Monthly Archives: September 2014

Hamilton wins Singapore and Championship Lead

Marina Bay – The 2014 Singapore Airlines Singapore Grand Prix was above all else, hot and gruelling. With the track temperature hardly going below 32ºC (90ºF,) the cars and drivers were in nearly unbearable conditions for the entirety of Sunday’s 2 hour event, leaving many of the drivers thoroughly dehydrated, and in some cases desperate for relief.

The day was not in Nico Rosberg’s favour from the start. With a hardware problem, the Mercedes driver was forced to start from the pit lane, only to retire after 14 laps. The other early retirement was Caterham’s Kamui Kobayashi, whose car shut down on the formation lap.

Hamilton took the race lead from the beginning, only briefly losing it to Red Bull’s Sebastian Vettel after Hamilton’s final pit stop. In many respects, Hamilton’s triumphs were overshadowed by Rosberg’s tribulations, and by the fight that lasted all 2 hours behind him amongst the rest of the grid.

Ferrari’s Fernando Alonso did quite well, keeping close behind the two Red Bulls in 4th throughout the race. His Finnish teammate, Kimi Räikkönen likewise was a hard fighter further down the field, keeping pace with the Williams of Valtteri Bottas, the McLarens, and Force Indias. Their stellar performance Sunday in Singapore is a great and marked improvement from the disaster that was Monza.

Red Bull kept their strengths in show, maintaining 2nd and 3rd for the majority of the race. Defending 4-time world champion Sebastian Vettel held back his Australian teammate Daniel Ricciardo, enabling for both Red Bulls to earn a finish on the podium. Ricciardo remarked that Singapore did feel like a home race for him, as the city-state is equidistant to his hometown of Perth, Western Australia, as is Melbourne, home to the Australian Grand Prix.

For Williams, Singapore could have gone better. Brazilian Felipe Massa was able to finish in 5th, but his Finnish teammate barely scraped out 11th place after suffering a flat tyre on the last lap. That being said, Bottas was able to hold off his fellow countryman Räikkönen for the majority of the race until the tyre in question gave way.

Kevin Magnussen did fairly well for himself on his first time racing in Singapore. His 10th place finish not only outdid his veteran teammate, Jenson Button, who retired near the end of the race, but he also was able to outdo the extremes in temperature and fatigue that are par for the course in Singapore. Force India likewise did well on Sunday, with Sergio Pérez finishing in 7th and Nico Hülkenberg in 9th.

All of the drivers in that section of the field were outdone by Frenchman Jean-Éric Vergne, who, after being penalised with a 5-second stop and go penalty for passing whilst over the track limits, roared past much of the field ahead of him, finishing in a solid 6th. His Russian teammate suffered the greatest in the Singaporean conditions, voicing his desperation over the team radio.

With Singapore completed, the Formula 1 circus heads north to return to Japan, where Nico Rosberg will give his all to restore his championship lead. At present, Lewis Hamilton holds 1st place in the Drivers’ Championship with 241 points, 3 points ahead of his German teammate and 60 ahead of Australia’s own, Daniel Ricciardo. Mercedes has a clear lead in the Constructors’ Championship with 479 points, ahead of Red Bull’s 305, and Williams’ 187.

Full results from the 2014 Formula 1 Singapore Airlines Singapore Grand Prix are:

  1. Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes, 2:00:04.795
  2. Sebastian Vettel, Red Bull, +00:13.534
  3. Daniel Ricciardo, Red Bull, +00:14.273
  4. Fernando Alonso, Ferrari, +00:15.389
  5. Felipe Massa, Williams, +00:42.161
  6. Jean-Éric Vergne, Toro Rosso, +00:56.801
  7. Sergio Pérez, Force India, +00:59.038
  8. Kimi Räikkönen, Ferrari, +01:00.641
  9. Nico Hülkenberg, Force India, +01:01.661
  10. Kevin Magnussen, McLaren, +01:02.230
  11. Valtteri Bottas, Williams, +01:05.065
  12. Pastor Maldonado, Lotus, +01:06.915
  13. Romain Grosjean, Lotus, +01:08.029
  14. Daniil Kvyat, Toro Rosso, +02:20.037
  15. Marcus Ericsson, Caterham, +01:34.188
  16. Jules Bianchi, Marussia, +01:34.543
  17. Max Chilton, Marussia, lapped
  18. Jenson Button, McLaren, retired, 52 laps
  19. Adrian Sutil, Sauber, retired, 40 laps
  20. Esteban Gutierrez, Sauber, retired, 17 laps
  21. Nico Rosberg, Mercedes, retired, 13 laps
  22. Kamui Kobayashi, Caterham, retired 0 laps

