9 posts tagged “french grand prix”
After an unfortunate race in Montreal, Kimi Raikkonen is once again prepared for the next quest and that is to win the French GP. Raikkonen is currently in the fourth spot behind fellow Ferrari driver Felipe Massa and archrival Lewis Hamilton of the McLaren team. But despite the two Ferrari drivers falling behind BMW’s Robert Kubica and McLaren’s Hamilton, the team is still holding tightly to their number one spot in the constructor’s standings. With one more disappointing race from Raikkonen, Ferrari will definitely fall way behind their rivals BMW and McLaren just like their drivers.
Due to Raikkonen’s point-less races, the “lust for winning” has escalated rapidly. The Finn even said that he can’t recall when he had such desire to win. I think he and Hamilton are on the same page. He also said that he doesn’t think much about his disappointing race in Montreal and that thinking about it will only make him lose time. Well, that’s what you call positive thinking. "I think that things will look really different at Magny-Cours, compared to the last GPs. It was here in France last year that my season practically started all over again; and this is what I need now, after the two races with no points,” said the Finn. He has that much liking to the Circuit de Nevers that he thinks that the Ferrari cars are perfect for the circuit, I think so too.
The downforce of the circuit in Monte Carlo was the main concern among Formula 1 team. During the Canadian GP the concern was the difficulty of the track which BMW’s Robert Kubica has mentioned that a single error could lead to bigger problem. That I guess was the problem with what happened between Ferrari’s Kimi Raikkonen and McLaren’s Lewis Hamilton. Okay, enough of that pit lane blunder, let’s continue and talk about Circuit de Nevers Magny-Cours of France. I must say that I’m pretty impressed with what has Ferrari accomplished in Magny-Cours. For the past two straight seasons, Ferrari has swept France. The first win came two seasons ago with Michael Schumacher driving his precious Ferrari and the next season, Raikkonen won. So, what made Ferrari create so much success in Magny-Cours. Hmmm. I think we have to take a closer look at the Circuit de Nevers Magny-Cours.
The 70-lap circuit of Magny-Cours is the eighth race of the season. This 2.741 m circuit is loaded with a number of challenges to F1 teams, which includes its high-speed corners and chicanes – are rigid curves that’s usually S-shape, slow hairpin, and change in gradient. The demanding level of downforce in Magny-Cours already makes the circuit challenging. Teams have to really make the right medium-high configurations to their cars for a smooth run particularly on the three high-speed corners. In the downforce challenge, I think Ferrari got this in their bag.
The Circuit de Nevers is infamous for its slickness. This remarkable feat provides teams the advantage when it comes to the suspension settings of their cars. All they have to do is to stiffen their suspension for better aerodynamics. Another suspension advantage of Magny-Cours is the improved response of the cars on the chicanes. With the balanced control over the car on corners could lead the car to victory. Aside from the suspension, the transmission also has a critical role due to the circuit’s slow corners. Cars have to be closely-geared for optimum performance. In these aspects, I think Ferrrari and McLaren have the edge.
The challenging circuit of Magny-Cours, however, isn’t very demanding when it comes to engine performance. And when we’re talking about the engine, it’s the Ferrari that has the best one. I think that sums up the result in Magny-Cours this Sunday. Ferrari will dominate in France and Raikkonen will stand at top spot on the podium with Hamilton right next to him and Felipe Massa on his other side.
If there’s a worry in the head of the Williams’ team’s Nico Rosberg, there’s definitely confusion inside Renault’s Fernando Alonso. The two-time world champion is still undecided with regards to staying with his current team. The Spaniard is obviously unhappy about his team this season. It’s definitely not a good year for the Renault team and the notion that his team hasn’t been on the podium has made things worse.
Well, let’s just wait and see what happens in Magny-Cours because Alonso has said that racing in France is like racing in Barcelona. I think that’s good news for the Renault team, who’s had found a lot of support in France. The French GP is this week and teams are probably going on their way to Magny-Cours for the preparations on Sunday’s race. Hmmm. You know what I think? I think Grand Prix de France is going to very exciting. Lewis Hamilton is starting in the eleventh position and gives a lot of chances to other drivers for the pole position. Kimi Raikkonen is definitely not giving up as well as his teammate Felipe Massa. And as far as I can see, Robert Kubica isn’t prepared to give up his spot yet and is very determined to get his team the first spot. It’s definitely going to be an exciting Sunday race.
Formula 1 is a prestigious racing event and is where you’ll see top automakers in the industry battle it out for the world championship. During the period when Michael Schumacher dominated the race, F1 for me was boring. It seemed too predictable that Ferrari would be finishing first in each race. If it’s not him, it was definitely going to be his former teammate Rubens Barrichello. But since Schumacher’s retirement, the race has changed a lot. Drivers from other teams, who haven’t shined because of the domination of the Ferrari has stood out. But despite the changes in the race and the switches in the standings, there are still other drivers who haven’t been at their best. Among the drivers that haven’t shown their best is Nico Rosberg.
