Monaco F1 Grand Prix: Rosberg all the Way!

May 23, 25, 26, 2013

Nico Rosberg, Mercedes, dominated the entire Grand Prix weekend to start at pole and then lead for 78 laps of the race. At the back of the field though, it was Russian Roulette with as many as six accidents – some mechanical and some avoidable!

Nico Rosberg dominated the Monaco Grand Prix weekend by leading in every lap that he ran.

How does one describe a Grand Prix race that stayed in a state of limbo until the 29^th lap, barring the odd damage through an unfortunate crash or “racing incidents”? Three Safety Car periods and then a red flag that grinded the entire Grand Prix to a halt for over 40 minutes? Seven car casualties and crashes that changed the course of the championship?

Pretty damn boring and pointless I’d say!

On the narrow, twisty and highly dangerous street circuit of Monaco, overtaking is practically impossible. As a result teams are more dependant on working pit strategies to gain a minuscule advantage hoping to undercut the competition and gain track position.

A view of Pastor Maldonado’s Williams after he was hit by Max Chilton, Marussia.

The first pit-stop was made by Paul Di Resta of Force India in Lap 9, and yes that had more to do with team strategy rather than any racing exigency starting as he did at P17. The next stops were all after Lap 24 with Mark Webber, Red Bull, Kimi Raikkonen, Lotus (Lap 26) and Jensen Button, McLaren (also Lap 26).

However, following the horrific crash that Felipe Massa, Ferrari suffered at the Ste Devote corner in Lap 28, practically the entire field decided to pit and change tyres as was natural. But this also put paid to a lot of team strategies for the remainder of the race.

Sebastian Vettel summed up the remainder of the Grand Prix quite succinctly when he said in his syndicated interview to PMG: “When you’ve got two Silver Arrows at the front, you expect them to sail off into the distance, but it was more like following two coaches on a sight-seeing tour.”

There was also the small incident of both Red Bull Racing and Ferrari Teams driving the race “under protest”.  It started with leaks of Pirelli conducting a secret 1,000 km testing schedule with Mercedes – ostensibly on Pirelli’s new compound tyres for 2014 – having reached the paddock.

Analysts and of course, competing team principals suspect that the tests might have been conducted on the new construction hard tyres for the current season which were to be commissioned from the Canadian Grand Prix onwards.

The FIA has now got involved and will be investigating the matter thereby forcing Pirelli to postpone the release of the new construction tyres until the British Grand Prix at Silverstone.

Back to Monaco and it wasn’t for nothing that most analysts and fans were wondering whether such a fortuitous pre-race test after a disastrous Grand Prix in Spain would change the flagging fortunes of the Mercedes team. Everyone, however, knew they had great qualifying pace but had been dogged by excessive rear tyre wear and consequently very high degradation in tyre performance.

Not just did the Mercedes duo put in the maximum laps on their starting tyres before the Massa crash, but also ended up leading comfortably for the first 31 laps of the race. And had it not been for a simple, yet bizarrely amateurish mistake in pitting Hamilton late enough to make him lose two positions in the Safety Car period, Mercedes could have easily made it a one-two!

Felipe Massa, Ferrari, crashes into the barriers for the second time in the weekend.

But at the end, at least the die-hard fans of Merc, Nico Rosberg and Lewis Hamilton were not disappointed.

Given the nature of the race, I too have modified the construction of the blog to stick with what was considered the “most exciting and fascinating” part of the race, that is, from the start of Lap 54 to the end of the race. So here goes:

Lap 54 to Lap 78

Lap 54 Perez ran Raikkonen off the track at the Nouvelle chicane but the Iceman managed to get back on the racing line and maintain track position. By Lap 55, the Force India of Sutil had started to swarm all over Alonso’s back and finally in Lap 57 in what is the slowest corner of the circuit – the Portier hairpin – went to the inside of the track and passed the Spanish driver.

However, it must be said that Alonso who was having a frustrating evening driving around with debris stuck in his front wing, lost concentration and provided Sutil ample room by moving wide to the right. This moved the Force India driver up one place to 7^th.

At the 58^th Lap the line-up was: Rosberg, Mercedes, Vettel, Red Bull, Webber, Red Bull, Hamilton, Mercedes, Raikkonen, Lotus, Perez, McLaren, Sutil, Force India, Alonso, Ferrari, Button, McLaren and Vergne, Torro Rosso.

Jules Bianchi, Marussia crashed out in the 60^th lap but he was lucky to avoid the barrier and slid away into the slip road to crash sideways into the tyre barriers. Double yellow flags were out and DRS disabled. Vettel had by now stepped off the gas preferring to follow quietly behind Rosberg who in terms of championship points is a whopping 67 points behind. It was smart thinking.

Webber too cut out the histrionics and maintained a respectful distance behind his championship-leading team-mate. If there was anyone trying to race at this stage, it was Lewis Hamilton although he too was provided with the routine team warning to take care of his tyres!

Romain Grosjean, Lotus climbs into the Torro Rosso of Daniel Di Ricciardo.

In Lap 62 Romain Grosjean decided in a fraction of a second of madness that he had to get past Daniel Ricciardo, Torro Rosso, but instead launched his Lotus right into the back-end of the impressive Australian. It was a totally careless accident from the Frenchman who, much like Pastor Maldonado and Sergio Perez was fast developing a reputation of being a reckless “kamikaze kid”.

Debris scattered all over the area meant that the yellow flags were out and the race temporarily suspended with the Safety Car out. Grosjean though, managed to get back into the pits, get a new nose assembly and a set of front wings! He rejoined the field in Lap 63 only to limp around at the back-end of the grid until Lap 65 and then get back into the pits with a broken floor, to retire from the race.

Normal racing was resumed at the end of Lap 66. All the leads had by now been wiped out thanks to the Safety Car but the leaders led by Rosberg made perfect starts to pull away from the pack. Status quo in terms of the Top 10 cars was maintained at this stage.

However, in Lap 69, the usual suspect, Perez, McLaren made contact with Raikkonen, Lotus even as they made their way into the Nouvelle chicane. Raikkonen was always going left, cutting off any space for the McLaren driver to pass but instead of slowing down and letting the Lotus take the racing line, ploughed into latter’s rear right tyre. The jury is still out on whether Raikkonen could have provided a bit more room to Perez or whether the latter should have backed off when he saw the daylight in front of him close.

Kimi Raikkonen, Lotus and Sergio Perez, McLaren bang wheels at Monaco.

The result was a smashed front wing for Perez and a rear tyre puncture for Raikkonen. With no choice left, the Finn was forced to pit in Lap 70! Kimi meanwhile, returned to the track in Lap 71 in 16^th place. It was going to be the first time in 23 consecutive races that he was going to be out of the points table.

