Grand Prix Rejects

We enter year 3 of our story on the exploits of the Randle BMW team and its lead driver Adam Randle. 2012 was successful for the driver and saw the team make a lot of progress in their second year. He is still without a win in Formula One and came very close to it in a few races, however 2012 will be remembered for his fantastic driving that clinched BMW victory in the Le Mans 24 hours race. For 2013 he will also be entering the 2013 Indianapolis 500 in an attempt to complete a rare feat that no driver has ever completed. Here is a link to 2011 and 2012 if you have not read either yet:

2011: http://www.gprejects.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=8&t=3766
2012: viewtopic.php?f=12&t=5235

Teams and Drivers

Team: Infiniti Red Bull Racing
Chassis: RB9
Engine: Renault RS30 V10 3.0L
Tyres: Goodyear
Main Sponsor: Red Bull
Drivers: Sebastian Vettel (1), Mark Webber (2)
Test Driver: Sebastien Buemi
Car Numbers: 1 & 2

Team: Mercedes AMG Petronas F1 Team
Chassis: F1 W04
Engine: Mercedes F0 108F V8 3.0L
Tyres: Michelin
Main Sponsor: Petronas
Drivers: Lewis Hamilton (3), Nico Rosberg (4)
Test Driver: Sam Bird
Car Numbers 3 & 4

Team: Canon Williams F1 Team
Chassis: FW35
Engine: Ford CR9 V10 3.0L
Tyres: Michelin
Main Sponsor: Canon, Labatts
Drivers: Kimi Raikkonen (5), Valterri Bottas (6)
Test Driver: Susie Wolff
Car Numbers: 5 & 6

Team: Vodafone McLaren Mercedes
Chassis: MP4-28
Engine: Mercedes F0 108F V8 3.0L
Tyres: Michelin
Main Sponsor: Vodafone
Drivers: Sergio Perez (7), Jenson Button (8)
Test Driver: Gary Paffett
Car Numbers: 7 & 8

Team: Orange EE Arrows F1 Team
Chassis: A26
Engine: BMW M92 V12 3.5L
Tyres: Goodyear
Main Sponsor: Orange/ E.E.
Drivers: Adrian Sutil (9), Max Chilton (10)
Test Driver: Thomas Holzer
Car Numbers: 9 & 10

Team: Team Lotus
Chassis: T130
Engine: Renault RS30 V10 3.0L
Tyres: Michelin
Main Sponsor: Airbus, McGregor, Dell, Intel
Drivers: Giedo Van Der Garde (11), Vitaly Petrov (12)
Test Driver: Alexander Rossi
Car Numbers: 11 & 12

Team: Mettis Randle Racing F1
Chassis: GR03
Engine: BMW M93 V12 3.5L
Tyres: Goodyear
Main Sponsor: Mettis Aerospace, BP
Drivers: Adam Randle (13), Nick Heidfeld (14)
Test Driver: Daniel Hume
Car Numbers: 13 & 14

Team: Sahara Force India F1 Team
Chassis: VJM05B, VJM06
Engine: Mercedes F0 108F V8 3.0L
Tyres: Pirelli
Main Sponsor: Sahara, Kingfisher
Drivers: Sebastien Buemi (15), Paul DiResta (16)
Test Driver: James Calado
Car Numbers: 15 & 16

Team: Marussia F1 Team
Chassis: MR01B, MR02
Engine: Ferrari E4B 012 V12 3.5L
Tyres: Goodyear
Main Sponsor: Marussia, PDVSA
Drivers: Jerome D’Ambrosio (17), Stefano Coletti (18)
Test Driver: Rodolfo Gonzalez
Car Numbers: 17 & 18

Team: Benetton Toleman Formula
Chassis: TGR32B, TGR33
Engine: Renault RS30 V10 3.0L
Tyres: Goodyear
Main Sponsor: Benetton, Total
Drivers: Romain Grosjean (19), Heikki Kovalainen (20)
Test Driver: Nicolas Prost
Car Numbers: 19 & 20

Team: Super Aguri Honda Grand Prix
Chassis: SA12B, SA12C
Engine: Honda RA012E V10 3.0L
Tyres: Michelin
Main Sponsor: Honda, Shell Petroleum, N. Technology
Drivers: Luiz Razia (21), Fabio Leimer (22)
Test Driver: Hiroki Yoshimoto
Car Numbers: 21 & 22

Team: European Minardi F1
Chassis: MPS12B, MPS13
Engine: Ford FA2013 V8 3.0L
Tyres: Pirelli
Main Sponsor: Agip, Compaq
Drivers: Jean – Eric Vergne (23), Vitantonio Liuzzi (24)
Test Driver: Kevin Ceccon
Car Numbers: 23 & 24

Team: Equipe Ligier F1 Team
Chassis: JS51
Engine: Renault RS30 V10 3.0L
Tyres: Michelin
Main Sponsor: LOTO, Elf Fuel
Drivers: Pastor Maldonado (25), Charles Pic (26)
Test Driver: Nathanael Berthon
Car Numbers: 25 & 26

Team: Scuderia Ferrari
Chassis: F2012B, F0138
Engine: Ferrari E4B 013 V12 3.5L
Tyres: Goodyear
Main Sponsor: Santander, Etihad Airlines
Drivers: Fernando Alonso (27), Felipe Massa (28)
Test Driver: Marc Gene
Car Numbers: 27 & 28

Team: Sauber F1 Team
Chassis: C31B, C32
Engine: Ferrari E4B 012 V12 3.5L
Tyres: Goodyear
Main Sponsor: NEC, Credit Suisse
Drivers: Nico Hulkenberg (29), Esteban Gutierrez (30)
Test Driver: Robin Frijns
Car Numbers: 29 & 30

Team: Alfa Romeo Spa
Chassis: 213T
Engine: Alfa Romeo NR213 V6 Turbocharged
Tyres: Pirelli
Main Sponsor: FIAT, Agip
Drivers: Jaime Alguersuari (32), Davide Valsecchi (33)
Test Driver: Vittorio Ghirelli
Car Numbers: 32 & 33

Team: Team Modena Lamborghini
Chassis: Lambo 212B, Lambo 213
Engine: Lamborghini L4012B V12 3.5l
Tyres: Pirelli
Main Sponsor: Red Bull, Audi
Drivers: Giacomo Ricci (34), Daniel Ricciardio (35)
Test Driver: Daniil Kvyat
Car Numbers: 34 & 35

Team: Stefan Grand Prix
Chassis: T012/30B
Engine: Ford CR8 V10 3.0L
Tyres: Pirelli
Main Sponsor: N. Technologies
Drivers: Kazuki Nakajima (36), Timo Glock (37)
Test Driver: Tom Dillman
Car Numbers: 36 & 37

Team: ART Grand Prix
Chassis: ART F112B, ART F113
Engine: Ford CR9 V10 3.0L
Tyres: Michelin
Main Sponsor: Krounenberg, BP
Drivers: Jules Bianchi (38), Franck Montagny (39)
Test Driver: Daniel Abt
Car Numbers: 38 & 39

Race Calendar
1. Australian Grand Prix, Albert Park 17th March 2013
28 Starters, 32 Main Qualifying
2. Malaysian Grand Prix, Sepang 24th March 2013
30 Starters, 34 Main Qualifying
3. Chinese Grand Prix, Shanghai International Circuit 14th April 2013
30 Starters, 34 Main Qualifying
4. Bahrain Grand Prix, Sakhir International Circuit 21st April 2013
28 Starters, 32 Main Qualifying
5. Spanish Grand Prix, Jerez 12th May 2013
28 Starters, 32 Main Qualifying
6. Monaco Grand Prix, Monte Carlo 26th May 2013
26 Starters, 30 Main Qualifying
7. Canadian Grand Prix, Circuit De Villeneuve 9th June 2013
28 Starters, 32 Main Qualifying
8. French Grand Prix, Circuit Paul Ricard 23rd June 2013
28 Starters, 32 Main Qualifying
9. British Grand Prix, Silverstone 30th June 2013
30 Starters, 34 Main Qualifying
10. German Grand Prix, Nurburgring 21st July 2013
28 start, 32 main qualifying
11. Hungarian Grand Prix, Hungaroring 28th July 2013
28 start, 32 main qualifying
12. Belgian Grand Prix, Spa Francorchamps 1st September 2013
30 Starters, 34 Main Qualifying
13. Italian Grand Prix, Monza 8th September 2013
28 start, 32 main qualifying
14. Singapore Grand Prix, Marina Bay 22nd September 2013
28 start, 32 main qualifying
15. Japanese Grand Prix, Suzuka 6th October 2013
28 start, 32 main qualifying
16. Korean Grand Prix, Yeongam 13th October 2013
30 Starters, 34 Main Qualifying
17. Indian Grand Prix, Buddh International Circuit 27th October 2013
30 Starters, 34 Main Qualifying
18. Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, Yas Marina 3rd November 2013
30 Starters, 34 Main Qualifying
19. United States Grand Prix, Austin 17th November 2013
30 Starters, 34 Main Qualifying
20. Brazilian Grand Prix, Interlagos 24th November 2013
28 start, 32 main qualifying

Top 13 placed teams of 2012 will automatically be in main qualifying and 14th and 15th team will be in main qualification at the respective races where 32 and 34 cars will be in main qualifying. All the rest will be in a prequalification session the Thursday before the race where top 4 will progress. Second half of season will be revised after German Grand prix with the top 14 teams exempt from prequalifying based on best last 20 races results.
Therefore until Round 11 at the Hungarian Grand Prix, the following teams will definitely not be needed in prequalifying and automatically go into main qualifying:
Red Bull, McLaren, Ferrari, Mercedes, Randle BMW, Williams, Toleman, Ligier, Force India, Arrows, Minardi and Team Lotus

The Following team’s two drivers are required to prequalify at the Monaco Grand Prix but exempted from the other 9 sessions:
Modena Lamborghini

The following team’s two drivers are exempted from Rounds 2, 3, 9 and 10 prequalifying sessions but required at the others:
Super Aguri Honda Grand Prix

The following teams will participate in all ten prequalifying sessions:
ART Grand Prix, Marussia, Stefan Grand Prix, Alfa Romeo Spa

Winter testing is as follows:
17th – 19th January: Imola
10th – 12th February: Barcelona
1st – 3rd March: Red Bull Ring

