After 12 seasons competing in the Formula One world championship, Australian born Red Bull Racing ace Mark Webber has announced his retirement from the pinnacle of motorsport at the end of this season. He's joining Porsche as lead driver in their LMP1 assault on the FIA World Endurance Championship which includes the fabled Le Mans 24 Hr. 
    Queanbeyan born Webber made his way to the top of motorsport through shall we say, traditional categories. Started karting in 1991 as a 14yo, progressed through to Formula Ford, took himself off to Europe, continued in Formula Ford, then F3 (plus GT with Mercedes in 1998-99), then Formula 3000 before being signed as F1 test driver to Arrows in 2000, then Benetton in 2001. But it was anything but easy. Without the support from Yellow Pages, rugby legend David Campese, Fosters, former Euro Asiatech F3000 and Minardi F1 boss Paul Stoddart, long time manager Flavio Briatore and partner Ann Neal, he may very well not have made it.
    2002 saw Webber make a stunning F1 debut at Albert Park by claiming P5 in an incident filled race for backmarkers Minardi. Two seasons followed for each Jaguar and Williams before winding up at Red Bull Racing in 2007 where he has remained. 
    Mark Webber has finished 3rd in the championship in 2010 and 2011. Along the way he has accumulated 9 wins, 36 podiums, 11 pole positions and 15 fastest laps to date, with 12 races to go, starting with tonight's British GP. There's still work to do. Webber's won the prestigious race twice and would love to be a 3-time winner of the British GP and so far this weekend appears racy. Will Mark Webber add to his win tally before he retires from F1? Let us know what you think about Mark Webber leaving F1? Should he have gone around one more time, or was it the time right to leave with a new formula coming in next season? Send us an email at : greenflag@formulafrontrow.com or simply leave a comment. 
    We'd like to congratulate Mark Webber for a wonderful F1 career (with more success to come) and have enjoyed cheering for 12 seasons from either the Brabham Stand at Albert Park or at home. At all times you've done Australia proud and should be commended for leaving a cut-throat sport at the top of your game on your own terms. Not every F1 driver can do that. Have especially loved the wheel to wheel stuff with Fernando Alonso. Good luck.
    What chance Porsche send a factory backed GT team to Oz for the Bathurst 12 Hr? Drawing a long bow we know. Still be cool to see Webber doing Mt Panorama if it didn't clash with LMP1 duties in FIA's WEC. 
    P1 for Mark at British GP? Let's go! We'll be cheering....

    Is Sebastian Vettel already in an unassailable position for this year's Formula One championship? Can anyone stop Jamie Whincup's relentless march to yet another V8 Supercar crown? Both no doubt answered as their respective seasons come to fruition. 
    Well if you're a fan of Australian open wheel racing, you may be asking if Tim Macrow can extend his lead over John Magro and Nick Foster in the 2013 Formula 3 Australian Driver's Championship as Round 4 forms part of a huge Shannons Nationals programme on 13th-14th July at Sydney Motorsport Park? Australia's fastest racing cars contest two races on Saturday and a feature race on Sunday. Complementing F3 will be mini enduros from the Radical Australia Cup, Australian Swift Racing Series and Australian GT Championship featuring exotic marques like Ferrari, Mercedes and Lamborghini, a 3 hour enduro for the Australian Manufacturers Championship, and Porsche GT-3 Cup. Massive!
    Formula 3 has done an excellent job in promoting its brand. They recently supported V8 Supercars at Symmons Plains, Tasmania for Rd 2, and this weekend at Hidden Valley for Rd 3 racing for the City Of Darwin Cup. Tim Macrow led home Nick Foster in an incident filled Race 1, with positions reversed for Race 2. The F3ADC is certainly hotting up and by supporting V8 Supercars have increased exposure to a potential new fanbase. Multimedia has also been ramped up. For online savvy punters, the remaining rounds will all be streamed live via itvlive.com.au. Free to air punters can enjoy increased TV coverage on SBS Speedweek, whilst pay TV folk can enjoy F3 via Fox's Speed TV which is worldwide. 
