In one of the most dramatic races in recent history Lewis Hamilton holds off his team mate Nico Rosberg to win in Bahrain.
I have been watching Grand Prix since the 70`s. Have seen many great races, this was up there with them all! Bahrain 2014 will go down as a classic, why? Read on! In qualifying Lewis made two rare mistakes during Q3 to give up pole position to his team mate Nico. This was instantly overcome at the start as Hamilton got the better getaway and pushed his Silver Arrow into P1 by turn 1. The early laps saw much jostling for position down the race order and the Force India drivers make an immediate impact by getting into the top 7 by lap 6. Meanwhile at Ferrari Fernando Alonso complains of low power as Nico Hulkenberg breezes past! Alonso and Raikkonen then find themselves together in 8th and 9th respectively. At the front Nico Rosberg keeps up with Lewis just 1 second behind. By lap 18, Rosberg closes the gap to Lewis to half a second and pushes hard. Nico tries a move on Lewis down the pit straight which Lewis reads and defends well. Hearts in the mouths for the Mercedes team on the pit wall! Lap 19 and Nico forces his way past Lewis and makes the move stick.Wait.. Lewis is a fighter and comes back at Nico re passing him and retakes the lead!! Lewis then pits for a fresh set of primes and the gauntlet is thrown down to Nico. During the mid part of the race Lewis manages to build a lead of nearly 7 seconds on his team mate. The Red Bulls battle the Ferrari`s for 9th and 10th and we are treated to many overtakes and inter team battles all down the field. I cant think of another GP with so much action! Lap 41 sees a major incident as Pastor Maldonado comes out of the pits and broadsides Esteban Gutierrez sending the Mexican airborne and barrel rolling. Luckily he is unhurt but surely Maldonado should get a race ban for that! Maybe pay drivers should be excluded from F1?! Cue the safety car much to lewis`s annoyance as he sees his near 10 second lead wiped out as both Mercedes drivers pit for fresh rubber. Nico has the advantage now as he is fitted with the faster option tyres and Lewis has another set of primes to finish with.
At the restart Nico pushes Lewis hard into the final 8 laps.Lewis sets a fastest lap in an effort to put Nico far enough behind in order for Nico to not be able to use DRS. Lewis radio`s that he has “no power” but then improves his lap time to Nico by 2 tenths! Its getting tense now. During the closing laps we are treated to some of the best racing between two team mates ever! Time and time again Nico attacks Lewis and Lewis defends brilliantly! Meanwhile Daniel Ricciardo makes a stunning move to overtake Sebastian Vettel for 6th and makes a big statement! Last lap and Lewis Hamilton manages to stave off his faster team mate to take the chequered flag! Amazing win for Lewis in a race he had to win to take the championship to Nico. Great battles and overtakes between rivals all the way down the order. Great racing, great race!
Fantastic race today! Looks like a great battle between team mates and rivals since their Karting days for this years F1 championship!
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Lewis Hamilton finished ahead of teammate Nico Rosberg in Malaysia to win the Malaysian Grand Prix in Kuala Lumpur.
Embrace: Rosberg, Hamilton jubilant
TheSportMatrix Coverage Of Malaysian Grand Prix 2014 » It was the esteemed 1-2 positioning for Mercedes, as Nico Rosberg – who won the Australian Grand Prix in the race prior – finished behind his teammate Lewis Hamilton, as the Brit won from his pole position in the qualifying. Lewis Hamilton lead for the entirety of the race. Sebastian Vettel had much better success in comparison to his early retirement in Australia, finishing on the podium. It would, though, be a much more varied sense of fortune from his teammate Daniel Ricciardo, after he retired in the 49th lap. The Aussie suffered another torrid outing with his 43rd lap seeing the front wing of his car detach slightly. Later on, the new regulations would come to his misfortune as he was given a 10-second penalty for unsafe release from the pit. A drastic descent from podium challenge to a multitude of problems in the space of two pit stops saw him plummet to as low as 16th. A rarity occurred in the race as both Sauber racers, Adrian Sutil and Esteban Gutierrez, were retired from the race. They were part of seven retired racers in total that also included Lotus’ Maldonado and Force India’s Perez. It was the first double-retirement for the team in 2 years. It was an utterly dominant display by Lewis Hamilton as he finished comfortably in first, helped by a great set of backroom staff whom he thanked after winning, calling them “amazing”. The podium was definitely much less subdued and awkward than last time out, which saw Sebastian Vettel overtake his teammate Mark Webber in one of the most infamous events of the season. Red Bull suffered some turmoil on Daniel Ricciardo’s part, with no points on the standings yet, although signs of encouragement from Vettel’s podium finish could get the team going again. Lewis Hamilton’s dominance would begin from the very first lap as he broke off from the rest of the pack and created a big lead early on. In the fourth turn, Bianchi and Maldonado made contact with a collision early on. Kimi Raikonnen finished 12th in the race after suffering a right rear tyre puncture in the second lap and fell to the back. He would eventually make ground in the race to finish ahead of Chilton, Ericsson and Koboyashi.
