The fine line between genius and Maxdonado

"I did not want to let them by because they wrecked my race,  Sure I was aggressive but I was correct, in fact the stewards did not penalize me"

Max Verstappen


Let's keep this short and sweet,  while you could argue the first corner incident between Versappen and the whole Ferrari team was a "shit happens" racing incident,  it's harder to argue it was the smartest move by the Dutch "teenage sensation".    Max was clearly beaten off the line by the two red cars behind him on the grid and tried a Kamui Kobayashi style dive bomb into a space that was not really there.

Vettel was not without fault here, if anything a four time champion should know better than to just concentrate on his teammate.



But there is much less of a justification for the way Verstappen behaved later in the race when he once again displayed  some rather dodgy defensive moves against Raikkonen, Vettel and Perez,  all of whom eventually passed him anyway.







Is there any doubt Max is a huge talent?  No,  but he's got a lot to learn about being a grown up, the quote above along with his result today,  show it.

By the way,   he came within inches of the outside wall at Radillon on the first lap.  a crash there would not only have been huge for him but it would likely have taken off most of the field behind him.

More troubling is that the penalty happy FIA seems blind to his conduct,  something I'm sure has nothing to do with how packed the stands have been,  how could we be that cynical...

Rosberg did his job superbly,  Hamilton took advantage if his good luck with a very controlled race,  truly a champion's drive.   Ferrari and Red Bull could have had a nice battle today but it was not to be.

Great day for Force India, Williams were a bit disappointing but can we give "driver of the race" to ol' Fernando?   I think he and Hamilton had the most fun.

The same can not be said about Magnussen though and Renault need to figure out why the head protection collar came off in the crash

2014 Belgian GP Executive Summary: Dramarama Edition.

Photo by Clive Mason/Getty Images/Infiniti RedBull F1

So a few days have passed since the Belgian GP and basically it's been all about that second lap racing incident between Rosberg and Hamilton.

What drama!...

Hamilton and Rosberg crash: who's at fault?

Hamilton and Rosberg touch at Les Combes (via BBC Sport)

Let's have a look at that Hamilton-Rosberg incident for a sec.

Some segments of the motoring media have come down hard on the side of Hamilton while some more sensible, less partisan voices saw it for what it was, two top dogs trying to see who can pee higher on the pole.

Epic Spa .Gif

Kimi Raikkonen through Eau Rouge/Radillon.

(it's a large gif,  give it time to load)

"I don't want to depress you mate but..."

If anything summed up qualifying at Spa it was Vettel's race engineer Guillaume "Rocky" Rocquelin's radio transmission to the four time champ right after he secured P3 with a,balls out,  hail Mary lap:

"P3 Great lap. I hate to depress you mate, but we're over 2 seconds off the Mercs..."

Two seconds is crushing. How?

It's probably more than just "the engine" because certainly none of the other Mercedes engined teams came close.

One thing is certain however, nobody else came close to the Silver Arrow top speed at the end of the Kamel straight.  322 km/h 200.8 mph for Rosberg... in the rain.

Vettel hit 317 once but then didn't make the corner at Les Combes.

Alexander Rossi will not race in Belgium after all.

"This is just a reflection of how the industry has to work sometimes."

#491240407 / gettyimages.com

It looked like it would be the best week end of Alexander Rossi's career, He was going to take the green flag, at Spa of all places, the same place where Michael Schumacher made his debut, the first American to do so in seven seasons... but it's not going to happen.


Max Chilton wrote the check after all and that's that.
From Andrew Benson's BBC column

" Marussia said on Thursday that Chilton, 23, would be replaced for the weekend by reserve driver Alexander Rossi as a result of "contractual issues".  The team refused to give details but on Friday morning Marussia said Briton Chilton would be racing in Spa.
Marussia chief executive officer Graeme Lowdon suggested the issue had been related to financial payments.  Lowdon said: "I can't go into too much detail on the individual instances but we are running an F1 team here.
"There are a large number of commercial agreements that are involved and sometimes it just happens we reach a stage where for contractual reasons it's not appropriate for a driver to be in the car and we took that action.
"These things happen. It's the drivers' jobs to be flexible. Both Max and Alex are professional drivers who will take this in their stride."

Or maybe Marussia just got a bit of free attention after watching Caterham get in the news with Lotterer taking Kobayashi's team.

