So as 2012 comes to a close the Marussia have become the latest F1 team to confirm their driver line - up for 2013 with the news that Britain's Max Chilton will partner Timo Glock. The news comes just one day after Lotus confirmed Romain Grosjean for 2013.
This leaves just two seats left in F1 for 2013, with Caterham yet to announce Charles Pic's team-mate, meanwhile it is believed that Adrian Sutil is set to rejoin the Force India F1 Team joining Paul Di Resta. The Silverstone based team confirmed today that they will launch their new car on Friday 1st February
Tuesday 18 December 2012
Monday 17 December 2012
Lotus confirm Grosjean for 2013
It may come as a surprise to many but the Lotus team confirmed this evening that they will retain the services of Romain Grosjean for next season. Grosjean endured a very tough return to Formula One in 2012. It was his first full season in the sport after being dropped by Renualt in 2009 having replaced Nelson Piquet Junior.
The French-Swiss driver scored three podium's this season, however he was banned for one race after causing a massive crash at the Belgian GrandPrix. While Grosjean scored three podium's and out qualified Kimi Raikkonen on numerous occasions, he finished the season well behind Kimi. Kimi finsihed the year in third in the championship and won the Abu Dhabi GrandPrix and scored seven podium finishes.
In my opinion, Lotus are right to retain Grosjean as it means that the team has stability for the 2013 F1 season. If Grosjean can get on top of his race craft he and Kimi will be in a fantastic position to challenge for next season's title.
If Grosjean had been able to finish in the points consistently Lotus would have been in contention to challenge RedBull and McLaren at the front.
The other thing is that Kimi and Romain seem to get on well and have proven that they are extremely quick so given a quick car next season Lotus will do extremely well.
In other F1 news, it has been reported that Lewis Hamilton was in Brackley today at the Mercedes factory to start work, this is despite the fact that he doesn't officially start work with the new team until 1st January.
Out going Mercedes Motorsport boss Nobert Haug revealed that the team reached an agreement with McLaren that has allowed Lewis to complete some valuable mileage in the mercedes simulator.
It will be interesting to see if Lewis will make an appearance at the Autosport International Show in January.
With the announcement that Lotus are retaining Grosjean for 2013 it leaves Caterham, Marussia and Force India the only team's left to confirm their line ups. It is expected that Caterham will confirm their line-up by the end of this week, meanwhile it is believed that former Force India driver Adrian Sutil could be on his way back to the team next season to partner Paul Di Resta after the German driver confirmed that he has no travel restriction's despite having been convicted of GBH in January.
He was given an 18 month suspended sentence.
The French-Swiss driver scored three podium's this season, however he was banned for one race after causing a massive crash at the Belgian GrandPrix. While Grosjean scored three podium's and out qualified Kimi Raikkonen on numerous occasions, he finished the season well behind Kimi. Kimi finsihed the year in third in the championship and won the Abu Dhabi GrandPrix and scored seven podium finishes.
In my opinion, Lotus are right to retain Grosjean as it means that the team has stability for the 2013 F1 season. If Grosjean can get on top of his race craft he and Kimi will be in a fantastic position to challenge for next season's title.
If Grosjean had been able to finish in the points consistently Lotus would have been in contention to challenge RedBull and McLaren at the front.
The other thing is that Kimi and Romain seem to get on well and have proven that they are extremely quick so given a quick car next season Lotus will do extremely well.
In other F1 news, it has been reported that Lewis Hamilton was in Brackley today at the Mercedes factory to start work, this is despite the fact that he doesn't officially start work with the new team until 1st January.
Out going Mercedes Motorsport boss Nobert Haug revealed that the team reached an agreement with McLaren that has allowed Lewis to complete some valuable mileage in the mercedes simulator.
It will be interesting to see if Lewis will make an appearance at the Autosport International Show in January.
With the announcement that Lotus are retaining Grosjean for 2013 it leaves Caterham, Marussia and Force India the only team's left to confirm their line ups. It is expected that Caterham will confirm their line-up by the end of this week, meanwhile it is believed that former Force India driver Adrian Sutil could be on his way back to the team next season to partner Paul Di Resta after the German driver confirmed that he has no travel restriction's despite having been convicted of GBH in January.
He was given an 18 month suspended sentence.
Friday 14 December 2012
Lauda to fill the void left by Haug
So with the imminent departure of Nobert Haug from Mercedes, three time world champion Niki Lauda will become a non executive director on the Mercedes board of directors. Lauda held a similar position with Jaguar Racing during the early 2000's taking over as team principal when Bobby Rahal was sacked by Ford.