    At formulafrontrow.com we love all forms of motorsport, but we especially love open wheelers. Can't help but wonder how cool it would be to have our premier open wheel category, F3, back on the support bill for the pinnacle of motorsport, F1, at the Australian GP. After attending Rd 1 as part of the Bathurst Motor Festival at Mt Panorama, we wait with great anticipation to see F3 again around the sweeping, long radius corners of Sydney Motorsport Park. Bring the kids, a picnic lunch, drive straight in to the circuit precinct, and don't forget your cameras. Cheers.... 
     

    Congratulations to Nico Rosberg and the Mercedes F1 team for winning the glamorous Monaco Grand Prix around the tight confines of the Monte Carlo street circuit. The first father and son in F1 to win the prestigious race with Nico's father and 1982 world champion Keke winning 30 years ago. 
    Mercedes F1 team are a team on the improve. Of that there is no doubt. The "Silver Arrows" one lap qualifying pace has been nothing short of mesmerising, yet up until the Monaco GP have occasionally slid down the order during the race. China saw Lewis Hamilton's pole position convert to third place. In Bahrain, Rosberg, Q1 then P9 come race day. Ouch! The most alarming was Spain. A front row lock out to Rosberg and Hamilton translated to P6 and P12 respectively around Catalunya's aero demanding circuit, despite Rosberg holding on bravely to P1 until the first round of pitstops. Yet, impressively, another front row lock out in Monaco scored Mercedes P1 for Rosberg and P4 for Hamilton. Did Monaco mask a deeper problem?
    Mercedes have clearly built a quick 2013 car with scope for development, but sometimes it has quite a large appetite for the rapidly degrading Pirelli rubber. Is this because the questions asked by a fast,high downforce generating car cannot be answered by the tyres? In other words, are Mercedes hampered by the need to nurse the tyres during races and therefore cannot exploit their car's full potential? Is the car that good?
    A couple of points to note. Monaco is not a circuit brandishing big sweeping, big aero corners. It is more demanding of mechanical grip, meaning tyres can be managed with less concern. This confirms Mercedes have a tidy package on their hands. The other point concerns the recent tyre test held the day after the Spanish GP, before Monaco. It was conducted by Pirelli, not the team, conducted in good faith to test the 2014 tyres. Therefore no advantage was gained by Mercedes for 2013. We fear we may hear more on this though.
    So does Mercedes' Monaco victory shroud their true race pace? Will we continue to see a Mercedes driver on the top step of the podium? Can Mercedes allow their drivers to push whilst maximising tyre durability? Next race at Canada is also more reliant on mechanical grip than aero to get out of Circuit Gilles Villeneuve's numerous hairpins and chicanes. Maybe we'll get a more objective picture at the British GP around aero sensitive Silverstone? Let us know what you think. Send us an email at: greenflag@formulafrontrow.com or simply leave a comment.
    Cheers....


    

    Australia's premier motorsport series, V8 Supercars have ventured across the Pacific to the newly constructed Hermann Tilke designed race circuit marvel that is the Circuit Of The Americas. The circuit just outside Austin, Texas was purpose built for Formula One, but now V8 Supercars have arrived to stage their first ever championship event on US soil, the Austin 400. This weekend sees the event comprise 4 x 100km races around the fast, undulating circuit.
    The Saturday Races 13 and 14 have run, with both races producing the same podium trio of Jamie Whincup, Craig Lowndes and Fabian Coulthard. However the racing was frenetic and uncompromising right through the field and therefore exciting for us watching back in Oz. If the Saturday races are a benchmark, cannot wait for the Sunday races.
    One team steadily on the rise is Kelly Racing with their new Nissan Altimas. Race 13 saw Rick Kelly achieve Nissan's Car Or The Future's best result to date when he passed the chequered in P6. He then backed up a strong qualifying for Race 14 by finishing P8 and was unlucky not to get P6 albeit for want of fuel. Whilst admitting that the Nissan is down in straight line speed, the team are slowly coming to grips with it's cornering capabilities.  A team to watch. Let's see if they can continue to please their Nissan and Jack Daniels partners in the Sunday races who are both in attendance at the event.
    At formulafrontrow.com we quite often mention the importance of brand exposure and promotion. We'd like to know if you find the idea of staging regular event/s overseas appealing and whether this would help garner a wider fan and sponsor base and consequently higher TV ratings? Can V8 Supercars promote itself to higher levels in overseas markets such as the USA where NASCAR rules the tin-top racing world? Would love to know the TV ratings on SPEED in the US. Email us at: greenflag@formulafrontrow.com or simply leave a comment. Circuit Of The Americas certainly fulfils its end of the deal.

