X-Wing: Mercy Kill

I’ve got a soft spot for the Star Wars Expanded Universe for quite a few reasons. When I was younger, these were the books that really got me back into reading by taking advantage of the geek inside me and coming up with some fantastic stories. Not only that, and more importantly now that I’m older, the huge range of writers who have contributed to this universe is incredible, and they all offer something different – a different view on Star Wars – to keep me hooked.

The X-Wing series is an excellent way into the Expanded Universe (EU) for anyone looking for an entry point. They are suitably separate from the overriding stories present in other books, and are very easy reads – you can go through each book very quickly thanks to a superb flow from both authors, Michael A. Stackpole and Aaron Allston. This series of books is probably the funniest in the whole EU – even though a lot of novels have their moments – The X-Wing books thrive off of this feature. Focusing on minor characters from the films, and new introductions all the time, this element keeps readers interested and invested in these characters, who rarely turn up elsewhere.

X-Wing: Mercy Kill is the tenth book in the series, taking place towards the end of the Fate of the Jedi series. Many of the characters are new, but the focus is on the leader of Wraith Squadron, Face, and our favourite Gamorrean, Piggy – although he prefers to go by Voort now! There are some family names too, with Wedge Antilles’ daughter carrying on her father’s work – that’s a nice touch to say Wedge is a fan favourite and X-Wing legend!

There are a lot of flashbacks throughout the novel, all focused on Piggy – I mean, Voort – and his decision to retire. Despite a thrilling, and often hilarious, adventure Piggy is battling his demons throughout and it was great to see a new side to the character, who was always one of my favourites from the Wraiths. There’s a lot for Piggy to contend with, including a Yuuzahn Vong (I know, right?!) and a second Wraith Squadron but nothing was given away too soon.

The flashbacks did annoy me a little, I admit. I think it was bordering on too many and took some of the focus away from the newer Wraiths, who all have their own stories to tell. As such, we missed out on some of that and it’s only because I’ve caught snippets of information from other stories I could put the pieces together. For the newcomer to the EU, Mercy Kill might not be the best starting point as the trips through memory lane, and the references to other Wraiths, will be lost.

This is a fantastic book, but not the entry point the other X-Wing books are. It’s much darker in nature and humour, following the path the Expanded Universe has taken since the New Jedi Order series.

If you have some knowledge of the EU, then this is definitely worth a read. If you're new to the Star Wars books, I’d read at least the older X-Wing books and the Fate of the Jedi series at the very least before tackling this one.  

F1 2013: The Story So Far

It’s been an interesting season this year, with plenty happening both on and off the track. McLaren are suffering horribly but with small improvements before the break, Mercedes have had mixed form but seem to be pulling things together, Ferrari are going backwards, Lotus not going anywhere and Red Bull still on top at this stage – but for how long?

Tyres

This year, a lot of the headlines, rumours and races have been dominated by the tyres. This has been true of every year Pirelli has been in the sport but never to such a negative degree. Prime examples of this are the blowouts in Silverstone and other races and the ‘secret test’ by Mercedes and Pirelli after Barcelona.

We have seen Pirelli go to extremes this year and it hasn’t worked, unfortunately. The problem is, using tyre compounds from previous years means teams already have data on them and a lot of the unpredictability the supplier is supposed to be bringing to each race won’t be there. It’s certainly an issue but it would be nice for racers to push flat out again and show what they can do. There have always been limitations of some sort and those who make the most of them end on top.

The drive everyone wants?

Mark Webber’s drive is probably one of the most desired seats in the sport right now – at least on one hand. Daniel Ricciardo, Kimi Raikkonen and Fernando Alonso have all been named as potentials. I said recently that I didn’t think Raikkonen would go, and I still maintain that. Yes, it’s a good drive but he’s savvy enough to know that Sebastian Vettel will always be number one in the team, and with some of the stunts he’s pulled off, it wouldn’t be good – and Raikkonen wouldn’t be as nice as Webber.

