Why Fernando Alonso is Still the Best Driver on the F1 Grid

It is fair to say that Fernando Alonso is currently experiencing his worst run in Formula 1 since re-joining McLaren in 2015. When I say worst run, I am talking purely in results form not his own personal performance. At the Spanish GP, Alonso pulled out the best qualifying performance seen by anybody in a long time, getting his McLaren-Honda into Q3. Even more amazingly, he ended up starting in 7^th. Although the race pace was still not there for Alonso, his performance in qualifying showed just how good the double World Champion still is.

It has not just been this race weekend that has showed his unquestioned talent, he has shown this dating back to the end of his Ferrari career, when that car was not as good as it should have been. Even during his second stint at Renault between 2008 and 2009, where the car was not on the same level as McLaren and Ferrari, he still managed to score two victories. 

When Alonso debuted with Minardi in 2001, everyone could see how special a driver he was. Though not scoring any points that year, he was constantly quicker than team mates Tarso Marques, and then Alex Yoong, recording a best finish of 10^th at the German GP. Getting more out of his car than people would have expected saw the Renault team sign him up for 2002 as a test driver, before promoting him to a race seat for 2003. Though the team were on the up, they were no match for the power of McLaren, Ferrari and Williams. This did not stop Alonso becoming the youngest driver to score a pole position at the Malaysian GP. He then became the youngest driver to win a race the following year at the Hungarian GP, again in a car that was improving along with its star driver. This progression was complete with his two World Championships in 2005 and 2006. A third title should have followed at McLaren, unfortunately, inter-team politics and a bad attitude cost Alonso and the team that year.

That was the last year that Alonso had a genuine front running car. Two backwards years at Renault saw him more to Ferrari in 2010, which should have been a match made in heaven, with multiple titles for the Spaniard. 2010 should have been the first had it not been for Red Bull’s Vettel storming through at the end of the season. After that, the Alonso that we see now was born, the man that could get more out of a car than anybody else. The 2012 Ferrari was not a title fighter by any stretch of the imagination, yet Alonso not only won races in that car, but kept the title fight going to the final race of the year. As at McLaren previously, the relationship between team and driver went sour, and Alonso re-joined McLaren, who had teamed up with once again with Honda.

This current spell that Alonso is going through with McLaren-Honda however, is the one that is showing that he is the best on the current grid. Yes, you have Lewis Hamilton and Sebastian Vettel who are battling at the front and providing some fantastic racing for the fans. Their talent is undeniable, but neither driver has performed in Formula 1 quite like Alonso. In a poor car, he still manages to score points and put himself in positions that other drivers would not be able too. What proves he is the best however is that, this season, despite having the second slowest car, he is still averaging 12^th on the grid, an achievement that nobody else on that grid would be able to achieve in that car. The upcoming Indy 500 race that he will contest, will provide further proof if needed that Fernando Alonso is not only the best in F1, but one of the best in the world right now.    

Australian GP 2016

Ferrari Ruin Vettel's Chances of Victory

The 2016 Formula 1 season kicked off at the traditional curtain raiser in Australia, and saw Nico Rosberg continue where he left off in 2015 securing his fourth consecutive win. Team mate Lewis Hamilton finished in 2nd with Ferrari's Sebastian Vettel finishing 3^rd. But how different the story could have been… After the farce that was qualifying on Saturday, the race certainly made up for it as there was action throughout up and down the grid. From the lights going out there was action. The Mercedes pair were sluggish off the line, which allowed Vettel, who made a superb start, to breeze past them like they were not there. His team mate, Kimi Raikkonen also got past both silver arrows. By turn three, Rosberg was 3rd and Hamilton was 6th, behind the Williams of Felipe Massa. Max Verstappen and Carlos Sainz occupied 4th and 5th as the race settled down. Hamilton made ground but struggled against the two stubborn Toro Rosso drivers who held their own brilliantly. Vettel was comfortable out front, until a turning point in the race occurred on lap 17. At turn 3, Esteban Gutierrez moved slightly left on Fernando Alonso, which saw the double World Champion plough into the back of the Haas driver, which caused the car to flip and fly through the air. The car was a total wreck but Alonso got out and thankfully walked away unharmed. The incident was so huge the red flag had to be brought out and the race was suspended while the marshals cleaned up the track. Just prior to this accident, pit stops were being made, or just about to be made. Hamilton switched to the medium tyre, whereas most others stayed on the super-softs or the softs. During the red flag, teams are allowed to work on the car, change tyres, whatever they please. Many teams decided to change to the medium tyre here, which would allow them to go to the end of the race. Ferrari opted not to put Vettel on these tyres, instead keeping him on the super-softs. When the race restarted, it was clear almost immediately that the two Mercedes would have the advantage. Rosberg would keep pace with Vettel whilst Hamilton, once in clear air, would hunt down his team mate. Vettel pitted and came out behind the Mercedes pair but was left with too much to do and could only finish third. What started out as a fantastic race ended in disappointment for the German. Had they mirrored the Mercedes pair, I am positive that Vettel would have went on to win comfortably.  