It is thought however that he will not take up the team principal role at Mercedes as that is currently held by Ross Brawn. It was revealed that Norbert Haug is leaving because of the poor performance's by the team since they took over the Brawn team in 2010
It is thought however that he will not take up the team principal role at Mercedes as that is currently held by Ross Brawn. It was revealed that Norbert Haug is leaving because of the poor performance's by the team since they took over the Brawn team in 2010
Thursday 13 December 2012
After 22 years Norbert Haug calls time on Mercedes career
It was confirmed today that after 22 year's with the company Mercedes Benz Vice President of Motorsport Norbert Haug will leve his post at the end of the year. Haug was instrumental in Mercedes return to Formula One as an engine supplier with the Sauber team in 1994 before switching to McLaren in 1995.
During this time, Haug oversaw the engine division that resulted in in a Constructor's championship for Mercedes in 1998 and two driver's championship's for Mika Hakkinen in 1998 and 1999. Mercedes also powered Lewis Hamilton to the driver's championship in 2008.
Mercedes also powered Brawn to both the driver's and constructor's championship's in 2009. In 2010 Mercedes to full control of the Brawn team and were renamed Mercedes GP and in 2012 they became known as Mercedes AMG. Since taking over Brawn the team has only managed one victory, however Norbert Haug has been instrumental in Mercedes capturing the signature of Lewis Hamilton from McLaren for 2013.
In is not not yet known firstly if Haug will continue in his DTM role and it has not yet been announced who his replacement will be.
During this time, Haug oversaw the engine division that resulted in in a Constructor's championship for Mercedes in 1998 and two driver's championship's for Mika Hakkinen in 1998 and 1999. Mercedes also powered Lewis Hamilton to the driver's championship in 2008.
Mercedes also powered Brawn to both the driver's and constructor's championship's in 2009. In 2010 Mercedes to full control of the Brawn team and were renamed Mercedes GP and in 2012 they became known as Mercedes AMG. Since taking over Brawn the team has only managed one victory, however Norbert Haug has been instrumental in Mercedes capturing the signature of Lewis Hamilton from McLaren for 2013.
In is not not yet known firstly if Haug will continue in his DTM role and it has not yet been announced who his replacement will be.
Wednesday 12 December 2012
Austria ruled out for next season
Formula One supremo Bernie Ecclestone has poured cold water on the possibility of the RedBull Ring hosting a return to Austria next season. The commercial right's holder of the sport has said that the only circuit that he is in contact with is the Istanbul Park circuit in Turkey.
The 2013 Formula One calendar has a hole in it as the proposed race in New Jersey has been postponed until 2014. Turkey was taken off the calendar for 2012 as Texas became the 20th race on the calendar.
Last week, Dr Helmut Marko, RedBull's motorsport director suggested that the RedBull Ring was ready to host an F1 return in Austria, however Mr Ecclestone has said that it won't happen.
In my opinion, it would be fantastic to see F1 return to Turkey. The race is classified as a 'European' race however the circuit is located on the Asian side of Istanbul. The circuit is extremely fast including the incredible turn eight.
So we will have to wait and see what happens over the next couple of week's.
The 2013 Formula One calendar has a hole in it as the proposed race in New Jersey has been postponed until 2014. Turkey was taken off the calendar for 2012 as Texas became the 20th race on the calendar.
Last week, Dr Helmut Marko, RedBull's motorsport director suggested that the RedBull Ring was ready to host an F1 return in Austria, however Mr Ecclestone has said that it won't happen.
In my opinion, it would be fantastic to see F1 return to Turkey. The race is classified as a 'European' race however the circuit is located on the Asian side of Istanbul. The circuit is extremely fast including the incredible turn eight.
So we will have to wait and see what happens over the next couple of week's.
Sauber become first team to pass FIA test
The Sauber Formula One team have become the first outfit to pass the mandatory FIA crash test's. Every team on the grid must pass the crash test's to enable them to go racing. The C23 will be driven next year by Nico Hulkenborg and Estabam Guitterez.
Pre-season testing gets underway on 5th February.
The 2013 Winter Testing Programme looks like this:
5th - 8th February - Jerez, Spain
19th - 22nd February - Circuit De Catalunya, Spain
28th February - Circuit De Catalunya, Spain
1st - 3rd March - Circuit De Catalunya, Spain
Pre-season testing gets underway on 5th February.
