Hamilton in all three practice sessions, Nico Rosberg trumped his Mercedes teammate against the odds in Qualifying to take pole position for the tenth Bahrain Grand Prix.

The two Silver Arrows sparkled as they powered around under the 5,000 lamps which floodlit the venue, with Rosberg going fastest in his first run in Q3 with a best lap time of 1:33.185 which was 0.279 better than Hamilton.

The two, immersed in their own private war, and almost oblivious to the others, decided to have another go but to no avail as both aborted when they realised that they would not go any faster. No one else was in their zone on the night – they were half a second better than the best of their rivals.

An anti-climatic ending, but nevertheless very much an unexpected result which only serves to fuel the the rivalry between Rosberg and Hamilton which is starting to look like the headline story of the season, and a juicy one at that. Right now the Qualifying score is 2-1 in favour of Hamilton, with a victory apiece – the race will be interesting.

Rosberg summed up his evening at Sakhir, ”It has just worked well through the weekend, finding my way, making progress and getting through some issues. The challenge this weekend is that Free Practice was in such hot conditions, and you have to guess, sort of, for the cold conditions [for Qualifying]. It worked out well. I felt comfortable and got my laps together. I’m very happy. I have good memories of this track, winning the GP2 championship and starting my first race in F1. I enjoy coming here and again today, it’s suited me.”

Hamilton said, ”I am not disappointed, congratulations to Nico and he has done a great job this weekend, he is improving and picking up the pace. I locked up in the last lap but generally I am happy for the team.”

It was a bittersweet session for Red Bull, although more bitter than sweet for the world champions, as once again Daniel Ricciardo showed pretty remarkable pace in the Red Bull during Qualifying. He set the third best time, but alas he will drop down ten places due to the penalty for the pitstop shenanigans in Malaysia.

Ricciardo spoke afterwards, “Really pleased with the performance. At moment it’s the best anyone else can do behind the two guys alongside me. Still got ground to make up, but I’m pleased with how well Qualifying went tonight. It’s been tricky with the temperature dropping a lot for the evening sessions – as you saw in P3 we were a long way off and we turned it around this evening – it’s nice to close the gap.”

“Tomorrow of course I don’t stay at the front from here, so there’s work to do. We’ve got top guys in the office to get me back up there. It’s close between two and three stops and a bit of room to get back from there,” concluded the Australian.

It was even worse for teammate Sebastian Vettel who failed to make it beyond Q2, ending that segment of the session 0.393 down on Ricciardo. The world champion has now so far this season failed twice, out of three tries, to make it into Q3.

He said over the team radio, ”The downshifts were really bad.”

He reflected later, ”They [Mercedes] are out of reach – this track suits them here. Hopefully we can do a good job at the moment and rescue some points this weekend. Things are going on in the background which haven’t helped and we haven’t done many laps here. You can have days where it’s quite tight to get into Q3.”

After showing glimpses of potential in practice Williams finally revealed their hand in Qualifying with Valtteri Bottas ending fourth fastest and Felipe Massa eighth, suggesting that the Martini boys might have a say on who ends up on the podium in the grand prix.

Sergio Perez finally enjoyed a hassle free session and rose to the occasion, to set the fifth best time and with it beat his Force India teammate Nico Hulkenberg for the first time this season. The German knocked out of proceedings in Q2 after a lap which he admitted, “The lap wasn’t good enough. There’s a bit of a nasty tailwind, but I just got it up on kerb, which is probably where I lost it.”

Also beating his teammate for the first time in Qualifying this year was Kimi Raikkonen who, despite his discomfort in the F14T, was best of the Ferrari duo with the sixth best lap time on the night, while Fernando Alonso was unusually out of sorrts and could only manage the tenth best time.

The Spaniard explained, ”Not an easy Qualifying – we were losing power and the car seemed slower on the straights. I did a 1:34.5 in Q2 and a 1:34.9 in Q3 with less fuel, so we need to check what’s happening – maybe the floor is damaged because we are losing a lot of time on the straights. We are nearly out of the points already in ninth – we have nothing to lose. We know that the Mercedes engines are good here and we have a threat from behind from Vettel and Hulkenberg, so it will not be easy.”

Jenson Button was the better of the McLaren drivers with the seventh best time, with Kevin Magnussen ninth on the timing screens.

Although the Silver Arrows were on another planet, the next eight cars were within a second of one another, suggesting a big scrap for the final podium step, presuming the Mercedes run trouble free and don’t trip over one another.

Both Lotus drivers were again way out of contention, with both Saubers unimpressive, and rookie Daniil Kvyat getting the better of Toro Rosso teammate Jean Eric Vergne.

