An Amazing Weekend Riding Motorcycles in Spain

I first started talking with multiple F1 race winner and total legend, Heinz Harald Frentzen about motorcycles, not F1.

We both own 900cc BMWs and talked about them. I was then slightly rude about Teslas and Heinz asked me what the world’s best selling car was. I looked it up and replied, bashfully, Tesla Model Y.

Congratulations, he said, deploying a quirky sense of humour. Your prize is a weekend in Spain with Heinz and his friends on motorcycles. He then followed this up with a message with details, asking when I’d like to go. I was gobsmacked. Was this real?

Fast forward two months and I was on a flight with a friend, Maja Kenney, to Alicante one Friday afternoon in November.

We landed at 8pm local time and Heinz picked us up from the airport, in a Model Y of course.

An hour journey, check in to a rural hotel in a beautiful southern Spanish village, dinner with Heinz and Maja, bed at midnight, six hours sleep.

Early the next morning Maja and I were introduced to our bikes for the weekend – Yamaha Ténéré World Rallys. Brand new and bright blue. We each had a mount for our phone and a box on the back for luggage. In the box were drinks and a selection of snacks. Very thoughtful.

Heinz was on his BMW F900GS and we set off for a cafe where we met Heinz’s friends and co-investors in the business this weekend was a trial run for - Transibérica Moto Tours.

Everything I describe here will soon be available for anyone to purchase. Right now they have all the ingredients, and just need to refine the details.

Coffees and greetings over we geared up and headed out into the mountains. Heinz apologised that we were riding some sections of ‘boring roads’ but these actually turned out to be more fun than most British A-roads.

The group rode well with ‘Sir’ Mandi up front, Maja and me, Heinz, and the rest of the team.

It was now 9am and time for breakfast. This being real Spain, rather than British tourist’s idea of Spain, breakfast was an eye opener. We sat outside a café in a town square and were served multiple courses. I speak no Spanish so Heinz interpreted and ordered. The locals drank a little wine and strong coffee and I had a Coke Zero.

After an hour of eating and chatting and laughing we were off again. The roads were awesome. Small mountain roads, twisting and turning. We enjoyed the Yamahas. Light but comfortable. Enough power to pull you along in a brisk manner with a lovely gearbox with an easy, quick action.

The weather was perfect too. Maybe 20 degrees and almost no wind.

After 45 minutes Mandi pulled off the road and onto a small lane. We all gathered. And then we rode maybe seven kilometres along gravel trails. Standing on the pegs, guiding our bikes around cracks and ruts. Easy off roading, fun and fairly fast.

Back on the road and it was obvious our hosts both know the area like the back of their hands and are proud of it. We stopped at a reservoir and a Castle. All picturesque and picture perfect. Photos and chats. Life is good.

It was at the castle I told Heinz Harald that his biking skills were incredible. I’d never seen such control as he has in my life. He makes everything look so easy. He doesn’t even have a technique or use the ‘racing line’, he just relies on his instinct, reactions and natural abilities. And his reply? “Oh I didn’t know?”

For an ex-F1 driver and international sporting star he is down to earth, friendly, chatty and generous.

More winding roads and gorgeous views and it was 3pm – time for lunch.

We ate at the only wooden building in the area (with the dry climate wood is a fire risk). A restaurant perched on the hillside. Multiple courses, wine, coffee, great food, great drink (Coke Zero again for me!) and again we were off.

By this point the group had really gelled. Many of the team spoke no English but we all communicated and we all sparked off each other. They were so friendly and welcoming.

We rode and rode. Great corners and great scenery, views to die for and mountains to climb. All the time Heinz filming us from his bike. He can ride one handed faster than any of the rest of us can ride with both hands on the bars.

Mandi was no slouch either. In fact Heinz asked him to slow the pace a little so he could film us better.

At no time did the group ride too fast. No-one ever felt compelled to push too much, nor did we feel too slow. The pace was about right.

The final hour of the day was again off road. It was a track going up and over a mountain close to where we’d started the day. The sun was low in the sky behind us as we soaked up the vista. We stopped several times to enjoy the views and to take photos.

