Never Underestimate The Force

The summer break may be upon us but we're still feeling the Force and ready to get those engines revved up for Spa. It really is hard to believe that it's already half way through the 2015 F1 season. This season is going quicker than a Sahara Force India up Eau Rouge and is giving us the same thrill. What better way to pass the time over the break with a little half term report on the Silverstone based team.

Starting at the top. A double points finish for the team at the season opener in Australia, was a solid start to the new F1 season by Sahara Force India. Being on the cusp of the Top 10 all weekend was a great way to kick start 2015. 

In the mist of things

With the ever changing weather conditions came the Malaysian Grand Prix. A rain soaked qualifying held off Perez and Hulkenberg from making it into Q3. The inspiration for Race day at the Sepang International Circuit for both drivers' came from The Ice Capades with a Lotus and a Red Bull being sent into a spinning frenzy. Nico Hulkenberg and Sergio were handed a 10 second penalty for the little miss hap. 

China was a difficult weekend for the team with Nico Hulkenberg being knocked out in Q1 on Saturday and having to retire from the race due to a gear box issue. There were positive signs when Sergio Perez just missed out on a points finish, but no time was to rest and it was on to the Bahrain.

The Bahrain Grand Prix saw a Sahara Force India into Q3 for the first time in 2015. Nico Hulkenberg firmly placed his car into 8th position to his and the teams delight. Sergio Perez just missed out on Q3 but managed to turn the performance round in the race as he scored his second points of the season after finishing 8th. 

Olé and it's off to the Circuit de Catalunya for the Spanish Grand Prix which brought a tough fight for the Sahara Force India's as they failed to make it out of Q1 in qualifying and missed out on points in the race. With their heads held high it was time for the race weekend with the most used cliché of all time in F1, the Jewel in the Crown. Monaco baby!

I'm ready for my close up

Sergio Perez made his first Q3 appearance of the season in Monaco securing 7th on the grid whilst team mate Nico Hulkenberg lined up in 13th for the race. Perez converted his Qualifying position into his Race position bagging six points and making it his third points finish of the season. An 11th place for Hulkenberg meant he just missed out on points at the principality.
Canada was next up and it proved to be a solid weekend for Sahara Force India. Both cars were in and around the Top 10 in all Practice sessions, and when Qualifying arrived both drivers' reached Q3 for the first time this season, with Nico Hulkenberg starting on the fourth row on the grid in 7th and Sergio Perez starting behind him in 10th position. The Wall of Champions didn't make any Sahara Force India friends and Nico Hulkenberg cleaned up in 8th whilst Sergio Perez ended the race in 11th.

The Red Bull Ring was next on the agenda. A season best Qualifying performance by Nico Hulkenberg meant Sahara Force India would start the Austrian Grand Prix in 5th. Damp conditions at the beginning of the session led Sergio Perez to just miss out on Q2 and he lined up 16th on the grid. Perez had a corker of a race making up making seven places to finish 9th and Nico Hulkenberg made it a double points finish with his 6th place.
Coming into the British Grand Prix, the home race of Sahara Force India, the team introduced a new version of their VJM08 which featured a snazzy new shorter nose with 'nostrils' or air vents. The new spec worked wonders as the team had a back to back double points finish after a 7th and 9th place was bagged by Nico Hulkenberg and Sergio Perez.

The Hungarian Grand Prix wasn't the best way to end the first half of the 2015 season for Sahara Force India as both cars unfortunately had to retire. Sergio Perez had a brakes issue and Nico Hulkenberg had a front wing malfunction which led to an incident for the German driver. The weekend overall wasn't as straight forward as expected after a freak accident in FP1 for Sergio Perez meant both drivers were kept out of FP2 for a safety precaution whilst the team investigated the accident. Luckily Perez was unharmed and was back in the car for the rest of the weekend.

A game of hide and seek

Sahara Force India are currently sitting pretty in 5th position in the 2015 Constructors Championship with nine points finishes to their name and three double points finishes. Being in their highest ever position in the Constructors table so far this season, they are definitely a Force to be reckoned with amongst their competitors.