Both Marussia and Caterham were about six seconds off the pace after the first practice session

Pos Driver               Team                  Time       Gap     Laps
 1. Nico Rosberg         Mercedes              1m51.577s           25 
 2. Lewis Hamilton       Mercedes              1m51.674s  +0.097s  24 
 3. Fernando Alonso      Ferrari               1m51.805s  +0.228s  16 
 4. Jenson Button        McLaren-Mercedes      1m52.404s  +0.827s  21 
 5. Kimi Raikkonen       Ferrari               1m52.818s  +1.241s  17 
 6. Sergio Perez         Force India-Mercedes  1m52.903s  +1.326s  24 
 7. Kevin Magnussen      McLaren-Mercedes      1m52.922s  +1.345s  23 
 8. Nico Hulkenberg      Force India-Mercedes  1m52.937s  +1.360s  22 
 9. Daniel Ricciardo     Red Bull-Renault      1m52.972s  +1.395s  19 
10. Valtteri Bottas      Williams-Mercedes     1m53.172s  +1.595s  20 
11. Sebastian Vettel     Red Bull-Renault      1m53.369s  +1.792s  11 
12. Daniil Kvyat         Toro Rosso-Renault    1m53.594s  +2.017s  21 
13. Romain Grosjean      Lotus-Renault         1m53.597s  +2.020s  20 
14. Adrian Sutil         Sauber-Ferrari        1m53.703s  +2.126s  14 
15. Felipe Massa         Williams-Mercedes     1m53.968s  +2.391s  20 
16. Jean-Eric Vergne     Toro Rosso-Renault    1m54.189s  +2.612s  20 
17. Giedo van der Garde  Sauber-Ferrari        1m54.335s  +2.758s  16 
18. Pastor Maldonado     Lotus-Renault         1m55.336s  +3.759s  21 
19. Jules Bianchi        Marussia-Ferrari      1m55.782s  +4.205s  19 
20. Alexander Rossi      Marussia-Ferrari      1m57.232s  +5.655s  20 
21. Andre Lotterer       Caterham-Renault      1m57.886s  +6.309s  24 
22. Marcus Ericsson      Caterham-Renault      1m57.977s  +6.400s  24 

#453951410 / gettyimages.com

Lotterer in the spotlight

Not Jean Claude Van Damme

If the new management at Caterham plan was for headlines, they are winning big time.  After new Spa aero package, today comes news Kamui Kobayashi is being sacked (at least for one race) in favor of Andre Lotterer in Belgium.

Lotterer gets a second chance at F1, he used to be a test driver at Jaguar twelve years ago but was passed over in favor of Webber and the incomparable Antonio Pizzonia.   Jaguar F1 was soon after sold to a certain energy drink manufacturer.

Usually, it's F1 drivers who go to Sports cars, not the other way around but I guess with F1 taking on more and more of Endurance characteristics, who knows...

Cosmetic rhinoplasty.

Sometimes a nose job is needed to improve  breathing, most of the time it's a cosmetic procedure meant to improve looks.

A birdy told us a new, more conventional looking Caterham nose, to debut at Spa this week end,  performed worse than the old, weird looking one in the wind tunnel.

But the new management at Caterham wants something new, to signal change if anything so they got a new nose.   Given the team's rather disastrous results under Tony Fernandez's leadership, why not?   Frankly, Caterhams have been so bad it might be hard to tell.

In the end, cosmetics may indeed be as useful to the team as aerodynamics as it seeks to attract sponsorship for the future.

Lotus night also be seen in practice sessions with a conventional nose as it prepares for next year when its forked nose will not be allowed.

Three amazing moves Alonso pulled off at Spa.

Alonso may have messed up qualifying but in the race he was something else gaining eight places,  not because of strategy or attrition but by getting 110% out of what was a very good Ferrari.


The Start.



Starting P9, Alonso first dodges a slow Di Resta in the Force India then threads his way on the very inside of La Souce and manages to find enough grip to drag race Webber and get some pay back for the Aussie's pass at Eau Rouge last year.

No Lift.



Lap 2 and it could have been all over for a lesser driver faced with a similar butt clenching moment at the exit of Radillon. Alonso never lifts and just keeps going after Button for P4

Braking School



Hamilton has just done a fast lap as the clip starts but surely knows Alonso is coming up fast behind. Lewis either is thinking strategically or simply blows his braking at La Source. Alonso sees the hole and pounces and doing so crosses the DRS activation zone ahead of Lewis handing the advantage to his rival.
Alonso's clever enough not to use his KERS right away but save it for the end of the Kemmel straight, where Hamilton will attack with DRS. He outbrakes Lewis, supposedly the best in the business on the binders, just barely hangs on to the car and he's off.