The 2013 Winter Testing Programme looks like this:
5th - 8th February - Jerez, Spain
19th - 22nd February - Circuit De Catalunya, Spain
28th February - Circuit De Catalunya, Spain
1st - 3rd March - Circuit De Catalunya, Spain
Sunday 9 December 2012
Austria could return to the F1 calendar in 2013
Austria could return to the Formula One calendar next season, that is the claim of RedBull's Motorsport director Dr Helmut Marko. The A1 Ring in Austria is now owned by RedBull and has been renamed the RedBull Ring. RedBull have apparently approached the FIA about the possibility of hosting the race as early as next season stating that the circuit is up to FIA standard.
The A1 Ring last hosted a GrandPrix in 2003 and was the scene of Michael Schumacher's controversial overtake on team-mate Rubens Barrichello who was leading the race right at the end of the race. Team order's were banned following this race, however they were reinstated last season.
In my opinion RedBull already have enough involvement in Formula One as it is, with RedBull Racing and Toro Rosso without promoting a GrandPrix.
I personally think that Istanbul Park should get the nod as it is a fantastic circuit especially with it's mega turn 8.
Friday 7 December 2012
Shortlist to replace Jake down from four to three
It has been revealed today by the Daily Telegraph in UK that three name's have been shortlisted by the BBC as they search for a replacement for the BT Vision bound Jake Humphrey. The name's being linked with the vacancy are the BBC's Chris Evans... I know that's a big shock, but not surprising that he has been linked to the role, it is well known that Chris is a huge Formula One and is also a car collector owning a many Ferrari's.
However it now appears that Chris has been removed from the list due to his radio commitments with BBC Radio 2. He currently hosts the Breakfast show. Had Chris been given the position it would have been a famous coup as the BBC battle Sky Sports F1HD.
I have heard unconfirmed reports that the BBC will be covering every race live next year, however I must stress that this is unconfirmed.
The other name's being linked with the anchor position with BBC F1 are current pit-lane reporter, I personally would love to see Lee get the role as she has a proven track record hosting the show as she has previously filled in for Jake not to mention the fact that her Dad is F1 journalist Bob McKenzie. Other name's on the shortlist include radio presenter Mark Pougatch and the BBC's former Moto GP presenter Suzi Perry, who quit the role as the Moto GP schedule was too long.
However it has been suggested that the BBC are extremely keen to appoint a female presenter with Suzi Perry apparently emerging as the favourite.
Interestingly enough, if Lee was to take over as the presenter of the Beeb's coverage she would have to leave her role as pit-lane reporter.
The Telegraph reports that a decision on Jake's replacement will be made next week, with their line up being announced.
However it now appears that Chris has been removed from the list due to his radio commitments with BBC Radio 2. He currently hosts the Breakfast show. Had Chris been given the position it would have been a famous coup as the BBC battle Sky Sports F1HD.
I have heard unconfirmed reports that the BBC will be covering every race live next year, however I must stress that this is unconfirmed.
The other name's being linked with the anchor position with BBC F1 are current pit-lane reporter, I personally would love to see Lee get the role as she has a proven track record hosting the show as she has previously filled in for Jake not to mention the fact that her Dad is F1 journalist Bob McKenzie. Other name's on the shortlist include radio presenter Mark Pougatch and the BBC's former Moto GP presenter Suzi Perry, who quit the role as the Moto GP schedule was too long.
However it has been suggested that the BBC are extremely keen to appoint a female presenter with Suzi Perry apparently emerging as the favourite.
Interestingly enough, if Lee was to take over as the presenter of the Beeb's coverage she would have to leave her role as pit-lane reporter.
The Telegraph reports that a decision on Jake's replacement will be made next week, with their line up being announced.
Thursday 6 December 2012
Turkey unlikely to return
The Turkish GrandPrix appears unlikely to return to the F1 calendar next season after it was revealed that the Turkish government refused to finance the race. So it will be interesting to see what happens. We could have a situation that Bernie Ecclestone may decide to to foot the bill to host the race particularly if it is only for a year but we will have to wait and see what happens.
Over the last couple of year's we have lost some of the great European race circuit's including the A1 Ring in Austria, the old Hockenhiem circuit, San Marino and Magny Cours in France.
Over the last couple of year's we have lost some of the great European race circuit's including the A1 Ring in Austria, the old Hockenhiem circuit, San Marino and Magny Cours in France.
Wednesday 5 December 2012
Back up to 20
So since my last posting earlier today, the FIA, Formula One's governing body has confirmed that there will indeed be 20 race's on next year's F1 calendar. It has not yet been announced where the 20th race will take place but it is thought that Turkey's Istanbul Park circuit could be in line for an F1 comeback.