Shambolic: Ricciardo releases too early and has to be pushed back to his pit ESPN F1
Final Standings ESPN.COM
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Driver-by-Driver Position Changes ESPN.COM
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Lewis Hamilton dominates in a Mercedes’ Malaysian Masterclass as the F1 season gets into full swing. While it still may take some time for drivers to grow accustom, the events in Malaysia are setting up for a close Championship race.
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Lewis Hamilton prevailed from the Malaysian Grand Prix Qualifying to grab pole position in the race.
Lewis Hamilton secured pole position for the second time in the season AP
Formula 1 is all about fine margins, and fine it was as Lewis Hamilton just shaded Sebastian Vettel to grab his 33rd career pole position equalling Jim Clark`s record. SEE ALSO: Full Preview For 2014 Malaysian Grand Prix The rain in Malaysia falls mainly… at the Sepang Circuit! With 50 mins until Qualy start the heavens opened and Qualy was delayed by 50 minutes. At the start of Q1 the two Mercedes AMG drivers come out first to set a lap time in uncertain conditions. As Q1 progresses Nico Rosberg sets a fastest time of 1:57.183 before Marcus Ericsson crashes and the session is red flagged. Q2 starts with most drivers opting to go out early with intermediate tyres. Ferrari have a disaster when Alonso clashes with Kvyat at turn 9 and a red flag is shown! A result of poor visibility and poor judgement by both drivers, no penalty applied. Alonso suffers a broken upper wishbone suspension failure which is soon fixed by the Ferrari mechanics in time for Q3.
Drivers through to Q3 were Ham,Vet,Ros,Ric,Hul,Alo,Rai,But,Mag and Ver! Q3 starts with most of the drivers coming out on track in wet conditions still. Full wets or Inters the only major decision to make now! Lewis Hamilto sets the pace early on with a time of 1:59,431 which Vettel and Alonso chase in 2nd and 3rd. The rain then increased and the initial lap times proved to be the best. Lewis Hamilton took pole in a car that clearly had more time in it. Vettel takes second on the grid while Nico Rosberg starts in 3rd place. So the rain threw a curveball into todays qualifying and the Mercedes team still came up trumps! Still going to back Lewis for the win!
The new season moves on to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, one man desperate to bounce back is Lewis Hamilton. Who will win? What should we expect? All that and more in this extensive preview for the race.
Last year`s race start, Webber and Vettel on course to clash into controversy.
Red Bull – the team seemingly unstoppable in recent years. This year the team seemingly struggling with the new regulations. In Australia an early bath for 4 time World Champion Sebastian Vettel and an exclusion for 2nd place local hero Daniel Ricciardo. Where did it all go wrong? Well maybe here in Malaysia! 12 months ago Formula One witnessed one of the most bitter inter=team battles ever when Sebastian Vettel ignored the infamous ‘Multi 21’ team order and overtook his team mate Mark Webber to take the win. Thus sparking a bitter feud in the Red Bull camp and condemnation of Sebastian Vettel.
A quiet 2013 Podium as Vettel wins in very controversial circumstances
One year on, the team are playing catch up in terms of car development and have suffered a shocking race in Australia where their one reliable car was excluded from race classification due to an illegal fuel flow sensor. This year I confidently predict they will not have the luxury of issuing team orders to settle 1st and 2nd place in this years Malaysian Grand Prix! So to the circuit itself, situated in Sepang, Selangor, Malaysia, aproximatley 60km south of the capital city Kuala Lumpur. The circuit was designed by Hermann Tilke and the first F1 Grand Prix was held on 17th October 1999. A very modern circuit with a mix of tricky corner complexes and long straights.
A lap aboard Lewis Hamilton`s Mercedes AMG last year.
