rewalker

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

2017 Russian Grand Prix – P20 start for Grosjean

It is difficult to understand what is going on with Romain Grosjean.

In 2015 I wrote a piece about Grosjean where I suggest that racing for the factory Renault F1 Team is his life long dream. I think that underlying gestalt, sub-conscience motivation, is beginning to manifest in his brake issues.

Kevin Magnussen had a good qualifying session for the Haas F1 Team. He advanced to the second qualifying round where he finished P14. Grosjean blames his last place P20 start on his brakes. Last Place start….

The Haas Team tried changing their brake vendors from Brembo to Carbon Industries. They reverted back to Brembo for qualifying. It seems that the team may be going through the paces in order to demonstrate to Romain Grosjean that there may be more to the problem than the braking vendor.

Where is Grosjean’s head? We cannot know… but surely the team knows if they have a problem.

Is the eve of the Russian Grand Prix the wrong time to suggest putting Alexander Rossi in that seat for 2018? We love Romain, but he loves Renault. Can you blame Grosjean for perhaps wanting a Renault seat? In the mean time, Rossi is advancing up the Indy grid, upping his value as the most underrated F1 driver, not in F1.

2017 Bahrain Grand Prix – Post Race

Sebastian Vettel has won the 2017 Bahrain Grand Prix in fantastic fashion. His 6.5 second gap to the second place car of Lewis Hamilton enjoyed the benefit of a 5 second penalty against Hamilton. But none the less, Vettel far out performed his team mate Kimi Raikkonen. The bells of Maranello may be ringing for Vettel, but I think Kimi’s head is ringing, along with that of Valtteri Bottas.

Valtteri Bottas took his first ever Formula 1 pole yesterday. The Finn was flying high and redeemed his unforgivable error of spinning under caution in China. But by the end of the Bahrain Grand Prix he was clearly delegated to the second driver position in the AMG Mercedes stable. Bottas out qualified the 3 time world champion and Hamilton was hearty in his recognition of the fact. But fighting under anger, Hamilton demonstrates a pace that can match.

Towards the end of the race, a trailing Hamilton, chased Bottas down, was given the pass under team orders, and beat Bottas in the race by nearly 14 seconds.

As Hamilton and Vettel battle at the front for the top step of the podium, their seconds languished nearly 20 seconds behind, (with penalty applied), battling for the scraps of the podium.

Romain Grosjean gets the Mailman award from the Haas F1 Fan journal. His 9th place finish delivered 4 points to the team! This gives the team a total of 8 points and places them 7th in the F1 constructors championship.

The day did not go so well for the junior Haas driver, Kevin Magnussen. The young Dane started in the 20th position and retired on lap 9 and was the first of the race. The commentary on NBC broadcast during the race was that the failure was due to the MGU-K. The MGU-K is essentially an electric motor that mechanically connects to the engines main crank shaft. That motor can be used as a drag component, which also generates electricity, or as an electric motor, which assists the main engine crank and helps spin the the turbo charged combustion engine.

Magnussens MGU-K failed… KMags was done.

From there on the show was all about Vettel and Hamilton. Romain Grosjean’s race was never really threatened. We can just hope that MGU-K unit failure in the #20 car was a one off. At no time during the race did we hear concern from the Haas team over Grosjean’s MGU-K.

The Scuderia Ferrari is leading the Formula 1 Championship by 13 points, who’da thunk it?

But this is the Haas F1 Journal…

The Haas cars are running those same Ferrari engines. KMag’s MGU-K aside, we’re optimistic.

so WELL DONE Romain Grosjean and the Haas F1 Team.

We’ll see you all on April 27th in Sochi.

Happy Easter All!

2017 Bahrain Grand Prix – Prerace – Easter Morning

It is Sunday, April 16th, 2017. Happy Easter everyone…..

Easter holds a particular significance to me, and to many. On this and every day I pray that the spirit of Easter permeates the meaning and our world.

Today the Haas F1 Team is racing in the 1 Bahrain Grand Prix. With every race, the team has indicated some degree of improvement. At every step of the teams development we have seen a continuum of growth. So with this growth, the expectations for our hopes also grow.