5.30pm we arrived back at our hotel. We put the bikes away and Maja and I shared a few beers and marvelled at how amazing the day had been. At 9.30pm Heinz and his friend Valero met us for dinner. We spoke about Heinz’ time in F1, about which he’s remarkably candid. We also spoke about their plans for the company. It sounds exciting and interesting. Tours on weekends, the best roads and food. Customers from all over north Europe heading south to enjoy the warm weather and spectacular roads.
Late to bed and early to rise and the start of another day. I won’t go into so much detail but the roads were even better.

The Spanish like to enjoy life. Heinz Harald is German but his mother is Spanish and as a child he spent most school holidays in this area. He has family in the area and he knows the locale as well as any of his friends.

The people we rode with – led by Carlos

on the Sunday – know all the roads and all the places to stop and to eat. And they do like to eat. Meals are a time to enjoy company as much as food and drink. The food is local and authentic and none of it is aimed at tourists.

Heinz, Valero, Mandi and the rest of the Transibérica Moto Tours team are proud of what they have achieved so far. They are refining the website, finalising the prices, and will have a full package to offer to paying customers in early 2025.

Heinz dropped Maja and I at the airport Sunday evening. We sat in our plane seats and could hardly believe what an experience we’d had.

It was a thoroughly enjoyable weekend and one we’ll remember forever.

By Matt Hubbard

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Will Lewis Hamilton Clinch the 2017 Formula 1 Title?

The race to be crowned 2017’s Formula 1 champion is heating up, and with only four races left on the calendar, everything is still to play for. Currently, the front-runner is Lewis Hamilton. Having driven supremely well throughout the year, he’s managed his races like a true professional while taking advantage of his opponents’ poor luck and technical difficulties. However, he hasn’t had it all his own way, as several drivers are close behind him in the standings, ready to pounce on any bad starts or questionable pit stops. So, to judge whether the British driver – who’s been an inspiration to young drivers across the world – has a chance of claiming his fourth world championship, we’ll examine the performance of his car, the other drivers who could challenge him, and the remaining races that are still to be decided – buckle up folks!

Mercedes Dominance

It’s no secret that Team Mercedes has dominated the drivers’ and constructors’ championship for the past few years, with Lewis Hamilton winning from 2013 to 2015 and the now retired Nico Rosberg clinching the title in 2016. Mercedes’ raw power, straight-line speed advantage, and terrifying efficiency made them the team to beat, emulating the sheer dominance that teams such as Red Bull and Ferrari have enjoyed in the past.

While it might be considered boring to see one team outclass the competition so effectively, it’s important to remember that Mercedes haven’t had it all their own way this season. Indeed, changes to car designs – including engines, front wings, and tyres – mean that the German manufacturer has had its performance pegged back, resulting in the competition gaining ground. While some Mercedes fans will have been looking over their shoulder at the progress of other teams, who can seriously bemoan more exciting races? Apart from Toto Wolff, maybe.

Regardless of the changes from last season, there’s no denying that Hamilton has adapted well to the new cars. The raw power of the Mercedes-AMG Petronas PU106 Hybrid engine may have helped Hamilton stay ahead of the majority of the pack, earning him the most pole positions of any other driver. But it’s Hamilton’s natural driving talent and race management skills that have kept Team Mercedes in pole position as we come to the end of the racing year.

Enter the Challengers

The clear leader with 306 points on the board, some fans will be thinking that it’s a foregone conclusion that with only four races left, Lewis Hamilton is on course to clinch his fourth world title. They may well be right, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t other drivers hot on his heels, and with a maximum of 100 points on offer, it’s all still to play for!

The closest, and most obvious, challenger that could derail Hamilton’s title hopes is Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel. Having led the championship for large parts of the calendar, the four-time world champion is only 59 points behind the current leader, meaning that a couple of wins and a healthy dose of luck could see him back at the top. Not only is Vettel an extremely talented driver, his years of experience on the track make him a dangerous opponent to race against, especially when the margins for error are so small. Equally, Vettel is backed by a powerful Ferrari engine, which has consistently dwarfed other cars with its straight-line speed. If you want to know how just close the final four races could get, check out the latest Formula 1 betting tips.

