Tag: Michael Schumacher

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F1 2024 Season

Catching a flight back to Europe: Imola’s return

Circuit Information

The Emilia Romagna Grand Prix, also known as the Imola Grand Prix, is the first of two grands prix to be held in Italy. It it held at the Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari track. This year marks the return of Imola, as last year the race was cancelled due to flooding. The track is made up of 19 corners and one DRS zone,  with a track length of 4.909km. Drivers have to tackle a combination of sharp corners and braking zones within the 63 lap race,, making Imola one of the most technical races of the season.

Image Credit: formula1.com
Weekend Schedule 

After two weekends of sprints, we return to a normal race weekend format. 

Friday: 

  • Free Practice One – 13:30 – 14:30 
  • Free Practice Two – 17:00 – 18:00

Saturday:

  • Free Practice Three – 12:30 – 13:30
  • Qualifying – 16:00 – 17:00

Sunday:

  • Race – 15:00

(All times displayed are the local track times, UK time is an hour behind.)

Fun Facts about Imola
  • On the return of the circuit back in the F1 calendar in 2020, Lewis Hamilton was victorious. He also set a lap record of 1:15.484.
  • Ayrton Senna holds the record for most pole positions at Imola with eight. His record is tied with Michael Schumacher who had eight poles at Suzuka, Japan and Hamilton with eight at Albert Park, Australia.
  • Imola hosts the first European race of the 2024 season, just as it did when it was known as the San Marino Grand Prix between 1981 and 2006. 
  • Despite having been called the San Marino Grand Prix, the circuit is over 100km away from the city and not within San Marino’s own territory. It was named after San Marino nearby due to there already being an Italian Grand Prix held in Monza.
Image Credit: formula1.com
History of Imola

At the wish of Enzo Ferrari, track construction began back in March 1950. Testing was held two years later in October 1952. The Autodromo di Imola held its first racing event a year later in 1953. Following the death of Enzo’s first son, Dino, the track was renamed Autodromo Dino Ferrari in his memory in 1956.

1980 marked the first grand prix held at Imola, taking the place of Monza that year. Nelson Piquet took the first ever win with Brabham. With the return of Monza the following year and the love for the Imola circuit, the 1981 season saw the first San Marino Grand Prix. Following the passing Enzo Ferrari in 1988, the track would be renamed for the last time to Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari, commemorating Enzo’s legacy.

The San Marino Grand Prix holds memories for many fans. But most notoriously, the 1994 Imola Grand Prix will be remembered as one of the most tragic weekends in the history of Formula One. In practice, Rubens Barrichello suffered a severe concussion after a collision. On the Saturday, Roland Ratzenberger suffered a fatal collision at Villeneuve Corner. And, on the Sunday, racing legend, Ayrton Senna was hit by debris after coming off the track, resulting in his untimely death.

The last ever San Marino Grand Prix was held in 2006, with Michael Schumacher taking the win. However, the track returned to the F1 calendar in 2020 as the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix, with Lewis Hamilton taking the inaugural win.

Image Credit
Senna’s Legacy

May 1st 2024 was 30 years since the death of F1 legend, Ayrton Senna. Teams and drivers took the time to pay their respects and celebrate his legacy.

To pay tribute to Senna, Sebastian Vettel will drive Senna’s McLaren MP4/8 at this weekend’s grand prix. The MP4/8 (the car McLaren competed with in the 1993 season) was the last car Senna drove with the team before his move to Williams for 1994.

Senna’s legacy lives on through the celebrations of his success and the inspiration he left behind for this generation of drivers.

Image Credit: senna.com

Written by Chloe.

Featured Image Credit: motorsporttickets.com

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Flashback Friday

Flashback Friday – China 2012

A decade ago, round three of the 2012 F1 season saw the teams and drivers arrive at the Shanghai International Circuit. Tensions were high because of the long discussions about Mercedes front wing F duct’s legality, said legality being argued by Mercedes competitor’s.

Source: Maxf1.net

Notably, Hamilton, who at the time was looking to add another championship to his name, was to serve a five place grid penalty for changing the gearbox of his McLaren.

Over the three practice sessions, Mercedes and McLaren showed their speed on track by hosting their cars in the top 3 of all of the sessions. Hamilton topped FP1 and FP3, while seven time world champion Schumacher split the young Brit’s dominance and topped FP2.

