F1 Fanatic round-up: 25/8/2010

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Apologies if you had problems accessing the site yesterday morning – I’m afraid it was a different problem but everything should be running smoothly today.

An article written by Keith on Spa-Francorchamps and how it’s changed since the first world championship in 1950 will be up later today.

Until then, here’s today’s round up:

Links

Formula 1’s Lewis Hamilton fined for driving stunts (BBC News)

"British Formula 1 driver Lewis Hamilton has been fined $500 (£288) for performing car stunts for fans outside Melbourne’s motor racing circuit.

"Hamilton was caught by police executing ‘burnout’ and ‘fishtail’ tricks in a borrowed Mercedes two days before the Australian Grand Prix in March.

"The 2008 Formula 1 world champion was not in court to hear his punishment.

"But his lawyer said Hamilton, 25, was pleading guilty to the charge of improper use of a motor vehicle."

Back to work for the Gestione Sportiva (Ferrari)

"The short Formula 1 holiday is already over. The two weeks of total shutdown, as agreed with all the other teams, officially came to an end at midnight yesterday and this morning everyone was working again at full throttle. Indeed, there is no time to lose given that the Belgian Grand Prix, the thirteenth round of the 2010 World Championship is looming.

"The two F10s which will be used by Felipe Massa and Fernando Alonso are currently in the car assembly area at the Gestione Sportiva, where they are being built up in the initial configuration that will be used in free practice.

"There are also some new aerodynamic components being introduced for this race, most significantly an updated version of the diffuser: these will be tested on track on Friday and then the data will be evaluated and a final decision taken regarding their use in qualifying and the race."

David Coulthard: Red Bull in pole position to dominate remaining Formula One grands prix (Telegraph)

"The three-week summer break was all well and good – necessary even, given the relentless grind of Formula One these days – but as a former grand prix racer myself I know the protagonists will have been positively itching to get back in their cockpits.

"There is only so much sunbathing you can reasonably expect to do when your mind is trained on one thing and one thing only.

"What a few months F1 fans have in prospect. Has there ever been a season like this? Certainly none that I can recall has been as open and competitive. With the top five drivers all separated by just 20 points, less than the prize on offer for a race win, it’s fair to say the championship could go any number of ways come Abu Dhabi on Nov 14."

Paul Ricard To Host Next Pirelli Test (Speed)

"Paul Ricard will host Pirelli’s next Formula One tire development test.

"After the Italian marque began its 2011 program with a shakedown at Mugello last week, it was reported that test driver Nick Heidfeld and last year’s Toyota car are now en route to Monza.

"But according to Italy’s 422race.com, the high speed venue of the Italian Grand Prix will actually host the third test, with Paul Ricard’s configurable test track in Le Castellet to in fact be Pirelli’s host next week.

"The Monza test will reportedly take place on Sept. 21 and 22, a little more than a week after the Italian GP there."

Raikkonen Predicts Strong Weekend For Ferrari (Speed)

"Kimi Raikkonen thinks Ferrari could be set for a competitive weekend at Spa-Francorchamps.

"The Finn, whose Belgian Grand Prix win last year was his final victory in Formula One, admitted that the famous track is one he will miss now that he is a rally driver.

"’It would have been nice to drive there,’ Raikkonen admitted in an interview with Turun Sanomat.

"’It is a great track and was always nice to race there,’ added the 30-year-old, who won the event four times."

Webber, Red Bull Tapped As Title Favorites (Speed)

"Mark Webber has been tipped to still have his championship lead when the checkered flag waves at the end of November’s 2010 season finale.

"Even though Lewis Hamilton, Sebastian Vettel, Jenson Button and Fernando Alonso are all still within a mere 20 points of the Australian title leader, Max Mosley thinks the 33-year-old is ready to be World Champion.

"’He is very experienced and mentally strong,’ the long-time former FIA president is quoted by Germany’s Welt newspaper. ‘He has the makings of a champion.’"

Comment of the day

The Belgian Grand Prix organisers have made some tweaks to the Spa-Francorchamps circuit ahead of this weekend’s F1 race. US_Peter comments:

“Drivers will be also discouraged from cutting the corner at Radillion – the left-hander at the top of the hill after Eau Rouge. A a new electronic ‘control loop’ has been installed there which will inform race control when all four of a cars’ wheels are off the track.”

