Sunday, November 14th, 2010; History In The Making

Never before has it been so close at the last second in Formula One history between such a variety of men.   In total, four men, an Australian, an Englishman, a German and a Spaniard.  Sure, we have seen title's been decided at the last corner such as 2008 when Felipe Massa's team erupted in triumph for only 38 seconds later to end in tears as Lewis Hamilton gain a position and finished the race the title holder.  2010 is completely different. 

We have two previous title holder's and two title 'virgin's' going full throttle into the final race at the Yas Marina Circuit in Abu Dhabi.  Quite literally too.  In the final five minutes of Q3, the lap times for all four contenders started tumbling in and just when you thought it couldn't be done, the previous lap record was broken.  The F10, RB6 and the MP4-25 seemed to almost break the sound barrier with the speed that they obtained.

Q3 provided us with just a little taste of what is to come tomorrow.  There was some grief, heartbreak, tribulations, triumphs and jubilation.  It is in my honest opinion that there is nothing that the pit walls could say to their respective driver's to stop them from pushing themselves and their cars above and beyond the limits.  

After Q3 was over, the four title contenders all provided some fantastic quotes to the surrounding media.

"It was a good qualifying for us, and we just need one more day in perfection."  - Alonso

"... It's not handed out yet. If it was a one-lap race maybe not so much but it's a two-hour race. Things change."  - Webber

"It couldn't be better,"  - Vettel
 

"I don't give a damn about any of those three. At the end of the day, I am still in it so I will give it a shot. They have a lot more to lose than I have," - Hamilton

On Sunday November 14th, if you have nothing better to do, take a seat in front of your television and watch history in the making.  What people are saying is going to turn into the best fight to the finish in Formula One history. 

Adrian Newey: Master Of A 2B Pencil

Some say that he has an intellectually prowess comparable to no other.  Some say that he holds the key to a F1 teams success. I say he in one man, a man that holds one of the four cornerstones to the Red Bull Racing Formula One Team's puzzle.

Even though Newey was hired with the pretext that he was a risk taker and that not all of his gambles worked out.  Ever single chance taken with Red Bull has proved necessary for the team's road to success and and win in the 2010 season.  Never before have there been such ambition within a team,  with the ingenuity masterminds holding it all together.

With the Red Bull Team being considered the 'playboys' of Formula One racing, they are also the masters of the circuit here in 2010.  Never ceasing to amaze or ignite the fire and ambition amongst the other teams.  And all it took was one man.  One man at a sketch board with a 2B pencil and an idea to start the process.  With the 2010 Constructor's Title tucked under their belts, let's see how many more are to come.  The foundations were well planned and well laid.  I am sure that this is only the beginning of a power house team.

Adrian Newey,
It must be an amazing feeling to see one of your designs come to life.  To be driven by two of the best drivers in the paddock to date. Taken care of by the best crew available and lead by a man with an unwavering compromise to remain genuine and honest.

It's that first performance.
When this creation is no longer under your control.
And now belongs to them.
A moment far to dense to be captured in memory.
You black out.

What started as a seed, a spark,
Has taken hold.

It multiplies, spread, kicks and screams.
This creature live.

The obstacles, the trial, the uncertainties are laid waste.
Now but record of triumph, testimony of victory

This is go time.
- DWW


Samantha - a proud RBR supporter.

The Numbers Are In!

So, this is it.  Down to the final race in the 2010 Formula One season.  With the Constructor's Title in the bag at Red Bull Racing, the Driver's Title is still up for grabs.   Even if you are not a fan of the sport, I reckon that you tune in.  It is going to be one hell of a race! 

With one race left, there are still four men in contention for the 2010 World Driver's Champion title.  After much calculation, by someone else, I was able to put the numbers together and give a break down of what needs to be done for each driver to win. 