The blown front wing on Perez’s McLaren meant that he was beginning to lose downforce and consequently grip and very soon, Sutil made his move and passed him comfortably to take P5. However, the Mexican reclaimed the place in Lap 73 when he went off the road and came back on track in front of the German! This was getting ridiculous now.

More action from the Perez corner when in the very next lap, Sutil banged wheels with him at the Rascasse corner to push the McLaren into the left side barriers. Perez somehow stayed on course but was now aligned with team-mate Jensen Button who was not going to do him any favours given their recent history, cut off any room Perez had, to slide past him.

That was the end for Perez’s race as he struggled with brake problems and was forced to park at the side of the road, unable to get back into the pits. Poetic justice or what?

The mêlée pushed Arian Sutil into 5^th place, maintaining Force India’s impressive performance this year and probably showing the German’s credentials as a superb F1 driver who had lost none of his skills in the two years that he was out of the sport.

With just under 3 laps remaining, Rosberg pulled away from the pack and a victory was well in sight and that too 30 years after his father Keke Rosberg had achieved the feat at Monaco – the first father-son duo to do so.

The real surprise though? Kimi Raikkonen still managed to finish 10^th to complete 23 consecutive races in the points!

MONACO STATS AND FACTS

MONACO DRIVER STANDINGS
POS.	DRIVER	TEAM	PTS.
1	Nico Rosberg	Mercedes	25
2	Sebastian Vettel	Red Bull	18
3	Mark Webber	Red Bull	15
4	Lewis Hamilton	Mercedes	12
5	Adrian Sutil	Force India	10
6	Jensen Button	McLaren	8
7	Fernando Alonso	Ferrari	6
8	Jean Eric Vergne	STR-Ferrari	4
9	Paul Di Resta	Force India	2
10	Kimi Raikkonen	Lotus	1

OVERALL DRIVER STANDINGS
POS.	DRIVER	TEAM	PTS.
1	Sebastian Vettel	Red Bull	107
2	Kimi Raikkonen	Lotus	86
3	Fernando Alonso	Ferrari	78
4	Lewis Hamilton	Mercedes	62
5	Mark Webber	Red Bull	57
6	Nico Rosberg	Mercedes	47
7	Felipe Massa	Ferrari	45
8	Paul Di Resta	Force India	28
9	Romain Grosjean	Lotus	26
10	Jensen Button	McLaren	25
11	Adrian Sutil	Force India	16
12	Sergio Perez	McLaren	12
13	Daniel Ricciardo	STR-Ferrari	7
14	Nico Hulkenberg	Sauber	5
15	Jean Eric Vergne	Torro Rosso	5

CONSTRUCTORS STANDINGS
POS.	TEAM	PTS.
1	Red Bull-Renault	164
2	Ferrari	123
3	Lotus-Renault	112
4	Mercedes	109
5	Force India-Mercedes	44
6	McLaren-Mercedes	37
7	STR-Ferrari*	12
8	Sauber-Ferrari	5
	*Torro Rosso

Barcelona F1 Grand Prix: Stats and Fun Facts

Despite being all about tyres, the Spanish Grand Prix provided its share of thrills and spills. Here is an overview of the key stats and facts.

Casa Milà at dusk in Barcelona, Spain. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Winner’s Time

Fernando Alonso, Ferrari: 1:39:16:596 (h:mm:ss:000)

Alonso was back at his best to win his home race.

Fastest Lap of the Race

Esteban Gutierrez, Sauber-Ferrari: 1:26:217 (m:ss:000)

Longest Tyre Stint:

Kimi Raikkonen, Lotus-Renault: 21 Laps (3^rd Stint – Hard Tyres)

Best Total Pit-Stop Time (3 Stops)

Jensen Button, McLaren-Mercedes: 57.296s

Best Race Pit-Stops (4 Stops)

Sebastian Vettel, Red Bull Racing-Ranault: 1:15:559s

AWARDS

Barcelona’s Best

1. Fernando Alonso, Ferrari for an excellently paced and tactically perfect race.

Felipe Massa drive a great race to stay in the top 3.

2. Kimi Raikkonen, Lotus-Renault for taking P2 after qualifying at P5.

1. Felipe Massa, Ferrari for maintaining steady pace and showing tactical nous to finish 3^rd.

Barcelona Surprises

1. Paul Di Resta, Force India for  driving yet another superb race to finish at P7.
2. The STR-Ferrari of Daniel Ricciardo which seems to be a vastly improved car this season.

Bahrain Flops

1. The Mercedes duo of Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg who started at the front of the grid and then went steadily down the field with high levels of tyre degradation and wear.
2. Pastor Maldonado, Williams, for continuing to be practically invisible!

Team Radio Communication of the Race

Two nuggets from Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes make this a no-contest!

1. “I can’t go any slower!” (When asked by his team to take care of his tyres and conserve fuel.)
2. “I got overtaken by a Williams!”

PIT-STOP AND TYRE STRATEGIES: TOP 10 DRIVERS
POS.	DRIVER	TEAM	START	LAP	STOP 1	LAP	STOP 2	LAP	STOP 3	LAP	STOP 4
1	Fernando Alonso	Ferrari	M	9	H	21	H	36	M	49	H
2	Kimi Raikkonen	Lotus	M	10	M	26	M	45	H	NA	NA
3	Felipe Massa	Ferrari	M	8	H	20	H	36	M	51	H
4	Sebastian Vettel	Red Bull	M	10	H	24	H	39	M	51	H
5	Mark Webber	Red Bull	M	7	H	20	H	36	M	50	H
6	Nico Rosberg	Mercedes	M	10	H	27	H	47	H	NA	NA
7	Paul Di Resta	Force India	M	9	H	19	M	38	M	53	H
8	Jensen Button	McLaren	M	11	H	28	H	46	H	NA	NA
9	Sergio Perez	McLaren	M	10	H	23	H	38	M	50	H
10	Daniel Ricciardo	STR-Ferrari	M	10	H	24	M	39	H	51	H
				M	Medium	H	Hard

PIT-STOP TIME: TOP 10 DRIVERS
POS.	DRIVER	TEAM	STOP 1	STOP 2	STOP 3	STOP 4	TOTAL
1	Fernando Alonso	Ferrari	18.909	19.952	19.519	18.471	1:16:851
2	Kimi Raikkonen	Lotus	19.978	19.743	20.184	0	59.905
3	Felipe Massa	Ferrari	19.490	19.373	19.326	19.001	1:17:190
4	Sebastian Vettel	Red Bull	18.606	18.708	19.551	18.694	1:15:559
5	Mark Webber	Red Bull	19.668	19.151	19.170	18.931	1:16:920
6	Nico Rosberg	Mercedes	19.414	20.032	19.352	0	58.978
7	Paul Di Resta	Force India	20.615	19.792	19.822	19.481	1:19:710
8	Jensen Button	McLaren	18.810	19.196	19.290	0	57.296
9	Sergio Perez	McLaren	19.250	20.578	19.866	19.993	1:19.687
10	Daniel Ricciardo	STR-Ferrari	19.795	20.100	19.498	19.857	1:19:250

