GP3 Career Thread

I'll surely wish you good luck Thanks for picking my countryman - Kubica Tomorrow I will have graduated from my university and will have much more time for doing my season as well and I'll surely join this thread once more.

---

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 06/24/2010 10:16AM by abdelkader.

So how are you guys doing?:p

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"If in doubt, Flat out."

Mhm...I've recently been (again) busy dealing with "man and woman" sort of emotional distress ...I lost weight...and the will for racing. I hope it's temporary
I just think about it "I think I should start that 1987 F-1 stuff" while the next thought is "well, maybe some other day" :P Anyway, I'm sure my 'need for speed' will be back pretty soon . That will be great to see this thread alive once again.


<<EDIT>>
I've just made some test drive again and noticed that my love for speed is back along with my racing abilities I'll start the season tonight Jacarepagua - I'm coming :P





<<<<<<<<< F-1 1987 >>>>>>>>>

Round 1 - Jacarepagua, Brazil

After a couple of laps I felt extremely confident on the track but I was deeply shocked when my flying lap turned out to be 20th while the only drivers who were slower than me were both Tyrrell's. Pole position was taken by Mansell with Senna and Alboreto behind. I started thinking that the good, old demons of 1986 were back again. However, at the start of the race I passed majority of the rivals to land in 5th position in lap 4 right behind Berger and Alboreto. They soon pulled away from me and now I had to concentrate on keeping my position from Nakajima who was right on my back appearing in the mirrors. He even passed me twice in lap 12 and 14 but I managed to pay back in each case. Then Nakajima lost his pace while his position was taken by Prost. I had a hard time with him for the following 5 laps until the moment at which he outbraked me but didn't manage to keep the car on the track. He went wide and lost lots of positions. I kept my 5th place while Prost dropped to 15th. Mansell was in front of Senna and Berger. In lap 20 I saw Alboreto's Ferrari parked near the barriers right in front of the long, flat-out left hander. This way I grabbed 4th position and now I was driving absolutely unchallenged by anyone. Meanwhile, Prost started catching upon the top 6 and in the middle of the race he was right behind me. I had to pit and lost two positions. When I rejoined I was behind Cheever, but only by 3 seconds. I soon passed him while in the following lap I passed Prost who went for his planned pit-stop. Meanwhile I got passed by Boutsen who started setting extremely quick laps. Luckily he crashed out in lap 46 and I got back to 4th position. To my enormous surprise, in lap 53 I saw marshals waving with their yellow flags. It turned out that Senna crashed against the barriers and retired letting me take 3rd position which I peacefully brought home. Mansell was racing in his own league while Berger was over 1 minute in front of me. So far so good - I'm on the podium

The winner - Mansell, 2nd - Berger, 3rd - Piquet

---

Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 07/14/2010 10:47PM by abdelkader.

Round 2 - Enzo e Dino Ferrari, San Marino

As I've already stated many times, this is my favourite venue. The qualifying session was fantastic and I outperformed everyone else on the track. Berger, who was 2nd, was by 1.174 slower than me. Third position was for Senna.
The start of the race was an easy one for me, I started pulling away from the rivals and knew the race was mine. Senna retired early in lap 9 and got his second DNF this season. Mansell had a poor start as he was driving in 6th. However after the first pit-stop he was already in 3rd as a couple of top drivers retired, including Prost, Nannini, Boutsen and finally, Gerhard Berger who was in 2nd position. After my second planned pit-stop I was already 57 seconds ahead of Mansell and almost one lap ahead of Alboreto. The latter almost ruined my race. When I was about to lap him at Acque Minerali, he swerved off and got back to the track with his back to the front. I had to deccelerate to zero to avoid massive collision. Luckily, it was the first and the last unexpected and blood-freezing incident that afternoon and I brought the victory home. Due to the fact that Mansell came 2nd, he leads in the championship by two points ahead of Piquet while Williams is the lone leader in the constructors' championship

The winner - Piquet, 2nd - Mansell, 3rd - Alboreto



Round 3 - Spa-Francorchamps, Belgium

I wasn't particularly fast at this track and didn't expect some great performance from myself this time. Nonetheless, I expected some reasonably high position. I managed to cover a pretty fast lap and eventually reached 3rd position in the qualifyings. Pole for Alboreto, 2nd for Senna. Mansell completely disappointed as he was only 17th.
At the start of the race I passed both Alboreto and Senna and took the lead. However, I wasn't pulling away as after 10 laps I was only 0.4 sec ahead of Berger who reached 2nd position. The fight for 2nd position was fabulous - Senna and Berger kept swapping, still being unsafe as Alboreto was right there behind them. I saw it all in my mirrors so you can imagine how hectic the race was. Me, Berger and Senna pitted in the same lap and the question of the leadership was now down to the mechanics. Luckily, the Williams' service was extremely fast and I rejoined before Senna and Berger. It turned out that Alboreto, running in 4th, chose one-stop strategy and it started paying off. He pulled away from me and established a comfortable 7-sec lead. However in lap 18 he retired with a suspension failure. I regained the leadership however the situation remained the same - I kept minding the mirrors watching Senna and Berger battle for 2nd place. Meanwhile, Mansell was constantly elbowing through until he reached 4th position. The second round of pit-stops was a decisive one. This time it was Mansell who pitted before I did. Berger did the same while me and Senna pitted two laps later. On more time my mechanics were faster than Senna's and I rejoined the race in front of him. However, I was only inches ahead of Mansell and 4 sec behind Berger. Until the end of the race the situation didn't change - Berger built a 20 sec. advantage while Mansell was around 1 sec behind me. During the last stint my car was not responding well due to the deteriorated tyres. I was able to pull away at straights but the corners were definitely not my favourite parts of the track. Now, after three races, me and Mansell have the same number of points.