The other side is this: Why would an experience driver go there with that knowledge? For someone in Ricciardo’s position it’s a no brainer – he gets a better car and that may help him down the line. Alonso and Raikkonen don’t need that; they need to rally their current teams around them to get the best results, in my opinion.

Looking to next year

New rules for next year should shake things up a bit (hopefully for the better as far as McLaren are concerned). It’s got that air of excitement about it that has been missing this year. I’m a firm believer that motorsport, especially at the top level like F1, should be pushing boundaries and passing technology down to road cars. That seems to have diminished recently, and hopefully this will encourage a return of that practice.

Stand out driver?

It’s hard to pick out a stand out driver so far – there’s been a few. I think it has to be Lewis Hamilton. He’s made the move to Mercedes work and its early days. They’ve done far better than he or anyone else thought – especially with their form from the end of 2012. If they really have got over their tyre wear issues, they’ll be a serious threat over the reason of the season.

Worth a mention

Saying that, we’ve had some impressive performances this year. Both Toro Rosso drivers have upped their game this year and produced fantastic results, with Ricciardo having a shot at the Red Bull seat for next year. Paul Di Resta has done very well this year, proving that he is going to be a top driver should he get the car under him, and his teammate, Adrian Sutil, has done a great job on his Formula One return.

Summary

It’s not been the greatest year, which is a shame. Politics and drama have come to the forefront again and are overshadowing the racing going on – and there is some great racing happening when we are allowed to focus on it. I get the feeling the whole sport is waiting for the rule changes next year to bring some new life to Formula One. I really hope so.

Is there a New Dominant Force in F1? – Hungary, 2013

I’ve used the word dominant a few times this year. Each time, I think you can’t get any more dominant than this. Any takers on how many more times I’ll use that phrase this year? IT’s going to be up to nine more times. I’m normally very critical of the Hungaroring – I find the racing flat and boring for the most part – but this year, a year full of back-to-front perspectives, I am pleasantly surprised.

The Lewis Hamilton I remember

Don’t get me wrong here, since moving to Mercedes, Hamilton has been doing very well. I, like many others, was very critical of his move at the end of last year but he’s made it work. He’s had some great races in a car that does have problems, but this was a glimpse of the 2008 champ on form.

Mercedes look in good form for the rest of the season. Their tyre problems seem to have vanished since their Barcelona test and the introduction of the new tyres this weekend. What remains to be seen is how long they’re gone for. While it was exceptionally hot on track, compared to Silverstone – and Spa and Suzuka coming up – Hungary is a slower track and is easier for the tyres. Time will tell how series a challenge Hamilton, Nico Rosberg and Mercedes can mount.

The Red Bull seat everyone wants?

Well, maybe not everyone. We don’t know who the candidates for this seat are – except Daniel Ricciardo, who has pulled some great results this year and impressed in his test run at Silverstone earlier this month. There’s been speculation over Kimi Raikkonen (which I REALLY doubt will happen) and now Alonso (which I still doubt, but for some reason, not as much as Kimi – despite Sebastien Vettel’s preference of Raikkonen). Alonso has been spoken to about his comments after Sunday’s race but it remains to be seen exactly how this situation will unfold, or who will emerge in the seat in the end. My money is still on Ricciardo.

Grosjean…Oh, Grosjean

Romain Grosjean is a wildcard. He has speed but at times, no or little control. He’s had some brilliant drives in his F1 return, but some horrendous – and quite honestly, stupid – incidents too. It’s easy for me to sit here and criticize since I’m not in the car but considering he’s doing this so often and others are not…something’s got to give, right?