Scotland Votes No in Independence Referendum

Edinburgh – With nearly all of the results from the 18 September referendum on independence having been announced, Scotland’s status as a member of the United Kingdom is secured. In an election with turnout at well over 80%, the No campaign won Thursday’s referendum by 10 points with a 55%-45% victory. In regards to individual vote numbers, No had 1,914,187 votes whilst Yes had 1,539,920.

While Thursday’s referendum did not result in Scottish independence, the results undoubtedly will result in further political change throughout the United Kingdom. The major No parties, the Conservatives, Labour, and Liberal Democrats all promised further devolution to Scotland, a promise which Scottish First Minister Alex Salmond, MSP stated must be met.

All sides hailed the high voter turnout numbers throughout Scotland, with over 80% of the population casting ballots in the referendum. In particular, the voter turnout rate in Stirling, which voted no, was an incredibly high 90%.

The vote was settled by 06.00 BST (00.00 CDT, 15.00 AEST) with the returns in Fife, whose 139,788 votes against independence put the No campaign over the edge and into victory early Friday morning local time.

Much of the discussion in the hour since the Fife announcement has involved further devolution not only for Scotland, but also for Wales, England, and Northern Ireland, even with talk of a Federal system being established in the United Kingdom in the future.

Trading began in the City of London earlier than normal on Friday, with financial reactions being seen largely in the currency markets, with the pound sterling rising to 1.65 USD (1.28 EUR, 1.84 AUD). The BBC reported that the American markets are also expected to open higher than normal on Friday as a result of the no vote.

British Prime Minister David Cameron spoke from Downing Street at 07.06 on Friday (01.06 CDT, 16.06 AEST), saying, “Like millions of others, I am delighted” with the referendum’s results. “We now have a great opportunity to change how the British people are governed,” the PM continued. He made it clear to note that those commitments proposed by the three pro-Union parties will be taken up by a commission to be led by Lord Kelvin.

“I have long believed that a crucial part missing from this discussion is England.” Cameron went on to announce his support for plans to be drawn up that could lead to a future devolved English legislative body, which would have similar powers to the Scottish Parliament and Welsh Assembly.

No matter the result, Scotland, and the United Kingdom are changed forever. Thursday’s historic vote will undoubtedly be remembered for centuries to come as a major milestone in the constitutional history of the United Kingdom.

FIA launches Formula E in Beijing

Beijing – Saturday marked the inaugural FIA Formula E race. Formula E is the FIA’s attempt at expanding international motor sport into the up and coming world of electric cars. The 2014-2015 Formula E season has 10 rounds, with races announced to be run in China, Malaysia, Uruguay, Argentina, the United States, Monaco, Germany, and the United Kingdom.

Saturday’s opening round featured 10 teams of 2 drivers each. Among the drivers and teams are a fair number of famous names from Formula 1, including former Formula 1 drivers Charles Pic, Nelson Piquet, Jr., Lucas di Grassi, Franck Montagny, Karun Chandhok, Jérôme d’Ambrosio, Stéphane Sarrazin, Jamie Alguersuari, Nick Heidfeld, Takuma Sato, Sébastien Buemi, Jarno Trulli, and Bruno Senna. Of the drivers yet to enter Formula 1 on the Formula E grid, perhaps the most notable is Nicolas Prost, whose father is 4-time Formula 1 world champion Alain Prost, and two female drivers, Briton Katherine Legge and Italian Michela Cerruti.

Formula E differs from Formula 1 in many other ways. To begin, Formula E is entirely run by electricity rather than by petrol as F1. Likewise, FE requires that drivers remain in the pits for a minimum pit-stop time. That being said, FE drivers have to switch cars at their pit stops, reentering the field in a newly charged car.