Final word to pole winner Rosberg, ”Starting from pole is a great thing but it’s a whole different story tomorrow. The challenge awaiting us is tyre degradation but I’m confident. I had some good runs yesterday so I’m confident that I can stay ahead in tomorrow’s race.”

MIKA: I'm loving how the Force Indias are doing so well. It's bound to happen they get a podium this season. Hoping Rosberg and Ricciardo beat Hamilton.

[MIKA27]

McLaren and Alonso play down reunification reports as Honda era looms

McLaren is at the centre of a several speculative reports in the Bahrain paddock, one of which suggests that Fernando Alonso may be on his way back to the Woking outfit in the not too distant future.

The influential sports daily Marca has made a link between McLaren and the former Formula 1 sponsor Movistar, a Spanish mobile phone operator.

The report seems to have been triggered in part by an official McLaren post on Twitter on Friday featuring a photo (above) of Ron Dennis sitting in the Bahrain paddock with Fernando Alonso in 2007.

The caption read: “Another pic of Ron smiling”.

A McLaren source strenuously played down the significance of the tweet. But it does follow hot on the heels not only of Dennis’ return to the team, but also reports last year that Alonso could be wooed back to McLaren for the impending Honda era.

The Alonso camp immediately played down the connection.

“Fernando is happy where he is [at Ferrari]“, his manager Luis Garcia Abad insisted. But Alonso was not totally unequivocal when asked by Spain’s Diario AS if there is “any chance” that he will leave Ferrari at the end of the year.

“No, I think not,” said the double world champion, who admitted that he arrived at the great Maranello team in 2010 expecting to win a title. ”When I came to Ferrari I won my first race here and I thought I would win the championship in that year or another year. Definitely.”

“That was the recent history of Ferrari, in 2010 Ferrari was very strong, I came, I won the first race, everything seemed to be in the right direction.”

Despite yet another season having begun in which a third title for Alonso appears unlikely, the driver insists he does not regret joining Ferrari.

“No, there are many decisions in your career and your life that you make and that’s it. You never know what would have happened if I had accepted offers from Red Bull or Toyota or whoever,” he added.

Meanwhile, in the wake of title sponsor Vodafone’s departure, the British team ran prominent Mobil 1 branding in Australia, before Esso took over the space on the sidepods of the MP4-29 in Malaysia.

Now in Bahrain, the logo of Bahrain flag carrier Gulf Air is on the car, triggering the conclusion that McLaren might continue their new policy of livery changes throughout the 2014 season.

A spokesman would not comment on future liveries to be expected on the MP4-28. But Sky News reports that McLaren are in title sponsor talks with a Japanese giant called Rakuten, owner of the well-known UK retailer play.com.

The report said that the deal could be worth more than $60 million per year to the Woking based team, but a spokesman said,”McLaren never comment on unsubstantiated reports of this kind.”

[MIKA27]

Schumacher showing moments of consciousness and making progress

Seven-time Formula 1 World Champion Michael Schumacher, who suffered serious head injuries in a December skiing accident, is making progress and showing signs of waking from an artificial coma, his agent said on Friday.

“Michael is making progress on his way. He shows moments of consciousness and awakening,” Sabine Kehm said in a statement.

Schumacher, 45, slammed his head on a rock while skiing off-piste in the French Alps resort of Meribel on Dec. 29 last year.

The most successful Formula 1 champion of all time has been in a stable but critical condition since then in a hospital in the eastern French city of Grenoble.

Doctors started lowering the retired German racing driver’s sedation at the end of January to wake him up from an artificial coma.

“We are on his side during his long and difficult fight, together with the team of the hospital in Grenoble, and we keep remaining confident,” said the brief statement from Kehm.

Schumacher, who won a record 91 Grand Prix victories, left the sport last year after a disappointing three-year comeback with Mercedes following an earlier retirement from Ferrari at the end of 2006.

The news was welcomed by all in the paddock with Vettel wishing the 45-year-old and his family all the best.

"I'm always a bit careful with second-hand information but it's very good to hear it's going in the right direction," said the Red Bull driver.

"There's still a long process ahead of him so we need to be careful. It's good to hear after many, many weeks of no news.

"I wish all the best to him and his families and hopefully we keep hearing over the next weeks."

Meanwhile, Massa, who raced alongside Schumacher at Ferrari, was grateful for the positive report.

"I really hope we have positive news all the time," he said. "I pray for him every day and want to see him back here.

"I'm definitely looking forward to that and hope the best for him and the family, and also for the doctors taking care of him. I think it's getting better and better all the time so that's my hope."

