Early season F1 drivers’ grades

With a short schedule gap before the 2013 Formula 1 season resumes at Silverstone, it’s time for a look back at the first 7 races and hand out slightly early mid-term grades. It’s not as easy as going down the rankings and giving A’s to those on top and F’s to those on the bottom, as expectations vary widely up and down the grid. So, without further ado, below is one take on grades for F1’s group of drivers.

Sebastian Vettel - A

Three victories from 7 races and a comfortable 36 point lead in the Drivers’ Championship gives Vettel his familiar “top of the class” position. Vettel looks to be the odds on favorite to win his fourth consecutive championship, and at only 25 years of age, it might just be the beginning. He’s coming off a dominant performance in Canada, and his form of late has most people forgetting his huge dick move on teammate Mark Webber in Malaysia. 

Fernando Alonso - B

A tough grade for Alonso, but one deserved after his boneheaded move in Malaysia, where he passed on coming into the pits at the end of the first lap to fix his damaged front wing, only to see his race end spectacularly in the first corner of lap two, the result of the complete failure of said wing. That one mistake cost Alonso podium point, and the 36 point gap to Vettel might be more than the talented  Spaniard can make up over the remaining 12 races.

Kimi Räikkönen - B

It can be argued Räikkönen deserves a higher grade, what with one victory and 3 second place finishes, and a belief in the paddock that the Lotus chassis is as good as it’s going to get with very little developmental funds on hand. However, Räikkönen’s last two results have been sub-par performances, from him at least. Räikkönen is still Mr. Consistency in scoring points, but he needs much more than 9^th and 10^th as race results if he’s going to maintain his status as a championship contender.

Lewis Hamilton – A-

Hamilton has done better than many pundits expected in moving from McLaren to Mercedes this season, a move that in the rear view mirror looks like a stroke of genius by the young Brit. Hamilton has secured three podium finishes for Mercedes, and has shown pace in qualifying. Only the chassis’ disastorous showing in Spain has held up Hamilton, that and the pace of his teammate, Nico Rosberg.

Mark Webber – B-

After suffering a second place in Malaysia after teammate Vettel’s ultimate dick move, Webber needed to respond by soundly out qualifying and out racing his teammate and rival. That hasn’t happened. Rather, Webber looks a bit inconsistent and lost with this year’s Red Bull, and his results are not in line with what the expectations are for arguably the best car in the field. It’s not too late for Webber to turn it around, and he’ll need to in order to enjoy any satisfaction in what certainly is his final year at Red Bull.

Nico Rosberg – A-

Rosberg has stepped up his game with the arrival of close friend Hamilton as teammate, outpacing his more esteemed teammate more often than not and being rewarded with a win at Monaco, only the second Grand Prix victory of his career. Rosberg’s struggle continues to be tire degradation in his recalcitrant Mercedes, and the resultant inability to keep race pace with the title contenders. However, if Mercedes can learn to be kind to its tires while still maintaining its blistering pace, Rosberg has a real chance to climb the top step of the podium several more times this year.

Felipe Massa - D

Massa’s season can be summed up in 3 words: !) Not, 2) Good, and 3) Enough. He’s had brief flashes of brilliance, out-qualifying teammate Alonso on a couple of occasions. However, those great days have been outnumbered by bad race finishes and crumpled race cars. Massa’s job for the remainder of the season is to out-score Red Bull’s Webber if Ferrari has any hope of the Constructors’ Championship. He needs to do that in each of the next five races before “silly season” blooms full. If not, expect Webber in the Ferrari seat next season, and Massa in IndyCar.

Paul Di Resta - B

Di Resta has been quick in practice and the race, and deserving of a grade higher than a B. But, it’s a team sport, and Di Resta’s Force India team has hampered him with a couple of costly qualifying miscues, requiring some Sunday heroics just to gather a few odd points. If Force India can put together a complete weekend, don’t be surprised to see Di Resta visit the podium before season’s end.

Romain Grosjean – D

Grosjean’s is a familiar story for him. A flash of brilliance – this year a nice podium finish in Bahrain – punctuating a dismal year of crashes and inconsistent driving. Grosjean has an opportunity – perhaps his last opportunity – in a fairly competitive car. He has the rest of the season to take advantage of it.

Jenson Button C-

Button is known as a smooth, steady racer that can make the most of a car’s ability. However, he is unproven as a lead driver directing the creation and development of a car, and his McLaren is in dire need of development. Moreover, Button has been pushed, and often surpassed, ,by his brash young teammate, Sergio Pérez, and his holding onto an increasingly tenuous position as team leader.  

