Formula 1 General Chat & Discussion

Result of the 3rd practice session on a wet track :

1. Daniel Ricciardo - Red Bull Racing - 1:53.958
2. Felipe Massa - Williams - 1:54.492 +0.534
3. Romain Grosjean - Lotus - 1:54.514 +0.556
4. Nico Hulkenberg - Force India - 1:55.032 +1.074
5. Kimi Räikkönen - Ferrari - 1:55.062 +1.104
6. Pastor Maldonado - Lotus - 1:55.228 +1.270
7. Daniil Kvyat - Toro Rosso - 1:55.235 +1.277
8. Valtteri Bottas - Williams - 1:55.381 +1.423
9. Jenson Button - McLaren - 1:55.673 +1.715
10. Sergio Perez - Force India - 1:56.019 +2.061
11. Sebastian Vettel - Red Bull Racing - 1:56.233 +2.275
12. Jean-Eric Vergne - Toro Rosso - 1:56.380 +2.422
13. Adrian Sutil - Sauber - 1:56.760 +2.802
14. Max Chilton - Marussia F1 Team - 1:56.841 +2.883
15. Esteban Gutierrez - Sauber - 1:57.468 +3.510
16. Kamui Kobayashi - Caterham - 1:57.812 +3.854
17. Jules Bianchi - Marussia F1 Team - 1:57.976 +4.018
18. Marcus Ericsson - Caterham - 1:59.507 +5.549
19. Nico Rosberg - Mercedes GP - no time
20. Lewis Hamilton - Mercedes GP - no time
21. Kevin Magnussen - McLaren - no time
22. Fernando Alonso - Ferrari - no time

Ricciardo leads damp final practice in China :
the fastest time in the rainy Free Practice 3 session for the Chinese Grand Prix. Felipe Massa (Williams) and Romain Grosjean (Lotus) rounded out the top three. The ambient temperature at the start of the session was 57 degrees Fahrenheit (14 degrees Celsius ) and the track temperature was 61 degrees Fahrenheit (16 degrees Celsius .) It had been raining earlier in the morning, so the track was wet as Pastor Maldonado, with intermediate rain tires fitted to his Lotus, headed out. Other drivers chose Pirelli's extreme wet tire for their installation laps. But the "inters" would prove to be the tires best suited to the track conditions. There was trouble in the Toro Rosso garage as the engineers spotted problems with the engine mapping on the cars of Daniil Kvyat and Jean-Eric Vergne. Both cars needed repairs before the drivers could go out again. 13 minutes into the session, Maldonado set the first lap time of the session: 1:56.676. His teammate Romain Grosjean topped that with a 1:54.514. Meanwhile, Sebastian Vettel was complaining that the clutch was slipping plus there was a lack of acceleration on his Red Bull Renault. The Lotus duo were the only ones to set lap times in the first 19 minutes, and then Max Chilton clocked a 1:59.056 in his Marussia. 20 minutes into the session, more drivers were in action now, including Vettel who set a time of 1:56.233, which put him fourth behind Grosjean, Maldonado and McLaren's Jenson Button. 23 minutes into the session, only eight drivers had set lap times. The rest were content to wait in the garages and not risk damaging their cars on the slippery track. 26 minutes into the session, Valtteri Bottas spun his Williams and continued at Turn 10. 28 minutes into the session, Daniel Ricciardo posted the best time in his Red Bull. Midway through FP3 the top six were: Ricciardo, Felipe Massa (Williams), Grosjean, Nico Hulkenberg (Force India), Maldonado and Kvyat. With 24 minutes remaining in the session, Sergio Perez spun his Force India at Turn 14. With 21 minutes remaining in the session, 17 drivers had set times. The Ferrari and Mercedes drivers and McLaren's Kevin Magnussen With19 minutes remaining in the session, Lotus radioed Maldonado to immediately stop his car out on the track. He parked it off the track at Turn 10. With16 minutes remaining in the session, Kamui Kobayashi (Caterham) was the only driver circulating on the track. With 15 minutes remaining in the session, Red Bull told Ricciardo that they would not be running his car any more in the session. With 9 minutes remaining in the session, Magnussen started his first flying lap. But then he pitted and the mechanics pushed the car back into the garage. With 5 minutes remaining in the session, Vettel started a flying lap, but he, too, pitted.
The top six at the end of FP3 were: Ricciardo, Massa, Grosjean, Hulkenberg, Kimi Raikkonen ,Maldonado, Kvyat, Bottas, Button and Perez.