The two elements of the race that I found most frustrating were 1. the Beijing street circuit was too narrow in most places for passing, and 2. the FE cars sounded like a cross between a jet engine and a child’s remote controlled car. At first annoying, I found myself drowning out the buzzing of 20 electric cars through paying closer attention to the beauty of their design, the fine curvature of the fuselages.

The race finished with a dramatic crash between then 1st place Nicolas Prost and 2nd place Nick Heidfeld, resulting in the latter being valuted by a kerb into a set of high barriers at the last corner, flipping his car upside-down, leaving the German finishing the race on his head. The race was won by Brazilian Lucas di Grassi of Audi Sport ABT. The Brazilian finished the 25 lap race with a time of 53:23.413.

The first retirement of the race came from one of the biggest names in motor sport, Bruno Senna, nephew of Formula 1 legend Aryton Senna. Bruno collided with another car on Lap 1, forcing his early retirement.

Another difference from Formula 1 is the awarding of points for earning pole, and driving the fastest lap, given to Nicolas Prost and Takuma Sato respectively. Likewise, according to the Formula E website, Daniel Abt, Jamie Alguersuari, and Katherine Legge were handed 57-second penalties for exceeding the allowed battery usage limit of 28kW.

In general, I do recommend Formula E to my Formula 1 readers. It is quite a spectacle to see. And considering that this sport is in its infancy, I’d watch just to be a part of history. Formula E is broadcast in the United States on Fox Sports 1, in the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland on ITV 4 and BT Sport. Television coverage will be provided in 80 territories including Canada, Latin America, the Caribbean, Australia by Fox Sports. Canal + diffuse la Formule E en France.

The 2014-2015 inaugural Formula E calendar is as follows:

  1. China – Beijing ePrix – 13 September 2014.
  2. Malaysia – Putrajaya ePrix – 22 November 2014.
  3. Uruguay – Punta del Este ePrix – 13 December 2014.
  4. Argentina – Buenos Aires ePrix – 10 January 2015.
  5. TBA – TBA – 14 February 2015.
  6. United States – Miami ePrix – 14 March 2015.
  7. United States – Long Beach ePrix – 4 April 2015.
  8. Monaco – Monte Carlo ePrix – 9 May 2015.
  9. Germany – Berlin ePrix – 30 May 2015.
  10. United Kingdom – London ePrix – 27 June 2015.

Extra: Journeys to and From Home becoming The Tern

Greetings to all of you! To my frequent readers over the past year and a half, I am most thankful. I have decided to move forward with my website, and my ambitions, and launch an online newspaper. I have chosen to name the paper The Tern. The name comes from a small sailboat, The Arctic Tern, which my parents co-owned in the ’90s. The boat was docked at Monroe Harbor in Chicago.

The Tern will be a politically centre-left paper that ultimately will have a global focus. However, for now for the sake of my own sanity, this enterprise will focus primarily on the United States with future desks to open in the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, and France. At present I have come to an agreement with the following writers, who will write the various sections of The Tern:

Politics: Frank Kane, This Week in Washington, Seán Kane: UN Observer

Sport: Seán Kane: Formula 1, Mac Chapman: Soccer

Lifestyle: Maggie Weir

Film: Cullan May

The Tern will simultaneously published in French as La Sterne. All of the English language articles will be translated into French. This paper will at first not be a daily, nor a weekly, nor a monthly. Rather, individual articles will come out on their own respective days of the week.

If you have any interest in writing for The Tern, please email me at sean.kane@ternnews.com

Again, a thousand thanks to all of you for your readership!

-Seán Kane.

Editor in Chief at The Tern

Rédacteur en chef: La Sterne

Mercedes, Williams lock out Top 4 at Monza

Monza, Italy – Monza can be described simply by one word: fast. The 53 lap grand prix tested not only the cars, but also the physical and mental abilities of the drivers. From the starting grid Mercedes’ Nico Rosberg took the lead, with his teammate Lewis Hamilton having an ERS problem that put him down from 1st to 4th as he was passed by McLaren’s Kevin Magnussen and Williams’ Felipe Massa. By Lap 3, Hamilton began to battle Massa for 3rd, forcing Massa to overtake Magnussen for 2nd on Lap 5.