    Periodically the validity of Formula One is brought into question regarding relevance to the ordinary motorist and modern day road car production. The pinnacle of motorsport to some outsiders seems like a form of motorsport terminally married to massive expenditure that very rarely translates technologically down the line to the average punter. But is this truly the case?
    All F1 teams in their eternal, relentless quest to gain a tenth or two on their opponents have devised new technologies to help propel them to that goal. A lot of these have permeated through to road car manufacturing. Whilst some have been subsequently banned in F1 in the spirit of competition, some are prevalent in road cars to this day. Active suspension, launch control, traction control and the ultra strong carbon fibre to name a few. Now we have kinetic energy recovery systems which harvest the energy when the driver is off the throttle.
    Next year sees F1 dispense with 2.4litre normally aspirated V8's and adopt 1.6litre V6 turbos with the emphasis on energy recovery systems. F1 are already using bio-fuel and from 2014 are mandated to carry a shade over a third of the amount of fuel they currently carry for a race distance, therefore placing the focus firmly on fuel efficiency and energy recovery. Will this increased engine efficiency eventually filter through to road car production? Can F1 be credited for pioneering new technologies that end up benefiting the average motorist? Let us know what you think. Send us an email at: greenflag@formulafrontrow.com or simply leave a comment.
    Can't help but wonder, it's been a while since we've witnessed anyone in F1 run out of fuel. Remember Sir Jack Brabham in his last season in 1970 handing victory to Jochen Rindt at Brands Hatch when he famously ran out of fuel? Big question is though; what will the new turbo 2014 F1 cars sound like? 
    The European F1 season is upon us. Roll on....

    Last weekend at the newly upgraded Pukekohe Circuit in New Zealand, V8 Supercars crowned its youngest ever winner of a championship race in the form of 19yo Scott McLaughlin.
    The Christchurch born Kiwi's rise through V8 Supercar ranks borders on meteoric. After plying his trade in karts, in 2010 McLaughlin debuted in the Fujitsu Development Series, the youngest ever at 16, driving a FG Falcon for Stone Brothers Racing. 2012 saw him win the NZ V8 SuperTourer Series in a VE Commodore for MPC Motorsport, plus clinching the 2012 Dunlop Series at 2012's season ending Sydney 500. Before the champagne had even dried on his racesuit, he was drafted in to Alex Premat's seat in the main game, who was unable to recover after his coolsuit failed in the oppressive heat of the Saturday race. 2013 sees him acquire a full time drive with the Fujitsu Racing Garry Rogers Motorsport outfit. The faith shown by GRM has already been substantiated by winning the 4th race at the Australian F1 Grand Prix and now Pukekohe in the main V8 Supercar show. Despite his crash and subsequent retirement in the Sunday race at Pukekohe, Saturday's race was a drive mature beyond his years to convert an encouraging grid position into an emphatic win.
    But how will Scott McLaughlin fair once V8 Supercars descends upon the super circuits like Phillip Island and Mt Panorama where experience is invaluable? Will the challenge from GRM be sustained throughout the season spearheaded by Scott McLaughlin and quickly improving Frenchman, Alex Premat? Whilst McLaughlin might appear to be having the time of his life,  innocently smiling his way through events, underneath is a steely racer who rarely makes mistakes, all the time appreciating the opportunities afforded to him. He's been compared to a young Craig Lowndes. But will McLaughlin and Premat promote GRM to the fore of V8 Supercars and upset the likes of Red Bull, FPR and HRT? Let formulafrontrow.com know what you think. Send us an email at: greenflag@formulafrontrow.com or simply leave a comment.
    Congratulations to Jason Bright and Brad Jones Racing for winning the Jason Richards Memorial Trophy at Pukekohe. Couldn't think of any team more fitting than JR's former team, who perennially display the JR Star on their cars, that ended up winning the trophy. Well done.