Behind all of this, home favourite Daniel Ricciardo finished a brilliant 4th for Red Bull with Felipe Massa finishing 5th. Story of the day though was Romain Grosjean scoring points on the Haas team's debut with a brilliant drive to 6th. He held off Nico Hulkenberg's Force India and Williams' Valtteri Bottas, who finished 7th and 8th, ahead of the Toro Rosso pair of Carlos Sainz and Max Verstappen who were 9th and 10th. Jolyon Palmer had a solid debut for Renault on their return as a constructor to finish 11th, with team mate Kevin Magnusson behind him in 12th. Sergio Perez, Jenson Button, Felipe Nasr and Pascal Wehrlein rounded off the classified drivers.

Toys Out of the Pram at Toro Rosso

Toro Rosso were considered dark horses coming into the Australian GP after having an impressive pre-season in Barcelona. This pace was seen throughout the weekend, despite the team running a 2015 Ferrari spec engine. Verstappen qualified 5th with Sainz 7th, showing how impressive that new car really is. From the off, both drivers showed their talent and the potential of the car with Verstappen running 4th and Sainz keeping Hamilton behind him for a long period of time. After the red flag, both drivers found themselves outside the points due to pitting before the flag came out. The result of this was toys out of the pram from Verstappen. Verstappen was stuck behind his team mate and behind Palmers Renault, which angered the young Dutchman. Sainz's inability to move saw Verstappen use some colourful language over the radio to vent his anger. For me this was unnecessary and showed Verstappen's inexperience. We saw last season how good Verstappen was with regards to overtaking and he showed have applied this during the race. I believe this is an area that the team need to work on with Max to help his development so this incident is not repeated, although I can see repeated incidents occurring in the future.        

Haas with a Cracking Debut

It was a debut to remember for the new Haas F1 team as Romain Grosjean scored a brilliant 6th place. His team mate Esteban Gutierrez was not as fortunate as his tangle with Alonso saw him retire, but Grosjean stood out with his points finish. During testing the team looked like it had a decent outfit but technical issues were scuppering them. Qualifying did not look promising either, as both drivers qualified way back in 19th and 20th. However Grosjean showed exactly why he was brought in by Gene Haas as he put in a confident drive to score points on the team’s debut. He was maybe helped by the red flag in which he chose to put on the medium tyres and went until the end. Grosjean took everything in his stride and showed just how good of a driver he is. Haas's result was the best by a new constructor since Brawn in 2009 and the best by a brand new team since Toyota in 2002.

Qualifying Shambles

Formula 1's new elimination style qualifying system was nothing more than a total failure. It was an intriguing concept and one that seemed would work on paper, but when put into practise, it was an absolute shambles. The teams gave off the impression that they didn't understand how the system worked, with a lot of drivers not even having enough time to complete a lap when on the brink of elimination. The cameras would also only focus on the driver that was on the brink of elimination, so the fans were deprived of seeing stunning laps from Lewis Hamilton and Sebastian Vettel. What was also frustrating for the fans, was the lack of graphics indicating the time left before elimination occurred, although this was rectified during the session. On top of this, we saw drivers exiting cars when the they still involved in the session, but were timed out due to errors by the teams. To top this shambolic start to the season, we had the top eight shoot out finish with four minutes or so remaining! Both Ferraris only ran once and then got their drivers out the car, not posing any more threat to the Mercedes pair, who ran twice and then left the car. Fans were left with no action for the final four minutes of qualifying, which is simply shocking. This new system was meant to shake up a Saturday, to add a bit of spice ready for Sunday. All it has given is an already dwindling audience yet another reason to dwindle. It produced nothing along the lines of excitement, and it was seemingly just like the grid fans and pundits would have predicted before the start of the weekend. Thankfully discussions took place before the race on Sunday and it seems the unanimous decision is that the teams will revert to the old system for Bahrain.     

Japanese GP 2015

Mercedes Bounce Back From Singapore Slump

Lewis Hamilton consolidated his lead at the top of the drivers' championship after a dominating drive saw him take victory at the Japanese GP. His closest challenger and team mate Nico Rosberg came home in 2^nd with Sebastian Vettel taking the final podium place. For Hamilton and Mercedes, it was back to business in Japan after the horror show of Singapore. A heavy crash in qualifying for Dani Kvyat prevented Hamilton from taking pole position from Romberg, but it didn't take Hamilton long to take the lead. A brilliant start from Hamilton allowed him to get alongside Rosberg into turn 1 and muscle his way into the lead. From then on, it was like a Sunday afternoon drive for Hamilton as he edges closer to a 3^rd World Championship. The result also saw Hamilton equal his hero Ayrton Senna's record of 41 grand prix victories. The joy was evident on Hamilton's face as he received his trophy in front of the thousands of Japanese fans.

Behind the Mercedes pair, the Ferrari pair also enjoyed another strong afternoon, even though they couldn't match the Mercedes for pace. Kimi Raikkonen beat fellow Finn Valtteri Bottas to 4th place, whilst Nico Hulkenberg came from 13th on the grid to finish a brilliant 6th. A stand out result, and possibly the most needed one, was the Lotus double points score with Romain Grosjean finishing 7th ahead of Pastor Maldonado. It was a difficult weekend for the team, whose equipment was late in arriving and were locked out of their hospitality unit all weekend. Things were so bad that Bernie Ecclestone stepped in to feed the team. Hopefully the Renault buy-out of the team will happen very soon. The Toro Rosso pair rounded off the points places, with Max Verstappen 9^th and Carlos Sainz 10^th after starting 17^th and colliding with the pit lane bollard. It was a torrid day for Red Bull, with Dani Kvyat starting from the pit lane after his huge crash in qualifying and finishing a lowly 13^th. Team mate Daniel Ricciardo finished 15^th after starting 7^th, but a collision with Felipe Massa as they went through turn 1 meant he had to pit for repairs.