So who will do well this year? I fully expect Lewis Hamilton to bounce back from his Australian GP setback and boss this race if his car remains reliable. I expect McLaren’s Jenson Button to have a better race in the impressive McLaren MP4-29 and grab a podium. Williams are back in the reckoning this year and my driver of the race in Australia Valterri Bottas should get a top 5 finish. Ferrari? Not a good start and sadly the legendary Maranello team have not produced a race winning car to start the season, so expect a top 10 finish for both drivers.
My ‘loose cannons’ for the race will be Kevin Magnussen, Nico Rosberg and Kimi Raikkonen, these guys are potential race winners so keep an eye out for them during the race!! My predicted podium? 1 Lewis Hamilton 2 Jenson Button 3 Sebastian Vettel. This race will give us all a real indication of this years F1 championship! Bring on the 2014 Petronas Malaysian Grand Prix!
It’s back! The fastest sport on the planet returns as we go down under to Australia for the start of the F1 season. Gear up for the race here with our extensive preview of the race.
So a new season awaits. New cars, new team personnel, new drivers, new engines and new circuits! Excited? You should be! Now I don’t want to bore you with all the new regulations however it would be remiss of me not to mention the key changes. With respect to the cars, they are smaller, lighter and have had their wings clipped! Front and rear wings are narrower to restrict aero downforce. The new regs dictate that noses have to be lower at the front resulting in designers producing unusual and slightly ridiculous solutions.
Perhaps the biggest change to the cars are the power units. Gone are the normally aspirated 2.4 litre V8’s and in come the smaller 1.6 litre turbo charged units with two energy recovery systems, (ERS). Although the RPM has also been limited to 15000 these power units should produce similar power levels to last years cars. They are however not as loud and if you are attending a Grand Prix this year you wont need to bring any earplugs! As a long standing F1 fan I think that`s a bit of a shame. In terms of Driver changes, Kimi Raikkonen moves from Lotus to take Felipe Massa`s seat at Ferrari while Massa moves to Williams Martini Racing alongside Valtteri Bottas. Daniel Ricciardo comes in to replace the Porsche bound Mark Webber at Red Bull while the talented young Russian Daniil Kvyat replaces the Australian at Torro Rosso. For McLaren, out goes the Mexican Sergio Perez to Force India and in comes the promising rookie Kevin Magnussen, son of former F1 driver Jan Magnussen, to partner Jenson Button. Going to be some great team mate battles this year! During winter testing, the Red Bull team have struggled and have been beset by fires and overheating, limiting their test mileage. Has Adrian Newey got it wrong this year? He has got it wrong in the past, the unraced McLaren Mercedes MP4-18 probably the best example of this. The Mercedes engine teams (Mercedes AMG, McLaren, Force India) have performed best in testing and I would say that either Lewis Hamilton or Nico Rosberg are favourites to win the season opener in Melbourne.
So to the Australian Grand Prix itself, we return to the fantastic Albert Park! A fast yet challenging circuit set around the Albert Park lake in Melbourne Australia. The circuit has been the venue of the Australian GP since 1996 when it took over from the street circuit of Adelaide. The circuit is 3.295 miles long and has 16 turns. The current lap record is 1:24.125 set by Michael Schumacher for Ferrari in 2004. Michael Schumacher also has the most number of wins here with 4 Australian Grand Prix victories. McLaren have been the most successful constructor with 12 wins. Last year saw Kimi Raikkonen win in the Lotus Renault with Fernando Alonso and Sebastian Vettel finishing 2nd and 3rd respectively. Prediction The Mercedes powered teams have performed best in testing. Lewis Hamilton has been very focussed during the winter and I will now predict a Hamilton Mercedes win! My 2014 Australian GP podium, 1 Lewis Hamilton, 2 Kimi Raikkonen, 3 Nico Rosberg.
The winter is over, bring on the new season, cant wait to see you all down under for a beer and a barbie mate! Bring on the 2014 FIA Formula One season!
Dedicating this preview to the great Michael Schumacher. We are all behind you champ, keep fighting.
In a dramatic season dominated by Tyre management and team orders, one man raced to a place amongst the all time F1 greats.