Preseason Testing Report on each team

Infiniti Red Bull Renault: The team were reasonably strong in preseason testing, having debuted the car at Imola. They were the fastest at the particular track; further good development was made at Barcelona where Webber was quicker then Vettel who had problems with the gearbox on the main day of pace setting. Overall Red Bull was 2nd as Mercedes showed strong opposition at that weekend. For the test at Red Bull Ring, the team put on a good show for their owners and again showed the RB9 is going to be a title contender.
Mercedes AMG Petronas F1 Team: Mercedes over the three tests looked likely to be the most able to battle Red Bull in 2013. Strong showings for Rosberg and Hamilton meant neither was regularly out of the top 4 in the tests. The F1 W04 looks a tidy car and seems to have really good handling, as both drivers did not seem to struggle in the corners and although the V8 engine does not have as much power as the V10 Renault, the chassis seems more competitive then the RB9. With rumours of a V6 turbo switch in 2014 Mercedes look good to grab the constructors crown off Red Bull in the future.
Canon Williams F1 Team: Williams will be questioning their early form for 2013, as while the FW35 was not terrible in the hands of Raikkonen and rookie Bottas, it does feel a step back from the FW34 which was impressive last season. The new Ford CR9 V10 engine although more powerful than its predecessor, the new chassis does not seem to be making the most of what seems to be a reliable engine with decent power in comparison with the other V10 engines.
Vodafone McLaren Mercedes: 2013 is going to be a trying year for the team, based on the testing form of the new MP4-28. The car looked sluggish and drivers Button and Perez had to work very hard for it to be in the top 10 times. The car seems to be hampered by its low ride and the reduced height which although should be good, it has meant that a lack of down force is not helping the car in the corners, as the air does not seem to be flowing under the car enough to produce enough grip. The top speed is decent and with developments in the right areas it can bring home results, however it could be possible for McLaren to not win a race on outright speed.
Orange EE Arrows F1 Team: The team have taken a step back it appears during testing as the A26 did seem to struggle with last year’s BMW engines fresh from the Randle GR02. Whereas that car had been designed round the BMW M92 V12 and a year of development meant both were in sync, the Arrows chassis is not responding well with it. Although not the slowest of the teams, they could be achieve a few DNQs if the problems are not sorted during the season.
Team Lotus: The engine problems that plagued the team last year seem to not be that severe this year. The team were able to get a lot of life and laps out of the Renault RS30 V10 and the slim attractive T130 looked a strong midfield runner. However there two drivers did write off two chassis over the three tests, which complicated matters and restricted some of their running. The factory will have spent a lot of time making use of spares and building a new chassis so the team can be competitive.
Mettis Randle Racing F1: On the form shown immediately in Imola, the GR03 looks capable of challenging Ferrari on a regular basis. They were very close to the top times set by Mercedes and Red Bull. The compact, light car looked fast and was able to set very quick times. The new BMW M93 V12 is an improvement in power and weight from last year’s engine, however at times it was not using its full capacity. Hopefully this will not be a regular thing as the car looks very good and wins are possible in 2013. When it was able to perform, the car had the highest speed and horsepower of any team. The car has improved a lot regarding grip and handling and this should help hide the deficiencies of the V12 on the tighter and twisty circuits. Monza, Silverstone, Suzuka and Bahrain are going to really suit the car and they might be unstoppable on those tracks if reliability is not an issue.
Sahara Force India F1 team: With the new car not expected till Spain, the old car did very well with the new engine it in; they were able to regularly battle Sauber, came very close to Williams and were outracing Arrows and Lotus. This should lead to a better season for the team, however if the new car is not problem free then the old car will struggle by mid season.
Marussia F1 Team: Did very well with the MR01B that has been adapted to take in the 2012 Ferrari engine. This will help the team in the earlier races as both have worked well together, certainly look capable of regular race starts. If they take advantage of the other teams at the back of the grids problems, they will be regular prequalifyers. Hoping can sustain the finances to update the package over the season when the MR02 is expected at Monaco.
Benetton Toleman Formula: McLaren, Williams and Sauber watch out as the TGR32B looked very strong and could be good enough to not need the TGR33 expected in Spain. Both Kovalainen and Grosjean were able to show the car had overcome its problems from the TG32 and the updated car went well with the new Renault engine. If the TGR33 is even a slight improvement on this car then 5th in the championship is a possibility and podiums are possible.
Super Aguri Honda Grand Prix: Missing from Imola and Barcelona, the team finally showed up in Austria with essentially an updated 2012 car and the same 2012 engine. With little funds and development it is going to be hard for the team over the season. They are fortunate of not having to prequalify but on the test performance, a new car will be badly needed by the European rounds otherwise qualifying is going to be very hard as they were 8 seconds off the pace in Austria on qualifying speeds. Rumours of a merger with Stefan GP have also plagued the team.
European Minardi F1: A reasonable updated MPS12B did ok with the new Ford V8 engine, the team look to have a nice tidy car, and however it is underpowered and will struggle on the power tracks. It looks like it can do well at Monaco and Hungary when the new MPS13 is likely to be used as it improved in Austria. Were quicker then Super Aguri, Alfa Romeo, Arrows and ART so should be fine in making race appearances over the season.
Equipe Ligier f1 Team: The JS51 does not look good and they may be early candidates for reject of the year. The car looks heavy and very hard to drive; this combined with Maldonado may lead to several repair jobs over the season. Will need some work before the first race as it has a lot to close on the lower midfield.
Scuderia Ferrari: Did very well with the updated F2012B and its progress with the new engine meant that the new F138 is not needed till the European season. The car looked good and was able to be near Mercedes and Red Bull; it is going to have a good battle with the Randle BMW team who look strong. The two teams traded the 3rd best time spot constantly over the tests and will be near each other a lot.
Sauber F1 Team: They did ok but have not really developed enough to close the gap to what will look like a top 4 of Red Bull, Mercedes, Ferrari and Randle BMW. They did struggle with Toleman’s pace and so look to be in a group of Force India, Williams, and surprisingly McLaren if they do not fix their problems. Hulkenberg will have to drag the best out of that car if development is not good enough on the new C32, as the C31B does look stagnant.
Alfa Romeo Spa: Realistically it is going to be a learning year for the new team; the V6 turbo is not overweight but seems a little sluggish on power. The 213T does not seem to have addressed this problem either so points are probably not realistic, but with decent development and having achieved the jump on a Turbo engine a year earlier then the rumoured Honda, Mercedes and Ford V6 turbo engines, 2014 should move them closer.
Modena Lamborghini: The new Lamborghini V12 looks and sounds amazing and should provide a leap in power for the team. The team are using an updated 2012 car for the earlier races but when the new Lambo 213 is introduced, they look the most likely to not fall into prequalifying. The team have a lot of stability having not changed their drivers so it should be a good effort from the team.
Stefan Grand Prix: the team did not appear at all during testing prompting rumours that they have folded. However photos and video footage have been released of the updated 2012 car doing speed tests, the updated Lola car has reportedly been issued with a cease and desist from Lola Cars due to licensing arrangement. However not much else has been mentioned from the team apart from rumours of owner Zoran Stefanovic trying to merge his team with Super Aguri and a possible Lola court case. Kazuki Nakajima and Timo Glock are reported to be the two drivers if the team make it to the races.
ART Grand Prix: ART were forced to test using an updated 2012 car, as problems with the 2013 car meant it did not pass FIA safety tests. This meant they have had a setback in their preseason development and did not take part in Imola as the revisions could not be completed on time. The team appeared at Barcelona and the Red Bull Ring with the F112B, Montagny and Bianchi did do reasonably ok with the car but it now has its limitations. The revised F113 will need to be passing the tests soon or they will have use the F112B will into the season which will disrupt their preparations.

Livery Designs
Red Bull: Purple on the side pods due to Infiniti sponsorship, Red Total colours on the wings with the Red Bull Logo on the Air box and nosecone. A dark metallic blue is the main colour on the chassis.
Mercedes: Silver with light touches of Petronas turquoise on side pods, front wing, wheel hubs and length of chassis.
Williams: White on the majority of the side pods and on the air box and roll hoop down to the exhaust. Blue is on the nosecone, rear wings and on the cockpit side and radiators. A black front wing with a block of white along the front, this has Canon in red on the white and on other white aspects of the car.
McLaren: The car is majority silver with Vodafone red and white logos on parts of the car; a thin line of red outlines the nosecone and chassis, running to the back wing which has red panels.
Arrows: Turquoise and White, covered predominately in EE logos and colour scheme. Small pits of Orange around air box roll hoop and cockpit.
Team Lotus: British racing green with aspects of yellow on parts of the car. The ends of the wings are Black carbon fibre.
Randle BMW: Predominately White car with a strip made of 3 colours (Light blue, dark blue, red) acting as borders on the edges of the car. BP colours are displayed on the roll hoop, cockpit and edges of the wings. Several METTIS Aerospace logos appear on side pods with the stripe bordering it and a powered by BMW logo in white is located on a black rear wing.
Force India: A white chassis, with orange on the nose cone and air box, green on the side pods and sides and parts of the wings which are mostly white.
Marussia: Red and Black car with aspects of white border on the nosecone and cockpit.
Toleman: Green chassis and roll hoop with Yellow air box and Red and Blue aspects on the side pods of the car. Black wings
Super Aguri: Red car with white stripes on the edges of the cars chassis and side pods.
Minardi: Predominately Black with yellow at the rear with a white slash across the engine cover and side pods separating the two colours.
Ligier: All blue car with black wings and white side pods with small edges of black near the tyres.
Ferrari: Ferrari red predominately over the car with bits of black on the bodywork sponsors in white font and on the wings.
Sauber: Grey chassis with Red and white aspects on the side pods and cockpit. White panels on the wings.
Alfa Romeo: Red chassis, white side pods, green engine cover and bits of green on the end of black wings. Green front wheels and red back wheels with white side of cockpit.
Modena: Red Bull logos mixing yellow aspects of the nosecone, cockpit, wings with a dark purple chassis and side pods.
Stefan GP: Car is naked Black carbon fibre with few sponsors in white font.
ART: White car with black wings, red lines arc over the engine cover and stripe of red runs around the cockpit, roll hoop and down the middle of the nosecone.

2013 Australian Grand Prix Race Weekend 14th –17th March

Pre Race
The news dominating the session was of the farce behind the attempted merger of the Stefan GP assets with that of the Super Aguri Race team. The Super Aguri team had successfully prequalified with Leimer and Razia the fastest of the prequalifyers. The Stefan team had set up with their revised 2012 Lola made cars, however a cease and desist made by Lola Cars meant the team did not take part in prequalifying. Their drivers Nakajima and Glock were left on the sidelines during the 1 hour session as a court case meant the team could not run without incurring criminal charges and threats from the FIA of expulsion from the championship. This then combined with the public knowledge of Super Aguri having money troubles and Honda willing to sell part of their shares in the team, prompted Stefan owner to conduct merger talks with Honda race team officials as appeals to race the Lola cars were defeated and the team expelled from the event. This was done behind Super Aguri GP majority owner Aguri Suzuki’s back as he was unaware of the merger of his team with the Stefan assets. On the Friday night Honda sold Zoran Stefanovic part of the team which amounted to 49% of the team, in a separate incident they sold their remaining 1% back to Suzuki as the owner attempted to stop the merger. Super Aguri’s drivers of Leimer and Razia were then informed that they would be given limited running in the main qualification session, giving them no chance of qualifying the old car due to pressure from Stefanovic and that there were now 4 drivers had contracts for 2 places in the team. Team owner Aguri was furious with Honda for the deal and complained to the FIA and Bernie Ecclestone. He was supported by other team bosses who felt that Stefan GP had ceased to exist and Super Aguri was the legitimate operation. Eddie Jordan presenting the BBC coverage of qualifying was quoted as saying ‘It is a complete and utter farce, you have an owner of a team with no assets and a car he is legally not allowed to enter, buy a stake in a team ready to attempt qualification, only to have their race preparations completely ruined by an illegal merger. Stefan GP realistically have folded and have no assets apart from two contracted drivers and should not even be here this weekend, he has attempted to takeover another team and force his defunct entity to race. It was wrong of Honda and Stefan GP to do this and the FIA have to rule this move illegal and the Stefan GP entrant null and void. This has heavily damaged Super Aguri and their two contracted drivers who have done nothing wrong and now face losing their seats and entries for no reason.’ For now the dispute will look like it will not be solved until the Chinese Grand Prix, but it had brought a horrible situation on what should have been an enjoyable opening round of the championship. Aguri Suzuki was reported saying ‘This is outrageous, we turned up for practicing getting ready to run as qualifying was going to be difficult. My partners in the team who I trusted would have our best interests at heart have completely undermined us here. Luiz and Fabio are our contracted drivers, our car the SA12B is cleared to drive and yet this joker with no assets is now trying to tell me who are the drivers and who is running my team. It is disgraceful and is sabotage, I have been speaking to my lawyers and action will be taken against Honda and Mr Stefanovic. How are we able to fulfil our obligation to the FIA if our attempt and preparation to race are criminally ruined?’

Prequalifying: (Warm, Sunny)
1. F. Leimer, Super Aguri Honda (22) (M) 1:27.978
2. L. Razia, Super Aguri Honda (21) (M) 1:28.023
3. J. D’Ambrosio, Marussia Ferrari (17) (G) 1:28.112
4. J. Bianchi, ART Ford (38) (M) 1:28.203
5. S. Coletti, Marussia Ferrari (18) (G) 1:28.313
6. J. Alguersuari, Alfa Romeo (32) (P) 1:29.879
7. F. Montagny, ART Ford (39) (M) 1:30.123
8. D. Valsecchi, Alfa Romeo (33) (P) 1:30.354
9. K. Nakajima, Stefan Ford (36) (P) Expelled
10. T. Glock, Stefan Ford (37) (P) Expelled

Qualifying: (Warm, Cloudy, Sunny)

1. S. Vettel, Red Bull Renault (1) (G) 1:24.032
2. L. Hamilton, Mercedes (3) (M) 1:24.231
3. M. Webber, Red Bull Renault (2) (G) 1:24.308
4. A. Randle, Randle BMW (13) (G) 1:24.516
5. N. Rosberg, Mercedes (4) (M) 1:24.608
6. F. Massa, Ferrari (28) (G) 1:24.717
7. F. Alonso, Ferrari (27) (G) 1:24.798
8. H. Kovalainen, Toleman Renault (20) (G) 1:24.991
9. N. Heidfeld, Randle BMW (14) (G) 1:25.155
10. K. Raikkonen, Williams Ford (5) (M) 1:25.365
11. R. Grosjean, Toleman Renault (19) (G) 1:25.414
12. N. Hulkenberg, Sauber Ferrari (29) (G) 1:25.608
13. J. Button, McLaren Mercedes (8) (M) 1:25.721
14. S. Perez, McLaren Mercedes (7) (M) 1:25.766
15. V. Bottas, Williams Ford (6) (M) 1:25.923
16. P. DiResta, Force India Mercedes (16) (P) 1:26.134
17. D. Ricciardio, Modena Lamborghini (35) (P) 1:26.303
18. G. Ricci, Modena Lamborghini (34) (P) 1:26.465
19. S. Buemi, Force India Mercedes (15) (P) 1:26.689
20. V. Petrov, Lotus Renault (12) (M) 1:26.851
21. E. Gutierrez, Sauber Ferrari (30) (G) 1:27.002
22. V. Liuzzi, Minardi Ford (24) (P) 1:27.202
23. G. Van Der Garde, Lotus Renault (11) (M) 1:27.453
24. P. Maldonado, Ligier Renault (25) (M) 1:27.568
25. A. Sutil, Arrows BMW (9) (G) 1:27.616
26. J. E. Vergne, Minardi Ford (23) (P) 1:27.698
27. J. Bianchi, ART Ford (38) (M) 1:27.883
28. J. D’Ambrosio, Marussia Ferrari (17) (G) 1:27.890
29. M. Chilton, Arrows BMW (10) (G) 1:28.243
30. C. Pic, Ligier Renault (26) (M) 1:28.365
31. F. Leimer, Super Aguri Honda (22) (M) 1:32.043
32. L. Razia, Super Aguri Honda (21) (M) 1:32.113

Australian Grand Prix 53 laps (Warm, Sunny, and Cloudy)
The prerace farce with the two backmarker teams had threatened to ruin what was a good grand prix. The 28 cars lined up for the grid start and all were able to get away without any problems. The Red Bull’s made a good start and a loud cheer from the grandstands meant one thing, Webber had managed to get into the lead from starting in 3rd, he was followed by Vettel, the two Mercedes and Randle in the Randle BMW. With V8s having their capacity increased from 2.4 litre engines to 3.0 litres it meant the small nimble engines, although lacking in horsepower were no longer completely overshadowed by the V10s and the very powerful V12s. A surprise for the opening laps was the pace of the Modena Lamborghini’s, who the previous season had found it hard to qualify for several of the races. However Ricciardio and Ricci had made such good starts both were in the top after lap 6. Ricci in the same car, a year early had been last in qualifying, yet with the new engine and the car upgraded for the new season, they were going well and not too far of the pace of the front runners. The extra money Red Bull had pumped into the team was really helping as the car was covered in sponsors and had a healthy budget for 2013. It had also strengthened ties with Lamborghini owned Audi and Red Bull. This had sparked rumours of Audi entering into partnership with the team; this was even more vocal when the new Audi LMP1 car in the WEC was sponsored by Red Bull. Lap 12 and disappointment for Bottas as a driveshaft failure ends his debut race. A huge cheer came from the crowd as Webber passed Vettel after briefly losing the lead a lap earlier on lap 15. The German had taken advantage of an engine blow on Maldonado’s Ligier and the avoiding Webber to take the lead. Webber a lap later had closed up on the main straight and was able to get in front at the first corner. A poor debut by Perez was completed when his steering broke and spun the car out of the race on lap 18. The top 10 on lap 22 was as followed: 1. M. Webber (2), 2. S. Vettel (1), 3. A. Randle (13), 4. L. Hamilton (3), 5. N. Rosberg (4), 6. H. Kovalainen (20), 7. N. Heidfeld (14), 8. F. Alonso (27), 9. F. Massa (28) 10. N. Hulkenberg (29).