Another driver that could upset Hamilton’s victory is his own teammate, Valtteri Bottas. He is only 13 points behind Sebastian Vettel, putting him firmly in the race for the world championship, and with a near-identical car to Hamilton’s, he’ll certainly have the pace and power to compete. However, while Mercedes do not operate a first and second driver policy, it’s a little farfetched to think that the team would risk handing the title to Ferrari just so the teammates can race it out.

Remaining Races

How the rest of the season plays out could be determined by the remaining circuits. The United States, Mexican, Brazilian, and Abu Dhabi Grand Prix are all that stand between Lewis Hamilton and glory, but are they the best tracks for his driving style and car?

The Circuit of the Americas has always been kind to Hamilton, having won four out of the last five races that were held there. However, Sebastian Vettel still holds the all-time fastest lap for this circuit, and in the improved Ferrari, it’s not difficult to imagine that Vettel will produce a serious challenge. Additionally, the relatively flat circuit, which has two very long straights, will give Ferrari an extra boost.

On the other hand, the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, the final race of the season, is a personal favourite of Hamilton. With it’s almost unbearable conditions, fast straights, and tricky corners, this is a circuit that requires no small amount of skill and focus – and Hamilton has won here twice in the past three seasons! If it all comes down the last race, he’s sure to feel confident about his chances.

Verdict

While there are many obstacles that could trip Hamilton up, it’s hard to look past his dominance this season, and unless something goes spectacularly wrong in the final four races, he’s the clear favourite to win the championship. However, Formula 1 is nothing if not unpredictable, so there could be some surprises in store further down the track for everyone to enjoy!

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Has Jenson Button Already Signed To Race For Audi At Le Mans/WEC?

Three interesting pieces of information came out today:

1 - Joe Saward reckons McLaren will not announce their driver line-up until 1 December

2 - Tom Kristensen will retire from endurance racing, his last race with Audi is 30 Nov in Brazil

3 - McLaren is having a sale on replica team wear

Put two and two together and Jenson has been told he's leaving McLaren, and Audi have signed him. In order for the focus to be on Kristensen in Brazil Audi has requested Jenson and McLaren that they delay the announcement until Monday 1st December.

McLaren know this will filter out so are flogging Jenson teamwear cheap in order to get a load of it sold before nobody wants it anymore.

The timing of these announcements is too perfect for it to be anything else, isn't it?

Best book the Le Man tickets. It's going to be a humdinger. Webber in a Porsche and Button in an Audi?

By Matt Hubbard

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Bernie Ecclestone - F1 Is For Pensioners, Not Youngsters

He's 84 himself and Bernie Ecclestone reckons F1 is only for people who've got lots of money to spend, which doesn't include youngsters

Bernie Ecclestone was interviewed by Campaign Asia-Pacific (nope, never heard of it) and pretty much compounded most fan's belief that he's a geriatric idiot who sold F1 down the river for a few (billion) quid in his pocket.

In the interview he says:

"I’m not interested in tweeting, Facebook and whatever this nonsense is. I tried to find out but in any case I’m too old-fashioned. I couldn’t see any value in it. And, I don’t know what the so-called ‘young generation’ of today really wants. What is it? You ask a 15 or 16-year-old kid, ‘What do you want?’ and they don’t know."

...and...

"If you have a brand that you want to put in front of a few hundred million people, I can do that easily for you on television. Now, you’re telling me I need to find a channel to get this 15-year-old to watch Formula One because somebody wants to put out a new brand in front of them? They are not going to be interested in the slightest bit. Young kids will see the Rolex brand, but are they going to go and buy one? They can’t afford it. Or our other sponsor, UBS—these kids don’t care about banking. They haven’t got enough money to put in the bloody banks anyway. That’s what I think. 

...and...

