Jul 14, 2010

'Ayo Bangkit, Ferrari!'



Ferrari masih terseok-seok musim ini. Luca di Montezemolo selaku presiden pun mewanti-wanti agar timnya tak boleh tenggelam dalam kesedihan, segera bangkit dan beraksi di lintasan.

Dari dua seri terakhir, duo Ferrari hanya bisa mengemas empat poin saja. Ini adalah hasil sumbangan Fernando Alonso setelah si driver Spanyol finis di posisi delapan pada GP Eropa. Rekannya, Felipe Massa, malah belum pernah bisa mengemas angka lagi sedari GP Turki akhir Mei lalu.

Akibatnya, Ferrari tertinggal jauh dari para rivalnya di klasemen konstruktor dengan hanya menempati posisi tiga di bawah Red Bull dan McLaren si pemuncak klasemen. Alonso pun ketinggalan 47 poin dari pimpinan klasemen pembalap Lewis Hamilton, sementara Massa tertinggal lebih jauh dengan selisih 78 angka.

Keadaan memang sedang sulit untuk si 'Kuda Jingkrak'. Tapi Di Montezemolo tak mau timnya berlama-lama kecewa karena yang harus mereka lakukan adalah segera menuai hasil positif jika ingin tetap kompetitif.

"Menangis itu percuma, kami adalah Ferrari dan ini waktunya memperlihatkan hasil di lintasan. Saya ingin tim menghadapi paruh kedua musim dengan positif. Kami sudah melewati masa-masa yang lebih berat dan kami bisa melaluinya," tegas dia kepada La Gazzetta dello Sport yang dilansir Autosport.

"Tapi jelas kami tak boleh lagi membuang peluang untuk pelbagai alasan seperti dua balapan terakhir walau punya mobil kompetitif," imbuh Di Montezemolo.

Salah satu kunci kebangkitan cepat, menurut Di Montezemolo, terletak dari bagaimana para pembalapnya tancap gas sedini mungkin agar dapat mencatat waktu kompetitif di sesi kualifikasi.

"Dewasa ini kualifikasi dan start balapan menjadi momen-momen penentu. Kami harus membenahi dua aspek itu jika ingin menang. Saya mengharapkan semuanya memberikan usaha 100% agar bisa membawa pulang poin yang gagal kami dulang sejauh ini," seru dia.


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Vettel: Webber Seharusnya Diam



Sebastian Vettel mengkritik sikap rekan satu timnya, Mark Webber. Pembalap Jerman itu menilai koleganya itu seharusnya tidak membeberkan masalah internal ke hadapan publik.

GP Inggris akhir kemarin menyisakan bara di tubuh tim Red Bull. Pasalnya Webber mencuatkan adanya soal favoritisme dalam tubuh tim, dan yang menjadi "anak emas" adalah Vettel.

Ketika itu Vettel bersikap kalem menanggapi perkataan Webber. "Saya berusaha untuk menunjukkan bahwa kami saling menghormati satu sama lain," tukas pembalap berjuluk "Baby Schumi" itu kepada Bild seperti diberitakan Motorsport.

Namun dalam perkembangan selanjutnya Vettel mengkritik Webber. "Ada beberapa hal yang memang bukan untuk disebarkan kepada publik. Masalah seperti ini seharusnya diatasi secara internal tim," lugas pembalap berusia 22 tahun itu.

Vettel tidak ingin masalah ini berlarut-larut, karena bisa merugikan dirinya sendiri dan juga tim. "Yang terpenting adalah atmosfer dalam tim. Kami memiliki mobil yang kuat dan satu-satunya hal yang bisa membuat kami gagal adalah diri kami sendiri," serunya.


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Jun 24, 2010

Exclusive interview - Red Bull’s Mark Webber

Mark Webber (AUS) Red Bull Racing.  Formula One World Championship, Rd 8, Canadian Grand Prix, Practice Day,  Montreal, Canada, Friday, 11 June 2010

Mark Webber is a title contender - and he’s got there the hard way. After his pre-season injuries last year, few had expected him to bounce back so forcefully in 2010. But there he is, taking advantage of what has generally been the fastest machine on the grid, even if Montreal showed that the RB6 is perhaps not a car for all tracks. This weekend he plans to take the fight back to McLaren on the streets of Valencia…

Q: Mark, last year your team mate Sebastian Vettel was fighting for the championship while you were struggling. This season you’ve developed into a serious title contender, staying ahead in the standings. What has changed?
Mark Webber:
I don’t know really. I tried to give my best every year - and so far this season is turning out pretty well for me. I’ve been fast - that helps - and it is nice that some races have been straightforward and I’ve been able to win - also due to hard work. True, with the same amount of work and passion other races have not been that successful, but overall, yeah, it’s been a pretty good go so far. In 2009 I was never really in the situation to have such dominant weekends like that, so this year I feel much more consistent and faster at more venues. I don’t know why this is the case, but it is a nice problem to have.

Q: How important was it having had proper preparation for the season, unlike last year?
MW:
Last year it was a mentally tough season for me because I had some surgery in between races and that didn’t help a lot. I wasn’t so much in pain - the conditions weren’t so bad - but mentally it was quite tough. On top of that I didn’t have an off-season because I broke my leg in November and had to work to recover. So January and February 2009 were the toughest months of my life actually, to get ready for the season - to get ready mentally. It was very rewarding to get back in the car, but the season went on and on. It was a long year! This year in between races - if I want to - I can do different things and don’t have to plan around medical stuff.

