Monaco Grand Prix 2013: Rosberg dominates the streets of Monte Carlo on Thursday

Nico Rosberg and Mercedes dominated free practice on Thursday at the Monaco Grand Prix.

The German driver led his teammate Lewis Hamilton in the second session after setting the fastest time in both the morning and afternoon. Fernando Alonso set the third fastest time in the Ferrari whilst his teammate Felipe Massa was fourth.

Mark Webber set the fifth fastest time in the first of the Red Bulls whilst the Lotuses of Kimi Raikkonen and Romain Grosjean were sixth and seventh. Grosjean later clattered the wall in his E21 damaging the left side and front suspension bringing out the red flag. Officials took the opportunity to assess damage to the kerb at Turn 13.

Jenson Button set the eighth fastest time for McLaren just over a second off the pace. Championship leader Sebastian Vettel was ninth fastest with his car undergoing work during the session.

The Force Indias were once again evenly matched with Paul di Resta narrowly outrunning Adrian Sutil for 11th. The German hit the wall during the first session but managed to make it back to the pits for checks to be carried out on his car. Sergio Perez was 12th in the second McLaren.

Nico Hulkenberg was 13th for Sauber whilst his teammate was 15th. Hulkenberg was party to a near miss after Alonso took action to avoid the slow moving Sauber late during the second session. The two Saubers were split by the Williams of Pastor Maldonado in 14th.

Toro Rosso had a disappointing afternoon with Daniel Ricciardo in 16th and teammate Jean-Eric Vergne setting the 17th fastest time. Behind them Valtteri Bottas was 18th for Williams.

At the back Marussia led the Caterhams with Jules Bianchi 19th, Charles Pic 20th, Max Chilton 21st and Giedo van der Garde 22nd.

Have Williams lost their way in 2013?

Just over a year after a dominant victory at the 2012 Spanish Grand Prix Williams are struggling to make an impact. Five races into the 2013 season and they have failed to score a single point whilst continuing to struggle in qualifying. They have twice had a best result of just 11th place but are yet to truly bring the challenge to their midfield rivals. It is often said you should start the season as you mean to go on but apparently Williams didn’t get that particular memo.

For a team that has such an illustrious history 2013 must feel a world away from what they should be achieving. The team’s 2012 victory was their first since 2004 but over the 2010-12 seasons they seemed to be making steps froward. There was Nico Hulkenberg’s pole position in Brazil in 2010 and Maldonado’s win, however this year their progress seems to have stalled.

Qualifying has not been a strong point for the team. They have only reached Q2 on two occasion in five races with Maldonado qualifying 15th in China and starting 14th after Mark Webber was disqualified and Bottas qualifying in 15th in Bahrain. It is fair to say Valtteri Bottas hasn’t had the best car to start his F1 career with and that may go some way to explaining his struggles.

If qualifying has been poor it is nothing compared to the disappointment Williams have faced on race days. With no points from five races the car appears both poor in high and low fuel conditions. The team have twice finished a race in 11th – with Bottas in Malaysia and Maldonado in Bahrain. However only Bottas’ performance in Malaysia was close to securing points as he finished just over a second behind 10th place man Jean-Eric Vergne in the Toro Rosso. When Maldonado finished 11th he was 20 seconds behind 10th placed Jenson Button.

Then there was Spain. Just 12 months on from Maldonado’s superb win beating Ferrari’s Fernando Alonso, the Venezulan was lapped by the Spaniard as he finished a lowly 14th. After the emphatic win I doubt anyone at Williams expected a year on they would be struggling to keep pace with the midfield.

At this same point last year the team had 43 points. They simply don’t seem to have made any progress despite the regulations remaining the same in 2013. Whilst last year they were challenging Sauber and Force India this year you are more likely to find them just keeping themselves ahead of the backmarkers.

To say the team is struggling would be an understatement. They are in the deep end only marginally keeping their head above the water and ahead of the Marussias and Caterhams. For a team which appeared to be making bounds forward after a difficult few years since 2004 it looks as if the brakes have been applied. 2012 showed the team could still mix it up amongst the big boys at the front – but they have failed move forward.

