Tuesday

AQSA'S PODIUM

Pick my top 3 drivers of the Grand Prix? Easy! This one requires little to no thought for me so read through my choices and comment/ tweet me with whether or not you agree with who I've picked or the order I've put them in.

3. Bruno Senna


The Williams driver has been under some pressure lately but I can't really understand why. He may not have a race win or podium like his teammate Maldonado but he is able to drive clean races and his less aggressive driving style means he has now finished in the points more times than Pastor and has even outscored him on more occasions.

2. Lewis Hamilton


I told you in my 'Setting the Scene' post why this weekend was all about Lewis. That's why I've put him in at number 2. And now for the real winner in Hungary...

1. Kimi Raikkonen


Kimi didn't have a great Qualifying meaning he started the race from 5th on the grid compared to his teammate's front row start. He had to look after his tyres much better than others during the race if he was to improve on his Qualifying performance and with a car that we've become used to being kind to its tyres Kimi did just that. He was able to stay out longer than others during the second stint and built up a lead big enough to beat Grosjean and Vettel who were running in second and third at that time. This race was a really impressive one on Kimi's part and further underlines the fact that he can win a race this season. It's just a matter of when...

So Kimi is my driver of the day for the Hungarian Grand Prix and if that doesn't give him something to smile about, I don't know what will!

Aqsa, @aqsasformula

(Image 1, 3)

F1 MOMENTS #4

I won't lie to you, the Grand Prix in Hungary could have been a lot more exciting and certainly needed to be to live up to the level we've become used to in 2012. Even Valencia provided a thrilling race when many had written it off and called for its removal from the calendar. Therefore, it's a bit difficult for me to think of just one moment that really stood out for me.

However, I gave it some thought and there was one stand-out moment. When Kimi Raikkonen came out of the pit lane after his second pit stop he emerged only slightly ahead of his Lotus teammate Romain Grosjean. It became apparent later on that Grosjean's engineer told him to really push on that lap when they knew Kimi would be coming out of the pit lane. Teams have lots of data to work on when planning their strategy to give them a rough idea of where their driver will emerge when they pit. How Lotus overlooked this is beyond me...

The two then came very, very close and race-ending contact between the pair could easily have occurred. That battle for second place was particularly tense but it was the 2007 world champion that won it and therefore took that podium place. All wasn't lost for Grosjean, except for what may have been a nice boost to his ego, as he took third to give Lotus another double podium; the first came in Bahrain.

Aqsa, @aqsasformula

SETTING THE SCENE.

The weekend in Hungary was all about one man; the man who won pole on the Saturday and then took the victory on Sunday. At a track where overtaking is very difficult anyway Lewis didn't have much of a challenge on race day. However, he had to manage his tyres and stay calm whilst under pressure from the two Lotus boys. Don't forget either that, not including last weekend's race, the pole sitter has only won once out of the last seven races so Lewis does deserve a bit more credit for a rather plain-sailing victory. 

So that's why this picture is my pick: 


Lewis seems to be back to winning ways, obviously considering he won, but the fact that he has his family and support system around him suggests that this new, calmer, more relaxed Lewis we've become accustomed to seeing could be here to stay.


Sunday

LEW TAKES TWO IN HUNGARY

I'll begin by telling you that the race in Hungary today did not really live up to the high level of excitement we have come to expect in 2012. There were no overtakes during the race, even with the use of DRS, and the only way places were going to be gained were through pit lane action and strategy. In my opinion, it wasn't the best way for Formula 1 to go into the summer break and it was a shame to see fast cars and drivers unable to capitalise on their pace and strategies because passing was seemingly impossible. We saw Vettel stuck behind Button, Button behind Senna, Webber behind several people, Kimi and Grosjean behind Lewis and the list goes on... We can, however, discuss what did happen during the race and what this means going into the summer break.

Lewis used his stunning domination of yesterday's Qualifying session to convert pole into a race win. He may not have been faster than the Lotus pair but a great start and the difficult overtaking conditions meant that, no matter how close other drivers got, Hamilton was able to retain his lead. This means Lewis took his second win of the season; a feat only accomplished by Alonso and Webber so far and puts him firmly back in the hunt for the title. There was some overtaking this weekend as Lewis was able to leapfrog Raikkonen in the championship standings. The problem now is that Alonso is gaining consistent points finishes, he's not far off Schumacher's record of consecutive races finished in the points and I believe he needs two more to break it, whilst other drivers are taking points and wins away from each other. All he needs to do is focus on gaining points at every race and as long as no driver keeps winning, which is unlikely this season, it may be the case that no one gains the points needed to close the gap.


Lewis' teammate Jenson had a great start as he gained a place on Sebastian Vettel. The German had tried to move past Romain Grosjean but was squeezed off the track and Jenson just accelerated past him. What followed was endless laps of Sebastian trailing Jenson and it seemed that the podium would go on to be Hamilton, Grosjean, Button. Then McLaren, after much deliberation over team radio, switched to 'Plan B' and it was clear that Jenson would most likely be pitting three times, not two! Sebastian clearly had more pace than Button so when McLaren tried to perform an undercut at the end of the second stint it did not work for them. Vettel emerged ahead of him and the position was lost. their 3-stop strategy didn't work and they had hoped that it would benefit them towards the end of the race when others' tyres began to fall away. That wasn't to be and Jenson eventually finished sixth. He will probably be very disappointed to go into the break after a race like that and after his great performance in Germany but some time away after a fairly difficulty 2012 so far could also be exactly what Jenson needs.

Red Bull were fast today; Sebastian was much faster than Jenson and at the end of the race he consistently set fastest lap after fastest lap following his third pit stop. It was clear that he was getting extremely frustrated throughout the race because he knew his car had the pace to challenge at the front and win but the nature of the track meant that he couldn't even climb to third. He was heard telling his team to try something different with strategy but there was little the team could do with limited data and tight margins. Their strategy did eventually pay off in overtaking Jenson but there was nothing they could do about Romain Grosjean at the end. Grosjean was on a two-stopper and so Vettel had a lot of time to make up if he were to pass him. He cut a lot of that time down and amazingly finished just over a second behind Grosjean. Fourth is definitely not the position they would have expected coming into this weekend at a track where Red Bull were meant to be particularly strong but they can be confident that they have a strong car and package and a bit of development can deliver them more race wins.

There was a lot of talk that the weather will benefit Lotus and that could mean they take their first win of the 2012 season. With Romain Grosjean starting on the front row it all started to become a very real possibility. However, the benefit the track gave them weather and traction wise was negated by the fact that overtaking was fairly impossible. Both of their drivers were fast, both got close to Lewis Hamilton, both were stuck behind him. Nevertheless, a double podium for the Enstone boys, Kimi 2nd and Grosjean 3rd, isn't to be sniffed at. It is their second of the season and it is remarkable to think Red Bull only have one. The team are also now ahead of Ferrari in the Constructors' and so they are doing a great job of officially breaking into the top 3 teams and getting in on the fun at the front. Their aims over the summer break are clear; improve Qualifying performances!


