Formula 1 General Chat & Discussion

Abu Dhabi Grand Prix – Yas Marina Circuit( 6° edition) – 21-22-23 November 2014
19° and final race of this season. Yas Marina is one of the worst circuit of the whole championship
only the first few turns are good enough, but the rest of it is unwatchable
and as if not enough, here we have also the double points (an absurd rule)
Pirelli has chosen for the Abu Dhabi Gran Prix the “soft tyre with yellow stripe” and “supersoft tyre with red stripe” as in Monaco, Montreal and other circuits. a different choice than last year (in 2013 there were medium and soft tyres)
2013 winning strategy: Two pitstops (lap 14 and 37)
Yas Marina circuit is one of the smoothest tracks of the year with several 90 degree corners. Another characteristic of the grand prix is that, like Bahrain, it starts in the late afternoon and ends in the evening.
But above all, this is the race for the title between teammates Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg.

Season 2014: stats after 18 races:
Wins: Hamilton (10); Rosberg (5) and Ricciardo(3)
Podium Hamilton and Rosberg (15); Ricciardo(8) Bottas(5) Vettel(4) Alonso and Massa (2) Magnussen, Button and Perez (1)
Pole: Rosberg (10): Hamilton (7) Massa (1)
Fastest Lap: Hamilton (7); Rosberg(5); Vettel(2) Raikkonen, Perez, Massa and Bottas (1)

Abu Dhabi circuit (the previous 5 editions some statistics)

2009 Podium: Vettel (Red Bull) – 2° Webber and 3° Button
pole position : Hamilton (Red Bull) 1.40.948

2010 Podium: Vettel (Red Bull) – 2° Hamilton and 3° Button
pole position : Vettel (Red Bull) 1.39.394

2011 Podium: Hamilton (Mc Laren) – 2° Alonso and 3° Button
pole position : Vettel (Red Bull) 1.38.481

2012 Podium: Raikkonen (Lotus) – 2°Alonso and 3° Vettel
Pole position : Hamilton (Mc Laren) 1.40.630

2013 Podium: Vettel (Red Bull) – 2° Webber and 3° Rosberg
pole position : Webber (Red Bull) 1.39.957

the winners at Abu Dhabi
3 wins: Vettel (2009-2010-2013)
1 win: Hamilton(2011) and Raikkonen(2012)

pole position:
2 pole: Vettel (2010-2011) Hamilton (2009-2012)

Fastest lap.
2: Vettel(2009-2012);
1: Alonso (2013); Hamilton (2010)

best regards
oberon

Tv Info for the last race of the season 2014 at Abu Dhabi :

Friday 21/11
1st practice session : 10.00u - 11.30u CET
2nd practice session : 14.00u - 15.30u CET

Saturday 22/11 :
3rd practice session : 11.00u - 12.00u CET
Qualifying : 14.00u - 15.00u CET

Sunday 23/11 :
Race : 14.00u CET

Regards
Shaky - Schumi

Official news : after 5 years, with 44 podiums, 11 victories and 1186 points scored, Fernando Alonso will leave Ferrari
at the end of this season and will be replaced by the four times world champion Sebastian Vettel, who signed a three years contract;
so, next season, Ferrari drivers will be Sebastian Vettel and the confirmed Kimi Raikkonen.
"I'm happy I was a Ferrari driver" said Alonso, "it was a beautiful experience, I' m proud of these years and I thank all the fans and the team"
A big thank you to Fernando and a warm welcome and good luck to Sebastian

Result of the race :

1. Nico Rosberg - Mercedes GP
2. Lewis Hamilton - Mercedes GP 1:13.555
3. Felipe Massa - Williams
4. Jenson Button - McLaren
5. Sebastian Vettel - Red Bull Racing
6. Fernando Alonso - Ferrari
7. Kimi Räikkönen - Ferrari
8. Nico Hulkenberg - Force India
9. Kevin Magnussen - McLaren
10. Valtteri Bottas - Williams + 1 lap
11. Daniil Kvyat - Toro Rosso + 1 lap
12. Pastor Maldonado - Lotus + 1 lap
13. Jean-Eric Vergne - Toro Rosso + 1 lap
14. Esteban Gutierrez - Sauber + 1 lap
15. Sergio Perez - Force India + 1 lap
16. Adrian Sutil - Sauber + 1 lap
Did Not Finish :
17. Romain Grosjean - Lotus
18. Daniel Ricciardo - Red Bull Racing