In an interview with Formula1.com deputy team principal Claire Williams said the team were aware the start of the European season would not be a new start to the season for the team. Encouragingly she revealed the team had identified where the problem was but would not give a time frame to Williams’ problems being solved.

The team may know what they need to rectify to sort out their car and get their season back on track. However they don’t seem too confident this will be any time soon. There will become a point where attempting to improve this season will be to the detriment of next season. If the start of 2013 is anything to go by Williams had better be planning ahead for 2014 any day now.

McLaren and Honda: the perfect partnership?

McLaren may have spent months denying they would be joining forces with Honda in a new partnership, but the secret is finally out. From 2015 the Woking based team will be powered by Honda engines and energy recovery systems. The two companies are renewing a relationship which saw them win four drivers championships and four constructors championships between 1988 and 1992.

Honda will start working with McLaren just one year after the new 1.6 litre turbocharged engines are brought in as part of new 2014 regulations. The Japanese company quit the sport in 2008 after several years of bad results. Prior to this the company had success as an engine supplier for Williams and then McLaren.

According to the company’s CEO and president they have been attracted to return to F1 by the sports new greener engine rules to be introduced next year.

When the two companies last worked together in F1 they dominated the sport between 1988 and 1992 winning four consecutive drivers and constructors titles with Ayrton Senna and Alain Prost. In 1988 they produced the most successful year in F1 history winning 15 of the 16 races in the season.

Their history as a pairing may be undeniable but this will not guarantee success in the future. People are understandably hotly anticipating the re-ignition of one of the best partnerships F1 has ever seen. However Honda’s last foray into the world of F1 as an engine supplier did not end so well.

In 2006 the team formerly known as BAR-Honda became known as just Honda. The company had success as the engine supplier to the team during the 2004 and 2005 seasons. During those two years the team secured 13 podiums. However in their final season they were disqualified three times – both cars were disqualified in San Marino for running illegal cars before being banned for two races.

Jenson Button would go onto win the Hungarian Grand Prox in 2006 for the team but they would see little other success over the next few years. By the end of 2008 Honda had made the decision to leave the sport. The Brackley based outfit was sold to Ross Brawn and the team now know as Brawn GP would go on to win the 2009 drivers and constructors championship. We will never know if Honda could have gone on to win the 2009 championship had they remained in F1.

Honda will re-enter F1 a year after the regulations have changed and it is unknown how this will affect them. Whilst their return may be anticipated they will need to hit the ground running to stand any chance of competing for wins. As they will see with the McLaren this year – it won’t matter how good the engine is if the car is not aerodynamically competitive enough.

Another question worth noting is whether Honda will go on to set up engine deals with other teams. Supplying engines to another team could be advantageous and with a McLaren technical partnership Force India could be in contention. However with many teams having already agreed long-term engine deals this may not be particularly easy.

Honda’s return to F1 is undoubtedly good for the sport. As one of the biggest automotive suppliers in the world the company is well placed to make a impact in the future of the sport. The decision to return will also help to promote the sport once again in Japan which has been a popular destination over the last two decades.

So will McLaren and Honda prove to be the perfect partnership once again? The credentials are certainly there and together they have the potential to change the face of next decade of F1.

Raikkonen vs Ricciardo: who is really in contention for a Red Bull drive?

Some impressive performances from Toro Rosso driver Daniel Ricciardo could be moving the Australian closer to a Red Bull drive. This comes as it was revealed Red Bull were keeping an eye on the young driver should Kimi Raikkonen – the teams first choice – be unavailable. But which of the two drivers is really in contention for a future Red Bull drive?

With speculation continuing to grow Mark Webber will not be retained beyond 2013 after Malaysia’s Multi 21 row, Raikkonen and Ricciardo have been lined up as a potential replacements.

The Australian has scored seven points this season and sits in 12th in the drivers championship. There have been impressive performances from Ricciardo. The first came China where he produced his best ever qualifying of seventh and later converted this into a solid points finish. He pushed in the final laps of the race to get ahead of midfield rivals Paul di Resta and Nico Hulkenberg.

His performance in China was also replicated in Spain. The points haul may not have been as many as in Shanghai but the Australian drove a clean race in an upgraded and faster Toro Rosso to finish 10th.