Kind Regards
Shaky - Schumi

Result of the 2nd practice session :

1. Lewis Hamilton - Mercedes GP - 1:38.315
2. Fernando Alonso - Ferrari - 1:38.456 +0.141
3. Nico Rosberg - Mercedes GP - 1:38.726 +0.411
4. Daniel Ricciardo - Red Bull Racing - 1:38.811 +0.496
5. Sebastian Vettel - Red Bull Racing - 1:39.015 +0.700
6. Felipe Massa - Williams - 1:39.118 +0.803
7. Kimi Räikkönen - Ferrari - 1:39.283 +0.968
8. Jenson Button - McLaren - 1:39.491 +1.176
9. Romain Grosjean - Lotus - 1:39.537 +1.222
10. Daniil Kvyat - Toro Rosso - 1:39.648 +1.333
11. Nico Hulkenberg - Force India - 1:39.736 +1.421
12. Kevin Magnussen - McLaren - 1:39.744 +1.429
13. Jean-Eric Vergne - Toro Rosso - 1:39.759 +1.444
14. Valtteri Bottas - Williams - 1:39.830 +1.515
15. Sergio Perez - Force India - 1:40.124 +1.809
16. Esteban Gutierrez - Sauber - 1:40.359 +2.044
17. Adrian Sutil - Sauber - 1:40.395 +2.080
18. Pastor Maldonado - Lotus - 1:40.455 +2.140
19. Jules Bianchi - Marussia F1 Team - 1:42.327 +4.012
20. Max Chilton - Marussia F1 Team - 1:43.473 +5.158
21. Kamui Kobayashi - Caterham - 1:43.530 +5.215
22. Marcus Ericsson - Caterham - 1:43.679 +5.364

Hamilton reclaims top spot at the end of day one :
Lewis Hamilton returned Mercedes to the top of the timesheets on Friday by setting the fastest time in the second practice session for the Chinese Grand Prix. Hamilton completed 25 laps of the 5.4 kilometre Shanghai International Circuit in the afternoon to end the day with a best time of 1:38.315. His Formula One championship leading team mate Nico Rosberg was third, the German lapping four tenths of a second slower than Hamilton’s benchmark on a cool and hazy afternoon at the circuit located on the outskirts of Shanghai. Ferrari’s Fernando Alonso, who had topped the weekend’s opening session, split the two Mercedes in second. The Spaniard, watched by the team’s new boss Marco Mattiacci, carried his timesheet-topping form from the morning session over into the afternoon. Alonso’s best lap was just a tenth off Hamilton’s benchmark effort, and the double world champion was swapping the fastest time with Rosberg’s Mercedes for most of the second 90-minute session before the focus switched to high-fuel long runs.
Despite ending the day fastest, it was far from a trouble-free day for Hamilton. The 2008 world champion, gunning for his first hat-trick of wins this weekend, completed just nine laps and set the eighth fastest time in the morning session after a suspension problem limited his running. The issue persisted into the afternoon and Hamilton was forced to sit out the opening 30 minutes of the second session as his team worked to fix the problem. However, despite being sent out to join the on-track action, the Briton didn’t seem comfortable in his car and radioed his team to complain about its handling. Kimi Raikkonen was another driver whose Friday running was hampered by technical glitches. The Ferrari driver was forced to sit out the first session but managed to rack up 25 laps in the afternoon on his way to the seventh-fastest time. Daniel Ricciardo, who had set the third fastest time in the morning, continued to lead the charge for reigning world champions Red Bull, ending the day fourth-fastest ahead of team-mate Sebastian Vettel.
Lotus driver Pastor Maldonado, who had caused some amusement when he drove off the track and spun while changing some settings on his steering wheel on Friday morning, was the only casualty in the second session. The Venezuelan, who carries a five-place grid penalty into Sunday’s race, ran wide while turning into the pits and drove into a tyre barrier, bringing an end to his session after just 12 laps.

