The Force India team left the Chinese Grand Prix in a fairly optimistic mood after Paul di Resta drove a great race to bring some decent haul of points for the team. Last year in Bahrain, the Force India team had a great result with Paul di Resta finishing in sixth position after a very tough and risky two stop strategy.

This season, Force India have shown strong pace in all the three races and with hot and warm conditions predicted in Bahrain, the team should be in for a very strong result as the Force India car seems to be better suited to hotter climates. Also, the stop-go nature of the Bahrain track will play into Force India’s hands and a top ten finish can definitely be expected from them.

Paul di Resta, Force India

2012 Qualifying – 10th, 2012 Race – 6th

“Overall, eighth in China was a good result when you consider how the first half of the race went. I was stuck in traffic, my tyres were graining and I couldn’t move forward. Fortunately we got ourselves into some clean air after my second pit stop and I think we showed that the potential of the car is very strong. We thought we would have to go on the softs at the end and overtake some cars, but we had such good speed that we managed to jump them with our strategy. In the end we left China feeling pretty satisfied, but knowing that there is more potential to come. I’m looking forward to Bahrain. We’re back in the hot weather and we were strong in the heat of Malaysia so there are no real worries. Last year the car worked well in Bahrain, which gives us confidence heading into the weekend. We’ve got a few things to understand and I think we can go forward a bit more. We’re back to the medium and hard, the same as we had in Malaysia, where we were strong. What do I need from the car in Bahrain? A bit more speed, as we always do! We need a clearer weekend; we don’t need things to go wrong, as they did in FP3 in China. It lost us a session, lost us a few hundredths, and that would have made the difference to put us out of position in qualifying to have an easier first lap. So that will be the plan – to be more consistent.”

Adrian Sutil, Force India

2012 Qualifying – n/a, 2012 Race – n/a

“The race in China was very short. I had a little incident with Paul early on, but we spoke about it, and there’s no problem. For the next few laps I was catching up the cars in front and then (Esteban) Gutierrez just missed his braking point and crashed into my rear. It’s frustrating, but what can you do? He will learn so there are no hard feelings. Hopefully he will not do it again. It’s never easy, but I think we can learn quite a lot out of the race. The pace was not so good at the beginning, but much better at the end. We have to understand why. Paul got some good points for the team, but we lost some pace this weekend in general, and there were quite a few quick cars who didn’t finish the race. So we have to get a move on in Bahrain! It should be better for us there. Do I enjoy the Sakhir track? I like it, yes. With a good car I like almost every circuit. The track is not one of the most difficult ones, but it has a lot of big braking points, so you need a strong car on the brakes. The heat is very different to China, with very high temperatures, and also there’s a different combination of tyres.”

Dr Vijay Mallya, Force India team principal

“Last weekend’s race in China left us with mixed feelings: the pace of the VJM06 was evident throughout the sessions and we would have been on track to place both Paul and Adrian in the points had it not been for the unfortunate accident with Gutierrez in the opening stages. Paul’s pace, especially when he had clear air, was indicative of the quality of the work done by the team. We were also very satisfied by the good job done in the pits with a clean and fast final stop helping Paul emerge ahead of Grosjean and Hulkenberg after a race-long battle. We now head to Bahrain, where last year we had an excellent result with Paul finishing sixth. This track, with its high temperature and smooth surface, has generally suited our car and we hope this will be the case this weekend. With a bit more luck, we will be able to fully exploit the potential of our car and get some more points on the board before the European leg of the season.”

The Lotus-Renault team had a gem of a weekend last year in Bahrain when Kimi Raikkonen almost won the grand prix and Romain Grosjean also came to the fore after he finished a solid third for the team.

This year also, the Lotus F1 Team looks in great shape as they head into the Bahrain Grand Prix weekend. Their 2013 challenger, E21, has been a consistent performer in all the races so far and has proved to be quick and reliable in the race, just like its predecessor E20.

The E21 has also shown improved one-lap pace in qualifying, something which was not so evident in last year’s E20. The only problem with the new Lotus E21 is that when the track gets damp, the car becomes a handful to drive and both Kimi and Grosjean reported difficulty in getting the wet and intermediate tyres to work in Australia and Malaysia.

But, coming to Bahrain, there is little to no chance of rain and so that shouldn’t be a problem for the team, but their technical director James Allison has stated his concern regarding pace in damp conditions and the team will be looking to improve in that area.

The team will also be testing their passive DDRS and will have an internal suspension modification which will be based on the FRIC suspension. But, while in FRIC, the front and rear is interconnected and Lotus are going to connect the left and right sides of the suspensions as well, to get even more benefit under braking and while cornering.

If you are new to FRIC suspension then take a look at this article to get up to speed.

Kimi Raikkonen, Lotus

2012 Qualifying – 11th, 2012 Race – 2nd

“Obviously, it was a good race for us as a team last year. It was my first podium for Enstone, and we had a good fight all the way. We took a gamble during qualifying, and it didn’t work out well for us. This meant we missed out on the top ten, but we managed to use our tyres pretty well in the race and we ended up fighting for the top step of the podium, which is always a good thing.

“I like (the Sakhir circuit). I’ve had some nice races there and picked up some good points although I’ve never won. It’s a little bit different from others we visit and it’s quite nice to be out there in the sand! Wherever you look around the track you can just see sand in the distance and you notice it in the paddock too. It’s a circuit where I’ve never won before, so maybe this year I’ll change that.

“It is not easy to find a good set-up as you do experience the track surface changing over the weekend and sometimes the wind can affect the balance of the car too. It’s one of the more tricky places to get the car exactly right, but at least you don’t often have to worry about rain!”

