ThePitcrewOnline

Category: Formula One

  • Alex Zanardi, the Unbeatable

    23.11.2006 Valencia, Spain, Alessandro Zanardi (ITA), BMW WTCC Driver, Tests the BMW Sauber F1 team, F1.06 – DELL Formula BMW World Final 2006, 23th – 26th November, Circuit de la Comunitat Valenciana Ricardo Tormo

    Alex Zanardi is the guy who never gives up. He is a person which inspires generations and has become the idol of the many young kids. Alex has taught to all of us that life is hard, but we must never give up. He is a true inspiration.

    Born in Italy on 23 October 1966, Alex Zanardi had the chance to race in Formula 1 for Jordan, Minardi, Lotus and Williams. In 1991, the Italian driver made his debut in Formula with Jordan, where he remained only for one year. The following year, Zanardi raced for Minardi, but again the next year he changed a team and signed a contract with Lotus.

    In Lotus, Alex had his best moment of his F1 career. He scored his first point in the Brazilian Grand Prix in 1993. Alessandro qualified 15th, but after a tremendous race, he managed to finish sixth, behind two British drivers, Johnny Herbert and Mark Blundell. Despite the good result that Alex had in Brazil, 1993 was not a good year for the Italian driver. Zanardi had an accident with his bicycle, but that was not enough to hold him of the sport. Alex raced in Germany with several broken bones, but a spun didn’t let him finish the race.

    Zanardi’s injuries forced him to postpone his racing in 1994, Alessandro had to wait to fully recover from his injuries. Hence, he missed the season premiere, but he returned in the Spanish Grand Prix, where he replaced Pedro Lamy, who at that time was racing for Lotus.

    In 1999, Zanardi raced for his last time in Formula 1. At that time he was driving for Williams and his last race was in Suzuka. The Italian, qualified 16th, but he forced to quit the race due to electrical issues.

    That was the end of his career as an F1 driver.

    15 September 2001

    25.11.2006 Valencia, Spain, Alessandro Zanardi (ITA), BMW WTCC Driver, Tests the BMW Sauber F1 team, F1.06 – DELL Formula BMW World Final 2006, 23th – 26th November, Circuit de la Comunitat Valenciana Ricardo Tormo

    Zanardi continued his career as a driver in another series, in Indy Car. At the EuroSpeedway Lausitz September 15, Zanardi had a terrible crash which it could cost him his life. During the final laps he was leading the race, his team decided to call him for a late pit-stop, when he re-joined the race, Alex had spun and lost control of his car, while he returned to the track, unable to control his car, his car was avoided by Patrick Carpentier, but Alex Tagliani crashed on Zanardi’s car. Tagliani’s car crashed on the side of Zanardi’s car, behind the front wheel. From the crash, the Italian lost both his legs and lot of blood. The doctors managed to stabilise his condition and save his life.

    After his surgery, the Italian joined a rehabilitation program, he even designed and built his own custom legs. Zanardi continued to race in European Touring Car Championship. Alessandro won his World Series race in August 2005, he also won in Istanbul in 2006 and won twice in Brno in 2008 and in 2009. At the end of 2009, the Italian decided to quit the WTCC series.

    In 2006, BMW Sauber gave a chance to Alex to drive a modified Formula 1 car, where he could control it with his hands. Zanardi knew that he would never sign a contract with an F1 team, but still, it was very special for him.

    Zanardi’s new chapter

    25.11.2006 Valencia, Spain, Alessandro Zanardi (ITA), BMW WTCC Driver, Tests the BMW Sauber F1 team, F1.06 – DELL Formula BMW World Final 2006, 23th – 26th November, Circuit de la Comunitat Valenciana Ricardo Tormo

    In 2007, Zanardi decided to try something different and started practising with a handcycle. His aim was to enter the Italian Paralympic team. Zanardi managed to fulfil his dreams. In 2011, Alex won a silver medal at the UCI Paracycling.

