Formula 1 FanCast » Formula 1 News

Why there will be no Monza success this year for Brawn and Co.

Glen Robertson — Thu, 09 Sep 2010 16:00:42 +0000

One Year ago, Brawn GP arrived at Monza with people questioning their title credentials. They duly delivered a dominating one-two finish as their nearest rivals, Red Bull, choked.

Can the team, now under the guise of Mercedes GP, repeat the feat with a scintillating display from each of their talented drivers and stuff all the criticism back into the faces of their naysayers?

Er, no.

Last year Brawn still had one of the top three cars on the grid. Mercedes have, at the very best, the sixth-fastest car.

Red Bull, McLaren and Ferrari will be joined by Renault and Force India at the front of the grid, leaving the Silver Arrows scrapping with Williams, Toro Rosso and Sauber outside the top ten.

The best hope for picking up any points at all is for Sebastian Vettel to carry on knocking off his title rivals up ahead.

Mercedes just do not suit these high-speed tracks. Even with the superior Mercedes-Benz engine that powers McLaren and Force India’s phenomenal top speeds, they are struggling.

They have announced they will modify the blown diffuser, which is still overheating so isn’t giving the performance they believed it would, as they try to find straight-line speed. It will couple with the low downforce setup that is needed for the Italian GP.

But don’t worry, these modifications aren’t stopping the team from performing their main goal; designing a world championship-contending car for next year.

If anybody deserves a car capable of winning races it is Nico Rosberg who has quietly gone about his business all season, consistently finishing the car as high as it possibly can. Last weekend he put an emphatic exclamation mark on his dominance over his team-mate with a late overtake to finish ahead of Michael Schumacher once again.

Both drivers out-performed their equipment by picking up points at Spa, but the team aren’t expecting to match that at Monza.

Schumacher said: “I expect it to be a real challenge for our team. We have seen already several times this year that circuits with characteristics like those of Monza do not really play in our hands. Of course, we will go there prepared to try hard to achieve the maximum we can from our package and we will see to what extent we can achieve that and fight our way through.”

Monza, of course, used to be a home grand prix for Schumacher and Ross Brawn, but the glory days won’t be revisited this weekend.

Getting one of the drivers in the points will classify as a successful end to a very difficult European season that has yielded just the one podium.

They definitely won’t be adding to it this weekend.

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For McLaren it’s still everything to play for!

Nick Tomlinson — Thu, 09 Sep 2010 15:00:41 +0000

As Formula 1 moves on to Monza in Italy the Championship moves into the final third of the season with everything still to play for. After Lewis Hamilton’s tremendous win in Belgium two weeks ago he now leads the Championship once again ahead of the person who seems like his most likely competitor Mark Webber, who finished second in Spa as these two drivers try and break away from the pack.

Out of the top five drivers it was only Lewis Hamilton and Mark Webber who managed to pick up any points. This means that the two at the front have got a small gap back to the other contenders but with the new point scoring anything can still yet happen.

In the World Championship Hamilton leads Webber by three points on 182. In third place is Webber’s team mate Sebastian Vettel a whole 28 points behind with Hamilton’s team mate Jenson Button a further four points behind him.

If Button wants to stay and challenge for back to back titles he needs to ensure that he has a very good race at Monza to reduce the gap to his team mate, as the season draws to an end the McLaren team will need to choose one driver to back in the race for the Championship.

Monza should be a very good race for McLaren as the circuit should suit their car. There are plenty of long straights around the Italian venue which will play into the hands of McLarens “F-Duct” and give them a real advantage on the Red Bull cars as their car seems to lack some straight line speed.

Potentially this could be a very successful weekend for McLaren and it could put them back in the lead of the Constructors Championship as well as the drivers. Currently McLaren are just one point behind the Red Bull team in the Constructors but if all goes to plan in Monza then they could be leading it come Sunday evening.

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Vettel unhappy with rumours

NewsDesk — Thu, 09 Sep 2010 15:00:01 +0000

Red Bull driver Sebastian Vettel believes it would be wrong for the team to favour Mark Webber as the Formula One championship enters its final six races of the campaign.

Webber sits just three points off the top of the tree while Vettel trails his Australian team-mate by 28 points.