Adrian Sutil – C+

Two good races, 5 poor ones; put together and Sutil struggles along at the middle of the class, not particularly noticed. However, considering Sutil had to knock the rust off of a year away from F1, he has shown good form. Like  Di Resta, if the Force India team can put it together, Sutil can eye a possible podium, particularly on circuits like Spa and Monza later this summer.

Jean-Éric Vergne – C+

Vergne has responded to the challenge and his Toro Rosso team is moving toward being the class of the mid-field runners. With Webber’s Red Bull seat likely open for 2014, both Torro Rosso drivers will be considered as potential replacements, and Vergne’s form of late puts him squarely in that conversation.

Sergio Pérez - C

Pérez’s start to the year was abysmal, and then he turned a bit of corner in races 4-6, showing great aggression and determination, and developed to be quite the pain in the neck of teammate Button and others like Lotus’ Räikkönen. Pérez’s second half will be dependent on how the McLaren team develops its chassis, as one gets the feeling Pérez is pushing the car to its absolute limits.

Daniel Ricciardo – C-

Riccardo’s rather strong start to the season has faltered of late, but his Torro Rosso seems to be on the upswing. The next 5-10 races will be critical for Riccardo, with results determining where he might race next year, with everything from a seat to Red Bull to a seat on the sidelines as a spectator a possibility.

Nico Hülkenberg – C-

A season to forget thus far for Hülkenberg, with his former team Force India looking strong while his new team Sauber taking a rather big step backwards this year in relative performance. Hülkenberg has plenty of reason to race the next couple of months, as he’s a strong candidate to be driving the second Ferrari next season.

Pastor Maldonado – D

A race winner last year for Williams, Maldonado is not a factor this year, and continues to find creative ways to cause contact with other cars. Never boring to watch, Maldonado is being watched closely, as his Venezuelan financial backing is at considerable risk, and without quick improvement, Maldonado might be enjoying his final races in F1.

Esteban Guitérrez – C-

Guitérrez’s horrible start to the season left no room but to go upward, and he has done just that, albeit in baby steps. With his Sauber improving gradually as well, Guitérrez appears to be on the cusp of earning his first world championship points.

Charles Pic – D

Switching from Marussia to Caterham this season hasn’t changed much for Pic, as he is still on the outside looking in for his first championship points.

Giedo van der Garde - D

Formula 1 is tough on any rookie, particularly a rookie with a back marker chassis. Van der Garde has struggled to find his way, and in Canada even struggled to stay out of the way.

Jules Bianchi - I

Bianchi earns an Incomplete, as he’s done enough with the handcuffed Marussia to draw attention up and down the pit lane, but hasn’t really delivered results in practice, qualifying, or races. The riddle remains, what can Bianchi do in a competitive chassis?

Max Chilton - D

Although in a different color car than van der Gaarde, Chilton is in the same situation. He’s gaining experience and learning the circuits, but Chilton can only hope the stars align for Marussia to compete for a point this season.

Valterri Bottas – I

Bottas gets an Incomplete. Clarly talented, the Finnish rookie showed the best of his skills in qualifying third under slick and changing track conditions in Montreal. However, his Williams is a sitting duck on a dry race track, unable to contend positions with any teams other than Caterham and Marussa. 

Race along on Twitter @RayHartjen

Will an aggressive Sergio Perez force a change of how F1 is governed?

In the past several years, Formula 1 officials have made it clear that causing “unnecessary accidents” with other drivers will result in penalties. A relatively minor infringement might garner a time penalty of twenty seconds. More serious mistakes might bring a grid penalty of five to ten positions at the next grand prix. Repeated offenses can even bring a race ban, like that experienced by Lotus driver Romain Grosjean just last summer.

At the Monaco Grand Prix a couple of weeks ago, the racing was a predictable single file affair of follow the leader, as the tight, twisty circuit through the streets of Monte Carlo traditionally makes overtaking nearly impossible. If you don’t pass cars through pit stop strategy and execution, you’ll likely finish where you started, moving up only through the attrition of others.

Unless you’re super aggressive.

Unless, like two weeks ago, you’re driver Sergio Perez racing your McLaren. 

On several occasions, the super aggressive Perez barreled out of the tunnel and dive bombed a rival under heavy breaking into the Nouvelle Chicane. Without touching other drivers, at least during the majority of the race, he was able to make it work, even without executing a clean overtaking maneuver.

How?