Qualifying

When it came to qualifying, it was a different ball game. Red Bull and Mercedes were confident in their car; both leaving it late to do runs in Q1, but both teams were safe with that bold move. The usual suspects were out in Q1 such as Vergne, Kovalainen, Petrov, Glock, De la Rosa and Karthikeyan.

In Q2, probably the most unexpected event at the point during the weekend, was the exit of two time world champion Sebastian Vettel for Red Bull. Both Mercedes, Hamilton and Raikkonen stayed in the pits while others did their final runs in attempt to escape elimination. This eventually dumped Vettel out of Q2, he was joined by Massa, Maldonado, Senna, di Resta and Ricciardo.

The top 10 shootout was full of excitement as it could have been anyone’s pole position for the taking. First to set a lapped time was Rosberg, punching a 1:35.1 on the clock, half a second faster than his team mate Schumacher, Hamilton and Webber. With confidence in his time, he stepped out of the car with two minutes left on the clock; but there was no one who could stop Rosberg from claiming his first pole position in Formula 1. Hamilton ended up P2 but would later drop back to P7 for his gearbox penalty.

Starting grid: Rosberg, Schumacher, Kobayashi, Raikkonen, Button, Webber, Hamilton, Perez, Alonso, Grosjean

Source: autoexpress.co.uk

Race

Finally, the much anticipated race day came along and Vergne was to start in the pitlane after changes to his car before the race.

Most of the grid started on soft tyres, but starting medium tyres were Massa, Senna and both Toro Rossos. Good starts from the Mercedes pair saw them avoid trouble but Kobayashi and Webber fell backwards in order and found themselves in a tight pickle, with Webber behind Alonso. An early stop by Webber led the others to follow his actions shortly after.

The only retirement of the race came from a mistake in the pitlane by Mercedes when Schumacher went to make his first pitstop. A possible podium finish turned into a nightmare for the German team. With the round of pitstops completed the lead was Rosberg, Button, Hamilton, Webber and Raikkonen.

Webber was the first to pit again for new tyres on Lap 22; Button and Hamilton followed his lead. Raikkonen stopped later and ended up losing many places after the pitstop. By Lap 30, the different strategies were more clear cut: Rosberg, Vettel and Raikkonen were all on two stop strategies while Button, Hamilton and Webber were doing three stops.

After Rosberg’s final stop Button took the lead but would still have to make another stop himself. But when Hamilton, Alonso and Button pitted, it was not smooth sailing for Button as there was an issue with his rear left tyre which delayed his stop giving the lead back to Rosberg. When Massa pitted, it left Raikkonen behind the leading Rosberg but there was a train of cars behind him.

With five laps to go Button, Hamilton and Webber overtook Vettel with their much fresher tyres for 2nd, 3rd and 4th. Nico Rosberg held his own and took good care of his tyres to see himself victorious in F1 for the first time in his career. He was joined by a double McLaren podium in Button and Hamilton.

Top 10 points scorers: Rosberg, Button, Hamilton, Webber, Vettel, Grosjean, Senna, Maldonado, Alonso, Kobayashi

Rosberg’s win moved him to P6 in the championship standings but it was McLaren’s Hamilton and Button who were first and second.

Source: makformula1.blogspot.com

Hope you enjoyed that Flashback Friday, we will be back in the new year with lots more to share!

Categories
Flashback Friday

Flashback Friday: 2000 British GP

The Fastest Sector is back with Flashback Friday, here’s the need-to-know with a brief article about the British Grand Prix.

The 2000 British GP at the iconic Silverstone Circuit saw round four of the 50th season in Formula One.

The weekend saw an interesting qualifying grid with Rubens Barrichello taking pole while his Ferrari teammate the great Michael Schumacher only qualified fifth. The shock of qualifying was Heinz-Harold Frentzen qualifying second in his Jordan Honda only 0.003 seconds off pole with the two McLarens of Coulthard and Hakkinen occupying the second row.

The race started with Frentzen and Barrichello getting off evenly while Schumacher fell from fifth to eighth falling behind the BAR of Villeneuve and both Williams’.

Barrichello would hold the lead for 30 laps before Coulthard would pull of a move around Stowe. Coulthard would pit on the end of lap 32 granting the Brazilian the lead back as he would stay out an extra two laps. When Barrichello pitted, Schumacher took the lead of the race until lap 38 when he pitted himself.

After the first set of stops, a spin caused by a gearbox malfunction would see the end of Barrichello’s race and Frentzen would take the lead with the McLaren of Coulthard closing in on the German.