Romain Grosjean, Lotus

2012 Qualifying – 7th, 2012 Race – 3rd

“I have good memories after a strong race there last year that’s for sure! Our car worked well and we seemed to like the heat so it’s a race I’m looking forward to. We should see some consistent weather too, which always helps when you are trying to set up the car for the weekend.

“I would be lying if I said the car is exactly where I want it and we are having quite an adventure to get the set-up and feeling from the car how we want it. This is very frustrating for a driver, as you want your car to be obedient – to do what you want it to do – and to do it in a consistent manner. Certainly, we’re not the only team who are having a difficult time early in the season, but it’s something we really want to get on top of as quickly as possible. I’m spending a lot of time with my engineers and we’re all working hard to make improvements.

“(Bahrain is) a track I knew from before Formula One and it has characteristics that I like in a circuit; some big braking into certain corners, some good change of direction with the double-left in the middle of the race track and it all flows quite nicely. Last year we got a good balance with the car and were able to make use of the E20 being kind to its tyres. The E21 shares that characteristic, so let’s hope we have more of the same this year.”

James Allison, Lotus technical director

“We certainly went well there last year and I hope it will be good for us this year as well! There are things that are special about Bahrain which might make us more optimistic. For example, it is one of the most aggressive tracks on the rear tyres and if we have a particular strength it does seem to be that when we get the car set up just right it does seem to use the tyres rather gently. Secondly, in Kimi in particular, we have a driver who is able to get the car to go quickly without really burdening the rear axle. While we are looking forward to the weekend, it is abundantly clear that there are several very strong teams this year, so we can expect a tough fight as always.

“We won’t be bringing anything particularly revolutionary on top of the China upgrades, but we will trial a suspension modification – internal rather than to the wishbones – which is an evolution of something we ran to good effect during pre-season. You’re always trying to find the right compromise between the mechanical grip that the suspension’s articulation offers to the tyres and holding the aerodynamic platform at the optimum height from the road, and we believe this is a step forward in helping us achieve that.”

The Scuderia Ferrari team had a great weekend in China after Fernado Alonso drove a masterclass race to get Ferrari the first win of their 2013 campaign. Felipe Massa showed good pace early on but dropped off midway into the race to finish down in sixth position. But overall, the F138 seems to be working well in all track conditions and is looking as one of the most consistent cars on the extremely delicate and fragile Pirelli tyres.

Last year in Bahrain, Ferrari drivers had to muscle the F2012 to get some decent amount of points and the grand prix wasn’t a particularly exciting one for them. This year though, they have a much more improved F138 which has till now been very quick in all the races. So the team is quite optimistic heading into Bahrain and is looking to build on their good result in China.

“It was a great weekend for us, the team did extremely well, Fernando drove an extraordinary race and I am just sorry for Felipe who was robbed of the chance to finish nearer the front, because of an issue with tyre graining,” said Scuderia Team Principal Stefano Domenicali a few hours after the Chinese Grand Prix. “The result is definitely a nice boost as we prepare to start again in just a couple of days in Bahrain. The F138 produced a good performance, but we are not going to get carried away, as it’s just one race, one win in a season that’s got a very long way to go yet,” he warned. “We are not yet at the level we need to be at in qualifying, but it’s hard to judge the level of our competitors because we have seen no one team dominate in the three races so far. Clearly some of our rivals are very strong and matching them is a target we need to achieve very soon. Because it’s only by securing the best possible grid positions that we can use the full extent of the potential offered by our race pace. If you start from the front, you can manage the tyres in a better way too.”

“As the conditions will be very different with much higher temperatures, we can expect this to affect the way the tyres perform,” confirmed Domenicali. “Cooling requirements also need to be looked at in Bahrain and in general, we will be doing all we can to ensure we are as well prepared as possible and that we make no mistakes when it comes to finalising the set-up on the F138 for this weekend.”

Red-Bull had a very dissapointing outing in China, with Vettel finishing just outside of the podium positions in fourth and Mark Webber having a nightmare of a weekend in which he finally had to retire the car.

In China,  the long straight in sector 3 hurt Red-Bull big time and it clearly highlighted their lack of top end speed. But Bahrain is a completely different circuit and the Red-Bull has had quite a good record here with Vettel winning the race last year from pole. The circuit is of a stop-go nature and has many fast corners as well, so all of these should play into the strengths of Red Bull.

One thing which probably will trouble the Red-Bull engineers is tyre wear and Bahrain has a very abrasive surface. The ambient and track temperatures also are very high in this part of the world. So, managing tyres will be very crucial as it has been an area where Red-Bull have struggled so far this season and have even asked Pirelli to alter the compounds.

Sebastian Vettel, Red Bull

2012 Qualifying – 1st, 2012 Race – 1st

“The positive of back-to-back races is that on the Friday of the second race, you get into the rhythm quickly. You save time by travelling direct from one race to the next and can adapt to the time zone a bit quicker, as you don‘t have to travel so far. The only thing is that there‘s not much time for physical and mental recovery after the first race. I make the most of the Monday after the first race, in terms of relaxing and recovery. On the Tuesday, I do some easy training in the gym or some badminton, to keep the body and mind in correct mode. It‘s important that the race calender is well balanced so that drivers can get proper rest periods in order to be able to push 100 percent at each event. This means that sometimes it is good to have back-to-back races and then some longer breaks. The circuit in Bahrain? The corners can fool you and lead to errors because the track is very wide and quite often the apex of the corner is not obvious. For example the apex of Turn 14 is hidden as you approach it.”

