Tag: esteban gutierrez

2016 Chinese Grand Prix – We Go Green in 3 Hours

So the Haas boys, Grosjean and Gutierrez have qualified 14 and 18 respectively.

Qualifying position is not that important to me right now, not do i think the team cares too much. The drivers do… and they should. so all is right with the Haas F1 world.

The next goal is to have both cars through turn 6 unskaved and picking up the positions for the cars that are… skaved! The turn 1-2-3-4 combination is like a combination cork screw/ meat grinder, it is forced down into turn 5, which is more of a bottleneck than a turn and into 6. Position and exit speed at turn 6 could be the setup until either the first caution or cycle of pit stops.

I think Daniel Riccardo is the one to watch. I picked him in my pre-quali blog that he will be fast, and he is. But i think we are starting to see an 800 pound gorilla in the room. I don’t have evidence to support my claim without doing some research, but… I think Danny Kvyat is underperforming. His result will give us a baseline of where he will be in regard to his team-mate.

I am detecting a sub-plot within the Haas team. Previously I questioned weather Gutierrez got the prototype car, which might explain the mechanical issues. The term “bad luck” has been used in regard to his two DNF’s. But Esteban seems very insistent on disclaiming that term. When interviewed by Will Buxton during the China GP weekend Gutierrez was persistent to identify specific causes for every technical problem. He seemed uncomfortable with any attribution of luck to his results. It is difficult for many to understand why he would care about these remarks. But it is very important that he control his psyche.

When an F1 driver is on the track in the heat of battle for championship points, luck does not enter the focus. Like a fighter pilot, he is strapped into a machine that needs to respond predictably and instinctively. It is the mental preparation of work and discipline that prepares the driver to jump into a mental tunnel at 200 mph. At no point in any of that process does luck enter into it.

If the mechanical and electrical issues on the #21 car are resolved, and if the car finishes the race,  I expect Gutierrez to perform well. My overall expectations are somewhat tempered. I want to say that I think Romain Grosjean will finish in the top 5 or 6 as before. But I cannot. The Mercedes powered force India’s and Williams tool very strong. Grosjean is starting in the 14th position, so he will have to find a way to move up. He seems to have the race pace to perform, but a better qualifying position should also be expected.

So, if Grosjean can finish with in points, and Gutierrez can just finish, I’ll be happy. And I suspect the teams expectations to be about the same. The team is fighting to develop their car. We’ve seen improvements in the front wing already. 14th and 18th are not very strong qualifying positions.  Grosjean/Gutierrez  qualified 19/20 for Australia and 9/13 in Bahrain. The new qualifying format did not seem to indicate or impact their race performance.  And like I said, I’m not too concerned with their current qualifying position. They seem to out perform their expectations. Clearly the Haas F1 team is one of the most prepared rookie teams to take up an F1 livery. Preparation cannot make a car faster than it really is. Will power and wishful thinking won’t work either.

If ever there is a place to attribute luck in F1, it is when you gain a race position due to a competitors mechanical failure. A timely pit stop under caution like in Australia can also be partially attributed to luck. But luck is something which you cannot control or plan on. My favorite quote regarding luck comes from the actor James Earl Jones… “The harder I work the luckier I get”

Again, my expectations for the 2016 Chinese Grand Prix are realistic… a race finish for Guiterrez and a top 10 for Grosjean and I’ll be dancing. But now knowing what we know about how Haas has built his team, it will be hard to temper excitement. But for now… a 2 hour nap before the 2 AM Kannapolis race start time is worth a try!

It’s gonna be awesome!

Richie OUT!

 

2016 Chinese Grand Prix – Qualifying is Next!

So here we are, the 2016 Chinese Formula 1 Grand Prix… it is Friday night on the East Coast US.  At midnight we get the hour long FP3. Qualifying goes off at 3:00 AM. The sleep cycle during race weekends in Asia can be challenging.  But with our own team, Haas F1 Team, sleep almost becomes optional.

After the first two practice sessions the Haas F1 has again had gremlins on Esteban Gutierrez’s side of the garage. His car returned to the garage with his rear brakes in flames. There was an electrical issue with this brakes; something about brake bias. Who knows. Again it is the #8 car with issues. It has got to be wearing on Esteban’s confidence. I was wondering if Grosjean got car #2 and Esteban got the prototype? With this being the first season for the team, all they have is their prototype plus 1 car. Or are they not running the prototype? Ah but if I only had access; these are the questions I’d ask.

Early Expectations: My expectation is that both cars will make it into Q2. I am going to assume that both cars will be running fine for the full qualifying session. But we have not had the third full practice yet. Gutierrez needs to get as many laps under his belt as possible. I still don’t think he’s has the the time yet to fully set his bench mark. If the car is running well and has no mechanical or electrical issues, is not hit from behind, or the car does not melt in the rain… A top 10 finish is not completely unreasonable to predict. A top 15 finish is probably more realistic. But again, we have no real bench mark on Esteban Gutierrez, and an opportune caution or mechanical attrition, and he could surprise us all. My jury is still out on Esteban, but I’ve seen no reason to expect anything than great results. But I do need more.

