An Emotional Farewell

The 2016 Brazilian GP will live long in the memory of F1 fans for numerous reasons, whether it be for the many (and at times unnecessary delays), the high-profile crashes or the sensational wet weather skills of Max Verstappen. However, for myself at least, the race will be remembered for the outpouring of emotion shown by Felipe Massa and the Formula 1 community on his final appearance at the Interlagos circuit.  The toughest of people would have been forgiven for having a small tear in their eye at the sight of Massa in the wall at the entrance to the pit lane. It was not how the script was supposed to end. His incident caused the pit lane entrance to be closed, which allowed viewers around the world to witness just how much the Brazilian GP means to him, and what he means to the Brazilian people.

His long walk from his stricken Williams car to the garage saw him draped in the Brazilian flag, and fighting back the tears. What came next is something that I doubt will be seen again in Formula 1. Upon his arrival to the garages, what seemed to be the entire Mercedes and Ferrari teams came out to applaud Massa, with a guard of honour waiting for him at Williams. It was a stunning show of respect from the teams and shows just how much Massa will be in the paddock. 

He can look back at his career in F1 with pride and knowing just how much of an effect he had on the paddock and the fans in his home country. His two wins in Brazil in 2006 and 2008, the latter giving him the World Championship for all of 25 seconds were massive highlights in a distinguished career. The 2016 Brazilian GP shares one big similarity to that day in 2008 which was the way Massa handled himself. He could have moped about and sulked, but this is not who Felipe Massa is. He carries himself in a way a World Champion would: professionally and in a humble manner. He is a unique character in Formula 1, one that will be truly missed in 2017.

Canadian GP 2016

Rosberg's Gap Down to Nine as Hamilton Wins

Nico Rosberg has seen his championship lead cut to just nine points as Lewis Hamilton claimed victory at the Canadian GP in Montréal. Hamilton finished ahead of Sebastian Vettel and Williams' Valtteri Bottas. Max Verstappen bounced back from a disappointing Monaco showing to finish 4th ahead of championship leader Rosberg. Kimi Raikkonen's recent poor form continued as he finished in 6th. Daniel Ricciardo's scrappy race saw him finish 7th ahead of Nico Hulkenberg, Carlos Sainz and Sergio Perez.

Hamilton's victory was not as straight forward as he would have hoped as Vettel, who was on a different strategy to Hamilton, pushed him hard throughout. Vettel got off to a dream start as he came from 3rd to lead into the first corner. Behind Vettel, the two Mercedes had another coming together, although not as severe as the one in Spain. It did however see Rosberg having to run wide at turn 2 and drop to 10th. Rosberg was on a recovery drive from lap 1 and seemed to have the same tyre issues that cost him dearly in Monaco. He did not surge back through the pack like many would have expected. He did what he could and so easily could have finished 3rd. As he was chasing Bottas for the final podium place he peeled off into the pits after a slow puncture was discovered by the team. Rosberg recovered again and was hunting down Verstappen for 4th and made his move on the penultimate lap when he went up the inside of the young Dutchman at the final chicane. Unfortunately for Rosberg, he lost the back end of his Mercedes under braking and spun off into the run off area. He was fortunate not to hit anything and held off Raikkonen's challenge on the final lap to secure 5th but it could have been more for Rosberg.

After his scintillating start, Vettel led the opening stint of the race and was locked into a two-stop strategy after Ferrari opted to stop him under the virtual safety car that was caused by the retiring Jenson Button on lap 12. With Vettel pitting, Hamilton was able to use his one-stop strategy to his advantage. Vettel re-took the lead whilst Hamilton made his one and only stop but conceded the lead after making his second stop. Vettel looked as though he was pulling Hamilton in as the laps tumbled but, another uncharacteristic mistake by Vettel saw him run wide as the final chicane and all but gift Hamilton his 45th victory in Formula One.

The main talking point from the race was surely Rosberg's championship lead eroding so dramatically over the past two races. Three weeks ago, Rosberg looked to be in total control of the championship having won four of the first five races. By the time the European GP in Azerbaijan is complete in just 7 days, Hamilton could have toppled Rosberg for the championship lead. Rosberg needs a strong showing at the European GP but possibly more importantly, the team need to work out their start procedure. In Canada, we saw a carbon copy of Australia where the Mercedes pair where almost at a standstill as Vettel left them for dust. If Ferrari keep improving their engine performance at the rate they are now, and are able to jump the Mercedes at the start, Mercedes will have a real fight on their hands.