Rumours suggest that Red Bull are ready to favour Webber in the run-in as they look to land the title, but the young German insists it would be a bad move for the team to adopt.

He sad: "For a driver this makes no sense – you don't give up trying to win the championship until it's mathematically impossible.

"For the team it makes no sense to favour one if that means penalising the other because you need both drivers scoring maximum points to win the constructors' championship.

"With two drivers close in the championship it is too dangerous to choose."

Alonso: We need to close the gap

NewsDesk — Thu, 09 Sep 2010 14:00:02 +0000

Ferrari sensation Fernando Alonso believes it is important for him to grab the maximum points haul at the upcoming Italian Grand Prix in Monza if he is to stay in touch with those at the top of the Formula One drivers' championship.

McLaren's Lewis Hamilton leads the way with Red Bull's Mark Webber just three points behind and, with six races remaining, Alonso trails in fifth place by a massive 41 points.

"There is no point denying the fact this is a tricky moment of the season for us," Alonso wrote on the Ferrari website.

"In Monza, if we do not pick up a significant number of points and our competitors get the maximum and pull away in the lead, then the situation in the classification would become very difficult.

"I'm not saying it would be impossible to reach our target, because that kind of talk does not exist in F1, but we are aware of the situation and we are ready to react to any eventuality."

Meanwhile, team-mate Felipe Massa added: "It is obvious that the 14th race of the year will be very important for the Scuderia, not just because of it being the home race, but also because of the current situation in the championship."

Ferrari escape further punishment

NewsDesk — Wed, 08 Sep 2010 17:00:01 +0000

Ferrari have escaped further punishment for the alleged issuing of team orders during the German Grand Prix in late July.

Felipe Massa slowed down and allowed team-mate Fernando Alonso to pass him 17 laps from the end of the race at Hockenheim, having been told over the radio by race engineer Rob Smedley: "Fernando is faster than you. Can you confirm you understood that message?".

The stewards in Germany decided that Ferrari had contravened Article 39.1 of the sport's regulations, which state that 'team orders which interfere with a race result are prohibited'.

A fine of 100,000 US dollars was imposed and the matter was passed on to the World Motor Sport Council for their consideration.

Meanwhile, the FIA have rejected applications from a number of parties interested in entering a 13th team into next season's F1 campaign.

An FIA statement read: "Following the press release of 19 March 2010 calling for expressions of interest to participate in the 2011 and 2012 seasons of the FIA Formula One World Championship, a number of interested parties expressed their interest.

"It was considered that none of the candidates met the requirements to be granted an entry into the Championship.

"Consequently the allocation of the 13th team will not be granted."

The FIA also confirmed a 20-race calendar for 2011, including an Indian Grand Prix to be held in Delhi.

Historic Monza a Daunting Prospect

philracer — Wed, 08 Sep 2010 15:00:06 +0000

With the season reaching its business end the calendar brings the Formula One show to Italy this weekend with the Italian Grand Prix at Monza. The home support over the weekend will be for the prancing horses at Ferrari, with Fernando Alonso looking to put his poor performance at Spa two weeks ago behind him. At the other end of the scale Lotus will be welcoming some more finishes with their drivers after the good run of results in previous races with Kovalainen and Trulli both reaching the finish in Belgium a fortnight ago.

The problem for the team at Monza is the overall layout of the circuit, Lotus have constantly struggled for performance throughout the season and this will tell over the race weekend, against the pace setters at Red Bull, Ferrari and McLaren the Lotus Cosworth is considerably slower in a straight line, only slightly improving through the corners.

The design of Monza requires good performance and a good Aero package to cope with the mix of high speed straights and high speed corners, the challenging blend of corners will provide some close action during the race as well as giving Lotus an idea of their own performance capabilities during the race weekend. As one of the most iconic and historic circuits on the formula one calendar the Italian track is one of the major fan and driver favourites with the Retifillio chicane holding the same iconic status as the Eau Rouge corner at Spa. The history behind the circuit will make it a daunting prospect for Lotus, however if the team can record another double finish it will be a major step forward and one of their best performances of the season.

While the reliability troubles may have disappeared over the last few races the need to climb the field will still be an ambition for Lotus. While the unpredictable conditions of Spa allowed Lotus a mid table qualifying position and a midfield finish, the conditions at Monza won’t be as unpredictable. The team will know their own limitations during the weekend, if Kovalainen and Trulli can match their best qualifying of the season and convert it to another promising race result it will give them real optimism for the 2011 campaign.