    It was not long before his first race in London’s Games. In 2012, the Italian lifted with his hands his handcycle above his head. It was a very memorable moment at Brands Hands race circuit, it was the moment where Alex Zanardi celebrated his first gold medal in Paralympic games.

    Alex won a gold medal in the individual road race H4 and a silver medal in the mixed relay team H1-4.

    The Italian made himself known to everyone, he was awarded the Best Male at the 2013 Paralympic Sport and Media awards.

    “This is a great accomplishment, one of the greatest of my life.” Zanardi said about his gold medal in London.

    Rio 2016

    14.06. -15.06.2008 Brno, Czech Republic (CZE), Alessandro Zanardi (ITA), BMW Team Italy-Spain and Dr. Mario Theissen (GER), BMW Sauber F1 Team, BMW Motorsport Director – ?Automotodrom Brno?, 2008 FIA World Touring Car Championship (WTCC), Rd. 9-10. This image is Copyright free for editorial use © BMW AG

    Zanardi travelled to Brazil with the thought to win more medals and inspire the world.

    “Even my accident, what happened to me, became the biggest opportunity of my life, all the things I am doing today are related to my new condition.” He said.

    “When you find yourself in a certain situation you have to identify where you want to go and focus on what you can achieve on that given day.Whether it is a small thing or big one, step-by-step you can make things happen.” Zanardi added.

    In Rio, the Italian claimed his third gold medal in Paralympics. He won the H5 time trial at Pontal in Rio de Janeiro. It was a hard race for Alex, he passed Tripp over the second half of the route and won the gold medal by 2.74 seconds.

    “It has been a long journey, which basically started the day after the London games when I decided that I would focus on a new horizon in my life and that this would be Rio. After the exciting years of preparation and coming here to a course that was not really my kind of course, it is just fantastic to finally enjoy the taste of gold once more.” Said Zanardi.

    Fifteen years has passed since Zanardi’s terrible accident, but the Italian is still racing and he never gave up. During his hardest moments in his life, Alessandro found the courage and he didn’t give up.

    He is a legend for me, and he is the idol that all the generations must have. I don’t want to underestimate any Paralympic athlete, every each of them has a history which is admirable.

    Never give up.

    (Images are courtesy of BMW)
    Victor Archakis @FP_Passion

  • Red Bull: Singapore Grand Prix review

    GP BELGIO F1/2016 – SPA FRANCORCHAMPS (BELGIO) – 28/8/2016
    © FOTO STUDIO COLOMBO PER PIRELLI MEDIA (© COPYRIGHT FREE)

    Red Bull have performed well in Singapore in previous visits to the Marina Bay circuit and this weekend was no different.

    Daniel Ricciardo began the race on the front row in second behind Niko Rosberg and despite starting the race on softer tyres the Australian was incapable of passing the German in the Mercedes who subsequently went on to win the race and leapfrog Lewis Hamilton in the Drivers’ Championship.

    “I pushed so much at the end on the supersoft and really tried to do something but it wasn’t close enough. I don’t really leave here with any regrets. Obviously we came here to win and we didn’t but I felt we left it all on the track, “said the 26-year-old Red Bull driver.

    Despite completing the race in second, Ricciardo’s podium finish means it was the third year in a row that the Australian has exceeded expectations in Singapore:

    “We did everything we could and I thought it was pretty much a perfect race. The only thing that would have been better was to get Nico at the start.”

    Verstappen had yet another meagre start and the Dutchman had an intriguing battle with Daniil Kyvat but he ended the race in sixth to extend Red Bull’s lead over Ferrari in the Constructors’ Championship:

    “I had a bad start, it wasn’t as bad as Monza but it wasn’t good, which is disappointing. I had a lot of wheel spin and then with Hulkenberg spinning in front of me,

    “I had to brake even more which compromised my whole start. I got stuck behind slower cars in front of me and after three or four laps you lose the advantage and it completely destroys the tyres,“ said the 18-year-old.

