Spanish Grand Prix - What a race!

Finally after waiting for 4 races, the real Nico Rosberg has emerged! Finally some real fight from the German. After a brilliant drive to claim pole, he managed to go 100% and snatch the win easily in the end.

The race did come with some ups and downs though. It was all on from the 5 red lights when Vettel jumped Hamilton into Turn 1, and went straight into second. Then we saw Pastor Maldonado climb all the way from 12th, and make a series of (believe this) brilliant overtakes to look good in P7, before his he had problems with his rear wing, an ultimately had to retire. We all thought Toro Rosso were in the boxseat for some big points I Catalunya, but sadly the setup they had ran with had a big compromise of straight line speed for cornering ability. This meant both Sainz and Verstappen were ultimately robbed of points chances with the dangerously strong DRS zone on the start/finish straight, it was disappointing to see. Later on into the race, every Brit spilt there cup of tea when that rear left tire change didn't go according to plan for Lewis Hamilton, costing him valuable time to Sebastian Vettel ahead. It didn't matter too much or Vettel though as during the second round of pit stops, Ferrari made one the most silliest pit stop choices ever, and tried to get Vettel on a two stop, when a three stop was much quicker. This choice of strategy was risky, and really didn't pay off with a massive gap to Hamilton when Vettel finished in third. Rosberg lead the race comfortably through out, and we could see Lewis wasn't going to catch him towards the end of the race. So the focus went to the battle for fourth, the two Finns, Valtteri Bottas for Williams, being chased by Kimi Raikkonen in the Ferrari. Raikkonen choose the two stop strategy running with the primes in the middle stint, to have an attack on the options in the last stint, however as he closed onto the Williams, Bottas kept his cool and didn't miss many apex's, and with Kimi's tires starting to go off it was a brilliant display from Valtteri, and he earned Williams a solid fourth place.

One of the more shocking moments came when Fernando Alonso was coming into the pits for a stop, when his brakes failed, and he nearly ran down his front jack man, but thanks to the jack mans quick reactions to get out of the way, no one was hurt. A the commentator's talked about it, Lotus's Romain Grosjean came into the pits and did the same thing! This time his jack man was flung with the jack in hand, but he managed to land all fine, and keep the car jacked up, only making the pit stop a bit longer. He was later seen sitting in the garage with some ice on his nuts.

Overall a great race to watch an enjoy, and I'm pleased for Nico Rosberg that he is back in the fight! With the gap only 20 points now, hopefully Monaco can bring more good luck for Rosberg, perhaps reverse the roles of Singapore 2014?

Spanish Grand Prix - Qualifying analysis

Qualifying for the Spanish Grand Prix has been completed and it certainly had a different nature to it then the first four races of the season. As Catalunya being a naturally difficult circuit to balance the car around, it would be tough for everyone.

Carlos Sainz Jr driving for Toro Rosso.

As we headed into Q1 we saw the likes of Force India and McLaren straight onto the medium tires as well as Kimi Raikkonen later on in the session. The back row of the grid is again locked out by the two Marussia cars. It was a good day for Will Stevens as he managed to out qualify his team mate Roberto Merhi again, and they line up 19th and 20th. A disappointing session for Force India as Perez lines up 18th and Hulkenberg 17th. Hulkenberg went out earlier in the session, and didn't have time for another run towards the end, compromising him. It's the first time Force India have had both cars out in Q1 since Abu Dhabi 2009. The last spot in Q1 went to the Sauber of Marcus Ericsson.

Daniel Ricciardo of Red Bull looks on.

Q2 began and the likes of both McLaren's were through, leapfrogging there main rivals Force India. As the session ended 15th spot was occupied by the other Sauber of Felipe Nasr. Disappointing for the team, with both cars lower than expected and meaning that McLaren had jumped them as well. They had wound up 14th and 13th with Fernando Alonso just getting ahead of his team mate by just under a tenth. The last two spots went to the Lotus drivers with Romain Grosjean again being ahead of his team mate Maldonado. Lotus were fairly happy considering a very bumpy and stressful weekend so far.

Valtteri Bottas of Williams, starting from 4th means he is in real contention for some serious points.