Q: Last year sometimes it seemed you had problems with the tyres. This year appears quite the opposite: you seem to be using them well - arguably better than Sebastian…
MW:
I don’t know too much about that. I haven’t been a big fan of high-fuel qualifying - this year I like qualifying better. This might sound like a small thing, but it can make a difference. Tyres might have a little to do with that, but in the end it’s a driver’s job to cope with this. And nowadays there is a change in rules almost every week and a driver needs to get used to these changes. It is the challenge of the drivers to get used to new regulations each year. This is how it is.

Q: Would you say that it is still an advantage for you that you are older and have much more experience than Sebastian?
MW:
Well, experience is always something that you get when you get older. You can’t buy it or go into a shop and grab it - and you cannot work harder to get more experience - it just comes with time. Sure it’s a difference if someone has done 200 Grands Prix or if someone is coming from GP2. It’s a completely different situation. We drivers have to learn the ropes along the way. Whether experience helps me, who knows? At least it doesn’t do you any harm.

Q: How would you rate your chances of becoming the next Australian Formula One champion?
MW:
I would say: reasonable. I have a chance, no question about it, but there is still a long way to go and we have to see how the next couple of races go. It is way too early to start predicting who is hot and who is not for the title. There are several drivers who could pull it off.

Q: Who do you see as your main opponent?
MW:
The five or six guys who make up the front places of the standings. They are all in my considerations.

Q: In the situation Red Bull are in, wouldn’t it be helpful to have a clear structure like Michael Schumacher had with Ferrari?
MW:
Those days are over. You cannot run a business like this anymore. I don’t think that the fans would accept it and I don’t think that the people in the team would do it. It was very, very unusual what happened with Michael and Rubens (Barrichello) to be honest. There obviously was an agreement in place with Rubens. But think back to Austria- did we like that? What happened there was ridiculous. No, as I said, those days are gone.

Q: When you look at a photo of your crash with Sebastian in Turkey, what caption would you give that photo?
MW:
Ah, that is an easy one: ‘At this point think of Milton Keynes!’ It was the whole team that suffered.

Q: What was your first thought after the collision?
MW:
Think of the team. Jesus, we are hitting each other - that cannot be positive for the team. But of course you think about yourself pretty fast after that…

Q: The RB6 has generally been the fastest car on the grid - at six out of eight races a Red Bull driver has been on pole - and yet you’re leading neither the drivers’ nor constructors’ championship. What is the reason for that? It cannot just be bad luck…
MW:
You could say that some reliability issues have cost us some points, for sure. But if you look it from another angle you could say that I am the only driver who scored points in every race. Is this the key for winning the championship? There are many points that add to the title win. One of them is winning races - you cannot say, ‘hey, I’ll just take fourth or fifth places’ - that will not do.

Q: Do you think that McLaren have now closed the gap?
MW:
They have done pretty good in the last races, but to be honest it was not a huge surprise for us to see them shine in the races they won. We expected that. But we also have been very satisfied with our pace in Montreal - a track not too much to our liking. Sure they had a nice momentum with finishing Turkey and Montreal one-two, but we know - and they know - that they are not going to finish first and second at every race.

Q: Do you think that Montreal was the worst track for Red Bull?
MW:
Probably one of them. Put it like this: McLaren would not want to go to Monte Carlo every week; Ferrari probably don’t want to go to Turkey again - ever - because it didn’t work for them; and for us Montreal’s a bit that way.

Q: You recently signed for another year with Red Bull Racing. Why only one year?
MW:
This was heavily driven by me and my management, because I am taking it each year as it comes. This doesn’t mean that I am wasting one thought on finishing my career after that year. If people think that a one-year contract will put pressure on me, forget it.


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Europe Preview - who’ll seize mid-season advantage?

(L  to R): Karun Chandhok (IND) Hispania Racing F1 Team (HRT) with team mate  Bruno Senna (BRA) Hispania Racing F1 Team (HRT) at the Ciutat de les  Arts i les Ci?ncies. Formula One World Championship, Rd 9, European  Grand Prix, Preparations, Valencia Spain, Thursday, 24 June 2010

This weekend’s European Grand Prix marks the notional halfway point of the 2010 world championship title fight, and sees a whole load of teams bringing updates to try to make ground on their rivals.

Local hero Fernando Alonso and team mate Felipe Massa are pinning their hopes on a big aerodynamic upgrade to the Ferrari F10, with which the Spaniard was a threatening third recently in Canada. McLaren have more new bits for their MP4-25, the winner of the last two races in the hands of Lewis Hamilton.

Red Bull, Mercedes, Force India and Williams all have their F-ducts, though not all of them will race them. That depends on their performance in practice. “We will evaluate it on Friday and then make a decision as to whether we race with it or not," the Red Bull team says, also adding that despite his gearbox problem in Canada Sebastian Vettel is unlikely to need a replacement this weekend which would incur a grid penalty.

Williams say the same thing about their F-duct, Mercedes ditto. A year ago Michael Schumacher had planned to race here for Ferrari; now he’ll be here with an updated Mercedes looking for a big improvement on his form in Montreal.

For all that, McLaren start favourite after their form in Canada. “I’m really looking forward to racing in Valencia,” says points leader Lewis Hamilton, who is looking for a hat trick. “I had a great, attacking race there last year - but I’ve finished second for the past two seasons, so I feel like I have some unfinished business!

“I also think it’s good for the championship to have a variety of circuits - we’ve just come from a fast, flowing road course in Canada, to a tight street track in Valencia. And, next month, we’ll be at Silverstone. As a driver, that sort of variety makes the racing exciting and unpredictable, which is all you can really ask for.

“The last few Grands Prix have had some fantastic racing - it would be great for all the Spanish fans if we can have a great race here too. It’s not a circuit where we’ve seen too much passing in the past, but I think this year could be different - the grid is so tight, there were battles all through the field in Montreal last week, so I think we could have a close and exciting race this year.”