    Team Principal Christian Horner was happy with his team’s performance over the exciting circuit in Singapore:

    “A really exciting finish to a long and hard grand prix but tyres and strategy were always going to be key.

    “Overall a positive weekend, we’ve extended our lead over Ferrari in the Constructors’ Championship, we’ve scored another second place finish and produced an enthralling end to the grand prix.”

    Dominic Rust

  • Mercedes manages pressure to take double Singapore podium

    GP SINGAPORE F1/2016 – SINGAPORE 18/09/2016
    © FOTO STUDIO COLOMBO PER PIRELLI MEDIA (© COPYRIGHT FREE)

    Mercedes has taken its first double podium in Singapore with Nico Rosberg winning from pole and Lewis Hamilton holding onto third, despite questions over reliability and late pressure from Ferrari and Red Bull.

    Rosberg and Hamilton were both warned about brake wear early in the race and given precautionary lift and coast orders to ensure they got both cars to the end, in what seemed to be further evidence that Mercedes has yet to master Singapore’s unique demands.

    But even as the tone of the Mercedes pitwall grew ever more anxious, their instructions seemed for the most part to be more caution than cause for concern, as Rosberg continued to build on a three second gap over Daniel Ricciardo and Hamilton ran a steady third.

    However as the race went on this brake management phase started to hurt Hamilton, whose grip was already compromised running in the dirty air behind Ricciardo, and after changing to the slower, more durable soft tyre in his first pit stop the Briton fell back into the clutches of Kimi Räikkönen.

    When the ultrasoft-shod Räikkönen swept past Hamilton on lap 33, Mercedes was forced to press Ferrari’s weakness on the pitwall: switching Hamilton to a three-stop strategy freed the Briton up to burn through as much of his second set of softs as he need to keep touch with Räikkönen, before bringing him in late on lap 46 to perform the undercut.

    As Hamilton left the pits on scrubbed supersofts Ferrari urged Räikkönen to push ahead of his own stop a lap later, but despite the Finn’s best efforts he could not make up the necessary time and emerged from the pits in fourth and back behind Hamilton.

    “A difficult day and a difficult weekend,” Hamilton reflected. “The brakes were near critical temperature for the most of the race, so I kept having to back off to cool them down. I then made a mistake and ran wide which let Kimi past.

    “Fortunately, with the car a bit lighter I was able to bring the temperatures down, push a bit more on fresh tyres and get back past him. Pace and strategy weren’t the issue – it was all down to the brakes.”

    But although Hamilton’s late stop was successful in restoring him to the podium, it almost ended up costing Rosberg the race win.

    Reacting to Hamilton’s strategy, Red Bull pulled in Ricciardo on lap 48 to ensure the Australian had the tyre life to defend his second place, only to then target the lead as Ricciardo’s pace carried him away from one Mercedes and towards the other.

    As Ricciardo slashed the gap to the front on his new supersofts, Rosberg was forced to sit tight and watch him come as there was not enough time for the German to pit without relinquishing track position. His lead, which had been over twenty seconds after Ricciardo’s stop, was dwindling at such a rate that Red Bull predicted their driver would catch the Mercedes with four laps to go.

    But this ultimately proved too optimistic, and by a combination of keeping calm in front and getting the better hand when passing traffic, Rosberg managed to hold on by four tenths of a second to take his 22nd career victory and his first in Singapore.

    “In the past the Singapore track has not treated me so well, so this win is a very special one,” said Rosberg. “The weekend started perfectly with a good qualifying session. Then, I had a good start and was able to keep the Red Bulls and Ferraris behind me.

    “It was a bit tight at the end after Daniel did a clever pit stop timing wise. If I would have also pitted I would have come out behind him because I was stuck in traffic on my in-lap, so we chose the best strategy to stay out and a big thanks to the team for that.”

    Rosberg’s victory – his eighth of the season – sees him retake the lead of the championship by eight points, and along with Hamilton’s third place moves Mercedes 222 points clear of Red Bull, meaning the Silver Arrows could mathematically clinch a third consecutive Constructors’ Championship at the next round in Malaysia.

