An amazing shock: pole for Williams!
Sutil and Buemi have five-place grid penalties after Korea. It's wet, but cars are in full-dry specs because the weather tomorrow for the race is expected to be good. This is not a good situation for the drivers. With a limited number of intermediate tyres, they had to be especially careful.
With rain expected early, everyone was queuing up at the start of Q1 to get out. Buemi, who was fast in practice three, was at the front. All 24 cars went out, giving a similar feeling to Monaco. Times continually improved as the track dried out. It was Sutil who went out with the usual six, and no rain came until just after the session. Alonso, meanwhile, was the first man under 1:19 seconds, with Button faster than Hamilton. Timo Glock had a good session, outqualifying both Lotus drivers. Poor old last-placed Bruno Senna didn't make it back to the pits, and had to walk. Not good for his first Brazilian Grand Prix.
Q2, and the track was drying. It was close for Button and Massa, but in the end the Ferrari just managed to push the McLaren out with tyres failing. Alguersuari outqualified Buemi for the fourth race in a row, but Liuzzi had a slow one. However, both Renaults, Williams, Ferraris and Red Bulls got through, as well as Lewis Hamilton and Michael Schumacher.
Finally it was Q3. Half-way through the session, it was all in for soft tyres as the intermediates struggled. It was touch and go, with all the drivers struggling for grip especially on the final sector. But it was Nico Hulkenberg who surprised everyone, with his last two laps both good enough for pole position. Williams get their first pole of the season, over a second faster than the field! Even more amazing, Hulkenberg is only a rookie.
Vettel was only second, with Webber, Hamilton, Alonso, Barrichello, Kubica, Schumacher, Massa and Petrov.
06/11/2010
Formula 1 Championship part one
Alonso is the only one who can win the championship in Brazil. Button is the only one whose hopes hang by a fraying thread.
If Button finishes below second in this race, he is definitely out of the running. If he finishes second and Alonso gets any points at all, or Webber gets a win, he is out. If he wins and Alonso gets more than 7 points in this race then he is out.
Under the old points system, this championship would be closer. Under a 'medals' system, which is effectively what is used when points are equal, Button would already be out.
He might think he's still got a chance, but under the current system and after a bad performance in wet conditions that he is supposed to prefer in Yeongam, I can't see it.
Everyone else should be able to continue to challenge for the title in Abu Dhabi next weekend, so long as Webber doesn't finish too low:
A win for Alonso gets him 256 points. If Webber comes second he will have 238, which is one second place off Alonso's total. If he comes third he will have 235, or fourth would give 232, which means he'd need to win the next race and have Alonso do very badly indeed. A fifth place with Alonso winning puts Webber out of the running, and even if Hamilton comes second he will be too far off Alonso to challenge.
If Alonso comes second, he will have 249 points, and it gets more complicated as Hamilton's result will affect whether he can win the championship as well as Webber's. In this situation, a win for Vettel keeps him in the running.
Realistically, Vettel has a good chance of winning both races. Red Bull lock out the front row in most of them. However, the Red Bulls have been plagued with problems, with five race retirements to Ferrari's two. The only other team with less are Mercedes.
Outside the top five, what else is going on? Williams and Force India are three points apart in the constructors championship, on 65 and 68 respectively, and the only teams who can really challenge each other. Although Force India had a better start to the season, Williams have been catching up. Apart from that, if we have a horrible race for crashing out then the new teams are still fighting for places and that elusive point.
If Button finishes below second in this race, he is definitely out of the running. If he finishes second and Alonso gets any points at all, or Webber gets a win, he is out. If he wins and Alonso gets more than 7 points in this race then he is out.
Under the old points system, this championship would be closer. Under a 'medals' system, which is effectively what is used when points are equal, Button would already be out.
He might think he's still got a chance, but under the current system and after a bad performance in wet conditions that he is supposed to prefer in Yeongam, I can't see it.
Everyone else should be able to continue to challenge for the title in Abu Dhabi next weekend, so long as Webber doesn't finish too low:
A win for Alonso gets him 256 points. If Webber comes second he will have 238, which is one second place off Alonso's total. If he comes third he will have 235, or fourth would give 232, which means he'd need to win the next race and have Alonso do very badly indeed. A fifth place with Alonso winning puts Webber out of the running, and even if Hamilton comes second he will be too far off Alonso to challenge.
If Alonso comes second, he will have 249 points, and it gets more complicated as Hamilton's result will affect whether he can win the championship as well as Webber's. In this situation, a win for Vettel keeps him in the running.
Realistically, Vettel has a good chance of winning both races. Red Bull lock out the front row in most of them. However, the Red Bulls have been plagued with problems, with five race retirements to Ferrari's two. The only other team with less are Mercedes.
Outside the top five, what else is going on? Williams and Force India are three points apart in the constructors championship, on 65 and 68 respectively, and the only teams who can really challenge each other. Although Force India had a better start to the season, Williams have been catching up. Apart from that, if we have a horrible race for crashing out then the new teams are still fighting for places and that elusive point.
05/11/2010
Formula 1 Race Eighteen: Preview
One driver change for Brazil. Christian Klien is in again for Hispania, replacing Sakon Yamamoto. I guess Hispania aren't trying to show off Senna, then, because Klien's experience in Formula One means he will probably qualify higher. Senna has almost always outqualified Yamamoto, although he did less well against Chandhok.
With only two hours difference to the UK with Brazil on summer time, it was good for me watching the race. No middle-of-the-night sessions with the TV! The exit of the pit lane here is long, and follows the Senna S at the start of the track before the lanes merge.
