In the round-up: Montezemolo expects Ferrari to improve but doesn’t expect a big change in China.
Links
Top F1 links from the past 24 hours:
Montezemolo: “I have every faith in our people” (Ferrari)
“I hope we see some improvement, especially in qualifying and to see us be competitive as we were yesterday in the race. But I reckon that will be difficult as I don’t think Ferrari can turn it around in the space of a week.”
RBR ‘wary’ of Ferrari and McLaren (Autosport)
“Ferrari looked to be having a very strong race in Malaysia so we need to focus on optimising our own performance. We have managed to win the two opening grands prix of the season, which is a tremendous start, and we will look to try and build on this form as we head to China next week.”
Pirelli in the firing line over ‘rubber bullets’ (Daily Telegraph)
Paul di Resta: “Rubber is not the softest material and if it got you in the right place, it could hurt. It happened quite a few times over the weekend and as you go into the corner, the rubber runs across the tyre and flicks up.”
“Nico Hulkenberg is off to Bengaluru tomorrow for the big Force India announcement.”
Via the F1 Fanatic live Twitter app
Q&A – Red Bull’s Helmut Marko (F1)
“At the start Nick Heidfeld outperformed Lewis for second place, so probably their plan to take the lead into the first corner vanished. On top of that we knew that Hamilton had used one extra set of option tyres already in qualifying. He had one set less than Sebastian – he only had one set of prime and we had two, so the advantage was on our side.”
Follow F1 news as it breaks using the F1 Fanatic live Twitter app.
Comment of the day
Jelle van der Meer gets a calculator out to come up with some more stats and facts:
Vettel’s scored his 12th win in 64 races an impressive win ratio of 18.8% however he is only ranked 11th, from the active drivers Lewis is 9th with 19.2% and Michael is 4th with 33.6%. Absolute record holder is Fangio with an amazing 45.1% win ratio this next to his 68.6% podium ratio.
Vettel’s 17th pole in 64 races puts him ahead of Michael with pole ratio, however Vettel’s 26.6% ratio makes him 5th,Michael is 6th with 25.1% and Lewis is 7th with 24.7%. And who else than Fangio is 1st with 54.9% – still can’t believe Fangio was not voted best World Champion ever.
Jelle van der Meer
From the forum
Hare has a cunning plan for how teams can keep their radio messages secret.
Site updates
Some changes were made to the site yesterday in an effort to the slow page loading problem some users have experienced. If you had the problem before, please let me know by email whether you have noticed any change.
Please include details of where you are trying to access the site from and which browser you are using. You may find it beneficial to clear your browser cache.
Happy birthday!
Happy birthday to Amy and Ben Thomas!
On this day in F1
The Argentinian Grand Prix was won 30 years ago today by Nelson Piquet. It was the last time the race was run on the long, high-speed version of the Oscar Galvez circuit:
See the cars heading off on the first lap of the hugely fast circuit plus Andrea de Cesaris running true to form in the video below:
Image © Ferrari spa/Ercole Colombo
Icthyes (@icthyes)
12th April 2011, 0:07
Happy Birthday Amy and Ben Thomas, if you see this!
That circuit looked pretty good. it’s a shame true high-speed circuits have been shunned over the past ten years, even Austin is going to have slow, boring fiddly bits.
US_Peter (@us_peter)
12th April 2011, 0:50
Yes, happy birthday to both of you.
I’m a little bummed that Austin is gonna have those things. With Texas being famous for BIG, it would’ve been great if they’d engineered the circuit to be F1s fastest.
BasCB (@bascb)
12th April 2011, 8:03
I agree with that, and a happy birthday to the two of you.
wasiF1 (@wasif1)
12th April 2011, 9:43
The thing in that video is the spectator who has to move from one place to another to watch the GP as in those days there wasn’t any giant screen.
AndrewTanner (@andrewtanner)
12th April 2011, 13:21
I know! How things have changed. I would be very apprehensive about being there these days, coul dbe very dangerous.