Who is Making the Ferrari Pit Calls?

Something does not seem right at Ferrari this season. After the Canadian GP, Ferrari team boss Maurizio Arrivabene said that the team overestimated the tyre degradation, naming this the reason that the team opted to pit Vettel under the virtual safety car.

I bring this up because this is not the first time this season that the Ferrari team have made a call on strategy which has resulted in them throwing away a victory. In Australia, the decision not to run the medium tyre due to their lack of knowledge handed victory to Nico Rosberg who ran the medium tyre. Possible errors in Spain meant that with no Mercedes on track, Ferrari let another possible victory slip through their fingers, handing it to Max Verstappen. The latest episode has now occurred in Canada. Vettel did what he had to on the track but I believe that the team have been letting him down from the pit wall. Vettel could have easily had two victories this season, but strategy calls have cost him. Even after his second stop in Canada, Vettel closed to within 4.3 seconds of Hamilton and closing still until his error completely binned his chances of victory. It is an area that needs to be improved before big pressure arrives from the top of the Ferrari company.

Who Will be at Williams Next Season?

Although it is still early in the season, it doesn't mean that the rumours about the 2017 driver line up can't begin. Over the Canadian GP weekend, it was the Williams team driver line up that had the rumour mill buzzing. Rumours that Jenson Button will leave McLaren and return to the team that gave him his debut back in 2000 were all over the press. Neither party were quick to play down the reports but stopped short of saying something was in place. Ron Dennis has made no secret of his desire to have Stoffel Vandoorne in the McLaren car in the not so distant future and a move to Williams may suit both parties. So who would partner him? Rumours going round claim that this will be Felipe Massa last at the team and would probably mean his last in the sport. With Max Verstappen being tied down at Red Bull now, it may be possible that Ferrari would turn their attention to Bottas to replace Raikkonen who, after a promising start to the season has went on a downward spiral. However others such as the Force India pair of Hulkenberg and Perez, Toro Rosso's Carlos Sainz and even Haas' Romain Grosjean would believe they should be looked at as well. At the moment, it looks like Williams hold the key to the driver market for the 2017 season, although it is very early days.    

Brazilian GP 2015

Rosberg Setting Himself For 2016

Nico Rosberg recorded back to back victories for the first time since May with his victory in Brazil. The result secured second place in the Driver's Championship and continued his recent resurgence. Lewis Hamilton finished second and is still to win in Brazil, even though he put Rosberg under several periods of pressure. Behind the dominant Mercedes pair, the Ferraris were a distant third and fourth, with Sebastian Vettel leading Kimi Raikkonen. Vettel couldn't do anything to get close to the Mercedes, meaning his debut season at Ferrari will see him finish third in the Drivers Championship with Abu Dhabi still to come.

As has been custom this season, the Brazilian Grand Prix didn't deliver much in excitement, despite its history of delivering an unpredictable and exciting race. It started off well, with the Mercedes coming very close to contact at turn one. The incident was almost identical to that of the U.S grand prix, except it was Rosberg who made sure Hamilton wasn't going around the outside of him. This allowed Rosberg to open up a small lead during the first stint. Reliability issues looked like they were creeping for Romberg, who was looking very cautious on the brakes for several laps after the first round of pit stops, thus allowing Hamilton to move within DRS range - but eventually dropping back. Hamilton came back at Rosberg during the third stint, but frustration was starting to get to Hamilton as he couldn't get passed Rosberg. Interlagos' tight confines and narrow straights make overtaking extremely difficult, and Hamilton's frustration spilled over onto the team radio as he requested a different strategy from Rosberg in an attempt to get past. However, Mercedes stuck to their long held policy of keeping their drivers on the same number of stops. And with Mercedes not budging, both drivers stopped three times and Hamilton finished 7.7 seconds being Rosberg. Rosberg's recent good form is hopefully putting him in a good position going into 2016.

