Quali report – Shanghai

Vettel (1:33:70) maintained his consistently strong performance in free practice, then going onto secure pole for this weekend’s Chinese Grand Prix. Unlike his team mate, Mark Webber, who’s practice sessions had been fraught with a number of mechanical issues. Taking the RedBull car out on the prime tyres, his Q1 session was riddled with understeer, a lack of speed and non-existent KERS, so he struggled to within the 107% only to have Pastor Maldonado push him out into the cold with a slight nudge and take P10.

Fuming he sulked around the garage, whilst the Ferrari team, for a second race running, put both drivers out on two sets of option tyres. Initially this strategy seemed to be paying off as they secured P1 and P2 in Q1. It was not to last as Petrov, showing glimmers of the underdog spirit, taking P1 back just before the end of Q1. In Q2, the Russian put in a flying lap, which secured P4, until a hydraulics failure brought his car to a complete standstill, much to the dissatisfaction of other drivers, notably Barrichello.

Officials red-flagged the session with just over two minutes to go. Cue a scramble into the pits to ensure access at the restart to the frontrunners. Young Sergio Perez won this minor battle, but failed to stave off Alonso, who would only eventually manage a P5.
The restart offered an exciting end to the session, as drivers battled to gain times that would secure a start from the top ten grid positions tomorrow and the McLarens made good use of this, Button (1:34:42) finishing on the front row for the first time since Italy last season and Hamilton in third (1:34:46).

Schumacher continued his frustrated return to Formula One, failing to compete in the second session and being outshone by his teammate, Nico Rosberg, who secured P4. Not the only experienced driver usurped by his younger teammate, rookie Paul Di Resta (1:36:19) made the most notably drive of the day, taking P8 for Force India, leaving Adrian Sutil (1:35:87) at Q2 in 11th position.

As the Scot returned on the inlap, the green and orange car kicked up a bit of a fuss, which may prove damaging to his efforts. Only tomorrow can confirm that one way or other.

F1 Teams vs. F1 Fans – don’t forget the money starts with us!

Let’s be clear. F1 teams run those cars because the sport is lucrative. In the wake of last weekend’s rule contravention by Ferrari, angry opinions spewed forth, as though the Government had let a dying terrorist out of prison, only to discover his prognosis had improved once he was safely back in his homeland.

Coulthard argued that the teams invest...(read more)

Ferrari: Right Or Wrong? FIA, Choose One.

The half-baked $100,000 fine thrown at Ferrari, in the week succeeding the German Grand Prix’s overtaking fiasco, is one of the most disappointing gestures of all time.

Most fans will be amazed that the FIA took any action at all, what with former Ferrari CEO Jean Todt as elected FIA chair. However, it is stunning that a moan from the ever-complaining Alonso proved catalyst for one of the most controversial decisions all season.

Despite the rush to deny any favouritism within teams from McLaren and Red Bull the previous week, Ferrari clearly had no qualms in publicly indicating which driver they favoured.

The FIA’s decision to fine but not reverse the race result is ludicious. The stewards have cowardly passed the buck to the WMSC, whether to distance themselves from a decision that woud have no doubt changed the FIA/Ferrari relationship forever, or for other reasons. Nevertheless, the simplicity of the situation is undeniable. Either you believe Massa is lying, in which case the race result is void – or you believe he made the executive, uninfluenced decision for the unchallenged pass of his own accord, in which case, no fine is necessary.

Moreover, for a manoeuvre that was supposed to defend the “team” against Vettel, they may just have put him on top and gifted him 25 points - not the only thing Red Bull’s Team Principal Christian Horner, who has been spared further media focus since the weekend, will be thanking Stefano Domenicali for.

On the anniversary of Massa’s near-death collision at the 2009 Hungarian GP, the Ferrari driver conceded the top spot to his Spanish teammate. Fans were outraged to be somewhat ‘cheated’ out of a brilliant in-team battle and of what would have been a marvellous opportunity to celebrate the Brazilian’s recovery.

F1 Fanatic blogger, Keith Collantine, demonstrated how Massa stood as much of a chance for the World Championship as Alonso, given the eight races left, but on Lap 48 of 67, Ferrari’s preference for the Spaniard was abundantly clear and the Brazilian begrudgingly allowed the pass.

Criticised severely on home turf on Monday, in the year of the late and very great Senna’s 50^th birthday, Massa deserved the stick for his faltering fighting spirit. Back in the UK, viewers seemed more sympathetic to Massa’s clear disappointment.  Yet, he was defending his team every interview of the way, no matter how gritted his teeth may have been. Simply put, there’s no justification for breaking the rules, no matter how wrong that rule may be.

Rules, good or bad, must still be adhered to, in order to make the victories of the sport as fair as possible and to provide the entertainment for which the fans spend so much money to enjoy. Surely?