Formula 1 2011

[Rocky Mtn Squid]

Hungarian Grand Prix

Hungarian Grand Prix

More Hungaroring pre-race preamble.....

Current drivers who have won at the Hungaroring:

Michael Schumacher - Four wins (1994, 1998, 2001, 2004)
Lewis Hamilton - Two wins (2007, 2009)
Rubens Barrichello - One win (2002)
Fernando Alonso - One win (2003)
Jenson Button - One win (2006)
Heikki Kovalainen - One win (2008)
Mark Webber - One win (2010)

Current teams who have won at the Hungaroring:

McLaren - Nine wins (1988, 1991, 1992, 1999, 2000, 2005, 2007, 2008, 2009)
Williams - Seven wins (1986, 1987, 1990, 1993, 1995, 1996, 1997)
Ferrari - Five wins (1989, 1998, 2001, 2002, 2004)
Renault - Two wins (as Benetton 1994, 2003)
Mercedes - One win (as Honda 2006)
Red Bull - One win (2010)

The start of the 2010 Hungarian Grand Prix......

Moreover, as a note of interest and to muck up some shit, here is a unbelievable sequence of photo's when Schumacher tried to paste Barrichello into the pit straight wall while battling hard for position at last years race. Nothing like ex-teammate's showing their love for one another.

Watch the video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uLwNqhbs3sA


Peace, Puffs & 18,000 RPM Engine's.....

RMS

 

[Big Eggy]

Well.. the redbulls seem to be struggling for Pace.. Sandbaging?????

sorry for my lack of input especially the front page.. have been tied up with interviews.. Will be back on track next week.

Enjoy the GP all

 

[mitch_connor]

Just watching the First practise on Iplayer, what's the situation with the sky deal, does that mean practise, qually and full races won't be available to stream on iplayer?



Can't really financially justify having to get sky just to watch the F1 coverage!

 

[Big Eggy]

Hey Mitch..

Where did you hear this??? BBC have been toying with the idea as it cost £1.00 per viewer to show the GP compared with .07p average.

I really hope that it doesn't go to Sky.. I too could not justify a package just to watch the F1 every couple of weeks..

Edit:

see here for peoples veiws : (

The BBC will only get to show a handfull of races live WTF!!! this is a sad day for the British public. Dam you Murdoch!

 

[Rocky Mtn Squid]

Friday Practice - Session 2

Friday Practice - Session 2

Pos Driver Team Time Laps

1. Lewis Hamilton McLaren-Mercedes 1m21.018s 29
2. Fernando Alonso Ferrari 1m21.259s + 0.241 40
3. Jenson Button McLaren-Mercedes 1m21.322s + 0.304 34
4. Mark Webber Red Bull-Renault 1m21.508s + 0.490 35
5. Sebastian Vettel Red Bull-Renault 1m21.549s + 0.531 31
6. Felipe Massa Ferrari 1m22.099s + 1.081 40
7. Nico Rosberg Mercedes 1m22.121s + 1.103 36
8. Michael Schumacher Mercedes 1m22.440s + 1.422 36
9. Paul di Resta Force India-Mercedes 1m22.835s + 1.817 40
10. Adrian Sutil Force India-Mercedes 1m22.981s + 1.963 37
11. Kamui Kobayashi Sauber-Ferrari 1m23.030s + 2.012 34
12. Sergio Perez Sauber-Ferrari 1m23.399s + 2.381 37
13. Rubens Barrichello Williams-Cosworth 1m23.679s + 2.661 34
14. Nick Heidfeld Renault 1m23.861s + 2.843 28
15. Pastor Maldonado Williams-Cosworth 1m24.181s + 3.163 39
16. Jaime Alguersuari Toro Rosso-Ferrari 1m24.182s + 3.164 26
17. Vitaly Petrov Renault 1m24.546s + 3.528 21
18. Sebastien Buemi Toro Rosso-Ferrari 1m24.878s + 3.860 35
19. Jarno Trulli Lotus-Renault 1m24.994s + 3.976 38
20. Heikki Kovalainen Lotus-Renault 1m25.447s + 4.429 39
21. Timo Glock Virgin-Cosworth 1m26.823s + 5.805 33
22. Jerome D'Ambrosio Virgin-Cosworth 1m27.261s + 6.243 28
23. Daniel Ricciardo HRT-Cosworth 1m27.730s + 6.712 31
24. Tonio Liuzzi HRT-Cosworth 1m28.255s + 7.237 25

 

[Big Eggy]

Hey Mitch... can you might be able to stream it from Speedtv.com

It's finished now so i can confirm if it will work for us but seems to load up the player ok.

