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Tuesday 18 August 2015

TRACK PROFILE - 2015 FORMULA 1 SHELL BELGIAN GRAND PRIX

Thursday 30 July 2015

Mid-season interview with Marcus Ericsson and Felipe Nasr

After a rather difficult 2014 season, Marcus Ericsson and Felipe Nasr put the Swiss team back into the competition, scoring a total of 22 points after ten Grands Prix.

Marcus and Felipe, how would you summarise the first half of the season and how would you rate yourselves?

Marcus Ericsson: “I think it’s been a decent season so far, keeping in mind the team’s performance in 2014. We had a good season-opener, finishing with both cars in the points. Obviously, in the last few races we were all a bit disappointed as we lost momentum. Overall, we have done a good job so far, but, of course, we want to score more points. For myself I think I have learned a lot. Coming to a more experienced team was a big step up for me. I am satisfied with my performance so far, but there are some missed opportunities that I regret. That’s how it is sometimes, but I learn from these moments. There is always room for improvement, and I will push to become better.”

Felipe Nasr: “Looking back to the beginning of the season, we have achieved most of the goals we had for the first half of the season. We maximised our opportunities, especially in the beginning of the season; therefore, we were able to score important points. The result of the Australian Grand Prix was impressive. Finishing fifth was very special for me, as well as for the team. At the moment we are facing a rather difficult time. We have our updates in Spa-Francorchamps and Singapore, so we have to be patient. We are halfway through the season, and I think we are going in the right direction. For myself as a driver, I am learning something new every weekend. It is my first year as a race driver in Formula One with ups and downs. As a team we have done some good things so far.”

What were your highlights? What would you say was your best manoeuvre so far?

Felipe Nasr: “It was for sure finishing fifth in my first Formula One race in the Australian Grand Prix. During this race I remember having a good drive and holding off Daniel (Ricciardo). He put a lot of pressure on me, but I managed to keep it under control. Another one was in Monaco. Our car was difficult to drive there, and I was pushing a lot to drive at the ultimate limit. In the end I finished the race in P9.”

Marcus Ericsson: “My highlight was also in Australia scoring my first ever Formula One points. It was a great feeling. The best manoeuvre for me was the fight with Felipe (Massa) in Montreal, when I managed to keep him behind me for a lot of laps. Another was in Australia when I caught Carlos (Sainz) at the end of the race. That was a nice overtaking move.”

What was your low point from a sporting point of view? What was your most memorable mistake on track this season?

Marcus Ericsson: “I had a good weekend during the Malaysian Grand Prix, being in the top ten in every session. In the race it went the other way. When I was attacking for P7, I retired in the gravel while I was trying to overtake. It was a shame, as the weekend had gone well up to that moment. It was a missed opportunity, which is part of the learning curve.”

Felipe Nasr: “My low point was in Montreal when I faced issues with the brakes during the whole weekend. On top of that, I made a mistake in FP3 as I accidently opened the DRS while warming up the tyres. I learn from these things.”

What can you as a driver improve on track in regard to the Sauber C34-Ferrari?

Felipe Nasr: “We know that our car is limited in some areas. In order to compensate for that we try different things, for example on the set-up side. We go in different directions, trying a softer or stiffer car set-up. The car has a narrow window for its working range in order to extract the best performance out of it. I am always open to trying different things which help me to understand the car in a better way. This is something from which I learn a lot.”

Marcus Ericsson: “As a driver I have been focusing quite a lot lately on improving my qualifying performance, because I thought it was a bit weak at the beginning of the year. I changed some things in my preparations to improve it, and I am seeing positive results. I have been stronger in qualifying lately, but this can still be improved. On the car side, we always have areas to work on. We know that we are struggling a bit more on tracks with medium and high-speed corners. For me these are the most important areas on which we need to focus. It is important that Felipe and I work closely together with the engineers to make sure we work in the right direction. So far we have done that, but we need to keep pushing in order to make progress.”

What input can you contribute to the development of the new Sauber C35?

Marcus Ericsson: “Every race weekend we speak to the track-side team and share our impressions of the current car. As Felipe and I are confirmed for next year at this early point in the season, we can get much more involved in the development of the C35. That’s great. We can point the car in a direction we want. It is all about feedback and having a close connection with the people in the team.”

Felipe Nasr: “We give valuable feedback on the areas that should be improved. We have to keep doing the best we can to collect this information correctly, as the C35 will be based on that. I am pleased that Mark Smith has joined us as Technical Director. Already he has a good overview of the car. I think we are going in the right way, and I am confident we can fight for points more often next year. We have to make sure the updates we are bringing for the next races are working properly. This will be the first step to guide us into the right direction for 2016.”

What are your expectations for the second half of the season?