The winner - Berger, 2nd - Piquet, 3rd - Mansell

---

Edited 4 time(s). Last edit at 07/16/2010 11:02AM by abdelkader.

Nice to read this mate, glad youre back :p

abdelkader Schreef:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Round 2 - Enzo e Dino Ferrari, San Marino
>
> As I've already stated many times, this is my
> favourite venue. The qualifying session was
> fantastic and I outperformed everyone else on the
> track. Berger, who was 2nd, was by 1.174 slower
> than me. Third position was for Senna.
> The start of the race was an easy one for me, I
> started pulling away from the rivals and knew the
> race was mine. Senna retired early in lap 9 and
> got his second DNF this season. Mansell had a poor
> start as he was driving in 6th. However after the
> first pit-stop he was already in 3rd as a couple
> of top drivers retired, including Prost, Nannini,
> Boutsen and finally, Gerhard Berger who was in 2nd
> position. After my second planned pit-stop I was
> already 57 seconds ahead of Mansell and almost one
> lap ahead of Alboreto. The latter almost ruined my
> race. When I was about to lap him at Acque
> Minerali, he swerved off and got back to the track
> with his back to the front. I had to deccelerate
> to zero to avoid massive collision. Luckily, it
> was the first and the last unexpected and
> blood-freezing incident that afternoon and I
> brought the victory home. Due to the fact that
> Mansell came 2nd, he leads in the championship by
> two points ahead of Piquet while Williams is the
> lone leader in the constructors' championship
>
> The winner - Piquet, 2nd - Mansell, 3rd -
> Alboreto
>
>
>
> Round 3 - Spa-Francorchamps, Belgium
>
> I wasn't particularly fast at this track and
> didn't expect some great performance from myself
> this time. Nonetheless, I expected some reasonably
> high position. I managed to cover a pretty fast
> lap and eventually reached 3rd position in the
> qualifyings. Pole for Alboreto, 2nd for Senna.
> Mansell completely disappointed as he was only
> 17th.
> At the start of the race I passed both Alboreto
> and Senna and took the lead. However, I wasn't
> pulling away as after 10 laps I was only 0.4 sec
> ahead of Berger who reached 2nd position. The
> fight for 2nd position was fabulous - Senna and
> Berger kept swapping, still being unsafe as
> Alboreto was right there behind them. I saw it all
> in my mirrors so you can imagine how hectic the
> race was. Me, Berger and Senna pitted in the same
> lap and the question of the leadership was now
> down to the mechanics. Luckily, the Williams'
> service was extremely fast and I rejoined before
> Senna and Berger. It turned out that Alboreto,
> running in 4th, chose one-stop strategy and it
> started paying off. He pulled away from me and
> established a comfortable 7-sec lead. However in
> lap 18 he retired with a suspension failure. I
> regained the leadership however the situation
> remained the same - I kept minding the mirrors
> watching Senna and Berger battle for 2nd place.
> Meanwhile, Mansell was constantly elbowing through
> until he reached 4th position. The second round of
> pit-stops was a decisive one. This time it was
> Mansell who pitted before I did. Berger did the
> same while me and Senna pitted two laps later. On
> more time my mechanics were faster than Senna's
> and I rejoined the race in front of him. However,
> I was only inches ahead of Mansell and 4 sec
> behind Berger. Until the end of the race the
> situation didn't change - Berger built a 20 sec.
> advantage while Mansell was around 1 sec behind
> me. During the last stint my car was not
> responding well due to the deteriorated tyres. I
> was able to pull away at straights but the corners
> were definitely not my favourite parts of the
> track. Now, after three races, me and Mansell have
> the same number of points.
>
> The winner - Berger, 2nd - Piquet, 3rd - Mansell

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"If in doubt, Flat out."

Thanks. I'm glad to be back, too I didn't expect to cover 3 races in so short period of time.

Round 4 - Monte Carlo, Monaco

Monte Carlo, though demanding, is a great track for me and I always loved it. I outperformed everyone else in the qualifying session - just like Senna in 1988. Berger was second being slower by 2 seconds. Third position for Mansell. At the start, Mansell immediately passed Berger and was really close to me. For the following 10 laps I was only a bit faster than my teammate and he still was in my mirrors. At this point I decided to pit right after Mansell - whatever my strategy was. It turned out that it paid off as Mansell couldn't take advantage of his fresh tyres. Meanwhile, Alboreto had to retire after suspension failure. After the first of the three planned pit-stops I was 4 seconds ahead of Mansell but right behind Berger who chose two-stop strategy. I passed him shortly afterwards and retook the lead. From now on, I was extending the lead and before my second stop I was 22 seconds ahead of Mansell. I knew that I was going to win the race and I even speeded up setting the fastest lap. This is when I "eliminated" Prost when I was passing him in the first turn. He bounced off my left rear and smashed against the wall. A while later, Berger suffered from transmission failure and retired marking another race in which both ferraris had mechanical issues. After my final stop I was 37 seconds ahead of Mansell and kept the gap until the flag - just as I expected... Now we're flying to the United States to Detroit...I really don't know what to expect fro that track. I know I HAVE TO beat Mansell and not let him gain any points at my expense. Nonetheless, I can't expect much from myself performing on the track which I lapped only a couple of times, long time ago...keep your fingers crossed, guys...I'm gonna need it in Detroit

