Formula 1 General Chat & Discussion

Result from the GP of Spain :

1. Nico Rosberg - Mercedes GP 1h41m12.555
2. Lewis Hamilton - Mercedes GP (1:28.270) + 17.551
3. Sebastian Vettel - Ferrari + 45.342
4. Valtteri Bottas - Williams + 59.217
5. Kimi Räikkönen - Ferrari + 1m00.002
6. Felipe Massa - Williams + 1m21.314
7. Daniel Ricciardo - Red Bull Racing +1 lap
8. Romain Grosjean - Lotus +1 lap
9. Carlos Sainz jr - Toro Rosso +1 lap
10. Daniil Kvyat - Red Bull Racing +1 lap
11. Max Verstappen - Toro Rosso +1 lap
12. Felipe Nasr - Sauber +1 lap
13. Sergio Perez - Force India +1 lap
14. Marcus Ericsson - Sauber +1 lap
15. Nico Hulkenberg - Force India +1 lap
16. Jenson Button - McLaren +1 lap
17. Will Stevens - Manor F1 + 3 laps
18. Roberto Merhi - Manor F1 Team + 4 laps
Did Not Finish
19. Pastor Maldonado (21 laps) - Lotus
20. Fernando Alonso - McLaren (40 laps)

Fastest lap : Lewis Hamilton - 1:28.270
Pitstop Sergio Perez : 2
Bat. 2 Teams : Maldonado > Alonso
Grid Pos. K. Raikkonen : 5th place

Rosberg takes untroubled Spanish Grand Prix win :
Nico Rosberg cruised to a largely untroubled victory in the Spanish Grand Prix. Rosberg led from pole position while team mate Lewis Hamilton, who shared the front row with him, fell behind Sebastian Vettel at the start. An early attempt to jump ahead of the Ferrari in the pits was thwarted by a slow tyre change, but Hamilton eventually got ahead by switching to a three-stop strategy.
Mercedes were untouchable around the Circuit de Catalunya, with Vettel three-quarters of a minute behind in third place. Ferrari and Williams were the only other teams to get their cars home on the lead lap. Valtteri Bottas beat the recovering Kimi Raikkonen to fourth place, with the second Williams of Felipe Massa in sixth. Daniel Ricciardo came home a lapped seventh ahead of Romain Grosjean, who struggled with a gearbox problem. Daniil Kvyat lost ninth place to Carlos Sainz Jnr at the start of the final lap, while Max Verstappen finished out of the points in eleventh. The only two retirements were Fernando Alonso,whose brakes failed alarmingly prior to a pit stop, and Pastor Maldonado, who lost part of his rear wing early in the race.

Kind Regards
Shaky - Schumi

Result of the qualifying for the GP of Spain :

1. Nico Rosberg - Mercedes GP - 1:24.681
2. Lewis Hamilton - Mercedes GP - 1:24.948 +0.267
3. Sebastian Vettel - Ferrari - 1:25.458 +0.777
4. Valtteri Bottas - Williams - 1:25.694 +1.013
5. Carlos Sainz jr - Toro Rosso - 1:26.136 +1.455
6. Max Verstappen - Toro Rosso - 1:26.249 +1.568
7. Kimi Räikkönen - Ferrari - 1:26.414 +1.733
8. Daniil Kvyat - Red Bull Racing - 1:26.629 +1.948
9. Felipe Massa - Williams - 1:26.757 +2.076
10. Daniel Ricciardo - Red Bull Racing - 1:26.770 +2.089
Q2
11. Romain Grosjean - Lotus - 1:27.375 +2.694
12. Pastor Maldonado - Lotus - 1:27.450 +2.769
13. Fernando Alonso - McLaren - 1:27.760 +3.079
14. Jenson Button - McLaren - 1:27.854 +3.173
15. Felipe Nasr - Sauber - 1:28.005 +3.324
16. Marcus Ericsson - Sauber - 1:28.112 +3.431
Q1
17. Nico Hulkenberg - Force India - 1:28.365 +3.684
18. Sergio Perez - Force India - 1:28.442 +3.761
19. Will Stevens - Manor F1 Team - 1:31.200 +6.519
20. Roberto Merhi - Manor F1 Team - 1:32.038 +7.357

Qualifying Time : 1:24.681
Pole : Nico Rosberg
Team Battle : Daniil Kvyat > Daniel Ricciardo
Grid Position M. Verstappen : 6th place

