Who said Valencia was boring? European Grand Prix Review

Is it just me or did I see one of the best races of the 2012 Formula One season on Sunday? Who would have thought Valencia would serve up a terrific Grand Prix.

Drama from start to finish, plenty of overtaking manoeuvres and incidents galore. What more could you ask for. A brilliant Grand Prix and I have to admit I was dreading this one.

I would be right in saying that previous races at Valencia have been pretty dull. Did I expect to see an entertaining race this time round? No is the simple answer.

Again you have to give Pirelli credit for what they have done. And tyre degradation has played its part in what is proving to be a fantastic season for Formula One.

Ferrari’s Fernando Alonso delighted the home crowd and Tifosi by taking victory in an absorbing Grand Prix. Kimi Raikkonen came home in second and massive congratulations to Michael Schumacher.

The seven-time World Champion ended up finishing the race in third. This was Schumi’s first appearance on the podium since his return to the sport.

Ferrari and Alonso

Qualifying might not have gone to plan for Fernando Alonso and Ferrari. But the Spaniard drove a brilliant race to take his second win of the season.

How often have we seen drivers who have not made it into the top ten and yet they have been able to pick up strong results. Look at Sergio Perez in Canada. Qualified 15th and the Mexican finished the race third.

Does getting into the top ten of qualifying matter? For me it does and it always will. However not making it into Q3 is not the end of the world. But lets not take anything away from Fernando.

Alonso pulled off some brilliant overtakes and his move on Romain Grosjean after the safety car went in was outstanding. OK Sebastian Vettel and Grosjean retired but Alonso’s victory in Valencia was down to genuine pace and the Ferrari has been improving race by race.

It will be interesting to see whether the double World Champion can repeat his European Grand Prix heroics at Silverstone. And I wouldn’t be surprised if Alonso is in contention for the race win.

For Felipe Massa it was yet another frustrating weekend and I really hope he picks up a strong result at the British Grand Prix. With the way things are going I can’t see Massa at Ferrari next year.

The Brazilian’s race was more or less over when he had a collision with Kamui Kobayashi. Had that not occurred, Massa would have been in with a shout to score some points. Felipe is capable of stringing results together but his luck this year has been rotten and sometimes when things go wrong, they can go from bad to worse.

Mixed Fortunes

It could have been so much better for Lotus had Romain Grosjean’s car not suffered an alternator failure. But Kimi Raikkonen managed to bring the car home in an excellent second place.

Despite the DNF for Grosjean in Valencia, I have been very impressed by how well the Frenchman has performed this year. He has proven to be more than a match for his more experienced team-mate.

I personally think it is only a matter of time before Romain takes his first win in Formula One. He has been given a second chance and boy has he taken it. I can only run out of superlatives to describe how well Romain has done in 2012 so far and he is a star for the future.

Kimi was one of the drivers to benefit from Grosjean’s retirement and having got past Lewis Hamilton in the closing stages of the race, the Finn was able to score 18 points for second.

Raikkonen has performed admirably in my view on his return to Formula One but it was obvious from his interview with Lee McKenzie that he wanted more than second place. The win was just out of reach but Kimi can be satisfied with how the race went for him.

I do believe Lotus will win a race this season but I’m not sure where that race victory will come at. Will it be at Silverstone?

At Last

When Michael Schumacher crossed the finishing line on Sunday in third position, I was so happy for him. The German has endured so much bad luck in 2012 through no fault of his own but this could be the result that kick-starts his season.

Schumi was able to hold off Mark Webber for the final podium place and this result saw Michael on the podium for the first time since his comeback to Formula One. The Mercedes car has improved significantly compared to the previous two seasons and I just get a funny feeling Schumacher could actually win a race this year.

Michael pulled off some decent moves and being on the fresher tyres at the end helped enormously. Finishing third in Valencia will give Schumi an extra spring in his step but he now needs to build on this result and string some points finishes together.