Hungary was a mixed race for the Lotus driver. He had a stellar drive, really, and could have been challenging right at the front but for two key incidents. His pass on Felipe Massa where all four wheels were off the track was harsh. Very harsh, but the rules are rules. There are opinions that we had a great overtake (which we did) and he should have gotten away with it – but I don’t agree. The rules are the rules, if you let one person break them, then why not someone else. Who gets the “unfair” treatment then? It was a good attempt, fantastic, even, but it was just that little bit too wide. I want to see more of that from everyone, you have to take risks and he did. This time, it didn’t work.

His pass on Jenson Button reminded me of Sergio Perez in Monaco, a blocking pass. Jenson was not going to move over, that was clear. Grosjean was also not going to make the chicane at that stage, which was also clear. The penalty there was deserved, and both drivers were lucky nothing to serious happened to their cars. Close, but very well held together despite the contact.

Summary

I could go on a lot longer, but in the end, Hamilton got the win you could say he should have had at Silverstone. It’s not as sweet for the home fans but no one will deny he earned the win and it has been a while coming this year. Hopefully, this will be a fresh challenge on that second title. It’s a difficult task but it’s doable. You’ve got to say there are now four contenders who can take it, but Vettel is still in the driving seat.

Results

1 – L. Hamilton (Mercedes)

2 – K. Raikkonen (Lotus)

3 – S. Vettel (Red Bull)

4 – M. Webber (Red Bull)

5 – F. Alonso (Ferrari)

6 – R. Grosjean (Lotus)

7 – J. Button (McLaren)

8 – F. Massa (Ferrari)

9 – S. Perez (McLaren)

10 – P. Maldonado (Williams)

11 – N. Hulkenberg (Sauber)

12 – J. E. Vergne (Toro Rosso)

13 – D. Ricciardo (Toro Rosso)

14 – G. van der Garde (Caterham)

15 – C. Pic (Caterham)

16 – J. Bianchi (Marussia)

17 – M. Chilton (Marussia)

18 – P. Di Resta (Force India) – DNF

19 – N. Rosberg (Mercedes) – DNF

20 – V. Bottas (Williams) – DNF

21 – E. Gutierrez (Sauber) – DNF

22 – A. Sutil (Force India) – DNF

It was a Predictable Grand Prix Weekend in Germany, 2013

I’ve seen some reports and comments calling the German race a thrilling and eventful race, but I’m not inclined to agree. There were some moments of good racing, some good and bad strategy, but other than the first few laps, and the last ten, it was nothing to write home about – except Jules Bianchi’s car insisting on going racing without a driver! That was quite amusing – but very dangerous.

Red Bull back on top? 

What we saw this time around was almost a return to Vettel’s dominant championship win. There some reasonably exciting moments but it by no means a thriller that some reports called it. Having passed Lewis Hamilton on the first lap, it was almost plain sailing for the Red Bull driver, but by a much smaller margin than we’ve seen previously, granted. This could be a pattern for the rest of the season but I hope not – I want to see a fight on the track!

Mercedes and Ferrari falling back

Hamilton and Alonso have both come out and said improvements need to happen, and quickly. Hamilton knew what he was getting into, but Alonso will remember the time since his last championship, and what to do if Ferrari can’t deliver. The future of his teammate, Felipe Massa, is under continued scrutiny. His drives are sometimes brilliant but there is too much inconsistency to really make him reliable to any championship effort.

McLaren’s strong weekend 

Finally! Finally, finally, finally I have something positive to say about McLaren! I am a fan of the team from when I was younger, and like many people, it’s not been fun seeing them so far back. They had a good weekend this time around, compared to the rest of the year. It’s not their best result but with both cars in the points and improved performances, it’s a good step forward that will help for next year.

The Lotus – Red Bull – Kimi triangle 

Webber’s replacement is also going to be a hot topic for the rest of the year. Kimi Raikkonen and Daniel Ricciardo are favourites for the seat and I have a feeling the latter will get it. He has really grown recently and is improving all the time, but I just don’t think Raikkonen will do it.