Rosberg halts Hamilton’s pole run in Spain :
Nico Rosberg ended Lewis Hamilton’s monopoly on pole position by beating his team mate in qualifying for the Spanish Grand Prix.
The two Mercedes drivers share the front row of the grid as the challenge from Ferrari faded: Sebastian Vettel was over three-quarters of a second down in third, and Kimi Raikkonen could only manage seventh on the grid. The surprise of qualifying was the form of the Toro Rossos, who locked out the third row, while McLaren got both their cars through Q1 for the first time this year.
Q1
Both Mercedes drivers easily secured their passage to Q2 without having to resort to using the softer medium tyres. Vettel also progressed to the next phase of qualifying using only the hard rubber. But as in practice Raikkonen was less happy with the balance of his Ferrari. He also found himself in traffic on his first run, which was some seven-tenths of a second slower than Vettel managed, so he resorted to a set of medium tyres to ensure he made it into Q2. McLaren faced the opposite question and decided not to bother running the hard tyre at all. This paid dividends: both Jenson Button and Fernando Alonso were quick enough on their second runs to out-pace the two Force Indias and Marcus Ericsson’s Sauber, putting both MP4-30s in Q2 for the first time this year.
Nico Hulkenberg reported his tyres had gone off by the latter stages of his lap – the rising temperatures at the Circuit de Catalunya presenting drivers with conditions almost as difficult as those seen in second practice.
Q2
A single run at the beginning of Q2 was all the Mercedes and Ferrari drivers needed to get through to Q3. Valtteri Bottas also stayed in the garage while the rest began their final laps, but team mate Felipe Massa did run again, moving up to fourth with his last effort. There was almost nothing between the two Toro Rosso drivers as they secured passage to Q3 – Max Verstappen beating Carlos Sainz Jnr by just three-hundredths of a second – and once again the pair were ahead of both the Red Bulls.
McLaren progressed no further, and both Lotus drivers moved ahead of them with their final efforts, though all four were eliminated.
Romain Grosjean was clearly unhappy at failing to reach Q3 for the first time this year, complaining about a loss of front grip on his lap. His race engineer was less concerned, however, pointing out they would be better off starting from eleventh on fresh tyres than from tenth on used rubber.
Q3
Max Verstappen, Toro Rosso, Circuit de Catalunya, 2015Rosberg drew first blood in the pole position shoot-out: Hamilton was first across the line, but his team mate had over a quarter of a second in hand after their first runs on new tyres. Only two other drivers had that luxury: Bottas had a scruffy lap leaving Vettel a comfortable third. Raikkonen, running used tyres, was a distant fifth.
Raikkonen wasn’t able to overhaul Bottas with his last run on the new tyres, and his disappointment was compounded by the two Toro Rosso drivers, who claimed the third row and bumped him back to seventh. Massa was also stung by the flying STR10s, ending up ninth between the Red Bulls. But the battle for pole position ended somewhat anticlimactically, as neither Hamilton nor Rosberg were able to improve on their final runs. That won’t have bothered Rosberg, however, as he halted Hamilton’s run of pole positions at a track where overtaking is still regarded as being difficult.

Kind Regards
Shaky - Schumi

Result of the 3rd practice session :

1. Nico Rosberg - Mercedes GP - 1:26.021
2. Sebastian Vettel - Ferrari - 1:26.177 +0.156
3. Lewis Hamilton - Mercedes GP - 1:26.222 +0.201
4. Valtteri Bottas - Williams - 1:26.682 +0.661
5. Kimi Räikkönen - Ferrari - 1:26.944 +0.923
6. Daniel Ricciardo - Red Bull Racing - 1:27.048 +1.027
7. Felipe Massa - Williams - 1:27.109 +1.088
8. Max Verstappen - Toro Rosso - 1:27.132 +1.111
9. Daniil Kvyat - Red Bull Racing - 1:27.313 +1.292
10. Carlos Sainz jr - Toro Rosso - 1:27.809 +1.788
11. Jenson Button - McLaren - 1:27.938 +1.917
12. Nico Hulkenberg - Force India - 1:28.082 +2.061
13. Felipe Nasr - Sauber - 1:28.096 +2.075
14. Fernando Alonso - McLaren - 1:28.304 +2.283
15. Romain Grosjean - Lotus - 1:28.578 +2.557
16. Pastor Maldonado - Lotus - 1:28.618 +2.597
17. Marcus Ericsson - Sauber - 1:28.788 +2.767
18. Sergio Perez - Force India - 1:28.996 +2.975
19. Will Stevens - Manor F1 Team - 1:31.125 +5.104
20. Roberto Merhi - Manor F1 Team - 1:31.749 +5.728

Rosberg fastest in FP3, Hamilton spins :
Nico Rosberg topped the timesheets in the third and final Formula 1 practice session for the Spanish Grand Prix, while his Mercedes team-mate Lewis Hamilton was third after a spin. Rosberg clocked a 1m26.031s on the medium-compound Pirelli tyre, 0.156s clear of Ferrari's Sebastian Vettel. Hamilton, who topped second practice, ended up third after a messy session that included a spin at Turn 3 and a small mistake on his medium tyre run. Rosberg was quickest during the hard tyre runs in the opening part of the session, too, when track temperatures were 22C, nearly 30C lower than they were in FP2 on Friday. The German, who has not beaten Hamilton in either qualifying or the race so far this year, looked smooth throughout the session as he retained his advantage when attention turned to low-fuel runs. It was not so successful for Hamilton, who after completing just one installation lap in the opening half of the session ran wide onto the astro turf at Turn 3 and spun. The Briton stopped the car hitting the wall on the inside of the track before engaging reverse and rejoining the fray. Hamilton's medium tyre run was 0.201s shy of Rosberg's leading time, but four tenths ahead of Williams's Valtteri Bottas in fourth. Ferrari's Kimi Raikkonen was fifth, ahead of Red Bull's Daniel Ricciardo who recovered from a disappointing day with engine issues on Friday to get 19 laps of running under his belt. Felipe Massa had a scruffy lap as he clocked the seventh fastest time, with Max Verstappen continuing Toro Rosso's good form at the Circuit de Catalunya so far this weekend to secure eighth. Daniil Kvyat missed the first 40 minutes of the session while his Red Bull team fixed a water leak and he managed just seven laps and the ninth fastest time, one place clear of Toro Rosso's Carlos Sainz Jr. Jenson Button was the leading McLaren in 11th, ahead of Force India's Nico Hulkenberg, who showed good long run pace on Friday. Sauber is lacking updates in Spain, with Felipe Nasr down in 13th and team-mate Marcus Ericsson 17th.
Fernando Alonso was 14th in the second McLaren, ahead of Lotus pair Romain Grosjean and Pastor Maldonado. Sergio Perez was nearly a second adrift of his Force India team-mate Hulkenberg in 18th, with the Manor-run Marussias of Will Stevens and Roberto Merhi bringing up the rear.