    The Malaysian Formula One Grand Prix has been run and won in controversial circumstances with Sebastian Vettel disobeying team orders by passing team mate Mark Webber with just over 10 laps to go, leading home a Red Bull Racing 1-2. After passing the chequered flag, team boss Christian Horner commended Vettel on the win, then promptly suggested that he must of really wanted the win, and that he has some explaining to do. The situation was chillingly reminiscent of Gilles Villeneuve and Didier Pironi for Ferrari at Imola in 1982, with Vettel playing the part of Pironi, and Webber the part of Villeneuve. In that case Gilles vowed never to speak to Pironi again, but sadly Gilles was killed just two weeks later during qualifying at Zolder, trying to beat Pironi who had just pipped him by a tenth of a second. Sebastian Vettel has since admitted his mistake, apologised to the entire team, and promised it will never happen again. Time will tell.
    Opinion on the matter has been wide ranging and divided. Some have suggested that in order to win the championship, you need to be ruthless, hungry and take no prisoners, as you are racing 21 other drivers who all want the same thing. Everyone for themselves with 100% focus purely on yourself and the task at hand. Plus with Ferrari's Fernando Alonso out on lap 2, the extra points could prove invaluable in the long run. Therefore, Vettel's actions were justified. Others feel disciplinary action should be undertaken, reiterating  who Vettel's employers are. Some people, including former McLaren driver and 5 time GP winner John Watson, have gone one step further by calling for a one race ban for Vettel.
    But are there a couple of points people may have missed? After the second round of pitstops, Webber emerged on the option tyre still in the lead with Vettel close behind, prompting Vettel to complain over the radio for a couple of laps that Webber was slow and to get him out of the way. Whether it was a case of Webber taking a couple of laps to bring the tyres up to temperature or those messages getting back to him, he then banged in a couple of fastest laps. So the argument that Webber was holding up Vettel is moot. The call to hold station obviously went out quite early, as Red Bull already had control of the race.
    The next point is that winter testing is just that; in Winter. Plus the Australian GP was run in unseasonal cold conditions. Therefore, despite Malaysia not exhibiting its usual oppressive heat and humidity, it was still the hottest conditions the new 2013 F1 cars and Pirelli tyres had run in. Logically, they had to be nursed home. The teams through car to pit telemetry have much more access to data pertaining to car condition, various temperatures and the like than the driver. The team was especially worried about tyre degradation. An extra pitstop because their drivers were pushing would've compromised Red Bull's command of the race, thus squandering valuable points.
    The final point is that Formula One is a team sport. No driver is bigger than the team. These teams employ anything from 350 to 700 people, all striving to unlock the necessary tenths to propel them to championship glory. Whilst the constructor's championship means little to the average punter, it is of the utmost importance to the F1 teams. Where they finish in the pecking order down to tenth place determines how much of the Formula One Management's TV revenue they are awarded. Sure the teams generate income through sponsorship and personal backing that drivers may bring, but the constructor's championship is their lifeblood, as evidenced by Marussia's disappointment in losing 10th place to Caterham in the closing stages of 2012's season ending Brazilian GP. Besides, do you think every member of an F1 team feels any less joy when winning the constructors than a driver does in winning the driver's championship? You bet they don't!
    So where does this leave Mark Webber? Whilst Red Bull Racing state that they give their drivers equal treatment, the perception from the outside to a lot of people is that there is a clear favoured driver, and it's not Webber. Has his position in the team become untenable? Or will Mark Webber's trademark determination come to the fore? He does after all perform at his best when he feels he's been backed into a corner. More to the point, can Vettel and Webber ever really trust each other anymore as team mates? Let formulafrontrow.com know what you think. Send us an email at: greenflag@formulafrontrow.com or simply click on comment.
    On a lighter note, it was pretty funny to see Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton pull in to his old team's pitbox, only to be hastily waved on by the McLaren mechanics. Now his dog Roscoe has a paddock pass, we wonder if he could act as a pointer from the Mercedes prat perch to Lewis' pitbox so it doesn't happen again?
    Roll on China. Cheers.....

    As the dust settles on what was another enthralling Australian Formula One Grand Prix, it was Lotus' Kimi Raikkonen that tasted the spoils of victory. With the rapidly degrading 2013 Pirelli tyre dictating that the bulk of the F1 field adopt a three-stop strategy, Lotus and Kimi Raikkonen were able to prevail by stealth with a two-stop strategy. Crushing the opposition by 12.4 seconds, which in Formula One terms is a country mile, Lotus can be well satisfied with their weekend's work in testing weather conditions. Congratulations to the former Toleman/Benetton/Renault now Lotus team. Don't be fooled either by the relaxed, unconcerned demeanour of Kimi Raikkonen. Underneath is a fiercely determined, intelligent quick racer who wants nothing more than to add to his 2007 title. The Lotus and Kimi package must now be surely considered serious contenders for the championship. 
