Hungarian Grand Prix Preview- The title race starts now

After a long summer break we head to Budapest for what could be one of the most crucial rounds of the championship so far. Pirelli are bringing their new revised tyres which could arguably shake up the field entirely and we will find out how badly Mercedes suffer after missing the Young Drivers Test.

  This combination means that midfield teams such as Williams and Force India have a real shot of achieving a big result. 

Pirelli's lifeline

But the main question on everyone's lips is how are the revised tyres going to hold up around the Hungaroring. The circuit is quite slow and has plenty of tight corners, partner that with temperatures which are expected to soar on the track it means that the tyres are going to be put under a lot of stress. Ten of the corners at the circuit where McLaren have had such a presence over the past 10 years are taken at under 155/KPH and the cars require the same downforce level as a circuit like Monaco. The perfect platform to become a hero or a villain. Pirelli have the chance to prove a lot of critics wrong this weekend but they have to get this right. They have re added the Kevlar belts seen at the Nurburgring which were also used in 2012 but can they hold on? Everyone makes mistakes but when there are such a spread of them in such a short space of time eventually resulting in the safety of the driver being at risk then drastic measures have to be taken. Pirelli need a race with no complaints and no incidents involving a tyre fault or this could well be the beginning of the end for them.

Mercedes rue missed opportunity

Every formula one team took to Silverstone recently for the Young Drivers Test, well every team except Mercedes that is. Normally it's what it says on the tin. A test...for young drivers. But the 2013 test was a little different as teams were Able to test Pirelli's new tyres ahead of the Grand Prix this weekend. This was absolutely crucial as the teams had the chance to collect enough data and statistics to make Oxford university jealous. Longevity, temperatures, potential strategies, how they run with different downforce levels or fuel loads amongst many more factors that could come into play this weekend. Mercedes missed their chance due to the secret test which took place earlier in the season. Because of this and because of how much data the teams would have collected it means that Friday practice is going to be like getting your homework done at 9AM the morning it's due when your lesson is in 20 minutes. It will be a frantic rush to catch up and make up all of the ground lost. We have no way of knowing how much ground the rest of the field have gained on the team who sit second in the constructors standings until qualifying where the silver arrows always seem to shine. Only time will tell if they are going to struggle around the demanding Hungaroring or if Ross Brawn is going to pull a bunny out of his hat. 

Team to watch

Whilst they have not had the easiest or strongest start to the season, McLaren have always shone at this circuit taking a total of eleven victories with six of those being in the past eight years. Perhaps the Young Drivers Test will have been the catalyst needed to get their season pointing in the right direction. Maybe not a podium place but expect to see a strong presence in qualifying and maybe even a double points finish during the race.

Driver to watch

The circuit has always been one that Finnish drivers seem to excel at. Heikki took his only Formula One Victory there back in 2008 and Hakkinen also took two wins at the Grand Prix. Raikkonen has not won there since 2005 but last year took second place with Romain also on the podium in third. The two races previous to that when he was driving a Ferrari, the Iceman also came second and third. He will be chasing victory number 21 this weekend and the Lotus could be the key to unlock the door that victory sits behind.

Top 5 prediction

Fernando Alonso

Kimi Raikkonen

Sebastian Vettel

Felipe Massa

Paul Di Resta

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Read between the dotted lines- The Red Bull Traction Control Saga

The canadian Grand Prix as everyone knows was a race which  was maybe a bit too quiet after the Pirelli Tyre war had simmered down, the politics in Formula One remained almost unheard of and it was a great week of racing. Until now that is..


Mark Webber is the latest driver to be at the centre of suspicion as videos and images arise of apparent traction control use following the incident with Van Der Garde. The images and the video show after the Aussie pulls away out of the hairpin, two lines appear which then slowly dot away due to wheelspin. The question here is was this down to bumps on the circuit or have Red Bull tried to implement a very subtle traction control system which may not have been subtle enough?


One key thing to consider is if the Red Bull's have been using Traction Control wouldn't it be more apparent at earlier circuits in which the car carries less downforce or will struggle for grip? The Monaco circuit for example would be a more noticeable circuit for sure but did the Red Bull gain any kind of advantage there? No is the answer however they did pull off a solid second and third place. 

