 Chaz Mostert, PRA, SMP Supersprint. (C) It's arrived. V8 Supercars' endurance season is upon us. The Sydney Motorsport Park Supersprint has been run and won. Now it's time to turn our attention to the Pirtek Endurance Cup. Sandown 500, Bathurst 1000 and the Gold Coast 600. Pit stop strategies, the opportune time to run the co-drivers, the mechanical strain on the race cars. All adds up to uncertainty doesn't it? What more can a V8 Supercar fan desire?
Prodrive Racing Australia's Mark Winterbottom still leads the championship, but team mate Chaz Mostert is definitely on the ascendancy. Can Mostert win the big one at Mt Panorama, claiming back to back Bathurst 1000 victories, this time partnered with Cameron Waters? With age on his side, Chaz could very well end up being a multiple Bathurst winner and future championship winner. Then there's the return of Marcos Ambrose to partner Scott Pye. What can the former champion offer the quickly improving Dick Johnson Racing team? Red Bull Racing and six time champ Jamie Whincup looked to be on the rise on Saturday at last weekend's SMP Supersprint, only to be brought back down to earth in the Sunday race. However, only the brave would write off the proven combination of Whincup and Paul Dumbrell who incidentally start the endurance season with a new car. There's an international contingent to the enduros as well with the likes of Frenchman Alexandre Premat rejoining Garry Rogers Motorsport to partner Scott McLaughlin, and former F1 driver and Indy Car hotshoe Sebastien Bourdais joining Lee Holdsworth at Walkinshaw Racing. Will Bourdais be able a muscle a V8 Supercar? One of the big stories is the return of Russell Ingall to V8 Supercar action. The Enforcer is replacing the injured James Courtney at HRT to partner Jack Perkins. Have HRT made an inspired choice, or would they have been better served to give a drive to a hungry young driver? Perkins/ Ingall has a familiar ring to it though. It's one of the wildcard entries for the Bathurst 1000 that has us intrigued. Rising star Renee Gracie is partnered with an absolute superstar in Indy Car and Formula E driver Simona de Silvestro. The "Iron Maiden" has also been an affiliated driver with the Sauber F1 team. Would love to see the ladies leave the boys in their exhaust fumes. So, anyone willing to pick a winner for Bathurst or the Pirtek Endurance Cup for that matter? If you know, let us know, because we don't have a clue. Cheers.... Sadly, the motorsport community is once again in mourning. Former F1 driver and Indy Car driver Justin Wilson passed away after succumbing to injuries sustained at Pocono. Immensely popular and will be sadly missed. Our thoughts and best wishes are with the Wilson family. Vale Justin Wilson.
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 V8 Supercars, AGP. (C) Our friends and supporters who frequent this site will know how much we love all forms of motorsport, but they will undoubtedly be aware of how much the anticipation and excitement levels crescendo when the endurance season approaches. V8 Supercars is once again about to dip its big toe into the unpredictability of endurance racing including its showcase event, The Bathurst 1000, being just a breath away.
However there's the matter of the Sydney Motorsport Park Supersprint to contend first before the enduros commence at Sandown. Sydney fans can enjoy a plethora of motorsport with a bumper support programme scheduled. Closely matched Porsche Carrera Cup contest 3 x 19 lap races, crowd favourites Aussie Racing Cars fight over 4 x 11 lap races, the top end exotic marques of GT racing race a 1 hour mini enduro on Saturday and a 40 lap race on Sunday, and the FIA and Cams sanctioned Formula 4 make their long awaited Sydney debut over 3 x 15 lap races. V8 Supercars at this time of year always seems to take on an interesting perspective. The main protagonists bidding for championship glory begin to show their hands. Prodrive's Mark Winterbottom takes an almost 300 point advantage over Red Bull's evergreen Craig Lowndes, with team mate Chaz Mostert and David Reynolds plus HRT's James Courtney breathing down CL's neck. Can 2015 finally be Winterbottom's year? And what of defending champ Jamie Whincup? His title's defense might not be going to plan to date, but he always manages to excel come endurance season. Only the brave would consign him to the also-rans. Ford seemed to have produced a car that can win on all types of circuits with their Falcon FGX. Winterbottom will certainly be hoping that that will be the case at Sydney Motorsport Park. Any increase to his slender advantage going into the endurance season will certainly be welcomed by Frosty. See you trackside next weekend. Ciao....  Sebastian Vettel, Ferrari, F1, AGP. (C) Enthralling, entertaining, emotional. There isn't enough superlatives to describe last weekend's Hungarian Grand Prix. With races like we had at the Hungaroring, there certainly isn't a lot wrong with Formula One. The race had it all.
