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April 18, 2014

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Home » Supplement » Formula one

Quantum leap puts Mercedes out front

By Ma Yue | April 18, 2014, Friday | Print Edition

LEWIS Hamilton and Mercedes enter the 11th annual Chinese Grand Prix as favorites considering the team’s blistering start to the 2014 Formula One season.

The Silver Arrows have three wins, all from pole position, from three races so far. Hamilton has won in Bahrain and Malaysia while teammate Nico Rosberg cruised to victory in the season-opening race in Australia.

Rosberg leads the standings with 61 points while Hamilton is second with 50. Force India’s Nico Hulkenberg is a distant third with 28 points in the young season.

Mercedes has also had a substantial pace advantage, especially in the last race in Bahrain. Hamilton was only a second quicker than Rosberg, but the third-placed Sergio Perez of Force India was 24 seconds behind, an eternity in F1, the winner. The Mercedes pair has also clocked the fastest laps in all three races, and led eight times in the nine practice sessions over the three weekends.

Hamilton is one of only two drivers to have won twice at Shanghai International Circuit. The Briton won in both 2008 and 2011, while Ferrari’s Fernando Alonso of Spain took the honors in 2005 and 2013. Given his current form, it wouldn’t be much of a surprise if Hamilton raced away with a third Chinese GP title this weekend. But Rosberg may throw a spanner in the works as he has also tasted success in Shanghai, winning the 2012 Chinese GP.

China is the last of the four early season flyaway races before F1 heads to Europe. The Shanghai track is popular among drivers because it features many places for passing and has the calendar’s longest straight at 1,175 meters. Also watch for the wind on race day. Since the circuit is out in the suburbs, the speed and direction of the wind can have a big influence on how a car handles. These precision machines will need good balance and a lot of grip on the front axle for the driver to succeed.

Defending F1 champion Sebastian Vettel has sweet memories of Shanghai.

“The grand prix in China is still something special for me,” said the Red Bull Racing-Renault driver. “I won my first race there with Red Bull Racing in 2009. Due to its size, the circuit is unique. The wide stretches mean there are many possible places and opportunities to overtake.”

Second drivers are sometimes given less support by the teams compared to the primary driver. These so-called second drivers sometimes even have to make “sacrifices” according to a team’s strategy. This has lead to such drivers allowing a teammate to overtake him easily or slowing down just before the finish to let a teammate win.

Some veteran teams, like Ferrari, have long had primary and secondary drivers. During Michael Schumacher’s reign, both Rubens Barrichello and Felipe Massa have had to play supportive roles at Ferrari.

In recent years, teams have relaxed this practice somewhat.

Teams no longer show overwhelming support to one driver, especially when both are at a similar skill level.

It may lead to some breathtaking moments when teammates are involved in a touch-and-go battle. It can also cause a major loss of points if such a battle forces one team member out of the race. However, this makes the races a better viewing spectacle for fans.

The Bahrain GP has shown that a team can allow both drivers to go for the win. Both Rosberg and Hamilton held the lead at times before Hamilton crossed the finish line for the checkered flag.

Still, team and individual interests do not always intersect.

During the Malaysian GP race, Williams’ driver Felippe Massa ignored team orders to allow partner Valtteri Bottas pass late in the race.

Massa has insisted he acted in the team’s best interests by staying in front, despite clear orders over the team radio.

But chief operations engineer Rod Nelson said Massa “didn’t do what we would have preferred him to do” and added the situation would be spelled out to both drivers in the clearest possible terms. Nelson said he felt Bottas stood a better chance of getting past McLaren’s Jenson Button as his tires were about five laps younger than Massa’s.

Button finished sixth with Massa and Bottas right behind.

The Williams pair finished seventh and eight at the Bahrain GP. A number of other teams have also seen teammates finish close together — Force India’s Perez and Hulkenberg finished third and fifth; Red Bull’s Daniel Ricciardo and Vettel finished fourth and sixth; Alonso and Kimi Raikkonen brought home ninth and 10th for Ferrari; while Lotus’ Romain Grosjean and Pastor Maldonado placed 12th and 14th.

Ricciardo, stepping in for Mark Webber at Red Bull, has been eager to prove himself as the teammate of three-time world champion Vettel. Webber placed second in his home race in Australia although he was later disqualified for an illegal fuel flow rate.

Meanwhle, McLaren’s Kevin Magnussen is proving to be a strong partner for former world champion Jenson Button. The Briton sits fifth with 23 points in the driver’s standings while Magnussen is seventh only three behind his teammate.

Fans can only hope teams allow drivers to race for the win instead of to help a teammate.

Formula one


 

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