The winner - Piquet, 2nd - Mansell, 3rd - Boutsen



Round 5 - Detroit, USA

As I said, I didn't expect much from myself. I've done some test driving in the practice sessions but I still felt strange on the track in the qualifyings. My first timed lap gave me 15th position and then I decided to go for it - flat-out where possible. I finally made 8th best time but still felt I could have gone faster here and there. ANyway, Senna took pole position in front of Alboreto and Mansell. The start of the race was extremely hectic. I passed the rivals in front and got stuck in 3rd position - right behind Senna and in front of Mansell. I soon passed Senna who had to deccelerate and lost traction which resulted in his hitting the wall and his retirement. Then I started chasing Alboreto whom I passed in lap 2. However, I still saw Mansell who was right in 2nd position, right on my back so I could read the names of his sponsors. I knew I was slower but I was able to keep him behind for a couple of the following curves. However, in lap 3 I suffered from an electrical issue and tried to crawl in to the pits - with no success, though. My race was over in lap 3 while Mansell started extending the gap, outperforming Prost who was driving in 2nd. Many drivers retired from the race as only six of them managed to cross the finish line. The greatest surprise was the performance of Satoru Nakajima who, after Senna's retirement, remained the only Lotus driver on the field which must have boosted his morale up as he completed the podium. The worst scenario for me came true - Mansell took it all while I left with nothing.

The winner - Mansell, 2nd - Prost, 3rd - Nakajima



Round 6 - Paul Ricard, France

As in the case of Detroit, I felt a bit strange racing here but after a couple of practice laps I found the right groove which let me qualify with the 6th best time. Pole position was taken by Mansell followed by both Ferrari drivers. At the start, which was filled with tension, I passed Prost and Senna while Mansell lost it to Berger. Alboreto dropped to 5th. I was driving in 2nd having Berger in front. Luckily in lap 17 he made a mistake and went into gravel which let me pass him and take the lead. Behind me, there were Mansell and Senna. I pitted first while Mansell pitted one lap later. Senna was in the lead but only for a couple of laps until his first of the two planned stops. I retook the lead but i knew that winning the race would be hardly possible as Senna was terribly fast running on two-stop strategy. Luckily, I was still able to keep Mansell behind. After my second stop the situation was similar to the one I had after the first stop. However, this time Mansell was right behind me. When he tried to pass me, I closed the door and he swerved off breaking his nosecone. In this way Mansell got eliminated from the race but I was not satisfied as Senna was in front. I really wanted to take 9 points to overtake Mansell in the championship but in the last stint Senna was already 19 seconds ahead. Actually, I kept decreasing the gap as I was way faster than Senna but in the final lap I was still 13 seconds behind. Senna won the race in a great style while I took 2nd position which earned me ONLY 6 points. As a result, I share 1st position in the WDC with Nigel Mansell.

The winner - Senna, 2nd - Piquet, 3rd - Berger



Round 7 - Silverstone, Great Britain

I've always liked the track's layout but I never felt particularly strong at Silverstone. It was the case also this time. I made 5th best time but I was more than 0.5 sec slower than Berger who took pole position in front of Mansell and Senna. When the lights went green I passed Alboreto and Mansell who were unexpectedly slow in that crucial moment. Berger was extremely fast and I was unable to keep his pace. In lap 4 I got passed by Alboreto but, luckily, after 5 laps of his great performance, he started underperforming which led to my regaining position. Mansell wasn't himself. He was down there, in 4th but completely unable to catch me. After the first round of pit-stops I was 17 seconds behind Berger and 20 seconds ahead of Alboreto. In lap 34 Mansell swerved off the track and landed in the gravel trap which ended the race for him. I was more than happy - I was heading for 6 points while my biggest rival was out. Moreover, a couple of laps later the lone race leader got a puncture and retired, too. It was more than I could think of - I was now in the safe lead, ready to take all the points. After my second pit-stop I was 50 seconds ahead of Senna who was now in 2nd position. The race was mine and nothing could stop me. Throughout the race, we had a lot of retirements. As a result, the race was finished only by 7 drivers. The biggest progress was made by Eddie Cheever who, starting from 14th, managed to finish in 4th position.

Fortune is changeable - in Detroit I was complaining about Mansell's victory while I won no points there. Here happened something totally opposite. Thanks to this victory I'm now 9 points clear of Mansell. I hope to keep the advantage to the very end

The winner - Piquet, 2nd - Senna, 3rd - Fabi



Round 8 - Hockenheim, Germany

The interesting thing is that I started the race on July 26th - so on the 23rd anniversary of the real German Grand Prix of 1987 :P

Anyway, I was extremely fast in the qualifyings - which I expected as Hockenheim is a just-for-me track. Senna who came 2nd was by 2 seconds slower. Third place for Berger.
From the very start of the race I was pulling away like a rocket. At the end of lap 1 I was already 3 seconds ahead of Senna and Mansell who passed Berger. I kept extending the lead to reach a 9-second gap in lap 4. Unfortunately, in lap 5 I got a transmission failure and had to retire early in the race. I was devastated. This was the race which I would have won hands down but it ended with a blow. From now on it was Senna who was leading the race. However, he wasn't safe as Mansell was only 3 seconds behind. Meanwhile, Berger also suffered from transmission failure and retired. Now it was Prost who started charging Mansell. He actually passed him but only to Mansell's pit-stop strategy. A couple of lasp later, Prost had to pit as well and he lost the position to Nigel. All in all, the situation remained unchanged until the flag. There was not much passing but surely there were lots of technical issues as 10 drivers retired for this reason. Thanks to this, Ghinzani earned his first points in the season leaving Arnoux, Palmer and Nannini as the only who haven't scored yet. What a pity I didn't manage to extend the lead and run away from Mansell. Now he's only 3 points behind in the championship.

