Race Recap: To Rain or Not to Rain

Six for Six. For most people that would sound as though the 2012 season had become a boring one, dominated by just a single driver in its first six races. Fortunately for fans, that six for six represents the six different drivers to win the first six races after Mark Webber took the victory from pole for Red Bull. At times it appeared that we may get a repeat driver in Vettel, the "rain" simply wouldn't let that happen.

Photo by Patrice Coppee/AFP/Getty Images

If there is one thing to take away from the race, it is not how Monaco reduces the gap between cars and more about the absolute panic from the prospect of rain. From the original forecasts this weekend everyone knew rain was a possibility. Teams and drivers were prepared for it and yet it still seemed to catch everyone unaware. The teams all pushed their drivers to take the tires as long as they could, the ever looming spectre of rain looming over them. Lap 15, Lap 21, Lap 25, Lap 34... the reports continually changed and never came true. Pit stops came and went as if the rain never mattered, and maybe it was just a ploy of the teams to push their drivers into one-stop races. Red Bull at one point considered putting Vettel on intermediate tires so they would be prepared when the rain came.

Yet after all the buildup it seemed as though it never would. Vettel's stop came and went, and Monaco become one of the most exciting parades in the world. Webber led the likes of Rosberg, Alonso, Vettel (all winners), Hamilton and Massa around the tight streets of Monaco. It proved to be one of the most exciting battles of the season to date, not because of the passing it provided, but the sheer closeness of the drivers. It looked as though the true battle would not be with the elements but between driver. And then, with the laps ticking to a close, the skies decided to open up and give us a scare. The track got slick, the parade became a frantic attempt to not meet Mr. Armco, and it appeared the prophecy of weather may come true.

Jean-Eric Vergne and Toro Rosso took the bait. They gave up 7th place in a grasp for glory on a wettening track. It proved to be the wrong call. Webber and his parade reconquered the streets of Monaco, and the weather gave way to the craziness the Formula One season. In a way Monaco represents everything that Formula One should be and this race represented everything that this season is.

Winners: Red Bull were at the top of their game on race day. As the only team to score two wins so far this season, they hold an advantage no other team currently possesses. Webber and Vettel sit even in the points and this season has much of the same feel that 2010 had. If Red Bull's drivers can continue their form in Canada, this season could become theirs even if Webber or Vettel don't take the checkered flag.

Losers: Roman Grosjean and Michael Schumacher are both losers after Monaco. Neither has fulfilled the potential their teams have provided them and both posted yet another DNF. While Grosjean's DNF was very much his fault, Schumacher again became victim of mechanical failure. His grid penalty may or may not have played a part, but Schumacher still failed to achieve anything close to his pole achievement.

Look Ahead: Montreal is the next stop and its Wall of Champions is hungry. With six different former champions and five former winners (all champions) the race will be a true battle. Schumacher has dominated Canada in his career and if he can take his form from Monaco qualifying to Montreal race he could finally post a victory. Lotus have also performed exceptional on tracks with fast straights and I'd put my money that Kimi Raikkonen could parlay that into his first victory of the season. Red Bull need a good performance to put distance between them and the rest making Canada a key battle in the race for the title.

Race Recap: A Season All Mixed Up

Five races. Five different winners. Five different teams. Not since 1983 has a season started like this. With Pastor Maldonado's win in Spain the 2012 season has started off (almost) like no other. Going forward into the  rest of the European season just about any of the five winning teams look set to take their second win of the season. Much like previous races in Spain, starting on pole lead to victory although strategy played a key role for Williams in their victory.

Alonso had a blinding start off the line and beat Maldonado into turn one and held that lead through the first two stints of the race. It was the absolutely charging pace from Lewis Hamilton, at the back of the pack due to penalty, which was the highlight of the first half of the race. Hamilton had to fight through the pack and while it appeared he might be fighting for a podium at some point, but the need to hold onto the tires for a two-stop race pushed him back.