Mark Webber, Red Bull

2012 Qualifying – 3rd, 2012 Race – 4th

“The benefit of back-to-back races is that we like racing and it’s another opportunity to go racing again soon, so that’s a positive. We’re already roughly in the same part of the world, so back-to-back races can be an efficient way for us to go racing; as an industry it’s good organisation. It’s important to make sure you get ready for the next race off the back of the first one, so travelling as soon as you can is important. If you have a very big result at the first race then you’re not going to stay in the night club too long that evening celebrating, as you need to make sure you’re ready for the next event. It’s a short turnaround; you want to make sure that the training is sensible and you’re keeping yourself healthy. It’s good to have a back-to-back, then a bit of a break, and then back-to-back again. When we’re off we have a bit of a chance to regroup. My favourite corner of the Bahrain Circuit? I quite like the last sector, Turns 12 and 13, up over the crest, that’s a nice part of the lap. It’s a little bit quicker, because the rest of the track is quite slow and not super exhilarating. There are some quick-ish corners, which are quite rewarding.”

The Mercedes team left the Chinese grand prix paddock relatively dissapointed after failing to score their first victory, and possibly the first 1-2 finish of the season, after qualifying on pole and in fourth position. The grand prix also highlighted the fact that Mercedes need to work very hard on their reliability as they have had a very poor record in that area and have already suffered two technical retirements with Nico Rosberg.

Last year also, Michael Schumacher was plagued by many reliability woes in the first part of the season and this year it’s been Nico Rosberg who has been the bad luck magnet.

Apart from reliability, Mercedes also need to focus on their race pace and need to improve their tyre management process even more. It’s been a common trend with the Mercedes team over the past few years that they have good qualifying pace, sometimes good enough to challenge for pole, but in the race they always struggled to hold their positions and have had to recover in the latter part of the race.

Bahrain has been a tough venue for Mercedes over the past few years as the circuit puts the rear tyres under tremendous load, and this has been an area where Mercedes has struggled. But last year, they did finish inside the top 5 and so there is a sense of optimism as the entire team heads to Bahrain.

Nico Rosberg, Mercedes

2012 Qualifying – 5th, 2012 Race – 5th

“I’ll be really happy to get back in the car again on Friday after a tough weekend in Shanghai. The first three races haven’t quite worked out as we had hoped on my side but the positive is that we have a car that we can really work with. So I’m looking forward to getting on with this weekend and the circuit at Sakhir is one that I like very much. It’s going to be very tough on the rear tyres and our biggest challenge will be to make the most out of the situation. We’re better prepared than we were last year and we have shown that the car is much stronger so I really hope that we can achieve a great result in Bahrain.”

Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes

2012 Qualifying – 2nd, 2012 Race – 8th

“The weekend in China was really positive for both me and the team. With each race, I am becoming more settled in the team and more comfortable in my car, and we were very happy with the pole and podium finish. There are some areas where we need to improve to close that gap to the fastest cars and we’re working hard to identify and develop those. There’s a limit to what we can do before Bahrain but I’ll be talking to my engineers before we arrive at the circuit and seeing where we can improve in the short term. The Bahrain circuit is a real challenge, particularly for the tyres with overheating and also the sand on the track, but this helps to make it unique. The layout has a great combination of fast, slow and medium corners which make it tough for the drivers and the car, so it will be a true test for us. I can’t wait to get back in the car and see what we can do.”

Ross Brawn, Mercedes team principal

“With three race weekends under our belts, Bahrain will be the final race of the season-opening quartet. With very different track conditions at each venue, this should give us a good understanding of the car that we have to work with for the rest of the season. The performances so far have been pleasing and perhaps even beyond our pre-season expectations however there is work to be done. We have two main areas to focus on; we must improve the reliability and we have to lift our performance to find that extra couple of tenths to our fastest competitors. And of course, that’s a moving target to make the challenge even tougher. A strong two car finish will be our target this weekend, and we want to see both Nico and Lewis in a position to score not only points but podiums regularly. We’ve had a taste of success already this season and the slight feeling of disappointment with third place in China is our motivation.”

Toto Wolff, Mercedes team executive director 
“After three races, we have an equal balance of reasons to be pleased and areas we need to improve. Two podium finishes in two races for Lewis represent a strong start to the season. That shows our car is competitive in different conditions and on different types of circuit. But two technical retirements for Nico in three races are not acceptable, and everybody is working flat out at the factory to make sure we hit our target of bringing both cars to the finish at every race. Inside the team, the atmosphere is calm and motivated, with Nico and Lewis pushing everybody forward with their strong performances. Bahrain will provide another new challenge, with the combination of high temperatures, dust conditions and heavy demands on the rear tyres. We will need a smooth and reliable weekend to collect the required data for making the right decisions on Sunday.”

]]> http://www.sportskeeda.com/2013/04/18/2013-bahrain-grand-prix-preview-mercedes-amg-petronas/feed/ 0 02648 http://www.sportskeeda.com/2013/04/17/2013-bahrain-grand-prix-track-and-event-guide/ http://www.sportskeeda.com/2013/04/17/2013-bahrain-grand-prix-track-and-event-guide/#comments Wed, 17 Apr 2013 11:46:43 +0000 Nishant Raj http://www.sportskeeda.com/?p=1561216 The Bahrain Grand Prix is the next stop on the F1 calendar and as the F1 circus heads to the gulf state of Bahrain, let’s take a track guide of the Bahrain International circuit and take a look at some of the fast facts regarding the event.

Track Guide:

Sector 1: 

The long 1090 metres pit straight marks the start of the Bahrain circuit lap. The DRS zone will be on this straight and most of the overtaking is likely to take place on this straight in the braking zone for turn 1.

Turn 1 is a slow speed tight right handed hairpin and the cars de-accelerate from more than 315 kph down to 65 kph in less than 3 seconds. The drivers have to cope upto 5G of braking force as they brake for turn 1 and the corner is particularly demanding on tyres.

