Belgian GP: Driver Preview Quotes - Williams

Preview Quotes - Williams

Felipe Massa - "I love Spa, it's one of my favourite tracks because of the long straights and high speed corners, and it's a track we all look forward to racing at. The long straights should suit our car and we can kick the second half of the season off with some success. I won here in 2008 and so I know what it takes to win. I have had a really nice summer break but am ready to get back to racing. We have some great tracks to look forward to and I hope we can carry on developing our car like we did the first half of the season, and continue to be near the front."

Valtteri Bottas - "Spa is always a great place to go; it's one of the best circuits in the world. The elevation changes and high speed corners make it a real pleasure to drive, especially in an F1 car. Because of the long straights and variable weather conditions races can be very interesting for the driver and for the fans. To be competitive in Spa you need a car with efficient aerodynamics, so we expect to be strong and are aiming for a good result. The break has been long so I am really looking forward to getting back in the car."

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Article Written By: Amy Hawk

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Quotes made by Drivers.

Belgian GP: Driver Preview Quotes - Sauber

Preview Quotes - Sauber

Esteban Gutierrez - "I am really looking forward to driving at Spa-Francorchamps. The event is purely about racing, and the fans are really into our sport and passionate about it. I remember that the fans arrive very early at the track in order to be as close as possible to the drivers. In comparison to other circuits, the track is quite long with some interesting corners and long straights. It is one of those tracks which is like an adventure, it goes up and downhill. One of my favourite corners is Pouhon which is very nice. As the straights are quite long, engine power is crucial, which could be a challenge for us. The weather also plays a huge role at Spa-Francorchamps, as the mixed conditions can add excitement to the race weekend."

Adrian Sutil - "As Spa-Francorchamps is my favourite track, I am really looking forward to the race weekend. The atmosphere is great as there are always many fans. With the new cars we will have more top speed and less grip, so it will be interesting to see how it will be to drive under these conditions. In Spa I expect a highlight to the season regarding this year's championship. I have always achieved good results on this track and have some nice racing memories. Regarding the set-up, there are two variations: either you are fast in sector two and relatively slow on the straights or vice versa. Both set-ups can result in the same lap time. I would rather tend to go more for top speed. Eau Rouge is one of my favourite corners, and this year it will be difficult to go flat out due to less downforce. Generally, there are several high speed corners I like in Spa. The double-lefthander (Pouhon), for example, is one of them. Every corner is nice to drive as they all have a nice flow to them."

Giedo Van Der Garde (Reserve) - "For me, Spa-Francorchamps is one of the nicest tracks in the world. As it is close to the Netherlands, it is my home circuit. I like the track a lot because it is a quick one with many medium to high speed corners. It is not easy to set-up the car there; you need to have a stable car, especially for the high speed corners. It is a technical circuit because some sectors have several consecutive corners. With this year's new Formula One cars I believe we will have more top speed on the straights, but less downforce in comparison to 2013. I think Eau Rouge and Blanchimont will still be flat out. My favorite corners are turns 5,6 and 7 after the Kemmel straight. The right-left-right combination is quite technical; you can use different lines there. Another important aspect in Spa is the weather. You never know what is going to happen, one part of the track can be wet and the other one can be dry. Last year in Q1 it was raining, and I ended up in P3, which was quite entertaining. This is what makes Spa so special."

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Article Written By: Amy Hawk

No copyright infringement

Quotes made by drivers.

Belgian GP: Driver Preview Quotes - Lotus

Preview Quotes - Lotus 

Romain Grosjean - "I come back to the paddock refreshed and with energy restored for the next phase of the season. Despite the difficulties so far, I feel positive for the rest of the season to come. We have seen that there have been many issues since the start of the year and even before, but as with everything in life you have to look forward and this is exactly what I am doing. Since Monaco we have had a succession of really hard races where for many reasons we have not been in the position to claim any points. For Spa I am hoping that there will be some improvements so we can show the potential which has been seen on a few occasions, like at Barcelona. We have to reverse the problems that have held us back and I believe that if we get that then we can post more points on the board. Spa as we all know is one of the best tracks we go to, if not the best of them all. As a driver it is like a dream circuit with elevation change, quick corners, medium speed technical corners and some good straights for overtaking. It's a circuit with a soul."