Q3 now rolled around, and it was again between Rosberg and Hamilton. There were also both Ferrari's, Toro Rosso's, Red Bull's and Williams all fighting for the top spot. As the flag dropped it was Daniel Ricciardo who found himself in 10th place, which for me was quite surprising. A disappointing session for Felipe Massa found him in 9th. Perhaps Kvyat going to Red Bull might be coming right now, as he drove brilliantly to get an 8th place grid slot, out performing his team mate in the process. Next in 7th after extremely disappointing qualifying, we find the Ferrari of Kimi Raikkonen, I hope he can put a stunning drive on Sunday and recover some points. Another blistering session from the Toro Rosso team as Carlos Sainz out drove his team mate Verstappen for 5th and 6th places, both ahead of the sister team, Red Bull. 4th place went to Valtteri Bottas who has been a little bit quiet so far, but he drove brilliantly, and finished ahead of his team mate Massa. 3rd was the place of Sebastian Vettel and his Ferrari, as he had an average day at the office. Now this is where the shocks come, finally an answer to Hamilton's reign, Nico Rosberg put in blistering lap times to take Pole Position over his team mate by a full three tenths. Finally some fight from Nico is great to see. Mercedes achieved their third 1-2 start at Catalunya in a row.

Nico Rosberg of Mercedes, the pole sitter

It was a throughly enjoyable session and finally great to see Nico putting a true fight to Hamilton, I cannot wait for race day!

2015 Spanish Grand Prix - FP1 and FP2 Analysis

After the Friday practice sessions of the 2015 Spanish Grand Prix, the current timings a lot different to that of Bahrain. Mercedes topped both sessions, with Hamilton and Rosberg one a piece. Vettel and Raikkonen were third and fourth in FP1, but Vettel split the Mercedes in FP2 with the 2nd fastest time.

Kimi Raikkonen crosses the line for Ferrari, he finished 4th in both FP1 and FP2.

The first practice session included the use of three reserve drivers. These were Jolyon Palmer for Romain Grosjean at Lotus. Raffaele Marciello for Marcus Ericsson at Sauber. And forty years after a woman last scored points in Formula One at Spain, we saw Susie Wolff replacing Valtteri Bottas at Williams. There were no major crashes during FP1, and the yellow flags were only waved a couple of times for a few spins on track. The session finished with Nico Rosberg leading Lewis Hamilton by seven hundredths of a second. Sebastian Vettel and Kimi Raikkonen followed them with three hundredths separating the two Ferrari's. FP1 went extremely well for Toro Rosso with them finishing with Sainz in 5th and Verstappen 6th. Daniil Kvyat was next in 7th, provided a better look for Red Bull with his team mate Ricciardo finished 9th after problems with his car earlier in the session. Massa had a mediocre day for Williams in 8th, and Susie Wolff was relatively disappointing with 14th. The ever improving Felipe Nasr was in 10th as Sauber's reserve driver Raffaele Marciello finished in 12th. Nico Hulkenberg managed a good lap for Force India and finished in 11th with Perez down the order in 17th. Lotus's reserve driver Jolyon Palmer finished ahead of the first driver Pastor Maldonado in 13th, with Maldonado in 18th. McLaren who had been rumored to be turning things up in Spain moved a little bit, but not a lot with Alonso in 15th and Button in 16th. Will Stevens had a victory over his team mate Roberto Merhi at Marussia, finishing 19th and 20th. The timings from FP1 are below:

1. Nico Rosberg GER Mercedes - 1m 26.828s
2. Lewis Hamilton GBR Mercedes - 1m 26.898s
3. Sebastian Vettel GER Ferrari - 1m 27.806s
4. Kimi Raikkonen FIN Ferrari - 1m 27.832s
5. Carlos Sainz Jr ESP Toro Rosso-Renault - 1m 28.132s
6. Max Verstappen NED Toro Rosso-Renault - 1m 28.529s
7. Daniil Kvyat RUS Red Bull-Renault - 1m 28.785s
8. Felipe Massa BRZ Williams-Mercedes - 1m 28.831s
9. Daniel Ricciardo AUS Red Bull-Renault - 1m 29.075s
10. Felipe Nasr BRZ Sauber-Ferrari - 1m 29.140s
11. Nico Hulkenberg GER Force India-Mercedes - 1m 29.409s
12. Raffaele Marciello ITA Sauber-Ferrari - 1m 29.630s
13. Jolyon Palmer GBR Lotus-Mercedes - 1m 29.676s
14. Susie Wolff GBR Williams-Mercedes - 1m 29.708s
15. Fernando Alonso ESP McLaren-Honda - 1m 29.813s
16. Jenson Button GBR McLaren-Honda - 1m 29.817s
17. Sergio Perez MEX Force India-Mercedes - 1m 30.096s
18. Pastor Maldonado VEN Lotus-Mercedes - 1m 30.110s
19. Will Stevens GBR Manor Marussia-Ferrari - 1m 32.471s
20. Roberto Merhi ESP Manor Marussia-Ferrari - 1m 32.647s

