British Grand Prix Preview - Is Mercedes' Dominance Weakening?

As one of the most popular races of the season approaches we have reached a very interesting point in the championship. Canada and Austria highlighted a chink in Mercedes' armour and the German team must be starting to tense slightly. While it is obvious that they are still well ahead of their rivals in terms of race pace they certainly aren't exerting the dominance they had at the start of the season. This is a track in which their chief rivals Red Bull have done well at over the last couple of years having had at least one car finish in the top 3 consistently since 2009. Mercedes' Nico Rosberg won the event last year while his teammate Lewis Hamilton won it last for Mclaren in 2008.

Nigel Mansell once said a home crowd is worth a second a lap so will Hamilton take this statement to heart? The Briton hasn't won since Spain and retirement in Canada has given Rosberg a sizable advantage in the championship this is a big opportunity for Hamilton to turn it around. Looking at their rivals it's been a great year for Daniel Riciarrdo. The Australian has performed magnificently against his teammate, four time world champion Sebastian Vettel and it could play to his advantage this weekend as Vettel has finished behind his teammate more times than not over the last few years at the British Grand Prix.

I can't finish this preview without mentioning Williams. After their increased performance in Austria you have to ask the question is their season going to improve from here. Their qualifying pace spoke for itself two weeks ago and while their race pace still isn't up to Mercedes' speed there's no doubt their rivals took notice. Even if Mercedes have another dominant weekend the battle for honours behind them will be fascinating.

Personally I think the big talking point this weekend is going to be the continued rivalry between Rosberg and Hamilton. With both drivers having achieved success here in the past it'll be very interesting to see how it unfolds. Also Niki Lauda has come out this week and said that the improvement in performance from their rivals hasn't gone unnoticed so the question is is that a call for the team to start getting defensive and if so will that mean team orders? At this stage in the season I can't see it but Mercedes certainly isn't going to throw away another potential 1-2, particularly if their rivals are closing in.

All questions will be answered this weekend as the teams descend on Silverstone. Enjoy the British Grand Prix!

Spain Could see a shake up

So after a break following the fly away races the European season is about to get into full swing in Spain. This is the part of the season where we may see a major shake up in the order and Mercedes' dominance may be attacked. Renault are expected to have major software upgrades to their engine package which could be massive for Red Bull The reigning champions may now be in a position to challenge Mercedes but that won't become clear until this weekend. Ferrari need a change in form too. They have had a disappointing start to the season and this may be their opportunity to turn things around.

But it's the battle in the midfield that could be the real talking point with the pace between Williams, McLaren, Force India and Torro Rosso already very close up until this point it will be very interesting to see how the order is shaken up this weekend. Williams are expected to bring major updates to Barcelona in order to continue their strong start to the season. Torro Rosso are phasing in updates over the next few Grand Prix so they might not make as an immediate impact as the teams around them this weekend. Force India will need to capitalise on their strong start to the season and with the like of Mclaren hoping for a change of fortune following their dip in form after Australia they need to keep on top in the development race.

At the back of the grid Sauber need a massive change in fortune. Starting the season with a car that was over weight they have had two double retirements in the first four races and no points on the board. It's their worst start to a season since 2010. Lotus should see a change in form if Renault manage to bring the improvements they promise. Lotus have already said earlier in the season that it would be the Spanish Grand Prix before there is any real improvement. Four races in we have seen a slight improvement in their reliability so now the aim is surely to get some points on the board and start to move up the order. At the very back we have Marussia and Caterham. The two teams still don't look like they will be scoring points anytime soon
but Max Chilton has been the most impressive with two 13th place finishes he looks the most likely but it'll be interesting to see what these two teams can bring to the table this weekend.

The Spanish Grand Prix is always an interesting one. A track that is well known to drivers through testing it's also a Grand Prix that many teams bring their first major upgrades of the year to so from a technical side it's also very interesting. My money is on Mercedes to keep their dominance going but look out for a shake up in the midfield it'll be very interesting to see who comes out on top there.