Romain Grosjean will be limited only by his car. Any rain conditions during qualifying or the race will be an advantage to Grosjean. His driving performance during the first two races have been just stellar. He’s got the skill, talent and aptitude Gene Haas needs. Not only is Grosjean helping with the development of the car, but he has the wherewithal to compete towards the front with confidence. A new car at the front is one thing, but having a driver who feels he belongs there is another. Again, I believe that no other driver would have achieved more in that Haas seat than Grosjean.

So, Grosjean. It all depends on how fast his car is. The williams cars have traditionally demonstrated very good top end speed on the long straights. And China has the longest straight in Formula 1 at 1170 meters/3838 feet. That is over .7 of a mile and a lot of ground to cover. But with DRS, tire strategies, a divine wind and a handshake, perhaps those Haas cars can excel in the long straights. We really don’t know. But surely the team is on top of the situation. That new front nose has some really special science going on and the car will be fast without a loss in downforce… it’s really special science.

In Bahrain the Haas outfit seemed to have the pace to keep the competition at bay. But I must admit… I have a huge fear about this race. The first 4 turns happen real fast, and they are going fast into turns 5 and 6. A mid-pack shatter session seems almost unavoidable as the entro to turn 1 gyrates 270 degrees, then gyrates 270 degrees again, exiting out of turn 4. That many cars trying to squeze through that nasty section can only mean trouble, and it is most important for both Haas cars to exit turn 6 unskathed. The aggressiveness and immaturity of 1 driver is all it takes to ruin your entire effort. And yes I am refering to Max Verstappen, or as named him last year “Max Vernotstoppin”.

For the Haas team, the narrative continues. They are still a new team. Play it conservative. Completing the race with both cars is the first goal. It is reasonable to expect points. If we can bring both cars home, we can overtake Williams for 4th place in the constructors championship. Williams 20 points leads Haas by only 2. give me two healthy Haas cars out of turn 6 on the first lap of the race and we’re on our way!

2 hours till FP3, 5 hours until qualifying!

Go Haas!

 

2016 Bahrain Grand Prix

The Haas F1 Team and Romain Grosjean finish an incredible 5th place in the Bahrain Grand Prix. Expectations for the team were still measured by the teams skeptics after Grosjean’s 6th place in Australia was partially attributed to a timely pit under yellow flag caution conditions.

The team performed as expected in qualifying for Bahrain. Bringing both cars into Q2 for qualifying on a consistent basis will demonstrate a capacity for consistency, reliability and a true competitive benchmark. But it was the overall competitiveness of the car and the race strategy which provided Grosjean the horses to run towards the front of the pack all day. The Haas race strategy was aggressive. They pushed on super soft tires for as long as they could before switching to the required change to in this case, softs. Like Jenson Button, Romain Grosjean has demonstrated the distinct ability to be gentle on tires when he needs to. Somehow he managed to push aggressively on the super softs without loosing grip or pace.

Because of Grosjean’s “timely pit under caution” in Australia the first race pit stop for the Haas F1 Team occured in Bahrain; 3.2 seconds. That is a fantastic time and clearly attributed to the fifth place finish. Gene Haas seems to have a sense of discipline among his teams culture. So far everything Haas as done can be described as precise. Precision is the business that Gene Haas is in. CNC machines are perhaps the single most concrete example of manifested precision and is central to any form of precision manufacturing.  Elon Musk may run Space-X and be the check writer, but he’s not designing anything. But Haas manifests real-world precision in the first person. And by the end of the 2016 season the Haas Crew chief will have the pit crew performing to Maranello standards. No doubt!

Esteban Gutiérrez met early disappointment with brake issues in lap 47, I think 10 laps into the race. Following the harrowing crash with Alonso in Australia, we know Esteban had higher hopes for Bahrain. But that ugly gremlin stick got a good look at his car. I cannot say that the gremlin stick jumped into Esteban Gutiérrez’s car, clearly that distinction belongs to Vettel’s Ferrari. Gutiérrez had to retire due to a brake issue. But I am not at all disappointed in him or the car. He is seeing the rash side of the team luck, but consider it his role as the #2, and fate is accommodating. I have high expectations for Gutiérrez in China.