Ferrari had shown a bit of slow speed in the first half of the race, as they struggled to match the pace that Red Bull, Mercedes and Randle BMW had managed on heavier full loads, the car would start doing much better as that load decreased and the power of the V12 meant they could drive better. They would make short work of Kovalainen on lap 26 as both passed for 6th and 7th. A lap later this would be 5th and 6th as Rosberg retired from the race with an electrical fault on his Mercedes. Hulkenberg would exit the race on lap 29, when his Ferrari engine would expire, the driver had been showing some strong pace over the weekend and this meant he lost the chance to give Sauber points on his debut with them. By now Red Bull had built a large gap to the cars behind, this would be substantial enough to allow the team a guaranteed first and second as Hamilton who had passed Randle could not close the gap. Raikkonen would compel a miserable weekend for Williams when he suffered a mechanical failure to be the last of the retirements on lap 43 with suspension damage from colliding with a wall. Webber would sadly not attain a home victory as the late pace of Vettel meant he was able to start his championship defence with a strong win after passing for the lead on lap 49. Webber had hoped for some team orders as they cars were so far ahead but had to concede that he could not keep his teammate behind him for long. Hamilton would take fastest lap and a podium on his Mercedes debut with a 1:26.890 on lap 51. The Modena’s helped their cause of avoiding prequalification by recording a strong 11th and 12th finish.

Classification
1. S. Vettel (1) 1 hr 28 mins 32.444s 25pts
2. M. Webber (2) + 10.435s 18pts
3. L. Hamilton (3) + 43.234s 15pts
4. A. Randle (13) + 49.687s 12pts
5. F. Alonso (27) + 1:01.454s 10pts
6. F. Massa (28) + 1:09.211 8pts
7. N. Heidfeld (14) + 1:20.909 6pts
8. H. Kovalainen (20) + 1 lap 4pts
9. R. Grosjean (19) + 1 lap 2pts
10. J. Button (8) + 1 lap 1pt
11. D. Ricciardio (35) + 1 lap
12. G. Ricci (34) + 1 lap
13. P. DiResta (16) + 2 laps
14. S. Buemi (15) + 2 laps
15. V. Petrov (12) + 2 laps
16. E. Gutierrez (30) + 2 laps
17. A. Sutil (9) + 2 laps
18. J. Bianchi (38) + 2 laps
19. J. D’Ambrosio (17) + 3 laps
20. K. Raikkonen (5) 43 laps Suspension
21. J. E. Vergne (23) 37 laps
22. G. V. D. Garde (11) 34 laps Spun Off
23. N. Hulkenberg (29) 29 laps Engine
24. N. Rosberg (4) 26 laps Electrical
25. V. Liuzzi (24) 20 laps Gearbox
26. S. Perez (7) 18 laps Steering
27. P. Maldonado (25) 14 laps Engine
28. V. Bottas (6) 12 laps Driveshaft

F. Lap: L. Hamilton (3) 1:26.890 on lap 51
DOTR: S. Vettel drove well to give his championship defence the best possible start.
ROTR: E. Gutierrez was quiet anonymous during the weekend and may take some time to get use to Formula One as was well off the pace of his teammate.

Championship
1. S. Vettel (1) 25pts
2. M. Webber (2) 18pts
3. L. Hamilton (3) 15pts
4. A. Randle (13) 12pts
5. F. Alonso (27) 10pts
6. F. Massa (28) 8pts
7. N. Heidfeld (14) 6pts
8. H. Kovalainen (20) 4pts
9. R. Grosjean (19) 2pts
10. J. Button (8) 1pt

Constructors:
1. Red Bull Renault 43pts
2. Randle BMW 18pts
= Ferrari 18pts
4. Mercedes 15pts
5. Toleman Renault 6pts
6. McLaren Mercedes 1pt
7. Modena Lamborghini 0pts (Best Finish 11th)
= Force India Mercedes 0pts (Best Finish 13th)
= Team Lotus Renault 0pts (Best Finish 15th)
= Sauber Ferrari 0pts (Best Finish 16th)
= Arrows BMW 0pts (Best Finish 17th)
= ART Ford 0pts (Best Finish 18th)
= Marussia Ferrari 0pts (Best Finish 19th)
NC: Williams Ford, Minardi Ford, Ligier Renault, Super Aguri Honda, Stefan Ford and Alfa Romeo.

Post Race
The post race reports were full of admiration for Red Bull’s success and Vettel’s win. Many journalists did feel the Aguri/Stefan affair had cast a dark shadow over the weekend and felt if it was not solved it could bring bad speculation on the sport. McLaren were pleased to score points with what had been a difficult car, as were Modena happy with solid finishes in their attempt to not fall into prequalifying. Williams, Minardi and Ligier will feel they have some work to do in order for an improved performance in Malaysia. Alfa Romeo will hope their problems with the Turbo and inexperience will soften as the season continues. The Audi/Red Bull rumours continued to grow as attention would look to Malaysia and round two of the championship.

2013 Malaysian Grand Prix Weekend 21st – 24th March

Pre Race
The days that had passed between Melbourne and Sepang had been filled with reports on the debacle regarding the merger of Super Aguri and Stefan. The court case that had been filled against Honda and Stefan Grand Prix by Aguri Suzuki was to be concluded by the 7th April. The FIA had acted swiftly and had revoked Stefan Grand Prix’s entry to the championship; the team had attempted to gain access to the track for prequalifying only to be turned away by officials. The team’s drivers Nakajima and Glock could only watch on the sidelines as the farce had jeopardised their careers. FIA had fined both Honda and Zoran Stefanovic a combined amount of $750,000 us dollars for bringing the sport into disrepute. With help from the FIA and Bernie Ecclestone, Super Aguri had managed to attend the race but had a skeleton staff and had removed the Honda decals off their car. The FIA had also prevented Honda from issuing a legal move preventing the Honda Engine being used by Super Aguri. Had it been successful the team would not have been able to take part in the practice and qualifying sessions. However with their engine supply effectively cut off in the short term, it meant that the team were expected to not run in order to save the engines for China. This meant Marussia, Alfa Romeo and ART had a strong chance of getting their drivers into the main race as 4 out of 6 entrants would prequalify and with the two entrants of Super Aguri expected to be bottom of the times, this could be possible. Red Bull had brought some new updates to the car that helped with down force at the rear of the car, whereas Ferrari had new parts on their front wing.

Prequalifying (Mild and Dry)

1. S. Coletti, Marussia Ferrari (18) (G) 1:36.788
2. J. D’Ambrosio, Marussia Ferrari (17) (G) 1:36.912
3. J. Bianchi, ART Ford (38) (M) 1:37.143
4. J. Alguersuari Alfa Romeo (32) (P) 1:37.698
5. F. Montagny, ART Ford (37) (M) 1:37.800
6. D. Valsecchi, Alfa Romeo (33) (P) 1:38.254

Qualifying (Wet and Cool)

1. N. Rosberg, Mercedes (4) (M) 1:51.465
2. M. Webber, Red Bull Renault (2) (G) 1:51.576
3. L. Hamilton, Mercedes (3) (M) 1:51.788
4. S. Vettel, Red Bull Renault (1) (G) 1:51.808
5. F. Alonso, Ferrari (27) (G) 1:51.955
6. A. Randle, Randle BMW (13) (G) 1:52.304
7. J. Button, McLaren Mercedes (8) (M) 1:52.414
8. F. Massa, Ferrari (28) (G) 1:52.506
9. R. Grosjean, Toleman Renault (19) (G) 1:52.681
10. H. Kovalainen, Toleman Renault (20) (G) 1:52.804
11. V. Bottas, Williams Ford (6) (M) 1:52.994
12. K. Raikkonen, Williams Ford (5) (M) 1:53.226
13. N. Heidfeld, Randle BMW (14) (G) 1:53.376
14. P. DiResta, Force India Mercedes (16) (G) 1:53.502
15. S. Perez, McLaren Mercedes (7) (M) 1:53.618
16. V. Petrov, Lotus Renault (12) (M) 1:53.707
17. S. Buemi, Force India Mercedes (15) (G) 1:53.838
18. G. Ricci, Modena Lamborghini (34) (P) 1:53.921
19. N. Hulkenberg, Sauber Ferrari (29) (G) 1:54.023
20. D. Ricciardio, Modena Lamborghini (35) (P) 1:54.155
21. P. Maldonado, Ligier Renault (25) (M) 1:54.340
22. C. Pic, Ligier Renault (26) (M) 1:54.412
23. V. Liuzzi, Minardi Ford (24) (P) 1:54.563
24. A. Sutil, Arrows BMW (9) (G) 1:54.699
25. G. Van Der Garde, Lotus Renault (11) (M) 1:54.842
26. J. E. Vergne, Minardi Ford (23) (P) 1:54.996
27. E. Gutierrez, Sauber Ferrari (30) (G) 1:55.301
28. J. Bianchi, ART Ford (38) (M) 1:55.353
29. S. Coletti, Marussia Ferrari (18) (G) 1:55.456
30. J. D’Ambrosio, Marussia Ferrari (17) (G) 1:55.562
31. M. Chilton, Arrows BMW (10) (G) 1:55.901
32. J. Alguersuari, Alfa Romeo (32) (P) 1:56.243
33. F. Leimer, Super Aguri Honda (22) (M) 1:59.649
34. L. Razia, Super Aguri Honda (21) (M) 1:59.700

Malaysian Grand Prix 56 laps (Wet, Rainy and Cool)
For the 2013 season, it had been a very wet afternoon; the race would start behind the safety car as the race officials felt it was too wet for the normal starting procedures. For 30 cars who were taking the start it was going to be one of few dry spells, the rain had stopped by the time the race had started. With no rain expected to the end of the race, it was expected to a race of many safety car periods or even an early finish. The safety car pitted in on lap 5 and all 30 cars made it through the tight first and second corners safely. A dry line had started to appear on the track but for many cars visibility was very poor due to excess spray from the car in front. Rosberg was able to hold the lead from a close Hamilton as both Mercedes showed strong speed and handling in the wet conditions. Vettel in 4th was having trouble holding off Alonso and Randle, Alonso would be the least of his worries a lap later when Randle passed the Spaniard’s Ferrari on the outside at turns 5 and 6. The manoeuvre had been quite brave, as the lack of grip almost turned the Randle BMW car into the Ferrari, which would have put both out. The first retirement of the race would be fall Gutierrez in the Sauber on lap 8, when a brake failure on the C31B would spin the Mexican off at turn 4. Fortunately it was not severe of a shunt to bring out the safety car, for many of the cars conditions were proving to be hard. Button would slide off the circuit at turn 7 but still managed to keep the car going, unfortunately he had lost a few places as a result of it. Lap 12 would see an overzealous Maldonado; take him and his teammate off at turn 9 when Pic passing Maldonado under braking would be on the receiving end of the Venezuelan driving into the side of the Frenchmen. There would be some strong words said in the Ligier team garage after the race, as the team were angry that by lap 12 their weekend was over. The top 10 on lap 15 was as followed: 1. N. Rosberg (4), 2. L. Hamilton (3), 3. M. Webber (2), 4. A. Randle (13), 5. S. Vettel (1), 6. F. Alonso (27), 7. H. Kovalainen (20), 8. R. Grosjean (19), 9. V. Bottas (6) and 10. F. Massa (28).