Pastor Maldonado - "It has been a very hard season and one in which there have been lots of issues. But now that is behind us and we have to believe that we can get some points on the board and complete the season strongly. That way it will give some good momentum to start afresh in 2015 with a whole new exciting package. It would be difficult to give a clear aim other than improvement and fighting for points every race. We have seen flashes of big promise from the E22. If everything is running right and the team continues to push then we can get more points for sure. As a team we will stay together with a clear mission to achieve the maximum. If we can have a clean weekend technically, without any power unit or other issues, then we will be in a good position to challenge for points. Spa always throws up some variables with the weather being the obvious one. It would be nice to be higher up than the last few races. If we can achieve this and we have a good package then I believe we can come away with something very positive from Belgium."

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Article Written By: Amy Hawk

No copyright infringement intended

Quotes made by Drivers.

Belgian GP: Circuit Preview

(Photo belongs to: historicmotorsportonline.com - All credit belongs to the rightful owner)

Circuit Preview:

Now that F1 is heading into the 12th round of the 2014 season, it's time for us to take a look at the circuit used for the Belgian GP. Not only is this the longest circuit on the calendar, but Belgium is also homeland for GP2 driver and McLaren Tester - Stoffel Vandoorne.

The Circuit De Spa-Francorchamps is located in Francorchamps, Stavelot, Belgium. The circuit was first created in the early 1920's and has a capacity of 70,000. This circuit runs Clockwise like most.

With a length of 4.352 Miles, the race only contains 44 laps. There is a total of 20 turns on the current version of the circuit. In the past, there was a varrying number of turns.

2013 Belgian GP Look-Back:

Last year we saw Lewis Hamilton start in Pole Position, but finish in 3rd. Fernando Alonso grabbed 2nd, but the win went to Sebastian Vettel, who was enjoying a winning streak in the 2013 season. The season he also grabbed his 4th Championship win.

Retirements Included: Charles Pic (Oil Leak), Paul Di Resta (Accident) & Kimi Raikkonen (Brake Failure).

For more information on the race, you can check out our 2013 Belgian GP Race Re-Cap & Results.

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Article Written By: Amy Hawk

No copyright infringement.

Photo belongs to: historicmotorsportonline.con

Belgian GP: Schedule

At last, the Summer Break is now over and teams/drivers are preparing for the Grand Prix of Belgium, at Spa! As always, we're bringing you the weekend schedule!

Times are for Belgium Local Time, but please feel free to ask us to convert it to your local time. 

SCHEDULE:

August 21st / Thursday

15:00 - Drivers Press Conference (Located in the Press Room)

August 22nd / Friday

08:45 - 09:45 - Paddock Club Pit Lane Walk

10:00 - 11:30 - Free Practice 1

12:50 - 13:45 - Paddock Club Pit Lane Walk

14:00 - 15:30 - Free Practice 2

16:00 - 17:00 - Press Conference 

August 23rd / Saturday

08:30 - 09:15 - Team Pit Stop Practice

08:30 - 09:35 - Paddock Club Pit Lane Walk

11:00 - 12:00 - Free Practice 3

13:00 - 13:45 - Paddock Club Pit Lane Walk

14:00 - Qualifying

August 24th / Sunday

12:25 - 13:15 - Paddock Club Pit Lane Walk

12:30 - Drivers Track Parade

12:45 - 13:15 - Starting Grid Presentation

13:46 - National Anthem

14:00 - Race

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Article Written By: Amy Hawk

No Copyright Infringement Intended.

Mid-Season: Championship & Constructors Standings

As Formula 1 enters the half-way point in the 2014 season, it's time to look at the Drivers and Constructors championship standings and how things could play out with the rest of the season.

Nico Rosberg is currently leading in the Drivers Championship with 202 points. His team-mate, Lewis Hamilton is in Second with 191 points. That's a mere 11 points seperating the two from being this years F1 Champion. Lewis could very well take the lead at the next race in Belgium if he at least comes in 4th and Rosberg does not finish in the points. But, as we all know, things aren't always that easy but they are always unpredictable.

Further down the row, there's a battle between Valtteri Bottas of Williams and last year's Champion, Sebastian Vettel. The German is yet to win a race this year, but has seen the podium. He has 88 points, but compared to last year.. That's far off from his 2013 point count. Bottas has 95 points, so only 7 more than Vettel. But like I said with the Mercedes duo, all it takes is one finishing better than the other.

While that could be repeated for most drivers, there's some drivers batteling in the standings without even getting points. The drivers without points are placed accordingly to how many races they've finished as a singular driver or as the team's pair. Kamui Kobayashi is currently the last in the standings. Not a good year for him compared to his time at Sauber. But Sauber is struggeling in the standings as well with neither driver having scored points. However, Sauber is now looking strong and will probably be able to gain points in the later half of the season. 

Here are the full Driver standings and then below are the Constructors standings.

