Tuesday, December 13, 2016

Nico Rosberg’s Shock Retirement Leaves Mercedes Looking For Lewis Hamilton’s New Rival/Teammate

Hey everybody. We're back with another guest post by Joshua Madisson.

The news had barely got around the world that Nico Rosberg had won the Formula 1 World Championship, before it was revealed he had also announced his retirement. This came just five days after lifting the trophy. He is leaving at the highest possible point in a career and said in his statement "I have climbed my mountain, I am on the peak, so this feels right,". But this leaves not only F1 without one of its stars, but also Lewis Hamilton needing a new teammate.

Rosberg is only 31, but has been racing for 25 of those years. He is the second big name to retire after Jenson Button who also called it time. Button was honoured by the University of Bath this week for his services to the sport and contribution to British racing. Unlike when Button won his F1 Championship with Brawn, Rosberg is not going to try and add to his collection.

The German’s experience is quite extensive considering his young age. He has raced in 206 Grand Prix’s winning 23 times and making 57 podiums. His debut came in 2006 and his rise to become F1 Champion is second longest wait after Nigel Mansell’s 12 years. Racing ran in the blood for Rosberg. His father is an F1 Champ himself, Keke Rosberg from Finland. With this win, Nico matches what his father achieved.  Still despite these facts there is no denying his decision is still a shock. Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff said the news took him "completely by surprise". “This is a brave decision by Nico and a testament to the strength of his character," he added. "The clarity of his judgement meant I accepted his decision straight away when he told me”.

This acceptance comes from an inside knowledge on how difficult it is to maintain the levels needed to be a top driver. Something even Lewis Hamilton admitted. The pressures of the last few races showed for Rosberg and the contemplation of having to do it all again and beat Hamilton makes Rosberg’s decision a lot easier. He has new family commitments too, something Hamilton does not, and having emulated his father he does not have much left to prove. Formula 1 Tips expert Luke Michaels, of Bookmakers TV says “As soon as driving becomes a job and not a passion, the harder it is to do the work necessary to be the best.”

Despite everyone’s calm acceptance Rosberg’s decision leaves the Mercedes team in a bind to find a new driver. Fernando Alonso is the current leader in the rumours, but it will likely be difficult to prize him away from McLaren. They can promote Pascal Wehlein, but he could be used as a makeweight with any other constructors in a driver swap deal. Valtteri Bottas is another who could be perfect as team boss Toto Wolff has had experience working with him before.

Whoever it is does not seem to bother our Lewis Hamilton "I've never needed a team-mate to be able to push me," he said. "The better the driver, the better it is for me when I finish ahead of them. You need someone with good values coming in and representing the team in a positive way, good work ethic and consistency, obviously, so we can those win constructors' championships. So, in terms of challenging for constructors' titles, which is obviously the team's first goal, we need to make sure we have someone equally as consistent as what we had before."

If you enjoyed this posting, please do share it with your network so more people can enjoy it as well. Also, check out my Formula 1 inspired designs at my online shops:

1. Lewis Hamilton Collection (fixed designs) is my fixed design shop on Redbubble where most of the phone cases are and many other products.
Link - http://www.redbubble.com/people/akhnsx/shop

2. Hamilton Tees (fixed designs) is my online shop where you can get my Lewis Hamilton inspired designs printed on many different types of t-shirts and hoodies.
Link - http://shop.spreadshirt.com/hamiltontees/

3. Lewis Hamilton T-Shirt (design your own) is a designer shop where you can get the same designs on many more products - not just t-shirts but trousers, baby bibs, mugs, phone cases, whatever is available. You can adjust the size and location of the designs, add text and customize it exactly as you see fit.
Link - http://lewishamiltontshirt.spreadshirt.com/

Support Lewis this season by owning this collection. Thank you for your support. May Lewis win his fourth world title in 2017. We win and lose together. Go Lewis!

Here is a sample.