    James Matthews

  • F1 Under The Lights: Williams Singapore GP Preview

    GP GERMANIA F1/2016 – HOCKENHEIM (GERMANIA) 31/07/2016
    © FOTO STUDIO COLOMBO PER PIRELLI MEDIA (© COPYRIGHT FREE)

    Singapore is one of the few races that has come along in the last few years that has become something of a classic.

    The first night race in F1 history always looks incredible, the light reflects off the cars to create some stunning shots, sparks fly off the undertray’s and the race organizers always put on a spectacular show. Despite running in Asia during the rainy season, there has never been a wet Singapore GP. This could change this year, the weather forecasts have been very unpredictable and rain could mix up proceedings.

    The track is a tight and twisty street circuit, the heat is more of a challenge here, rather than G forces. The race is a longer one, 55 laps takes around 2 hours and the safety car could well make an appearance, should anyone get it even slightly wrong here.

    Success for Williams here has been limited, but Rosberg could have won the inaugural race in 2008, had he not had to refuel under the safety car, when the pit lane was closed. He finished second, 2 seconds off race winner Alonso, who himself benefited from the infamous “crashgate” scandal. Rosberg was again at the sharp end in 2009 but oversteered on pit exit, crossed the white line and got a time penalty. He had to take the penalty under the safety car, dropping him to the back of the field. He finished eleventh. Massa took fifth place in the 2014 race and Bottas also finished fifth at last year’s race.

    This track shouldn’t suit the FW38 theoretically, the car struggles in slower speed corners, of which Singapore has a lot. The potentially high rate of attrition could help the team here; the two drivers could well take advantage of this but it will still be a tough race. Williams jumped back ahead of Force India at the Italian GP last time out, to stay ahead of Force India after this event will be a good result for Williams.

    Adam Brewer

  • The Friday Vault – Canadian GP 1968

    SURTEES, STEWART & BRABHAM

    I have hundreds of pieces of motor racing memorabilia, photos and….well….stuff, in my writing studio and I have decided to pick one each week to write about in a new feature called “The Friday Vault”. Here is your first article:

    CANADIAN GRAND PRIX, 1968 – CIRCUIT MONT-TREMBLANT

    The above photograph shows John Surtees in his Honda RA301 leading Jackie Stewart in the Matra and Jack Brabham in the background, just coming around the curve as they compete in the 1968 Canadian Grand Prix at the Circuit Mont-Tremblant. It is the first photo that sits on the wall in my writing studio.

    It was Jochen Rindt who took pole position, demonstrating the power of the latest Repco engine of the Brabham but he would not go on to win the actual race, this honour fell to Denny Hulme in the McLaren who finished a lap in front of his team mate, Bruce McLaren.

    The circuit is just over two and a half miles long and is sometimes referred to as St. Jovite, but this no longer is the case. The track surface is known to be very bumpy and due to the terrain was a very difficult circuit to negotiate and to get the car home safely.

    During qualifying, Rindt, set a average speed of 101.711mph, he found himself on the front row with Ferrari’s Chris Amon and Jo Siffert who was driving a Lotus 49B. Dan Gurney sat on the second row in his McLaren with the Lotus of Graham Hill and then behind them were Hulme and Bruce McLaren who sandwiched the sole Honda entry of John Surtees. It was during qualifying that Jacky Ickx had a terrible accident after his throttle stuck open and the crash caused him to suffer a broken leg which meant he would take no part in the Grand Prix.

    The race would be 90 laps and it was Chris Amon in the Ferrari who took the early lead and stayed in front until lap 72 when he suffered a transmission failure. Siffert, who had been challenging Amon also suffered problems when he had an oil leak. Graham Hill had overtaken Gurney who found the circuit causing him problems and he dropped away with a broken radiator. Surtees was forced to retire due to gearbox issues and this left Rindt in second place, but this was short lived as he too was forced to retire with an engine failure.