Whatever circuit hosts the race they will only in my opinion be given a one year contract, the reason I think this is because New Jersey is set to be on the calendar in 2014 and under the current Concorde Agreement between Formula One, the FIA and the team's there is a provision for only 20 races and I find it extremely unlikely that the teams will want extend the number of race's on the calendar.
The other possible replacement is the potential return of the A1 Ring in Austria. The circuit is now owned by RedBull and has been renamed the RedBull Ring.
The Austrian circuit last hosted a round of the Formula One championship in 2003. So it will be extremely interesting to see what happens when the calendar is finalized.
Whatever circuit hosts the race they will only in my opinion be given a one year contract, the reason I think this is because New Jersey is set to be on the calendar in 2014 and under the current Concorde Agreement between Formula One, the FIA and the team's there is a provision for only 20 races and I find it extremely unlikely that the teams will want extend the number of race's on the calendar.
The other possible replacement is the potential return of the A1 Ring in Austria. The circuit is now owned by RedBull and has been renamed the RedBull Ring.
The Austrian circuit last hosted a round of the Formula One championship in 2003. So it will be extremely interesting to see what happens when the calendar is finalized.
19 race's on next year's F1 calendar.
So the FIA have confirmed that there will be 19 race's on the F1 calendar next year. Next season's New Jersey race has been postponed until 2014 as circuit bosses have said that the venue will not be ready by next year.
The news means that we could see an extra European race on the calendar next season. The German GrandPrix has been brought forward by a week so this could allow for another race. It is believed that Bernie Ecclestone is keen for the Turkish GrandPrix to return to the F1 calendar so we could see the race return next year but we shall have to watch this space.
I feel that it is a hug shame that we won't be going to New Jersey next season because following the MASSIVE success of the race in Texas, I believe that Formula One would have made a huge impact in NJ and North America is a major market for Mercedes and Ferrari two of the most influential player's in F1 today.
The news means that we could see an extra European race on the calendar next season. The German GrandPrix has been brought forward by a week so this could allow for another race. It is believed that Bernie Ecclestone is keen for the Turkish GrandPrix to return to the F1 calendar so we could see the race return next year but we shall have to watch this space.
I feel that it is a hug shame that we won't be going to New Jersey next season because following the MASSIVE success of the race in Texas, I believe that Formula One would have made a huge impact in NJ and North America is a major market for Mercedes and Ferrari two of the most influential player's in F1 today.
Rolex team up with Formula One
The 2012 F1 season is only just over and we already have our second major sponsorship announcement. Last week it was Lotus who announced that they have signed a major sponsorship deal with Burn, Coca Cola's energy drink brand.
Today it was the turn of Formula One to announce a new multi year agreement with watch manufacturer Rolex who from next season will become the official time keeper to Formula One. The luxury brand replaces Hublot, who had been the time keeper for the past few season's.
Rolex have a long association with motor racing around the world particularly in America where it is the title sponsor for the Rolex 24 Hour Race.
As part of the new deal, the Rolex logo will appear at all F1 circuits from next year.
As part of the new deal, the Rolex logo will appear at all F1 circuits from next year.
Tuesday 4 December 2012
What next for Formula One?
So with the apparent demise of the HRT F1 team Formula One heads into the winter break with only 11 team's. HRT failed to appear on the official 2013 entry list published by the FIA on Saturday and in my opinion if HRT can find a buyer which seems unlikely they shouldn't be granted entry to next year's championship unless they were to be snapped up by a car company but I doubt any car manufacturer would want to dive into F1 head first in the current economic climate.
So the sport has a couple of question's to answer. Should a budget cap be put in place to stop team's from folding? Should stricter criteria be necessary for a team to be eligible to entry Formula One? And due to the shortfall of cars on net year's grid should the like's of Ferrari or RedBull be allowed to run an extra car?
So I can answer my own question, they can't run a third car because that would defeat the purpose of a budget cap. However, I think that the larger team's e:g McLaren and RedBull should be allowed to run customer cars to the smaller team's.
In my opinion, this would perfect sense, take Marussia for example, they have a technical tie in with McLaren, The Marussia driver's have been granted access to the McLaren simulator as part of the agreement, the team will as of 2013, be powered by a KERS unit provided by McLaren partner, McLaren Electronics. As a result of running a customer car with Marussia, McLaren could place one of their reserve driver's into the seat to see how they get on.
Meanwhile with Caterham, they have an agreement with RedBull who provide the team with a KERS unit. However RedBull have their junior team in Toro Rosso so maybe a team like Lotus could reach an agreement with Caterham as they both run Renault engines. It's just an idea that I have come up with but it is probably not commercially viable so it's just really a pipe dream but it could potentially happen.
