The Next Step For Williams

I think it's safe to say, Williams need some sort of paradigm shift. Yesterday they confirmed reports that as of next year they will run Mercedes Benz engines. Team Principle Sir Frank Williams released a statement yesterday:

“I’m delighted to announce our new association with Mercedes-Benz for the 2014 Formula One season and beyond. Mercedes-Benz has been one of the sport’s most successful engine suppliers and we believe that they will have an extremely competitive engine package. I would also like to take this opportunity to thank Renault for their continued hard work since we renewed our engine partnership at the beginning of the 2012 season. We have enjoyed a strong relationship that has resulted in much success over the years, including powering us to winning ways once again last year at the Spanish Grand Prix,”

It really does give the impression of a match made in heaven. Mercedes Benz love to innovate driving and Williams are world renowned for technological and local innovation, but is this enough to bring back the good ol' days?

First of all, no. The current partnership with Renault only began last year, they made the switch from Cosworth and although it brought them a race win in 2012, afterwards everything went down hill from Pastor Maldonado going on an all out rampage against decent driving, and Bruno Senna displaying that he couldn't be quick on an empty track. In fact, with seven different engine manufacturers (Cosworth twice) since their last drivers and constructors championship's in 1997, history shows it'll take a little more.

Indeed, they definitely took steps forward this season by getting rid of that waste of space [Bruno] Senna by replacing him with the absolute prodigy, Valtteri Bottas. However something went horribly McLaren (or wrong) in the development of this year's car, the FW35. Maldonado called it a step backwards. Had they provided Bottas with a car of last years potential, big points could have been achieved, podium points.

All is not lost however. While an engine change is clearly not a race winning change, Williams already have the blocks for success. It's just a matter of putting them together.

The first step is looking towards next season. My Formula 1 has always placed strong emphasis on next season's formula change, and I believe Williams are playing a decoy here. Let's be blunt, the car this year is crap. It struggles for race pace and rarely exceeds Q1, it's almost like they haven't tried. There is a very good chance they are focused entirely on 2014's challenge, and I wouldn't blame them. Potentially we could see Caterham's (long shot, I know) getting big points next year, so count nothing out.

The next move that Williams should play is to do with their drivers, and I bet you're all thinking the same. Get Maldonado out. He's no worth to anyone. After the death of his country's leader, funding for Maldonado has been under threat from the new government, and since that's all he's there for, it's safe to say he wont have a drive next year.

In terms of Bottas, to start winning races or even performing consistently, that man needs high level Vettel/Alonso treatment. He needs to marked outright as team leader and number one driver. The young Flying Finn has multiple world championships in him, he needs the team to rally behind him. It would be stupid not to!

This year also saw Sir Frank appoint his successor (and daughter) Claire Williams to take over when he retires. A breath of fresh air like this could seriously lift the team to better heights. It could also see the push for Susie Wolff to become a full time driver. This might give women in F1 the push it finally needs. There are a lot of people opposed to having female F1 drivers, but the times are changing rather fast. Indycar seen four women race at the Indy500, and Danica Patrick is breaking records for female NASCAR drivers. As a market, F1 could look unappealing if it doesn't show it's a 21st century organisation.

Everything Williams need is right at their finger tips. While losing Toto Wolff to Mercedes is a big deal, it has bound to have played a part in securing a "long term" Mercedes engine deal. It's whether or not Williams can take a step back, look at the mess they are in, and say "right this is what's happening." 

As a British-Irish F1 fan, it's sad to see Williams fail as they are doing. it's actually a joke. Enough is enough with the whole Maldonado thing, Claire should take over the running and Bottas needs to be given the support he deserves. A new engine deal is the first step, not a revolution. That will only come when big changes are made.

Rosberg Wins The Crown Jewel Of F1

Personally, the result of this race was a disaster, and I can't help feel at this early point that at the end of 2013, certain drivers will be kicking themselves after Monaco. Lots of negative things to say but first, a big congratulations to Nico Rosberg!

The Mercedes driver led from the very first lap to the chequered flag, not necessarily putting to bed the tyre issue. While Monaco is without doubt the most technical track on the calendar, it's technical for drivers skills not the balance of the car. It never has been a true test of the car.

Nevertheless, Rosberg had a great drive and I always would have liked him to get the first win over [team mate] Lewis Hamilton during their time at Mercedes. The German looked in control the whole race, almost like he was never pressured from behind. Fluent pit stops and no arguments, a lot of fortune from two safety car periods.