DRIVERS CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS:

1. Nico Rosberg / Mercedes-Mercedes / 202 Points

2. Lewis Hamilton / Mercedes-Mercedes / 191 Points

3. Daniel Ricciardo / Red Bull-Renault / 131 Points

4. Fernando Alonso / Ferrari-Ferrari / 115 Points

5. Valtteri Bottas / Williams-Mercedes / 95 Points

6. Sebastian Vettel / Red Bull-Renault / 88 Points

7. Nico Hulkenberg / Force India-Mercedes / 69 Points

8. Jenson Button / McLaren-Mercedes / 60 Points

9. Felipe Massa / Williams-Mercedes / 40 Points

10. Kevin Magnussen / McLaren-Mercedes / 37 Points

11. Sergio Perez / Force India-Mercedes / 29 Points

12. Kimi Raikkonen / Ferrari-Ferrari / 27 Points

13. Jean-Eric Vergne / Toro Rosso-Renault / 11 Points

14. Romain Grosjean / Toro Rosso-Renault / 8 Points

15. Daniil Kvyat / Toro Rosso-Renault / 6 Points

16. Jules Bianchi / Marussia-Ferrari / 2 Points

17. Adrian Sutil / Sauber-Ferrari / 0 Points

18. Marcus Ericsson / Caterham-Renault / 0 Points

19. Pastor Maldonado / Lotus-Renault / 0 Points

20. Esteban Gutierrez / Sauber-Ferrari / 0 Points

21. Max Chilton / Marussia-Ferrari / 0 Points

22. Kamui Kobayashi / Caterham-Renault / 0 Points

CONSTRUCTORS CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS:

1. Mercedes AMG Petronas-Mercedes -  393 Points

2. Infiniti Red Bull Racing-Renault - 219 Points

3. Scuderia Ferrari-Ferrari - 142 Points

4. Williams Martini Racing-Mercedes - 135 Points

5. Sahara Force India-Mercedes - 98 Points

6. McLaren-Mercedes - 97 Points

7. Scuderia Toro Rosso-Renault - 17 Points

8. Lotus-Renault - 8 Points

9. Marussia-Ferrari - 2 Points

10. Sauber-Ferrari - 0 Points

11. Caterham-Renault - 0 Points

Article Written By: Amy Hawk

No copyright infringement intended.

Alexander Rossi joins Marussia as Reserve

Rossi joins Marussia F1 Team as new Reserve Driver. 

Recently long term Caterham boss Tony Fernandez sold the team to a Swiss and Middle Eastern Consortium. Former Dutch F1 driver Christijan Albers is taking over the running of the team. This is not the only change to have occurred. The team have let over 40 of their staff go. Perhaps one of the most shocking one would be the departure of their reserve driver, Alexander Rossi. His vacated seat at Caterham's GP2 racing team is to be filled by Tom Dillmann. 

You may be wondering who Alexander Rossi is. Well, let me enlighten you. Rossi is a Californian born aspiring Formula 1 driver.  Previously, he has been reserve and test driver at other F1 teams, including Sahara Force India. In addition to being reserve driver at the recently sold team, he also drove for them in GP2. He also instantly departed this seat. It is unknown as to why Rossi left the team so swiftly. Whether he chose to leave or whether he was dismissed is a question that has not been answered. 

Rossi didn't hang around without a team. Not days after his departure from Caterham had he been signed at his previous team's championship rival, Marussia who have recently scored their first ever championship points.  Again, not only is he their reserve driver but he is now racing for GP2 team Campos. 

He has been linked to the future American Haas team. They hope to join the grid in 2016. But for now, you an remain assured that Rossi has a reserve drivers seat and is still searching for his chance to drive in an actual race in Formula 1. Lets hope he gets there but for now, lets wait and see. 

Article Written By: Frances Fry

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Mexico and Azerbaijan to join F1 Calendar

The month of July was full of news and stories from the racetrack. The announcement of new races on the calendar of 2015/2016 being only one of them. That's right! The teams are off to Mexico and Azerbaijan in the coming years. As you can imagine, this news has sparked a lot of excitement between the drivers and teams. 

Azerbaijan's race will take place in their Capital city, Baku. The race is said to be replacing the Korean Grand Prix on the 2016 season calendar. While this may come as bad news for the Korean fans, it does in fact offer the sport to a whole new audience in yet another part of Europe. 

Now, onto the other race announcement, the Mexican Grand Prix which is actually a returning race. After an absence of 23 years it's not surprising that the race is already engulfed in an extraordinary amount of excitement. A majority of this positivity is coming directly from none other than the two Mexican drivers on the grid, and their fans. At the press conference for the race in Hungary both Esteban Gutierrez and Sergio (Checo) Perez were present. They were both asked for their opinions on the news of the sport they both love and participate in, returning to their country. 