BARCELONA DRIVER STANDINGS
POS.	DRIVER	TEAM	PTS.
1	Fernando Alonso	Ferrari	25
2	Kimi Raikkonen	Lotus	18
3	Felipe Massa	Ferrari	15
4	Sebastian Vettel	Red Bull	12
5	Mark Webber	Red Bull	10
6	Nico Rosberg	Mercedes	8
7	Paul Di Resta	Force India	6
8	Jensen Button	McLaren	4
9	Sergio Perez	McLaren	2
10	Daniel Ricciardo	STR-Ferrari	1

OVERALL DRIVER STANDINGS (5 RACES)
POS.	DRIVER	TEAM	PTS.
1	Sebastian Vettel	Red Bull	89
2	Kimi Raikkonen	Lotus	85
3	Fernando Alonso	Ferrari	70
4	Lewis Hamilton	Mercedes	52
5	Felipe Massa	Ferrari	48
6	Mark Webber	Red Bull	42
7	Paul Di Resta	Force India	32
8	Romain Grosjean	Lotus	26
9	Nico Rosberg	Mercedes	22
10	Jensen Button	McLaren	17
11	Sergio Perez	McLaren	12
12	Daniel Ricciardo	STR-Ferrari	7
13	Adrian Sutil	Force India	6
14	Nico Hulkenberg	Sauber	5
15	Jean Eric Vergne	STR-Ferrari	1
CONSTRUCTORS STANDINGS
POS.	TEAM	PTS.
1	Red Bull-Renault	131
2	Ferrari	118
3	Lotus-Renault	111
4	Mercedes	74
5	Force India-Mercedes	38
6	McLaren-Mercedes	29
7	STR-Ferrari*	8
8	Sauber-Ferrari	5
	*Torro Rosso

The Formula 1 Spanish Grand Prix: Alonso Reigns Supreme at Home!

Although the Spanish GP was more about tyre management and pit stop strategies, it still provided an intriguing spectacle for die-hard F1 fans.

May 10, 11, 12, 2013

After the Bahrain disaster, Fernando Alonso was back at his best to win his home race.

Qualifying

Pirelli yet again brought the medium and hard tyre compounds for the Spanish Grand Prix. It was early Christmas for the teams even as the tyre maker offered an extra set of tyres for free practice as well. As in Bahrain, the compounds were expected to favour the likes of Red Bull Racing, Lotus and Ferrari although pundits were quick to dismiss the chances of Mercedes who have struggled with tyre degradation and unusually heavy wear in the season so far.

Q1 saw the exit of last year’s winner, Pastor Maldonado of Williams-Renault and his team-mate Valtterri Bottas, Guido Van Der Garde and Charles Pic, Caterham, and Jules Bianchi and Max Chilton, Marussia.

The Mercedes team topped the time-sheets with Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg clocking 1:21:728s and 1:21.913s respectively. Interestingly, Kimi Raikkonen of Lotus put in a time of 1:22:210s on the hard compound tyres and that too after being held up by the Sauber of Esteban Gutierrez.

Q2 continued in the same vein with Hamilton waiting it out until the last minute of the session to top the time-sheets with a run of 1:20:001s followed by Sebastian Vettel, Red Bull, Fernando Alonso, Ferrari and Raikkonen, Lotus. Mark Webber, Red Bull Racing, Nico Rosberg, Mercedes, Sergio Perez, McLaren, Felipe Massa, Ferrari, Romain Grosjean, Lotus and Paul Di Resta, Force India, made the cut while Jensen Button, McLaren was the one upset among the top drivers not to make the Top 10 for Q3.

With less than two minutes to go in Q3, a string of cars hit the circuit including Alonso, Raikkonen, Vettel, Rosberg and Hamilton. Rosberg set the fastest time of 1:20:728s, followed by team-mate Hamilton who was a mere 2/10ths of a second behind.

Final Line-up: 1. Nico Rosberg (Mercedes), Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes), 3. Sebastian Vettel (Red Bull), 4. Kimi Raikkonen (Lotus), 5. Fernando Alonso (Ferrari), 6. Felipe Massa (Ferrari), 7. Romain Grosjean (Lotus), 8. Mark Webber (Red Bull), 9. Sergio Perez (McLaren), 10. Paul Di Resta (Force India).

Race Laps 1 – 20

Rosberg got off to a decent start to maintain his pole position at the start of the race but team-mate Hamilton locked a wheel into Turn 1 and had to concede track position to Vettel who stormed his way from the outside to slot in just behind the leader.

Meanwhile, Alonso in the Ferrari blazed his way from the left side of the track to first lock wheels with Hamilton and then sweep past him and Raikkonen into third place. It was brilliant, fully committed racing from the Spaniard on a circuit where overtaking is difficult, if not impossible.

Raikkonen was down into 5^th place, continuing his terrible streak with race starts. Down the grid, Perez and Massa battled it out for track position with the former pushing the Brazilian wide only to lose the place by the start of Lap 2. At this stage both the Ferraris were showing terrific race pace and seemed to be flying past the competition even without DRS enabled!

That duly happened in the middle of Lap 3 and immediately, Vettel began to close in on Rosberg while Raikkonen set about pressurizing Hamilton. But status quo was maintained well into the 6^th Lap with the magnificent string of cars all within half a second of each other. At this point, 19 cars were separated by a mere 15 seconds!

It wasn’t until the middle of Lap 7 that Raikkonen finally made his move on Hamilton; zipping to the inside of the Mercedes and making an opportunistic pass stick. Meanwhile, Mark Webber who had been languishing in P13 was called in to the pits in Lap 8 and loaded with a fresh set of hard compound tyres. The Red Bull strategy was to change things around and push hard from here on given that Webber still had a couple of hard sets of rubber available for the remainder of the race.

Lap 8 saw Hamilton struggle with brake and tyre issues and that made it easy for Massa to pass him and claim track position at P5. As was the case in Bahrain, the Mercedes was losing ground alarmingly. However, Ferrari chose to give up the position by pitting Massa at the end of the lap and getting him on to the hard compound tyres. Massa rejoined the field at P14.

