Tag Archives: Force India

2016 F1 Grand Prix of Germany — Results & aftermath

Hamilton lays down the hammer in Hockenheim, Rosberg relegated to 4th by mistakes; Ricciardo & Verstappen P2 & P3 for ascendent Red Bull

Nico Rosberg desperately needed everything to go right for him at his home Grand Prix in Germany to stanch the hemorrhaging of his once-dominant tally of championship points. Instead the Mercedes driver frittered away a hard-fought pole position with a dreadful start off the line as the lights went out, muffing his clutch bite point and bogging down. He was then overtaken not only by his hard-charging teammate and archrival Lewis Hamilton but also by the two surging Red Bulls of Daniel Ricciardo and Max Verstappen. Once again on the back foot, the would-be contender compounded his difficulties by obviously pushing Vertsappen off track on Lap 29 while attempting to claw back a position and the stewards handed down a 5-second stop-and-hold penalty. With an extra-conservative Mercedes team seeming to hold Rosberg even longer than the penalty demanded, the German’s race was effectively destroyed and he was unable to drag himself any higher than fourth for the rest of the 67-lap race. Despite threatening skies towards the end, no rain fell to shake things up and give Rosberg a chance at redemption. The German will no doubt be mulling over this poor performance — the latest in a recent sequence of disappointments since an aberrant win in Baku — for the entirety of the long upcoming August break.

Pics courtesy GrandPrix247.com

For Hamilton, his results and momentum have been the complete opposite, as the English defending World Champ swanned away from the rest of the field in Germany after his excellent getaway and stayed ahead for the rest of the race. In truth the Red Bulls had nothing for Lewis and with his teammate self-destructing behind him, Hamilton was free to fly home for the victory, his fourth win in a row and remarkable sixth victory in the last seven contests. Ever since the two Mercedes took each other out in mid-May in Spain, another incident where the majority of commentators put the blame on Rosberg, Hamilton has seemed to grow in determination while Rosberg has seemed to crumble under the pressure. When push came to shove earlier this month in Austria and the two Silver Arrows came together again in the dying laps it was Rosberg who came off second best in an attempted blocking move trying to hold on to to a win but instead losing a sure podium while Hamilton sailed away unscathed to the victory. And while early in the season Hamilton suffered mightily with his starts now it is Rosberg who seems to have the yips when the lights go out. Continue reading →

2016 F1 Grand Prix of Great Britain — Results and aftermath

Hamilton triumphs for 3rd straight win at Silverstone; Rosberg loses P2 to Red Bull’s Verstappen on radio penalty

In a remarkable race in front of his countrymen and with typically rainy English summer weather as a key subplot, Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton triumphed over the elements and his rivals, taking a remarkable third consecutive victory at the historic Silverstone circuit in Great Britain. Not only did Hamilton beat his points-leading teammate, Nico Rosberg, but he continued to ratchet up the pressure on the German contender by taking victory in four out of the last five contests. Hamilton even got a bonus — and Rosberg another psychological blow — when the stewards penalized Rosberg and his race engineers for disclosing too much “driver coaching” information over the radio late in the Grand Prix when he had a problem with 7th gear. The 10-second time penalty subsequently imposed meant that P2 went to Red Bull’s wunderkind, Max Verstappen, rather than to Rosberg’s true positional second-place finish, doubly galling for the Mercedes driver, as he had spent so much of the second half of the race trying to get by Verstappen. After his win at the British GP, Hamilton now sits only one slim point behind Rosberg in the Drivers’ Championship and also seems to have the lucky breaks back on his side again. With only two contests remaining before the long August break, Rosberg has got to try to recapture the momentum that propelled him to four straight wins to start the year, lest his fragile psyche crumbles in the face of Hamilton’s typically ruthless onslaught.

Pics courtesy GrandPrix247.com

For Verstappen and Red Bull, Rosberg’s technical misfortune was their boon. The 18-year-old Dutchman and his RB-12 chassis excelled in the wet conditions that prevailed in the early part of the contest. With a little more oomph from the “Tag Heuer” (really a beefed-up Renault) engine, it’s possible that the Red Bulls could be a legitimate threat for victories against the mighty Silver Arrows. And Verstappen is certainly living up to the hype despite his tender years. With more wet weather performances like the drive he put in at Silverstone, Verstappen could well inherit the “Rain Meister” title that has been in mothballs since Michael Schumacher’s retirement. Daniel Ricciardo was again not as fast as his precocious teammate and something about his demeanor seems to have darkened considerably since his massive disappointment at Monaco this year when poor pit work by the team literally threw certain victory away. The normally ebullient Aussie did manage a solid 4th-place finish but his 18-second deficit to Vertappen extinguished his normally electric smile.

