HAMILTON MAKES HISTORY IN CANADA

It may not have lived up to its 2011 predecessor but the Canadian Grand Prix provided plenty of thrills and spills and added to the history books by giving Formula 1 its seventh different winner from the seventh race of the season. After a strong Qualifying yesterday, I did think Sebastian Vettel could run away with the win but it seems fate was on the side of Lewis Hamilton. He drove magnificently at the circuit that gave him his first ever win to win his first Grand Prix of the 2012 season and McLaren's first win since the first race in Melbourne (a lot of firsts)!

Despite Sebastian getting a good enough start and pulling out of the DRS zone when he needed to, he just did not have the pace he had in abundance yesterday. Once Lewis started getting close to him it was clear the McLaren was stronger on the day and the position would soon be lost. Red Bull turned to pit stop strategy but after McLaren's stint in the pits they emerged victorious meaning the undercut had not worked for the reigning champions. Alonso stayed out slightly longer than his rivals and led the race during that period and when he made the inevitable pit stop, he retained his lead. This was not to last for long though as Lewis eventually passed him with the help of DRS and McLaren's fine straight-line speed. As Hamilton was pulling away from Alonso, Alonso was pulling away from Vettel and all 3 had some clear air to run in. Tyre management was clearly crucial and, with no Pirelli data following last year's rain-filled race, a 2-stop strategy was what we were expecting. It was McLaren's plan and, as they kept telling Lewis, they also thought others would pit again. As it turned out they were the only team to pit their driver from the battle for the lead. Another error led to a delayed stint in the pit lane for Lewis and he knew he had some work to do. He began to cut the lead Alonso and Vettel had over him at an incredible rate and he demonstrated just what a car can do on fresh rubber. As the tyres fell away from Vettel and Alonso it was apparent that their 1-stop strategy would fail them and Lewis passed Vettel with great ease. The German didn't even put up a fight; with DRS and fresher tyres at his disposal there was no stopping Hamilton and Vettel would only have hurt his tyres more had he kept up the fight. 2 laps later Fernando Alonso would learn this very lesson. Lewis took a few glimpses at the Ferrari before he passed it on lap 64 to take the lead and his first win of the 2012 season. It was now just a matter of bringing it home for Hamilton and he did exactly that. 

Fernando Alonso's woes continued. He'd hurt his already pained tyres in the battle with Lewis and Romain Grosjean was hot on his back. 2 laps after Lewis passed him the Frenchman did the same. He was followed by Sergio Perez and the Mexican was able to do what he missed out on in Malaysia; he passed Alonso to take his second podium of the season so far! Sebastian Vettel couldn't manage his tyres any longer and had no choice but to switch to a 2-stop. Perhaps had he done this earlier, he too could have had a spot on the podium. Nevertheless, with new tyres, he too was able to add to Alonso's troubles and climbed up to fourth. He also set the fastest lap of the race at the end of the Grand Prix showing what he was capable of on newer tyres and low fuel. If the race was a few laps longer who knows where he would have finished...

Romain Grosjean and Sergio Perez performed astonishingly to take the two podium places behind Hamilton. Both are enjoying great starts to this season and even though Grosjean has faced criticisms because of his starts and the incidents he gets involved in, he came through the pack to take 2nd. Perez started in 13th and, as he was also on a 1-stop like Grosjean, used the degradation others were facing to his advantage. This means a lot for the drivers and their teams and I think Lotus needed this podium to boost the team and prove that they can return to podium winning ways. Kimi Raikkonen finished 8th in the other Lotus which, although not as high up as you'd expect, was an improvement on his Qualifying result. He will want to do better than this and return to his early-season form. Getting beaten in such a way by his younger, less experienced teammate won't feel too nice either... Kamui Kobayashi ended up in 9th meaning this was, all in all, a very positive race for the Sauber team and Chelsea FC are getting the dividends from their sponsorship deal. Results like this are crucial for a team like Sauber as it attracts the attention of more sponsors meaning more funding for research and development. I expect big things from this team next season and from their drivers. If they stay with Sauber, that is.