Hey US guys.. who does the comentary for your show?

 

[mitch_connor]

It's from 2012 to 2018 eggy, They were talking about it on the Coverage of the first practice on iplayer. They say it's joint coverage.. BBC will get to air *some* races live, then i think highlights will be on iplayer, but I hate highlights.

I don't watch enough sport or TV to justify having a sky package. Shame

 

[Big Eggy]

I don't watch enough sport or TV to justify having a sky package. Shame

Agreed... I have a dish but that was there when i moved in.. just haven't had the chance to remove it.

When you see tower blocks with Sky dishes plastered all over them it reminds me of Aphids.

 

[Rocky Mtn Squid]

Hey Mitch... can you might be able to stream it from Speedtv.com

It's finished now so i can confirm if it will work for us but seems to load up the player ok.

Hey US guys.. who does the comentary for your show?

Speed Channel (owned by guess who......Rupert Murdoch) has the American rights to F1. Their commentating/coverage really sucks...... I try to avoid them at all costs.

Bob Varsha, David Hobbs & Steve Machett are the commentator's.
Varsha is OK, but Hobbs & Matchett need to be out to pasture somewhere. Boring & uninformative .....

I always watch BBC Live 5 for my F1 fix. They provide far superior coverage and expert analysis. It will suck having to watch Speed again when SKY -(that Murdoch wierdo again ) share the rights with the BBC. Rumor has if this takes place, SKY will broadcast as pay-per-view only.

RMS

 

[Rocky Mtn Squid]

Vettel On Pole

Vettel On Pole

Sebastian Vettel won pole position for the Hungarian Grand Prix.

Here are the final grid positions:

Pos Driver Team Time Gap

1. Sebastian Vettel Red Bull-Renault 1m19.815s
2. Lewis Hamilton McLaren-Mercedes 1m19.978s + 0.163
3. Jenson Button McLaren-Mercedes 1m20.024s + 0.209
4. Felipe Massa Ferrari 1m20.350s + 0.535
5. Fernando Alonso Ferrari 1m20.365s + 0.550
6. Mark Webber Red Bull-Renault 1m20.474s + 0.659
7. Nico Rosberg Mercedes 1m21.098s + 1.283
8. Adrian Sutil Force India-Mercedes 1m21.445s + 1.630
9. Michael Schumacher Mercedes 1m21.907s + 2.092
10. Sergio Perez Sauber-Ferrari No time

Q2 cut-off time: 1m23.067s Gap **
11. Paul di Resta Force India-Mercedes 1m22.256s + 1.994
12. Vitaly Petrov Renault 1m22.284s + 2.022
13. Kamui Kobayashi Sauber-Ferrari 1m22.435s + 2.173
14. Nick Heidfeld Renault 1m22.470s + 2.208
15. Rubens Barrichello Williams-Cosworth 1m22.684s + 2.422
16. Jaime Alguersuari Toro Rosso-Ferrari 1m22.979s + 2.717
17. Pastor Maldonado Williams-Cosworth No time

Q1 cut-off time: 1m23.285s Gap *
18. Sebastien Buemi Toro Rosso-Ferrari 1m24.070s + 2.492
19. Heikki Kovalainen Lotus-Renault 1m24.362s + 2.784
20. Jarno Trulli Lotus-Renault 1m24.534s + 2.956
21. Timo Glock Virgin-Cosworth 1m26.294s + 4.716
22. Tonio Liuzzi HRT-Cosworth 1m26.323s + 4.745
23. Daniel Ricciardo HRT-Cosworth 1m26.479s + 4.901
24. Jerome D'Ambrosio Virgin-Cosworth 1m26.510s + 4.932

107% time: 1m27.288s
* Gap to quickest in Q1
** Gap to quickest in Q2



RMS

 

[Rocky Mtn Squid]

Button Wins @ Hungaroring

Button Wins @ Hungaroring

Jenson Button won the Hungarian Grand Prix, proving that it requires both brains and speed to win on a damp track......

PROVISIONAL RACE RESULTS

The Hungarian Grand Prix
The Hungaroring, Hungary;
70 laps; 306.663km;
Weather: Mixed conditions.