The story about HRT, just reinforces my position on the whole subject of the new team's. I firmly believe that David Richards Prodrive company should have been given an entry into F1 in 2010 as the company had previous experience running a F1 team when the company ran British American Racing. Prodrive also has a rich racing pedigree and heritage. But we shall see what happens.
So the sport has a couple of question's to answer. Should a budget cap be put in place to stop team's from folding? Should stricter criteria be necessary for a team to be eligible to entry Formula One? And due to the shortfall of cars on net year's grid should the like's of Ferrari or RedBull be allowed to run an extra car?
So I can answer my own question, they can't run a third car because that would defeat the purpose of a budget cap. However, I think that the larger team's e:g McLaren and RedBull should be allowed to run customer cars to the smaller team's.
In my opinion, this would perfect sense, take Marussia for example, they have a technical tie in with McLaren, The Marussia driver's have been granted access to the McLaren simulator as part of the agreement, the team will as of 2013, be powered by a KERS unit provided by McLaren partner, McLaren Electronics. As a result of running a customer car with Marussia, McLaren could place one of their reserve driver's into the seat to see how they get on.
Meanwhile with Caterham, they have an agreement with RedBull who provide the team with a KERS unit. However RedBull have their junior team in Toro Rosso so maybe a team like Lotus could reach an agreement with Caterham as they both run Renault engines. It's just an idea that I have come up with but it is probably not commercially viable so it's just really a pipe dream but it could potentially happen.
The story about HRT, just reinforces my position on the whole subject of the new team's. I firmly believe that David Richards Prodrive company should have been given an entry into F1 in 2010 as the company had previous experience running a F1 team when the company ran British American Racing. Prodrive also has a rich racing pedigree and heritage. But we shall see what happens.
The ICEMAN's F1 Comeback Part 4
In the final part of my series about Kimi Raikkonen's F1 comeback we head to Singapore for Formula One's only night race. This race was first introduced to the calendar in 2008, and in his two outing's at the circuit for Ferrari The Iceman recored a DNF and a 10th place finish so it is not a circuit that he has done too well at. However this year Kimi was hoping that his luck would change.
In qualifying on Saturday he managed to put the Lotus on the 5th row of the grid in 9th place and went on to finish in 6th place for another strong points finish. The race was won by RedBull's Sebastian Vettel. Following on from Singapore we headed for Suzuka, and the Japanese GrandPrix and a track that the ICEMAN has alway done well at.
On Saturday, Kimi managed to qualify in 7th place, however the Finn was involved in first corner incident with Championship contender Fernando Alonso who was forced out of the race, However despite the racing incident Kimi was able to continue and went on to finish in 6th place albeit 50.4 seconds behind race winner Sebastian Vettel.
The two race's in Korea and India were new circuit's for Kimi and when asked in an interview how did he learn a new circuit Kimi's replied in only the way Kimi can by saying "I drive it'.
In Korea, the ICEMAN qualified in 5th place and endured a very quiet race and finished in that place picking up some more valuable points for his championship and the team.
From Korea it was on to India, as I said another new track for the Finn. For this race Kimi started from 7th on the grid and while Sebastian Vettel won his fourth race in a row Kimi once again finished the race in the position he qualified in. So now there are only three race's left in the 2012 season, Abu Dhabi, USA and Brazil and question's are being asked with Sebastian Vettel's form will Kimi be able to win a race this season?
The answer came at the very race at the Yas Marina circuit in Abu Dhabi. Sebastian Vettel was forced to stop on track during qualifying with a problem. This meant that the German would start from the back of the grid, however the team opted to work on his car and he ended up starting from the pit lane. Kimi started the race from 4th on the grid and made an incredible start and ended up in second place behind Lewis Hamilton. Kimi was on to finish on the podium in second behind Lewis Hamilton, however the Lewis' car let him down and THE ICEMAN took the lead and begun to pull away from the chasing Ferrari of Fernando Alonso.
So the ICEMAN won in Abu Dhabi becoming the 8th different winner in a sensational season. It was also Enstone's first win under the Lotus GP name. It was an incredible drive by the Finn by winning the race he was able consolidate his place in third in the Driver's Championship.
Following the Abu Dhabi GrandPrix we headed to Austin, Texas for F1's first trip to the US since 2007. This was another new race for Kimi with one difference it was new for everyone on the grid. The Finn started the race from 4th on the grid and went on to finish 6th in the race.