Rosberg Not Tough Enough

For the second season running, Lewis Hamilton has proven how good he truly is. For the second season running, Nico Rosberg has shown how good he can be but, unfortunately for Rosberg, he is nowhere near Hamilton's level. The difference between Hamilton and Rosberg is that Hamilton is so much more consistent and willing to win at all costs. The aggression that he produced at turn 1 to get past Rosberg is the real difference between the two drivers. Had those roles been reversed, I don't believe Rosberg would have shown the same ruthlessness as Hamilton. Both have the same machinery, but only one has that win-at-all-costs attitude. Rosberg's conservatism has cost him many times this season, and it did so again at the Japanese GP. When Hamilton overtook Rosberg, Rosberg managed to slip to 4^th place behind Sebastian Vettel and Valtteri Bottas, and ultimately cost him any chance of catching and passing Hamilton. He did well to get past Bottas and eventually undercut Vettel at the pit stops, but after that there was nothing he could do to get near Hamilton, let alone pass him. We've seen over the years Hamilton's ability to get quick laps in when they are needed, but in Rosberg's case he hasn't been able to deliver in that respect. Rosberg's body language has a defeated look to it, and he will want this season to end so he can go away over the winter and look at ways to improve himself and come back in 2016 a better driver.

Alonso in New McLaren Outburst

It's fair to say, Fernando Alonso's return to McLaren hasn't went the way the Spaniard would have liked. 11 points scored all season, seriously down on power and reliability issues the length of my arm, you can understand why the double World Champion isn't a happy man. His latest outburst over the team radio at the Japanese GP, Honda's home grand prix, has left many wondering if Alonso will be in F1 at all next year, never mind at McLaren.

Alonso finished a lap down in 11th place after describing his team's performance during the race as very embarrassing. His damning verdict came early in the race whilst he was briefly running in the points, but was passed with ease by Carlos Sainz's Toro Rosso and Marcus Ericcson's Sauber. Both moves were in the DRS zone going into turn 1, with the Honda power unit showing how much power it was lacking. To make matters worse for Alonso and the team, Max Verstappen also overtook Alonso at the same point leading to Alonso calling his engine a GP2 engine. This latest outburst from Alonso did not go down well with Ron Dennis, the McLaren CEO, who came out and said he was unhappy with Alonso's remarks. Alonso is adamant that he will see out his contract with the team, which has another two years to go. However, I can see another early divorce for Alonso and McLaren if the team don't improve next year. If the team struggles in the final 5 races the way they have all season, it may happen even sooner. 

British GP 2015

"The Best Call of my Career"

He called it the best call of his career, viewers called it the best Grand Prix of the season, as Lewis Hamilton switched to intermediate tyres at just the right time to win an eventful British Grand Prix in front of 140,000 spectators. His teammate and closest championship challenger, Nico Rosberg, finished in second with Ferrari's Sebastian Vettel claiming the final podium place. The race was edge of your seat action from the moment the lights went out as both Mercedes lost out to both Williams by the first corner, with Felipe Massa leading and Valtteri Bottas up in 3rd. Behind the leading four, both Lotus' tangled with each other, as did both McLaren's, resulting in Jenson Button retiring from his home race, along with Pastor Maldonado. The accidents at turn two saw the safety car being deployed for four laps whilst the cars were cleared away.

At the restart, Hamilton didn't make things easier for himself as he out braked himself at the final chicane trying to overtake Massa, which allowed Bottas through into second place. A Williams 1-2 at Silverstone; what a sight to see! They weren't in that position by accident either, as they were matching the Mercedes for single lap pace throughout the first stint of the Grand Prix. At the restart, what was a weekend that started with so much promise for Toro Rosso and Max Verstappen ended abruptly, when the teenage sensation spun out almost immediately and retired from the race. Nico Hulkenberg once again showing what he was capable of, challenging both Ferrari's with his much-improved Force India.

For the first race in a while, it was the Mercedes strategists that had to really think how to get their men ahead of the two Williams'. Their answer was to pit Hamilton before Massa and get the undercut to get him ahead. It worked an absolute treat for Hamilton, as he put in some fantastic  laps, and as Massa pitted from the lead, Hamilton breezed past and was comfortably leading the race. This also saw Hamilton break Sir Jackie Stewart's  record of 17 consecutive races in the lead of a Grand Prix set way back in 1970. Rosberg was unable to get the jump of Bottas however, but the clouds were rolling in and it seemed to spark Rosberg's racing instincts. With rain starting to spit, Rosberg took both Williams and sought after team mate Hamilton. He got to within 1.5 seconds of him before Hamilton dived into the pits to switch to the intermediate tyres, a call that looked to destroy his hopes of winning a hat trick of British GPs. It proved to be, as Hamilton called it, the best call of his career as the heavens opened, and he was on the right tyre as everyone else struggled round to the pits. Hamilton saw the race out and stretched his championship lead over Rosberg to 17 points ahead of the next round in Hungary.