Hamilton did of course get screwed over by the first safety car period. A huge crash from Felipe Massa was deemed enough to launch the Mercedes SLS, but I personally thought this was unnecessary. He wasn't in a dangerous enough place and all the debris was in the run off area (only a little at the impact point further up). Yellow flags would have sufficed. It definitely gifted F1 fake Sebastian Vettel 2nd place. The flukiest driver on the planet was once again given points on a Silver platter.

Great drivers from both the Force India guys. Adrian Sutil proved that overtaking at Monaco is possible if you focus, and Paul di Resta developed an amazing attack, overtaking on the outside of turn 1. He was a fantastic spectacle to watch, and my driver of the day.

Other drivers from Jean-Eric Vergne and Max Chilton really gives me faith for the future of the sport. Maybe now we can stop looking for rookie drivers and get more experience on the grid for next season.

Unfortunately that's all the nice I can say about the race. I don't like Monaco anyways and I knew it would not be a great day for my favourite driver, Kimi Raikkonen so I was hoping he could do some form of damage limitation. 

But oh-no, he proved once again he will not overtake unless he absolutely can. While this may sound a great thing to do, and ultimately secured him 3rd last year,  it's not good enough for a title finish. Here's why. Say over the course of two or three races, Kimi builds like an eight point lead over Vettel by just finishing once place above him each time. What happens after that fourth race when Vettel flukes the win and Kimi gets stuck behind a slower car? He has all that work to do again.

That happened at Monaco. First off I thought (before the safety car) Lotus would have gone for a 1-stop less strategy from everybody else, but they opted against it. Then after the red flag from a horrific crash from Pastor Maldonado, he stayed on soft tyres when everyone else switched to super softs. This may have seemed the bright thing to do with thirty laps remaining, but as it turned out degradation never really kicked in, and the super softs were the smarter option.

None of this mattered of course because thanks to a feisty Mexican (more on him soon) Raikkonen suffered a puncture. But Kimi has no one to blame but himself. He should never have been in that position in the first place. He spent far too much time behind Mark Webber at the start. The Red Bull driver was very slow and Raikkonen failed to capitalise. Then the same sob story happened when he got stuck behind Hamilton AGAIN. I dunno what it is when he's stuck behind the Mercedes cars!

Raikkonen wasn't all there this weekend, it's almost like he wasn't trying. This conservative nature has to stop, or he's lost the championship. Although overtaking cause team mate Romain Grosjean his place in the race (and the next following a 10 place grid penalty for hitting Daniel Ricciardo) Kimi needs to take the risks soon.

McLaren also had a very disappointing day, and it's official: I am no longer a Jenson Button fan. I have never seen a more whiner driver in the history of the sport. He cries every race because Sergio Perez is quicker than him, and then he tries to get Perez a penalty! Unbelievable.

McLaren also issued team orders, but there is a very good chance this was FIA issued after Perez cut the chicane after the tunnel to avoid contact with Button. He soon got it back with a phenomenal over take, showing he had more skill than Button on the day.

However Perez was well out of order for hitting Raikkonen. He had no right to try that overtake, Kimi didn't leave him room because he wasn't supposed to heading into that turn! Perez had to retire and then blamed it all on Kimi! Although as I said, Kimi should not have been in that position in the first place, Perez should have known better. Where's his penalty?

The Ferrari's drove the nail into my coffin topping off a bad day for me. Massa endured a heavy shunt but I am glad he's okay. Alonso just didn't have any pace and was overtaken by nearly every driver on the track.

I had a day off work, so this is the only race I got to watch live. Unfortunately I had to watch it on Sky. I dunno where Sky hire their commentators but I'm glad they give mentally impaired people jobs. David Croft got over excited and then realised it was just a replay. To quote Montana: "what a fucking idiot."

I'm not happy and I'm feeling quite pessimistic about Canada which is disappointing considering I thought it would be the best race of the season. I don't know what to expect now. If my favourite drivers who I consider to be the most talented are letting the side down race after race, then it's going to be an easy season for Vettel.

And yes, I would let Raikkonen punch Perez in the face. Better yet I'll pay for all legal fees.

