Month: July 2019

2019 German Grand Prix

2019 German Grand Prix

Dateline: Hockenheimring Deutschland

Hamilton Pole, Verstappen P2, Bottas P3, Gastly P4, Raikkonen P5, Romain Grosjean P6 and Kevin Magnussen P12. This may be the best combined starting position for the two Haas cars this year. 

On a rain soaked track amid speculation of a rolling start, and under a steady drizzle, the race started after threel formation laps from standing start. By turn 5 Grosjean fought up to 5th position and Magnussen up to 10th.

The first safety car came at the end of lap2 when Sergio Perez spun his pink Racing Point car. Most of the cars pitted to switch from full to intermediate wet tires including Grosjean. Magnussen decided to stay on track with his full wet tires and moved up to P2. 

The race resumed at lap 5, and Magnussen was quickly passed by Bottas and Verstappen, both on intermediates. The full wet tires seemed to be a gamble which is not paying off. It was short lived, but fun to watch magnussen fight at the front of the pack. By lap 6 Magnussen was down to P6 as he was passed by the Renault of Hulkenberg. By lap 7 MKMags was down to P7 as he was passed by Raikkionen.

Sebastian Vettel started last and was up to P8 by lap 8 who then passed magnussen to take P7 from the Haas car. And before you could blink Magnussen was down to P9. The Haas team is doing the rain dance praying for a safety car. But on lap 9 Magnussen finally pitted and switched to intermediate tires, rejoining the race in P16, Grosjean P11. By lap 10 a dry line was developing on sections of the track. 

During the series of pit stops Charles Leclerc caused Grosjean to pause before his pit stop because of an unsafe release by the Ferrari. As a result Ferrari was issued a financial fine, but no penalty against Leclercl’s race… absolute bullshit.

The engine on Daniel Ricciards’s Renault went kablamo on lap 15

By lap 18 the dry line was becoming well developed and teams were starting to thinking about switching to full slick tires. But it was not until lap 24 when Vettel decided to pit and switch onto soft slick tires. He reentered the race on P11 as Grosjean moved up to P10. Magnussen also pitted and moved to soft slick tires.

Lap 35 – After several spins, mechanical failures and safety cars, the two Haas cars were in positions 12th for Grosjean and 13th for Magnussen. 

Lap 41 – Hulkenberg spun into the wall and the two Haas cars advance to P11 and 12 respectively with Grosjean leading his teammate. Byu when racing resumed on lap 45 magnussen pitted and dropped to P15, the last car… But then on lap 47 the rest of the field pitted and Magnussen regained P12. Grosjean also pitted on lap 47 and dropped to P14. 

Lap 48 the leaders pitted and Lance Stroll was the race leader, but for just half a lap and Verstappen reestablished P1. Meantime, Magnussen moved to P6

Lap 47, Kevin Magnussen tried to pass his teammate and the two Hass cars bumped each other, but no damage was sustained by either. But… what are these drivers doing? 

Following another safety car after the crash of Bottas’s Mercedes, racing resumed with 5 laps remaining, with Grosjean in P9 and Magnussen P11. In the remaining 5 laps the two Haas cars advanced and finished the race Grosjean P7 and Magnussen P8, scoring 8 and 6 points respectively. 

2019 British Grand Prix

Romain Grosjean started the British Grand Prix in the 14th starting position, Kevin Magnussen the 16th.

At the end of lap 1… Magnussen 4 running 20th by the end of the first lap. The two Haas cars touche on the first lap, and they punctured each other rear tire. Magnussen was blue flagged on lap 3, he retired from the race on lap 8.

Romain Grosjean dropped 5 positions by the end of the first lap of the race. He was running 19th, of the 20 car field. Grosjean was lapped by the Mercedes Silver Arrows on lap 9. He retired from the race on lap 12.

Note* It was on lap 31 that the Sky F1 reporters decided to tell the “American audience” that Grosjean retired due to a lack of down force, and Magnussen a vibration.

The Alfa Romeo of Antonio Giovinazzi spun out on lap 21. Lewis Hamilton was the first into and out of the pits, and with a new set of hard tires. Enough to take him to the end of thee race. Because of the safety car, and the position of the field at the time of the safety car, Hamilton was able to pit and reemerge back into first place. He would not have been able to do this under normal racing conditions, but the reduced speeds of his competitors from the safety car, the expanded approach time was enough to keep him in first place.

Lewis Hamilton won his 6th British Grand Prix. With 10 laps remaining, there were calls from the Mercedes pit were for Hamilton to pit for new tires. A defiant Hamilton finished the race on those same hard tires. His teammate Valtteri Bottas finished second, and the Ferrari of Charles Leclerc would take the third step.

For Haas… they will regroup. The German Grand Prix is in two weeks; July 28th.