Classified:

Pos Driver Team Time
1. Button McLaren-Mercedes 1h43:42.337
2. Vettel Red Bull-Renault + 3.588
3. Alonso Ferrari + 19.819
4. Hamilton McLaren-Mercedes + 48.338
5. Webber Red Bull-Renault + 49.742
6. Massa Ferrari + 1:17.176
7. Di Resta Force India-Mercedes + 1 lap
8. Buemi Toro Rosso-Ferrari + 1 lap
9. Rosberg Mercedes + 1 lap
10. Alguersuari Toro Rosso-Ferrari + 1 lap
11. Kobayashi Sauber-Ferrari + 1 lap
12. Petrov Renault + 1 lap
13. Barrichello Williams-Cosworth + 2 laps
14. Sutil Force India-Mercedes + 2 laps
15. Perez Sauber-Ferrari + 2 laps
16. Maldonado Williams-Cosworth + 2 laps
17. Glock Virgin-Cosworth + 4 laps
18. Ricciardo HRT-Cosworth + 4 laps
19. D'Ambrosio Virgin-Cosworth + 5 laps
20. Liuzzi HRT-Cosworth + 5 laps

Fastest lap: Massa, 1:23.415

Not classified/retirements:

Driver Team On lap
Kovalainen Lotus-Renault 56
Schumacher Mercedes 27
Heidfeld Renault 24
Trulli Lotus-Renault 18


World Championship standings, round 11:

Drivers: Constructors:
1. Vettel 234 1. Red Bull-Renault 383
2. Webber 149 2. McLaren-Mercedes 280
3. Hamilton 146 3. Ferrari 215
4. Alonso 145 4. Mercedes 80
5. Button 134 5. Renault 66
6. Massa 70 6. Sauber-Ferrari 35
7. Rosberg 48 7. Force India-Mercedes 26
8. Heidfeld 34 8. Toro Rosso-Ferrari 22
9. Schumacher 32 9. Williams-Cosworth 4
10. Petrov 32
11. Kobayashi 27
12. Sutil 18
13. Buemi 12
14. Alguersuari 10
15. Di Resta 8
16. Perez 8
17. Barrichello 4

All timing unofficial

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a-5IkDogt_o&feature=related

Some random pics from today.

Start of the race - first corner

Alonso & Weber

Here's a pic of Nick Heidfeld in the Renault having a bad day @ the office.......

]

 

[Big Eggy]

Brilliant Race.. lots of drama thanks to the weather.

Poor old Lewis although he'd have had to serve the penalty either way.

Heidfeld was a brave chap... must have been pretty scary to have the flames all around you.

Nice update RMS... this is the first time in a while that i've seen the whole race on a sunday.

 

[mitch_connor]

Yeh I felt for Lewis, he was seemingly running a very good race.

But Jensen did very well and I guess he was due some good luck!

Was exciting seeing the cars twitching all over the place at the start!

Anyone fancy an ICMAG meet at one of the races next season?

 

[Big Eggy]

Anyone fancy an ICMAG meet at one of the races next season?

If i land this new job i might just be able to afford it..

although Silverstone is very close to me it's £££..

I sugest Spa Via the Neatherlands of course.

Edit: Doah! Masstricht 50km form Spa has banned tourest from coffee shops.

 

[mitch_connor]

Yeh silverstone would be great! But if I could tie in a holiday somewhere interesting aswell as seeing a race that would be sweet!

 

[Big Eggy]

We could make a long weekend of it..

Netherlands => Spa GP => Nurbergring (do a lap in my Focus Estate lol) => Netherlands => Home.

 

[mitch_connor]

haha sounds like a plan!

 

[Rocky Mtn Squid]

The Flying Lap #32

The Flying Lap #32

#32 The Flying Lap: Hungarian GP Debrief with F1 Fanatic & F1 Statistician Sean Kelly

In Episode 32, Peter is joined in the studio by Keith Collantine, the editor and founder of one of the world's most successful F1 websites - F1 Fanatic. A passionate and knowledgable F1 enthusiast who embraced the new-media generation well ahead of his time, Keith is respected up and down the F1 pit-lane. He is joined by Sean Kelly (@virtualstatman), who is unquestionably F1's leading statistician as well as a budding author of detailed F1 books. An Englishman by birth, Sean is now based in San Diego, California. As the supplier of detailed statistics to several major TV networks, including SpeedTV and the BBC, Sean regularly attends races and joins us on The Flying Lap fresh from the Hungaroring. We look back at Jenson Button's phenomenal win in Hungary; we discuss the storm created by the news that British F1 fans will see only 50 per cent of the races live next year on the BBC; we look at the potential for Sky's F1 coverage; and we talk, too, about the ongoing Lotus litigation - something that was again in full view of the public in London's High Court last week.



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c4rKnInDoM0&feature=player_embedded


F1 is taking its summer break right now. Even the F1 factories are forced to close down, following the rules agreed to by FOTA and the FIA.

Next race, at the end of August, is the legendary & historic Belgian Grand Prix @ Spa.