Ferrari had another tough race weekend and must be wondering if their early season improvements have been caught up by the other teams. Continue reading →

2016 F1 Grand Prix of Austria — Qualifying results

Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton grabs pole in drying conditions in Austria, Rosberg P2 but pushed back by penalty; Nico Hulkenberg a splendid P3 for Force India

In a bizarre qualifying session in Austria that saw the Red Bull Ring’s excessive curbing cause rear suspension failure on several cars, including a spectacular accident by Toro Rosso’s Daniil Kvyat, Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton took advantage of rapidly drying conditions after a rain shower in Q3 to grab the pole time. With one driver after another hurrying to change from Intermediate wet tires onto slicks, the leaderboard shuffled with each passing second in thrilling fashion, as each car that crossed the start-finish line seemed to go faster than the one that preceded it. But in the end it was Hamilton who shone the brightest, willing his Mercedes to the pole and denying a miracle top spot to sentimental and seemingly feasible aspirants like Force India’s Nico Hulkenberg and Ferrari’s Number 2, Kimi Raikonnen. Better yet for Hamilton, his teammate and Championship points leader Nico Rosberg, while taking second in terms of pure speed, will be forced to start back in P7 come race day due to a gearbox change necessitated by his own suspension failure in free Practice 3. So despite reestablishing himself after a run a poor finishes with his dominant victory in the European GP in Baku, Azerbaijan two weeks ago, the German has been put on the back foot again and sees his Silver Arrows teammate & archrival Hamilton threatening to sail away on this high speed circuit. Perhaps Nico will be praying for rain to open up some strategic possibilities come Sunday. Or perhaps he will be hoping that Hamilton takes one too many curbs of his own tomorrow and is forced to retire prematurely.

Despite not getting a coveted pole, Hulkenberg did manage a fortuitous P3 for the little Force India team and the even better starting position of P2 after Rosberg’s penalty, a fine opportunity for a car that has looked fast all weekend. Unfortunately his teammate Sergio Perez also suffered suspension failure in Q2 and will start from way back in P16. Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel could not overhaul Hulkenberg’s time and was only fast enough for P4. But worse yet for the former 4-time World Champion, Vettel will also be pushed back 5 places due to a gearbox change. That will grant the advantage to teammate Raikkonen, who will start from P4 after qualifying P6. Continue reading →

2016 F1 Grand Prix of Europe — Results & aftermath

Rosberg back on track with victory in Baku, Hamilton struggles for P5; Vettel a distant 2nd for Ferrari & Perez scores another podium for Force India with impressive P3

After three disappointing finishes in a row that renewed questions about Nico Rosberg’s mental fortitude, the German Mercedes pilot and Driver’s Championship points leader rallied in the European Grand Prix, storming to victory in the first-ever race at the challenging Baku, Azerbaijan street circuit. After a beautifully clean getaway from pole, Rosberg ran away and hid, dominating the race in clean air and leaving others behind him to scramble for points and positions. It marked a return to form for Rosberg, who won his first four Grand Prix of the 2016 season but then scored a scant 16 points in the next three contests, all the while seeing his teammate and archival Lewis Hamilton creep ever closer to him.

Pics courtesy of GrandPrix247.com

But Hamilton, who had won the last two races in Monaco and Canada, had a poor weekend at this virgin and technically demanding track. After the reigning two-time champion binned his Silver Arrow into the wall in Q3 on Saturday, relegating the fiery Englishman to 10th on the grid, Hamilton was unable to overcome his poor starting position in the race. Bedeviled by brake and ERS issues, as well as by the current regulations banning driver coaching from the pit wall, Hamilton struggled all race long, only finding the true pace of the car late on and coming home for a hardly satisfactory P5 finish. Combined with Rosberg’s win, Hamilton saw his points deficit balloon back out to a daunting but not insurmountable 24 after eight rounds of the championship. Knowing Hamilton, it will only serve to motivate him all the more in the upcoming races but this was indisputably a very good weekend for Rosberg.

Ferrari also had a good if not great weekend, with their top driver Sebastian Vettel taking P2 after a flawless 51-lap run, albeit over 16.5 in arrears of Rosberg’s blistering Mercedes. Continue reading →

2016 F1 Grand Prix of Europe — Qualifying results

Rosberg & Mercedes grab pole at inaugural Baku run; Perez an impressive P2 for Force India; Ricciardo P3 for Red Bull

Just a week after a very eventful and impactful Canadian GP the Formula 1 circus arrived at a brand new street circuit in Baku, Azerbaijan for the European Grand Prix. On a track reminiscent of Monaco in its ultra-tight sections through the old town but one that also features long, wide straights suitable for drag racing with speeds up to 345kph/214mph, the teams and drivers had their work cut out for them to come to grips with the green surface and strange geometry of the borderline dangerous Baku layout. And the pilot who showed the fastest learning curve and stiffest nerves was Mercedes’ Nico Rosberg, with the German points leader rebounding from his disappointment in Montreal to grab an emphatic pole on Saturday.