Fastest Lap : Lewis Hamilton - 1:13.555
Pitstop Daniil Kvyat: 3 ( lap 18 - 38 - 59 )
Bat .2 Teams : Jenson Button > Sebastian Vettel
Grid Pos. Daniil Kvyat : 11th place

Rosberg fends off Hamilton for Interlagos win :
Nico Rosberg resisted intense pressure from Mercedes team-mate Lewis Hamilton to win the Brazilian Grand Prix and reduce his championship deficit, while Felipe Massa claimed a popular home podium finish.Rosberg came under attack from Hamilton during the final stint of a three-stop race at Interlagos, but had just enough time in hand to triumph.The result means that Hamilton heads to the Abu Dhabi season finale 17 points ahead of Rosberg, with double the reward on offer to the drivers. While just over a second separated the Silver Arrows at the chequered flag, Massa was some 40 seconds adrift in third position. Rosberg made a smooth start to hold on to his lead as the lights went out, while Hamilton narrowly kept the dicing Williams drivers at bay. The German went on to build a comfortable advantage in the early stages and, following a clean first round of pit-stops, appeared to have the race under control. But Hamilton, in a repeat of the previous Austin round, upped his pace over the following stint and produced a rapid lap just after Rosberg's second stop. Hamilton's efforts were soon wasted, however, as a dramatic half spin exiting Turn 4 ensured that Rosberg reclaimed a clear lead. But Hamilton did not give up, slashing Rosberg's lead once more and attaching himself to the rear of the German's car after the final round of stops. The lead gap was brought down to half a second as the battle reached its peak, but Rosberg responded admirably to take a crucial victory. Massa, over half a minute adrift in third, lapped up the applause of his home crowd, with McLaren's Jenson Button and Red Bull's Sebastian Vettel a few seconds further back. Massa overcame a five-second stop/go penalty for speeding in the pit lane, and later endured the embarrassment of pulling into the McLaren box. Fernando Alonso beat Ferrari team-mate Kimi Räikkönen to sixth in a thrilling battle, after the latter – on a differing two-stop strategy – was delayed by a front jack issue in the pits. Nico Hülkenberg was one of four drivers to start the race on Mediums and briefly led proceedings, but slipped to eighth as strategies unfolded. The final points went to McLaren rookie Kevin Magnussen and Valtteri Bottas, whose race was ruined with an apparent seat belt issue at his first stop. Daniel Ricciardo and Romain Grosjean were the only retirements; Ricciardo suffered a suspension issue while battling for points, and Grosjean pulled off the track late on.

Kind Regards
Shaky - Schumi

CONSTRUCTORS CHAMPIONSHIP AFTER 18 RACES :

1. Mercedes 651 points
2. Red Bull 373 points
3. Williams 254 points
4. Ferrari 210 points
5. McLaren 161 points
6. Force India 127 points
7. Toro Rosso 30 points
8. Lotus 10 points
9. Marussia 2 points

DRIVERS CHAMPIONSHIP AFTER 18 RACES :

1. L. Hamilton GBR Mercedes 334 points
2. N. Rosberg GER Mercedes 317 points
3. D. Ricciardo AUS Red Bull 214 points
4. S. Vettel GER Red Bull 159 points
5. F. Alonso ESP Ferrari 157 points
6. V. Bottas FIN Williams 156 points
7. J. Button GBR McLaren 106 points
8. F. Massa BRA Williams 98 points
9. N. Hulkenberg GER Force India 80 points
10. K. Magnussen DEN McLaren 55 points
11. K. Raikkonen FIN Ferrari 53 points
12. S. Perez MEX Force India 47 points
13. J. E. Vergne FRA Toro Rosso 22 points
14. D. Kvyat RUS Toro Rosso & R. Grosjean FRA Lotus 8 points
16. J. Bianchi FRA Marussia & P. Maldonado VEN Lotus 2 points

Result of the Qualifying :

