Buzzin F1 – Formula One Blog

Lewis Hamilton may have started the Korean F1 Grand Prix on pole position on Sunday but it was Sebastian Vettel and Mark Webber, who finished first and third respectively; and in doing so helped the Red Bull team to their second constructor’s world championship leading McLaren by 140 points with just three races to go.

Vettel got off to a flying start and took the lead on the first lap and went on to win his 10th race this season.

With both the Driver’s and the Constructor’s Championship already won this season Sebastian Vettel and Red Bull still have one record still in their sights.  Vettel has already been likened to fellow countryman Michael Schumacher and if he can win the remaining three races in India, Abu Dhabi and Brazil he will equal Schumacher’s record 13 wins in a single season.

Over the past few seasons the FIA have attempted to address criticism aimed at F1 being dull and races becoming predictable with less overtaking and thrills.  But next season it will be up to the likes of Lewis Hamilton, Jenson Button and Fernando Alonso and McLaren and Ferrari to catch the 24 year old Sebastian Vettel and the Red Bull team.

Jenson Button wins the Japanese Grand Prix.  But that was not enough to stop Sebastian Vettel winning this years’ F1 Drivers Championship, and in doing so becomes the youngest driver to be a double-winner and also retain the championship at the tender age of just 24.

With four races still remaining Sebastian Vettel’s third place finish in the Japanese Grand Prix behind Jenson Button (McLaren) and Fernando Alonso (Ferrari), was enough to clinch his second title.

Mark Webber hasn’t had a bad season but it is his Red Bull team-mate that has a sensational season.  Vettel has won nine of the 15 F1 races so far this year, and managed to start in pole position on no less than 12 pole occasions.  That is an amazing record.

I still believe, given the same car, Lewis Hamilton would have been much closer to Vettel this season.  That said, Jenson Button’s achievements this year have been somewhat overshadowed by Hamilton courting the headlines for all the wrong reasons and Vettel’s sheer brilliance.

2011 F1 Japanese Grand Prix

1  Jenson Button (McLaren-Mercedes) 1:36.568
2   Fernando Alonso (Ferrari)  +00:01.160
3   Sebastian Vettel (Red Bull-Renault) +00:02.006
4   Mark Webber (Red Bull-Renault) +00:08.071
5   Lewis Hamilton (McLaren-Mercedes) +00:24.268
6   Michael Schumacher (Mercedes GP) +00:27.120
7   Felipe Massa (Ferrari) +00:28.240
8   Sergio Perez (Sauber) +00:39.377
9   Vitaly Petrov (Renault) +00:42.607
10 Nico Rosberg (Mercedes GP) +00:44.322

F1 Drivers Championship 2011

1   Sebastian Vettel (Red Bull-Renault) 324
2   Jenson Button (McLaren-Mercedes) 210
3   Fernando Alonso (Ferrari) 202
4   Mark Webber (Red Bull-Renault) 194
5   Lewis Hamilton (McLaren-Mercedes) 178
6   Felipe Massa (Ferrari) 90
7   Nico Rosberg (Mercedes GP) 63
8   Michael Schumacher (Mercedes GP) 60
9   Vitaly Petrov (Renault) 36
10 Nick Heidfeld (Renault) 34

Red Bull’s Sebastian Vettel won the F1 Singapore Grand Prix yesterday but will have to wait until the next race in Japan before he can retain the world championship.

Jenson Button came second and is the only driver who can mathematically stop Vettel retaining the 2011 Formula One Drivers’ Championship, though realistically that is not going to happen.

F1 Singapore Grand Prix
1. Sebastian Vettel Red Bull-Renault 1 1:59:06.757 25
2  Jenson Button McLaren-Mercedes 3 1:59:08.494 18
3 Mark Webber  Red Bull-Renault 2 1:59:36.036 15

Sebastian Vettel and Red Bull’s dominance of this year’s F1 season has been phenomenal.  The victory in Singapore was his ninth in 14 races this season.  He is now 124 points clear of second place Jenson Button with a maximum 125 points available with five races remaining. With his inevitable victory to come in the next few weeks, Vettel will be the youngest driver to retain the F1 Drivers’ Championship; and in doing so there is talk of Vettel dominating the sport in much the same way fellow German Michael Schumacher did before him.  And though Jenson Button has had a great season, both Button and Lewis Hamilton are not able to compete on a level playing field all the time the Red Bull cars are out performing their McLaren’s.