I don’t know why people want to get to the so-called ‘young generation’. Why do they want to do that? Is it to sell them something? Most of these kids haven’t got any money. I’d rather get to the 70-year-old guy who’s got plenty of cash. So, there’s no point trying to reach these kids because they won’t buy any of the products here and if marketers are aiming at this audience, then maybe they should advertise with Disney."

...and...

"They say the kids watch things on [tablets and phones], but it doesn’t mean they’re watching Formula One. And even if they are today, will they still watch it when they are 40? The world has changed so much in the last few years, and I doubt that’s going to stop. But with all the technology out there are limits to what we can do and the amount of time people can watch something."

So, even if you started watching F1 in your teens Bernie doesn't care. It's only when you got much older and had some spending money that he cared about you.

Bernie Ecclestone cares nothing about F1, that is obvious. He doesn't want to grow it, he doesn't want it to appeal to a wider audience, he doesn't want you watching it if you are young.

I'd argue that F1 'belongs' as much to the audience, those of us who've watched it all our lives, than it does to him and his partners in crime, CVC.

What a jerk. Let's all laugh at him failing to walk through a door properly.


By Matt Hubbard

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This Is Why Kamui Kobayashi Retired From The Russian GP

Kamui Kobayashi retired from the Russian GP. At the time he said there was nothing wrong with the car but that the team wanted to save mileage on parts. Now, it seems he was protecting the team and himself - he thought his suspension would collapse following a botched repair.

The BBC has seen Kamui's personal Facebook page, which is only visible to friends of the Japanese driver, where he posted this photo and several updates on the car.

On the Friday of the Russian GP Kamui posted: "Scary! Last night a suspension defect was found. There's no spare so it was repaired by wrapping it in carbon. It's checked all the time but, even so, being asked to race like this is too scary! I want to go home already. From here on there are still practices and the race to go. I'm seriously troubled. As a racing driver, should I drive? Should I safely decline? I drive again in 15 minutes…"

Caterham told the BBC Kobayashi was, "...kept informed at all times and at no time did he have any reason to believe it was not safe," and, "It was extensively evaluated at Sochi and Leafield and ultimately a carbon-fibre wrap was applied to provide additional reinforcement - a normal procedure. The component was signed off as safe and re-checked between each subsequent session, to be absolutely sure there was no issue." 

Scary stuff, especially following Jules Bianchi's accident in Japan the week before.

By Matt Hubbard

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Behind The Scenes At The Red Bull Racing F1 Factory After A Race

This is a great video that shows life in the Red Bull Racing factory in Milton Keynes on the Monday after a race weekend.

It's striking to see how laid back the office seems to be, how deferential everyone is to the guv'nor (Christian Horner) and how Adrian Newey, despite being a genius, is also a luddite.

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Formula 1 Pit Stops 1950 And Today

This is a cracking video.  In it we see a pit stop at the 1950 Indianapolis 500, then a fixture on the F1 calendar (despite the fact it didn't include any European entrants).  After that we see a modern F1 pit stop.

The car in the 1950 clip is Bill Holland in a Deidt-Offenhauser.  He finished the race in second place, one lap behind the winner, Johnnie Parsons.

The 2013 clip shows Fernando Alonso in his Ferrari at the Australian Grand Prix, where he finished second, 12.451 seconds behind the winner Kimi Raikkonen.

By Matt Hubbard

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F1 2014 Is Brilliant - Despite What The Naysayers Say

For years we've seen a lack of racing and domination by one team or driver in F1.  We also had noisy engines.  This year we're seeing quieter engines, and a new team and driver dominate - yet F1 2014 is better than it has been for a long time.

The Bahrain Grand Prix, despite taking place at a soulless track, was one of the best Formula 1 races in years.  One team dominated but that team, Mercedes, allowed its drivers to race right 'til the end, and neither Lewis nor Nico suffered a mysterious engine problem or fluffed pit stop.

In recent times Vettel has been dominant in his Red Bull, and the real fans all cheered when Mark Webber scored a win because we knew Mark could only win despite, not because of, the car he was in.  Vettel was number 1 and Mark had to put up with it.  Multi 21.

