Belgian race review: 2014

Wow, this race beat every expectation. Nothing says welcome back to formula 1 like team mates crashing into each other and 4 way battles.

Obviously the first thing I'm going to talk about is the clash between Hamilton and Rosberg in the first few laps. While Mercedes were hoping for a 1-2, that isn't what they got at all. People are divided on whether it was Rosberg's fault or not but I think everyone is going to have their own opinion. It will be interesting to see how they move forward.

My favourite part of the race was the battle between Magnussen, Alonso, Vettel and Button. It was very exciting. All of the drivers showed what they can do. C'mon, we have to give Magnussen credit for battling with 3 champions for a whole race! Even though Magnussen was given a penalty after the race and therefore dropped out of the points, he drove an amazing race.

Further down the field it was mostly uneventful. Sauber showed that they have more pace now but not enough to fighting for the points just yet. Force India and Torro Rosso had 7th-11th position covered. It was good to see Chilton and Ericsson battling it out. That was a good thing for Caterham and Marussia as one car from each team had to retire. Lotus had a difficult race with neither of their cars finishing. Hopefully they can sort out any issues.

Monza is up next and I'm hoping its just as exciting as Belgium!

-ShortySian

 



Mid-season review: Part 3

It is time for the final part of my mid-season review. I didn't realise how much has happened in the first half of the season.

 

Lotus: Lotus decided to miss the first pre-season testing and that has shown to be a mistake. They have big reliability issues with 9 retirements between them. Gorsjean always pushes hard, especially in qualifying. Maldonado has had a poor start to the season with his new team. However, he is staying with the team. Lotus haven't impressed so far, it will be interesting to see how they come back after the break.

 

Marussia: What a start for them! Getting their first points in Monaco. They are challenging for higher places this year and seem to have improved from last year. Bianchi can overtake and achieved their highest position of 9th to get their first points. Bianchi has said he 'feels ready for Ferrari', he might have to wait a while till a seat becomes available. Chilton is taking more risks this year. He had his first retirement of his F1 career this year. Marussia are a team to keep your eyes on.

 

Sauber: They struggled with reliability issues at the start but in recent races have improved. The drivers are working their way up the field and getting into Q2 and gaining positions in the races. I think the main thing that has helped Sauber is they've kept positive. Adrian Sutil got close to 10th in Hungary and got their highest position of this year at 11th. Gutierrez highest position has been 12th showing the car has improved. Although the team has had 10 retirements overall, they have been challenging and have become more reliable. Sauber always manage to turn things around and I'm sure they will crack the top 10 and have points.

 

Caterham: They have had a difficult season so far and have been another team to suffer with reliability issues. Kobayashi is happy to be back but has only managed the best position of 13th. However, he is an experienced driver who can help rookie Ericsson. I feel as if Ericsson hasn't been able to show us what he can do just yet. I think people need to remember it is his rookie season and the cars are so different this year. He did manage to finish 11th in Monaco, one position away from the points. That is impressive. The team will come back more focused than ever.

 

So, that's all the teams. I am looking forward to the Grand Prix next week in Belgium. How I have survived during the break I'm not sure. I hope the second half of the season will be just as exciting as the first half.

 

-ShortySian

 



Mid-season review: Part 2

Today's blog is going to be part 2 of my mid-season review. There is just so much to talk about so that is why the mid-season review is split into 3 parts!

 

Williams: They are big risk takers, sometimes the risk pays off and sometimes it doesn't. Williams never seem to have a problem with fuel consumption or tyres going off which baffles me a bit! Massa managed to get pole position, however didn't make it onto the podium. Massa has been in noticeably more crashes this season. The one that sticks out for me is the crash he had with Perez. After the crash he said 'he would think twice before trying to pass Perez again.' Massa has a good start to the season with his new team. However, Bottas has been the more impressive one. He keeps calm no matter what situation he is in and his overtakes are very impressive. Williams have had a good start to the season and I'm sure they will only get better.

Force India: This team has been one of the teams fighting for best of the rest. Force India managed to get a podium this season and has clearly boasted the moral. That must be the high point so far for Perez with the low point being his 2 retirements. Partnering him is Nico Hulkenberg who seems to get the best of out his car. He tends to qualify in the mid-field and then move up in the race. He has been consistently in the point for the first 10 races until his first retirement of the year. Force India is a team to watch.