Behind the Mercedes and Ferrari's, Valtteri Bottas finished in fifth, but couldn't get close enough to close with his fellow countryman for the third time in four races. His fifth place was enough to secure third place for Williams in the Constructors Championship for the second year running. Meanwhile, having seen Force India team-mate Sergio Perez take the plaudits in recent races, Nico Hulkenberg returned to form to take a fine sixth, and secure his team fifth place in the standings - the best finish in their history. Daniil Kvyat was seventh for Red Bull with Romain Grosjean, Max Verstappen and Pastor Maldonado rounding off the points positions.

Massa Excluded From Home Race

The local hero, Felipe Massa, was disqualified from the Brazilian GP after his tyres were found to breach their temperature limits before the race. Massa had originally finished 8th, after what had been a tough weekend for the Brazilian, who seemed to have some set up issue. He was disqualified after the race for exceeding the revised parameters to ensure tyre safety, which were introduced at the Italian GP following Sebastian Vettel's tyre failure in Belgium. The issue was flagged up after almost half an hour had passed in the race. An FIA technical report into the incident reported that on the grid, the tread temperature and minimum starting pressure on Massa's car was checked after the "5 minute" signal was given. The report went on to say that the temperature measured on the tread of the right hand side rear tyre of Massa's car was 137c, which is 27c above the maximum tread temperature of 110c. The corresponding tyre pressure at 137c was 20.6 psi, 0.1 psi above the minimum starting pressure.

Although this is a violation of the regulations, something stands out about this incident. At the Italian GP in September, both Mercedes cars were found to be under the minimums et by Pirelli. However, after three hours of deliberations by the race stewards, Hamilton's victory stood. How is the incident in Brazil any different, apart from the very different outcomes? Is it because its Williams and not Mercedes? Or is it because it was Felipe Massa and not Lewis Hamilton? Whatever the reason for the different outcome one thing is clear, there needs to be more consistency in applying these rules. 

Has Hamilton Went On Holiday?

After Lewis Hamilton was beaten to pole position and race victory for the second race in a row by Nico Romberg, questions have already crept in about Hamilton's commitment now that he has captured his third World Championship. Rosberg has also secured his fifth consecutive pole position as well, something that Hamilton hasn't seemed too concerned by. Although his calmness over Rosberg's qualifying performances suggests he has switched off for the season, his racing determination counters that argument. This determination was underlined by his request to move onto a different strategy to his team mate, just so he could get past him and beat him.

Something that hasn't escaped my attention is Hamilton's life outside the track since winning the title, and the effect it has had. His arrival to Brazil was delayed by a day because of a fever, which Hamilton has admitted was brought on by a hectic schedule since winning his third title three weeks ago, and a minor car accident in Monaco. A lot has been made about his off track antics since winning the championship. Let's be honest, if you had just won your third F1 World Championship, emulating your hero, you'd probably party hard as well. His minor accident was apparently a result of his fever and general exhaustion.

In Abu Dhabi, Hamilton can match his career best haul of 11 wins from last season, whilst another podium finish would tie the all-time record of 17 podium finishes in a season held jointly by Sebastian Vettel and Michael Schumacher. These personal records will hopefully show that Hamilton is still giving it his all, and that he will want to equal these records. I don't think that Hamilton has switched off for the season, I think that Nico Rosberg has realised that he needs to start now if he is to put in a serious bid to get the World Championship out of his team mate’s hands next year.

 