Nico Rosberg drove a decent race to finish sixth. Rosberg did get off to a poor start but in the end he was able to make his two stop strategy work and get past Paul di Resta in the final stages of the race.

Red Bull

Sebastian Vettel would have been on the top step of the podium had he not suffered an alternator problem. The German had the race up his sleeve and looked on course to record his third consecutive win at Valencia.

The neutral will have been delighted to see Seb retire but it was clear Vettel was not a happy bunny after climbing out of the stricken Red Bull. Who wouldn’t be? After leading the race for so long and doing all the right things, then for an alternator to fail will have been heart-breaking for Vettel.

However he will bounce back from this and I wouldn’t be surprised if he ends up on the podium at Silverstone or even win the British Grand Prix. Red Bull in recent years have done well at Silverstone and I can see both Seb and Mark battling for a race victory.

After a torrid Saturday, Webber did a great job on Sunday to finish fourth. Its not the first time Mark has made his way through the field after a miserable qualifying and going out in Q1. Remember the Chinese Grand Prix last season? Started 18th and the Aussie went onto finish third.

Things did look bleak after qualifying but Mark certainly turned it around on race day and he wasn’t far behind Schumacher come the end of the race. Webber is right up there in the Drivers Standings and don’t rule him out of this years battle to be crowned World Champion.

He won in Monaco and he has also been consistent so far this season. Plus there have also been times this year where he has got the better of Sebastian.

McLaren Woe

Once again McLaren make another mistake in the pit stops. Are they ever going to learn? I wouldn’t like to be in those high pressure situations and I know for a fact I would make mistakes.

But the fact that McLaren have made so many errors during the pit stops this season is frustrating for the drivers and for the fans. McLaren are one of the best teams in Formula One and these pit stops should be perfect.

The team need to realise these mistakes are costing Lewis Hamilton and Jenson Button points. Hindsight is a beautiful thing but had Hamilton’s second stop not taken so long, perhaps he would not have been hit by Pastor Maldonado.

Lewis did what he could and even finishing third would not have been a disastrous result. I guess the consolation for Hamilton was the fact Vettel didn’t score any points either.

My thoughts on the Hamilton – Maldonado incident: Maldonado’s fault and he was lucky to only be given a 20-second penalty which meant he dropped out of the points and finished 12th. I personally would have given him a five or even a ten place drop for what he did.

It was inevitable Pastor would get past Lewis but there was no need for the Venezuelan to do what he did. Had Maldonado rejoined the track once Lewis had got past Turn 13, the Williams driver will have had another opportunity to get past the Brit on the next long straight.

Maldonado drove brilliantly at Barcelona earlier this season to take his first ever win in Formula One. But there have been times where he has been erratic and yesterday’s collision was not the first time both Lewis and Pastor have collided.

As for Jenson he could only manage an eighth place finish and he is not exactly in top form. Scoring only six points in five races is not Championship winning form and Button does need a strong result at Silverstone. Who knows a win could get his season back on track.

I do believe Button will bounce back from this bad spell and don’t count him out of the Drivers Title. There is still a long way to go and anything can happen.

Force India

And finally one team who will have been delighted with their weekend’s work were Force India. Nico Hulkenburg came home in a brilliant fifth place with team-mate Paul di Resta finishing seventh.

In Free Practice both Hulkenburg and di Resta were impressive and Qualifying went pretty well although di Resta felt he could have done better than tenth. It was a big weekend for the team and with both Williams and Sauber not scoring many points, Force India were able to take advantage.

Scoring 18 points at Valencia meant Force India are only one point behind Williams and 16 behind Sauber in the Constructors. Silverstone is a track that should suit the VJM05 and Force India always seem to perform well at high speed tracks. Watch out for Force India at the British Grand Prix and I don’t know why but I have got a feeling they could surprise one or two people.

You can follow me @Baggies20 on Twitter along with Paul Hadsley @paulhadsley. Visit my YouTube channel http://www.youtube.com/TheManishism to listen to previous F1inPubs Forums and let us know what you think. And don’t forget you can comment before, during and after every Grand Prix by using the hash tag #F1inPubs. You never know your views might be included in the Forum.