    Cars were dropping out at a ferocious rate. Graham Hill moved up to second and again the circuit took another victim and his Lotus began to drop away with serious vibration problems, eventually seeing the British driver overtaken by Pedro Rodriguez and Johnny Servoz-Gavin, who himself a few laps later would spin out of the race.

    The three drivers depicted in the photograph above had a very difficult Grand Prix with Stewart being the last of the six finishers, seven laps behind the winner Denny Hulme. Brabham retired on Lap 31 with a suspension problem and Surtees retired on lap 10.

    This circuit was renowned for taking casualties and it was proven with six out of twenty starters actually finishing the race. Formula One only raced at this circuit twice, they returned two years later in 1970 when Jacky Ickx would win in his Ferrari.

    CLASSIFICATION

    1st – Denny Hulme – McLaren-Ford – 2:27:11.2

    2nd – Bruce McLaren – McLaren-Ford – +1 lap

    3rd – Pedro Rodriguez – BRM – +2 laps

    4th – Graham Hill – Lotus-Ford – +4 laps

    5th – Vic Elford – Cooper-BRM – + 4 laps

    6th – Jackie Stewart – Matra-Ford – +7 laps

    RETIRED/NOT CLASSIFIED

    Jean-Pierre Beltoise – Matra – Lap 77 – Gearbox

    Chris Amon – Ferrari – Lap 72 – Transmission

    Johnny Servoz-Gavin – Matra-Ford – Lap 71 – Accident

    Lucien Bianchi – Cooper-BRM – Lap 56 – Not Classified

    Henri Pescarolo – Matra – Lap 54 – Oil Pressure

    Jochen Rindt – Brabham-Repco – Lap 39 – Overheating

    Jackie Oliver – Lotus-Ford – Lap 32 – Halfshaft

    Jack Brabham – Brabham-Repco – Lap 31 – Suspension

    Jo Siffert – Lotus-Ford – Lap 29 – Oil Leak

    Dan Gurney – McLaren-Ford – Lap 29 – Radiator

    Piers Courage – BRM – Lap 22 – Gearbox

    Bill Brack – Lotus-Ford – Lap 18 – Halfshaft

    John Surtees – Honda – Lap 10 – Gearbox

    Jo Bonnier – McLaren-BRM – Lap 0 – Fuel System

    Jacky Ickx – Ferrari – DNS

    Al Pease – Eagle-Climax – DNS

    See You At The Chequered Flag

    Neil Simmons

    Twitter: @world_racing

  • Is Hamilton Ferrari Bound?

    Nico Rosberg has signed a contract to stay at Mercedes. Kimi Raikkonen has signed for 2017 to stay in a Ferrari. Sergio Perez, Nico Hulkenberg, Fernando Alonso, Lewis Hamilton, Daniel Ricciardo, Max Verstappen and Carlos Sainz Jr. are currently signed to drive for their respective teams, allegedly.

    There had been some discussions as to whether Kimi would remain at Ferrari beyond 2016. The three names banded around, Perez, Ricciardo and Hamilton were all signed, which left Ferrari with a decision to make.

    Is it remotely possible that Ferrari are waiting for Lewis Hamilton to be free of his Mercedes contract? Could it be that they are planning to build a super-team of Vettel and Hamilton beyond 2017?

    Although to most Mercedes fans this idea is preposterous and not worth thinking about, it does merit some thought. Hamilton and Vettel appear to get along very well, but then so did Lewis and Rosberg and we know how that’s turned out recently.

    There was an interview last season with Lewis and Seb and the question was posed about seeing the both of them in the same team. Both men smiled and neither dismissed the idea. Some fans were surprised that Kimi was retained by Ferrari for next season. Some were hoping that a new face would be brought in to partner the four-time world champion. Other Ferrari fans are citing the fact that two ego’s as big as Vettel and Hamilton in one team just simply would not work. There are a lot of unsigned, talented drivers for 2017. Ferrari, if they really wanted to, could have the pick of these. One name that immediately springs to mind is Bottas. They didn’t. They stayed with Kimi, which then poses the question, who are they waiting for?