Conservative Williams Blow Chance of Victory

Personally for me, what stood out most during the British GP was Williams failure to convert their true pace into a race victory. Both cars got off to flying starts, even running 1-2 after the safety car period at the beginning. Massa was clearly holding Bottas up and should have been let through, or at least have a clean fight for the lead. Instead, both drivers were told not to race each other. As soon as that message came over, it was clear what was going to happen. Unfortunately, we've seen it a few times in the last year with Williams, none more so than Austria last year, where they had a car on pole position and couldn't do anything with it.

Okay, so Mercedes were the stronger car at that race, but at Silverstone, Williams genuinely looked like they could take the win, if they had played it right strategy-wise. If you are going to keep your faster car behind your slower one, at least pit the slower car to try and maintain position ahead of the Mercedes. The decision to leave Massa out more than a lap after Hamilton pitted also ruined their chances of taking a victory. The second they saw that Hamilton was pitting Massa should have been in the next lap to try and at least cover the Mercedes driver. I am not saying that Massa would have came out in the lead, but maybe he would have been closer to Hamilton and been able to fight. Ultimately, the decision to keep Bottas behind Massa when he was so much quicker is what cost Williams the race. If Bottas was leading that race, I believe with the pace he showed behind Massa, he would have been able to pull out a bigger gap and would have been able to have a better advantage with regards to strategy and have a great chance of winning. Williams need to find a more ruthless approach to these situations if they find themselves in a winning position again at any point this season.

Alonso Scores as McLaren branded "Arrogant"

Fernando Alonso scored his first point of the season with a 10th place finish at McLaren's home race, but it was another tough weekend for the team where they were knocked out in Q1, and lost Jenson Button at the second corner. Over the weekend though, the team were branded arrogant by former team boss and BBC pundit Eddie Jordan. Jordan said the top management were too quick to blame Honda for their problems this season, and need to have a look at themselves. He also said that things needed to change at the team if they are to move forward again, especially the higher management. Jordan believes that McLaren are putting too much emphasis of the lack of power from their Honda unit and not enough on their underperforming chassis. This lead to Ron Dennis calling Jordan a "village idiot". Dennis also admitted how painful this season has been for him and how he wants to turn everything around. Eric Boullier has also came out and said this season has been damaging for the McLaren brand. More importantly I think is the damage and pain it is causing its loyal fans across the globe. McLaren should not be qualifying 17th and 18th at their home grand prix and celebrating a solitary point. As a fan it is painful to see them in this sorry state and something has to change drastically for next season. The team keep saying that it is a long-term project, but their two drivers surely can't wait too long for some form of success to come along. Focus should be moved to next season and discussions with Honda on how they can improve their fortunes.

Austrian GP 2015

Rosberg is King of the Ring

Nico Rosberg cut team mate Lewis Hamilton's lead in the World Championship to just 10 points after a brilliant drive to win the Austrian Grand Prix. Felipe Massa followed the two Mercedes home in 3^rd, with Sebastian Vettel finishing 4th after a pit stop error cost him another podium. Valteri Bottas came home 5th with a superb Nico Hulkenberg finishing 6th. The stand out performance of the race was Rosberg's calm assured drive, which made for fantastic viewing. Like many races this season, the Austrian GP didn't produce the most eye catching of races, but there seemed to be something happening all the time to keep the interest there. I personally enjoyed watching the race, especially seeing Rosberg show his true talent and skill. He had been quick all weekend and only an error in qualifying stopped him from lining up on pole position. Instead it was Hamilton who took yet another pole, trying to score his first win in Austria. Rosberg knew he had to attack Hamilton from the off and that's exactly what he did, pulling off a brilliant move into the first corner. What also stood out about Rosberg's drive was the fact he beat Hamilton on sheer speed and skill, something that doesn't happen very often. His last victory in Monaco was gifted on a plate, but this was a lot different. All weekend Rosberg seemed to have an edge over Hamilton, which he needs to do on a consistent basis if he is to challenge Hamilton for the title. Even the tone in his voice near the end of the race whilst talking to the team was that of a man who wants to be World Champion. He will have to try and maintain some form of momentum, especially with the British Grand Prix coming up next.

Interest was also grabbed further back after the scrapping Mercedes, as Kimi Raikkonen and Fernando Alonso had a very dangerous accident where Raikkonen got on the power too quickly and his Ferrari stepped out. This saw Alonso collide with the Finn and end up mounting the Ferrari right in front on the cockpit. Thankfully both Alonso and Raikkonen walked away from the incident with zero injuries. This incident re-ignited the debate over closed cockpits for the drivers. This isn't the first time Alonso has been involved in a collision like this. In Belgium in 2012, Romain Grosjean ended up flying across Alonso's cockpit and earned himself a race ban. I still don't see the need for closed cockpits as the F.I.A are constantly looking at and reviewing driver safety, and it is a rare occasion a collision of this nature occurs.

Miserable Weekend's for McLaren and Red Bull

The Red Bull Ring, as it is now known, didn't bring its home team any change of fortune, as Red Bull only scored one point at its home event. Grid penalties had hampered the team before the race even started, making things even more difficult for the Austrian outfit. With the team having a poor season so far and talk of them pulling out the sport, the Austrian GP was meant to be something to make the home crowd cheer about. The complete opposite happened and will have left many people wondering; how long will Red Bull remain in F1?