Let's talk about Mercedes... Nico Rosberg finished 6th and enjoyed a few battles along the way to this result. Tussles with Mark Webber and Felipe Massa stand out and he did beat both of them by the end of the race. He qualified in 5th so it would be slightly disappointing to lose a place but his disappointment won't compare to Michael Schumacher's. The veteran German driver's bad luck continued and he must be thinking that he just can't catch a break this season. This time it was a problem with his DRS wing that ended his race. Unusually, the flap wouldn't close and as that is a clear breach of rules, to have the wing open outside of DRS zones, the team frantically tried to force it shut. With no technology to do this they were using all the strength in their arms but the wing was having none of it. Another DNF for Schumacher means more questions over his F1 future will be raised.

The bad luck continued for Mr Jenson Button as well. He'd hoped his alternative tyre strategy would help him move up a few places but he made the mistake of using a set of tyres to set a timed lap in Q3. Has he followed Sebastian Vettel's strategy in Monaco he may have had a different race. Or maybe not... He struggled to get his tyres up to temperature and wasn't at one with them for the duration of the Grand Prix. Despite starting on the harder of the two tyres, Button couldn't stay out longer than others and his pit stops and customary lack of grip left him finishing in 16th position. His performances in recent races are of stark contrast to his teammate's. The incredibly lacklustre display we saw from him today means that he has only picked up 2 points from the last 4 races. He had a great start in Melbourne by winning the first race but form has slipped for the world champion since then and I'm sure he too is at a loss as to why this is happening. He told the BBC that he is "confused and very lost" after what he described as probably his "worst race for many, many years". Can he turn things around in time for Valencia and the European Grand Prix?

Felipe Massa didn't do very well by finishing in 10th after what was his best Qualifying this season. He dropped four places but the fact that his teammate lost the same amount of places during the last few laps of the race may act as some sort of comfort. Although I doubt that. He did still finish 5 places above him. Paul Di Resta also failed to capitalise on a strong Qualifying and he just missed out on points. He finished 11th, just ahead of teammate Niko Hulkenberg.

So Canada delivered the goods and helped to rewrite history. Lewis Hamilton's win helped McLaren reduce the gap to Red Bull in the Constructors' but they know that you need to get both drivers finishing solidly in the points to win that championship. As far as the drivers' championship is concerned, everything has been blown wide open. Hamilton leads it. Alonso is 2 points behind. Vettel is a further 1 behind. Who knows how this season will end but there are still 13 whole Grands Prix for us to enjoy before we see a champion being crowned. More pressing matters include the European Grand Prix which takes place in 2 weeks' time. Can we get 8 winners from 8 races? We'll find out soon enough...

Aqsa

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SEB STUNS TO GET A GREAT POLE POSITION

Sebastian Vettel summed up everyone's expectations for the race tomorrow; "It's going to be interesting". But I think that is a definite understatement if today's Qualifying is anything to go by. The session had drama and excitement throughout and this only increased as we got closer and closer to the pole shoot-out! I remember thinking, halfway during Q3, "Oh my God there are still 5 minutes left, I don't know if I can take it!" And that sums my thoughts up, I could end this review right now...

After the end of Q1 your usual suspects were dropped with the addition of Toro Rosso's Jean-Eric Vergne. He was out-qualified by both of the Caterham cars and his teammate; adding to his Qualifying woes this season. He must improve his performances on Saturdays or at least match fellow Toro Rosso driver Daniel Ricciardo in order to reduce some of the pressure on him in the notoriously ruthless team.

Vettel topped the timesheets during Q1 and repeated this in Q2; he certainly looked like the man to beat! Alonso and Hamilton were also up there but Hamilton's teammate Button scraped through thanks to an error from Maldonado. The Spanish Grand Prix winner hit the Wall of Champions and spun to effectively end his shot at getting into the top 10. Also into the top 10 was the Force India of Paul Di Resta, who out-qualified his teammate Hulkenberg. An impressive drive from Di Resta saw him qualify in 8th, ahead of Michael Schumacher and Jenson Button. Button's Qualifying troubles continued in Canada and he was struggling with locking up during the session. Of course, Montreal is a circuit Jenson Button knows well after his great performance in 2011; he moved from 24th to win the race! He may have been helped by the rain at the time but it still required immense driver skill. Let's see what he can do tomorrow from 10th...