Sebastian Vettel and Adrian Newey were an unstoppable combination this year. Image Courtesy: F1Fanatic
McLaren finished the 2012 season on a high. They were in good form but had to contend with the fact that their driver that they had nurtured and delivered them a World championship was leaving them. Many pundits wrote off Lewis’ hopes in 2013 instead commenting that his departure meant a great opportunity for Jenson Button to become this years World Champion. Well, how wrong were they – of course building exceptional road cars does sap a lot of the teams resources but few could have foreseen the toll this was to have on their 2013 F1 aspirations.
The first race saw a very welcome win for Kimi Raikkonen winning in Australia for the Lotus team. The second race saw a very dramatic battle between two team mates in two different teams but eventually was won by Sebastian Vettel in very controversial circumstances, more about that later on.
Courtesy: Sky Sport
China saw a great win for the popular Fernando Alonso in the even more popular scarlet Ferrari. McLaren take note, Lewis Hamilton’s second podium of the season and only three races into the Championship! When Fernando Alonso took up his fifth position on the grid for the Spanish Grand Prix not many thought he could go on and win. A fantastic start saw him save some KERS energy at the start and use it on turn three propelling past Raikkonen and Hamilton on the outside to take third place. One of the overtakes of the season from a personal standpoint. A brilliant move that pushed him on to eventually win his home race much to the delight of the Spanish fans.
Then in the season the whole controversial issue of tyre degradation and tyre management was to rear its very ugly head. Monaco saw a great win for Nico Rosberg exactly 30 years after his father Keke had won there. It was a hard fought battle – not with his competitors but with his tyres – Nico frequently had to back off and save tyre wear, not what us F1 fans wanted to see…
Courtesy: Adelaide Now
In Canada for race seven of the season and this proved to be a big win for Sebastian Vettel. The event however was overshadowed by the death of a marshal Mark Robinson who was tragically killed after being run over by a truck recovering a car from the track.
Then the F1 circus arrived at Silverstone, I also arrived at Silverstone and enjoyed a very enthralling weekend! Friday practice was a wet one! Cold too, you would have been forgiven for thinking it was January! We sat at Beckets and stood along Hangar straight and watched as these great drivers tip toed round. Saturday was different, sunny warm weather and a British driver took pole! Lewis Hamilton looked in great form to take a last lap pole much to the delight of myself, son and 80,000 others! Sunday was even hotter and a great start to the race be Lewis holding 1st place on the first lap until.. disaster! His left rear tyre punctured, delaminated and saw him having to pit. The same happened to Felipe Massa, Jean Eric Vergne and Sergio Perez also. Something had gone seriously wrong with Pirelli’s tyre compounds. Vettel had to retire with mechanical problems and the race was won by Nico Rosberg with Lewis battling back from last to finish in fourth place.
For the German Grand Prix Pirelli reverted to 2012 Tyre compounds and we had a more settled race won by Sebastian Vettel. Race ten was Hungary and almost a Karting circuit that Lewis Hamilton always went well at. The Mercedes team were on a high after Silverstone and Lewis delivered a magnificent win. Where were those pundits now writing his chances off then?! I guess my colleague’s prediction for the remainder of the season prior to the Summer Break was just slightly off, but you might as well read it anyway here >>
After the summer break the season reconvened in Belgium at the legendary Spa Francorchamps . It soon became clear who had been working the hardest during the break. Sebastian Vettel won at a canter, a result that we would all have to get used to as the season progressed…
GIF: Sebastian Vettel’s post-race donuts became a ritual after numerous wins.
Italy (read the race report here), Singapore (read the race report here), Japan (read the race report here) came and went, all with the same outcome, no one could stop Sebastian, he was man and machine in total harmony. Eventually in India, Sebastian took his 10th win of the season and with it a historic 4th World Drivers Championship, equaled only by Juan Manuel Fangio, Alain Prost and Michael Schumacher!
Race 17 Abu Dhabi saw the last of Kimi Raikkonen in a Lotus and indeed competing in this years F1 championship. Reports of him not being paid all season and other contract issues saw him retire on the first lap rather lamely and disappear from the circuit for a very early bath and onto his team for 2014, Ferrari. Vettel went on to win that one, too.
The US Grand Prix in Austin saw a very big surprise. Sergio Perez had lost his seat at McLaren for 2014. A decision that on reflection maybe wasn’t so surprising. Disobeying team orders, colliding with his team mate and a string of poor performances altogether in a poor season. The race was won by… well you guessed it, Sebastian Vettel.