McLaren didn't fare much better, as Jenson Button had to retire from the race with car troubles, this after Alonso's big accident. McLaren were treating the race like another testing session, as both drivers had combined 25 place grid penalties for gearbox and power unit changes. It was going to be a tough race to start with as the circuit put a lot of focus on the power units. So to bring new parts to the race to see how they would cope was a no-brainer for the team.

The massive down point for McLaren with this idea was that all of the new parts went on Alonso's car, who didn't make it to turn 3. All in all it was a woeful weekend for the team, with sights now firmly set on the British Grand Prix.

How Much Longer Can Hulkenberg Be Ignored?

Following his superb victory at the Le Man 24hour the week before, Nico Hulkenberg once again reminded motor racing fans everywhere of just how good he is. He outperformed his Force India again to start in a brilliant 5th place in Austria, and managed to fit with the Williams of Valtteri Bottas all through the race to come home 6th. What the race in Le Man and Austria did was remind fans of the huge potential that has been clear since he came into Formula 1 in 2010 with Williams. Since then, Hulkenberg has been restricted to mid field teams such as Sauber and two spells with Force India. Each of his seasons in F1 he has outperformed his team mate and more impressively, his car. Think back to his Sauber days in 2013 in Korea, where he held off Fernando Alonso's Ferrari and finished a superb 4th place.

It would have appeared his chance at a top team has been and gone in the sense that he was overlooked for Lotus and Ferrari last year, and went back to Force India. I hope he doesn't become one of the many drivers throughout the years that doesn't live up to his full potential. What Le Man has done for Hulkenberg, however is put him firmly back in the shop window. He proved that if he is given the machinery, he will deliver; and that is something that has to appeal to the likes of Ferrari, who may be looking at alternatives to Raikkonen for next year. Kimi had another bad weekend in the Scuderia, qualifying way down in 18th before his accident after turn 2. There has been talk of Valtteri Bottas taking over Raikkonen but, I wouldn't discount Hulkenberg from this equation. 

Canadian GP 2015

Mercedes Power a Different Class

The Canadian GP is a race that usually produces action and excitement from lights out to chequered flag. This was extinguished at this year's event thanks to the dominance of Mercedes’ power. Lewis Hamilton claimed his 4th victory of the season and with it, put the disappointment of Monaco behind him to pull out a 17 point lead over team mate Nico Rosberg in the championship. Rosberg finished second with Valtteri Bottas coming home 3rd. The race was a dull affair with the only notable incidents being Sebastian Vettel charging through the field along with Felipe Massa, both of whom were out of position thanks to technical problems in qualifying. Both drivers put in some brilliant overtakes to battle through the field and came home 5th (Vettel) and 6th (Massa). Had both of them started in positions that reflected the machinery they were in, it could have made better viewing for the fans.

What the race did was highlight what is wrong with the current state of F1. When 9 of the 10 points places are filled with Mercedes powered cars, it is clear that something needs to change and quickly. On the one hand, you cannot help but admire the work that Mercedes have put into the V6 turbo engine to make it the dominant force that is. People can argue that the characteristics of the Montréal played into Mercedes hands with the longer straights that put an emphasis on the power unit. Renault, Ferrari and Honda were never going to get near any Mercedes power during the whole weekend, no matter what they did. This is the problem though; there isn't really anything that they can do with the restrictions on engine development. Mercedes’ advantage is so vast, the current token system that is in place doesn't help anyone. To try and level the playing field somewhat, teams should be able to develop their power units without restriction. This could in turn bring the pack a bit closer and give us some more exciting and closer racing. In Monaco, Red Bull were so much closer to the front, because it was a circuit that focuses more on the chassis, not the power unit. Montréal showed the gap in power between the Mercedes teams and the non-Mercedes teams, and it is worrying. Something has to be done, and done quickly before F1's dwindling audience dwindles even further.

Williams Bounce Back From Poor Monaco Showing

A notable point throughout the race weekend was Williams' return to the head of the grid to challenge Ferrari and put some pressure on Mercedes. In Monaco, the team were absolutely nowhere and didn't score a single point. Fast forward two weeks, and the team are back at the head of the grid. Valtteri Bottas showed what a talent he is and continued his impressive record in Canada with another podium finish - his and the teams first of the season. Felipe Massa showed the cars pace after coming through the field to finish an impressive 6th. The performance in Canada was in stark contrast to that of Monaco two weeks earlier, where the team looked very off colour. There is an argument that Williams’ poor performance in Monaco was down to the nature of the Monaco circuit, and showed the Williams chassis' flaws, something Rob Smedley has denied. The team has been accused of lacking in the development area, and this could have possibly been the reason for the performance issues in Monaco. The Canadian GP played into Williams hands with their Mercedes power, and it will be the same in Austria. Hopefully the team can push on from Canada and develop the car so they don't repeat their Monaco nightmare, and compete at the head of the grid.