I have already mentioned that Alonso doesn't necessarily need race wins to wrap up this championship. He had a fairly poor race but, crucially, a better one than his nearest rival Mark Webber. That means he extends his lead at the top of the standings and heads into the summer with the knowledge that it will take some doing to beat him now. Alonso finished in 5th and his teammate Massa finished 9th meaning Ferrari have taken a beating in the Constructors' and are now fourth; this just underlines how much things can still change as Ferrari were trying to chase down Red Bull just last week.

Pastor Maldonado had another incident with another driver today and this time it was a case of forcing someone else off the track when completing an overtake; Paul Di Resta was the Venezuelan's victim this time round. The stewards chose to give Maldonado a drive-through penalty; I do think this penalty was a bit too harsh and I believed, at the time, that the incident could just be classed as a 'racing incident'. However, it is no secret that Maldonado had form for getting involved in racing incidents and I'm sure there would have been pressure on the stewards to show that Maldonado won't be able to get away with his aggressive driving. Had they given him a reprimand it would have resulted in a 10-place grid penalty because he has two reprimands already and that grid-drop would definitely have been too harsh. He eventually finished 13th meaning that's another race out of the points. His teammate Bruno Senna has had a great weekend from FP2 onwards. A top 10 qualifying was followed up with a seventh-place finish; ahead of Mark Webber's Red Bull.

The Hungaroring may have slightly disappointed but it certainly livened things up in the championship. We can now say that Alonso, Webber, Vettel, Hamilton and Raikkonen (the top 5) are now all in the hunt and we also see the Constructors' getting exciting and we realise that Red Bull aren't yet invincible. The first half of this season has been truly amazing and so great for fans and spectators. I will be doing a post on which of the races has been my favourite so far and I have other posts and opinion pieces planned for the summer break. I know 35 (approximately) days away from our favourite sport will be tough but stick with me and keep coming back regularly to see what's up on the blog.

I wish all the drivers, mechanics and team personnel a good break away from the F1 circus and hope that they can relax and refresh themselves to deliver us even better racing at the amazing tracks that await us! I hope you enjoy time away from F1 as well, if you are going away etc.


Now to find something else to do with my weekends...


Aqsa, @aqsasformula

(Images)


Friday

ANYONE HUNGARY FOR A GRAND PRIX?

Sorry but a hungry/ Hungary play on words had to be done but now it's out of the way we can focus on what we come here to do! Talk about F1 of course...

It feels a bit strange to be doing a preview to a race just as I've finished all my coverage and features on the German Grand Prix but that's exactly what I find myself doing because we have back-to-back Grands Prix before F1 goes on its summer break. (I don't even want to think about what a painful 4 weeks await us.)


Last time out, Fernando Alonso took another win; his third of the season and this weekend he will be looking to take his 31st career win on his 31st birthday. It would, of course, be a special milestone for the Spaniard and I can't think of a better time to reach it... It all seems a little too perfect, doesn't it? Lately the odds have seemed to be in Fernando's favour and I am yet to see him get any bad luck this season. The only real moment he would regret is losing the lead of the British Grand Prix to Mark Webber so close towards the end but that was due to Ferrari strategy as opposed to bad luck. I can think of a few people on the grid who will be hoping things don't go Alonso's way but if they do he puts himself in an extremely covetable position at the top of the standings. Ferrari have said that they will not relax yet as they don't have the fastest car on the grid but they don't have the distractions Red Bull currently have, I'll come to that in a while, and so they can remain focused on their goal and on reaching their targets. With back-to-back races it is difficult to make significant advancements from the last race but I'm sure a more confident and stress-free environment won't harm Ferrari's chances.

Sebastian Vettel probably feels that no luck went his way last weekend at his home Grand Prix; the weekend ended with him being awarded a 20-second time penalty meaning he lost his 2nd place finish and was demoted to 5th. He knows what he needs from this weekend and I'm sure he won't be happy with anything short of a win. With the pressure of possibly losing or at least making it very hard to win his third championship, the young German knows what is expected of him. He had a weekend to forget last week but it must be a case of onwards and upwards if he is to keep the pressure on Ferrari's Fernando Alonso. Of course, he still needs to catch up to teammate Mark Webber in the standings. Both of the Red Bull boys need strong finishes and, if they achieve this, Red Bull will be very comfortable with, and quietly confident about, their Constructors' title hopes. Sebastian Vettel is also the only world champion, out of the six on the grid, to have never won at Hungary; if things weren't already difficult enough!

Red Bull's engine mapping was a major talking point last Sunday. The RB8 had been deemed legal to race by the stewards but they conceded that their own rules weren't very clear on the subject and will need tightening. They therefore made clarifications to the rule and Red Bull have had to change/ revert back to an older engine mapping for this weekend. The team has downplayed the effects this will have and don't seem to think having to change the mapping will affect their performance significantly. When Red Bull had to change their floor, it was speculated that it would hurt their performance but it did no such thing. I am therefore confident that Red Bull will still come out fighting in Hungary.

McLaren are probably feeling the pressure more than the other top teams. They showed a promising return to form in Germany with Jenson Button finishing 2nd but they also had a DNF for Lewis Hamilton. For the Constructors' title to be secured a team needs both drivers to consistently gain strong points finishes; something McLaren have not been capable of on a regular basis this season. Both drivers really like the Hungaroring circuit and, safe with the knowledge that their car has been significantly developed, will be feeling confident going into this weekend.

It is thought that Lotus will be strong this weekend because the hot weather conditions tend to favour their E20. However, there is no guarantee of clear skies and warm weather; particularly for the race itself. So, from that, I can conclude that Lotus may or may not be competitive this weekend... We all know that both of the Lotus drivers are looking strong, despite Grosjean's lacklustre race in Germany, and we've all said that a race win is imminent, well I have! I still stand by that belief but I am doubtful of whether they can achieve that this weekend. The team know that Qualifying is what they need to focus on so with the summer break looming they can start working on that and I'm sure we will see stronger performances from them when we return.

I can't believe that we have already reached that horrible period when the thought of the summer break is very nearly a reality. However, we do have a Grand Prix to enjoy before that and, as always, it promises to be a great one! There'll be important repercussions for both titles, I'm sure, and many drivers will be looking to prove a point or two. And the best thing about this weekend? We get to enjoy all this action just one week after the German Grand Prix; God, how I love back-to-backs!

Aqsa, @aqsasformula

Wednesday

AQSA'S PODIUM

Ladies and gents, the moment you have all been waiting for has finally arrived; I am about to announce my top 3 drivers for the German Grand Prix.

3. Fernando Alonso


Hold the front page, I've put the race winner third! Alonso did have a great race after starting from pole; wet conditions seem to favour the Ferrari in Qualifying. He also had to defend during the race against Vettel and Button (and even Hamilton) as they tried to take his lead with no avail.

2. Jenson Button


I don't want to jinx him but... JENSON'S BACK (for now). Let's all hope that the McLaren driver's worries are over because Germany proved how enjoyable it can be to see him challenging at the front.

1. Sergio Perez


Perez had a poor Qualifying that was worsened by a 5-place grid penalty. But he wasn't going to let that stop him... He eventually finished in sixth from seventeenth on the grid and enjoyed some great overtakes to get there. He may have finished behind his teammate Kamui Kobayashi but the young Mexican was still my driver of the day.

