The GP4 Legend's Trophy (all links on page 1) - Next session - Season 1 Review, News & Transfers

I'm expecting the likes of Schumacher, Fangio and Prost (who was 5th when he crashed) to be near the front more often than not, but there are enough signs already that everything won't adhere to the form book, which is encouraging.

Also bear in mind the relegation battle that will start shaping up as the season progresses, something not previously seen in F1. The fights at the back of the pack will become just as important as those at the front as teams and drivers try to avoid dropping into Division 2.

NUMBER OF QUALIFYING LAPS INCREASES TO 9

The number of laps each driver is allowed to run during the qualifying session is to increase to nine, with immediate effect.

The number of cars permitted on track at any given time will also increase, from nine to eleven.

Last week, at the season-opening Belgian Grand Prix, drivers were allowed six laps - effectively two runs each - resulting in five "mini-sessions" being run to determine the grid order.

However, after the LTO (Legend's Trophy Organisation) recognised the increase in importance of qualifying due to the shorter race distances (50% of a typical Forumula One Grand Prix), they elected to give each driver an extra run to maximise their qualifying potential.

The revisions will result in there being six mini-sessions, with half the 22-strong field taking to the track in each one.

The length of the session will remain the same at 45 minutes, a factor that could come into play at the upcoming German GP at Hockenheim - one of the longest circuits of the season - if we have a wet session. However, with 10 minutes still remaining after the five (dry) mini-sessions were completed in Spa, that seems unlikely.

Qualifying for the German Grand Prix is expected to take place within the next few days.

SCHUMACHER TAKES DOMINANT POLE IN WET HOCKENHEIM

Michael Schumacher secured his second pole in two races with a blistering lap in tricky conditions at the Hockenheim circuit in Germany.

On his home track, in his favoured wet conditions, and with a determination to put the Belgian GP behind him - a race he should have won but for a spin on lap 5 - Schumacher drove a faultless lap during his first run, his 1:46.644 beating the rest of the field by over 1.3 seconds.

Ayrton Senna will line up alongside Schumacher on the front row of the grid as the Brazilian looks to make amends for a disappointing opening round of the season which saw him finish outside the top 10.

Sebastien Vettel and Lewis Hamilton qualified 3rd and 4th, meaning the front four drivers on the grid will boast an impressive seventeen Formula One World Championships between them.

Jim Clark, who was tragically killed at the circuit during a Formula Two race in 1968, will start from 5th position, alongside Alberto Ascari in the second Ferrari.

New regulations brought in for the German Grand Prix allowed drivers to do three runs each (instead of two in Belgium), but that would prove to be irrelevant as the conditions worsened as the session went on, with only Niki Lauda able to improve on the time he set on his initial run - however the Austrian will still only line up 21st on the grid.

But whilst the rain favoured some drivers - the top four all have reputations for being quick in difficult and changeable conditions - others struggled to cope, and will have work to do during the race. Juan Manuel Fangio will probably be the most disappointed driver coming out of session, with the Argentine - who leads the championship after winning the opening race in Spa - only managing 12th, with team mate Mika Hakkinen further down in 20th.

Renault will also be disappointed with the performance of their drivers, with Alain Prost - looking to make amends for his crash in Spa - qualifying 8th, and Fernando Alonso down in 14th. Damon Hill, who finished 7th in Belgium, could only get his Williams up to 18th on the grid.

FULL QUALIFYING RESULT

1 Michael SCHUMACHER (Ferrari)
2 Ayrton SENNA (McLaren)
3 Sebastian VETTEL (Red Bull)
4 Lewis HAMILTON (McLaren)
5 Jim CLARK (Lotus)
6 Alberto ASCARI (Ferrari)
7 Kimi RAIKKONEN (Cooper)
8 Alain PROST (Renault)
9 Graham HILL (Lotus)
10 Nelson PIQUET (Williams)
11 Jackie STEWART (BRM)
12 Juan Manuel FANGIO (Mercedes)
13 Nino FARINA (Benetton)
14 Fernando ALONSO (Renault)
15 Denny HULME (Cooper)
16 Jody SCHECKTER (Benetton)
17 Mike HAWTHORN (BRM)
18 Damon HILL (Williams)
19 Jack BRABHAM (Brabham)
20 Mika HAKKINEN (Mercedes)
21 Niki LAUDA (Brabham)
22 Emerson FITTIPALDI (Red Bull)


Ayrton Senna set a good benchmark after the first mini-session - but his lead didn't last long.