Pastor Maldonado celebrates his first victory
Photo by ALBERT GEA/REUTERS

The real excitement of the race came following the final pit stops. Williams took the risk to bring Maldonado in with 24 laps to go, hoping that the tires could not only last but also not reach the cliff. Alonso and finally Raikkonen pitted with 17 laps remaining. It appeared that Alonso not only had the pace but the tires left to get him past Maldonado but in the last laps he just couldn't keep pace with the Williams. Maldonado managed his tires flawlessly in his final stint and brought home the first victory since another South American won for Williams in 2004. (That driver was Juan Pablo Montoya of Columbia, coincidentally in Brazil) The real shocker was the absolutely blistering pace that Raikkonen showed during the final stint. He was able to put at least one second per lap on the leaders and it could be asked that had he pitted a lap earlier if he could have passed a slowing Alonso.

Winners: Lotus has again shown that, as a team, they are going to be the ones to beat heading into Europe. Grabbing another podium through Raikkonen, and more points than any other team in the last three races (and by far in the last two races) the team has more momentum than their foes. Though Monaco may not be the best place for the fast cars of Lotus, later races at Montreal, Silverstone and Hockenheim could prove a place for them to gain their first win of the year. Runners-up in this category are obviously Williams who have proven that at least one of their drivers can put them in the mix of things. A Team Championship might be out of the question, but no doubt they can give themselves a shot at a top five.


Losers: Michael Schumacher has posted his third DNF in five races this season. He is not only having the worst start to a season of his career, but it is also in a car which is clearly competitive after a win in China and fantastic qualifying all season. Here in Spain much of the blame could be placed directly on his shoulders, but I hesitate to do so. His collision with Senna, while at first glace appears to be solely Schumacher's fault is at least partly Senna's. The Williams driver moved to the inside and as Schumacher moved to the outside to pass Senna cut back into his line. Schumacher tried to cut back to the inside but the different braking pace on different tires left no room and drew the collision. Schumacher got the penalty for it, but I believe it was wrongfully given. In any case his third DNF gives little hope to him getting a podium or win before his season ends, especially painful as Kimi Raikkonen has earned two podiums in just five races.


Look Ahead: The glitz and glamour of Monaco are on showcase in two weeks. The tight and twisty track will obviously put a premium on qualifying and downforce two areas that Red Bull have excelled at in prior years. With a safety car almost assured of happening tire strategy will likely play a diminished role as teams will get one or two brief respites. I'd lean on McLaren and Mercedes continuing their strong qualifying performances this season and translate those into good race performances.

Race Recap: Vettel Shows Resurgence

Bahrain again proved why it gives fans some of the most exciting and boring racing of the season. Though there were some exciting passes and battles, it is still very much another cookie cutter Tilke track with long straights ending in tight hairpins. It provided us the same strategy and battles that we witnessed already this season in China, and which we will witness over and over again this season. Fortunately all of the action in Bahrain occurred on track and not off with no hint of protest or disturbance of the race.

Vettel celebrates his victory with Raikkonen
Photo by Reuters

For the first time since 2003 we have four different winners of the first four grand prix. Fans could only hope that we get another battle like the 2010 championship fight, especially here in the United States with our Grand Prix being the penultimate race. It was a dominant drive by Sebastian Vettel which truly started with Q3 and just extended into the race on Sunday. Though Grosjean and then Raikkonen challenged him until the final stint Vettel never seemed phased and held his cool to claim the first win of the season. 

Mark Webber drove a quiet race and brought his Red Bull home in its usual fourth place this season. Rosberg followed up his win with a very respectable fifth place finish, though it was not a spectacular run by any means. The only points scoring driver to stick with a two-stop strategy, Paul di Resta, pulled home the Force India in sixth place which is a great finish for that team. Ferrari had both drivers in the points for the first time this season. Michael Schumacher earned another point for himself this season, though one can not underestimate the twelve positions he had to make up during the race to gain that tenth place.