To date, the Haas team has not scored “double points”. Last week at the Chinese Grand Prix we saw Kevin Magnussen score 4 points with his 8th place finish. Had Romain Grosjean not been penalized five grid spots…. eeerrrrr

This week KMags is starting at the back of the pack, P20. Can he move up 10 spots? I do think it is possible… If turns one gets ugly on the start, the back may be the best place to be…

Speaking of turn 1… Romain Grosjean will be right in the thick of the pack at turn 1, he is starting 9th. He has a very good qualifying session and maintained our expectations by making Q3. If he can make it to lap 2, I think he can finish in the points.

The Haas cars have the legs to fight in that mid pack. But the Renault Team is making humongous strides…

A word on Renault F1. I predict that, by the end of the 2017 season we will see Renault at par with Red Bull and possibly making podium challenges. They are starting with anew this year… and they are already light years ahead of Honda/McLaren. And their car looks fantastic!!!

I don’t expect the Haas development to keep pace with Renault. How can they.

So… Will Buxton is on the grid with his pre race chat. Great stuff.

I expect Romain Grosjean to finish in the points. I’m hoping that Kevin Magnussen can also, but I’m only hoping. An 11th place finish does seem to be in the realm of possibilities. And if history has any… never mind.

Enjoy the race everyone!

2017 Chinese Grand Prix – Post Race

Kevin Magnussen is the first driver for Haas F1 Team, not named Romain Grosjean, to score formula One Championship points. He did it with an 8th place finish in the 2017 Chinese Grand Prix.

Magnussen’s 8th place finish was a move up by 6 places from his 14th starting position. Grosjean was hit was a terrible five place penalty, putting him back to the 17th position to start the race. the lap Grosjean completed would have moved him from Q2 to Q3. So between the combination of the missed third Qualifying session and a five place starting penalty, it is safe to say that the Haas F1 Team would have had their first double points day.

But onward and upward. The team is currently 7th in the 2017 F1 Constructors Championship. Magnussen’s 4 points is enough for him to secure 10th in the drivers Championship.

Onward and upward…. the next race is in one week at Bahrain. We have every reason to believe that the Haas F1 Team can fight to the top of that mid pack.

2017 Australian Grand Prix – post race

With the greatest of optimism… the Haas F1 Team laid a big egg……

With Romain Grosjean retire after lap 11, out hopes were on the shoulders of Kevin Magnussen. Those hopes were dashed around lap 40 when he was out of the race due to a suspension failure. Two DNF’s in the first race and after Grosjean had his best qualifying performance since joining Haas.

I first thought Grosjean’s Haas VF17 blew and engine… ka-blamo. But it was in fact a leak in the cooling system… Romain was blowing steam, not oil. But he was out. Magnussen on the other hand is a bit more complicated. He had a first lap contact which was later blamed for his retirement and the suspension failure. word has it that he only had a flat tire and that his suspension was good and he could have rejoined the race. But he didn’t. We’re past that now…..

I was not overly blown away by Magnussen’s performance in Australia. His times consistently lagged Grosjean all weekend. But his orders are to bring the car home.

On to China… The Haas team did well among their mid-pack rivals. Let’s see if that advantage can continue. My hope is that they have a whole myriad of improvements to roll out for the next race.

See you in China

2017 SEASON 2

The 2017 Formula 1 racing season is upon us, and the second for the Haas F1 Team. Ten teams are gathered in Melbourne for the Australian Grand Prix.

Kevin Magnussen has joined Romain Grosjean as the second Haas F1 driver. I think KMags will be fantastic. He is equally if not more aggressive than his predecessor and has demonstrated better race day judgement. There is not much we can talk about with the drivers. Their numbers and on track performance will say it all.

Roman Grosjean is easy to like and I believe still the best driver on the Haas F1 team. Esteban Gutierrez was a built choice that came along with the 2016 deal with Ferrari. Haas did not have much choice in that seat position. I believe Guiteeriez cost the team some points, but not any positions in the teams 8th place in the 2016 Formula 1 Constructors Championship, with 29 points. The Toro Rosso F1 Team finished ahead of them in 7th place with 63 points. No driver could have made a difference of 34 points.

I think Kevin Magnussen will prove to be the difference in 2017. I’m expecting the fight for points to be difficult, and the margins between team totals to be closer. When the margins are tight you bring in a closer, and KMags will prove to be the difference on that side of the garage and I do expect at least one dual points race. KMags is the closer!

The 2017 version of the Haas F1 car carries the VF17 nomenclature. VF stands for Very first and was originally used on their very first car for the 2016 season, the VF16. I guess Gene liked the sound of the name or just didn’t care, so we got the VF17. Next year we’ll probably get the VF18…

The Haas VF17 is striking.

