— Formula 1 / F1 – 2010 – Grand Prix of Bahrain
Posted in F1 and Auto on March 14th, 2010 by – Be the first to comment
Image from F1Fanatic.co.uk
The F1 championships have begun again. This is the Grand Prix of Bahrain for the 2010 season. There are now 18 races after this one. Many rules have changed, the main being that there is now no refueling during race. Imagine how much fuel you need to get you through a race. The truth of the matter is that the addition of nearly 400 pounds to a 1500 pound car is extremely significant to handling. Is the FIA (rule making body) has probably imagined. This change will make the end of the race faster and more exciting than the beginning of the race (in theory). Its actually not a new idea as this is the way it was back in the early 1990’s. This Grand Prix race Starts with the starting grid:
1 Sebastian Vettel – Red Bull Renault
2 Felipe Massa – Scuderia Ferrari
3 Fernando Alonso – Scuderia Ferrari
As the lights drop and the race starts, nearly all cars made it through the first lap despite some of the newer teams barely making it through. Karun Chandhok is the first driver out. He’s had no testing, no practice (due to stringent rules by FIA) and his team’s day is done barely into the race. Mark Webber has a scare when his car burns off an intense cloud of white smoke. Looks like nothing as he continues.
There are 49 laps on this track. And newly added section to this track is about a half of a mile of new area that is extremely bumpy and with a heavy, fuel laden car, the drivers will take a beating in that section if they don’t pay extreme attention.
Around lap 17, many of the cars are coming in for tires and these car are coming out with better tires and less weight since they are not allowed to refuel. The teams are doing sub-4 second pit stops.. Its is crazy!
By lap 19, there are 4 cars out: Chandhok, Di Grassi, Kobayashi, Petrov, Glock, and Senna. By Lap 31, second place Alonso is starting to close the time of 1st place Vettel but its not clear if this is due to car performance/degradation or just Vettel slowing down a bit to save his car.
Congrats and welcome back Michael Schumacher. He’s used this race to get some practice in and he will get stronger over the next few races. He is likely the best sports car driver of the last decade. He’s a 7 time world champion and after taking retirement for 3 years he’s making a come back. Great run for a retiree. Schumacher is one of 4 Champions on the track, including Alonso, Hamilton, and Button.
On lap 34, Sebastian Vettel, who has led the race from the pole, is losing power. Both Ferrari’s pass him. Holy Crap! The season has begun and my favorite team, Ferrari (I lived in Italy for a few years) should take this… we hope! The announcers suggest it could be a header. Sounds right. By Lap 38, Hamilton passes Vettel also. Vettel will have to limp his car to the finish. On Lap 40 though, Hamilton calls in that he’s got a vibration from the front of his car but he seems to be maintaining position and speed.
With 2 more laps left of the 49, the stage is set. There should be no more surprises (famous last words). And on lap 48, Sebastian Buemi is out with his Red Bull. Race ends with:
1 Fernando Alonso – Scuderia Ferrari
2 Felipe Massa – Scuderia Ferrari
3 Lewis Hamilton – Mercedes
Church Bells are ringing in Italy. When Ferrari wins a race, some churches ring thier bells in Italy. How cool is that? That is a culture that is supportive of its institutions. And Ferrari IS an institution. This victory for Fernando Alonso is his first race and his first win in his Ferrari debut. He is in an elite group of Ferrari racers. Massa is a champion and this is his first race back since last season when he took a spring to the helmet at 130 miles an hour, fracturing his skull. Welcome back Massa! The new car is the one to be.
This first race has gone as expected. The 49 laps on this race went extremely fast. You might think it was boring for an F-1 race (if you watch every race as I do), but that’s because this is really a big test session for most team and I’m sure many teams were more focused on finishing the taking many risks But this is only temporary.
One of the notable items missing from the grid is the USF1 team. There were not able to get thier car to the grid and have asked to return in 2011, it is unclear why they did not make it but… That’s Formula One for you. I’ll See you in 2 weeks at the Grand Prix of Australia where everyone will step up thier games and be more competitive.
— Thanks for Visiting Kali Pinckney.com at www.kalipinckney.com..