At The Seventh Time Of Asking – Canadian Grand Prix Review

So now we have seven different winners from the first seven races of the 2012 Formula One season. Fantastic and who would have predicted that at the start of the year?

It has been a terrific start to the season and once again we saw another intriguing Grand Prix at Canada. Lewis Hamilton put in a stunning drive to take his first win of the season. It was a win Lewis thoroughly deserved but lets be honest he could have won his first race of 2012 earlier in the season.

Romain Grosjean was able to make his one-stop strategy work and the Frenchman finished the race in a brilliant second place. Mexican Sergio Perez drove yet another excellent race to finish third. Both Grosjean and Perez have been on the podium twice in 2012.

Seeing three different drivers from three different Constructors on the podium was great to see and I hope that continues for the rest of the season. Lets just hope the unpredictability continues.

An eighth different winner of 2012? Surely not. But never say never.

Delight for Lewis

Lewis Hamilton has always been a Circuit Gilles Villeneuve specialist but to cross the finishing line in first place on Sunday will have been a huge relief for Hamilton and McLaren.

The 2008 World Champion has not really been at fault for any of the mistakes in the McLaren pit lane. There were minor mistakes made on Sunday but Hamilton more than made up for it.

McLaren’s pit stops to be quite frank have not been good enough this season and there have been too many mistakes. But I’m sure they will improve as the season goes on.

Winning in Canada was just what Hamilton needed and I am really happy for him. Lewis has definitely matured this year and he has been more consistent compared to last season. The Brit put in a faultless performance and hopefully this is just a sign of things to come.

Hamilton now finds himself leading the Drivers Championship but I know for a fact he will not get complacent along with his McLaren colleagues. There is still a long way to go and the McLaren can be improved further.

It is amazing what difference a year can make. Last year it was Lewis doing all the whingeing. Now it is Jenson Button who appears to be the one moaning constantly about the car.

Jenson had yet another disappointing race and was unable to make inroads towards the likes of Hamilton, Vettel and Alonso right from the word go. Once again being stuck in the midfield was where Button ended up.

The 2009 World Champion really does need a strong result in Valencia and he must improve his qualifying. He only just made it into Q3 on Saturday and for some reason he has been struggling in qualifying since Spain.

But I have no doubts that once Jenson gets a strong result, he will get back to his best. Button needs a good result from somewhere and if he can do that at the next Grand Prix, perhaps that could be the turning point of his season.

Two Masterclasses

If you want to learn about how to make a one-stop strategy work, take a look at how well both Romain Grosjean and Sergio Perez performed in Canada.

The Frenchman and Mexican were able to look after their tyres incredibly well and because they did that, they were able to make their way up the field. Perez’s performance in particular caught my eye.

Starting from 15th, Sergio did an excellent job from start to finish and he was even putting in fastest laps in the second half of the race. Who would have predicted at the start of the race that Perez would end up on the podium?

Sergio has proven that he can look after his tyres really well but for him to finish third was stunning. Lotus have done extremely well so far this year but still I was not expecting Grosjean to end up on the podium on Sunday.

Romain has had his high and lows in 2012 and he certainly has come back to Formula One with more confidence and belief. I have been impressed with how well the Frenchman has performed this season and he is even getting the better of his more experienced team-mate Kimi Raikkonen.

Don’t be surprised to see both Sauber and Lotus challenging for strong points in Valencia and I wouldn’t bet against any of their drivers finishing on the podium.

Red Bull and Ferrari

It wasn’t quite the stellar weekend for both Red Bull and Ferrari but both teams were able to pick up points from Montreal.

Sebastian Vettel was not able to convert pole position into a race win and finished the race fourth. His team-mate Mark Webber was never really in the hunt to finish on the podium and the Australian could only manage a seventh place finish.