Ferrari driver Sebastian Vettel secured his second victory for 2015. Team mate Kimi Raikkonen looked set to complete a 1-2 for the Scuderia until his Kinetic energy recovery system failed, thus limping into retirement. Red Bull's Daniil Kyvat acquired his maiden F1 podium, while team mate Daniel Ricciardo finished third after threatening for victory, showing the field that overtaking is definitely possible around the twisting Hungaroring. Championship protagonists Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg both had eventful races and for the first time this season were unable to stand on the podium for Mercedes. Rookie Max Verstappen achieved his best result in F1 with a mature drive to fourth. Have McLaren's fortunes finally started to change with a double points haul for the first time this season with their new Honda package? Williams slid backwards while struggling Sauber picked up a point with Marcus Ericsson claiming 10th position. Lotus' Romain Grosjean incurred a penalty for a pitlane unsafe release and held off Rosberg to finish 7th. The driver you had to sympathise with was Force India's Nico Hulkenburg who spectacularly retired with a front wing failure down the main straight. He looked set for a strong result. Fortunately he was not injured. Punctures, penalties and plenty of passing. It was compulsive viewing. The Hungarian GP was the culmination of an extremely emotional week following the passing of Jules Bianchi after a brave fight from the injuries sustained at last year's Japanese GP. Earmarked for a future Ferrari drive, Jules was extremely popular and well liked amongst F1 fraternity and fans worldwide. A touching ceremony before the race with the Bianchi family and all the drivers present. No doubt Jules would of been watching the Hungarian GP and been impressed with what he saw. Vale Jules Bianchi.  Ferrari, F1, AGP. (C) Recently a meeting of the Formula One Strategy Group legislated some interesting regulations to come into effect from this year's Belgium GP. No longer are drivers to receive coaching from their teams through radio communications during the formation lap. They are now to be solely responsible for propelling the car off the grid from the time they leave the pitlane to lights out.
In the past teams have been able to instruct their drivers on optimum settings attained from practise starts during the formation lap with a view to maximising the race start. The new rule translates to clutch bite points to be set before the car leaves the pitlane. Any manual offset switch or any other switch associated with clutch settings can only be adjusted after the race start for the purpose of improving subsequent pitstop getaways. This quite clearly puts the emphasis back on the drivers. Are formation lap procedures now more important than ever? Reigning champ and Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton welcomes the new plan, citing driver only activated starts suit his driving style and are reminiscent of his Formula 3 days. In addition to coaching, all radio communications between the teams and the drivers during formation laps will be limited. The only permissible comms are on safety grounds only. Teams may inform drivers of punctures, whether to pit to fix damage. or to stop the car if sensing terminal damage. They may also warn of damage to a competitors' car, oil or debris on circuit, or whether the track is wet. Many will argue that the abolition or limiting of driver aids can only benefit F1 by promoting driver skill. However there are those that state that the pinnacle of motorsport should fully embrace technology and all it has to offer. Will the new rules create glaring disparity amongst the grid when the lights go out? Will drivers with a more discreet feel now be rewarded off the line? We'll start to get an idea at Spa. Cheers....  V8 Supercars, AGP. (C) Can anyone remember when the last V8 Supercar event was staged? Feels like an eternity ago doesn't it? The inconsistent timing between events has long been a major point of conjecture amongst the V8 Supercar faithful.
Recently it's been announced that the 2016 V8 Supercar calendar will on average stage an event every two weeks, thus guaranteeing ongoing momentum throughout the championship season. The exceptions being the Perth and Darwin rounds, which demand three weeks due to the tyranny of distance from the eastern seaboard. The will also be a winter break to refresh and recharge. The race weekend format is also coming under scrutiny with the Saturday 60/60 race format set to be reviewed for the sprint rounds. V8 Supercars have made a push for the Australian F1 Grand Prix to be included as part of the championship. Something we've lauded for a long time and long overdue. That decision is apparently now up to the Australian Grand Prix Corporation for approval. Overseas junkets are now back on the agenda with a six year deal struck with Malaysia to stage races through Kuala Lumpur on a purpose built street circuit. A select few will head over this August for showcase races for the test event. For those fans worried that the Malaysian round will be at the expense of current Australian rounds, V8 Supercars has given assurances that will not be the case. Why not a double whammy whilst in Malaysia? Does anyone like the idea of an event also at Sepang International Circuit, which incidentally is close to KL airport? That would be a fantastic circuit for V8 Supercars. Wishful thinking isn't it? Lastly, the final event, the Sydney 500 at Sydney Olympic Park is being moved forward into November. Discussion is taking place as to how the circuit can be opened up to improve spectating. Rumours persist that there could also be a circuit configuration change. We'll believe the circuit change when we see it, but despite being a great event, would sure be nice to see the fans' vantage points improve. Maybe reopen the outside of the turns 6 + 7 chicane again is a start. Skycity Triple Crown at Darwin's little treasure, Hidden Valley, this weekend. Will Prodrive's Mark Winterbottom maintain his championship lead? Cheers....  Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes, F1, AGP. (C) Mystifying. Mercedes decision to pit Lewis Hamilton for fresh rubber during a late Safety Car at last weekend's Monaco GP. Costing him almost certain victory, handing it to team mate Nico Rosberg, they inadvertently gave Ferrari rival Sebastian Vettel a helping hand in the championship by way of inheriting second place with Hamilton relegated to third. Mercedes claim they misinterpreted the gap behind Hamilton with no GPS available at Monte Carlo, plus wanted to cover Vettel in case Ferrari pitted him for fresh rubber. If so, would Vettel have been able to overtake both Mercedes' around the tight confines of Monaco anyway?