While the team lack the performance they do have the consistency and with the services of Kovalainen and Trulli they also have the most experienced drivers of all the new teams this season. The team will certainly want to continue their good form and as long as the team avoid any major dramas during the race they could match their best performance of the 2010 season.

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Never Say Never at Monza

Manish Patel — Tue, 07 Sep 2010 15:00:58 +0000

A double points finish at Spa-Francorchamps was exactly what Force India needed and the team will be confident of scoring more points ahead of this weekend’s Italian Grand Prix.

The Belgian Grand Prix saw Adrian Sutil finishing the race in a superb fifth place and Vitantonio Liuzzi coming home in tenth to score a much needed point.

Force India are now 18 points clear of Williams in the Constructors and Vijay Mallya’s team will be looking to strengthen their hold on 6th place at Monza.

Confidence

Both Sutil and Liuzzi will have been relieved to have finished in the Top 10 at Belgium after two disastrous Grands Prix for the team.

Everyone associated with Force India will be hoping that this result spurs the team on and that they can build on their performance at the Belgian Grand Prix.

Force India’s straight line speed at Spa was phenomenal and with Monza being another high speed track, the team could be in for yet another strong weekend.

Adrian finished 4th at last year’s Italian Grand Prix and the German will be looking for a repeat performance.

Pressure

It’s fair to say that finishing 10th at Spa was a much needed result for Tonio Liuzzi. Had Jaime Alguersuari not been given a penalty, then Liuzzi would have finished outside the points.

Throughout the season there has been speculation about Liuzzi’s future at Force India and him being the first casualty of the 2010 season.

Up until the Belgian Grand Prix, Vitantonio’s last points finish was at the Canadian Grand Prix so it was vital he finished in the Top 10 at Belgium.

With the next Grand Prix being Tonio’s home race, I’m sure the Italian will want to put in a strong performance in front of his home crowd.

The next six races could determine whether Liuzzi remains at Force India next season. It is pivotal that Vitantonio scores points on a regular basis from now till the end of the season to stake his claim for a 2011 race seat with the team.

Shock on the cards

Force India have proven that on any given day, they can compete with Red Bull, McLaren and Ferrari. Personally for me it would not be a surprise if it were to happen this weekend.

Qualifying will be crucial and both Renault and Force India could spring one or two surprises at Monza. I can certainly see Robert Kubica among the front runners yet again.

We know that the speed of the VJM03 in straight lines is supreme so there is no questioning how quick the car is. The question is how close can Sutil and Liuzzi get to the front row in qualifying?

If Adrian can put the car on the front row like he did last year, then could Force India be on the top step of the podium come the end of Sunday? Anything can happen and stranger things have happened.

We saw in qualifying at Canada that Tonio is capable of springing a surprise. Could he do it this weekend? Absolutely.

Who would have predicted Sebastian Vettel would win the Italian Grand Prix in 2008 in a Toro Rosso? Yes the weather did play its part but for Vettel to put a Toro Rosso on pole and then totally dominate the race was unbelievable.

I admit it is a long shot that Force India will take its maiden victory this weekend but you never know. Never say Never.

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Sunday working out well for Sauber

John_Leavy — Tue, 07 Sep 2010 14:00:52 +0000

BMW Sauber were again in the points at the Belgian Grand Prix.

Japanese driver, Kamui Kobayashi continued his good form with a great strategic race to finish 8th after qualifying in a poor 19th, but with other teams needing to fix their cars he started 17th on the grid.

Team-mate Pedro De La Rosa had a decent race after smashing out in qualifying and with the car being tweaked; he was 24th on the grid. Although the team’s strategy was good, he was unfortunate to have to slow down to make sure he finished and ended up a moderate 12th. Team Principal Peter Sauber enjoyed another professional drive from Kobayashi and had this to say after the race:

“It was another strong and mature performance by Kamui in very difficult conditions after starting from way down the grid. Also compliments to the team for choosing the right tyre strategy and executing it very well during the pit stops.”