Kind Regards
Shaky - Schumi

Result of the 1st practice session :

1. Fernando Alonso - Ferrari - 1:39.783
2. Nico Rosberg - Mercedes GP - 1:40.181 +0.398
3. Daniel Ricciardo - Red Bull Racing - 1:40.772 +0.989
4. Jenson Button - McLaren - 1:40.970 +1.187
5. Nico Hulkenberg - Force India - 1:41.175 +1.392
6. Kevin Magnussen - McLaren - 1:41.366 +1.583
7. Jean-Eric Vergne - Toro Rosso - 1:41.505 +1.722
8. Lewis Hamilton - Mercedes GP - 1:41.560 +1.777
9. Sebastian Vettel - Red Bull Racing - 1:41.629 +1.846
10. Felipe Massa - Williams - 1:41.699 +1.916
11. Daniil Kvyat - Toro Rosso - 1:41.977 +2.194
12. Romain Grosjean - Lotus - 1:42.090 +2.307
13. Giedo van der Garde - Sauber - 1:42.165 +2.382
14. Felipe Nasr - Williams - 1:42.265 +2.482
15. Sergio Perez - Force India - 1:42.733 +2.950
16. Pastor Maldonado - Lotus - 1:43.731 +3.948
17. Kamui Kobayashi - Caterham - 1:44.038 +4.255
18. Esteban Gutierrez - Sauber - 1:44.162 +4.379
19. Jules Bianchi - Marussia F1 Team - 1:44.270 +4.487
20. Max Chilton - Marussia F1 Team - 1:44.782 +4.999
21. Marcus Ericsson - Caterham - 1:44.835 +5.052
22. Kimi Räikkönen - Ferrari - no time

Fernando Alonso and Ferrari lead first Friday practice :
Fernando Alonso set the early pace for the Ferrari Formula 1 team in the opening practice session for this weekend's Chinese Grand Prix.The two-time world champion was 0.398 seconds faster than Nico Rosberg's Mercedes at a cool and misty Shanghai International Circuit. Australian Daniel Ricciardo was third quickest in his Red Bull ahead of Jenson Button's McLaren.
Nico Hulkenberg was fifth fastest for Force India, one place in front of the other McLaren of Kevin Magnussen. The second Mercedes of Lewis Hamilton was eighth fastest overall, but his session ended a few minutes early after he reported a problem with the balance of his car. Alonso's pace will have pleased Ferrari's new team principal Marco Mattiacci, who made his first appearance in his new role with the Scuderia this morning. There was less joy on the other side of the garage as Alonso's team-mate Kimi Raikkonen could only manage a single installation lap after he suffered problems with the front of his car. As ever the first practice session of the weekend was characterised by low grip and many drivers struggled with locking brakes. A number of teams were also trailing new parts - including Mercedes, which has arrived in China with a new front wing. Sauber's Esteban Gutierrez did not emerge from his garage until an hour into the session after he suffered a malfunction his clutch. Jules Bianchi had a fuel system problem following his installation lap and sat out nearly all of the 90 minutes before joining for a brief late run. There was early drama for Pastor Maldonado when he spun his Lotus at Turn 9 just 10 minutes into the session. He appeared to be looking down to make an adjustment on his steering wheel as he lost control. Rookie Daniil Kvyat was another to leave the track, when he made a small mistake and spun at Turn 1 and also Turn 14 .Williams ran its test and reserve driver Felipe Nasr in place of Valtteri Bottas for this session and he finished with the 13th fastest time. Sauber also used one of its test roster, with Giedo van der Garde standing in for Adrian Sutil.

