Tag: KimiRaikkonen

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German Grand Prix may avoid dangerous tire woes

Cheran Ratnam

After an exciting and dangerous race in Silverstone, England, Formula 1 fans, drivers and teams are eagerly awaiting the Santander-sponsored German Gran Prix in Nürburgring this weekend (July 6-7).

Triple World Champion Sebastian Vettel (Red Bull) still leads the driver standings with 132 points, while Fernando Alonso(Ferrari, sponsored by Banco Santander) and Kimi Räikkönen(Lotus) trail him with 111 and 98 points, respectively.

The Santander-sponsored Formula 1 race in Silverstone, England, caused much controversy due to several rear-left tire failures that resulted in explosions.

Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes), Felipe Massa (Ferrari), Jean-Eric Vergne (Toro Ross) and Sergio Pérez (McLaren) all suffered from tire issues, while Nico Rosberg (Mercedes) claimed his second win this season by 0.7 seconds. Perez is a Santander-sponsored driver.

Since then, several Formula 1 drivers have expressed mixed feelings about the changes and safety.

“Now, our greatest concern revolves around safety. Even if I can’t really tell what happened, it’s unacceptable having to drive knowing you are not safe,” Massa said. “Even if, luckily, nothing serious happened, what we saw is very dangerous.”

The Silverstone tire burst nearly created a crash between Lewis Hamilton, who was leading the race, and Felipe Massa. Luckily, all drivers came out of the race unharmed.

To ensure the safety of the drivers, Pirelli will use Kevlar-belted tires that were recently tested in Canada in the German Grand Prix.

A new range of tires will be introduced for the Formula 1 Grand Prix in Budapest, Hungary.

The tires used in Silverstone were different from the ones used in previous races, with Pirelli introducing a stronger bonding process in an attempt to prevent tire failures that occurred earlier in the season. Pirelli, the world’s fifth-largest tire manufacturer, has been sole supplier for Formula 1 since 2011, and its contract is due to expire at the end of this season.

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Fascinating Formula1 History

Cheran Ratnam

Formula 1 auto racing undoubtedly is one of the quickest and exciting sporting events in the world.

As Formula 1 fans await the upcoming Santander sponsored races: Santander British Grand Prix (June 28-30) and Grosser Preis Santander Von Deutschland (July 5-7), following is some historical information about F1– especially since the next race will be in Silverstone, England, where the first official F1 World Championship took place in 1950.

Santander entered into Formula 1  sponsorship with TeamVodafone McLaren Mercedes in 2007, and has celebrated 14 race wins and one F1 World Championship with the team. In 2009, in its quest to become a truly global player, Santander signed a five-year sponsorship deal with Ferrari and in 2012, extended the alliance to 2017.

Ron Howard’s biopic, Rush, due out this year, will recount the renowned rivalry between James Hunt and Niki Lauda, which lead to a crash that left Lauda with severe facial scarring. The movie is set in the 70’s, but F1 history runs much further back.

Formula 1 emerged from the European racing scene during the inter-war years, with its roots running back to the early days of motor racing. But, as exciting and nerve wrecking Formula1 is, the death toll of the series is hard to ignore – especially during the early years. Between 1952 and 1994, 38 Formula 1 drivers were killed during championship races.

The first Formula1 race took place in Pau, France and the first official Formula1 World Championship race took place in Silverstone, England, in 1950.

Giuseppe (“Nino”) Farina won the inaugural title in 1950. Juan Manuel Fangio soon became a key figure, winning with five different manufacturers in the 1950s. Pre-war manufacturers like Alfa Romeo, Ferrari, Maserati and Mercedes Benz dominated the race, even though there were many drivers who owned and operated their own cars.

As manufacturers continued to make technological advancements, a constructor’s championship for companies producing an engine or chassis was introduced in 1958.

Highlighted by nine driver’s championships among British and Commonwealth drivers and the ten constructor’s titles won by British teams, 1962-1973 is considered the British era of dominance, where the British Racing Green Lotus emerged as the dominant car. From 1984 to 2008, McLaren, Williams, Renault and Ferrari won every world championship.

Michael Schumacher and Ferrari made a name for themselves in Formula 1 history by winning five consecutive driver’s championships and six consecutive constructor’s championships between 1999 and 2004. In 2005, Fernando Alonsoended Schumacher’s five year dominance and won the championship with Renault, becoming the youngest driver to win the championship. In 2008, Lewis Hamilton won the Championship and replaced Alonso as the youngest driver to win the World Championship.

This year, Santander sponsored Ferrari’s Alonso and Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton battle again for the coveted title, as they attempt to dethrone the triple World Champion, Sebastian Vettel.