Mercedes will have a lot of work to do to score decent points this weekend.


Michael Schumacher will be hoping this is the only view the rest of the field will see of him during the race.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 02/09/2016 07:22AM by kingdeuce86.

1,4s! :O

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ASCARI WINS GERMAN GP AFTER LAST LAP DRAMA

Alberto Ascari snatched victory at the German Grand Prix after Ferrari team mate Michael Schumacher ran out of fuel on the final lap of the race.

Ascari himself also ran out of fuel, but was able to coast over the finish line to claim an unlikely victory after Schumacher had dominated the entire weekend.

Juan Manuel Fangio crossed the line 2nd, but was demoted to 5th after overtaking Ayrton Senna's McLaren under the yellow flags being waved for Schumacher's stricken Ferrari. Senna himself also ran out of fuel on the last lap, but was able to coast home in third. This allowed Sebastien Vettel - who was fifth at the start of the final lap - to be classified 2nd and take the 18 Legend's Trophy points.

German GP - Top 5:

1. Alberto Ascari
2. Sebastien Vettel
3. Ayrton Senna
4. Jim Clark
5. Juan Manuel Fangio

Pure dominance...until the end

It was a race that Schumacher controlled from the starting lights to half-way round the last lap, withstanding the pressure from Senna in the first few corners and pulling out a seemingly unassailable 29 second lead during the 23 lap race.

He was the first driver to come into the pits for his scheduled stop - doing so on lap 10 - but the Ferrari team misjudged how much fuel to put in both of their cars at the stops, and for the second time in two races, shot themselves in the foot and threw away a potential 1-2 finish.

Alberto Ascari, in the other Ferrari, was lucky the finish line wasn't 100 yards further down the road, or he too would have failed to make the end, but he was able to coast to victory, making the most of the 26 second lead he had built over the cars behind him.

More punishments, and a re-ignited feud

Just like in Spa, there were two 20-second penalties handed out after the race, with the most high-profile of which being given to 2nd-placed finisher Juan Manuel Fangio. The Mercedes driver overtook Senna in their battle for 2nd place on the last lap, but the stewards deemed he had done so within the yellow flag zone created by Schumacher's Ferrari, so the penalty sees the Argentine drop three places to 5th.

There was also a penalty for Alain Prost - who had finished the race in 10th - for causing a collision. Quite bizarrely, it was almost a carbon copy of the incident at the last race, with Prost spinning off the track on the way into the stadium section, then colliding with Damon Hill's Williams as he tried to rejoin. However, whilst there were no penalties for the incident in Spa, the stewards deemed that Prost rejoined the track in an unsafe manner this time, thus causing the collision that forced both drivers to pit for new wings.

With two similar and seemingly avoidable incidents happening between Prost and Hill in consecutive races, a potential rivalry could be developing between the two drivers who raced together for Williams in 1993.

Brabham in a relegation battle?

The most dramatic moment of the race prior to the last lap was a four-car incident that was started by Brabham's Niki Lauda. The Austrian lost control on the penultimate curve, crashing into the barrier before the wreckage of the car spun back onto the track.

Nethier Graham Hill (Lotus), Jackie Stewart, nor Mike Hawthorn (both BRM) could avoid the debris, and all four were forced to retire - with Hill and Stewart having made their pit stop only a lap earlier.

Jack Brabham had already retired earlier in the race with a suspension failure, meaning Brabham are now the only constructor yet to see the chequered flag with either driver, with only themselves and BRM yet to score any points this season.

Lewis Hamilton was the only other driver to retire, also suffering a suspension failure that forced him out from what was 4th place in the early stages of the race.

