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 |
– See more at: http://fiascosports.com/hamilton-takes-hat-trick-win-in-china/#sthash.7Gj9w88L.dpuf
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.
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
– See more at: http://fiascosports.com/vettel-edges-closer-to-world-title-taking-pole-in-india/#sthash.ueg945a9.dpuf
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
In recent years, I have noticed a new trend appearing across the Formula 1 field and it isn’t helmet design. Apparently now it’s all about the facial hair you’re sporting under the lid. Let’s take a look at some of the heavy hitters when it comes to those fuzzy face warmers.
The Lewis Hamilton
Having recently made a switch into the Mercedes team, Hamilton is pictured here running in the clean-cut look. This is where the beard highlights the outside of the face, while having a shorter haircut. Also known to be very aerodynamic.
The Button Blonde Babe
Having one World Championship up his belt, the McLaren driver has made this blonde-babe look very popular among his rival, Sebastian Vettel. Jenson Button’s facial hair is blonde in colour, highlighting his messy hair-look. Also works well with helmet hair.
The Nico DiCaprio
After recently cutting his long blonde locks, Nico Rosberg has gone for the rougher, edgier look. Having similar looks to Leonardo DiCaprio, Rosberg’s beard is neat but brings out his Hollywood style. This look works well with winning races.
The Webber-Wolf
The retiring Australian has let his beard go wild this year, representing a similar style to Hugh Jackman in Wolverine. Mark Webber is pictured here with his cat, with his beard dark in colour and wildly un-shaven, matching his hair. This look works well with Multi-21.
The Iceman
Kimi Raikkonen, aka. The Iceman, runs a clean look with no facial fuzz, as he has to keep his reputation up as The Iceman. Also known to not show emotion.
The Peach Fuzz
Romain Grosjean was famous for his turn one crashes last year, but the facial hair he is sporting looks like he hasn’t shaved since he started his F1 career. The Lotus driver’s facial hair highlights his youth, running the bare minimum on the face. This look works well with going into turn one on three wheels.
The Fernando Alonso
This cheeky Ferrari driver has been in the game for a while and knows how to grow a mean mow. Fernando Alonso is pictured here with a faint moustache and beard, while keeping his chunky brows neat. Also known to look good with the colour red.
While some of the younger and developing drivers in the field are trying to grow more facial hair, let’s just hope the 2014 list doesn’t include any ‘The Nigel Mansell’.
Published on: http://www.fiascosports.com
Redbull Racing’s Sebastian Vettel has taken advantage of the wet circuit conditions at the Montreal circuit, taking his third-straight pole position for the Canadian Grand Prix.
Lewis Hamilton was second quickest to the German, but the surprise for the session was William’s driver Veltteri Bottas who blitzed through the wet conditions to qualify third.
Monaco-winner Nico Rosberg continued to show his pace placing fourth, with Australian Mark Webber rounding out the top five.
Fernando Alonso struggled once again with the car, only managing sixth fastest, with Jean Eric-Vergne, Adrian Sutil, Kimi Raikkonen and Australian Daniel Ricciardo to start in the top ten.
Ferrari driver Felipe Massa unfortunately finished Q2 in the wall, with the qualifying session then red-flagged with minutes to go.
The two McLarens continued their lack of pace, with Jenson Button and Sergio Perez both missing out on Q3.
Despite qualifying in 19th, Romain Grosjean will surrender his position and start in last place, due to a 10-grid spot penalty from causing an incident at the Monaco Grand Prix.
Pos Driver Team Time Gap
1. Sebastian Vettel Red Bull-Renault 1m25.425s
2. Lewis Hamilton Mercedes 1m25.512s + 0.087s
3. Valtteri Bottas Williams-Renault 1m25.897s + 0.472s
4. Nico Rosberg Mercedes 1m26.008s + 0.583s
5. Mark Webber Red Bull-Renault 1m26.208s + 0.783s
6. Fernando Alonso Ferrari 1m26.504s + 1.079s
7. Jean-Eric Vergne Toro Rosso-Ferrari 1m26.543s + 1.118s
8. Adrian Sutil Force India-Mercedes 1m27.348s + 1.923s
9. Kimi Raikkonen Lotus-Renault 1m27.432s + 2.007s
10. Daniel Ricciardo Toro Rosso-Ferrari 1m27.946s + 2.521s
11. Nico Hulkenberg Sauber-Ferrari 1m29.435s + 1.786s
12. Sergio Perez McLaren-Mercedes 1m29.761s + 2.112s
13. Pastor Maldonado Williams-Renault 1m29.917s + 2.268s
14. Jenson Button McLaren-Mercedes 1m30.068s + 2.419s
15. Esteban Gutierrez Sauber-Ferrari 1m30.315s + 2.666s
16. Felipe Massa Ferrari 1m30.354s + 2.705s
17. Paul di Resta Force India-Mercedes 1m24.908s + 2.590
18. Charles Pic Caterham-Renault 1m25.626s + 3.308
19. Romain Grosjean Lotus-Renault 1m25.716s + 3.398
20. Jules Bianchi Marussia-Cosworth 1m26.508s + 4.190
21. Max Chilton Marussia-Cosworth 1m27.062s + 4.744
22. Giedo van der Garde Caterham-Renault 1m27.110s + 4.792