Fer no.65
12th April 2011, 20:46
You gotta come to Argentina. From th Grandstands you can watch half the racetrack (the whole main straight, the first esse, the whole backstraight and the Ascari corners) without binoculars
Fer no.65 (@fer-no65)
12th April 2011, 17:05
the difference is that the Argie’s track is still alive and kicking. And it’s being renovated.
Unlike fast Hockenheim, fast Kyalami, etc…
butterdori (@butterdori)
12th April 2011, 0:24
Is it difficult to make tyres that don’t have as much marbles?
The track condition looked atrocious
This not only poses a risk for drivers and cars, it makes overtaking difficult outside the racing line.
Why can’t they be more like Bridgestones where the rubber is transferred onto the track rather than disintegrating
topdowntoedown (@topdowntoedown)
12th April 2011, 10:03
As you say, the Bridgestones used to make much smaller marbles. Malaysia was like the old days :D
Mouse_Nightshirt (@mouse_nightshirt)
12th April 2011, 1:09
Ahaha, that video is amusing purely because it took De Cesaris two attempts to spin round in the correct direction!
Fixy (@)
12th April 2011, 15:06
Like I do most times in F1 2010 :P
Joe
12th April 2011, 1:46
Looks like Kubica is improving!
http://autosport.aeiou.pt/gen.pl?p=stories&op=view&fokey=as.stories/95786
Here is the google translation (It sort of makes sense)
Are always positive news coming out of Pietre Ligure, where Robert Kubica continues to recover from a violent accident to February 6. Within a week the Polish hopes to walk, since the fracture in his right leg is almost consolidated, concentrating on the recovery of the wrist and right elbow. Homecoming is scheduled for later this month, but there is not a reliable predictor for their return to the slopes.
wasiF1 (@wasif1)
12th April 2011, 9:41
Wishes & prayers are to him from all the F1 fans down here.
fordsrule (@fordsrule)
12th April 2011, 11:57
Dont speak for me, sure I want him to get better but that doesnt mean you can just say everyone wants that.
wasiF1 (@wasif1)
13th April 2011, 2:15
SORRY my bad, I still haven’t meet any person in this blog who don’t want him to get well. So this time I am changing my line, & if possible Keith delete my last post.
” Wishes & Prayers are for him from me ONLY”
AlonsoWDC
12th April 2011, 2:45
Good lord.
I didn’t even think of what di Resta brings up.
Burnout
12th April 2011, 8:45
It’s an important point though. The track was littered with marbles even on the straights!
topdowntoedown (@topdowntoedown)
12th April 2011, 10:13
I did wonder actually as the sidepods of some cars had rubbery smears on. But surely no part of the driver is actually exposed?
sato113 (@sato113)
12th April 2011, 11:24
their hands when they steer tight corners.
US_Peter (@us_peter)
12th April 2011, 3:35
Keith, regarding site updates, I’m still having trouble loading pages without multiple refreshes using any and all iOS browsers available.
Eggry (@eggry)
12th April 2011, 3:51
Me too
Lee Harrison (@lee-harrison)
12th April 2011, 8:30
Same for me.
Meander (@meander)
12th April 2011, 8:43
I’m in the Netherlands and cannot get through to the site with IE or Chrome, only Firefox, refresh and hope the “wrong” adverts don’t try to load…
Meander (@meander)
12th April 2011, 8:43
Sorry, running WinXP.
Matt Pepprell
12th April 2011, 11:21
Even on the designed for mobile version of F1 Fanatic? If so, that sucks for you. Its fine on my Windows Phone 7, and Firefox (N900).
Perhaps your browser is not configured correctly?
— Matt
Hamish
12th April 2011, 4:11
Force Indias big announcement is that they are going to start paying their bills.
PieLighter (@pielighter)
12th April 2011, 5:37
Hi Keith,
I sent you an email a good few weeks ago about my bday but I didn’t get a shoutout today. :(
IDR (@idr)
12th April 2011, 5:51
Happy Birthday, PieLighter!!!!
US_Peter (@us_peter)
12th April 2011, 7:12
Happy Birthday!!
BasCB (@bascb)
12th April 2011, 9:00
Happy birthday PieLighter!