Despite his penalty, Juan Manuel Fangio leads the Driver's Championship by two points from the victorious Ascari, with Ferrari enjoying a 15 point lead at the top of the Constructor's Championship - a lead that could have been a lot more but for driver and tactical errors in both the first two races of what is already becoming an exciting and unpredictable season.

FULL RACE RESULT:


Race Results

Germany - Hockenheim
(23 Laps)

Pos Driver Time/Speed

1st alberto ascari 39m 12.505s
ferrari-ferrari
2nd sebastien vettel +21.752s
red bull-renault
3rd ayrton senna +25.015s
mclaren-mercedes
4th jim clark +34.155s
lotus-cosworth
5th juan-manuel fangio +39.194s*
mercedes-amg
6th nelson piquet +42.167s
williams-renault
7th denny hulme +43.748s
cooper-cosworth
8th jody scheckter +45.364s
benetton-renault
9th emerson fittipaldi +48.139s
red bull-renault
10th mika hakkinen +53.039s
mercedes-amg
11th damon hill +55.790s
williams-renault
12th fernando alonso +56.774s
renault-renault
13th nino farina +57.960s
benetton-renault
14th alain prost +1m 09.530s**
renault-renault
15th kimi raikkonen +1m 22.005s
cooper-cosworth
16th michael schumacher -1 Lap
ferrari-ferrari
17th mike hawthorn Didn't Finish
brm-brm
18th niki lauda Didn't Finish
brabham-ford
19th jackie stewart Didn't Finish
brm-brm
20th graham hill Didn't Finish
lotus-cosworth
21st jack brabham Suspension
brabham-ford
22nd lewis hamilton Suspension
mclaren-mercedes

*20-second penalty for overtaking under yellow flags.
**20-second penalty for causing an avoidable collision.

DRIVER'S CHAMPIONSHIP:

1) Juan Manuel FANGIO (Mercedes) 35
2) Alberto ASCARI (Ferrari) 33
3) Sebastian VETTEL (Red Bull) 30
4) Michael SCHUMACHER (Ferrari) 18
5) Ayrton SENNA (McLaren) 15
=) Lewis HAMILTON (McLaren) 15
7) Jim CLARK (Lotus) 12
8) Graham HILL (Lotus) 10
9) Nelson PIQUET (Williams) 9
10) Denny HULME (Cooper) 6
=) Damon HILL (Williams) 6
12) Jody SCHECKTER (Benetton) 4
=) Kimi RAIKKONEN (Cooper) 4
14) Emerson FITTIPALDI (Red Bull) 2
=) Fernando ALONSO (Renault) 2
16) Mika HAKKINEN (Mercedes) 1
17) Nino FARINA (Benetton) 0
----
18) Alain PROST (Renault) 0
19) Mike HAWTHORN (BRM) 0
20) Jackie STEWART (BRM) 0
=) Jack BRABHAM (Brabham) 0
=) Niki LAUDA (Brabham) 0

CONSTRUCTOR'S CHAMPIONSHIP:

1) FERRARI 51
2) MERCEDES 36
3) RED BULL 32
4) MCLAREN 30
5) LOTUS 22
6) WILLIAMS 15
7) COOPER 10
8) BENETTON 4
9) RENAULT 2
----
10) BRM 0
11) BRABHAM 0


Schumacher withheld Senna's first-lap pressure.


Lewis Hamilton was the first retirement of the race, from 4th place.


Lauda's big accident also claimed the two BRM's, with Stewart once again retiring from a points-scoring position.


Prost veers across the track whilst rejoining after a spin - and straight into Hill - for the second time in two races.


In addition to all the other drama, there was plenty of overtaking on show.


Schumacher's stricken Ferrari.


Ascari was able to crawl over the finish line before pulling off to the side of the track - somehow victorious in Germany.

The next race is the San Marino Grand Prix at Imola.

Vettel P2! Yeah!