The Starting Grid: Malaysian Grand Prix

Coming off a 1-2 finish in Australia, Mercedes were aiming to continue their dominant form into the Malaysian Grand Prix, but with Ferrari hot on their tales could they keep the prancing horse at bay?

Fernando Alonso returned to McLaren Honda after the injury he suffered following an accident in pre-season whilst Valtteri Bottas was also back in his Williams after missing the Australian Grand Prix due to a back problem he sustained in qualifying. Manor Marussia also made a return to Formula 1 after not being able to run both their cars in Australia.

Majestic Malaysia

FP1 and FP2 were again dominated by Mercedes, with Nico Rosberg topping the morning session and Lewis Hamilton the afternoon, but Ferrari proved to be edging ever closer to the Silver Arrows being less than half a tenth behind in both practice sessions. Both Red Bull's made it into the Top 10 in FP1 and FP2 and Fernando Alonso outpaced his team mate Jenson Button on his return to the car. Sauber also showed their pace with a Top 10 appearance by Marcus Ericsson both sessions.

FP3 saw Nico Rosberg top the time sheets, nearly two tenths quicker than team mate Lewis Hamilton. Both Ferrari's were half a second off the pace with the Williams' close to a second behind the time set by Rosberg. Sauber were continuing their form and both Toro's Rosso also made it into the Top 10.

Q1 got underway in dry conditions and saw both McLaren Honda's struggle. The Manor Marussia's failed to make the 107% time but were granted by the stewards to race. Felipe Nasr made up the final place in the Q1 knockouts and lined his Sauber up in 16th place.
Q2 started off dry but with the threat of a thunderstorm on the horizon there was a queue of cars lining up in the pit line. Everyone was trying to get a clean lap in before the heavens opened. Kimi Raikkonen got caught out by the traffic and couldn't make it into Q3. Pastor Maldonado joined alongside Raikkonen in P12 with both Force India's lined up beside each other on the seventh row of the grid. After promising pace during the practice sessions, Carlos Sainz got caught out in the difficult track conditions and could only put his Toro Rosso in 15th.
The rain put a holt to proceedings and a half hour delay was put on Q3. The cars then returned and intermediate tyres were the best choice. Lewis Hamilton took pole position, with Sebastian Vettel splitting the two Mercedes' with less than a tenth of a second separating the World Champions. Rosberg could only managed third, with the Red Bull's of Daniel Ricciardo and Daniel Kvyat taking 4th and 5th. Max Verstappen got his best qualifying result of 6th. Felipe Massa and Romain Grosjean made up the fourth row of the grid with Valtteri Bottas and Marcus Ericsson making up the final two places in the Top 10.

After a rain soaked qualifying, conditions for race day were hot, hot, hot! Pole sitter Lewis Hamilton got a clean start after a busy first lap left Kimi Raikkonen and Pastor Maldonado with punctures after coming into contact with Valtteri Bottas and Felipe Nasr, which resulted in them both having to come in for a new set of shoes.
The Sauber of Marcus Ericsson braked too late into turn one, leaving him in a spin and out of the race. The safety car had to make an appearance and when both Mercedes' pitted this left Sebastian Vettel out in the lead. Once the Safety Car went in, Vettel was able to extend his lead and give him some clear air between himself and second place.
The cars who didn't pit under the Safety Car, then came in to make their stops. Hamilton was handed back the lead from Vettel, Rosberg moved up to second and the Ferrari came out in third. Vettel on fresher tyres was able to catch up to the Mercedes of Nico Rosberg, overtaking him and setting his sights on Lewis Hamilton.
Fernando Alonso sadly had to retire due to an engine problem and team mate Jenson Button joined him with a turbo failure. The Red Bull's suffered from brake issues, but Kvyat and Ricciardo were able to continue. Kvyat was later hit by the Force India of Nico Hulkenberg sending him into a spin, which resulted in him dropping down the pack. Both Force India's were slapped with penalties after Hulkenberg's team mate Perez sent Romain Grosjean into a spin. They both received a 10 second penalty. Pastor Maldonado added his name to the list of retirees after bake failures resulted in him missing the chequered flag.