The track was not dry enough for a switch to intermediate tyres on lap 22, with most of the car pitting over 2 laps; it did change the race order as teams gambled on new strategies. A mistake by Red Bull and Mercedes with bringing their drivers in meant both had came in at the same time and forcing the other car to be backed up. This played well for Randle BMW, whose driver in the Number 13 car was able to build up a lead in the changing conditions. This would be removed on lap 25 when Bianchi and the Marussia of Coletti collided at turns 1 and 2; the debris from both cars was enough to bring a second safety car for the race. The Toleman’s had caught the worst of this because of their stop on lap 24 meant they were now down in 15th and 17th after being one of the last to switch to tyres. By lap 27 the safety car was back in and Randle led the remaining 23 cars away, Alonso in 3rd passed Hamilton into 2nd at turns 1 and was able to push the driver onto the worse line going into turn 2 that Vettel was able to pass him for 3rd. For Button now in 13th, it was practically the end of his race as he collided with DiResta in the Force India which punctured his right rear tyre. It would take a while for the driver to limp back into the pits; the damage to his suspension meant that after completing 30 laps he retired with suspension problems. DiResta would take a drive through penalty for his role in the racing incident and this dropped the driver towards the back. Having led since lap 23 through to lap 35, disappointment would hit Randle, when the BMW engine blew leaving the driver to exit the race. The Williams of Bottas would also feel that anguish when his Ford V8 blew a lap later; Williams second engine retirement of the race. The top 10 on lap 37 were as followed: 1. F. Alonso (27) 2. S. Vettel (1) 3. L. Hamilton (3) 4. M. Webber (2) 5. F. Massa (28) 6. N. Rosberg (4) 7. N. Heidfeld (14) 8. S. Perez (7) 9. V. Petrov (12) and 10. R. Grosjean (19).

The track was now dry enough on lap 40 for the softest tyre compound that had been brought to the race, with many teams switching it changed the order and Petrov who had been in 7th when he pitted found his mechanics had made a mistake and had not fitted the left rear properly. The tyre fell off through turns 3 and 4 and the driver was in the gravel at 4 unhappy at a strong finish for the team. Marussia’s weekend was over when D’Ambrosio in 19th would see his car suffer electronics failure and the Belgian had to pit out of the race on lap 42. He would be the penultimate retirement as the last would be Buemi’s Force India with Radiator problems on lap 49. Hamilton would pass Vettel for 2nd on lap 45 and began trying to close down Alonso’s 20 second lead. The British 2008 F1 champion would set fastest lap in the process on lap 53 with a 1:38.756. At that point he was some 7 seconds off the Ferrari who was lapping slightly slower, problems would occur with Red Bull when despite being told to not race, Webber had passed Vettel on lap 54 on the final turn, Vettel was able to retake the place going into turns 1 and 2 but shut the door so aggressively he took part of Mark’s front wing off. It was not terminal for the driver to pit but he lost a lot of time from it and on the final lap came close to losing 4th to Rosberg. The pressure though on lap 55 had hit Alonso who spun on the exit of turn 8, this enabled Hamilton to take the lead for 1st and win the race. The Red Bull’s were able to maintain 3rd and 4th but the drivers were not happy with each other in the post race briefing. Rosberg in 5th was disappointed that it was not better, however was happy to bring the car home in the top 5. Alonso all though happy to be in the top 2 from starting 5th was annoyed with his mistake that cost him victory in the race.

Classification

1. L. Hamilton (3) 1hr 45 mins 38.265s 25pts
2. F. Alonso (27) + 3.265s 18pts
3. S. Vettel (1) + 17.567s 15pts
4. M. Webber (2) + 23.687s 12pts
5. N. Rosberg (4) + 25.001s 10pts
6. F. Massa (28) + 45.897s 8pts
7. N. Heidfeld (14) + 47.980s 6pts
8. R. Grosjean (19) + 1:02.476s 4pts
9. S. Perez (7) + 1:15.876s 2pts
10. H. Kovalainen (20) + 1:17.678s 1pt
11. N. Hulkenberg (29) + 1:30.143s
12. P. DiResta (16) + 1 lap
13. D. Ricciardio (35) + 1 lap
14. A. Sutil (9) + 1 lap
15. G. Van Der Garde (11) + 1 lap
16. V. Liuzzi (24) + 2 laps
17. J. E. Vergne (23) + 2 laps
18. S. Buemi (15) 49 laps
19. J. D’Ambrosio (17) 42 laps
20. V. Petrov (12) 40 laps Tyre
21. V. Bottas (6) 36 laps Engine
22. A. Randle (13) 35 laps Engine
23. J. Button (8) 30 laps Suspension
24. J. Bianchi (38) 25 laps Collision
25. S. Coletti (18) 25 laps Collision
26. K. Raikkonen (5) 19 laps Engine
27. G. Ricci (34) 14 laps Spun Off
28. C. Pic (26) 12 laps Collision
29. P. Maldonado (25) 12 laps Collision
30. E. Gutierrez (30) 8 laps Brakes

F. Lap: L. Hamilton (3) 1:38.756 on lap 53
DOTR: Hamilton drove very well and made the most of a mistake to claim his first victory for Mercedes.
ROTR: Maldonado, stupid overtake in wet conditions that ended his teammates and the team’s weekend.

Championship
1. S. Vettel (1) 40pts
= L. Hamilton (3) 40pts
3. M. Webber (2) 30pts
4. F. Alonso (27) 28pts
5. F. Massa (28) 16pts
6. A. Randle (13) 12pts
= N. Heidfeld (14) 12pts
8. N. Rosberg (4) 10pts
9. R. Grosjean (19) 6pts
10. H. Kovalainen (20) 5pts
11. S. Perez (7) 2pts
12. J. Button (8) 1pt

Constructors
1. Red Bull Renault 70pts
2. Mercedes 50pts
3. Ferrari 44pts
4. Randle BMW 24pts
5. Toleman Renault 11pts
6. McLaren Mercedes 3pts
7. Modena Lamborghini 0pts (Best Finish 11th)
= Sauber Ferrari 0pts (Best Finish 11th)
= Force India Mercedes 0pts (Best Finish 12th)
= Arrows BMW 0pts (Best Finish 14th)
= Team Lotus Renault (Best Finish 15th)
= Minardi Ford (Best Finish 16th)
= ART Ford (Best Finish 18th)
= Marussia Ferrari (Best Finish 19th)
NC: Williams Ford, Ligier Renault, Super Aguri Honda, Alfa Romeo

Post Race
Mercedes were jubilant in their victory, the result showed how the team could compete with Red Bull. The Championship was now expected to be a lot closer as Ferrari, Randle BMW and even surprisingly Toleman were very close. Red Bull had to have emergency driver discussions as the race incident had threatened to undermine the team. These came after Webber was allegedly misquoted where he claimed ‘If he does anything like that again, I will punch him’. The FIA not happy with the threat had ordered Red Bull to sort it out and make sure there would be no future problems between their drivers. A truce was called and for now the teammate’s were willing to put the best interests of the team first. There were further question marks raised at Williams and Sauber’s performances where it was starting to become apparent at the fall in pace the team’s had suffered over the winter. McLaren were happy with a points finish in what was developing into a problematic car, the team were hopeful that they could achieve points for both cars in China. As there was only a few weeks between the races, the issues with Super Aguri would not be solved until after the race weekend. Rumours were starting that the team would switch to Stefan’s former Ford V8 contract and debut a new car later in the season.

2013 Chinese Grand Prix Weekend 11th - 14th April

Pre Race
Honda had managed to reach a short term agreement with the Super Aguri team, where it would be allowed to use its engines for the Chinese and Bahrain Grand Prixs. The team’s car was now completely white with little sponsorship. Super Aguri had been conducting talks with Timo Glock joining the team and he would likely bring some more money for the team. Razia would be expected to make way for the German. A possible Ford deal were still in the talks but the team have essentially wrote 2013 off, as with time to build a new car around a new engine, it will mean qualifying will become even harder. Marussia had the new MR02 making the debut, the car lighter and more aerodynamic than its predecessor should be decent enough for the team to having regular chances of racing. The team decided releasing the car here to allow research to be collected so the car can be optimised for Bahrain. The circuit being a power track will suit the new MR02 and its Ferrari V12. Likewise Force India have released details and photos of the new VJM06 which although will not race here, it will be available for one of their drivers in Bahrain. Adam Randle was coming from a successful speed and breakdown test of the KV Racing Technology team. In comparison with his teammates in the test, he was comfortably faster and surprised many in that team on how he was able to adapt so quickly. The test taking place at Mid Ohio Sports Car course saw the driver beating the 2012 pole position of 1:05.6474 set by Will Power by 1.5 seconds and setting a time 1:04.1432. Upon finishing the driver was quoted ‘It is a fun car to drive, it handles well in and is able to maintain its top speed very well. We still have some oval testing but I am looking forward to what I can do with it in the Indy 500. I feel it is a winning car on the road circuits and street tracks so if it can do well on ovals, they have a good car for the championship.’

Prequalifying (Warm and Dry)

1. J. D’ Ambrosio, Marussia Ferrari (17) (G) 1:34.786
2. S. Coletti, Marussia Ferrari (18) (G) 1:34.822
3. D. Valsecchi, Alfa Romeo (33) (P) 1:34.979
4. J. Bianchi, ART Ford (38) (M) 1:35.142
5. F. Montagny, ART Ford (39) (M) 1:35.407
6. J. Alguersuari, Alfa Romeo (32) (P) 1:35.670

Qualifying (Warm and Dry)

1. M. Webber, Red Bull Renault (2) (G) 1:30.465
2. S. Vettel, Red Bull Renault (1) (G) 1:30.588
3. N. Rosberg, Mercedes (4) (M) 1:30.717
4. L. Hamilton, Mercedes (3) (M) 1:30.901
5. A. Randle, Randle BMW (13) (G) 1:31.203
6. N. Heidfeld, Randle BMW (14) (G) 1:31.354
7. J. Button, McLaren Mercedes, (8) (M) 1:31.465
8. F. Alonso, Ferrari (27) (G) 1:31.476
9. R. Grosjean, Toleman Renault (19) (G) 1:31.608
10. H. Kovalainen, Toleman Renault (20) (G) 1:31.678
11. F. Massa, Ferrari (28) (G) 1:31.721
12. K. Raikkonen, Williams Ford (5) (M) 1:31.854
13. P. DiResta, Force India Mercedes (16) (M) 1:31.919
14. S. Perez, McLaren Mercedes (7) (M) 1:32.143
15. V. Bottas, Williams Ford (6) (M) 1:32.301
16. N. Hulkenberg, Sauber Ferrari (29) (G) 1:32.399
17. S. Buemi, Force India Mercedes (15) (M) 1:32.433
18. V. Petrov, Lotus Renault, (12) (M) 1:32.567
19. A. Sutil, Arrows BMW, (10) (G) 1:32.677
20. G. Van Der Garde, Lotus Renault (11) (M) 1:32.717
21. P. Maldonado, Ligier Renault (25) (M) 1:32.901
22. C. Pic, Ligier Renault (26) (M) 1:33.034
23. E. Gutierrez, Sauber Ferrari (30) (G) 1:33.173
24. J. D’Ambrosio, Marussia Ferrari (17) (G) 1:33.388
25. D. Ricciardio, Modena Lamborghini (35) (P) 1:33.501
26. G. Ricci, Modena Lamborghini (34) (P) 1:33.788
27. V. Liuzzi, Minardi Ford (24) (P) 1:33.855
28. J. E. Vergne, Minardi Ford (23) (P) 1:33.928
29. M. Chilton, Arrows BMW (9) (G) 1:34.203
30. D. Valsecchi, Alfa Romeo (33) (P) 1:34.441
31. J. Bianchi, ART Ford (38) (M) 1:34.561
32. S. Coletti, Marussia Ferrari (18) (G) 1:34.608
33. L. Razia, Super Aguri Honda (21) (M) 1:35.214
34. F. Leimer, Super Aguri Honda (22) (M) 1:35.507

Chinese Grand Prix 56 laps (Warm and Sunny)

Webber led from the start, followed by teammate Vettel, this was significant as for the race the team had brought some engine upgrades designed to give the Renault more power on full fuel loads. The Mercedes cars of Hamilton and Rosberg would be behind the Red Bulls in 3rd and 4th. For Bottas thought he would not even make it through the first corner as the Williams retired with a mechanical failure. A damaged exhaust would be the reason when the car was examined upon its collection, it was annoying for their driver, for whom he had yet to even complete 50% of a race distance. For Alfa Romeo it was a landmark milestone, for this was the Italian marquee’s first start since the 1985 Australian Grand Prix and a first turbo start since the 1988 Australian Grand Prix, for their driver it would also be a chance to show what he was capable of. The car had done reasonably well in the early stages of the race as he was able to run in front of Chilton, the two Minardi’s, D’Ambrosio and the two Ligiers in 23rd. Lap 4 would see a McLaren retire when Perez having handling issues would spin off and stall at the exit of turn 6. A safety car was not needed as the car was recovered very quickly and had been far enough out of danger.

Other aspects throughout the race that would be highlighted were the abnormal tyre wear on the left rear. Many were concerned of serious danger to the drivers at the end of their stint on the tyres, however such was the run off at several of the corners it was not substantial to have a damaging impact. Valsecchi would last only 20 laps when the Alfa engine blew and the Italian was out of the race. Alfa Romeo could be happy though with the pace the car had shown, in those laps they had managed to challenge several of the backmarkers and hopefully with updates the car will be a frequent qualifier. With problems for Super Aguri and Stefan’s expulsion, two Alfas at future races is a strong possibility. Mid race and the Red Bulls began to extend a lead over the Mercedes cars, Webber leading Vettel before a mid race pit stop had built up a gap that with decent tyre management would see Red Bull triumphant in the battle of attrition that 2013 is likely to be. Lap 29 would see a problem for Hamilton as having spent the entire race on his starting tyres a puncture developed on the left rear and spun the British driver out of the race. A safety car was needed as debris was on the track, this would last for 3 laps and Webber lead from Vettel and Rosberg at the restart, Ferrari who up until the safety car had been having a quiet race would see Alonso collide with Button attempting to pass into turn 3. Rosberg himself was passed by a charging Randle, who was trying his hardest to get close to Vettel.

