Published in Volume 2 Issue 11 Page 26 of The Australia Times.
He’s the young pup who started out in Formula 1 with his teeth covered in braces and his ambitions high to make it to the top. Well, four years later and this rising star has clinched his maiden Grand Prix win in Montreal, with his dentist gifting Ricciardo the biggest smile any racer has ever had, making Aussies more proud than ever.
The world was not ready for his smile, let alone the skill and determination this Australian has to offer. Many non-believers thought he would end up in the same position as Mark Webber being defeated by his four-time world champion teammate Sebastian Vettel.
Oh boy, were they wrong.
Of course the Merecedes’ Silver Arrows have dominated the 2014 season so far, but Ricciardo has been the talk of the pits with his dominance in the Infiniti Red Bull team this year. He also broke the Mercedes winning streak, being the first driver this year to defeat the victorious Nico Rosberg and the swag of Lewis Hamilton.
Not only is the rookie sitting third in the championship, he’s out-performing Vettel. VETTEL! The guy who was booed every time he was on the podium last year. Just, wow.
Only two Australians have tasted Formula 1 world championship glory – Sir Jack Brabham and Alan Jones – I wouldn’t mind betting$1,000 that Ricciardo makes that tally three.
Ricciardo may have an Italian last name, but his heart is full of Aussie gold. He has the Australian fighting spirit and has blood the colour of wattle. This bloke is going to break history, and eventually will give us the Formula 1 championship that Webdog was so close to claiming.
And you know what, who cares about the Queen’s fake birthday. Let’s make this public holiday dedicated to Daniel Ricciardo and his firstFormula 1 victory. Happy Daniel Ricciardo Day people, hope you had a lovely long weekend.
And Dan, cheers to your maiden victory at the Canadian Grand Prix!
Published by Spultured
(Image source: ABC)
Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton claimed his third consecutive race victory, finishing first at the Chinese Grand Prix.
British driver Lewis Hamilton has broken a personal racing record, winning three consecutive rounds in the Formula 1 Drivers Championship.
Hamilton lead from pole, taking the chequered flag at the Shanghai circuit, finishing ahead of his German teammate Nico Rosberg.
Hamilton drove away from the start, racing his own race ahead of the rest.
Rosberg endured telemetry dramas throughout the entire Grand Prix, forcing the German to report the data from his steering wheel to the data engineers, costing Rosberg at the very beginning of the race.
Red Bull Racing were unable to catch Ferrari’s Fernando Alonso, with the Spaniard able to race his #14 Ferrari to third, despite clashing with former teammate Felipe Massa at the start of the race.
Australia’s Daniel Ricciardo fell shy of his first podium finish in Formula 1, crossing the line only 1.2s behind Alonso, despite starting the race on the front row.
Ricciardo and German teammate Sebastian Vettel battled mid-race, with Vettel being told by team principle Christian Horner to surrender his position to Ricciardo because the Australian was faster.
Vettel quoted, “tough luck” on the radio communications and let Ricciardo race Vettel for fourth position.
Vettel was outshone by his new Australian teammate, finishing behind the Red Bull rookie in fifth place.
Both Force India drivers scored points, Nico Hulkenberg racing his way to the end to defeat Williams driver Valtteri Bottas for sixth and Sergio Perez falling seconds shy from Kimi Raikkonen’s Ferrari to finish ninth.
Rookie Toro Rosso driver Daniil Kyvat finished tenth, the 19-year-old consistently scoring points.
McLaren failed to make it into the points, Jenson Button finishing 11th and Kevin Magnussen crossing the line 13th.
Rosberg still leads the Formula 1 Drivers Championship, Hamilton close behind in second.
Mercedes extend their comprehensive lead in the Constructors Championship.
Round 5 of the Formula 1 World Championship will be hosted in Barcelona for the Spanish Grand Prix on 11 May.