Paul di Resta will be back in action for Force India on Friday morning, taking over Adrian Sutil’s VJM03 now that the team have sorted out their F-duct.

It’ll also be a very important weekend for Lotus Racing as they celebrate the marque’s 500th Grand Prix, and Colin Chapman’s son Clive will be on hand together with the first Lotus single-seater, the Type 12 from 1956, and the latest, a brand new T127 chassis that Jarno Trulli will drive.

“Celebrating the 500th race will be an absolute honour, and will obviously be very special,” says team principal Tony Fernandes, “but we’re only nine races of the whole Lotus story. Really, this weekend is all about celebrating Colin Chapman’s history, and thanking Clive, his mother Hazel, and all the people that have helped shape the Lotus legend.

“I’m thrilled that some of the people that were part of the original story are with us today, and I’m proud we’ve been able to take the total number of races Lotus has taken part in to 500 and beyond - hopefully we’ll be celebrating 1,000 races one day, and can look back on a legacy that pays true homage to that we’re celebrating this weekend - the legacy of Colin Chapman, his family, his cars and his team.”

It is also a key weekend for HRT who race at home for the second time this year.

The 5.419 kilometre street course is located down in the city’s port area and is not dissimilar to the Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve. It’s a relatively high-speed track with long 300 km/h straights and 25 tight corners, so it’s another place where getting the compromise of straight-line speed versus downforce is a real challenge for the engineers. And since it isn’t a permanent circuit, you can expect track evolution to play a similarly key role to the one it played in Canada.

Bridgestone will again bring their medium and super-soft compounds and Hirohide Hamashima, director of motorsport tyre development, says: “From a riverside street course in Canada we now head to a seaside street course in Europe. In common with the Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve, Valencia has several high-speed sections, but more corners. The layout and track surface is more aggressive to the tyres than in Montreal so we do not expect the same challenge for teams to get maximum performance from the medium and super soft compounds. This year’s race takes place in June, as opposed to the late August date of the first two Grands Prix here, but we don’t believe the date change will present us with radically different weather.”


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Jun 1, 2010

Webber: Red Bull can bounce back

Mark Webber (AUS) Red Bull Racing. Formula One World Championship,  Rd 7, Turkish Grand Prix, Race, Istanbul Park, Turkey, Sunday, 30 May  2010

You could have cut the atmosphere at Red Bull with a knife following the collision between the team’s drivers, Mark Webber and Sebastian Vettel, during Sunday’s Turkish Grand Prix. But Webber, who lost out on the chance to clinch a third consecutive victory because of the incident, is certain the team will bounce back and put on a united front as they look ahead to the rest of the season.

The Australian eventually finished the Istanbul Park race in third, behind the McLarens of Lewis Hamilton and Jenson Button, after being forced to pit for a new nose for his RB6. Vettel, who was running in second when he had an opportunity to overtake his team mate, span into retirement.

“It’s a real shame for the team because we lost a good opportunity to win the race,” explained Webber in a video posted on Red Bull’s official website. “Obviously one of us could have won it. But this is sport and it can happen. If you look back, you of course want to handle things a lot more differently, and that it is something we can learn as a team. We are in unchartered waters. Both of us were leading the championship and both of us were at the front. The team - collectively with the drivers - all of us have to learn how to deal with these situations maybe better in the future."

“People have to remember that we are still a very young team. To take McLaren on week in, week out is not an easy task, but one that Red Bull are hungry for. We have proven that we will fight them hard. So it is a feather in our cap on one side, but also on the other side we are still learning.

"And unfortunately in Turkey we learned in a way which wasn't the best way. You know, teams like Ferrari and McLaren have had these days. They know how tough it can be when you have some adversity. We need to bounce back and be united as a team, and keep going."

And despite the disappointment, Webber is still leading the drivers’ championship, with 93 points to Button’s 88, and the 33 year-old is feeling positive about his chances over the forthcoming Grands Prix.

"I like the car, the team have been great and are doing a good job with the car,” he concluded. “I have had a few good races at the last few events. But in general I will just keep doing my best - that is all I can do. I give 100 per cent for myself because that is what it is about at this level.

“You want to get the absolute maximum out of every session, every single race. So far it has been going really, really well. Obviously (the Turkish race) was a bit of a speed hump in our programme. We've all had tougher days, I've certainly had tougher days in the past, so I will bounce back from this and, you know, we’ll press on."


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May 17, 2010

Monaco analysis - resurgent Webber on a roll

Mark Webber banished any doubts about him being a true championship contender on Sunday as he dominated a second Grand Prix in succession, leaving his rivals - Red Bull team mate Sebastian Vettel included - in the shade. As the likes of Ferrari and McLaren were left licking their wounds, Red Bull left Monte Carlo leading the 2010 constructors’ standings for the first time, with Webber and Vettel level on points atop the drivers'. We take a team-by-team look at the Monaco race...

Red Bull
Mark Webber, P1
Sebastian Vettel, P2

This was the pluperfect race for Red Bull, with Webber utterly dominant and Vettel able to ride shotgun despite often serious pressure from Kubica. The Australian got every restart right and never put a wheel wrong, and he and Vettel share the lead in the world championship for drivers as Red Bull move to the top of the constructors’ table for the first time in 2010. A great weekend for the team.

Renault
Robert Kubica, P3
Vitaly Petrov, retired lap 74, rear end problem

Kubica lost out to Vettel at the start when he got wheelspin on the dirty side of the grid as he powered up too soon upon observing Webber’s relatively leisurely start. After that he drove a stunning race with very similar pace to the Red Bulls, but was unable to challenge Vettel for second. Petrov lost time with a puncture, and subsequently retired from the midfield with an undisclosed rear end problem.

