Alonso and Massa have new engines for Grand Prix
Both Ferrari’s of Fernando Alonso and Felipe Massa will have new engines ahead of the Bahrain Grand Prix.
Felipe Massa, who qualified 2nd, has had his engine he used up to qualifying yesterday replaced as a completely precautionary step, as it is showing abnormal parameters. Similar abnormalities showed up in 3rd place qualifier Fernando Alonso’s Ferrari Type 56 engine, meaning it has also been replaced.
Neither driver will be penalised for these changes: you only get a penalty if you change engines twice in a weekend or exceed the 8 engines-per-season limit. Also in accordance with the rules, the replaced engines can be used in future practice sessions.
Bahrain Grand Prix, Thursday press conference: Alonso, Button, Hamilton, Massa, Schumacher
Drivers: Fernando Alonso (Ferrari), Jenson Button (McLaren), Lewis Hamilton (McLaren), Felipe Massa (Ferrari) and Michael Schumacher (Mercedes GP).
Q: A question to all of you. What are you most looking forward to during this season? Who is going to start? The World Champion.
2010 team previews: Ferrari
Ferrari had a dreadful 2009, and just one win in a season will not suffice for the most successful F1 team in history. However the Italian’s have one of the strongest driver pairings on the grid, and it seems they have a car to match.
Ferrari F10
The Ferrari F10 looks shockingly simple on first glance, but it does feature a larger, more efficient double-diffuser, and the V-shaped nose cone invented by Red Bull’s designer Adrian Newey.
Ferrari’s technical director Aldo Costa has teased us by saying:
“The new Ferrari has a very interesting mechanical solution; most of the secrets are hidden under the bodywork.”
Aldo Costa
Rumour has it that one of those ’secrets’ is the way Ferrari have mounted their engine, with La Gazzetta dello Sport suggesting that the V8 unit has been fitted to the F10 with a 3.5 degree angle, providing crucial additional airflow beneath the car to feed the more sophisticated and larger diffuser – something which could shave a vital few tenths of the team’s lap times.
The F10 appears to be more than competitive in testing, with the team looking quick and consistent, especially on long runs, and it should be putting Ferrari back where they should be – the front of the grid.
Drivers
In Fernando Alonso and Felipe Massa, Ferrari have undoubtedly one of the strongest driver pairings on the grid.
Fernando Alonso has had appalling cars at Renault for the last two years, and the two-time world champion will certainly be getting back to winning ways in the F10.
As for Felipe Massa, he has proved he has the pace, coming within seconds of winning the world championship in 2008 but we will have to wait and see if he is back, as he claims he is, to the driver he was before his horrific accident in qualifying for the Hungarian Grand Prix last year. After his short break from F1, and the birth of the real ‘Felipe baby’ – his son Felipinho, his passion for the sport may have been re-ignited, and it could be the season for the Brazilian to shine.
The ability of these two drivers individually is undisputed, but their ability to work together as a team is yet to be known. Fernando Alonso has a history of not being a great team player, and not getting along too well with Massa, and both both drivers will want the number one seat.
Publicly, everything seems rosy at the team so far, but we will wait to see if that will continue!
Who will be the 2010 F1 world champion?
There is a lot of excitement from the fans and a buzz in the paddock now that F1 testing has started, and that it feels like F1 has really kicked off for 2010. However, who will be in contention for the championship this season?
It is nigh-on impossible to make a prediction. But I am stupid enough to try to make one, and in this post, I will be doing just that.
There is McLaren, Ferrari, Red Bull and Mercedes GP who could all be in the mix on paper. Sauber could join the teams on that list, based on their impressive testing times, although the skeptics would suggest that they are running low fuel loads to make them look quick, and therefore attract sponsors to slap their signage on a distinctly logo-free livery.
The McLaren MP4-25 is undoubtedly the most radical and aggressive car so far, with the shark-fin attached to the rear wing and the incredibly complicated diffuser. McLaren should undoubtedly be back up with the front-runners in 2010.
Don't make the mistake of writing off Jenson Button just yet! (C) McLaren
While McLaren new boy and reigning world champ Jenson Button is underrated by a lot of people, who believe that it was the car who won him the championship in 2009, but he has shown flashes of brilliance on occasions. The drive to his championship win at Interlagos was stunning, but the defining moment of Jenson’s 2009 was his incredible drive in Monaco, where he seemed to be inches from the barriers, and this precision driving won him the Grand Prix.