    But what of the two Australians? Red Bull's Mark Webber was unlucky not to capitalise on a front row grid position, as his car's Electronic Control Unit failed to send any telemetry back to his team during the formation lap. Therefore he and his team had no idea as to what the engine, tyre or brake temperatures were, effectively meaning he started blind, thus compromising his start. On top of that, it also translated to his Kinetic Energy Recovery System (KERS) shutting down. The team were able to reboot the ECU, but by this time Webber and Red Bull were already on the back foot. However he raced hard and showed his trademark grit by finishing sixth. ECU suppliers McLaren have since apologised for the glitch.
    Scuderia Toro Rosso's Daniel Ricciardo didn't have the best of starts either and had trouble bringing his tyres up to temperature in the cool conditions. But by lap 10 he was flying, passing cars and fighting for championship points. First race of the season gremlins unfortunately won out in the end, as he later retired with a broken exhaust. Both Aussies will be back bigger and stronger in Malaysia this weekend. 
    With the Australian GP's contract up for renewal after 2015, there are questions being asked regarding the event's viability. The Victorian government currently subsidises the event by an estimated $35m, plus the expenses incurred in erecting and dismantling the Albert Park precinct, which reportedly comes in around $20m. The question is can this expenditure be sustained and whether the return is worth the outlay? At formulafrontrow.com we are constantly banging on about brand exposure and we feel that the benefits resulting from staging such an event is immeasurable. Apart from World Cup Soccer and the summer Olympics, Formula One is the most watched sport on TV in the world. The two aforementioned events are only every four years, whereas F1 is on average every two weeks from March through to the end of November every year. Staging the GP showcases Melbourne and Australia to a global audience exceeding 350 million viewers. This entices people to attend the event in future, or consider coming Down Under just for a holiday when F1 is not in town. What about the direct injection to the Victorian economy and indirectly the Vic. government? Local, interstate and international punters that descend on Melbourne for GP week spend money in bars, restaurants, cafes, take-away food, accommodation, transport and shopping. This boosts local business and permeates through to the Vic. government through state taxes. The money spent is surely incalculable and invaluable for that matter. Let's hope for a successful renegotiation of the GP contract. The Australian Grand Prix Corporation do an amazing job staging the event with a bumper support programme supporting F1 guaranteeing non-stop track action, top shelf off track action such as Nitro Circus, and promoting all Australia has to offer the world. Well done. Can't wait for next year.
    This weekend F1 heads to the oppressive heat and humidity that is Sepang, Malaysia. Will Kimi Raikkonen make it back to back victories for Lotus? Let us know what you think. Drop us a line at: greenflag@formulafrontrow.com or simply leave a comment.
    Beware the Prancing Horse at Sepang. Ferrari have jumped out of the box a lot stronger than last year. Fernando Alonso is coming off a strong second in Melbourne and has a good record in Sepang, and team mate Felipe Massa seems to have found the old spring in his step. Watch out....
    

    The 2013 Formula One season has arrived and once again Melbourne, Australia has the distinguished honour of hosting the season's opening event. As usual, F1 winter testing seemed to reveal a different leader of the timesheets each day. No one knows what programme each team is running, and at what stage they are with their development of their new cars. With no real definitive form guide, speculation will undoubtedly crescendo. There's always a certain feeling concocting anticipation, nervousness and thrilling excitement leading into the first event. Mucho fantastico!
