Mercedes Unfazed by Bahrain Struggles

Mercedes had a weekend mixed fortunes in Bahrain. After dominating qualifying with Nico Rosberg, the team discovered their race pace was well below than that of the true front runners’.

Nico Rosberg dropped from pole to third after four laps and continued to do so lap after lap until he was 9th when the checkered flag dropped. This type of tumble through the field is in stark contrast to the team’s performances in the opening three races, where they were in the fight for podiums.

Ross Brawn was understandably frustrated by Mercedes’ poor performance in Bahrain, saying that the lack of pace was unexpected. “To be honest, we didn’t anticipate quite such difficulty. It was worse than we expected,” he explained to Autosport.

Brawn admits the problem lies with the tires, which are proving to be the determining factor of success in 2013. The Mercedes is known to be harder on its tires than the other front-runners, but still manages to obtain good results from the first three races. This made the race in Bahrain all the more puzzling.

Asked if he felt a repeat of Mercedes’ performance dip of 2012 was beginning to repeat, Brawn was keen to avoid defeat, but admitted there are things to work on. “We just overheated the tires. We could have more races like that unless we improve our performances in this area, because when you are at one end of the scale, then whenever the tire become compromised because of the temperature, you’ll be the ones meeting that limit earlier than other people,” he explained.

What could happen?

While Nico’s journey from here to zero was disappointing, Lewis Hamilton’s race made the predicament all the more confusing. Having started from 9th, poor pace in the first two stints transformed into prodigious speed in the final half of the race. The change in fortunes was good enough to propel him to 5th place.

In juxtaposition, the races of Nico and Lewis make no sense, and that is something to be concerned about. Bahrain marked the last race of Mercedes’ true competitiveness in 2012. Other than the one-off successes in Monaco and Valencia, Bahrain was the last race Mercedes achieved a truly decent result. There is no midseason test this year, so Mercedes need to find a way to fix their tire troubles.

I personally Mercedes face the same fate as they endured last season. There is nothing to suggest anything different is being done to remedy the situation at Mercedes and, if the past is to be believed, nothing should change.

Tires have been the Achilles heel for Mercedes since they refutes to the sport in 2010. The problem was at its worst last year, but their underlying problems have been restricting them for the last three years. If 2013 ends up being a repeat of last season, Mercedes will have even more to think about for the 2014 regulations overhaul.

Barcelona Testing: Day 3

The penultimate day of the first Barcelona test came to a conclusion today. A day full of close times, long runs and some more tire understanding painted a picture of a very close field for 2013. A red flag within the last 15 minutes of the day cut the running a little short but the day was nevertheless productive. This is important with rain in tomorrow’s forecast. Here is how everyone got on.

Mark Webber had his first go in the RB9 at Barcelona. His running was inconspicuous as he never threatened the top if the time sheets. He ended the day 9th.

Fernando Alonso completed his third and final day if this first Barcelona test in style at the top of the time sheets. His time didnt eclipse that of Perez from yesterday but the time shows that Ferrari has made progress.

Jenson Button had a fairly low key day in his Mclaren. He didn’t threaten the top times just like Webber, but was productive nonetheless.

Romain Grosjean had a very productive day. He didnt have any notable mechanical issues and completed a race distance. To top it all off, he had the third fastest time of the day, just over three tenths off the ultimate pace.

Nico Rosberg was back in the car today after a rather disappointing outing on Tuesday. Today he completed 106 laps to make up for the lost mileage.

Nico Hulkenberg showed how handy the Sauber is over one lap by putting the C32 second fastest. He was very close to the 100 lap mark today.

Adrian Sutil made his F1 testing comeback today with Force India. In what has been rumored to be a shootout between him and Jules Bianchi for the final race seat at Force India, the German finished the day eighth.

Both Williams drivers had a chance in the car today. They were able to complete solid mileage given that they each only had half of a day to drive. They were 5th and 6th on the time sheets.

The final three spots on the chart were taken by Jean Eric Vergne, Max Chilton and Giedo van der Garde, respectively. The latter was the cause of the day’s only red flag after he stopped on track with 15 minutes left to run.

The final day of testing in the first Barcelona test may quite possibly reveal a more clear competitive order. Expect some more race simulations and faster times.

TODAY’S TIMES

Pos Driver Team Time Gap Laps
1. Fernando Alonso Ferrari 1m21.875s 97
2. Nico Hulkenberg Sauber 1m22.160s +0.285 91
3. Romain Grosjean Lotus 1m22.188s +0.313 119
4. Nico Rosberg Mercedes 1m22.611s +0.736 108
5. Pastor Maldonado Williams 1m22.675s +0.800 79
6. Valtteri Bottas Williams 1m22.826s +0.951 68
7. Jenson Button McLaren 1m22.840s +0.965 71
8. Adrian Sutil Force India 1m22.877s +1.002 78
9. Mark Webber Red Bull 1m23.024s +1.149 108
10. Jean-Eric Vergne Toro Rosso 1m23.366s +1.491 106
11. Max Chilton Marussia 1m25.690s +3.815 58
12. Giedo van der Garde Caterham 1m26.177s +4.302 83

Barcelona Testing: Day 1

The F1 circus returned to action this morning at the chilly Circuit de Catalunya for what may be the prologue to another classic Formula One season. Williams finally revealed their 2013 challenger, thus completing the field and there was plenty of work to be done. Here is how everyone got on.