McLaren Amateurs

The only thing that was surprising to me about Fernando Alonso's radio message in Canada, branding his team "amateurs", was how long it has taken the fiery Spaniard to vent his frustrations. McLaren have reignited their legendary partnership with Honda for 2015, but it has got off to a very slow start, with Jenson Button picking up the teams only points in Monaco. Canada brought McLaren back down to earth with a harsh bump, as the teams' lack of power was clear for everyone to see. The team were not challenging anybody in the race, and saw cars drive straight past them down the back straight. This has all been taken in Alonso's and Button’s strides, with both drivers constantly saying how happy they are with the progress of the team race by race. This cannot be taken away from the team, who have definitely improved race by race, but Canada really showed how far off they are from the points, let alone a podium challenge. So when Alonso was told to save fuel by his team, this seemed to push him too far. He vented his anger over the radio to the team saying that he just wants to race and wouldn't save fuel. You can see where he is coming from though, he is a natural born racer and not being able to do something that comes naturally to him must be infuriating. To add insult to injury for Alonso, both he and Button retired from the race thanks to reliability issues. Alonso was quick to play down his comments after the race, but it is clear that he is becoming frustrated with the team’s performance. Despite this, he still believes that he is in the right environment to deliver his illusive 3rd World Championship. 

Chinese GP 2015

Mercedes too strong for Ferrari.

The status quo in Formula 1 was restored at the Chinese GP over the weekend as Lewis Hamilton chalked up his 2nd win of 2015, and the 35th of his career. The Mercedes looked impressive again all weekend and really turned the style on in qualifying to easily lock out the front row. Behind them was the winner of the Malaysian GP two weeks ago, Sebastian Vettel and Felipe Massa. Kimi Raikkonen and Valteri Bottas completed the top six. The opening two stints of the race made fascinating viewing for everyone as, once again, Ferrari really kept Mercedes honest throughout; even threatening to undercut Nico Rosberg in 2nd place. Vettel looked like the driver we've witnessed win four World Championships again, with his race craft and pace looking tremendous. With every stint during the race he was able to see both Mercedes cars on the track and got to within 1.5 seconds of Nico Rosberg at one point. Unfortunately for Ferrari, the Mercedes were a different animal on the prime tyres and were able to pull out a gap during the final stint, much to Mercedes’ relief. The better chassis and amount of down force created by the car would have aided the Mercedes to fend off the fighting Ferraris. If Ferrari can keep developing their car and have ambitions of winning the World Championship this season, I think they can definitely achieve it. It is the strongest line up at the team that I can remember for a while now, especially as Kimi seems a lot happier with the car this season compared to previous. We can't forget that he was in amongst it during the race as well, coming up just behind Vettel. Mercedes will certainly be looking over their shoulders at Ferrari, and will be wanting to do something to extend their advantage over them.

 

Harmony (at least what was there anyway) seemed stretched at Mercedes yet again during the race. Rosberg seemed very frustrated that Hamilton was going "too slow", and this was backing him into the Ferraris. To add to this, running in the dirty turbulent air of Hamilton was causing Rosberg's tyres to go off quicker. The team even responded by giving Lewis the hurry up, which would have aggravated Lewis to no end. He responded thusly and drove away from Rosberg slightly. With Ferrari coming at Mercedes the way they are, the cold atmosphere between Hamilton and Rosberg which was also apparent last year may damage their charge. Ferrari seem in harmony again and that may give them a psychological advantage over their rivals, but only time will tell.

Wasted Talent

For anybody who has read previous entries, you will know I am a massive fan of Jenson Button, Fernando Alonso and McLaren. So to see this year's McLaren battling for 15th, 16th and so on makes for heart crushing viewing. The two drivers deserve so much more than this, and their talent is being wasted in a car that is so far off the pace, only the Manor team are behind them on the grid. Both drivers are now in the twilight of their careers and will not just be wanting to be in F1 to make the numbers up; what is the point? Alonso is a double World Champion and should have won more by now. Button won his World title in 2009 and has been a different driver ever since, showing time and time again that he is a safe set of hands behind the wheel and will get you race victories. Having said this, the team do seem to be going forward, just not at the pace they would want. You can hear the misfires in the slow corners and see the power deficit on the straights, even against the Renault powered teams. Alonso still harbours dreams of another World Championship, but will he get this at McLaren Honda? The way they are going I don't think he will, but I am hopeful (as always) to be proven wrong on this one.

Max Verstappen  Shows His Class Again

If Jenson Button and Fernando Alonso are in the twilight of their careers, Max Verstappen is on the other end of the spectrum.  It is hard to think that he has only competed in 3 GPs in his career because he drives like a man who has 3 years under his belt. The phrase old head on young shoulders certainly springs to mind, especially considering that he is only 17 years old. Watching him you can clearly see how massively talented he is. Some of the overtaking he did during the race was outstanding, especially at the hairpin on Marcus Ericson, which had me on the edge of my seat. He seems to have that type of self-belief that you saw in Michael Schumacher and Ayrton Senna during their early days, which isn't a bad sign at all for the young Dutchman. His bravery and speed certainly remind me of the likes of Alonso at Minardi and even Sebastian Vettel when he was driving for Toro Rosso.  Martin Brundle for me summed him up perfectly during the race, when he said that he will be driving a World Championship contending car by the time he is 20. If these early performances are anything to go by, he will break many records in F1. Give him the right machinery and I can only imagine what he would be capable of achieving. One thing is for sure, he won't be another Toro Rosso driver who doesn't go all the way in F1. 