    Melbourne itself is a vibrant, exciting city, as evidenced by constantly being voted one of the most liveable cities in the world. Possessing a rich sporting heritage and a hip art and music culture, Melbourne is also renown for it's superb food. A stroll around any number of quiet CBD laneways could reveal colourful street art or a cosy restaurant, or head down to Acland St in St Kilda for an amazing array of cafes to choose from. If shopping's your thing, check out Chapel St or the Bourke St Mall. If you prefer live music, you certainly can't go past the Prince Of Wales Hotel or The Esplanade Hotel, both in St Kilda. Melbourne's parklands are simply sensational. Domain Botanical Gardens, Carlton Gardens, St Kilda Botanical Gardens, are all worth your exploration. A leisurely walk along the Yarra River around Southbank will expose cafes, bars, boutiques, restaurants and shopping malls, not to mention great photo opportunities. A modern city complemented with old and new architecture, spectacular sculptures and fountains, ever present trams, all add up to Melbourne possessing a unique vibe. No trip to Melbourne is complete however, without a visit to the southern hemisphere's highest observation deck on top of the Eureka Tower. Stunning 360 degree views that takes on a whole new dimension at night plus unrivalled views of the Albert Park precinct.
    Which leads us to the circuit. This year the Albert Park street circuit is celebrating 60 years since motorsport converged on the picturesque lakeside circuit. Many people have asked us where the best vantage points are? Turn 1 always offers action a-plenty, but if you'd like to see an F1 car brake from 310km down to an 80km hairpin in the space of 110m, head down to Turn 3. Impressive stuff. The fast left-right chicane at Turns 11+12 offers punters a chance to see an F1 car at it's best as they blast through at 230km on entry and 260km on exit. Jaw dropping stuff. Two of our favourite vantage points are the fast right hand sweepers at Turn 14 and Turn 5. They smash both these corners at around 220km using all the road, whilst the ever-present wall is unwilling to provide any run off at Turn 5. Mesmerising stuff. Being a street circuit the fans are always close to the action.
    As for this year's Formula One championship, we'll make no predictions, except to say, that the cream always rises to the top. 
    As for the Australian Grand Prix, who knows, especially since Pirelli's 2013 spec tyres are another aggressive step forward from 2012. This year they're providing the medium and super-soft compounds, effectively making last year's option tyre, this year's prime tyre. Strategy will certainly be difficult to foresee. Remember though in trying, unpredictable conditions where tyre management is crucial, the most experienced driver on the grid has won three of the last four Aussie GP's; Jenson Button. Intriguing stuff.
    Let us know what you're doing for the Australian Grand Prix. Tell us your prediction for the great race. Leave formulafrontrow.com a comment or drop us a line at: greenflag@formulafrontrow.com. It'll be an awesome event. See you in Melbourne....

    Enthusiastic Sydney fans were eager to witness the new for 2013 V8 Supercar Car Of The Future, and subsequently descended in large numbers for last weekend's Official Test Day at Sydney Motorsport Park. A record number for an official pre-season test translated to 17-odd thousand punters attending the free event. 
    The day included a lunchtime fan grid walk with drivers ever present to chat with fans and gladly posing for photos. Fans were then treated to a couple of practise restarts behind the Safety Car. Remember in 2013, restarts are double file. Will the leading driver choose the inside line to cover the run into Turn 1 bearing in mind that it may not always be the racing line where there's more rubber down and therefore grip? The cars will be much closer together definitely raising excitement levels. The last 15 minutes of the day resembled the frantic dying stages of a qualifying session with teams trying to gain a psychological advantage over their rivals going into next weekend's season opening Clipsal 500 in Adelaide. A great day was had by all.
    But are the big crowd numbers enough to persuade V8 Supercars to include Sydney Motorsport Park as a regular venue on the championship calendar? In the past we've spoken about the importance of brand promotion through TV and online exposure to generate both corporate and fan interest. 
    However it all starts with crowd numbers through the gates doesn't it? Venues and promoters need to know that an event is first of all fiscally viable. Big crowd numbers then entice TV to broadcast the event. This then seduces more fans watching at home to attend next year as it looks like an event you can't miss. Business interest therefore increases as companies see a great avenue to promote their own brands through both team and trackside sponsorship. The cycle continues. Alternatively, if the venue looks half empty on TV, the event seems less appealing to both fans and business, and consequently, interest wanes.
    So do you think that crowd numbers have such a large influence on venues staging events? More importantly, will you be attending the next V8 Supercar event when they return to Sydney Motorsport Park? It is a great facility with the circuit upgrades transforming the circuit. Would love to see the V8's plunging into the new section though. 
    Let us know what you think. Leave a comment or send us an email at: greenflag@formulafrontrow.com. In our next post formulafrontrow.com will be previewing the Australian Formula One Grand Prix. See you soon. Cheers....