Chinese Grand Prix Results
Pos | Driver | Team | Time/Gap |
1 | Lewis Hamilton | Mercedes | 1h36m52.810s |
2 | Nico Rosberg | Mercedes | +18.686s |
3 | Fernando Alonso | Ferrari | +25.765s |
4 | Daniel Ricciardo | Red Bull-Renault | +26.978s |
5 | Sebastian Vettel | Red Bull-Renault | +51.012s |
6 | Nico Hulkenberg | Force India-Mercedes | +57.581s |
7 | Valtteri Bottas | Williams-Mercedes | +58.145s |
8 | Kimi Raikkonen | Ferrari | +1m23.990s |
9 | Sergio Perez | Force India-Mercedes | +1m26.489s |
10 | Daniil Kvyat | Toro Rosso-Renault | +1 lap |
11 | Jenson Button | McLaren-Mercedes | +1 lap |
12 | Jean-Eric Vergne | Toro Rosso-Renault | +1 lap |
13 | Kevin Magnussen | McLaren-Mercedes | +1 lap |
14 | Pastor Maldonado | Lotus-Renault | +1 lap |
15 | Felipe Massa | Williams-Mercedes | +1 lap |
16 | Esteban Gutierrez | Sauber-Ferrari | +1 lap |
17 | Kamui Kobayashi | Caterham-Renault | +1 lap |
18 | Jules Bianchi | Marussia-Ferrari | +1 lap |
19 | Max Chilton | Marussia-Ferrari | +2 laps |
20 | Marcus Ericsson | Caterham-Renault | +2 laps |
RET | Romain Grosjean | Lotus-Renault | 27 laps |
RET | Adrian Sutil | Sauber-Ferrari | 4 laps |
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http://www.theaustraliatimes.com/emagazines/sport/issue203/#p=18 © The Australia Times
By LOREN HAZELWOOD
Kamui Kobayasi crashing out after a brake-by-wire failure. Photo: AP Photo/Ross Land
Australian Grand Prix organisers claim the new F1 cars may have breached race contracts because they were not loud enough.
Fans have also spoken and agreed that the new V6 turbo-charged powertrain cars sound duller than a lawnmower on a Saturday morning.
The Australian Grand Prix Coordination’s (AGPC) organiser Andrew Westacott said the new cars took away the fascinating spectacle of Formula One racing.
“One aspect of it was just a little bit duller than it’s ever been before and that’s part of the mix and the chemistry that they’re going to have to get right,” Mr Westacott told Fairfax radio.
Westacott also mentioned that AGPC chairman Ron Walker told Formula One boss Bernie Ecclestone who said that the quieter sound might have breached the race contract.
“Ron spoke to [Ecclestone] after the race and said fans don’t like it in the venue,” Mr Westacott said.
“We pay for a product, we’ve got contracts in place, we are looking at those very, very seriously because we reckon there has probably been some breaches.”
Not only were the big bosses disappointed with the sound of the new cars—the fans and racing drivers were in disbelief with the V6-turbo sound, including NSW Formula Ford Driver, Daniel Holihan.
“They should definitely bring back the V8 or even the V10 and V12 engine, it’s the fans that come to hear the high pitch roar of a Formula One around the city of Melbourne,” Mr Holihan said.
“I was getting more of a thrill watching the rolling starts of the V8 Supercars.”
Although the cars were not as loud—the racing spoke for itself, with the drivers battling for position throughout the whole race, while trying to not break down.
The competition level was high and it was unpredictable who would win the race before it started, with reliability also playing a big part during the first race in Australia.
“I loved the action, the race was very entertaining because it was a complete fresh start for every team and there was a lot of passing going on,” Mr Holihan said.
Not only did the race deliver great action and unpredictability, it also saw controversy unfold as Australian young gun Daniel Ricciardo was disqualified after a fuel-flow sensor error.
Ricciardo’s team at Red Bull have appealed the decision, with the verdict expected to take a few weeks to be announced.
Nico Rosberg was the eventual winner of the race, with McLaren rookie driver Kevin Magnussen replacing Ricciardo for second on his Formula One debut, with McLaren teammate Jenson Button rounding out the top three.
Formula One management are yet to comment on the hybrid-generation cars.
By LOREN HAZELWOOD
Nico Rosberg crossing the line in Melbourne. Credit: AFP
After a strong pre-season testing, Formula One favourite Mercedes proved too strong at the weekend’s Grand Prix with driver Nico Rosberg taking the victory at Melbourne’s Albert Park street circuit.
