If You Wish To Regrow Your Hair Without The Need Of Transplants The THR Hair Again Program Can Help You might be one of the guys who battle with the problem of losing their hair and you probably believe that … Continue reading
In This Article We Will Be Checking Out The THR Hair Again Program With regards to hair loss you will find that most males will just wind up accepting the fact that they’re losing their hair. While I believe that … Continue reading
Hamilton’s tough 2011 season continued in Singapore
Lewis Hamilton has rarely had a season without the odd controversial collision and a few trips to see the stewards.
But this year there have been too many gaffes and too few of the top-drawer drives he is usually remembered for.
What’s gone wrong for the McLaren driver this year?
Hamilton’s father and former manager Anthony expressed a clear view about the root of his son’s problems in the aftermath of the Singapore race:
“You look up and down the pit lane and every driver, except for Lewis [Hamilton], has a driver-manager in his life, not people from a company.
“I am sure his management are very good – I don’t know – but Formula 1 drivers need people personally involved in the driver’s life because it is a big pressure. They have got to be here and I don’t think you can do the job by sending someone else.”
The elder Hamilton obviously has a vested interest in making such remarks. But we shouldn’t be quick to dismiss them – Hamilton enjoyed his greatest successes in Formula 1 under his father’s management.
Anthony Hamilton now manages Paul di Resta
And his father’s new young charge, Paul di Resta, is clearly thriving, finished one place behind Hamilton in Singapore.
Hamilton is not the only driver without a conventional F1 management team. Sebastian Vettel doesn’t have one at all, and it clearly isn’t holding him back.
But you have to wonder why Hamilton specifically chose an entertainment company to represent him.
Hamilton has defended his right to pursue interests outside of Formula 1. Even so, it seems they are a more consuming part of his life than they are for his rivals at the sharp end of the grid.
Nor can it be said that his closest advisors have helped him handle his recent problems well: recall his notorious outburst at Monaco and his vanishing act last Sunday having failed to given an account of his latest blunder.
Button celebrates victory in Canada
When Jenson Button joined McLaren at the beginning of last year, the widely-held view was that he was risking his reputation by joining ‘Hamilton’s team’.
Hamilton has never finished behind a team mate in the world championship. But Button has beaten him in all of the last four races. With five rounds to go he is 17 points ahead – a gap that would be far greater without his car problems in Britain and Germany.
Of course, Hamilton is no stranger to having a top-line driver in the other car. His F1 reputation was built on that stunning debut season alongside Fernando Alonso.
But while Hamilton has Button out-classed on Saturdays (10-4 this year, 13-6 last year), in the races it is increasingly a different matter.
As was expected before the season began, Button has usually been able to coax more life out of Pirelli’s soft rubber than Hamilton. This has clearly helped him in some races this year.
But there’s more to it than that. Like Hamilton, Button has had to make his way through the field at times this year, and has done so without falling into the traps his team mate has.
Button benefits as Hamilton hits Webber in Montreal
Whatever problem Hamilton is having, the result is a growing number of costly mistakes that have ruined his season.
While Button’s two retirements this year were caused by car problems, Hamilton’s were the result of crashes.
In Canada, a race he could have won, he had two collisions in the space of four laps – one with Mark Webber followed by terminal contact with his team mate. He was also in the hunt for victory at Spa before colliding with Kamui Kobayashi.
On top of that are the detail mistakes: the wrong tyres and the spin in Hungary, not putting a banker lap in during qualifying in Monaco and so on.
The result has been five race penalties, more than any other driver. He’s been punished for weaving in Malaysia (having been warned over exactly the same thing last year), two collisions in Monaco and another in Singapore, and that hasty spin-turn on the racing line in Hungary.
Hamilton hit Massa in Singapore
Some have chosen to see this as evidence of the stewards being unduly harsh on Hamilton. I don’t buy that.
Yes, the decision three years ago to strip him of his deserved victory at Spa-Francorchamps was plain wrong and I said as much at the time. But in almost every other instance he’s deserved a penalty.
These kind of mistakes are not a new feature in Hamilton’s driving. Even in his championship year he had that notorious collision with Kimi Räikkönen in the Montreal pit lane, and copped another penalty in the following race by going off the track while passing Sebastian Vettel.
Completing this study of Hamilton’s F1 career in microcosm, the next race was the washout in Silverstone where he pole-axed the opposition, crossing the finishing line a minute before anyone else.