Wednesday, December 7, 2016

FIA ISSUES 2017 F1 ENTRY LIST

The FIA has issued the 2017 F1 entry list... with just four seats still to be filled. No surprises that the most noticeable gap is that where everyone expected to see world champion Nico Rosberg’s name alongside Lewis Hamilton, the German having opted to retire just days after securing the title.

Sauber has one vacant seat alongside Marcus Ericsson, while Manor still has two vacancies. Though previously linked with both Sauber and Manor, Pascal Wehrlein is now looking a little further up the grid, hoping that Toto Wolff will give him the ultimate Christmas present.

Despite using Renault engines, Red Bull will continue as Red Bull-Tag Heuer, the deal having been extended through to 2018. Sister team Toro Rosso, which switches back to Renault from Ferrari next year, is also expected to re-badge its power units though there is currently no idea as to whose name might adorn the French engines.

Rookies Stoffel Vandoorne and Lance Stroll will race with the numbers 2 and 18, respectively, though the Belgian raced with the number 47 in Bahrain earlier this year.

No.DriverNatTeamCar
44HamiltonGBRMercedes AMG Petronas F1 TeamMercedes
TBCMercedes AMG Petronas F1 TeamMercedes
3RicciardoAUSRed Bull RacingRed Bull-Tag Heuer
33VerstappenNEDRed Bull RacingRed Bull-Tag Heuer
5VettelGERScuderia FerrariFerrari
7RaikkonenFINScuderia FerrariFerrari
11PerezMESahara Force India F1 TeamForce India-Mercedes
31OconFRASahara Force India F1 TeamForce India-Mercedes
77BottasFINWilliams Martini RacingWilliams-Mercedes
18StrollCANWilliams Martini RacingWilliams-Mercedes
14AlonsoESPMcLaren HondaMcLaren-Honda
2VandoorneBELMcLaren HondaMcLaren-Honda
55SainzESPScuderia Toro RossoToro Rosso-Renault
26KvyatRUSScuderia Toro RossoToro Rosso-Renault
8GrosjeanFRAHaas F1 TeamHaas-Ferrari
20MagnussenDENHaas F1 TeamHaas-Ferrari
27HulkenbergGERRenault Sport Formula One TeamRenault
30PalmerGBRRenault Sport Formula One TeamRenault
9EricssonSWESauber F1 TeamSauber-Ferrari
TBCSauber F1 TeamSauber-Ferrari
TBCManor Racing TeamMRT-Mercedes
TBCManor Racing TeamMRT-Mercedes
If you enjoyed this posting, please do share it with your network so more people can enjoy it as well. Also, check out my Formula 1 inspired designs at my online shops:

1. Hamilton Tees (fixed designs) is my online shop where you can get my Lewis Hamilton inspired designs printed on many different types of t-shirts and hoodies.
Link - http://shop.spreadshirt.com/hamiltontees/

2. Lewis Hamilton T-Shirt (design your own) is a designer shop where you can get the same designs on many more products - not just t-shirts but trousers, baby bibs, mugs, phone cases, whatever is available. You can adjust the size and location of the designs, add text and customize it exactly as you see fit.
Link - http://lewishamiltontshirt.spreadshirt.com/

3. Lewis Hamilton Collection (fixed designs) is my fixed design shop on Redbubble where most of the phone cases are and many other products.
Link - http://www.redbubble.com/people/akhnsx/shop

Support Lewis this season by owning this collection. Thank you for your support. May Lewis win his fourth world title in 2016. We win and lose together. Go Lewis!

Here is a sample.




Friday, November 25, 2016

ABU DHABI GP 2016 PREVIEW

The Abu Dhabi Grand Prix is a Formula One race. It was announced in early 2007 at the Abu Dhabi F1 Festival in the United Arab Emirates. The first race took place on November 1, 2009, held at the Hermann Tilke designed Yas Marina Circuit.

On June 25, 2008 the FIA announced the provisional 2009 Formula One calendar including the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix as the 19th and final race of the season on November 15. On November 5, 2008, however, it was announced that the race would be held as the season finale on November 1, two weeks before the initially planned date, as the 17th and final race.