[MIKA27]

Alonso was powerless in qualifying

Fernando Alonso will go into Sunday's Bahrain GP with "nothing to lose" as he will line up ninth on the grid.

The Ferrari struggled on Saturday night around the Sakhir circuit, later revealing that his F14T was losing power.

However, given his deficit to those ahead, including team-mate Kimi Raikkonen, the Spaniard believes there may also be something else wrong with his car.

"Not an easy qualifying - we were losing power and the car seemed slower on the straights," he revealed.

"I did a 1min 34.5 in Q2 and a 1min 34.9 in Q3 with less fuel, so we need to check what's happening - maybe the floor is damaged because we are losing a lot of time on the straights."

His best time, a 1:34.992, put him tenth quickest in qualifying, however, he will start ninth due to Daniel Ricciardo's penalty.

"We are nearly out of the points already in ninth - we have nothing to lose.

"We know the Mercedes engines are good here and we have a threat from behind from Vettel and Hulkenberg, so it will not be easy."

[MIKA27]

Ricciardo needs to rely on strategy

Despite being the closest challenger to Mercedes, Daniel Ricciardo will need to rely on strategy just to score points in Bahrain.

The Red Bull racer finished third in qualifying on Saturday night, posting a 1:34.051 to pole sitter Nico Rosberg's 1:33.185.

It was a good showing from the Australian, who was the only driver aside from Lewis Hamilton to get within a second of Rosberg's P1 time.

"Really pleased with the performance," Ricciardo said when joined the Merc duo in Saturday's press conference. "At moment it's the best anyone else can do behind the two guys alongside me.

"We's still got ground to make up on them but I'm pleased with qualifiying tonight.

"It's been really tricky, the temperature drops a lot for the evening sessions and as you saw in P3 we were a long way off but it turned around this evening - it's nice to close the gap.

"Tomorrow, unfortunately, I don't stay at the front here, so there's work to do and we'll move forward from there."

Ricciardo will drop ten places on the Sakhir grid on Sunday night after being hit with a penalty for an unsafe release at the previous race in Malaysia.

The Red Bull racer, though, is refusing to rule out the chance of making up good ground in Sunday's race and says he may look to strategy to do just that.

"We've got some good guys in the office back there who I am sure will do what they can to get me as far up the front as possible.

"It's close between two and three stops and maybe there is a bit of room for us to try something from there."

[MIKA27]

Hulkenberg rues lost opportunity

Nico Hulkenberg says it was not bad luck that put him out of qualifying in Q2 but rather a bad lap.

The German was expected to comfortably make it into the final qualifying segment for the Bahrain Grand Prix but failed to do so.

Instead of booking a place in Q3, Hulkenberg found himself down in 12th place when the chequered flag fell.

The Force India driver was a surprising 0.4s slower than his team-mate Sergio Perez.

However, Hulkenberg says there was not extenuating circumstances. It was just a bad lap.

"My lap wasn't good enough," he lamented to Autosport.

"I opened it not in the best way, Turn 1 and 2 not so great and Turn 11 where we have seen many cars struggling today, I got a little bit on the kerb and it drags you out.

"The car had potential of Q3 as we saw with Checo. It was not bad luck but just a disappointing lap."

[MIKA27]

Sutil gets grid penalty for impeding Grosjean

Adrian Sutil has been given a five-place grid penalty for impeding Romain Grosjean during Q1 for the Bahrain Grand Prix.

The German, who qualified 18th, was deemed to have forced the Lotus driver off track and onto the run off during an attempt to improve his lap time. Grosjean managed to make it through to Q2 despite the battle.

As well as a grid drop, Sutil was awarded two penalty points on his super licence as part of a new regulation for 2014 where a driver can accumulate 12 points before a race ban is imposed.

Speaking after, Grosjean played down the incident: "It probably looked quite close on television but it wasn't.

"That's okay, it's qualifying," he replied when asked if he expected an apology from Sutil.

[MIKA27]

Mercedes brand mid-season rule tweaks 'absurd'

The idea of tweaking the regulations after just two races is "absurd" according to Mercedes boss Toto Wolff who says their rivals simply haven't done a good enough job.

Ferrari president Luca di Montezemolo will meet with Bernie Ecclestone and FIA president Jean Todt this weekend to air concerns that the new Formula 1 isn't as exciting as expected.

They're expected to discuss changes which could include shorter races and lifting the maximum fuel flow limit of 100kg/h. Wolff says it simply makes no sense and believes the changes are motivated not by excitement, but to change the competitive order after Mercedes dominated both the Australian and Malaysian grands prix.

"The interesting bit is that some engine manufacturers or teams are saying we have not managed to make the car efficient and fast with 100kg [of fuel], so what we are trying to do is let's add 10kg," he explained.