This is in stark contrast to Button’s 2010 teammate, Lewis Hamilton. Hamilton likes to throw the car around the track, sliding into corners. However don’t let this fool you, after a difficult 2009 he will be back hungrier than ever. His McLaren was very poor to begin last season, and it wasn’t much improved at the end of the year, yet he still managed to wrestle it to some incredible results, winning in Hungary and Singapore. Hamilton will be somewhere near the front if the MP4-25 is only an average car, but if it’s good, he could well dominate.
Like McLaren, Ferrari can't make the same mistakes twice, can they? (C) Ferrari spa
Like McLaren, Ferrari really ought not to make the same mistakes twice, and if the consistent testing times are anything to go by, 2010 will be a good year for the Scuderia.
Felipe Massa was 5th in the championship and going well during qualifying for the 2009 Hungarian Grand Prix, before his horrific accident. He has proved he has the pace, coming within seconds of winning the world championship in 2008 but we will have to wait and see if he is back, as he claims he is, to the driver he was before the accident. After his short break from F1, and the birth of the real ‘Felipe baby‘ – his son Felipinho, it could be the season for the Brazilian to shine.
Fernando Alonso has had two awful seasons at Renault, with the Spaniard not being able to show his true speed. However Alonso has certainly got a good deal in moving to Ferrari, and the driver who many believe to be the out-and-out fastest in F1 seems to have the right tools after setting the fastest time overall at Valencia testing to win his third world championship.
It is a case of 'if' rather than 'when' for Seb Vettel, but has his time come this early in his career? (C) Red Bull/Getty Images
The Red Bull RB6 has not yet been launched – we will have to wait ’till Wednesday to see it, but given that it is a Newey creation, it should certainly be as radical and as impressive as the RB5.
Red Bull’s Sebastian Vettel is undoubtedly a future world champion. Last season Vettel pushed Button right ’till the end, and I believe that had the RB5 had the double diffuser and the Mercedes engine, he would be our reigning world championship. It is a case of ‘if’ rather than ‘when’ for Baby Schumi and a good car (which it almost definitely will be) means that Vettel will be a strong candidate for the title once more.
Moving on from Baby Schumi to real Schumi, who is another driver in contention for 2010. He has proved in testing that he can go quickly, but the murmurs have already started about his neck not being able to withstand another season in F1. However if the health issues don’t materialize then the break from F1 could spark Schumi’s enthusiasm for racing in the top level of motorsport, and help him on the way to an eighth world title.
Felipe Massa - My prediction for the 2010 World Championship (C) Ferrari spa
So, they are the drivers on my shortlist for title contenders, but now it is time to really stick my neck out on the line and predict my 2010 champ. It is such a hard thing to try and do, but my prediction is Felipe Massa. I think that the short break he has had, and the birth of his son will galvanise Massa, who is a driver who has shown many times he has the raw pace. Providing his eye causes him no trouble, I think that the 2010 season will be a good one for the Brazilian.
Alonso: Button's switch was no mistake
Double World Champion Fernando Alonso has defended Jenson Button’s move to McLaren despite his own bad season with the Woking team. Jenson Button’s move to McLaren is the subject on many lips this winter and the question of whether it was the right move or not. Some big name’s including Jackie Stewart and Stirling Moss all seem to think that he made the wrong move.
Alonso as quoted by SpeedTV:
“Jenson decided he wanted a new challenge. He was not absolutely happy with the new contract for Brawn (now Mercedes) and he is going to a very competitive team. He is definitely happy and, for sure, it is not a mistake.”
Gallery & Video: Massa second in Wroom kart race as Alonso crashes out
On the third and final day of the 2010 Ferrari F1 and Ducati MotoGP team’s Wroom event, Ducati MotoGP rider Nicky Hayden has won the traditional kart race, following on from Felipe Massa’s win in the earlier Fiat Panda race.
The first race, the Fiat Panda race, saw Felipe Massa ahead of the Ducati riders Casey Stoner and Nicky Hayden, Giancarlo Fisichella, Fernando Alonso and Dudu, Felipe’s little brother.
In the kart race, Scuderia Ducati Marlboro rider Nicky Hayden crossed the line ahead of Massa, Casey Stoner and Fisichella, while Dudu Massa and Fernando Alonso, crashed into a safety barrier just one lap before the end and were not classified.
Giancarlo Fisichella won the ski race earlier this morning, and will celebrate his victory tonight which coincides with his 37th birthday. Happy birthday Giancarlo!