Do you agree with my choices? Comment below or tweet me with who your top 3 drivers were...

Aqsa, @aqsasformula

(Image 3)

Tuesday

F1 MOMENTS #3

My chosen image for Setting the Scene; Germany could easily double as my pick for the best moment of the Grand Prix as well but it isn't. My choice does, however, involve both Vettel and Button.

In my opinion, that tense moment of the race when you near the edge of your seat, clench your fists and wait anxiously to find out what the outcome of a particular move will be had to be after Sebastian Vettel went into the pit lane for his second stop of the day. Jenson Button had already been closing in on him, Lewis had held him up whilst trying unlap himself and McLaren delivered a lightning-fast pit stop. Vettel came out of the pit lane and he and Jenson were neck and neck but Button had the momentum and he had gotten his tyres working so he was able to pass Vettel before they went into the next corner. That moment was crucial in the outcome of the race. These two would certainly have a battle for second and Alonso was able to pull away and go on to win the race. 

Depending on who you support your reaction to this moment would have been either jumping for joy and punching the air or squealing with anxiety at what may be lost. 

This has just been a short and sweet post as the moment of the race, for me, lasted almost a split second! Do you agree with my choice? What would yours be? You know what to do...

SETTING THE SCENE.

This is the feature where I choose one picture to sum up the weekend's race so when I go about choosing I try to think about what stands out to me/ what immediately comes to mind when I think about the Grand Prix. Well there is one word that jumps out when I think of Germany; penalties! There were several after Qualifying and then one rather prominent one during the race.



Sebastian's overtake on Jenson and the subsequent penalty given to him were the biggest talking points after the race and I'm sure we'll still be talking about it when we get to Hungary.

Aqsa, @aqsasformula

Monday

ALONSO ÜBER ALLES

Fernando Alonso followed up his pole position from Saturday to win the German Grand Prix; making it his third victory of the season and, critically, extending his lead in the world championship. I said before the race that this weekend would be crucial in the way the championship eventually plays out and Alonso made sure that his was the name we would all be choosing as the firm favourite. He now holds a 34-point lead over Mark Webber and Sebastian Vettel is a further 10 behind.

Running the same strategy as his rivals this weekend, as opposed to Silverstone when Ferrari went a different way and Alonso lost the lead in the closing stages of the race, meant that he had a better chance of taking the win. His lead was threatened at times by Vettel and Jenson Button. Button challenging the leader; there's something we haven't seen in a while! Despite the attempts at snatching his lead, Alonso defended well and no one was able to pass him; not even with the use of DRS and around the hairpin, a place Jenson had already completed several overtakes to get himself up to 3rd. Alonso's experience in F1 is showing; he knows who his main rivals are and focuses strategy and his race around beating them! He has a comfortable lead in the standings, he has a car capable of pole and race wins, he's feeling confident; can anyone stop Alonso now?


The battle for the remaining two podium spots was full of drama! During the middle stint Jenson has been closing in on Vettel but didn't seem to be able to get close enough to make a pass or overtake. Their tyres were degrading at a similar rate and they were evenly matched in terms of speed. Jenson's lapped teammate then joined in with the fun as he tried to unlap himself by passing Vettel. Sebastian allowed him to do with relative ease around the hairpin but as he tried to make his way past the back marker, which Lewis was then, Hamilton drove defensively thus holding Vettel up and allowing Jenson to get very close. The McLaren driver then headed into the pits where his team completed a stunning 2.4 second pit stop... Something that certainly helped their chances of taking 2nd. When Vettel emerged from the pits a lap later, after an average 3.4 second stop, Jenson was able to cruise past the German and claim second place. He was undoubtedly helped by his teammate and everyone will have different opinions on whether what Lewis did was right or wrong. All I'll say is if that was a HRT/Caterham/Marussia or even Sebastian doing that move on Lewis I'm sure a few people's opinions would change...

Then on lap 66, the penultimate lap, Sebastian had closed Jenson's lead and was in the DRS zone. As he tried to overtake around the hairpin, where else?, Vettel ran wide and accelerated on the paint to pass Jenson and take the position. Again, there are differing opinions on this. The stewards were of the opinion that Vettel gained an unfair advantage and had this happened earlier in the race Vettel would have been given a drive-through penalty. They, therefore, added 20 seconds to his final time demoting him from 2nd to 5th. There is no doubt in my mind that this penalty was too harsh. A drive-through would have cost Vettel approximately 12 seconds which would have left him in 3rd place. Make of that what you will.


Sebastian's penalty not only helped Alonso, but also Raikkonen. He took the final podium spot as a result, and didn't have to go to the press conference which would make the Iceman happier, and is now sitting 4th in the championship, ahead of Lewis Hamilton, despite not yet winning a race this season. Kimi is looking stronger as the season progresses and it clearly hasn't taken him long to readjust to F1. A win is imminent in my opinion and even though many fans believe Romain Grosjean will be the first Lotus driver to take a win, Kimi is the more consistent one. He and the team should now focus on their single lap pace. If they can qualify higher up the grid Kimi can and will win a race!

Sauber had a great Sunday, even though their Qualifying wasn't very strong, and Kobayashi and Perez finished 4th, thanks to Vettel's penalty, and 6th respectively. Another high points finish for the team indicates that they are capable of taking a few more podiums this season and are set to beat Force India and Toro Rosso this year. Out of these three teams they have made the best progress that showed in Malaysia and Valencia when they took podium spots. For Kobayashi 4th is his best ever finish in F1 so he must be hoping that he can go at least one better at some point this season.

Nico Rosberg also did well to finish in the points after a poor Qualifying followed by a 5-place grid penalty for a gearbox change meant he started from 21st. He finished in 10th just behind his compatriot Nico Hulkenberg. Rosberg's teammate Schumacher finished in a disappointing seventh after starting from third and having a shot at Sebastian Vettel at the start of the race. That means we had four German drivers in the top 10 at the German Grand Prix and both Mercedes' were in the top 10 too. Mercedes are falling behind in the Constructors now whilst Lotus are taking massive strides to battle with the top 3 teams. They would have started this season as contenders for many podiums and race wins but have failed to live up to these expectations. We are only halfway through the season now so they still have time to develop and catch up to the other teams in terms of performance.


Elsewhere, Maldonado had a fairly clean race and didn't end anyone else's race. He was involved in a few overtakes, admittedly he was the one being overtaken, but there were no crashes or penalties. He could be happy with that but finishing 15th will be a disappointment after a strong Qualifying in the wet. He still beat teammate Senna who was 17th so perhaps it was just the car that wasn't up to the challenge in Hockenheim.

F1 has now reached its halfway point in the 2012 season and some consistency has taken hold of the results. We will no longer see a run of 7 consecutive winners but there is still the opportunity to see some first-time winners in Raikkonen and Grosjean and the other podium spots will also be hotly contested. The season will remain competitive and Alonso has even said that his growing lead in the championship "means nothing". I would probably disagree... Sure, a lot can happen in the next 10 races but with the way Alonso has been driving this season, his consistency, he has now finished in the points for 22 consecutive races, and his maturity I cannot see him making many mistakes. It will take a string of great results from the two Red Bull drivers and some bad luck to be thrown Alonso's way for his lead to be threatened. All we can do is merely sit back and enjoy as F1 2012 charges into the final 10 rounds. I have no doubt that they will be as thrilling as the 10 before them...