Amazing stuff.

Now if he only stopped putting himself in a hole on Saturdays...

Vettel Dominates Spa

Photo: RBR

It was all over in less than one lap. Watch how much more grip the Vettel has available into the bottom of the Eur Rouge Radillon complex, despite a good start by Hamilton, VEttel can get right under him up the hill and use the tow to just blow by him as if he had DRS activated. Amazing. From then on it just seemed like the only difficulty was for the Red Bull pit wall to keep Seb from doing harm to himself as he did not have to pass anyone else for the whole race.

Behind, a good race for Alonso, storming from 9th on the grid to second on the podium.   The obvious question is what would have happened if he had not made the mistake in Q3 and could have been there close to Vettel on lap one?
His battle with Hamilton at the braking zone at Les Combes was just an epic moment, pure talent, beating one of the best brakers in all of racing.
But Vettel is now 46 points ahead, that's alms two DNF's worth of cushion with a potential maximum of 200 points still in play over the next 8 races. Not looking great for Fernando's quest.

Hamilton was hoping for rain, his Mercedes seems to have solved the tire wear issues but perhaps at the expense of speed.

Disappointment for Raikkonen, who had to retire for severe lack of brakes!

Honorable mention to Pastor Maldonado for one of the dumbest moves I've seen in a long time. How long is this guy's state sponsored wallet going to keep him in F1?

Throwback Thursdays: 1962 Belgian Grand Prix

This long summer break probably feels like a short blip for those working on F1 teams but it endless for fans now used to a race almost every week end.



But it wasn't always so, in 1962 the Formula One calendar had only nine races, The Belgian Grand Prix on the old 14 km Spa circuit was the third race of a season that was a complete debacle for Ferrari and the marked the rise of British teams, Graham Hill won the championship for BRM but it was Lotus, with it's revolutionary 25 monocoque driven by Jim Clark who would change F1 forever.


Video after the break...

Takes two to tangle

Photo: EFE

I'll play devil's advocate and take a different position from every other I have seen so far today.

It's easy to pile on Romain Grosjean who received a very rare one race suspension penalty from the FIA for what happened at the start of the Belgian Grand Prix today.  God knows the young frenchman has been involved in plenty of accidents this season.  Australia, Malaysia, Monaco and Spa.

But take Monaco for example,  Grosjean was hit by Alonso and then Schumacher,   In Australia he was nurfed off the track by Maldonado, and in Malaysia he spun into Schumacher in the rain.  He also had an unforced error in Hungary.

A one race suspension,  really?  Was Ralf Schumacher suspended in 2002 after his first brake zone flight? No.

Was Michael Schumacher suspended for crashing into the back of Senna in Spain? No, he was given a grid penalty.  

Was Vettel  suspended for spearing Button in 2010 at Spa?  Was Hamilton suspended for blatantly slamming Madonado into the wall in Monaco last season or colliding with Massa every other race?   Heck has Maldonado been suspended after all he managed to do this year?

Setup Compromise at Spa

Interesting qualifying analysis on Autosprint:

Button and Kobayashi on the front row at Spa

Photo: David Morecambe

For Button it was the first pole position in over three years, since Monaco in 2009. For Kamui Kobayashi it was almost historic, only the second time a Japanese drive qualified on the front row (the first was Takoma Sato at the European GP at the Nürburgring in 2004 driving for BAR Honda) while the last time a Sauber was on the front row was in 1999 at Magny Cours driven by Jean Alesi. I believe it's also the first time a team led by a woman is on the front row of a Grand Prix, cool.

Some new aero bits in the Spa paddock.

A couple of new development bits seen at Spa, but obviously not tested much because of the horrible weather.

Mclaren follows Sauber

Mclaren tested a new turning vanes inspired by the Sauber C31. Also note the twin flaps next to the cockpit.

Mercedes follows Renault

Mercedes showed a version of the Renault "Super DRS" with a twist,  the airflow is released against the bottom the main rear wing profile making it stall at high speed.


Ferrari thinks maybe simpler is better.

Ferrari showed a low drag front wing without all the complicated profiles and blowings used in Germany and Hungary, they did not turn out to work as well as expected and so were ditched.

(Giorgio Piola /OmniCorse.it)

Spa Treatment

2011 Belgian GP: Blistering Speed

Let's get one thing out of the way, if the Red Bulls did not have that blistering issue they most likely might have lapped the field in Belgium. That said, I don't want to fall into the "it's just the car" trap, Vettel drove the way only a great driver perfectly in tune with a machine designed around him can. He managed the tire issue without panic and was just stunning. That outside pass on Rosberg is proof enough. Yes he caught a break with the safety car but do you really believe this would have ended any other way?