Lap 6 saw the first retirement of the race as Marussia’s Max Chilton went into the wall at the second chicane. By Lap 8, the general theme of the race was beginning to unfold with the standings as: 1. Rosberg, 2. Massa, 3. Hamilton, 4. Magnussen, 5. Vettel, 6. Button, 7. Alonso, 8. Pérez, 9. Räikkönen, 10. Bottas. The pack of drivers fighting from 4th to 11th generally stayed quite close together throughout today’s race, resulting in some fantastic overtaking.

Rosberg made his first major mistake of the race on Lap 9 when he missed Turn 1, choosing to weave between the obstacles on the escape-way. This soon was capitalised by Hamilton’s overtaking of Massa on Lap 10, leaving only Rosberg between the Briton and 1st place. Both Hamilton and Massa were quite smart to avoid colliding, as both drivers are working for top points this weekend. By Lap 11, Hamilton had set the fastest lap of the race, narrowing Rosberg’s lead down to 2.1 seconds.

Williams’ Valtteri Bottas’ start was hardly what anyone at Williams was hoping for. Having fallen back from 3rd to 10th, it took until Lap 13 for Bottas to overtake his fellow Finn Kimi Räikkönen for 9th, after which Bottas began making his way past Pérez, Alonso, Button, and Magnussen taking 4th on Lap 21, which he would hold for the remainder of the race.

By Lap 17, tyre degradation was becoming a major factor in lap timing, leaving many with no choice but to pit. By this point, Hamilton was a mere 1.4 seconds behind Rosberg, ever closing the gap. The first to pit for fresh tyres was Red Bull’s Sebastian Vettel, who did so on Lap 19. Choosing the hards, Vettel resumed his race, taking 5th from Magnussen upon track reentry.

On Lap 22, Kevin Magnussen and Fernando Alonso pitted together, rejoining the field in 9th and 11th respectively. Lap 24 saw Sergio Pérez and Felipe Massa pit. Pérez rejoined in the middle of the pack, whilst Massa returned to find himself in 5th. Rosberg pitted on Lap 25, followed by his teammate Hamilton on Lap 26.

At Lap 28, Lewis Hamilton began to put more and more pressure on his German teammate, taking the race lead on Lap 29 as Rosberg cracked, missing Turn 1 yet again. At Lap 30, the local Italian fans found themselves aghast as Ferrari’s superstar driver Fernando Alonso was forced to retire at Turn 1 due to an engine shutdown. At Lap 31, an equally daring Valtteri Bottas attempted a pass on Magnussen, but to no avail as Magnussen forced Bottas off the track, resulting in a 5-second stop and go penalty for the young Dane.

By Lap 32, Hamilton had increased his lead over Nico Rosberg to 2.9 seconds with Felipe Massa a good 10 seconds behind Hamilton and Rosberg in 3rd. In 4th was Sebastian Vettel. Laps 39-42 saw an excellent battle between former McLaren teammates Jenson Button and Sergio Pérez, with Red Bull’s Daniel Ricciardo joining in the fun and games as well. Pérez won the duel at Lap 42, however Ricciardo had already left the pair in the dust, passing Magnussen at 6th to take on the Australian’s 4-time world champion teammate Sebastian Vettel for 5th. Lap 47 saw the Aussie make his move on the German, making quite a spectacle. No doubt Ricicardo will be heard from again in the years to come.

At Lap 51, Sauber’s Esteban Gutierrez had a puncture after clipping the Lotus of Romain Grosjean. This was soon followed by the hair raising run off of Toro Rosso’s Russian Daniil Kvyat at Turn 1 on Lap 52 when his breaks failed, resulting in the Russian running far off the track into the grass. Amazingly though he was able to return to the track and finish the race with decent points.

The race finished with Hamilton taking the win followed by Rosberg in 2nd, Massa in 3rd, and Bottas in 4th. They were followed by Ricciardo (5), Vettel (6), Pérez (7), Button (8), Räikkönen (9), and Magnussen (10). With today’s results, Williams has jumped Ferrari in the constructor’s championship to take 3rd behind Mercedes and Red Bull.

Formula 1 returns on the 21st from the famed night race in Singapore.