Korea 2010, PF1 Conclusions

McLaren Still Losing Out
Hamilton's title prospects advanced substantially in Korea but barring a sudden pace injection in Brazil that advance will not be maintained for long. In a three-car title race, the McLaren is a distant third.

Red Bull have lead the way since April but the team sprinting to the line are Ferrari. Momentum is a critical matter in sport and, with Fernando Alonso winning four of the last seven races, Ferrari have exclusive rights to its feel-good factor. Hats off. The team have timed their sprint perfectly.

Fernando Drove At The Peak Of His Considerable Powers
So, too, has their number one driver. As remarked a few months ago, the number of mistakes made by Alonso during the first-half of the campaign was remarkable given that the Spaniard prides himself on his consistency of performance. But since Silverstone, when he confidently predicted a title triumph, he has been better than his word. Only in qualifying in Belgium has he been anything other than outstanding.

Even this weekend, the mistake of Hamilton and failure of Vettel's Red Bull were gifts he probably didn't require. He certainly had ample pace to retake the position lost to Hamilton at the pit stops - just look at the distance between their two cars at the chequered flag. We'll never know if Vettel could have been trumped but it shouldn't be overlooked that the Spaniard had closed the gap to 1.5 seconds at the time that the Red Bull's engine blew and Vettel was being reeled in despite Alonso protecting his tyres.

What we do know, however, is that Alonso drove with a touch of genius.

In a race that was scarcely green for forty laps, and was interrupted by three subsequent safety-car deployments, the Spaniard beat his team-mate to the line by 30 seconds. Thirty. In F1 terms, the difference is a lifetime. In driving terms, it's the difference between being very good and possessing the devil of genius.

Pete Gill

Korea 2010

Red Bulls stole the pole from the bull fighter [:D]

Fernando lost it to Webber and Seb at a time when it seemed he had nailed it...

Still he said-

Fernando Alonso says he will take a "calm" approach to the inaugural Korean Grand Prix after qualifying third at the new Yeongam circuit on Saturday afternoon.

The Ferrari driver is second in the World Championship, 14 points behind leader Mark Webber of Red Bull Racing, and says that finishing the 55-lap race is the priority with just three Grands Prix remaining in the 19-round season

With 25 points on offer for a win, Alonso said a non-finish could end his chances of a third World Championship.

"We cannot be one of those who does not finish," the Spaniard said. "We need to keep scoring points in every race, and I am sure with that we will be very happy with that. We need to be calm and finish the race."

NOW HE WON THE GP ON SUNDAY AFtER MARK CRASHED AND SEB BURNT HIS ENGINE. And is now the top 4 have following points-

Before After

Alonso 206 231

Webber 220 220

Hamilton 192 210

Vettle 206 206

POST RACE-

Fernando Alonso has warned against early celebrations after taking the lead in the Drivers' Championship with his Korean GP win.

Although it initially appeared as if Alonso would have to settle for third place behind the Red Bull drivers, losing ground to Championship leader Mark Webber, the picture changed when Webber crashed out on lap 19, elevating Alonso to second out on track.

And it only got better for the Ferrari driver from there. While running in second place behind Sebastian Vettel, Alonso was the perfect view as Vettel's engine expired on lap 47, putting the Spaniard up into first place.

From there Alonso etched out a lead over Lewis Hamilton and went on to claim the victory in the inaugural Korean GP.

The victory, his fifth of the season, has put Alonso at the top of the Drivers' standings, 11 points ahead of Webber. However, with 50 still to play for, five drivers are still, at least mathematically, in the chase.

"Nothing has changed really," Alonso said. "We know with the new points system anything can happen in one race. If you don't score you lose 25 points with one of your main opponents so nothing has changed really.

"Bad luck for Mark and Seb, but anything can happen and there are still four/five contenders. Being on the podium and being consistent is maybe key to the Championship.

"We have been doing well in the last seven races but the last two we cannot forget we need to be on the podium and at least fighting for the victory."

He added: "One result for one race does not change the picture of the Championship. There are still four contenders, five, so we knew before coming here that every race is important to finish."

But while most of the talk was about the title race, Alonso did take the time to celebrate his Korean victory, his first in the wet.

"I think that was one of the best races of the year for us and the team, both cars on the podium is a fantastic achievement for Ferrari," he said.

"We're been competitive all weekend. Qualifying yesterday we saw a very strong car so we knew the race pace was there but with the weather conditions you never know.

"This morning was wet and we knew that it was a tricky race to finish and of course winning the race, I think my first wet race, means I'm even more happy."

Q: Fernando, now you are leading the championship and in normal coditions you don’t need to attack. How much will your approach to races change and your driving and racing strategy?