Race 19 Brazil, the final race of the season and it was emotional, very emotional. Mark Webber had previously announced he was to leave F1 for the up and coming World Endurance Championship. This was to be his last appearance in a Formula One car and race. In some ways I bet he couldn’t wait to get away from Vettel and a Team so obviously geared up to his younger team mate. In other ways a very sad day for the very likeable Aussie, he will be greatly missed next year.
“Its not easy getting in the car the last time” his radio message to the team as he sat on the grid for the final time. The race was one of his best all season as he came through to finish second behind Vettel. On the slow down lap Mark removed his helmet to wave at the crowds and revealed a visibly emotional driver.
That was it – a historic fourth World title for Sebastian Vettel breaking all kinds of records along the way. His conduct in Malaysia however proves he still has a lot to learn.
Courtesy: Getty / Red Bull
Race Of The Year: Malaysian Grand Prix
The race started in wet conditions and Fernando Alonso charged off the line to challenge for the lead. In doing so he damages his front wing but stays out on second lap. This was to prove a bad decision as moments later charging down the start finish straight the front wing comes off completely and tucks itself under the car – it was race over for Alonso.
A little later on and the first pit stops begin. Lewis Hamilton comes in but instead of stopping in the Mercedes pit he turns into his old team McLaren`s instead who wave him through! Brilliant! Team orders then played a big part as Nico Rosberg was told to hold station behind Lewis whilst at Red Bull Sebastian Vettel was given the now infamous “Multi 21” order which also meant he had to stay behind his team mate Webber. Seb being seb however ignored that instruction and we witnessed an amazing Red Bull v Red Bull battle for the lead which Seb won. Controversial stuff and Seb showed that he was still an inexperienced racer looking out for himself. His fans argued that he was only being a proper racer, something that I have some sympathy with.
A season of two halves! The first promised an exciting championship however the second was dominated by just one man! See you next year, for more from the fastest sport on the planet.
F1 For the last race of the season, Formula One returns to the magical Interlagos circuit, Sao Paulo, Brazil.
It was a fast and furious start to last year’s race.
For me the Brazilian Grand Prix is one of the highlights of the season. So many great races down the years, so many dramatic wins, this has been the venue for many championship deciding races. The Brazilian fans make for a special atmosphere too and are fiercely patriotic!
The circuit itself lies in a district of Sao Paulo called Interlagos , meaning `between the lakes`. The Brazilian Grand Prix was first held in 1972 here on the bumpy and very demanding longer circuit. The first GP to be included in the F1 World Championship was held the following year and won by defending champion and Sao Paulo resident Emerson Fittipaldi, a very popular win.
The circuit was revised for the 1990 season. It was modernised and shortened in length but still retained its demanding nature. That year saw Alain Prost win, his sixth Brazilian Grand Prix win and one of the most unpopular due to his coming together the previous year with the fans hero Ayrton Senna in Japan. He later complained to the stewards after the race and Senna was stripped of the win that cost him a World Championship.
Senna himself had mixed fortunes in his home Grand Prix. He tried many times to win but something would always happen to prevent him from doing so. That all changed in 1991. In one of the most amazing and emotional races, Senna eventually took the chequered flag after nursing his McLaren round with his car stuck in sixth gear! He was so exhausted afterwards he had to be helped out of his car by doctors. Probably one of the most celebrated home wins by any driver ever!
In 2005 Fernando Alonso became the youngest World Champion by finishing 3rd giving him enough points to take the title that year. Just three years later Lewis Hamilton won in dramatic fashion to replace Fernando Alonso as the youngest World Champion! He went for a cautious race strategy needing only 5th place to secure the Championship. Late on in the race it started to rain causing all sorts of trouble for the drivers. Lewis dropped to 5th after Timo Glock stayed out on intermediate tyres and with 3 laps left Lewis was caught and passed by Sebastian Vettel to drop to 6th. However on the last lap both Vettel and Hamilton caught up with Glock who had little grip left and Lewis passed the German on the very last corner before the finishing straight to deny race winner Felipe Massa the Championship win! Still recovering from that unforgettable night in Brazil even now!
The race on Sunday will be 71 laps in total on the 2.7 mile track. My favourite part of the circuit without a doubt would be the Senna `S` which is the first S shape corner after the start finish straight. Named after Ayrton Senna as he had a hand in its design for the 1990 season. Normally a few shunts there at the start! So who will win? Come on, you know the answer to that!
Its always a spectacular way to end the F1 season, bring on Sunday as the F1 2013 season culminates in Brazil.