Aqsa, @aqsasformula

(Images 1&2, 3)

Friday

ÜBUNG MACHT DEN MEISTER.

So, my title is apparently the German version of 'practice makes perfect' which is what I usually call my review of Friday's practice session; in case you were wondering!

You've probably seen the headlines about Jenson Button setting the fastest time in FP1 by now but because the track was constantly changing; there were short bouts of rain and the track was wet and then dry etc, the time isn't really an indication as to where he and McLaren will be this weekend with respect to their main competitors. McLaren have brought a major upgrade package to Hockenheim and have made significant aerodynamic changes to the sidepod in a bid to increase downforce. The upgrades were desperately needed at McLaren and they will be hoping that they are now matched with Red Bull, and even Ferrari, in terms of performance. They need to put Silverstone behind them as a weekend to forget but also learn from. Qualifying conditions tomorrow may be similar to what they were like in Silverstone and we all know that McLaren were below par in those conditions. I do find it strange that McLaren choose to bring major upgrades to races all at once and are then happy to leave the car for a few more races. It would make a lot more sense to constantly evolve the car and add upgrade by upgrade, which is what Red Bull do. Nevertheless, the upgrades are finally here but we will still have to wait and see whether their developments mean they can put their woes behind them. Jenson's time was good but set at a time when the track was dry and no-one else really benefited from that. He does, however, seem to have some of that balance back!


FP2 have us a better indication of teams' abilities but again conditions were changing and the time you set your lap was crucial. The start of the session was hampered by rain and so no running took place; Jenson Button even took the opportunity to have a cup of tea! Then brave Bruno Senna went out on the wet tyres and others followed suit. As the track dried up, the intermediate tyres came on and the lap times flew. The order was constantly changing as drivers got tyres at their optimum and the track continued to dry. Enjoying stints at the top were; Button, Vettel, Rosberg, Grosjean, Hamilton and more... Maldonado then set the fastest lap just as the rain returned. Before that there was even some talk about switching on to the slicks but that was merely a passing thought and the weather had other plans.

Michael Schumacher then brought the session to an end as he crashed his Mercedes by the Mercedes grandstand with approximately 4 minutes to go. It wasn't a big disruption as not much running was taking place and teams weren't that concerned with data collection at that point.

There's not really a lot to learn from these practice sessions but we do know that Qualifying tomorrow and the race on Sunday won't fail to deliver some more exciting racing. There seem to be several contenders for pole as Red Bull, Ferrari, Lotus, McLaren and Williams all have fast cars that we know are capable of bringing a challenge. We don't yet know what the conditions will be like for the Qualifying sessions and timing and tyres will be crucial in setting the fastest time, not necessarily who has the fastest car!

I am missing the session, but will be recording and watching late in the evening, meaning I won't be able to post a review. So, enjoy the session and I will see you back here on Sunday, which feels like a lifetime away at the moment, to discuss all things German Grand Prix-related!

Bis Sonntag,

Aqsa, @aqsasformula

(Image)

Thursday

FORMEL EINS KOMMT NACH DEUTSCHLAND AN

The German Grand Prix marks the halfway point in the 2012 Formula 1 season and it could prove to be a crucial race in the title battle, which currently looks like it will be a three-way battle between Fernando Alonso, Mark Webber and Sebastian Vettel. The trio are separated by 29 points and that is why the outcome of this race could lead to the order shuffling up.

Vettel goes to his home Grand Prix knowing that finishing lower than Alonso is not an option. Fernando is enjoying a comfortable lead over the reigning world champion and his consistency this season has helped him become a firm favourite for the title. Vettel and Red Bull have said that Alonso is still to have his share of bad luck this season and, whilst that may be true, they cannot rely on things not going Alonso's way to help them secure both titles. The German is under pressure; his past form at his home race is probably not as encouraging as he would like but if there was ever a season when winning at home would mean more than usual this is it. Sebastian knows what he has to do and must ensure that he can remain calm under the pressure and go into this Grand Prix with the championship in mind. Vettel's teammate is also ahead of him in the standings. The pair's results mean that Red Bull could be well on their way to securing a hat-trick of Constructors' titles. Some have said that Vettel is not comfortable with Mark's performance being slightly better than his this season; the Australian has 2 wins to Sebastian's one. Whether or not that is true, we don't know the feeling in the Red Bull camp and I think that considering 2012 has been so unpredictable already Sebastian understands that it is not yet time to panic and mull over what his teammate is doing.

McLaren are in a completely contrasting position to Red Bull going into this race weekend. In Silverstone they had the misfortune of both of their drivers struggling to perform and this meant it was clear that there were problems with their car. Previously, Jenson Button's failure to deliver strong results couldn't have been blamed solely on the car as Lewis wasn't experiencing the same problems. However, the last race showed that the team need to develop their car at a much faster rate if they are to continue competing for either of the titles. At this stage, when they sit fourth in the Constructors', I believe they must act as if they have nothing to lose. They should not be afraid of radical upgrades and they have the Friday practice sessions to see how the car reacts in Hockenheim. In Valencia Red Bull reformed their exhaust package and brought major upgrades; the move could have backfired but instead put Red Bull ahead of their competitors in the development game. This season the team that is able to develop the fastest and most successfully will be the team that takes the championship and currently McLaren are not able to develop the MP4-27 at a good enough rate. They have fallen behind and their fate this season is now up to them! They should also not let speculation over Lewis Hamilton's contract distract them from what they come to this race to do but McLaren are experienced enough to know how to handle with contract talks and rumours.

Lotus have now overtaken McLaren in the Constructors' so they sit in third. The lead is only 2 points but with Lotus improving and McLaren falling behind that could still increase. Lotus are still to take their first win of 2012 and their drivers Raikkonen and Grosjean are both looking comfortable with the car and the team are certainly hungry to take that win. Can they add to McLaren's woes this weekend? 

Maldonado had yet another incident with another driver in Silverstone and that led to young Sergio Perez giving a damning verdict on the Venezuelan to the world's media. He was certainly not shy or retiring in telling  us exactly what he, and apparently many other drivers, think of Maldonado's driving. The stewards reprimanded him for the incident with Perez and another one will lead to a 10 place grid penalty. I do think the collision with Perez was a racing incident and if it was any other driver involved Perez and fans wouldn't have been as upset by it but because Maldonado has form for causing incidents like this many felt that he just cuts it too fine and that's not really fair for other drivers. Let's hope that Maldonado has an incident and blame-free weekend in Germany. He definitely needs one.


There have been news reports lately surrounding the future of the German Grand Prix. Financial problems mean that both Hockenheim and the Nurburgring are uncertain over their ability to stage the Grand Prix. The race in Germany is such a staple in the F1 calendar and for it to be missing would be a real shame. The country's link to F1 is huge; historically and in the present day! Furthermore, the TV revenue that F1 gains from Germany is huge, RTL pay staggering amounts, so financially it is a very important country to the sport. I have no real doubt over a Grand Prix taking place in Germany; Mr Ecclestone and co. understand how vital Germany is to F1. 