The morning was relatively quiet as everybody got used to the very green circuit. Once the teams came to grips, however, they were quick to show their speed. The last 20 minutes was when the drivers started to show their speed as Vettel, Raikkonen, Alonso and Rosberg impressed.

Sebastian Vettel in the Red Bull enjoyed a lot of time at the top of the time sheets (he ended the morning session fastest). He would eventually end the day 4th.

Fernando Alonso got his first taste of the F138 after he opted to sit out the four days of testing in Jerez. He said the new car was on another planet compared to the F2012 of last year. Funnily enough, this is precisely what Felipe Massa had to say about the F138 in Jerez. Fernando also completed by far the most laps of anyone, slipping past the 100 lap mark to finish on 110 for the day.

Sergio Perez kicked things off for Mclaren in Barcelona. A lengthly reset process after an aero run delayed his running for a large chunk of time in the morning, but he had a productive day nonetheless.

Kimi Raikkonen was the first of the Lotus drivers to get to know the E21 around the Spanish circuit. He was happy with the progress made today, but feels there is still some work to be done. He also enjoyed time at the top of the time sheets today, eventually finishing second.

Nico Rosberg had some gearbox troubles this morning. He was delays for a worrying amount of time, but eventually got running after the lunch break. He was quick to show his speed as well, ending the day fastest, just .007 second quicker than Raikkonen.

Esteban Gutierrez had a very quiet day in his Sauber. He was vocal about the tire situation, saying that they were degrading very rapidly, just like they did in Jerez. Nevertheless, Sauber have a lot of information to analyze over the next three days.

Paul di Resta was the early pacesetter this morning. There weren’t any mechanical issues of note and he ended the day 8th fastest.

As the first man to drive the brand new FW35, Pastor Maldonado had a lot to do today. The Venezuelan was very happy with the progress made on the new car and his is pleased with the overall performance. If there is anyone to gauge good car performance around the Barcelona circuit, it is last years’ winner.

Daniel Ricciardo impressed the time sheets, often hanging around the big boys on the speed charts. He didn’t encounter any mechanical issues and ended the day 6th fastest.

Marussia’s Max Chilton and Caterham’s Charles Pic were tenth and 11th respectively as the first of the four days of testing came to an end.

Tuesday times:
Pos  Driver                              Time                     Time                                 Laps    Tyre*
 1.  Nico Rosberg       Mercedes     1m22.616s            54  Medium
 2.  Kimi Raikkonen     Lotus        1m22.672s  + 0.007s  44  Medium
 3.  Fernando Alonso    Ferrari      1m22.952s  + 0.336s  110 Medium
 4.  Sebastian Vettel   Red Bull     1m22.965s  + 0.349s  66  Medium
 5.  Pastor Maldonado   Williams     1m23.733s  + 1.117s  86   Soft
 6.  Daniel Ricciardo   Toro Rosso   1m23.884s  + 1.268s  73   Hard
 7.  Sergio Perez       McLaren      1m24.124s  + 1.508s  77  Medium
 8.  Paul di Resta      Force India  1m24.144s  + 1.528s  82  Medium
 9.  Esteban Gutierrez  Sauber       1m25.124s  + 2.508s  68   Hard
10.  Max Chilton        Marussia     1m26.747s  + 4.131s  65   Soft
11.  Charles Pic        Caterham     1m27.534s  + 4.918s  49   Hard

Mercedes Get it right the Second Time

A simple hashtag.  That’s all it was.  A hashtag.  A hashtag that managed to overwhelm the website of one of the most professional Formula One teams in the business.

What Mercedes failed to consider last Saturday was the power of their fans when given the opportunity to see their favorite car two days early.  When the official Mercedes F1 team website crashed for a number of hours, the fans went mental.  The goal behind this infamous hashtag mentioned earlier was to get their fans excited about the possibility of an early reveal.  The fans would tweet with the hashtag #F1Wo4Reveal and in turn, each tweet with the hashtag would slowly open a virtual garage door on their website with an image of their new car behind it.

With this scheme failing for the most part (the site was eventually back up but opening the door was a slow and painful process), Mercedes really needed to get their official launch down to a tee.

This morning, Mercedes unveiled their challenger in a manner most civilized.  Well, if you consider Lewis Hamilton doing doughnuts in his Mercedes SLS AMG Black Series civilized, it was the most tame event in the history of mankind.  In all seriousness though, the unveiling of the F1W04 was one of the most important of the whole field.  Lewis Hamilton has arguably put his career on the line with a team which has failed to achieve most of their goals.  The one race win in China was the highlight of a season riddled with the most extreme lows the team has experienced.