My thoughts
I now want an ice track, a Fiat Panda in a cool livery and a kart. Look at the powerslides on the karts they get into every corner! Incredible! It’s like watching a game of Mario Kart!
Gallery
-
- Fiat Panda race – Felipe Massa and Giancarlo Fisichella
-
- Fiat Panda race – Fernando Alonso
-
- Fiat Panda race – Giancarlo Fisichella
-
- Kart race – Felipe Massa
-
- Kart race – Felipe Massa and Fernando Alonso
-
- Kart race – Fernando Alonso
-
- Kart race – Fernando Alonso and Felipe Massa
Image (C) Ferrari spa / Ercole Colombo
Gallery: Alonso reveals new helmet during ice kart race
Fernando Alonso has revealed the colours of his new Ferrari helmet when he used it in a Kart race at Ferrari’s Wrooom event, although the helmet didn’t bring him great luck – he crashed out of the race with one lap to go, something you will see in a later post.
The helmet features Alonso’s regular blue and yellow design – the colours of his place of birth – the Principality of Asturias in northern Spain.
My thoughts
I personally think the new helmet looks great. When helmets contrast with the colours of the car they really stand out, and this is no different.
Images (C) Ferrari spa
Gallery: Alonso makes first Ferrari appearance
Fernando Alonso has today made his first appearance in Ferrari colours at the team’s annual ski camp at Madonna di Campiglio, for the traditional Wrooom event.
The event features both the Ferrari F1 team and the Ducati Moto GP team, so Alonso appeared alongside F1 drivers Felipe Massa and Giancarlo Fisichella, and MotoGP drivers Nicky Hayden and Casey Stoner.
You're a team player now, Fernando
Ferrari president Luca di Montezemolo has spoke of his fears over signing Fernando Alonso as he had doubts over his willingness to work as a team.
Alonso, who is replacing Kimi Raikonnen for the 2010 season, had a turbulent time at McLaren when he partnered Lewis Hamilton and appeared to be constantly at loggerheads with either Hamilton or the then McLaren chief Ron Dennis and left the team at the end of the season.
Di Montezemolo said:
“We have been watching him since 2007. He is an extremely talented driver, quick and good at working with a team, while being totally focused on winning. I spoke about [his doubts] with [Stefano]Domenicali maybe 1,000 times – not 100, 1,000 times – and I spoke with Alonso.
“I told him: ‘If you come to drive for us, you drive for a team, you drive for a group, you don’t drive for yourself. If you want a team, then you do your own team, fantastic, like John Surtees .
“In Ferrari we want to put you in the best condition to win. If not, we will never hire you.”
At McLaren, the relationship between Hamilton and Alonso hit boiling point during qualifying for the Hungarian Grand Prix. Alonso came in for his pit stop but appeared to wait in the pit box for an extra five of six seconds.
As a result, Lewis Hamilton was unable to get back around the track in time to start a new flying lap before the session ended. Alonso was moved five places down the grid after the stewards looked into the incident.
Here’s a video clip of the pit stop fiasco.
My thoughts:
Although I totally agree that Alonso is one of the best drivers on the grid, I have never felt the same about him after this display of total petulance. The way he handled himself at McLaren left a lot to be desired. Actually, seeing this clip makes me really angry again. It will be interesting to see how the two drivers get on next years, as I’m expecting them to be closely matched.
What do you think?: Join the debate here in our new online forum.
Massa names his rivals
Felipe Massa has said he expects a strong challenge from three other teams in 2010.
The returning Ferrari driver has named McLaren, Red Bull and Mercedes as the teams who he feels will be a threat to his title bid.
The Brazilian will be back after spending the second half of the season on the sidelines after suffering a head injury during qualifying for the Hungarian Grand Prix – he was hit by part of the suspension from Rubens Barrichello’s Brawn.
The 2008 F1 runner-up said:
“McLaren and Red Bull are the two I expect most from. But the old Brawn team can do very well as well. It’s the team which won the championship and, now that it’s been acquired by Mercedes, it can become a top level team, able to reassert itself year after year.
“The British teams are very strong, and with Hamilton and Button they have a truly competitive team. And Red Bull was the best team in the second half of the last championship.”
Massa will be keen to get up to speed fast, as he faces a tough challenge this year racing alongside new team-mate Fernando Alonso, regarded by as the best F1 driver on the grid … unless a certain Michael Schumacher returns, that is!