Red Bull got a 1-2 with two cars on different strategies even with Webber once again totally blowing the start. Now I don't believe Webbo is a retard who can't use a clutch so once again I have to raise the question of why exactly it's always his that will not work....

Hamilton is the opposite of Vettel, he does not seem to be capable of playing it cool and many of his accidents are the result of his inability to look past what's immediately in front of him. It is the fatal flaw in his character and something he will need to conquer if he ever plans to be World Champion again, barring a completely dominant car.



Jenson Button on the other hand seems to be conquering his own flaw, inconsistency. He drove a hell of a race again, coming from behind, using his head and staying cool. Big props to Jense once again.



Alonso was the usual pit bull, He had a lucky escape in turn one and a stellar first part of the race but the Ferrari just does not work with low track temperatures so there is not much he could do on the harder tires.

Awesome start by Rosberg who read the start melee perfectly only to come up against the limitations of the Mercedes in a couple of laps.



If there was a star of the race it would have to be Schumacher, 20 years after his F1 debut, when Jaime Alguesaury was feeding from a bottle, "grandpa" Michael shut his critics up once and for all, 24 th to 5th place, consistently faster than Nico, you got to love it, oven if you're a hater.

Senna, well, I think he did himself much harm in just one braking zone.

One last word about DRS, I'm still very conflicted. It's nice to mix it up but I want to see passes under braking, not artificial assists on the straights, do you feel the same way?

Check out the clip after the jump.

Brain Fade

I apologize, but the whole Hurricane Irene thing got in the way this week end, I'll have our usual summary later in the week.
Meanwhile, here was a key incident of the Belgian GP, discuss....

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Oh look, Hamilton and Maldonado again...

Spa 2011



Maldonado gets a five grid spot penalty, Hamilton gets a reprimand
Discuss...

Monaco 2011



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Axis of OverSchumi.

Schumacher got a little bonus for his 20 years in F1 in P1 Friday.

Pos  Driver              Team                  Time         Gap     Laps

 1.  Michael Schumacher  Mercedes              1m54.355s             13

 2.  Nico Rosberg        Mercedes              1m54.829s  + 0.474s   15

 3.  Jenson Button       McLaren-Mercedes      2m02.740s  + 8.385s   8

 4.  Sebastian Vettel    Red Bull-Renault      2m03.752s  + 9.397s   10

 5.  Lewis Hamilton      McLaren-Mercedes      2m04.301s  + 9.946s   7

 6.  Adrian Sutil        Force India-Mercedes  2m04.663s  + 10.308s  18

 7.  Felipe Massa        Ferrari               2m04.728s  + 10.373s  10

 8.  Rubens Barrichello  Williams-Cosworth     2m05.391s  + 11.036s  12

 9.  Jaime Alguersuari   Toro Rosso-Ferrari    2m06.583s  + 12.228s  16

10.  Kamui Kobayashi     Sauber-Ferrari        2m06.886s  + 12.531s  15

11.  Fernando Alonso     Ferrari               2m07.055s  + 12.700s  12

12.  Sergio Perez        Sauber-Ferrari        2m07.481s  + 13.126s  15

13.  Jarno Trulli        Lotus-Renault         2m08.233s  + 13.878s  14

14.  Sebastien Buemi     Toro Rosso-Ferrari    2m08.239s  + 13.884s  14

15.  Pastor Maldonado    Williams-Cosworth     2m08.918s  + 14.563s  10

16.  Mark Webber         Red Bull-Renault      2m09.792s  + 15.437s  8

17.  Timo Glock          Virgin-Cosworth       2m12.278s  + 17.923s  13

18.  Tonio Liuzzi        HRT-Cosworth          2m12.389s  + 18.034s  10

19.  Jerome D'Ambrosio   Virgin-Cosworth       2m12.772s  + 18.417s  13

20.  Paul di Resta       Force India-Mercedes  2m13.058s  + 18.703s  8

21.  Karun Chandhok      Lotus-Renault         2m13.090s  + 18.735s  11

22.  Vitaly Petrov       Renault               2m13.601s  + 19.246s  10

23.  Bruno Senna         Renault               2m14.340s  + 19.985s  7

24.  Daniel Ricciardo    HRT-Cosworth          2m14.933s  + 20.578s  11

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