Kobayashi has hit some kind of form in the second half of the season, finishing in the points in five of the last six races, and showing us all what he can do as well as why Sauber gambled on giving the young man a seat for the season.

The race was one that was a great spectacle with showers throughout, making this so called boring Formula One an exciting watch for spectators as their were incidents all over the track, this contributed to Kobayashi’s finish but that isn’t the only reason this young man is making a name for himself. The aggressive driving we had a glimpse of in the final few races last year, when he was at Toyota, has come back and no driver seems as hungry to gain places as Kamui, which comes with risks at times, as we saw in most of the early races when he attacked early, but was un-successful and crashed out.

After he picked up four more points, taking his tally to 21, he had this to say:

“It was a very difficult race, but for me everything worked out fine. The team made very good decisions in choosing the right tyres at the right time, and the pit stops went well. For parts of the race the track conditions were changing every lap, and that was not easy. Especially after qualifying, I am very happy I made no mistakes, brought the car home and scored four more points after starting the race 17th.”

As mentioned, De La Rosa didn’t have the best of Saturdays and again blew out in Q1 but after good team tactics and a sensible drive he bought the car home in a very modest 12th:

“It was a very interesting race. After I had to start last I should not complain about finishing 12th, but two laps before the end I was tenth and just in the points. I was on full wet tyres, the rain was not heavy enough and there was not enough water on the track to stop destroying those tyres. They went off quite quickly and when I tried to catch Vitaly Petrov I made a mistake. I went into the gravel and lost two places. Nevertheless for me it was the right move to go for full wet tyres.”

All in all it was another satisfying race day for Sauber, but the team will want to improve in qualifying to make race day one they can strategise for points and push for a better spot in the pit lane for 2011.

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Fernando Alonso shrugs off fears over engines

NewsDesk — Tue, 07 Sep 2010 12:00:02 +0000

Fernando Alonso has played down fears that a lack of spare engines could wreck his Formula One world championship bid.

Like every driver on the grid, Alonso started the season with eight engines available for use in his Ferrari car.

However, following a series of mechanical problems in the opening races of the season, the Spaniard finds himself with just one engine change remaining and six races still to go.

Main title rivals – McLaren's Lewis Hamilton and Jenson Button and Red Bull pair Mark Webber and Sebastian Vettel – all have two engines available.

"The plan of the engines is well in control at the moment," claimed Alonso in the build-up to this weekend's Italian Grand Prix.

"Fingers crossed everything stays like this and we know the programme for all the remaining races.

"It should be enough with the engines we have. If everything goes normal there is no problem."

Kamui Kobayashi to stay with Sauber

NewsDesk — Tue, 07 Sep 2010 09:00:13 +0000

Japanese driver Kamui Kobayashi has been retained by Sauber for the 2011 Formula One season.

The 23-year-old stepped up from a test driver role to deputise for the injured Timo Glock in the final two races of the 2009 season and was given the chance to impress this year.

Kobayashi has won 21 points so far this season, with his best finish coming at Silverstone where he secured sixth spot.

"We enjoy having our rookie as part of the team – as a driver and a person," explained team boss Peter Sauber.

"We never had any doubts about working with him again in 2011.

"Kamui has definitely fulfilled our expectations in terms of his speed and fighting spirit.

"Plus, his work with the engineers and his technical understanding has also developed very well.

"The experience he has built up over his first full season in Formula One will certainly stand him in good stead for 2011 and our aim is to give him a fast and reliable car from the outset next season."

Team-mate Pedro de la Rosa is yet to discover his fate with Sauber set to announce who their second driver will be at the end of the current season.

Formula 1 FanCast » Formula 1 News

Why there will be no Monza success this year for Brawn and Co.

Click on the image below to view the Anna Rafaela Bassi Gallery:

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For McLaren it’s still everything to play for!

Click on the image below to view the Anna Rafaela Bassi Gallery:

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Vettel unhappy with rumours

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Alonso: We need to close the gap

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Historic Monza a Daunting Prospect

Click on the image below to view the Anna Rafaela Bassi Gallery:

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Never Say Never at Monza

Click on the image below to view the Anna Rafaela Bassi Gallery:

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Sunday working out well for Sauber

Click on the image below to view the Anna Rafaela Bassi Gallery:

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Fernando Alonso shrugs off fears over engines

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