Felipe Nasr: “During the second half of the season there are some tracks on which I will get my first taste in a Formula One car. For example, the circuit in Japan is one I have not driven on yet. The Mexican Grand Prix will also be on the calendar again, which is new for everyone. I am looking forward to running the car with the updates. As we have not driven the car yet, we cannot precisely predict what it is going to be like. The target is to put us back into the points. In the championship we have dropped back down, and I think it will not be easy to move up. However, I am still confident the updates will help us to be in a better position.”

Marcus Ericsson: “I am looking forward to the second half of the season. It is encouraging having updates coming in Spa-Francorchamps and Singapore. With that being said, our objective is to be back on a level from which we are able to fight for points. If that happens, we have to wait and see how it goes. We are going to work hard to extract the maximum out of our updates.”

The summer break is almost here. What are your plans?

Marcus Ericsson: “I will be in Croatia for five days with friends to switch off the racing head and relax a bit. After that, I will spend time with my trainer in Sweden preparing for the second half of the season. I will recharge my batteries and make sure I am in a good shape to fight hard during the second half of the season.”

Felipe Nasr: “I will be back in Brazil. It’s been a while since I have been back there. I am looking forward to seeing my family and friends, and just being back home in Brasilia. I will keep training hard and stay focused. It is good to have some time off to recharge the batteries and look back to what we have achieved so far. It is important to find a balance for this time in between the races. It is a short break, but there is enough time to get myself into a good shape. After the summer break I will be back in the car full of energy and confidence.”

The Sauber F1 Team heads into the summer break for the factory shutdown from 1st to 16th August.

Tuesday 28 July 2015

'Action packed' - By Chris Rathbone

Weekly Formula 1 cartoons by Chris Rathbone... Get your hands on prints, mugs and t-shirts of your favourite drivers from the world of Motorsport.
Twitter - @R4THBONE
Website - http://rathbonecreative.com

'Bernies Bumper Cars'.... By Jake Davis

This fantastic weekly F1 Toon was designed and created by Jake Davis Creative. Prints are available in sizes A4, A3 and A2. Commissions are also available. If you would like to order a PRINT of this fantastic F1 Toon feel free to contact him via:
E-mail - davisjake@hotmail.co.uk
Twitter - @JakeDDCreative

Monday 27 July 2015

Virtual lap of the new Kyalami Grand Prix Circuit - Drive Cam

Wednesday 22 July 2015

"CIAO JULES" - Chris Rathbone

"With my heroes ..... Jules" #CIAOJULES - By Jake Davis

TRACK PROFILE - FORMULA 1 PIRELLI MAGYAR NAGYDÍJ 2015

Thursday 16 July 2015

"Hamilton refused entry" - By Chris Rathbone

"Game Set and Match for Lewis Hamilton!!" - By Jake Davis

Saturday 11 July 2015

Calling the #F1Family to unite for Jules!!!

The F1 world stood in horror on the 05/10/2014. If you don't remember that well it's the day on which Jules Bianchi had his horrific accident. Soon it'll be a year since that day.

We're a family. A big family...

We have to do something! Send me a photo with hashtags #WeMissJules #ForzaJules (put them on a piece of paper and make a photo with them. You can print a picture which I put on a page 'hashtags'. Please, check a page 'how to make a good photo'). YOU CAN USE THE IMAGE ABOVE!

You have 2 ways to send me your photo:
1. E-mail: mailto:formulaonefamily@gmail.com
2. Send it on my Twitter

The TOPIC of an email is ‘#ForzaJules’

Clarify if you are using either or both platforms of communication by Answering with NO or YES:
1. Your nickname on Twitter: NO/YES (and write your nickname on Twitter)
2. Your nickname on Instagram: NO/YES (and write your nickname on Instagram)Attach your photo. Don’t put in on the text.

DEADLINE: 01/10/2015 11:59 PM [You have more than 2 months.]

Why do I want to do it? Not to be famous (big thanks for somebody who thinks like that), just for Jules and his family. I just can imagine what they’re feeling. We’re a family and the family is stand together and help each other. Let’s show them that we’re supporting them and we’re with them!

They will be sent (on twitter of course) on the tragic day to his account and Marussia (Manor) F1 Team. Also I’ll make an account on Instagram on where all your photos will be sent.