FA: Nothing reanlly, I think. One result and one race doesn’t change the picture of the championship. There are still four contenders now, I guess, or five. We knew before coming here that it’s important to finish every race. As we said many times, finishing on the podium is something that secures you a lot of points every weekend and more or less certainly puts you in a position to fight for the championship in Abu Dhabi. So we need to keep this consistency in the next two races. Obviously winning races is fantastic and every weekend we go with the aim of winning, but sometimes we know it’s not possible, so we need to maximise our potential every weekend.

--------------

Webber too showed calmness. He crashed at the most important moment of his life. Yet he was perfectly composed if not smiling. He got out of the car, fixed his wheel and looking at the car he quietly moved away....

So 'contrasty' with his team mate...

The Secret Life of Michael Schumacher

Nineteen years ago Michael Schumacher made his Formula One debut. Nineteen years of interviews - and seven world titles - later, there’s very little we don’t know about Schumacher. But after he agreed to partake in our Secret Life series, we managed to wrangle a few surprises out of the German legend. Samuel Beckett, skydiving and Italian culinary exploits are just some of his unexpected answers…

Q: Are you a ‘Plan-B’ kind of guy?
Michael Schumacher: No.

Q: Driving a Formula One car aside, what is your favourite buzz?
MS: At the moment it is skydiving.

Q: Who do you most look forward to seeing when you arrive in the paddock on a Thursday?
MS: The engineers.

Q: Who is your dream date?
MS: She is also my dream come true - Corinna.

Q: Which film has made you cry?
MS: Lately it was Slumdog Millionaire. Well, at least a little.

Q: What are you afraid of - and why?
MS: It was heights, but not anymore.

Q: What was the last book you read?
MS: Something from Samuel Beckett. I am very bad at remembering the titles of books and movies and stuff like that.

Q: What is your favourite way to relax?
MS: A glass of red wine and a cigar.

Q: Five things that you hate?
MS: I don’t really hate anything.

Q: Have you ever - or would you ever - dye your hair?
MS: Sure. Why not?

Q: What was the first CD that you bought?
MS: It was an LP - I think some hard rock, metal stuff.

Q: Do you have any tattoos or piercings?
MS: Only temporary ones.

Q: What did teachers say about you in your school report?
MS: Not nice things.

Q: Who were your childhood heroes?
MS: Hard to tell. I did not really have any.

Q: Do you have any guilty pleasures?
MS: Cigars? Poker? I don’t think I should feel guilty about it.

Q: Do you collect anything?
MS: Watches maybe. But not madly.

Q: What do you miss most about home when you are on the road?
MS: My family.

Q: What was your worst-ever buy?
MS: That changes with every fashion change.

Q: How do you take your coffee?
MS: With hot milk.

Q: Your ideal non-race Sunday morning?
MS: A long breakfast with my family.

Q: What was the first car or machine you drove?
MS: A Fiat 500 - well, actually I drove a lot of karts before that.

Q: What was the most embarrassing mistake you have made?
MS: Choose one.

Q: What is the best thing that you can cook?
MS: Italian pasta probably.

Q: When was the last time you were really furious?
MS: Really, really furious? In Spa, 1998 [when he crashed into the rear of David Coulthard’s McLaren while leading a very wet Belgian Grand Prix. Coulthard was a lap down and Schumacher blamed the Scot for the incident.]

Russian Roulette

Adam Hay-NichollsOctober 19, 2010

This week former Victorian premier Jeff Kennett claimed that a number of attempts were made on his life after the Australian Grand Prix moved from Adelaide to Melbourne. Crikey, what will happen if the Russian Grand Prix ever moves from Sochi?

Bernie Ecclestone was there on Thursday, stood next to prime minister Vladimir Putin, to announce plans that F1 will set up camp in the Olympic city from 2014. This is Bernie's dream, and he's been working on it since the late 1970s when he was in discussion with Leonid Brezhnev. There were several attempts, notably in 1983, to put Russia on the grand prix calendar but each time it was blocked.

In the early '00s there were other plans, focused on Moscow, but disputes over commercial contracts resulted in the firing of bullets. This 2014 event will be a real test of the new Russian regime. The only mafia Bernie wants running the show is his mafia. Bernie has disclosed that he's been looking to do deals with all Olympic venue: "In all the Olympic cities I have been to so far these venues are often almost never used after the games," he said. "I think it is very important that these things are thought through properly, and, obviously, that is being done in Sochi."

