Alvin's Formula One Blog

Still a bit to go to Shanghai, it's been a long break from Malaysia. After 2 exciting and eventful races in Melbourne and Sepang, I'm looking forward to Shanghai. If the previous 2 races are any indication of how exciting this season is going to be then Shanghai should be explosive. Usually Shanghai is a bit boring as the field gets stretched out a bit quite early on in the race due to the nature of the track. That long back straight also does not help. But this year since the new Pirellis were introduced, even boring races like Shanghai should light up. Here is an infographic I made about the last 9 races at Shanghai which asks the question - Does pole position result in a win at the Chinese GP? It is based on the article of the same name here . Does pole position result in a win at the Chinese GP? | Create infographics If you enjoyed this posting, please do share it with your network so more people can enjoy it as well. Also, check out my t-shirt design fo...

This year Pirelli has made huge changes to their tire range, making them all softer compared to last year. Basically, each tire range now has been moved down one step i.e. the Hard tire is like last years' Medium. So the Supersoft this year becomes.....bloody hell too soft. It could even be termed like a Qualifying Tire. So what is a qualifying tire? In the old days of F1, qualifying tires were used to extract the maximum lap time but they lasted on a lap or two at optimum temp and pace. These tires were only good for 1 hot lap and teams used them just to qualify and never used them again in the race. They were banned from 1991 onwards. So are the new Pirelli supersofts something like the olden qualifying tires? They seem to be as they seem to work on just one hot lap. But the teams have to use them in the race as the rule says that you have to use the tires you qualified with to start the race, well at least for the top 10. Pirelli motorsports director Paul Hembery said as m...

Happier at Mercedes? Lewis Hamilton has recently taken to writing for an F1 newspaper column, as so many of his peers before him such as David Coulthard and many others. Below is a re-production of his first column for the BBC in which he is quite personal and frank about his life and issues surrounding it. Some of things we take for granted or just assumed without the knowing the person. I met him and spent a short time with him and his father Anthony in 2007, 2008 and 2009, so I have had the rare opportunity to see a glimpse into the type of person he is. And this article is 80% true, of course nobody is perfect and we do try to hide some stuff. Only we would know 100% of ourselves. But how many people do you know or for that matter how many F1 drivers would you think is this frank about themselves? I know this article is a bit late and some of you have read it already and dissected it a million ways but this is for the benefit of those who have not. For the original...

I didn't understand Multi 21, I'm German.. The dust has settled in Sepang and we have to wait for another 3 weeks for the next race where we'll throw up some more dust and swish it around. Ah yes, the life of a Formula 1 fan. But until then what shall we dine on? Any goodies left over? But of course. If there aren't any goodies lying around, we'll just whip up the pan and cook us up something tasty. So what do we have for supper then? Why, the Vettel Creme Supreme. It keeps in the fridge for at least 6 months so we can enjoy it longer. The net is awash with stories - some not quite true - but still awash with stories of the crime that is team orders during the Malaysian Grand Prix. Newspaper headlines were all shouting for blood and editors were all duly out with their sharp silverware. The common theme running throughout the headlines is one of war, with 'Red Bull at war' (The Telegraph), 'Webber and Vettel at war' (The Guardian) and 'Re...

What the fuck was that then mate! Multi 21!! First off, what did I think of the 2013 Malaysian GP? Well, it wasn't a washout. The threat of rain was pretty big and the rain did come but not enough to wash out the race. Not enough to cause a Safety Car start or having to start on the full wets. Instead we had an intermediate start with half the track wet and the other half dry. Personally it was a pretty good race with lots of overtaking, dueling  strategy changes and unexpected happenings. Much better than previous years of processions or washout. The story of the day was always going to be about Vettel and Webber. And Rosberg and Hamilton. Those 2 teams provided the gist of the whole race really. And what happened at the end was the icing on the cake. Hell, it took the cake! A lot of people have a lot of different opinions, fans of each team and driver of course being the most hardcore as their team or driver cannot do any wrong. But I've read a lot of other divergent...

Fernando, Massa is faster than you now.. Qualifying for the 2013 Malaysian GP is done and guess what? Vettel took pole again in changeable conditions. Yeah I know, Vettel again? Beggining to look like 2011 all over again where Vettel took 14 pole positions. But then again maybe not. I think it was more due to a smart decision based on the conditions. The Red Bulls started Q1 on the Medium tires which was strange as almost all the top runners used the Hards. It was common sense to use the harder tire for Q1 so as to graduate to the faster Mediums later in Q2 and Q3. Most of the time in Q2 the top teams would still be using the softer of the 2 compounds because they know they can get into Q3 with those tires. No problem. But here both Red Bulls started Q1 with the Mediums leading most people to think that they either had a tire issue or we trying to save the hard tires for the race. It was a strange decision indeed but upon closer inspection, turned out to be a smart...

A very real possibility.. The race week is here! It is a back to back race weekend with Australia and quite tiring for the teams but fantastic for the fans. It is my home race as I am from Malaysia. Our capitol Kuala Lumpur is full of activities this week, lots to do. First included in the Formula One World Championship in 1999, the current Malaysian Grand Prix is held at the Sepang International Circuit at Sepang, Malaysia. FIA-sanctioned racing in Malaysia has existed since the 1960s. But only from 1999 did Malaysia get a proper world class F1 track with the one built in Sepang. The Sepang International Circuit is located near Kuala Lumpur International Airport, approximately 60 km south of the capital city Kuala Lumpur. It is the venue used for the Formula One Malaysian Grand Prix, Malaysian Motorcycle Grand Prix and other major motorsport events. The circuit was designed by German designer Hermann Tilke, who would subsequently design the new facilities in Shanghai, Ba...