FINAL RESULT (BBC):

1. Nico Rosberg - Mercedes 2:17:52.056

2. Sebastian Vettel - Red Bull +00:03.888

3. Mark Webber - Red Bull +00:06.314

4. Lewis Hamilton - Mercedes +00:13.894

5. Adrian Sutil - Force India +00:21.477

6. Jenson Button - McLaren +00:23.103

7. Fernando Alonso - Ferrari +00:26.734

8. Jean-Eric Vergne - Toro Rosso +00:27.223

9. Paul di Resta - Force India +00:27.608

10. Kimi Raikkonen - Lotus +00:36.582

11. Nico Hulkenberg - Sauber +00:42.572

12. Valtteri Bottas - Williams +00:42.691

13. Esteban Gutierrez - Sauber +00:43.212

14. Max Chilton - Marussia +00:49.885

15. Giedo van der Garde - Caterham +01:02.590

16. Sergio Perez - McLaren retired, 72 laps

17. Romain Grosjean - Lotus retired, 63 laps

18. Daniel Ricciardo - Toro Rosso retired, 61 laps

19. Jules Bianchi - Marussia retired, 58 laps

20. Pastor Maldonado - Williams retired, 44 laps

21. Felipe Massa - Ferrari retired, 28 laps

22. Charles Pic - Caterham retired, 7 laps

No Monaco Qualifying

Sorry guys, I missed it today and won't see the highlights!  I think it's horrible that it was a Mercedes lock out, that gives no hope for overtaking,  Kimi just meeds to make sure he finishes above Vettel. But because Seb is the flukiest driver in the history of the universe, it's all against Kimi.

The only hope rests with Mark Webber... and that says it all!

Coming Soon...

I have officially finished university for the year! Exams are done and my time is now as free as a bird. Which means that my neglect for this blog is over. Granted as previously mentioned, the blog will be moving but as long as I am still here, I will put my full effort here!

We're a good chunk through the season now and we have a rough idea of how the season will pan out, depending on when Pirelli find their balls. After Monaco, I'll be taking a look at each individual driver and their performance so far. It will give me a chance to evaluate every driver and will give you an idea of who I think is destined for glory, and who is destined to find a new series next season.

I look forward to undergoing this evaluation so much as I think every driver has had an impact on the season in their own unique way!

Preview: 2013 Monaco Grand Prix

The F1 circus sets up base at arguably, its true home in Monte Carlo. The glam and glitz will be matched by the brightest stars (and Sebastian Vettel) on the Formula 1 grid. The paddock will have to endure a very tense atmosphere considering the recent decision over Pirelli tyres, and the inconsistent form of Mercedes qualifying-to-race performance. If a Silver Arrow snatches up P1 or worst case scenario, both get P1/2 then the whole grid will have to suffer an immense amount of build up. There will be carnage. 

Everyone is fully aware of the classic Nelson Piquet quote, Daniel Ricciardo recently likened the GP to racing around a supermarket. The 3.3 km street layout lasts for 78 laps of pure concentration. This is where racing drivers make their money, and I don't mean when Kimi Raikkonen turns up in a diamond encrusted helmet, and then proceeds to lose it. I mean the absolute attention to detail that's required. You drop that for one moment, and hello DNF.

Pirelli bring their supersoft and soft compounds back to the legendary, and they better hope their predicted two stop actually remains a two stop, or else Red Bull will have something more to cry about. Teams like Lotus and Force India who have mastered the tyres will be aiming for the magic one stop that will score them big points.

After a poor start, reserved overtaking and less than average pit stops, Kimi Raikkonen was only beaten by Fernando Alonso on a far superior race strategy. Kimi will need to stop dicking around behind Mercedes like he did in Barcelona. His Monaco history is mixed to say the least, but there's a very good chance his first DNF since his return is about to strike.

Even though their race pace is piss poor, this is the best opportunity for Nico Rosberg or Lewis Hamilton to bag that all important first win. They'll be joined by the agitated Red Bull boys whose technical chief Adrian Newey said the Pirelli tyres are preventing them from unlocking the full potential of their car. 

Here's an idea Adrian, how about you make a car that complies with the rules instead of cheating.

It's difficult to predict anything this season, but if Michael Schumacher was able to achieve pole position last year, it's hard to think that anyone bar Hamilton or Rosberg will secure it again. However, Mark Webber always starts his season at Monaco, so I'm predicting him to get pole and to do well in the race, maybe third.

For the win however I have to believe Fernando Alonso has it in him to dodge the Monaco madness. I don't think Kimi has the hard head to go for it and I cannot see the Mercedes guys staying on the cliff. That only leaves Fernando and Sebastian, and because it's a game of tyres I'm going to back the Ferrari.

NEW HOME

I've been using blogger since November when I started this blog and I have to say it has been very good to me; easy posts, great stats and brilliant set up. With its close link to Google+ I was able to grow my audience to a point where I have thoroughly enjoyed reaching the corners of the F1 universe.