All in all this weekend is set to be a great one! There is so much riding on it in terms of the two world titles and that means the stakes are very high! Hopefully this will lead to interesting strategies, drivers really going for it and teams bringing upgrades that really mix things up. Silverstone was too long ago and I am desperate for some exciting on-track action; I'm sure Hockenheim will deliver. 

Bis bald, (yes, I did German at A-Level and I know that impressed you!)

Aqsa

(Image 1)

P.S. Tomorrow I will try my absolute hardest to ensure a review of FP1&2 is up but I will not be able to do one for Qualifying as I am working all day (13 hours to be precise) so I will not have the time. A race review will certainly be up on Sunday though. Thank you for bearing with me; I am very busy this weekend and absolutely gutted to be missing Qualifying. I will post the Qualifying results though...

Friday

THE CURIOUS CASE OF JENSON BUTTON

Jenson Button; 2009 world champion and British racing hero. Button had a long wait and a long F1 career before he finally took his first world championship. Then he signed to McLaren and I'm sure many thought more titles would come. That was over two years ago and I'm fairly confident that 2012 will mark Jenson's 3rd year away from F1 glory. Of course, last year he was, in harsh terms, the best of the losers when he came a very respectable second in the championship; the highest position that was actually contested due to Sebastian Vettel's dominance.

Jenson had a tremendous start to the season. He won the first race in Melbourne, Australia and he was driving what many were claiming to be the car to beat. I can't think of a better way to launch a title bid! So the F1 world left Australia for another year with Jenson Button and McLaren leading both championships. Despite a lot of initial skepticism, F1 fans and journalists started coming round to McLaren's lower nose design theory and there was a lot of "the fastest and most beautiful car" comments being thrown around. McLaren were soon to learn that looks aren't the most important thing...


It's been no secret that Jenson Button suffered from a massive slip in form after that first race in Australia. Let's go through his season, shall we? Warning for you Jenson fans, this might be painful to relive!

So it was a case of hero to zero in the space of a week for Button as he finished 14th in the Malaysian Grand Prix and picked up no points after winning and taking maximum points at Melbourne. However, it was only the second race and it was a collision with a backmarker that put him out of the points. Surely this was just one freak incident and things could only get better. Then Jenson finished 2nd in China; a truly exciting race with Nico Rosberg winning it from pole. So Button was back on the podium and order was restored in what was shaping up to be a crazy F1 season. Then we went to Bahrain. Jenson qualified well; he was on the second row and was starting the race from fourth. Sadly for him, he had to retire from the race and so took no points home. Again... This was also the beginning of McLaren's pit stop nightmares as it was the race where they made mistakes on two of Lewis' stops.

F1 was now done with the flyaways and returned home to Europe for the Spanish Grand Prix. Barcelona provides a track that F1 knows well and drivers and teams are used to it because of how much testing they have done on this track. There were three weeks between Bahrain and Spain so teams had time to make updates and reevaluate what they were doing. Drivers could get away from any distractions and refocus on their racing. However, F1 2012 had other things in mind. With Pastor Maldonado winning the race we got four different winners in four races and there was even some Qualifying controversy; another mistake from McLaren when it came to refueling Lewis' car for the final part of Qualifying. Jenson's Qualifying added to McLaren's woes; he started the race from tenth and finished in ninth. So Jenson was back in the points but probably not as high up as he would have liked.

Monaco was next up; the jewel in F1's glamourous, slightly over the top crown! But for Jenson it wasn't to be a weekend of partying and having a good time; he was there to race! Having already won at Monaco in the past, something every F1 driver dreams of doing, Jenson knows what it takes to win at this street circuit. A poor Qualifying session was no excuse for his difficulties in the race. He qualified in 12th and finished 16th but Sebastian Vettel qualified in 9th and finished 4th. It was clear that he and McLaren had deeper problems. We all heard that he had no grip and, depending on the occasion, the MP4-27 gifted Button with both understeer and oversteer. However, his teammate Lewis Hamilton wasn't having the same problems as Jenson meaning the cause probably lay with Button's setup and "balance" as opposed to significant problems with the car. This was further highlighted when Lewis won the Canadian Grand Prix and Button was out of the points in 16th again. Back to Europe and Jenson is in the points; he finished 8th. As Alonso won the race to take a significant lead in the championship it was clear that consistency may well have returned to F1 and would eventually be the key to taking the title. To be fair to him Jenson has been consistent; it's just been at the wrong end of the points.


So McLaren and Jenson returned to the UK. For the team the gap to Red Bull in the Constructors' was ever-increasing and as it seemed that only Lewis was capable of taking high-point finishes the dream was dwindling. And Jenson's dream of taking his second world championship is most probably over. 8th placed Button is 11 points off 7th placed man Kimi Raikkonen. With Kimi currently in better form and a better car, Lotus have overtaken McLaren in the Constructors' standings, I think Jenson should be more focused on taking that position than challenging for the championship, something he believes he can still do. This season of F1 has been unpredictable, to say the least, so I can see why Jenson thinks he still has a chance but it seems to me that normality and consistency is returning. We now have two two-time winners in Mark Webber and Fernando Alonso and even Lewis Hamilton has a fight on his hands. 


There have been many theories as to why McLaren have suddenly gone from 'the team to beat' to 'the team desperately trying to catch up to Red Bull, Ferrari and even Lotus to keep their title hopes alive', or something slightly catchier than that! Perhaps it may be the fact that their lower nose does not leave much room for development so whilst others have made updates and progressed McLaren could not do this at the same level. They have denied that there are significant problems with the car but the British Grand Prix results tell us otherwise. There should be some concern in the McLaren camp now and as the 2012 season reaches its halfway point in Hockenheim for the German Grand Prix, they will need a big improvement in performance. 


They may have been fighting a losing battle to Red Bull at this point last year but everything was up for grabs this season. Ferrari are most definitely still in the race so for questions to be raised over McLaren's chances at this stage in the season is simply not good enough. But the team don't need me to tell them that! They've been in F1 for long enough to know exactly what is required of them. It is now just a question of whether or not they can deliver the results they need.


Aqsa, @aqsasformula

(Image 1)

Wednesday

TWITTER; FRIEND OR FOE?

This post is just my opportunity to have a bit of a rant and I know there are many other F1 fans who would agree with me on this one. If you do, or don't, drop a comment below! Now a small warning; this post is quite uncharacteristic of me!

So, Twitter is a great social networking site. I love using it and I've had a lot of fun talking to and meeting other fans of Formula 1. After a race or after some breaking news it is the go-to place for all the latest opinions. I've gotten to talk to other fans about who their favourite drivers/teams are, what they think about driver contracts and who should stay/go to another team and had so much more F1 conversations. We also talk about non-F1 related stuff because we all have other interests and it is fun to be able to share those with each other. As a fan of a lot of other sports it was great during Euro 2012 to be able to talk to some about the football and talk to others about the European Grand Prix simultaneously. We all love Twitter, that's why we spend endless hours on it, and if you're not on Twitter I do think you're missing out. However, it't not all fun and games...