Rosberg managed to win the first Grand Prix of the season by over 23 seconds, with Australia’s Daniel Ricciardo crossing the line in second place. However, he was later disqualified due to the fuel flow reading after the race.
Because of Ricciardo’s disqualification, McLaren’s rookie driver Kevin Magnussen stole the show, finishing second on the podium for his first ever Formula One race.
Mercedes was the strong favourite to win right from the start with driver Lewis Hamilton putting the car on pole position during qualifying.
The start of the race saw everything unfold, with Rosberg getting the jump and leading into the first corner.
Ricciardo was right behind in second place, making the country proud as he put the new Red Bull on the front row.
Turn one also saw the first crash for the season with Williams driver Felipe Massa being forced off the circuit after Kamui Kobayashi’s car had a rear brake-by-wire failure, causing Kobayashi’s Caterham to crash into the side of Massa.
With Rosberg and Ricciardo leading the pack, Hamilton started to fall backwards with the Mercedes V6 Turbo-charged engine having a failing cylinder, forcing him to retire early.
Reliability issues also saw current world champion Sebastian Vettel having to retire with the car down on power, while the two Lotus cars raced by Romain Grosjean and Pastor Maldonado both stopped on the circuit with few laps to spare.
The battle of the race was further down the field with William’s driver Valtteri Bottas making a great comeback and managing to finish in fifth position after brushing the wall and damaging his rear right tyre.
McLaren’s new car was looking strong, with driver Jenson Button also finishing on the podium due to Ricciardo’s after-race penalty.
Meanwhile Ferrari’s Fernando Alonso finished in fourth place.
German Rosberg currently leads the Formula One Drivers’ Championship, with Round Two of the FIA Formula One Championship being held at Malaysia from 28-30 March.
The FIA today have announced that double points will be received in a bid to bring excitement to the final race of the Formula 1 Drivers’ and Constructors’ Championships.
Formula 1 to battle it out right to the final round. Photo: Joe Armao/Sydney Morning Herald
The final round of the FIA Formula 1 calendar will see double points awarded for the 2014 season.
This move is one of many made recently by the Formula 1 Commission and Strategy Groups this week.
The change was made to increase the fight of the Formula 1 title going into the final round of 2014, as current Formula 1 world champion Sebastian Vettel won this years title with few rounds to spare.
This change will also apply to not only the Formula 1 Drivers’ Championship, but also the Contructors’ Championship.
If this system was implement over the last six years, two of the final results of the Drivers’ championships would have been different, Felipe Massa would have pipped Lewis Hamilton in 2008 and Fernando Alonso would have won Vettel’s world championship last year.
Other changes for the 2014 FIA Formula 1 season include drivers’ being able to choose their numbers, rather than run the number the constructor finished the previous year, with the drivers’ championship order to be used to resolve any issues over number allocation.
A budget cap for 2015 is also currently being discussed by the Commission and Strategy Group to keep the costs fair for each team.
Written by Loren Hazelwood. @LorenHazelwood
– See more at: http://fiascosports.com/double-points-to-be-awarded-in-2014-f1-finale/#sthash.xKaSNGcN.dpuf
Well, another season of Formula 1 is done and dusted, with the time now coming to say goodbye to our Aussie mate, Mark Webber.
And what a great finale at Brazil. Webber got an OK start (for him…) before carving through the field, making outstanding passes on Lewis Hamilton and one of his best mates Fernando Alonso, proving to me that he still has it – even at his last race. Watching him just made me realise this was going to be the last time we were going to see old mate Webber on the track in a Formula 1 car.
Webber had a fantastic career, showing us Australians that he could do it and by hell – he has made us proud. It was just fantastic to see him holding the Aussie flag on the podium in Brazil and I’m sure he will be doing our country just as proud while racing for Porsche next year.
Before all of the fame and fast race cars, Webber took the gamble to go from racing Formula Fords in Australia to trying his hand in Europe. Along the way he made it look possible that even without a lot of money, you could still make it to the pinnacle of motor racing.
And thank God he did. With Webber departing from Red Bull Racing and ditching his rival Sebastian Vettel, our fresh new Aussie talent Daniel Ricciardo gets his chance. Stepping up from the Toro Rosso Formula 1 team to Red Bull Racing, he gets his show with arguably the strongest team in the series, period.