Catalunya, another venue in which the use of the device would have been clear. The final sector has always been tricky since the inclusion of the chicane and many cars have had minor moments and full spins in the past. Surely it would have given them a much bigger advantage and the Red Bull's would have gained a considerable amount of time each lap.

 But in Canada where the so called Traction Control has been noticed, winner Sebastian Vettel gained an incredible 2.5 second advantage on Lewis Hamilton by the end of the first lap alone. So has the reason for the RB9's speed been found?

 Traction Control as we all know is banned by the FIA but most teams have tried to master the art of engine mapping with all having different results. Engineers may intentionally reduce the amount of torque available in the mid RPM range, or where a driver's RPM will most likely max out when exiting a corner. By reducing the torque when the driver is on full throttle exiting a corner, the car does not max out and experience oversteer or anything similar, thus creating a similar effect. But if all teams use it and it isn't illegal does this put the argument to rest?

The FIA have searched but found nothing suspicious on the RB9 to date. So the question is what was creating those lines as Webber exited the corner? Was it just generated by wheel spin? Were there bumps on the track caused by debris or was it degrading rubber?The answer remains unclear, but what are your thoughts? Was it something as simple as a bump in the tarmac or are Red Bull going to be crossed off Santa's list this year? Leave your opinions below.

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Top 5 picks for Webber's replacement in 2014.

Yesterday Red Bull announced that they have extended triple world champion Sebastian Vettel's contract until the end of the 2015 season. Whilst this is great for the German it does surface the question of if Mark Webber leaves then who will be his replacement? It is a widespread rumour  that the Aussie will be moving to the World Endurance Championship driving for Porsche next season and whilst Webber has not 100% confirmed or denied this rumour, the events of the 2013 season thus far are certainly hinting at a departure from the sport.

So what happens to Red Bull if Webber leaves? The answer is simple, they need to find a replacement who will deliver the same if not better performances and someone who could be a long term number 2 driver to support Sebastian. Below I have listed my top 5 picks for the seat if Mark were to leave and the reasons why.



5.) Nico Hulkenberg:

The German Sauber driver has turned a lot of heads over the past couple of seasons. With a career highest of fourth position and a pole in Brazil 2010, Nico has proved that he has potential. His 2013 season however is not as successful thus far. Picking up just 5 points from the opening 7 rounds (however that's all of the points Sauber have scored this year) If Hulkenberg wants to be considered for the Red Bull seat next season and doesn't quite have the car for consistent points finishes, what he needs to do is attack and show the world that despite the car not being as competitive as it has been in previous years, he can still fight for the lower points and have some exciting battles on the circuit. But with his talent and what he have already seen from him, I
wouldn't write him off just yet.

4.) Paul Di Resta

Since his debut in 2011, Paul Di Resta has continued to improve and impress as his career goes on. 34 points this season alone out of the teams total of 51 and a season best of fourth in Bahrain, Di Resta again is looking very strong in a Force India. The ever competitive midfield in Formula One is where you can expect to see the Scotsman at his best, with a driving style that combines aggression with calmness he has a mature mindset and coming from DTM, it's easy to see how the skills needed to run bumper to bumper and be cool calm and collected when in group racing have transpired into F1.

3.) Kimi Raikkonen

Having won the opening round of the season, the Iceman was out to win a championship and he had made that point crystal clear looking at his race results. Three second places in a row saw him move up to second in the championship whilst teammate Grosjean struggled to get the consistency needed to support Kimi and aid Lotus's Constructors bid, much like Alonso and Piquet JR partnership at Renault a few years back. But the key here is that over the past two seasons Kimi has been with Lotus, he has taken 11 podiums and 2 victories. The only issue here is that I don't think the partnership would work. It would mirror the Alonso and Hamilton McLaren partnership in 2007, two drivers who want the spotlight with the team backing their "Golden Boy". This could even be the case at Red Bull now following the Multi 21 incident and the numerous other encounters the two teammates have had in the past. As good as Raikkonen would be in a Red Bull, I just feel that he is too dominant to be a number 2 driver, team orders can make or break a drivers championship and if Raikkonen had to yield to allow Vettel to pick up some crucial points for the championship ending his own, would he?