Kimi Raikkonen, for the second weekend in a row, was lacklustre in Qualifying. This time, however, he failed to even make it to Q3. Lotus were again strong contenders, many had believed, for a front-row start but they failed to live up to those expectations. Raikkonen qualified 12th with Grosjean performing slightly better to finish 7th.

The star of the day was, however, Sebastian Vettel. Not only was he the fastest man throughout, he was also the only driver to pass the 1 minute 14 seconds barrier. His first Q3 time would have been enough to get him pole position but he only went and improved that meaning it was quite a comfortable session for him. You could tell that he was really pushing for it today and all of his hard work paid off. Pole was really Lewis' to lose after his form in FP1 and FP2.  He starts 2nd meaning the front row resembles that of Bahrain and after everyone talking about how exciting that battle at the start will be, it makes you remember how the same was being said then as well. Little came of it with Vettel getting a better start and driving to the chequered flag. Can he replicate this tomorrow? If he does, he'll become the first driver to take two wins this season and return to the top of the Drivers' Championship.

Current leader Fernando Alonso did a great job today by really challenging for pole and many had thought he would get it. Ok I don't know if a lot of you did because I certainly didn't so I'll rephrase... Johnny Herbert on Sky F1 thought he would get it. It's clear that Ferrari have stepped up their game and with a driver like Alonso they can challenge for possibly the win and definitely the podium tomorrow. Felipe Massa also performed well today by qualifying in sixth; he too is improving as Ferrari improve as a team. Could he grab a podium spot tomorrow? Probably not but he can pick up a handful of points...

Here's the top 10 in full:

1. Sebastian Vettel
2. Lewis Hamilton
3. Fernando Alonso
4. Mark Webber (who said he was surprised to even qualify in 4th)
5. Nico Rosberg (slightly disappointing for him and Merceded)
6. Felipe Massa
7. Romain Grosjean
8. Paul Di Resta
9. Michael Schumacher
10. Jenson Button

I cannot wait for tomorrow's Canadian Grand Prix and if previous races in Montreal are anything to go by, we are in for a treat.

Aqsa

P.S. Sorry for the late review! I will try to be more prompt with tomorrow's race review.

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PRACTICE MAKES PERFECT.

As I write, FP3 for the Canadian Grand Prix is underway meaning we've already had 2 sessions over in Canada to try and learn something about what may happen this weekend. Lewis Hamilton  topped the timesheets in both sessions showing that he will be a definite pole contender for Qualifying in a few hours time. The McLaren driver showed impressive speed and is certainly the favourite for pole. He's already been on pole twice, three times if you're a McLaren fan, this season and he can add to his tally today. However, he will still face a challenge. In FP2 the top 3 cars were covered by just 0.151 seconds.

Behind Hamilton were the two Ferraris; Alonso and Massa were 2nd and 3rd respectively. Ferrari seem to have put their early season woes behind them and, they too, were impressive in practice. Despite the car seemingly much better in the race than in Qualfying a few races ago, the team demonstrated in Monaco that they are now fast enough on Saturday too. To get both of their cars in the top 3 in FP2 was no mean feat but the vital thing will be to replicate this form in Qualifying. However, as has been the case many times this season, the practice sessions can be misleading. So we will have to wait for Qualifying in Montreal to be over before we can pass judgement on the progress Ferrari seem to have made.