Ricciardo of course will have a tonne of pressure next year, but the young Aussie knows he can do it. Moreover, the blonde German won’t threaten him, something which is slightly hard to imagine considering his teammate is a four times world champion.
So Mark, you have done Australia proud over the years. From your first Grand Prix in Australia, to finishing on the podium in your final race, we have been lucky to have someone like yourself. You demonstrated to the world what true Aussie grit really is. Thankyou, you’ve been a blast to watch.
Now c’mon Dan, show this German how it is done.
Sebastian Vettel has pipped the two Mercedes drivers in qualifying, grabbing pole position for tomorrow’s Indian Grand Prix.
Red Bull Racing’s Sebastian Vettel has continued his dominating form from free practice, qualifying in first position for the Indian Grand Prix.
The 26-year-old has previously had a great run at the Buddh International circuit, looking on the money to wrap-up the FIA Formula 1 Drivers World Championship in tomorrow’s grand prix.
Mercedes drivers Nico Rosberg and Lewis Hamilton managed to qualify second and third to the German, while Australian Mark Webber was just pipped by the pair due to running a different qualifying strategy to his teammate Vettel.
Felipe Massa managed to finish fifth in Q3, starting alongside Kimi Raikkonen, the driver who is set to replace Massa at Ferrari towards the end of the 2013 world championship.
Nico Hulkenberg out-qualified Fernando Alonso for seventh position in tomorrow’s race, with the two McLaren’s of Sergio Perez and Jenson Button rounding out the top ten grid positions.
Australian Daniel Ricciardo just missed out on Q3 by one-tenth, qualifying 11th for tomorrow’s race.
Vettel goes into the Indian Grand Prix with a 90-point lead to Ferrari’s Alonso, with the German set to take his fourth consecutive world title tomorrow if he finishes fifth or above.
Qualifying results
Pos | No | Driver | Team | Q1 | Q2 | Q3 | Laps |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 1 | Sebastian Vettel | Red Bull Racing-Renault | 1:25.943 | 1:24.568 | 1:24.119 | 12 |
2 | 9 | Nico Rosberg | Mercedes | 1:25.833 | 1:25.304 | 1:24.871 | 21 |
3 | 10 | Lewis Hamilton | Mercedes | 1:25.802 | 1:25.259 | 1:24.941 | 20 |
4 | 2 | Mark Webber | Red Bull Racing-Renault | 1:25.665 | 1:25.097 | 1:25.047 | 17 |
5 | 4 | Felipe Massa | Ferrari | 1:25.793 | 1:25.389 | 1:25.201 | 19 |
6 | 7 | Kimi Räikkönen | Lotus-Renault | 1:25.819 | 1:25.191 | 1:25.248 | 18 |
7 | 11 | Nico Hulkenberg | Sauber-Ferrari | 1:25.883 | 1:25.339 | 1:25.334 | 19 |
8 | 3 | Fernando Alonso | Ferrari | 1:25.934 | 1:24.885 | 1:25.826 | 15 |
9 | 6 | Sergio Perez | McLaren-Mercedes | 1:26.107 | 1:25.365 | 1:26.153 | 21 |
10 | 5 | Jenson Button | McLaren-Mercedes | 1:25.574 | 1:25.458 | 1:26.487 | 23 |
11 | 19 | Daniel Ricciardo | STR-Ferrari | 1:25.673 | 1:25.519 | 14 | |
12 | 14 | Paul di Resta | Force India-Mercedes | 1:25.908 | 1:25.711 | 15 | |
13 | 15 | Adrian Sutil | Force India-Mercedes | 1:26.164 | 1:25.740 | 16 | |
14 | 18 | Jean-Eric Vergne | STR-Ferrari | 1:26.155 | 1:25.798 | 14 | |
15 | 17 | Valtteri Bottas | Williams-Renault | 1:26.178 | 1:26.134 | 15 | |
16 | 12 | Esteban Gutierrez | Sauber-Ferrari | 1:26.057 | 1:26.336 | 11 | |
17 | 8 | Romain Grosjean | Lotus-Renault | 1:26.577 | 7 | ||
18 | 16 | Pastor Maldonado | Williams-Renault | 1:26.842 | 9 | ||
19 | 22 | Jules Bianchi | Marussia-Cosworth | 1:26.970 | 8 | ||
20 | 21 | Giedo van der Garde | Caterham-Renault | 1:27.105 | 6 | ||
21 | 20 | Charles Pic | Caterham-Renault | 1:27.487 | 7 | ||
22 | 23 | Max Chilton | Marussia-Cosworth | 1:28.138 | 8 |
Written by Loren Hazelwood. @LorenHazelwood
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Reigning Formula 1 champion Sebastian Vettel has claimed pole position for the 2013 Korean Grand Prix.
