Month: May 2017

2017 Monaco Grand Prix qualifying – Romain Grosjean Shines!

Romain Grosjean qualified 8th for the Monaco Grand Prix. The Haas  car performed well despite a very near miss by Grosjean when he spun at Mirabeau during the second stage of qualifying.

Both Grosjean and the Haas car performed well. the car also performed well for Kevin Magnussen. KMags was on an absolute flier during Q2 when he was blocked on track by none other than the….. Languishing Lewis Hamilton. As a result, Magnussen will start the race in P13.

If ever there was an opportunity for the Haas F1 Team to campaign two cars in a third stage of qualifying, it was today.  The cars of  Force India driven by Sergio Perez and the Toro Roso car of Carlos Sainz both out paced the Haas machine of Grosjean. This keeps Haas third in that pecking order behind the leaders. But the car has out performed most fans expectations. Maybe I’ll read about brake problems, but I’ve not heard a peep of the “B” word…

Regarding Lewis……

I don’t think the problem was the car. He seemed to be over inputting everything. The oversteer had him sideways. And all of that vertical slip is time…. and if piled up in heaps. He knows this track as well as anyone. His teammate was first after the Ferrari’s. Lewis can tend to be a bit of emotional about things at times while in the cockpit. That emotion generally serves him well. We’ve seen Lewis tear up the field from the back of the grid. But no one does that at Monaco…

Regarding Pole…. Kimi Raikkonen was brilliant. 4/100’s of a second separate the first 3 cars of Raikkonen, Vettel, and Bottas. The Ferrari’s were delivering top performance for their drivers. Sebastian Vettel was grabbing all of the attention before qualifying. He, Like Hamilton, have a storied record at Monaco, but only has one win in 2011. Hamilton has won the Monaco Grand Prix twice, in 2008 and last years 2016 race.

As you may recall, Hamilton;s 2016 victory was tainted with the controversy of Justin Bieber.  Upon taking his magnum of victory Campaign, he gave the first sip to Bieber. The 2017 Monaco Grand Prix promises to be a Bieber Free Event… as Lewis has no shot at a victory. His best hope is for attrition at the front of the field.

But for the Haas F1 team? They are in a good position to score double points.There will be some failures in front of Magnussen.  He has had better than averages race starts and has been faster than his team mate at times. With some luck and effective strategy, the Haas team can see some success at the 2017 Monaco Grand Prix.

 

2017 Spanish Grand Prix


It was the first lap which would be the last for Raikkonen and Verstappen when they had a runing with the Mercedes of Valtteri Bottas on lap one. Bottas, Raikkonen and Verstappen started 3,4 and 5 respectively.

Hamilton would go on to win, with Vettel and Ferrari finishing second, while shoey boy himself Daniel Ricciardo took the third podium step.

Notice how I’m avoiding the Haas team? Well they would walk away with one point after Grosjean finished 10. Kevin Magnussen finished out of the points and in 14th position. One point is better than zero… which is how many Kevin Magnussen has to date for Haas. I hope we are not going to see the second coming of Esteban Gutierrez… I hope not.

For the Haas squad it was a solid race weekend. It was not especially exciting, and they only scored one point. But it was another mistake free race, and both cars finished the race distance. Let’s not forget the importance of getting the small things correct on a consistent basis. Being stuck in the mid field is like the purgatory of F1 hell. But we’re not at the back, and reliability has been fairly good for the Haas F1 Team. Magnussen qualified P11 and finished P14. Grosjean started P14 and finished 10.

So that is it for the Spanish Grand Prix. Haas is in 8th place of the constructors championship with 9 points.

Fuel up the yacht, it’s time for Monaco.  

Special Edition – Fernando Alonso day at Indianapolis

Today is perhaps one of the most heavily anticipated days on the 2017 Motorsports calendar.

It’s Wednesday May 3rd, 2017 .

At 9:30 am EST today ,the two time Formula 1 World Champion,  Fernando Alonso, will perform his Indy Car Rookie Orientation Test… and EVERYONE is watching.