Kind Regards
Shaky - Schumi

The Shangai international circuit will host the Chinese Grand Prix. This year is the 11th edition. First edition in 2004.
Pirelli has chosen the “White medium” and “Yellow soft” compounds for this weekend (18-19 and 20 april)

Podium 2011: Hamilton (Mc Laren) – 2° Vettel and 3° Webber. Fastest lap: Webber
pole position : Vettel 1'33''706

Podium 2012: Rosberg(Mercedes) – 2° Button and 3° Hamilton. Fastest lap: Kobayashi
pole position : Rosberg 1'35''121

Podium 2013: Alonso(Ferrari) – 2° Raikkonen and 3° Hamilton. Fastest lap: Vettel
pole position : Hamilton 1'34''484

the winners
2 wins: Alonso (2005-2013) and Hamilton (2008-2011)
1 win: Button(2010) Vettel(2009) Raikkonen (2007) and Rosberg(2012)

pole position
3 pole: Vettel(2009-2010-2011) and Hamilton(2007-2008-2013)
2 pole: Alonso (2005-2006);
1 pole: Rosberg(2012)

Fastest lap
2: Hamilton (2008-2010)
1: Raikkonen (2005); Alonso(2006); Massa(2007); Kobayashi(2012) and Vettel(2013);

Podium(winner+second+third) for current pilots at Sepang
5 (2wins+1second+2 third) Hamilton
5 (1+2+2) Raikkonen
4 (2+2+0) Alonso
4 (1+2+1) Button
2 (1+1+0) Vettel
2 (1+0+1) Rosberg
2 (0+1+1) Massa

I found these data that I think are interesting
Best lap time GP Bahrain Sunday 06 april
Nico Rosberg Mercedes Lap n.49 Time 1:37.020
Lewis Hamilton Mercedes Lap n.49 Time 1:37.108
Nico Hulkenberg Force India-Mercedes Lap n.37 Time 1:38.785
Daniel Ricciardo Red Bull Racing-Renault Lap n.38 Time 1:39.269
Felipe Massa Williams-Mercedes Lap n.40 Time 1:39.272
Sebastian Vettel Red Bull Racing-Renault Lap n.18 Time 1:39.312
Sergio Perez Force India-Mercedes Lap n.36 Time 1:39.320
Kimi Räikkönen Ferrari Lap n.35 Time 1:39.438

in the final laps of the last GP in Bahrain, Lewis and Nico made a great spectacle, pushing to the maximum their Mercedes.
probably this time, we have seen the real potential of this car and the gap is impressive compared to competitors
as seen from the table above: more than 1.5 sec. for the Third (more than 2 sec for Red Bull and Ferrari!!!!)
It reminds me 1988 season. when McLaren-Honda MP4/ 4 won 15 of the 16 races
with Ayrton Senna “the Magic” and his team mate Alain Prost “the Professor”.
Happy Easter to everyone.

Why Ferrari chose Marco Mattiacci to replace Stefano Domenicali :
Ferrari's bosses are convinced that the relatively unknown Marco Mattiacci is just who its Formula 1 team needs to lead it to the front of the grid. Mattiacci has already been involved in lengthy meetings in Maranello this week, and he starts work immediately on the pit wall at this weekend's Chinese Grand Prix. While big name figures from inside the sport would have grabbed headlines as the replacement for Stefano Domenicali, Ferrari instead felt it was more important to have someone who understood the Ferrari organisation rather than simply having a knowledge of F1. It has been suggested that while learning how the sport works is a big task, it is not as complicated as getting on top of the machinations inside Maranello. In Mattiacci, Ferrari has someone who excels in the latter - for he has become a golden boy through his achievements in expanding Ferrari's road car business in the Far East and the United States. Having originally moved to Ferrari from Jaguar in 1999, Mattiacci worked in the Middle East before heading the product launch for Maserati in the United States. A promotion to become President and CEO of the Ferrari Asia Pacific Region in June 2006, was following by a switch to a similar role in North America. His drive and management skills helped Ferrari increase its sales by 20 per cent in the United States, with it become the Prancing Horse's biggest market. Those efforts were rewarded with the 2012 Automotive Executive of the Year Award. Mattiacci's work there brought him in to contact with Ferrari's worldwide motorsport programme, especially in sportscars, and also marked him out by di Montezemolo as one of the Italian company's brightest young managers. Di Montezemolo believes his skill set will be well placed to help the Ferrari F1 team move forward and recover from its disappointing start to the 2014 campaign. And beyond just improving how Ferrari works, it is hoped that Mattiacci will be able to help the F1 team maximise the commercial and structural resources of its road car division - just as Mercedes has done - to help push its team on to success. Crucially, Mattiacci arrives highly trusted by senior management, which will make life easier for him to make changes that he feels are necessary. He also comes with no F1 baggage, which means he can approach matters with a fresh perspective to help the team become more reactive to the sport's current needs.