No points for Fernando

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SENNA TAKES RAIN-AFFECTED POLE AS SCHUMACHER AND FANGIO STRUGGLE AT IMOLA

Ayrton Senna has claimed pole position for the San Marino Grand Prix, 22 years after he was killed during an accident at the Imola circuit.

Rain played its part in the qualifying session for the second time in two races, and provided a mixed grid, with neither Ferrari nor Mercedes able to make the top 10.

Sebastien Vettel will start the race on the front row alongside Senna, with Graham Hill and Nelson Piquet eyeing up their first podium finishes of the season from the second row of the grid.

After a disappointing first two races, Fernando Alonso will be hoping he can make something of his season-high fifth place on the grid, with Kimi Raikkonen - currently 13th in the championship, starting in sixth.

But while the wet weather allowed some cars to benefit, others found themselves struggling as they mistimed their qualifying runs and were unable to make the most of the drier track conditions. Ferrari benefited from the wet weather during the last round in Germany, but were caught out this time, and will have to settle for 13th and 14th on the grid, whilst the two Mercedes will start even further back, on the ninth row. Juan Manuel Fangio - starting 17th - will have a tough time keeping his championship lead after the race, with Vettel, who is only five points behind the Argentine, starting 2nd.

FULL QUALIFYING RESULT:

1 Ayrton SENNA (McLaren)
2 Sebastian VETTEL (Red Bull)
3 Graham HILL (Lotus)
4 Nelson PIQUET (Williams)
5 Fernando ALONSO (Renault)
6 Kimi RAIKKONEN (Cooper)
7 Jim CLARK (Lotus)
8 Jackie STEWART (BRM)
9 Denny HULME (Cooper)
10 Jack BRABHAM (Brabham)
11 Jody SCHECKTER (Benetton)
12 Lewis HAMILTON (McLaren)
13 Michael SCHUMACHER (Ferrari)
14 Alberto ASCARI (Ferrari)
15 Alain PROST (Renault)
16 Niki LAUDA (Brabham)
17 Juan Manuel FANGIO (Mercedes)
18 Mika HAKKINEN (Mercedes)
19 Emerson FITTIPALDI (Red Bull)
20 Damon HILL (Williams)
21 Mike HAWTHORN (BRM)
22 Nino FARINA (Benetton)


Both Vettel and Piquet will be happy with their qualifying result, and will both feel like they have a chance of winning the race.


Alonso's fifth place - whilst gained in somewhat fortunate circumstances - could be what he needs to get his season going.

Vettel P2!

Alonso P5! Leggo

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kingdeuce86 Wrote:
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> Ayrton Senna has claimed pole position for the San
> Marino Grand Prix, 22 years after he was killed
> during an accident at the Imola circuit.


That's just a bit morbid, haha.

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My workthread - [www.grandprixgames.org]
Full of classic F1/non-F1 track layouts

My blog about F1 performance analysis - [thef1formbook.wordpress.com]

That's science-fiction. That's a good start for a novel.

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I wonder how Senna is feeling as he lines up on the grid?

AYRTON SENNA WINS SAN MARINO GRAND PRIX

McLaren's Ayrton Senna has won a rain-affected San Marino GP, taking the championship lead after none of the top 3 drivers scored points.

Graham Hill - driving for Lotus - finished less than 4 seconds behind the Brazilian for a creditable 2nd place, but in truth there was rarely any doubt over who would win the race, with Senna controlling the pace at the front on his return to the Imola track.

Michael Schumacher produced a superb overtaking display to haul his Ferrari up from 13th on the grid to finish 3rd, but his team mate Alberto Ascari was less successful after an on-track collision forced him into an extra pit stop with a broken front wing - he would go on to finish 11th.

The race started in dramatic circumstances after Red Bull's Emerson Fittipaldi, who qualified 19th, outbraked himself going into turn one, causing a crash that also claimed both the Mercedes - including championship leader Juan Manuel Fangio - forcing the three of them to retire, whilst Niki Lauda and Alain Prost had to pit at the end of lap 1 for new rear wings.