What do you think? Do you want to join us? We’re waiting for you and your photo!
To know more visit – formulaonefamily.blogspot.co.uk

Tuesday 7 July 2015

"Crystal ball" - Chris Rathbone

"Singing in the Rain!!" - By Jake Davis

Tuesday 30 June 2015

TRACK PROFILE - 2015 FORMULA 1 BRITISH GRAND PRIX

SPECIAL THANKS to Elie Rizk for assistance and supplying the main image [Lotus F1 Team E23 Hybrid]

"Hamilton skips test" - By Chris Rathbone

Mercedes AMG Petronas: The Art of Pit Stops

What defines a ‘Good’ pit stop?
It’s easy to believe that pit stops are all about speed and, of course, every team works hard to push for the fastest possible times. But speed should never come at the cost of reliability. In practice, a top crew can change all four wheels in around two seconds. However, finding a tenth here and there in the stop makes little difference relative to the potential loss through an error. If a wheel is not correctly attached at the first attempt, a number of scenarios can emerge. If the crew notices the error in time, the car will be held longer in the box while the wheel nut is re-attached, costing time and likely track position. If the car leaves the box with a loose wheel but stops in pit lane or makes it back around the lap, an unsafe release penalty will apply. This will be, at a minimum, a 10 second stop-and-go penalty, with the possibility of a grid penalty at the following race also being imposed. Or, in the worst-case scenario, the wheel detaches completely and the car is forced to retire. These are the sorts of situations teams must try to mitigate against.

In terms of time, what is the best measure of a good stop?
The most comprehensive measurement of pit stop performance is not simply the length of time spent in the box itself – but between the timing beams on pit lane entry and exit. These are the same for everyone and provide a uniform analysis of the time taken to complete a full pit stop procedure, covering both team and driver performance. The times highlighted on TV are clocked using the naked eye and a stopwatch. They also tend to highlight the single aspect of time spent in the box as the key element of a stop. However, by the timing beams, the average ranking across all races of the 2015 season so far sees the MERCEDES AMG PETRONAS crew leading the way – and with no errors or loss of position as a direct result of pit stop procedure (see table below).

We’ve mentioned both driver and team performance here: what are the main challenges for each?
Pit stops are possibly the most visual evidence of why Formula One is a team sport. For the driver, they’re being asked to position the car accurately to within half a wheel diameter – or the size of a standard office ruler – at up to 80km/h without locking up. This really is a phenomenal display of car control. For the crew, they are required to keep their cool under intense pressure while knelt on the ground, inches away from a car approaching at the sort of speed a truck would do on a motorway. The people around the car during a pit stop don’t change depending on the driver. They’re a collection of crew members spanning a variety of roles within the race team. Not only do they undertake physical training to prepare for the demands of performing a sequence of good stops, they also carry out quite literally thousands of practice stops every season. A good, clean, safe stop requires total trust and confidence from all parties moving in unison. When a pit crew has confidence, that’s when they start to naturally build up speed. Reliability builds confidence, confidence builds speed.

How can a driver impact on pit stop performance?
There are three main elements to driver pit stop performance. The first is how accurately they can brake to the limiter line. In the ideal scenario, speed has been stable for a tenth or two as the car crosses that marker. Braking too early requires acceleration back up to the limit, braking too late will mean the car does not slow sufficiently to cross the line under the limit. The second element is braking into the box – enough to stop on the marks but not so early that the driver has to come off the brakes and then back onto them. Finally, there is the start from the box. The most crucial of these, however, is the entry to the box itself. Between a driver who comes into the box smoothly without locking the wheels and one who locks up and stops long, the difference can be significant. Stopping 30cm long, for example, can cost up to eight tenths.

What causes this loss?
If the car is off the marks by enough distance in any direction, the entire crew must adjust their positions accordingly, which costs time. As mentioned previously, the worst case is stopping too long. 30cm, which would be classed as a long way out of position, is a significant distance relative to the reach of an average human arm. At this discrepancy, the human ability to correct for the error disappears. The prime example is the gun men, as the wheel nut is now physically further out of their natural reach. In the most extreme case the gun men have to drop the gun from position, shuffle along by 15–20cm on their knees, bring the gun back up to position and connect to the nut.

What other factors can affect pit stop times?
Pit lane speed limits are another area of variation. Drivers are limited to 60km/h rather than 80km/h at certain events as it is too dangerous to be running any faster – and times will generally be longer as a result. In Melbourne, where the 60km/h limit is enforced for 289m, the loss is 21 seconds. In Montreal – a pit lane limited to 80km/h for 417m – that loss is just 17 seconds. Where races are border line on strategy, this becomes significant. Depending on track position, at some circuits it may be faster over a race distance to do more laps on a worn set of tyres than make an extra stop, as the pit lane loss is simply too great. The opposite is true of somewhere like Montreal, where pit lane time is quick enough to open up strategic options where the difference is marginal.

Differences in grip levels from the pit lane surface itself can also be a factor. Singapore gives the best traction of any pit lane on the calendar. Here, the organisers cover the ground with a layer of paint, followed by a sand-like material, then seal it all in with more paint. It’s like driving on sandpaper, giving excellent grip. Other circuits, particularly those which are not used too often, can start with very low levels of grip at the beginning of a weekend. Performing pit stops will naturally aid this by ensuring more rubber is laid down – however in certain cases the drivers are requested to perform burnouts in the box to lay extra rubber down.