But my optimism for the team cannot be under stated. Every team holds their breath at the start of every Formula 1 season. Cars do not generally improve too much over the course of a season. If the car is not fast at the start of the season, chances are you’re not moving up. Well the Haas car is fast. In only their second race they’ve moved up. Yes we must temper our enthusiasm… oh wait, no we don’t! This statement from Romain Grosjean psyches me up to no end…

“This is the American dream,” said Grosjean. “It is unbelievable. I said we had to manage our expectations after we finished sixth in Australia, but here we finished fifth. There’s still a lot of things we can do better, from pit stops to the setup of the car and so on but, for now, this one is for the guys. I looked at their faces last night and they were all very tired because of the amount of work we’re doing. This is a massive reward. Really, just unbelievable. In the race, I had a good feeling in the car. It was an aggressive strategy, but managing tires has always been my strength in the past. Knowing we had a softer compound for this racetrack was something I liked. The car was set up well for the supersoft tires and I had a fantastic race. The car has a very good baseline. Everything is working well. I don’t think I’ve ever been as high as fifth in the driver standings. This is the first time in my career, I can’t believe it.”

Romain Grosjean leads Sebastian Vettel in the Formula 1 drivers championship! Of the 23 drivers on the F1 grid, Grosjean is currently in 5th place. The Haas F1 Team is also in 5th place among the 11 constructors, behind Mercedes, Ferrari, Red Bull and Williams; making Haas the current leader of the mid-pack teams. I’ll take it!

On to China! It will be difficult to temper expectations. But Esteban Gutiérrez has not yet completed a race. Once Haas reliability improves Williams will be nervous!

2016 Australian GP

By the time the Australian Grand Prix finished, our time clocks were all mixed up. That Sunday was a sleepless blur and my post race blog never got written.

The sixth place “Win” by Romain Grosjean was simply incredible. All along I’ve been touting the engineering prowess of Gene Haas, and in the first race it all proved effective.

The Haas F1 Team is still in testing mode in my Book.

Our instant prayers were answered when we saw Fernando Alonso emerge from the obliterated carcass of his McLaren MP-4-31. And Esteban Gutierrez was not a welcoming way to start his stint in his new ride. But perhaps the safety demonstrated by both cars will further inspire the drivers to push their limits…

But I’m sure Esteban Gutierrez has had a burning nag since Australia to get back to it. All drivers are anxious for their next race. But to have a car taken out surely must also hold some unshakeable anticipation that never got unleashed.  that pent up ambition for Esteban will push him. I just hope he does not dance over the edge.

I suspect Haas F1 Team crew chief is also feeling a bit of pent-up stress, waiting for that first ever pit stop under fire. I’m not exactly clear if it  is Matt Borland run pit crew or not. But a F1 pit stop is like orchestrated landings on an aircraft carrier deck, but quicker. An effort on that magnitude of performance is driven from the top down, and it speaks to the team culture and discipline. I suspect and expect good pit times from the start. Anything under 4 seconds is acceptable, under 3.3 seconds would exceed expectations!

I must comment on Max Verstappen. I’ve now categorized him in the same group with Johnny Manziel and Justin Bieber. Arrogant is not the word I’d use… snot mouth punk is more like it. He seems to have an air of entitlement about him. All I’ll say is this… if this were the 1970’s Philadelphia Flyers NHL locker room, Fred Shero would have a picture of Vax Verstappen on the locker room wall and Dave “The Hammer” Schultz would have a new mission in life. There is a reason rookie hockey players don’t shoot off their mouth.  Regardless…

GAME ON TORO-ROSSO!!!

And a final thought…

There seems to be a common understanding that thee Haas F1 Team exceeded expectations. I expected an 8th finish, so 6 is definitely better. But i was not surprised. I expected the car to be competitive. And Gene Haas seems to have an expectation that he can win in F1.  He’s a super smart engineer that designs CNC machines… how fucking complicated is that? Plus he’s run a NASCAR “racing outfit” since 2003. Based on the 80/20 rule, enough of that experience will translate into a substantial benefit!

I’ll leave it at that for the 2016 Australian Grand Prix.

And for my BadgerGP team, the Epic Carbon Burners, we finished 293 out of 6667. Not bad, about the top 4%. and for the record my selections are posted at the bottom.

Hey Haas F1 Team, you notice I was all in Haas!

Epic Carbon Burners – Badger GP

Race Results for Australia

You scored 167 points
The Top score was 226 points
Your World Ranking was: 293 / 6667
 

 

Daniel Ricciardo

Race: 12
Bonus: 12
Qualy: 5

Romain Grosjean

Race: 8
Bonus: 39
Qualy: 5

Esteban Gutierrez

Race: 0
Bonus: 0
Qualy: 0

Mercedes

Race: 43

Ferrari

Race: 15

Haas

Race: 8

Your Predictions for Australia

Winner

Hamilton
Wrong!

2nd Place

Vettel
Wrong!

3rd Place

Ricciardo
Wrong!

Pole Position

Hamilton
Correct! +10pts

Fastest Lap

Vettel
Wrong!

First Retirement

Haryanto
Wrong!

Safety Car(s)

1 Safety Car
Correct! +10pts