Ferrari
Felipe Massa, P4
Fernando Alonso, P6

Massa showed that he is back as good as ever with a strong and fruitful run to fourth place, while a great strategic switch from option tyres to primes at the end of the first, safety-car lap, let Alonso rise through the field to the sixth position that he maintained until Schumacher’s controversial - and penalised - move on the very last corner.

McLaren
Lewis Hamilton, P5
Jenson Button, retired lap 3, overheating

This was not a great day for McLaren. The MP4-25 lacked the speed to do anything more than the fifth place that Hamilton achieved. He set only the 10th fastest lap. Button was unluckier, overheating out of the race under the safety car at the start of lap three, after a mechanic left the cover over the left-hand side radiator. McLaren lost their leads in the drivers’ and constructors’ world championships as a result of their misfortunes.

Mercedes GP
Nico Rosberg, P7
Michael Schumacher, P12 - includes 20s penalty

Both drivers lost out to the adventurous Barrichello at the start, as Schumacher led Rosberg. The younger German ran far longer - lap 28 compared to lap 19 - but crucially lost time lapping Senna on lap 24. That enabled Schumacher to stay ahead. As the fourth and final safety car pulled off just before the end of the 78th and final lap, he thrust ahead of Alonso to snatch sixth place, but the stewards subsequently ruled that an illegal move and added 20s to his race time, leaving him 12th not sixth. Mercedes have appealed the decision.

Force India
Adrian Sutil, P8
Tonio Liuzzi, P9

Liuzzi was unhappy when he was called in too early for his switch from option Bridgestones to primes. It transpired he was being held up by Barrichello and William brought the Brazilian in at the same time to try and stymie Force India’s attempt to overtake in the stops. That let Sutil go three uninterrupted laps longer, so he went ahead. Both drivers scored points, however, giving Vijay Mallya another six.

Toro Rosso
Sebastien Buemi, P10
Jaime Alguersuari, P11

Neither driver could quite keep in touch with the Force Indias, but Buemi got a point after Schumacher’s penalty was applied. Alguersuari set a slightly faster lap than the Swiss, but marred his race with a visit to the Ste Devote escape road.

HRT
Karun Chandhok, P14
Bruno Senna, retired lap 59, hydraulics

HRT ‘won’ the race of the new teams for the first time, courtesy of a great drive by Chandhok - even though he was taken out of the race at the height of a great battle with Trulli and Lotus when the Italian tried a moved that swivelled his car over the Indian’s head at Rascasse with four laps to run and left them both stranded. Senna also ran strongly, until halted by a hydraulics problem.

Lotus
Jarno Trulli, P15
Heikki Kovalainen, retired lap 59, steering

For a long time Kovalainen looked very strong and his lap times were very respectable. But both he and Trulli were delayed when the right rear wheelgun malfunctioned during their pit stops, and the Finn eventually retired with a steering joint problem which rendered the T127 too dangerous to drive. Trulli was pressuring Chandhok’s HRT for the new teams’ honours when he misjudged a passing move in Rascasse corner and they collided heavily.

Williams
Rubens Barrichello, retired lap 31, accident
Nico Hulkenberg, retired lap 1, accident

Williams had a very costly Monaco. First Hulkenberg had to start from the back because of a clutch paddleshift problem on the grid formation lap, then he crashed very heavily in the tunnel on the opening lap when, it is suspected, the front wing broke. Barrichello looked good for a while in sixth after an excellent start put him ahead of both Mercedes, but had a major crash going up to Casino Square on the 31st lap due to some sort of failure in his car’s rear end. The Brazilian did not endear himself to HRT; he threw his steering wheel from the cockpit and it was subsequently run over by one of the Spanish team’s cars.

BMW Sauber
Kamui Kobayashi, retired lap 27, gearbox
Pedro de la Rosa, retired lap 22, hydraulics

BMW Sauber had another dreadful race, with De la Rosa stymied by problems in the hydraulics which started to make the steering heavy and got worse, and Kobayashi’s C29 running into gearbox trouble.

Virgin
Lucas di Grassi, retired lap 26, wheel
Timo Glock, retired lap 23, track rod

Onboard footage from Alonso’s following Ferrari revealed just what oversteering handfuls both Virgins were. Glock nevertheless ran strongly and was chasing Kovalainen’s Lotus until he brushed a wall and damaged a track rod. Di Grassi also pushed hard and enjoyed a brief scrap with Alonso, but was eventually halted by a wheel problem.


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GP Monaco: Hari Terbaik Webber



Memulai balapan dari posisi terdepan, Mark Webber tak terkejar dan tampil luar dominan untuk memenangi GP Monaco. Inilah salah satu hari terbaik yang pernah dialami jagoan Red Bull itu.

"Benar-benar luar biasa dan pastinya ini adalah salah satu hari terbaik sepanjang hidup saya. Bisa menang di sini sangat spesial, semuanya berawal dari kualifikasi saat semuanya berjalan bagus, tapi ini tetap sebuah tes sepanjang dua jam," sahut Webber usai balapan.

Webber nyaris tak terkejar lawan-lawannya di sepanjang 78 lap balapan GP Monaco, Minggu (16/5/2010) malam WIB. Memulai balapan dari posisi terdepan, driver Australia itu sama sekali tak tersentuh lawan-lawannya.

Bahkan saat keunggulannya menjadi sia-sia lantaran empat kali safety car masuk lintasan, Webber selalu bisa menjauhkan jaraknya kembali. Podium teratas pun akhirnya bisa didapat, melanjutkan sukses serupa yang dia dapat pekan lalu di GP Spanyol.