The winner - Senna, 2nd - Mansell, 3rd - Prost



Round 9 - Hungaroring, Hungary

That's another of those just-for-me tracks. However, after a couple of qualifying laps I was behind Mansell. ALl in all, I managed to make a clean lap which gave me pole position by 0.7 in front of Nigel. Third position for Senna.
I thought that at the satrt of the race I'd keep position and would be pulling away. WHile I kept leadership, Mansell was right behind me for the initial 7 laps. However, for some reason, he lost his good pace and I actually started making a gap. It was rising at the speed of light and after my first pit-stop I was 20 seconds ahead of my teammate while Senna was already some 50 seconds behind me and had already given up the fight for something more than the lowest place on the podium. After my second pit-stop Mansell was 40 seconds behind me. In lap 63 I was happy as I saw Mansell pit for the third time, due to some mechanical issue. Maybe it's not a fair-play thinking, but I hoped he'd retire. Unfortunately it was only electrical issue and he managed to get to the pits and rejoined the race in third...but after a short while he caught Senna and passed him regaining his 2nd place. It was so unfair - at Hockenheim I had problems with the gearbox. If I had had an electrical issue as well, I'd have recovered and now my advanatage would have been bigger than 6 points. ANyway, I won the race hands down but Mansell's second position, whereas making the rivalry even hotter, is making my hair turn grey.

The winner - Piquet, 2nd - Mansell, 3rd - Senna.



Round 10 - Osterreichring, Austria

In the qualifying session I wanted to try as many setups as possible. I managed to reach 12th position and when I changed my setup again and wanted to try it out, I got disqualified and was moved to 22nd position. Pole for Alboreto in front of Senna and Berger.
At the start I passed the backmarkers and found myself in 10th position. For the initial three laps I was observing Berger setting fastest laps. In lap 4 I was terribly lucky. After passing two Benettons I was driving in 8th. A while later I noticed yellow flags and saw Mansell and Alboreto off the track. Alboreto soon recovered but Mansell had it hard to rejoin the race, which he finally did, and lost a couple of positions. However within next six laps he found himself right behind me. We were fighting for position for two laps, probably making Sir Frank Williams lose his remaining hair. Me and Mansell finally had contact and both landed off the track. I was intact but Mansell needed to replace his nosecone, which he did, losing lots of time and lots of positions. Meanwhile, Berger, the race leader, must have pushed too hard as he went wide in one of the corners crashing his Ferrari and retiring from the race. What is amazing is that there were now two Lotus' drivers in front - Senna then Nakajima. I was driving in 5th having Warwick in front. Soon, Warwick and Nakajima pitted and now I was driving in 3rd position. Some 10 laps from finish happened something which I can't explain. I think it was something similar to Senna's mystical experience from 1988, Monaco. I suddenly became the fastest driver on the track, setting fastest laps, one by one. I needed some 5 laps to catch Alboreto who was already 10 seconds ahead. Then, I started pushing on Senna and had the race been by one or two laps longer, I would have won the Austrian Grand Prix. Anyway, the result is great and now I'm looking forward to Monza - the place I always feel great at.

The winner - Senna, 2nd - Piquet, 3rd - Alboreto



Round 11 - Monza, Italy

The qualifying session didn't start promising. I had 6th position losing quite a lot of time to the top drivers. Luckily, slight re-adjustments of the front wing bought me some additional time and I set the fastest lap, leaving Berger and Alboreto behind me.
The start of the race wasn't a good one for me as early in lap 2 I got some problems with the engine. Luckily, it happened at the exit of Parabolica, so I didn't lose much time and simply pitted in. I rejoined in 16th position but after four laps of passing the backmarkers I found myself in 9th. From now on the race became boring for me as it was nothing more than driving lap by lap and passing the rivals. Before the race reached its half, I was in 3rd - way behind Berger, not much behind Alboreto and right in front of Senna and Mansell. It turned out that me, Mansell and Senna pitted in the same lap. When the mechanics were servicing my car, I could see Mansell in the mirrors waiting for his turn. It was the moment at which I knew that Mansell wouldn't tighten the gap to me in the championship, the same story goes with Senna. I rejoined in 3rd position. Two laps later, it was Alboreto who pitted in and I took 2nd position. Berger was now 12 seconds ahead and I had to come to terms with finishing 2nd, though I deserved a victory. It could have been better but I'm glad that both Senna and Mansell finished behind me.

The winner - Berger, 2nd - Piquet, 3rd - Alboreto

---

Edited 21 time(s). Last edit at 07/28/2010 08:50PM by abdelkader.

And how are you guys doing? I hope I'm not the only guy to run a season at the moment


Round 12 - Estoril, Portugal

This is the track which I don't hold in high regard. I hate the loss of downforceat the initial three turns. Nevertheless, I got another pole position beating Mansell and Senna - the biggets rivals of mine.
I kept position at the start and when I thought that it was now enough to race carefully, I got suspension failure in lap 4. I'm really fed up with those mechanical issues already. Anyway, I recovered and rejoined in 19th position. In lap 5 I spun off in second turn and got trapped in gravel. This is when I retired from the race. Now it was Mansell who was in the lead but only until lap 12 in which he had the engine failure. After both Williams drivers retired, Senna was flying around setting really good laps. He was unbeatable. At the half of the race, another victim of an unreliable car was Berger, so Estoril was now all Senna's. He won the race and overtook Mansell in the championship. Now it's Senna who is my biggest rival, 12 points behind me.