More pit action was in store at the top of Lap 9 with Adrian Sutil, Force India and Romain Grosjean, Lotus limping back into the garage with mechanical failures. The race had ended for the French driver but the Force India crew were able to douse the smoke emanating from Sutil’s rear brakes and send him back out, albeit after what seemed like eons in the pits.

Alonso made his first stop at the start of Lap 10 and changed his tyre to the hard compound as did Mercedes’ Hamilton. They were followed in quick succession by all three leaders – Rosberg, Vettel and Raikkonen. Of these, only the Finn went back in on medium compound tyres.

Ferrari’s strategy of pitting Alonso earlier than the leaders bore rich dividends when he managed to get ahead of Sebastian Vettel at the pit lane apex in order to move himself in to P3 just behind Rosberg. The home boy was now storming down the tail of the German.

In the middle of the field, Jensen Button, McLaren had sneaked his way into P6 after a very early pit-stop at the start of the race. But Raikkonen on fresher tyres had started to gain on him and very soon passed him comfortably at Turn 10 to claim the position. At this point in the race, Esteban Gutierrez of Sauber led the race for the very first time in his fledgling F1 career followed by Rosberg who had somehow managed to ward off the marauding Alonso.

Meanwhile, Mark Webber who went down the field to P17 was back in P7 driving beautifully on his set of fresh hard tyres. It was clear that the Red Bull strategy of pitting him earlier than planned, was working perfectly and a podium finish seemed on the cards.

Alonso’s frustration at being stuck behind a persevering Rosberg finally came to an end at the start of Lap 13 as he swept past the German at Turn 1 driving the home fans to frenzy. With Gutierrez yet to pit, the legion of Alonso fans sensed that it was going to be his day!

That move was also the cue for Vettel and Massa to start attacking Rosberg and at Turn 6 blew past him to take P3. Massa too was now on the rear wing waiting to make his move from P5 which he duly accomplished in the next couple of turns.

Felipe Massa drive a great race to stay in the top 5 throughout the race.

Rosberg’s misery was not over because now Raikkonen started to gain on him. By Lap 15, the Finn made his pass on Rosberg to snatch P4. As in Bahrain, the Mercedes was now being gobbled up by the cars behind!

Within a span of a few seconds, the leader board had changed drastically with Alonso leading followed by Vettel, Massa, Raikkonen and Rosberg. But the race was now becoming increasingly about tyre management rather than flat out racing. All the drivers were now intent on saving their rubber rather than battling for track position.

However, Vettel and Webber in the Red Bulls were now flagging with Massa rapidly gaining on the German and Perez in the McLaren and Paul Di Resta, Force India starting to threaten Webber. Before that could happen, Daniel Ricciardo who until now had been driving a superb race, slotted past Di Resta to put himself in P8. Di Resta however, pitted in the same lap.

End of Lap 20: 1. Fernando Alonso (Ferrari) 2. Sebastian Vettel (Red Bull) 3. Felipe Massa (Ferrari) 4. Kimi Raikkonen (Lotus) 5. Nico Rosberg (Mercedes) 6. Mark Webber (Red Bull) 7. Sergio Perez (McLaren) 8. Daniel Ricciardo (STR-Ferrari) 9. Lewis Hamilton (McLaren) 10. Nico Hulkenberg (Sauber).

Race Laps 21 – 40

Felipe Massa came into the pits at the top of Lap 21 for his second stop allowing Kimi Raikkonen to move into 3^rd place. He was fitted with another set of brand new hard tyres and rejoined the field at P11. Race leader Alonso followed in the very next lap released. With a rash of pit stops at the middle of the field, Massa too managed to work his way up to P5.

The Ferraris were yet again back in contention for the podium spots considering that the current leaders, Vettel, Raikkonen and Rosberg (P4) had only made one pit-stop each and were due for tyre change. However, with Massa having opened up the slot for Raikkonen, the Finn was now flying in clean air and had come within 7/10^ths of a second behind the current race leader, Vettel.

The German world champion made his second stop in Lap 24 and finally released Raikkonen to lead the race for the first time in the Spanish Grand Prix. Alonso meanwhile, was lapping some three seconds faster and had now come within 5.8 seconds of the leading Lotus.

Towards the back of the field, Webber started to make steady progress after easily passing an increasingly dejected Hamilton. To make matters even worse for him, Di Resta in the Force India breezed past with effortless ease. In yet another Mercedes-Red Bull shoot-out, Vettel blasted away from Rosberg in Lap 26. The Mercedes campaign after a great qualifying was now in tatters!

Raikkonen finally relinquished his hard-fought leadership position in the same lap to free up Alonso at the top of the field. Interestingly though, the Iceman was put back on medium compound tyres and rejoined the race at P4.

By Lap 30 Kimi was hot on the heels of P3 Vettel. The intriguing, edge-of-the-seat dogfight continued well into Lap 33 when the Finn finally made a stupendous pass on Turn 14 to wrest the position. Raikkonen was well and truly flying on his medium tyres but still 18 seconds behind the Ferrari of Alonso.

Kimi Raikkonen, Lotus, yet again proved that he was the master of tyre management.

Alonso duly made his third stop at the start of Lap 37 yet again yielding the first place to Raikkonen but with the advantage of being on a fresher set of hard tyres overtook him on the main straight at the start of Lap 39. Raikkonen was now into 13 laps on the same set of medium compounds yet again proving that he was the master at tyre management.

End of Lap 40: 1. Fernando Alonso (Ferrari) 2. Kimi Raikkonen (Lotus) 3. Felipe Massa (Ferrari) 4. Sebastian Vettel (Red Bull) 5. Mark Webber (Red Bull) 6. Nico Rosberg (Mercedes) 7. Daniel Ricciardo (STR-Ferrari) 8. Esteban Gutierrez (Sauber) 9. Jensen Button (McLaren) 10. Paul Di Resta (Force India).

Race Laps 41 – 60

Lap 41 witnessed a battle royal between Gutierrez, Sauber and Button in the McLaren. The rookie driver managed to hold off Button but had to finally concede the place towards the end of the lap when the 2009 World Champion slipped past him to put himself in 7^th place.

The remainder of the field remained pretty much the same by Lap 44 with Alonso leading the race followed by Raikkonen (+7.656s), Massa (+9.252s), Vettel (+14.033s) and Webber (+8.937s). But Alonso was pulling away quickly from Raikkonen and widening the gap in every sector and Massa too was putting in some truly fast lap times to close in on Kimi.

Given the pressure applied by the Brazilian driver, Raikkonen was called in on Lap 46 for his third and possibly his last pit stop of the race. He was fitted with a brand new set of hard compound tyres and rejoined the field at P4 – the first time in the race that he was on the harder prime rubber.