That battle at the front would last for roughly 10 laps as tyre strategies came into play, for Randle BMW who temporary had Randle lead a lap, a tyre delaminating would end his race as he suffered severe chassis damage to his car on lap 45. Lap 49 would see the final retirement of the race as a classified Sutil would exit with a tyre puncture, for Webber it would be a strong win that had taken a physical toll on the Australian. He had taken fastest lap on lap 54 with a 1:34.764. Exhausted after the race he was of little words as him and Vettel celebrated two podiums for Red Bull in 1st and 3rd respectively.

Classification
1. M. Webber (2) 1 hr 29mins 23.543s 25pts
2. N. Rosberg (3) + 12.543s 18pts
3. S. Vettel (1) + 27.654s 15pts
4. N. Heidfeld (14) + 47.980s 12pts
5. K. Raikkonen (5) + 1:05.467s 10pts
6. H. Kovalainen (20) + 1:17.657s 8pts
7. F. Massa (28) + 1:29.465s 6pts
8. N. Hulkenberg (29) + 1 lap 4pts
9. P. Maldonado (25) + 1 lap 2pts
10. D. Ricciardio (35) + 1 lap 1pt
11. G. Van Der Garde (12) + 2 laps
12. C. Pic (26) + 2 laps
13. J. D’Ambrosio (17) + 2 laps
14. V. Liuzzi (24) + 2 laps
15. J. E. Vergne (23) + 3 laps
16. A. Sutil (10) + 5 laps Puncture
17. A. Randle (13) 45 laps Chassis
18. G. Ricci (34) 42 laps Engine
19. E. Gutierrez (30) 37 laps Suspension
20. R. Grosjean (19) 35 laps Gearbox
21. P. DiResta (16) 34 laps Brakes
22. F. Alonso (27) 32 laps Collision
23. J. Button (8) 32 laps Collision
24. L. Hamilton (3) 29 laps Accident
25. V. Petrov (11) 24 laps Gearbox
26. D. Valsecchi (33) 20 laps Engine
27. M. Chilton (9) 17 laps Driveshaft
28. S. Buemi (15) 9 laps Wheel
29. S. Perez (7) 4 laps Spun Off
30. V. Bottas (6) 0 laps Exhaust

F. Lap: M. Webber (2) 1:34.764 on lap 54
DOTR: M. Webber, a strong drive results in a hat trick of Pole, Win and Fastest lap
ROTR: Vergne, a poor afternoon of racing meant he was slowest all race and far from making a meaningful impact in a race of low finishers.
Championship
1. M. Webber (2) 55pts
= S. Vettel (1) 55pts
3. L. Hamilton (3) 40pts
4. F. Alonso (27) 28pts
= N. Rosberg (4) 28pts
6. N. Heidfeld (14) 24pts
7. F. Massa (28) 22pts
8. H. Kovalainen (20) 13pts
9. A. Randle (13) 12pts
10. K. Raikkonen (5) 10pts
11. R. Grosjean (19) 6pts
12. N. Hulkenberg (29) 4pts
13. S. Perez (7) 2pts
= P. Maldonado (25) 2pts
15. D. Ricciardio (35) 1pt
= J. Button (8) 1pt

Constructors
1. Red Bull Renault 110pts
2. Mercedes 68pts
3. Ferrari 50pts
4. Randle BMW 36pts
5. Toleman Renault 19pts
6. Williams Ford 10pts
7. Sauber Ferrari 4pts
8. McLaren Mercedes 3pts
9. Ligier Renault 2pts
10. Modena Lamborghini 1pt
11. Lotus Renault 0pts (Best Finish 11th)
= Force India Mercedes 0pts (Best Finish 12th)
= Marussia Ferrari 0pts (Best Finish 13th)
= Minardi Ford 0pts (Best Finish 14th)
= Arrows BMW 0pts (Best Finish 14th)
= ART Ford 0pts (Best Finish 18th)
NC Alfa Romeo and Super Aguri Honda

Post Race
The FIA in the wake of the problems with the tyre wear on the Shanghai Circuit, have decided to use the 2004 – 2009 layout of the Bahrain Grand Prix Circuit at Sakhir. This layout will be less stressful on the tyres compared to the outer circuit. The FIA felt until enough time was given for a special tyre test; it could not allow any unnecessary excess wear to be allowed that could endanger the drivers. Some of the drivers were disappointed at the change as the outer Circuit had proven to be an enjoyable variant in track design. Several of the teams would be having updates or new cars at the race, McLaren would have some upgrades as it has to now make up a lot of last ground on Ferrari and Randle BMW. Alfa Romeo confident of vital race data will feel improvements can be made in Bahrain. Rumours were buzzing of a move to turbo V8 engine configuration for Mercedes and Honda in 2014.

2013 Bahrain Grand Prix Weekend 18th – 21st April

Pre Race
The big news that had dominated the short period of time between races apart from changes to the Bahrain International Circuit was the announcement of Timo Glock's contract with Super Aguri to commence at the Spanish Grand Prix. One of Fabio Leimer or Luiz Razia will move to third driver status as the team has been without a test driver since the quagmire in Melbourne. Personal sponsors of Glock were appearing on the Super Aguri car. With still no news expected on the engine front, it was a development that ensured some stability and safety for the team. The SA2012C is expected at the French Grand Prix as it has started its initial design phrase, Unbranded Honda engines were still used at this race although only 4 were available to the team which would have to cover all practice sessions if the team prequalify. Marussia and Minardi both had new cars in Bahrain in the MR02 and MPS13 respectively, both were sleek and good looking cars which should hopefully help both teams perform well. D’Ambrosio would drive the new MR02 while teammate Coletti had to make do with the old MR01B. Randle BMW having been rumoured to be running Robert Kubica in Spain while main driver Adam Randle would be contesting the Indianapolis 500, confirmed that talks with the Pole had broken down as Sports Car duties in the World Endurance Championship prevented him from driving in any other series. The team therefore will run reserve driver Daniel Hume in his place. The driver currently racing in GP2 should be able to do well in the GR03 having tested the car throughout winter testing and being a previous Formula Renault 3.5 winner at Jerez.

Prequalifying: (Hot and Sunny)

1. J. D’Ambrosio, Marussia Ferrari (17) (G) 1:34.576
2. J. Bianchi, ART Ford (38) (M) 1:34.716
3. J. Alguersuari, Alfa Romeo (32) (P) 1:35.321
4. F. Leimer, Super Aguri Honda (22) (M) 1:35.521
5. L. Razia, Super Aguri Honda (21) (M) 1:35.587
6. S. Coletti, Marussia Ferrari (18) (G) 1:35.601
7. F. Montagny, ART Ford (39) (M) 1:35.809
8. D. Valsecchi, Alfa Romeo (33) (P) 1:36.213

Qualifying: (Hot and Sunny)

1. M. Webber, Red Bull Renault (2) (G) 1:30.377
2. L. Hamilton, Mercedes (3) (M) 1:30.501
3. F. Alonso, Ferrari (27) (G) 1:30.660
4. F. Massa Ferrari (28) (G) 1:30.758
5. S. Vettel, Red Bull Renault (1) (G) 1:30.881
6. N. Rosberg, Mercedes (4) (M) 1:30.892
7. N. Heidfeld, Randle BMW (14) (G) 1:31.114
8. A. Randle, Randle BMW (13) (G) 1:31.206
9. K. Raikkonen, Williams Ford (5) (M) 1:31.306
10. N. Hulkenberg, Sauber Ferrari (29) (G) 1:31.338
11. J. Button, McLaren Mercedes (8) (M) 1:31.503
12. H. Kovalainen, Toleman Renault (20) (G) 1:31.590
13. S. Perez, McLaren Mercedes (7) (M) 1:31.688
14. R. Grosjean, Toleman Renault (19) (G) 1:31.800
15. V. Bottas, Williams Ford (6) (M) 1:31.991
16. V. Petrov, Lotus Renault (12) (M) 1:32.287
17. P. DiResta, Force India Mercedes (16) (P) 1:32.342
18. D. Ricciardio, Modena Lamborghini (35) (P) 1:32.490
19. S. Buemi, Force India Mercedes (15) (P) 1:32.567
20. G. Van Der Garde, Lotus Renault (11) (M) 1:32.844
21. G. Ricci, Modena Lamborghini (34) (P) 1:33.039
22. P. Maldonado, Ligier Renault (25) (M) 1:33.212
23. E. Gutierrez, Sauber Ferrari (30) (M) 1:33.463
24. A. Sutil, Arrows BMW (9) (P) 1:33.701
25. C. Pic, Ligier Renault (26) (M) 1:33.845
26. J. D’Ambrosio, Marussia Ferrari (17) (G) 1:34.099
27. M. Chilton, Arrows BMW (10) (P) 1:34.265
28. V. Liuzzi, Minardi Ford (24) (P) 1:34.411
29. J. Alguersuari, Alfa Romeo (32) (P) 1:34.578
30. J. E. Vergne, Minardi Ford (23) (P) 1:34.607
31. J. Bianchi, ART Ford (38) (M) 1:34.717
32. F. Leimer, Super Aguri Honda (22) (M) 1:34.903

Bahrain Grand Prix 57 laps (Hot and Sunny)
The race had to be restarted when on the first start, a 5 car collision in the midfield of Bottas, Petrov, the two McLarens and the Modena of Ricciardio all collided and leaving the track blocked at the first two turns. There was further damage to DiResta’s Force India and Maldonado’s Ligier however these were not terminal and did not force their exit before the restart. Sadly for Button, Ricciardio, Petrov and Bottas it was the end of their races as they could not get spare cars made in the time needed. Maldonado had a lucky escape as despite some front suspension damage, he was able to get the car into the pits to get it fixed. The race restarted 15 minutes later and there was no incident as the remaining 24 cars managed to get through the first lap. Hamilton who had gained first on the original start was disadvantage on the second start as the Mercedes stalled a little at the first corner; this would drop him to the back of the field. For the rest of the race he would use his pace to climb up the field and back into point positions, sadly though he could not have enough to challenge those leading the race. Red Bull found that Ferrari and Randle BMW were going to have stronger race pace on this event as both were able to get pass Vettel and Webber on lap 7 – 10. This was due to the Red Bulls suffering with a loss of 6th gear as their transmissions and gearboxes could not get the Renault engine to rev enough on the long straights. The mechanical problem would reoccur at irregular intervals throughout the race, it meant that having done extremely well in the first three races, and Bahrain would be one of damage limitation as the longer the race went the further down the order Webber and Vettel would fall.

Engines would fail for some of the drivers contesting the race; the problem would be terminal for Gutierrez on lap 21, Maldonado on lap 25 and Van Der Garde on lap 34. As a consequence of that first lap tangle, Perez’s McLaren would expire on lap 37 after finally breaking down with an overheating radiator that he had managed to delay in the race. It was disappointment for McLaren as it had been a dismal few races. Post race the team were facing several questions aimed at them from journalists. The race at the front had been a strong battle between Alonso, the 2 Randle BMWs and the Mercedes duo hanging on despite the power deficiency of the V8 compared to the V12s. Alonso would take the win ahead of Randle and Heidfeld as the BMW powered duo were close to passing the Ferrari for it not for the Spaniard’s experience in leading a race. The team would have to settle with Heidfeld setting the fastest lap on lap 54 with a 1:34.153, however it was a strong showing and that podium for Adam Randle would certainly give the British driver confidence as his attempt in the Indianapolis 500 was now very close. Red Bull had managed to salvage 9th and 10th as they finished a lap behind, by being lapped when they did it meant they could finish when another lap would have seen them exit the points as Grosjean was narrowly behind them with Buemi very close behind him.

Classification
1. F. Alonso (27) 1 hr 33mins 59.106s 25pts
2. A. Randle (13) + 2.087s 18pts
3. N. Heidfeld (14) + 7.980s 15pts
4. N. Rosberg (4) + 26.877s 12pts
5. L. Hamilton (3) + 31.782s 10pts
6. N. Hulkenberg (29) + 55.607s 8pts
7. K. Raikkonen (5) +1:04.786s 6pts
8. H. Kovalainen (20) + 1:15.465s 4pts
9. S. Vettel (1) +1 lap 2pts
10. M. Webber (2) +1 lap 1pt
11. R. Grosjean (19) +1 lap
12. S. Buemi (15) +1 lap
13. C. Pic (26) +2 laps
14. M. Chilton (10) +2 laps
15. J. D’Ambrosio (17) +2 laps
16. V. Liuzzi (24) +2 laps
17. A. Sutil (9) 48 laps Suspension
18. P. DiResta (16) 45 laps Brakes
19. S. Perez (7) 37 laps Overheating
20. G. Van Der Garde (11) 34 laps Engine
21. F. Massa (28) 32 laps
22. G. Ricci (34) 29 laps Gearbox
23. P. Maldonado (25) 25 laps Engine
24. E. Gutierrez (30) 21 laps Engine
25. J. Button (8) 0 laps Collision
26. V. Bottas (6) 0 laps Collision
27. V. Petrov (12) 0 laps Collision
28. D. Ricciardio (35) 0 laps Collision

F. Lap: A. Randle 1:34.153 on lap 54
DOTR: F. Alonso, strong drive meant he was able to take his first win of the season and claim a strong result with other championship rivals faltering.
ROTR: V. Petrov was found to be at fault for first lap incident that ensured 7 cars did not have a successful race. Is lucky the race stewards and the FIA have not suspended the driver as it could have been much worse.

