This week is all about Hockenheim, and thus all about McLaren as Lewis Hamilton dominated the entire weekend. We make mention of everyone else though, including Glock and his accident, plus Massa’s inability to defend.
Intro
Another sporting injury obtained a ridiculous way, but can it beat Massa in a lift?
Good Week / Bad Week
Good week for Vettel as he’s snapped up by Red Bull, although will he find himself evacuated from the factory like Webber? Bad week for Abu Dhabi because Singapore is just too good.
News and Views
Just a quick mention of BMW and their KERS technology - ready and out in the wild world. They may be implementing it at the upcoming Jerez test, along with Honda and their updates, plus Force India and their new gearbox.
The German Grand Prix had everything, strategy decisions, incidents, tyre issues, and plenty of overtaking. Listen to today’s F1 Digest to catch up with everything that happened.
The Race
Hamilton continued to show serious form, that’s two races in a row where he has outclassed everyone else. The run of unusual podiums continues though, with a Renault making an unexpected appearance.
Conclusions
Whenever the safety car comes out, it always causes controversy, although today perhaps more so than others. Confusion reigned supreme when some drivers pitted and others didn’t, and one in particular has the penalty to prove it.
The weather in Hockenheim this morning is warm and bright. A quick look at the official webcam shows sunshine and blue sky.
Anyone hoping for rain (or snow!) will probably be disappointed by this, but I’m betting the Ferrari team are all smiles right now. The rubber that was laid down on Saturday should offer a nice grippy surface for all the drivers and the warm temperatures will likely benefit those who can make the best use of the softer tyre.
While all this means we probably won’t have quite as exciting a race as last time out, the run to the first corner is a big one, and there’s often been race ending accidents leading into the right-hander in the past.
Three RB4’s line up 8th to 10th, so there could be an almighty scrap between these closely matched cars and while Räikkönen will be wary of those behind him, it’s Alonso and Trulli in front that he’ll be mostly focussing on. Further back, we have an out of position Heidfeld in 12th with Rosberg directly behind him. What kind of strategy will those two be running to jump them up the order?
The rain held off for this mornings earlier practice session, but will it arrive before or during qualifying?
It doesn’t appear to bother the McLaren’s what the weather will be though, they’ve topped all three practice sessions this weekend and look fast in any condition. On a dry track in warmer temperatures the Ferrari looks to be using the soft tyres quite well, but do they stand any chance over a single flying lap around Hockenheim?
Elsewhere in the field Alonso appears to be making the most of improvements with the Renault while Vettel has been on form since Friday morning. BMW however must be scratching their heads a little. With both cars off the pace no doubt they have a plan, but will technical problems wreck another qualifying session for Kubica?
Alianora’s comparator spreadsheet was spot on with qualifying predictions for Britain, and this week suggests a Hamilton / Massa front row and places Räikkönen in 6th place.
The one hour qualifying session starts at 1pm in the UK (2pm local). ITV’s build up show will also be online. Don’t forget the lovable live timing from Bernie too.
Saturday dawns and F1 teams have but one more opportunity to prepare everything they need for this afternoon’s qualifying session. A short 60 minute session awaits and the circuit webcam suggests the outlook isn’t pretty.
On the driver front, Alonso has said he enjoyed running yesterday in the rain, while Vettel bemoaned the lack of grip the track had to offer. It seems regardless of what the weather throws at Hockenheim McLaren will be up there, while Ferrari appear to be managing the changeable conditions better than they did at Silverstone.
Yesterday showed us some interesting inter-team battles, with Nakajima finishing ten places behind Rosberg and Piquet nine places back from Alonso. Bourdais also will be hoping for better morning running and a chance to catch up with his currently faster teammate.
As this is FP3, and because ITV still can’t comprehend the idea that Formula One has three practice sessions, we’re on the hunt for some active video feeds. Live timing will inevitably be working and more information on following the action this morning can be found on our F1 on the Internet page.
Formula One, free practice two. The second of two ninety minutes sessions gets going at exactly 2pm in Germany (or 1pm if you’re in the UK).
After a pretty damp start to this morning’s early session, we weren’t expecting a lot of track action, but the teams certainly delivered. With most drivers putting in more than 20 laps, it was non stop action all the way, especially when Kubica threw it into the barriers unprompted.
The McLaren’s looked strong, while Vettel appears to be in his element at his home track. BMW have work to do this afternoon though. Before his off, Robert had managed just 8 laps of running so they’re well and truly on the back foot at the moment. Ferrari managed to look convincing in the wet too, which is no mean feat given the results of their last outing in such conditions.
In terms of the weather, the rain looks like it might hold off for the remainder of this afternoon’s running. It should be dry tyres all round, and hopefully will give us a better indication of who made improvements during the last test and who fell behind.
Without wanting to sound like a very broken record, umm, this weekend is all about the weather.