Better yet for Rosberg, his teammate and archival Louis Hamilton failed to carry the momentum of his last two victories over and clipped the wall, breaking his right front suspension in Q3 and causing a Red Flag ( and a mad scramble for the other drivers when Quali resumed with a scant 2:30 remaining). Continue reading →

2015 F1 Grand Prix of Mexico — Qualifying results

Rosberg takes Pole in Mexico with Champion Hamilton second fastest again; Vettel P3 in Quali for Ferrari

If Nico Rosberg could only race as well as he qualifies he might have been the one donning the Championship crown last week in Austin. Instead, to the German’s immense hat-throwing frustration, it was his Mercedes teammate, Lewis Hamilton, who won his second consecutive driver’s title by being the fiercer competitor come race time and shoving past Rosberg for the victory. Rosberg did manage to put a week’s worth of anger and self-pity behind him in Saturday qualifying on the slippery new asphalt surface of the Autodrómo Hermanos Rodríguez by decisively earning pole at the ultra-fast high altitude circuit, his fourth top spot in a row. Hamilton was once again only good enough for second fastest in quali but the champ will surely be trying to better Rosberg again come race day, as there is nothing that seems to delight the pugnacious British ace more than torturing his teammate and archival.

Sebastian Vettel managed 3rd spot on the grid for Ferrari after his teammate Kimi Raikonnen was forced to retire in Q2 with rear brake issues. Vettel bested the very well-planted Red Bulls of Daniil Kvyat (P4) and Daniel Ricciardo (P5). The two Williams of Valtteri Bottas and Felipe Massa finished 6th and 7th fastest respectively with their decidedly quick chassis really coming into its own as the track rubbered in. After a rare double retirement last weekend in Texas, team Williams really need to get back on form and score good points in tomorrow’s race. Toro Rosso teen sensation Max Verstappen qualified in 8th and the two Force Indias rounded out the Top 10, with native son Sergio Perez pipping his German teammate Nico Hulkenberg for 9th on the grid at his home Grand Prix to the delight of his countrymen in the stands.

Top 10 qualifiers:

POS.	NO.	DRIVER	TEAM	Q1	Q2	Q3	LAPS
1	6	NICO ROSBERG	MERCEDES	1:20.436	1:20.053	1:19.480	23
2	44	LEWIS HAMILTON	MERCEDES	1:20.808	1:19.829	1:19.668	22
3	5	SEBASTIAN VETTEL	FERRARI	1:20.503	1:20.045	1:19.850	18
4	26	DANIIL KVYAT	RED BULL RACING	1:20.826	1:20.490	1:20.398	21
5	3	DANIEL RICCIARDO	RED BULL RACING	1:21.166	1:20.783	1:20.399	23
6	77	VALTTERI BOTTAS	WILLIAMS	1:20.817	1:20.458	1:20.448	26
7	19	FELIPE MASSA	WILLIAMS	1:21.379	1:20.642	1:20.567	26
8	33	MAX VERSTAPPEN	TORO ROSSO	1:20.995	1:20.894	1:20.710	28
9	11	SERGIO PEREZ	FORCE INDIA	1:20.966	1:20.669	1:20.716	21
10	27	NICO HULKENBERG	FORCE INDIA	1:21.315	1:20.935	1:20.788	20

Complete qualifying results available via Formula1.com.

Tomorrow’s race, which marks the return of Mexico to the F1 schedule for the first time in 23 years, airs live on NBC proper here in the States beginning at 2:00 PM Eastern time. With the thin atmosphere playing havoc with the cars’ downforce levels and boosting top speeds on the straights to over 220mph, not to mention possible rain in the forecast, it’s surely a race that promises a lot of action, excitement and unpredictability. Hope to see you then!