But I feel there is a lot more I can do, and a lot more people to reach, and I think blogger is holding me back.

That's why my aim for summer is to leave blogger and join wordpress. I write for Let's Talk F1 which uses wordpress and it's no coincidence that nearly EVERY F1 blog uses the site, and although it's great to be different, I feel there is a reason for the sheer number of people using the popular blog site.

I'll be completely rebranding everything, including a new name and new layout. The best thing about the move; the content will remain the same. Every race preview, review and every thought no matter how big or small that pops into my head will get published for my amusement and probably your disgust.

I'll making partnerships, brand new features and hopefully putting together a team to transfer my blog into a hot new F1 website.

I'll keep everyone updated as soon as new developments occur. Until then keep it here on My Formula 1.

McLaren-Honda

The BBC has yet again proven their insight to the future is precise and accurate when it comes to delivering breaking news about Formula 1. Way back in March of this year, the BBC F1 team revealed that McLaren were in talks with their former engine partners Honda about securing a new deal for a supply of engines.

McLaren have been supplied by Mercedes since 1995 and have won the constructors championship just once. They could have had two if it wasn't for the spy-gate scandal in 2007.

McLaren-Honda will always be remembered for the period of domination the pair held over the sport during 1988 until 1992, a period where they won four constructors titles. 1988 was a particular stand out season where Ayrton Senna and Alain Prost won every race bar one for the Woking team.

With statistics in hand, it's easy to see why they have elected to go back to the Japanese manufacturers, but let's not forget Honda's chequered history in Formula 1. From 1964-1968 they won only two races before electing to pull out of the sport. They would continue to supply engines to teams but they entered a factory team from 2006-2008. Success would prove very minimal again with Jenson Button winning only one race. Then just as easy as a click of the fingers, they pulled the plug on Formula 1 yet again, leaving Button and his team mate Rubens Barrichello without a drive for the following season. Fortunately for them, Ross Brawn put money into the team and would go on to complete a fairy tale story in 2009.

It definitely seems that Honda should stick to making engines and engines alone, but F1 has moved on leaps and bounds from the late 80s/early 90s. There is so much more affecting cars now than engines, look at the mess Pirelli has got the sport in.

The deal is for 2015, which means for the first season of the brand new 1.6 litre turbocharged V6 engines in 2014, McLaren will have to run whatever Mercedes gives them.

Renault 2014 Engine.

What happens though if things don't go as planned, what if McLaren do become the new Williams (an article you must read by my friend over at Let's Talk F1) and become a former shadow of themselves? They are very happy to end any relationship with F1 if things don't go their way. It's a very big risk and as this season has shown, big risks do not pay off for McLaren.

One of the other worries I have is that they want to keep on Jenson Button for this new era. I've had some issues with Jenson's attitude this season but setting them aside for the moment, by the time this deal comes I reckon there will be plenty of thriving talent from other drivers. Paul di Resta, the Toro Rosso boys, even Jules Bianchi in the Marussia looks good. If they are hell bent on making this an entirely new era then I say ditch Jenson. He's a great driver and a phenomenal talent, but there isn't another title fight in him. His luck unfortunately ran out with Lewis Hamilton as his team mate, and Adrian Newey gifting Red Bull with title wins for three years. 

Don't get me wrong, he's made his own mistakes but the point I am trying to make is that a fresh perspective in driving should be accompanied by fresh driver line up. 

In my eyes, the move is too risky. I've said it many times before but 2014 will be a lottery in terms of who will be on top. I'm going with Renault because they seem to be the only engine manufacturer who have made progress, and with them looking to supply less teams in 2014, the demand will be fierce. 

I personally would have shelved the idea of bringing in a new deal with Honda. History looks good but it has also been brief and not looking great in the long term. Stability is what McLaren need, I fear with Honda they may not get it.

Alonso Wins Emphatic Home Grand Prix

After a very disappointing qualifying session yesterday, a win was looking less likely... To the non believers! Fernando Alonso drove a master class and he was only one half of a Ferrari fairy tale as Felipe Massa also aided his penalty disaster by a podium finish. It would have been a Ferrari 1-2 had it not have been for an icy intervention. Kimi Raikkonen drove a tyre controlled race to bring his Lotus 2nd, however from the words of a very critical super fan, he could have got the win.



C'mon Kimi!

Raikkonen started 4th behind the Red Bull of Sebastian Vettel and the two Mercedes cars. As previous races have shown us, the race pace of the silver arrows was disastrous from lap 1 to lap 66, and a blistering start from both Vettel and Alonso did not help Kimi as he fell back behind the Mercedes of Lewis Hamilton.