The End of Many Eras

2013 won’t live long in the memory of F1 fans. It will effectively be known as the year of Sebastian Vettel and Red Bull. It hasn’t been the greatest season ever; bringing back memories of the dominance of Michael Schumacher in the early 2000s. Vettel has been in a different league to all other drivers, especially since the Belgian Grand Prix. Despite that, there have been a lot of positives from the season. For me however, the end of the 2013 season brings up a lot of emotion. We have long lasting driver/team partnerships end as drivers move on to pastures new, relationships ending before they even really got going and of course, the V8 era is over.

Long Relationships End

The final race in Brazil saw Mark Webber compete in his last F1 race. What a performance it was from Webber too, as he stormed to a brilliant second place. How different it could have been for Mark, not just in this race but it his whole career. He had his usual sluggish start, but came back at both Mercedes and Fernando Alonso's Ferrari. A possible win was there for Webber as well, had he not have to queue behind Sebastian Vettel. The fear of a safety car saw Vettel pit and, had Red Bull told Mark, he could have done an extra lap and surely come out in the lead. It would have been a fairytale ending for Webber but, as usual for him, it didn’t quite work out for the popular Australian. He can be proud of his career for Red Bull, and the fact that in his final race he was still challenging at the sharp end of the grid would give him great satisfaction. I really hope he has a successful career for Porsche because he deserves it. I've said before he deserved better treatment from Red Bull; he was just unfortunate that their blue eyed boy happened to be his team mate. 

An eight year relationship has also ended with Felipe Massa signing off his Ferrari career with a 7^th place finish at his home event. It could have been a fairytale ending for Massa as well had it not been for a soft drive through penalty. Has was driving a solid race in fourth when he was given a penalty for crossing the white line at pit entry. Personally, I think it was a ridiculous penalty. We see race after race, driver after driver, not respecting the track limits and gaining an advantage in doing so, and nothing is ever done. So for Massa to cut the pit lane entry a bit further down than normal, and get a penalty, I thought was harsh; he couldn’t possibly have gotten an advantage. Yes, he was warned about it but still, I don’t see the advantage that he could have gained. I think what makes things worse, well for me anyway, was that Alonso was willing to move over and let Massa onto the podium. A nice gesture from Alonso after all Massa has done for him since 2010. I sincerely hope that Williams can produce a good car for 2014, and give Massa a chance to fight near the front again in F1. He will be a fantastic team leader and I wish him all the best.

Doomed From The Start?

When Sergio Perez was announced at McLaren last year, I found myself asking why? Surely there are better drivers on the grid? So when the news broke that he was to be replaced by Kevin Magnusson for 2014, I wasn’t really surprised. If you look at Perez’s F1 career with Sauber, yes it was impressive at times but overall, he didn’t look like a top team driver; at least not yet. I do believe that in a few seasons time, if he is able to stay in F1, he will be ready for a drive in a top team.

Unfortunately for Perez, his one season at McLaren may have cost him a top team drive in the future. In fairness to Perez however, this McLaren has been one of the worst I've seen, which hasn’t helped his cause. He out qualified Jensen Button 10-9 over the season as well, but when it comes to the race, Button has outperformed Perez, even though Button hasn’t been anywhere near his best this season. Ultimately I think Perez will still be in F1 next year, possibly back at Sauber or even Force India. The short marriage at McLaren may have made Perez a stronger driver, or it could have hit him harder than it appears.

R.I.P V8 Engines

The end of the 2013 season also saw the final race for the 2.4 V8 engines that have served F1 since 2006. Since the introduction of these engines, five different Driver’s World Champions have emerged from as many manufacturers. To add to that, five out of the seven Driver’s Championship battles have been decided at the final race of the season, including the incredible final races in Brazil in 2007 and 2008 where Kimi Raikkonen and Lewis Hamilton became champion. Let’s not forget in 2010 as well, where Sebastian Vettel began his F1 dominance by winning the title in the final round in Abu Dhabi. Seven manufactures have made engines during this eight year period (Renault, Ferrari, Mercedes, Honda, Cosworth, BMW, and Toyota) and three have dominated in this time span. Ferrari, Mercedes and Renault have won every single race since 2006 with the exclusion of just two. That is an incredible 145 wins of out 147. The two exclusions being the Hungarian GP in 2006 where Jenson Button’s BAR Honda won and the 2008 Canadian GP where Robert Kubica’s BMW Sauber took the top step. The dominance is set to continue in 2014 as these are the only engine manufactures participating next year, until Honda makes its return in 2015. The question is how will the 1.6 liter turbo engines for next year have an impact on the racing? There are many critics of the new engines, however there were many critics when the V10 engines where scrapped in 2005 and look how well the V8’s have done since their introduction. Only time will tell if these engines will be a hit as well. 

Michael Schumacher - F1 Villain

4 Races that tainted the career of Michal Schumacher.

In all sports, there are heroes and villains and Formula 1 is no exception. In this post I will be looking at one of the sports’ all time greats; Michael Schumacher. Schumacher holds nearly every record in Formula 1 and is considered by many as the greatest driver of all time. His illustrious career has been blighted by many controversies; run-ins with Hill and Villeneuve, the arrogance, the team orders and Monaco 2006 (the famous parking incident at La Rascasse) to name but a few, could give Schumacher the title of ultimate F1 villain.