The winner - Senna, 2nd - Fabi, 3rd - Alboreto



Round 13 - Jerez, Spain

I remember this track from previous seasons and I have always been successful on it. This time I made the 4th fastest time in the qualifyings. Unfortunately, Senna took pole position and I was afraid of him winning another race - he would have had 5 victories while I would have had only 4. Both Ferraris took 2nd and 3rd places. Luckily, at the start I passed the rivals and took the lead. Berger was extremely fast but he retired in lap 3. Moreover, Mansell was the next to retire in lap 5. Now I knew that the battle would involve me and Senna. I took early two pit-stops. I thought that such strategy would be unsuccessful but it soon turned out that a vast majority of the drivers did the same. After 29 laps Senna was 16 seconds behind while our driving pace was quite similar. In lap 34 I was more than happy as I received a communicate notifying me of Senna's retirement. I was in the lead while Mansell, Senna, Berger and then Alboreto were all out. Now it was Prost who was driving in second position but he was more than 50 seconds behind me, while the gap was still growing, reaching 1 minute 8 seconds at the end of the race. Anyway, I brought it all home and took another 9 points. It was another good performance of Benetton as Boutsen and Fabi both finished the race in high positions.

The winner - Piquet, 2nd - Prost, 3rd - Boutsen



Round 14 - Hermanos Rodriguez, Mexico

Before the weekend started I expected lots of problems as I didn't have much experience with the track. However, after only a few practice laps I was able to tell where to go flat out and where it's better to brake hard. All in all, I claimed another pole position this year, outperforming Mansell and Senna.
The start of the race was nothing but an illustration of what the race would look like. I kept the lead and started pulling away while Mansell, Senna and Berger got stuck behind. After first ten laps I was 20 seconds ahead of Mansell. The race was completely boring as my position was unchallenged and the only battle which could be observed took place in lower positions as even the podium seemed safe because Mansell established himself successfully in 2nd not allowing Senna to come close. In lap 48, however, Mansell damaged his suspension and had to retire. Meanwhile, Berger passed Senna and it was him who was the vice-leader now. It didn't last long as Senna paid back in lap 56 and regained his position. However, three laps later he had some problems with his car and had to pit. As a result, Berger passed him while Senna came third, having a huge advantage over Boutsen. It was another race in which both Benettons crossed the finish line in points as apart from Boutsen, Fabi came 6th. Obviously, I won the race and according to my basic point counting I'm already the F-1 champion of 1987, even after the deduction of points.

Now we're flying to Japan. I have always hated Suzuka but this time my performance in Japan and in Australia is not that important. I hope to have a good time at those two venues and maybe earn some points.

The winner - Piquet, 2nd - Berger, 3rd - Senna



Round 15 - Suzuka, Japan

Well, one of my most hated tracks ever. As usually, I couldn't find the rhythm in the qualifyings and even my best lap was by 2 seconds slower than the best lap made by Senna who won pole position in front of two Ferraris. My time let me claim 13th position and I really couldn't do much to improve it.
Shortly after the satrt I managed to reach 8th position and I was driving right after Mansell. It was so hectic that we had contact and both spun off the track. As a result, both Williams cars were out before lap 1 was even completed. Senna took the lead in front of Berger and Alboreto. In lap 2, Berger passed Senna and kept the advantage which was neither rising nor shrinking. The situation remained stable at the top but at the same time we had lots of retirements in lower positions. At certain point there were only 7 drivers still in the race but 10 laps from finish it was Alboreto who retired from the race after blowing the engine, decreasing the number of active drivers to 6. Next, we had a crash of Berger and now Senna was sure he'd win the race. Amazingly, in the race there still were both Benettons and...Tyrrells!!!. All in all, Streiff and Palmer crashed out five laps from finish depriving the latter of may-be-the-last opportunity to score this season. Senna was in the lead in front of two Benettons...until he lost traction in one of the turns and crashed out as many others before. This way, the Benetton drivers were the ONLY to finish the race.

The winner - Boutsen, 2nd - Fabi, 3rd - Senna (DNF - no points awarded)

---

Edited 8 time(s). Last edit at 07/30/2010 01:11PM by abdelkader.

Round 16 - Adelaide, Australia

Just like at Suzuka, I knew I'd blow this race. I tried hard but reached only 19th position in the qualifiers. One more time Senna turned out to be the fastest and claimed pole position in front of Berger and Alboreto.
The start of the race was extremely hard but I pushed myself to 7th having Mansell right behind. I managed to keep him behind for 6 laps until I got some problems with my brakes and retired from the race. Meanwhile, Berger and Alboreto passed Senna and ttok the lead. Shortly afterwards, Alboreto crashed out leaving Berger as the only Ferrari driver on the field. Mansell started making flying laps and reached 2nd position losing only to Berger. In the middle of the race driver started retiring one by one - Senna was no exception - he crashed out as well. He was then followed by Mansell who marked his another consecutive scoreless race. Now the safe lead was in the hands of Alain Prost and his team mate - Johansson marking first 1-2 victory for McLaren this year. Finally, Nannini who started from 11th reached 4th position and managed to keep it home earning his first points of the season in the final race. Boutsen had another great race finishing third

The winner - Prost, 2nd - Johansson, 3rd - Boutsen


Alright, the season is done and these are the final results:


My next season will be F-1 1974 and my driver will be Clay Regazzoni.

---

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/30/2010 06:21PM by abdelkader.