Here is the 2007 video of Kimi Raikkonen driving his Ferrari to capture pole position :

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kBmcjp-vAaY&feature=related

And here is Mark Weber in the Red Bull factory simulator commentating and giving his insight through a complete lap @ Spa :

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SA8_HfEWO18&feature=player_embedded


Shell has brought together legendary Scuderia Ferrari Formula One drivers Fernando Alonso and John Surtees to compare notes on the Spa-Francorchamps circuit, the venue for this weekend's Formula 1 Shell Belgian Grand Prix.

During the four minute edit the two champions swap tales about Spa and said it was a "very special" circuit that instils an extra will-to-win in all drivers. They also had the chance to inspect Formula One cars from their respective eras -- namely Surtees' Ferrari 156 F1-63 and the 2009 Belgian Grand Prix-winning Ferrari F60.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J4oBheDsxlo&feature=player_embedded

 

[Rocky Mtn Squid]

Insight: How F1 Team Strategists Approach the Belgian Grand Prx

Insight: How F1 Team Strategists Approach the Belgian Grand Prx

Fernando Alonso powers through Eau Rouge in the wet, Belgian Grand Prix, Spa Francorchamps, August 27, 2010

This is an excellent article by James Allen on race strategies for the the upcoming race at Spa.



Track characteristics and key strategy indicators

Spa Francorchamps – 7.004 kilometres. Race distance – 44 laps = 308.052 kilometres. 19 corners in total. Average speed 238km/h. Circuit based on public roads.

Aerodynamic setup – Med-low downforce. Top speed 322km/h (with Drag Reduction System active on rear wing) – 312km/h without.

Full throttle – 80% of the lap (high). Total fuel needed for race distance – 150 kilos (high). Fuel consumption – 3.35kg per lap (high)

Time spent braking: 14% of lap. Number of brake zones – 6. Brake wear- Low.

Loss time for a Pit stop = 18 seconds (average)
Total time needed for pit stop: 22 seconds

Fuel effect (cost in lap time per 10kg of fuel carried): 0.38 seconds (high)

The Spa Francorchamps circuit has a very strong history in F1, going right back to the first year of competition in 1950 and is one of the drivers’ favourites. It has the longest lap of any modern F1 track at over seven kilometers and it provides one of the sternest tests of an F1 engine, with 80% of the lap spent at full throttle. The run from La Source hairpin to the braking point for Les Combes features 23.5 seconds of constant full throttle. For this reason teams rotate the engine use so they do not use the same engine at the next race in Monza, another tough one on engines.

This year with the adjustable DRS rear wing, Spa presents one of the highest possible usages of the DRS with over 60% of the lap. Only Monza is higher. However the FIA has ruled that drivers must not use the DRS in the famous high speed Eau Rouge corner for safety reasons, in case it destabilises the car and leads to an accident.

Qualifying is not hugely significant to final race result; the pole sitter has only won the race twice in the last ten years. Overtaking is not a problem at Spa and the DRS wing will help anyway. This season thanks to the DRS and Pirelli tyres we have seen 513 overtakes in 10 races, compared to 439 in 19 races last season.

In addition to the long straights there are quite a lot of high-G corners, similar to Silverstone, which take their toll on the tyres.

Form Guide

The Belgian Grand Prix is the twelfth round of the 2011 FIA F1 World Championship and comes after the teams’ enforced two week factory shutdown, during which no development or fabrication work may be carried out.

This does not mean that there will not be any new parts on the cars, as most teams will have been planning a significant Spa upgrade for weeks prior to the shutdown.

Having dominated the early races, Red Bull has not won a race since Valencia, four races ago. Although the team is still unbeaten in qualifying, there is no doubt that the changes in engine mapping rules meaning teams must use the same maps in the race as in qualifying, has evened things out a little. But McLaren and Ferrari have also improved their aerodynamics and closed the gap on Red Bull.

Only Red Bull drivers have started from pole this season with eight pole positions for Sebastian Vettel and three for Mark Webber.

As far as drivers’ form is concerned; Webber started last year on pole, but Lewis Hamilton won the race. Strangely only three of the current drivers have won at Spa; Hamilton, Massa (2008) and Schumacher (6 wins). Neither Fernando Alonso nor Sebastian Vettel has won this event.

Weather Forecast

Spa is notorious for fickle weather. With such a long lap, it can be raining on one part of the circuit and the rest can be dry. The forecast for this weekend is for some rain on Friday, with partly cloudy conditions on Saturday and Sunday, with temperatures around 18 degrees. However this can change very quickly and it’s always a good idea to factor in a wet weather plan.




Likely tyre performance and other considerations

Pirelli tyre choice for Spa: Soft (yellow markings) and medium (white markings). This combination was seen in Valencia and Germany.