The finger is back!

Sebastian Vettel went on to win the Malaysian Grand Prix with Lewis Hamilton in second and Nico Rosberg in third. Even after the early puncture, Kimi Raikkonen brought his Ferrari home in fourth followed by the Williams of Valtteri Bottas and Felipe Massa. Both Toro Rosso's finished in the points, bringing home 7th and 8th for Verstappen and Sainz. Kvyat and Ricciardo rounded off the points finishers.

Next stop on the F1 2015 was China. Could Ferrari continue their time on the top or would the Mercedes bounce back?

The Starting Grid: Australian Grand Prix

After a dominant 2014 from Mercedes and Lewis Hamilton, all eyes were on Melbourne for the season opener back in March. Could the Brackley team continue with their unbeatable form? Or could another team step in and take the crown from the Silver Arrows? Questions needed answers and the Australian Grand Prix was able to provide some.

From FP1 and FP2 it was clear Mercedes were going to be setting the pace for the rest of the pack to catch up to, with Williams and Ferrari the nearest competitors to the 2014 Constructors Champions. Toro Rosso outshone their sister team Red Bull Racing in FP1 with local lad Daniel Riccardo not making it out in FP2 due to issues with the car. McLaren Honda didn't get their new partnership off to the best of starts with limited running in both Friday practice sessions.

Lewis Hamilton and Mercedes dominated FP3 and was almost a second quicker than the nearest rival Sebastian Vettel. Both Red Bulls and Mclaren's struggled for pace and finished the session at the bottom of the time sheet. Pastor Maldonado and Romain Grosjean managed to get their Lotus' in 7th and 8th position, with the Toro Rosso of Carlos Sainz and Sauber driver Felipe Nasr rounding off the Top 10.

Qualifying for the opening round of the 2015 Formula 1 season saw dry conditions for the teams. Due to both Manor Marussia's not being able to get out for running all weekend, it meant only three drivers' were eliminated in Q1. Both Mclaren's were knocked out with Sauber driver Marcus Ericsson keeping Jenson Button and Kevin Magnussen company at the back of the grid.
Both Force India's were eliminated in Q2 lining up 14th and 15th on the grid. Daniel Kvyat would start his debut race for Red Bull Racing in 13th behind the Toro Rosso of Max Verstappen. Felipe Nasr just missed out on Q3 and his Sauber lined up in 11th for the Australian Grand Prix.
The Mercedes pace was again strong and no one could get within a second of them. The battle was between Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg with the World Champion coming out on top. Felipe Massa made it into the Top 3 behind Nico Rosberg, followed by the two Ferrari's with Sebastian Vettel out qualifying Kimi Raikkonen.
Bottas was three tenths slower than his Williams team mate and started the race in 6th position. The fourth row of the grid was made up of Daniel Riccardo and Carlos Sainz with both Lotus' completing the Top 10, Romain Grosjean getting the edge over Maldonado.

Winner Lewis Hamilton giving the crowd an expensive shower

Race day saw just 15 cars start. Valtteri Bottas pulled out due to a back injury he sustained in Qualifying and both Daniel Kvyat and Kevin Magnussen not making the grid because of a technical issue on the Red Bull and an engine issue on the McLaren Honda.
With a first lap incident for Maldonado and a failure for Grosjean both Lotus' didn't make it to the end of the race.
Lewis Hamilton went on to win the race with Nico Rosberg making it a 1-2 for reigning Constructor's Champions. Sebastian Vettel scored his first podium with his new Ferrari team finishing third. Williams had a strong race with their only driver for the day Felipe Massa just missing out on a final podium finish. Fellow Brazilian driver Felipe Nasr finished 5th and scoring his first ever points in Formula 1.
Daniel Ricciardo finished his home race in 6th followed closely by Nico Hulkenberg in the Sahara Force India. Marcus Ericsson turned his Q1 exit in qualifying around scoring his first points on his debut with Sauber. Carlos Sainz also grabbed points in his first Grand Prix and Sergio Perez rounded off the points scorers at the Australian Grand Prix.