But of late the costly mistakes have far outweighed the command performances. Both his wins this year – in China and Germany – were from the top drawer. Those aside, there’s been little for Hamilton to cherish in 2011.
When trying to work out what’s going wrong between a driver’s brain and the steering wheel, it’s tempting to fall for single-line explanations: ‘his team mate’s rattled his cage’, ‘he can’t make the tyres work’.
The heart of the matter is rarely that simple or convenient. And there’s always much more going on beneath the surface than the glimpses on show at a race weekend.
At the end of last year Hamilton spoke of looking forward to a better season having put problems in his personal life behind him. Whatever he’s changed it doesn’t seem to have had the desired effect.
There are enough worrying signs around Hamilton to conclude that something fundamental is amiss here. Are we looking at a driver whose team mate is putting him under pressure, who can’t make his racing car behave the way he wants it to – and perhaps doesn’t care about it quite as much as he should?
Whatever the root of the problem is, it threatens to turn the career of a driver who produced one of the greatest rookie performances ever seen, into a case study in squandered potential.
2011 F1 season
Browse all 2011 F1 season articles
Images © McLaren, Force India/Sutton, McLaren, Red Bull/Getty images, Singapore GP/Sutton
In the round-up: Lewis Hamilton performs for crowds in India but the tax problems surrounding the race remain.
Top F1 links from the past 24 hours:
Lewis Hamilton takes centre stage as F1 promotes Indian Grand Prix (The Guardian)
“Lewis Hamilton may have left Singapore on Sunday barely saying a word, but on Tuesday he left an astonishing 40,000 crowd in India baying for more.”
Indian GP tax issue still a concern (Autosport)
“Formula 1 teams and drivers have still not resolved all the issues relating to tax at the Indian Grand Prix, despite recent assurances that the matter was being sorted.”
Lewis Hamilton: Jenson Button has done a better job all season (The Daily Telegraph)
“Jenson’s done an incredible job. I feel he’s done a better job all season, really. So even if I did a better job in the next five races it doesn’t mean a lot to me. I mean, it’s through a whole year.”
Bernie calls a meeting (Joe Saward)
“We believe that the Formula One Teams’ Association has since told [Bernie Ecclestone] that the organisation would welcome a proposal for an agreement, on the basis that everyone gets the same deal.”
Red Bull: Where marketing goes into overdrive (FT, registration required)
“For the most part, the group has done well at providing the media with activities to report on. So much so, in fact, that when people say Red Bull, it is hard to know if they are referring to the drink, the world championship-winning F1 team, the company’s spectacularly dangerous-looking air-racing series, or the rash of other extreme sports events to which it lends its name.”
Follow F1 news as it breaks using the F1 Fanatic live Twitter app.
Smifaye picks a Driver of the Weekend:
I voted for Vettel as once again he is proving why he is good enough to win back to back championships. The BBC commentary team said it during the race that he seems to glide through whilst the others falter. Apart from his final stint where he looked under pressure from Button it was a stunning weekend. I just don’t get how he pulls out these amazing laps week after week, it’s just phenominal.
An honourable mention to both Button and Di Resta as they are really showing how to drive a mature race. Button started well and maintained the gap to the driver behind and after being unwell was extremely impressive. Button keeps on impressing me week after week.
Di Resta is not driving like it is his first season in F1 and really made it work this weekend.
Smifaye
F1 Fanatic’s favourite poster designer is looking for some new ideas.
No F1 Fanatic birthdays today. If you want a birthday shout-out tell us when yours is by emailling me, using Twitter or adding to the list here.
Happy birthday Mika Hakkinen – the twice-champion is 43 today!
Image © McLaren
Start, Singapore, 2011
Find all the F1 Fanatic Singapore Grand Prix coverage in one place below.
From Friday practice to the post-race review plus all the pictures and analysis.
2011 Singapore Grand Prix review – Vettel a point away from the title after Singapore win
Schumacher reprimanded, Lotus and Renault fined – The stewards were kept busy after the chequered flag in Singapore
Furious Massa hits out at Hamilton after crash – Massa fumed after two run-ins with Hamilton in one weekend
2011 Singapore Grand Prix result – Full classification
Championship points – Updated points tables and interactive charts following the Singapore Grand Prix
Vote for your Singapore GP driver of the weekend – Pick the driver who impressed you the most
Rate the race: 2011 Singapore Grand Prix – Your verdict on the Grand Prix
2011 Singapore Grand Prix stats and facts – Vettel closes on records for most wins and poles in a season
Red Bull team review – Vettel supreme as championship beckons
McLaren team review – Another collision, another penalty for Hamilton
Ferrari team review – Alonso wants to focus on 2012 in last races
Mercedes team review – Schumacher shows pace before crash
Renault team review – Boullier pained by “embarrassing” result
Williams team review – Barrichello slips out of the points.