Kind Regards
Shaky - Schumi

( to be honaust ....I hoped that Ferrari would contacted Ross Brawn again for joining the Team )

FIA rejected today Red Bull appeal against Ricciardo disqualification in Australian GP
So the official podium is : 1st Rosberg - 2nd Magnussen - 3rd Button.

Italianfan wrote:Ferrari team boss Stefano Domenicali announced today his resignations

A big thank you to Domenicali for all his hard work for Ferrari and for all the results

A saw him very close next to me last year with the Pitwalk on Thursday at Spa-Francorchamps ....he is a real real kind ,nice guy ...he took the time to speak with the fans and gave some autographs

Also from me ... Many many Thanks Stefano for all those years !!!

Kind Regards
Shaky

Ferrari team boss Stefano Domenicali announced today his resignations
He will be replaced by Marco Mattiacci, former president of Ferrari North America
A big thank you to Domenicali for all his hard work for Ferrari and for all the results
and a warm welcome and good luck to Mattiacci

Bahrain F1 test Day 2 , final day :

1. Lewis Hamilton - Mercedes GP - 1:34.136 - 118 laps
2. Jean-Eric Vergne - Toro Rosso - 1:35.557 +1.421 - 63 laps
3. Kevin Magnussen - McLaren - 1:36.203 +2.067 - 26 laps
4. Sergio Perez - Force India - 1:36.586 +2.450 - 62 laps
5. Daniel Ricciardo - Red Bull Racing - 1:37.310 +3.174 - 65 laps
6. Jules Bianchi - Marussia F1 Team - 1:37.316 +3.180 - 93 laps
7. Giedo van der Garde - Sauber - 1:37.623 +3.487 - 77 laps
8. Fernando Alonso - Ferrari - 1:37.912 +3.776 - 12 laps
9. Marcus Ericsson - Caterham - 1:39.263 +5.127 - 66 laps
10. Felipe Nasr - Williams - 1:39.879 +5.743 - 64 laps
11. Romain Grosjean - Lotus - 1:43.732 +9.596 - 16 laps

Hamilton and Mercedes comfortably tops on final day :
Fresh from his Bahrain Grand Prix victory, Lewis Hamilton was easily the fastest driver on the second and final day of Formula 1 testing in Bahrain. Watched by his girlfriend Nicole Scherzinger, the Mercedes driver set a best time of 1:34.136 to finish well over a second up on next best which was Toro Rosso driver Jean-Eric Vergne. The Silver Arrows driver did 120 laps, comfortably more than any other driver. On the previous day Hamilton’s teammate, Nico Rosberg, was also fastest at Sakhir and had 121 laps to his credit. During the course of the day Mercedes and Williams devoted their time to evaluating different Pirelli compounds, all part of the agreement to have more in season testing. Hamilton’s best lap was set with the prototype Pirelli. Vergne was best of the Renault brigade, while Kevin Magnussen ended the day third fastest but only managing 26 laps in the McLaren after a suspension failure during a pre-lunch run ended in the gravel trap. Repairs took up most of the time thereafter. Force India driver Sergio Perez managed 62 laps on his way to setting the fourth best lap time, ahead of Daniel Ricciardo in the Red Bull who was fifth fastest with 65 laps. Jules Bianchi clocked the second most mileage with 93 laps in the Marussia which posted some handy times during the course of the day. Fastest of the reserves on duty was Giedo van der Garde in the Sauber who ended seventh, with Felipe Nasr on duty for Williams in tenth. With only 12 laps on his board Fernando Alonso was eighth, in the Ferrari after their “testing had to be called to a halt when the chassis was found to be damaged.” Marcus Ericsson was ninth in the Caterham, with Romain Grosjean slowest of all in the Lotus. His day curtailed to a mere 16 laps as the E22 was again plagued by problems which forced them to pack up early too. Seabstian Vettel, Kimi Raikkonen, Jenson Button and Felipe Massa were the heavy hitters who were absent from the Bahrain test.

