Dear Readers,
It's been a hectic week here in the UAE to say the least, but what a spectacular Abu Dhabi Grand Prix over the past weekend. A few of my friends and colleagues did make it to enjoy the 2012 race at the circuit. Next year of course, we would have a different engine formula and therefore a very different car, so my sights are set on going to the 2014 Abu Dhabi race.
Things didn't quite work out for certain drivers, as Kimi found out a the first corner with a broken front right wishbone. Maybe it was a blessing in disguise for Kimi, who knows, but it certainly was in complete contrast with the result he achieved last year.
So, here goes, a complete weekend report
November 1st: Friday Free Practice 1 Results:
Championship Standings:
The next race will take place at the Circuit of the America's in Austin Texas. Last year's race was the inaugural race, and judging by the turnout last year, this year would be even better. Keep your eyes glued to this blog for updates leading up to the weekend of the 17th of November.
It's been a hectic week here in the UAE to say the least, but what a spectacular Abu Dhabi Grand Prix over the past weekend. A few of my friends and colleagues did make it to enjoy the 2012 race at the circuit. Next year of course, we would have a different engine formula and therefore a very different car, so my sights are set on going to the 2014 Abu Dhabi race.
Things didn't quite work out for certain drivers, as Kimi found out a the first corner with a broken front right wishbone. Maybe it was a blessing in disguise for Kimi, who knows, but it certainly was in complete contrast with the result he achieved last year.
So, here goes, a complete weekend report
November 1st: Friday Free Practice 1 Results:
| Pos. | Driver | Team | Time | Laps |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Romain Grosjean | Lotus | 01:44.241 | 21 |
| 2. | Lewis Hamilton | Mercedes | 01:44.433 | 23 |
| 3. | Sebastian Vettel | Red Bull | 01:44.499 | 18 |
| 4. | Mark Webber | Red Bull | 01:44.712 | 20 |
| 5. | Nico Rosberg | Mercedes | 01:44.741 | 24 |
| 6. | Kimi Räikkönen | Lotus | 01:44.929 | 23 |
| 7. | Paul di Resta | Force India | 01:45.040 | 20 |
| 8. | Jenson Button | McLaren | 01:45.099 | 20 |
| 9. | Pastor Maldonado | Williams | 01:45.150 | 24 |
| 10. | Sergio Perez | McLaren | 01:45.331 | 20 |
| 11. | Nico Hülkenberg | Sauber | 01:45.378 | 23 |
| 12. | Fernando Alonso | Ferrari | 01:45.440 | 18 |
| 13. | Valtteri Bottas | Williams | 01:45.823 | 22 |
| 14. | James Calado | Force India | 01:45.924 | 20 |
| 15. | Esteban Gutiérrez | Sauber | 01:46.068 | 18 |
| 16. | Jean-Eric Vergne | Toro Rosso | 01:46.114 | 22 |
| 17. | Felipe Massa | Ferrari | 01:46.124 | 18 |
| 18. | Daniel Ricciardo | Toro Rosso | 01:46.126 | 21 |
| 19. | Charles Pic | Caterham | 01:47.600 | 22 |
| 20. | Heikki Kovalainen | Caterham | 01:47.670 | 22 |
| 21. | Jules Bianchi | Marussia | 01:47.723 | 23 |
| 22. | Rodolfo Gonzalez | Marussia | 01:49.565 | 22 |
Man of the moment, Lotus’s Romain Grosjean, set the pace in Yas Marina on Friday afternoon in an opening practice session in which track conditions never really evolved, meaning everyone struggled for grip on the medium Pirelli's.
 |
| Romain Grosjean |
Lewis Hamilton looked to have things sewn up for Mercedes with a lap of 1m 44.433s, when Grosjean banged in 1m 44.241s right at the end to go fastest by 0.192s.
The lack of grip meant that the times were very close. Right behind Hamilton, Sebastian Vettel was third for Red Bull on 1m 44.499s, chased by team mate Mark Webber on 1m 44.712s, Mercedes’ Nico Rosberg on 1m 44.741s and the second Lotus of Kimi Raikkonen on 1m 44.929s.