20 Years On........................

The weekend of the 29th of April through to the 1st of May has been tinged with sadness for the past 20 years. They mark the anniversary of the 1994 San Marino Grand Prix, a race meeting that many would rather forget. That weekend saw the death of a new F1 talent in Roland Ratzenberger and more infamously the death of possibly the greatest F1 driver that ever lived Ayrton Senna. I have vague memories of watching Senna's Williams FW16 bounce off the wall at Tamburello and come to rest on the edge of the track, images that will haunt many I'm sure for the rest of their lives.

Senna's accident is only part of a terrible story however. Friday practice saw Rubbens Barrichello's car mount the kerb at the Variante Bassa corner and literally fly into the tyre wall, rolling numerous times and coming to a rest upside down. Thankfully Rubens only suffered minor injuries but his weekend was over. If that accident wasn't bad enough Saturday brought worse. 20 minutes into qualifying Roland Ratzenberger left the road at the Villeneuve Curva due to his front wing failing and tucking in under his car lifting his two front wheels off the ground. This rendered his front brakes and steering useless and he hit the wall almost head on at a very high speed. The impact inflicted a basal skull fracture and the Austrian was pronounced dead in the Maggiore Hospital in Bologna. His death marked the first race meeting fatality since Ricciardo Paletti in 1982.

Sunday the 1st of May 1994 dawned with an air of sadness and reflection. Ratzenberger's accident marked the first time this generation of drivers had to deal with death in Formula 1 and it was a very difficult pill to swallow. Senna himself was noticeably out of character. Before the race started he sat in his car with his helmet off, a routine he never practiced before. His facial expression summed up the entire mood of the paddock. As the race started J.J Lehto's Benetton stalled and was collected by Pedro Lamy's Lotus. The impact sent debris from the two cars into the grandstands and several spectators suffered minor injuries. The safety car was immediately deployed. The race was restarted a few laps later and on the second lap of the restart Senna's car left the road at turn 1 "Tamburello". The Williams hit the wall at well over 100 miles and hour and when the car came to rest it was immediately obvious that the Brazillian was in trouble. Professor Sid Watkins and his medical team treated Senna on site before he was airlifted to the Maggiore Hospital. Professor Watkins would later remark that Senna sighed and his body relaxed as he was pulled from the wreckage. Watkins says he felt that that was the moment when his soul departed his body.

The race was restarted thirty seven minutes after the accident and was won by Michael Schumacher but there was nothing to celebrate. At 6:40 p.m. it was announced that Senna was clinically dead and the world of motorsport had lost one of the best. Senna's death had a silver lining however. His death prompted the reformation of the Grand Prix Driver's Association with the view to improve driver safety and as a result there has been no driver fatalities in Formula 1 since that awful weekend in 1994.

While Senna himself may be gone his legend lives on and there isn't a driver in the world who doesn't respect what he achieved or what he stood for. His like may never be seen again in this sport which makes his story more powerful and more tragic.

AYRTON SENNA DA SILVA         21st OF MARCH 1960 - 1st of MAY 1994

R.I.P.

What a Busy Week!!

I'm writing this blog just 9 hours shy of the start of Practice 1 for the Chinese Grand Prix and the excitement is building again!! There has been no shortness in drama this week in the world of Formula 1, as we've seen the "fuelgate" saga was finally resolved in the courts, Ferrari replace Stefano Domenicali with Marco Mattiacci as team principle and Gene Haas has been granted an entry for next year's championship although it could be deferred until 2016. Plenty to talk about!

On Monday, Red Bull racing saw their appeal for the disqualification of Daniel Ricciardo from second place in the Australian Grand Prix rejected thus bringing to an end what has been a fascinating story from the moment it broke. This whole episode has gone on to prove how difficult the new rules are. The FIA's fuel flow sensor, designed to ensure that the fuel flow rate of the car
does not exceed 100 kg/h, was not operating properly and Red Bull decided to rely on their own sensor which they said was more accurate but this resulted in their fuel flow rate being too high according to the FIA's sensor. It has transpired that following the FIA's sensor was costing them around 0.4 seconds a lap in comparison to their own. I have to say I agree with the verdict. We have entered into a new era in Formula 1 and of course there are going to be technical issues at the start but it's the same for everyone. If this appeal had been won by Red Bull I think it would have set a very bad precedent for the season. There needs to be order because there are certainly plenty of technological genius' in many of these teams and people with a keen talent in finding loopholes in the rules so we could easily have seen the championship descend into technological chaos.