Red Bull had a satisfactory Friday and it does not look like having to change their floor has had much of an impact on their car's performance. Sebastian Vettel finished 2nd and then 4th but Mark Webber finished 5th and 11th in FP1 and FP2 in Canada. Following a great drive and win in Monaco for Mark and Red Bull after starting from pole position, we know that he can put the RB8 at the very front, or close to the very front, of the grid. However, the Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve in Montreal is a different beast altogether and we will have to wait and see what Red Bull can do this weekend. Will Sebastian Vettel, once again, not run in Q3? He seems to be fast, judging from the practice sessions, but that can all change in Qualifying if he can not optimise tyre performance. Running on the super-softs in FP1 and finishing 2nd indicates that he may have a shot at pole position.

Mercedes are also thought to be pole position contenders today. Many have speculated that they have not shown their true form during practice and with their 'super-DRS' they are capable of doing well in Canada. Michael Schumacher was declared to be 'back' after going fastest on Saturday in Monaco; can he make it 2 in a row? Or will his teammate Nico Rosberg take his second pole of the season? His first came a few races ago in China.

So I have focused on the frontrunners' performance in practice in this review but there's so much chopping and changing of pecking orders that the top 10 shoot-out will be one of the most exciting yet. Not only is it all "very close" in the words of Mr. Vettel but Canada offers a circuit that always manages to throw up a surprise or two. Of course, whilst the person who is favourite for pole always changes, so do the cars that make up the rest of the top 10 once the usual favourites go through. Can Force India improve on their strong performance in Monaco? Will Williams be able to challenge for the top spot again?

Qualifying in Canada will most certainly be thrilling and there is a lot to look out for as well. Not only will we be thinking about who gets pole or which cars from the 'midfield' make it through to Q3, we will want to look out for who actually runs in Q3, whether or not Jenson can make it out of Q2 (will it even matter to him? We know what he is capable of here!), and whether the man who gets pole position gets to stay there without being subjected to a penalty.

I can not wait for Qualifying to get started so, whether you're watching it in a few hours or waiting for BBC highlights later in the evening, make sure you're back here for my Qualifying review...

Aqsa

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UPDATE: FP3 is over and Vettel topped the results by, wait for it, six-thousandths of a second. My oh my, it really is so close. He was ahead of Alonso and Hamilton. Now tell me that hasn't made you a hundred times more excited for Qualifying... You can't, can you? Oh, and the top 16 were covered by ONE second!

SEB'S GOING TO NEW YORK

After the Canadian Grand Prix the majority of the F1 circus will be catching their planes on Sunday night to head back home to Europe. Sebastian Vettel won't be joining them...

The double world champion will, instead, be taking a slight detour and visiting the Big Apple instead. A man after my own heart... He will be visiting to undertake his role as Infiniti Global Ambassador and spend time promoting the brand. He will also be promoting next year's Grand Prix of America which will be held in New Jersey with the New York City skyline as it's backdrop. He will drive the planned circuit in an Infiniti IPL G Coupe road car; part of Infiniti's performance car division. There is no doubt that this race is highly anticipated and will be the jewel in F1's crown next year. Sebastian Vettel's visit will be a great PR stunt for the circuit planners and help them attract attention to the race and increase the buzz around it; as if they need to! I'm already excited beyond words and it's over a year away!

The German will also make an appearance on a popular American chat show; The Late Show with David Letterman. Following Vettel's infamous Top Gear performance his profile amongst British fans was significantly raised. I'm sure this appearance will be great not only for Seb and Red Bull but for the sport's profile in the USA aswell. Allowing a wide audience to get to know one of the sport's biggest personalities will, without doubt, increase at least a few people's appetite for F1. I think Sebastian is great with the media and fans so I'm definitely looking forward to watching the interview. I'll post the video on here if I can find it...

Aqsa

P.S. If there are any American fans reading this, will you be watching Vettel's appearance? And are you looking forward to the New Jersey race?

P.P.S. If anyone wants to buy me tickets for the aforementioned New Jersey race, I'll be more than happy for you to do so.

CANADA'S COMING

So the glitz and glamour of the Monaco Grand Prix is over for another year and the attention of the F1 world now turns to the slightly less glamourous Montreal. No offence to Montreal or anything...

