Webber on pole in Turkey

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Webber qualifies pole, but McLaren are in the mix with Button qualifying second and Hamilton fourth behind Vettel.
An exciting day in prospect for tomorrow.

Prediction:

1st L.Hamilton
2nd M.Webber
3rd J.Button

Monaco Report and Technical Updated

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Webber and Vettel managed to convert their qualifying positions into a one two finish, which placed Red Bull firmly in the lead of the constructor’s championship. Meanwhile Mercedes have decided not to appeal against the 20 second penalty imposed on Schumacher for overtaking under safety car conditions. The controversial pass happened on the last lap which was held under safety car conditions. The safety car pulled into the pits and Schumacher made a dive up the inside of Alonso to claim 5th place. The stewards ruled that the overtaking manoeuvre took place before the designated line on the track introduced under a recent rule change. Previously cars were restricted from passing until after crossing the start/finish line.

On 19 May 2001 the FIA issued the following statement:

The problems identified during the final lap of the Monaco Grand Prix, counting for the 2010 FIA Formula One World Championship, showed a lack of clarity in the application of the rule prohibiting overtaking behind the Safety Car.

Adjustments to the regulations are necessary to clarify the procedure that cars must meet when the last lap is controlled by the Safety Car whilst also ensuring that the signaling for teams and drivers is made more clear.

These adjustments will help to avoid the problem which occurred during the Monaco Grand Prix from happening in the future.

The Formula One Commission, upon a proposal of the F1 Sporting Working Group will submit an amendment to the Sporting Regulations to address this issue. These amendments will be considered by the World Motor Sport Council at its next meeting in Geneva on June 23.

Technical Update

Webber is claiming that the tyres are working well on the car, but what updates have Red Bull made to their car during the last few races?

Front Wing
Trying to avoid the obvious advertising slogan, an update in China saw the addition of two vertical vanes under the nose section.

Exhaust
Also introduced for the Chinese GP was a modification to the exhaust which directs hot gases away from the rear wheels. This modification could be to protect the tyres or brake assemblies.

Brakes
In Monaco Red Bull introduced different disks, which was likely to be related to Vettel’s problems in Spain.

Other revisions during April

Ferrari
Modified rear wing similar to McLaren’s F-Duct system. However there is no driver controlled element to the wing. Other air flow control modifications were made around under the body adjacent to the front wheels.

Mercedes
Mercedes have also been working on modifications to the rear wing.

Webber on Pole in Monaco

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Mark Webber came from nowhere to claim pole position for the Monaco Grand Prix tomorrow. Renault's Kubica looked to have pole sewn up in the third qualifying session when Webber clinched pole, with team-mate Vettel in third.

Alonso will start from the back of the grid as he failed to make the start of the session after damaging the chassis after crashing out in the practice session.

Prediction:
1st M. Webber
2nd R. Kubica
3rd L. Hamilton

Red Bull Reign in Spain

Our prediction was almost in the bag as Hamilton’s Mclaren crashed out from second in the penultimate lap meaning Lewis will leave Spain with no points. Button however retains his place at the top of the leader-board after clinching fifth place.

Mark Webber drew away from the pack at the start and maintained a commanding lead during the race. Team-mate Vettel had a more difficult time being demoted into third after the pit stops. Hamilton and Vettel almost came together into turn run as they met a backmarker on the apex. Hamilton won the day and Vettel developed a brake problem resulting in a return to the pits for a wheel change. Vettel pressed on in third and was repeatedly told to slow down to save his failing brakes. He nursed the car home reclaiming second on the podium after Hamilton's demise.

Webber On Pole in Spain

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Red Bull are keeping up the pressure as they again show promise during the qualifying session in Spain. The third qualifying session ended with Webber on pole and Vetel claiming a comfortable second. Their strong performance was a bit of a surprise for some teams as they were expecting to close the gap this weekend. After claiming fifth place Mclaren’s defending world champion Jenson Button said "Red Bull will be very difficult to beat.............. You'd expect them to walk away into the distance."

Qualifying is one thing, but converting that into a win has been difficult for the Red Bull pair, but here they seem to have enough of an advantage to place some distance between them and the others before the one and only expected stop.

Schumacher seems to have made the most of the Mercedes changes which have increased the wheelbase making the handling more in tune with the Schumacher driving style. Schumacher is in sixth, two places in front of team-mate Rosberg.

Turn one lap one at the Catalunya circuit can be a bit exciting as the pack arrives at the slow corner after having picked up a lot of speed from the start. A safety car on lap two is not out of the question which will punish Red Bull.
Last but not least, Fernando Alonso put in an excellent lap on his home turf to claim sixth place. Alonso will be looking to claim a place on the podium and overtake Rosberg to keep his championship bid alive.

Top 5 Qualifying Places:
1. Mark Webber
2. Sebastian Vettel
3. Lewis Hamilton
4. Fernando Alonso
5. Jenson Button

Race Prediction:
1st Webber
2nd Hamilton
3rd Alonso

Button Wins in China

Jenson Button nailed his colours to the mast in China as once again he demonstrated his strategic and technical ability in changing conditions.

Lewis Hamilton brought his car home in second place which puts Mclaren in the lead for the championship, 19 points in front of Ferrari leaving early favourites Red Bull languishing in third with 73 points.

There continues to be much talk in the press about Schumacher’s lacklustre performances. He is far from a spent force and is no doubt feeding much useful data to Mercedes based on his considerable experience. As I have said before he was out for a long time and will continue to look ordinary, just because the difference between the fastest and slowest teams is relatively small. I have never been a great fan of Schumacher, but there is no doubt he is the best all round driver the sport has seen for many years. He may be passed his peak, but he is far from finished.