Turn 1 and the kink at turn 2 and 3

Turn 1 is followed by fast and usually flat-out turns 2 and 3. Turn 2 and 3 are actually not corners but just a sort of kink and the exit out of turn 1 and through turns 2 and 3 is very important to get a good slipstream and overtake the car ahead in the braking zone for turn 4.

Turn 3 is followed by a short straight which leads to another slow speed right handed bend at turn 4. Turn 4 is also a very good overtaking spot and earlier when DRS wasn’t allowed, this was one of the main places to overtake. Last year also we saw number of overtakes being done at the entry of turn 4.

Turn 4

The exit of turn 4 leading to fast sequence of corners, turns 5, 6 and 7 mark the end of sector 1.

Sector 2:

The second sector begins with the fast and flowing turns 5, 6 and 7 through which the cars need to have good aerodynamic stability.

Turn 5,6 and 7

This then leads to a right handed hairpin at turn 8. The drivers brake from around 253 kph down to 79 kph and so the cars need to have good braking stability as it is very easy to lock up and lose a huge of chunk of time through turn 8. The exit of turn 8 leads to a  short straight which then is followed up by very tough and tight sequence of right handed corners, turns 9 and 10.

The drivers approach turn 9 at speeds of around 205 kph and as they negotiate the right hand bend, they have to shift down 4 gears and reduce the speed to 63 kph. The off camber turns 9 and 10 put a lot of lateral load on the tyres and the drivers have to be precise with their bake application as it’s very easy to lock up going into turn 10 and run wide onto the run-off area.

Turn 10

Turns 9 and 10 is where bulk of time can be made or lost and is the most important corner of the Bahrain circuit. Getting a good exit out of turn 10 is also very important to make the most of the straight leading out from turn 10. Also, in the race, the straight from the exit of turn 10 can be used for overtaking opportunities.

The short straight from 10 then leads into medium speed left hander at turn 11. Turn 11 is a very tricky corner in terms of braking as you don’t want to brake too hard or too little, so the drivers have to be instinctive and judge the braking perfectly to make most out of the fast sequence of corners from turn 11 to 13.

Turn 11

Sector 3: (Starts from turn 13)

Following the exit of turn 11, the drivers are usually flat-out through turn 12 and then brake hard for the right handed hairpin at turn 13. Again, the braking for turn 13 needs to be picture perfect as it is very easy to lock up the fronts and lose a lot of time.

Turn 12

Turn 13 is followed up by a long straight which leads to the final corner of the circuit, turn 14 which in turn puts us back onto the pit straight and that’s the lap of the Bahrain International Circuit.

Image Courtsey: BoxGP

Event Guide:

History:

The Bahrain Grand Prix first made it to the F1 scene in the year 2004 and by doing so, it became the first country in the middle east to host a Formula 1 Grand Prix. The inaugural race was given the award for the “Best Organised Grand Prix” by the FIA.

The Bahrain grand Prix has usually been held as the third race of the season but in 2010 it swapped places with Australia and was the season opener. The 2011 Bahrain grand Prix was cancelled due to the 2011 Bahraini protests. The race was cancelled for 2011 after drivers including Damon Hill and Mark Webber protested.

Tyre and Strategy:

Pirelli have changed their tyre choices for the Bahrain Grand Prix and are bringing two of the hardest tyre compounds – the orange walled hard tyre and silver walled medium tyre. The Bahrain circuit has a very rough and harsh asphalt and as it is situated in the middle of a desert, lot of dust is also blown on track which makes life difficult for the drivers as the tyres’ performance and grip dips.

The harder tyre is expected to last 15-17 laps while the medium compound tyre is expected to last 12-14 laps. Strategy wise, Pirelli reckon that most of the teams will be doing 3 pit-stops.

Pit Straight

Weather Forecast:

The weather is expected to be bright and warm with ambient temperatures expected to be around 34 degrees while asphalt temperature may rise up to 45 degrees.

Bahrain Grand Prix weather forecast

Event Information:

The FRIC or Front and rear inter connected suspension is a system which links the front ad rear suspension of the car using hydraulics and aims to provide better stability and drivability for the driver. The system was first introduced by Mercedes in 2011 and for the past two years, they have been working on it to perfect the mechanism.

This year, Lotus have also introduced their FRIC suspension and very recently in China, the Marrusia F1 Team also introduced this system. The FRIC suspension is known to give the driver more confidence in the car and is also very good for tyre management.

So, let’s take a deeper look into the working of the FRIC Suspension.

Whenever a car enters a corner or brakes, it goes through a number of movements i.e, it pitches under braking and rolls while cornering. During these movements, the ride height of the car changes and because of that, significant amount of downforce is lost which leads to instability under braking and while cornering. This is where the FRIC suspension comes in handy as it maintains more or less constant pitch and roll which in turn, leads to more downforce and stability.

The FRIC reduces the pitch and the roll by moving the hydraulic fluid from the front to the rear of the car. So, under braking and cornering, when the nose of the car goes down, the fluid in the rear brings down the back of the car, which in turn brings up the nose and thus maintains a constant ride height.

Another aspect of FRIC is in improving the overall aerodynamic character of the car. The engineers and aerodynamicists always want to run a car with a very stiff suspension. The reason for it is that if the suspension is stiff, the aerodynamic components work better and due to the less movement of the suspension, the turbulence created is less and thus aids in better aero performance.

But the drivers always want to have a soft suspension as car with a softer suspension is much more easier to drive. So, there is always compromise between what a driver wants and what an aerodynamicist wants.

With the FRIC suspension, the cars can be run with a stiffer suspension while not compromising the overall driving comfort for the driver. So, in a way, it indirectly aids the overall aerodynamics of the car and gives a driver more comfort and drivability.