"Saya menjalani balapan yang menuntut kerja keras, lintasan banyak berubah, pembalap di posisi belakang dan banyak sekali safety car - (membuat) balapan dimulai lagi dan tekanan pada ban. Semua kondisi yang akan menguji Anda jika berada di posisi terdepan," lanjut Webber mengomentari jalannya race.

"Ini luar biasa. Bisa bergabung dengan Ayrton Senna dan mereka semua yang pernah menang di sini adalah hebat," tutup pemuncak klasemen sementara itu seperti dikutip dari Autosport.

Masa Depan Webber Dijamin

Mark Webber sedang on fire dengan menjuarai dua lomba secara beruntun. Hasil gemilang itu membuat masa depan pembalap Australia tersebut di Red Bull jadi aman.

Pada Minggu (16/5/2010), Webber keluar sebagai juara GP Monako setelah mengawali lomba dari pole position. Sepekan sebelumnya, Webber juga menjejak podium tertinggi di GP Spanyol.

Hasil itu menempatkan Webber di puncak klasemen sementara pembalap dengan nilai 78 dari enam lomba. Koleksi nilainya sama dengan milik rekan setimnya, Sebastian Vettel.

Akhir tahun ini, kontrak Webber di Red Bull akan berakhir. Menilik penampilan panas pria 33 tahun itu belakangan, tampaknya perpanjangan kontrak Webber tinggal menunggu waktu saja.

"Saya sangat senang dengan keseimbangan dan dinamika di tim ini. Tidak perlu ada yang diubah," kata prinsipal Red Bull Christian Horner kepada Autosport.

Dengan pernyataan Horner di atas, maka nyaris pasti Webber bakal dipertahankan tahun depan sebagai pendamping Vettel. Walau begitu, Red Bull tampaknya segan untuk memberi kontrak jangka panjang melihat usia Webber.

"Kami sangat bahagia dengan penampilan Mark. Dia adalah anggota tim yang penting," aku Horner.

"Dia berada dalam tahap, dalam usia 33 tahun, kita katakan untuk melihat penampilannya setahun demi setahun, dibanding menandatangani kesepakatan jangka panjang," tuntasnya.


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Apr 25, 2010

Giliran Bos Mercedes Bela Schumi



Belum keluarnya performa terbaik Michael Schumacher di empat balapan pertama mendapatkan banyak pembelaan. Terakhir, giliran bos Mercedes Norbert Haug yang membela juara dunia tujuh kali itu.

Posisi enam di GP Bahrain menjadi raihan terbaik Schumi di musim comeback-nya tahun ini. Setelah itu dia dipaksa menelah hasil buruk dengan menempati posisi 10 di Australia dan China serta gagal finis di Malaysia.

"Saya sendiri tak akan melakukan comeback kalau tak yakin bisa melakukan pekerjaan ini. Dia bukan turis di paddock, dia kembali untuk menang dan akan melakukannya lagi," seru Bernie Ecclestone, salah seorang yang membela Schumi.

Kalau Ecclestone membela Schumi dengan dalih adaptasi, maka lain halnya dengan Haug. Ia menyebut mobil Mercedes musim ini belum menunjukkan performa puncaknya sehingga Schumi pun sulit untuk berlomba di atas trek. Namun demikian, Haug menilai Schumi sudah tampil cukup baik.

"(Di China) Dia sempat berada di posisi empat, mundur untuk masuk pit dan akhirnya tetap bisa finis di posisi 10," ujar Haug di ESPN Star.

"Anda bilang dia kesulitan, tetapi faktanya dia bisa memenangi seri kedua musim ini. Kita harus adil ketika Michael kembali ke F1 karena mobilnya tak bekerja dengan seharusnya," tukasnya.

Kendati Haug berkata mobil Mercedes tak cukup cepat, bukti di trek meunjukkan bahwa rekan setim Schumi, Nico Rosberg, mampu duduk di urutan dua klasemen. Bahkan dalam dua balapan terakhir ia bisa naik ke podium.

"Tak adil mengatakan bahwa Nico cepat karena mobil semata. Mungkin Nico adalah manusia tercepat di dunia," tandas Haug.


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Apr 20, 2010

Ferrari play down Alonso-Massa China duel

Ferrari have moved to quell media reports of friction between their two drivers after Fernando Alonso’s opportunistic pass on Felipe Massa as the pair entered the pit lane during Sunday’s Chinese Grand Prix in Shanghai.

The move cost Massa a place and forced him to wait while his team mate’s car was serviced, dropping the Brazilian further down the order. Massa ultimately finished ninth to Alonso’s fourth, losing his lead in the drivers’ championship in the process, but after the race both men played down the incident.

“If he was not my team mate, there wouldn’t be so much talk about it and for me it was a normal move and it definitely won’t compromise our relationship,” said Alonso, while Massa admitted he had briefly lost control exiting the hairpin, thus allowing the Spaniard to get alongside.

However, Ferrari have pointed out that this hasn’t stopped certain media outlets taking some of Massa’s post-race comments out of context in a bid to create what the team terms ‘bad blood’ between their two drivers.

“What happened was just an episode in a race and should be treated as such,” said a Ferrari spokesperson. “Our drivers know how to behave on the track and they have shown it also this time. Naturally both want to win and they both bring fighting spirit to the races, while respecting a very simple rule: the team's well-being is of more importance than the individual's well-being.”

Ferrari added that Alonso and Massa were due to travel back to Europe together on the same flight, along with team technicians.