Lewis Hamilton of Mercedes, who finished 2nd and 1st respectively in FP1 and FP2.

The second practice session was a little different. I unfortunately forgot to record this session and so couldn't watch it, but I can report on the timings. Again Mercedes finished top but swapped there drivers around with Hamilton finishing 1st, and Rosberg not quite matching Hamilton finishing in 3rd. A better round for Sebastian Vettel as he finally got closer to the back of the Mercedes splitting the two drivers and finishing 2nd. Kimi Raikkonen had a similar performance from FP1 and finished 4th. Daniil Kvyat finally began to show why he was given the seat at Red Bull finishing 5th, taking full advantage of Williams being off the pace. His team mate Ricciardo finished a low down 13th. Toro Rosso had another good session with Verstappen 6th and Sainz 9th. McLaren finally began to come back with Jenson Button finished in 7th place, and Fernando Alonso in 11th. Valtteri Bottas kept Williams in the fight with 8th and Massa was average with a 10th place. Lotus had Romain Grosjean back in the car for FP2 and he managed a 12th whilst Maldonado sort of improved with 14th place. A disappointing session for Sauber with 15th and 16th, and an even worse session for Force India with Hulkenberg ahead of Perez in 18th and 19th. Will Stevens made it two from two over team mate Roberto Merhi finished 19th and 20th. The timings from FP2 are below:

1. Lewis Hamilton GBR Mercedes -1m 26.852s
2. Sebastian Vettel GER Ferrari - 1m 27.260s
3. Nico Rosberg GER Mercedes - 1m 27.616s
4. Kimi Raikkonen FIN Ferrari - 1m 27.780s
5. Daniil Kvyat RUS Red Bull-Renault - 1m 27.943s
6. Max Verstappen NED Toro Rosso-Renault - 1m 28.017s
7. Jenson Button GBR McLaren-Honda - 1m 28.494s
8. Valtteri Bottas FIN Williams-Mercedes - 1m 28.525s #
9. Carlos Sainz Jr ESP Toro Rosso-Renault - 1m 28.674s
10. Felipe Massa BRZ Williams-Mercedes - 1m 28.712s
11. Fernando Alonso ESP McLaren-Honda - 1m 28.723s
12. Romain Grosjean FRA Lotus-Mercedes - 1m 29.086s #
13. Daniel Ricciardo AUS Red Bull-Renault - 1m 29.098s
14. Pastor Maldonado VEN Lotus-Mercedes - 1m 29.217s
15. Felipe Nasr BRZ Sauber-Ferrari - 1m 29.333s
16. Marcus Ericsson SWE Sauber-Ferrari - 1m 29.361s #
17. Nico Hulkenberg GER Force India-Mercedes - 1m 29.601s
18. Sergio Perez MEX Force India-Mercedes - 1m 29.707s
19. Will Stevens GBR Manor Marussia-Ferrari - 1m 31.929s
20. Roberto Merhi ESP Manor Marussia-Ferrari - 1m 32.751s 

"#" means the driver didn't compete in FP1, and this was there first session.

Jenson Button driving his McLaren. He finished 16th and 7th respectively in FP1 and FP2.