The FRIC suspension works by the transfer of hydraulic fluid from the front to the rear of the car and as the transfer process is passive, the system is legal. Actually, the FRIC Suspension is a replacement for the banned active suspension. The only difference is that the FRIC system isn’t controlled by the driver, it works as the car moves.

Another benefit of the FRIC is that the teams can run the cars very low and with very high downforce levels. Earlier, this wasn’t possible because if the car is too low or has too much downforce, the legality plank beneath the car would wear out due to the tremendous downforce and the constant friction produced from rubbing on the track surface. And, according to the current rules, if the legality plank is worn out by more than 2 mm, the car would be disqualified.

Legality Plank

But with FRIC system, when the car brakes or turns, and as the nose of the car dives down, the hydraulic fluid is transferred from the front to the rear and this transfer forces the rear of the car downwards, bringing up the front, thus reducing the friction between the legality plank and track surface.

Also, as the pitch and roll movements of the car are minimised, the tyres have to face lesser load and thus, the system also aids in tyre management process.

Lotus and Mercedes have been very keen to perfect the FRIC system because they believe that this system will help them in introducing the passively operated Double DRS system which, so far, they haven’t been able to introduce.

The problem with the passive double DRS is that the driver feels insecure about the drag reduction and reattachment and the sudden change in ride height when he’s not expecting it. The insecurity is mainly because the passive double DRS is speed dependent and its opening and closing depends on a particular speed value.

So, if the FRIC could stabilise and maintain a constant ride height, the driver may feel more secure and more confident with stability of the car.

The Chinese Grand Prix weekend got underway today and it was the Mercedes duo of Nico Rosberg and Lewis Hamilton who topped the timesheets during the first practice session, while in the second practice as the track rubbered in, the Ferrari‘s and Lotus came into contention and in the end it was Felipe Massa who topped the second practice session. Since the fastest times on Friday don’t really show the true picture, let’s take a deeper look into the two practice sessions.

Short Run Pace Analysis:

Note: For the analysis, we are taking into account the times from the second practice session because during first practice the track is dirty and green and so the cars don’t run at their maximum potential. It’s only when some rubber gets laid down that the cars can run to their maximum potential.

As far as the short run one lap pace is concerned, the Mercedes and the Red-Bull look to be the quickest.

Though in second practice it was the Ferrari of Felipe Massa and the Lotus of Kimi Raikkonen on top, the Mercedes could have the topped the timesheets had they gone bit late in the session for their Qualifying simulation runs, when the track had rubbered in. Likewise for Red-Bull, Mark Webber was one of the first guys to switch on to the softer compound and so there was more raw pace in the Red-Bull.

Ferrari and Lotus also look quick but over one lap pace it’s unlikely that they will be challenging the likes of Mercedes and Red-Bull for pole position and are likely to end up just outside the top 3 positions on the racing grid, come the Saturday qualifying.

Coming to the other teams, Force India looks the best of the rest with Mclaren close behind them. While in the midfield, there is going to be a big scrap between the Sauber, Williams and Toro Rosso cars to get through the first leg of qualifying. Jules Bianchi again looked impressive in his Marussia and his fastest time was only five tenths away from the fastest time set by the Williams duo of Vlatteri Bottas and Pastor Maldanado.

As far as tyres are concerned, during the final shootout all the top runners are likely to set their fastest lap on their first run of the softer, yellow-walled Pirelli tyres. While in Q1 top teams like Mercedes and Red-Bull can take a gamble to make through into Q2 by using the harder compound medium tyre, all other teams are likely to use one set of softer, yellow-walled Pirellis to get through into Q2. In Q2, all the teams will have to use the softer compound Pirelli tyres to make through into Q3 and the final leg of shootout.

The most interesting session is likely to be Q2 because the softer compound Pirelli tyres are degrading at a very high rate and by the end of the first flying lap, all of the drivers saw a dip in the grip and performance offered by the softer tyre. So if anyone of the top runners has a messy lap, it could give some midfield runners the chance to make it into Q3.

Long Run Race Pace Analysis:

Long Run pace will be a matter of concern for all the teams in the paddock as there is a significant difference between the pace and grip offered by the softer and the harder Pirelli tyre compounds. The Harder medium tyre seems to be giving optimum performance and grip on longer runs, while the softer tyre is disintegrating just two to three laps into the long run. So, the most probable strategy will be to do as less laps as possible on the softer tyre and do the maximum amount of race distance on the harder medium compound tyre.

Now, we take a look at the long run laptimes of various drivers and teams on the softer and medium tyre compounds.

Mercedes:

Mercedes were one of the teams who started their long runs very early and did the maximum laps. Also, from the laptimes of their two drivers the difference between the two tyre compounds can be easily determined.

Nico Rosberg’s heavy fuel long run laptimes on softer tyre:

Nico Rosberg’s heavy fuel run laptime on softer tyre

Nico Rosberg’s heavy fuel long run laptimes on medium tyre:

Nico Rosberg’s heavy fuel run laptimes on medium tyre

From the above statistics, it is quite clear that the medium tyre is the one to be on for the race as the softer tyre showed very significant dip in performance after just two laps into the run. The dip in performance of the softer tyre on the Mercedes was more than what it was on other teams’, because Mercedes were the first teams to do the long run simulation and at that time the track was still very green. But it gives an indication that the softer tyre will degrade very quickly and if teams do start the race on it, the first round of pitstops will likely be around lap 5 or 6.

Note: The lap-times you will see in the race will be quicker than what you see now because as more rubber gets laid on the track, the degradation will decrease and reliability and the performance of the tyres will increase.

Fernando Alonso in his Ferrari

Ferrari and Lotus:

The Ferrari F138 looks to be very consistent on long run pace and the tyre management of the Ferrari is better and more consistent than the Mercedes and Red-Bull.  So, come the race, the Ferrari’s will be fighting for top positions on the podium.