<<<<<<<<<<< F-1 1974 >>>>>>>>>>>>

Round 1 - Oscar Galvez, Argentina

I am a part of a good team but I knew that there are at least three equally talented drivers: Lauda, Fittipaldi, Reutemann to just name a few of them. Indeed, in the qualifyings I was 6th having all the forementioned drivers in front with my team mate, Lauda, in pole position. Reutemann and Hunt were in 2nd and 3rd.
I started the race very well as I passed the rivals and took the lead, however Lauda and Reutemann were right behind. In lap 7 I was passed by both of them. Meanwhile, Fittipaldi, Watson and Reutemann all retired which let me take 2nd position. Lauda was pulling away and finally built a 29-second gap right before the only pit-stop. Surprisingly, after my pit-stop I started making extremely quick laps, regularly decreasing the gap. Four laps from finish I was only 2 seconds behind Lauda. Luckily, there was a lot of time to pass him which I did two laps from the flag and won the race. That's what I call a great start of a season. 1-2 finish for Ferrari.

The winner - Regazzoni, 2nd - Lauda, 3rd - Scheckter

---

Decided a while back to slowly re-play the ERL career from 1990 using the career tools and a new format. Currently playing the 2003 season (entered in 2000 as myself) .

I can proudly announce my first win even if it was not supposed to happen soon

race 3: Jerez (Gp of Spain)
The qualifying session has been done under a light and intermittent rain. Some drivers, included me, got advantage from a hole in the clouds that made the track dry a bit to set their good times. But it lasted really few minutes as the track gone wet again even before to complete the second flying lap. At the end I brought home a 4th place in grid.
The race has been dry. At start, after a lap of battle I passed an opponent racing on an heavier strategty than me. He kept busy the rest of the field for a little while the 2 front runners ran away on their own. It was a perfect combo for me as I decided for a lighter 1st stint to cope with my not so fast car and it gave me the chance to express my pace without problems. After the first stop, in the space of 10 laps both leaders retired (the team powered by Renault got a brave update on engine for that race and in race it broke the engine) so I inherited the lead. Some lapped cars helped me to mount a +7 sec gap and my second stint was longer than my opponent (the second of the Renault cars) but the difference between our cars was evident and when I came off the second stop he was right behind me. Last 24 laps have been really hard, a great defense and the help of some other lapped car which broke the rythm helped me to bring it home by only 2 seconds. Last laps have been really thrilling as our team was not supposed to be that reliable.
The guy got the lead of the standings enjoying the disgraces of the real title fighters, so I like to think he ran conservative at the end
My teammate finished 5th after starting 9th. Clearly the qualifying has been vital as some backmakers got points from a good start position exploiting that lonely ray of sun in the qualy.

A great day for the Gilmore Racing and first win for me in the series

-------------------------------




Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 08/25/2010 03:51PM by R_Scandura.

Great result Yeah, sometimes it's just enough to make use of good weather conditions to win a big one. Well, my season is in a halt but I'm currently having problems at Interlagos as there's heavy rain in the qualifyings and I have real problems staying on track :P. I hope it's gonna be dry during the race itself.

---

O.K, I've just resumed my F-1 1974 season after a long break.



Round 2 - Interlagos, Brazil

The qualifiers took place on an extremely wet day. There was no use in waiting for the sky to clear up as rain was constant and dense. I was unable to make a clean lap due to lack of grip and ended up in 20th position which was the best I could get from my Ferrari. Lauda claimed pole position with Fittipaldi and Peterson behind.
Luckily, Sunday afternoon was dry. The clouds were travelling around the circuit but not a single drop of rain reached the tarmac. I passed many rivals at the start ofthe race and in lap 3 I was already in 5th. I passed Stuck and Merzario to find myself in 3rd position. To my surprise I was able to keep up with Lauda and Fittipaldi. In lap 3, the latter got a transmission failure and I took 2nd position. A couple of minutes later I also passed Lauda and took the lead. While aftetr 10 laps I was 7 seconds ahead of my team mate, Lauda became faster in the following few laps and soon my advantage melted to 2 seconds. Luckily, the gap wasn't changing anymore and I was 2-3 seconds ahead of Niki after another 10 laps. In lap 22 Lauda blew the engine and retired giving me a deep sigh of relief. However, it didn;t last long as now I was right in front of Peterson...who suffered from a water leak in lap 25 and retired as well as Lauda and Fittipaldi. Now it was Hulme who was in 2nd position. I was 10 seconds ahead, then 14 but then Hulme started setting quick laps and soon tightened the gap to 7 seconds...after which he retired due to transmission failure. The same fate struck Jarier who was 2nd for a short while. 10 laps from finish, it was Scheckter who was in 2nd position well more than 36 seconds behind me. However, my tyres stared deteriorating lap by lap while Scheckter was faster by 3-4 seconds per lap. I managed to win but Scheckter was only 6 seconds behind. If the race was longer by 4-5 laps, I wouldn't have won.

The winner - Regazzoni, 2nd - Scheckter, 3rd - Watson

---

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 08/28/2010 08:45PM by abdelkader.