Drivers like Ferrari’s esteemed Fernando Alonso fell victim to the tactic. With a quick glance in the left side mirror, Alonso determined if he stayed on course, Perez would likely run into him, ruining both of their races. Prudence suggested he short-cut the chicane, to prevent an accident and continue the race in one piece, in his current position.

All of that sounds great until … stewards penalized Alonso for shortcutting the course to maintain the position. The judgment required Alonso to give up the position on the track, and at Monaco, unless it’s raining and you’re Aryton Senna, that’s a position not likely to be recovered.

What’s the difference between a hero and a zero? Imagine the consequences if Alonso stayed on his line through the chicane. The corner would clearly be his, and any contact from Perez, from behind and on the side, would be squarely the preventable cause of Perez; a preventable accident perhaps punished by a penalty.

Requiring Alonso and others to relinquish a position kept by likely preventing an accident the cause of the aggressive Perez raises an interesting dilemma. The rules are black and white. Short-cutting the course to save or gain a position requires giving up that position. Negligently causing preventable contact requires a penalty. But, what if one does one to avoid the other? After all, getting caught up in another’s poor judgment ruins your race to.

Monaco is a unique circuit and often delivers unique circumstances and results (OlivierPanis, anyone?). However, don’t expect Perez’s aggressive driving style to be a Monaco one-off.  Plus, don’t think for a second every other driver is going to school and thinking, “Hey, that seemed to work.”

Canada is next up on the F1 schedule this weekend. There’s a lot to suggest this is a story that just might have legs the rest of the season.

Run hot laps on Twitter @RayHartjen

Winners and Losers from Indianapolis

More than any other race, the Indianapolis 500 can make or break an entire season, and in some cases – Buddy Lazier and Buddy Rice, for example- entire careers. Sunday’s race proved no exception, as the month of May saw its winners and losers at Indianapolis.

Winner:  Tony Kanaan

Of course, the obvious winner was the, uh, race winner, Tony Kanaan. A sentimental favorite of both the IndyCar community and the fans at Indianapolis, Kanaan broke through his hard-luck past and finally celebrated with his long-awaited drink of milk. Since his rookie year in 2002, Kanaan had led races – at least one lap in each of his first seven starts - and even qualified for the pole in 2005. Frustrated by a second and third place finishes, and finishes under the yellow preventing him from any last lap dramatics, karma came full circle and provided Kanaan a win when the yellow caution flag flew moments after Kanaan burst into the lead on a restart on lap 197. Always a master at starts and restarts, it’s fitting Kanaan’s victory came as a result of one of his primary strengths.

Winner:  Andretti Autosport

So, neither Marco Andretti or any of his four teammates at Andretti Autosport ended up in Victory Circle, the entire organization flexed its muscles as the team to beat for the remainder of this year. Recall, it was just a couple of years ago when Andretti Autosport had difficulty even qualifying for Indy, with Danica Patrick barely squeaking into the field and Ryan Hunter-Reay missing out entirely (he raced only after owner Michael Andretti bought the qualified car of Bruno Junqueira and put Hunter-Reay into it). This year, Andretti drivers were fast off the truck, and showed their muscle in the race, with Carlos Munoz, Hunter-Reay and Andretti taking 2^nd, 3^rd & 4^th.

Loser:  Honda

First, traditional series stalwart Honda was locked out on pole day, as the fast nine qualifiers shooting out for the pole position all boasted Chevy power plants. Then, race day provided insult to injury, with various Chevy drivers continually shuffling the lead, allowing Honda-powered drivers a spot at the front only when green flag pit stops temporarily shuffled the order. Honda looked lost all month, and it appeared they lacked the needed power to overtake down Indy’s long straights.

Winner:  Carlos Munoz

Sunday’s Indy 500 was not only Munoz’ IndyCar debut, it was also the first race of any kind where pit stops were necessary. All Munoz did was run up front all day, battled for the lead and positioned himself for a last lap dash at victory. If it wasn’t for the yellow flag ending the race toward the checkereds, he very well might have found himself in Victory Circle.

Loser:  Target Chip Ganassi Racing

Target Chip Ganassi struggled all month at Indy, with Scott Dixon and Dario Franchitti qualifying mid-field and then seemingly anchored there throughout the race. When defending champ Franchitti wrecked in Turn One with three laps to go, he essentially ended the race and provided a fitting close to what proved to be a frustrating and forgettable month for Ganassi. 

Winner:  IndyCar

A record number or leaders and a doubling – yes, doubling! – of the record number of lead changes from just one year previous showed Indy has begun to regain its lost mojo of the early 90’s heyday. True, the racing was more or less single-file, but at least the point car changed often, as the leader had a “sitting duck” aura about him.  The race was another step in the right direction, and it’s up to IndyCar to maintain the momentum through what has in the past been the humdrum part of its season.