By the start of Lap 47, Alonso was ahead of Raikkonen in P3 by 29.498 seconds and Massa by nearly 19 seconds, thereby making it a foregone conclusion that he could make his 4^th pit-stop and still continue to lead the field quite comfortably. Massa and Vettel – both their cars on medium compound tyres – were due for their last stops with 19 laps still to go.

Alonso made his final pit-stop in Lap 49 and came back out on hard compound tyres and stayed ahead of Raikkonen and team-mate Massa at the pit exit.

The Ferrari team finally got Massa in for his last stop at the head of Lap 52 as did the Red Bull team with Vettel. Both went back on hard tyres and rejoined the race at P3 and P4 respectively.

Enjoying the traction and grip that the fresh rubber was affording Alonso, the two-time World Champion had opened up a 10 second lead at the top of the field ahead of the second placed Raikkonen. He increased that to over 12.6 seconds by the start of the 56^th lap.

Paul Di Resta, Force India drove another brilliant race to threaten the likes of Mercedes’ Nico Rosberg.

At the centre of the field, there were a couple of mini battles taking place between the Mercedes and Force India teams. Rosberg was defending 6^th place from Di Resta while Lewis Hamilton and Adrian Sutil were scrapping it out for 12^th.

The other interesting contest was between the old suspects and team-mates Button and Perez for P9. As was witnessed in Bahrain, Perez was not going to let the more illustrious partner to dictate terms being as he was on hard compound tyres which were 4 laps fresher than Buttn’s. However, team orders were sent out to the Mexican driver requesting him to hold station

End of Lap 60: 1. Fernando Alonso (Ferrari) 2. Kimi Raikkonen (Lotus) 3. Felipe Massa (Ferrari) 4. Sebastian Vettel (Red Bull) 5. Mark Webber (Red Bull) 6. Nico Rosberg (Mercedes) 7. Paul Di Resta (Force India) 8. Jensen Button (McLaren) 9. Sergio Perez (McLaren) 10. Daniel Ricciardo (STR-Ferrari).

Race Laps 61 – 66

The top 10 maintained their positions in Lap 61 as the time gaps between cars remained constant with Alonso taking full advantage of the clean air in front of him as did Massa who was driving wonderfully at this stage. The Ferrari strategy was to allow Massa to go as fast as he could in order to catch Raikkonen in 2^nd place thereby making it a one-two for the Italian automotive giant.

The strategy was fraught with risk considering that Massa could blow his tyres in the bargain leaving him little leeway in the race in terms of pit-stops. The fight was all but given up with his left rear tyres showing heavy graining that resulted in him lapping almost three seconds slower.

In a race where tyres mattered, Guido Van Der Garde of Caterham lost one!

Meanwhile, the joust between Rosberg and Di Resta continued through to Lap 64 when the Scot narrowly missed a passing chance on the main straight. At this point, Di Resta was a mere .339 seconds behind the Mercedes driver.

There were no last-minute spills or thrills in the final lap as all the cars held their positions leaving Alonso a clear winner followed by Raikkonen and Massa.

Although not a great race by any standards, considering that it was more about tyre management and pit stop strategies rather than pure racing, the championship had been spiced up just enough to keep all the front-runners – read Vettel, Raikkonen and Alonso – within sniffing distance of the 2013 World Championship.

Final Standings: 1. Fernando Alonso (Ferrari) 2. Kimi Raikkonen (Lotus) 3. Felipe Massa (Ferrari) 4. Sebastian Vettel (Red Bull) 5. Mark Webber (Red Bull) 6. Nico Rosberg (Mercedes) 7. Paul Di Resta (Force India) 8. Jensen Button (McLaren) 9. Sergio Perez (McLaren) 10. Daniel Ricciardo (STR-Ferrari).

Next edition: The Spanish GP Stats Sheet

Bahrain GP 2013: Stats and Fun Facts

Red Bull’s Sebastian Vettel may have made the contest one-sided, but there was enough excitement down the field to keep everyone watching hooked.  

Here are some of the highlights, stats and fun facts.

Bahrain fountain. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Winner’s Time

Sebastian Vettel, Red Bull Racing-Ranault: 1:36:00:498 (h:mm:ss:000)

Fastest Lap of the Race

Sebastian Vettel, Red Bull-Renault Racing: 1:36:961 (m:ss:000)

Sebastian Vettel stormed to an easy win in Bahrain.

Pole Position

Nico Rosberg, Mercedes: 1:32:330 (m:ss:000)

Longest Tyre Stint

23 Laps: Kimi Raikkonen, Lotus-Renault

Best Total Pit-Stop Time (2 Stops)

Kimi Raikkonen, Lotus-Renault: 43.988s

Kimi Raikkonen has mastered the art of managing the 2013 Pirelli tyres.

AWARDS

Bahrain’s Brilliant

1. Sebastian Vettel, RBR-Renault for a tactically flawless race.
2. Kimi Raikkonen, Lotus-Renault for taking P2 after qualifying at P9.
3. Romain Grosjean, Lotus-Renault for taking 3^rd after qualifying at P11.
4. Paul Di Resta, Force India-Mercedes for a career-best 4^th place on a two-stop pit strategy.

Bahrain Surprises

1. Sergio Perez, McLaren-Mercedes for taking on team-mate Jensen Button and finishing at P6.
2. Paul Di Resta, Force India-Mercedes’ first pit-stop which was neither here nor there!
3. Paul Di Resta, Force India-Mercedes for leading the race albeit for 3 laps.

Bahrain Shunts

1. Valtterri Bottas, Williams ploughing into Jean-Eric Vergne, STR-Ferrari, which resulted in the Frenchman driving into the Caterham of Guido Van Der Garde!
2. Mark Webber, RBR-Renault for touching wheels with Nico Rosberg, Mercedes and getting summons from the race stewards.
3. Felipe Massa, Ferrari’s joust with Adrian Sutil of Force India-Mercedes that practically wrecked the race for both drivers.

Bahrain Disappointments

1. Nico Rosberg, Mercedes for not being able to capitalise on his pole position and dropping down to 9^th place.
2. Fernando Alonso, Ferrari for having a mechanical failure on his DRS flap on the rear wing which destroyed his race.
3. Felipe Massa, Ferrari for suffering two tyre failures and a damaged front wing that kept him out of the points table.