As Frentzen pulled into the pits for his second stop Coulthard would take the lead again where he would stay until the checkered flag waved on lap 60 despite some late race gearbox issues.

Coulthard’s win snapped a three-race win streak for Schumacher who would finish 3rd behind both McLarens and ahead of his brother Ralf.

The 2000 British GP gave some spice to an otherwise uncompetitive championship and added to the list of classics held at the iconic Silverstone circuit.

Source: via IMDb

If you would like to suggest a Flashback Friday, drop a race weekend of your choice from any year down in the comments!

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F1 2022 Season

European vs American Motorsport: The Same but Different.

Written by Andrew Monson

Motorsport as a topic is the same broad concept around the world, vehicles with complex motors going around tracks and drag-strips with the intention of being faster than your peers.

However, the culture behind motorsport is vastly different around the world with the two biggest markets currently being the American motorsport scene and the European scene, but how do they compare and are they more similar than most would like to admit?

As the resident American here at TFS, I feel it is only right that I dive deeper into this topic (Yes, an American feeling entitled… shocking).

When you think of motorsport in Europe, the usual titans come to mind: F1, MotoGP, ELMS, and FE. Each organization brings its own offerings to the overall value of motorsport.

F1 is by far the pinnacle of motorsport, from the history of the sport to the technological advancements that benefit everyday transport as well as the sport itself. For over 70 years F1 has been where the greatest drivers in the world go to compete for the most prestigious honour in the sport.

Source: XPB Images via motorsportweek.com

On the opposite end of the pond, we have the United States. When you think of motorsport in America, you might think of left turns and car wrecks, but that is only the surface of American motorsport culture.

Like Europe, there is a fair share of well-known series held in the US, some that come to mind are NASCAR, IndyCar, NHRA, and IMSA. Each series is vastly unique in its own way.

It is understandable why NASCAR can seem boring or “simple” from the outside looking in but once you dive into it, you can see it is much more. The playing field in NASCAR is far more even than F1 with far more drivers and teams capable of competing for wins and points in any given race.

The same could be said for IndyCar as it is a spec series which makes for less innovation in exchange for much closer and even racing throughout the entire grid.

While on the topic of IndyCar, it plays host to the “Greatest Spectacle in Motorsport” the Indy500. The Indy500’s history is so deeply rooted in not just motorsport history, but in American history as well. The first Indy500 happened closer to the fall of the Holy Roman Empire than the most recent running of the Indy500 last Sunday.

Source: USAtoday.com

I believe that the differences between European and American motorsport culture shouldn’t divide fans, but instead should bring together the masses to share a love for fast cars since at the end of the day every track is just a funny looking circle.

Edit: My motorsport Mount Rushmore is Lewis Hamilton, Dale Earnhardt Sr., Ayrton Senna, and Michael Schumacher (in no order).

Question: Who is your motorsport Mount Rushmore, and why? (Let us know in the comments)

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Flashback Friday

Flashback Friday: Italy 2006

For this week’s Flashback Friday we take a look at Monza, Ferrari and Michael Schumacher in 2006, what some might call a mighty mix.

We remember some popular names on the grid at the time, Heidfield, Fisichella, Barrichello etc. Racing in Monza was one of the most exciting times of the season (as it still is now!) Back in the day, the bottom six teams from the 2005 constructors championship and Super Aguri could run a third car in free practice but these cars could not run in qualifying or the race. (This included drivers like Sebastian Vettel and Anthony Davidson)

Qualifying

In Q1 the following drivers were eliminated: Yamamoto, Sato, Webber (who was driving for Williams-Cosworth at the time), Albers and Liuzzi. In Q2, the familiar names of Nico Rosberg, Ralf Schumacher, David Coulthard accompanied Trulli, Klien and Speed out of the second stage of qualifying. An intense battle for pole with Schumacher and Raikkonen took centre stage at the end of Q3, with the future 2007 world champion pipping the seven time world champion to the top spot at Ferrari’s home circuit. Heidfield, Massa, Button, Kubica, De la Rosa, Barrichello, Fisichella and Alonso completed the top 10. Alonso had qualified in 5th place but was later penalised for impeding Massa which then brought him down to 10th.

Race

On September 10, 2006, 53 laps of racing awaited the 22 drivers on the grid in the sunny weather of Italy. Kimi Raikkonen would lead the other 21 drivers off the grid for an exciting afternoon.