Go two-wide on Twitter @RayHartjen

4 reasons the best racing isn't always in the highest formula

For race fans, we often cast the majority of our attention to the height of a particular series.  F1 gets our attention to the detriment of GP2 and GP3.  Sprint Cup gets the NASCAR love over the Trucks and the Nationwide cars.  And in North American open wheel racing, the IndyCars overshadow Indy Lights.

Maybe not anymore?

Today's Freedom 100 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway might have delivered the best race finish.  Ever.

You don't run three-wide at Indianapolis in any formula and get away with it too often.  These young drivers did it for two full turns.  You don't often run four-wide down the straight either, but these four drivers did it.  Racing for the win at the most famous track in the world and they raced it clean and without a hint of blocking.

That, my friends, is how you do it.

Congratulations, Peter Dempsey, on your first victory - and what a victory that was!  Congratulations also to Gabby Chaves, Sarge Karam, and Carlos Munoz. Your performances in Friday's race might just be the highlight of the entire weekend, the biggest weekend in worldwide motor sports at that.

Race along on Twitter @RayHartjen

Will Monaco Soothe Mercedes’ Tire Ails?

Early in the 2013 Formula One season, Mercedes has proven it has the pace to run at the front of the F1 field, as evidenced by its 3 pole positions and its lock out of the front row in the most recent Grand Prix, the Barcelona race just two weeks ago. Unfortunately, at least for Mercedes, is the flip side of that coin is an unrelenting and rapid degradation of its tires, particularly the rear tires, and an inability to keep abreast of race winning contenders. To add insult to injury, the tire degradation problems are even making it difficult to keep the mid-field pack at bay – Lewis Hamilton finished an uncompetitive 12^th in Spain, lapped by the leading cars.

On race day, at best, the Mercedes has been a moving chicane offering up a rolling obstacle for front-runners to overtake. However, as the series moves to the twisty circuit at Monaco this weekend, there is some optimism and hope in the Mercedes camp – not from developments back at the factory, rather from the race course itself.

Twisty means slower speeds, delivering a break to the tires

Monaco is the most twisty course on the F1 race calendar, and the twists and turns of the course mean the slowest speeds on the schedule too. Simply, slower speeds place fewer demands on the tires, lessening the degree of degradation. Of course, Mercedes won’t be the only team to receive this benefit – all chasses will be easier on their tires. Key for Mercedes is keeping up with the other teams on the number of pit stops. The fewer pit stops, the better, and nowhere is this more true than at Monaco.

Tight means a premium on track position, as passing can be … damn near impossible

In addition to its twists, the streets of Monaco are notoriously tight as well, surrounded not by gravel traps and runoff areas, but rather unforgiving Armco barriers, presenting tremendous difficulties in overtaking, even with applications like the Drag Reduction System (DRS). Track position is a premium. If Mercedes can keep its qualifying pace and start upfront, its hopes lie in the course not offering an opportunity for cars to overtake.

At least it’s fast

F1 is a sport of compromise, represented by the tradeoff between speed and reliability. Which one is most important? Can the answer be both? Up and down the paddock, it’s generally regarded that pace is the best place to start. If you’re fast, you have an opportunity to work on reliability, tire degradation included. It’s much more difficult (read: “expensive”) to make a reliable albeit slow car fast than the opposite.

Mercedes has proven it has the one lap pace to match the best cars in F1. Now it sets it attention to solving its chassis’ tendency to aggressively abuse its tires, an endeavor that will undoubtedly take the balance of the summer to develop and refine an engineering solution. But, this weekend, a temporary solution is likely to be put forth by the race course itself, and it will be paramount for Mercedes to take advantage of its gift in waiting. Points from this point on are going to be even tougher to score.

Turn laps on Twitter @RayHartjen

The Hottest of F1 Hot Seats for Vergne

Bahrain’s fourth round of the 2013 Formula One World Championship already sees several teams and drivers on the proverbial hot seat. McLaren has woefully underperformed for a team very much used to contending for race wins and championships, in part to the struggles of Sergio Perez; of course, perhaps Perez has struggled in large part to the recalcitrant McLaren chassis. Romain Grosjean has been roundly outperformed by Lotus teammate Kimi Räikönen. Caterham driver Giedo van der Garde’s rookie season now has the long shadow of new reserve driver Heiki Kovalainen looming over it. But, the hottest of seats may well be at Toro Rosso, under the rear of driver Jean-Éric Vergne. 