Yes, he wants to win, and have the best car, but he has seen how Vettel treats teammates and Raikkonen wouldn’t settle for that. He wouldn’t have the full support for a future championship assault, no matter what Red Bull say. They have a number one and two driver, they just won’t admit it. If Lotus can show they have what it takes, they have a good chance of keeping him, but there aren’t many other options right now.

Safety is still the most important thing

A cameraman was hit by Webber’s escaping tyre. It’s more safety concerns, and still with tyres, but of a different nature. It was unfortunate but it could have happened to anyone around him and the most important thing is he’s okay! How this affects broadcasting shots and journalists in the long-term remains to be seen but there is an immediate ban on the media in the pit lane for the next race.

Summary

You’ve got to give it to Vettel, the guy is a great driver and his achievements just keep adding up. He’s now won his home grand prix and is still leading the championship. It wasn’t a great showing from his rivals this time out and whether you blame tyres or anything else, it is easy to see that Vettel, and Red Bull, have the strongest grip on the 2013 WDC and WCC. We’re almost halfway there but there’s plenty more to come.

Results 

1 – S. Vettel (Red Bull)

2 – K. Raikkonen (Lotus)

3 – R. Grosjean (Lotus)

4 – F. Alonso (Ferrari)

5 – L. Hamilton (Mercedes)

6 – J. Button (McLaren)

7 – M. Webber (Red Bull)

8 – S. Perez (McLaren)

9 – N. Rosberg (Mercedes)

10 – N. Hulkenberg (Sauber)

11 – P. Di Resta (Force India)

12 – D. Ricciardo (Toro Rosso)

13 – A. Sutil (Force India)

14 – E. Gutierrez (Sauber)

15 – P. Maldonado (Williams)

16 – V. Bottas (Williams)

17 – C. Pic (Caterham)

18 – G. van der Garde (Caterham)

19 – M. Chilton (Marussia)

20 – J. E. Vergne (Toro Rosso) – DNF

21 – J. Bianchi (Marussia) – DNF

22 – F. Massa (Ferrari) – DNF

Carnage at Silverstone, 2013

Coming in to the race weekend at Silverstone – one of my favourites, and not just because I live in the UK – I expected some tension, some good racing and a fair share of drama both on and off the track. I did not expect the mass blow outs that occurred in the race, or the race winner, Nico Rosberg, to take the top step on the podium,

Mercedes Obvious Step Forward 

Regardless of the outcome of the testing investigation, it is obvious to say that Mercedes have made a step forward. Whether it is beceause of the test or general development started to work out for them, we will probably never know. In the end, they seem to have made a step forward. I don’t want to take anything from Rosberg and Lewis Hamilton – and it would have been nice to have a British winner this year – but if they can keep up this form throughout the rest of the year, they will come into this championship later on.

It was unfortunate for Hamilton as he was doing great before his tyre blew out but it was an impressive drive back up to fourth and he has to take some comfort in that. Rosberg took the win and has been showing his stuff but if he can be consistent throughout the rest of the season, he will really establish himself in the field.

Webber’s Announcement

One of the biggest stories for me leading into Silverstone was Mark Webber’s decision to leave Formula One at the end of the season. While it’s not completely unexpected, he is an excellent driver and has one of the most trusted voices of the sport. He is honest and very blunt, making his point without bowing to political pressures and he will be sorely missed. I’ll be interested in his progress in endurance racing and I’m sure everyone wishes him well!

Getting the Strategy Right

Towards the end of the race, during the safety car period, there was a decision to make by the teams. Pit and put fresh tyres on for a last dash or stay out and try to hold as high a position as possible. With the way the tyres have been working (for a couple of years now) the decision should have been easy – but as ever, it wasn’t. Lotus driver Kimi Raikkonen was probably the biggest name to lose out on this call, although from the radio message it didn’t seem to be his choice. In the end, that won’t make him feel better and there were other cars in top positions that lost out to Webber and Ferrari’s Fernando Alonso because they did put new tyres on and fought their way up past the positions they had been in to reach the podium. Some teams will really need to think about their strategy calls going forward.