Perez, who was the first Mexican driver on the grid in 39 years, said that "I never raced in Mexico" so you can imagine how excited he would be to be given an opportunity to race in his home country. He additionally said that "It's great" for Mexico. Creating approximately 3000 jobs in the country, the impact it will have is incredible. The race is expected to be placed towards the end of next season to allow them to ready the track for the race that has been 23 years in progress. 

His fellow countryman, Esteban Gutierrez voiced his excitement by declaring "It's really a dream come true for many of us" not only referring to himself and Perez, but also to the fans of the sport back in Mexico. This was reinforced later as he went on to mention that he was excited to "Share with our supporters the sport". Eager, as ever, to widen the audience and open the possibility of watching F1 to more people. 

This news is not only good for the drivers but also for the sport. With the hope of bringing in new fans and audiences, it also freshens the sport, keeping current fans as entertained as ever. By giving the drivers new tracks and supplying action, the sport seems to be thriving as we all look on to the next season and get an inkling  of what could be in store. 

Article Written By: Frances Fry

Edited By: Amy Hawk

No copyright infringement intended

Quotes belong to their rightful owners.

Feature: Hungarian GP - Our Post-Race Quotes

Quotes:

Amy Hawk, F1Insider78 - "What a tremendous race. Brilliant, really. A very wild and crazy way to go into the annual Summer Break. First of all, congratulations to Daniel (Ricciardo) on his win! He drove like a champion. Also congrats to Fernando and Lewis. Both well deserved finishes. Very happy for all of them. It was a shame that both Force India drivers were unable to finish due to minor accidents. Most importantly both are OK and of course, we still have a good handful of races, so I'm sure there will be more points for Nico (Hulkenberg) and Checo (Perez) - As for Sauber, the points were so close. I think Adrian only needed a few more laps in order to pass Button. As for Esteban, there was a failure with the car's ERS, so it was just an unlucky case, but overall, the car is looking better and they looked strong on track. There were obviously a lot of accidents and like I mentioned earlier with Force India, the most important thing of the race was that everyone is OK and uninjured. Now we have the few weeks of Summer Break before the teams head to Spa for the Belgian GP, Spa being one of my favourite circuits. Always an action-packed race and we are looking forward to it very much."

Frances Fry, F1Insider78 - "Wow! What a race! I feel like I'm saying that a lot this season but, it seems every race is providing more excitement and action than I anticipated. Firstly, I would like address Mercedes. I believe I am right in saying Mercedes said there would be no team orders this season so I was very surprised to hear the team tell Lewis to let Nico past. Lewis was doing exceptionally well. Before the race, I knew the Hungaroring offered little opportunity for overtaking and Hamilton had managed to battle his way from starting in the pit lane to third place! Considering this, I agree that Hamilton had every right to ignore the team orders. He deserved the podium finish that he had most definitely earned. Through a combination of other drivers skill and a stint with the Safety Car, Nico Rosberg found himself having to battle for places rather than gathering seconds up front. Whilst this may have sadly ended Rosberg's run of fortune, it definitely supplied all people watching the sport with exactly what they had tuned in for, something somewhat shocking. Another aspect of this 'shock' would be that Vergne from Toro Rosso in fact found himself battling with the big boys for points in the double figures! This was a very pleaser surprise considering the not so fortunate stint that JEV had been battling with recently. He certainly seemed to he having fun! 

The before mentioned safety care was due to what appeared to be a horrific collision between Caterham's Ericsson and the wall at the exit of turn 3. On lap 8, his car spam out resulting in a lot of debris. Caterham did not have a good race as later on Kobayashi also found himself in the pit lane, waiting for the winner to cross the line. 

That winner just happened to be Australian Ricciardo. The winner had a magnificent race which partnered with some great tactics from his team managed to win him his second Grand Prix. To add to this momentous occasion, we saw Fernando Alonso cross the line in second place giving him his first podium finish of the season which seems to have been a long time coming but was no less deserved than expected. He fought well for it. 

Additional spectacular efforts came from the drivers at Sauber. It's no secret that their season hasn't had the most easy start but with each race, I've noticed slight improvements, edging them closer to the points. I honestly thought this race would be the one for them. Esteban Gutierrez was doing fantastically well until his car unfortunately experienced an issue with his ERS forcing him to retire. This left it all to Sutil who battled well but despite his efforts finished in 11th place, just out of the points and between the two McLarens. If I was you, I'd stay tuned for the second half of the season coming back in 3 weeks from Belgium because if this race is anything to go by, Spa will be a truly thrilling event."