Like Ferrari, Lotus also is very consistent with the tyres and both Ferrari and Lotus are likely to be the long runners in the race. But even with these two teams, the softer tyre degradation was quite significant.

Red-Bull:

The Red-Bull’s didn’t do too many consistent laps in the second practice so it’s difficult to judge their performance, but going by what happened in Australia and Malaysia, Red-Bull, like Mercedes, are likely to suffer more tyre degradation compared to Lotus and Ferrari. Another challenge for Red-Bull will be their straight-line speed as they were very slow through the third sector and were losing heaps of time there. So, in the race if they get involved in a scrap with other teams, the likelihood of other cars overtaking them on the long 1.2 km straight will be very high and possibly disastrous. So they will need to get a good qualifying and then break way from the pack to have a comfortable position in the race.

Other teams:

Force India and McLaren are likely to lead the charge of other remaining teams. McLaren, although in a better shape as compared to Australia, still haven’t got on top of their ride height and stability issues. So don’t expect them to be challenging the top runners and expect them to be involved in the midfield scrap with Force India, Sauber and possibly Williams.

Force India looked strong again and were consistent with their tyre usage so a top 10 finish is definitely on the cards for both of their drivers.

Strategy Options:

Strategy-wise, most of the top teams are likely to start the race on the softer compound tyre and then use the medium compounds for the rest of the race, while some teams at the back and in the midfield can opt to start the race with the medium tyre and then change to the softer tyre in the latter part of the Grand Prix.

Sector 1:

Sector 1 starts with the long pit straight and heading into turn 1, the cars carry speeds of more than 300 kph.

Pit Straight

The first corner of the circuit is quite an iconic one as the cars carry a lot of speed into the bend but midway into the corner, drivers start to brake and shift downwards as the corner keeps on tightening.

Entry into Turn 1

Turn 1: Hairpin bend

Turn 2 is a very slow speed second gear corner and the drivers have to hit the apex absolutely spot on to get the perfect line out of turn 2 and into another slow speed second gear corner turn 3.

Downhill into turn 3

The drivers start building speed from the exit of turn 3 and are usually flat-out through turn 4 and 5, up-till turn 6.

Exit out of Turn 4 heading upto Turn 5

To get a perfect sector 1 the driver needs to feather the throttle perfectly through the exit of turns 3 and 4 to maximise the speed on the short straight leading to turn 6.

Turn 6 is a very slow first gear corner and it’s one of those corner where drivers have to be perfect with his braking as its very easy to lock up the front tyres and just overshoot the corner. Also, the braking zone for turn 6 is very bumpy and so the cars need to have good braking stability.

Turn 6 Hairpin

Sector 2:

The exit of turn 6 marks the start of sector 2. Turn 6 is followed by a short straight which leads into the fast and twisty turn 7 and 8. Drivers jink first left for turn 7 and then touch the brakes and jink right into medium speed corner turn 8.  Turn 7 can usually be taken flat-out during qualifying on low fuel but turn 8 requires precision braking and positioning of the car.

Fast and twisty Turn 7

Medium speed corner Turn 8

Then comes the slow but tight turn 9 and 10, which can be called as one long tight left-hander.  Turns 9 and 10 demand good throttle application and the exit out of turn 10 is very important to make most of the straight leading into Turn 11.

Tight left hander at turn 9 .

Sector 3:

The braking zone of turn 11 marks the end of second sector and the start of the very fast Third sector. Turn 11 leads into the twisty and the most difficult turn 12 and 13. This part of the track is where bulk of the time can be made and the car needs to have good aerodynamic stability to accomplish the fast bend at turn 13.

Slow speed Turn 11 and 12

The difference between a car with aerodynamic grip can be best seen through turns 12 and 13. The drivers start building speed out of slow right-hander at turn 12 and then try to get maximum throttle as quickly as possible through turn 13. But, a little early and bit too much throttle an easily spin the car out of control and into the barrier at the exit of turn 13.

Very Long and Banked Turn 13

Turn 13 is followed by a long 1.2 km straight and it’s very important to be quick through the twisty turn 12 and 13 to make most out of this long straight. The DRS Zone will be on this straight and this where bulk of overtaking is likely to take place.

Exit of turn 13 and onto the 1.2 Km Straight

At the end of the long straight is a very slow turn 14 hairpin bend and the drivers have to get their braking right especially on heavy fuel loads and while overtaking in the race.

Turn 14 Hairpin Bend

Turn 15 is followed up by a short straight, which leads into the final corner of the circuit turn 16.

Turn 15 Kink

Turn 16 is a medium speed left-hander and the drivers just touch the brakes slightly at the entry on turn 16 and then go flat-out on the long pit straight to complete the lap.

Final Corner Turn 16

Image Courtsey: @WilliamsF1Team

1. Mercedes‘s resurgence:

Mercedes have made a very strong start to the 2013 season after a relatively poor 2012 season and they come to China after a very strong performance in the Malaysian Grand Prix. Both Nico Rosberg and Lewis Hamilton could have challenged the Red Bulls for the win in Malaysia had their engineers calculated fuel consumption rate properly. But China has been Mercedes’s territory for the past 2 years, so they come here with good sense of optimism and are aiming for a top result.

Last year, Mercedes gained huge advantage by using their DDRS system and were quick in the first and third sectors, but this year they have lost their speed advantage so it’s unlikely that they are going be quickest on the straights. But they have improved the overall aerodynamics and suspension, so expect them to be very quick and challenging for the top positions.

The FRIC (Front rear inter connected) suspension system, which the Mercedes have been trying to master for the past few years, is finally paying dividends on the race track and they seem to have got over their tyre wear issues. Another benefit with the FRIC system is that the team can run very stiff suspension, thus aiding to the aerodynamics of the car while not sacrificing the ease of driving.