Kind Regards
Shaky - Schumi

Result of the 2nd practice session :

Hamilton ahead as heat rises in Spain :

1. Lewis Hamilton - Mercedes GP - 1:26.852
2. Sebastian Vettel - Ferrari - 1:27.260 +0.408
3. Nico Rosberg - Mercedes GP - 1:27.616 +0.764
4. Kimi Räikkönen - Ferrari - 1:27.780 +0.928
5. Daniil Kvyat - Red Bull Racing - 1:27.943 +1.091
6. Max Verstappen - Toro Rosso - 1:28.017 +1.165
7. Jenson Button - McLaren - 1:28.494 +1.642
8. Valtteri Bottas - Williams - 1:28.525 +1.673
9. Carlos Sainz jr - Toro Rosso - 1:28.674 +1.822
10. Felipe Massa - Williams - 1:28.712 +1.860
11. Fernando Alonso - McLaren - 1:28.723 +1.871
12. Romain Grosjean - Lotus - 1:29.086 +2.234
13. Daniel Ricciardo - Red Bull Racing - 1:29.098 +2.246
14. Pastor Maldonado - Lotus - 1:29.217 +2.365
15. Felipe Nasr - Sauber 1:29.333 +2.481
16. Marcus Ericsson - Sauber 1:29.361 +2.509
17. Nico Hulkenberg - Force India 1:29.601 +2.749
18. Sergio Perez - Force India 1:29.707 +2.855
19. Will Stevens - Manor F1 Team 1:31.929 +5.077
20. Roberto Merhi - Manor F1 Team 1:32.751 +5.899

Lewis Hamilton kept Mercedes on top in the second practice session at the Circuit de Catalunya as rising temperatures made it hard for drivers to improve their lap times. Hamilton set the pace with a 1’26.852 on the medium compound tyres – but that was fractionally slower than Nico Rosberg managed in the morning session on the harder rubber. The track temperature rose by over 20C between the two sessions and was nudging 50 degrees by the time the chequered flag came down on Friday’s running.
Rosberg was one of the first drivers to discover how quickly the tyre performance dropped off on the hot track – his medium tyre run was over three-quarters of a second slower than Hamilton subsequent effort. Sebastian Vettel separated the two silver cars, some four tenths of a second shy of Hamilton’s mark. An unhappy Kimi Raikkonen complained on several occasions about a lack of grip, which his race engineer assured him was typical of what the others were experiencing, and ended the session within a second of Hamilton’s time. The only other driver to break the 1’28s barrier was Daniil Kvyat in the Red Bull which was sporting a revised, shorter nose. He ended practice fifth ahead of Max Verstappen. Next up was Jenson Button who produced an eye-catching lap time in the freshly-livered McLaren good enough for seventh on the times sheets. Team mate Fernando Alonso was just two-tenths of a second slower, but they were separated by a tightly-knit group including Carlos Sainz Jnr and both Williams cars. For the second session running Daniel Ricciardo only managed a handful of laps. Once again Red Bull had to replace the Renault engine in his car, and he eventually made it out with less than ten minutes remaining. Romain Grosjean’s running was also hampered by technical problems. The most spectacular of which came when the engine cover on his Lotus shattered as he passed the start/finish straight, causing the session to be red-flagged while the debris was cleared up.

Kind Regards
Shaky - Schumi

Result of the 1st practice session :

Nico Rosberg leads in FP1 :

1 Nico Rosberg - Mercedes - 1m26.828s
2 Lewis Hamilton - Mercedes - 1m26.898s + 0.070s
3 Sebastian Vettel - Ferrari -1m27.806s + 0.978s
4 Kimi Raikkonen - Ferrari - 1m27.832s + 1.004s
5 Carlos Sainz jr. - Toro Rosso/Renault -1m28.132s + 1.304s
6 Max Verstappen - Toro Rosso/Renault - 1m28.529s + 1.701s
7 Daniil Kvyat - Red Bull/Renault - 1m28.785s + 1.957s
8 Felipe Massa - Williams/Mercedes - 1m28.831s + 2.003s
9 Daniel Ricciardo - Red Bull/Renault - 1m29.075s + 2.247s
10 Felipe Nasr - Sauber/Ferrari - 1m29.140s + 2.312s
11 Nico Hulkenberg - Force India/Mercedes - 1m29.409s + 2.581s
12 Raffaele Marciello - Sauber/Ferrari - 1m29.630s + 2.802s
13 Jolyon Palmer - Lotus/Mercedes - 1m29.676s + 2.848s
14 Susie Wolff - Williams/Mercedes - 1m29.708s + 2.880s
15 Fernando Alonso - McLaren/Honda - 1m29.813s + 2.985s
16 Jenson Button - McLaren/Honda - 1m29.817s + 2.989s
17 Sergio Perez - Force India/Mercedes - 1m30.096s + 3.268s
18 Pastor Maldonado - Lotus/Mercedes - 1m30.110s + 3.282s
19 Will Stevens - Marussia/Ferrari - 1m32.471s + 5.643s
20 Roberto Merhi - Marussia/Ferrari - 1m32.647s + 5.819s