"Well, sorry they didn't do their job in the way we have done. I find this whole discussion absurd."

The Austrian says it's wrong for F1 chiefs to criticise the sport as a whole after Di Montezemolo branded it "boring" and like "taxi-cab racing".

Instead they should identify specific areas which need changing. "If this is the agenda then we should not talk the sport down as a total," he said.

"We should say, hold on a minute. Mercedes has done a better job.

"We just have to understand what the fans don't like," he added.

"If it is the noise then we have to address the noise. "Is it that races have become boring by a team or car dominating?

Maybe we have had that phenomenon in the last 20 years.

"Was it boring that Sebastian [Vettel] won the last nine races?

For sure it is more boring if you have somebody who is dominant - and I see that as a fan as well."

[MIKA27]

McLaren: Never happy when your cars qualify seventh and ninth

McLaren team and drivers report from day two of the Bahrain Grand Prix weekend, Round 3 of the 2014 Formula 1 World Championship, at Sakhir.

Jenson Button MP4-29-04: “Although we haven’t qualified where we’d ideally like to have done, as a team I reckon we’ve done a more or less perfect job so far this weekend. It was very tight out there, we did all we could, and we ended up very close to P4; all you can do is get the best out of the car, and that’s what we did here today. The four fly-away races are all about picking up points as and when you can. We’ve done that pretty well [in] the first two races, and we’ve got to continue doing that. We’re not the quickest, so we’ve got to make the best of what we have and what we are. A podium finish tomorrow would be great, but it’ll be very difficult, because the first two places are already fully booked as long as the two Mercedes cars are reliable. But let’s be positive; we’ve got a fighting chance of making up places tomorrow, and third place is only three spots better than where we’ll be starting from [in sixth].”

Kevin Magnussen MP4-29-01: “I’m not entirely happy with my qualifying position today, to be honest. We’d hoped that the cool temperatures would confer more of an advantage to us, and help us a little bit more, but it didn’t work out that way. Having said that, Jenson did a very good job, and got a bit more out of the car than I did, and I think that’s probably the most anyone could have got out of it today. Our race pace might be better than our Qualifying pace was, and we should hopefully be a bit more competitive tomorrow as a result of that. We should be in the thick of the fight for points. But, first of all, I need to make a clean start tomorrow. I don’t want any damage to the front wing at the first corner!”

Eric Boullier, Racing Director, McLaren Mercedes: “Obviously, you’re never happy when your cars qualify seventh and ninth, and it’s not much of a consolation to know that they’ll be starting sixth and eighth following the demotion of Daniel [Ricciardo]. “But, having said that, both Jenson and Kevin did a good job here in Bahrain today, keeping their heads during what was a fraught and frenetic Qualifying hour, smoothly moving through Q1 and Q2, and securing Q3 grid positions from which we expect them to be able to mount measured yet combative challenges for world championship points in tomorrow evening’s race. It’s worth noting that, discounting the two fastest cars, Q3 was very tightly bunched, very close indeed in fact. So, all in all, we’re expecting both our drivers to be able to play a significant part in the battle for world championship points tomorrow.”

[MIKA27]

Ricciardo comprehensively outshines Vettel under lights in Bahrain Qualifying

Daniel Ricciardo’s roller-coaster season saw him qualify third fastest for the Bahrain Grand Prix with a performance of raw speed which again put struggling world champion and Red Bull teammate Sebastian Vettel in the shade.

The 24-year-old Australian was just 0.866 sec off the pole position time of Mercedes’ Nico Rosberg in a barnstorming drive given extra impetus by the knowledge that he was facing a 10-place penalty on the grid for a pit-lane infringement in Malaysia last week.

It was the latest dramatic episode for Ricciardo who had his second place in Australia taken away through disqualification.

Then, in Malaysia,he drove off with a loose wheel after a pit stop, and had to return to the garage to have it refitted.

As he returned to the track, dropping from fourth to last, Ricciardo’s front wing came loose and damaged a front tyre, meaning he that had to go back to the pits.

He then had to serve a 10-second stop-go penalty, followed by the ignominy of having to retire anyway.

Despite his travails, Ricciardo was still optimistic that he can charge back through the field under the Sakhir floodlights on Sunday and open his points account for the season.

“We’ve got some good guys in the office back there and I’m sure they’ll do what they can to get me as far up the front as possible,” he said.

“I would love to charge through and have a podium after the 57 or so laps. I think realistically that we just have to get some points to start with. My season has been going well but I don’t have any points to show for it so far, so I think that’s the first target.”