Bahrain GP 2015

Nobody Can Do Anything About Hamilton

Round 4 of the 2015 Formula 1 World Championship came from the Sakhir circuit in Bahrain, which saw Lewis Hamilton continue his impressive start to the season by winning the race ahead of a reinvigorated Kimi Raikkonen and his team mate Nico Rosberg. Again, it was a flawless performance from Hamilton as he eased into his 3rd victory of the season. The reigning World Champion looked so comfortable all afternoon and didn't seem as though he was going to be troubled at any point during the race. Ferrari tried splitting their strategies to see if they could exploit any weaknesses in the Mercedes team which won them a second place; but not the victory that they wanted. Kimi Raikkonen looked like the Kimi of old with his battling attitude and brilliant tyre management, meaning he was able to beat Rosberg to second and finished only 4.5 seconds behind Hamilton. He would have got my vote for driver of the day for sure! He managed to leap frog Rosberg for 3rd at the 1st corner and then chose to go for the medium tyre for his second stint, whereas Sebastian Vettel and the two Mercedes opted for another stint on the soft tyres. With Kimi's tyre management being fantastic and even matching Hamilton's times whist on the medium compound was truly impressive. Unfortunately for Kimi, the Mercedes are still that little too strong for the Ferrari, but at least thereT is a challenge from them this season. Had Rosberg not had his brake issue on the second last lap, Kimi may have only finished 3rd. That is not taking anything away from Raikkonen's drive, but I believe that Rosberg could have kept the Ferrari at bay for another lap had the breaks lasted on his car. Hamilton's closest title challenger, Sebastian Vettel, kept Hamilton honest again in his Ferrari before what seemed like driver error, caused front wing damage after he ran wide at the final corner after his second pit stop. This meant a new front wing and another podium thrown away for Vettel. It would definitely have been a tasty encounter had the two Ferrari's been right there at the end to put pressure on both Mercedes, but I am sure this will come sooner rather than later. The question going in to the first European race of the season is: what can anybody do about Lewis Hamilton taking a 3rd World Championship this season? 

Rosberg Shows Bite and Talent

Nico Rosberg has had a lot of criticism aimed at him in the close season and in the early part of this season; some of it justified and some of it not. The justifiable criticism is that Rosberg doesn't seem to have the same bite on track as Hamilton. This was seen on many occasions last season, none more so than the Bahrain GP where Nico had many opportunities to take the win from Hamilton but, just didn't seem to have that little bit extra that Hamilton has. This cost him on a few occasions last season especially in Italy and Russia. It also seems to have been missing in the first three rounds this season as he has not really had an answer for Hamilton's pace and hasn't been in any kind of rhythm. All of this changed in Bahrain as that bite was clear to see in the overtaking manoeuvres he produced on both Ferrari's, and the pressure that he put on Hamilton. Had this same bite been here since round one in Australia and in other rounds last season, Rosberg would be a different animal all together. I think that this is where the two drivers differ massively. Hamilton always has this bite when he is racing whereas Rosberg is hit and miss, and this proves to be the difference.

As I mentioned, there has been criticism of Rosberg that is totally unjustified in my opinion, and that is that he isn't on the same level as Lewis Hamilton.

I start this argument with the fact that you don't win at Monaco twice by accident like Rosberg has done. Rosberg is a fantastic driver and over many years has proven this time and time again. He would constantly out perform his Williams cars during his time there and how many people can say that they dominated Michael Schumacher in the same team? I know Schumacher wasn't the Schumacher of old when he was Rosberg's team mate, but this doesn't take anything away from Rosberg. So now he isn't as close to Hamilton as he would want to be. So he hasn't won as many Grand Prix or world championships. The fact of the matter is for me, is that he can be just as good as Hamilton and he has shown that many times. If he was to constantly perform the way he did in Bahrain and showed that talent and bite race in race out he would be giving Hamilton a proper run for his money, this much I promise you.

Bottas Shows Worth

It wouldn't be a race post without mention of one of F1s future stars or World Champions. Whilst watching the race I was noticing that none of the previous race’s stars stood out for me. Okay, the Toro Rosso's were nowhere all race, even after impressive qualifying from Carlos Sainz, which was a letdown. Felipe Nasr seemed to have a solid, if not spectacular, race and finished back in 12th. Step forward Valtteri Bottas. The Williams team seem to have consolidated their position as best of the rest behind the leading two teams, but nothing more. It was again another solid performance but the car seems to be missing a little something, a problem I am sure the team will be addressing. Despite this, Bottas' performance against Sebastian Vettel was flawless. Granted, he wouldn't have been in a position to fight Vettel had Sebastian not had that front wing change, but this should take nothing away from Bottas. He kept the Ferrari at bay during the closing stages of the race with some brilliant driving. Many other young drivers may have been intimidated into making a mistake and allow Vettel through, but not Bottas. He is so calm at the wheel of an F1 car and is exciting to watch as well. I say this a lot, but we are blessed to have such a brilliant crop of young drivers in the field and a lot of potential World Champions, Bottas being near the top of that list in my opinion.