So following on from Austin, we headed to Sao Paulo, for the final race of the 2012 season. Kimi started the race from 8th on the grid and went on to finish in 10th place.
So Kimi was the only driver to go the entire season finishing every race and only failing to score points in point. The ICEMAN finished the season in third in championship, and he only won the one race. Lewis Hamilton won four race's, Mark Webber won two race's while Jenson Button won three race's but due to his fantastic consistency this season Kimi finished in third.
In conclusion, Kimi Raikkonen's Formula One comeback was an incredible success.
In qualifying on Saturday he managed to put the Lotus on the 5th row of the grid in 9th place and went on to finish in 6th place for another strong points finish. The race was won by RedBull's Sebastian Vettel. Following on from Singapore we headed for Suzuka, and the Japanese GrandPrix and a track that the ICEMAN has alway done well at.
On Saturday, Kimi managed to qualify in 7th place, however the Finn was involved in first corner incident with Championship contender Fernando Alonso who was forced out of the race, However despite the racing incident Kimi was able to continue and went on to finish in 6th place albeit 50.4 seconds behind race winner Sebastian Vettel.
The two race's in Korea and India were new circuit's for Kimi and when asked in an interview how did he learn a new circuit Kimi's replied in only the way Kimi can by saying "I drive it'.
In Korea, the ICEMAN qualified in 5th place and endured a very quiet race and finished in that place picking up some more valuable points for his championship and the team.
From Korea it was on to India, as I said another new track for the Finn. For this race Kimi started from 7th on the grid and while Sebastian Vettel won his fourth race in a row Kimi once again finished the race in the position he qualified in. So now there are only three race's left in the 2012 season, Abu Dhabi, USA and Brazil and question's are being asked with Sebastian Vettel's form will Kimi be able to win a race this season?
The answer came at the very race at the Yas Marina circuit in Abu Dhabi. Sebastian Vettel was forced to stop on track during qualifying with a problem. This meant that the German would start from the back of the grid, however the team opted to work on his car and he ended up starting from the pit lane. Kimi started the race from 4th on the grid and made an incredible start and ended up in second place behind Lewis Hamilton. Kimi was on to finish on the podium in second behind Lewis Hamilton, however the Lewis' car let him down and THE ICEMAN took the lead and begun to pull away from the chasing Ferrari of Fernando Alonso.
So the ICEMAN won in Abu Dhabi becoming the 8th different winner in a sensational season. It was also Enstone's first win under the Lotus GP name. It was an incredible drive by the Finn by winning the race he was able consolidate his place in third in the Driver's Championship.
Following the Abu Dhabi GrandPrix we headed to Austin, Texas for F1's first trip to the US since 2007. This was another new race for Kimi with one difference it was new for everyone on the grid. The Finn started the race from 4th on the grid and went on to finish 6th in the race.
So following on from Austin, we headed to Sao Paulo, for the final race of the 2012 season. Kimi started the race from 8th on the grid and went on to finish in 10th place.
So Kimi was the only driver to go the entire season finishing every race and only failing to score points in point. The ICEMAN finished the season in third in championship, and he only won the one race. Lewis Hamilton won four race's, Mark Webber won two race's while Jenson Button won three race's but due to his fantastic consistency this season Kimi finished in third.
In conclusion, Kimi Raikkonen's Formula One comeback was an incredible success.
Monday 3 December 2012
The ICEMAN's F1 Comeback Part 3
So the European season rolled into Barcelona in May for the Spanish GrandPrix for the first race of the European season. This race would be memorable in more ways then one. On Saturday the massive surprise in Qualifying was Pastor Maldonado who managed to put his Williams on pole position for the race.
In the race itself Maldonado was fantastic leading the race from light's to flag and taking Williams first win in 8 years. It was also the first win for the Williams - Renault partnership. Pastor was followed home by Fernando Alonso and The ICEMAN as Kimi took his second podium in a row with a brilliant drive from fourth on the grid to finish on the podium.
The sport showed fantastic unity after the race as during the post race celebration's in the Williams garage a huge fire broke out sending smoke into the paddock. All the team's up and down the pit-lane came together and rushed to the scene with fire extinguishers and helped to evacuate the pit-lane and the Williams Garage and brought the fire under control until the fire crews at the circuit took over.
The events showed that behind all the competition the team's support each other. For the Monaco GrandPrix team's rallied around Williams and loaned them equipment so that they could go racing.