Ricciardo’s penalty meant that four-time world champion Vettel, who missed out on the third and final qualifying session, will start in 10th spot.

But it has been a miserable week so far for Vettel who also suffered the indignity of crashing into the gravel in Saturday’s third and final Practice session which left him with the second slowest time.

“We weren’t quick enough today. I was pretty happy yesterday, but I think this morning it didn’t help us when I spun off and did some damage to the car,” admitted Vettel.

“It’s hard to say how big the impact of that was, as once you start qualifying you just get your head down and try to do the best you can.

“I think our speed is okay on a longer run – and actually on a shorter run too, as Dan has shown. It will be hard to overtake some cars tomorrow, but we will try our best.”

Ricciardo’s blistering performance on Saturday even prompted cheeky suggestions that the Australian should now be considered as Red Bull’s No 1 driver.

Pole-sitter Rosberg, however, wasn’t going to fall into the trap.

“I don’t really want to rate them. Sebastian is clearly a fantastic driver, one of the best out there and Daniel is doing a great job and definitely deserves the seat that he’s got at Red Bull,” said Rosberg.

“It will be an interesting battle between the two.”

[rckymtn22]

Finally a bit more interesting race thanks to Maldonado! Without the safety car the race win wasn't going to be much of contest. Great to see the Force India car on the podium. Best race so far.

[MIKA27]

Bahrain Grand Prix: Hamilton beats Rosberg in a night time thriller

The new Formula 1 era delivered entertainment of the highest level, as Lewis Hamilton fended off Nico Rosberg after the pair spent most of the race slugging it out for top spot in thrilling fashion during the Bahrain Grand Prix, while behind them racing was equally fast and furious.

Under 5,000 light bulbs that lined Sakhir the Mercedes team, aptly known as the Silver Arrows, were in a class of their own. Totally trouncing their rivals in a manner which bordered on cruelty. But this did not stop the two self professed buddies from going wheel-to-wheel on several occasions to deliver a thrilling battle for victory which in the end went to Hamilton by the narrowest of margins.

And afterwards the two, who have been rivals since childhood, hugged and joked about it all – Formula 1 is in a good place no matter what the critics say….

The duel actually started 24 hours earlier when from out the blue Rosberg trumped Hamilton in qualifying, and it was clear that the sprint to Turn 1 when the lights went out would be crucial. Thus credit to Hamilton for getting off the line quickly and duck into the lead, with Rosberg having to tuck in behind.

It was riveting stuff as they tussled for that all important early lead, until Hamilton finally got a slight edge with Rosberg holding station and in pouncing distance,, where he remained throughout the race.

The pair renewed hostilities shortly before the first pitstop window and again gave the Mercedes gantry some anxious moments. Hamilton was the first to peel in and came out on the softer yellow band Pirelli tyres. A couple of laps later Rosberg swapped for the harder white band tyres and emerged around five seconds adrift of the leader.

At this point the difference in lap times between the two compounds was far less than expected – around half a second – Hamilton’s lead was never more than ten seconds, and it appeared that the Englishman was fully in control at that stage.

But then on lap 41 the safety car was deployed after a bizarre incident when Lotus driver Pastor Maldonado T-boned Esteban Gutierrez in Turn 1, which flipped the Sauber before it cam to a stop on the exit of the newly renamed Michael Schumacher corner.

Immediately Hamilton and Rosberg pitted, Hamilton emerged on the harder tyres and Rosberg with the softer compound which appeared to put the ball firmly in his court.

After a long period behind the safety car, the field was unleashed for the final dozen or so laps, with Rosberg immediately on the attack from all angles as Hamilton defended for all he was worth. It was riveting stuff, not seen at this level of the sport for ages. Pure racing, and in this instance between teammates!

With a few laps to go Rosberg, on the supposedly quicker rubber could do little to reel in Hamilton, who took his second victory in a row but not before being urged by technical head Paddy Lowe to “just make sure we bring both cars home,”which they did but not without some heart-stopping moments in the process.

Ominously for their rivals, as they battled for the last ten laps the Mercedes pair still managed to pull away at a rate of around two seconds per lap!

A friendly rugby tackle in parc ferme as they emerged from their cars, and several hugs and handshakes later made it clear that there was no animosity between the two Silver Arrows boys.

Hamilton said afterwards, ”It’s great to see that we have such a great following here, I am so grateful to the team for getting us up here and this is my first win here in Bahrain which is nice. It was really exciting, Nico drove fantastically well, it was so fair but it was so hard to keep him behind me, I was on a real knife edge at the end but just managed to take it.”