AUSTIN, TX – After a dramatic qualifying session at The Circuit of The Americas, Sebastian Vettel grabbed a last gasp pole with an amazing last lap.
After yesterday’s practice sessions dominated by missing helicopters and fog, todays qualifying was dominated by changing track conditions, driver attitudes and… oh yes, Red Bull.
Hot, cold, sunny, cloudy, dusty, windy, a lot for a delicate Formula One car to have to deal with. Yet those were the conditions given to the drivers during todays qualifying session. Those conditions played a big part throughout the three qualy sessions.
Q1 Q1 started with most teams opting for the grippier option tyre in warm sunny conditions. Jenson Button started this session knowing he has a 3 place grid penalty after passing under yellow flags during yesterdays practice sessions. He needed a good qualy session. Lewis Hamilton also needed a good session after recent chassis problems had hampered his last two qualification days. 4 minutes in and Sebastian Vettel looks very relaxed as he stands by his car listening to music. Not a good sign to the other teams and drivers. 7 mins in and Lewis radios his team “The track is slow”. A reference to the dust and gathering wind sweeping across the track playing havoc with the amount of grip he was receiving. With 8 mins left in Q1, Vettel eventually comes out on the harder Prime tyres to set some lap times. 2 mins left sees Lewis put a great lap in also on primes to go P1. Meanwhile Pastor Maldonado, soon to be vacating his Williams seat, records a slow time that will see him going out and qualifying in 18th. More about him to follow. The six drivers to go out of qualifying at the end of Q1 were: 17th Sutil, 18th Maldonado, 19th Van Der Garde, 20th Bianchi, 21st Pic, 22nd Chilton. Suprisingly Valtteri Bottas tops the timesheet at the end in P1.
Q2 Q2 starts under clouds and slightly cooler temperatures. Ferrari drivers struggle with the conditions and Williams bound Felipe Massa goes out. Another shock exit from qualy was Nico Rosberg who also went out and qualified in 14th position. Bottas put in another great performance and finished 4th overall. Red Bull dominated though and Vettel finished P1 and Mark Webber P2.
Q3 With so many Mexican fans here supporting Esteban and Sergio Perez, Perez beats his team mate Jenson Button into the top ten shoot out and makes a point to his McLaren team that has terminated his contract for next season. As the session progresses, Mark Webber sets the fastest time with a great lap of 1min 36.699. Lewis Hamilton could only manage 5th. With an amazing last sector time on his last lap this years world champion Sebastian Vettel grabs pole in the dying seconds of the qualifying session.
So, the top ten grid is as follows; 1st Vettel, 2nd Webber, 3rd Grosjean, 4th Hulkenberg, 5th Hamilton, 6th Alonso, 7th Perez, 8th Kovalainen, 9th Bottas, 10th Gutierrez.
Great drives by Bottas and the returning Heikki Kovalainen but Rosberg, Maldonado and Button have a lot to do in tomorrow`s race. After he went out, Pastor Maldonado hinted that someone may have interfered with his car`s set up. To even suggest that a top F1 team would allow that to happen while scrapping for all important world championship points is an absolute disgrace. He may bring a lot of money with him but he doesn`t bring a lot of class.
Vettel put in an amazing last gasp qualifying lap to grab pole. Can anyone stop him winning the last two races this year? Enjoy the race!
ABU DHABI – Sebastian Vettel once again outshun his rivals to win by another big margin in his seventh consecutive race win.
Deja vu… again! If anyone thought Sebastian Vettel was going to ease off the gas and just enjoy being a four time World Champion here at the Yas Marina circuit they were wrong, very wrong! Sebastian was furious with himself for making one small mistake on his final run in qualifying and letting Mark Webber in for Pole. Clearly second place is no place for him in his unbeatable Red Bull racing car!
Before the race as Lewis went out to the grid he had a problem with his brakes. That forced his mechanics to scramble on the grid and remove both callipers on the rear wheels to fix the problem with just minutes until the race start. They managed it in time but not an ideal start for the Englishman in what would prove to be yet another frustrating afternoon behind the wheel.