There are some fans on Twitter who take things too far. A debate, whatever the topic may be, is always interesting because you get to hear the opinions and thoughts of someone you may not necessarily agree with but respect each other enough to realise that you don't have to agree on everything. How boring would we and Twitter be if everyone thought exactly the same thing on every topic? That was a rhetorical question and the answer is very! It's good to encourage different points of view and talk about what you think with others. You may end up learning new things or even changing your initial opinion. By the way, that does not make you 'flaky'! If anything I think it's a good thing and shows you're not stuck in your ways.

Lately I've had some intellectual, F1-related chats via Twitter with other fans. That's been fun! However, there have been other fans who don't seem to realise that we won't all always agree. But that's fine, some people are like that. Now we get to the thing that really annoys me and it all started because of Pastor Maldonado. Ok, we all have our different opinions on him. I think it's obvious that Maldonado has been involved in many 'incidents' this season and last year so naturally some fans of the sport won't be and don't have to be fans of him. That said, their problems should lie with his driving style and that only... There is really no need, that I can see anyway, to start attacking a driver on personal issues that are completely unrelated to his driving or on-track behaviour. You may not like that he was involved in a collision that ended your favourite driver's race but how are his looks in any way related to that? I saw some tweets yesterday that were just plain nasty and I can't understand why some fans people would need to make things personal.

Then we get on to the disgusting issue of death threats on Twitter. I shouldn't even have to explain why this is wrong so I'm not going to. All I'll say is if you are a fan threatening to kill a driver on Twitter, whether you mean this seriously or not, you may have to reconsider that fan status. You can't call that a joke because it's just not funny and we should all know the effect our words, spoken or typed, can have!

All I want to say is we will all have our favourite or preferred drivers and you don't have to 'like' every driver on the grid but, at the end of the day, your passion for the sport should come first. We should all respect what these drivers do and recent, heartbreaking events in Formula 1 (my thoughts are with Maria de Villota and her family) show just what they risk. This is why death threats and wishing a driver crashes during a race are truly disgusting and uncalled for, in my opinion. Whatever a driver does on track adds to the excitement of the sport and if something like a crash does happen the stewards deal with it as they see fit; you don't have to agree with their decision and you can/should express that but there is a limit to how far you should go. We are all united by our love for what we believe to be the most exciting sport and that should come first!

*Rant over* Let me know what you think on this topic and what your Twitter experience is like!

Aqsa, @aqsasformula

AQSA'S PODIUM

Now that we've had time to reflect on the weekend's action I've been able to think about who my top three drivers of the weekend were. I thought the majority of drivers performed well considering they didn't really know what to expect for the race after a wet, rain-disrupted Qualifying session. Nevertheless, hearts will be broken as I can only choose my top 3 for this feature...

3. Kimi Raikkonen


Kimi was involved in a few interesting on-track battles during the race, particularly when he overtook Vettel at the start of the race only to lose position a turn later. He made up a position on his Qualifying place, which is always good, and all his overtaking manoeuvres were clean but effective.

2. Romain Grosjean


Kimi's Lotus teammate comes in at number 2. He qualified in 10th and finished in 6th. Romain continue to impresses me this season and he is proving why he deserved his second chance in Formula 1. I expect great things to come for the young Frenchman.

1. Mark Webber


Mark, the winner of the Grand Prix, takes the number 1 spot on my list for the second week in a row. He was my pick as driver of the day for the European Grand Prix because he moved from 19th on the grid to finish 4th. This time round it's because he kept a cool head during the race and maintained his second place well. Then, when it mattered, he really attacked leader Fernando Alonso; timing everything perfectly. A well deserved win for the Aussie who finally confirmed where he will be driving next year. So congratulations to Mark for taking the top spot in Aqsa's Podium for two weeks running. I'm sure this is the best news he'll receive all week...

Aqsa, @aqsasformula

(Image 1, 2, 3)

Tuesday

VETTEL AND WEBBER TOGETHER IN 2013

Today Red Bull Racing and Mark Webber announced that the Australian will be driving for the current world champions in 2013 after signing a one-year contract extension. Webber added that the decision was ultimately an easy one as he had a "strong" desire to continue at Red Bull Racing and that he "really, really likes working with them". You can read the full interview with Mark here. As Sebastian Vettel was already contracted for 2013 this news confirms the team's driver line-up for next year.


Before this announcement there had been a lot of rumours and debate over what Mark should do and where he should be driving next year. Unlike with Lewis Hamilton, I didn't really think there was any need for us to be discussing this. Mark and Red Bull do, despite what many say, work well together. It's a team he knows well and from the team's perspective he is a good partner for Vettel. Talking about his partnership with Vettel, Mark said it has "proved to be a successful partnership". As far as I am concerned, Red Bull have the best driver line-up on the current grid and that is why they have been able to win two Constructors' championships in a row. Both of their drivers can give them strong points finishes and both are capable of winning races. From Mark's perspective Red Bull are the best team on the grid and can give him a car with which he can always be challenging at the front; something every driver wants. And now that the talk of contracts is over Mark can concentrate on what he is paid to do; his driving and battle to win this year's championship, something that is now a very real possibility following his wins in Monaco and Britain. 

Mark admitted that he had "discussions with Ferrari" but it was his decision to stay with Red Bull. I hope he can have successful seasons, this year and in 2013, with the team and who knows, perhaps he and the Red Bull will remain together for longer than that.

Aqsa, @aqsasformula

F1 MOMENTS #2

So this is the feature where I pick the best moment of the weekend's race. For the European Grand Prix I picked the Hamilton-Maldonado collision that ended Lewis' race. Last time out we were in Silverstone for the British Grand Prix and so when I was thinking about what my absolute favourite moment of the weekend was I realised that I am going to have to cheat and choose a moment that doesn't actually have anything to do with the racing. Or any of the drivers...

My favourite moment from the British Grand Prix weekend took place on the Saturday, but it has nothing to do with Qualifying. Well not directly... Ok, I'll end the suspense now! My moment of the weekend had to be when Murray Walker, the man, the legend, appeared on the BBC's coverage of Qualifying to join commentators Ben Edwards and David Coulthard in the commentary box during the red flag period. Murray Walker was commentating on F1 before my time, well before I was old enough to actually understand and enjoy the commentary so I never got to experience everything he added to an F1 race. Nevertheless I, like any true F1 fan, have heard his commentary on certain classic races and understand why he is a legend for the sport. So to hear his classic '"GO, GO, GO!" live on TV was a truly special moment!

I know this isn't directly related to any of the great track action Silverstone treated us to but it was the best moment of the weekend, in my opinion!

So, what was your moment from the British Grand Prix weekend? Would you agree with my choice or were you watching with Sky/ do you live abroad meaning you didn't get to see it?

Aqsa, @aqsasformula

Monday

SETTING THE SCENE.

Silverstone was all about the 'local' team Red Bull, in my opinion. The Milton Keynes based team took home a double podium, astonishingly their first of the season, with Mark Webber winning the Grand Prix and Sebastian Vettel coming in a respectable 3rd position. The team have a great record at Silverstone and this just adds to it. It also cements their lead at the top of the Constructors' championship; they now have a 64 point lead over nearest challengers Ferrari. Therefore this is my choice as my 'Setting the Scene' picture:



The results from today also mean that Mark Webber has; cut the lead Fernando Alonso had in the Drivers' championship, increased the lead he has over teammate Vettel and become the second driver to take two wins this season. A successful weekend at the office! There have been questions about Webber's future and all he has confirmed so far is that he will be in Formula 1 next year; he has not specified with whom. He has now outqualified his teammate in 5 out of 9 races and has 2 wins to Vettel's 1; not bad for a number 2 driver.