It seems that we’ve spent the best part of the year thus far, either looking upwards or scanning various satellite weather maps. That trend is set to continue for the next three days too, because by all accounts it’ll be an unsettled weekend in Hockenheim. As an added bonus, according to Autosport.com the track is wet this morning, which might make FP1 feel like a very long 90 minute session.
In terms of cars and drivers, we have the tantalising prospect of a Ferrari team playing catchup for the first time this year, but with last week’s test still fresh in everybody’s minds there should be little need for much track familiarisation, although a number of people out there may want ensure their wet weather reputations don’t take another battering this Sunday.
The action begins at 9am in the UK (or 10am local time). The two of us are back behind our desks this weekend and will thus be watching ITV’s live stream and following the ever exciting timing data. Details of other means to keep up with the action are listed on our Formula 1 on the Internet page.
Sidepodcast presents a presenter-less look at the German Grand Prix, which returns this year to the incredibly flat Hockenheimring circuit.
In this special edition of the show, join Sebastian Vettel for a once in a lifetime trip around the German track onboard a Red Bull helicopter. Vettel explains how to drive every inch of the course while quietly impressing himself with the spectacular views on offer.
We also catch up with the current state of the ever-so-close championship, but let’s be honest, even that isn’t enough to distract us from all the flying.
The German Grand Prix returns to the calendar, this time at Hockenheim. With so many drivers having a home race this weekend, F1 Digest hopes to give you some clues about who will fare well.
Vital Statistics
Date: 20th July
Circuit: Hockenheim
Length: 4.6km
Laps: 67
Preview
Ahead of his home race, Vettel has been confirmed as Webber’s partner at Red Bull for next year, so at least one of our drivers will be heading into the weekend with some confidence. Others are more defensive over how the British GP went for them, Massa in particular, and some are clinging on to what the Hockenheim test results showed.
Welcome to F1 People. This is the second in a Sidepodcast series giving you an insight into the names that have shaped Formula 1. Yesterday we took a closer look at Mr Ecclestone, and today we will be introducing his partner in crime, Max Mosley.
Max Mosley was born in 1940 to Sir Oswald Mosley and Diana Mitford. Oswald Mosley was a former leader of the British Union of Fascists, and Adolf Hitler was a guest at his wedding to Diana Mitford.
Mosley spent the majority of his childhood in Ireland and was sent to school in France, then Germany and then Oxford. By 1961, he had graduated from a college in Oxford with a degree in physics. He qualified as a solicitor after studying in London.
Visiting Silverstone in the early 60s convinced Mosley to join in the fun, and he raced in a few club events, before moving on to Formula 2, where he founded his own London Racing Team. He retired from racing in 1969, but stuck around in motorsport to become one of the founders of the March team. During the 60s, Mosley was an election agent for his father’s Union Movement Party. He ran as a candidate for a constituency in London but withdrew before the 1964 elections.
March was modestly successful within Formula 1, with three wins under their belt, most notably Jackie Stewart in 1970. The company was more successful as a production company for the Formula 2 series, and March cars won many championships below the top Formula.
Max Mosley joined Bernie Ecclestone within the Formula One Constructors Association, as legal advisor, and became very involved in the battle between the FOCA and the FISA. He was instrumental in the creation of the Concorde Agreement. After the agreement was signed and sorted, Mosley decided to take three years out of the sport but he returned as President of the Manufacturer’s Commission for the FIA in 1986. In 1991, he was elected President of the FISA – the motorsport subsidiary of the FIA – taking over from Jean-Marie Balestre. Mosley decided to resign after a year, but was re-elected for a four year term. He continued to be re-elected, and reigns to this day.
Most recently, Max Mosley has begin to lose favour within the sport, for many reasons. The relationship between Bernie Ecclestone, who gave him a break within the sport, seems to be falling apart slowly. The pair’s views and actions appear to be drifting gradually apart.
Max is not shy about making enemies. His previous success with Jackie Stewart in the March team is easily forgotten, and this year the pair have had a slanging match which includes lawyers. Stewart has called for Mosley’s resignation but he is not prepared to step down for anything he has said. Some think he has begun to say things that are completely unnecessary, and some of the things he says and opinions he shares are not really becoming to the President of the governing body.
Mosley’s current term expires in 2009, and he has announced that he will consider the options next year, but it is widely speculated that he will withdraw from the position. He has mentioned the absurdity of governing drivers who are young enough to be his grandchildren. But, at age 67, he is still going strong.
Thank you for listening to F1 People. Tomorrow we’ll have a look at our third important name in Formula 1.
Another one bites the dust: industry stalwart PC Magazine will print its last paper issue this coming January, according to an announcement from Editor-in-Chief Lance Ulanoff. Increased print and delivery expenses contributed to the decision to move away from the print edition of the magazine, which has been around for 27 years.