Rosberg is a Williams driver and has finished 42 races in his career. But during his 42 races, his only got to the podium once and never had any chance to win for his team. He also never had pole position in his career. Though many believe that he’s one great driver, not many take him seriously. That’s mostly because his car isn’t good enough for him. Yes, his Williams’ car obviously doesn’t bring out his best. The only good thing that I noticed during his career is that he had at least one podium finish and that happened during the Australian GP. That seemed like a long time ago and it definitely has been awhile since had won.
The midseason of F1 is in full circle and the battle between the toughest teams, as I’m sure it will, is about to start. The first venue for that battle? The Circuit de Nevers Magny-Cours in Magny-Cours, France. Rosberg still has time to prove himself and it would definitely be a challenge for him given that Lewis Hamilton is starting in the 11th position on the grid because of the pit lane blunder that has happened during the previous Canadian GP.
Rosberg’s Williams’ car isn’t the only reason why he hasn’t made any wins for himself and for his team. Among the reasons for his zero win since 2006 is the tough competition against the Ferrari, the McLaren, and the BMW teams. And by looking at the standing right now, there’s also the threat posed by the Red Bull-Renault and the Toyota teams. What Rosberg needs right now to win is to compete by making the most his car and his skills and of course apply a better strategy to get points for his team.
Indeed, both the Ferrari and the McLaren cars are faster than the BMW cars. When you look at the three cars from afar, you’ll notice that there isn’t much difference. But if you look closely on each car, you’ll see that the difference is on the small details of its aerodynamics. Apart from the engine, aerodynamics has played a major role in keeping a F1 car highly competent. As far as I can see it, both the Ferrari and the McLaren cars have an edge against the BMW team with regards to engine and aerodynamics technology. So, what’s kept the blue team in a much better position? The answer is the steadfastness of their cars and the persistence of their drivers. No other team has showed a lot of consistency than the BMW team and that resulted to Robert Kubica in number one and the blue team just three points behind the infamous Ferrari team.
As Kubica has said, defending his spot in the driver’s standing will not be easily at all. Who would find it easy anyway? If in each and every race, you know that you’re racing with Kimi Raikkonen, Felipe Massa, and Lewis Hamilton. Every race is as exciting as ever because of the ace drivers of Ferrari and McLaren. The Polish also said that you can only win the world championship if you’re the leader after 18 races. Certainly, being a leader after seven races is not enough. Besides there’s still 11 more races to go and a lot of things can happen during that span.
Kubica also expressed that he feels good being at the top of the standings and his team right behind the Ferrari team. But there’s still that worry with regards to defending his position and adding that the Ferrari and the BMW teams are not on their best during the previous races, saying that “we are missing a bit of performance to Ferrari and McLaren.” He sure does have a point there. We’re definitely missing a lot from two of the elite teams in F1 and that’s mostly because of the technical difficulties and the unfortunate events that take place during the race. One of the funny things that the Polish has said is that he found the Montreal race “boring.” Well, that’s his case since he was not the one caught under the red light during the pit lane. If Raikkonen and Hamilton were not caught in that blunder in the pit lane, the Canadian GP wouldn’t have felt boring for the Polish driver.
What I admire most about Kubica is he stays humble despite the reality that he’s on top of the race and could possibly bring his team the world championship. But it’s too early to say that he’s got it all in his bag because I’m pretty sure Raikkonen and Hamilton don’t like the idea of being next best thing to the BMW driver. I know, though that they’re happy with what their fellow F1 drivers have accomplished. But they’re definitely not willing to give up their chances of the being the world championship.
What I’m really beginning to like about this season in F1 is the fierce competition between the teams. There’s definitely a rivalry between Ferrari and McLaren. But with the additional threat from BMW, the perspective of having only two teams battling for the world championship has changed. And what I’m sure of is that in the upcoming races, the standings will change radically and that change involves not just the Ferrari and the McLaren teams but also the BMW team. So, have I got my podium finishers? Hmmm. I haven’t got a clue which to choose for the next French GP.
The remarkable win of Robert Kubica at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve gave me a bit of a shock. It wasn’t as if I wasn’t expecting him to win. I know he can win but not at the first one to finish the race. The two Formula 1 drivers that I wished to win on the Canadian GP was no where to be found on the top three and when I looked down at the list, there they were. Next to their names was the word accident and I was like, “No way! The two of them had an accident?” I think I was just expecting the two ace drivers of F1 to battle head to head in Montreal. The race as Raikkonen said could’ve been his if Hamilton didn’t crash onto his car on the pit lane. And that accident happened because the McLaren driver didn’t see the red light up. Oh well. Accidents happen and sad to say, the top two drivers of F1 have experienced it in a race that radically altered their stand in the competition.