Aqsa, @aqsasformula




MARK MAKES IT TWO UNDER THE SILVERSTONE SUN

I'll begin with apologies for the late review; I was recovering from that Wimbledon match! I can't go into detail as I'll just get emotional.

So the rain defied expectations, stayed away and we had a dry race in Silverstone. This meant all teams were essentially venturing into the unknown in terms of strategy and how they compared to others. Consequently, we had different teams and drivers going for alternative tyre strategies so before the race had even begun we knew tyres and strategy would play a vital role. If you follow me on Twitter you may have seen me tweet about how nothing quite excites me like alternative tyre strategy. This was not an exaggeration. As the drivers in the top 10 had qualified on the intermediates, they were able to choose what tyre they wanted to start on. Lewis Hamilton and pole-man Fernando Alonso notably decided to start on the  harder compound tyre whilst their rivals at Red Bull, and most others on the grid, chose the soft tyre to start the race. 

Anxious to not have a repeat of 2011 when Vettel overtook Mark, who was on pole, going into the first corner Fernando went defensive to retain his lead. Vettel got a bad start this year slipping behind Felipe Massa. After the race Vettel did say that the first stint and falling behind Massa and Schumacher hurt his chances of winning the race.


One of three British drivers at this weekend Paul Di Resta lost any hope of impressing in front of his home crowd just one corner into the Grand Prix. Contact with Romain Grosjean's Lotus led to a puncture on a rear tyre. Di Resta was able to make it to the pits for a change but in doing so sustained too much damage to the floor of the car and his race was over. I am sure Paul is feeling really disappointed with what happened and I don't know whether the fact that there was no one to blame helps that or not. There was another early retirement for one of the Caterhams. Vitaly Petrov's race was over before it had even begun. The team kindly tweeted me to confirm that it was an engine failure that caused the premature retirement but they will only know more once engine suppliers Renault "strip down the engine and find out what happened". It's fair to say that Renault have not had the best fortnight. Vettel and Grosjean retired due to problems with their alternators and now Petrov was unable to race.


During the first stint Alonso was able to maintain his lead to Webber, who also had a comfortable lead over Schumacher, Massa and Vettel. The latter two were all within the DRS zone to the man in front but only Massa was able to gain a place. Red Bull had to try the undercut and pit first to switch Vettel onto the harder tyre. They had to try a roll of the dice and were essentially the first team to blink. Luckily, it paid off. After Massa and Schumacher pitted they emerged behind Sebastian. Alonso stayed out longer than most, as he was on the harder tyre, but he did eventually pit and resume his place in front of Mark Webber. Hamilton didn't need to pit as soon as everyone else and so he enjoyed a brief period where he was leading the race; a real treat for the British fans!

Nevertheless, normality then resumed. Hamilton was shuffled down the pack and Alonso reclaimed the lead. It was all calm at the front, for a while...

Another race, another incident involving Pastor Maldonado. Whether you love him or hate him, there can be no denying that Maldonado had been involved in far too many collisions in his F1 career and, this season particularly, has cost his Williams team a lot of points. This time round he clashed with Sergio Perez and the young Mexican's race was ended. Looking at the collision I think it is something you would usually class as a racing incident and the stewards seem to agree by not awarding Maldonado with any grid-place penalties for the next race. However, Pastor is a driver with past form for getting involved in collisions that end others' races. Sergio Perez was damning in his verdict on Maldonado and even said that his dangerous driving is a concern amongst most drivers. Perhaps he does have some bad feeling towards him after the incident in Monaco a few races ago but his anger was clear. Maldonado has also been given a reprimand by the stewards and it is his second one so should he get one more it will be a grid-place penalty that awaits him.

Then followed the next rounds of pit stops. Those who had started on the soft tyre were following a strategy of soft, hard, hard. Those on the hard were mainly going for hard, hard, soft. Hamilton was an exception. He went for the soft tyre for the second stint and only used it for around 8 laps. It was strange strategy from McLaren but I think they knew that they would have to try something different if they were to challenge for the win. Qualifying, albeit the conditions were different, showed they didn't really match up in terms of pace.

By the time of the second round of pit stops Mark Webber had managed to reduce some of the lead Alonso had after Mark had pitted. He needed to reduce it by approximately a further four seconds but Alonso headed in, put on his soft tyres and emerged in front of Webber. Mark's Red Bull team told him to start cutting down the difference and to just be patient as Alonso's tyres would eventually fall away from him. Mark did as he was told and amazingly managed to but down a 6-second lead in a few number of laps. He then got incredibly close, tried to use DRS but had to settle for using it to reduce the gap rather than overtaking. When the time came Mark went round the outside of Alonso for a great overtake for the lead of the British Grand Prix. I do honestly think that if there were a few more laps of the race Sebastian Vettel could have had a go at Alonso as well...


Felipe Massa really impressed me during the race. He finished 4th; his best result of the season and I really hope that a podium is possible for him this season. It can't be easy for any driver to hear the rumours surrounding your future and hearing other drivers talk about the possibility of them having your seat next year. Despite what many say Massa is a good racing driver and he can overtake. His priority now must be to focus on Qualifying. Should he sort that out, I'm sure podiums await!

The race was really disappointing for the Brits on the grid. Paul had a DNF and McLaren's Lewis Hamilton and Jenson Button finished 8th and 10th respectively. Clearly, this means that the car was just not up to it and, for once, it wasn't a problem with Button's balance and set-up. The issue didn't even seem to come from high tyre degradation, something Jenson had struggled with, and they were equal with other teams on making tyres last. McLaren did have upgrades for this race but Ferrari and Red Bull were still just out of reach for them. No doubt there will be some head-scratching at the MTC as the team try to pinpoint why they were so far off the pace and how they can recover some of that form in time for Hockenheim.

The British Grand Prix was a great one. Silverstone truly is one of the greatest circuits in the world, even if it doesn't traditionally throw up a lot of overtakes, and it was a pleasure to watch F1 come back to the UK. The weather forecast may have deceived us as the rain that was expected never came but all other promises were delivered. Silverstone lived up to the high standard of Formula 1 in 2012, in my opinion anyway, and it's a shame that we have to wait another year for it.

That's the end of my race recap and, I don't know how obvious this is, I have done it slightly differently to how I usually do. Let me know what you think about the review and the race itself and keep coming back as I have more post-race posts to add!

Aqsa, @aqsasformula

(Images: Mail Online)

Saturday

SILVERSTONE SERVES UP A SATURDAY SPECTACLE.

There was utter chaos over in Silverstone today as the teams and drivers took to the track to qualify for the British Grand Prix. The session was red flagged with just over 6 minutes of Q2 to go but the action on either side of the red flag more than made up for the rain delay.