Silver gunmetal Metallic Grey is featured. they are drawing from the same color pallet as last year, which is also the same for their NASCAR team. I was not a huge fan of last
years livery, through it did grow on me. By the end of the 2016 season we had all become accustomed to the car. If you’ll recall, white started out as the predominating color and somewhere along the line it went to silver. Now here we are at a darker gray, and I really like it. I don’t like the black along the bottom of any car. The details of the car become increasing more difficult to see on TV with dark cars. I was aghast with the all black McLaren car with the splash of a red, the Nike swoop.

So I like the 2017 Haas F1 livery, but I do not love it. The dark gray is very close to that of the 2014 Sauber. Hands raised, who else thought “Sauber” when they saw the 2017 Haas car?

Haas does not sell a full range of automobiles to this world wide market, like Mercedes, they’re selling C-N-C Milling Machines. Haas Automation has very little room for change in their color scheme. Moving away from the traditional color pallet does not serve the marketing of Haas Automation in any way.

Our expectations for future cars should be soundly set regarding the the color of any additional Haas cars. It would take a complete re-branding of Haas Automation to deep metallic Shelby Blue to give me the car I want. So I’ll stick with Red, grey and black. As long as that goose keeps laying golden eggs, I’m happy with gray cars. It also means we’re safe from pink ones too.

The performance of the 2017 car is… eh, we don’t know. No one knows. Testing helps us break the field down into class sizable chunks. But so much can change throughout the season, and it does. The Haas F1 Team has proven that they can match any other team on the grid when it comes to “race day management”. And it is that overall management aspect which Gene Haas deliverd from day one that allowed him to take advantage of opportunities when they appeared. I highly suspect that the Renault Team will be at the front of the pack within one year. So the way I see it, the beginning of the year is the best opportunity the Haas Team will have to steal some points early.

Even towards the end of the 2016 season, the Mclaren’s were responsible for some of those 10th place finishes, which kept the Haas team from the points. the Haas team finished in 11th place, EIGHT times in 2016. There were other teams with at least a couple of 10th place finishes; Williams, Force India. But no one had more 11th place finishes than Haas F1….. yea us

The Renault F1 Team will be a formidable threat to Haas. In many ways this is like the first car from the Renault Team. Last years car was an homogenization of a chassis designed for a Mercedes Engine matched with a Renault power unit. It all depends on that Renault engine. The 2016 Ferrari engines in those Haas cars did prove reliable. I don’t have the numbers in front of me, but I believe brakes were a bigger cause of race retirements than anything else… Brakes are technical and we’ll discuss that at another time. But with the demise of the Manor F1 Team, Haas has no one that they can really “kick around”. Every other team on the grid has strong backing and can provide competitive performance on race day

This is how Gary Anderson from Autosport weights the performance for the teams after testing… (he used his method of adjusting for variables like fuel load, tire type etc…

ADJUSTED LAP TIMES
1 Ferrari 1m19.202s
2 Mercedes 1m19.555s
3 Renault 1m20.146s
4 Red Bull 1m20.353s
5 Williams 1m20.876s
6 Sauber 1m21.374s
7 Haas 1m21.818s
8 Force India 1m22.059s
9 Toro Rosso 1m22.156s
10 McLaren 1m22.448s

What this indicates is a performance boost for the Ferrari teams. Toro Rosso has jumped to Renault power while Force India has remained with Mercedes power.

So, who knows….. My prediction, the team finishes 8th again. This is going to be a much harder fought 8th place for the American car.

2016 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix

Well, we’ve made it. The final race of the first year for the Haas F1 Team.

The Formula 1 Championship is still up for grabs. Mercedes driver Nico Rosberg held a 12 point lead over his teammate Hamilton going into the race. Lewis Hamilton would end up winning the race and Nico Rosberg finished second, which was enough for Rosberg to inch out Hamilton for the 2016 Formula 1 Championship.

Both Haas cars completed the race. Romain Grosjean took the 11th place while Gutierrez finished right behind him in 12th. Gutierrez actually out qualified Grosjean as the two started 13th and 14th respectively.

From the perspective of the Haas F1 Team, the race was fairly uneventful. Aside from Grosjean being run off of the track by Force India driver Carlos Sainz. Sainz would later retire from the race after Jolyn Palmer in his Renault missed his breaking point and end Sainz’s day.

