Monthly Archives: May 2014

F1 Midweek – Malice at Mercedes

Chicago – The club of great intra-team rivalries of Formula 1 have inducted a new pair to their hallowed membership. The Lewis Hamilton – Nico Rosberg battle certainly is the fiercest of this season, topping the duel of Ferraris between Fernando Alonso and Kimi Räikkönen. I remember quite fondly Rosberg’s win last year at Monaco, during which race he and his British teammate worked together to keep the Ferraris and Red Bulls at bay. To follow that, Hamilton wrote a lengthy congratulations to his German teammate following his win. What a difference a year makes!

This past Sunday at Monaco, the two Mercedes drivers hardly moved to congratulate each other post-race. The animosity between the pair has come thus far to dominate this season. What I find most interesting, as a historian, is the fact that Niki Lauda, one of the greatest drivers of the 70s and 80s, is now working with the Mercedes team as its non-executive chairman, in which position, according to the Daily Mail, he took part in the negotiations that brought Hamilton to the team.

Lauda was quoted by Paul Weaver of the Guardian “One thing is clear, that Lewis, from my point of view, has a one or two tenths advantage on Nico. He can get the laps in qualifying. And Nico is working hard – he’s my type – with the mechanics and engineers with the tyres, so we have one natural talent, very emotional. And we have another guy who is doing the same job in another way.”

Another element of this rivalry, as noted by Hamilton last weekend in Monaco, is the vast disparity in childhoods between the Briton and the German. Hamilton grew up in Stevenage in Hertfordshire, one of the less-well-off suburbs of London. Rosberg, the son of retired Finnish Formula 1 driver Keke Rosberg, grew up largely in Monaco having a far more privileged childhood than Hamilton. Today, Hamilton and Rosberg live in the same apartment building in Monaco.

Who knows what this rivalry will do for or against the Mercedes team throughout the rest of the season. The next race in Montréal will be yet another testing ground for the relationship between the two drivers in question. Perhaps they will eliminate each other from the race in Lap 1. Or quite possibly they will keep up the fight to the finish like in Bahrain. Either way, this rivalry, which began in their karting days, has blossomed into one of the great Formula 1 rivalries of this decade.

Nico keeps Monaco

Monaco – Today’s 2014 Monaco Grand Prix was all for Nico Rosberg from the start of the day. His British teammate Lewis Hamilton, who for the past few races had been in front of the German, had trouble from the start in passing Rosberg. For one thing, Rosberg had a fantastic start off of the grid. Another was the incident at Lap 65, where Hamilton radioed to the team, “I can’t see out of my left eye – I’ve got some dirt or something in my eye.” In general, Hamilton’s misfortune today was Rosberg’s good weather, with the German winning his second Monaco Grand Prix in a row.

From the very start, the race proved to be typical of this circuit, with a plethora of safety car appearances, retirements, and break downs. At the starting grid, Lotus’ Venezuelan driver Pastor Maldonado was forced to retire. He was quickly followed by Force India’s Sergio Pérez (MEX), who crashed during Lap 1.

On Lap 5, defending world champion Sebastian Vettel’s (GER) ills of 2014 returned in full force, resulting in his own retirement due to a transmission failure. He was followed at Lap 10 by Toro Rosso’s Daniil Kvyat (RUS), who had mechanical issues. At Lap 23, Sauber’s Adrian Sutil (GER), who had been making some excellent passes on the inside, crashed into the wall just before the chicane, resulting in his own retirement.

At lap 50, the engine of the Toro Rosso of Jean-Éric Vergne (FRA) caught fire, resulting in it smoking to a stop just after the tunnel. He was joined at Lap 55 by Valtteri Bottas, whose Williams began to smoke at the hairpin. At Lap 62 the last Sauber of the field to not retire, driven by Mexican Esteban Gutierrez, crashed into the wall, resulting in a puncture in the back right tyre.

Of the 14 drivers remaining, only the three on the podium, Rosberg, Hamilton, and Ricciardo, along with Ferrari’s Fernando Alonso, were not lapped. According to Tom Clarkson of the BBC, Kimi Räikkönen went in for a pit stop at Lap 61, dropping him down from 3rd place due to a puncture with Max Chilton of Marussia. Chilton would finish in 14th, whilst Räikkönen came in 12th. Caterham’s Kamui Kobayashi (JPN) finished in 13th place, between the Briton and the Finn. Caterham’s rookie Swedish driver Marcus Ericsson finished in 11th, the highest of the non-points scoring positions.