The impressive element of the whole scenario was the way Lewis Hamilton conducted himself post race. Although clearly disappointed, his mature response was nothing short of exemplary. As he so clearly pointed out, to react negatively is not befitting of the current F1 world champion. Stating that he aspires to be team leader, he and his team win and lose together. Vowing to come back stronger in the next race, there's a lot to learn for all racers of all ages from Hamilton's classy behaviour. The happiest driver on the Monaco podium however, seemed to be Ferrari's Sebastian Vettel. Imagine if Hamilton narrowly loses the championship to Rosberg by virtue of the points squandered at Monaco though. Ouch....  Pirelli F1 tyres, AGP. (C) Lately we've found Formula One racing a little stagnant. It's not because Mercedes seem to be waltzing away with another title, despite a decent challenge from Ferrari. It's because the cars don't seem to be allowed to exploit their full potential. It's akin to a jockey constantly pulling back on the reins trying to slow a thoroughbred racehorse with not a thought of cracking the whip.
A recent meeting of the F1 Strategy Group comprising FIA president Jean Todt, F1 tsar Bernie Eccelstone, and reps from teams McLaren, Mercedes, Ferrari, Force India, Williams and Red Bull formulated some interesting proposals for the forthcoming seasons. Next season teams will be able to nominate which two compounds of dry tyre out of the four available they wish to utilise for each event, rather than tyre supplier Pirelli decreeing the compounds. Will this open up strategy options and more to the point, at what point do they have to make that decision? Will teams be able to evaluate all four compounds before making their decision? Will this provide more Friday running for the punters? 2017 also sees the return of refueling during the races. The teams will still maintain a maximum fuel allowance of 100kg/race, but once again strategy options will open up. Does this mean the end of fuel flow rates (see Archives April 2015)? Lap times are also predicted to improve by 5-6 secs/lap due to the evolution of aero regulations, wider tyres and louder, higher revving powerplants. Other suggestions include starts activated only by the driver with no outside influence from the teams. Finally a review of race weekend formats will be undertaken through global reflection. Does that mean fans will have a say in the formulation of a race weekend? All this still requires ratification by the F1 Commission and World Motor Sport Council. Intriguing times ahead....  Nico Rosberg, Mercedes, F1, AGP. (C) Confidence is paramount to a racing driver's psyche. To race in Formula One, a driver's ego must also aspire to a reasonably high level. However, they can also be a fickle bunch with emotions bordering on fragile if they feel someone's conspiring against them or support waning. As fans we love it when intra-team rivalries begin to simmer over and the heat between Mercedes team mates Nico Rosberg and reigning champion Lewis Hamilton is steadily increasing.