November 1st: Friday Free Practice 2 Results:
| Pos. | Driver | Team | Time | Laps |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Sebastian Vettel | Red Bull | 01:41.335 | 35 |
| 2. | Mark Webber | Red Bull | 01:41.490 | 32 |
| 3. | Lewis Hamilton | Mercedes | 01:41.690 | 37 |
| 4. | Kimi Räikkönen | Lotus | 01:41.726 | 42 |
| 5. | Nico Rosberg | Mercedes | 01:41.758 | 41 |
| 6. | Sergio Perez | McLaren | 01:42.006 | 36 |
| 7. | Jenson Button | McLaren | 01:42.010 | 31 |
| 8. | Fernando Alonso | Ferrari | 01:42.171 | 31 |
| 9. | Nico Hülkenberg | Sauber | 01:42.324 | 41 |
| 10. | Felipe Massa | Ferrari | 01:42.440 | 36 |
| 11. | Esteban Gutiérrez | Sauber | 01:42.509 | 39 |
| 12. | Romain Grosjean | Lotus | 01:42.607 | 18 |
| 13. | Paul di Resta | Force India | 01:42.806 | 27 |
| 14. | Pastor Maldonado | Williams | 01:42.952 | 36 |
| 15. | Adrian Sutil | Force India | 01:42.998 | 27 |
| 16. | Daniel Ricciardo | Toro Rosso | 01:43.152 | 29 |
| 17. | Jean-Eric Vergne | Toro Rosso | 01:43.271 | 36 |
| 18. | Valtteri Bottas | Williams | 01:43.565 | 36 |
| 19. | Giedo van der Garde | Caterham | 01:44.138 | 35 |
| 20. | Jules Bianchi | Marussia | 01:44.459 | 35 |
| 21. | Charles Pic | Caterham | 01:44.525 | 38 |
| 22. | Max Chilton | Marussia | 01:45.565 | 27 |
He may have clinched the title at the last race in India, but Red Bull's Sebastian Vettel showed no signs of taking his foot off the gas as he topped the time-sheets in second practice in Abu Dhabi on Friday evening.
 |
| Sebastian Vettel |
The German's quickest lap on soft tyres was just 0.155s quicker than team mate Mark Webber's best effort, with Mercedes' Lewis Hamilton and Lotus's Kimi Raikkonen third and fourth fastest respectively.
After Sergio Perez had started the ball rolling for McLaren, Vettel took control early on using Pirelli's medium tyres before Raikkonen moved ahead for Lotus as he switched to the softs. He was soon displaced by Hamilton before Webber and then Vettel moved to the fore.
In the end Vettel stopped the clocks in 1m 41.335s to Webber's 1m 41.490s. But Hamilton remained close on 1m 41.690s with Raikkonen fourth on 1m 41.726s to Nico Rosberg's 1m 41.758s in the second Mercedes.
November 2nd: Saturday Free Practice 3 Results:
| Pos. | Driver | Team | Time | Laps |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Sebastian Vettel | Red Bull | 01:41.349 | 19 |
| 2. | Mark Webber | Red Bull | 01:41.571 | 17 |
| 3. | Lewis Hamilton | Mercedes | 01:41.580 | 18 |
| 4. | Nico Rosberg | Mercedes | 01:41.721 | 19 |
| 5. | Romain Grosjean | Lotus | 01:41.832 | 19 |
| 6. | Jenson Button | McLaren | 01:41.956 | 19 |
| 7. | Nico Hülkenberg | Sauber | 01:42.055 | 19 |
| 8. | Esteban Gutiérrez | Sauber | 01:42.282 | 19 |
| 9. | Kimi Räikkönen | Lotus | 01:42.387 | 18 |
| 10. | Jean-Eric Vergne | Toro Rosso | 01:42.457 | 21 |
| 11. | Fernando Alonso | Ferrari | 01:42.516 | 15 |
| 12. | Paul di Resta | Force India | 01:42.681 | 23 |
| 13. | Valtteri Bottas | Williams | 01:42.698 | 19 |
| 14. | Felipe Massa | Ferrari | 01:42.702 | 16 |
| 15. | Daniel Ricciardo | Toro Rosso | 01:42.727 | 18 |
| 16. | Pastor Maldonado | Williams | 01:42.798 | 18 |
| 17. | Adrian Sutil | Force India | 01:42.989 | 22 |
| 18. | Sergio Perez | McLaren | 01:43.142 | 15 |
| 19. | Giedo van der Garde | Caterham | 01:44.472 | 20 |
| 20. | Charles Pic | Caterham | 01:44.728 | 21 |
| 21. | Max Chilton | Marussia | 01:45.621 | 20 |
| 22. | Jules Bianchi | Marussia | 01:47.506 | 15 |
Sebastian Vettel was marginally quicker than Red Bull team mate Mark Webber in the final practice session in Abu Dhabi on Saturday afternoon, but again the times were extremely tight as Mercedes duo Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg kept them honest.