Overall a different day in Formula One, and I think FP3 and Qualifying should be very interesting, will McLaren leapfrog up the field? Will Williams get back some pace? or will the Toro Rosso's finish ahead of there parent team Red Bull? We don't know, but I'll be telling you all about those sessions tommorow, and you can follow me live tweeting during FP3 here: https://twitter.com/stevewalts

 

Spanish Grand Prix - Practice 1 Preview

It's just minutes now to the first practice session at the Spanish Grand Prix. The home fans will be cheering for the 3 Spanish drivers on the grid, and the Hamilon fans will be screaming again as usual. With almost every team bringing big upgrades, the grid might be shuffled up a bit. Susie Wolff replaces Valtteri Bottas and Jolyon Palmer for Romain Grosjean, it should be an exciting session. Personally I hope to see Ferrari near the top, and my boys At Force India to make more progress forward. Anyway, here we go!

Classic F1 Championships - 1951

The 2nd Formula One World Championship took place the very next year with Nino Farina the defending champion returning, along with last year's title contenders, Juan Manuel Fangio and Alberto Ascari. Luigi Fagioli who finished 3rd in the 1950 season only competed in one race. Alfa Romeo were coming back into the sport as the Mercedes of today, and Ferrari were the Ferrari of today, lighting a fire onto the ass of the front runner.

The 1951 drivers champion Juan Manuel Fangio

However it didn't look like that from the first race in Switzerland, with Alfa Romeo's Juan Manuel Fangio taking pole, fastest lap and the win. Ascari in the Ferrari never had the pace as he had a badly burnt arm from a previous Formula 2 race. Round 2 was in Belgium at Spa, where Nino Farina got back to his winning ways beating the Ferrari's by over 3 minutes. Juan Manuel Fangio finished 9th after he jammed a wheel in a pit stop, costing him 15 minutes. Fangio did pick up a point for setting the fastest lap. Round 3 took the championship France at a fast track in Reims. As Ascari was chasing Fangio his gearbox failed, and so the newest Ferrari driver was pulled into the pits, and Ascari as the senior driver took over his car. Fangio finished first with Ascari second, and Ferrari were really getting onto the back of the Alfas. Then to the historic Silverstone, and Ascari had another gearbox failure and when his team mate, Gonzalez came into the pits, Ascari didn't swap cars with him, as he thought Gonzalez was in top form. As Fangio tryed to establish a lead, Gonzalez was right behind him in his Ferrari and had an advantage of only needing one more fuel stop, compared to Alfa's two. Gonzalez was to quick that day, and finished first, a minute ahead of Fangio. Alfa Romeo then added more upgrades for the next round, Germany. Fangio lead most of the race, but once again an extra fuel stop let him down, with Ascari overtaking him in the pits, and effectively winning the race, with Fangio coming in second. Onto Monza and Fangio had to retire, giving Ferrari a one two finish with Ascari in first and Gonzalez in second.

The 2nd Round at Circuit Spa Francorchamps

Onto the final round of the championship, and it was in Spain at the Pedralbes circuit. The circuit is known for being extremely bumpy and hard on tires. For Ferrari it tore there tires apart, and left them unable to fight, giving Juan Manuel Fangio with an easy run to the line, and the world championship. Juan Manuel Fangio was the 2nd man to win the World Drivers Championship after Nino Farina in 1950, and both had driven for Alfa Romeo.

Race 1: Switzerland - Winner: Juan Manuel Fangio
Race 2: Belgium - Winner: Nino Farina
Race 3: France - Winner: Juan Manuel Fangio/Luigi Fagioli
Race 4: Silverstone - Winner: Jose Froilan Gonzalez
Race 5: Germany - Winner: Alberto Ascari
Race 6: Italy - Winner: Alberto Ascari
Race 7: Spain - Winner: Juan Manuel Fangio

Drivers Champion: Juan Manuel Fangio

After this season, funding dried up for the Alfa Romeo Formula One team, and they dropped out of Formula One, leaving Ferrari the front runner for the next season and they dominated, with a new Maserati team to be the next competition in 1953.

3 Days Before Spain - Who's jumping up the field?

3 days till the eagerly anticipated Spanish Grand Prix, and most people including myself can not wait, it's been a long three week break since the start of the Bahrain Grand Prix and its good to be back into racing. Myself as a F1 fan support the Sahara Force India F1 Team, because I enjoy the way that Hulkenberg and Perez drive aggressively. I also believe they have been unlucky in there respective career's so far, and I would love to see them progress to the top of the grid and take Force India with them. Plus the team has good origins dating back to Eddie Jordan's original team.