What I would love to know is; why can everyone else but Kimi fly by either of the Mercedes cars? It happened countless times last year when Kimi got stuck behind Michael Schumacher and today was no different. Raikkonen struggled for 7 laps behind Hamilton and by the time he eventually got around him, the rest of the pack had moved on. Rosberg was leading up until he pitted and that's when his car fell off the pace. 

As standard, Alonso and Vettel both sail right by him but oh no, Kimi has to go and dick about behind him again. I understand his careful and planned overtaking style, no one respects it like me. But at the same time you have got to show the hunger that (for example) Alonso showed when he got by Rosberg. It might get you the name of Mr. Consistent, but it may cost you the name of Mr. 2013 World Champion.

That being said, Raikkonen did get better as the race went on. When battling with Vettel, Kimi's driving style is so much more efficient that the German's. Vettel loves the wide line, but by the time he's snapped back, Kimi has gained. Unfortunately when it comes to 'close but no cigar,' Kimi drops way back to line himself up all over again. He got by on lap 32 Vettel on the end of the 2nd DRS zone, but Vettel squeezed him off to take position back. 

Come lap 33, Kimi makes a sensational move past Vettel at the end of turn one, Essentially, he recovered his race at this point. Whenever he leads, there's always a chance he'll win. But it was not meant to be. Less time behind the Mercedes cars please Kimi. It's costing you valuable points.

Fantastic Ferrari.

No matter what anybody done, no one was for stopping Fernando Alonso. At the half way point, the Ferrari's were just controlling their own race. At lap 38, Alonso was cutting into Kimi's lead with a vengeance, but they both still had a stop remaining. Kimi pitted first leaving him with 20 laps on the hard compound tyre. 

The focal point was coming out in front of Vettel. That was key to a strong finish. 3 laps later Alonso decided to come in but he was split up by Alonso's team mate Massa. Whenever Massa came in for his last stop, he slotted back in behind Kimi for 3rd, a very respectable finish after a difficult starting position. Goes to show you that the Massa of old his nearly back, once he gets that critical win again, we'll see his true master-class.

Getting two drivers on the podium helped Ferrari overhaul Lotus in the constructors table, although this was aided by Romain Grosjean suffering a freak suspension failure.

At what point are Mercedes going to realise that winning qualifying is not good enough? Is it when you're being overtaken by a Williams? Or when the world champion in your team has to take 'driving lessons' from his less experienced counter part? The no race pace issue needs sorted IMMEDIATELY because they are turning into a real joke on race day.

What happens in Monaco whenever they get pole but suddenly feel the force of the pack behind them? They'll cause accidents. Hamilton even got overtaken by Jenson Button, ex McLaren team mate. That was an hilarious moment, although Button was lucky not to be out raced by his current team mate Sergio Perez who looked a lot tidier this weekend.

A big shout out to Esteban Gutierrez! I've been very hard on him and I will continue to be if he makes more poor choices, but today he drove a very clean race, steady improvements will help him gain valuable experience.

I do have to mention my dissatisfaction with BBC's Ben Edwards. Last year he commentated like his eyes were painted on, and he always got the Lotus's mixed up, even though their helmets were completely different. When Grosjean came in to retire he started screaming "Raikkonen's retired!" and I was eating a yoghurt at the time, which then proceeded to go all over the floor. Actually, as I write this it's still there. It's all hardened... Eww...

It was a great spectacle, even Vettel didn't annoy me today. In terms of the drivers championship (and I am having another go at Kimi here), it's all well and good getting more points than Vettel on 1 race weekend. But what happens when he flukes the next 3 and this pattern continues? If you're not taking chunks out of his lead, then what the f**k is the point? We've learnt over the last two seasons that Vettel will literally hold back until his gift circuits in Asia. If you're not going to consolidate that loss now then you're leaving yourself with a marathon to run come the end of the season.

Glad to see Alonso back on top with Felipe improving all the time. Epic drive from Kimi Raikkonen but I still think he lost the race on lap 7. On a plus note, on the Castrol Predictor I gained a total of 100 points! What Up!!!!