Nico Rosberg pipped Mercedes team-mate Lewis Hamilton to top spot in the first Formula 1 free practice session for the Spanish Grand Prix. The German ended up at the top of the timesheets, just seven-hundredths of a second faster than Hamilton, with Mercedes almost a second clear of the rest of the field. Rosberg set the pace during the first half-an-hour, when all drivers have the use of a set of hard-compound Pirelli tyres that they cannot use once the first 30 minutes have finished. He set a best time of 1m27.333s during this period as he and Hamilton traded fastest times on rubber enduring enough to produce good pace for multiple laps. That was almost two-tenths faster than Hamllton could manage, with Ferrari driver Sebastian Vettel, who did briefly go fastest, ending up third and 0.8s down. Once onto their new sets of hard Pirellis, Hamilton drew first blood, outpacing Rosberg by 45-thousandths of a second on their first flying laps, largely thanks to stunning pace in the first sector. But with Hamilton's second flier looking set to improve his advantage, he had a slow final sector, meaning that his first flying lap was to remain his fastest of the morning. Rosberg then improved, finding almost a tenth of a second in the final sector compared to his first lap, to establish a 0.070s margin in first place. Ferrari was best of the rest, with Vettel and Raikkonen separated by just 26-thousandths, but they were a second slower than Rosberg. Scuderia Toro Rosso pairing Carlos Sainz and Max Verstappen ran strongly throughout the session to seal fifth and sixth place, with the lead Red Bull of Daniil Kvyat - sporting a new nose - in seventh, just under two seconds off the pace. It was another difficult session for Red Bull, with Kvyat's team-mate Daniel Ricciardo not able to complete any proper running until the final 10 minutes of the session. The Australian reported a problem when he applied full throttle on his outlap, and while he soon returned to the track for another attempt, he then disappeared into the garage for much of the session before restarting late on to go ninth fastest. As usual, Williams had a relatively low-profile Friday practice session on heavy fuel, with Felipe Massa eighth and development driver Susie Wolff, making her first FP1 appearance since last July's German GP weekend, 14th and 0.877s off the Brazilian. Sauber driver Felipe Nasr banged in a lap good enough for 10th, 2.312s off the pace, with 12 minutes remaining, which relegated Force India driver Nico Hulkenberg to 11th. Reserve driver Raffaele Marciello backed up team-mate Nasr in 12th place on his second FP1 appearance, with another backup driver, Jolyon Palmer, 13th in the faster of the Lotus-Mercedes. McLaren-Honda had a quiet start to the weekend with its upgraded MP4-30, with Fernando Alonso and Jenson Button setting near-identical pace in 15th and 16th places. At one stage, Button reported that "the balance is completely wrong" over the radio with the front wing he was trying, while Alonso had a late spin at Turn 12. Sergio Perez, who had a trip through the gravel exiting Turn 3 after 26 minutes, was 17th in the second Force India. Pastor Maldonado was only able to complete seven laps thanks to what the team described as a "minor gearbox issue", meaning his fastest time was his run on the first set of tyres, putting him down in 18th place and ahead only of the two Manor-run Marussias of Will Stevens and Roberto Merhi.

Kind Regards
Shaky - Schumi

Here are the times for this weekends GP :

Friday : 08/05
1st practice session : 10.00u - 11.30u
2nd practice session : 14.00u - 15.30u

Saturday : 09/05
3rd practice session : 11.00u - 12.00u
Qualifying : 14.00u - 15.00u

Sunday : 10/05
Race : 14.00u

Kind Regards
Shaky - Schumi

Spanish Grand Prix - Catalunya Circuit – Barcelona 8-9-10 may
in this week end after a break of three-week, the F1 championship returns in Spain at Barcelona for the 25th year in a row
the track, with its abrasive surface is a very demanding for tyres, particularly the front left,
and as last year, Pirelli has chosen the following compounds: “orange hard” and “white medium” for this Grand Prix
probably the majority of pilots will use a 2 pit-stop strategy

Podium 2011: Vettel(Red Bull) – 2° Hamilton and 3° Button. Fastest lap: Hamilton
pole position : Webber 1'20''981

Podium 2012: Maldonado(Williams) – 2° Alonso and 3° Raikkonen. Fastest lap: Grosjean
pole position : Maldonado 1'22''285 (best lap time Hamilton 1'21''707 but disqualified)

Podium 2013: Alonso(Ferrari) – 2° Raikkonen and 3° Massa. Fastest lap: Gutierrez
pole position : Rosberg 1'20''718

Podium 2014: Hamilton(Mercedes) – 2° Rosberg and 3° Ricciardo. Fastest lap: Vettel
pole position : Hamilton 1'25''232

the winners
2 wins: Alonso (2006-2013) and Raikkonen (2005-2008)
1 win: Hamilton(2014) Maldonado(2012) Vettel (2011) Button(2009) Massa(2007)

pole position
2 pole: Raikkonen (2005-2008)
1 pole: Alonso (2006); Massa(2007) Button(2009) Maldonado(2012) Rosberg(2013) and Hamilton(2014)

fastest lap
2: Massa(2006-2007) and Hamilton(2010-2011);
1: Raikkonen (2008); Grosjean(2012); and Vettel(2014);

Podium(winner+second+third) for current pilots at Barcelona(circuit de Catalunya)
7 (2 wins+4 second+1 third) Alonso
4 (2+1+1) Raikkonen
4 (1+2+1) Hamilton
3 (1+1+1) Massa
2 (1+0+1) Vettel
2 (1+0+1) Button
1 (1+0+0) Maldonado
1 (0+1+0) Rosberg
1 (0+0+1) Ricciardo