It was pretty inevitable that Seb was going to be overtaken by Lewis in the latter stages of the race which resulted in the German pitting for new tyres on lap 63. Vettel however was able to get past Alonso on the penalutimate lap to finish fourth.

I’m sure Red Bull will be right up there at the European Grand Prix and it should be a track that suits them. And I wouldn’t be surprised if Vettel ended up on pole.

Even though Seb finished just outside the podium places, he shouldn’t be too disheartened and coming home in fourth is not a disaster. There is a long way to go and Red Bull will win races between now and the end of the season.

Fernando Alonso was just unable to make his one stop strategy work and there was nothing he could do to stop Hamilton, Grosjean, Perez and Vettel getting past him. Going for a single stop race was a gamble that did not pay off and had Alonso gone for a two stop strategy, perhaps the Spaniard would have ended up finishing the race in the Top 3.

But despite the fact Fernando finished fifth, he is not far behind Hamilton in the Drivers Standings and it is still all to play for. Alonso will still be confident that Ferrari will improve the car further and there is no reason in my view why he cannot challenge for more race victories this year.

Felipe Massa finished tenth but there were signs once again in Canada that the Brazilian is starting to get back to his best. It was unfortunate he spun just after Turn One in the early stages of the race. Had he not done that, Felipe could have at least finished in the top six.

Final Thoughts and Valencia

Many people I spoke to before the Canadian weekend believed Mercedes would be in contention for the race win. But that never materialised. Michael Schumacher’s bad luck continued as he had issues with his DRS in the race. Nico Rosberg could only manage a sixth place finish. I genuinely hope Schumacher can turn his form round and he has been very unlucky this year.

The Canadian Grand Prix you could argue was a mirror image of Monaco. A procession at times but entertaining towards the end of the Grand Prix. But despite the processional feeling you still had the intrigue and belief that something would happen. That proved to be the case in the end.

Formula One is in a golden era and with the unpredictability continuing, it is difficult to say who will be on top week in week out which can only be a good thing in my view. It could be Red Bull on top one week, a McLaren another week or even a Williams.

I have never been a fan of the European Grand Prix being held at Valencia and have we ever had a decent Grand Prix there? Not really although the race in 2009 was decent with Rubens Barrichello winning in his Brawn car.

I just hope we get a decent race in Valencia and it would be great to see an eighth different winner. Possibly a Lotus winning or even a Sauber coming out on top. I can see Red Bull being strong here and I’m sure Lewis will be up for it as well. Tough one to call.

I would be interested to hear your predictions for Valencia? You can follow me on Twitter (@Baggies20) and listen to the latest F1 Forum for F1 in Pubs. Don’t forget you can also Tweet us #F1inPubs during and after the race. You never know your comments might be included in the Forum.

A Perfect Birthday Present for Sir Frank

Five races and five different winners. Who will have scripted that at the beginning of the 2012 Formula One season? It has been a truly remarkable start to 2012 and I only hope it continues.

Will Monaco see a sixth different winner this year? With the way things are going, I wouldn’t back against it. The Pirelli tyres are once again playing their part and you would be a very brave person to predict who will come out on top at Monaco.

Considering how dull previous Spanish Grand Prix’s have been, this years race was thoroughly entertaining from start to finish. Before I talk about Pastor Maldonado’s excellent win my thoughts are with the mechanics who were injured in yesterday’s horrific fire that occurred in the Williams pit garage.

Three Williams team members were taken to a local hospital with one believed to have been suffering from burns. It was great to see team personnel from different teams helping to put the fire out and it just shows you Formula One is united.

All the teams may be competing against one another on the track but off the track they are united and yesterday was an example of just that. I speak for everyone in Formula One and hope those injured in the pit fire make a speedy recovery. We are all behind you.

An Eight Year Wait

Williams’ eight year wait for a race win came to an end on Sunday with Pastor Maldonado putting in a brilliant performance to take his maiden victory in Formula One. Pastor became the first Venezuelan to win a Grand Prix.