Quotes belong to F1Insider & their writers.

Quotes available for use with permission.

Hungarian GP: Race - Re-Cap & Results

Race: Re-Cap & Results 

The Hungarian GP is now over and this was quite an impressive race in all ways. About 2 hours before the usual lights out, it began to rain and hard. Puddles were building on the circuit and the clouds were hangin low over the Hungaroring.

Luckily, the rain let up around the time of the race start and shockingly, we had a clean first lap, even in the slightly wet conditions. Lewis Hamilton and Kevin Magnussen were starting from pit-lane and Lewis had a mild spin but managed to get the car back under control and keep going. They both knew they had many spaces to catch up if they wanted to get into the points.

Daniil Kvyat was lucky to start the race at all after stalling on the grid and having to be wheeled off. Luckily, the issue was not too big and the team was able to get him out into the race.

The first crash of the race belonged to Marcus Ericsson who spun out in the Caterham, sending it into the barriers. It was a very heavy crash but luckily he is OK. It was unlucky enough but to add to it, Kobayasi later retired due to a Fuel System failure.

Romain Grosjean was next to crash and pretty much in the same area. The crash had apparently happened when he was trying to warm up his fresh set of tyres. His team-mate Pastor Maldonado had a spin during the race, but was lucky to keep going and finish the race.

Force India, like Caterham, ended the race with a double retirement. Hulkenberg first when he spun out and hit the barriers. Perez was next when he was rounding the last turn and heading for the grid, his back wheels touched the grass and it sent the car spinning and smashing into the walls in the grid area. Both drivers are OK but disappointed to end their points-scoring streak.

The last retirement of the race belonged to Esteban Gutierrez who was looking for a strong finish when he was holding 8th position. Unfortunately, Esteban's car came to a hault when his ERS failed. His team-mate Sutil, finished right outside of he points in 11th.

Lewis Hamilton made the most of his race, catching up to the front after starting from Pit-Lane. He was told in the final laps to let his team-mate, Rosberg, pass. But Lewis wasn't letting him by easily. He kept his lead and ended up finishing in 3rd.

It looked like Ferrari's Fernando Alonso was going to take the win, when Daniel Ricciardo made a late pass to get into first position in the final laps. Ricciardo brought home Red Bull's second win of the year and Alonso was able to hold Second to finish on the podium.

Here are the final race results:

1. Daniel Ricciardo / Red Bull-Renault / Australia / + 25 Points

2. Fernando Alonso / Ferrari-Ferrari / Spain / + 18 Points

3. Lewis Hamilton / Mercedes-Mercedes / Great Britain / + 15 Points

4. Nico Rosberg / Mercedes-Mercedes / Germany / + 12

5. Felipe Massa / Williams-Mercedes / Brazil / + 10 Points

6. Kimi Raikkonen / Ferrari-Ferrari / Finland / + 8 Points

7. Sebastian Vettel / Red Bull-Renault / Germany / + 6 Points

8. Valtteri Bottas / Williams-Mercedes / Finland / + 4 Points

9. Jean-Eric Vergne / Toro Rosso-Renault / France / + 2 Points

10. Jenson Button / McLaren-Mercedes / Great Britain / + 1 Point

11. Adrain Sutil / Sauber-Ferrari / Germany

12. Kevin Magnussen / McLaren-Mercedes / Denmark

13. Pastor Maldonado / Lotus-Renault / Venezuela

14. Daniil Kvyat / Toro Rosso-Renault / Russia

15. Jules Bianchi / Marussia-Ferrari / France

16. Max Chilton / Marussia-Ferrari / Great Britain

Retired - Esteban Gutierrez / Sauber-Ferrari / Mexico (ERS Failure)

Retired - Kamui Kobayashi / Caterham-Renault / Japan (Fuel System Issue)

Retired - Sergio Perez / Force India-Mercedes / Mexico (Crash)

Retired - Nico Hulkenberg / Force India-Mercedes / Germany (Crash)

Retired - Romain Grosjean / Lotus-Renault / France (Crash)

Retired - Marcus Ericsson / Caterham-Renault / Sweden (Crash)

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Thank you all for sticking around with us for the first half of the 2014 season, we're now into the 3-4 weeks of Summer Break and of course we'll be bringing you articles during those weeks! We'll also be tweeting news and info daily so make sure you follow us on Twitter @F1Insider78

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Article Written By: Amy Hawk

No copyright infringement intended.