1. Nico Rosberg - Mercedes GP - 1:10.023
2. Lewis Hamilton - Mercedes GP - 1:10.056 +0.033
3. Felipe Massa - Williams - 1:10.247 +0.224
4. Valtteri Bottas - Williams - 1:10.305 +0.282
5. Jenson Button - McLaren - 1:10.930 +0.907
6. Sebastian Vettel - Red Bull Racing - 1:10.938 +0.915
7. Kevin Magnussen - McLaren - 1:10.969 +0.946
8. Fernando Alonso - Ferrari - 1:10.977 +0.954
9. Daniel Ricciardo - Red Bull Racing - 1:11.075 +1.052
10. Kimi Räikkönen - Ferrari - 1:11.099 +1.076
Q2
11. Esteban Gutierrez - Sauber - 1:11.591 +1.568
12. Nico Hulkenberg - Force India - 1:11.976 +1.953
13. Adrian Sutil - Sauber - 1:12.099 +2.076
14. Daniil Kvyat - Toro Rosso - no time set
Q1
15. Romain Grosjean - Lotus - 1:12.037 +2.014
16. Jean-Eric Vergne - Toro Rosso - 1:12.040 +2.017
17. Sergio Perez - Force India - 1:12.076 +2.053
18. Pastor Maldonado - Lotus - 1:12.233 +2.210

Qualifying Time : 1:10.023
Pole : Nico Rosberg
Team Bat. : Romain Grosjean > Pastor Maldonado
Grid Pos. Esteban Gutierrez : 11th place

Rosberg on pole, close at the top :
The penultimate qualifying session of the season began in Brazil with the threat of wet weather high but a single drop never fell.
Q1: Adrian Sutil was first out in his Sauber and then went onto set the first timed lap of the session. Fernando Alonso came over the radio sounding very annoyed after he started his first flying lap and when braking for Turn 1, he was overtaken by Grosjean in the Lotus up the inside with the Frenchman running wide. This wrecked Alonso's lap and the Spaniard had a lot of gestures in the cockpit to the Lotus driver. The reason the Ferrari driver was overtaken was due to the shortage of power in the car at that point in time. Turn 11 was catching a few drivers out with them running wide out onto the Astroturf on the outside of the corner.The cars that were eliminated from Q1 were; Grosjean, Vergne, Perez and Maldonado.
Q2: Hulkenberg set the first timed lap of Q2 for Force India. Sutil went wide at Turn 12 after he lost the rear of the car but the German was able to get going again. McLaren decided to risk it and not send their drivers out again in Q2 with Button and Magnussen setting strong times.The cars that were eliminated from Q2 were; Gutierrez, Hulkenberg, Sutil and Kvyat.
Q3: When the green light flashed at the end of the pitlane to signal the start of the final part of qualifying, no one went out straight away, with the Mercedes duo of Hamilton and Rosberg going out after two minutes of the session had pasted. Hamilton was first across the line to set the benchmark pole time which his team-mate Rosberg beat. On Bottas' first lap, the Finn locked up which lost him time but still went third which turned to fourth when his team-mate Massa showed the Williams' pace, with the Brazilian going third. When everyone came in after their first runs, Raikkonen went out and posted his lap time in the Ferrari.
After Hamilton made a mistake which still gave him provisional pole and with the Williams duo not improving, Rosberg put a time in of a 1:10.023 which was three hundredths quicker than Hamilton. This gave the German his tenth pole of the season. Rosberg’s pole time broke the existing pole lap record set by Rubens Barrichello back in 2004. Hamilton was second with home favourite Felipe Massa in third. The rest of the top ten is as follows; Bottas, Button, Vettel, Magnussen, Alonso, Ricciardo and Raikkonen.