Championship
1. S. Vettel (1) 57pts
2. M. Webber (2) 56pts
3. F. Alonso (27) 53pts
4. L. Hamilton (3) 50pts
5. N. Rosberg (4) 40pts
6. N. Heidfeld (14) 39pts
7. A. Randle (13) 30pts
8. F. Massa (28) 22pts
9. H. Kovalainen (20) 17pts
10. K. Raikkonen (5) 16pts
11. N. Hulkenberg (29) 12pts
12. R. Grosjean (19) 6pts
13. S. Perez (7) 2pts
= P. Maldonado (25) 2pts
15. D. Ricciardio (35) 1pt
= J. Button (8) 1pt

Constructors
1. Red Bull Renault 113pts
2. Mercedes 90pts
3. Ferrari 75pts
4. Randle BMW 69pts
5. Toleman Renault 23pts
6. Williams Ford 16pts
7. Sauber Ferrari 12pts
8. McLaren Mercedes 3pts
9. Ligier Renault 2pts
10. Modena Lamborghini 1pt
11. Lotus Renault 0pts (Best Finish 11th)
= Force India Mercedes 0pts (Best Finish 12th)
= Marussia Ferrari 0pts (Best Finish 13th)
= Minardi Ford 0pts (Best Finish 14th)
= Arrows BMW 0pts (Best Finish 14th)
= ART Ford 0pts (Best Finish 18th)
NC Alfa Romeo and Super Aguri Honda

Post Race
Attention now turned to the first European race of the season and the expected arrival of a few new cars, Toleman were hopeful that the new car could continue the progress that had been made in the early races. McLaren would be going back to the drawing board after some lacklustre performances while Williams and Sauber were now starting to gain some small momentum after the tough opening rounds. The farce regarding Super Aguri was hopeful of being resolved with Timo Glock expected to make his appearance at the next round while Adam Randle would miss the race as he attempted to win the Indianapolis 500 for KV Racing. Betting shops were given good odds on this possibility as he attempted to enter history as one of the few rookies to win it at their first attempt. The tyre problems that had caused a lot of media spotlight in the pre race preparations would be sorted when Goodyear, Michelin and Pirelli felt a slightly harder compound and less optimistic brake settings would solve the issue of inadequate tyre wear.

working on some long overdue updates to this, just been completely busy with real life.

2013 Spanish Grand Prix Weekend 9th – 12 May 2013

Pre Race
Fabio Leimer kept his place in the Super Aguri team as he was now partnered by Timo Glock who would race the No. 21 car. A championship debut for Daniel Hume who managed to have a decent few weeks of testing with the Randle GR03, the Englishman doing well in GP2 would be hoping to capitalise on his chance with a strong drive. Aguri Suzuki had managed to sort some future for his team as the last remnants of the association with Honda would be over with this their last race using Honda engines. The team would be using Ford Cosworth engines from Monaco onwards, prequalification was unlikely as the still skeleton staff would be only running Glock at some competitiveness as Leimer was not expected to set a competitive time. The car though at least had some sponsorship on the chassis as it had managed to secure some last minute deals with investors with Panasonic sorting a deal to be title sponsors. Several teams had updates and the Ferrari was hopeful of another Spanish Grand Prix victory for Alonso. Rumours had entered the paddock of a possible ending of Mercedes with McLaren as reports had speculated of the 18 year relationship ending. Force India were in discussions for a new engine suppliers for 2014 with Honda rumoured to supply a V6 turbo engine.
Prequalifying (Cloudy and Cool)

1. T. Glock, Super Aguri Honda (21) (M) 1:20.001
2. J. Alguersuari, Alfa Romeo (32) (P) 1:20.224
3. D. Valsecchi, Alfa Romeo (33) (P) 1:20.587
4. S. Coletti, Marussia Ferrari (18) (G) 1:20.606
5. J. Bianchi, ART Ford (38) (M) 1:20.871
6. J. D’Ambrosio, Marussia Ferrari (17) (G) 1:21.154
7. F. Montagny, ART Ford (37) (M) 1:21.265
8. F. Leimer, Super Aguri Honda (22) (M) 1:25.778

Qualifying (Warm and Dry)

1. L. Hamilton, Mercedes (3) (M) 1:16.552
2. N. Rosberg, Mercedes (4) (M) 1:16.709
3. F. Massa, Ferrari (28) (G) 1:16.834
4. S. Vettel, Red Bull Renault (1) (G) 1:16.902
5. J. Button, McLaren Mercedes (8) (M) 1:16.927
6. M. Webber, Red Bull Renault (2) (G) 1:17.103
7. F. Alonso, Ferrari (27) (G) 1:17.287
8. H. Kovalainen, Toleman Renault (20) (G) 1:17.431
9. N. Heidfeld, Randle BMW (14) (G) 1:17.508
10. R. Grosjean, Toleman Renault (19) (G) 1:17.689
11. S. Perez, McLaren Mercedes (7) (M) 1:17.903
12. N. Hulkenberg, Sauber Ferrari (29) (G) 1:17.993
13. V. Bottas, Williams Ford (6) (M) 1:18.229
14. K. Raikkonen, Williams Ford (5) (M) 1:18.311
15. P. DiResta, Force India Mercedes (16) (P) 1:18.376
16. P. Maldonado, Ligier Renault (25) (M) 1:18.598
17. S. Buemi, Force India Mercedes (15) (P) 1:18.792
18. D. Hume, Randle BMW (13) (G) 1:18.875
19. M. Chilton, Arrows BMW (10) (P) 1:18.954
20. G. Ricci, Modena Lamborghini (34) (P) 1:19.114
21. A. Sutil, Arrows BMW (9) (P) 1:19.435
22. D. Ricciardio, Modena Lamborghini (35) (P) 1:19.560
23. E. Gutierrez, Sauber Ferrari (30) (G) 1:19.707
24. C. Pic, Ligier Renault (26) (M) 1:19.890
25. J. E. Vergne Minardi Ford (23) (P) 1:19.951
26. V. Petrov Lotus Renault (12) (M) 1:20.198
27. D. Valsecchi, Alfa Romeo (33) (P) 1:20.331
28. G. Van Der Garde, Lotus Renault (11) (M) 1:20.476
29. J. Alguersuari, Alfa Romeo (34) (P) 1:20.576
30. V. Liuzzi, Minardi Ford (24) (P) 1:20.611
31. S. Coletti, Marussia Ferrari (17) (G) 1:20.717
32. T. Glock, Super Aguri Honda (21) (M) 1:21.094

Spanish Grand Prix 69 laps (Warm and Sunny)

The race started to a huge cheer from the crowd as Alonso had made a strong start to take 3rd on the first lap. He had drove brilliantly into the first two corners by using the room left by Vettel and Button that had meant Massa could hold them back towards his Ferrari teammate. The Mercedes were holding the first two places and had managed to be the fastest cars in the opening few laps. The field had been finding its form and only a spin by Van Der Garde’s Lotus had been the sole retirement of the race in the first 14 laps. The driver had spun at Curva Sito Pons and into the gravel trap. The Lotus team would confirm a gearbox skipping a gear was the course for the spin. The early stages had seen the Mercedes open a strong lead as it was only Alonso who was able to lap consistently with their times. By lap 17 they had a 12 lap lead over Alonso who was a further 7 seconds ahead of Button in 4th place. This had grown to 15 seconds when on lap 21 Alonso spun on the oil left by Valsecchi’s detonating Alfa Romeo engine. He was able to recover but had lost a lot of time to Hamilton and Rosberg. Charles Pic was not as lucky as the driver spun on the oil and crashed into the barriers and out of the race. Fortunately the French driver was not harmed but was disappointed as the Ligier was driving competently around the circuit.

Debutant Daniel Hume had been driving well in his first race, he had managed to make it to 8th by lap 24 and had been on the pace of his more experienced teammate who he had overtaken on newer tyres a few laps before. Red Bull saw their first DNF of the season when the electronics on the car stopped working, with no way to change gears or monitor fuel Webber was advised to retire the car. Vettel was given instruction that if it occurred to his car then he also would be forced to retire. Fortunately it did not happen and the driver was able to have a strong afternoon battling for 4th. This would be a surprise 3rd place when on lap 55 to the horror of the local fans Fernando Alonso had to retire from the race after running 2nd and jumping Rosberg at the last round of pit stops. The driver had been lapping faster than the leader Hamilton on the softer tyres but riding over a kerb at the chicane at speed had broken the under tray of the car and it meant his race was over. Mercedes had been left to take a one two finish with Hamilton winning his 2nd race of the season. With his former team McLaren having struggled in the first few races it had meant that it had appeared to be a wise move to leave his old team after so many years driving for them. Massa had brought some joy back to Ferrari with taking the fastest lap on lap 65 with a 1:19.502.

Classification
1. L. Hamilton (3) 1 Hr 29 mins 28.675s 25pts
2. N. Rosberg (4) + 10.786s 18pts
3. S. Vettel (1) + 29.876s 15pts
4. F. Massa (28) + 55.987s 12pts
5. N. Heidfeld (14) + 1:01.365s 10pts
6. J. Button (8) + 1:10.331s 8pts
7. R. Grosjean (19) + 1:15.354s 6pts
8. D. Hume (13) + 1:16.753s 4pts
9. K. Raikkonen (5) + 1 lap 2pts
10. H. Kovalainen (20) + 1 lap 1pt
11. V. Bottas (6) + 1 lap
12. S. Perez (7) + 1 lap
13. D. Ricciardio (35) + 1 lap
14. A. Sutil (9) + 1 lap
15. M. Chilton (10) + 2 laps
16. P. DiResta (16) + 2 laps
17. P. Maldonado (25) + 2 laps
18. E. Guiterrez (30) + 3 laps
19. J. E. Vergne (23) Suspension + 6 laps
20. S. Buemi (15) Oil Leak 60 laps
21. F. Alonso (27) Chassis 55 laps
22. G. Ricci, (34) Driveshaft 42 laps
23. V. Petrov (12) Brakes 33 laps
24. N. Hulkenberg (29) Engine 31 laps
25. M. Webber (2) Electronics 27 laps
26. C. Pic (26) Accident 21 laps
27. D. Valsecchi (33) Engine 19 laps
28. G. Van Der Garde (11) Spun Off 10 laps

F. Lap: F. Massa (28) 1:19.502 on lap 65
DOTR: L. Hamilton, drove brilliantly to take a second win of the season and helped gain Mercedes maximum points as their rivals struggled with their pace.
ROTR: E. Gutierrez just was not good enough and the car should not have been that off the pace considering his teammate had been pushing for points before a mechanical failure.

Championship
1. L. Hamilton (3) 75pts
2. S. Vettel (1) 72pts
3. N. Rosberg (4) 58pts
4. M. Webber (2) 56pts
5. F. Alonso (27) 53pts
6. N. Heidfeld (14) 49pts
7. F. Massa (28) 34pts
8. A. Randle (13) 30pts
9. K. Raikkonen (5) 18pts
= H. Kovalainen (20) 18pts
11. N. Hulkenberg (29) 12pts
= R. Grosjean (19) 12pts
13. J. Button (8) 9pts
14. D. Hume (13) 4pts
15. S. Perez (7) 2pts
= P. Maldonado (25) 2pts
17. D. Ricciardio (35) 1pt

Constructors
1. Mercedes 133pts
2. Red Bull Renault 128pts
3. Ferrari 87pts
4. Randle BMW 83pts
5. Toleman Renault 30pts
6. Williams Ford 18pts
7. Sauber Ferrari 12pts
8. McLaren Mercedes 11pts
9. Ligier Renault 2pts
10. Modena Lamborghini 1pt
11. Lotus Renault 0pts (Best Pos. 11th)
= Force India Mercedes 0pts (Best Pos. 12th)
= Marussia Ferrari 0pts (Best Pos. 13th)
= Arrows BMW 0pts (Best Pos. 14th)
= Minardi Ford 0pts (Best Pos. 14th)
= ART Ford 0pts (Best Pos. 18th)
NC. Alfa Romeo, Super Aguri Honda

Post Race

Attention would now turn to Monaco, where with only 26 cars permitted to start 10 entrants would see their race weekend over by the Saturday. Super Aguri future was now pretty much secured so they could look to getting an updated car in the near future. McLaren were reported to be conducting some secret meeting with Mercedes regarding their engine partnership. Meanwhile Williams would schedule a conference regarding their plans for 2014 as rumours had circulated of a long awaited VW Group backed Porsche entry as a Turbo Engine Supplier. Webber had been disappointed that he had not finished the race but would feel more confident at Monaco where he would hope he could win. Adam Randle had put himself in a strong position to win the Indy 500 with news that he had secured Pole Position in the historic race.

Hey, I'm just wondering, what are you using to simulate the races? Is it one of the GPM games?