Ricciardo has out-qualified his teammate Jean-Eric Vergne four times and out-raced him three times in the five races so far this season. However not every race has been as successful or impressive as China and Spain. In Australia he retired after 39 laps suffering from exhaust failure whilst in Malaysia it was another exhaust issue which put an end to his race with five laps to go leaving him classified 18th. In Bahrain he also had a disappointing race finishing 16th a lap down on winner Sebastian Vettel.

As previously mentioned, should Webber leave the world championship winning team, the man in pole position to replace him is in fact 2007 world champion Raikkonen. The Finn is favourite according to paddock whispers and he is also without a contract for 2014.

Whilst Lotus remain confident Raikkonen will stay with them for 2014 the benefits of making the move to Red Bull may outweigh the cons. Lotus may have the potential to win a championship- but it is not certain. The lure of a team which has won three consecutive driver and constructor titles since 2009 – and could be set to win a fourth this season – may sway the Finn towards the Austrian team.

Raikkonen has performed faultlessly this year. He is second in the drivers championship just five points behind Vettel. He won the first race of the season in Australia and has finished in second position three times. His worst performance this season has been seventh in Malaysia.

With Raikkonen, Red Bull would also have an experienced driver who has proved he can win a championship. In comparison Ricciardo is relatively unknown only in his second season of F1. He may be out-qualifying and out-racing his teammate but this doesn’t necessarily mean he will be able to perform in a top-team.

The truth of the matter is that there is really only one driver in contention for the Red Bull drive. The team are understood to want Raikkonen, and in light of his recent form it is understandable. However it is not inconceivable that should he not make the move Webber will be signed for another season.

Red Bull say they won’t make a decision until the summer. There may be more than one name floating around for the second seat but one thing is for certain – the team’s 2014 driver line-up is far from settled.

Team-by-team look at the 2013 Spanish Grand Prix

Sunday’s Spanish Grand Prix saw Fernando Alonso take a dominant home victory as Sebastian Vettel failed to finish on the podium. There was a stand out performance from Esteban Gutierrez whilst Mercedes continue to struggle to get a grip on the Pirelli tyres. We take a look at where each team stands as the European leg of the season begins with round five.

Ferrari
Fernando Alonso took a triumphant victory in front on a home crowd on Sunday. The Spaniard started fifth before impressively overtaking both Kimi Raikkonen and Lewis Hamilton on the first lap- taking the outside line at Turn 3. He then executed a four-stop strategy to beat Raikkonen and his teammate Felipe Massa to secure his second victory of the season and moved himself into third place in the championship. Massa started ninth but moved up early in the race. He was similarly on a four-stop strategy but could not match the pace of his teammate- however he did enough to hold of Sebastian Vettel in fourth. A good performance by Ferrari to secure a double podium.

Lotus
Kimi Raikkonen started fourth on the gird but was overtaken by Alonso on lap one. The Finn led the race for some laps in the middle stint before being overtaken once again by Alonso. He managed his three-stop strategy to finish a comfortable second ahead of Massa. The day didn’t finish so well for his teammate Romain Grosjean who retired on lap eight after a suspension failure. Grosjean had struggled at the start falling to ninth having started sixth. Raikkonen is now just four points behind Vettel in the drivers championship but Lotus still trail both Red Bull and Ferrari in the constructors.

Red Bull
Sebastian Vettel may have followed an identical four-stop strategy as Alonso but he could not compete with the Spaniard on Sunday. Suffering from tyre wear the German could only manage fourth after losing out to both Raikkonen and Massa as the race unfolded. He still leads the drivers championship but by only four points to Raikkonen. Mark Webber failed to captialise on his qualifying position at the start going from seventh on the grid to 12th. However a clean race allowed him to make his way through the field to finish fifth behind his teammate and take home 10 points.

Mercedes
Nico Rosberg may have started on pole but it was a similar story to last time out in Bahrain. The German did well to keep the lead for some laps during the first stint before Alonso overtook him. Rosberg went for a three-stop strategy and managed to hold off an attack from Paul di Resta in the closing laps. The team were clearly struggling with the Pirelli tyres and do not look to be any closer to solving the issues. Lewis Hamilton’s race went badly from the start- he lost a number of positions as Vettel and Alonso overtook. He then struggled with tyre wear for the entire race finishing a lowly 12th just ahead of Adrian Sutil who was within half a second of beating the Mercedes.