Raikkonen got a good start, pulling away from Schumacher and Heidfield who were battling for second place. Alonso had gained places, moving up the field to sixth. The leading two cars of Raikkonen and Schumacher had built a gap between themselves and the rest of the pack. Rosberg had power issues with his car, with the German ending his race earlier than the rest for the fourth time in a row.

By the time pit windows were open the teams had formed their strategies based on what they believed would beat their opponent, and Ferrari got it right. Raikkonen went into the pits two laps before Schumacher, who, in that time had picked up the pace to give him enough time to come out ahead of the McLaren. During the pitstops for the top two, Kubica lead the race, coming in at a later stage.

Schumacher and Raikkonen had very similar paces and the leading car could not build up a significant gap. Even after the second round of pitstops, things did not change; although, Raikkonen allowed for a little gap to form to preserve his tyres.

An engine failure on lap 44 meant Alonso lost the last spot on the podium. This caused an issue for Massa who, from this incident locked up, went wide and had to change tyres in the pit. This ultimately handed Kubica third place for his first ever podium.

Credit: Motorsportmagazine.com

Schumacher crossed the line for his 90th win and for Ferrari’s 190th win, followed by Raikkonen and Kubica. It was during his victory lap that Schumacher announced he would retire at the end of the season, leaving the F1 community with a very bitter-sweet feeling. Nevertheless, with three races to go, Schumacher would battle it out with Alonso for the title of driver’s champion 2006.

We hope you enjoyed this week’s #FlashbackFriday. Make sure you like and share it with others so they can relive such sweet memories. Also, don’t forget to follow all of our social media and tag us when you share your predictions!

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F1 2021 season Flashback Friday

Flashback Friday: Europe 2012

Hello friends, let’s take a trip down memory lane way back to Valencia in the year 2012 for a race weekend that perfectly sums up the 2012 season.

Background History:

Entering race 8 of the 2012 season each of the prior 7 races had been won by a different driver and no driver seemed to have a proven edge over the rest of the competition. The hometown hero would be Fernando Alonso following a P2 in Barcelona a few short weeks prior, looking to be the first driver of the season to win multiple races. It would be a weekend full of drama and memories.

Qualifying:

Qualifying went underway and at the end of Q1 the 8 drivers eliminated were as followed: VER, WEB, PET, DLR, KAR, PIC. The most shocking exit in Q1 being Mark Webber who won in Monaco just 2 races earlier. The end of Q2 saw the shocking exit of Alonso as well as exits from MSC, MAS, SEN, PER, KOV, and RIC. This shocking quali result for Alonso meant an uphill battle if he wanted to bring home triumph to the incredibly loyal Spanish fans. Q3 saw Sebastian Vettel take a 33rd career pole followed by HAM, MAL, GRO, RAI, ROS, KOB, HUL, BUT, and DIR. This would set the grid for what was sure to be an excellent race given how shaken up the grid was. Pole Time: 1:38.086

Race:

If I had to describe this race in 1 word I’d say chaotic. lights went out and immediately Vettel pulled off into a significant lead. Alonso made up places and was a man on a mission. Grosjean even overtook Hamilton to get into a podium place. Lap 33 saw a shocking turn in the tide of the race as we saw race leader Sebastian Vettel slowing at an alarming rate until he was eventually forced to retire, a brutal end to an incredible weekend. Further heartbreak struck on lap 40 when a podium certain Grosjean suffered the same fate as Seb when his car came to a slow stop. In what seemed to be an incredible battle between 2 race winners between Maldonado and Hamilton we saw Maldonado live up to the memes when he punted Lewis into a wall ending Lewis’ race and ruining his own race in that light, the bitter Spanish Alonso fans cheered as Lewis hit the wall as now it was a sure race win for the Spaniard. Amidst all of the chaos the legend Michael Schumacher in his Mercedes had made it all the way up to 3rd with Kimi in 2nd a beautiful sight for Ferrari fans in terms of nostalgia. At the checkered flag we saw Alonso take his second win of the season with the Ice-Man in P2 with the great Schumacher rounding out the podium. The rest of the top 10 went as follows: WEB, HUL, ROS, PDR, BUT, PER, and SEN, a beautiful recovery drive for Webber to muster solid points for Red Bull. An emotional view seeing Schumacher taking the podium for the last time in F1.

Written by: Andrew Monson