WRC – Rallying’s Young Chargers Line Up in Ford’s Fiesta R2 Car
DUNTON, England, April 8, 2013 – Ford’s Fiesta R2 rally car will provide the platform for the world’s best young drivers to showcase their skills when the 2013 FIA Junior WRC Championship begins at Rally de Portugal this week. Ten young hot-shots from eight different countries will compete in identical Fiesta R2 cars on gravel roads in southern Portugal’s Algarve region. It is the first of six rounds in the Junior WRC series, which supports... [Read More...]
Formula 1 – Team Power Rankings Ahead of Chinese Grand Prix
It has been a long three week vacation, but Formula 1 is back this week as we visit Shanghai for the Chinese Grand Prix. Nico Rosberg put Mercedes AMG on the top step last season, but the team doubts they can follow up the performance (I agree). Here are how the teams look after the Malaysian Grand Prix. 1) Red Bull – Say what you want about the events that happened a few weeks ago in Malaysia, but the fact is Red Bull’s form is on par with their... [Read More...]
Formula 1 – Ferrari Gamble and Lose
In a brief span of a couple laps, Fernando Alonso committed more mistakes than he had all of the 2012 Formula 1 season. It started by shoving Sebastian Vettel which led to a severely damaged front wing. The wing was completely diagonal compared to its usual horizontal position. The wounded wing shot sparks out as it made contact with the quickly drying tarmac. Common sense would say pit and change the wing. This situation was not common sense at all.... [Read More...]
Formula 1 – Team Orders; Can’t Have Your Cake and Eat It Too
Following Sunday’s Malaysian Grand Prix, the world watched as Red Bull Racing suffered yet another implosion in inter team relations. Sebastian Vettel had done the unthinkable; he had passed Mark Webber after being told to hold position on the circuit. Mark Webber was clearly upset as he thought the race was over and had no idea why he was being challenged by Vettel. Almost immediately, fans took to the Twitter stream and the Facebook with comments... [Read More...]
Formula 1 – Webber Cuts Vettel Off + Podium Interview
Formula 1 – Post Australia Team Power Rankings
Not a lot changed amongst the top three teams after the Australian Grand Prix. While Lotus struck first blood, Ferrari had a strong team showing with Alonso and a resurgent Felipe Massa. Red Bull also performed well during the course of the weekend with tire struggles hampering their ability to take advantage of their 1-2 start. Williams had a primarily disappointing weekend. While Valtteri Bottas finished his first ever Formula 1 race, Pastor Maldonado... [Read More...]
Formula 1 – Successful Debut for Rookies
It was a weekend filled with chaos for the newest class of rookies to join the Formula 1 championship. This weekend had pretty much everything! Dry running during Friday practice, torrential rain and an interrupted qualifying session on Saturday, finish qualifying and then start your first round of the championship on Sunday in tricky conditions. At the end of the day however, all five rookies kept the car on the island and finished their first ever... [Read More...]
Formula 1 – FP2 Notes; Vettel Sweeps Practice
Sebastian Vettel stormed to P1 in both practice sessions from Albert Park as the 2013 Formula 1 season kicks off. Vettel’s Red Bull was the class of the field as he and the team picked up where they left off at the end of last season. There was a lot of interesting data collected as the super soft tire compound took center stage. The new Pirelli rubber was due to be faster by approximately a second, but suffered an extremely short life with times... [Read More...]
Formula 1 – Another Beautiful Letdown?
Mercedes-Benz AMG is riding the wave of momentum into Australia for the Formula 1 opener. After topping the time sheets over the final two days of testing last week, expectations for the team are beginning to change. Mercedes were originally set to just survive the 2013 season with Lewis Hamilton making the switch over from McLaren. The interesting thing about it is the top teams now believe Mercedes could be the favorite as we are just a week out... [Read More...]
Episode 178 – OpenPaddock.net Podcast
Podcast: Play in new window | Download A little delayed this week, but Episode 178 of the OpenPaddock.net Podcast is now available for your aural pleasure. Dr. Patterson and Mr. Whitesell cover the sobriety spectrum as Doug is stuck recording the show late night at the shop drinking potentially decaffeinated black tea while Mike enjoys a growler full of a fine local IPA. Mr. Neely is recovering from the plague and Mr. Shaw wonders why the hell he... [Read More...]