Kind Regards
Shaky - Schumi

Result of the 3rd practice session :

1 Nico Rosberg - Mercedes 1’10.446
2 Lewis Hamilton - Mercedes 1’10.560 0.114
3 Felipe Massa - Williams-Mercedes 1’10.875 0.429
4 Valtteri Bottas - Williams-Mercedes 1’11.054 0.608
5 Daniel Ricciardo - Red Bull-Renault 1’11.188 0.742
6 Jenson Button - McLaren-Mercedes 1’11.210 0.764
7 Kimi Raikkonen - Ferrari 1’11.316 0.870
8 Fernando Alonso - Ferrari 1’11.399 0.953
9 Kevin Magnussen - McLaren-Mercedes 1’11.499 1.053
10 Daniil Kvyat - Toro Rosso-Renault 1’11.834 1.388
11 Sebastian Vettel - Red Bull-Renault 1’11.967 1.521
12 Pastor Maldonado - Lotus-Renault 1’12.069 1.623
13 Romain Grosjean - Lotus-Renault 1’12.235 1.789
14 Jean-Eric Vergne - Toro Rosso-Renault 1’12.235 1.789
15 Adrian Sutil - Sauber-Ferrari 1’12.280 1.834
16 Esteban Gutierrez - Sauber-Ferrari 1’12.286 1.840
17 Nico Hulkenberg - Force India-Mercedes 1’12.324 1.878
18 Sergio Perez - Force India-Mercedes 1’12.942 2.496

Rosberg nears record-breaking pace in final practice :
Nico Rosberg continued to set the pace at Interlagos, heading the times for the third session in a row, followed by team mate Lewis Hamilton. Times continued to fall on the resurfaced Interlagos circuit, and Rosberg’s session-topping lap of 1’10.446 was faster than any pole position seen at the circuit, and just six tenths of a second off the record time, set ten years ago. Hamilton had a spin at turn one earlier in the session but the first sector was the only part of the lap where he was able to beat Rosberg. His team mate found most of his advantage in the twisty middle part of the lap. The pair bided their time early in the session while the Williams pair set the pace. They ended the session in third and fourth places, with Felipe Massa the only other driver to lap the track in under 71 seconds. Daniel Ricciardo was fifth fastest but team mate Sebastian Vettel ended the session outside the top ten. The Force India pair struggled as well, ending up at the bottom of the times. The final practice session ran in dry conditions following overnight rain. Esteban Gutierrez was almost caught out by the rain which had collected in the exit kerb at Juncao, the Sauber snapping sideways during one of his early laps. However there were no incidents during the session, which was the first of the weekend not to be interrupted by a red flag.

Kind Regards
Shaky - Schumi

Result of the 2nd practice session :

1. Nico Rosberg - Mercedes GP - 1:12.123
2. Lewis Hamilton - Mercedes GP - 1:12.336 +0.213
3. Kimi Räikkönen - Ferrari - 1:12.696 +0.573
4. Daniel Ricciardo - Red Bull Racing - 1:12.956 +0.833
5. Valtteri Bottas - Williams - 1:13.035 +0.912
6. Felipe Massa - Williams - 1:13.099 +0.976
7. Fernando Alonso - Ferrari - 1:13.122 +0.999
8. Daniil Kvyat - Toro Rosso - 1:13.254 +1.131
9. Sebastian Vettel - Red Bull Racing - 1:13.333 +1.210
10. Kevin Magnussen - McLaren - 1:13.479 +1.356
11. Pastor Maldonado - Lotus - 1:13.497 +1.374
12. Romain Grosjean - Lotus - 1:13.714 +1.591
13. Nico Hulkenberg - Force India - 1:13.882 +1.759
14. Esteban Gutierrez - Sauber - 1:13.902 +1.779
15. Adrian Sutil - Sauber - 1:14.204 +2.081
16. Jenson Button - McLaren - 1:14.209 +2.086
17. Jean-Eric Vergne - Toro Rosso - 1:17.171 +5.048
18. Sergio Perez - Force India - no time

