The Art of Wet Racing

Without a doubt, Formula 1's ability to take on the rain makes it a unique series in the motorsports world.  Tolerating substantial downpours and several hour delays is the norm for the traveling event, separating it from the fair-weather nature of most racing (think day-long delays, such as the Daytona 500 this year). This year's British GP will certainly not disappoint, and for those attending the race, it's going to be a tough couple of days "mucking about" in the mud around the circuit and the traffic on the A43 highway.

We've seen that tires can be the deciding factor this season, evidence in Fernando Alonso's fight in the final two corners of the Malaysian GP with Sergio Perez, almost costing him the win.  The likelihood of such another fight is eminent as the potential of an "emotional" British GP will only be exacerbated by the buckets of rain pouring on Silverstone this weekend. Today's practice sessions were a combination of control and chaos as each driver struggled to pilot their vehicle across the delicate, slippery surface.  Though the action was relatively slow today, tomorrow's qualifying shouldn't disappoint.

Let's not forget as well, the recent remodel of the Silverstone circuit has spurred a love/hate relationship with the F1 community. Though Formula 1 has seen a bit of rain at other circuits so far this year, the new remodel of the Silverstone circuit has made the problems more complicated. 

In his rant this morning on Speed TV's live coverage of Practice session, Will Buxton (@willbuxton) let America know exactly how he feels about the remodel.  With a Pit Lane that's partially below the water table, the likelihood of flooding in this essential area is a real possibility.  Just how they will address the issue as the weekend continues is still a mystery, but we hope fixing floaties to the cars is outside of the regulations.

Rain filled races have made the history books time and time again, and no one would dare say only dry races are the most exciting. It is possible to go too far to the other side of that argument with Bernie signaling he's a fan of playing in the rain. Though the likelihood of sprinklers being added to race tracks for "fun" seem to be squashed for now, we'll be looking forward to a wet mess in Silverstone this weekend and hoping rain stays a natural feature of F1.

Sutton Images at Formula Expo

Sutton Images at Formula Expo from The Austin Grand Prix on Vimeo.

It was such a treat to interview Keith and Mark Sutton at Formula Expo. This team of British brothers run Sutton Images, the world's largest indepentent motorsports picture agency.

As mentioned in the interview, GP Week is a free online magazine that is published every Monday morning. You can sign up for email alerts for the latest issue and review F1, MotoGP and World Rally Championship news, results and features accompanied by the best photos from Sutton Images.

Be sure to check out the Sutton Images exhibit of dozens of photos at this weekend's Formula Expo!

Turning Up The Heat In Montreal

This year's Formula 1 World Championship just got a little hotter after Lewis Hamilton took the win for the Vodafone McLaren Mercedes team at the Canadian Grand Prix.  This is Lewis' first win of the season, making him the seventh different winner so far; an unprecedented situation in Formula 1. 

Sunday's race was a stark contrast to the previous years where rain delays added a whole new meaning to the word patience.  The bright sun and clear skies made the race a hot one, 109° F (43° C) on the track, a 20°+ jump over the qualifying conditions.  The heat took it's toll on the teams, forcing them to jump quickly from the two different choices of tires to maximize their longevity. The race had a great start with no major collisions on the tight "Senna S" turn in the first few seconds and maintained collision free for a majority of the race.

Vettel lead from pole position and developed a large gap over Hamilton and Alonso, signaling his path to secure the race win with a quick first stint overall. Vettel wore out quickly though, and was forced to pit first out of the front runners, costing him the lead to Hamilton and Alonso.

The tire strategy of McLaren helped edge Hamilton to the lead with a two stop strategy that gave him the right amount of rubber to keep him going to the end.  With Alonso and Vettel struggling to keep the pace of Hamilton, Sergio Perez and Roman Grosjean edged past and climbed to the top and made it to the podium.

This was Grosjean's third podium of the season and Perez's second, adding excitement as the two young drivers are making their mark on the sport.  Hailing from Mexico, Sergio is gaining a large following in the Americas and quickly becoming a star.  The Sauber F1 Team driver has named Circuit of The Americas in Austin his home track, and though an American has yet to re-enter the sport, all eyes are on Perez as he will be the home crowd favorite in Austin.

Following the race, Sergio had this to say about his third place finish:

To be honest, starting 15th the last thing you think about is to end up on the podium. We went quite aggressive, the first stint was quite good, the stop very good, and the second stint very, very good.

Though Ferrari and Red Bull failed to put their drivers on the podium, speculations are that the title race will narrow and turn into a three man competition as the teams get in their groove and things start to settle.  Who those three drivers are is largely still speculation but so far, McLaren is the only team to put both drivers in first position. However, Jensen Button's 16th place finish in Monaco and Canada has many wondering why there is so much contrast between him and his teammate Hamilton, not to mention his ninth position in the drivers championship points puts him well behind his teamate in first place.

Mark Webber's win in Monaco and Vettel's pole position on Saturday made it look like the Red Bull team was back and ready to regain their dominance.  However Sunday's race was likely a big disappointment as both Vettel and Webber were unable to stay at the top and secure a podium finish.  Ferrari was also suffering as Alonso was unable to fight off Grosjean and Perez, and Felipe Massa's spinout early in the race cost him any chance of returning to the top.

We're now a third of the way through the Formula 1 season and it's still hard to make serious predictions about the championship.  Like I suggested a while ago, the inaugural F1USGP in Austin may play host to that championship decision, adding to the excitement and grabbing even more attention around the world.  All I know is that I'm looking forward to the next race as we will hopefully get another new winner for the season; who might that driver be? Your guess is as good as mine.

American Conor Daly To Test Force India F1 Car

American GP3 driver Conor Daly gets fitted in the Sahara Force India VJM05, May 15th, 2012

Coming off of a spectacular win in the GP3 series at Barcelona, American racer Conor Daly is getting his chance to join the Formula 1 club as the Sahara Force India team announced that Conor will be testing some car configurations tomorrow in England.  Conor will be helping Force India test out various aerodynamic options and collecting data as they look to improve the VJM05 car for the 2012 season.

Yesterday, Conor was fitted for a seat in preparation for Thursday's test and had the following to say about the opportunity:

Someone seriouisly might have to pinch or kick me because I feel like I'm dreaming! So thankful for this opportunity.

Over the weekend, Conor secured his first win for the Lotus GP team at the Barcelona GP3 Series race, garnering the attention of many in the Formula 1 scene, including Stefano Domenicali, the Ferrari team principal, and former F1 world champion and American driver, Mario Andretti, who tweeted:

Conor's performance in the GP3 series has proven he is a great fit for the sport, and entering as a testing role for an up-and-coming team like Force India will be a great match for him.  With Alexander Rossi testing with the Caterham F1 Team and now Conor Daly's position with Force India, evidence is mounting that the teams are keen to gain American eyes on their cars.  It could be just a matter of months before we see one of these talented Americans on the grid for the United States Grand Prix at Circuit of The Americas.