Schumacher Splashes, Webber Wails in Belgian GP Friday Practices

Photo Credit: Mercedes GP

After nearly a month off after completing the first 11 grand prix races of 2011, the Formula 1 tour convenes on the fast and lauded Spa-Francorchamps circuit. The Belgian Grand Prix ignites the powerful Formula 1 engines with Formula 1 vehicles which have undergone what was likely a sizable examination through the season's summer break.

A 19-turn course reaching 7.001 kilometers in length, the Belgium motorsport track presents technical as well as high-speed corners. Along the Kemmel Straight, speeds are expected to reach over 330 kilometers per hour (205 miles per hour). Providing difficult conditions for the Formula 1 drivers and teams to shake off their cobwebs, the first competitive sessions at Spa were performed in damp weather. Requiring valuable track time ahead of Saturday's qualifying and the Belgium Grand Prix on Sunday, Formula 1 teams were belted into their race machines setting the first track timed benchmarks of the weekend.

Provided with an initial practice session that was 90 minutes in length, the Mercedes GP cars were the only cars to trek out on the Spa-Francorchamp circuit early in the session. Able to run Pirelli stick tires on the then-dry Belgium surface, the Silver Arrows delivered two times in the 1 minute, 54 second bracket. Leading the Mercedes GP cars was the 7-time champion Michael Schumacher who was almost half a second faster than teammate Nico Rosberg on track. The lucky ones in the first practice sessions, rains quickly drenched the race track effectively protecting their top times against any challenges from Red Bull or McLaren race cars.

As rains pounded the Belgian Grand Prix course, the best efforts outside of the Mercedes GP duo was posted by the McLaren-Mercedes of Hungarian Grand Prix victor Jenson Button. Button was almost 8 seconds slower than the second fastest Mercedes GP car of Rosberg. More than 9 seconds under the pace of Michael Schumacher's dry track fastest time, the Red Bull-Renault of driver championship leader Sebastian Vettel and the McLaren-Mercedes of 2008 Formula 1 World Champion Lewis Hamilton rounded out the top-5 in the first practice.

Having been for the both part outclassed this season in the team by the younger Nico Rosberg, some speculation during the summer break eluded to Schumacher making an early departure from the Mercedes GP team. A little over a week ago, Michael Schumacher stated he will stay with Mercedes GP through the Formula 1 2012 season. This 2011 event at the Spa-Francorchamps circuits marks a 20-year anniversary since the famous German driver piloted his first Formula 1 car. Piloting a Jordon, Schumacher's career debut in Formula 1 started unimpressively with a retirement due to a faulty clutch. For the 2011 Belgian Grand Prix, Michael Schumacher is commemorating his first grand prix with a golden helmet.

For the second practice session in the afternoon, the Spa-Francorchamps surface conditions have improved enough where slick tires could once again for mounted to race cars. In this dryer afternoon practice, the top-16 fastest drivers at the conclusion of the 90-minute session outran Schumacher and his Mercedes GP car. At the top of the charts after Friday's second practice was the Red Bull Racing team. Piloted by Mark Webber to a 1 minute, 50.321 second fast time, the Renault-powered race car fended off the challenge of Fernando Alonso's Ferrari by 0.14 of a second. Most surprising in the second practice was the separation between the two Red Bull-Renaults on the time sheet. With Mark Webber delivering the team to their familiar position at the highest plateau of the practice charts, the car of reigning Formula 1 champion Sebastian Vettel could only muster a 10th fastest time.

The McLaren-Mercedes cars captured 3rd and 4th fastest times in the second practice despite that fact the pairing of Jenson Button as well as Lewis Hamilton each spent only 9 laps on track. Felipe Massa collected the 5th quickest time in the afternoon session ahead of Nico Rosberg's Mercedes GP car. The Sauber-Ferrari driven by Sergio Perez posted a 7th fastest laps ahead of the Force India-Mercedes drivers who captured 8th and 9th top times.

A third practice session ahead of the Belgian Grand Prix starts at 11 am local time (5 am Eastern time) followed by Formula 1 qualifying running at 2 pm (8 am Eastern time).

Day 1 for Japanese Grand Prix: Vettel Rumbles, Hamilton Stumbles

Photo Credit: Mercedes GP

After a wild night Grand Prix of Singapore two weeks ago, world championship points leader Mark Webber and the Red Bull Racing team leads the 2010 Formula 1 pilots into Suzuka, Japan. Becoming a definite crunch time for the 2010 Formula 1 season, the driver and manufacturer's point races heading into Japan are so close into the final races that the standings can still be dramatically reshaped after a single event. Webber leads by an 11-point margin over recently red-hot Ferrari driver Fernando Alonso.

Known as a very technical and challenging track, the 3.609 mile Suzuka Circuit, the Honda-owned race complex has history for being a deciding event in the Formula 1 driver's championship. Still in contention 21 points behind his Red Bull Racing teammate Mark Webber, Sebastian Vettel showed in both Friday practices he was willing to meet the challenge in becoming a firm fighter for the 2010 title. The fastest in both sessions, the Red Bull-Renault's 1 minute, 32.585 second time in the first practice was bettered with an 1 minute, 31.465 second lap in the second afternoon session.

Backing up Vettel, Mark Webber timed laps competitive with his teammate as the 2nd fastest in the two practices. Showing the more elder teams of Ferrari and McLaren, Red Bull Racing is ready to end the year strong for what will be monumental acclaim.

Showing a consistent top-three in both sessions Friday, the Renault F1 Team's lead driver Robert Kubica was the 3rd fastest. With Kubica's expertise serving him well at the Suzuka circuit, his rookie teammate Vitaly Petrov approached the track as anew lesson. Having not raced on the Japanese race track prior to this grand prix weekend for Formula 1, Petrov rallied in the second practice session to a 7th overall time. Petrov's Renault was running softer Bridgestone optional tires for the run but nonetheless performed well on his first showing at Suzuka.