Sebastian Vettel takes his sixth pole for the season. Photo: Getty Images/The Daily Telegraph
Sebastian Vettel has taken his sixth consecutive pole position for the 2013 Formula 1 Championship, setting a great first lap in Q3 with a time of 1:37.202.
The German was quick throughout all the qualifying sessions, feeling threatened by the Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton, who was quickest in practice yesterday, qualifying second.
Australian Redbull racer Mark Webber qualified in third, but will unfortunately will take a 10-spot penalty for tomorrow’s race due to an incident from the Singapore Grand Prix.
Lotus driver Romain Grosjean took fourth spot on the grid, while his teammate Kimi Raikkonen qualified tenth.
Next in line on the grid are the Ferrari team, with Fernando Alonso qualifying sixth and Felipe Massa starting from seventh.
The Sauber-Ferrari had a strong run in qualifying, with Nico Hulkenberg taking eighth and Esteban Gutierrez placing ninth.
Australian Daniel Ricciardo just missed out on the top ten, starting from 13th for tomorrow’s race.
Despite no one having ever won the Korean Grand Prix from pole before, Vettel is confident he can back up his win from last year and extend his championship lead.
Full qualifying results
Pos | Driver | Team | Q1 | Q2 | Q3 |
1 | Sebastian Vettel | Red Bull Racing-Renault | 1:38.683 | 1:37.569 | 1:37.202 |
2 | Lewis Hamilton | Mercedes | 1:38.574 | 1:37.824 | 1:37.420 |
3 | Mark Webber | Red Bull Racing-Renault | 1:39.138 | 1:37.840 | 1:37.464 |
4 | Romain Grosjean | Lotus-Renault | 1:39.065 | 1:38.076 | 1:37.531 |
5 | Nico Rosberg | Mercedes | 1:38.418 | 1:38.031 | 1:37.679 |
6 | Fernando Alonso | Ferrari | 1:38.520 | 1:37.978 | 1:38.038 |
7 | Felipe Massa | Ferrari | 1:38.884 | 1:38.295 | 1:38.223 |
8 | Nico Hulkenberg | Sauber-Ferrari | 1:38.427 | 1:37.913 | 1:38.237 |
9 | Esteban Gutierrez | Sauber-Ferrari | 1:38.725 | 1:38.327 | 1:38.405 |
10 | Kimi Räikkönen | Lotus-Renault | 1:38.341 | 1:38.181 | 1:38.822 |
11 | Sergio Perez | McLaren-Mercedes | 1:39.049 | 1:38.362 | |
12 | Jenson Button | McLaren-Mercedes | 1:38.882 | 1:38.365 | |
13 | Daniel Ricciardo | STR-Ferrari | 1:38.525 | 1:38.417 | |
14 | Adrian Sutil | Force India-Mercedes | 1:38.988 | 1:38.431 | |
15 | Paul di Resta | Force India-Mercedes | 1:39.185 | 1:38.718 | |
16 | Jean-Eric Vergne | STR-Ferrari | 1:39.075 | 1:38.781 | |
17 | Valtteri Bottas | Williams-Renault | 1:39.470 | ||
18 | Pastor Maldonado | Williams-Renault | 1:39.987 | ||
19 | Charles Pic | Caterham-Renault | 1:40.864 | ||
20 | Giedo van der Garde | Caterham-Renault | 1:40.871 | ||
21 | Jules Bianchi | Marussia-Cosworth | 1:41.169 |
– See more at: http://fiascosports.com/vettel-takes-pole-for-korean-grand-prix/#sthash.uAXztfYR.dpuf