Kind Regards
Shaky - Schumi

Bahrain F1 test Day 1 :

1. Nico Rosberg - Mercedes GP - 1:35.697 - 120 laps
2. Nico Hulkenberg -Force India - 1:36.064 +0.367 - 68 laps
3. Fernando Alonso - Ferrari - 1:36.626 +0.929 - 67 laps
4. Kevin Magnussen - McLaren - 1:36.634 +0.937 - 101 laps
5. Valtteri Bottas - Williams - 1:37.305 +1.608 28 laps
6. Max Chilton - Marussia F1 Team - 1:37.678 +1.981 - 60 laps
7. Daniel Ricciardo - Red Bull Racing - 1:38.326 +2.629 - 91 laps
8. Sergey Sirotkin - Sauber - 1:39.023 +3.326 - 75 laps
9. Robin Frijns - Caterham - 1:40.072 +4.375 - 63 laps
10. Pastor Maldonado - Lotus - 1:40.183 +4.486 - 16 laps
11. Daniil Kvyat - Toro Rosso - 1:40.452 +4.755 - 67 laps

Rosberg on top as Mercedes continue to set the pace :
Nico Rosberg ended day one of post Bahrain Grand Prix testing with the fastest time of the day. Rosberg, who finished second in the grand prix on Sunday after a memorable duel with Mercedes teammate Lewis Hamilton, had a hassle free day at Sakhir, notching up 121 laps in totalwith a best time of 1:35.697. Next best was Nico Hulkenberg’s Force India who ended the day , 0.367 seconds down on the top time, with 70 laps to his credit. Also with 70 laps and the third best time was Fernando Alonso in the Ferrari, albeit almost a second down on Rosberg’s top time. Kevin Magnussen was fourth fastest in the McLaren and racking up 101 laps and ended the day a mere 0.008 of a second down on Alonso. On duty for Williams was Valtteri Bottas who only managed 28 laps during the course of the day. Marussia’s Max Chilton and Red Bull’s Daniel Ricciardo in sixth and seventh respectively. Despite what appeared to be a hydraulic problem, Chilton lost valuable track time but nevertheless managed to do 60 laps. Sauber tester Sergey Sirotkin was eighth, Caterham’s Robin Frijns was ninth, Lotus driver Pastor Maldonado tenth and Toro Rosso’s Daniil Kvyat eleventh.
Maldonado did only 16 laps, least of all, as the E22 was beset with more engine problems.

Kind Regards
Shaky - Schumi

F40LM wrote:

piggy wrote:why we are so slow ??

saint words ; why we are so slow ?? ; ==== >> THX 4 we are

I honestly think that not just them are asking this question right now, i think pretty much most of the front runners are WTF! from previous years

Mercedes have took the challenge and done what they set out to do, reminder of Braun

piggy wrote:why we are so slow ??

saint words ; why we are so slow ?? ; ==== >> THX 4 we are

What the Hell is going on in Ferrari this year ?
why we are so slow ??

Maldonado gets China grid penalty for Gutierrez crash

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

Maldonado got five-place grid penalty in chinese GP and 3 penalty points.

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