Force India team review – Di Resta claims best result yet
Sauber team review – Perez salvages a point from hectic race
Toro Rosso team review – Buemi says 12th was “the maximum”
Lotus team review – Beating a Renault “sweet” for Fernandes
HRT team review – Ricciardo accepts blame for Glock crash
Virgin team review – First-lap contact ruins Glock’s race
Race data
2011 Singapore Grand Prix qualifying review – Vettel claims 11th pole of 2011
2011 Singapore Grand Prix qualifying analysis – 2011 Singapore Grand Prix qualifying analysis
2011 Singapore Grand Prix pre-race analysis – Vettel has title in sight ahead of Singapore Grand Prix
2011 Singapore Grand Prix grid – Vettel makes it ten pole position from 11 races
2011 Singapore Grand Prix practice three report – Mark Webber leads in final practice
2011 Singapore Grand Prix practice two analysis – Red Bull have the edge on race pace in Singapore
2011 Singapore Grand Prix practice two report – Vettel leads Alonso in second practice
2011 Singapore Grand Prix practice one analysis – 2011 Singapore GP first practice analysis
2011 Singapore Grand Prix first practice report – Hamilton on top as faulty kerbs disrupt practice
Review the year so far in statistics here:
Compare every driver’s form against their team mate so far this year:
Find coverage of every race this season here: F1 2011 Season
How can we improve our coverage?
What else would you like to see in F1 Fanatic’s Grand Prix coverage? How can we make it better? Please post your suggestions in the comments.
Jenson Button, Sebastian Vettel, Mark Webber, Singapore, 2011
A perfect prediction put MattHT in the lead of the F1 Fanatic Predictions Championship by a single point.
MattHT was one of five players to score a maximum 50 points in the Singapore Grand Prix round.
Lotusien2 was this round’s winner having got closest in the pole position time tie-breaker. MattHT was second and Adamtye, Mr_Kinetic and GRK also made perfect predictions.
Lotusien2 wins a pair of F1 DVDs from Duke Video and MattHT wins an F1 Fanatic mug.
With five races to go MattHT now leads the championship by one point over S-D. Jon Finn, Todfod and Lotusien2 are each one further point behind the other.
Remember there’s prizes to be won in every round, so get your predictions in for the Japanese Grand Prix below. You can edit your prediction up to the start of qualifying.
Find out where you are in the championship standings and have a look at the statistics so far here:
You can enter your predictions for all the remaining rounds below and on the Predictions Championship page (under Community > Predictions Championship in the menu).
You can edit a prediction for any race up until the deadline for entries which is the start of qualifying at each round.
There are prizes to be won in every race plus grand prizes for the overall winners at the end of the season.
Whoever gets the highest overall score throughout the year will win a pair of grandstand tickets for the 2012 British Grand Prix.
Here are the prizes in full:
Grand prize: Two grandstands tickets to the 2012 British Grand Prix
The person who scores the most points over the whole season will win two grandstand tickets to the 2012 British Grand Prix at Silverstone.
The grand prize winner will receive tickets to all three days of the event with reserved seating for the race.
The winners will have tickets for the Becketts grandstand which offers views of the spectacular, high-speed Becketts complex plus part of the new infield section of the track which saw so much action in the 2010 race.
Second place prize: An F1 painting of your choice
The second place finisher will win an F1 painting by Rob Ijbema.
You get to choose which F1 driver, present or past, will feature in the painting. Or you can pick one of the other motor racing paintings on Rob’s site Car-a-day.
Runner-up prizes
The players who finish in third to 12th places will each win a copy of the Haynes Official F1 Season Review 2011.
And the players who finish in 13th to 17th places will each win a copy of the Haynes Red Bull RB6 manual.
Race winners prize: A pair of F1 DVDs
Duke Video are supplying the prize for the player who gets the highest score in each round.
Each race winner will get to pick any two from the following three new Duke motor racing DVDs:
Race runners-up prize: F1 Fanatic mugs
The second place finisher in each race will win an official F1 Fanatic mug.
See here for more details on F1 Fanatic merchandise:
You have until the start of qualifying on Saturday to make your predictions for each round.