In Monaco the ICEMAN finished the in 9th place with another great drive. So far Kimi had scored points in every race except China. So following the Monaco GrandPrix F1 made the long haul trip across the Atlantic for the Canadian GrandPrix where Kimi picked up more points for the Lotus team when he finished in 8th place while team-mate Romain Grosjean picked up his second podium of the season as he finished in 2nd place behind Lewis Hamilton.
Following the Canadian GrandPrix F1 returned to Europe for the European GrnadPrix in Valencia. Sebastian Vettel dominated the race however just before the finish he retired with a alternator failure handing Fernando Alonso his first victory in Valencia much to the delight of his home crowd. Meanwhile Kimi picked up yet another podium as he finished second ahead of Michael Schumacher who took his first podium since his F1 comeback with Mercedes in 2010.
Following the European GrandPrix, F1 headed to the UK for the British GrandPrix in Silverstone, the race was won by RedBull's Mark Webber while Kimi continued his consistent run of results by finishing the race in 5th place with Grosjean in 6th place.
It was a return to the podium for Kimi and Lotus as the team's headed to Germany. The race was won by Fernando Alonso. It was a great display by Kimi who remained in third in the championship.
Following on from Germany the F1 circus headed to Budapest for the Hungarian GrandPrix. This was another fantastic race for Kimi as he came within one second of winning the race, however he finished in second just behind Lewis Hamilton. The big question on everyone's lips was with five podium's sp far this season when would Kimi and Lotus get their first win of the year?
From Hungary we headed to SPA for the Belgian GrandPrix, this was the scene of Kimi's last win in F1 with Ferrari in 2009, and is as close to a home GrandPrix for the ICEMAN as it gets as thousands of Finnish fan's flocked to SPA to support Kimi. Unfortunately he didn't win the race however he picked up yet another podium finish with third place just behind race winner Jenson Button and Sebastian Vettel.
Following on from the Belgian GrandPrix, F1 headed to Monza for the Italian GrandPrix the final race of the European GrandPrix where Kimi finished a fantastic 5th place while Lewis Hamilton won the race for McLaren.
In the race itself Maldonado was fantastic leading the race from light's to flag and taking Williams first win in 8 years. It was also the first win for the Williams - Renault partnership. Pastor was followed home by Fernando Alonso and The ICEMAN as Kimi took his second podium in a row with a brilliant drive from fourth on the grid to finish on the podium.
The sport showed fantastic unity after the race as during the post race celebration's in the Williams garage a huge fire broke out sending smoke into the paddock. All the team's up and down the pit-lane came together and rushed to the scene with fire extinguishers and helped to evacuate the pit-lane and the Williams Garage and brought the fire under control until the fire crews at the circuit took over.
The events showed that behind all the competition the team's support each other. For the Monaco GrandPrix team's rallied around Williams and loaned them equipment so that they could go racing.
In Monaco the ICEMAN finished the in 9th place with another great drive. So far Kimi had scored points in every race except China. So following the Monaco GrandPrix F1 made the long haul trip across the Atlantic for the Canadian GrandPrix where Kimi picked up more points for the Lotus team when he finished in 8th place while team-mate Romain Grosjean picked up his second podium of the season as he finished in 2nd place behind Lewis Hamilton.
Following the Canadian GrandPrix F1 returned to Europe for the European GrnadPrix in Valencia. Sebastian Vettel dominated the race however just before the finish he retired with a alternator failure handing Fernando Alonso his first victory in Valencia much to the delight of his home crowd. Meanwhile Kimi picked up yet another podium as he finished second ahead of Michael Schumacher who took his first podium since his F1 comeback with Mercedes in 2010.
Following the European GrandPrix, F1 headed to the UK for the British GrandPrix in Silverstone, the race was won by RedBull's Mark Webber while Kimi continued his consistent run of results by finishing the race in 5th place with Grosjean in 6th place.
It was a return to the podium for Kimi and Lotus as the team's headed to Germany. The race was won by Fernando Alonso. It was a great display by Kimi who remained in third in the championship.
Following on from Germany the F1 circus headed to Budapest for the Hungarian GrandPrix. This was another fantastic race for Kimi as he came within one second of winning the race, however he finished in second just behind Lewis Hamilton. The big question on everyone's lips was with five podium's sp far this season when would Kimi and Lotus get their first win of the year?
From Hungary we headed to SPA for the Belgian GrandPrix, this was the scene of Kimi's last win in F1 with Ferrari in 2009, and is as close to a home GrandPrix for the ICEMAN as it gets as thousands of Finnish fan's flocked to SPA to support Kimi. Unfortunately he didn't win the race however he picked up yet another podium finish with third place just behind race winner Jenson Button and Sebastian Vettel.