Round 3 - Kyalami, South Africa

Once again I was underpefrorming in the qualifyings and was 3rd...from the bottom. Lauda claimed his 3rd straight pole position having Peterson and Scheckter right behind.
At the start of the race I passed many rivals, just as during the previous race. I completed lap 1 in 5th position right behind Fittipaldi and Peterson. Lauda kept leadership in front of Scheckter. However, the two were battling hard for 1st position and eventually crashed out during one of those battles. As a result, in lap 4, Peterson was in the lead in front of Fittipaldi and me. I thought I'd be 3rd without problems but there were lots of quick rivals behind me. Watson was pushing hard as well as Hailwood. Luckily for me, Watson got an engine failure while Hailwood made a mistake in one of the curves and crashed out. One could think that my position was now safe but it wasn't the case as Reutemann and Depailler were right behind along with Ickx who was crawling right behind the forementioned two drivers. Reutemann passed me in lap 19 but I regained position one lap later. Then, he was busy battling Depailler which resulted in my increasing the gap to the safe level. Peterson and Fittipaldi had already pulled away while Ickx became extremely strong. He passed me three laps before my first stop. When I rejoined the race, we both had already 1 stop while he was 9 seconds ahead. Surprisingly, I started making pretty good laps. I was much faster than Ickx and started decreasing the gap lap by lap. It took me 7 laps catch Ickx and pass him in lap 56. During the following two laps I built a 2 second lead ahead of Ickx and decided to come to the pits right after him. The leading two were already well ahead and I needed to concentrate on keeping my 3rd position. Soon after, Ickx pitted and I did the same in the following lap. My plan paid off as my advantage over Ickx after our 2nd stop was the same as before pitting. A few moments later, Reutemann and Depailer both pitted and I got back my 3rd position. In lap 62 Ickx suffered from a gearbox failure and now I was safe in 3rd as Reutemann was 32 seconds behind. ANyway, he retired 5 laps from finish leaving 4th position for Depailler. I grabbed the lowest place on the podium and extended the lead in the championship. That was quite an interesting race. However, I still don't know why I'm unable to go fast in the qualifyings while in races I finish at the top.

By the way...this was my 100th race in my F-1 career .

The winner - Fittipaldi, 2nd - Peterson, 3rd - Regazzoni.



Round 4 - Jarama, Spain

Contrary to the the previous race, in this one I was racing in my own league outperforming Reutemann and FIttipaldi by more than 1 second in the qualifyings.
The race started in a smooth way as I kept the position and started pulling away. Some rain was expected at the end but the sky was clear and I didn't believe those forecasts. It became boring to lap rivals. The only thing which I was afraid of was a potential mechanical failure, luckily it didn't happen. Moreover, Fittipaldi and Scheckter were one of the first drivers who retired from the race. As a result, Peterson took 2nd position and brought it home. As I previously stated, it DID start raining but it was 6 laps from the flag and only in turn 3 while the remaining parts of the track were dry. Nobody even bothered to change tyres. Al in all, I won the race hands down and really increased the lead in the championship.

The winner - Regazzoni, 2nd - Peterson, 3rd - Reutemann

---

Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 08/30/2010 03:07PM by abdelkader.

@abdelkader,

COngratulations with youre 100th race start, an absolute milestone. I hope to read hundreds more tho ! So if you think bout retiring... DONT ! :P

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"If in doubt, Flat out."

Thanks Don't worry, I'm not going to retire...Actually, while watching last weekend's Belgian Grand Prix I started thinking that it would be cool to make 300 GP appearances, just like Rubens Barrichello. I don't know if I'm going to succeed but I'll give it a try



Round 5 - Nivelles-Baulers, Belgium

Despite the fact that most of drivers don't find this track amusing, I got liking to it. From the very first practice laps I felt strong and confident on the tarmac. No wonder why I set the fastest lap in the qualifyings outpacing Reutemann by 1.013 sec. Fittipaldi came 3rd losing 1.2 seconds to me.
The race started in the usual way, namely I started pulling away feeling really confident on the track. I didn't care much for what was going on in the rear-view mirrors. Lauda, who was 4th in the qualifying session, was unlucky once again as he blew his engine in lap 21. Scheckter, Ickx and Stuck, in turn, damaged their suspensions andretired, too. There were only Fittipaldi and Reutemann who were still in the fight for podium, as 1st position was established somewhere in the middle of the race. Reutemann managed to take 2nd position in the pits but Fittipaldi did the same during his second stop and kept his 2nd place to the flag. I claimed one more victory and I start thinking about winning the championship this year. I hope to keep this up in Monaco, too.

The winner - Regazzoni, 2nd - Fittipaldi, 3rd - Reutemann



Round 6 - Monte Carlo, Monaco

I've always felt fine at Monaco and I wasn't surprised with my taking pole position being faster than Reutemann by 0.4 sec and by 0.8 than Lauda.
At the start, Lauda passed Reutemann and took 2nd position. I started setting really quick lap times but Lauda was right behind. After 15 laps he was only around 1.5 sec behind me. Fittipaldi and Scheckter, traditionally, retired from the race early on, crashing out in laps, respectively, 18 and 23. I was now 3 seconds ahead of Lauda and knew that it'd all be decided in the pit-lane. I pitted in lap 29 and rejoined in 2nd position as Peterson was already 15 seconds behind me. After 6 laps I was right behind Lauda whose tyres deteriorated and he couldn't make use of his light fuel load. It turned out that the engineers prepared for him a one-stop strategy. When Lauda rejoined the race, he was heavy with fuel and pretty much behind me. Now he was battling Peterson for 2nd and ended it with success as the Lotus driver suffered from a suspension failure and retired. Lauda was 33 seconds behind me and I was sure I was going to win the race. Luckily, also this time mechanical failures were not meant for me and I earned another 9 points. Only seven drivers managed to finish the race which resulted in many underdog drivers coming in points while the better ones crashed out or retired. Finally, Graham Hill earned his first points for finishing 4th.