A reminder will be posted on the site after free practice two on Friday as well as on Twitter.
Each player may predict the pole sitter, the pole position lap time and the top five finishers in the race. See below for the rules in full.
You need to log in using an F1 Fanatic account to make your prediction.
The sign-up process is quick and easy: Get your F1 Fanatic account here and read more about registering here.
Enter your pole position lap time prediction in the following format: MM:SS.ccc For example, for a lap of one minute, 25.386 seconds enter 01:25.386
After submitting your prediction you will receive an email to the address you created your F1 Fanatic account with confirming your entry. If this does not happen, or you are concerned your prediction has not been received, please get in touch using the contact form.
Competition terms and conditions
1. Maximum one entry per household.
2. The competition is not open to employees, friends or family of F1 Fanatic, Silverstone Circuit, Duke Video or Car-a-Day.
3. Predictions will open up to one week before the start of qualifying on the Saturday of a Grand Prix weekend and will be promoted on the front page of F1 Fanatic before closing prior to the start of qualifying.
4. In each round players are invited to predict (a) who will be on pole position and (b) what the top five finishers will be (five different drivers).
5. Players score points in each round as follows:
a. Correctly naming the pole sitter: 2 points
b. Correctly naming one/two/three/four/five driver/s who finish in the top five: 1/2/3/5/8 points
c. Correctly predicting where one/two/three/four/five driver/s finish: 2/6/14/24/40 points
6. Whoever scores the most points in every race counting towards the Formula 1 World Championship wins the grand prize.
7. In the event of a tie on points the winner will be determined by who came closest to predicting the pole position time correctly. If that fails to produce a winner the editor will choose a means of deciding who has won.
8. Predictions must be entered using the form above. If you have trouble submitting your entry via the form please contact F1 Fanatic via email and send your prediction using the contact form.
9. In the event of a dispute the editor’s decision is final and no correspondence will be entered into.
10. No cash alternative is offered for any of the prizes.
11. Grand Prix tickets: Children must be accompanied by an adult. Accommodation and transport to the venue not included.
12. Players who have won prizes will be notified by email within seven days of each Grand Prix. DVD and mug prizes will be despatched within 28 days of that email being sent. Grand Prix tickets will be despatched once they are available.
Don’t miss a single round of the F1 Fanatic Predictions Championship. Subscribe to F1 Fanatic using RSS, email or Twitter: Click here for more information.
2011 Singapore Grand Prix
Kobayashi’s home race is next on the calendar
Kamui Kobayashi says the Japanese Grand Prix will be a positive event for the country as it recovers from the earthquake and tsunami.
Almost 16,000 people lost their lives in the disaster in March.
Sauber issued the following Q&A with its driver:
Kamui, what is your personal impression about the current situation in Japan?
Kamui Kobayashi: “After the news we received in March about the disaster became worse and worse, I think the way the country has recovered so far is impressive. This is because Japan received a lot of help from outside and also because the Japanese are very strong people and have given each other an awful lot of help and support.
“Of course, there is still a long way to go, but the progress has been remarkable.”
Do you think it is good for the country or the people that F1 is going to Suzuka?
KK: “Yes this is definitely the case.
“The Grand Prix is a very big event in Japan, it is something very positive for the people and for the country, and also because of the international awareness the race brings. It makes people happy, and they do enjoy Formula 1 a lot.
“So we are going racing there, as we have done in previous years, despite the tragedy that has hit the country.”
Can you describe your feelings when you heard the news about the earthquake and the tsunami on 11th March?
KK: “I was testing our new car in Barcelona on that day. It was actually the final day of pre-season testing, and it was my turn to do the last day.
“In the morning initially it didn’t sound too bad, but then the news got worse by the hour. It was very difficult to believe all we were hearing was happening, and also difficult to concentrate on testing and the race simulation we were doing.
“It also made me think about the nuclear catastrophe in Chernobyl, and this happening in a small country such as Japan made me wonder if I would ever be able to go home again, and that was not nice. It wasn’t easy. It was very emotional.”
How often have you been to Japan since?
KK: “Quite often. I also went straight to Tokyo after that Barcelona test.”
Can you tell us about your initiatives to help?
KK: “Well, most importantly there were many initiatives done internationally, and by various organisations.
“Personally I wanted to do something that would give people an opportunity to contribute small amounts of money. That is why we did the App “You are connected” with pictures and messages from all F1 drivers and team principals for iPhones and iPads. It costs only €0.79 and in the first two months there were more than 10,000 downloads from people in 49 countries. The cost was small, but I think it is important that it was an opportunity for people who wanted to help.