Following on from the Belgian GrandPrix, F1 headed to Monza for the Italian GrandPrix the final race of the European GrandPrix where Kimi finished a fantastic 5th place while Lewis Hamilton won the race for McLaren.
Sunday 2 December 2012
The ICEMAN's F1 Comeback Part 2
So pre-season testing got underway in February and the E20 lived up to all expectation as it proved to be extremely quick as both Kimi Raikkonen and Romain Grosjean topped the time sheets. However ahead of the final Winter test the team discovered a problem with the E20 chassis which meant they had to send the car back to Enstone to be repaired as a result there were question marks over whether the team would make it to the first race of the season in Melbourne.
To everyone's delight the team made it and not only that but Kimi qualified in 17th place, not a good qualifying on his return to F1 however the Finn drove a brilliant race and finished in the points in 7th place. From Australia it was on to Malaysia where again Kimi did a great job qualifying in 10th and finished in a fantastic fifth place.
Following a strategy error while challenging Nico Rosberg Kimi fell down the order and eventually finished the race in 14th place.
From China, the F1 circus moved on to Bahrain where Kimi qualified down in 11th place but had a fantastic race challenging RedBull's Sebastian Vettel for the lead but eventually finishing the race in 2nd place taking his first podium finish in his comeback season. So in just in just four race's into his comeback the ICEMAN was on the podium, a feat that Michael Schumacher had failed to achieve in nearly three year's since his F1 return.
From Bahrain, F1 returned to Europe where the sport would unite in an incredible way. TO BE CONTINUED
To everyone's delight the team made it and not only that but Kimi qualified in 17th place, not a good qualifying on his return to F1 however the Finn drove a brilliant race and finished in the points in 7th place. From Australia it was on to Malaysia where again Kimi did a great job qualifying in 10th and finished in a fantastic fifth place.
Following a strategy error while challenging Nico Rosberg Kimi fell down the order and eventually finished the race in 14th place.
From China, the F1 circus moved on to Bahrain where Kimi qualified down in 11th place but had a fantastic race challenging RedBull's Sebastian Vettel for the lead but eventually finishing the race in 2nd place taking his first podium finish in his comeback season. So in just in just four race's into his comeback the ICEMAN was on the podium, a feat that Michael Schumacher had failed to achieve in nearly three year's since his F1 return.
From Bahrain, F1 returned to Europe where the sport would unite in an incredible way. TO BE CONTINUED
The ICEMAN's F1 Comeback Part 1
Novemeber 2011, Location: Enstone United Kingdom - Home of the Lotus Renault Formula One Team. There are a number of photographer's in attendance at the factory. The BIG question is why? It is two early for car launches. Could the team be announcing a major new sponsor? Or is it something bigger? Whatever it is, it must be extremely important as the Lotus Team principal Eric Boullier has been joined team owner Gerard Lopez.
The big announcement turns out to be that The Lotus F1 Team have secured the services of THE ICEMAN, Kimi Raikkonen will be back in Formula One in 2012 after a two year break away in the World Rally Championship.
Across the world of Formula One this is massive news, Kimi has returned to sport that he hasn't competed in since 2009 when he was racing for Ferrari. That year turned out to be a disappointment for the Finn as he managed to score just the one win in Belgium. Some sections of the Formula One media felt that it was a massive gamble by Lotus in bringing Kimi back but we shall see what happens.
Winter testing will be underway in the new year, however due to the fact that Kimi has been away from the sport for two years he needs to get up to speed. There is a new tyre supplier in F1. Bridgestone were there when Kimi last drove in F1, now we have Pirelli, who are entering their second season as the sole tyre provider for the sport.
Before he can testing Lotus asked asked the sports governing body the FIA if they would grant Kimi permission to test an old spec Renault F1 car. The FIA agree and in January Kimi and the Lotus team head to Valencia so the Finn can get to grips with an F1 car once again. He is immediately quick and after a couple of laps it is apparent that he has lost none of his speed. The big question on everyone's lips is what will the 2012 Lotus be like? We don't have long to wait as launches are coming up think and fast.
On Sunday 5th February the team launch their 2012 car known as the Lotus Renault E20 as it is the 20th car to be designed and built in their Enstone base. At the launch it is announced that Kimi will be joined at the team by another F1 returnee, French Swiss driver Romain Grosejan will partner the Iceman this year. Former Marussia F1 driver Jerome D'Ambrosio joins the team as official test and reserve driver.
The new E20 looks incredible the question is will the car perform as well as it looks as Winter testing gets underway....TO BE CONTINUED
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