Driver's points to date:
Fernando Alonso,  Ferrari,  246 
Mark Webber,  Red Bull Racing,  238 
Sebastian Vettel,  Red Bull Racing,  231 
Lewis Hamilton,  McLaren,  222 

2010 Formula One Points System:

1st = 25 points.

2nd = 18 points.

3rd = 15 points.

4th = 12 points.

5th = 10 points.

6th = 8 points.

7th = 6 points.

8th = 4 points.

9th = 2 points.

10th = 1 points.

For Hamilton to win WDC (247+ points)

He must win (247) -

Alonso must DNF (246) &

Webber must finish 6th (246) or lower &

Vettel must finish 3rd (246) or lower.

For Vettel to win WDC (247+ points)
If he wins (256) - Alonso must finish 5th (256) or lower & Webber must finish 2nd (256) or lower

If he's 2nd (249) - Alonso must finish 9th (248 ) or lower & Webber must finish 5th or lower (248 )

For Webber to win the WDC (247+ points)
If he wins (263) - Alonso must finish 3rd (261) or lower - Vettel can't win the WDC even if he's 2nd
If he's 2nd (256) - Alonso must finish 6th (254) or lower & Vettel must finish 4th (243) or lower
If he's 3rd (253) - Alonso must finish 7th (252) or lower & Vettel cannot finish 1st (256)
If he's 4th (250) - Alonso must finish 9th (248 ) or lower & Vettel cannot finish 1st (256)
If he's' 5th (248 ) - Alonso must finish 10th (247) or lower & Vettel cannot finish 1st (256)

For Alonso to win the WDC (247+ points)
If he wins (271) - it's all over
If he's 2nd (264) - it's still all over even if Webber finishes 1st (263)
If he's 3rd (261) - Webber has to win to beat him (263)
If he's 4th (258 ) - Webber has to win to beat him (263)
If he's 5th (256) - Webber has to win to beat him (263)

If he's 6th (254) - Webber has to win (263) or place 2nd (256) to beat him - Vettel has to win (256)
If he's 7th (252) - Webber has to podium (263, 256, 253) - Vettel has to win (256)
If he's 8th (250) - Webber has to podium (263, 256, 253)  - Vettel has to win (256)
If he's 9th (248 ) - Webber has to finish 4th (250) or better  - Vettel has to win (256)
If he's 10th (247) - Webber has to finish 5th (248 ) or better -  - Vettel must finish 2nd (249) or higher
If he DNF's (246) - Webber still has to finish 5th (248 ) or better - Vettel must finish 2nd (249) or higher

So, with the Constructor's Title already won by Red Bull Racing, who would you like to see win the Driver's title?  I know my choice.

Thanks Jack Flash for the calculations!

A Brief History of Formula One Safety

I can clearly remember June 20, 2004 at the United States Grand Prix.   Ralf Schumacher's  rear tyre on his Williams failed, pitching his car into the concrete wall at speeds of up to 180 mph (290 km/h).  I remember watching the safety car being deployed and not matter what was said to Michael, every single time he passed his stricken brother, he would nearly stop. 

It was less than one year prior that the HANS (head and neck support) system had become mandatory for all the drivers.  Attached to the driver's helmet, the purpose of the device was to stop the head from whipping forward in a crash.   I can remember watching the track marshals and stewards cover the view of Ralf from the public with white sheets.  My heart sank.  Later we learned that Ralf Schumacher suffered primarily a fractured spine.  Without the mandate of the HANS device, this crash would have taken a different turn.

Yet not all injunctions set out by the FIA work 100%. In 1999, The FIA mandated that wheels are attached to the chassis by tethers to stop them from flying off during accidents.   With the amount of crashes caused in Formula One by fly away wheels, the new legislature would and did stop a lot of mishaps until the start of the 2001 season in Albert Park. Jacques Villeneuve and Ralf Schumacher, fighting it out on lap four when the worst happened.  The two drivers crashed, tether broke and one of Villeneuve's tyre went flying and killed a track marshal.   So in 2002, a new regulation was set into place by the FIA, The marshals are better protected thanks to stricter safety standards.  Graham Beveridge, a 51-year-old volunteer marshal from the small town of Winfield in Qeensland died.  After the race, you could see how it affected all. Villeneuve seemed to have taken it the hardest and it was not his fault.  You can read the full press release from F1 Atlas here. 