2.) Daniel Ricciardo & John-Eric Vergne

Yes that's right I've chosen two drivers for number two. Toro Rosso was the proving ground for Sebastian Vettel in 2008. He took his first victory for the Red Bull sister team at Monza that year and now he's a triple world champion. No other driver however has been able to achieve the same feat or indeed anywhere close. Sebastian Bourdais and Jaimie Algesuari are just a couple of names to mention. But Daniel Ricciardo looks like he could be the man to change that. However in doing so, he needs to out qualify and finish better than his team mate Vergne who has been on a great tun lately. Red Bull boss Christian Horner has said  "Daniel is a very, very talented driver. He has come from the Red Bull junior programme and has done a great job. We have an eye on him. "We're also looking at what Jean-Eric Vergne is doing, and it's nice to see the progress they're making." Vergne picked up a fantastic result this weekend at Canada finishing in a career best of 6th position. The Toro Rosso pair are alternating who is quicker almost every race now and it will be very interesting to see if Red Bull choose Daniel or John for the 2014 seat. 


1.) Nico Rosberg

Three pole positions and a victory are the way Nico Rosberg has started the opening half of his season. Alongside his new teammate Lewis Hamilton who is signed at Mercedes until 2016, Rosberg has been on fire as of late. His learning curve over the past five years or so has been great to watch as his totals now add up to two race wins and four pole positions with the potential for many more. Often considered the nice guy of Formula One,  the 28 year old in my eyes would be the perfect replacement for Webber. Still relatively young, quick, consistent and smart. He does not often go for moves unless he knows 100% that they will pay off. He respects team orders (Malaysia this year is a good example however he made his feelings clear to the team) and works very well as a second driver.

Only time will tell who Christian chooses as his new number two driver but there is a lot of speculation circling at the moment, the next few races in particular will perhaps make things a little clearer but we need to wait until the end of the season for a more realistic idea of who the driver could be.
Who would you choose if you were in Horners position? Leave your thoughts in the comments below or tweet them to me @LiamJSimRacing

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Race Marshalls: A Thank You

On the evening after the Canadian Grand Prix, the world was made aware of a shocking incident. One of the Marshal's who was helping to recover Esteban's car from the side of the track was hit by the recovery vehicle. It was said that he dropped his radio and as he bent over to pick it up he stumbled.
 This is a terrible accident and one that has shocked the world but also made us aware of how much the Marshall's truly give for us.

Every weekend, weather it be at a small Hill Climb event, a NASCAR race in America or Formula One, race marshall's are in the thick of the action. Keeping the drivers and fans safe and clearing up any debris or accidents in a very short amount of time. They risk their lives week after week so some of the best drivers in series all over the world can compete and entertain the fans. Without them, there simply would not be any Motorsport and they frankly do not get enough recognition for the blood sweat and tears they put in to making events such as the Canadian Grand Prix possible.

After the race a few drivers tweeted out their respect including second place finisher Fernando Alonso: “Today there is nothing to celebrate. Terrible news arrive with the death of a marshal this race. Very sad. R.I.P.”
    
 When I commentated on the BARC Finals at Thruxton, I sat in the restaurant area among them. All in their bright orange jackets on top of the world and excited for another fantastic day of Motorsport. It was a fantastic feeling and I wasn't even marshalling. But just to feel their excitement and passion for Motorsport was something surreal.

On behalf of everyone who is involved with or simply loves racing, I send my condolences and all of my thoughts to the friends and family of that brave Marshall and a thank you to every single person who travels to a circuit every weekend to Marshall. Getting up at ridiculous times in all weathers making sure that the racing goes on and coming home late after making sure the track is in perfect condition, exhausted, drained and filled with adrenaline.

Yesterday was a very sad day in Motorsport, and one which will remain in the memories of fans, drivers and marshalls alike for a long time.

Rest In Peace

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My Top 5 Monaco Moments

Monaco, the jewel in the crown for the Formula One season. A race which every driver wants to win. It carries such a reputation with it when legends such as Senna and Graham Hill dominated the track year after year. But the streets of Monte Carlo can often show another side to a driver. A side which provokes hatred or love from the spectators and a side which can earn you a place in the hall of fame, or the hall of shame.
These are my personal top 5 Monaco moments.