2015 F1 Grand Prix of The United States — Qualifying results

Rosberg ends up on top in Austin after delayed & truncated qualifying, Hamilton P2; Ricciardo snags 3rd in the wet

With the eastern edge of Hurricane Patricia dumping rain on the Circuit of the Americas at a record clip, Formula 1 found itself in the unusual position of postponing the traditional Saturday Qualifying until race day morning on Sunday. And while the rains never stopped they did let up enough to get in two sessions of the scheduled three knockout rounds of qualifying to determine the grid for the United States Grand Prix, which is to be run at 2:30 Central/3:30 Eastern today. Mercedes’ Nico Rosberg managed the best lap in treacherous conditions at the wonderful new track in Austin, Texas, just pipping his Championship-leading teammate Lewis Hamilton for the pole by a tenth of a second. With Hamilton all but fitted for this year’s title crown, however, and the weather supposed to be gradually improving as we count down to the race, it’s not at all certain that Rosberg’s accomplishment will really mean anything significant in the big picture.

Red Bull’s Daniel Ricciardo was also excellent under the persistent threat of aquaplaning and managed the 3rd fastest time while his teammate Daniil Kvyat took P4. Force India’s Sergio Perez was an impressive P5 and teammate Nico Hulkenberg solid at P6. Felipe Massa pulled himself up to P7 late in the going, with teammate Valtteri Bottas a distant P10, and rookie Max Verstappen was P8 for Toro Rosso while Fernando Alonso drove superbly in his woeful McLaren to grab P9. The Ferraris of Sebastian Vettel and Kimi Raikkonen are facing 10 grid-spot penalties for engine changes and will start P14 and P18 respectively, greatly improving Hamilton’s chances of clinching his second consecutive title this weekend. Vettel is his nearest if still distant pursuer and starting so far back really hurts the German’s chances of scoring enough points to keep his hopes alive for the next race in Mexico.

If anyone doubts that Formula 1 drivers are the best in the world they have only to look at the remarkable footage of them manhandling their machines in the deluge at COTA to make them a convert. It was truly one of the more amazing performances by a group of drivers that I’ve ever witnessed. Here’s wishing them less treacherous conditions for the race!

Top 10 Qualifiers at COTA:

POS.	NO.	DRIVER	TEAM	Q1	Q2	LAPS
1	6	NICO ROSBERG	MERCEDES	1:56.671	1:56.824	16
2	44	LEWIS HAMILTON	MERCEDES	1:56.871	1:56.929	14
3	3	DANIEL RICCIARDO	RED BULL RACING	1:56.495	1:57.969	16
4	26	DANIIL KVYAT	RED BULL RACING	1:57.640	1:58.434	16
5	11	SERGIO PEREZ	FORCE INDIA	1:59.284	1:59.210	16
6	27	NICO HULKENBERG	FORCE INDIA	1:58.325	1:59.333	16
7	19	FELIPE MASSA	WILLIAMS	2:00.902	1:59.999	17
8	33	MAX VERSTAPPEN	TORO ROSSO	1:58.689	2:00.199	17
9	14	FERNANDO ALONSO	MCLAREN	1:59.704	2:00.265	16
10	77	VALTTERI BOTTAS	WILLIAMS	1:59.569	2:00.334	16

Complete Qualifying results available via Formula1.com.

The teams and drivers will really have to turn it around quickly as the race begins in just about an hour. It can be seen live on NBC here in the states.

2015 F1 Grand Prix of Russia — Results & aftermath

Hamilton surges to victory at Sochi while Rosberg DNFs — Mercedes secure Championship; Vettel P2 for Ferrari; Perez grabs miracle podium after Raikonnen takes out Bottas on final lap

Pictures via GrandPrix247.com

In an action-packed Russian Grand Prix where unpredictability seemed the only sure thing, the one near-certainty of 2015 managed to come through yet again: a Lewis Hamilton win for the Mercedes factory team. After being out-qualified for the pole by his teammate and archival Nico Rosberg, everything broke the Englishman’s way on race day just as it has in 9 out of the 15 contests so far. Rosberg’s promising start proved illusory when it was doomed by terminal throttle problems that forced him to drop out on Lap 8. With only four more races remaining in the season, Rosberg, who had performed flawlessly all weekend, actually saw himself dropped to third in the Drivers’ points by Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel by day’s end. Hamilton, who proved effortlessly untouchable in the race and won by nearly 6 seconds, now leads Vettel by a commanding 66 points and Rosberg by 73. And after this dominant performance in Russia, a race he has now won for the first two years of its existence, Hamilton also seems assured of winning his second consecutive championship, further burnishing his status as one the all-time greats of the sport.

Vettel started from fourth on the grid but inherited third when Rosberg dropped out. He was then able to jump the Williams of Valtteri Bottas for P2 after a sterling Ferrari pit stop on Lap 30. The wily German never looked back and while he didn’t have anything for Hamilton, the former 4-time World Champ secured another solid 2nd place finish in his impressive debut year with the Scuderia. Things did not go as well for Vettel’s Ferrari teammate, Kimi Raikonnen. Continue reading →

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