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Apr 4, 2010

Vettel leads Red Bull one-two at Sepang

Race winner Sebastian Vettel (GER) Red Bull Racing celebrates on  the podium.  Formula One World Championship, Rd 3, Malaysian Grand Prix, Race,  Sepang, Malaysia, Sunday, 4 April 2010 Race winner Sebastian Vettel (GER) Red Bull Racing RB6 takes the  chequered flag at the end of the race.  Formula One World Championship, Rd 3, Malaysian Grand Prix, Race,  Sepang, Malaysia, Sunday, 4 April 2010

Red Bull desperately needed a victory to get back into the world championship chase, and Sebastian Vettel delivered it in fine style in a dry Malaysian Grand Prix on Sunday. And to make things even better, Mark Webber brought the sister car home second.

Vettel snatched the lead at the start from his Australian team mate, and apart from a time when McLaren’s Lewis Hamilton ran second for a while before his tyre stop, they were never seriously challenged.

Polesitter Webber stayed close to Vettel until the stops, but lost two and a half seconds in his tyre stop because of a wheel-gun problem, and finally finished 4.8s behind.

Nico Rosberg was Mercedes GP’s sole finisher in third, after Michael Schumacher retired early on, and he headed home Robert Kubica who scored yet again for Renault. The Pole pushed the German hard, but was never able to challenge seriously.

The race up front wasn’t a repeat of Melbourne’s excitement, but the McLaren and Ferrari drivers provided plenty of thrills as they recovered from their lowly grid positions. Hamilton was 12th by the end of the first lap after starting 20th, but having run second, after staying out on hard rubber until the 30th lap, he was unable to pull an overtaking move on Adrian Sutil once he had switched to soft Bridgestones.

The German kept his head and drove a superb race for Force €ndia to take fifth. Hamilton pushed him very hard, but had to be content with another sixth place ahead of Felipe Massa who was Ferrari’s sole finisher after a feisty battle from the back of the grid.

McLaren’s Jenson Button took eighth, after making an early stop to switch from his soft tyres and having to make the hard replacements last a long time. He was overtaken briefly on the 55th lap by a challenging Fernando Alonso, but as the Ferrari slid wide in Turn One after braking too late Button repassed, and then immediately the Spaniard’s engine broke, dropping him back to a 13th-place finish.

Jaime Alguersuari again drove an excellent race for Toro Rosso and was rewarded with two points for ninth, with Nico Hulkenberg taking the final one for Williams thanks to Alonso’s misfortune.

Toro Rosso’s Sebastien Buemi was 11th from Rubens Barrichello, whose Williams bogged down so badly at the start that Alonso had to make a phenomenal avoidance.

Despite a wing-damaging brush with Heikki Kovalainen’s Lotus, Lucas di Grassi brought his Virgin home 14th and best of the newcomers after a strong drive, while Karun Chandhok also beat the Lotuses on their home ground to bring his HRT home 15th ahead of team mate Bruno Senna. Jarno Trulli was 17th as Lotus’s better finisher, with Kovalainen taking 18th after a long pit stop for mechanical attention.

Vitaly Petrov ran well initially, earning Hamilton a stewards’ warning after the Briton weaved too much keeping him at bay down the pit straight, but retired his Renault with mechanical trouble. Vitantonio Liuzzi also ran well, ahead of the Russian, before his Force €ndia retired. He was classified 20th ahead of Schumacher and Kamui Kobayashi, who also suffered engine trouble in his BMW Sauber.

Virgin’s Timo Glock also failed to finish after a spin which put him into Trulli, spinning the Lotus. And Pedro de la Rosa did not take the start after his BMW Sauber stopped out on the circuit on the grid formation lap.

The result dramatically closes the championship points battle. Massa now leads with 39 from Alonso and Vettel on 37, Button on 35, Hamilton on 31 and Kubica on 30. €n the constructors’ stakes Ferrari still lead with 76, but McLaren now have 66, Red Bull 61, Mercedes 44 and Renault 30.


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Mar 25, 2010

Australia Preview - Red Bull, or Prancing Horse?

Fernando Alonso (ESP) Ferrari signs autographs for the fans.  Formula One World Championship, Rd 2, Australian Grand Prix,  Preparations, Albert Park, Melbourne, Australia, Thursday, 25 March  2010 Vitantonio Liuzzi (ITA) Force India F1. Formula One World  Championship, Rd 2, Australian Grand Prix, Preparations, Albert Park,  Melbourne, Australia, Thursday, 25 March 2010

After all the anticipation of the opening round of the championship in Bahrain a fortnight ago, this weekend’s second round is almost as eagerly awaited - if only to see if anyone catch match Red Bull’s fearsome speed, or unsettle Ferrari’s finishing ability.

As things stand after events at Sakhir, Red Bull start the favourite in Melbourne from Ferrari, with McLaren and Mercedes a little slower unless they can get effective updates on to their cars quickly enough.

"We are kind of on the same level as Mercedes, I would say," McLaren’s Lewis Hamilton said after Bahrain. "We just did maybe a better job in Bahrain but it's a battle between us and Mercedes to see who can step up and improve faster and do a better job.

"As for the Red Bull, it’s ridiculously faster than anyone else. It's insane. The downforce they had on their car last year was at some points just about double what we had. Even at the end of the year they had so much more than us, even though we had won a couple of Grands Prix. They have got the fastest car by quite a big step. They should be quite a lot further ahead in general."

Hamilton also believes that, despite Fernando Alonso setting fastest lap in Bahrain by a second from Force India’s Adrian Sutil, that there is still a gap between the Ferrari and the Red Bull. “Fernando was very quick in the race and they are obviously a little bit closer, but it's a good half second,” said the British driver.

