22 posts tagged “felipe massa”
If there’s one that I really wanted to come across while reading an article related to Formula 1, it would be consistency. Consistency is the secret to winning the world championship in a race where teams and drivers are very close to each other. Right now, the driver’s standings is dominated by McLaren’s Lewis Hamilton, three points behind him is Ferrari’s Kimi Raikkonen. And behind Raikkonen is his teammate Felipe Massa, who is just two points ahead of BMW’s Robert Kubica. Just imagine the closeness of each driver, one wrong move and one will definitely descend while one will ascend. This picture is also similar on the constructor’s standings. So, the change of scenario in the upcoming race will be the same on both standings.
Talk about consistency, the one driver that I think has been very consistent all-through the season is Massa. He doesn’t get to the top of the podium that often but he’s definitely consistent in earning points for his team, which is most important especially in obtaining the world championship. Oh so now I get it, the reason why Raikkonen was so disappointed about his race in Monte Carlo was due to the reason that he’s earned no points at all. Raikkonen’s teammate even pointed out that earning points are more important than victory. And if a driver wants to earn points for himself and his team, consistency will be needed. The two Ferrari drivers have been very consistent on the previous races, with the exception of the Monaco GP, which have helped the team top the standings.
“Although I didn't collect any points in the last race, thus losing the lead in the championships, it's not the end of the world. Last year I was in a much poorer situation. Now we have to go to Montreal con and pay back,” said Kimi Raikkonen. That’s the spirit! He’s said it but let’s just see what happens this Sunday after he’s raced in Montreal. I just don’t know who among the two ace drivers of Ferrari will top the Canadian GP. Raikkonen is great but Felipe Massa has proven that he’s a lot more consistent when it comes to performance. That was proven after Massa hit the third place while Raikkonen held on for the ninth place.
The Canadian GP is only a few days away and someone’s definitely going to make a comeback. I still haven’t figured out who I’m going to put as my top podium finishers. But I have these deductions that the Ferrari team will regain their spot in first and the McLaren team will be in second, although, I really shouldn’t be counting the BMW team out, right? This Sunday’s race is definitely going to be thrilling with Raikkonen prepared to come back after that disappointing race in Monaco and Hamilton trying to protect his lead while Robert Kubica continues to hang on among the top spot both in the driver’s and the constructor’s standings.
I’m not a big fan of Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve. I can’t even remember how the circuit looks like. Oh well, I can’t do anything about it anyway. So, after the Formula 1 celebrated the first victory of Lewis Hamilton in Monte Carlo, the drivers are back into action. But now, they’re racing in less demanding circuit the Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve in Montreal, Canada. I’m not saying that the circuit in Canada isn’t great. Don’t get me wrong, okay. I’m merely comparing the one in Monte Carlo to the one in Montreal. Last season’s victor was Lewis Hamilton, who was having a great rookie year. And this year, he’s boldly expressed that he’s determined to try his best to win each and every race. But I don’t think it is possible. There’s just a lot stumbling blocks, namely: Kimi Raikkonen, Felipe Massa, and Robert Kubica. Should I still be counting in Fernando Alonso? I guess I should, he’s the previous Canadian GP champion anyway before Hamilton took it from him last season.
But did you know who got the most win in Circuit Gilles Villeneuve? If you guessed Michael Schumacher, you’re right. Schumacher has the most wins in Montreal. Imagine having seven wins, he’s actually surpassed Nelson Piquet, Jacky Ickx, Jackie Stewart, Alan Jones, and Ayrton Senna. If Hamilton wins this season’s Canadian GP, he’ll definitely be standing in line with Ickx, Stewart, Jones, and Senna, who all had two wins apiece.
In the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve, you’ll also find the Wall of Champions. This is actually no ordinary wall because this is the wall where infamous racers have crashed. Among the World Champions that have crashed on the Wall of Champions were Damon Hill and Schumacher. Other crashes on the final corner of the circuit also include Jacque Villeneueve, Nico Rosberg, and Juan Pablo Montoya. I just hope Hamilton doesn’t crash during race day because it’ll definitely ruin his chances. He definitely has a lead to protect especially against the infamous Ferrari team.