Sebastien Vettel was the only other non-classified driver, after he retired with an oil leak on lap 8, meaning neither Mercedes nor Red Bull, who started the race 2nd and 3rd in the Constructors Championship respectively, would score any points.

Their loss, however, was the gain of others, notably BRM, who scored their first points of the season with Jackie Stewart in 5th and Mike Hawthorn 9th, and Ferrari, who keep their place at the top of the table despite qualifying on the 7th row of the grid.

Conditions were tricky at the Imola circuit, with the light rain causing wet and dry patches across different parts of the track, a factor that caught several drivers out. Jim Clark spun his Lotus from 7th, costing him any chance of points, whilst Nelson Piquet ran wide when under pressure from Michael Schumacher for 3rd place, causing Ascari to run into the back of Damon Hill whilst trying to avoid Piquet's spinning Williams.

Incredibly, that was the third time Damon Hill has collided with another driver in three races. There were other familiar sights too, with Alain Prost, already at the back after the first-lap wing change, spinning off and losing his rear wing again, forcing him into his second pit stop on lap 3.

An unfamiliar sight though - in this championship at least - was Senna taking the chequered flag, his first win of the season taking him to the top of the championship, with just 12 points separating the top six drivers.

Meanwhile, at the bottom of the tables, Nino Farina (10th) and the two BRMs (5th and 9th) all scored points, leaving just three drivers yet to score this season: the two Brabhams, and Alain Prost. Mika Hakkinen and Nino Farina occupy the other two relegation positions, with 1 point each.

FULL RACE RESULT:

San Marino - Imola
(31 Laps)

Pos Driver Time/Speed

1st ayrton senna 48m 15.243s
mclaren-mercedes
2nd graham hill +3.964s
lotus-cosworth
3rd michael schumacher +14.457s
ferrari-ferrari
4th kimi raikkonen +25.439s
cooper-cosworth
5th jackie stewart +26.298s
brm-brm
6th nelson piquet +40.551s
williams-renault
7th fernando alonso +41.026s
renault-renault
8th lewis hamilton +41.294s
mclaren-mercedes
9th mike hawthorn +41.587s
brm-brm
10th nino farina +48.428s
benetton-renault
11th alberto ascari +57.372s
ferrari-ferrari
12th damon hill +1m 11.663s
williams-renault
13th jody scheckter +1m 35.201s
benetton-renault
14th jack brabham -1 Lap
brabham-ford
15th denny hulme -1 Lap
cooper-cosworth
16th niki lauda -1 Lap
brabham-ford
17th jim clark -1 Lap
lotus-cosworth
18th alain prost -1 Lap
renault-renault
19th sebastien vettel Oil Leak
red bull-renault
20th juan-manuel fangio Didn't Finish
mercedes-amg
21st mika hakkinen Didn't Finish
mercedes-amg
22nd emerson fittipaldi Didn't Finish
red bull-renault

DRIVER'S CHAMPIONSHIP:

1) Ayrton SENNA (McLaren) 40
----
2) Juan Manuel FANGIO (Mercedes) 35
3) Alberto ASCARI (Ferrari) 33
4) Michael SCHUMACHER (Ferrari) 33
5) Sebastian VETTEL (Red Bull) 30
6) Graham HILL (Lotus) 28
7) Lewis HAMILTON (McLaren) 19
8) Nelson PIQUET (Williams) 17
9) Kimi RAIKKONEN (Cooper) 16
10) Jim CLARK (Lotus) 12
11) Jackie STEWART (BRM) 10
12) Fernando ALONSO (Renault) 8
13) Denny HULME (Cooper) 6
=) Damon HILL (Williams) 6
15) Jody SCHECKTER (Benetton) 4
16) Emerson FITTIPALDI (Red Bull) 2
=) Mike HAWTHORN (BRM) 2
----
18) Mika HAKKINEN (Mercedes) 1
=) Nino FARINA (Benetton) 1
20) Alain PROST (Renault) 0
=) Jack BRABHAM (Brabham) 0
22) Niki LAUDA (Brabham) 0

CONSTRUCTOR'S CHAMPIONSHIP:

1) FERRARI 66
----
2) MCLAREN 59
3) LOTUS 40
4) MERCEDES 36
5) RED BULL 32
6) WILLIAMS 23
7) COOPER 22
8) BRM 12
9) RENAULT 8
----
10) BENETTON 5
11) BRABHAM 0



Senna, Vettel and Piquet all battle for the first corner.