So there it is. The first year of the Haas F1 Team has come to a conclusion. Haas finished 8th in the constructors championship. Romain Grosjean finished 13th in the drivers championship with 29 points, a formidable performance. Clearly Haas made the correct choice in Grosjean as their lead driver. Esteban Gutierrez did not score any points for his employer. I suspect we witnessed Gutierrez’s last race in Haas livery.

In the year when Gene Haas was told he’s in for a “rude awaking” says David Richards of Sky Sports… I think it was Richards that was rudely awaken by Gene Haas. Underestimating your opponent is an advantage any underdog covetes. It is safe to say that Haas was greatly underestimated. The Haas team was almost discarded as a legitimate team, let alone able to beat Sauber, Renault or SRT Marussia. But with 29 points in their first year it is safe to say that the future looks bright for American Formula 1 fans. We will not fool ourselves into believing that Haas could ever win a championship, or even a single race. The rules are designed to benefit Ferrari and Mercedes. There are only three real contenders in any Formula 1 race, and there is no prospect of that ever changing. But Haas Automation is getting the much desired notoriety they are seeking. Let’s just hope they improve their market share enough to justify the cost of an F1 team.

So that’s it for 2016. It has been a fantastic F1 season, and we look forward to Haas on the grid for 2017.

2016 Grand Prix of Brazil

The Haas F1 Team was poised to deliver more championship points, until the weekend took a turn for the worse. Romain Grosjean qualified P7 for the Haas Team.

But excitement for the Brazilian Grand Prix was quickly diluted by a continual riveting rain. Grosjean smashed his car into a barrier wall at the conclusion of the formation lap. Romain Grosjean’s day was over and delegated a DNS (did not start) status. Gutierrez was the last hope for Haas.

Starting from a respectable 12th position, Esteban Gutierrez was the lone hope for Haas. The first 7 laps of the race were run behind the safety car. There was another safety car at lap 14 due to the crash of Marcus Ericsson’s Sauber. The race was then red flagged du to rain. 27 minutes later racing resumed, and Gutierrez found himself nested back in 17th position. The Haas pilot was able to work his way up to P12 by lap 40. That is when Gutierrez started to experience electrical issues, which ultimately caused his retirement at lap 60. Ultimately it was the failure of the engine hybrid components, the MGU-H and then the MGU-K, which resulted in Gutierrez’s retirement.

So, no points for Haas. They did not even finish the race.

Lewis Hamilton ended up beating his Mercedes rival Nico Rosberg by 11 seconds as the two Silver Arrows finished the day first and second. The final podium spot was taken by Max Verstappen in his Redbull.

Next is the final race of the 2016 season at the Adu Dabi Grand Prix.

2016 Grand Prix of Mexico

Esteban Gutierrez was front and center for his first home grand prix as a Haas F1 Driver. Bot eht team and crowd were filled with the anticipation of A Mexican driver racing in his home country.

Expectations were kept within reason as the Haas driver started from the 17th position on the grill. His teammate Romain Grosjean was forced to start the race from pit lane after his car required a new floor board after qualifying.

The excitement for the Haas fans was short lived. Romain Grosjean complained all day about his lack of grip and braking problems and finished 20th. Gutierrez was able to beat his teammate and finished in P19.

The Haas F1 Team may not have fared well against their competitors, but there was a bright spot for the team. It was the 12th race of 19 races where both cars finished the race. For a first time team this is important, and a reason for optimism.

Lewis Hamilton won the race for Mercedes. It was Hamilton’s 51’s career F1 victory, and he is now tied with Alain Prost on the all-time win board. The only other driver with more wins than Prost and Hamilton is Michael Schumacher, with 91 victories. Matching the win count to Prost is a formidable achievement. The next 40 victories will be more difficult to achieve for Lewis. But for today, Hamilton has achieved a true milestone in his career.

There are just two races remaining in this 2016 season. The Haas team holds 29 points and has a secure hold on 8th position in the constructors championship. Torro_Rosso is sitting in 7th for the constructors championship, and secure at 69 points. In 9th position is the Renault F1 team with only 8 points. So it is safe to say that the Haas F1 Team will finish 8th for the 2016 F1 season. Not too shabby. Each race is an entirely new experience for the Haas Team. The team lacks prior performance data to compare the car to. With each year the team will build upon it’s experience. But getting to the end of the first season may be more pain than gain.

Bring on Brazil!!!