With Mercedes standing their ground as reigning World Champions, it's clear they're following in their 2014 footsteps and setting the pace for the rest of the grid. But can they hold their nerve and keep at bay the closing competitors?

Half time orange's at the ready

So here we are. The summer break in the 2015 Formula 1 season is upon us. It's crazy to think we're already half way through the season, it really has sped past us and overtook us up Eau Rouge. Because I'm the gift that keeps on giving I'm going to review the first half of the season for you, so you don't have time to realise that we have FOUR whole weeks without Formula 1!!

With all the emotion surrounding the Hungarian Grand Prix. The race was the perfect way to head into the summer break and an incredibly fitting way to say goodbye to Jules. It had all the action you could have asked for and a podium that I don't think anyone predicted.

A smile off between the Top 3 Drivers' at the Hungarian Grand Prix

Over the course of summer break I'll be reviewing each and every race giving you something to keep you occupied until the light goes green on FP1 in Spa at the end of August.

Keep your eyes peeled tomorrow as I go back to the beginning in Melbourne for the Australian Grand Prix.

Ciao Jules

To see the Motorsport Community come together over the past week has really touched me as a fan of Formula 1. It's been an incredibly tough week after the devastating passing of Jules Bianchi and seeing images from the funeral of his family, friends and colleagues laying him to rest and then all the wonderful tributes that were made to him over the Hungarian Grand Prix weekend, I can't put into words how emotional it has been.

I was only one when Senna sadly died at Imola and didn't really understand the significant loss there was in Formula 1 until I became a fan of the sport and started to learn more about the history.
Watching the tragic accident that happened at Suzuka last October just broke me. I felt sick. I had the same emotion after Massa's accident back in 2009 at the Hungarian Grand Prix, so I was expecting the same outcome. Jules would be taken to hospital for precaution and then released and we'd see him jump back in the car at the next Grand Prix.

When news reported back to the paddock of Jules' condition, I was in complete denial. I didn't want to believe that this was happening and to such a promising young talent. I along with a lot of other Formula 1 fans would have put good money down on seeing Jules Bianchi's named engraved into the World Drivers' Champion trophy in years to come.

Forever In Our Hearts

Jules Bianchi had such a huge presence in Formula 1 and it just didn't feel right watching without him, and with the updates from his father appearing in the media, I couldn't get my head around the whole thing. When I woke up to the news of his passing I was heartbroken. I hadn't felt emotion like that since my best friend passed away a couple of years ago. Even though I'd only met him a couple of times you still get that powerful feeling of grief. You still mourn the loss of a young guy who was destined for great things.

The minute silence that was held for Jules before the Hungarian Grand Prix was the most heart felt action I've witnessed in Formula 1. To see everyone come together in unity was heartwarming beyond anything.

Jules Bianchi will forever be remembered by everyone up and down the Formula 1 grid. He will forever be in the hearts of Formula 1 fans around the world. Thank you Jules for providing one of my favourite memories in Formula 1. Monaco 2014 will always be remembered.

Knowing that you're no longer in pain is the closure we can all take away now. You are truly, truly missed.

Ciao Jules

I'm Back

After a two year hiatus, I'm back and better than ever.
I apologise for the gap in my blog, but due to my studies/work commitments/personal things - which I won't bore you with, the blog has taken a backseat.

But with four months into 2015 and a month into the 2015 Formula 1 season, here we are, the blog has been dusted off and is back in full swing.

I'd just like to thank everyone, who in the past, has taken their time to read and hopefully enjoy my blog. I hope you'll all be able to join me again this Formula 1 season, for my musings and opinions on the sport.