Sergio Perez at the 2015 Chinese Grand Prix

Anyway, with 3 days to go, Nico Hulkenberg and Sergio Perez have stated there thoughts on the upcoming weekend. With Hulkenberg returning from the WEC (World Endurance Championship) 6 hours of Spa, after achieving a 6th place with his Porsche Hybrid 919. Hulkenberg's said in an interview with the Formula One Website: “We all know the Barcelona track really well. You have to think about how to approach a lap because it’s important to look after your tyres. If you take too much out of them in the first sector, you end up paying the price in the final one, so finding the right balance is the key". Sergio Perez also said in the inteview: “As a track, Barcelona is a demanding place to drive a Formula One car, with both fast and slow sections. It’s a big test of the aero package - similar to somewhere like Sepang. Overtaking is never easy because it’s difficult to get really close to another car, so good track position really pays off".

Sahara Force India drivers, Sergio Perez (L) and Nico Hulkenberg (R)

Force India have had a pretty miserable season so far, after arriving at pre-season testing late, they have only managed to pick up 11 points and 8th in the constructors standings. However progress has come for the team in Bahrain, with Perez finishing in 8th place, after Hulkenberg had a blistering run in qualifying, with 8th of the grid. Vijay Mallya the teams owner and principal has stayed positive and was quoted saying: “It’s still early days in the season, but it’s worth noting how closely-matched the midfield teams remain. There are times when we see up to ten cars within half a second of each other, which means that any improvements we can bring to the car will have a big impact on our results".

Sergio Perez at the 2015 Malaysian Grand Prix

Its great to see my team staying nice to positive, and I personally can't wait to see the progress they can make in the Spanish Grand Prix. 3 days till go, I can't wait. Drop your predictions below if you want.

Classic F1 Tracks - Jerez

It may not have corners as famous at Spa-Francorchamps. It may not have the weather of Melbourne, but was this race track in a small town in southern Spain has, is the ability to make an impact on people whilst it has only played host to 6 Grand Prix.

One of the most famous moments Jerez has seen. The infamous Schumacher/Villeneuve crash

Jerez is a track located in  rural Spain, and has played host to both the Spanish and European Grand Prix. The track opened in 1985 and hosted it's first Grand Prix in 1986, hosting the Spanish Grand Prix for 4 years till 1990, before the FIA decided that, due to Jerez being so isolated they would replace Jerez with the current venue of the Spanish Grand Prix, Circuit De Catalunya in Barcelona in hopes of increasing spectator sales. 1991 saw Jerez disappear from the calendar for 3 years before returning as the "European Grand Prix" in 1994, and then disappearing again, before swooping in to be the last round of the 1997 calendar, which proved to be a cracking race, which you can read about here: http://greenflagf1.blogspot.co.nz/2015/05/legends-of-f1-jacques-villenueve.html

Circuito de Jerez from above.

Jerez is described as a fast flowing track originally with 13 medium to fast corners. It has a relatively big elevation change with a well recognized run up into turn 1. The track runs in a clock wise direction with a total track length at 4.428km. The lap record is currently held by Heinz-Harold Frentzen with a 1:23.135 in 1997 driving for the Williams-Renault team. Even though Jerez is no longer past of the Formula One calendar, it is a highly important track because of the massive role it plays in pre-season testing. It holds the first pre-season test of the season and is the first indication of pace in the season. This season it was our first glimpse at 4 time world champion Sebastian Vettel driving for Ferrari, and McLaren with there new Honda power units.

The Layout of Jerez, with the newly added chicane in grey.

Though Jerez has only hosted 6 Grand Prix at the track it has created history for itself as a classic Formula One track. The events of 1997, the thrilling season finale stay etched in our minds forever. An interesting fact as due to team orders David Coulthard was ordered to let Mika Hakkinen pass him for the lead. It was the first ever win for Mika Hakkinen and he would go onto win the 1998 and 1999 titles. I hope Jerez can remain a classic track and will stay on as a testing track for years to come.

A lap onboard with Jacques Villeneuve with Martin Brundle provided commentary.

Spain Previews - Grosjean and Maldonado on Catalunya, are they the next best?