The Canadian Grand Prix has a lot to live up to following the record-breaking events that took place in Monaco! The race in Monte Carlo gave us 6 different winners from 6 races; the first time this has ever happened in Formula 1. At the beginning of the year, think all the way back to pre-season testing, we all knew that the 2012 season ahead was going to be tighter and more competitive than what we've been used to in recent years but no one could have predicted just how tight things would be. Can Canada give us the 7th winner from 7 winners and add to the history books?

From what I can gather from the Twitosphere and other places online, it seems that Lotus are again looking like favourites this weekend. I, like many of you, had pretty big expectations of the team in Monaco. Many had said Lotus could take their very first race win of the 2012 Formula 1 season but instead they came home with a DNF for Grosjean and a ninth place for Raikkonen. I'm sure the team were also disappointed with their results and it will be interesting to see whether they could become the sixth constructor to win a race in Canada. They are definitely capable and strong enough to challenge the other teams that will also be looking for a win.

Red Bull will be looking for their third win of the season after they became the first team to win twice last time out. However, issues with the floor of the RB8 may mean they aren't as competitive as they'd like to be or as they were in the last few races. Whether their now illegal floor gave them an unfair advantage over other teams will become apparent in Canada if they suffer from a dip in form. Helmut Marko said that Red Bull were planning to change their floor in Canada anyway but many have been skeptical about the truth of this; why fix something that isn't broken, right?

I'm sure the race in Canada won't fail to deliver the goods! All the races thus far have had their fair share of excitement and that excitement has come in various forms so there's no reason as to why Canada should be any less thrilling. F1 this season has been so unpredictable so there really is no way of knowing what may happen or who will be strong on the day. Form has varied for every team between the races and a strong performance one week does not mean you'll be strong in the next race. Of course, tyre strategy will play a big role and, what with this being Canada and all, I'm sure the weather will also throw up some surprises. I don't think Friday's practice sessions will help improve our understanding of what will happen on Sunday but it seems that's just all part of the fun and games this year!

I guess I am getting used to the way this season will shape up but is Jenson Button right? Will fans eventually get bored of the unpredictability and become disillusioned with the sport? I know I certainly won't!

Do you think this unpredictability of this season has run its course? Is it time to see some stability in team's form? Do you want to see a clear pecking order between teams? Get in touch and tell me what you think of how this season is playing out. Also, do you have any predictions for Canada- who will get pole and who will win?

Aqsa, @aqsasformula

A FLAWED FLOOR.

Following an investigation into the floor of Red Bull's RB8, the FIA has deemed it to be illegal. There was some concern amongst teams after the Bahrain Grand Prix but, on that occasion, the FIA sided with Red Bull on the matter. Clearly, teams still felt unsure about the legality of the Red Bull's floor design after Monaco and took the matter to the FIA again. After the race in Monte Carlo, Stefano Domenicali told the BBC that his team feels no reason to protest but it seems that pressure from Ferrari, McLaren and Mercedes led to the FIA reviewing it's decision.

Christian Horner and Red Bull sought clarification from the governing body after some "fuss" was created after Bahrain to ensure that the car was in line with regulations. The feedback they received from the FIA was positive and so they continued to run with this version of their car; as far as they were concerned no rules were being breached. The team had also ran the car in Malaysia and then Barcelona and Horner also added "There are other cars running in similar situations."

After Qualifying in Monaco there was further controversy and Red Bull simply put it down to people complaining whenever a car is competitive; a fair point for them to make when Charlie Whiting himself apparently told Red Bull that he's convinced the floor is legal. The issue arose over a hole in the Red Bull floor that teams felt contravenes the rules. Fully enclosed holes are not allowed to be located on the surface of the step plane of the floor. Arguments had even centred around what constitutes a hole.


Nevertheless, regardless of what Red Bull argue, the FIA have taken their final decision and this means that the Red Bull team won't get to enjoy the Jubilee celebrations too much. They have a lot of work to do over in Milton Keynes so that they have a new, fully compliant floor that keeps them competitive for the next Grand Prix which takes place in Canada in a week's time.


How will this affect the team's hopes for the race? We'll have to wait and see...


Aqsa, @aqsasformula