 |
| Sebastian Vettel |
It was Rosberg who set the pace on the medium Pirellis with a lap of 1m 43.465s just ahead of Webber's 1m 43.579s, with Vettel and Hamilton next up with 1m 43.541s and 1m 43.785s. But the picture changed back in Red Bull's favour when the softs went on in the final 10 minutes of the session.
 |
| Mark Webber |
Vettel claimed the top spot again with 1m 41.349s from Hamilton on 1m 41.580s, until Webber squeezed between them right at the end with 1m 41.571s. Rosberg was fourth on 1m 41.721s, as Romain Grosjean kept Lotus in play with 1m 41.832s. Jenson Button also demonstrated the improvement McLaren have quietly been making, with sixth fastest time of 1m 41.956s.
November 2nd: Qualifying Results:
| Pos. | Driver | Team | Time | Laps |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Mark Webber | Red Bull | 01:39.957 | 17 |
| 2. | Sebastian Vettel | Red Bull | 01:40.075 | 12 |
| 3. | Nico Rosberg | Mercedes | 01:40.419 | 18 |
| 4. | Lewis Hamilton | Mercedes | 01:40.501 | 19 |
| 5. | Kimi Räikkönen | Lotus | 01:40.542 | 20 |
| 6. | Nico Hülkenberg | Sauber | 01:40.576 | 21 |
| 7. | Romain Grosjean | Lotus | 01:40.997 | 21 |
| 8. | Felipe Massa | Ferrari | 01:41.015 | 18 |
| 9. | Sergio Perez | McLaren | 01:41.068 | 20 |
| 10. | Daniel Ricciardo | Toro Rosso | 01:41.111 | 21 |
| Q2 Cut-off | ||||
| 11. | Fernando Alonso | Ferrari | 01:41.093 | 15 |
| 12. | Paul di Resta | Force India | 01:41.133 | 19 |
| 13. | Jenson Button | McLaren | 01:41.200 | 15 |
| 14. | Jean-Eric Vergne | Toro Rosso | 01:41.279 | 15 |
| 15. | Pastor Maldonado | Williams | 01:41.395 | 16 |
| 16. | Valtteri Bottas | Williams | 01:41.447 | 14 |
| Q1 Cut-off | ||||
| 17. | Esteban Gutiérrez | Sauber | 01:41.999 | 8 |
| 18. | Adrian Sutil | Force India | 01:42.051 | 10 |
| 19. | Giedo van der Garde | Caterham | 01:43.252 | 10 |
| 20. | Jules Bianchi | Marussia | 01:43.398 | 7 |
| 21. | Charles Pic | Caterham | 01:43.528 | 10 |
| 22. | Max Chilton | Marussia | 01:44.198 | 8 |
Mark Webber produced a brilliant performance in qualifying in Abu Dhabi on Saturday evening to snatch pole position away from Red Bull team mate Sebastian Vettel.
 |
| Mark Webber |
The Australian put together three near-perfect sectors on his final Q3 run to record a lap that was just over a tenth of a second quicker than Vettel’s best effort. Mercedes’ Nico Rosberg was third, with team mate Lewis Hamilton spinning as he tried to improve on fourth.