Less than a week now till the 5th round of the Formula One season. We head to the Circuit De Catalunya in Barcelona, Spain. The question on everyones mind is Ferrari or Mercedes, and Spain is all about the car because the drivers all know the circuit from its use in pre-season testing. Teams know how to set up for it, so on the day it really comes down to things like, tire wear, strategy and driver skill.

However in this post we aren't focusing on the front of the field, rather the middle of the pack, the Lotus F1 Team to be precise. After a tough 2014, with 10 points and 8th in the constructors. 2015 was the start to a new time for Lotus with a change to Mercedes power, as they kept the same driver line up of the erratic Pastor Maldonado and the ever improving Romain Grosjean. They managed to sign the 2014 GP2 champion, Jolyon Palmer on as the test and reserve driver, and have used him in Friday practice sessions. However the first race didn't go well for Lotus with a double DNF (Did not finish) on the first lap. The next 3 races were not to good for Pastor Maldonado, with a DNF in Malaysia and China, and only 15th in Japan, after problems with the car. But on the other hand for Romain Grosjean, he was 11th in Malaysia, unlucky after Sergio Perez hit him off the track. China and Bahrain were better for him with back to back 7th places. This leaves Lotus in 6th place in the constructors standings with 12 points, 2 more than what they scored over the whole of the 2014 season.

Maldonado leads Grosjean at the 2015 Bahrain Grand Prix

Now there focus moves to Spain, where they plan to get more points with new upgrades to the Lotus E23. Grosjean said in an interview with the Formula One website: "It was our best circuit last year, and I also finished fourth back in 2012 as well as setting the fastest lap. It is a circuit everyone knows backwards, so as a team we go to Barcelona intent on getting much more performance from the car". Pastor Maldonado has extremely good memories of Spain, where he scored his only win and podium of his career there in 2012 with the relatively uncompetitive WilliamsF1 Team. Maldonado said in an interview with the Formula One website: "Hopefully we’ll see a good result there for the team and some points for me! A top ten in qualifying will be our first focus and then it’ll be a very tough race in terms of tire management, with a lot of pit stops and strategy". Overall Lotus hope to keep improving into a front runner in 2015.

Lotus drivers, Romain Grosjean (left) and Pastor Maldonado (right).

My opinion is good with Lotus, and throughly like them as a team and I believe that Romain Grosjean is the next best driver on the grid, after you take out the Williams, Mercedes and Ferrari's. He finished 7th behind those 6 cars in China and proved this theory, and was 7th in Bahrain, with 1 Red Bull (Ricciardo) replacing 1 Williams (Massa) in front of him. Maldonado however, I really think that Lotus need to replace him next year, he just doesn't seem to be able last a full race. I hope to see Romain Grosjean back on the podium some time soon as the team leader, with Jolyon Palmer moving up into the 2nd driver role.

Below is an interview with Pastor Maldonado with his thoughts an opinions before the 2015 Formula One season

Formula One Discussion - Rosberg

With Lewis Hamilton comfortably leading the 2015 drivers standings with 93 points, all eyes are on the challengers to Hamilton's rule. Vettel and Raikkonen in the Ferrari's have posted a battle with 65 and 42 points respectively, and 3rd and 4th in the drivers standings. However the man in 2nd place in Hamilton's team mate Nico Rosberg.

Nico Rosberg and Lewis Hamilton

The question, can Nico Rosberg challenge Hamilton for the drivers crown, he is currently 27 points behind Hamilton and hasn't won a race all season, but has been on the podium in all 4 races so far. Opinion is split on Rosberg with people saying he isn't trying hard enough, and that he isn't aggressive enough, whilst some just reckon Hamilton is too hard to beat. The difference between the two drivers is very different however, Lewis seems to drive with no assistance, and just drives fast, and fast, and fast. Whereas Nico seems to like to know, gaps and telemetry information and data. The fight with the two personalities was an even one last season, but now because of the new radio regulation rules, Rosberg can't receive that sort of information in the car, giving Hamilton the edge. Rosberg is clearly quite angry with his performances, and he doesn't seem to be to happy with some of Lewis's driving styles, evident from post race press at China (see below).