Fittipaldi caused chaos at turn one, causing an accident that involved five cars.


Vettel put the early pressure on Senna, but was forced to retire with an oil leak.


Piquet spent most of the race leading a train of cars.


Schumacher delivered something he couldn't do in his first two races - a faultless drive from start to finish.


Schumacher's pressure on Piquet would eventually see the Williams spin off, causing a melee that ended in Ascari and Hill (background) to collide.


There was drama on the last lap again, with Jack Brabham running out of fuel and Denny Hulme's (pictured) engine catching fire at the last chicane.


Senna now leads the championship by five points from Fangio.

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My next task is to overcome the technical difficulties I've been having in setting up the Division 2 championship (something I've nearly managed to do), and then running the first three rounds for it, as well as calculating the results for the lower divisions for these races.

cool! Alonso scores points again.. but he needs to do a lot better than 7th with the failures around him.

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miki2000milos Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> cool! Alonso scores points again.. but he needs to
> do a lot better than 7th with the failures around
> him.

He would have finished higher but lost a lot of time having to wait for other cars to pass in the pit lane before he was released safely - which dropped him from 4th to 10th.

damn sometimes I really hate GP4's pitlane.. should've put it in the review

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Not much impressed on Vettel.

HALF-TERM REPORT: THE GOOD, THE BAD, AND THE UNLUCKY

With the first three races of the inaugural Legend’s Trophy season in the books, and a short break while the lower divisions catch up, it’s time to look back at what’s happened so far, and who has – and hasn’t – impressed with their performances.



THE GOOD

Ferrari

Despite all their mishaps, Ferrari have shown that on pure race pace, they have one of the quickest packages in the field. In Belgium and Germany, Michael Schumacher pulled significant gaps to the rest of the pack before his respective issues, and in San Marino – when Ferrari were caught out by the weather in qualifying – he produced arguably the drive of the season by anyone so far to finish on the podium.
Alberto Ascari also looks quick, and a worthy number 2 to championship favourite Schumacher, but with the same number of points as his team mate and a win under his belt, the Italian will feel he has every right to contest the driver’s title himself.

McLaren

After a shaky start, the McLarens are starting to show their true potential and on present evidence look to be the most likely team to challenge Ferrari for the constructor’s championship. Ayrton Senna has been able to put a frustrating Belgian Grand Prix behind him to go on and finish third in Germany and record a superb win at Imola, which puts him in the championship lead. Hamilton too looks consistently quick, and would also be towards the head of the table but for a suspension failure at Hockenheim.

Sebastien Vettel

The quadruple World Champion German has shown the qualities that promoted him to the pinnacle of the sport, and looks like being another title contender. He’s yet to win a race, but his consistent strong pace and decent results – a trait that won him the 2010 Formula One World Championship despite not leading until the end of the last race – is exactly what he needs to maintain a title challenge. His retirement in San Marino will raise questions over reliability, but on speed and consistency, he’s already looking strong.

The Legend’s Trophy

As far as the season as a whole is concerned, it’s so far, so good. The three races so far have all provided drama and entertainment, and the sight of some of the greatest cars and drivers fighting it put on these iconic tracks is something to behold. The weather has played its part, too, with rain affecting two qualifying sessions and a race, providing mixed grids and difficult driving conditions that have tested the drivers to – and sometimes beyond – their limits.

As for the championships, the top six drivers are separated by just 12 points (the equivalent of a fourth placed finish), and we’ve already had three different winners and seven different drivers on the podium in the first three races. A continuation of this kind of unpredictability should provide us with a very entertaining championship battle.