I’m pretty sure the Ferrari team has done a lot of preparations for the upcoming Canadian GP. Remember the team has won several times on that same circuit. And with Raikkonen’s disappointing race, he’s definitely going to make a comeback. But hey, I’m not giving out my podium finishers yet. I still have a lot of thinking to do after my previous podium finishers got busted on the previous race. I almost got it right; I just missed out on Massa. What I’m pretty sure is that the town will be painted in red.
Six grand prix have passed and I’ve never witnessed Formula 1 as exciting as this season. Teams and drivers are a few points ahead and behind of each other. The Monaco GP, the previous grand prix, wasn’t the favorite for the Ferrari ace driver Kimi Raikkonen. And even though he’s had the second best lap during the qualifying race that didn’t assured him a win from one of the most challenging circuits in Formula 1. Raikkonen ended up in the 10th spot while his teammate Felipe Massa raced consistently to achieve the third spot. Massa’s success helped the Ferrari team to cement a lead from one of their toughest rivals, the McLaren. Lewis Hamilton still remains a big threat to the red team in achieving another world championship. But hey, the midseason of F1 has just started. A lot of things can happen during the course of the season. And who knows by the end of the season, Ferrari will still be at the top and McLaren will still be looking up at them together with the rest of the F1 teams.
At last, Lewis Hamilton got his deepest wish and that is to win a grand prix. Win not as the second or the third, but the first to finish the race. The victory in Monaco gave Hamilton the lead against Ferrari’s ace Kimi Raikkonen, who finished the race in 10th place. The first win for Hamilton also gave McLaren a 1-point against the BMW team but is still 16 points behind the Ferrari team. He was followed by BMW’s Robert Kubica, who presently less than four points behind Hamilton, Raikkonen, and Felipe Massa. Just imagine how tough Formula 1 is this season. I honestly expected Raikkonen to give his all Circuit de Monaco but I guess it wasn’t enough to get him a win but never fear Ferrari aficionados; the team still has another driver named Massa to pull some win. And Massa did, getting the third spot with a 4-second difference from Hamilton.
After the Monaco GP, the constructor’s standings have changed. Ferrari is still on top with secured 16-point lead from McLaren, which is now on the second spot. The black and grey team is followed by BMW. Now, this is where the competition gets tougher. The top three teams are now on their respective places but none have any plans to give up. Just take a look at the driver’s standings. The top four drivers are just a few points behind each other. This is definitely going to be a really exciting season for all F1 teams and for everybody who loves F1. It’s definitely not going to be easy for Ferrari, if Hamilton and Kubica to continuously perform well consistently.
For the third time in the history of Istanbul Park Circuit, Felipe Massa finished first. He even expressed his fondness of the circuit as his favorite. Well, I actually thought he’s memorized every corner, every straight of that circuit. And did you know that he got his very first victory in Turkey? That’s actually one of the reasons why the Istanbul Park Circuit is special for him. Now, three of his wins came from his Turkish GP victories.
I can’t believe I screwed up on my last forecast with regards to the final result of the Turkish GP. Who topped the Turkish GP? Who else could’ve topped in Istanbul Park? Indeed, Felipe Massa remains undefeated in Istanbul. He was followed by Lewis Hamilton and then Kimi Raikkonen. It wasn’t a total sweep for the Ferrari team, but the results just showed that they’ve dominated in the Istanbul Park Circuit. Robert Kubica, who was the third on my forecast, was the fourth to finish the race.
The superb victory of Massa in Turkey puts the Ferrari team far ahead of the other teams. The team now has a 19-point lead against the ever-determined BMW team and a 21-point lead against the tough McLaren team. You bet, BMW and McLaren are very close to each other. On the driver’s table, it’s Raikkonen who tops the list. Next, is Massa is just seven points behind his teammate. And because of Hamilton’s great finish he’s now tied with Massa. Kubica is now fourth and is four points behind the McLaren’s ace driver. Kazuki Nakajima [Williams] and Giancarlo Fisichella [Force India] weren’t able to finish the race because of a terrible accident during the start of the race. The picture is really amazing and the same time scary. Just look at how the Williams flew over the Force India and smashing it into pieces. Accidents can’t be avoided on racing events that’s all about speed, agility, aerodynamics, and technology. It’s just scary sometimes but that’s one of the things that make Formula One and all the other auto racing thrilling.