18 of the 24 Grands Prix staged at the Catalunya Circuit have been won starting from pole position,

CONSTRUCTORS CHAMPIONSHIP AFTER 4 RACES :

1. Mercedes 159 points
2. Ferrari 107 points
3. Williams 61 points
4. Red Bull 23 points
5. Sauber 19 points
6. Toro Rosso & Lotus 12 points
8. Force India 11 points

DRIVERS CHAMPIONSHIP AFTER 4 RACES :

1. L. Hamilton GBR Mercedes 93 points
2. N. Rosberg GER Mercedes 66 points
3. S. Vettel GER Ferrari 65 points
4. K. Raikkonen FIN Ferrari 42 points
5. F. Massa BRA Williams 31 points
6. V. Bottas FIN Williams 30 points
7. D. Ricciardo AUS Red Bull 19 points
8. F. Nasr BRA Sauber 14 points
9. R. Grosjean FRA Lotus 12 points
10. C. Sainz jr. ESP Toro Rosso, M. Verstappen NED Renault & N. Hulkenberg GER Force India 6 points
13. M. Ericsson SWE Sauber & S. Perez MEX Force India 5 points
15. D. Kvyat RUS Red Bull 4 points

Result of the Bahrein race :

1. Lewis Hamilton - Mercedes GP - 1:35:05.809
2. Kimi Räikkönen - Ferrari 1:36.311 + 3.380
3. Nico Rosberg - Mercedes GP + 6.033
4. Valtteri Bottas - Williams + 42.957
5. Sebastian Vettel - Ferrari + 43.989
6. Daniel Ricciardo - Red Bull Racing + 1m01.751
7. Romain Grosjean - Lotus gee + 1m24.763
8. Sergio Perez - Force India + 1 lap
9. Daniil Kvyat - Red Bull Racing + 1 lap
10. Felipe Massa - Williams + 1 lap
11. Fernando Alonso - McLaren + 1 lap
12. Felipe Nasr - Sauber + 1 lap
13. Nico Hulkenberg - Force India + 1 lap
14. Marcus Ericsson - Sauber + 1 lap
15. Pastor Maldonado - Lotus + 1 lap
16. Will Stevens - Manor F1 Team + 2 laps
17. Roberto Merhi Manor F1 Team geen tijd + 3 laps 54
Did Not Finish :
18. Max Verstappen - Toro Rosso
19. Carlos Sainz jr - Toro Rosso
Did Not Start :
20. Jenson Button - McLaren

Fastest Lap : Kimi Raikkonen - 1:36.311
Pitstop V. Bottas : 2
Bat . 2 Teams : Nico Hulkenberg > Carlos Sainz jr
Grid Pos. D.Kvyat : 9th place

Hamilton wins, Raikkonen snatches 2nd place in Bahrain :
Lewis Hamilton took his third win in four races to extend his championship lead after an enthralling battle of strategy between Mercedes and Ferrari in the Bahrain Grand Prix. But there was late drama as Kimi Raikkonen snatched second place from Nico Rosberg with two laps remaining after both Mercedes were struck with a brake-by-wire problem in the closing laps. Before the race even began, Jenson Button’s torrid weekend came to an early end when McLaren discovered yet another problem with Button’s car that the team were unable to fix, meaning he was unable to take the start. There was even more trouble as the formation lap began when Felipe Massa’s Williams failed to leave his grid slot. Williams recovered the car to the pit lane and were able to get the car restarted by the time the field formed up for the start. As the lights went out, Hamilton lead away but Rosberg immediately challenged Vettel for second, allowing Raikkonen behind to take third place by driving around the outside of the Mercedes. It did not take long for Rosberg to begin pressuring Raikkonen and the Mercedes forcefully reclaimed third place with a dive down the inside of the Ferrari into Turn One. Hamilton begin to open up a small lead at the front, before Vettel too found himself with his mirrors full of Mercedes and Rosberg was able to pass the Ferrari in similar fashion to Raikkonen by squeezing Vettel at the apex of Turn One. At the first round of stops, Kimi Raikkonen was the only one of the front runners to opt for Medium tyres. Rosberg lost position to Vettel, but was able to repass the Ferrari soon after. Despite running on the harder tyres, Raikkonen showed remarkable pace and ran consistently quicker than the front three. As the front three of Hamilton, Rosberg and Vettel stopped for the second and final time, Raikkonen continued into the lead on a long middle stint.Vettel successfully undercut Rosberg yet again, but when the Ferrari driver came under renewed pressure, Vettel ran wide at the final corner and damaged his front wing, forcing him into an unscheduled stop. Raikkonen eventually pitted for the final time with 17 laps to go to for a set of Softs to attempt to chase down the Mercedes. The Ferrari driver was able to take seconds out of the Silver Arrow’s lead every lap, eventually closing up to Rosberg with around four laps remaining. With two laps to go, Rosberg suddenly ran wide and Raikkonen was through into second place. But what looked like an error by Rosberg turned out to be a brake-by-wire problem as Lewis Hamilton reported similar braking issues in the lead. Luckily for Mercedes, there was not enough laps left for Raikkonen to close the gap at Hamilton ahead and the world champion duly crossed the line to take his third win in four races with Raikkonen and Rosberg rounding out the podium. After his last extra stop, Vettel easily caught Valtteri Bottas but was unable to take back fourth from the Williams driver. There was drama for Daniel Ricciardo as the Red Bull’s Renault engine blew up out of the final corner, but the Australian was still able cross the line in sixth. Romain Grosjean, Sergio Perez, Daniil Kvyat and Felipe Massa rounded out the points, while Fernando Alonso was just 3.9 seconds from scoring McLaren’s first points of the season in 11th.