    Out of the three drivers who have had their names mostly linked with the red team, Hamilton appears, on the face of it, to be a very shrewd move. He’ll be out of contract at Mercedes. He may well be looking for a fresh challenge, similar to how he wanted a new adventure when leaving McLaren. The disharmony in the Mercedes team, the body language displayed by Lewis at times and even the words he uses could suggest he wants a new challenge.

    Of all the teams on the grid, the only one that stands out to be a competitor for the success Hamilton enjoys at Mercedes is Ferrari. Yes, there is Red Bull with their set-up, technical brilliance and marketing genius. A Red Bull and Hamilton tie-in would be PR gold, but let us not forget that underneath the showman, the superstar and playboy that is Lewis Hamilton, there is a man who love his Formula 1 history, adores the era’s of when Senna, Stewart, Clark and Moss were racing. He loves this side of F1 and there is no other team on the F1 grid that has that kind of history than Ferrari.

    The other factor is records. Lewis Hamilton, like any racing driver, likes to break records and there are none more so to be broken than at Ferrari.

    So, if you put all that together, it’s not unthinkable that Hamilton teaming up with Ferrari could possibly be something of the future.

    Can Vettel and Hamilton drive in the same team? Could Ferrari effectively manage that kind of ego battle?

    There is only one way to find out and there is possibly only one man who could control that kind of battle.

    What is Ross Brawn doing these day?

    See You At The Chequered Flag.

    Neil Simmons

    Twitter: @world_racing

  • Red Bull Singapore Grand Prix Preview

    GP MONACO F1/2016 – MONTECARLO 26/05/16
    © FOTO STUDIO COLOMBO PER PIRELLI MEDIA (© COPYRIGHT FREE)

    Formula One heads to Asia this weekend, Singapore to be exact, and Red Bull will be hoping to replicate last season’s performance.

    Daniel Ricciardo finished second behind Sebastian Vettel and former team-mate Daniil ended the race in sixth.

    “It seems like a really fun city and I’m really fortunate to get a lot of people coming over from Australia and especially Perth, this means I get a lot of love in Singapore,” the 26-year-old said.

    Red Bull are expected to perform well at the Marina Bay Circuit as it has similarities to Monaco where the 26-year-old was on pole but lost the race to Lewis Hamilton.

    “Singapore is great, a real night race. Being able to drive through a massive city at night with all the lights flashing between buildings as you go past is an awesome feeling. It’s weird, I think it actually feels like you are going faster at night,” said the Australian Ricciardo

    Max Verstappen finished in eighth for Toro Rosso last season in the same race and he will be confident despite his recent struggles.

    “Being a night race means it’s a bit different, you have to adapt your braking zone as the light changes from the earlier session to the late ones.

    “I enjoyed it a lot last year so I’m excited to go out there again,” Verstappen said.

    Dominic Rust

  • Complacency the enemy for Mercedes in Singapore

    GP SINGAPORE F1/2015 – 18/09/15
    © FOTO STUDIO COLOMBO PER PIRELLI MEDIA (© COPYRIGHT FREE)

    Toto Wolff has said that Mercedes “must not make the mistake” of thinking themselves favourites for the win in Singapore, given their recent struggles around the Marina Bay circuit.

    “No team has ever scored a 1-2 finish [in Singapore] – and with good reason,” Wolff said, referring to the reliability issues that forced both Rosberg and Hamilton respectively to retire from the 2014 and 2015 Singapore Grands Prix. “As we have seen before, it’s a race where a single problem can cascade into many more as the weekend progresses.”

    Wolff also acknowledged a greater threat from Mercedes’ rivals this weekend, highlighting how the Marina Bay track “will suit the high-downforce philosophy followed by Red Bull” and also noting Ferrari’s “mighty” performance in last year’s race.