Pf1 Suzaka 2010

Red Bulls Sink A Titanic Script
What's that saying about horses and water? All the ingredients were in place for a titanic clash after ten laps of the Japanese GP when the Safety Car trundled back into the pits to leave the five title contenders in a one-second-long queue. The scene was set. The lead actors had the stage to themselves. And then the Bulls ripped up the hoped-for script and expressed a processional monologue of devastating superiority. They were just too good for the Japanese GP to be a good race.

Fernando Alonso will fight to the last and is driving with as much defiance as skill, but the Red Bull is an awesome piece of motor racing machinery. Do not be fooled by the proximity of Alonso to Mark Webber and Seb Vettel at the chequered flag. The Bulls were in a league of their own all weekend even when enjoying cruise control.

Too Close To Call For Two
For the two Red Bull drivers, the championship situation is straightforward: Vettel will win the title if he wins all of the remaining three races, Webber will prevail if he manages a race win and a couple of podium finishes.

Both men had reason to celebrate on Sunday - paradoxically, Webber increased his lead on a day that Vettel his closed the gap to his team-mate - and both have reason to believe that this will be their year. The Aussie has the points advantage. The German has the momentum. The line between them is fine.

And Fernando? There's still hope for him too - not least because the Bulls have previously self-destructed this season and the Spaniard will only have to recall 2007 as an example of how what seems to be a two-car race can crown a third competitor as champion. But the odds, and the class car of the field, are against him.

Hamilton Losing Out In Title Race
But over at McLaren, hope is running out and close to be extinguished.

Anything less than a 1-2 for McLaren in Korea and McLaren's drivers can be written out of the World Championship equation. The mathematics provide greater scope for belief, with Lewis Hamilton only a race win and a bit behind the championship leader and Jenson Button just a few points further adrift, but, as Hamilton himself asked this Sunday, "How many points are the Bulls going to drop now?" Barring a repeat of their Turkish disaster, not many. So long as Vettel and Webber keep their wheels pointing in the right direction, fifth is the very least they will secure - just as Lewis did in his stricken vehicle this weekend.

Moreover, McLaren still remain the third fastest team on the grid. All of which makes it very unlikely that either Hamilton or Button will be crowned champion next month. In percentage terms, their title prospects might now be as low as 10%.

Speed Trumps Super Strategy
Too clever for his own good? Not really. Jenson's contrary strategy ultimately proved an error in so much as it cost him a few seconds, but as he acknowledged after the race it did not cost him a podium finish. Whatever the strategy, fourth was the maximum he could achieve after losing out to Fernando into the first corner.

Approaching the right-hander, Button had a car length's advantage over Alonso but was baulked by Webber and then muscled aside by the Ferrari. That unreplayed moment had twice the impact on Button's result than the delay in pitting him for soft tyres. Speed was the problem, not strategy.

Kobyashi Tries Out A New Combination
Thank goodness for the driving of Kamui Kobyashi because the Japanese GP would have been a dull procession without his daring. The pick of his moves has to be his second overtake of Alguersuari into the hairpin because he completely outfoxed the Spaniard by going around the outside of his Toro Rosso having gone up the inside into the same corner ten laps before. This hasn't been said regularly of Kobyashi during his nascent career, but it was a move that required brains as well as brawn.

Pete Gill

Valentio R

At the end of today's free practice session, Valentino Rossi delivered a strong message to Carmelo Ezpeleta.

“It is ridiculous that MotoGP has to wait until 4pm to race, because of Formula 1 - Rossi commented - everybody knows that after a certain time here, which is usually 3:30pm, it is almost certain to rain. It seems like we will be waiting around for it to start raining. We are always bowing down to the power of Formula 1, while they couldn't care any less about MotoGP and aren't afraid of anyone. We are the ones who are always afraid! At 2pm there is a 90% chance it will not be raining, while at 4pm it is the opposite. It's really stupid."

And last year...

“Last year I had the championship on the line and I was worried. The race started at 4:00, I was on pole, and then after a few laps we had to interrupt the race and re-start with the wet setup. The organizers need to consider these things, and not just the TV schedule."

Did you talk to Carmelo Ezpeleta?

“So many times! I also told him that I would talk to Bernie (Ecclestone, ed) if he wanted me to. But he just made a face as if to say that Bernie doesn't care, and isn't interested at all in what MotoGP is going. F1 gets better TV ratings in Italy."

Then a Spanish journalist pointed out that F1 gets better ratings in Spain as well.

“It's a sport that is more popular than MotoGP. Maybe because of Ferrari, I don't know...”

But MotoGP has Valentino Rossi...

“Yes, but obviusly Formula 1 is better known.”

Well that could be a good thing when you go to Formula 1, right?

“At think point I really don't think that will happen.”