Alonso’s last win in F1 was back in 2013, as a driver Ferrari. With hopes of a faster car, he moved to the Honda powered team of McLaren in 2015. His career has languished ever since. The McLaren team has not been competitive and has struggled to compete on the track. Honda Racing is bewildered and can not resolve their reliability issues. Pictures of Fernando Alonso walking away from a failed McLaren F1 car have become the banter of every internet satirist. Alonso has not been having much fun in Formula 1 lately.

Formula 1 drivers have limited options regarding their time away from their teams. The previous F1 boss Bernie Eccelstone ran the sport with an iron fist. F1 fans are pretty much in agreement that Bernie Eccelstone ruined the sport in the past 10 years. Bernie raised F1 to an extremely exclusive club of owners and drivers. Bernie Eccelstone’s perceived public image of being an arrogant SOB has been confirmed by the new F1 management team. Bernie is on record for criticizing the new F1 boss Chase Carey as  “caring about fans”…
Eccelstone ran F1 with an almost sadistic tone for his aristocratic incompetence. Last we heard from this cranky bastard is that he’s interested in purchasing and reviving the Interlagos circuit in Rio de Janeiro. Good riddance….

Formula 1 has entered a new age. And with it a new approach. Once again attention is paid to the things that really mater, like having fun.

But it took a perfect storm of events to create the circumstances which put Alonso in that Honda powered Indy car today… Honda’s dismal failure in formula 1 certainly has attributed to today’s events.

It was just two days ago in Sochi Russa where Alonso recorded yet another DNS (did not start) on his career totals. His Honda powered McLaren failed before the race even started. Fernando watched the race from the pit box, eating ice cream while reading the headlines from his daily copy of the Indianapolis Star… Honda’s

Zak Brown’s recent appointment as the head of McLaren F1 was the third platonic alignment to create this opportunity for Alonso. Few pundit’s believe that the former McLaren boss Ron Dennis would have ever allowed this opportunity to happen.

But like Eccelstone, the old thinking of Dennis is also out the door. McLaren is a willing participant in the 101st running of the Indy 500. Not only does McLaren support Alonso’s run for the Indy 500, but they are considering the possibility of fielding a team.  Zak Brown has brought a new attitude to McLaren, and with it new opportunities. A lot more Americans are hearing the name McLaren, that’s for sure.

And then there is the unsung hero… Stefan Wilson.

Fernando Alonso is very late in the game with his entry into the Indy 500. Alonso will drive a car that Michael Shank Racing prepared for Stefan Wilson.  As Autosport puts it, the car is “well sponsored”, which means they’ve got plenty of money. Throw in Alonso and it’s a race to the bank.

But is was Stefan Wilson who decided to step back……

It is not often in one’s life that McLaren F1, Honda Racing, Andretti Motorsport and Fernando Alonso ask you “for a favor”.

Quite frankly, I believe Stefan deserves a test with McLaren, at least the consideration. it is what every open wheel driver aspires for… well that and the Indy 500.  That will be a topic for another day. But it is an absolutely critical part of the story which cannot be dismissed in today’s and future coverage.

But as to Alonso…. this incredible to watch. It is his jump to Indy Car which is so encouraging for the future of Formula 1. We are seeing formula ! open up to new ideas, new opportunities, new visions….. and FINALLY a return to it’s recognition of Indy Car, the fans, the drivers and how much fun it can all be.

Thank you Liberty Media

Thank you Chase Carey

Thank You Zak Brown

Thank you Marco Andretti

Thank You Mario Andretti

Thank you Michael Shank Racing

Thank you Stefan Wilson

Thank you Jensen Button

Thank you Fernando Alonso…..

It is a Wednesday morning on the east coast of the US and we all are excited about an Indy “Rookie Orientation Test”….

when’s the last time that happened?

Good Luck Fernando… The world will be watching!

 

 

  • note – I had to publish this without editing….. gotta get to work. Please forgive typos