The last time Williams tasted race victory was back in 2004 at Brazil when Juan Pablo Montoya came out victorious in his last race for the team. No doubt Maldonado’s victory in Spain will be one the Williams team personnel will remember for many years to come.

Pastor’s win will have also been a perfect birthday present for Sir Frank Williams. It was obvious up and down the paddock that everyone was delighted for Williams.

Although he lost the lead on the opening lap, Pastor kept his cool and was able to get past Fernando Alonso during the second stage of pit stops.

The Venezuelan went on to win the race and was able to hold off the challenge of Alonso to take his first ever victory in Formula One. Thoroughly deserved and it was great to see Williams back on the top step of the podium.

To bounce back as they have done this year has been incredible. However there is a long way to go and everyone at Williams will be looking to stay on their feet and not get too carried away.

If Lewis Hamilton was not stripped of his pole position, perhaps we would have had a different result on Sunday. But take nothing away from what Maldonado and Williams achieved.

Ferrari and the Rest

Finishing second in front of his home crowd will have felt like a win for Fernando Alonso. The start he made to this years race was reminiscent of the start the Spaniard made in last years race at the Circuit de Catalunya.

Fernando was overtaken in the second stage of pit stops by Maldonado and lost the lead. He was not quite able to get past the Venezuelan but Alonso shouldn’t be disheartened by coming home in second place.

It is ironic that Ferrari don’t have the best car and yet Alonso is tied on 61 points with Sebastian Vettel leading the Drivers Championship. The great thing about Alonso is that he is always consistent and has always been able to get the best out of a car even if it is not at its best.

The pressure will be building on Felipe Massa after the Brazilian could only manage a 15th place finish. Massa does need an upturn in form and if things do not improve he might not even last the season.

Lotus had yet another solid weekend with Kimi Raikkonen and Romain Grosjean finishing third and fourth. Eric Boullier should be delighted with the way both his drivers have performed this season and I would not back against them picking up another strong result in Monaco.

The Enstone based team could have won in both Bahrain and Spain but they should not be disappointed by the way they have performed. I have been very impressed with how well Raikkonen has performed on his return to the sport. But at the same time I have also been equally impressed with Grosjean.

Romain has been given a second chance and the Frenchman has so far done himself proud. Ending up on the podium in Bahrain and finishing fourth in Spain will have delighted Grosjean and he has every right to be pleased with how his season has gone so far.

Sauber’s Kamui Kobayashi had a great day at the office as the Japanese driver finished fifth. Again I have been impressed by the start Sauber have made to the 2012 season and both Kobayashi and Sergio Perez have done a great job. Could Sauber spring a surprise in Monaco? You never know.

After Free Practice on Friday you would have backed Red Bull to score big points in Spain. But come Sunday, Sebastian Vettel could only come home in sixth and Mark Webber finished outside the points in 11th.

I really cannot put my finger on what went wrong for Red Bull and I guess the only saving grace for them was McLaren not scoring big points either. Red Bull have enjoyed recent success at Monaco and it would not surprise me if they were to bounce back in Monaco. But based on what we have seen this season it is unpredictable as to who will win the next Grand Prix.

Nico Rosberg finished seventh for Mercedes with team-mate Michael Schumacher retiring from yet another race. Schumacher not surprisingly received a five place grid drop for causing a collision and going into the back of Bruno Senna. I totally agree with the stewards decision and there is no arguing that Schumacher was at fault for the collision.

Had Lewis Hamilton not been stripped of his pole position, I reckon the Brit would have gone onto win the race. To be forced to start at the back of the grid was harsh in my view. Having said that the McLaren pit crew should take responsibility for what happened on Saturday.

But give credit where it is due. Lewis was able to make his way through the field from 24th to finish the race eighth. Hamilton did a great job and it was a shame he was not able to hold off Vettel for seventh.