The crucial factor here will be the difference in performance between the soft and medium tyre. It was over 1.5 secs/ lap in Germany and with the long lap at Spa this weekend it could be even greater.

In Germany team strategists tried to run on the soft tyre for as much of the race as possible, taking the medium tyre briefly at the end – with the extreme solution by Vettel and Massa of pitting on the last lap for the mediums.

This weekend is expected to be similar. Teams will be hoping that they use the wet or intermediate tyre at some stage in the race as that will mean they don’t have to use the medium at all.

With cool conditions forecast, warming up the medium tyre could be a challenge, especially for the Ferraris, which have struggled with this so far this season. Caution over their warm up of the harder compounds has dictated their strategy on several occasions, although they do seem to have made good progress in fixing this weakness.

Another interesting factor will be the effect of the blown diffusers as they take away horsepower from the engine, which is vital for Spa. The wealthier teams will have produced special exhaust pipes for this race to minimize the effect. But those who haven’t will suffer, so the gap between the top and midfield teams could be slightly larger than usual.

Number and likely timing of pit stops

The time needed for a stop at Spa is average at 23 seconds. Although it’s a long pit lane, the cars on the track must navigate a slow hairpin so the lost time isn’t as great as it might be.

Team strategists are expecting the pattern of the stops to be similar to what was expected at Silverstone, although that race started in wet conditions, which changed plans.

In a fully dry race, teams who are able to get closer performance between the soft and the medium may be able to make two stops work and the rest are looking at three with a late stop for the medium.

Teams have developed their cars over the season so they get progressively more laps out of the tyres at each race. The soft tyre lasted for 30 laps at the Nurburgring, but Spa is a longer lap with more high loading corners.




Chance of a safety car

The chance of a safety car at Spa is statistically very high at 80% and 1.4 per race. Rain is one reason, but also accidents tend to be high speed and so there can be quite a lot of debris.

Recent start performance

Starts are a critical part of the race and strategy can be badly compromised by a poor start, while good starts can make strategists change their plans in the hope of a good result.

We have seen several trends over the season; starts continue to be a real problem for Mark Webber; he has had pole three times and lost the lead at the start each time, while overall he has lost 15 places off the grid on aggregate.

After poor starts in the first half of the season, Williams has seen a noticeable upward trend in recent races, beginning in Germany. Between them Barrichello and Maldonado have gained ten places in the last two races.

The most consistent start performer of the year is Timo Glock in the Virgin, who has been picking up places consistently, often getting ahead of one of the Lotus drivers.

As far as 2011 start performance is concerned drivers have gained (+) or lost (-) places off the start line this season on aggregate as follows:

Gained

+14 Buemi #
+10 Glock

+8 Schumacher *, Liuzzi
+6 Kobayashi**, Heidfeld ******, Alguersuari
+5 Kovalainen
+4 Trulli
+2 Massa, Rosberg*****, Petrov,****
+1 Alonso***, D’Ambrosio

Held position
- Ricciardo

Lost places
-1 Hamilton,
-2 Vettel, Di Resta, Chandhok
-7 Barrichello
-8 Button, Sutil ##

-15 Webber,
-16 Maldonado
- 20 Perez ###

* Schumacher had one bad start in Australia, losing 8 places but since then gained 16 places in five races. But he lost four places in Monaco

** Kobayashi lost 10 places in Spain, prior to that he had gained 8 in 4 starts. In Germany he gained four places and three more in Hungary

*** After losing places in the first three races, Alonso has reversed that trend.

**** Petrov had a good record until he lost 4 places at the start in Valencia

***** Rosberg lost four places at the start in Silverstone.

****** Heidfeld had gained 20 places but lost 12 at the start in Germany

******* Di Resta had consistent start form and gained 7 places in the first nine races, but lost 12 at the start in Germany.

# Buemi made up nine places at the start in Hungary having started 23rd on the grid

## Sutil had a positive start balance until Hungary where he lost 12 places at the start

### Perez lost nine places off the start in Hungary.

http://www.jamesallenonf1.com/2011/08/insight-how-f1-team-strategists-approach-the-belgian-grand-prix/


Sebastian Vettel flies through Eau Rouge during free practice 2, Belgian Grand Prix, Spa Francorchamps, August 27, 2010

Peace, Puffs, & Watching F1 cars take Eau Rouge Flat Out.....

RMS

 

[Big Eggy]

Nice RMS think I might have that next to me on sat/sun .. Does make me wonder how they hide all that fuel? Any one know if the FIA are going ahead with the ban on DRS for this race? Herd rumors on the Beeb.