2. The Vettel-Webber saga:

Vettel’s controversial Malaysian Gran Prix win is likely to be the talk of the paddock in the upcoming Chinese Grand Prix and the three time world champion may have to face some very big faces. Mark Webber on the other hand has been recuperating from the Malaysian incident by surfing and having a good time in his native Australia, so expect him to be back in full form and he’ll probably be even more pumped up to defeat and outpace his younger team-mate.

Red Bull have never been the class of the field in China and they have usually ended up just outside the podium positions, so a win may be out of their hands in China. The main problem for Red Bull will be their top speed which they have been lacking for past few years. China has got three long straights in Sector 1 and Sector 3, so the Red Bull drivers have to be massively quick through twisty Sector 2 to make up for lost time, plus they will have to control the tyre degradation which seems to be affecting them more than any of the other top teams.

3. Lotus and Ferrari:

Both Lotus and Ferrari made a very strong start to the season in Australia but both the teams seemed to be off pace in Malaysia, so it will be interesting to see whether they regain their Australian Grand Prix form or continue their struggle.

This year, Lotus and Ferrari have been the quickest cars on the straights and are likely to contest for the top positions in the Chinese Grand Prix. Another thing to watch out for will be Felipe Massa‘s qualifying form. Felipe has out-qualified Alonso in the past four races and if he does it for the fifth time, will the tensions increase in the Ferrari camp, as Alonso is not well-known for handling a quicker team mate?

4. Can McLaren bounce back?

McLaren have made a terrible start to their 2013 campaign and they need to get over the problems with their car quickly in order to get back in the championship challenge.

In Malaysia, the McLaren car looked better than what it was in Australia and the team is bringing some upgrades to China, so a lot will be expected from them in the upcoming Grand Prix.

All in all, the 2013 Chinese Grand Prix looks to be the perfect recipe for a hardcore F1 Fan.

2009 World champion, Jenson button believes that the tussle between Red-Bull teammates will benefit Red-Bull’s prime rivals Mercedes,Ferrari, Lotus and Mclaren and may offer Vettel’s World Championship rivals a useful advantage.

“When you have teams fighting it is exciting. Instead of worrying about all the other guys on the grid, they are worrying about what their team-mate is going to do. Hopefully it does help us,”

Button also reckons that triple world champion Sebastian Vettel may suffer long term hurt from Malaysia win.

“I think that will hurt Sebastian in the long run. We all want to win but Red Bull have to call the shots. So many times a team order has worked in his favour.It can cause an issue. Even if they sit down and discuss it, it is not going to change the outcome. What has happened is still in their minds. It does not go away.”

After the Malaysian Grand Prix, Webber hinted at possible retirement but his manager and his dad have confirmed that the Australian will be contesting Chinese Grand Prix and all other races of 2013 season.

Webber’s long time mentor and manager Flavio Briatore has hit back at Red Bull’s team principal Christian Horner  and reckons that Webber and Vettel shouldn’t be part of the same team.

“Vettel is the boss there,” he told RAI Radio. “If there was a manager with balls, he would have had them switch positions again.

“The problem is that there are two people with different ideas on the pit wall, with Helmut [Marko] behind them doing the talking with Mateschitz, so you understand they are all scared.”

“Normally the team principal goes on the podium at the first race win of the season,” he added.

“Christian didn’t even have the strength to get on the podium – because they’re terrified with a driver in charge instead of the team manager. You’d first go yourself if you win the championship or the first race, and after that you’d send race engineers or your technical director.

“The fact that Christian didn’t go on the podium after scoring a one-two says a lot about his weakness compared to the others.”

]]> http://www.sportskeeda.com/2013/03/28/vettel-webber-tussle-will-help-rivals-jenson-button/feed/ 0 02023 http://www.sportskeeda.com/2013/03/25/video-mark-webber-swipes-in-front-of-vettel-after-malaysian-grand-prix/ http://www.sportskeeda.com/2013/03/25/video-mark-webber-swipes-in-front-of-vettel-after-malaysian-grand-prix/#comments Mon, 25 Mar 2013 08:16:40 +0000 Nishant Raj http://www.sportskeeda.com/?p=1469755 While Vettel was celebrating his win at the 2013 F1 Malaysian GP,  Mark Webber swipes in front of him. Clearly, Webber wasn’t happy!

Sutil had been part of Force India team through its various guises as Midland, Spyker and finally Force India from 2006 to 2011. Late last year Sutil confirmed that his conviction, which barred him from travelling abroad due to visa restrictions, had been removed.

File photo of Germany’s Adrian Sutil from his time at Force India as he prepared to drive during practice for the Korean GP at the Korea International Circuit on October 14, 2011 in Yeongam-gun, South Korea.

“We checked all the countries and there is no problem for me to travel,” he said in December. “All my problems last winter are solved, I’m ready for a new beginning.

The team have confirmed that they will not be making any decisions public until next week and the driver lineup is most likely to be declared on Monday.

“Adrian has had a seat fitting with the team this week,” a Force India spokesperson said.

“At this stage, the test driving schedule for the Barcelona test is not finalized but there is a possibility Adrian could be involved.

“The driving schedule will be communicated on Monday next week.”

As a tribute to McLaren founder Bruce McLaren, the event began with showcase of legendary and championship winning McLaren cars, which included the legendary M8D. Tragically, this was also the car in which Bruce lost his life at the Goodwood circuit on June 2,1970 .