    Nico Rosberg also said he regards Singapore as “a Red Bull track”, but added that his “faith…is as high as ever” in himself and the team delivering a strong result:

    “I got my second ever podium [in Singapore] back in 2008 but haven’t been up there again since, so the target is to change that on Sunday. Of course, it won’t be easy [but] I approach every weekend aiming to win the race.

    “I have faith in the team and my belief in myself is as high as ever.”

    But on a weekend where the championship lead swings by just two points to his teammate, it would perhaps be prudent not to bet on Rosberg as the favourite Mercedes driver in Singapore.

    Throughout 2016, Rosberg has struggled most in those races when his battle has not just been with Lewis Hamilton but with the other cars around him as well – take Monaco, Canada and Hockenheim, for example. If Red Bull and Ferrari manage to put up a fight this weekend, Rosberg may well find the increased pressure simply too much to control.

    Add in to the mix that the Marina Bay Street Circuit is yet another in this latter half of the calendar that plays into Lewis Hamilton’s hands – delivering the Briton two wins in the past, to say the least – it would hardly be surprising to see Rosberg yield up the title ground he gained with his last two victories in Spa and Monza.

    James Matthews

  • Ferrari Singapore Grand Prix Preview

    GP SINGAPORE F1 2015 – ©FOTO STUDIO COLOMBO

     

    Ferrari return to the scene of their last victory in Formula One at the Singapore Grand Prix needing a similar result if they are to overhaul Red Bull in the race for second in the World Constructors’ Championship.

    In 2015, Sebastian Vettel took his fourth win at the Marina Bay circuit in eight outings since the inaugural race back in 2008, with Kimi Raikkonen third as Mercedes struggled all weekend with tyre warm-up.

    2016 was meant to be the year that the Scuderia built on successes like that, but it never materialised after sloppy strategy calls, inconsistent pace throughout the European season and a lack of in-season development due in part to technical director James Allison’s departure.

    While all of this was going on, Red Bull and particularly Renault’s development has seen Ferrari fall to third in the Constructors’ Championship.

    Monza represented something close to a return to form and was certainly one of the few races in which Ferrari have maximised their potential, as Vettel and Raikkonen finished third and fourth respectively to close the gap to Red Bull to 11 points, although this was expected.

    While Vettel has four wins in Singapore, three of those came while he was with Ferrari’s direct opponents Red Bull, who are tipped by some to be the team to beat this weekend.

    To add to the challenge, Mercedes believe they have worked out why they struggled so badly with the supersoft compound last year and are once again widely expected to head the timesheets this weekend.

    Raikkonen himself has two third places at Asia’s most glamorous race, and Ferrari have one other win courtesy of Fernando Alonso in 2010.

    A repeat of 2015’s excellence looks like a tall order for the Prancing Horse this time around, but should it happen, they have a real chance of second place and salvaging 2016 yet.

    Jack Prentice

  • Robert Kubica: Formula One’s Lost Champion

    Since their introduction into Formula One in 1993, Sauber have been seen top drivers rise through their ranks and go on to have glittering careers in the sport. The Hinwil team gave 2007 World Champion Kimi Raikkonen his route into the sport way back in 2001, while Felipe Massa spent three seasons there before his switch to Ferrari nearly bore him a title in 2008.

    But neither of those names raise such a mixture of pride, happiness, intrigue and ultimately sadness in the way that Robert Kubica does.

    Kubica took Sauber’s only victory in his three-and-a-half years following a mid-season promotion in place of Jacques Villeneuve in 2006 before a move to Renault in 2010.

    The big Pole’s big chance came at the famous Hungarian Grand Prix of 2006, when he replaced Villeneuve because of injuries sustained in the previous race. As Jenson Button took his maiden win, Kubica raced to seventh place, but was disqualified because of technical irregularities. Nevertheless, a star was born as Sauber announced his promotion with immediate effect after the race, after Villeneuve quit.