Jenson Button will have been in a buoyant mood after being quickest in the second Free Practice session on Friday. Button is one of those drivers who is able to make his strategy work well and look after his tyres. But for some reason he was not able to do that this time round in Spain.

Finally Nico Hulkenburg defended brilliantly from Mark Webber to finish tenth and pick up a point for Force India. It has not been a strong start to the season for Force India but yet they are picking up points.

Paul di Resta did a great job at Bahrain coming home in sixth. We have yet to see the best of Force India and the way they have started this season reminds me of how they started last season.

2011 was a slow start for the team but in the second half of the season they started putting in more consistent and stronger performances. I genuinely believe Force India have been surprised by how well the likes of Sauber and Williams have done. But there is still a long way to go and there are plenty of points to play for.

I am looking forward to Monaco and I really cannot predict who will come out on top. But I am loving Formula One this season and long may the unpredictability continue.

The Wait Is Almost Over! – 2012 Formula One Season Preview – Part 2

Lotus

The Enstone-based team have been pretty impressive in Pre-Season testing but I don’t expect them to finish ahead of Red Bull and McLaren in Australia. However I can see Lotus fighting the likes of Ferrari and Mercedes regularly this year.

Lotus (named as Lotus Renault GP last year) started 2011 in fine fashion as they finished on the podium in the opening two races. But the team really struggled in the second half of the season and only just finished ahead of Force India in the Constructors. Consistency is the key for success and last year Lotus were too inconsistent in my view.

All the attention will be on Kimi Raikkonen as the Finn returns to Formula One after a two year break. And no doubt comparisons will be made about how Kimi fares on his return to the sport compared to Michael Schumacher’s first year at Mercedes.

Its great to see Kimi back in a Formula One car and he has already proved in Pre-Season testing he still has the speed. The question is can Lotus provide Kimi with a competitive car for the 2007 World Champion to challenge for podiums. Does Raikkonen also have the determination and enthusiasm to succeed on his comeback to Formula One?

I personally feel Kimi has what it takes to win another Drivers title and its up to Lotus to provide Raikkonen the tools for him to be at the sharp end of the grid. It will be interesting to see how Kimi approaches this season and which Kimi turns up.

Along with Raikkonen, Romain Grosjean will be making a second return to Formula One. And I think the Frenchman is better equipped and has the pedigree to do well in 2012. I also reckon Grosjean can give Raikkonen a run for his money this season.

Romain was literally thrown at the deep end in 2009 when he replaced Nelson Piquet Jnr at the European Grand Prix. Grosjean failed to make a major impression and struggled for the remainder of the 2009 season.

But having been crowned GP2 Champion last year and done a solid job for Lotus in the Free Practice Sessions towards the end of 2011 season, Grosjean will be bullish about his chances of doing well in 2012.

This is a second chance for Grosjean to establish himself in Formula One and I think this time round he can.

Force India

2012 could potentially be a year where I think Force India could surprise one or two people and even challenge for the odd podium. With Paul di Resta and Nico Hulkenburg driving for the team this year, the in-team battle at Force India will be very intriguing.

Putting aside what happened off-track, I do have sympathy for Adrian Sutil after he finished ninth in the Drivers Standings and had another decent season in 2011. But Force India have decided to go with di Resta and Hulkenburg for this year.

There is no arguing that Paul di Resta was Formula One’s Rookie of the Year in 2011. The Scotsman impressed against his more experienced team-mate Sutil last season despite the German eventually scoring more points come the end of the year.

Di Resta did a superb job in first full season as a Formula One driver and who can forget his qualifying performance at Silverstone where he ended up sixth. And lets not forget his fine sixth place finish in the race at Singapore.

The VJM05 has been pretty reliable throughout Pre-Season testing without any major problems although Test Driver Jules Bianchi did shunt the car on the third day of testing at Jerez.

If Force India can continue where they left off last season then there is no reason why di Resta cannot have another strong season. And I’m sure Force India will be aiming to battle with the likes of Lotus and Mercedes. The future is bright for di Resta and he is a force to be reckoned with.