How many people were aware that the safety car was not regulated into the sport until 1992? With so many previous accidents, both fatal and non-fatal, it would have been assumed that it would have implemented many years prior. And boy is it a wonderful car to look at as well! 

Some of the other highlights of the History of Safety in Formula One.

1961 - The Grand Prix Drivers Association (GPDA) is formed.

1963 - Driver's are required to wear fireproof suits and unbreakable, full visor helmets.

1971 - Driver's must be able to be removed from an F1's cockpit within five seconds.

1972 - The six-point seat belt becomes mandatory. Fuel tanks contain security foam.

1980 - Compulsory that every circuit has a permanent medical center.

1994 - Following the deaths of Ayrton Senna and Roland Ratzenbeger, the drivers reform the GPDA.

For the full History of Safety in Formula One check out the Formula1.com's Official Website.

2010 Constructors Championship; The Red Bull Way

I always thought that it was lucky number seven.  I guess that saying is about to change, lucky number 6.  That is not right either.  Red Bull Racing's success has nothing to do with luck or numbers.  It has everything to do with the blood, sweat and tears.  This team has gone through everything to get to this point, and well deserved it is.  Red Bull Racing hit the ground running in 2005 and has never looked back.

 I don't know how Adrian Newey and his team of crack design and technical  only took 5 attempts to prefect the RB6.  I have written and re-written this  blog countless number of times and it is just words.  I cannot imagine the  pure metal capacity it would take to design, create and build such a  fantastic machine when I am having such a hard time trying to put into  words my gratitude.

 Since the day that the team launched, they have lived by a completely new  set of moral s and code than witnessed before.  Red Bull Racing Formula  One Team is just that, a team.  It would have been easy enough to throw all their weight behind a single driver but instead kept it about the team, about it's ethics.  The name Red Bull Racing has been dragged through the mud and been tarnished every step of the way  but what doesn't kill you only make you stronger.  And boy did it ever.  They even have a shiny new trophy to show for it!

Christian Horner.  He is not just a team boss but but has also become the face of Red Bull Racing. Horner has overcome unbearable obstacles, comments and slander to keep the team together, to keep them running like clock work.  There are not too many other team principals that have become the centerfold that Hormer has and kept his head about it.  He has been able to keep his head in the game to pull out the most prestigious title that any Formula One team could ever hope for.

The pit crew, the race mechanics, the race engineers and all the 500 of more employees to Red Bull Racing spread out all across the world.  It is all just a puzzle and would not have been able to be completed to such a high degree had it not been for all of you. Each and every single person on this team.   Most spectators only think about who they can see on television or in the cockpits of the cars, if it was not for each individual person, the name Red Bull Racing would not be synonymous with the 2010 Constructor's Title.

Mark Webber and Sebastian Vettel.  The two of you drove home this victory, this title. Quite literally, with a fantastic race and a fantastic one - two in Brazil.  With 18 races and statistics such as the pair of you have gained, there really was not a way that it could have played out any other way.  That the 2010 Constructor's Title could have been won by any other team.
As a team effort, this one was it.  There could not have been a better team or a more deserving team than the Red Bull Racing Formula One Team.  No matter what they say, this is not about the driver's it is about the team.  I only wish there was some way, as a member of your community, to express my gratitude and appreciation to the team rather that just saying that you over and over again.  But that is all that I come armed with at this time.

Thank you for being a team unto it's own, for leading the way into a new era of Formula One history.

Samantha - a supporter
Oh, PS... A little dab of Superglue should fix the trophy up just like new!