Mercedes GP is full of confidence for the upcoming Turkish GP after Nico Rosberg had a promising race last time out in China. At one stage it looked like Rosberg could win but everyone heard on his pit to car radio transmission, his engineer telling him to back of and conserve fuel since the fuel position was critical. That led to Rosberg not only losing a chance of a win but also a podium position as well. However, the team is now looking forward to Istanbul for the Turkish Grand Prix and both Rosberg and Michael Schumacher have expressed confidence in the speed and reliability of the Mercedes car and are hoping to perform well. Let us hope that Mercedes GP does not flatter only to deceive in the end, and truth to speak that is what we believe to be the reality.
Yearly Archives: 2011
Michael Schumacher has said unequivocally that he has no plans to not see out his contract with Mercedes GP which runs till the end of 2012. Schumacher says that his comeback though not at the level that he wanted it to be, is still very much on track and that his driving is getting better and he that he is now in a better position than he was till now. He is optimistic that he can challenge for wins this year. As we have reported in another piece his team mate Nico Rosberg who has consistently out performed Schumacher last year and thus far this year has also defended Schumacher. However, what is happening with him so far must be very distressing for Schumacher fans, who are only used to seeing him annihilate the opposition.
Bernie Ecclestone the shrewd and controversy loving ring master of F1 has been making noises about extending the deadline for the Bahrain GP organisors to come out with a date for later this year. Bernie is obviously not willing to lose the revenues from TV if the race gets cancelled. But the FIA under the phlegmatic Jean Todt does not seem to be in a mood to relent. The FIA has stated clearly that the deadline is in place and that the Bahrain GP organisors have to give an answer by the 1st of May, 2011, which is tomorrow. We believe that there will be no Bahrain GP this year and also possibly in the years to come. That will be alright since there are so many new venues coming up.
Williams F1 is most definitely one of the hallowed names in F1 and was a dominant force through the nineteen eighties and nineteen nineties. The new millennium has seen the team go into rapid decline with both co-owners Frank Williams and Patrick Head ageing and slowly losing control. Toto Wolff a one time racer and racing fan was sold some shares and he gained a minority holding in the team. Last year however citing finance crunch team Williams floated shares in Germany. In this process Patrick Head sold out most of his shares and Frank Williams also off loaded some of his. Doubts came up when Head cashed his money out completely. After this Toto Wolff has been seen playing a greater role in the team. Frank Williams who is still Team Principal does not travel to all races owing mainly to advancing age and his being confined to a wheel chair. This year has started disastrously for Williams and a few weeks ago their Technical Director Sam Michael vowed to fix the problems with the car and took complete responsibility for what was happening in the team. He even said that he is willing to step down completely if the situation demands. It has now emerged that Adam Parr who is the Chairman of Williams F1 may wants precisely that to happen. It is being said that along with Sam Michael’s another head may roll. That will be Jon Tomlinson the Chief Aerodynamicist’s. It is also being said that Patrick Head will be eased out. Some suggest that Sam Michael is fine and that it is the mismanagement by Adam Parr that has landed Williams where it is today. Rubens Barrichello is one of the people who believes this. Perhaps Barrichello himself should not be in the team. Irrespective of who is to blame it is sad to see Williams F1 go down the way it is.
No no don’t get us wrong. Button is not considering retirement anytime soon. But he is so much in love with his team, McLaren that he has publicly announced that he wants to be with this team till he retires. Button is a Briton and McLaren is a British team, so he must be comfortable in that environment. Also Ron Dennis is no longer team principal. Team Principal Martin Whitmarsh has so far been good at managing two World Champions in the team quite well. Jenson Button is a genuinely nice person, a rarity in the F1 paddock and success came to him very late. But through out the lean period Button showed that his was a man of scruples and character. It will be nice to see him winning races and while he is at it, maybe even a world championship.
Nick Heidfeld who stepped into the Lotus Renault team in the place of the unfortunate Robert Kubica and has one good performance only to show for himself so far has said that he is not a fan of the Drag Reduction System or more simply the moveable rear wing system introduced in F1 this season to facilitate overtaking. Heidfeld believes that this is one innovation Formula1 could have done without. Well it must feel like that when you are being overtaken left, right uh no not centre and being pushed to the back of the field during a race. Nick has never won a race in F1, so who takes him seriously anyway?
Michael Schumacher has been defended by Ross Brawn, Nick Fry and Norbert Haug, all of Mercedes GP despite his poor results last year and so far this year. But his team mate Nico Rosberg believes that Schumacher is driving at the highest level even though his results this season do not reflect that. If you think carefully about this you will ask yourself if this is a true defence or a back handed compliment. Schumacher driving at full potential and finishing where he does. Now what does that say? Think about it.
Alvaro Bautista is returning to MotoGP after breaking the femur in his left leg. His leg, he says, is still very stiff and sore and therefore he has been finishing at the bottom of the time sheets in all the sessions thus far at Estoril. But that is not dampening Bautistas enthusiasm, which he has in plenty. Bautista wants to race and enjoy it while doing something productive for his team, Suzuki.
Dani Pedrosa has reason for optimism after having gone well in the first and second free practices with a brace of second positions. However, he is taking nothing for granted for the race since he believes that the race will be much longer than the seven laps and fifteen minutes at a stretch that he has been doing during free practice sessions. It will be good to see Dani Pedrosa do well. Except for the fact that he is in the controlling grip of his eminently dislikeable manager Alberto Puig, Dani is actually a very nice person. We wish him well.
Estoril so far has been kind to Valentino Rossi and the Ducati. In the first free practice Rossi finished fifth and followed that up with a fourth in the second free practice, importantly ahead of Casey Stoner who was fifth. Rossi believes that his shoulder has further healed and that he now feels a little more strength and that is the reason why he is going better this weekend. However, he is guarded about the race which will be longer and has not made any comments about how well he will go in the race. We hope that he will go well, fingers crossed.