Ferrari's attitude was similar with Michael Schumacher and his long suffering sidekick Rubens Barrichello, then with Alonso and Felipe Massa.

Mercedes, though, have opted to hire two top level drivers and let them race.  This shows a respect to the sport and to the fans from a manufacturer that has been racing in Formula 1 since 1932 that Red Bull and Ferrari have both failed to achieve.  Mercedes could quite easily have soured everybody's day by telling their drivers to hold station after the late safety car in Bahrain but they didn't, and all credit to them for that.

So it is of no surprise that the two teams complaining about F1's new engine regulations turn out to be Red Bull (powered by Renault) and Ferrari. Both are hindered for the entire year by power units that are not as good as the Mercedes one and both are complaining like hell about it.

The Mercedes engine is more reliable, more powerful and more frugal than the Ferrari and Renault units.  Mercedes has simply done a better job.  So what do Ferrari and Red Bull want to do?  Make the races shorter so they don't have to conserve fuel and change their engines to make them more equal with the Mercedes'.

What a bunch of whinging, idiotic, bad losers.

F1's new engines use less fuel and take engine technology into new and exciting areas.  For the first time in years F1 tech can lead to better engines for our road cars.  F1 is looking forwards rather than backwards.

The V8 era may have given us louder engines but it gave us worse racing than we've seen so far in 2014.  The more complex, and torquey, cars this year have also allowed some fantastic young drivers to flourish (Bottas, Hulkenberg, Ricciardio, Magnussen) as well as letting the experienced drivers show us their skills with more complex and hard to handle machinery.

F1 2014 is in great shape.  Only the losers are complaining.  Bernie Ecclestone reckons two more teams want to join F1.  The sport won't worry too much if a couple of the existing teams get out of the kitchen because they can't stand the heat.

By Matt Hubbard

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Autosport Show - F1 Cars

The 2014 Autosport Show has a huge display of F1 cars, hosted by F1 Magazine and I took lots of photos.

It's difficult taking pictures of the entire cars due to the amount of people wandering around and inspecting them, so I took a different approach and went for some of the detail.

Hover over each image for a description.

By Matt Hubbard

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If You Love 1990s F1 You're In Luck

90's F1 Montage by f674804337
With the debate about overtaking aids, double points, teams in financial trouble, pay drivers and Vettel's complete dominance F1 is in a bit of a state at the moment.

Back in the 1990s F1 had real personalities, real overtaking and some really good racing.  Check out this 90s F1 compilation, put together by Hayley Scoffin and Ste Rumbelow.  It features all those drivers I used to watch - Hill, Hakkinen, Senna, Mansell, Prost, Irvine and of course Schumacher.

Ahhh, good times.

Matt

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Lotus F1 Issues Its Own Rules For 2014

In response to the recent changes to F1 rules Lotus F1 has issued their own set of rules.

Where the FIA will now award double points at the last race of the season Lotus F1 suggests that the team who produces the ugliest car of the season gets a 15% deduction in points and that any driver named Sebastian Vettel must now complete their own pit stops without any assistance from their mechanics.

All sounds very reasonable.  Take a look at Lotus F1's new rules below.  They make more sense than double points for the final race.

By Matt Hubbard

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Here Are the New F1 Regulation Changes In Full

The F1 Strategy Group and Formula One Commission met today and agreed some regulation changes.

The highlight seems to be that the final race of an F1 season will be worth double points, and drivers can hang on to personal numbers.

Oh, and a cost cap has been agreed in principle.  If they ever agree an actual figure I'll be amazed.

Here is the full text of the press release:

Paris – 9 December 2013

Following a meeting of the F1 Strategy Group and the Formula One Commission in Paris today, the following items have been unanimously approved:

• Cost cap

The principle of a global cost cap has been adopted. The limit will be applied from January 2015.

A working group will be established within the coming days comprising the FIA, representatives of the Commercial Rights Holder and Team representatives.

The objective of the working group will be to have regulations approved by the end of June 2014.