On the topic of points scoring, today is a day to celebrate for Marussia and their fans around the world. Their driver Jules Bianchi finished in 9th, scoring the team’s first two world championship points. The question remains as of 10.11 Chicago (15.11 London, 16.11 Monaco) as to whether or not the FIA will take away Bianchi’s points, as he appeared, at least according to the TV feed, to have served a 5 second stop-and-go penalty that was awarded to him, which he served during one of the late safety car laps, an act which is technically against the rules of the sport.

Thankfully for McLaren, both of their drivers finished with points, Kevin Magnussen (DEN) finishing in 10th and Jenson Button (GBR) in 6th. Between them came Williams’ Felipe Massa (BRA) in 7th, Lotus’ Romain Grosjean (FRA) in 8th, and Marussia’s Jules Bianchi (FRA) in 9th. Fourth place was held by Ferrari’s Fernando Alonso (ESP), with 5th by Force India’s Nico Hülkenberg (GER).

This year’s Monaco Grand Prix was certainly an eventful one, progressing the rivalry between Hamilton and Rosberg ever further on. I have no doubt that Mercedes will continue to dominate the 2014 season, however it seems that there is a new face at Red Bull on the up. Ricciardo is on the rise.

F1 Midweek – Preparing for Monaco

Kansas City – It’s that time of year again when those of us who count ourselves amongst the ever expanding fan-base of Formula 1, the king of all motor sports, gear up to perhaps the most exciting weekend of all. It’s time for the Monaco Grand Prix! Monaco is by far the crown jewel of the F1 calendar, the most storied race of any season. It is in some senses the bridge between the sport’s early days before the Second World War and the present.

Monaco is one of my personal favourite races each year, in large part because of its history and prowess in the sporting calendar. What makes it so historic is by and large the fact that this is one of the few street circuits left in Formula 1. Seeing these rocket ships roaring down the narrow streets of the Principality, taking the hairpin turns, rounding the chicanes is enough to refresh my love for this sport all over again.

Returning from nostalgic admiration, the same old players seem like they will be standing tall this coming weekend. I would be surprised if the Mercedes did not dominate the podium, joined perhaps by a Red Bull or Ferrari, or McLaren (I can always hope.) Perhaps Williams, with their Finnish driver Valtteri Bottas, will strike strong on the streets. Bottas’ performance in the past few races has been exemplary, in what seems to be a year without Vettelian dominance. At the same time, the Force Indias have been looking good. If not in Monaco, then perhaps in the next few races we will see Mexican Sergio Pérez or German Nico Hülkenberg take a place on the podium.

In any case, this weekend’s Monaco Grand Prix is sure to be a spectacle, as it always is.

Journeys to and From Home – 1 Year Later

Kansas City – Strange as it may sound, today marks the 1st anniversary of my launching of the blog that has since grown into my website, Journeys to and From Home, or as it is typed http://sthosdkane.com/ . I have to say that I am quite proud of how this site has grown over the past year, and certainly did not imagine that it would still be around one year after it’s inception.

One year ago, I launched this blog, with the intent of recording my experiences as an undergraduate studying at the University of Westminster in London. Like many of my friends who also started blogs for the same purpose, I could very well have cut this one off at that point. But, upon thinking about it some more, I figured that there would be a good use for the blog in the future, that it could be a good replacement for my column Kansas City Catholic Examiner, which was largely filled with my own opinions on Catholic theology and social life. As a matter of fact, I still am officially listed as being the writer of that column, so perhaps it will have a comeback…

Journeys to and From Home has greatly expanded my audience, and the reach of my work. To date this website has been viewed by readers in 40 countries around the world, with fairly high concentrations in North America, Europe, Brazil, and Australia and New Zealand. This has especially come with my decision to begin writing regularly on the Formula 1 World Championship with the beginning of the 2014 season.

With the first year behind, it is time to start looking into the second year, into what will come next. I plan on continuing to write on Formula 1, along with writing the odd arts review.

Anyhow, thanks to all of you for subscribing, and reading my work over the past year! May many more years lie in the future.

-Seán.

F1 Midweek – Chilton tops all

Kansas City – The past week has been quite an eventful one in the wild world of Formula 1. Lewis Hamilton won his 4th consecutive race this past weekend in Barcelona, Pastor Maldonado crashed, again, and finally Max Chilton was on top of the leaderboard for a while. Don’t worry, your screen isn’t dirty, Chilton was on top of the leaderboard for a while this week at the First Test Day in Barcelona following Sunday’s Grand Prix.