Jenson Button and Sergio Perez took the covers off of the new McLaren and revealed it to the world media. Visually, the MP4-28 looks very much similar to last year’s MP4-27. But, as Button said the car is completely different underneath the bodywork. So, let’s take a look at the new features:

WOKING, ENG – JAN 31, 2013: (L – R) McLaren-Mercedes F1 drivers Jenson Button and Sergio Perez unveil the Mercedes McLaren MP4-28 at the McLaren technology centre.

First of all, unlike last year McLaren have opted for a step-nose design. Now, the step nose isn’t actually visible on the new McLaren but what they have done is that they have covered the step-nose using the carbon fibre vanity panel. So, if you closely look at this year’s McLaren and last year’s McLaren, you will see that the nose this year is higher up and that is due to the vanity panel and the step-nose design.

Last year McLaren didn’t feature a step-nose design but that was because they had built the car very low. This year they have raised the front of the car so that there is no obstruction in airflow beneath the car to the rear diffuser. Hence the step-nose, which is covered by the vanity panel.

Secondly, the McLaren MP4-28 features a pull-rod suspension instead of a push-rod suspension. This idea has been copied from last year’s Ferrari, which featured a pull-rod suspension, for the first time since 2001. In 2012, Both Jenson Button and Lewis Hamilton had trouble generating heat into the tyres, especially when it rained. And, if you rewind back to 2010, Ferrari couldn’t get their tyres – especially the harder compound tyres – to optimum temperature and so they had to go in for a different suspension layout last year, which solved their tyre heating problems. McLaren has also followed the same ideology and they hope it will solve their tyre warming problems. Apart from that, there are also certain aerodynamic gains, which can be utilised using the pull-rod suspension.

These were the two main changes visible on the new McLaren. As the MP4-28 has been launched quite early it may be possible that the team has covered some more modifications under the bodywork to prevent other teams from copying their new ideas.

Pre-season testing in Jerez begins next week on 5th February and only then we will know if the new McLaren has some more changes or not.

FIA president Jean Todt’s prediction that Schumacher will be back to racing could be proven true as the seven time world champion is reportedly going to contest in a kart racing event.

Todt had predicted that Schumacher wouldn’t be able to resist the lure of competition for long and would be back racing something within a couple of years’, despite having called time on his F1 career for the second time at the end of the 2012 season.

Schumacher, who is currently involved with Tony Kart  Factory in a development role, could be playing a much more bigger part in their 2013 campaign.

According to reports, Schumacher is going to contest for TonyKart team after setting some impressive lap times while testing alongside the rest of the squad at Lonato in Italy. The newspaper reported that Schumacher covered more than 200 laps  without any problem and his lap times were very consistent and fast.

Schumacher is also going to design an all-new international karting facility close to Cologne  for nurturing young talents from Germany and the rest of the world.

During the 2012 season, there had been rumours that if Schumacher retired, he would take up a management role inside Mercedes F1 Team. But that doesn’t seem to be happening as it looks like the world champion is keen on returning to his roots.

In the past few weeks, Red-Bull advisor, Helmut Marko, has been quite vocal about Fernando Alonso and Ferrari playing politics before the start of 2013 F1 season. But now, Helmut Marko has lashed out against his own driver Mark Webber.

Using Red Bull’s in-house Red Bulletin magazine, Marko recently told that Webber “falls into a downward spiral” when dealing with teammate Sebastian Vettel‘s quick pace or a mechanical problem makes an appearance.

“It seems to me that Webber has on average two races per year where he is unbeatable, but he can’t maintain this form throughout the year,” said Marko.

“And as soon as his prospects start to look good in the world championship, he has a little trouble with the pressure that this creates.

“In comparison with Seb [Vettel's] rising form, it seems to me that Mark’s form somehow flattens out.

“Then, if some technical mishap occurs, like with the alternator for example, he falls relatively easily into a downward spiral.

“No driver remains unaffected by this, because the tension is palpable.

“In 2010, it was particularly extreme. Webber headed into the final race with better chances than Vettel, and he probably carried the disappointment of his defeat into the 2011 season, which is so easy to understand.”

Helmut Marko also said that the arrival of Sebastian Vettel has been a psychological challenge for Webber as the Red-Bull team delivered a title winning car just as Vettel came into the team.

“Something that I think is also very important is that for much of his career, Mark was never in a top team, but he was always regarded as a high flyer if he only could get into the right team,” added Marko.

“Then Red Bull puts him in a car – a possible winner – and suddenly along comes this young kid and he snatches the booty from under Mark’s nose.

“Psychologically it’s not easy, of course; this would gnaw away at anyone’s confidence. It’s more than understandable.”

Mark Webber has also taken a jibe at Helmut Marko in an interview posted on his personal website.

“Look, everyone at this level has their own agendas and it’s been evident for a long time now that I’ve never been a part of Marko’s,” he said.

This year Webber will have to adjust to a new race engineer as his long time race engineer Ciaron Pilbeam has left Red-Bull to take up a new role in Lotus F1 Team. Simon Rennie, who worked with Lotus F1 Team, will be Mark’s race engineer for 2013 F1 Season.

“I’m certainly looking forward to getting my hands on the RB9 and I also have a new race engineer in Simon Rennie,” he said.

“It’s going to be important to have a solid pre-season with him after spending some six years with Ciaron Pilbeam who I had a long and enjoyable relationship with, but he’s no longer with the team.”

]]> http://www.sportskeeda.com/2013/01/30/tension-inside-red-bull-f1-team-before-the-start-of-2013-season/feed/ 0 02834 http://www.sportskeeda.com/2013/01/29/video-insight-into-lotus-e21/ http://www.sportskeeda.com/2013/01/29/video-insight-into-lotus-e21/#comments Tue, 29 Jan 2013 08:16:49 +0000 Nishant Raj http://www.sportskeeda.com/?p=1250061 A walk-through of the newly launched Lotus E21.