Rosberg summed up his sentiments and perhaps those of many genuine F1 fans, ”I strongly dislike coming second to Lewis, I have to say that but it was definitely the most exciting race I have ever raced in my whole career. I think today was a day for the sport, we put on a fantastic show and I will be back to win here next season.”

Behind them, admittedly another league, it was equally frenetic as the night seemed to bring out battle between teammates. We has the Red Bull chaps at it, the Williams duo slugging it out, the Force India pair going wheel to wheel with one another, and with each other with a the two Ferrari drivers couple also in the mix.

In the end third place went to Sergio Perez and with it scoring Force India’s second ever grand prix podium finish (the first at Spa in 2009 with Giancarlo Fisichella) and delivering a just reward for the team who along with Nico Hulkenberg had been at the sharp end of proceedings all year, the German adding to the delight with fifth place on the night.

Perez was beaming from ear to ear after a strong showing for his new team, and summed up his feelings, ”It has been a while since my last podium, it is very special for me. It is only my third race with the team but a very good one.”

Driver of the day goes to Daniel Ricciardo, the Red Bull new recruit was again stellar despite having to start 13th after qualifying third the previous day.

He showed true grit in a race which did his shares the world of good, slugging it out with the best of the best, including teammate Sebastian Vettel and coming out on top. His charge through the field was audacious, and very nearly ended up on the podium, but fourth place was a remarkable achievement under the circumstances. Vettel was sixth.

Ricciardo said with his trademark grin, ”It was an awesome race. The car came to me as the race went on and I was happy with how I moved up through the pack, so a good day. It was good fun to race Sebastian, it was hard but fair and we left each other room. That’s what we want from each other and we discussed it beforehand, we’re racers and that’s what we enjoy doing.”

Smart money would have been on either Williams driver ending up on the podium at Sakhir, but alas for the Grove based outfit it was not to be. Instead Felipe Massa crossed the line seventh, with Valtteri Bottas eighth – the two involved in several major skirmishes during the course of the evening. However it would be fair to safe to say that the FW36 was not kind to its tyres, and perhaps the safety car played against them too.

Massa reported afterwards, ”The biggest problem we had in the race was the safety car, it destroyed our strategy. It was not great. The start was amazing, I managed to get past a lot of cars, the pace was OK and I was fighting but the result at the end was not the right one. I think we need to analyse where we were supposed to finish. We were fighting until the end which is good for us.”

Before the race Ferrari president Luca di Montezemolo declared that the current era had turned grand prix drivers into “taxi drivers”, but on the night the only drivers who looked like taxi drivers were Kimi Raikkonen and Fernando Alonso.

Two of the sport’s most respected drivers reduced to also rans, as yet again the technical team of heavy hitters, second to none in reputation it would seem, have simply delivered a woeful car or a dastardy engine or probably both combined.

Montezemolo is wrong in his declaration and should probably focus on getting his under performing and under delivering race team to up their game across the board. Alonso finished ninth and Raikkonen rounded out the top ten.

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Maldonado penalised for bizarre incident which flipped Gutierrez

Lotus’s Pastor Maldonado has been handed a five-place grid penalty for the next round in China and given three penalty points on his Super Licence for causing the crash which sent Esteban Gutierrez rolling out of Sunday’s 2014 Formula 1 Gulf Air Bahrain Grand Prix.

Maldonado ran into the side of the Sauber at Turn 1 on lap 41 of the 57-lap race, moments after rejoining the track from the pit lane. The contact resulted in the Mexican’s car being tipped into a spectacular roll.

Gutierrez was able to climb from his cockpit, while Maldonado continued with damage, but a lengthy safety car was needed to recover the stricken Sauber and clear the debris.

Stewards quickly decided Maldonado had been responsible for the collision, handing the Venezuelan an immediate 10-second stop-go penalty, as well as the aforementioned grid drop and penalty points.

Marussia’s Jules Bianchi was also deemed to have caused a collision during the race following an early clash with Gutierrez’s Sauber team mate Adrian Sutil, which led to the German retiring with damage.

Bianchi was given two penalty points, in addition to the drive-through penalty he served during the race. The Frenchman now has four penalty points on his Super Licence – 12 points lead to an automatic one-race ban.

http://youtu.be/luNdRPwioTg

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Ecclestone: I don’t think the way things are in F1 at the moment are acceptable to the public

Formula 1 needs to make rule changes to placate angry fans but leaders Mercedes must not be punished for doing a better job than their rivals, commercial supremo Bernie Ecclestone said on Sunday.

“Mercedes, without any doubt, have done a better job and they shouldn’t be punished for doing a good job. We shouldn’t change the regulations to punish them,” he told reporters at the Bahrain Grand Prix.