Force India
The day should have been a lot better for Force India who showed good pace in the race. Paul di Resta secured a seventh place finish after a strong finish to his two stop strategy. He caught Rosberg in the final laps but was unable to overtake the German. Teammate Adrian Sutil had the third fastest lap of the race but his chance to score points was ended after a bad first pitstop which left him at the back of the field. Sutil has been unable to show his true pace after a string of bad luck and Sunday was no different- he did well to make his way back up to 13th but was unable to make it passed Hamilton for 12th in the closing laps.

McLaren
A double points finish for McLaren once again but just six points will not be what the team would have wanted. Jenson Button had a terrible start which saw him fall from 14th to 17th but s clever strategy saw him finish eighth just ahead of his teammate Sergio Perez. The pair did not repeat the wheel to wheel racing which caused tension in Bahrain. The team will be happy to take home the points after the struggles they have had in practice and qualifying.

Toro Rosso
A mixed day for Toro Rosso. Daniel Ricciardo held on to tenth place for a single point after a late surge from Esteban Gutierrez. The Australian drove a clean race to keep himself in contention for points showing the updates to his Toro Rosso seem to have given the car a bit more speed. Jean-Eric Vergne failed to finish due to accident damage retiring on lap 52. He had been involved in a clash in the pits after Sauber unsafely released Nico Hulkenberg into his path with the pair clashing. Hulkenberg suffered front wing damage and was later given a 10 second stop go penalty.

Sauber
Another disappointing race for Sauber who failed to score points once again. The team had look set for at least some points after both drivers ran in the top ten. Esteban Gutierrez had his best race for the team coming close to scoring his first point whilst chasing Daniel Ricciardo in the final laps. Whilst his three stop strategy was not enough to claim the final point he did set the fastest lap of the race of which he led briefly at the first pit stop phase. Hulkenberg had a contrasting day finishing 15th- an unsafe release but his team left him with a broken front wing after hitting Vergne’s Toro Rosso. He had to pit for repairs before being given a 10 second stop-go penalty. The upgrades brought to the race may have been an improvement but it was not enough for the team who must make many more improvements for qualifying.

Williams
Williams continue to struggle with their drivers only finishing 14th and 16th. Pastor Maldonado was lapped by Alonso on lap 43- the man he had beaten last year for the victory. The Venezuelan was given a drive through penalty for speeding in the pit lane to add to his woes. Teammate Valtteri Bottas may have spent much of the race ahead of Maldonado but he had to settle for 16th position behind Hulkenberg.

Caterham
A mixed day for Caterham with Charles Pic beating both Marussias after starting from the back of the grid but a retirement from Giedo van der Garde. The Dutchman had looked on course for securing the teams best finish after battling with the Williams early on however a lose left-rear wheel force him to retire. He managed to make it back to the pits after the wheel came lose but had caused damage to the floor of his car. The team could face a fine for unsafe release as a consequence.

Marussia
Marussia had a fairly quiet day with both drivers being beaten by the Caterham of Pic. Jules Bianchi once again finished ahead of teammate Max Chilton. Both finished two laps down- the only drivers to do so- in 18th and 19th. Caterham appear to be beginning to comprehensively beat Marussia who will want to improve as the European leg of the season continues.

Spanish Grand Prix 2013: Massa and Gutierrez get three place grid penalties

Felipe Massa and Esteban Gutierrez have both been handed three place grid penalties for tomorrow’s Spanish Grand Prix.

Both drivers were given the penalties for impeding drivers during qualifying. Massa was given his penalty for impeding Mark Webber in Q2 and will now start the race from ninth. Gutierrez was penalised for impeding Kimi Raikkonen in Q1 and will now start from 19th.

Following Massa’s penalty Romain Grosjean, Webber and Sergio Perez move up the grid whilst Valtteri Bottas, Pastor Maldonado and Giedo van der Garde all benefit from Gutierrez’s penalty.