The Stand Out Racers

I think it’s important to mention that Daniel Ricciardo and Adrian Sutil both had very strong races, and had they opted for new tyres at the end, quite possibly could have ended up with podium finishes. Ricciardo is probably the favourite to succeed Webber at Red Bull next year (I don’t buy Raikkonen moving over at the moment) and Sutil and Force India have been doing a fantastic job all season. I felt bad for Paul Di Resta who got a good result from the back of the grid but you have to wonder where he might have ended had he started where he qualified. Nevertheless, excellent effort on all three accounts.

Tyres, Tyres and More Tyres

Every time this year, I’ve dedicated a section to tyres. I was hoping after the testing investigation that would stop – but no! Tyre blowouts. Some seriously dangerous problems with the Pirelli tyres had me wondering if the race would be red flagged, and it was usually only the left rear. If you watched the BBC coverage, they pointed out the kerbs could be a factor in this with sharp edges cutting into the tyres, but the tyres should be able to withstand that, surely? We’ve had racing like this for a while and no mass problems so what happened? Nothing definite has come to light but with new structures this weekend and 2012 specs afterwards, more changes are coming to the F1 teams this month. It is going to be interesting to see how it all fits together.

Summary

It was a good race, very interesting and lots happening – especially in the opening and closing stages. Unfortunately, the tyre issues overshadowed a lot of the middle portion of the race but we had some good racing from the Mercedes team and a fantastic effort from Webber at his final British F1 Grand Prix. Ferrari have some head scratching to do to find out why they seem to be slipping backwards so the pressure is on. Bring on Germany!

Results

1 – N. Rosberg (Mercedes)

2 – M. Webber (Red Bull)

3 – F. Alonso (Ferrari)

4 – L. Hamilton (Mercedes)

5 – K. Raikkonen (Lotus)

6 – F. Massa (Ferrari)

7 – A. Sutil (Force India)

8 – D. Ricciardo (Toro Rosso)

9 – P. Di Resta (Force India)

10 – N. Hulkenberg (Sauber)

11 – P. Maldonado (Williams)

12 – V. Bottas (Williams)

13 – J. Button (McLaren)

14 – E. Gutierrez (Sauber)

15 – C. Pic (Caterham)

16 – J. Bianchi (Maurssia)

17 – M. Chilton (Marussia)

18 – G. van der Garde (Caterham)

19 – R. Grosjean (Lotus) – DNF

20 – S. Perez (McLaren) – DNF

21 – S. Vettel (Red Bull) – DNF

22 – J. E. Vergne (Toro Rosso) – DNF

A straightforward Race in Canada, 2013

I have to admit, it wasn’t the most exciting race of the year. In all honesty, even with all this tyre controversy that keeps popping up, it’s not been as exciting overall as some previous years. Even Sebastian Vettel’s title winning season in 2011 was more exciting at times than what I’m seeing. It’s a shame, as after the mixed conditions of practise and qualifying, I was expecting a bit more this time around. Although, he can now add Montreal to his collection of wins for the first time.

Vettel Strikes Back

As I mentioned before, this was a performance befitting Vettel’s 2011 season. He controlled the race perfectly from the outset. There was only a couple of laps he wasn’t in front and that is impressive, considering the complaints Red bull have been lobbying all season so far about tyres. To add to the dominance, Mark Webber, Vettel’s teammate took the fastest lap with a damaged front wing.

It has to be said, Vettel would have had it if he hadn’t been told to calm down. We know that the German likes his stats and at the end he was going purple but was told over the radio to let it go. This time, he listened to the team.

Back to ‘Real Racing’

So, there were much fewer complaints overall about the tyres this race. There were fewer pit stops and much less in the way of close racing. We still had some, Lewis Hamilton and Fernando Alonso’s battle being one example, but there was a lot more procession to this race than others so far – with the exception of Monaco. Is this the type of racing we want every time? For me, I’d like a bit more mixing up of the field and more battles but the drivers were flat out racing this time and that’s good for them too.