The ditching of the ear-splitting old V8 engines and the ushering in of a quieter V6 turbo era, with an emphasis on fuel economy and hybrid technology, has upset some spectators and promoters.

Ferrari and champions Red Bull, both playing catch-up to the Mercedes-powered teams, have been outspoken in their criticism and demands for change – with rivals accusing them of playing politics to mask their failings.

Ecclestone talked to International Automobile Federation (FIA) president Jean Todt at the Sakhir circuit and was also due to meet Ferrari President Luca di Montezemolo and other bosses.

“We have to (change), for sure. I don’t think the way things are at the moment are acceptable to the public,” he told reporters.

“People buying tickets to come here, or go somewhere else, are expecting to see what Formula One used to be.

“What is important is that the teams know the problem, and the engine manufacturers know the problem, and they’re trying to sort it,” added the Briton, who said that promoters are fretting about ticket sales.

Ecclestone ruled out a suggestion, that has been raised by Montezemolo in the past, for races to be shortened but said that the noise could be addressed and the fuel allowance of 100 kg increased to 110 kg.

“These engines, without any doubt, are incredible. The amount of power they produce from such a small amount of fuel,” he said.

“But I don’t think that’s Formula One business. They should do it in touring cars or something, but not in Formula One.”

He said that Mercedes, who have won the first two races from pole position, would lead the way off the track as well as on it without their performance being compromised.

“Mercedes are going to be behind it. I think they’ll be the leaders,” he said. “We can do these things without them particularly [losing their advantage],” said the Briton.

“I think everybody is complaining, even Mercedes. They don’t like people not being happy.”

Some senior team officials have accused rivals of talking down the sport, or ‘doing a Ratner’ – an allusion to the British jeweller who mocked his own customers in a 1991 speech and saw his business lose $829.50 million in value.

Ecclestone disagreed with that assessment: “People have an opinion, that’s all,” he said.

Meanwhile in a separate chat with media in Bahrain, Todt said, “Mercedes, Renault and Ferrari knew for five years what engines they would need to use this year. Mercedes has simply done a better job. Such is motor sport.”

“I can understand if people think that the sound is too quiet. So we will look at ways we can make them a little louder,” conceded Todt.

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Ecclestone: I have spoken to Todt and we have agreed to allow two more teams into F1

Formula One has agreed to accept two new teams, including a U.S. entry proposed by NASCAR team owner Gene Haas, commercial supremo Bernie Ecclestone said on Sunday.

“They will be accepted,” the Briton told reporters at the Bahrain Grand Prix when asked about Haas’s application.

“We’ve also accepted another team as well. Whether they’ll make it or not is another story. We are happy to have another couple of teams.

“I’ve spoken to Jean Todt and we agreed yesterday that [if] another two teams want to come in, we’ll let them in,” said the 83-year-old billionaire.

Last December, the FIA called for expressions of interest from potential new entries wanting to compete from 2015 or 2016, and set a January deadline. There are currently 11 teams competing.

Full applications had to be submitted by Feb. 10 and a decision was supposed to have been taken by Feb. 28, although the governing body has remained silent on the subject.

Haas, co-owner of the Stewart-Haas NASCAR team, acknowledged in January that Haas Racing Development had responded to the FIA’s call.

Former F1 Principal Colin Kolles, who most recently led the failed Spanish HRT team after stints at Force India and its previous incarnations Jordan, Midland and Spyker, has also reportedly submitted a Romanian-backed application.

Colin Kolles

Ecclestone, who faces a court hearing on bribery charges in Germany later this month, appeared in good spirits and said that he would have “no problem” with 13 teams.

“Sure. And you can have a team and it can be 14,” he joked.

Formula One last admitted new teams in 2010, with a U.S. outfit, USF1, initially accepted but later removed from the entry list when it became apparent that they were not in a position to race.

That failed team was led by Ken Anderson, a former technical director of Haas CNC Racing which was the previous name of Stewart-Haas.

Of the three 2010 newcomers, Caterham and Marussia are still competing but have yet to score a point.

Gene Haas

Formula One media reports have indicated that Haas, who owns a full-scale rolling road wind tunnel in North Carolina, is working with former Red Bull and Jaguar technical director Guenther Steiner on the new project.

Tens of teams have come and gone since the championship started in 1950 and there have been regular fears expressed about the financial state of some of those currently on the starting grid.

Sauber and Lotus had financial problems last season that threatened their futures, and Caterham were warned before the start of the season by Malaysian owner Tony Fernandes that they needed to raise their game.

“If we are at the back, I don’t think we are going to carry on,” he told reporters then. “After five years and to get no points, there’s a limit to everyone’s patience.”

