BlogF1

BMW have endured a miserable Bahrain Grand Prix, qualifying in thirteenth and fourteenth and spending the vast majority of the race running around at the back. It is the second race in succession that the Swiss-German squad have failed to score any points, and with the shift in domination leaning towards Brawn, Red Bull and Toyota, BMW cannot afford to lose too much ground to the front-runners. Updates for the F1.09 are apparently arriving in time for the Spanish race in a fortnight, but it could already be too late. Continue Reading

There’s being a Formula One fan, and then there’s being a Formula One fan. And it would seem that Christine from Sidepodcast has taken being a fan to a whole new level. You see, Felipe Massa is yet to score a point in 2009, and his team hasn’t been doing much to improve thus far, Ferrari enduring the worse start to a season since 1981. If Felipe or Kimi don’t manage a top-eight finish tomorrow, it will be the Scuderia’s worse ever start to a championship campaign since their debut as a constructor in 1955. But fear not Ferrari fans, because Christine has a good luck message for the young Brazilian… Continue Reading

Just as I did following the Malaysian Grand Prix two weeks ago, I once again feel compelled to discuss the hopeless start to Ferrari’s 2009 championship campaign. As reigning constructors champions, with one of the largest budgets in the sport and with the skill and experience within the squad, one has to seriously wonder what on earth is going on at Maranello. Tactical errors were avoided during Kimi Raikkonen’s and Felipe Massa’s races today, but the severe under-performance from the F60 is very worrying. Continue Reading

The KERS device used by Ferrari has seen its fair share of problems since before the season commenced, and following a spate of issues in Malaysia two weeks ago, Gestione Sportiva took the decision to remove KERS from the F60s for this weekend’s race in China. It was hoped that by removing the new technology the cars would become more reliable and with the saved weight, performance would be improved by allowing more ballast to be placed in the car at the driver’s wishes. Continue Reading

The eighty-fifth photograph to feature in BlogF1’s caption contest. You know the drill, think of something funny and witty to say and leave it as a comment below. As the weather is slowly warming in the UK, and following Kimi Raikkonen’s antics in Sepang last weekend, I thought I’d make this week’s caption about ice cream. Here we have Mark Webber tucking into one while walking with Felipe Massa at the 2008 French Grand Prix. But does Kimi know Mark has found his secret stash of Magnums? Continue Reading

The 2009 Formula One season is only two races old, but for a team that is so used to success, Ferrari must be feeling a little off-colour right now. The Scuderia are yet to score any points, instead the majority going to Brawn and Jenson Button. This isn’t the usual schedule of events, and while Brawn deserve all the success from winning both races in convincing style and strategy, one cannot help but wonder what is happening to Maranello’s beloved team. Continue Reading

Felipe Massa has put an idea forward to those who will listen regarding the testing ban and the way a grand prix weekend is structured. Currently, and as agreed by all the teams, testing during the season is now banned; a decision that has caused some drivers to speak up, complaining of lack of training and familiarity of a Formula One car. However, Massa thinks that by cutting the race distances and Friday sessions, testing could resume and even become a part of the championship. Continue Reading

The seventy-ninth photograph to feature in BlogF1’s caption contest. You know the drill, think of something funny and witty to say and leave it as a comment below. Here we have a photo depicting a conversation between Felipe Massa and his engineer Rob Smedley during a test session at the team’s Mugello circuit in Northern Italy. The facial expressions are great, but what are they discussing, and why is Rob holding one arm and keeping his other hand under the other arm? Continue Reading

The final day of testing at Bahrain’s Sakhir circuit drew to a close earlier with Felipe Massa returning his Ferrari F60 to the top of the timing sheet. The Brazilian driver enjoyed a busy afternoon that involved set up work and reliability testing. Nick Heidfeld posted the second fastest lap in the new BMW F1.09 after completing 122 laps and overcoming two mechanical issues. Fellow German Timo Glock could only manage 65 laps in the Toyota TF109 before suffering from a hydraulic problem. Continue Reading

Day two of testing wrapped up earlier and for some the day was very productive, while for others it was little short of a disaster. While the sun continued to shine in Spain, the Bahrain circuit was closed early due to a dust storm preventing the safety helicopter from taking off in the event of a serious accident. Scuderia Toro Rosso, Red Bull Racing, McLaren, Renault and Williams all managed a fair few laps, but Toyota, Ferrari and BMW struggled to complete many, with Robert Kubica getting the most in, albeit a lowly 22 tours of Sakhir. Continue Reading