• Pirelli Tyre test – Bahrain, 17-19 December, 2013

The F1 Commission agreed to a change to the 2013 Sporting Regulations, on safety grounds, allowing the Formula One tyre supplier to carry out a three-day test in Bahrain from 17-19 December, 2013. All Formula One teams have been invited to take part in the test and six have accepted: Red Bull Racing, Mercedes, Ferrari, McLaren, Force India and Toro Rosso.

• Driver numbers

Drivers will be asked to choose their race number, between 2 and 99, for the duration of their career in the FIA Formula One World Championship. Number 1 will be reserved for the current World Champion, should he choose to use it.

If more than one driver choses the same number, priority will be given to the driver who finished highest in the previous year’s championship.

• New penalties

The principle of a five-second penalty for minor infringements was agreed. In what form such a penalty will be applied will be discussed with Formula One’s teams in order that a new regulation be introduced for 2014 season.

• Points for the last race

Double drivers’ and constructors’ points will be awarded at the final race of the Formula One season in order to maximise focus on the Championship until the end of the campaign.

These changes are immediately applicable, given the mandate assigned to the FIA President at the last World Motor Sport Council meeting, held on 4 December in Paris.

FIA Formula One Press Office

Ends

By Matt Hubbard

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Bernie Ecclestone fails to get through a door (now in a Benny Hill Style)

Bernie Ecclestone's entrance into the High Court this morning was fraught with difficulty.

Update:  And now in full Benny Hill style


Matt

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Why Vettel isn't The Best F1 Driver Of All Time

Our friends over at Car Throttle have analysed every F1 champion's season and scored them on a level playing field, to come up with a definitive top ten F1 drivers of all time.

Take a look.  If you think that Sebastian Vettel's dominance has catapulted him to the top of the charts then prepare to be surprised.

What I really enjoy about the list is that the man who is at the top of the all time F1 driver's chart was quite portly, and 40 when he scored his first world championship - Juan Manuel Fangio.  Huzza for us older guys.

Here's what Car Throttle says:

"It was almost inevitable Vettel would become the youngest man to win four F1 titles in India and in the days leading up to the race, commentators everywhere have been comparing him to the greatest in F1′s history. 

However directly comparing F1 drivers is difficult when they raced in different eras – F1′s hadsix different points systems over the 63 seasons and many championships were decided on a certain number of race results being dropped. 

So we’ve done something never done before. We’ve rewritten history and scored every finish according to every points system ever used and ranked the drivers on a level playing field according to the number of points they scored per race start – so we can bring you a definitive list of the top 10 drivers ever and answer the question… is Vettel really the best?"

By Matt Hubbard 

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Watch Crazy Dave Coulthard Do Donuts In An F1 Car On A Helipad 210 Metres In The Air

Red Bull F1 car, driven by David Coulthard, does some donuts on a tiny helipad 210 metres above the sea

That's got to be the longest article title ever seen on Speedmonkey.  It's worth it though.  This is David Coulthard in a Red Bull F1 car spinning donuts on a helipad that's only 24 metres across, 210 metres above the sea below.

Filmed on the Burj Al Arab helipad in Dubai this film makes your palms sweat just watching it.

Well done Crazy D!

Tip to Mrs Speedmonkey who spotted it!

Article by Matt Hubbard

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Damon Hill - The Best Driver of my Generation

The first F1 race I watched in full was the 1994 Brazilian Grand Prix. I didn’t know a whole lot about F1 but my university house-mate was mad-keen on it, so I watched with him.

That race was won by Michael Schumacher and was largely remembered for Senna’s Williams debut (he spun out on lap 56) and Irvine shoving Verstappen onto the grass, and the massive crash that followed.

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Catch-up Corner - some stories from the week we missed

Graham King rounds up some of the week’s motoring stories you might have missed

Murray Walker turns 90

Legendary racing commentator Murray Walker celebrated his 90th birthday earlier this week. It’s been a somewhat trying year for him, between a broken pelvis and a cancer scare. The fact he seems to have recovered from both completely unscathed just adds to my suspicion that he might in fact live for ever.