The most recent team to come and go was Hispania Racing Team (HRT) which competed from 2010 until 2012.

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Alonso: We have to step up because we are not doing a good job so far

Amid speculation that McLaren are going all out to tempt Fernando Alonso back to the team to spearhead their new Honda era, the Spaniard has gone on record as accusing Ferrari of not delivering so far this year.

“It is clear that we have to step up,” Alonso is quoted by Diario Sport, “because we are not doing a good job so far.”

The Spaniard is in his fifth consecutive season with the Italian team without having added to his Formula 1 World Championship title tally, Alonso finished off the podium in Australia and Malaysia and qualified just tenth in Bahrain on Saturday.

After the floodlit Qualifying session in the island Kingdom, Alonso admitted that Ferrari’s new Formula 14-T car “has remained the same for the last three races” thus overtly suggesting that the team are not winning the development battle.

After Qualifying, where he was beaten for the first time this season by Ferrari returnee Kimi Raikkonen, Alonso said, “We tried our best as usual today and now we need to wait for the car to come back from parc ferme to work out why there was a drop in power in Q3.”

Last year the two time world champion landed himself in hot water when he criticised the Maranello outfit’s efforts, which was not well received by the team’s President, Luca di Montezemolo.

Many believe that the team boss reacted by hiring Raikkonen, and said at the time, “Let me make it clear that it’s Ferrari I’m interested in. Drivers, we’ve had a lot, some very good, some great, but drivers come and go, while Ferrari remains.”

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Todt: The F1 turbo rules were agreed five years ago, Mercedes have simply done a better job

FIA president Jean Todt has lashed out at teams who are criticising Formula 1 and even lobbying for change in the early phase of the all new era of F1.

After his much-vaunted meeting on Sunday with Bernie Ecclestone and Luca di Montezemolo, the FIA president hit back at criticisms of the sport in the wake of revolutionary rule changes.

“Making a judgement after three races is like George Lucas or Brad Pitt speaking ill of their next film – [as if to say] don’t come to the movie!” Todt told Auto Motor und Sport in Bahrain.

The Frenchman admitted that he suspects that the criticisms are being made because those complaining loudest are struggling to keep up with dominant Mercedes.

“Mercedes, Renault and Ferrari knew for five years what engines they would need to use this year,” said Todt. “Mercedes has simply done a better job. Such is motor sport.”

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Vergne reveals he was hospitalised because of extreme F1 diet

Toro Rosso driver Jean-Eric Vergne has admitted that he was hospitalised recently amid an extreme weight-loss regime for the 2014 Formula 1 season.

Bigger than teammate and Toro Rosso newcomer Daniil Kvyat, the slight Russian teen, Frenchman Vergne admitted that he committed to losing several kilograms over the winter to prepare for Formula 1′s much heavier new cars.

“The weight difference between myself and my teammate was making me lose four tenths [per lap],” Vergne, who was given a rare third consecutive season with the Red Bull junior team this year, told French media.

“I did a diet this winter but you get to certain limits that the body can no longer take.

“Actually, I was in hospital between the grands prix in Australia and Malaysia because of a lack of water and a little bit of lack of everything. I was very weak,” the 23-year-old revealed.

Vergne said that while the minimum car-plus weight limit was raised by the FIA for the new turbo V6 rules, the 692 kg figure is still far too low.

“Frankly, this [situation] is stupid,” he insisted. ”Formula 1 cars are very difficult to drive and we need all of our skills. Being forced to lose weight is not good.”

Vergne said that the matter has been discussed by the drivers several times already in 2014, “but we have not reached a solution.

“Some lighter drivers want to keep their edge,” he said.

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Vettel unhappy with Bahrain display

Red Bull showed plenty of improvement in Bahrain, but for Sebastian Vettel it was another disappointing race.

The defending World Champion struggled on Saturday and failed to make it into Q3, but he started P10 on Sunday following a grid penalty to his team-mate Daniel Ricciardo.

He was in the thick of things for most of the race, but had to settle for sixth place, which was two spots behind Ricciardo with Mercedes-powered cars claiming the top three positions.

Vettel, who won the Bahrain GP last year, believes his team-mate proved there was plenty to extract from the car, but he just couldn't do enough to finish higher.

"I think it was a busy race today, especially at the end after the Safety Car, but it's a shame we couldn't get further up," he said.

"Daniel proved that there was a little bit more to get from the car today, I couldn't really get to that bit, so I'm not so happy with my day. For some reason we seemed to be really slow on the straights, and not just against the Mercedes.

"Merc has a stronger package, so there's work ahead of us. It was straight forward with Daniel today, we worked well together as a team and we raced well, but surely I would like to have finished higher up."