There’s a lot to race for at Toro Rosso, as it’s the de facto junior team of F1 powerhouse Red Bull, and – news flash! – Red Bull might have an open seat for2014. And, while Räikönen will have something to say about filling that potential front-of-the-field vacancy, Toro Rosso drivers Vergne and Daniel Ricciardo clearly have a large carrot dangling in front of them. Moreover, there is also Toro Rosso’s infamous lack of patience with young drivers – you either prove yourself and do so quickly, or you’ll be moved over for the next young hot shoe. Just ask Scott Speed, Sébastien Bourdais, Sébastien Buemi, Jaime Alguersauri, and others.

In his second season in F1, this much is clear:  Vergne is slower than his teammate Ricciardo. Last season, Ricciardo outqualifiedVergne in 15 of the 20 races, with an average starting position of 14.7 versus 16.7. This year, Ricciardo is again on top, faster in 3 of the 4 qualifying sessions thus far.

Vergne’s saving grace, at least thus far, has been in earning points. In 2012, Vergne outscored his teammate 16-10, the beneficiary of four 8^th place finishes. However, while lower in total points, Ricciardo showed better overall competitiveness and consistency, finishing six total races in points paying positions.

This year, Ricciardo has upped his game, finishing a career-high 7^th in last week’s Chinese Grand Prix, and performing as befitting his pre-season comments stating his goal is to outrace his teammate and earn a drive at Red Bull. Under pressure, Vergne’s response in the face of increased competition has been just a single point.

Toro Rosso has its drivers on a short leash, and it is certain team management is debating whether Vergne is better racer than current reserve, and former driver, Buemi. Buemi has experience with the organization, can assist in the development of the car, and has the experience and track knowledge to be at least as competitive as Vergne on the grid.

Come Monday, F1 teams will have 20% of the season in its rearview mirrors and will begin the European campaign of the 2013 season. If Vergne’s performance doesn’t pick up and pick up quick, he might not be around to enjoy much of the homecoming.

Trying some overtaking on Twitter @RayHartjen. 

Not tired of tires - yet

Some race fans, not to mention drivers, race team management, and other race personnel, bemoan the impact of tire strategy and its importance over the course of the race weekend. Instead of managing a sometimes wildly speculative variable, they prefer to run flat out, non-stop. We hear you, Michael Schumacher. However, as fans, we’ve seen that before, and the result is a team-by-team, single file procession around the race track, an affair that quickly becomes mind-numbingly boring.

I, and I doubt I am alone, am looking forward to this weekend’s Chinese Grand Prix, round three of the 2013 Formula 1 World Championship. After three rounds of practice and three rounds of qualifying, one thing is abundantly clear:  this race will be entirely about tire management.

Pirelli has brought the medium and soft compounds to Shanghai this week, and as usual there is a performance gap between the two compounds of a little over a second per lap – the softs offer more grip and are therefore quicker. However, that pace comes with a price, as thermal degradation of the soft tires see them fall off quickly, with lap times soaring upwards as quickly as the tires wear out. Teams are seeing performance tail off abruptly after only a few laps.

Formula 1 sporting regulations require competitors to start the race on the tires they qualified with on their fastest lap. Q3 on Saturday saw the Red Bull of defending three-time world champion Sebastian Vettel and the McLaren of former world champion Jenson Button take a gamble and elect not go gunning for pole on the softs, the strategy taken by the rest of their competitors. Rather, they went out on the much more durable tires. The result is Button will start 8^th and Vettel 9^th, but they will both be on medium tires. Pole sitter Lewis Hamilton of Mercedes and the rest of the top seven qualifiers will start on the soft tires, requiring pits stops as early as lap 5 or 6. This brings the race right into the hands of Button, Vettel, and to a lesser extent, Sauber’s Nico Hülkenberg, starting 10^th, also on medium tires.

Rest assured, computers up and down the pit lane are buzzing and working overtime running scenario simulations, with teams working feverishly to devise a strategy that gets them to the end of the 56 lap race distance in the shortest cumulative time possible. Will starting on medium tires bring the race to Button and Vettel? At first, yes. If they get past the first few corners – always a threat for the mid-pack on the first lap – they will lead the first half of the race. The bad news, of course, is this tire strategy gamble developed for a reason – both the McLaren and the Red Bull are not quite at the pace around Shanghai as the Mercedes, Ferraris and Lotuses.

How will the race pan out? I don’t know. But, I can tell you, I can hardly wait to find out.

Catch a flying lap on Twitter @RayHartjen