Number 5:- Triumphant Trulli (2004)
Jarno Trulli had always shown that he had a considerable amount of pace inside his Renault R24 but could never tick that final box of winning a Grand Prix. So, how do you go about winning your first Formula One Race? The answer, at the streets of Monaco in 2004. The Italian took a mighty pole position from Jenson Button and was looking to make it a perfect weekend in one of the most eventful races of the season. With only 9 drivers finishing it almost became like a last man standing event! Alonso, Michael Schumacher and both Mclarens had all retired along with the other 9 drivers who couldn't make it to the end. But it was the patience and the perfect strategy that saw Jarno Trulli break the spell of Ferrari and Michael Schumacher and show the world that they can be beaten. It was to be his only ever victory in Formula One, but he did it on the grandest stage of them all.


Number 4:- Schumacher's true colors shine through (2006)

A race dominated by spaniard Fernando Alonso and the news dominated by the antics of 7 time World Champion Michael Schumacher. At the end of qualifying Michael had pole position within reach, but Fernando was flying around the streets of Monte Carlo and in the final minute of the session, the German parked his car into the penultimate corner, stopping the session and seeing him keep his pole position. 
   After the session he claimed that he simply locked his brakes and almost hit the barrier, but the onboard footage was enough to see that this was no accident. This effort to keep his pole position had the reverse effect. Michael started from the very back of the grid
 Alonso was able to keep his lead during the race and cross the line  to win his first of two Monaco Grand Prix's to date. Michael still defied the odds and from 22nd on the grid brought his Ferrari home in 5th place at least getting some points for the team. But this impressive drive has been still over shadowed to this day by his actions at Rascasse.

Number 3:- A Fairytale ending (2008)

One of the most eventful races in recent memory saw Lewis Hamilton take his first ever Monaco win.
After Massa dominated qualifying in a dry session, the heavens opened the next day, meaning drivers would start the race on Wet tyres. The first pit stop came on lap 6. No this was not down to a Pirelli tyre wear pit stop, but for Lewis Hamilton who had touched the wall on the exit of Tabac picking up a puncture. The Mclaren team tried something extremely risky and fitted the Intermediates on the car. He came out in fifth due to the field being spread out all over the circuit and fate played into his hands nicely. Massa was running away with the race until Coulthard and Bourdais collided on lap 8. The safety car was brought out and all of his hard work was lost.

    Later on saw Nico Rosbergs massive incident at the swimming pool again bringing out the safety car. But just as the fans thought the action was coming to a close, Kimi Raikkonen lost control of his Ferrari exiting the tunnel and hitting the back of Sutil who was up until that point having a sensational race.

 But at the end of the race it was Lewis Hamilton who at one point looked like he stood no chance of finishing in the top 5, came through and won the race. His first Monaco GP win was delivered in style.

Number 2:- "Sennasational" (1992)

Nigel Mansell in 1992 was tipped to win the championship. His Williams-Renault was the fastest car on the grid and his driving was relentless. But none of that mattered at Monaco. Mansell was dominating the race until the final stint. A loose wheel nut forced him to pit in, bringing him out behind one of the only men to give him the race of a lifetime– Ayrton Senna. It took just two laps of Mansell coming out behind Ayrton for the lead to be crushed from six seconds to two. He then spent the last five laps desperately trying to get past, ducking and diving at every possible opportunity. Corner after corner Nigel tried his absolute best to push past the young charger but Senna was too smart that day. He took the chequered flag for the fifth time as a winner in Monaco and his fifth Monaco win, equalling the record of British racing icon Graham Hill. One he would beat year later.

Number 1:- An underdog story (1996)

My personal favorite moment in all of Monaco's exciting history has to be the year where Olivier Panis took his first and only Grand Prix win. In  races which see the attrition rate sky rocket, the winner is normally the man that keeps his nose clean, his head down and drives his own race. This was proven once again at the Monaco Grand Prix, 1996.
 The race started on a drying track and the odds favored the Pole sitter Michael Schumacher and his rival Damon Hill who was keen to win at Monaco like his father before him.The two sat on the front row but the Germans race ended much quicker than he imagined as he crashed heavily in the opening stint. Hill realised the opportunity he had  and continued to lead through the race until his engine suffered a failure which was rare for the team.
  Jean Alesi was granted the lead but it was almost like every driver in the lead was cursed as Jean later retied with a suspension failure.
  Panis was now in the lead in his Ligier and all he had to do was stay in front of David Coulthard. In a dash to the line Panis took the chequered flag and won his only ever Grand prix race, and Ligiers first in 15 years. Only 4 cars finished out of 22 starters making it one of the most exciting races in Monaco history.