FINAL RESULT (BBC):

1. Fernando Alonso (Spa) Ferrari 1hr 39mins 16.596secs

2. Kimi Raikkonen (Fin) Lotus +00:09.338

3. Felipe Massa (Brz) Ferrari 00:26.049

4. Sebastian Vettel (Ger) Red Bull 00:38.273

5. Mark Webber (Aus) Red Bull 00:47.963

6. Nico Rosberg (Ger) Mercedes 01:08.020

7. Paul di Resta (GB) Force India 01:08.988

8. Jenson Button (GB) McLaren 01:19.506

9. Sergio Perez (Mex) McLaren 01:21.738

10. Daniel Ricciardo (Aus) Toro Rosso 1 lap

11. Esteban Gutierrez (Mex) Sauber 1 lap

12. Lewis Hamilton (GB) Mercedes 1 lap

13. Adrian Sutil (Ger) Force India 1 lap

14. Pastor Maldonado (Ven) Williams 1 lap

15. Nico Hulkenberg (Ger) Sauber 1 lap

16. Valtteri Bottas (Fin) Williams 1 lap

17. Charles Pic (Fra) Caterham 1 lap

18. Jules Bianchi (Fra) Marussia 2 laps

19. Max Chilton (GB) Marussia 2 laps

ret. Jean-Eric Vergne (Fra) Toro Rosso 14

ret. Giedo van der Garde (Ned) Caterham

ret. Romain Grosjean (Fra) Lotus

2013 Spanish Grand Prix - Qualifying

After another mammoth break from Formula 1, the circus hits the Circuit de Catalunya, one of my favourite tracks on the grid. 

A lot of teams brought big updates for this weekend. Red Bull have revised the way they manage the tyres after their temper tantrum with Pirelli failed to get compounds changed to work in their favour. You're no Ferrari guys! McLaren stated after Australia where the dismal pace of the car shocked us all that they were expecting their first big upgrades of the season in Spain. The only thing that can pick them out from the shuck is a miracle. Further down the grid, Caterham revealed that this is to be the first round where they run an all 2013 spec car. Is is enough to seize back 'best of the rest' from Marussia?

Watching live BBC coverage today made me realise that they do an awful lot of features with drivers from the back of the grid, particularly with Max Chilton. This doesn't really look good when all you can get is a rookie driver from a struggling team every round. I suppose though an F1 driver is an F1 driver.

That being said, they managed to secure a chance interview with F1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone. When asked about the calendar next year he replied "I haven't got one together yet but there will be 20 races." Bernie confirmed that the developing Sochi Circuit in Russia will definitely feature next year, but then asked in place of what he replied with a very serious manner: "Silverstone." The shock in both Suzi Perry's eyes and Eddie Jordan's was evident. He refused to confirm which one but he mentioned Spa, one of the Germany's and the outright exclusion of Valencia. In the end, he admitted he was joking about Silverstone and mentioned that a decision on the New Jersey street circuit will not be made for "another few months."

I would also like to wish Pat Fry to get all the better very soon after being rushed to hospital with kidney stones.

Q1 - In modern F1 fashion, we expect the usual suspects will bow out straight away, what was also becoming a staple was a Williams would join them, followed by F1 danger man Esteban Gutierrez. This time last year, Pastor Maldonado stormed to pole, but this year he joined his Williams team mate Valtteri Bottas in slipping out of the action early. Maldonado's woes may get worse as he is under investigation for holding up Jenson Button.

It looked to me as an offence and I accept that, but Jenson Button does not get to decide when and who gets a penalty. All he should have said was "Pastor held me up, tell the stewards." Not; "that's a definite penalty." I am disliking Jenson more and more every race weekend, his attitude has gotten severely worse since Sergio Perez out paced him in Bahrain, and his bitchy whiny attitude is not helping the situation at McLaren.

OUT - BOT, MAL, VDG,  BIA,  CHI, PIC

Q2 - After Gutierrez held up Kimi Raikkonen in Q1, he would have needed to up his game to minimise the damage inflicted by his impending grid penalty. But once again the boy has let himself down by a poor showing. I reckon someone should find this boy a plane home because he's taking up a place that should be held by a competent driver. Not a lot of on screen action but one thing I did take away was the tyre degradation in terms of used tyres. Kimi only used the hard tyres in Q1, but Sebastian Vettel used a set for 1 lap (out lap, time lap, in lap) and then used that tyre for the first run in Q2. The drop in performance was huge compared to what it should be. Issue is, is that Red Bull's updates failing or Pirelli failing to make a decent tyre?

Huge disappointment for McLaren, baby Button as his updated car just flopped. His first time wasn't quicker than anybody else's, his second one only lifted him up two places. Perhaps the biggest blow was the fact that Perez looks as if he made some progress.