The Hulk is back. Not the Incredible Hulk but Nico Hulkenburg. The German having endured a frustrating 2011 by being on the sidelines as Force India’s Reserve driver now has a race seat for 2012. And its up to Hulkenburg to grasp this opportunity.

I did feel sorry for Hulkenburg when he was ousted from Williams at the end of the 2010 season. That was despite the German qualifying on pole in Brazil and being one of the Rookies of the Year.

It is a shame that money seems to count more than talent and Hulkenburg was replaced by Pastor Maldonado. Williams’ loss but Force India’s gain. Hulkenburg will want to prove a point in 2012 and I fancy the German to have solid and successful season.

Sauber

The Swiss team were able to hold off Toro Rosso for seventh in the Constructors last season. After a bright start, Sauber’s form in the second half of the season dipped due to their lack of resources. But like Force India, Sauber have two exciting drivers on their books.

Kamui Kobayashi has been a revelation since making his Formula One debut in Brazil 2009. His driving style has proven to be a hit with many fans but he will be hoping Sauber can develop the car throughout the whole of the 2012 season.

Kobayashi finished in the Top 10 for seven consecutive races (If you count the team’s disqualification in Australia) and things appeared to be on the up. But post-Silverstone, Sauber were unable to make significant improvements to the car which led to them being overtaken by Force India in the Constructors.

The Japanese driver is only 25 and if he can consistently finish in the points, maybe the likes of Red Bull and Ferrari might take a punt on him in the future. And Kobayashi might well target the Top 10 of the Drivers Championship this year.

Sergio Perez certainly had an eventful 2011 and the Mexican made a flying start to his Formula One career, albeit Sauber were disqualified from the opening race due to a rear-wing rule breach.

Perez was able to make his one stop strategy work to bring the car home in seventh but was then later disqualified. However he was fortunate to survive a horrific crash during qualifying at Monaco.

There are plenty of positives Perez can take from the way he performed last year and he was more than a match for Kobayashi throughout 2011. Perez is a product of Ferrari’s Junior Drivers Programme and if the 22 year-old can do a fine job for Sauber this year, he could be in a Ferrari sooner rather than later.

Toro Rosso

Helmut Marko and the Red Bull hierarchy were certainly ruthless in getting rid of both Sebastian Buemi and Jaime Alguersuari. Harsh in my view because I thought Buemi and Alguersuari performed well in 2011.

But the decision has been made and Daniel Ricciardo and Jean-Eric Vergne are the new driver-line up for the team. No pressure then on Ricciardo and Vergne to deliver the results for Toro Rosso.

There has been a lot of hype surrounding Ricciardo and now it is time for the Australian to prove he is worth a place in Formula One. I was surprised by how well Ricciardo did at HRT and he was able to get the better of Tonio Liuzzi on many occasions.

Finishing in the points at his home Grand Prix would be a dream start for Ricciardo and no doubt he will want to get the better of his team-mate from the start of the season.

A lot has been said about Ricciardo being the new Sebastian Vettel and this year is a massive season for the 2010 Formula Renault 3.5 runner-up. If Ricciardo can perform well consistently in 2012 then who knows he might be in a Red Bull in 2013 or 2014.

It is all about giving youngsters a chance and Jean-Eric Vergne has now been given an opportunity to shine. Fernando Alonso started off at Minardi and now look where he is. Anything is possible if you take your chances.

If I am being honest, I haven’t seen much of Vergne apart from the Practice Sessions he participated in for Toro Rosso towards the end of the 2011 season. The Frenchman must have done something right in the Practice Sessions and Formula Renault last year for Toro Rosso to take him on this season.

JEV will face the same pressure as Ricciardo in trying to deliver results for the team and take Toro Rosso forwards. Franz Tost, Helmut Marko, Dietrich Mateschitz along with the Red Bull hierarchy will be expecting big things from Ricciardo and Vergne this year. Along with Mercedes, Toro Rosso are another team who are under pressure to improve this year.