The inaugural race was Formula One's first ever day-night race, starting at 17:00 local time. Floodlights used to illuminate the circuit were switched on from the start of the event to ensure a seamless transition from daylight to darkness. Subsequent Abu Dhabi Grands Prix have also been day-night races.

The Abu Dhabi Grand Prix is Formula 1’s original day/night race. The race begins at 17-00hrs local time, in the dusk and ends in darkness, with floodlights illuminating the track. The temperatures drop during the race and this has a significant bearing on tyre performance and thus race strategy. This was shown by the race in Bahrain, which also followed this format for the first time this season. The Yas Marina Circuit features six corners below 100 kph – only Monaco, Singapore and Valencia have more. The track surface is smooth.

TRACK CHARACTERISTICS

Track length : 5.554 kilometres.
Race distance : 55 laps (305.355 kilometres).
Corners : 21 corners in total. Average speed 197km/h.
Aerodynamic setup : Med/High downforce.
Top speed : 320km/h (with DRS open) 307km/h without.
Full throttle : 60% of the lap time (ave/high).
Fuel Consumption : Med/High (Max Downforce, lower average speed, frequent acceleration events).
Brake wear : Medium.
Number of braking events : 12.
Time spent braking : 17% of the lap. Third or fourth most severe circuit of the year on brakes.
Total time needed for a pit stop : 23 seconds.
Ease of Overtaking : Low (difficult to overtake even with double DRS zones).
Lap record : 1:40.279 (Germany Sebastian Vettel, Red Bull Racing, 2009).

POWER UNIT ELEMENTS

Details of drivers power unit elements used prior to the Etihad Airways Abu Dhabi Grand Prix weekend.
DriverCarICETCMGU-HMGU-KESCE
HamiltonMercedes688655
RosbergMercedes555544
VettelFerrari666555
RaikkonenFerrari555555
MassaWilliams444433
BottasWilliams444433
RicciardoRed Bull555544
VerstappenRed Bull555545
HulkenbergForce India444433
PerezForce India444433
MagnussenRenault555555
PalmerRenault555545
KvyatToro Rosso544444
SainzToro Rosso554455
EricssonSauber564444
NasrSauber555444
AlonsoMcLaren899777
ButtonMcLaren666666
WehrleinManor444433
OconManor444433
GrosjeanHaas454555
GutierrezHaas454444

WEATHER FORECAST

Ahead of their title showdown, it seems highly appropriate that the weather conditions facing Nico Rosberg and Lewis Hamilton this weekend will resemble those usually associated with shoot-outs in the Wild West, with UBIMET, the official meteorological service provider to the FIA, predicting dry and dusty conditions.

It is unlikely we will see tumbleweed blowing down the pit straight, at least not literally, as the Mercedes duo go head to head at a circuit best known for its bling as opposed to on-track thrills.
Ahead of the weekend there will be a mixture of some high and mid-level cloud, but otherwise mostly fine and sunny conditions are expected. Local sea breezes in some areas will see temperatures reaching reach 30 to 32 degrees Celsius.

From Friday to Sunday, the wind will be moderate from northern directions, bringing dust over Abu Dhabi and reducing visibility in some areas. Whether the dusty conditions will remain for the whole race weekend is still uncertain. The probability for rain is very low with dry conditions likely to prevail. The highest temperatures will range between 29 and 32 degrees C.

TYRES

Yas Marina has a very smooth track surface with a wide variety of corners and speeds, as well as warm weather that is consistent all year round, which makes it a favoured venue for testing. Because the circuit is quite varied, teams tend to run a medium downforce compromise set-up. Overtaking tends to be quite tricky at Yas Marina, so strategy can help boost track position.

The smooth surface generally leads to quite low levels of tyre wear and degradation. The race starts in the late afternoon at 5pm and ends in the evening, which means that track temperatures tend to vary from start to finish, sometimes dropping off dramatically. Traction is a key aspect of tyre behaviour in Abu Dhabi, with all the acceleration out of corners. Like Brazil, Yas Marina is an anti-clockwise lap, which is not typical of the rest of the season.