During the recent Chinese GP, over the team radio for all the world to hear, Rosberg felt he was being slowed up enough by leader Hamilton to push him back into the clutches of Ferrari driver Sebastian Vettel. This prompted the team to urge Hamilton to speed up or risk the undercut of Rosberg by pitting him first. Was Rosberg making a valid point? Shouldn't he simply attack and try to overtake? Rosberg claimed he'd tried this earlier in the race but destroyed his tyres as he couldn't punch through Hamilton's dirty air, therefore was biding his time for an attack in the latter stages of the race. However, it was the post race press conference that made for compulsive viewing for the punters. A still clearly frustrated Rosberg strayed outside the standard corporate moniker and vented his spleen and questioned Hamilton's racecraft. With Hamilton stating it was not his brief to assist anybody else, this clearly did not appease Rosberg. Should the race leader control the pace of the race as they see fit? Isn't the optimum strategy to win the race at the slowest possible pace? Is Rosberg's argument justifiable, or is he just throwing his toys out of the pram? More to the point, should Rosberg have voiced his frustrations so publicly via the post race press conference? He had already stated his concerns over the radio to his team during the race. Is it a case of if Rosberg wants to control the race, he needs to out-qualify Hamilton, make the better start and get to the front? We thought the most telling factor was Hamilton's wry smirk, knowing he's got the measure of Rosberg and already at this early stage of the season, seems well on his way to a third driver's crown. Let the season unfold. Ciao....  Mercedes, AGP. (C) When Pirelli became Formula One's latest tyre supplier, they were mandated to provide a tyre that degrades quickly, thereby forcing the various teams' strategists to rethink how they attack each race meeting. No longer could the drivers push to the limits and have flexibility in their stategies. Instead they had to nurse the tyres which once they'd reached the precipice of adhesion, would literally fall off the cliff in the space of a lap or two, thus necessitating a pit stop for new boots. Remember Michael Schumacher's qualifying-esque in and out laps around pitstop times to demoralise the opposition during his Ferrari heyday? In recent times the drivers seem cautious on their in and out laps. Recognising they'd possibly gone too far, Pirelli to their credit have produced more durable tyres for the 2015 season. They still degrade quickly, but not to the startling levels of previous seasons.
Now to accompany the new turbo powerplants we have fuel flow limits, whereas a maximum amount of fuel of 100kg/hour is allowed to be utilised. We like the idea of the cars carrying a finite amount of fuel in their tanks to cover the entire race distance, once again forcing teams to evaluate their strategies, but why is the amount that the powerplants can draw upon at any given time legislated? We all know more fuel flowing through an engine's veins produces more power, so why not leave the fuel flow rate to the teams to manage? They still only have a certain amount of fuel to get their cars to the chequered flag. Does limiting the fuel flow rate stifle the powerplant's potential? Is qualifying now the only time we see the pinnacle of motorsport at its fastest? Sure is nice to see F1 cars throwing up sparks from their titanium skid blocks though. An intriguing race in China looms. Will Ferrari continue to challenge Mercedes? Ciao....  Felipe Nasr, Sauber, AGP. (C) It seems as though the formidable Mercedes Formula One team have started their 2015 campaign where they left off from 2014 by dominating the Australian Grand Prix with a crushing 1-2 victory at Albert Park. Certainly looks ominous for the rest of the F1 field this season doesn't it? The bulk of the field already seem to be admitting defeat and only aspiring to second position in the championship.
While Mercedes continue their dominance, it's interesting to chart the fortunes of some of the other teams. It seems apparent that Ferrari have made some marked improvements over the winter. Their battle with the resurgent Williams team will be one of the most fascinating contests over the course of the season. What of Red Bull? After a lacklustre AGP, have the once dominant team got some serious soul searching to do? Will their car development allow them to bounce back and punch at the front? McLaren? Reunited with Honda. Well, they have a mountain to climb, don't they? But will they find that mountain insurmountable? We could speculate about the impending season and how all teams will fare, but it's the performance of this year's rookies that warrants scrutiny. Have Scuderia Toro Rosso made a couple of inspired choices with their promotion of two drivers from the Red Bull Junior Team? Max Verstappen's rise to F1 has been meteoric. A karting prodigy, he won the 2013 World KZ Championship in karting's highest level, KZ1, driving for the CRG factory team. 2014 saw him compete in the European F3 Championship where he won 10 races, joined the Red Bull Junior Team in August and was promptly announced as STR's F1 driver six days later. Verstappen was on his way to a points finish on debut at the AGP until his STR expired. Guided by his father Jos, himself a former F1 driver, much has been touted about the 17yo who incidentally is the youngest driver ever to compete in F1. Like Max Verstappen, his team mate also has impressive pedigree. The son of two-time World Rally Championship winner Carlos Sainz, Carlos Sainz Jr won the 2014 Formula Renault 3.5 Series before promotion to F1 with STR. A faultless display all weekend saw him claim points on debut. If not for an extremely long pit stop, he would have secured a higher place finish than 9th. The Sauber F1 team have finally broken their points scoring drought with a mature drive to 5th by Brazilian rookie Felipe Nasr. The 2011 British F3 champion held off the more experienced Daniel Ricciardo for the bulk of the race to score Sauber's first points since 2013. Impressive debuts or not? More importantly, can 2015's young crop of F1 rookies sustain their performances throughout the season? Do they also have the innate ability to develop their cars and to galvanise and therefore push their respective teams forward? Malaysia's next, along with its oppressive humidity and heat. A stern test indeed. Ciao.... |
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