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The great Pirelli Ponder:- Are the 2013 tires a blessing or a curse?

The opening five races in the 2013 Formula One season have been and gone and instead of the fans talking about the Red Bull Supremacy or how Lotus have been the underdogs and could be dark horses for the championship taking a total of 5 podiums and one victory , they are talking about something a little more serious. The life of the Pirelli tires.

This has been the main talking point of the championship since the very first round with drivers, team bosses and fans alike all up in arms about how limited this years rubber is proving to be. The tires degrade so quickly and most drivers had to perfect a 4 stop strategy this past weekend in Spain.

In my opinion Pirelli have got this completely wrong. In an attempt to make the racing more exciting and add another factor into the championship, they have changed it from “racing” to a tire management game. If Pirelli want to gain a lot of publicity and show how durable their road tires are, this is not the way to go about it. People are complaining after around 5-10 laps that the tires have completely gone and this should not be happening in any form of racing let alone Formula One. If this was Formula 3 and it was making the drivers stop halfway into a race then that would add another level of excitement and unpredictability. But with races on the calendar up to 70 laps long this is not the right home for them.

Paul Hembery said Barcelona's Circuit de Catalunya "was very demanding on the tyres because of the unique characteristics of this circuit.” One key phrase to take note of there, “Unique characteristics”. If this was the case then why has it happened at EVERY race on the calendar so far? If anything, the Circuit de Catalunya is normally quite easy on tire wear in comparison to some of the tracks on the calendar.

In Pirelli’s defence the idea did not originate from their own company and they politely agreed to it to make F1 more exciting. If you find cars pitting in after 6 laps of racing exciting then you will love the opening half of the season so far. But if like me you want to see drivers race until there is nothing left on the tires and to leave every bit of energy out on the tarmac, doing the best they can to make a move then this season may not be the best to show your best friend why F1 is your favorite sport.

Hembery also added in an interview to the BBC "Unless you all want us to give Red Bull the tires to win the championship. It's pretty clear. If we did that, there would be one team that would benefit and it would be them. “

Again this is a fair point and everyone knows that the Red Bull is ridiculously quick but it is a much closer playing field this year. You can to an extent push the tires in qualifying more than you can in the race due to the lack of life in them and we have seen Mercedes looking extremely competitive, Ferrari taking two victories and Lotus being the most consistent team on the track. But is this down the tires or just to the mid field teams making up a lot of ground on the front runners during the post and pre season?

The way I see it is Formula One Is a marathon and the drivers are the runners. How boring would a marathon be if they couldn’t run at full speed because every mile or two they need to change their shoes because the sole has come loose? The answer is pretty obvious as it is no longer a race. It’s who can perfect their strategy and tire management and that is not what Formula One is about.

F1 is THE pinnacle of motorsport, a place where the best of the best do battle all over the world in breath taking moments which cannot be rivaled by any other series. But we are seeing less and less of that each race these Pirelli’s fail to last over 10 laps. The drivers aren't racing as the word suggests but nursing the tires and treating it like a different sport entirely.It’s up to Pirelli to make a tire that degrades faster but still leaves the driver able to race in every sense of the word. Until then though, we may not truly know who is the fastest man on the circuit.

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The Jenkins Judgement- Endurance Racing

14th April 2013, the day that my eyes were opened properly to a brand new form of Motorsport. Now like many motorsport fans I tune in to Le Mans when possible but was never a die hard endurance racing fan. I preferred the shorter sprint races like you see in the BTCC or Formula 3. But Simraceway had organised for me to go up to Silverstone for the opening round of the World Endurance Championship. 

  I was extremely excited as not only would this be my first time at the home of British Motorsport but I was also able to meet the Radio Le Mans team and one of my commentary inspirations John Hindhaugh along with Jonny Palmer who I had previously worked with on the BARC finals at Thruxton. This was an amazing experience as I was allowed inside the booth whilst the live broadcast was taking place, seeing just how much work goes into it.