Abu Dhabi will also be the final grand prix for the current generation of cars, before the new 2017 rules come in that should increase lap speeds by five seconds compared to 2015. Nico Rosberg and Lewis Hamilton have made exactly the same tyre selections for their title showdown. The most aggressive choice is from Nico Hulkenberg, with eight ultrasoft sets.

The Three Nominated Compounds are:

Yellow soft: seen at every race but is the hardest compound available this weekend.
Red supersoft: used previously at Abu Dhabi and like the soft, it's a mandatory available set.
Purple ultrasoft: this has a speed advantage, so puts an interesting variable into strategy.



DRS

Formula 1's governing body, the FIA, has retained two DRS zones for this year's Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. As in previous seasons, the first activation zone at the Yas Marina Circuit has been placed on the run between Turns 7 and 8, with the detection point situated just before Turn 7.


The second designated area follows on another sizeable run between Turns 10 and 11, controlled by a separate detection marker on the exit of the Turn 8/9 chicane. Monte-Carlo and Suzuka were the only circuits to feature just one DRS zone this season.

CONCLUSION

Nico Rosberg travels to this weekend’s Formula 1 season finale in Abu Dhabi with a 12-point lead over his Mercedes teammate Lewis Hamilton and has the chance to claim his first world title.

The German driver only needs to finish third – even if Hamilton wins – to secure the championship. If Hamilton finishes second, Rosberg must be sixth or better, and if the Briton comes third, Rosberg only needs to finish eighth. If Hamilton finishes fourth then Rosberg will win the title no matter where he ends up.

Both Rosberg and Hamilton have good history at the Yas Marina track. Rosberg has been on pole at the 5.554km circuit for the last two years running and he won in 2015. Hamilton has won the Abu Dhabi race twice (in 2011 and 2014), and he retired while leading in both 2009 and 2012.

Hamilton has never outqualified Rosberg at the Yas Marina track since they became teammates at Mercedes in 2013, but that year was only occasion in the history of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix that he has only failed to qualify on the front row.

In terms of their form in recent races, Hamilton has taken victory from pole position at the last three races in a row, which is the first time he has achieved that feat in his F1 career. Rosberg has both started and finished second for the last three races in a row, and his last win was at the Japanese Grand Prix last month. The 31-year-old has finished in the position he has qualified in six of the last eight races.

If he were to prevail in the title fight, Rosberg would become the third German to win the F1 world championship after Michael Schumacher and Vettel. He would also do so 34 years after his father Keke won his world title 1982. This would make them the second father-and-son F1 champion combination to take the crown after Graham and Damon Hill – with the latter’s 1996 championship victory also coming 34 years after his father’s.

I know for a fact that Lewis will win this race and the championship. I have to believe it as he does. That's the inspiration that he gives out. Like he says:

"Generally, I look at things and think "I can do that"- if I really put my mind to it, and focus my mind and energy. I'm conscious that I’m going to have to put in the required time and means to achieve that goal."

Go Lewis!

If you enjoyed this posting, please do share it with your network so more people can enjoy it as well. Also, check out my Formula 1 inspired designs at my online shops:

1. Hamilton Tees (fixed designs) is my online shop where you can get my Lewis Hamilton inspired designs printed on many different types of t-shirts and hoodies.
Link - http://shop.spreadshirt.com/hamiltontees/

2. Lewis Hamilton T-Shirt (design your own) is a designer shop where you can get the same designs on many more products - not just t-shirts but trousers, baby bibs, mugs, phone cases, whatever is available. You can adjust the size and location of the designs, add text and customize it exactly as you see fit.
Link - http://lewishamiltontshirt.spreadshirt.com/

3. Lewis Hamilton Collection (fixed designs) is my fixed design shop on Redbubble where most of the phone cases are and many other products.
Link - http://www.redbubble.com/people/akhnsx/shop

Support Lewis this season by owning this collection. Thank you for your support. May Lewis win his fourth world title in 2016. We win and lose together. Go Lewis!

Here is a sample.