This actually seems to make sense. A nice technical way to measure drivers cutting the corners, without actually modifying the corner or runoff. Why don’t they just leave the runoff areas as they are and install these control loops in all the kerbs?
US_Peter

From the forum

F1F Users Gamertag Thread

Happy birthday!

Happy birthday Michael Williamson!

On this day in F1

Michael Schumacher made his Formula One debut behind the wheel of a Jordan on this day in 1991 at the Belgian Grand Prix.

His performance on this day rocked the F1 establishment: here was a little-known driver from the Mercedes sports car team qualifying seventh on the grid at one of the most respected circuits on the calendar.

Despite this impressive performance in qualifying, Schumacher’s race came to a premature end when his clutch failed.

Ayrton Senna led the race from start to finish, followed by Gerhard Berger in the second McLaren and Nelson Piquet for Benetton in third.

24 comments on “F1 Fanatic round-up: 25/8/2010”

  1. Looking forward to the track history article as ever. There should be even more of them, they’re fantastic and so informative!

    1. Me too! They are some of the most interesting articles.

  2. Schumi’s Jordan steam-mate Andrea de Cesaris almost finished 2nd in that race, but his engine failed two laps from the end.

    Wouldn’t it have been a marvellously ironic punishment if Schumi had been (rightfully) banned from this weekend’s race for his move on Barrichello? He got his start in F1 from taking someone else’s seat at Spa after the driver in question got himself jailed in England. I’d love to see Schumi have to sit out this weekend in disgrace…

    1. To make way for up and coming superstar, Hamish?

      1. Me of course! :D

  3. I swear no one cuts Radillon anyway???

    1. That’s what I thought…certainly I can’t remember anyone deliberately cutting Radillon, two wheels OR four. The kerb takes too much speed off anyway for it to have been an advantage beforehand? Unless you cut the kerb completely, in which case it’s impossible to miss on TV anyway.

      1. av only seen one person cut radillon and that was hamilton on the last lap in ’08, but we all know that was for wet weather reasons though and no intentions, or was it????

        ps. am a lewis fan btw lol

    2. I think it’s not about cutting the corner, it’s about running wide at the exit in order to achieve greater speed for the straight

      1. yeah that sound more realistic. also, who cuts les Combes??? apart from the odd first lap scuffle, who in their right mind would want to cut les combes anyway?

        1. You cut two corners by going straight there. I’d say it happens at least once every race (if not more).

  4. Does anyone here read Mike Lawrences pieces when they come available?

    1. Certainly do ! They are without a doubt the most informative pieces written on F1 / GP racing.They should be compulsory reading for anyone who professes a knowledge of motor racing.I look forward to the end of each season so that I can re read all his pearls of wisdom and try and work out who he was alluding to. Some of the goings on in the back room of F1 defy belief!

    2. http://www.pitpass.com/fes_php/pitpass_features_section.php?fes_aty_id=7

      scrolll down for the list of his articles. amazing. really enjoyed reading them, especially the ‘Austin will deliver’ one.

  5. Kimi really THINK?? If you miss F1 so much then why can’t you came back?

    1. As much as i’d love to see Kimi back i’m sure that boat sailed a long time ago…

  6. Kimi seems to think this race will be Alonso’s to lose, he himself will most certainly not this year or any time as he makes it pretty clear he is not interested in F1 anymore.

    Coulthard favouring RBR is no supprise, and anyone can be forgiven for saying that Mark could win it, he is after all leading the standings. I would really like him to hold on to that until the end of the year.

    1. Yes, that’s the sort of incisive journalism that is leading me to dislike Coulthard intensely.

      So the Championship leader – driving for a team which incidentally I am still under contract to – although I never mention the conflict of interest – could go on to win it. In other news, bears are observed doing disgusting things in the woods.

  7. Hamiltons £288 fine. Now that is pure comedy.

    1. I don’t know. I would find a 500$ fine for wheel spining quite huge. Everybody is equal before the law in democracies (normally that is)

      1. Would he even have gotten any penalty for spinning his wheels in the UK?

    2. It takes him 3 minutes and 11 seconds to earn that, if my information about his earnings is correct.

      1. I expect he could donut a Merc for longer than that ;)

  8. Cari, there’s one thing wrong with this article: Senna didn’t lead the 1991 Belgian Grand Prix from start to finish. Alesi led the race by more than 10sec at one point. He led the race for ten laps, but retired from the lead with engine failure.

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