Off the line it was Lewis`s teammate Nico Rosberg with the better start and overtook the slow starting Pole sitter Mark Webber. Vettel also had a good start and beat his team mate into turn 1 to take the lead. Romain Grosjean overtook Lewis for fourth as they powered through turn 2. Meanwhile truly a race weekend to forget for Kimi Raikkonen as not only did he have to start from 24th place due to a penalty but he banged wheels on the first corner with the Caterham of Giedo Van Der Garde and broke a front right track rod. He pulled up at the exit of turn 2 and promptly jumped in a car to leave the circuit. Will he race again this season? We will see.
By lap 4 Vettel had all too easily settled into a nice lead of nearly 4 seconds to Nico Rosberg in 2nd. Cars start to pit from lap 7 swapping their option (soft) tyres for the harder Prime tyres. Vettel, with less tyre wear due to driving in clean air and also possessing a magic right foot manages to stay out much longer before pitting on lap 14. By this time he had already built up enough of a lead to rejoin the race in first place again!
At the half way point Vettel led by 28 seconds to Mark Webber, Rosberg a further 3 seconds adrift in 3rd then Grosjean, Massa, Hamilton, Alonso, Hulkenberg and Perez making up the top ten. From lap 30 cars start their 2nd stops and barring some passes and repasses in midfield the rest of the race proceeds without too much incident.
As the beautiful desert sun set around the Yas Marina track there was only ever going to be one winner. Yet again he showed that second place was a totally unacceptable position to settle for. His car designed by Adrian Newey, who also clearly does not settle for anything less than 1st place, was in a class of it`s own.
Two more races left, will Sebastian ease off and settle for second place? You now know the answer to that.
NEW DELHI – In a topsy-turvey strategy led race, Sebastian Vettel once again won by a big margin to become a four time World Champion emphatically.
Its no good, I just can’t shake it off. That feeling I get as the cars come round the last corner and slowly line up on the grid awaiting the red lights to disappear. Goosebumps, butterflies and hairs standing on the back of my neck in anticipation of what is to follow, that feeling never seems to leave me and is why I love this sport so much.
Vettel keeps his lead into turn one
That feeling was palpable amongst the crowd who had flocked to the Buddh International circuit. They had come to witness something special on what was the third and last Indian Grand Prix for the foreseeable future. They certainly got their reward today.
Off the start line Lewis Hamilton got a great start and passed Rosberg, as Webber and Alonso have a little coming together going into turn 1 resulting in the Spaniard having to pit early for a new front wing. Down the back straight they charged and while Rosberg attempts to pass Lewis, Felipe Massa lunges down the outside with a huge turn of speed and overtakes both the Mercedes’ in one go! Meanwhile Vettel opens a small gap back to Massa and at the end of the first lap the running order was VET, MAS, ROS and Ham in 4th.
Vettel pitted early on the second lap getting rid of his softs for a set of primes.As he did so, Massa took the lead and for the first time in the 3 race history of the Indian GP another driver other than Vettel led the race! His motivation being signed up for a top seat in next years championship something to do with it?!
As the race progressed various tyre strategies played out. One of the big winners was Romain Grosjean, one of the losers was Lewis Hamilton. Lewis found himself defending in the early stages and attacking Massa later in the race which would damage his tyres and eventually finishing 6th. Credit to Grosjean as he was able to make key overtakes at critical times to work his way up and finish on the podium from 17th at the start! Webber looked strong before an alternator problem meant that he had to stop his car out on track on lap 40. Amazing how it’s always the popular Australian’s car that suffers all the terminal problems!
Ultimately the day belonged to Sebastian Vettel, as he crossed the line he was some 30 seconds ahead of Nico Rosberg who finished 2nd. Quite rightly he took his time on the slow down lap wrestling with his emotions. As he approached the last corner he went past the pit lane entry and cruised up to the start line and did some doughnuts before standing atop his car and saluting the crowd and his own achievements. Brilliant. He now joins Schumacher, Prost and Fangio as 4 time World Championship winners.
As Sebastian stood on his great car saluting the crowd those feelings returned to me once again, butterflies, goosebumps and a huge lump in my throat. Congratulations Sebastian Vettel, 2013 Formula One World Champion!
Those feelings will never leave me while we have special days like today. Days when we see a good driver become one of the sports greatest ever competitors. On the podium, Sebastian talked about how he dealt with the boo boys, his answer to them was to put in an even better performance the next time he got into his magnificent Red Bull racing car. That is the mark of the competitor and the mark of the man. .
This was always going to be Sebastian Vettel’s day. Maybe now those that have booed should start recognizing we are witnessing one of the sports all time greats.
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