Max Chilton on top at the Barcelona Test Day 1

Max Chilton on top at the Barcelona Test Day 1 / MaxChilton.com

Pardon the interjection of some humour here, but my original title for this article was “Chilton tops all, Bernie’s heart gives out.” Thankfully for F1 boss Bernie Ecclestone, that wouldn’t be good journalism because it hasn’t actually happened. Now, back to serious writing…

This past weekend’s Spanish Grand Prix certainly has taught the F1 world something, despite Mercedes’ continued dominance, some from the rest of the field are starting to catch up to the Silver Arrows. In particular, if I were Lewis Hamilton, I’d be a bit worried about his teammate, Nico Rosberg’s, ability to catch up to the No. 44 car. At the chequered flag, the German was just .600 of a second behind the Briton. With Monaco coming up, both drivers stand a good chance at winning, but I’m putting my support on Rosberg. He will want a repeat of last year’s Monaco victory. On top of that, a Rosberg win seems to be the way that the F1 winds are blowing from the tailpipes of fortune.

The chase of the Silver Arrows has been taken up full-heartedly by last year’s champions, the Red Bulls. Both Australian Daniel Ricciardo and German Sebastian Vettel have been driving fantastically. Ricciardo earned his first podium, that wasn’t revoked by the FIA, of his career this past weekend. Likewise, Vettel came back from the adversity of starting in 15th to finish in 4th, just shy of his new Aussie teammate. If this continues, within the next couple races we could see a Red Bull once again finishing first.

As for the rest of the field, the lapping of everyone who finished in 7th or lower is something that certainly concerns the crowd. Force India and Williams continue to be forces to be reckoned with, Williams’ Valtteri Bottas finishing just below Vettel in 5th and the two Force Indias finishing in 9th and 10th with Pérez over Hülkenberg this past weekend.

On the flip side of things, my own preferred team, McLaren, has not been doing nearly as well as they seemed like they’d do following the opening round in Australia. Both drivers had their own set of troubles in Spain, finishing with Jenson Button just in the lead over his rookie teammate Kevin Magnussen in 11th and 12th. As NBC Sports’ F1 commentators put it, “McLaren is about the only team using Mercedes engines that hasn’t been doing well.”

The next round in Monaco, which starts with Free Practise 1 a little less than a week from today, will be a good judge of what is to come for the rest of the season. I will be back with more F1 thoughts next Wednesday. This article is coming out a day late from my usual F1 Midweek day of Wednesday because I was moving out of my house at university for the Summer all day yesterday.

Mercedes Marches On in Spain

Barcelona – Today’s F1 Spanish Grand Prix was simply an easy run in the park for Mercedes AMG Petronas. Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg dominated the day, with neither Mercedes Works driver falling below 3rd place throughout the day. On the contrary, Ferrari’s Fernando Alonso did not fare nearly as well as he would have hoped this year at his home grand prix.

The race started with a few grid penalties. Toro Rosso’s Jean-Éric Vergne (FRA) received a grid penalty which had him start at 22nd place on the starting grid. Likewise, Red Bull’s Sebastian Vettel (GER) started at 15th, receiving a 5 place grid penalty for having his gear box changed following his breakdown in Q3.

From Lap 1, the two Mercedes quickly left the rest of the pack in the dust. Their next closest competitor was Williams’ Valtteri Bottas (FIN), who kept 3rd place for much of the first few laps of the race. At Lap 3, Lotus’ Pastor Maldonado made contact with Caterham’s Marcus Ericsson, earning the Venezuelan a 5-second stop and go penalty at Lap 11.

One could certainly tell that today’s grand prix was no longer within the Reign of Red Bull. At Lap 16, 4-year consecutive champion Sebastian Vettel found himself attempting a pass on Caterham’s Kamui Kobayashi (JPN), the key word there being “attempting” as Kobayashi was able to defend against the German.

By Lap 25, Vergne, who already had been having problems with his car this weekend was forced to retire due to “an exhaust problem” as BBC Sport reported.

Out of all of the Mercedes engined cars, the McLarens have been the most disappointing. Neither of the two cars from Woking were able to finish with points in Spain, setting a rather unhappy scene for the races to come.