Force India – Spanish Grand Prix Preview

Frustration. The one word you can use to describe Force India’s last two Grand Prix weekends in China and Turkey.

Not picking up any points at both Shanghai and Istanbul Park will have been a disappointment but all is not lost for Force India.

With new aerodynamic developments in place, the team could find themselves much closer to Mercedes and Lotus Renault. But Force India need to be beating Toro Rosso and Sauber which is something they have failed to do in the last couple of races.

Force India are not a million miles away from the top ten and if they can continue to make improvements to the car then who knows what the team can achieve.

Turkey

The Turkish Grand Prix weekend was not the best of weekends but there is still a long way to go and I am confident Force India will have a strong 2011 season.

Adrian Sutil finished the race at Istanbul Park in 13th and Paul di Resta was forced to retire from the race. Sutil had an exciting battle with Sauber’s Sergio Perez towards the end of the race in which Adrian came out on top and finished ahead of the young Mexican.

Despite retiring from the race, di Resta has nothing to be ashamed about and the Scotsman has made a solid start to his Formula One career.

Turkey saw Adrian get the better of his team-mate in qualifying for the first time this season. The German qualified 12th and Paul qualified just behind him in 13th.

Qualifying in the last two Grand Prix’s have been encouraging and both Sutil and di Resta were not far away from making it into Q3 in Turkey. Mark Webber’s stunning drive in China and Kamui Kobayashi’s 10th place finish in Turkey after starting from the back of the grid has raised questions as to whether qualifying near the front of the grid is important.

For me it is still important to qualify higher up the grid. At least then you have got a better chance of picking up points. But still qualifying outside the top ten means you can start the race on any tyre compound and you will also save more tyres for the race itself.

I did fancy Sutil and di Resta to make inroads towards the points scoring positions but unfortunately they were unable to score any points at Istanbul Park.

However once Force India have their new aerodynamic package in place, I am certain the team will be challenging for points on a regular basis this year. Making small improvements to the car every weekend could be the difference in the team scoring and not scoring points.

Spain

The fifth round of the Formula One 2011 calendar heads to Spain which marks the return to Europe. The Spanish Grand Prix is usually the race where the majority of teams bring updates to the car. For Force India this will be no different.

Circuit de Catalunya is one the circuits all drivers are familiar with and di Resta is very much looking forward to the Spanish Grand Prix this weekend.

‘We did two tests there in the winter and I had four days in the car so I already feel quite well prepared. In fact, it’s a track that all the drivers know like the back of their hand and the teams have so much data already.

It’s usually a race where all the teams bring upgrades so we will need to take a step forward if we want to stay in the mix. We evaluated a new front wing in Istanbul and we hope to have more steps coming through in the near future. The team has been working hard on this new concept and everybody is quite upbeat about its race introduction, so that’s something to look forward to.’ [Source: http://www.forceindiaf1.com]

The DRS System and tyre degradation have played a part in the exciting races we have seen this season and although overtaking is difficult at Barcelona, Sutil feels the race in Spain this year will be different.

‘I think we should see some overtaking. There is a long straight and tyre degradation will be high. I’m sure the race will be a bit different to what we have seen in previous years.’ [Source: http://www.forceindiaf1.com]

And Team Principal Vijay Mallya adds that the new regulations have achieved their objectives.

‘The races have been very exciting and the new Pirelli tyres and DRS have helped to add more unpredictability. I believe this close racing is great for fans of our sport, who can look forward to more of the same this weekend. Hopefully both Force India’s will be in the hunt and challenging for points.’ [Source: http://www.forceindiaf1.com]

With back to back races coming up now in Spain and Monaco, Force India will be looking to score points in both races. The last two Grand Prix’s have not been ones to remember for Force India but there is hope and with upgrades planned, perhaps now we will start to see the best of the VJM04.

Listen to the Turkish Grand Prix podcast for Formula1 FanCast below.