Q1 was a bit of a cliffhanger as lots of drivers made late improvements as they switched to Pirelli’s soft tyres and the times changed with machine-gun rapidity. As the chequered flag fell Hamilton was 17th, then 18th, but he was out on a quick lap and when he finally crossed the line he stopped the clocks in 1m 40.693s, more than half a second up on former pacesetter, Ferrari's Felipe Massa, so the six who failed to go through were Sauber’s Esteban Gutierrez, who ran too soon for his 1m 41.999s, Adrian Sutil on 1m 42.051s in his Force India, then the Caterhams and the Marussias.
Again Giedo van der Garde was fastest of this quartet on 1m 43.252s ahead of Marussia’s Jules Bianchi on 1m 43.398s and team mate Charles Pic on 1m 43.528s, with the second Marussia of Max Chilton 22nd on 1m 44.198s. However, Bianchi has a five-place grid penalty after changing his gearbox following his accident in FP3.
Q2 was massively bad news for Ferrari’s Fernando Alonso, who failed to better either 1m 41.093s or his team mate Massa’s time and failed to get through to Q3 for the first time this season. The Brazilian just got through in 10th place with 1m 40.989s as Rosberg headed the session with 1m 40.473s, four-thousandths ahead of Hamilton.
Behind Alonso, Paul di Resta was 12th for Force India with 1m 41.133s, then came Jenson Button’s McLaren on 1m 41.200s, Jean-Eric Vergne’s Toro Rosso on 1m 41.279s and the Williams duo of Pastor Maldonado and Valtteri Bottas on 1m 41.395s and 1m 41.447s.
 |
| Kimi Raikkonen |
Hamilton, on 1m 40.510s, then Rosberg on 1m 40.419s set the initial pace in Q3 as Webber’s 1m 40.759s first effort yielded only third place, but when Vettel went four-tenths faster than either Mercedes with 1m 40.091s the issue seemed settled.
But then the second runs saw Webber slash his time down to 1m 39.957s, and Vettel come up short with 1m 40.075s as the tables were turned. Meanwhile, Rosberg failed to better his first-run time and Hamilton spun at Turn 14 on his second run, leaving the Mercedes to occupy the second row.
 |
| Lewis Hamilton's Mercedes |
Behind them, Kimi Raikkonen hauled his Lotus to fifth with 1m 40.542s just ahead of the again-impressive Sauber of Nico Hulkenberg on 1m 40.576s and a slightly disappointing Lotus of Romain Grosjean on 1m 40.997s.
Massa, Ricciardo and McLaren’s Sergio Perez each saved tyres by making only one run, with the Brazilian on 1m 41.015s, the Mexican on 1m 41.068s and the Australian on 1m 41.111s.
With penalties applied, the grid will read: Webber, Vettel; Rosberg, Hamilton; Raikkonen, Hulkenberg; Grosjean, Massa; Perez, Ricciardo; Alonso, di Resta; Button, Vergne; Maldonado, Bottas; Gutierrez, Sutil; Van der Garde, Pic; Chilton, Bianchi.
November 3rd: Formula 1 Grand Prix Race Report
Starting Grid for the Race
Lotus’s Kimi Raikkonen will start Sunday’s 2013 Formula 1 Etihad Airways Abu Dhabi Grand Prix from the back of the grid after his car failed a post-qualifying floor deflection test at Yas Marina. Raikkonen had qualified fifth.
“Car number 07 did not comply with Article 3.17.5 of the 2013 FIA Formula One Technical Regulations as the front floor deflected more than 5mm vertically when the load was applied vertically to it at the point which lies 100mm of car centre line on the LHS,” said a technical report by the FIA’s Formula One technical delegate, Jo Bauer.
Race Results:
Red Bull's Sebastian Vettel scored his seventh consecutive victory and his 11th of 2013 with insouciant ease in Abu Dhabi on Sunday evening, after taking the lead from pole-sitting team mate Mark Webber at the start.
As the Australian made a slow getaway, Vettel and Mercedes' Nico Rosberg were able to swarm past on either side of his RB9, and thereafter Webber spent his time fending off Lotus's Romain Grosjean (who pushed Mercedes' Lewis Hamilton down to fifth), coping with a minor KERS overheating problem, and then hunting down Rosberg.