Force India Continue Good Form

My stand out team of the season so far has to be Force India. They have done a great job so far, achieving some good results – even on top of some poor decisions and qualifying results. I was surprised at the decision to bring back Adrian Sutil but he has done remarkably well – where was this Sutil last time? – And Paul Di Resta is going from strength to strength. I wouldn’t put it past a top team to pick this driver very soon. At 26 years old, he still has plenty more to show and I can see a world champion in him (Honest, I’m not biased about him being a Scot…much!).

At the same time, Toro Rosso are also doing well! Hopefully in another year or two, these teams will close the gap even further to the big four and be competing for the race wins!

The Mercedes Hearing

We have a date for this hearing – 20^th June. We can hope to have a result before the following weekend for the British grand Prix but I’m not sure we will. Since this is the first hearing with this body, they will want to get everything right first time and that takes time. It would be nice to get a verdict and put this behind us as soon as possible, regardless of where you stand on the situation.

Sombre News

I think it’s really important to mention this. A crash or accident at any time is worrying, and in a sport where there are so many dangers, you always hope that drivers and support staff are alright. Safety has come a long way over the last 20 or so years but this weekend we had an accident that few people could have predicted.

A marshal was run over by a crane lifting Gutierrez’s car. Reports have said that the man stopped to pick up his radio and the crane driver couldn’t see him and ran him over. Support staff did their best and quickly transported the man to hospital where he later died. It’s a tragic accident and it takes a lot of the shine off the whole weekend.

Drivers and teams have paid tributes to the man and I would hope anyone reading this does the same for the man’s friends and family. Without marshal’s at every event, most sporting events couldn’t take place and it is a dangerous job at the best of times that many people seem to forget about. Rest in Peace.

Summary

I haven’t mentioned Ferrari or Mercedes much today. They didn’t stand out much to me, other than Hamilton and Alonso’s battle for second. Ferrari really need to sort their qualifying pace out if they want to challenge Vettel for the championship, and Mercedes still need to work on rear tyre usage. It seems their tyre test didn’t help much.

Jean Eric Vergne had a fantastic qualifying and race result and force India’s Di Rest managed over 55 laps on one set of tyres, with competitive lap times for most of that stint which is very impressive. These two have been my stand out drivers of the race – and probably the season so far.

Onwards, to Silverstone!

Results

1 – S. Vettel (Red Bull)

2 – F. Alonso (Ferrari)

3 – L. Hamilton (Mercedes)

4 – M. Webber (Red Bull)

5 – N. Rosberg (Mercedes)

6 – J. E. Vergne (Toro Rosso)

7 – P. Di Resta (Force India)

8 – F. Massa (Ferrari)

9 – K. Raikkonen (Lotus)

10 – A. Sutil (Force India)

11 – S. Perez (McLaren)

12 – J. Benson (McLaren)

13 – R. Grosjean (Lotus)

14 – V. Bottas (Williams)

15 – D. Ricciardo (Toro Rosso)

16 – P. Maldonado (Williams)

17 – J. Bianchi (Marussia)

18 – C. Pic (Caterham)

19 – M. Chilton (Marussia)

20 – E. Gutierrez (Sauber)

21 – N. Hulkenberg (Sauber)

22 – G. van der Garde (Caterham)

Time for a Party in Monaco, 2013

It wasn’t the most exciting race this year by a longshot, and even be Monte Carlo’s standards, it wasn’t amazing. It’s always a bit different due to the nature of the track and while there were a lot of cars bunched up, it was very slow. Once again, overshadowing the whole weekend was the issue of tyres and testing.