It was clear from the get go that this was going to be a Qualifying session full of shocks and surprises! All the drivers were eager to get out straight away and get some timed laps in whilst conditions were still manageable. This led to yet another traffic jam in Silverstone in a weekend when that has been one of the biggest news stories surrounding the event only this time it was queues of F1 cars not F1 fans. Lap times were set and, although they weren't very fast, drivers did need a lot of control and skill to keep their cars on track. There was a lot of slipping and sliding as the rain began to have a big effect on the track action.


Caterham were enthusiastic about Qualifying today. They have brought major upgrades to Silverstone making changes to their front wing, rear bodywork and exhausts and had claimed that they expected it to give them about half a second in pace. To the casual F1 fan that may seem insignificant but with strict regulation limiting what designers and engineers can do to their cars it is quite extraordinary to make such gains in pace. Whether the team have actually made this progress is as yet unclear; it is likely that the weather conditions today didn't allow them to really show their hand. Nevertheless, they once again failed to make it through to Q2 despite their early confidence. Petrov and Kovalainen qualified in 19th and 20th respectively but will start a position higher as a result of Jean-Eric Vergne's penalty from Valencia. We know that Caterham can progress into Q2 so perhaps we will just need to wait for a Qualifying session in normal conditions to see their upgrades come into effect. Behind the two Caterhams are your usual suspects; Glock, De La Rosa, Karthikeyan and Pic. However, Vergne will be the man starting 24th, after qualifying in 16th, so all the aforementioned drivers will also move up one grid position.

Jenson Button. What is there to say about Jenson Button? The Brit's woes continued in front of his home fans. After a promising FP3 result, finishing 2nd, I'm sure Jenson and many others thought he would have an easier time of it in Qualifying than he has recently had. However, conditions were different for FP3 and with even less (of Jenson's arch nemesis this season) grip in the wet it just wasn't to be in Silverstone. This is a disappointing results by anyone's standards let alone someone who is trying to relaunch his title bid! Speaking to the BBC's Lee McKenzie after the premature ending of his involvement in Qualifying, Jenson was still feeling optimistic about the race. Conditions will be wet tomorrow, surprise surprise, meaning there will be plenty of opportunity to climb up the order and overtake. I also doubt tyres will play as big a role tomorrow due to the low degradation of the wet tyres and so, as this is an area Button has particularly struggled with this season, I think he is right to be feeling optimistic. The weekend is not over yet...


In Q2 it was clear that the rain had gotten so much worse. There were literally deep puddles that the drivers were having to drive through and I did find myself thinking that a red flag was imminent. It looks like race control agreed with me and, as I mentioned above, the session was stopped for an hour and a half with 6 minutes and 19 seconds of Q2 remaining. Fernando Alonso made his thoughts on the need for a red flag very clear on his team radio. He wasn't setting lap times good enough and was down in 16th before the red flag.

There was a lot of criticism of the decision to red flag the session. I was watching the BBC coverage and technical wizard Gary Anderson made his feelings very clear. The argument was that drivers should qualify whatever the condition and it should be that whoever is the best in those circumstances gets to reap the benefits. This is a very hazy area and there are varied opinions on it. I was one of those people thinking there had to be a red flag and that drivers couldn't possibly qualify or even drive in that rain. Hearing the arguments from the likes of Gary Anderson has made me think that a red flag may have been too drastic. But when you see the extent of the rain and how deep it was, was there anything else Charlie Whiting and co could have done? It was a case of damned if you do, damned if you don't! At least it meant there was time for a Mexican wave or two...


Topping the timesheets before the stop was Sergio Perez. Sauber had got everything right; tyre choice and when they sent their driver out to set a timed lap so they were set to be the real losers as a result of the red flag period. And lose it, they did! When the session resumed, Perez was unable to keep close to the rest of the pack. He blamed the tyre decision for this. He ended up coming last out of all the drivers in Q2 and qualifying in 17th. However, he gets to move up thanks to Vergne and his Sauber teammate. Kobayashi qualified in 12th but will start from 17th due to a penalty from Valencia when he crashed into Felipe Massa. Sauber looked strong in practice yesterday when conditions were fairly similar to today so it is a surprise to see them fail to progress to Q3.

Also failing to progress to Q3 were Paul Di Resta, Nico Rosberg, Daniel Ricciardo and Bruno Senna. All of them, apart from Ricciardo, had to see their teammates make it through which tells you just how mixed up the pack was. I'm sure they will be disappointed to be the teammate that didn't progress but they can take comfort from the fact that they saved tyres and with a wet race ahead they can still come out on top tomorrow, when it counts!

Now on to the top 10 shoot out; the climax of an exciting day's action! There were many contenders for pole position; Hamilton, Vettel, Alonso and Webber would all be up for the fight and no one was to be written off. Romain Grosjean beached his Lotus at the end of Q2 so, despite making it through to Q3, he was unable to run and starts 10th. A few drivers, including Hamilton, decided to come out on the full wets but it soon became apparent that the intermediate tyres would have to be the way to go! Alonso was consistently topping the leaderboard after, pretty much, every single lap he completed. Even Felipe Massa enjoyed some time at the top showing that Ferrari had managed to 'do a Vettel' and switch something on just when it mattered most! Webber went first, Schumacher went first; all were in for a real shot! The two obvious names missing from the battle were Sebastian Vettel and Lewis Hamilton. Vettel would seemingly be on a fast lap but then towards the end of the middle sector it looked like he kept backing off. It was strange to see him so far away from his teammate's pace, to say the least. Nevertheless he ended up qualifying in 4th and on the second row; a respectable position! Lewis Hamilton was the big shock of Q3! Not only did he set a fairly average lap time to go 6th but then had to watch as drivers kept beating his time. He therefore starts from a lowly 8th on the grid. Felipe Massa, Kimi Raikkonen and Pastor Maldonado are sandwiched between Vettel and Hamilton and they start 5th, 6th and 7th respectively.

Alonso, Webber and Schumacher were clearly the strongest drivers in the pole position shoot out and just found a lot more pace than their competitors. It was Alonso who came out on top as he took his first pole position of 2012. Webber joins him on the front row showing Red Bull do still have pace but it's just a different driver at the front for them. And Schumacher continues to prove his worth in an F1 seat by qualifying ahead of Vettel.


I don't think the qualifying positions will be that important for tomorrow's race. Naturally, it won't hurt to start at the front but drivers behind shouldn't feel disheartened. There is a long race ahead and it is guaranteed that a lot will happen. I wouldn't rule out a red flag out, let alone a safety car and tyre strategy may prove crucial. Decisions of when to change tyres to adapt to changing circumstances and track conditions will be an important part of who will manage a strong finish.

If today was anything to go by Sunday at Silverstone won't fail to disappoint the hundreds of thousands of fans who will show up in force, and have been told to do so by organisers, to the Grand Prix tomorrow. Make sure you are back here after the race to review everything that happens with me in my race review and other features throughout the week!

Who will win the race? I don't think anyone can give an answer with full confidence and I certainly have no predictions. I'm just ready to enjoy what the British Grand Prix will bring and, with a lot at stake championship-wise, the drivers won't hesitate to show us some fantastic racing, regardless of what Mother Nature will throw up!

Aqsa, @aqsasformula

(Images: Mail Online)
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