Regenmeister94 wrote:Hey, I'm just wondering, what are you using to simulate the races? Is it one of the GPM games?

I use no simulation for this, it means I have full creative control on the content but its means I do not get to see the visual side unravel. I sometimes will use a random number generator on number of retirements but try to use some basis in the results. E.g. Monaco will have more retirements then Shanghai because of the likelihood of crashing is higher, Monza and Bahrain having more mechanical engine failures due to the circuit pushing the engines.' Pre-qualifying and Qualifying will tend to be based on how the team would do at a circuit and how I would put driver ability and the car together. A undeveloped V12 engined car would likely be heavy and slow at places like Monaco and Singapore but at Paul Ricard and Monza would have a possible advantage. I do have some drawings that I want to be turned into a mod so I could race a season as it would be nice to see that. It is something with the relevant time I may be getting someone to do but of course it would take some time. So making the Computer designs would help that as it tend be making sure it could run as a basis for that or at least bring a visual aspect to this championship.

2013 Monaco Grand Prix Weekend 23rd May – 26th May

Pre Race

Three huge events had happened between the Spanish and Monaco Grand Prix. Adam Randle had returned to Formula One in triumphant jubilation having clinched the Indy 500 with a fantastic display of skill. Williams had announced a switch to Porsche V6 Turbo engines for 2014 and would have them as title partners and complete exclusivity until 2017. It would be the last announcement for Williams founder Frank Williams as he was announcing his retirement from the team effective after the British Grand Prix. His daughter would step up duties as the team principal. For Porsche it would see them make their first attempt in Formula One since 1991 and crucially Volkswagen’s long awaited entrance to Formula One after having been so successful in Sports Car racing with both Audi and Porsche. Finally Mercedes announced that they would be using a V6 turbo engine in 2014 and will retain McLaren and Force India as customers. The German team announced that customers will use a normally aspirated V8 in 2014 but will have the option for a turbo in 2015. Alfa Romeo had new engines available for their drivers as did Ferrari. One thing that was on everyone’s minds was would Adam Randle complete a historic feat that only Graham Hill had done by winning the Triple Crown of Le Mans, Indy 500 and the Monaco Grand Prix. New updates to the Randle BMW would help him gain huge progress to this accomplishment as the car was very competitive against the Red Bull and Mercedes entry. It was shaping up to be a memorable weekend in the sport.

Prequalifying (Warm and Sunny)
With Modena dropping into prequalifying for the only time in the season it was expected that the other teams would only be battling for the final 2 spaces. This was true as the Lamborghini backed team were dominant in qualifying and were over 1 second faster than the 3rd placed driver. Bianchi was best of the rest while Marussia would be smiling as they had taken the final slot.

1. D. Ricciardio, Modena Lamborghini (35) (P) 1:14.365
2. G. Ricci, Modena Lamborghini (34) (P) 1:14.515
3. J. Bianchi, ART Ford (38) (M) 1:15.707
4. J. D’Ambrosio, Marussia Ferrari (17) (G) 1:15.855
5. S. Coletti, Marussia Ferrari (18) (G) 1:16.243
6. F. Montagny, ART Ford (39) (M) 1:16.301
7. T. Glock, Super Aguri Ford (21) (M) 1:16.455
8. J. Alguersuari, Alfa Romeo (32) (P) 1:16.604
9. D. Valsecchi, Alfa Romeo (33) (P) 1:16.877
10. F. Leimer, Super Aguri Ford (22) (M) 1:16.980

Qualifying (Cool and Rain)
The session was conducted in hazardous conditions that forced the postponement of qualifying; fortunately it cleared a little to run qualifying on a very wet track. The Randle team were able to take advantage of this by locking out the front row and giving Adam Randle a huge opportunity to take the Triple Crown and his first Formula One Career Victory.

1. A. Randle, Randle BMW (13) (G) 1:41.798
2. N. Heidfeld, Randle BMW (14) (G) 1:42.034
3. N. Rosberg, Mercedes (4) (M) 1:42.243
4. L. Hamilton, Mercedes (3) (M) 1:42.305
5. M. Webber, Red Bull Renault (2) (G) 1:42.435
6. S. Vettel, Red Bull Renault (1) (G) 1:42.515
7. N. Hulkenberg, Sauber Ferrari (29) (G) 1:42.707
8. F. Massa, Ferrari (28) (G) 1:42.899
9. V. Bottas, Williams Ford (6) (M) 1:43.033
10. F. Alonso, Ferrari (27) (G) 1:43.211
11. J. Button, McLaren Mercedes (8) (M) 1:43.441
12. R. Grosjean, Toleman Renault (19) (G) 1:43.498
13. P. DiResta, Force India Mercedes (16) (P) 1:43.556
14. S. Perez, McLaren Mercedes (7) (M) 1:43.717
15. H. Kovalainen, Toleman Renault (20) (G) 1:43.866
16. K. Raikkonen, Williams Ford (5) (M) 1:43.990
17. S. Buemi, Force India Mercedes (15) (P) 1:44.178
18. E. Gutierrez, Sauber Ferrari (30) (G) 1:44.335
19. D. Ricciardio, Modena Lamborghini (35) (P) 1:44.420
20. G. Ricci, Modena Lamborghini (34) (P) 1:44.663
21. G. Van Der Garde, Lotus Renault (11) (M) 1:44.902
22. V. Petrov, Lotus Renault (12) (M) 1:45.203
23. V. Liuzzi, Minardi Ford (24) (P) 1:45.304
24. P. Maldonado, Ligier Renault (25) (M) 1:45.515
25. J. Bianchi, ART Ford (38) (M) 1:45.587
26. J. D’Ambrosio, Marussia Ferrari (17) (G) 1:45.789
27. M. Chilton, Arrows BMW, (10) (G) 1:45.992
28. C. Pic, Ligier Renault (26) (M) 1:46.213
29. A. Sutil, Arrows BMW (9) (G) 1:46.411
30. J. E. Vergne, Minardi Ford (23) (P) 1:46.558

Monaco Grand Prix 78 laps (Warm and Sunny)

The cars lined up for 2013 edition of this historic race, Randle had put himself into a big advantage be dominating qualifying to take a pole in an attempt to be the second driver to win the Indianapolis 500, 24 hours of Le Mans and the Monaco Grand Prix, he would be supported by his teammate who had qualified second. The pace set by the team in practices over the weekend had made them the favourites to take their second race win. This would be the only race with 26 starters so a few teams had not qualified for the race. Super Aguri, Alfa Romeo and surprisingly Arrows would not have an entrant into the race, while Marussia, Art, Minardi, Ligier would have one driver representing them. A stalled Sauber of Gutierrez would cause another formation lap and he would have to start from the pit lane as the other 25 cars would take the starting lights. The lights out and the Randle BMWs made a fantastic start into the first corner, Heidfeld followed Randle who had kept his lead into Ste Devote, a tight midfield had caused some damages to the cars of Bottas and Alonso but not enough for it to be race threatening. An engine failure for Grosjean on the first lap would see him retire at the chicane. Electronics issues would end Gutierrez race a few laps later with the same problems that had caused his stall on the grid. By now the Randle BMWs with a clear track were able to pull away at 1 second a lap as the cars in 3rd onwards were very close together and on lap 14 this was now an 18 second lead from 1st to 3rd. The tyre wear was proving to be better than expected and a 2 stop strategy was most likely the outcome with pit stops in around lap 25. Rosberg would see himself out on lap 13 when he hit the barrier going into the tunnel, he would retire in the pits with Suspension damage as his tyres supports on the left of the car were bent and damaged.

Bottas and Alonso had made it into 15th and 17th places after pitting on the first lap with wing damages; on lap 20 this would see Alonso pass Bottas for 14th going into Casino. Bottas would regain the place at the nouvelle chicane but leaving the door open Alonso was able to pass going into Tabac. The nimble Ford V10 was having a brilliant battle against the Ferrari V12. By lap 24 the pace of Randle had meant he had a 10 second lead over his teammate whose tyres had started to blister, the Englishman would not need to pit until lap 31 where he kept his lead, this brilliant piece of tyre management meant he could switch from his original 3 stop strategy to a 2 stop with the second stop being able to be saved until the final 15 laps of the race. The yellow flags were out Rascasse as Vettel clouted the barriers onto his in lap for the pits, the lack of grip in his worn tyres had caused him to do a rare mistake in his driving. A clearly frustrated Vettel was not seen for the rest of the weekend after the incident. Hulkenberg was able to take advantage of the confusion to the Red Bull pit crew and jump Webber in their pit stops because of the Sauber team thinking very quickly and calling him in on lap 25. Hamilton lost more time to Heidfeld when he was stuck behind the lapped cars of Buemi and the 2 Lotuses. By lap 30 the top 10 were as followed: 1. A. Randle, 2. N. Heidfeld 3. L. Hamilton, 4. N. Hulkenberg 5. M. Webber 6. J. Button 7. F. Massa 8. K. Raikkonen 9. P. DiResta 10. G. Ricci

On lap 34 the safety car was brought out as a collision between Petrov and Liuzzi had blocked part of the track in the chicane. Fortunately for Randle he had lapped cars between him and his teammate meant that on lap 38 when the race restarted he was able to pull away again into his lead, the lapped cars proving a problem for Hamilton meant Hulkenberg was able to use them to take 3rd. The safety car had made things a bit more interesting for the second half of the race as it meant more overtakes happened as the cars had closed together, the lapped cars had made it even better because of being able to manoeuvre them would put pressure on them to block other cars. Again a clear track for the leader meant that he was able to pull away, however Heidfeld pace was not as good and had now Hulkenberg battling for second. The two would trade lap times over the next 10 laps as both battled to get the second place. The Marussia of D’ Ambrosio and the ART of Bianchi were having a fantastic battle in 14th and 15th, with the rate of attrition it meant points may be a possibility but it would certainly help both teams escape prequalifying in the future as at this stage of the season only 10 teams had scored points. This would be even aided on lap 50 when the Lotus of Van Der Garde retired with a Steering problem. For ART now as long they completed 72 laps of the race they would achieve their best position of the season, as they were only 2 laps down with some 28 laps left to run this was quite possible.

On lap 64 and 66 the final two retirements happened, both were from mechanical failures, the unlucky drivers were Massa with a gearbox problem and Bottas with an engine problem, it had been a difficult race for the Finn as a first lap incident had dropped him to the back of the grid and through some strong drives he had made it into 7th by the time of his retirement. Lap 67 would see Randle pit for the last time for the new tyres by now only the top 4 were on the lead lap, he had drove a brilliant race and now was consolidating his lead for the final laps, he was trying to not allow the previous mistakes that had happened in this position, the car was healthy and the lead substantial enough that he was able to set the fastest lap on lap 75 with a 1:15.587. With no mistakes or problems he was able to take the chequered flag and celebrate an immense achievement of winning the Triple Crown in less than a year, it was finally his first f1 victory and one he had led every lap, gained pole and the fastest lap. His teammate who for the last 20 laps had battled to keep a fast Hulkenberg behind him came in 2nd place. Celebrations for ART and Marussia with their 11th and 12th places respectively as it meant some of their best ever finishes.

Classification

1. A .Randle (13) 1 hr 39 mins 35.765s 25pts
2. N. Heidfeld (14) + 44.586s 18pts
3. N. Hulkenberg (29) + 46.321s 15pts
4. L. Hamilton (3) + 1:03.253s 12pts
5. M. Webber (2) + 1 lap 10pts
6. K. Raikkonen (5) + 1 lap 8pts
7. J. Button (8) + 1 lap 6pts
8. F. Alonso (27) + 1 lap 4pts
9. G. Ricci (34) + 2 laps 2pts
10. S. Buemi (15) + 2 laps 1pts
11. J. Bianchi (38) + 3 laps
12. J. D’Amboise + 3 laps
13. V. Bottas (6) 66 laps Engine
14. F. Massa (28) 64 laps Gearbox
15. G. Van Der Garde (11) 50 laps Steering
16. P. DiResta (16) 39 laps Brakes
17. V. Petrov (12) 32 laps Collision
18. V. Liuzzi (24) 32 laps Collision
19. P. Maldonado (25) 30 laps Oil Leakage
20. D. Ricciardio (35) Gearbox 27 laps
21. S. Vettel (1) Collision 24 laps
22. S. Perez (7) Engine 22 laps
23. H. Kovalainen (20) Handling 17 laps
24. N. Rosberg (4) Suspension 13 laps
25. E. Gutierrez (30) Electronics 4 laps
26. R. Grosjean (19) Engine 0 laps

F. Lap: A. Randle (13) 1:15.587
DOTR: A. Randle, a grand chelam and holder of a title that only one other person in motorsport history had ever achieved.
ROTR: E. Gutierrez, teammate gets a podium while he struggled all weekend in comparison.