The first practice session went well for the most part. The only real incidents were at the end, with Petrov and Kobayashi, who had a puncture, coming off the track. Alonso's engine ran out of life, and he pulled off the track right at the end.
Mercedes were running a new diffuser – a single channel, rather than the loophole-permitted double design that will be outlawed next year.
In the second session, Alonso had a new engine. The Ferraris have no unused spares from their eight permitted, unlike both Renaults, Barrichello and the Hispanias. Good news there for Cosworth's reliability.
Massa had the only incident, with initial reports from Ferrari suggesting it was a hydraulics problem. Unfortunately, it was just after switching to the softer 'option' tyres. Despite this he still set the fifth-fastest time.
With the shortness of the track, the atmosphere matched Monaco by the end of the session, with all 23 remaining drivers fighting for clear air as they loaded up on fuel to see their race pace. Grip seemed to be going off the tyres much faster here than on most tracks in 2010, although it's still a 'green' circuit, so we could see more pit stops in the race depending on how much it rubbers in.
Vettel was fastest in both sessions from Webber. After a slow first session, Alonso was third-fastest in the second. Both McLarens did reasonably well. Interestingly, Senna beat Klien's time in the second session. Maybe Hispania are going to be able to show Senna's skill after all.
A prediction from the BBC is that Lewis Hamilton will win. His first race at Interlagos, in 2007, he came seventh. In 2008 he came fifth, and in 2009 he came third. Should this coincidental run of finishes continue, Hamilton will win. Then again, where will he come in 2011? -1 is not a viable position!
Post to come later today about the championship competition. Visit F11, my Formula One blog for 2011 and beyond, for news on next season.
With only two hours difference to the UK with Brazil on summer time, it was good for me watching the race. No middle-of-the-night sessions with the TV! The exit of the pit lane here is long, and follows the Senna S at the start of the track before the lanes merge.
The first practice session went well for the most part. The only real incidents were at the end, with Petrov and Kobayashi, who had a puncture, coming off the track. Alonso's engine ran out of life, and he pulled off the track right at the end.
Mercedes were running a new diffuser – a single channel, rather than the loophole-permitted double design that will be outlawed next year.
In the second session, Alonso had a new engine. The Ferraris have no unused spares from their eight permitted, unlike both Renaults, Barrichello and the Hispanias. Good news there for Cosworth's reliability.
Massa had the only incident, with initial reports from Ferrari suggesting it was a hydraulics problem. Unfortunately, it was just after switching to the softer 'option' tyres. Despite this he still set the fifth-fastest time.
With the shortness of the track, the atmosphere matched Monaco by the end of the session, with all 23 remaining drivers fighting for clear air as they loaded up on fuel to see their race pace. Grip seemed to be going off the tyres much faster here than on most tracks in 2010, although it's still a 'green' circuit, so we could see more pit stops in the race depending on how much it rubbers in.
Vettel was fastest in both sessions from Webber. After a slow first session, Alonso was third-fastest in the second. Both McLarens did reasonably well. Interestingly, Senna beat Klien's time in the second session. Maybe Hispania are going to be able to show Senna's skill after all.
A prediction from the BBC is that Lewis Hamilton will win. His first race at Interlagos, in 2007, he came seventh. In 2008 he came fifth, and in 2009 he came third. Should this coincidental run of finishes continue, Hamilton will win. Then again, where will he come in 2011? -1 is not a viable position!
Post to come later today about the championship competition. Visit F11, my Formula One blog for 2011 and beyond, for news on next season.
31/10/2010
Happy Birthday to... 31/10/10
Bernie Ecclestone was 80 this week. But today an F1 driver has his birthday. Toro Rosso's Sebastien Buemi is twenty-two. Welcome to the 22 club, Sebastien.
Out of the two Toro Rosso drivers, Buemi is the eldest. Jaime Alguersuari by comparison is a mere whippersnapper at 20 years old. Buemi started off with a better 2010 season, outqualifying his teammate most of the time (race 4 in China was the only one of the first 10 races where Alguersuari qualified better). Although Alguersuari was first to get points, Buemi has gained more over the season, and is a steady sixteenth in the championship.
Best finish so far: 8th (Canada) [Alguersuari: 9th (Malaysia)]
Worst finish: 24th (Germany) [Alguersuari: 24th (Hungary)]
Retirements: 5 [Alguersuari: 2]
Points: 8 [Alguersuari: 3]
Position: 16th [Alguersuari: 19th]
Unfortunately for the Swiss, his last race didn't go so well. He's got a demotion of five places in Brazil for colliding with Timo Glock, although he did apologise. Buemi will definitely be racing alongside Alguersuari with Toro Rosso next year. Looking forward to it!
Out of the two Toro Rosso drivers, Buemi is the eldest. Jaime Alguersuari by comparison is a mere whippersnapper at 20 years old. Buemi started off with a better 2010 season, outqualifying his teammate most of the time (race 4 in China was the only one of the first 10 races where Alguersuari qualified better). Although Alguersuari was first to get points, Buemi has gained more over the season, and is a steady sixteenth in the championship.
Best finish so far: 8th (Canada) [Alguersuari: 9th (Malaysia)]
Worst finish: 24th (Germany) [Alguersuari: 24th (Hungary)]
Retirements: 5 [Alguersuari: 2]
Points: 8 [Alguersuari: 3]
Position: 16th [Alguersuari: 19th]
Unfortunately for the Swiss, his last race didn't go so well. He's got a demotion of five places in Brazil for colliding with Timo Glock, although he did apologise. Buemi will definitely be racing alongside Alguersuari with Toro Rosso next year. Looking forward to it!
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