Personally, I feel like Rosberg is just uncompetitive this year now, and the only reason he is actually in 2nd, is because of the fact hes driving the fastest car on the grid. He blaming some of his losses on Hamilton, and if Hamilton was too slow, why didn't you try and overtake him? I believe that Vettel and Raikkonen are the most skillful drivers, and are the real challengers to Hamilton. I am a fan of Nico Rosberg, but he hasn't been the same since the start of the season, I hope he can bounce back in less than a week when the calendar takes us to Spain. It's a track the drivers all know well, and Nico needs to up his game.

Legends of F1 - Jacques Villenueve

Jacques Villeneuve burst onto the Formula One scene in 1996 as the Williams 2nd driver. In his first race, the Australian Grand Prix, he took Pole Position and the fastest lap. Then 4 races later Villeneuve had his first win, at the European Grand Prix, at the Nurburgring. Villeneuve has tied the record for the most wins in a rookie season with Lewis Hamilton on 4, and he is the 9th fastest person to record a victory.

Jacques Villeneuve at the Australian Grand Prix

Jacques Joseph Charles Villenueve was born in Quebec, Canada in 1971. Villenueve had racing blood born into him as his father was Gilles Villeneuve. However at this point in Gilles life, he hadn't begun his Formula One career. A big impact in Villeneuve's life was when he was 11, his father was killed in qualifying in the 1982 Belgium Grand Prix in Zolder after he collided with Jochen Mass. 2 years after the death of Gilles, Jacques said to his mother he wanted to follow in the footsteps of his father and become a racing driver. His mother told him she would only let him drive karts, if he got his grades up in his worst subject at school, Mathematics. Villeneuve then got his head down and begun to work hard at maths, and eventually he did get the marks he needed, and his mother fulfilled there promise. His mother then allowed him to drive an 100cc kart around a karting track at Imola. Villeneuve impressed the owners so much that he moved up to a 135cc version of the kart, before being so blown away, they allowed the Canadian onto the main track in Formula Four car, all in the same day.

Villeneuve's racing career shot off after this with a lot of help from his grandfather who raced in CART. At the age of 17, Canada and Italy wouldn't allow Villeneuve to obtain his racing license, so he ended up receiving his racing license from Androrra. In 1994 Villeneuve took his racing to the top level by entering CART Indycar. In his rookie season, he managed to finish second in the prestigious Indy 500. He finished the season in 6th position and was awarded rookie of the season. He started his 1995 season well with a win in the first race. Villeneuve continued well throughout the season with highlights as a marvelous win at the Indy 500, as Villeneuve went onto win the CART Indy Car championship that year. This bought Villeneuve to the attention of Sir Frank Williams, of the WilliamsF1 Team. They signed Villeneuve along side experienced Formula One racer, Damon Hill.

Jacques on the podium, after the Hungarian Grand Prix

As I said earlier the 1996 season started well for Villeneuve, and it got better with 4 wins in, Germany, Hungary, Britain and Portugal. However if people thought his rookie season was a blast, his 1997 campaign was even better. He had a new team mate Heinz Harold Frentzen, which left him as team leader for Williams in 1997. It started well with a pole position in Melbourne, and continued throughout the season, with a tight battle with Michael Schumacher driving the blood red Ferrari. It came to the final race in the European Grand Prix, at Jerez. Schumacher went into the race with 78 points and Villeneuve 77. The race got very interesting from qualifying when Heinz Harold Frentzen, Michael Schumacher and Jacques Villeneuve all set the same time in qualifying (1.21.072). Pole Position was awarded to Villeneuve because he set the time first, with Schumacher in 2nd, Frentzen in third. The race started with Schumacher beating Villeneuve into turn 1. The race was fairly quiet until lap 48. Villeneuve was less than a second behind Schumacher, and into the Dry Sack corner, Villeneuve attempted a move up the inside, and Schumacher, realizing that he was going to be overtaken, turned his car into Villeneuve's car, trying to take him, to add another championship to Schumachers name. However it backfired badly on Schumacher, as he missed the vital parts of the car and hit the sidepod. Schumacher retired and Villeneuve limped to the end in 3rd, with McLaren winning 1 and 2. This effectively gave Villeneuve his only Formula One world championship. You can see below Schumacher's attempted move.

Villeneuve continued to race in Formula One until retiring during the 2006 season. He never really impressed after 1997.