On the flip side, Ferrari’s performance improved dramatically today, with Kimi Räikkönen (FIN) holding onto 5th place until Lap 64, when he was passed by his teammate Alonso, much to the home crowd’s rejoicing. However, Alonso was outdone by Räikkönen’s countryman, Valtteri Bottas who finished in 5th.

By this point the Ferraris had been passed by both Red Bulls, with Ricciardo maintaining 3rd and Vettel taking 4th. The German had an impressive drive today, rising a total of 9 positions from his start at 15th.

All this being said, the Mercedes of Hamilton and Rosberg lapped everyone from Räikkönen at 7th on down the line. When the chequered flag fell with the top 3 being Hamilton, Rosberg, Ricciardo, the Australian in 3rd finished a total of 48.9 seconds behind the Briton in 1st.

Undoubtedly, the intrateam rivalry at Mercedes is growing, considering just how close Rosberg came to passing Hamilton, at one point being a mere 1.1 seconds behind the Briton. Perhaps it will all play out on the streets of Monaco on the 25th.

The final result from the 2014 Pirelli F1 Spanish Grand Prix are as follows:

  1. Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes (GBR), 1:41:05.155
  2. Nico Rosberg, Mercedes (GER), +00:00.600 secs
  3. Daniel Ricciardo, Red Bull (AUS), +00:49:000 secs
  4. Sebastian Vettel, Red Bull (GER), +1:16:700 secs
  5. Valtteri Bottas, Williams (FIN), +1:19.200 secs
  6. Fernando Alonso, Ferrari (ESP), +1:27.700 secs
  7. Kimi Räikkönen, Ferrari (FIN), lapped
  8. Romain Grosjean, Lotus (FRA), lapped
  9. Sergio Pérez, Force India (MEX), lapped
  10. Nico Hülkenberg, Force India (GER), lapped
  11. Jenson Button, McLaren (GBR), lapped
  12. Kevin Magnussen, McLaren (GBR), lapped
  13. Felipe Massa, Williams (BRA), lapped
  14. Daniil Kvyat, Toro Rosso (RUS), lapped
  15. Pastor Maldonado, Lotus (VEN), lapped
  16. Esteban Gutierrez, Sauber (MEX), lapped
  17. Adrian Sutil, Sauber (GER), lapped
  18. Jules Bianchi, Marussia (FRA), lapped
  19. Max Chilton, Marussia (GBR), lapped
  20. Marcus Ericsson, Caterham (SWE), lapped
  21. Kamui Kobayashi, Caterham (JPN), retired 34 laps
  22. Jean-Éric Vergne, Toro Rosso (FRA), retired 24 laps

F1 Midweek – Preparing for España

Kansas City – In most cases, I’d argue that when the Formula 1 circus comes to a particular country, nothing can possibly beat it in terms of media attention and popularity. However, two cases immediately stand out from the rogues gallery as exceptions to the aforementioned rule. 1. Here in the USA, because it’s America and there’s so very much always going on, and 2. Spain in May 2014, with the upcoming Derbi madrileño in the UEFA Champions League final on the 24th.

In general what I’d say should be expected from this weekend’s race in Catalonia is fairly simple: much of the same from the last race in Shanghai. Mercedes will most likely dominate the field, taking at the very least 1st place, if not 2nd as well, on the podium. What the viewer should watch most for will be how Ferrari and Red Bull fare in aiming for 3rd and the middle of the road in regards to points scoring.

My own prediction is that Fernando Alonso will drive well for his home crowd, finishing at least at 3rd place, followed close at hand by Red Bull’s Ricciardo. Given the recent trends in driver performance, I would not be surprised if Force India also drive quite well, perhaps with one of their two drivers even finishing in 5th or 6th.

Unfortunately, some clouds do hang over this coming weekend. For one thing this will be the closest race weekend to the 20th anniversary of the deaths of Germany’s Roland Ratzenberger and Brazil’s Ayrton Senna at the 1994 San Marino Grand Prix at Imola. On the ongoing side of things, in the period since Shanghai, the trial of Formula 1’s boss Bernie Ecclestone on corruption charges in Munich has begun. Undoubtedly the court’s final ruling will have a major impact on the sport as we know it today, possibly even advancing Ecclestone’s retirement date by a year or so.

The 2014 Pirelli Spanish Grand Prix will take place on Sunday 11 May, Mother’s Day here in the States, at 14.00 Barcelona (07.00 Chicago, 13.00 London.)