Ferrari’s team principal Stefano Domenicali was delighted with their first one-two since France in 2008, but says the reds need to raise their game after reliability concerns obliged them to fit fresh engines for the race, and Felipe Massa had an overheating problem in the race.

"We have just done a check of all the problems we faced in the three days we had in Bahrain," Domenicali said. “Of course the result in the end was very, very good - it was excellent, a first and second place in the first race. It was really an outstanding achievement, but we have seen the list of problems was quite high and we need to address them all and make sure that these are solved before the start of the race in Australia."

Behind the big four, Renault and Force India are expected to fight for ‘best of the rest’ honours, with Williams hoping to take a step closer to them. The R30 showed more speed than expected in Bahrain, but both Robert Kubica and Vitaly Petrov were unlucky not to score points. Force India’s Sutil will be hoping to avoid mistakes, while Vitantonio Liuzzi is determined to build on his good start to the season.

BMW Sauber, too, hope that they have cured the two disparate hydraulic problems that brought Pedro de la Rosa and Kamui Kobayashi to premature halts.

Among the newcomers, Virgin showed they have the fastest car so far but it too has been plagued by hydraulic issues, as was Karun Chandhok’s HRT. The Indian will be hoping for a lot more track time than he got in Bahrain, as he and team mate Bruno Senna get to grips with Formula One racing, while Lotus are hoping that an update can get them some more speed.

Albert Park is a notoriously bumpy track and is always very green on Friday before it rubbers in. Grip levels are usually quite low anyway, so the set-up priority focuses on driveability to generate maximum driver confidence. It is also very hard on brakes, and there have been disc failures in the past.

The ban on refuelling may be felt even more keenly here because of that factor, and management of Bridgestone’s hard and soft compounds could be trickier than it proved in Bahrain even though the compounds are harder here.

Interestingly, the weather forecast suggests that rain showers might further enliven proceedings.


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Balap F1 2010 Membosankan, Semua Bertanggung Jawab



F1 tengah menghadapi ujian. Vonis membosankan membuat reputasi kompetisi jet darat ini dipertaruhkan. Semua pihak yang terlibat di F1 harus bertanggungjawab atas keadaan ini.

Balapan seri pertama yang garing membuat F1 dikritik. Regulasi baru seperti larangan mengisi bahan bakar di pit stop di tengah pertandingan dan ban depan yang lebih sempit membuat aksi salip menyalip jadi sulit dilakukan.

"Pembalap paham betul bahwa kami harus melakukan aksi salip menyalip dengan kondisi di mana banyak grip mekanik tidak digunakan lagi dan ban depan yang lebih sempit. Di waktu yang sama mobil kini memiliki downforce lebih dibandingkan musim lalu," demikian analisis juara bertahan Jenson Button.

"Masalahnya ketika kita berada di belakang mobil pembalap lain, kami kehilangan downforce dan kami tidak memiliki grip mekanik seperti tahun lalu," tukas pembalap tim McLaren itu dikutip dari Telegraph.

Button berpendapat bahwa F1 masih punya kesempatan untuk berbenah guna membuat musim ini menjadi lebih menarik.

"Situasinya memang sulit dan saya berharap di GP Australia nanti situasinya bisa berbeda. Namun bila Anda melihat kondisi terkini, mungkin Anda bakal mengatakan bahwa situasinya tetap sama dengan di Bahrain."

"Namun jangan terlalu cepat memberikan "vonis". Meski begitu bila dalam dua balapan berikutnya tetap berlangsung tak menarik, F1 harus memilih soal opsi-opsi yang ada, dan penyelesaian masalah ini tidak hanya dengan main tunjuk pada satu-dua pihak saja," pungkasnya.


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F1 2010 Driver Standing

PosDriverNationalityTeamPoints
1 Fernando AlonsoSpanish Ferrari25
2 Felipe MassaBrazilian Ferrari18
3 Lewis HamiltonBritish McLaren-Mercedes15
4 Sebastian VettelGerman RBR-Renault12
5 Nico RosbergGerman Mercedes Benz GP Ltd10
6 Michael SchumacherGerman Mercedes Benz GP Ltd8
7 Jenson ButtonBritish McLaren-Mercedes6
8 Mark WebberAustralian RBR-Renault4
9 Vitantonio LiuzziItalian Force India-Mercedes2
10 Rubens BarrichelloBrazilian Williams-Cosworth1
11 Robert KubicaPolish Renault0
12 Adrian SutilGerman Force India-Mercedes0
13 Jaime AlguersuariSpanish STR-Ferrari0
14 Nico HulkenbergGerman Williams-Cosworth0
15 Heikki KovalainenFinnish Lotus-Cosworth0
16 Sebastien BuemiSwiss STR-Ferrari0
17 Jarno TrulliItalian Lotus-Cosworth0
18 Pedro de la RosaSpanish BMW Sauber-Ferrari0
19 Bruno SennaBrazilian HRT-Cosworth0
20 Timo GlockGerman Virgin-Cosworth0
21 Vitaly PetrovRussian Renault0
22 Kamui KobayashiJapanese BMW Sauber-Ferrari0
23 Lucas di GrassiBrazilian Virgin-Cosworth0
24 Karun ChandhokIndian HRT-Cosworth0


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F1 2010 Team Standing

PosTeamPoints
1Ferrari76
2McLaren-Mercedes66
3RBR-Renault61
4Mercedes GP44
5Renault40
6
Force India-Mercedes18
7
Williams-Cosworth6
8STR-Ferrari2
9Lotus-Cosworth0
10BMW Sauber-Ferrari0
11HRT-Cosworth0
12Virgin-Cosworth0


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Jan 15, 2010

Massa bicara kondisinya, Alonso, dan Schumi



Madonna di Campiglio - Felipe Massa siap berkompetisi lagi di musim ini setelah kehilangan setengah musim di tahun lalu. Simak beberapa pandangannya tentang kondisi fisiknya, Fernando Alonso, dan Michael Schumacher.