Eventually he was able to overtake the German on the 20th lap to make it a Red Bull one-two, but Rosberg kept him honest to the flag as Grosjean likewise kept the pressure on the Mercedes. Vettel, however, was half a minute up the road and, as Webber suggested afterwards, "In a different category."
Hamilton, who'd had brake issues on the grid formation laps, struggled behind Esteban Gutierrez's Sauber, Jean-Eric Vergne's Toro Rosso and Adrian Sutil's Force India at times when they were out of kilter on tyre strategy, and in the closing stages was unable to pass Paul di Resta despite getting within half a second of the Scot's Force India. In the end they both lost places to Fernando Alonso, who played second fiddle for a long time to Ferrari team mate Felipe Massa while doing a very long middle stint.
The Spaniard was on fire after a late pit stop to switch to soft Pirellis on lap 44, and set several fastest laps as he clawed his way up to a great fifth place. He aggressively rejoined the track after his pit stop and passed Toro Rosso's Jean-Eric Vergne seemingly outside of track limits. However, stewards decided the incident required no further action following a post-race investigation.
Di Resta clung on to a good sixth ahead of Hamilton, with Massa closing in, while Sergio Perez's dogged pursuit of Sutil was rewarded on the final lap when he grabbed ninth for McLaren from the German.
Pastor Maldonado had an up and down race to take a solid 11th for Williams ahead of Jenson Button, whose McLaren's nose was damaged for the second race in succession by a collision on the opening lap.
Nico Hulkenberg should have been in the points but was given a drive-through penalty when Sauber unsafely released him in front of Perez during their stops on the 27th lap. He cut past the two Toro Rossos near the end to take a frustrated 14th, as Vergne's effort to make a one-stop race failed, while Williams' Valtteri Bottas also overtook them by taking advantage of blue flags shown as Vettel lapped them at the end.
Giedo van der Garde was faster than Caterham team mate Charles Pic, who was instructed to let him by, and they took 18th and 19th ahead of the Marussias of Jules Bianchi and Max Chilton.
The only non-finisher was Kimi Raikkonen, who hit the back of Van der Garde's Caterham on the opening lap and damaged his Lotus's right-front suspension. As Vettel was making his first pit call on lap 14, the Finn was seen leaving the circuit.
Vettel now has 347 points to Alonso's 217, with Raikkonen still third on 183 from Hamilton on 175, Webber on 166 and Rosberg on 159. Red Bull have 513 points to Mercedes' 334, Ferrari's 323, Lotus's 297, McLaren's 95 and Force India's 77.
Championship Standings:
| Drivers' Championship | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | S. Vettel | 347 | 12. | S. Perez | 35 |
| 2. | F. Alonso | 217 | 13. | A. Sutil | 29 |
| 3. | K. Raikkonen | 183 | 14. | D. Ricciardo | 19 |
| 4. | L. Hamilton | 175 | 15. | J. Vergne | 13 |
| 5. | M. Webber | 166 | 16. | E. Gutiérrez | 6 |
| 6. | N. Rosberg | 159 | 17. | P. Maldonado | 1 |
| 7. | R. Grosjean | 114 | 18. | V. Bottas | 0 |
| 8. | F. Massa | 106 | 19. | J. Bianchi | 0 |
| 9. | J. Button | 60 | 20. | C. Pic | 0 |
| 10. | P. di Resta | 48 | 21. | G. van der Garde | 0 |
| 11. | N. Hulkenberg | 39 | 22. | M. Chilton | 0 |
| Constructors' Championship | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Red Bull | 513 | 7. | Sauber | 45 |
| 2. | Mercedes Grand Prix | 334 | 8. | Scuderia Toro Rosso | 32 |
| 3. | Ferrari | 323 | 9. | Williams | 1 |
| 4. | Lotus Renault | 297 | 10. | Marussia | 0 |
| 5. | McLaren | 95 | 11. | Caterham | 0 |
| 6. | Force India F1 | 77 | |||
The next race will take place at the Circuit of the America's in Austin Texas. Last year's race was the inaugural race, and judging by the turnout last year, this year would be even better. Keep your eyes glued to this blog for updates leading up to the weekend of the 17th of November.
Cheers!
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