PIT-STOP AND TYRE STRATEGIES: TOP 10 DRIVERS
POS.	DRIVER	TEAM	START	LAP	STOP 1	LAP	STOP 2	LAP	STOP 3	LAP	STOP 4
1	Sebastian Vettel	Red Bull	MEDIUM	10	HARD	25	HARD	42	HARD	–	–
2	Kimi Raikkonen	Lotus	MEDIUM	16	HARD	34	HARD	–	–	–	–
3	Romain Grosjean	Lotus	HARD	16	HARD	27	MEDIUM	42	MEDIUM	–	–
4	Paul Di Resta	Force India	MEDIUM	14	HARD	36	HARD	–	–	–	–
5	Lewis Hamilton	Mercedes	MEDIUM	10	MEDIUM	22	HARD	38	HARD	–	–
6	Sergio Perez	McLaren	MEDIUM	10	HARD	20	HARD	39	HARD	–	–
7	Mark Webber	Red Bull	MEDIUM	8	HARD	21	HARD	37	HARD	–	–
8	Fernando Alonso	Ferrari	MEDIUM	7	HARD	8	HARD	24	HARD	39	HARD
9	Nico Rosberg	Mercedes	MEDIUM	9	HARD	20	HARD	33	MEDIUM	44	MEDIUM
10	Jensen Button	McLaren	MEDIUM	9	HARD	21	HARD	34	HARD	46	MEDIUM

PIT-STOP TIMES
POS.	DRIVER	TEAM	STOP 1	STOP 2	STOP 3	STOP 4	TOTAL
1	Sebastian Vettel	Red Bull	21.660	21.290	21.906	0	1:04:856
2	Kimi Raikkonen	Lotus	22.715	21.273	0	0	43.988
3	Romain Grosjean	Lotus	24.605	21.608	21.556	0	1:07:769
4	Paul Di Resta	Force India	22.009	22.475	0	0	44.484
5	Lewis Hamilton	Mercedes	22.072	21.444	21.600	0	1:05.116
6	Sergio Perez	McLaren	21.471	21.161	21.319	0	1:03:951
7	Mark Webber	Red Bull	21.798	21.221	21.031	0	1:04:050
8	Fernando Alonso	Ferrari	23.055	21.436	21.123	21.189	1:26:803
9	Nico Rosberg	Mercedes	22.237	21.331	21.183	21.267	1:26:018
10	Jensen Button	McLaren	23.093	21.894	21.696	21.230	1:27:913

BAHRAIN DRIVER STANDINGS
POS.	DRIVER	TEAM	PTS.
1	Sebastian Vettel	Red Bull	25
2	Kimi Raikkonen	Lotus	18
3	Romain Grosjean	Lotus	15
4	Paul Di Resta	Force India	12
5	Lewis Hamilton	Mercedes	10
6	Sergio Perez	McLaren	8
7	Mark Webber	Red Bull	6
8	Fernando Alonso	Ferrari	4
9	Nico Rosberg	Mercedes	2
10	Jensen Button	McLaren	1

OVERALL DRIVER STANDINGS (4 RACES)
POS.	DRIVER	TEAM	PTS.
1	Sebastian Vettel	Red Bull	77
2	Kimi Raikkonen	Lotus	67
3	Lewis Hamilton	Mercedes	52
4	Fernando Alonso	Ferrari	45
5	Mark Webber	Red Bull	32
6	Felipe Massa	Ferrari	30
7	Romain Grosjean	Lotus	26
8	Paul Di Resta	Force India	26
9	Nico Rosberg	Mercedes	14
10	Jensen Button	McLaren	13
11	Sergio Perez	McLaren	10
12	Daniel Ricciardo	Torro Rosso	6
13	Adrian Sutil	Force India	6
14	Nico Hulkenberg	Sauber	5
15	Jean Eric Vergne	Torro Rosso	1

CONSTRUCTORS STANDINGS
POS.	TEAM	PTS.
1	Red Bull-Renault	109
2	Lotus-Renault	107
3	Ferrari	58
4	Mercedes	66
5	Force India	36
6	McLaren	16
7	STR-Ferrari*	7
8	Sauber-Ferrari	5
	*Torro Rosso

 

Part III: F1 Season 2013 – It’s time for Predictions!

The final edition of  the Predictions Series with the last two contenders – Mark Webber, Red Bull Racing and Felipe Massa, Ferrari.

5. Mark Webber, RBR (Australia): 2012 Season – Wins 2; Podiums 4; Points 179

Season 2013 (2 races): Wins 0; Podiums 1; Points 26

Mark Webber on the big screen. Photo Credit: CKK

To many F1 racing aficionados, Mark Webber being touted as a title contender might sound a trifle incongruous. At 36, he is the veteran driver on the grid, has made 200 race starts and yet, never won a World Driver’s Title since he made his début for Minardi way back in 2002.

Webber’s class as a F1 driver has never been in question, but his ability to go for the kill and close out the competition in the latter stages of the season, has. As if to make matters more difficult for Webber, Helmut Marko, the team’s consultant and right-hand man of owner Dietrich Mateschitz, went on record at the start of the 2013 Season by declaring that Mark Webber “can’t maintain form throughout an entire F1 season” and that he had “a little trouble” handling pressure! Webber hit back promptly stating that he knew he wasn’t part “of Marko’s agenda”! Vettel’s recent pronouncements about Webber not deserving to win at Malaysia has further fuelled the already volatile situation within the team.

Webber’s rivalry with fellow driver and world champion Sebastian Vettel, dating back to 2010, has been well documented and analysed will have a major bearing on his fortunes this season. The public spat between the two after Sepang and his criticism of the team principals with regard to providing the German special favours and “protection”, has resulted in the Red Bull Racing team management withdrawing all team orders for future races – at least in the early part of the season. Multi-21, the term that trended on Twitter, is history. While this does reflect on the fact that Christian Horner and Adrian Newey have lost all control over their battling drivers, it does leave Webber freer than in previous seasons to assert himself. But, on the other hand, that could be a dangerous proposition in situations where they might be fighting for a win during any of the impending 17 races! Tremendously exciting for the fans but a sure-fire recipe for disaster for RBR!

Mark Webber – Queanbeyan 2 (Photo credit: Kincuri)

To many of us die-hard Formula 1 fans, Webber continues to remain an enigma wrapped in a paradox. He can be as smooth and as explosive as any of the great F1 drivers over the years, and yet, despite having a wonderfully engineered championship-winning car, the results have belied his awesome talent. It must be acknowledged that he has had his fair share of terrible luck as well – simply hark back to the races in Abu Dhabi in 2012 and the one at Austin, Texas. In the first, he got caught in the middle of a chaotic pile-up and had to retire, and in the second, suffered an alternator failure forcing him to beach his RB8 in the early laps. More recently, at Melbourne, he had another electronics failure which compromised his start and pushed him to the middle of the grid.