“Also it was an achievement that all the F1 drivers and teams were doing this in a show of solidarity with the Japanese people. The price was low as, for example, if we asked for €10 many people would not want to pay this much, but more people can afford to pay this €1.
“However, in the end I believe it is the government that has to help the country. For the weekend of the Japanese Grand Prix I have invited a group of 60 people.
“This is a girls’ choir, called MJC Ensemble, from one of the disaster-affected regions, together with their parents or other family members. They come from Minami-Soma city in the Fukushima Prefecture and they will sing the national anthem before the race. I have organised the bus trip, hotel rooms and tickets for them, so I just hope they have a nice time.
“I have also had a role as an international ambassador for the Japan Tourism Agency for more than a year. In this role I have attended many meetings in Tokyo and try to support other projects as well.
“The fact that we don’t have a Japanese car manufacturer in F1 any more makes it quite difficult for me. It would have helped if there was still one and the focus wasn’t so much on me.”
Last year you made a very special deal with the organisers – can you explain that?
KK: “Yes, this was decided before the disaster struck. I agreed with the organisers that for every championship point I scored in 2011 before the Japanese Grand Prix I would invite one family to the 2011 Suzuka race.
“We received more than 6,000 letters from people who wanted to come. Every time I scored points I would randomly pick out that number of letters, so now I have chosen 27 families this way. However, because we had such a big response I have picked out an extra ten, and this means I shall have 37 families as my guests.”
How would you sum up your 2011 season so far?
KK: “We are certainly more competitive than last year. We had an amazing start to the season in Melbourne, and also since then have had some other good races in which we have been quite competitive. My highlights were Monaco and Montreal.
“But we have also had our struggles. In Melbourne we lost ten points when we were disqualified, then I had punctures in Turkey and Barcelona, and then gearbox problems in Silverstone and most recently in Monza.
“You can add to that the fact not all our technical developments during the season brought the progress we expected. So far it has been a mixed season with ups and downs, but it isn’t over yet.”
Last year in Suzuka qualifying and the race had to be held within a few hours of each other on Sunday because of torrential rain on Saturday. What are your memories of this?
KK: “For us it was a challenging situation with qualifying and the race on the same day. However, for the fans I think it was nice to have so much going on, and they really deserved it because Saturday was terrible for them. They were sitting for six or seven hours in the pouring rain in the grandstands, and they just kept waiting so patiently.
“I was very pleased when the sun came out on Sunday, and we not only had a good result, but also put on a great show. Actually I think for the drivers the Suzuka circuit is usually more exciting than for the spectators, as it is quite technical, but last year on Sunday they had a lot of excitement. Despite this, I hope it won’t rain again this year.”
Can you enjoy your home race?
KK: “I am proud to go home and race there, this is certain. It is both – a lot more pleasurable and extra pressure.
“I also believe many other drivers would be sad if Suzuka disappeared from the calendar. The circuit is very popular and many of the drivers also like to go to Tokyo, I know this as they ask me what to do and where to go.”
Finally, what is your aim for this year’s Japanese Grand Prix?
KK: “Last year’s result was the best we achieved in 2010. I came seventh, while my team mate then, Nick Heidfeld, finished eighth.
“Before that I had very little experience in Suzuka, and I was an F1 rookie. So I hope I can have an even better result this year. For the fans I hope we have nice weather.
“I think with DRS and KERS there is a good chance they will get to see a great show again, and it would also be a perfect venue for the drivers’ championship to be decided. It is a proper race track, the karaoke parties are legendary and, again, it would mean really positive coverage for Japan.”
2011 F1 season
Browse all 2011 F1 season articles
Image © Sauber F1 Team
A home Grand Prix is always a very special and emotional race for any driver, and many have claimed just seeing their fans can give them extra impetus. However, for Kamui Kobayashi his return to Suzuka, where the team scored its best result of 2010, will be very poignant after the devastation caused to Japan this year.
Lewis Hamilton has admitted that he feels team-mate Jenson Button has done a better job than him at McLaren this season.Button currently sits 2nd behind current world champion and Red Bull driver, Sebastian Vettel in the driver’s championship… More »
Circling around the latest debacle Lewis Hamilton crashed into; the McLaren driver has conceded that his teammate Jenson Button has simply out-performed him this season, but retained the support of his team nevertheless. The 2008 world champion… More »