Kind Regards
Shaky - Schumi

Result of the Qualifying :

1. Lewis Hamilton - Mercedes GP 1:32.571
2. Sebastian Vettel - Ferrari 1:32.982 +0.411
3. Nico Rosberg - Mercedes GP 1:33.129 +0.558
4. Kimi Räikkönen - Ferrari 1:33.227 +0.656
5. Valtteri Bottas - Williams 1:33.381 +0.810
6. Felipe Massa - Williams 1:33.744 +1.173
7. Daniel Ricciardo - Red Bull Racing 1:33.832 +1.261
8. Nico Hulkenberg - Force India 1:34.450 +1.879
9. Carlos Sainz jr -Toro Rosso 1:34.462 +1.891
10. Romain Grosjean - Lotus 1:34.484 +1.913
Q2
11. Sergio Perez - Force India 1:34.704 +2.133
12. Felipe Nasr - Sauber 1:34.737 +2.166
13. Marcus Ericsson - Sauber 1:35.034 +2.463
14. Fernando Alonso - McLaren 1:35.103 +2.532
15. Max Verstappen - Toro Rosso 1:35.103 +2.532
16. Pastor Maldonado - Lotus 1:35.677 +3.106
Q1
17. Daniil Kvyat - Red Bull Racing 1:35.800 +3.229
18. Will Stevens - Manor F1 Team 1:38.713 +6.142
19. Roberto Merhi - Manor F1 Team 1:39.722 +7.151
20. Jenson Button - McLaren - no time

Qualifying Time : 1:32.571
Pole : Lewis Hamilton
Team Bat. : Alonso > Button
Grid Pos. F.Massa : 6th place

Hamilton on pole as Vettel splits the Mercedes :
Lewis Hamilton took his fourth consecutive pole position of the 2015 season in Bahrain, but it will be Sebastian Vettel’s Ferrari who starts alongside the world champion on the front row. An exciting qualifying session saw Vettel split the two Mercedes to take second on the grid for tomorrow’s race, after Lewis Hamilton took pole position with the final lap of the session. Nico Rosberg will line up third with Kimi Raikkonen’s Ferrari behind him and the Williams of Valtteri Bottas and Felipe Massa in fifth and sixth.
Q1
Nico Rosberg set the early pace at the front on the Medium tyres, but all teams opted to switch to Soft tyres to avoid being caught out by an improving track. After a difficult start to the weekend for Jenson Button, the McLaren driver’s luck turned even worse when his McLaren ground to a halt yet again without him setting a time, dooming him to start from the very back tomorrow. Lewis Hamilton used the Soft tyres to break the 1’34 barrier for the first time this weekend to go quickest with a 1’33.928 while Valtteri Bottas went second quickest in the Williams. As the chequered flag flew, Pastor Maldonado improved his time to get himself into Q2, but Max Verstappen jumped up to 14th position to bump the Lotus driver out at the death. After spinning in final practice, Daniil Kvyat’s day went from bad to worse when a mistake on his final lap meant he was unable to improve by enough and he was eliminated in a disappointing P17.
Fernando Alonso brought some badly needed cheer to McLaren as a great final lap put him P9 and into the second qualifying session for the first time in 2015.
Q2
Hamilton wasted no time in picking up the pace immediately where he left off in Q1 by lowering a 1’32.669 on his first attempt in Q2, going over a second quicker than his team mate. With drivers in the top ten forced to start on their Q2 tyres, it was difficult to read into lap times. Raikkonen went P2, but was almost a second slower than Hamilton as Massa split the two Ferraris in third. A tight finish to the second session saw Sergio Perez jump up to P10 before Carlos Sainz Jr won the final slot in Q3 with a great lap to push the Force India driver out. Both Saubers were unable to make it through, with Fernando Alonso eliminated in P14 – McLaren’s best quaifying of the season. Max Verstappen will line up in 15th after being half a second slower than his team mate .
Q3
The Ferraris were the first cars out to set a time in the crucial final session with Vettel quicker than Raikkonen, but Daniel Ricciardo used fresh tyres to eclipse both Ferraris on his first effort. Lewis Hamilton went quickest of all after the first flying laps were completed in the final session, but with only Daniel Ricciardo having used a new tyre on the first run, there was plenty of scope for improvement.
As the final runs began, Daniel Ricciardo was the first man set to cross the line, followed by the Ferraris with the Mercedes set to cross the line last. Sebastian Vettel took provisional pole with his best lap of the weekend – a 1’33.227 – which put Raikkonen behind his team mate. Nico Rosberg was then unable to beat Vettel’s time either, putting him second, before Lewis Hamilton snatched his fourth consecutive pole of the season at the chequered flag, four tenths faster than Vettel. Behind the front four, Valtteri Bottas beat team mate Felipe Massa for fifth place, while Daniel Ricciardo took seventh in the Red Bull. Nico Hulkenberg ended a good day for Force India in eighth and Carlos Sainz Jr and Romain Grosjean rounded out the top ten.