Ferrari have had a change of management in the form of a new team principle. Marco Mattiacci will head the teams assault from now on and judging by their recent form it is the right time for a reshuffle. We saw the look on Luca Di Montezemolo's face during the Bahrain Grand Prix and, as has been widely publicised, he left halfway through the race. It was obvious something had to be done. When Raikkonen re-signed for Ferrari the prospect of Alonso and himself going head to head was mouthwatering but with the cars they have at the minute an attack for race victories doesn't look very likely. As I've already said it's a very new championship so you never know where they'll be in a few races time.

Also it looks like Formula 1 is set to get a 12th team for next year (or possibly 2016) in the form of  Haas Formula. Gene Haas who is better known is Nascar circles is bidding to become the next American team to enter into the sport. With the inclusion of the Circuit of the America's track in Texas on the F1 calender a few years ago it's good the see the American input for the teams side as well. That being said who can forget USF1's attempt to enter into the sport. It wasn't very successful at all and by basing the team in America Haas certainly isn't making things any easier for himself. Still, an american team in the sport can be nothing but positive for F1's ratings in the US so here's hoping it's a sucessful one.

So thats it for another week. I hope to start this year's rallying blog next week. I'l look back on the Circuit of Ireland rally which is this weekend and I'll also look ahead to the 2014 Monaghan Rally, my home one! Enjoy the rest of your week motorsport fans!

What A Show, Don't Ruin It!

What A Show, Don't Ruin It!

Sunday's Bahrain Grand Prix, quite possibly one of the best Formula 1 races we have seen in the last decade, made me feel a range of different emotions. Passion: for a sport that I care deeply about there was nothing better than sitting on the edge of my seat watching the best drivers in the world fight it out tooth and nail for positions throughout the field. Confusion: Why the hell are some of the more prominent people in the sport still bad mouthing it?!

When the season started in Australia I watched with both intrigue and awe as the drivers hurtled these brand new cars around Albert Park in fantastic style and from the get go I have to say I was sold. Granted the engine isn't as noisy as previous years but what it provides is a car in which the drivers needs the use of all their skills to master. Lets move away from the engine noise for a second and consider some of the other aspects we have learned so far this season. We have an incredibly exciting intra - team rivalry between Mercedes' Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg that could possibly be on par with the Hill/Villeneuve or Prost/Senna battles to name a few. We have a four time World Champion in Sebastian Vettel who now has a car that certainly that no longer leads the pack and has a teammate who can really give him a run for his money. How he deals with this will be fascinating to watch throughout the season. You have overtaking...........LOTS of overtaking, the very thing fans have been demanding for years and Bahrain proved that we now have it in abundance. This new Formula 1 has a bit of everything!

So why do we still have the Bernie Eccelstones  and the Luca Di Montezemolos of this world crying out for change. We have heard numerous complaints including that the fuel limit is too low and is negatively effecting the racing. As far as I'm concerned I haven't seen anything to suggest that the racing is going in the wrong direction. I have heard reports that all of the attacks by certain prominent individuals in the sport are aimed at devaluing the sport so it can be bought out. If this is true than it is a travesty. I am a firm believer that  politics have no place in sport but unfortunately it's roots are long and deep within Formula 1. The last thing we want is a repeat of the fiasco we had with the FISA-FOCA war in the late 70s and early 80s. They are damaging, ugly and take away from the spectacle that is motor racing. Unfortunately it comes with the package that is Formula 1. As Ayrton Senna said early in his Formula 1 career "Formula 1 is money, Formula 1 is politics."

2014 has started on the right foot but thats the key word, "started". These new rules have only had 3 races, it is essential that the sport does not rush into making drastic changes at this early stage. The sport has under gone one of the biggest face lifts it has has ever experienced and need time to adjust. Things as they stand now will be very different come the end of the year, theres is very little doubt that the gap Mercedes have over the rest of the field at the minute won't decrease before the end of the season for example. For the moment lets enjoy what has been an exciting start to the 2014 Formula 1 season.