Also transitioning their way back from a unremarkable first practice effort, the Ferrari squad were without their blazing speed of recent grand prix weekends. With Brazilian Felipe Massa leading the team with an 11th quickest time in the early practice, the later practice saw Fernando Alonso leading a 4th and 5th fastest result.

Day 1 at the Suzuka Circuit became the setting for a multitude of missteps by Formula 1 drivers. Highlighting the action of first practice session, Lewis Hamilton Friday ended in turn 9 when his McLaren-Mercedes slid off track. Making hard contact with the retaining barrier, the McLaren's left side suspension sustained heavy damage in the impact. Though Hamilton was unhurt, his was sidelined through the rest of the first as well as into practice session two as the McLaren F1 team worked to repair the valuable open wheel race machine. Hamilton did return for 8 laps on the afternoon practice placing 13th fastest. Prior to his crash in the morning, Lewis Hamilton's car was 5th quickest.
In the second session, rapidly cooling track condition into the later part of the day robbed the Suzuka circuit of the more opportune grip of the first practice. several drivers experienced difficulty keeping their 300-plus kilometer per hour race cars on the track. Michael Schumacher, Robert Kubica and even fastest driver of the day Sebastian Vettel had moments of anxiety as they drifted off track.

A 3rd and final practice as well as Formula 1 qualifying are planned for Saturday within what is forecasted to be very wet weather.

Red Bull Racing's Vettel Tops Friday Practice at Monza

Photo Credit: Lotus Racing

A tight Formula 1 points race between the past driving champions of McLaren and the rising stars of Red Bull Racing, the fast Italian 3.6 mile Monza race circuit, the 2010 Formula 1 enters the Italian Grand Prix with the potential of a thrilling event on Sunday. Two days prior to this anticipated Grand Prix, a free practice sessions of Friday provided some valuable shakedown time on this second low-downforce track in a row for the Formula 1 teams.

On the Friday session McLaren's Jenson Button topped the first Friday practice round but it was Red Bull Racing's Sebastian Vettel who led the faster, later afternoon practice session. Storming around the 3.6 mile Italian Monza complex in 1 minute, 22.839 seconds, Vettel out ran Button's morning session by more than 8/10ths of a second. For the German Red Bull Racing driver, the trip back to Monza is the return for where his Formula 1 greatness was realized. Only two years ago, the still green Sebastian Vettel grabbed a surprise victory at Monza for Red Bull Racing's satellite team Toro Rosso Racing. Within the Red Bull Racing organization, Vettel's pace through both sessions is beating Australian teammate Mark Webber handedly with the second Red Bull-Renault 6th fastest following the 2nd practice.

In pursuit of Vettel, Fernando Alonso as well as teammate Felipe Massa recorded the 2nd and 3rd quickest times on Friday afternoon practice charts little more than 2/10ths of a second off the Red Bull-Renault. Hometown hero car builder, the Scederia Ferrari team is certain to be providing much of the ambient crowd noise over the Monza track. An equally strong McLaren-Mercedes effort led by Lewis Hamilton over Jenson Button following the red Ferraris by at least 1/10th of a second.



The conclusion of the Belgium Grand Prix two weeks ago at Spa-Francorchamps circuit saw the McLaren-Mercedes of Lewis Hamilton persist to clinch victory after a late safety car. Ending well for McLaren Hamilton and Red Bull Racing's Mark Webber, both driver's teammates failed to score points in that late August Formula 1 round allowing the two drivers to breakaway in the points standings.

With Lewis Hamilton currently a mere 3 points ahead of Mark Webber, the gap is 28 points back to 3rd place Sebastian Vettel and 32 points in front of 4th place Jenson Button. Of course, with the new the 2010 Formula 1 points as well as 6 Grand Prix races including the Italian Grand Prix left to be run, these season race winners are by no means out of the fight. 5th place Ferrari driver Fernando Alonso 41-point gap on Hamilton keeps the 2-time Formula 1 driving champion in the hunt. However, the Spanish driver Alonso needs to not only win Grand Prixs but the respect of the FIA Formula 1 stewerds who have been catching too many incidents that cost the Ferrari pilot valuable track position.  


2010 Formula 1
Italian Grand Prix
Afternoon Practice Time Chart Ranking

1. Sebastian Vettel Red Bull-Renault
2. Fernando Alonso Ferrari
3. Felipe Massa Ferrari
4. Lewis Hamilton McLaren-Mercedes
5. Jenson Button McLaren-Mercedes
6. Mark Webber Red Bull-Renault
7. Rubens Barrichello Williams-Cosworth
8. Robert Kubica Renault F1
9. Nico Hulkenberg Williams-Cosworth
10. Nico Rosberg Mercedes GP
11. Adrian Sutil Force India-Mercedes
12. Vitantonio Liuzzi Force India-Mercedes
13. Vitaly Petrov Renault F1
14. Michael Schumacher Mercedes GP
15. Sebastien Buemi STR-Ferrari
16. Pedro de la Rosa BMW Sauber-Ferrari
17. Kamui Kobayashi BMW Sauber-Ferrari
18. Jaime Alguersuari STR-Ferrari
19. Jarno Trulli Lotus-Cosworth
20. Heikki Kovalainen Lotus-Cosworth
21. Lucas di Grassi Virgin-Cosworth
22. Timo Glock Virgin-Cosworth
23. Bruno Senna HRT-Cosworth
24. Sakon Yamamoto HRT-Cosworth