    Just two races later Kubica made his first piece of history, as he became the first Pole to lead a Grand Prix and then the first Pole to make the podium with a third place at the Italian Grand Prix, after qualifying sixth and showing excellent pace all weekend. He was not to pick up any more points in the remaining rounds of the season, with two further ninth places the best results for the remainder of the season.

    2007 started indifferently as a retirement in Australia and 18th in Malaysia was followed up by three solid points scores as BMW Sauber emerged as the big challengers to the dominant duo of Ferrari and McLaren.

    However, his 2007 is more remembered for a horrific accident at the Canadian Grand Prix.

    While battling with Jarno Trulli’s Toyota on the approach to the hairpin, the two made contact and Kubica’s car was more of a rocket as he launched towards the wall, with a 185mph impact sending him back over the circuit. He came to rest at the hairpin, and despite earlier reports suffered a sprained ankle and concussion that forced him to miss the US Grand Prix.

    That paved the way for a young Sebastian Vettel to make his name as a point-scoring debutant, and Kubica was not to be affected as he returned for the French Grand Prix and rattled off six straight points finishes on his way to a solid sixth place in the World Drivers’ Championship.

    2008 was to be his and Sauber’s strongest year, as he remained a factor in the World Championship battle until the penultimate round as BMW Sauber became a real force. After retirement in Melbourne, Kubica wasn’t out of the top four for the next six races, including his famous victory at Canada.

    A year on from where he had that infamous accident, Kubica was one of few steady heads in a race more akin to Wacky Races instead of an F1 Grand Prix. After Hamilton had taken both himself and Raikkonen out of the race in the pit lane after a Safety Car, Kubica was promoted to the lead of the Grand Prix once other drivers had pitted.

    It was a lead he was not to relinquish, as teammate Nick Heidfeld took second place to complete a memorable 1-2 for BMW Sauber. That result put Kubica level on points with Championship leaders Lewis Hamilton and Massa.

    With huge technical changes coming for 2009, Sauber switched their attention to developing 2009’s car shortly after. Kubica was to make the podium twice more with third place at the European Grand Prix where Valencia’s street circuit debuted, and at the Italian Grand at which Vettel took his first victory.

    This was to be both his and Sauber’s best season, as 2009 fell well below expectations.

    After a late collision with Sebastian Vettel in Australia as they battled for second place, Kubica was to take seven races to score his first points of the season with seventh place in Turkey while Sauber themselves only had six points from six races courtesy of Nick Heidfeld’s third place in the rain-shortened Malaysian Grand Prix.

    Kubica was only able to climb to 14th in the World Drivers Championship due to a strong run towards the end of the season, where he scored 15 points from the last 8 races including a second place at the Brazilian Grand Prix (Current points system wasn’t introduced until 2010) in BMW’s final podium in F1, as they pulled out of the sport.

    Sauber were to be rescued by Peter Sauber once again and had a solid season in 2010 as a privateer, with Kamui Kobayashi finishing 12th in the standings. Kubica meanwhile joined Renault and comfortably outpaced Vitaly Petrov, on his way to eighth in the standings. He would pick up two podiums in what would tragically be his final season in Formula One.

    In February of 2011, Kubica was taking part in a rally close to his home in Italy when on the first stage, he crashed heavily into a barrier, which penetrated the cockpit and struck him. He suffered a broken shoulder, arm and leg and lost part of his right forearm and damaged his right hand. In April of that year, he was released from hospital in Italy to continue his recovery, although a return to Formula One was a tall order despite successful use of the Mercedes F1 team’s simulator.

    It wasn’t to be until 2013 that Kubica gave up on a return to Formula One, citing limited functionality of his right hand in tight open wheel cockpits. Kubica now competes in the World Rally Championship, having won the second tier of the Championship in 2013.

    A man once considered by Ferrari to lead their Championship charge, Kubica is a driver that had a more than promising career in Formula One cut short by the ruthless business that is motorsport. The Pole will be remembered for his speed, courage, late-braking and ultimately the potential that was left unfulfilled.

    In a different world, through Kubica, Sauber would have produced another World Champion.
    Jack Prentice