As Nico Rosberg and Lewis Hamilton slowly drew back the cover of the car which everyone had already seen, I thought to myself, “Boy, I hope this car can be remotely decent”. If F1 is to live up to the excitement of 2012, this car needs to challenge.  The F1 fans will not want to settle for only four top teams.

 

As you can see, Mercedes has a brand new sponsor in BlackBerry. Indeed, Lewis and Nico were sporting brand new smartphones with which they took many photos of the new car and themselves.  What is immediately apparent is the vanity panel.  The 2012 Mercedes sported the most revolting stepped nose of the whole field. Personally, I am thrilled with the new look. As with most of the launched cars, the front wing is very similar to that of last years’, though this will change tomorrow when testing commences.

 

The atmosphere, from what the live feed could give me, was one of positivity.  Nico Rosberg has said that he doesn’t expect Mercedes to be one of the cars to beat at the beginning of the season, as it was last year, because the deficit the team had to the leaders at the end of 2012 will be too great to overcome so swiftly.  He does however believe that Mercedes can be competitive this season.  similarly, Lewis Hamilton is positive for what may be a career defining season.  He has stated that he doesn’t expect to fight for the title this year, and right he should. I would question his sanity if he thought otherwise.

What is obvious, though, is that Mercedes have a very important year ahead of them.  They no longer have any excuses. They have two fantastic drivers, the best technical and operational bosses (of questionable organization, though) and most importantly, motivation.  This is a recipe for success.  Whether it comes in 2013 or 2014 remains to be seen.

Team Expectations in 2013: Part Two

In Part two of this series, I will focus on the 2012 midfield and what they should expect and focus on for next year.

Mercedes:

It seems strange that a giant team like Mercedes would be feature in a midfield group, but their 2012 performances justify this.

They may have won the third race if the season, but by Hungary, the Mercedes team was firmly in the midfield, often struggling for points.

Signing Lewis Hamilton will surely give the team a boost for 2013, but this can only do so much.

The corporate reshuffling going on recently in the team could also prove beneficial, but it could also be deleterious. With Haug gone, Wolff in, Brawn rumored to go, Lauda in there doing something important (maybe) and Paddy Lowe rumored to come in, there could be a serious clash if egos which could derail the team’s focus.

Mercedes also need to not forget Nick Rosberg. He may not be as fantastic as Lewis, but he’s still very goodand a driver which has been very loyal to a team which has broken its promises for the last three years.

Mercedes need to do one this this season. Build a reliable, fast car. The drivers will do the rest of the work.

Sauber:

A team that nearly took two wins and which could have fought for more on other occasions will be very optimistic for 2013, indeed!

2012 was Sauber’s most successful year since it became private in 2010. The car proved extremely easy on its tires and good on most tracks.

The drivers were also pretty reliable for the most part, with a few niggles along the way. Perez’s move to Mclaren left and open seat for Hulkenberg, and the decision to not resign Kobayashi opened the door for Esteban Gutierrez. An all new line up for 2013 could be cause for concern especially as Esteban has proved a bit raw, but hopes are high for this season.

Sauber just needs to keep up the work on their design and make sure that they provide a calm environment for the young Mexican rookie. If this happens, then they could challenge the big boys more often than not.

Force India:

Hopes were high for 2012, but they weren’t always met. They were slightly overshadowed by Sauber and Williams but strong performances from their drivers ensured the most points ever hauled in the team’s history.

Losing Hulkenberg to Sauber puts Force India at a bit of a disadvantage because he was their star performer of 2012. His replacement is eat to be announced (as is, surprisingly, di Resta) but I don’t think his replacement will be quite as good. Bianchi seems the best option for the seat to me.

Their future is uncertain in monetary terms, but if they sort out their drivers and produce a good car in 2013, they are sure to improve on last years’ position.

Williams:

After the near farce that was 2011, 2012 was an exponential improvement. A win in Spain was very emotional for the team. Also great were Maldonado’s qualifying performances, the Venezuelan starting in the top 5 on several occasions. His tendency to get into accidents put a dent on his season, but he is no doubt a great driver.

Senna was a disappointment, however. He didn’t show the type of star quality drives that his teammate did and it was good that Bottas got the seat. They now have a team for the long haul.

Williams need to keep Maldonado under control and provide a nurturing environment for Bottas. If they do this while improving upon their 2012 car, the only way is up.

Torro Rosso:

What to say about this team? Well, their car is fast in a straight line. This, unfortunately was the extent of their performance in 2012.

They have two promising, if unspectacular drivers who did a decent job with a less than decent car.

If Torro Rosso are to do anything for 2013, they need to come up with a car that will show off their drivers’ talents. This team is not designed to move up the grid because the last thing Red bull wants is another Monza 2008. Red Bull don’t want to be shown up by their junior team.

I don’t know if Vergne or Ricciardo have what it takes to be the next big thing for Red Bull, but 2013 could be the year we all find out.