I met him very briefly when I was manning the gate at an event where he was guest of honour. I thought it highly amusing that he felt the need to introduce himself. It reflected the humility of a man who still towers above the field of motorsports commentary, 12 years after he hung up his microphone.

He’s still a regular in the Formula 1 paddock where a huge amount of affection still exists for him, as it does throughout the motorsport world. He is a true one-off and possibly even a genius in the commentator’s art. Despite the Murrayisms.

Quick quiz time: Only three drivers currently racing in F1 were on the grid for the Murray’s last race as commentator, the 2001 US GP. Who are they, what was their team and where did they finish? Tweet your answers to @HeadBoltz. No prize other than the glory of getting it right.

Alpina launches world’s fastest diesel

Master of understated madness Alpina has launched its new BMW 3-Series-based D3 Bi-Turbo, which claims to be the world’s fastest production diesel car. Using a tuned version of BMW’s 3-litre, straight-six diesel engine with 350bhp and a mountainous 700Nm of torque, it dispatches the 0-62mph sprint in just 4.6 seconds and runs onto 173mph. Yet it also does 53mpg and emits just 139g/km of Co2.

The difference between those performance and economy numbers is staggering and I can only assume that some sort of sorcery was involved in achieving them. Possibly even more remarkably, the saloon costs £46,950 while the Touring estate (how cool will that be?) is £49,950. That’s immense value.

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Lewis Hamilton Scoops His Nuts Then Shakes Vettel's Hand

This was captured by the BBC just after qualifying for the Japanese Grand Prix at Suzuka.

Lewis Hamilton is walking out of the FIA garage behind Mark Webber and in front of Sebastian Vettel.  Mindful of having been squashed into an F1 car for the past few minutes Lewis decides to re-arrange his crown jewels.

Straight after handling his meat and two veg he turns around and shakes Sebastian Vettel's hand, with the same hand that fondled his plums.

Dirty boy.

Note - This has been picked up by Deadspin

Another note - The video is now on YouTube.  Here it is


Also - Every F1 livery ever in one place

Spotted by @Captain_Codman and @neilpennock

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Every F1 car livery ever in one place

I stumbled across this website recently.  It shows the livery of every F1 car ever made, in side profile.  You can choose a team and it'll show you all the liveries from every car they've produced.  

You can do the same with all F1 world champions.  Just choose the champion and it'll show every car they ever drove.

Simple, neat, brilliant.

Here's the link.

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Was Sebastian Vettel's Red Bull RB9 fitted with traction control?

Sebastian Vettel's dominance has been so much that F1 has become seriously dull of late.  His 2.5 seconds per lap margin could be down to pure driver skill, or it could be down to something else.

Take a look and listen to this video, which shows Vettel in action in Singapore 2013.

That noise, that sounds similar to an F1 car running over rumble strips, is very much like the sound of cylinder de-activation, which aids traction.  Or, to put it another way, traction control.  Which is illegal in F1.

James Allen reckons it's some kind of engine mapping, rather than traction control.

Ex Minardi owner, Giancarlo Minardi has quite a lot to say on the matter too.  He wrote a column on the Minardi website and said:

Sebastian was able to speed up 50 m before any other driver, Webber included. Whilst all the other drivers speeded up on the same stretch, Vettel was able to speed up before them. The thing that surprised me the most was the RB1 engine’s output sound. Besides speeding up 50 m before any other driver, the Renault engine of the German’s car grinded like no other French engines on track, neither like Mark’s. That sound was similar to the sound made by the engine when the traction control system got into action in the past seasons. 

Furthermore, that sound was only heard when Vettel chalked up his excellent performances. For example, after the safety car went off, he took a great re-start and chalked up many excellent laps, gaining a 32 sec. gap over Alonso, then he leveled off, taking precautions in the case he would have had to pit one more time. In those moments the Renault engine was more powerful than any other engines (Renault and other brands)

This is what an F1 car sounds like with traction control fitted.  It's a Honda at a test at Spa in 2007, when traction control was legal.

Do you think Vettel's Red Bull is fitted with traction control?

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