Rosberg stays fastest in interrupted session :
Nico Rosberg remained on top during second practice for the Brazilian Grand Prix, getting the better of Mercedes team-mate Lewis Hamilton in a session interrupted by three red flag periods.Rosberg clocked a 1:12.123 on Pirelli's Soft tyre, two tenths quicker than Hamilton after the championship leader made a mess of his run.Hamilton took a handful of laps – on rapidly degrading tyres – to post a representative time, admitting to his engineer over the radio that "the car feels good, I just haven't hooked up a lap". Despite adding another off-track excursion to his name, Kimi Räikkönen ended the session third fastest, half a second adrift of Rosberg. Red Bull's Daniel Ricciardo was the final driver to lap below the 1m13s barrier in fourth, just ahead of Williams duo Valtteri Bottas and Felipe Massa. Fernando Alonso missed out on the final 25 minutes of running after his Ferrari caught fire and brought out the red flags, but held on to seventh position. Toro Rosso rookie Daniil Kvyat slipped back to eighth as temperatures rose, while the remaining Red Bull of Sebastian Vettel and Kevin Magnussen's McLaren completed the top 10.
Lotus drivers Pastor Maldonado and Romain Grosjean were next up, the Frenchman again complaining about the handling of his car in the closing stages of the session. Nico Hülkenberg was the only Force India driver in action on his way to 13th, with Sergio Pérez forced to watch from the sidelines as lengthy repairs continued following Daniel Juncadella's morning crash. More technical issues saw Esteban Gutiérrez stop and cause a brief delay on the same back-straight stretch as Alonso's incident, although he still beat Sauber team-mate Adrian Sutil to 14th. McLaren's Jenson Button had a low key session, finishing almost a second slower than team-mate Magnussen as he focused on recovering lost mileage after his FP1 woes. Jean-Éric Vergne was the slowest of the timed runners, completing just five laps before his Toro Rosso stopped just after Turn 3 and signalled the first red flag period.

Kind Regards
Shaky - Schumi

Result of the 1st practice session :

1. Nico Rosberg - Mercedes GP - 1:12.764
2. Lewis Hamilton - Mercedes GP - 1:12.985 +0.221
3. Daniil Kvyat - Toro Rosso - 1:13.723 +0.959
4. Fernando Alonso - Ferrari - 1:13.742 +0.978
5. Felipe Massa - Williams - 1:13.811 +1.047
6. Max Verstappen - Toro Rosso - 1:13.827 +1.063
7. Pastor Maldonado - Lotus - 1:14.034 +1.270
8. Kimi Räikkönen - Ferrari - 1:14.114 +1.350
9. Kevin Magnussen - McLaren - 1:14.136 +1.372
10. Daniel Ricciardo - Red Bull Racing - 1:14.197 +1.433
11. Adrian Sutil - Sauber - 1:14.434 +1.670
12. Felipe Nasr - Williams - 1:14.522 +1.758
13. Nico Hulkenberg - Force India - 1:14.678 +1.914
14. Sebastian Vettel - Red Bull Racing - 1:14.902 +2.138
15. Romain Grosjean - Lotus - 1:15.109 +2.345
16. Daniel Juncadella - Force India - 1:16.030 +3.266
17. Esteban Gutierrez - Sauber -no time
18. Jenson Button - McLaren -no time

Rosberg pips Hamilton in 1st Brazil practice :
Nico Rosberg beat Mercedes team-mate and championship leader Lewis Hamilton to the fastest time during first practice for the Brazilian Grand Prix, as the pair finished almost a second clear of their nearest rivals.Rosberg produced a 1:12.764 as lap times gradually improved at a resurfaced Interlagos track, just over two tenths quicker than Hamilton.Toro Rosso rookie Daniil Kvyat finished as the best of the rest in third, edging out Ferrari's Fernando Alonso and Williams driver Felipe Massa. Max Verstappen ensured that both Toro Rosso machines finished inside the top six, the Dutch teenager escaping from numerous wild moments.
Taking part in his third F1 practice session, the 17-year-old held a massive slide through Mergulho, before locking up heavily and using the Turn 1 escape road. Pastor Maldonado, fresh from his first points finish of the season, set the seventh quickest time, with Kimi Räikkönen eighth despite two late spins. With team-mate Jenson Button stopping on his installation lap and failing to rejoin the track, Kevin Magnussen was left to gather data for both McLaren cars en route to ninth. A quiet start to the weekend for Red Bull, which has won four of the past five races at the São Paulo venue, saw Daniel Ricciardo place 10th and Sebastian Vettel 14th. Felipe Nasr and Daniel Juncadella were the others to make practice appearances, replacing Valtteri Bottas at Williams and Sergio Pérez at Force India respectively. While future Sauber racer Nasr enjoyed a smooth run on his way to 12th, seven tenths down on Massa, Juncadella ended his session in the tyre barriers. The former Formula 3 Euro Series Champion lost control of his car under braking for Turn 8, before ripping the front-end off his car and bringing out the red flags.In addition to Button, who reported that "everything switched off" at the end of his out lap, Sauber's Esteban Gutiérrez failed to post a time amid technical problems.