Kind Regards
Shaky - Schumi

Result of the 3rd practice session :

1. Lewis Hamilton - Mercedes GP 1:34.599
2. Sebastian Vettel - Ferrari 1:34.668 +0.069
3. Nico Rosberg - Mercedes GP 1:34.968 +0.369
4. Kimi Räikkönen - Ferrari 1:35.141 +0.542
5. Valtteri Bottas - Williams 1:35.393 +0.794
6. Felipe Massa - Williams 1:35.471 +0.872
7. Pastor Maldonado - Lotus 1:36.307 +1.708
8. Daniel Ricciardo - Red Bull Racing 1:36.335 +1.736
9. Nico Hulkenberg - Force India 1:36.421 +1.822
10. Felipe Nasr - Sauber 1:36.429 +1.830
11. Jenson Button - McLaren 1:36.488 +1.889
12. Daniil Kvyat - Red Bull Racing 1:36.548 +1.949
13. Marcus Ericsson - Sauber 1:36.612 +2.013
14. Max Verstappen - Toro Rosso 1:36.684 +2.085
15. Sergio Perez - Force India 1:36.727 +2.128
16. Fernando Alonso - McLaren 1:36.899 +2.300
17. Carlos Sainz jr - Toro Rosso 1:36.979 +2.380
18. Romain Grosjean - Lotus 1:37.151 +2.552
19. Will Stevens - Manor F1 Team 1:39.745 +5.146
20. Roberto Merhi - Manor F1 Team 1:40.541 +5.942

Hamilton quickest, but Vettel is closer than Rosberg :
Lewis Hamilton topped the time sheets in final practice ahead of qualifying for the Bahrain Grand Prix, but Sebastian Vettel’s Ferrari was less than a tenth behind. Vettel split the two Mercedes after the qualifying simulation runs on the Soft compound tyre at the end of the session, with Nico Rosberg third quickest and Kimi Raikkonen fourth. It was a hot and windy start to the session with little running in the early stages due to the conditions. Romain Grosjean had an off at Turn Four, filling his Lotus’s tyres with gravel. The Ferraris were quickest after the initial runs were completed on the Medium tyre with Kimi Raikkonen fastest. The session was briefly stopped around half way through when Daniil Kvyat lost control of his Red Bull at Turn Four, spinning backwards into the gravel. When the session resumed, there was little improvement out on track before the circuit fell quiet before Nico Hulkenberg was the first man out to attempt a qualifying run. The Force India driver initially went quickest, but Nico Rosberg comfortably eclipsed that on his first effort on the faster tyre. Then it was the turn of Lewis Hamilton to post a Soft time and the world champion duly set the fastest lap of the weekend with a 1’34.599. After showing good speed in all three sessions, Sebastian Vettel showed that Ferrari’s pace was genuine by posting a time within a tenth of a second of Hamilton’s to go second quickest. Kimi Raikkonen could only manage a lap that was half a second slower than his team mate, while Red Bull were able to get Kvyat back out at the close of the session for one final flying lap.

Kind Regards
Shaky - Schumi

Result of the 2nd practice session :

1. Nico Rosberg - Mercedes GP 1:34.647
2. Lewis Hamilton - Mercedes GP 1:34.762 +0.115
3. Kimi Räikkönen - Ferrari 1:35.174 +0.527
4. Sebastian Vettel - Ferrari 1:35.277 +0.630
5. Valtteri Bottas - Williams 1:35.280 +0.633
6. Daniel Ricciardo - Red Bull Racing 1:35.449 +0.802
7. Pastor Maldonado - Lotus 1:35.474 +0.827
8. Felipe Nasr - Sauber 1:35.793 +1.146
9. Daniil Kvyat - Red Bull Racing 1:35.883 +1.236
10. Felipe Massa - Williams 1:35.884 +1.237
11. Marcus Ericsson - Sauber 1:36.148 +1.501
12. Fernando Alonso - McLaren 1:36.191 +1.544
13. Romain Grosjean - Lotus 1:36.334 +1.687
14. Carlos Sainz jr - Toro Rosso 1:36.471 +1.824
15. Nico Hulkenberg - Force India 1:36.805 +2.158
16. Max Verstappen - Toro Rosso 1:36.917 +2.270
17. Sergio Perez - Force India 1:37.062 +2.415
18. Will Stevens - Manor F1 Team 1:39.131 +4.484
19. Jenson Button - McLaren 1:39.209 +4.562
20. Roberto Merhi - Manor F1 Team 1:40.592 +5.945

Rosberg quickest in practice 2 , as Vettel, Perez collide :
Mercedes were back on top in second practice in Bahrain with Nico Rosberg and Lewis Hamilton quickest from Ferrari. But there was drama as Sergio Perez and Sebastian Vettel made contact at Turn One in the closing minutes, bringing out the red flag and leaving the Ferrari with a broken front wing. The session began with a setting sun and floodlights illuminating the circuit but temperatures not too much cooler than the afternoon session. Many drivers were heard complaining about the brightness of their steering wheel displays early in the session. Mercedes immediately upped their pace from the first session, with Lewis Hamilton setting the early benchmark with a 1’36.795 on the Medium tyres – quicker than Ferrari managed in first practice. After Jenson Button lost an entire session’s running in FP1 when his McLaren seized up at Turn One, there was more frustration for Button in the second session when he stopped at Turn 11 after completing only three laps. Ferrari were the first team to try the Soft compound tyres, with Kimi Raikkonen improving by around two seconds on his Medium. Sebastian Vettel was set to beat his team mate’s time, but ran wide at the final corner, costing him half a second. Then it was the turn of the Mercedes to try out the Soft compound for the first time. Hamilton went quickest with a 1’34.762, but was immediately beaten by Rosberg who improved by a tenth on his team mate. With everyone having completed a run on the Soft tyres, teams turned their focus to longer runs. Hamilton ran on the Medium tyres, while Rosberg ran a stint on the Soft tyres. After stopping early, McLaren were able to get Button’s McLaren back out on the circuit for some brief runs.
With just over ten minutes to go, the session was red flagged when Sergio Perez made contact with the front wing of Vettel’s Ferrari, leaving debris on the track at Turn One. Vettel had claimed over radio that he had suffered a brake failure and was hit by the Force India at the apex of the turn as Perez abandoned a move to pass Marcus Ericsson’s Sauber ahead. The incident is under investigation by the stewards. When the session restarted, Kimi Raikkonen and Lewis Hamilton were seen driving around a queue of cars waiting at pit exit by taking to the restricted area of the inside of the pitlane. Both drivers are also being investigated. No one was able to improve their times at the front of the field during the final minutes and Mercedes finish the first day’s running around half a second quicker than the Ferrari’s on ultimate one-lap pace.

