Motorsport
The FIA Formula One World Championship (F1) is the highest class of single seater auto racing sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA). The F1 series has its roots in the European Grand Prix Motor Racing. The first F1 World Championship in 1950 was won by Giuseppe Farina in an Alfa Romeo defeating teammate Juan Manuel Fangio. Fangio is remembered for dominating F1′s first decade and has always been considered the grandfather of F1. Since the early days many drivers have gone to become legends and continue to influence the racing even today.
The F1 season consists of a series of races around the world known as Grand Prix races. It has grown from seven Grand Prix in 1950 to 20 Grand Prix in 2011.
The 2011 Grand Prix Calendar
March
13/3 Bahrain (Sakhir) (Bahrain GP cancelled)
27/3 Australia (Melbourne) (1 Vettel, 2 Hamilton, 3 Petrov)
April
10/4 Malaysia (Sepang) (1 Vettel, 2 Button, 3 Heidfeld)
17/4 China (Shanghai) (1 Hamilton, 2 Vettel, 3 Webber)
May
8/5 Turkey (Istanbul) (1 Vettel, 2 Webber, 3 Alonso)
22/5 Spain (Barcelona) (1 Vettel, 2 Hamilton, 3 Button)
29/5 Monaco (1 Vettel, 2 Alonso, 3 Button)
June
12/6 Canada (Montreal) (1 Button, 2 Vettel, 3 Webber)
26/6 Europe GP (Valencia, Spain) (1 Vettel, 2 Alonso, 3 Webber)
July
10/7 England (Silverstone)
24/7 Germany (Nürburgring)
31/7 Hungary (Budapest)
August
28/8 Belgium (Spa-Francorchamps)
September
11/9 Italy (Monza)
25/9 Singapore – tickets
October
9/10 Japan (Suzuka) – tickets
16/10 South-Korea (Yeongam) – tickets
30/10 India (New Dehli)
November
13/11 UAE (Abu Dhabi)
27/11 Brazil (Saõ Paulo) – tickets
2011 F1 Drivers Championship Standings:
(points/driver)
25 Sebastian Vettel
18 Lewis Hamilton
15 Vitaly Petrov
12 Fernando Alonso
10 Mark Webber
8 Jenson Button
6 Felipe Massa
2 Adrian Sutil
1 Paul di Resta
The 20-race F1 circus is a massive television event. It is predicted that an estimated 600 million people watch each race. F1 betting is also becoming hugely popular. Unfortunately for punters FIA recently deleted the article forbidding team orders. Article 39.1 was initially penciled in the Sporting and Technical Regulations for 2011 after Felipe Massa had to give way to Fernando Alonso in 2010. However FIA said they will be watching very closely at any actions that bring the sport into disrepute, and we’re guessing that includes blatant team orders.
As every new season starts there’s some new innovative yet controversial technology causing a lot of expert comments and analysis for and against. In 2011 it’s all about the new adjustable rear wing, which the driver can adjust via a button in the steering wheel. The drivers are only allowed to use the button when about to overtake and less that one second behind another car. The idea is that using the adjustable rear wing will make overtaking easier, and the sport more exciting for the fans. The adjustable rear wing has yet to be proven in racing conditions and in turbulent air, but some drivers have said that when activating the rear wing it is comparable to a turbo boost. It sounds promising as overtaking is a such a big problem on most tracks.
The below video is courtesy of Sauber and shows how the adjustable rear wing works.
Some drivers have voiced their concern over the number of buttons in the steering wheel – and that operating those buttons can be distracting. Critics are also saying that that modern drivers have way too many driver-assisting technologies at their finger tips. A picture of Ferrari F150 steering wheel below.
One could also argue that F1 is the pinnacle of motorsport technology, and for the sake of the sport the technological advances must be embraced and not limited. Less restrictions will keep the sport interesting at least from the technical perpective. It’s FIA’s job then to draw the line on how far technology can be used.
The 2011 F1 teams are:
Red Bull
Lotus Renault
McLaren
Ferrari
Mercedes
Williams
Force India
Toto Rosso
Sauber
Lotus
HRT F1
Virgin
The 2011 F1 drivers are:
Sebastian Vettel
Mark Webber
Fernando Alonso
Felipe Massa
Paul di Resta
Adrian Sutil
Narain Karthikeyan
Heikki Kovalainen
Jarno Trulli
Jenson Button
Lewis Hamilton
Nico Rosberg
Michael Schumacher
Robert Kubica *
Vitaly Petrov
Kamui Kobayashi
Sergio Perez
Jaime Alguersuari
Sébastien Buemi
Jerome d’Ambrosio
Timo Glock
Rubens Barrichello
Pastor Maldonado
* Injured Robert Kubica replaced by Nick Heidfeld.