Soal keadaannya, Massa merasa sudah sangat siap untuk kembali bertarung di kompetisi jet darat. Sebagaimana diketahui, ia mengalami cedera serius pada sesi kualifikasi GP Hongaria di bulan Juli, sehingga absen sampai musim selesai.

"Secara fisik sekarang aku merasa lebih baik ketimbang sebelum mengalami kecelakaan itu," ujar driver Brasil itu kepada wartawan saat mengikuti program ski yang diadakan Ferrari dan Ducati di Madonna di Campiglio, Italia. "Insiden itu tidak mengubah hidupku dan caraku berpikir atau bekerja."

"Waktu itu aku yakin, setelah berada di rumah sakit setelah kecelakaan, aku tidak merasa bakal kehilangan banyak balapan. Aku pernah nyaris bertengkar dengan istriku karena dia bilang aku tidak mungkin balapan di Valencia (empat minggu setelah Hongaria)," tambahnya.

Massa juga bertutur tentang skandal kecurangan Renault di GP Singapura 2008. Jika ada perubahan nilai dari kasus tersebut, mungkin saja ia tampil sebagai juara di akhir tahun, sebagaimana ia hanya kalah satu poin dari Lewis Hamilton.

"Jujur saja, kalau kita melihat ada yang tidak beres di olahraga ini, dan ada yang melanggar aturan, saya rasa tidaklah sulit untuk mengubah hasilnya, walaupun itu tidak bagus," tutur pria 29 tahun itu, dikutip Reuters. "Tapi semua orang sudah tahu apa yang terjadi di tahun 2008, dan kami tak ingin memenangi sesuatu dengan mengungkit-ungkit yang sudah lewat."

Massa musim ini berpartner dengan Alonso, yang pernah mengatakan tidak tahu menahu soal insiden di Singapura. Mereka juga pernah "panas" usai duel sengit di GP Jerman 2007, ketika Alonso mengalahkan Massa di lap-lap akhir dan menjadi pemenang.

"Kami pernah berdiskusi soal Jerman 2007. Setelah itu dia minta maaf dan semuanya selesai. Aku tak punya masalah dengan Fernando," tukas Massa. "Aku lebih sering ngobrol dengan Fernando ketimbang saat tiga tahun aku dengan Kimi (Raikkonen)."

Ia juga berkomentar tentang kembalinya Michael Schumacher, yang pernah berpasangan dengan dia di tahun 2006 di skuad Ferrari. Schumi mengakhiri pensiunnya dan comeback untuk tim Mercedes.

"Michael lebih senang balapan dibanding ketika dia 'nganggur'. Sulit dikatakan, apakah dia telah melakukan hal yang tepat. Dia bisa segera kompetitif atau butuh waktu untuk bisa setajam dulu. Tapi itulah menariknya olahraga ini," tutur Massa.

"Kalau aku adalam posisi dia, mungkin aku akan mengambil jalan serupa. Tentu saja, cukup aneh melihat dia membalap untuk tim lain, tapi Ferrari pun sudah punya dua pembalap."

"Tentu saja Michael adalah seorang teman. Terlepas dari urusan balapan, pertemanan akan berlanjut terus," pungkasnya.


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Jan 5, 2010

2010 provisional Formula One calendar

2010 FIA Formula One World Championship Race Calendar

NoGrand Prix (City) Date
012010 FORMULA 1 BAHRAIN GRAND PRIX (Sakhir)12 - 14 Mar
022010 FORMULA 1 AUSTRALIAN GRAND PRIX (Melbourne)26 - 28 Mar
032010 FORMULA 1 MALAYSIAN GRAND PRIX (Kuala Lumpur)02 - 04 Apr
042010 FORMULA 1 CHINESE GRAND PRIX (Shanghai)16 - 18 Apr
05FORMULA 1 GRAN PREMIO DE ESPANA 2010 (Catalunya)07 - 09 May
06FORMULA 1 GRAND PRIX DE MONACO 2010 (Monte Carlo)13 - 16 May
072010 FORMULA 1 TURKISH GRAND PRIX (Istanbul)28 - 30 May
08FORMULA 1 GRAND PRIX DU CANADA 2010 (Montreal)11 - 13 Jun
092010 FORMULA 1 GRAND PRIX OF EUROPE (Valencia)25 - 27 Jun
102010 FORMULA 1 SANTANDER BRITISH GRAND PRIX (Silverstone)09 - 11 Jul
11FORMULA 1 GROSSER PREIS VON DEUTSCHLAND 2010 (Hockenheim)23 - 25 Jul
12FORMULA 1 ING MAGYAR NAGYDIJ 2010 (Budapest)30 Jul - 01 Aug
132010 FORMULA 1 BELGIAN GRAND PRIX (Spa-Francorchamps)27 - 29 Aug
14FORMULA 1 GRAN PREMIO D'ITALIA 2010 (Monza)10 - 12 Sep
152010 FORMULA 1 SINGAPORE GRAND PRIX (Singapore)24 - 26 Sep
162010 FORMULA 1 JAPANESE GRAND PRIX (Suzuka)08 - 10 Oct
172010 FORMULA 1 KOREAN GRAND PRIX (Yeongam)22 - 24 Oct
18FORMULA 1 GRANDE PREMIO DO BRASIL 2010 (Sao Paulo)05 - 07 Nov
192010 FORMULA 1 ABU DHABI GRAND PRIX (Yas Marina Circuit)12 - 14 Nov


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