It is now a foregone conclusion that 2013 will probably be the last season that Mark Webber drives for the Austrian outfit. Simply from that perspective, he has nothing to lose and that elusive title to gain in the bargain. While Vettel has struggled with tyre-wear and more recently at Shanghai, excessive vibrations in his car, Webber has a machine that seems to be a lot more stable and the fastest on the grid over a single lap. Another indication of the Aussie’s grit and determination to establish his legacy at RBR was seen at Shanghai’s second practice where he consistently hit the top of the time-sheets even as his champion team-mate struggled. The Shanghai Grand Prix will provide an excellent indicator of how the Vettel-Webber saga will play out for the rest of the season.

6. Felipe Massa, Ferrari (Brazil): 2012 Season – Wins 0; Podiums 2; Points 122

Season 2013 (2 races): Wins 0; Podiums 22; Points

Felipe Massa Ferrari single-seater during Bahrain 2010 GP (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Just a year ago, if anyone had predicted that Felipe Massa would be a title contender, he/she would have been laughed out-of-town. Worse, the person might have lost his right to earn a livelihood in the sports writing business. How things change!

The diminutive Brazilian has turned the form book on its head and if the last season and the early part of 2013 have been any indicator, he is well on his way to getting back to his best.

After his horrific accident at the Hungarian Grand Prix in 2009 when a spring from another car broke loose and pierced his helmet, cracked his skull and got lodged above his right eye, Massa was never the force that he was before that unfortunate incident. Medical experts have stated that the skull injury impacted his brain in a way that it hampered his concentration and coördination levels in a high-performance race car. There was also the psychological aspect that probably crept into his mental make-up wherein he expected the worst every time that he stepped on the track. It made him look tentative and wary – definitely not categorized as virtues for a Formula 1 race driver!

It is credit to Ferrari that they waited for him to recover from the major surgery and reinstate him in the team albeit as the Number Two driver alongside former world champion Fernando Alonso. While race fans and pundits were extremely relieved with his return to the fold, the results were not forthcoming. Massa had to endure the ignominy of being the first driver ever in the history of Ferrari to not earn a podium in an entire season, in 2011. At the start of the 2012 Season, speculation was rife that Massa would eventually have to go and would be replaced by a younger, higher-performing driver. Sergio Perez, the Mexican who impressed one and all with the resurgent Sauber team (and part of Ferrari’s young drivers program) was touted to be at the top of list to take Massa’s place.

This air of uncertainty played havoc with Massa’s performance in 2012. In 14 Grand Prix starts, he managed only 51 points with 4^th pace finishes in Silverstone, England and Monza, Italy being his only notable results. With Massa in the doldrums, the writing was on the wall and everyone believed that a team such as Ferrari would or could not continue to persist with such a poor-performing driver in its ranks. That was when the Maranello giant confounded the Formula 1 racing world by extending Massa’s contract by another year. The results were immediate and incredible! It was as if Massa had rediscovered his groove.

A happier Massa and now almost fully recovered from his debilitating head injury was back to his best. The driver that the racing world admired and respected was back with a bang, driving with the same grace, control and panache of his yeomen years. Massa exploded to a 2^nd place podium finish in Japan and then placed P4, P6, P7 and again P4 in the next four races at Korea, India, Abu Dhabi and the U.S. respectively. He ended the season in style at his home race in São Paulo with a 3^rd place podium. In all, he had racked up 71 points thereby reaffirming his place among the top 10 F1 drivers in the world.

It has been rumoured and reported that Ferrari is concerned about the impact of Massa’s resurgence on the team’s fortunes this season because even though he is the designated Number Two driver, he is showing signs of dominating his more illustrious counterpart – Fernando Alonso. Proof is available in his performances over the last five races (three last season and two this year) wherein he has out-qualified Alonso. He completed the race at Sepang even as the Spaniard crashed out in lap 2 thereby narrowing the gap between the two further. And only today, Massa topped the time sheets at Shanghai in the second practice.

Massa being back to the best is great news for race fans the world over. However, while it increases the headache of the Ferrari team bosses, it is sure to spice up Season 2013’s championship stakes.

Part II: F1 Season 2013 – It’s time for Predictions!

Featured are the two drivers – Kimi Raikkonen, Lotus and Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes – who have the best chance to turn the tables on the top seeds in the current season.

That Kimi Raikkonen is a cult figure in the Formula 1 Grand Prix firmament and has a legion of fervent and passionate fans as is evident from this picture. A view of the “Kimi Grandstand” before the start of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix in 2012.

3. Kimi Raikkonen, Lotus (Finland): 2012 Season – Wins 1; Podiums 7; Points 207

Season 2013 (2 races): Wins 1; Podiums 0; Points 31

 When Kimi Raikkonen announced his return to the Formula 1 fold in 2012 after a three-year hiatus, there was a sense of euphoria among thousands of his loyal fans. And yet, there were some apprehensions as well. The question on most peoples’ lips was whether he would be the same force that he was when he walked away from it all after bagging one WDC title with Ferrari in 2007 and two runners-up finishes in 2003 and 2005 with McLaren respectively. Would he be competitive enough after such a long sabbatical especially considering that he was mainly rally driving for the Citroen Junior Racing Team, dabbling in a bit of NASCAR in the U.S. before ending up racing trucks in the Camping World Truck series!

But as the cliché goes, you can take a man out of racing, but you can’t take racing out of him! Raikkonen’s comeback was made possible before the 2012 Season when Lotus-Renault (the re-branded race management of Team Renault),  got him back into the fold. The man himself probably missed the adrenaline rush of being in the fastest cars in the world and so might have even settled for a lesser pay packet to get back into the F1 Grand Prix Circus (although he would be loath to admit it). You can check out the Iceman’s second coming by Lotus F1 at http://www.kimiraikkonen.com. It is truly a must for all Kimi die-hard fans!

And boy! What a phenomenal return it has been! Even after three years away from the mainstream, Raikkonen simply waded back into the frenetic, high-octane world of Formula 1 and glided his way to one win and seven podium finishes and a staggering 207 points to end the season on P3. The feat is categorised as “staggering” only because the car at Raikkonen’s disposal – the Lotus E20 – was way behind in race pace in comparison to the Red Bulls, McLarens and even the Mercedes’. And yet, he managed to beat two former world champions, Lewis Hamilton and Jensen Button, quite comfortably.

The season’s crowning glory came in Abu Dhabi when he held off a marauding Fernando Alonso to win his first race in 2012. It is a testimony to Raikkonen’s sheer driving ability, acute spatial awareness and incredible race control that he managed to score points in that car in each race of the season bar one – at Shanghai, China where he finished at P14. Every other race was within the top 10 and there were 19 of them in all!

What was even more creditable was that he was the only driver to complete all 20 races without a single accident or mechanical failures. It is another matter though that his car had begun to sound like a hollow, damaged drum by the time he hit the brand new circuit in Austin, Texas. Raikkonen had literally worked his car and all the available engines for the season, into the ground! Contrast this performance of his younger team-mate Romain Grosjean’s results for the season wherein he had all of seven retirements through crashes and mechanical glitches!