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REVISED GRID

Rosberg, Hamilton, Vettel, Raikkonen, Alonso, Grosjean, Webber, Perez, Massa, Di Resta, Ricciardo, Vergne, Sutil, Button, Hulkenberg, Bottas, Maldonado, Van der Garde, Gutierrez, Bianchi, Chilton, Pic.

Spanish Grand Prix 2013: Rosberg secures pole for Mercedes

Mercedes secured a one-two on the grid for tomorrow’s Spanish Grand Prix with Nico Rosberg beating Lewis Hamilton to pole.

Mercedes had dominated both Q1 and Q2- but Hamilton had lead Rosberg in both. The pair beat the Red Bull of Sebastian Vettel who finished the session in 3rd but will be their closest competition for Sunday.

Kimi Raikkonen will start fourth for Lotus whilst behind him Fernando Alonso is 5th and his teammate Felipe Massa will start 6th. Romain Grosjean set the seventh fastest time whilst Mark Webber disappointed in the second Red Bull only managing the eighth fastest time.

McLaren struggled in qualifying but Sergio Perez managed to set the ninth fastest time after only just making Q3. Teammate Jenson Button had a much worse day and will start tomorrow’s race from 14th.

Force India’s Paul di Resta will start 10th after a close fight in Q2 with the Toro Rosso’s and teammate Adrian Sutil. They line up behind him with Daniel Ricciardo 11th, Jean-Eric Vergne 12th and Sutil 13th.

Behind them there was disappointment for Sauber with Nico Hulkenberg starting 15th ahead of teammate Esteban Gutierrez in 16th. There was equal disappointment for Williams- last years winners in Spain- with both drivers failing to make Q2. Valtteri Bottas will start 17th ahead of Pastor Maldonado in 18th.

Giedo van der Garde impressed beating both his teammate and the two Marussias. He set the 19th fastest time for Caterham with Marussia’s Jules Bianchi and Max Chilton behind him. Van der Garde’s teammate Charles Pic will start last in 22nd place.

Spanish Grand Prix 2013: Vettel leads the way on Friday

Sebastian Vettel set the fastest time of the second free practice session as Red Bull look set to dominate another race weekend this season.

The second session allowed the drivers to get some dry running after FP1 had been under wet conditions.

Vettel was pushed all the way in FP2 with Fernando Alonso close behind setting the second fastest time.

Mark Webber set the third fastest time in the other Red Bull whilst Kimi Raikkonen was some way off Vettel’s time in fourth.

Felipe Massa set the fifth fastest time ahead of Lewis Hamilton in the first of the Mercedes.

Hamilton may have has an off track moment but his time was enough to keep him ahead of his teammate Nico Rosberg who was seventh.

Adrian Sutil continued Force India’s good form setting the eighth fastest time with his teammate 10th. Di Resta did not take part in the final 20 minutes of practice after his tyre shred its tread just past the pits.

The two Force India’s were split by the Toro Rosso of Jean-Eric Vergne whilst his teammate Daniel Ricciardo was 11th.

Jenson Button could only manage 12th in the lead McLaren whilst behind him his teammate Sergio Perez was 13th and Valtteri Bottas was 14th for Williams.

Sauber continue to struggle despite bringing a new rear wing with Nico Hulkenberg only managing 15th with his teammate Esteban Gutierrez 17th. They were split by the second Williams of Pastor Maldonado.

Romain Grosjean could only manage 18th ahead of Giedo van der Garde in 19th, Jules Bianchi in 20th and Charles Pic and Max Chilton.

Five things to watch out for at this weekend’s Spanish Grand Prix

Before racing begins in Spain I take a look at five of the things you should be watching out for. From the dominance of Red Bull and return of Romain Grosjean to some of the interesting updates teams are bringing to the European races these are the five key stories to look out for this weekend:

1. Dominant Red Bull
In Bahrain Sebastian Vettel and Red Bull appeared to take charge of both the drivers and constructors championship with a dominant win. Vettel became the first driver to secure multiple wins in 2013. His unchallenged win could signal the beginning of a winning streak similar to 2012. Vettel has extended his lead in the drivers championship by 10 points whilst Red Bull lead Lotus in the constructors by 16 points. This weekend could see them extend that lead further.