OUT - RIC, VER, SUT, BUT, HUL, GUT

Q3 - It looks as though the deciding factor for a good lap is sector 3, and the only team to be able to make the most out of it was Mercedes. I predicted before the session that Fernando Alonso would be quickest. Midway through Q2 I stated Rosberg could be a good shout. Then as soon as Q3 begun I said a Mercedes lockout looks on. 

Even though my initial prediction was wrong, my foresight came through and Mercedes secured positions 1 and 2 with Nico Rosberg on top. I can only hope they have fixed that issue of lack of race pace. They'll need it considering Kimi starts in P4 and Alonso starts in P5, the two best starts in Formula 1 at the minute.

What Mercedes will be glad of is that statistics are on their side. For the last 16 years, the winner has started on the front row. However, the massive scrap from Alonso and Raikkonen will be enough to shake the stats, it looks like it will be a classic race, but something tells me the top of the podium will be very icy tomorrow.

FINAL STANDINGS (AUTOSPORT):

Pos Driver                Team/Car              Time      Gap
 1. Nico Rosberg          Mercedes              1m20.718s
 2. Lewis Hamilton        Mercedes              1m20.972s  + 0.254s
 3. Sebastian Vettel      Red Bull-Renault      1m21.054s  + 0.336s
 4. Kimi Raikkonen        Lotus-Renault         1m21.177s  + 0.459s
 5. Fernando Alonso       Ferrari               1m21.218s  + 0.500s
 6. Felipe Massa          Ferrari               1m21.219s  + 0.501s
 7. Romain Grosjean       Lotus-Renault         1m21.308s  + 0.590s
 8. Mark Webber           Red Bull-Renault      1m21.570s  + 0.852s
 9. Sergio Perez          McLaren-Mercedes      1m22.069s  + 1.351s
10. Paul di Resta         Force India-Mercedes  1m22.233s  + 1.515s
Q2 cut-off time: 1m22.019s                                       Gap **
11. Daniel Ricciardo      Toro Rosso-Ferrari    1m22.127s  + 1.126s
12. Jean-Eric Vergne      Toro Rosso-Ferrari    1m22.166s  + 1.165s
13. Adrian Sutil          Force India-Mercedes  1m22.346s  + 1.345s
14. Jenson Button         McLaren-Mercedes      1m23.166s  + 2.165s
15. Nico Hulkenberg       Sauber-Ferrari        1m22.389s  + 1.388s
16. Esteban Gutierrez     Sauber-Ferrari        1m22.793s  + 1.792s
Q1 cut-off time: 1m23.218s                                       Gap *
17. Valtteri Bottas       Williams-Renault      1m23.260s  + 1.532s
18. Pastor Maldonado      Williams-Renault      1m23.318s  + 1.590s
19. Giedo van der Garde   Caterham-Renault      1m24.661s  + 2.933s
20. Jules Bianchi         Marussia-Cosworth     1m24.713s  + 2.985s
21. Max Chilton           Marussia-Cosworth     1m24.996s  + 3.268s
22. Charles Pic           Caterham-Renault      1m25.070s  + 3.342s

Where Does Allison's Departure Leave Lotus?

As I am sure many of you have already heard, Lotus technical director James Allison, mastermind behind the team's current heavyweight E21 car has handed in his notice at the Enstone outfit. They certainly weren't long in replacing him, instead of luring outside talent, they elected to promote within, and Nick Chester (ex engineering directer) was the unlucky man to fill huge shoes.

James Allison (Centre)

When the news first broke, my immediate thought was: please don't let him go to Mercedes. After their recent recruitment drive spurred big names like Toto Wolff and of course, Lewis Hamilton to join, and with the looming threat over Ross Brawn's future, it looked like a perfect fit. But the team were quick to quash all rumours, stating that they had "a wealth of technical talent."

Considering he is one of the brightest technical minds in F1, it was always highly unlikely that he was for Red Bull, considering they have Adrian Newey controlling the show over there. There is also no way he'd want to join the sinking ship of McLaren, so that only leaves one team.

Sources are already confirming that talks have begun, but a deal has yet to be signed. Truth be told, it's the only place where he has now. He'll be going back to the team where he worked for 5 years, arguably 5 of the most successful in the Scuderia when Michael Schumacher dominated the sport.

Lotus's number 1 driver Kimi Raikkonen will be out of contract at the end of the season, and with increasing interest from Red Bull, it looks as though Allison's departure could be the deciding factor for his future. His title challenge will also suffer. Even though Nick Chester will have been kept up to date with future update packages, there's only so far that will take them. The pressure of the drivers championship may hit him hard, leaving Kimi with no foot to stand on.