Me interviewing Anthony Davidson at Silverstone

That accompanied with the chance to conduct an interview with Anthony Davidson meant that this was one of the best weekends I had ever had. But on to the racing.

I don't think anything quite matched the adrenaline and tension of seeing over 30 cars slowly leave their grid slots to begin the formation lap. 6 hours of hard and strategic racing were about to get underway and I couldn't wait. The roar of the crowd and the silence of the mechanics as they nervously await the start of the race and hearing the roar of the engines slowly get louder as the cars circulated their way to the Club chicane. This is the World Endurance Championship.The sound was just remarkable as the green flag flew and the four categories of sports cars separated out and began their individual race.

One factor that makes these races so tense is traffic. A term used frequently in Formula One to describe slower cars more than a lap down who have to yield to the leaders. The World Endurance Championship makes Formula One look like a lonely country road when it comes to traffic. After just four laps or so the LMP1's were already navigating their way past the GTE-AM's and it was just incredible. With the class still fiercely competing and fighting for positions the LMP1 drivers had to be so nimble when overtaking.

The sheer distance of the event is also what makes it stand out. 6 hours of racing means that you get such a different driving style to what you would perhaps see in Formula One or a similar open wheel series. It's very close and competitive but also conservative. You don't see drivers going for moves unless they are absolutely sure they can make it stick.

Strategy is also crucial when it comes to the WEC. Tires that can last more than one stint with a single driver provide a major advantage to the team that equips them. However with each driver having a different driving style and attacking corners in sometimes a completely unique way it truly is a gamble to make these tires

last if the second driver is on worn tires. They could give at any moment and punctures are seen quite often. Another factor which makes endurance racing truly spectacular to watch.

It's no wonder that car manufacturers such as Audi take such pride in their victories throughout the several endurance series they compete in and of course multiple Le Mans wins. Where a team finish is as much down to the driver as it is to the car. If you are pushing a car to its absolute limits for 6 hours with a few pit stop breaks it needs to be the best it can be. If a car can be better than every other competing manufacturer out there and avoid mechanical problems then it truly deserves its spot at the top of the podium. "Win on Sunday, sell on Monday" is an old saying that certainly backs up this point as Audi have had Mr McNish voice a few adverts regarding new technology in their road cars.

Another reason why I enjoyed it so much is down to the fact that I took a shine to the LMP1 team Rebellion Racing. Not only did the car sound so incredible it sent chills down my spine every time it accelerated down the main straight but it is a pure underdog team. It isn't a manufacturer like Audi or Toyota they are a privateer team. Meaning that they don't have the funds or technology to compete with the Manufacturer teams.

Bearing that in mind, they were only a couple of seconds off of the pace that the two leading LMP1 teams were setting which is a remarkable feat. Both cars finished behind one another and achieved the same result at the 6 hours of Spa this past weekend with the gap if anything a little closer to the big boys. As many of you will know I am a massive Lotus F1 fan and have been since a young age (although back then it was because Benneton had a nice livery) so I have followed them through all of the highs and lows. The Lotus powered Lola counterpart in the WEC could be another reason as to why I like them. The livery is almost identical and one of their drivers is German Ex-F1 star Nick Heidfeld who ironically used to drive for Lotus.

The team also have a “big announcement” to make that has been delayed. Now this could be anything from a new driver to a car upgrade or something as simple as Gary the mechanic is celebrating his 32^nd birthday, who knows!

Needless to say I was very impressed with the World Endurance Championship and everything about it. It takes all of the emotion and excitement from the shorter races and adds factors like unpredictable weather which could turn a race upside down, the sense of despair when a mechanical breakdown occurs or when your favourite driver spins into the gravel. Not to mention the tension of not knowing what is going to happen as the law of physics take their toll on some of the greatest sports cars this generation.

Not only that but to seal the deal, a 6 hour race came down to the final few laps with Allan McNish storming to victory in his Audi. The British fans went crazy and it really was an amazing feeling to be part of such a passionate fanbase on an occasion that truly deserved to be celebrated.

 I was very impressed with the opening two rounds of the World Endurance Championship and really cannot wait for the 24 Hours Of Le Mans. If you haven't watched an endurance race yet due not having the time or being skeptical

I would highly recommend you to do so, you will not be disappointed.

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