The qualifying race is about to start very soon and the result will determine who has a shot in being number one. So, does Ferrari feel any pressure at all? Team Ferrari finished at the top during the Spanish GP. That was quite expected since Felipe Massa already won in Barcelona last season. Plus, Ferrari’s triumph in Barcelona gave them the lead on both the driver’s and the constructor’s standings. But does the team feel pressure now that the midseason is about to start? I don’t think so. Ferrari is as confident as ever in winning the next GP, which will take place on one of their favorite circuits - the Istanbul Park Circuit. This confidence is probably brought by the team’s success during in Turkey for the past three seasons. “It’s a terrific circuit, demanding on the cars, but great fun to drive,” said Kimi Raikkonen.
But Ferrari is not the only team that is confident about their cars for the Turkish GP. McLaren and BMW are some of the persistent teams that are also confident in racing well in Istanbul. For the McLaren team, there is Lewis Hamilton, who is just nine points behind the Ferrari team. Hamilton’s teammate, Heikki Kovalainen, has never been so ready to race which is a bit scary because of his determination after a terrible race crash in Barcelona. As for the BMW team, you have the talented Robert Kubica. However, I don’t think BMW teammate Nick Heidfeld shares the same enthusiasm his team has. He actually thinks that Ferrari will remain at the forefront of the pack after the Turkish GP. I guess he’s referring to the numbers because no matter how you try to add 10 points to the BMW team and to their two drivers, Ferrari will still have the lead. But if both Ferrari cars failed to finish the race that is the time when the standings will drastically change.
Honestly, when you watch a F1 race, every team is almost equal when it comes to speed. Ferrari simply tried to protect their lead from championship-thirsty teams and just tried to stay ahead of the pack. If Ferrari continues to stay on top, the world championship isn’t going to be that hard to reach.
Enough of the Super Aguri talk let us talk about the upcoming Turkish GP and the chances of Ferrari getting the win. Last season’s winner was Felipe Massa, who also got the pole position. Kimi Raikkonen, on the other hand, got the fastest lap. With these results in mind, I think the Ferrari team has a great chance of winning in Istanbul. But who knows, Lewis Hamilton wakes up during race day with confidence and a mindset to win the whole race. If Hamilton gets pole position, the entire Ferrari team should be a little scared. He's just one determined lad. And the fact that Hamilton is not the only threat that awaits in Turkey should scare the team a bit. Remember to count in teammate Heikki Kovalainen who just got from an accident in Barcelona. Count in Robert Kubica, as well.
There are still 14 grand prix to go, including the Turkish GP, and it is indeed too early to think about the world champion. A lot can happen during these 14 races. Who knows another accident like that of Kovalainen could happen again or another team withdraws from F1. Maybe we should start out guessing when the season only has three more grand prix to go. But as of now, we’ll just have to go with the flow.
At last, I got the names right. Yea, I got the names of the three drivers that will dominate during Spanish GP. Okay, I didn’t get their arrangement right. The right arrangement should be this way: Kimi Raikkonen, Felipe Massa, & Lewis Hamilton. If only I had placed Hamilton on third place. I would’ve predicted the final results right. Back to the final results of the race, Robert Kubica got the fourth place and followed by Mark Webber of the Red-Bull-Renault, if you might ask. With the excellent sweep of team Ferrari in Barcelona, Raikkonen is now sitting at the top spot of the driver’s standings with 29 points. Next to him is Hamilton is 20 points, just a point ahead of the BMW’s Kubica. Ferrari is now way ahead of both the BMW-Sauber and the McLaren-Mercedes teams.
There were only 13 cars stayed on the race and made it through Circuit de Catalunya without a scratch. Sad to say, Hamilton’s teammate Heikki Kovalainen weren’t one of them. The reason for his awful crash was a wheel rim failure. Yes, you heard me right; it is a wheel rim failure. Raikkonen, Massa, and Hamilton have to go through a wheel rim failure as well. But with them, they solved the wheel rim problem during their pitstop. Kovalainen’s crash was even more devastating because his car was running about 240 kph. Fernando Alonso had another wearisome race because of an engine problem. Anything can really happen during the race. Lucky are those who make it to the finish line in tact. And during the Spanish Grand Prix, the lucky ones where Raikkonen, Massa, Hamilton, Kubica, Webber, Jenson Button, Kazuki Nakajima, Jarno Trulli, Nick Heidfeld, Giancarlo Fisichella, Timo Glock, David Coulthard, and Takuma Sato.