The introduction of a relegation battle – something not seen in Formula One – gives an added source of interest and a new dimension to the season’s proceedings, and already we are starting to see which drivers and constructors are struggling and could be embroiled in this dogfight, which will provide interest at the back of the field as well as the front during races.

THE BAD

Ferrari

If the drivers and tacticians hadn’t made so many mistakes already this season, the two Ferraris would be comfortably clear at the top of both championships. Schumacher threw away a certain victory at Spa with a spin, before driving into the back of his team mate while trying to recover. Then in Germany, another seemingly straightforward victory was ruined when the team didn’t put enough fuel in Schumacher’s car at the pit stop, with Ascari fortunate to inherit the win after his car ran out of fuel while crossing the line.

San Marino was a little different as weather played its part in qualifying, but still Ascari managed to compromise any chance of points by driving into Damon Hill in the aftermath of Piquet’s spin.

Ferrari are lucky to be top of the constructors championship after such a messy start to the season, and they will need to eradicate these mistakes if they want to maintain a title challenge.

Alain Prost

“The Professor” may have won four Driver’s Championships, but his form in the opening races of this season would suggest he will struggle to live up to his title-contending credentials. The Frenchman has been involved in four accidents in the first three races, with three of them being his own fault. He was unlucky to get caught up in the Emerson Fittipaldi-induced first corner accident at Imola, but his tendency to spin off the track when under no pressure sees him as one of just three drivers yet to pick up a point so far this season.

Mika Hakkinen & Emerson Fittipaldi

One factor of this season that will be scrutinised closely is the comparison in performance between team mates, both in qualifying and the race. After three races, two teams stand out for experiencing a significant difference in performance between one of their drivers and the other – Mercedes and Red Bull.

While Juan Manuel Fangio was able to win the season opening Belgian GP and then score a decent fifth in Germany (albeit after a penalty for overtaking under yellow flags that cost him a podium finish), his Mercedes team mate Mika Hakkinen has struggled for form in all the sessions, mustering just a 10th place finish that sees him placed in the bottom five. The Finn has had his share of bad luck with an engine failure and a first-corner accident causing his two DNFs, but despite that there has been nothing so far from the double world champion that suggests he can perform to the same level as Fangio – who is currently 2nd in the driver’s standings with 35 points.

Meanwhile, at Red Bull, Emerson Fittipaldi’s season has so far become known for having one of the slowest and widest cars in the field as the held up a train off cars all race at Spa, and for his mistimed braking point at Imola that caused the aforementioned crash. His 2 points is woefully short of team mate Vettel’s 30, and he, like Hakkinen, will need to improve his form if he wants to avoid a relegation battle.

THE UNLUCKY

Brabham

Let’s be honest, Brabham’s pace has not lit up any timing screens so far this season, with Jack Brabham’s 10th placed grid slot the only time they’ve managed to break into the top five rows in qualifying so far. But their cause has not been helped by a healthy dose of bad luck.

At Spa, they were both taken out by separate accidents on the first lap – neither of which was their fault, then at Hockenheim, Brabham suffered a suspension failure whilst a wheel failure for Niki Lauda saw him crash out in spectacular style. Lauda himself was then compromised at Imola with a broken rear wing caused by the first corner crash, while Brabham ran out of fuel on the last lap of the race.

But when this bad luck stops, do they have the pace to get their season going and pull themselves out of the relegation places? Few will believe they can until they see it.

Damon Hill

Speaking of drivers affected by crashes that weren’t their fault, one has to have a little sympathy for Damon Hill’s season so far. In every race he’s been crashed into through no fault of his own (although one can argue that the incident with Prost at Spa would have been avoided if he hadn’t spun off of his own accord in the first place), costing him championship points and possibly podiums.

He was unlucky in San Marino too, coming out for his qualifying run at the wrong time and therefore only able to put his Williams 20th on the grid, and he was on the way to a good recovery drive until Ascari ran into the back of him.

Hill will be hoping this run of unfortunate incidents comes to an end shortly, or his championship challenge could end before it's even had the chance to get going.