Rosberg’s Time to Shine

The worry coming into this race was the Mercedes would qualify on pole, which they did, but fall back during the race with excessive tyre wear. The tyre test is another factor to consider a bit later but with it being so hard to overtake, Nico Rosberg and Lewis Hamilton had to be feeling reasonably confident. In the end, Rosberg controlled the race perfectly, even pulling away from the Red Bulls who did not seem to be on the pace this round. We didn’t see much of Rosberg as a result, there were too many things happening elsewhere but it was a great drive to win in Monaco. This will be a massive boost to the team.

Hamilton could have easily had second this time, and a one-two for the team would have been great. A mistake with the timing of his pit stop during the safety car period dropped him behind the Red Bulls of Sebastian Vettel and Mark Webber. He openly admitted after the race it was his fault.

The Overtakes

It is almost impossible to overtake on track at Monaco, and any opportunities are not always taken because the smallest mistake will lead to the barriers and the end of the race – not just for the ones involved in the overtake. This year, we saw some daring moves, most notably from Sergio Perez and Adrian Sutil. Sutil made some great moves at the hairpin, passing Jenson Button and Fernando Alonso without incident. It was daring and you have to say that since his return this year, the Force India driver has been on great form.

Perez made his moves just after the tunnel, and while bold and daring, I’m not sure they were great moves. Each time, he forced the other driver off of the track to avoid a collision, and with Fernando and Button, it’s what they did. They wanted to finish the race but it wasn’t a great way to do it. Unfortunately, not all drivers are like that, and Kimi Raikkonen basically said no. The move was late this time, but Kimi left no space but there were nowhere to go. Perez retired later in the race and Kimi dropped way back, managing to finish 10^th.

Tyre Testing

After the last race in Barcelona, there was a three day tyre test with Mercedes. It’s been called a secret test and teams have been protesting (most notably Red Bull and Ferrari) but what does this mean?

The track was booked openly by Pirelli, and Mercedes asked to take part. Reports say that other teams were spoken to but that’s all we know. Current cars and current drivers on UNKNOWN compounds. While the team will have an idea of what was going on and with who, they were not told what each compound was for so it wasn’t going to be a massive benefit. On top of that, 1,000Km over three days between the two cars so not a massive amount of testing really, and yes, they may come across a compound next year or even later this year they’ve raced on but they can’t set a car up precisely for that compound, and next year the cars change anyway. Like I said, there will always be something the teams can take but in the time between races, how much could have been put to use? It will be interesting what the FIA does about this.

Summary

There were some great drives in Monaco, controlling themselves perfectly to get the best result. Well done to Rosberg and hopefully this will be an upturn in performance for his team which will help put up a bigger fight for the championship. Button drove a solid race and McLaren do seem to be turning it around, whereas Alonso just didn’t seem to have an answer for anything this weekend. That will be worrying given the Ferrari team’s form this year so far. On another note, big crashes from Felipe Massa and Pastor Maldonado this time out as well. Both seem to be okay but hopefully they will be back to their old racing selves next time as they are great drives and it’s never nice to see problems like that.

Results

1 – N. Rosberg (Mercedes)

2 – S. Vettel (Red Bull)

3 – M. Webber (Red bull)

4 – L. Hamilton (Mercedes)

 

5 – A. Sutil (Force India)

6 – J. Button (McLaren)

7 – F. Alonso (Ferrari)

8 – J. E. Vergne (Toro Rosso)

9 – P. Di Resta (Force India)

10 – K. Raikkonen (Lotus)

11 – N. Hulkenberg (Sauber)

12 – V. Bottas (Williams)

13 – E. Gutierrez (Sauber)

14 – M. Chilton (Marussia)

15 – G. van der Garde (Caterham)

16 – S. Perez (McLaren) – DNF

17 – R. Grosjean (Lotus) – DNF

18 – D. Ricciardo (Toro Rosso) – DNF

19 – J. Bianchi (Marussia) – DNF

20 – P. Maldonado (Williams) – DNF

21 – F. Massa (Ferarri) – DNF

22 – C. Pic (Caterham) – DNF