McLaren: Jenson Button has not retired once this year which is very good considering all the retirements there has been so far this year. His only podium has been in Australia. His best qualifying session was in Great Britain when he qualified 3rd. However, could not make it onto the podium. Kevin Magnussen has had a great start to his rookie season. Coming 2nd in Australia, his first formula 1 race, was pretty impressive. He has also out qualified and out raced Button. Magnussen has shown how good he is in Hungary when he started in the pits and finished 12th. There is more to come from both these drivers and I'm sure they will deliver.

Torro Rosso: Their only issue seems to be reliability. Between the two drivers there have been 9 retirements. However, both drivers have been in the points 4 times. Torro Rosso isn't a bad team to drive with in your rookie season, Kvyat has shown he is a good driver but I feel he lacks confidence. The team seems to stay around 10th place, in qualifying and race position. They are able to get into Q3 but aren't able to start any higher than 6th. Its been a relatively quiet start to the season, we will have to see what Torro Rosso can pull out of the bag.

 



Mid-season review: Part 1

 

It is currently the 'big break' in Formula one which means drivers can rest a bit more than usual while the cars can be updated and improved for the remaining 8 races. So I decided its the perfect time to post a mid-season review. I am going to be posting the review in 3 parts due to the fact there are 11 teams.

 

Mercedes: The silver arrows have been dominant from the start where only twice this year has another driver has won the races. While other teams have had reliability issues, Mercedes have been lucky to only have a few. Their only big issue seems to be the rivalry between the two drivers and team orders. The team just want a 1-2 and to get both cars to the end of the race but both drivers want win and get maximum points. Both drivers can be happy as they have both won their home races this year. Hamilton has won just once more than Rosberg this season but Rosberg leads the championship as Hamilton has retired more than Rosberg. Hamilton has the pace and the skill to over take and has shown this several times by charging through the field to get the best result possible. Rosberg's only issue seems to be his starts. He can be quite slow off the line and that's something that can ruin your race a little bit, especially when you're starting from pole.

 

Red Bull: The first race wasn't their best start to the season with Vettel having to retire the car and Ricciardo getting disqualified. However, they have come fighting back and improving all the time. Vettel seems to have his former team mates bad luck and has retired his car 3 times. That still hasn't stopped him from grabbing 3rd twice so far this season. No one will forget his battles with Alonso which may be frustrating at the time, but Vettel has said it was good fun. Ricciardo is the only driver to win a race while not driving a Mercedes this year. This man is always smiling and remaining positive. That is the best attitude to take especially after his first race.

 

Ferrari: This was the pairing everyone was excited to see but its been very one sided. Raikkonen has not had an easy season however he has only been out of the points 4 times. He is very strong when it comes to the race. However, that same cant be said for qualifying, with him being knocked out in Q1 twice. No one can forget his big crash in Great Britain, I was so relieved when he walked out of the car. I think at that point everyone let out a sigh of relief. Alonso has been consistent and has scored points in every race this year. He has been impressive in the race landing himself a spot on the podium twice so far. Alonso's overtakes have bee equally impressive. This is a driver that has pushed the car to the limit and has shown what it can do.



 

 



My very first blog post!

    This is something I have been thinking about for a while now. I was hesitant at first but after encouragement from close friends and family I saw no reason not to begin a blog. While writing this I feel nervous, a little bit scared but very excited as I see this as a new chapter in my life.

 

I am going to be writing blog posts mainly about one of my big loves in life, Formula 1. I love it, I could talk about it all day! I know I'm not the stereotypical fan (which is male and probably a bit older) but I still love it the same amount as they probably do, maybe even a little bit more.

 

I've always seen races growing up but never watched the races fully until 2 years ago. That's when I believe my interest in formula 1 first begun. As I got older I've learnt more and more about it and it makes me love it more and more.

 

Around this time last year I was at a low point in my life, I needed something I could look forward to, that I could rely on to make me feel better. One Sunday lunchtime it hit me. Formula 1 was the answer. It's always changing and there's so much to learn about! As I researched about every track, every current driver, anything I could about the car, I fell more in love with it and ever since its been a big part of my life.

Even when I didn't watch all of a race, I was still a Ferrari fan and will till I die. Michael Schumacher was and always will be my favourite driver of all time. He was always so positive and determined and I admire that. My favourite driver out of the current field is Fernando Alonso for the same reason. I would probably cry if Fernando left Ferrari for another team as I believe he has had an impact on how the team is now.

I've found it difficult to find people to speak about Formula 1 with. So, a blog seemed like the perfect opportunity for me to get out my opinions and views on Formula 1.

-ShortySian