And even with Kubica’s win in Montreal, Mario Theissen – boss of the BMW team, says the status of their two drivers stays the same. Nick Heidfeld won’t be called the number two and Kubica won’t be given the number one status. I think the idea is good! Treating everybody fairly will definitely make the relationship between the two drivers better.
Did you know that before a Formula 1 car is drive tested first before it is set for the qualifying and the actual races? You read it right, F1 cars are tested by the teams’ test drivers. Through test drives, teams are able to make certain changes to make their cars better. And also to ensure that there won’t be any problems when the qualifying race begins.
The drive tests for the upcoming Grand Prix de France won’t happen in France though. The three-day, pre-French test drives are instead taken place at Circuit de Catalunya in Barcelona, Spain. Among the teams that joined the test drives in Barcelona is Ferrari. Have I mentioned that teams have their own test drivers? Teams have their own test drivers to test the efficiency of their cars and to allow their drivers to rest and prepare for the practice sessions, which happen the day before the qualifying race.
Now that I’ve mentioned about each team’s test drivers, Ferrari has their own set of test drivers and that includes their former driver, Michael Schumacher. Alongside Schumacher is Luca Badoer, who’s Italian and raced for a number of F1 teams, namely: Forte Corse, Minardi, and Scuderia Italia teams. So, what made me write about test drivers and Badoer? I’m writing about Badoer because he’s had a great test drive in Barcelona, achieving the best lap with a minute and 22.043 seconds. What’s good news to the team is that there no technical problems during aerodynamic testing programme. The rain didn’t prevent Badoer from proving the power of a Ferrari car.
As for the BMW team, it was Robert Kubica who did the test driving and managed to make 69 tours even with the minor technical issue in the morning. The focus of the team is the mechanical and the aerodynamic set-ups of their cars. Gary Paffett, the McLaren test driver, also has his share of unfortunate events with a gearbox oil leak and a front wing problem. The top three teams of the season had their share of ups and downs during the pre-French and that’s only the beginning of the French GP. There’s definitely a lot more excitement that I’m sure is about to happen on race day.
A maiden win is what you call the first-ever win of a driver. Robert Kubica just got his maiden in Circuit Gilles Villeneuve on the previous Canadian GP. Kubica has showed that consistency pays off and it did. With the unfortunate event that happened in the pit lane, Lewis Hamilton and Kimi Raikkonen was eliminated from the race. This left the Polish driver of BMW to finish the race first. Felipe Massa was not even close to being a threat to Kubica and finished in fourth. Aside from me, who’s definitely witnessed the emergence of a threat in Kubica, Hamilton is also convinced that the BMW driver is in search for a first world champion just like him.
Kubica is still way behind Hamilton when it comes to wins. But with his level of performance in each race, he could surpass the ace McLaren driver. When Hamilton was asked about Kubica being a threat, he indirectly stated that the Polish indeed poses a threat to him and his team. He said that he’s always thought of Kubica as a title contender since the beginning of the season. Does this mean his found his match? When you come to think of it, the level of efficiency between the two drivers is very different. Hamilton is about guts and skills, which is very extraordinary for someone who’s just fresh from his rookie years. Kubica, on the other hand, also possess those qualities but applies them in a very different level, which may not be the same as Hamilton’s. What set the BMW driver to Hamilton is his consistency on each and every race. With what Hamilton has said, I think he’s probably placed Kubica on his list that already consists of Raikkonen and Massa.
The blunder that took place in the pit lane of Circuit Gilles Villeneuve, I’m afraid, could cost Lewis Hamilton a win. That’s because the authorities in Formula 1 granted him a punishment, which puts him to tenth place in the grid. But as Hamilton has said, positioning him away from front of the grid won’t make any difference. The Brit has high hopes that he could win France. To refresh your memories about last season’s French GP, Hamilton stood along with Ferrari’s Kimi Raikkonen and Felipe Massa. He was almost there but wasn’t enough to outrace Raikkonen. Oh well, Hamilton was just a rookie back then and that was his first time racing in Circuit de Nevers Magny-Cours.
The midseason of F1 has begun and the McLaren team knows there isn’t much time to lose. A few more races with lesser points than the usual could stop them from wining the elusive world championship. Despite the speculations of his greatness, Hamilton remains confident about him winning another race and as he says it, winning is his job. He also said that he has to believe himself and his team to really finish the race victorious. Well, it seems like the Brit has gotten over that pit lane slip-up.
In spite of Hamilton’s determination, I still fear that winning in the French GP (Grand Prix de France) is going to be a difficult task. Of course, there’s the idea of Raikkonen coming back after being involved in the pit lane incident with Hamilton. There’s also the picture of Massa dominating the race with his fastest lap record still marked on the famous history of the Magny-Cours circuit. Another setback that poses a big threat not just to McLaren, but also to the Ferrari team is Robert Kubica. Whatever happens in the upcoming French GP, I’m pretty sure the aforementioned drivers will battle it out and whoever finishes the race first truly deserves it.
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