Now for the Winners, Losers and a Look Ahead

Winners: Kimi Raikkonen and Lotus. While Vettel and Red Bull stole the show during qualifying, it was the outstanding performance by Raikkonen and his Lotus teammate Grosjean which gave the best performance during the race. The extremely tight battle between Raikkonen and Vettel proved the some of the best racing so far this season. The advantage of fresh option tires for the race provided just the push that Raikkonen needed to get through the field early and allow their three-stop strategy to work. A double podium for Lotus is an absolutely fantastic finish for them and clearly places them into the top teams this season.

Losers: Lewis Hamilton and the McLaren pit crew. For the third race of the season Hamilton was cost points not through poor driving but mistakes by his crew. Here in Bahrain over 17 seconds were lost in the pits, a loss which could have cost him up to xx points. Though Button had no issues pitting today, one could wonder just what is going on with Hamilton's car. McLaren have plenty of time to straighten out their issues before Spain but if they want to keep pace with Red Bull and now Lotus they will need to step up their game.

Look Ahead: Spanish Grand Prix. The teams will get to return home again and with a three week gap until Spain all will have ample chances to improve their cars. McLaren has some ground to make up to Red Bull in race pace and I'd expect them to fully rectify their pit issues during the break. Lotus have given themselves quite a bit to build on heading into the European leg of the calendar and I'd expect that Kimi Raikkonen could become the fifth different winner in as many races; the first time since 1983 that has happened. Ferrari and Mercedes both need to make strides or else they will be left behind by the top three and caught by the likes of Sauber and Williams.

Next week I'll take a look at the progression of the Circuit of the Americas as well as a bit of coverage of the WTCC races in Slovakia and Hungary in the next two weekends.

Bahrain Race Preview

With qualifying done and only the race left to come all of the turmoil and unrest will be overshadowed for at least a few more hours. Fears of additional violence around the track have yet to play out since the incident with Force India and it is extremely unlikely that the race will be disrupted in any way with the tight security around the circuit.

Coming into qualifying today Nico Rosberg appeared to have the pace to duplicate his pole performance in China by leading the time sheets in P2 and P3. Unfortunately for him and teammate Michael Schumacher they couldn't replicate that speed during qualifying. Schumacher even failed to get out of Q1, though that has been attributed more to a failed DRS than lack of speed for the Mercedes squad. Meanwhile, Sebastian Vettel and Red Bull made a strong charge for pole. They appeared to have found their old form again in Bahrain while McLaren are not far off of the lead pace.

With the high heat in Bahrain it will be interesting to see just how well the tires hold up. Many of the lower qualifiers will have ample options available to them in strategy. With teams battling the heat and only around a second difference between the soft and medium tire the two and three stop strategies we witnessed in China will be in play again. It will be especially interesting to see what strategy Schumacher and Raikkonen attempt with both of their team mates starting on soft tires from Q3. I'd expect to see both of them attempt two-stop strategies starting on the medium tire and saving the soft tires for the final stint when they will be able to squeeze the most life from them.

Up at the front of the field it will be a fantastic start. With Vettel, Hamilton, Webber and Button all within three-tenths during qualifying and all being fantastic off the line in recent weeks. The winner into turn one may very well be the victor in this race, especially with the difficult passing zones and a DRS zone which is slightly shorter than the one at Shanghai. With the very tight turn one, high tire degradation (and thus more debris off line), and less room to recover from bad braking it will be difficult to make good use of the DRS zone to pass. The race would have better served with two linked DRS zones similar to Montreal last year, allowing drivers to close down the gap in the first (shorter) zone and make the pass down the longer second zone.

While Daniel Riccardo had a fantastic qualifying for Toro Rosso, they should temper their enthusiasm. They have used all three of their option tires, and they will almost certainly not be able to match the race pace of the top teams. Smart tire and pit strategy will be key for them to turn in a points performance. Other drivers to watch out for would be Sergio Perez and Paul di Resta. Both have turned in top ten performances and both cars are at the top of the speed trap this week a key statistic at a track like Bahrain.