F1 2014 thread

Great race. Another Mercedes 1-2 and Vettel did crap. If it weren't for the horrible sounding cars I'd say that I couldn't ask for more.
 
Well done team Mercedes, awesome race, awesome racing.

Unbelievable team formations at the end provided top entertainment. Best race in 2014 and have definitely thrown down the gauntlet and drawn a benchmark.
 
Maldonado handed double punishment for Gutierrez shunt

Pastor Maldonado has been handed a double punishment for his collision with Esteban Gutierrez on lap 41 in Bahrain.

Maldonado had just left the pits when he dived down the inside of the Sauber, launching Gutierrez into a terrifying spin which ultimately brought out the safety car. Maldonado served a ten-second stop/go penalty during the race, and has now been slapped with a five-place grid penalty for the Chinese Grand Prix and had three penalty points added to his licence.

Jules Bianchi has also had two penalty points added to his licence for his contact with Adrian Sutil which left them both with punctures in the early stages. This means Bianchi has now collected four penalty points from the opening three races.
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Read more at http://en.espnf1.com/bahrain/motorsport/story/152969.html#VKJCYoFZVPQGMtgi.99

Very very good.

Maldonado did a fscking stupid thing, amateur stuff and dangerous as hell.

I would have banned him from a race at least.
 
And as for my McLarens, back to the drawing board.

Methinks another repeat of 2013 may be on the cards.

:(
 
Polish said:
Yes, for sure.

There was more overtaking and side by side action than in some whole seasons.
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Agreed, really enjoyed the wheel to wheel action and what made it more enjoyable, it was the drivers from the same teams who dished up the most of the excitement.
Here's a thought, how much of that 'action' was down to the track favoring overtaking? Monte Carlo comes to mind....could be boring as hell that one :)
 
Monaco is always as boring as hell...
Good race just wish that the other teams were closer to Merc no problem with them wining just wish it wasn't by such a big margin.

Ol Luca is going to be moaning about the rules again.
 
I know it was yet another double points finish, but I was disappointed with Williams' race. Between the safety car and their strategy they blew a podium. I thought they had the beating of both Force India's up until the safety car and last round of pits stops.
 
Someone here said Perez doesnt deserve to be in F1?
Eat your words guy!
 
Gulio said:
Someone here said Perez doesnt deserve to be in F1?
Eat your words guy!
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He might be like Heinz-Harald Frentzen. Put him in a top-team with pressure to succeed and he folds. Put him in a middle-order team with less pressure and he'll race the wheels off of it. Frentzen was at his best when driving for Sauber and Jordan, but was largely disappointing when given the championship-winning Williams-Renault.
 
Gulio said:
Someone here said Perez doesnt deserve to be in F1?
Eat your words guy!
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i won eat my words. I maintain. Perez shouldnt be in F1. Why you so myopic? Just because he came 3rd doesnt mean he is good. This is perez's 3rd podium and all of them werent because he was good , 2nd in Mal 2012 was timing of safety car just like yesterday. He was supposed to win since he car was faster than alonso but ran wide handing alonso the win. In canada 2012 he came 2nd because of pit stop strategy. So if pastor finishes 3rd in china after a safety car he derserves to be in f1?
 
thestaggy said:
He might be like Heinz-Harald Frentzen. Put him in a top-team with pressure to succeed and he folds. Put him in a middle-order team with less pressure and he'll race the wheels off of it. Frentzen was at his best when driving for Sauber and Jordan, but was largely disappointing when given the championship-winning Williams-Renault.
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I'll agree with that. I think he will shine at FI. Yesterdays display upped my rating about that team. Williams could have had it but are a bit inconsistent.
 
Exclusive Vijay Mallya Q&A: Great to break Force India's podium jinx

On Sunday in Bahrain Sergio Perez returned Force India to the podium for the first time in five years, much to the delight of team principal Vijay Mallya who wondered when one of his drivers would stand on the rostrum again. In this exclusive interview, Mallya hails the Mexican’s achievement and explains why this could be the start of many successes this season…

Q: Vijay, congratulations! You have pushed your team so hard over the last few years and now, with Sergio Perez, you have scored another well-deserved podium. What does that mean to you?
Vijay Mallya: It is a very special moment. My job was always to make this team climb up the ladder - steadily. I always believed that 2014 - with all the new regulations - gave us a new opportunity. And so far what a good season it has been! We finished sixth in Australia, we improved to fifth in Malaysia - and I think I hinted in Malaysia that I hoped that we could improve further, and there you have it: the podium in Bahrain! We were quietly confident with Checo (Sergio Perez) being fourth on the grid, but everything had to be perfect for us - especially as we planned a two-stop strategy. We were not so sure if we would make the tyres work, but the drivers did an excellent job. Even Nico Hulkenberg was outstanding - starting 11th and moving up to seventh on the first lap and driving a flawless race. It was all down to great teamwork as in the last two to three laps the Red Bulls, on their new soft tyres, were really flying and he (Hulkenberg) managed to hold off Ricciardo and Vettel - and that improved the chances for Perez. Everybody in the team is absolutely delighted that we have finally achieved the podium. Last year we were quite unlucky, but today the jinx is broken - and I would not mind if this is the start of a nice series of podiums.