So what does Kimi Raikkonen need to do this season in order to win the World Drivers Championship? Well, he has started terrifically by winning the Australian Grand Prix and then managing to somehow stay in the points (7^th position for 6 points) in the Sepang Grand Prix, his qualifying penalty of three grid positions notwithstanding. A total of 31 points means that he is just 9 points adrift of Sebastian Vettel and already second in the driver’s points table. With the first win out-of-the-way, Raikkonen needs at least a couple more P1 finishes to throw in the gauntlet at Vettel and Alonso. And it is possible this season.

The Lotus-Renault E21 is showing fantastic pace in the dry, even faster than the Red Bulls or the Ferraris. Second, even as the likes of Vettel, Webber and most of the drivers are going to town criticising the rapid degradation of the new Pirelli tyres, Raikkonen has shown the way in their careful preservation and management. On the James Allen on F1 website (the Bible for us F1 fans), Lotus’ Technical Director, James Allison said that unlike what people believe about Raikkonen being a very fast driver; it is his patience over tens of laps that characterise his current version as an F1 racer.

To amplify the point, he revealed that when Kimi was behind the two race leaders at Sepang, he deliberately maintained a one second distance behind them, so that he had the benefit of clean air around him, which in turn, prevented his car’s tyres from overheating.

Allison has said in a podcast that Kimi lost traction on the wheels only twice during the entire race at Melbourne. And that even in the final laps (where he set the fastest lap time of the race), his tyres were only half worn! So much so for tyre degradation!

Given dry conditions, Raikkonen is going to dominate in the season that is unfolding even if the car he has does not have great pace in qualifying. Lotus is expecting a lot more updates in the days and months to come, so that would be one area that they will address specifically. But qualifying pace or not, it takes Raikkonen to spot one gap in the field at the start and he has the talent to simply blow his way into a top three slot. From there on, he is normally unbeatable only because the level of control he exercises is masterful.

Standing ovation for Raikkonen after his win at Abu Dhabi in 2012.

Raikkonen in his second coming is a lot cannier and a more measured. As a bottom line, all this is great news for true-blue racing fans because we can expect to be treated to some masterful driving on the most grueling and competitive race tracks in the world.

4. Lewis Hamilton, McLaren-Mercedes (Great Britain): 2012 Season – Wins 4; Podiums 7; Points 190

Season 2013 (2 races): Wins 0; Podiums 1; Points 25

On his day, there is no better sight than Lewis Hamilton blazing his way like a silver arrow at the front of the grid. Such is his pace and control that he is capable of opening up significant leads in a matter of mere seconds. It is often said that the 27-year-old Englishman knows only one gear to drive in – overdrive! He possesses incredible control but his blazing, blasting style of driving can end in heartbreak and that too in a few crucial races when points in the bag matter the most.

Easily one of the fastest drivers in the world, Hamilton has also been plagued with a mixture of bad luck and myriad mechanical problems with his McLaren MP4-27. Season 2012 could have seen Hamilton challenging the eventual winner and leaders and even dominating the standings had it not been for five crippling retirements.

In Germany, (Hamilton’s 100^th Grand Prix start) he had a punctured tyre in Lap 3; in Belgium Romain Grosjean made contact forcing him to plough into Fernando Alonso and Sergio Perez thereby ending the race for all four drivers; his gearbox failed at Singapore, followed by another mechanical failure at Abu Dhabi when he was comfortably in the lead, and finally in Sao Paulo, Nico Hulkenberg made contact with Hamilton forcing the two-time world champion to retire from P2 in his very last race for Team McLaren!

The sum total of all the mishaps suffered by Hamilton meant that he lost at the very least between 50 and 75 points which had a significant impact on the final standings in Season 2012. Had Hamilton completed all races like say Kimi Raikkonen, he would have finished third overall and could have even challenged Alonso for second. Even then his stats for the season were extremely impressive with over 75% of his total points (190) coming from wins and podiums! In a car that gave both McLaren drivers a lot of grief during the year, those are remarkable figures.

Lewis Hamilton (Photo credit: Dwonderwall)

As the season drove to a close, controversy erupted when Hamilton was said to be unhappy at McLaren owing to contractual differences with the team principals (McLaren apparently refused to hike his salary for the 2013 Season), Hamilton finally joined Mercedes even after he was rumoured to have approached Bernie Ecclestone for getting him a seat at Red Bull Racing. This was subsequently vehemently denied by Hamilton but true to form, he was yet again at the centre of an unnecessary controversy.

Analysts wondered whether all this would have an impact on his performance in the season. If the first two races of the season have been any indication, Hamilton is back to doing what he does best – making the most of a machine that cannot as yet be categorised as really quick. He finished 5^th at Melbourne and 3^rd at Sepang netting him a total of 25 points so far (adrift by 15 points from the leader Sebastian Vettel). But there are encouraging signs that Mercedes will be a serious top 3 contender in 2013 with both Hamilton and Rosberg showing excellent form. The two have pushed Mercedes within 3 points of the second place held jointly by Lotus and Ferrari in the Constructors Standings.

A lot of Hamilton’s assault on Vettel’s stranglehold atop the F1 food chain will depend on his ability to curb his naturally aggressive instincts. Much like Alonso and Raikkonen, he will have to nurse, cajole and coax his car into providing the best possible performance within its limitations and chalking up points consistently over 20 races. He has started well and that is half the job done because the worst fate that can befall a race driver is to have mechanical problems or accidents early in the season. It tends to play with their psyche in a negative way and adds way too much pressure when the time comes to playing catch-up.

If you race fans have noticed, this season Hamilton seems to be taking it a whole lot slower and easier. He seems calmer and has been pacing his sessions a lot more sensibly. Gone is that instinct that pathologically drives him to blitz the time-sheets, be it in the practice sessions, qualifying or then in the race. Instead, he is now driving well within himself and selecting his moment to unleash the beast for a few flying laps when it matters, say in qualifying. He was also raring to have a go at Vettel and Webber towards the end of the race at Sepang but a curt instruction from Ross Brawn from the Mercedes telemetry station and his own new-found sense of maturity, saw him conserve fuel and his tyres and safely bring home the car in third place.

Hamilton’s machine may not possess the heavy artillery required to destroy the Red Bulls’ charge at the top of the grid. But there is no way that he can be written off as a title contender especially considering the driver problems being faced at the Austrian team garage and the terribly designed, uncompetitive car of his former team, McLaren. If he manages to keep his head as he did at Malaysia, Hamilton could well be one of the top three drivers vying for the title in 2013.