Kind Regards
Shaky - Schumi

Result of the 1st practice session :

1. Kimi Räikkönen - Ferrari 1:37.827
2. Sebastian Vettel - Ferrari 1:38.029 +0.202
3. Valtteri Bottas - Williams 1:38.390 +0.563
4. Carlos Sainz jr - Toro Rosso 1:38.447 +0.620
5. Daniel Ricciardo - Red Bull Racing 1:38.455 +0.628
6. Max Verstappen - Toro Rosso 1:38.504 +0.677
7. Fernando Alonso - McLaren 1:38.598 +0.771
8. Felipe Nasr - Sauber 1:38.628 +0.801
9. Daniil Kvyat - Red Bull Racing 1:38.661 +0.834
10. Felipe Massa - Williams 1:38.790 +0.963
11. Sergio Perez - Force India 1:38.793 +0.966
12. Pastor Maldonado - Lotus 1:38.842 +1.015
13. Nico Hulkenberg - Force India 1:39.187 +1.360
14. Jolyon Palmer - Lotus 1:39.283 +1.456
15. Nico Rosberg - Mercedes GP 1:39.293 +1.466
16. Lewis Hamilton - Mercedes GP 1:39.532 +1.705
17. Marcus Ericsson - Sauber 1:39.534 +1.707
18. Will Stevens - Manor F1 Team 1:42.973 +5.146
19. Roberto Merhi - Manor F1 Team 1:44.265 +6.438
20. Jenson Button - McLaren - no time

Ferrari F1 pair Raikkonen and Vettel set practice pace :
Ferrari Formula 1 team-mates Kimi Raikkonen and Sebastian Vettel left it late before taking the top two positions in opening practice for the Bahrain Grand Prix. With track temperatures well over 50 degrees early in the session, after using their first sets of mediums during the first 30 minutes, several teams opted to leave it very late before making their final runs. By that time, the track temperature had dropped to the mid-40s, with both Raikkonen and Vettel jumping from the lower reaches of the timing screens to the top in the final 10 minutes. First Vettel, who when he initially went out for his final run was told to ease off while a problem was solved, deposed Williams driver Valtteri Bottas from top spot, then Raikkonen outpaced him by two tenths. With usual pacesetter Mercedes down in 15th and 16th places with Nico Rosberg and Lewis Hamilton, having both moved onto their second set of tyres earlier in the session and presumably concentrating on heavier fuel-load work, Bottas was able to hang on to third place despite a lockup at Turn 10 and a wild moment in the middle of the last corner on his best lap. Carlos Sainz Jr was another driver who held back his second set of tyres, briefly jumping up to second before behind shuffled back to fourth ahead of the lead Red Bull of Daniel Ricciardo and Scuderia Toro Rosso team-mate Max Verstappen. McLaren-Honda driver Fernando Alonso was among the drivers to move onto their second set of rubber relatively early on and briefly went fastest, ultimately ending up a strong seventh, just under eight tenths off the pace. But it wasn't all good news for McLaren, with Jenson Button spinning at Turn 1 on only his third lap and ending the day last after failing to set a time. Sauber had another solid session, with Felipe Nasr in eighth place, although team-mate Marcus Ericsson was unable to make a significant improvement on his second set of rubber after running fifth following the first 30 minutes, and ended up down in 17th behind the two Mercedes drivers. Felipe Massa, in the second Williams, was 10th fastest, but only four tenths off team-mate Bottas, just behind the second Red Bull of Daniil Kvyat. Force India driver Sergio Perez also had a brief spell in first position early in the second runs, but ended up 11th ahead of Lotus driver Pastor Maldonado, who had a run through the gravel at the last corner while on a lap on his second set of rubber having already improved his time. Lotus reserve driver Jolyon Palmer made his second appearance on an F1 weekend, ending up 14th and within half-a-second of Maldonado after losing time in the first sector. At the foot of the timesheets, Will Stevens was the quicker Marussia ahead of team-mate Roberto Merhi in 18th and 19th places.

Kind Regards
Shaky Schumi

Here are the times for this weekends GP :

Friday 17/04 :
1st practice session : 13.00u CET - 14.30u CET
2nd practice session : 17.00u CET - 18.30u CET

Saturday 18/04 :
3rd practice session : 14.00u CET - 15u CET
Qualifying : 17.00u CET - 18.00u CET

Sunday 19/04 :
Race : 17.00u CET

Kind Regards
Shaky - Schumi