Q: What do you read into the podium finish? Is it an indication of things to come in the next few races?
VM: You still have the great Ferraris, the great Red Bulls, and the great McLarens of this world - but in the end it is the result that counts. And today’s result means that we are second in the constructors’ championship! It was a fair race, a tough race and the safety car compromised us as we should have finished three and four - because of the safety car we lost the gap - but we still raced and we won third and fifth places on merit and not because of somebody else’s misfortune or somebody else’s hard luck story. That shows that we are competitive and capable of challenging all the big teams. Of course the Mercedes are very, very strong so I am not so sure if we could catch them - but we will try! (laughs) Compared to everybody else we are on a limited budget, and I am very glad that we are proving that on limited resources we are still able to be competitive.

Q: Is the success story of Force India in the past few years - from relative backmarkers to second in the standings - proof that you can run a successful team on a reasonable budget?
VM: Absolutely! Our result speaks for itself. With the resources that we have and with the tools and equipment that we have compared to others - our wind tunnel is still the wind tunnel that was built by Eddie Jordan - we are still competitive. We were top ten in Australia, top ten in Malaysia and podium here in Bahrain - I couldn’t be happier.

Q: Aside from the podium, what was it that gave you the real thrill this evening?
VM: Ferrari is an icon - and when you say Ferrari people tend to think: here is a world championship team. So when I was looking on the monitor from the pit wall and saw that we passed the Ferraris four times, that was a great moment for me! (Laughs)

Q: Did you believe that you would have to wait so long for another podium?
VM: Well, first of all, there is no fast fix in F1. But my guess is that last year we were ready and were unlucky not to achieve two or three podiums. Fortunately this year it is not only luck but also the fact that we have a good car!

Q: How about your two drivers? Checo was quite unlucky in the first two races. Is the podium his reward for keeping the faith?
VM: Probably it was. He raced exceptionally well today. It was not easy for him. He was always under pressure and he made the most of it. It was a great effort by both drivers.

Q: The next race is two weeks away in China - can you repeat your success there?
VM: We are always trying to improve. If we can repeat the podium, that would of course be fantastic. But it is so competitive here that it is not possible to predict anything. I think the only team that can make a sensible prediction is Mercedes because they are so much quicker than anybody else. But I don’t think that any other team can accurately predict where they will be.

Q: Having a Mercedes engine seems like a fantastic asset for Force India…
VM: It is a big asset! From the start of testing it has been reliable, and so it is clear that we’ve made the right choice to sign with Mercedes. All the cars that are in front are Mercedes-powered cars.

Q: If you had one wish for your team - in your moment of glory - what would it be?
VM: That I hope that all the boys have a good time with a lot of champagne and ‘Kingfisher beer’ and celebrate because they all deserve it (laughs).
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www.formula1.com
 
Also, after three races I may owe Massa an apology. I reckoned he was finished following his 2009 shunt in Hungary, but it seems Ferrari may have neutered him while he was there. He seems a lot more fiery this season and isn't slow by any means. That start was magic.
 
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thestaggy said:
Also, after three races I may owe Massa an apology. I reckoned he was finished following his 2009 shunt in Malaysia, but it seems Ferrari may have neutered him while he was there. He seems a lot more fiery this season and isn't slow by any means. That start was magic.
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Not a huge fan of Massa (due to his years at ferrari) , but he does seem to have a new lease on life since leaving them.
 
Could this be Lewis Hamilton's year? I certainly hope so, been a long time coming. He took a major gamble leaving McLaren 2 years ago and it is paying off handsomely indeed. The man definitely has skill behind the wheel. Good job to Rosberg for keeping him honest.
As for Ferrari and Alonso, they are getting what they deserve, i.e each other. I feel sorry for Kimi though.
 
ngwe23 said:
Could this be Lewis Hamilton's year? I certainly hope so, been a long time coming. He took a major gamble leaving McLaren 2 years ago and it is paying off handsomely indeed. The man definitely has skill behind the wheel. Good job to Rosberg for keeping him honest.
As for Ferrari and Alonso, they are getting what they deserve, i.e each other. I feel sorry for Kimi though.
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couldn't have put it better myself.
 
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