His first major controversy came in 1994 at the final round in Adelaide Australia when Schumacher and Damon Hill were fighting for the title. Of the 16 races in 94, Hill and Schumacher had won 14 of them (Schumacher 8, Hill 6), leaving everyone else in their wake. The whole season came down to a straight fight between the two of them in Australia, with only a single point separating the two drivers. Many expected Schumacher to drive away from Hill, but the Brit was able to stick with Schumacher and put the German under massive pressure. For the first time in his short career, people could see Schumacher feeling the pressure and on lap 36, he seemingly cracked when he ran wide and hit the wall. Schumacher returned to the track very gingerly and Hill, like a shark smelling blood, went for a move down the inside at the next corner. Enter Michael Schumacher controversy number one. Schumacher turned into the corner and collected Hill’s car, leaving Schumacher in the barrier and Hill with damaged suspension. The argument of whether he meant it or not has rumbled on for 19 years now and it is my opinion that it was intentional. His mentality of winning at any cost took over Schumacher and when he saw Hill go up the inside, he panicked, turned into Hill and took the title with that one move. You could see Schumacher hanging round the corner where he retired with a look of anguish just waiting for Hill to come round. Ultimately Hill didn’t, and Schumacher rejoiced at his first world championship. His ruthlessness came out in all of its glory, leading to many people in the press slating Schumacher as an arrogant cheat. I don’t however, believe that Schumacher wanted to end the race in retirement; he wanted to give Hill a message but went too far.

If Australia 1994 was a debatable incident, then Jerez in 1997 was a lot easier to judge. The scene was very reminiscent of Australia 94, with Schumacher fighting a Williams in the final round for the title. Jacques Villeneuve had stormed on to the F1 scene in 1996 and almost took the title in his debut year. 1997 saw him locked in a battle with Schumacher's Ferrari which went down to the wire. The two drivers were separated by a single point. On lap 48 Schumacher chalked up another moment of controversy when he drove into the side of Villeneuve, but only managed to take himself out of the race. Various angles have shown the incident and it’s clearly evident that he meant to take Villeneuve out and go on to be champion. Villeneuve went on to collect 4 points and take the title. Schumacher was not penalised after the race by the race stewards. However, two weeks after the race, Schumacher became the only driver in the history of Formula 1 to be disqualified from the official classifications at the end of the season. The incident showed that Schumacher was willing to win at any cost and it backfired. Arguably, this win at all cost attitude is what gave him his seven titles, but at the cost of a tainted career.

We then come to May 12^th 2002; the day sporting integrity was thrown away by Ferrari. Team orders in F1 have always been controversial and were put directly under the spot light during the Austrian Grand Prix in 2002. Over the course of the weekend, Ferrari number 2 Rubens Barrichello had been quicker than Schumacher, even taking pole position. Barrichello had lead the majority of the race and with barely 100 metres to go was told by Ferrari to move over and let Schumacher through. At this point in the season, Schumacher already had a healthy lead over the Williams of Juan Pablo Montoya, so why did Ferrari feel the need to give Schumacher the win? Personally, I believe it was the amount of influence that Schumacher had in the Ferrari team. The whole of the team was moulded around Schumacher and the number two was seemingly always used as a rear gunner. This didn’t just go for Barrichello; Eddie Irvine received similar treatment during his time as Schumacher's team mate. With the structure of the team being built around Schumacher, did they fear that if they hadn’t ordered Barrichello to move over, Schumacher would have something to say? Ferrari argued that if Schumacher had lost the title by four points or less they would have looked foolish that it was Barrichello who prevented Schumacher from winning the title. I don’t think that this is a viable excuse that the team gave. Schumacher didn’t need the points at the time; it was Barrichello that needed them. There was outrage from drivers, teams and fans over the move with one title reading “Schumacher steals Austrian win”. Greeted with boos on the podium, Schumacher stepped aside and encouraged Barrichello to take the top step. He could see the disgust from the fans but ultimately, I feel it was his influence within Ferrari pushed them into the decision.

Monaco 2006 would see Schumacher be branded as an out-right cheat by many drivers, team bosses, ex world champions and the media. On his final flying lap in qualifying, Schumacher could see Renault’s Fernando Alonso was about to take pole position away from him. At the La Rascasse corner, Schumacher parked his Ferrari across the circuit, blocking any chance of Alonso taking pole. Alonso slowed down, handing pole position to Schumacher. Flavio Briatore, boss of defending champions Renault, fumed “It was unbelievable. This is Monaco, this is Ferrari, so nothing will be done. It’s a disgrace”*. Keke Rosberg went as far as to call Schumacher a “cheap cheat”*. Schumacher was seen moving the wheel right then left, nudged the barrier and climbed out. At this point Schumacher knew that this was to be his final season (only to return in 2010) and that he was the old lion now being chased by the young hungry cub Alonso. Alonso’s skill behind the wheel was now better than Schumacher's and Schumacher knew it. In Monaco, pole position is huge and Schumacher was so hungry for it that weekend. Schumacher’s win at all cost attitude got the better of him and ultimately tainted his unbelievable reputation in F1 even more.
 

*Taken from an article in the Daily Telegraph 28th May 2006