Championship
1. L. Hamilton (3) 87pts
2. S. Vettel (1) 72pts
3. N. Heidfeld (14) 67pts
4. M. Webber (2) 66pts
5. N. Rosberg (4) 58pts
6. F. Alonso (27) 57pts
7. A. Randle (13) 55pts
8. F, Massa (28) 34pts
9. N. Hulkenberg (29) 27pts
10. K. Raikkonen (5) 26pts
11. H. Kovalainen (20) 18pts
12. J. Button (8) 15pts
13. R. Grosjean (19) 12pts
14. D. Hume (13) 4pts
15. S. Perez (7) 2pts
= G. Ricci (34) 2pts
= P. Maldonado (25) 2pts
18. D. Ricciardio (35) 1pt
= S. Buemi (15) 1pt

Constructors
1. Mercedes 145pts
2. Red Bull Renault 138pts
3. Randle BMW 126pts
4. Ferrari 91pts
5. Toleman Renault 30pts
6. Sauber Ferrari 27pts
7. Williams Ford 26pts
8. McLaren Mercedes 17pts
9. Modena Lamborghini 3pts
10. Ligier Renault 2pts
11. Force India Mercedes 1pt
12. Lotus Renault 0pts (Best Pos. 11th)
12. ART Ford 0pts (Best Pos. 11th)
12. Marussia Ferrari 0pts (Best Pos. 12th)
12. Arrows BMW 0pts (Best Pos. 14th)
12. Minardi Ford 0pts (Best Pos. 14th)
NC Alfa Romeo and Super Aguri

Post Race
The F1 circus began its preparations for the first race in North America at Montreal; a few teams would be hoping to have more success than they did in Monaco. Rumours were making the papers of Honda making a turbo Engine for a top team in 2015, BMW had announced that they would be making their engine future plans clear in France. Super Aguri could have the new SA12C at Paul Ricard with the team having to make do with the old car that was nowhere race pace still for Canada. The driver market was starting to make moves with the rumours of Raikkonen, Hulkenberg and Randle in contention for a Ferrari or Red Bull seat. With rumours of Webber joining Porsche in Le Mans or a seat at Williams then it was likely to kick-start driver moves at the top end of the grid.

2013 Canadian Grand Prix Weekend 6th – 9th June

Pre Race
Several of the teams had a few updates to the cars, Marussia had some new developments to their front wing designed to give the car a bit more downforce and to maximise the grip with the Ferrari engine. Alfa Romeo was confident of an improved performance as the team were feeling they were getting used to complexities of F1. Webber would announce his future plans very soon as rumours were now saying he was going to be leaving F1 at the end of the season. Porsche Officials were seen in the Williams motor home as plans were underway for their V6 turbo engine for next season. The team in their press conference confirmed that plans to test the engine in a private test after the Italian Grand Prix with a modified 2013 chassis in preparation for next year’s new car. McLaren after a few bad performances from Perez had some updates to help ease their drivers as they both were starting to fall behind Mercedes, Red Bull, Randle BMW and Ferrari.

Prequalifying

1. J. D’Ambrosio, Marussia Ferrari (17) (G) 1:17.298
2. S. Coletti, Marussia Ferrari (18) (G) 1:17.389
3. J. Bianchi ART Ford, (38) (M) 1:17.856
4. J. Alguersuari, Alfa Romeo (32) (P) 1:17.915
5. D. Valsecchi, Alfa Romeo (33) (P) 1:18.355
6. T. Glock, Super Aguri (21) (M) 1:18.531
7. F. Leimer, Super Aguri (22) (M) 1:18.621
8. F. Montagny, ART Ford (39) (M) 1:18.809

Qualifying

1. S. Vettel, Red Bull Renault (1) (G) 1:14.352
2. L. Hamilton, Mercedes (3) (M) 1:14.501
3. M. Webber, Red Bull Renault (2) (G) 1:14.707
4. A. Randle, Randle BMW, (13) (G) 1:14.766
5. K. Raikkonen, Williams Ford (5) (M) 1:14.901
6. N. Rosberg, Mercedes (4) (M) 1:15.113
7. F. Massa, Ferrari (28) (G) 1:15.223
8. F. Alonso, Ferrari (27) (G) 1:15.404
9. S. Perez, McLaren Mercedes (7) (M) 1:15.559
10. H. Kovalainen, Toleman Renault (20) (G) 1:15.645
11. N. Heidfeld, Randle BMW (14) (G) 1:15.678
12. V. Bottas, Williams Ford (6) 1:15.911
13. R. Grosjean, Toleman Renault (19) 1:15.990
14. N. Hulkenberg, Sauber Ferrari (29) (G) 1:16.214
15. D. Ricciardio, Modena Lamborghini (35) (P) 1:16.302
16. J. Button, McLaren Mercedes, (8) (M) 1:16.521
17. P. DiResta, Force India Mercedes, (16) (P) 1:16.607
18. G. Ricci, Modena Lamborghini, (34) (P) 1:16.654
19. S. Buemi, Force India Mercedes (15) (P) 1:16.808
20. J. Bianchi, ART Ford (38) (M) 1:16.851
21. E. Gutierrez, Sauber Ferrari (30) (G) 1:17.020
22. G. Van Der Garde, Lotus Renault (11) (M) 1:17.123
23. S. Coletti, Marussia Ferrari (18) (G) 1:17.178
24. J. D’Ambrosio. Marussia Ferrari (17) (G) 1:17.344
25. V. Petrov, Lotus Renault (12) (M) 1:17.548
26. V. Liuzzi, Minardi Ford (24) (P) 1:17.654
27. A. Sutil, Arrows BMW (9) (G) 1:17.801
28. J. Alguersuari, Alfa Romeo (32) (P) 1:17.875
29. P. Maldonado Ligier Renault (25) (M) 1:17.933
30. C. Pic, Ligier Renault (26) (M) 1:18.059
31. M. Chilton, Arrows BMW (10) (G) 1:18.207
32. J. E. Vergne, Minardi Ford (23) (P) 1:18.401

2013 Canadian Grand Prix 70 laps (Cool and Dry)

It was cool conditions for the Canadian Grand Prix, Vettel and Hamilton had shown in qualifying of what the main title fight of 2013 was likely to be, however some fans had reason to be optimistic of Randle BMW’s chances with their driver following up a tremendous Monaco win with a 4th place on the grid. Button had endured a torrid qualifying session with major problems with his McLaren handling; he would not be feeling confident of a strong race. Hamilton had a brilliant start and was at the front into the first corner, Button weekend was over by colliding with Ricci and Hulkenberg. All 3 were out instantly and the safety car was needed as debris had sprayed the track, the other 25 cars had avoided it but it would be a few laps before the race would restart in normal conditions. The race restarted and featured an excellent battle between Raikkonen’s Williams and Randle in his car, Rosberg was able to take advantage of a wonderful fight that saw Randle drop 2 places as the Mercedes was able to use both cars to pass both. Gutierrez would end Sauber’s weekend on lap 6 when he crashed into the wall of champions bringing out a second safety car, the race would restart on lap 9 and would finally be running properly after the early interruptions, and this would prove to be too much for Sutil’s Arrows as his Gearbox packed up on lap 13. In the midfield a nice battle was occurring between 7th and 11th as all participants were trading lap times, Alonso was trying to put distance between himself by using his teammate Massa to delay Bottas and Heidfeld, the Williams like with his teammate earlier seemed to be running in dirty air better and was able to use this to get pass the Ferrari and chase down Alonso. At the front Hamilton was trying to extend his lead to Vettel, while Webber had fallen behind Raikkonen and Randle to 6th. This would be a terminal problem as he was suffering from an overheating problem and retired from the race on lap 21. The cause would be found to be pieces of carbon fibre trapped in the radiator from the opening lap carnage. Concerns were in the Red Bull garage is this was going to happen on Vettel’s car, an extra long check at his tyre pit stop concluded that the car would remain healthy, but it had dropped Vettel to 5th. There was some joy for them when Hamilton suffered a brakes failure and had to retire as his car a few laps later. This meant the top 3 on lap 28 were 1. N. Rosberg (4), 2. K. Raikkonen (5) 3. A. Randle (13).

After the early disruption, the race entered a nice relaxed middle third of the race with few instances of note, that being a handling problem resulting in Van Der Garde’s Lotus failing to finish the 4th race in a row. The Lotus team had been struggling a little in recent races due to a lack of developments and skill from both of their drivers, rumours had spread of both drivers not driving for the team next season and could even be replaced in the next few races. At the back the Alfa Romeo was proving to be oddly reliable, the engine which was the first Turbo since 1988 was finally able to get a decent run and the driver was lapping ahead of the Marussia’s, Minardi and ART cars. Alguersuari seemed quite happy with the car and he was catching the Lotus of Petrov. Minardi’s torrid season was further extended with a Gearbox failure for Liuzzi. The team had suffered with the loss of expensive Ferrari engines and were looking for future engine partnerships with Lamborghini, Honda and several others. Their Ford V8 was just not as developed as some of the other engines on the grid. Toleman and Lotus races would be over before the finish as both teams remaining drivers suffered mechanical problems. Heidfeld showed that the Randle BMW was a solid car that was the best of the rest after Red Bull and Mercedes by in 2 laps passing with ease the Ferraris with Vettel in front of him for the remaining 7 laps of the race. Randle’s race long battle with Raikkonen was resolved on lap 65 when he took advantage of worn tyres to pass the Williams for a 2nd to follow up the Monaco triumph. This left Rosberg to take his first win of the season and swing some momentum to Mercedes as Red Bull had struggled. Vettel would gain some payback as he wrestled the fastest lap of the race on the last lap from Rosberg with a 1:17.465. Celebrations for Alfa Romeo and Marussia who picked up very important finished although 2 and 3 laps down respectively.

Classification
1. N. Rosberg (4) 1 Hr 39 mins 36.578s 25pts
2. A. Randle (13) + 20.465s 18pts
3. K. Raikkonen (5) + 29.243s 15pts
4. S. Vettel (1) + 51.654s 12pts
5. N. Heidfeld (14) + 54.298s 10pts
6. F. Massa (28) + 1:03.765s 8pts
7. F. Alonso (27) + 1:09.112s 6pts
8. V. Bottas (6) + 1 lap 4pts
9. D. Ricciardio (35) + 1 lap 2pts
10. S. Perez (7) + 1 lap 1pt
11. P. DiResta (16) + 1 lap
12. S. Buemi (15) + 1 lap
13. J. Alguersuari (32) + 2 laps
14. J. Bianchi (38) + 2 laps
15. S. Coletti (18) + 3 laps
16. J. D’ Ambrosio (17) + 3 laps
17. V. Petrov (12) 53 laps Driveshaft
18. R. Grosjean (19) 51 laps Engine
19. V. Liuzzi (24) 45 laps Gearbox
20. G. Van Der Garde (11) 41 laps Handling
21. L. Hamilton (3) 26 laps Brakes
22. H. Kovalainen (20) 24 laps Engine
23. M. Webber (2) 21 laps Overheating
24. A. Sutil (9) 13 laps Gearbox
25. E. Gutierrez (30) 6 laps Collision
26. N. Hulkenberg (29) 0 laps Collision
27. G. Ricci (34) 0 laps Collision
28. J. Button (8) 0 laps Collision

F. Lap: S. Vettel (1) 1:17.465
DOTR: K. Raikkonen, solid and consistent drive to take William’s first podium of the season.
ROTR: J. Button, bad qualifying session and out of the race before the first corner. McLaren lost a lot of ground to other teams this weekend.

Championship
1. L. Hamilton (3) 87pts
2. S. Vettel (1) 84pts
3. N. Rosberg (4) 83pts
4. N. Heidfeld (14) 77pts
5. A. Randle (13) 73pts
6. M. Webber (2) 66pts
7. F. Alonso (27) 63pts
8. F. Massa (28) 42pts
9. K. Raikkonen (5) 41pts
10. N. Hulkenberg (29) 27pts
11. H. Kovalainen (20) 18pts
12. J. Button (8) 15pts
13. R. Grosjean (19) 12pts
14. V. Bottas (6) 4pts
= D. Hume (13) 4pts
16. D. Ricciardio (35) 3pts
= S. Perez (7) 3pts
18. G. Ricci (34) 2pts
= P. Maldonado (25) 2pts
20. S. Buemi (15) 1pt

Constructors
1. Mercedes 170pts
2. Randle BMW 154pts
3. Red Bull Renault 150pts
4. Ferrari 105pts
5. Williams Ford 45pts
6. Toleman Renault 30pts
7. Sauber Ferrari 27pts
8. McLaren Mercedes 18pts
9. Modena Lamborghini 5pts
10. Ligier Renault 2pts
11. Force India Mercedes 1pt
12. ART Ford 0pts (Best Pos. 11th)
= Lotus Renault 0pts (Best Pos. 11th)
= Marussia Ferrari 0pts (Best Pos. 12th)
= Alfa Romeo 0pts (Best Pos. 13th)
= Arrows BMW 0pts (Best Pos. 14th)
= Minardi Ford 0pts (Best Post. 14th)
NC Super Aguri Ford

Post Race
Most of the talk was of the continued strength of Randle BMW, two strong races and they were well in the fight with Red Bull and Mercedes, it will be telling if it can be maintained. Christian Horner was quite frustrated upon the news of Goodyear’s private test with the Randle team after French Grand Prix. In an interview it was mentioned that ‘they will be asking the FIA on clarification on the matter.’ Ligier announced that if results did not pick up then a new driver will be needed for Germany as the team was not happy with recent performances. Arrows likewise were in talks with Randle over their reserve driver Dan Hume replacing either Chilton or Sutil on a race by race basis. The team were looking to avoid prequalifying which was starting to look a strong possibility for 2014 and if due to a shock result could drop into prequalifying for the rest of 2013. Super Aguri were confident of a stronger showing in France with the new car while McLaren would be desperate for improved fortune. Ricciardio had made a claim for a future Red Bull seat after some strong performances for the Red Bull assisted Modena team.