Icthyes (@icthyes)
12th April 2011, 9:17
That username definitely warrants a mention – happy birthday!
wasiF1 (@wasif1)
12th April 2011, 9:38
Happy Birthday PieLighter
sato113 (@sato113)
12th April 2011, 11:25
this shall not come to pass! happy bday all.
AndrewTanner (@andrewtanner)
12th April 2011, 13:23
Happy Birthday!
I wonder if mine will get a mention on Saturday…
GameR_K (@gamer_k)
12th April 2011, 13:26
Happy Birthday to you and your brother PieChucker :P
IDR (@idr)
12th April 2011, 5:55
I still have same problem using Safari 5.0.4 in a MAC OS X 10.6.7 :
I cannot load the page. It just appear the menu bar, and in some occasions, the publicity banners.
I cleared my browser cache as recommended but nothing happens.
US_Peter (@us_peter)
12th April 2011, 7:14
On OSX you can use Firefox with no problems. I’ve yet to find a browser for iPad that works though as they all seem to use the same engine as Safari (and probably Chrome as well). I wish there were an iPad version of Firefox.
Hare (@hare)
12th April 2011, 7:15
yeah it hangs a lot.. have to refresh quite a few times..
jsw11984 (@jarred-walmsley)
12th April 2011, 7:36
I have the same OSX, Chrome and Safari don’t work but Firefox does
IDR (@idr)
12th April 2011, 8:33
Thanks all, but I already use Firefox to visit this site, the only way to read and write comments. :-)
nikeee
12th April 2011, 7:57
whats the forceindia announcement ?
wasiF1 (@wasif1)
12th April 2011, 9:39
Not sure but they have Hulkenberg in India & they say it will be something special.
AndrewTanner (@andrewtanner)
12th April 2011, 13:24
Intriguing!
I like the Hulk, pretty disappointed to not see more of him this year.
Maybe it’s something to do with who gets first run on the track?
Dutch_Alex
12th April 2011, 8:17
It’s funny that history is so quickly forgotten. Ferrari was hugely unsuccessful for 20 years or so, and now they’re in a bit of a slump they are immediately acting as if it is strange.
Same with back markers. They have always been part of F1 history yet now people act as if they are a waste of grid space.
And of course tires. Last year they were crying about the tires lasting to long. Now we have degrading tires, which means that there are marbles, and now the marbles are a problem.
All that while history is for me one of the things that makes F1 worthwhile to watch. If someone would start a new racing series with for example the 2013 F1 regulations I probably wouldn’t watch it because it has no history at all. Same with Superleague Formula. Fast cars, good racing, yet very little people watch it compared to F1.
brendan
12th April 2011, 10:14
yeah shame about superleague its good.
i went to brands to see qualifying for it last year. was a good cheap day out. Tho qualy was hard to follow. Tho i had worked a night shift and then rode straight to the track, so was pretty tired by that point lol
topdowntoedown (@topdowntoedown)
12th April 2011, 10:29
Hear hear. Spot on. Watch some of the classic races and the back markers are driving around slower than I would be in my road car :)
KeeleyObsessed (@keeleyobsessed)
12th April 2011, 11:24
In response to Jelle van der Meer’s COTD, I think I know the answer, back in the 1950’s, when F1 had just started, there were only 6 races in a year and if you finished you got 5th or something like that, it’s very easy to rack up a high percentage of success, whereas Schumi is reaching his 300th race quite soon, meaning each pole is only worth 0.33333%, and he’s not been on pole for even 100 races yet. Fangio might be the best in terms of percentages, but Schumi is the best in terms of numbers.
As for Senna, well, he won it cause he was a brilliant driver, and quite rightly so… It’s a sad thing for me that I never saw Senna’s races cause I was born in ’95
Icthyes (@icthyes)
12th April 2011, 12:54
Yeh it pains me a little that when I was 4 it was 1990, I probably wouldn’t remember much now but I’m sure I could have had followed what was going on! Though really I have to ask, as an 8 year old could I have handled something like Senna dying?
As to your first paragraph, I agree. Paul di Resta currently has 100% of races finishing in the points whereas the guy with the greatest percentage of podiums is actually Luigi Fagioli (who? I hear you cry) but he only competed in 7 races. I know it’s extreme but it illustrates the point.