Kind Regards
Shaky - Schumi

[Versteckter Link - Registrierung notwendig]

Interlagos Circuit – autodromo José Carlos Pace (San Paolo do Brazil) – 7-8-9 November 2014
how many memories here. Senna's victory in 1991 is unforgettable. how much time has gone.
This circuit is the second-shortest lap of the season after Monaco and for me is one of the most interesting track of the season. Interlagos runs anti-clockwise and it's a tricky circuit. The track has been completely re-surfaced. and also the pit entry and exit are a bit different than before.
For this week end race, Pirelli will bring Soft (Yellow-marked) and Medium (White-marked) compounds,
a different choice than last year (in 2013 there were hard and medium tyres)
traditionally there is a high risk of rain.
2013 winning strategy: Two pitstops (lap 24 and 47)

2011 Podium: Webber (Red Bull) – 2° Vettel and 3° Button
pole position : Vettel (Red Bull) 1.11.918

2012 Podium: Button (Mc Laren) – 2°Alonso and 3° Massa
Pole position : Hamilton (Mc Laren) 1.12.458

2013 Podium: Vettel (Red Bull) – 2° Webber and 3° Alonso
pole position : Vettel (Red Bull) ; 1.26.479(wet condition)

the winners at Interlagos
2 wins: Massa(2006 - 2008) and Vettel (2010-2013)
1 win: Raikkonen(2007) Button(2012)
No wins for Alonso and Hamilton

pole position:
3 pole: Massa (2006-2007-2008)
2 pole: Vettel (2011-2013)
1 pole: Hamilton (2012) Hulkenberg(2010), Alonso(2005)

Fastest lap.
2: Raikkonen(2005-2007); Hamilton (2010-2012)
1: Massa (2008);

Podium(winner+second+third) for current pilots at Interlagos
8 (0 win +3 second +5third) Alonso
5 (1+3+1) Raikkonen
4 (2+1+1) Massa
3 (2+1+0) Vettel
2 (1+0+2) Button
1 (0+0+1) Hamilton
Rosberg never on podium

Season 2014: stats after 17 races:
Wins: Hamilton (10); Rosberg (4) and Ricciardo(3)
Podium Hamilton and Rosberg (14); Ricciardo(8) Bottas(5) Vettel(4) Alonso(2) Magnussen, Button Perez and Massa(1)
Pole: Rosberg (9): Hamilton (7) Massa (1)
Fastest Lap: Hamilton (6); Rosberg(5); Vettel(2) Raikkonen, Perez, Massa and Bottas (1)

The broadcasting hours for this weekend Brazilian GP :

Friday 07/11 :
1st practice session : 13.00u - 14.30u CET
2nd practice session : 17.00u - 18.30u CET

Saturday 08/11 :
3rd practice session : 14.00u 15.00u CET
Qualifying : 17.00u - 18.00u CET

Sunday 09/11 :
Race : 17.00u CET

Kind Regards
Shaky - Schumi

Brazilian channel TV Globo announced today that the 22 y.o. Brazilian Felipe Nasr will be Sauber official driver for the 2015
season together with Marcus Ericsson, replacing Adrian Sutil and Esteban Gutierrez, even if Sutil has another year of contract
and doesn' t want to leave Sauber : "I have to speak with the team" he said "it' s not sure yet that Ericsson and Nasr will be the 2015 drivers".
But Nasr is quite sure about it : "I wanted to be a Sauber driver, it' s a dream coming true, like Felipe Massa and Kimi Raikkonen I wanted to make
my debut in F1 with Sauber and I' m sure it will be a good opportunity for me".

Sergio Perez (Force India) sanctioned with 7 places penalty in Brazilian GP grid for causing the collision with Adrian Sutil and
Kimi Raikkonen during the first lap of USA GP.