2. Romain Grosjean
Bahrain signalled a return to form for Romain Grosjean. His impressive drive which saw him secure a third place podium finish showed he has grown as a driver and got rid of the crashes and near-misses he was blighted with last season. He knows this year could be make or break and his driving in Bahrain has shown he certainly means business in 2013. He seems to be relishing the chance to challenge teammate Kimi Raikkonen and perform in a car capable of winning a championship.

3. Sauber’s rear wing
Sauber will be testing a new rear wing at the Spanish Grand Prix in an attempt to improve their fortunes. Sauber have only scored five points at the first four races- all from impressive performances by Nico Hulkenberg. The team has shown none of the pace that last years car had and have seen themselves struggling to challenge fellow midfield team Force India. The team have struggled with the rear stability of the C32 and the team hopes the updates to the car will help correct these issues- the team is aiming to finish with both cars in the points at this race.

4. McLaren
Bahrain signalled a run of better performances for McLaren. They secured their first double points finish with Sergio Perez sixth and whilst Button finished tenth. The pair had battled closely in the initial laps and Button was not always happy with Perez’s driving. The team will also have some upgrades for Spain although Button has dismissed how crucial they will be but said he hoped it would move them closer to the cars in front.

5. FIA
Electronic issues with the cockpit warning system should be fixed in Spain following an FIA upgrade. The first four races of the 2013 season have been affected by a telemetry link between race control and the cars not working. This left race control unable to automatically disable DRS. The issue also saw drivers left without warning lights in the cockpit to reaffirm yellow flags. This weekends race in Barcelona should not be affected by the issues.

Has Paul di Resta got what it takes to be a world champion?

In an interview with Sky Sports Force India’s deputy team principal Bob Fernley suggested Paul di Resta would have been world champion by now if he had been driving a Red Bull. But should one good performance in 2013 suggest a driver is capable of being a championship winning driver?

Fernley’s comments come just a week after the Bahrain Grand Prix where Di Resta finished in fourth place equalling his best ever F1 performance. Whilst his race was impressive and he was unlucky to miss out on a podium is doesn’t necessarily make him world champion material.

Admittedly in his comments Fernley did say he thought 50 per cent of the field could win a world championship if given a championship winning car. But it is unlikely many of that 50 per cent capable will ever win a championship as they will never get a chance in a competitive car.

Your ability to win a championship should not be based on what results you have achieved in other teams or in previous years or even in other formulas. The only true determiner of whether you could win a championship is if you actually score enough points to beat the other 22 drivers in the field.

It is all too easy to say Di Resta and a whole host of other drivers could win a championship or even would win a championship given the chance to race in a Red Bull. But you cannot suggest this based purely on one or two good results.

Di Resta has twice been beaten by his teammates- in 2011 he was beaten by Adrian Sutil and in 2012 by Nico Hulkbenberg. It is worth noting both of his teammates were behind Di Resta in the championship standings and only went on to beat him in the second half of the season. To be a championship winning driver you have to be able to keep ahead of every other driver or be the driver outscoring your competitors in the second half of the season.

2013 is make or break for Di Resta- to be beaten by Sutil again would most likely end any hope of him gaining a top seat. Di Resta will need to beat his teammate and continue to race and score points consistently to even be considered by a top team let alone get the chance to race for a championship.

One good result does not make you a champion so it is unfair to suggest- even if it has been suggested by a team boss- that he will be a world champion. Some may suggest if people truly believed he could be world champion he would be sitting in a Red Bull, McLaren, Mercedes or Ferrari right now- but he is not and there is still a long way to go for this to become reality.

Lots of drivers could be a world champion but merely suggesting it won’t make it happen. A few more consistent performances like in Bahrain and people may start believing a world championship in the future is possible for Di Resta.

However winning a championship is not just about beating your teammate or wining races and scoring podiums. You have to beat the other drivers around you who are all just as capable of winning the championship whilst coping with the psychological issues of leading or challenging for a championship.

So could Paul di Resta be a world champion? Yes – but then so too could the majority of the 22 drivers on the grid if they had the right car.

In September last year I questioned whether Paul di Resta was deserving of a top seat or overrated follow the link to read the article.