Kimi in his own unique style brushed off the news, saying "for me it does not make a difference" and that counting him out of the title would be "stupid."

Allison's departure to the Lotus faithful is a huge blow considering the blistering start to the 2013 season. Questions I want answered are: Why, and how much does he know about 2014? 

Team Battles Occurring Early On & Remembering Ayrton Senna

Starting off, I'd like to apologise for my lack of activity. Poor connectivity to Twitter and the internet have all resulted in an F1 blackout, plus whenever Vettel flukes a win, nobody wants to write anything. Starting today I will be posting a blog everyday. Keep up to date on Twitter @Houston60. Also over on Let's Talk F1 I'll be continuing my 'Where Are They Now?' series.

When team mates clash, the whole world suddenly stops in disbelief. "Did he just do that?" Sometimes the blame is evident, sometimes it is not. Everyone even if they were not born during the era saw the most famous crash between team mates when it was depicted in the movie Senna, whenever Ayrton Senna and Alain Prost came together at Suzuka 1989. The most famous one of my era definitely has to be Turkey 2010 whenever Sebastian Vettel saw fit to drive like a maniac into Mark Webber, and then had the audacity to blame it on Webber. Not wanting to get into that argument now but my point is they don't happen often. 

This is why it is a shock that we've seen three already this season! Is this a theme we're going to see? Will Romain Grosjean and Pastor Maldonado play up to their old habits and take out their Finnish team mates? Will the new dangerous drivers in Esteban Gutierrez and Giedo van der Garde create grey hairs on their bosses heads? I'm gonna take a look at the team mate clashes we've had so far this season.

Malaysia - Vettel proving that he is without a shadow of a doubt, an utter bell end.

Even though they didn't physically come together, the fallout from the puppet boy's ignorance and disregard for his team and our sport proved that the fake three time world champion is nothing more than a boy in a man's world. Vettel ignored orders from his bosses to steal the win from Webber who had turned his whole car down to minimum power to save rubber and fuel. 

Given the pair's rocky history, many Formula 1 commentators (me included) predicted that the incident was the straw that broke Webber's back, and as a result foresee that Webber will find fields anew next season. Even if it's a step down, it would still be better than being oppressed by every single Red Bull employee.

China - Feel the Force... On each other?

It seems that Adrian Sutil doesn't release his inner hulk on just his rivals. he also saves a bit for his own team mate. During the opening laps Paul di Resta was battling to get up the field but was eventually pushed wide by his team mate. Contact did occur but nothing serious to damage anyone's race. Racing incident or not, it all came back to Sutil after he endured a massive shunt from the most dangerous man in 2013, Esteban Gutierrez.



Bahrain - How can it get any worse?


If it's not an absolutely dismal qualifying performance, it's poor race pace, but on this particular day it was both and worse. McLaren have always had a "no team orders policy," one which we all thoroughly enjoy. But I guess Jenson Button only enjoys it when it's going his way. For the first time this season, Sergio Perez showed his class and produced a near classy drive. That was until he got too greedy and suddenly wanted a bite out of Button's car. The Brit was quick to get on the radio and complain, but that was the only speedy aspect of his race. it was only a little push, these things happen all of the time, and to tell your boss to tell your team mate to slow down is very Vettel-ish, and therefore frowned upon. Jenson needs to grow up quick and realise that it's a team effort in order to turn their season around. Checo's performance in this race was just what they needed. Combine that with Jenson's master-class and some big updates at Barcelona, and you've got yourself a tidier package. 

Three consecutive races with three consecutive team mate incidents is a heart stopping scenario, especially for the team bosses. Like me, they (and the rest) will be hoping they don't see any repeats. But can that be guaranteed? 

We all know Perez has A LOT on the line, and Webber WILL be looking for revenge. 2013 could throw up just about anything at the minute, but inter team collisions is something nobody wants.

Gone But Never Forgotten

RIP Ayrton Senna.

On the 13th of May 1994, not only did Formula 1 lose its leading light, the world lost a wonderful human being.

I never got the chance to watch Ayrton drive, I only have to watch archive footage to know that he was something special.

There was more to the man than just motor racing. He was a hero, a saint to his people in Brazil. Never letting the glam and glitter of Formula 1 divert him from his true cause, helping people especially children out of poverty.

The world sorely needs more Ayrton Senna's in it. Throughout his life he emphasised that family is key to a happy and healthy life. As much as a phenomenon that he was on track, I'll chose to celebrate Ayrton Senna's life through his actions as a person during his time on Earth.

Gone, but never, ever forgotten.