FIA Formula 1 2011 Drivers’ World Championship

1   Sebastian Vettel (Red Bull-Renault) 309
2   Jenson Button (McLaren-Mercedes) 185
3   Fernando Alonso (Ferrari) 184
4   Mark Webber (Red Bull-Renault) 182
5   Lewis Hamilton (McLaren-Mercedes) 168
6   Felipe Massa (Ferrari) 84
7   Nico Rosberg (Mercedes GP) 62
8   Michael Schumacher (Mercedes GP) 52
9   Vitaly Petrov (Renault) 34
10 Nick Heidfeld (Renault) 34

The next race is the Japanese Grand Prix at Suzuka on 9th October.

P.U.R.E. Corporation, the new F1 engine supplier, will welcome Gilles Simon into its team as Technical Director from 1 August 2011. As part of a series of major developments for the engineering company, Gilles leaves his post as the FIA’s Director, Technical and Powertrain, and joins P.U.R.E. which will be supplying F1 teams with powertrains from the 2014 season when new engine regulations come into force.

Before the FIA, Gilles enjoyed an exceptional career at Scuderia Ferrari. From 2006-2009 he was Head of the Engine and Electronics Department; his other roles at Ferrari included Engine Project Manager (1994-1997) and Head of Engine Development (1997-2006) – both under the mentorship of the renowned Paolo Martinelli. During his tenure the team won six drivers’ and eight constructors’ FIA F1 World Championships.

After graduating with a PhD from l’Ecole des Mines in 1984, Gilles held positions at Renault in Research and Development and Peugeot, where he developed the V10 engine for the successful World Sportscar Championship, with the team achieving a 1-2-3 at Le Mans in 1993 and winning in 1992.

P.U.R.E. launched in May 2011 with the stated aim of developing high performance environmentally responsible powertrains, using F1 as the proving ground. The company was established by Chief Executive Craig Pollock, previously Founding Partner and Team Principal of F1’s B.A.R. team.

Craig Pollock, Chief Executive of P.U.R.E. comments, “This appointment marks another key milestone in the development of P.U.R.E. With Gilles Simon on board we have an exceptional and proven powertrain designer who has been instrumental in driving an environmentally friendly agenda into F1.”

Gilles Simon added, “Making F1 more environmentally friendly is a personal goal of mine. The 2014 powertrain regulations mark the biggest change in this area of F1 for a generation. This opportunity to develop the P.U.R.E powertrain is a fantastic challenge and allows me to go to back to my passion – designing engines.”

Jean Todt, President of the FIA said, “Gilles leaves the FIA with my thanks and best wishes. We have worked together on a variety of projects over many years, at Peugeot, Ferrari and at the FIA, and I know how much of his life has been devoted to his love of designing powetrains.

After a very fruitful 18-month period at the FIA where he has been able to leave a significant legacy in the 2014 powertrain regulations, Gilles has been offered an opportunity at P.U.R.E. that will enable him to make a substantial contribution to a new era in F1. I wish him a successful future.”

Lewis Hamilton’s victory in the German Grand Prix last weekend at the Nurburgring was he said, one of the best races he has driven, and I agree.  Hamilton, so often in the wars, once again showed he is the best driver in the world by finishing in first place ahead of Fernando Alonso in the Ferrari and Mark Webber’s Red Bull.

Lewis Hamilton started in second place on the grid but made a great start and immediately passed Mark Webber. The race was an exciting one as Hamilton lost and regained the lead twice before winning his 16th F1 Grand Prix.

German Grand Prix
1. Lewis Hamilton (GB) McLaren-Mercedes 1:37:30.334 25
2. Fernando Alonso (Spain) Ferrari  1:37:34.314 18
3. Mark Webber (Australia) Red Bull-Renault  1:37:40.122 15

It was Lewis Hamilton’s first victory since the Chinese Grand Prix in Shanghai and was made all the sweeter as Sebastian Vettel failed to collect any points.  But with nine races to go in the F1 2011 season, even with the McLarens and Ferraris driving faster than the Red Bulls, it is difficult to see how anyone but Sebastian Vettel is going to be crowned champion come November.

FIA Formula 1 drivers’ world championship
1   Sebastian Vettel (Red Bull-Renault) 216
2   Mark Webber (Red Bull-Renault) 139
3   Lewis Hamilton (McLaren-Mercedes) 134
4   Fernando Alonso (Ferrari) 130
5   Jenson Button (McLaren-Mercedes) 109
6   Felipe Massa (Ferrari) 62
7   Nico Rosberg (Mercedes GP) 46
8   Nick Heidfeld (Renault) 34
9   Vitaly Petrov (Renault) 32
10 Michael Schumacher (Mercedes GP) 32

There’s an interesting article on the BBC website where Mark Hughes suggests McLaren’s return to winning ways is not just down to the individual brilliance of Lewis Hamilton but also has to do with the teams’ choice of tyres.