The winner - Regazzoni, 2nd - Lauda, 3rd - Laffite



Round 7 - Scandinavian Raceway, Sweden

Initially, I didn't like those fast, long sweeping corners but after a couple of laps I started feeling quite confident which resulted in another pole position this year, in front of Lauda and Fittipaldi.
I started off pretty well and built a three-second advantage over Lauda who passed Fittipaldi. I started pulling away, however, it stopped in lap 7 when my nine-second advantage started melting as Lauda was coming closer and closer. The race start itself was exceptional. Needless to say, withing three first laps 8 drivers crashed out. Lauda was now right behind but luckily, lost his pace around lap 20. Soon after my first pit-stop I saw him retire which relieved me a lot. The next to retire were Scheckter, FIttipaldi, Ickx, Peterson and Pace. Soon, after many more retirements, there were only 4 active drivers. When Stuck retired after the failure of brakes, there were only three drivers involved: me, Reutemann and Hailwood. Unfortunately for Hailwood, he crashed out in lap 52. Now it was certain that the podium wouldn't be completed due to the deficiency od drivers. I pitted in lap 57 and saw that Reutemann (who remained my ONLY rival on the field) did the same...after which he retired. In this way the race got red flagged and I won it 23 laps sooner than I would if Reutemann made it to the finish. Despite his retirement, he was awarded with 6 points.

What a strange race. Nonetheless, I'm glad I can win even such wacky races like this one .

The winner - Regazzoni, 2nd - Reutemann (DNF - 6 points), 3rd - Hill (DNF - no points awarded)



Round 8 - Zandvoort, The Netherlands

This track is one of my favourite ones. It is not too demanding and I really feel the driving rhythm while racing here. However, in the qualifyings, it was Lauda who was the fastest. I was right behind him by 0.165 sec. Third position for Fittipaldi.
When the lights went off, I passed Lauda and saw him crash out of the race along with Fittipaldi, as those two were involved in a direct battle for 2nd position. Beltoise was the third to retire in lap 1. From now on I continued to increase the lead and the race became what a couple of previous races were - a theatre with only one actor. Jody Scheckter made a great start. Taking advantage of a couple of retirements and thanks to his abilities, he reached 2nd position and kept defending it with success. However, Peterson who as driving in 3rd wasn't an easy rival. He was right behind Scheckter however he was unable to pass him. Meanwhile, Merzario was driving in great 5th position after passing Stuck, to whom he lost his position at the start. In the final lap, Peterson who was thought to finish 3rd, crashed out of the race. All in all, he was classified in 7th position but he deserved much more. To sum up, it was another great race to me. According to the vintage scoring system, after eight races I will have a maximum number of points as my third position from Kyalami won't be counted towards the championship. Apart from that race, I had only victories

The winner - Regazzoni, 2nd - Scheckter, 3rd - Reutemann



Round 9 - Dijon-Prenois, France

This race turned out to be the first one during this season which I could call unsuccessful one. I was underperforming in the qualifying session and finally landed in 12th position. Fittipaldi took pole position with Peterson and Lauda behind.
The start of the race claimed the first victim - Ronnie Peterson who crashed into the barriers in turn 1 as he was pushed off by Lauda who made a great start and took 2nd position. Meanwhile, I managed to push myself from 12th to third as many of the rivals in front were slower than me. I thought I was going to stay in 3rd as Fittipaldi and Lauda seemed to be a bit faster than me. Unluckily, in lap 4 I damaged my suspension, swerved off and lost the rear left wheel. I made ti to the pits but the rivals were already miles ahead and I decided to retire from the race. Fittipaldi was leading from start to finish and claimed his second win this year. Lauda, this time having no mechanical problems, finished 52 seconds behind Fittipaldi but it was enough to come 2nd. Hulme made another great performance making 1-3 finish for McLaren. Merzario made another great race finishing 5th, just as in the previous round.

The winner - Fittipaldi, 2nd - Lauda, 3rd - Hulme



Round 10 - Brands Hatch, Great Britain

I never felt good here and this year's grand prix weekend wasn't an exception. I tried several setups but I was still by three seconds slower than my teammate, Lauda, who won pole position leaving Peterson and Fittipaldi behind. All in all, I was to start from 22nd.
For the race, I chose a lower-downforce setup which paid off during the start. Within one lap I managed to reach 10th position. I soon was 8th as Depailler and Hunt, who were involved in a battle for 7th, both crashed out of the race. I was now behind Laffite and right in front of Reutemann. In lap 6, Reutemann wanted to pass me but I closed the gate and we both spun off the track. I crashed against the wall losing all wheels while Reutemann was more lucky and rejoined the race intact. Lauda was extending the lead in front of Peterson and Scheckter. However, in lap 47 Lauda lost control of his car and crashed out letting Peterson take the lead. The Lotus' driver was not in the lead for long as exactly ten laps later he suffered from an oil leak and had to retire. The remaining eighteen laps witnessed a real battle between Fittipaldi and Scheckter racing head to head. Five laps from finish, Scheckter "kissed" Fittipaldi and damaged his suspension. He rejoined the race but the damage demanded additional pitting. As a result, Fittipaldi claimed his second consecutive win while Scheckter took second position having a 1-lap advantage over the remaining drivers. Worth noting is a great performance of both March drivers. Brambilla was 4th while Stuck came 6th. I'm really afraid for my position in the championship. My advantage is still huge but if I keep up my performance from the latest races, it will surely melt down and the championship will be decided during the last races - the thing I'd like to avoid.

The winner - Fittipaldi, 2nd - Scheckter, 3rd - Watson



Round 11 - Nordschleife, Germany

Before the race weekend started, I remembered way to well my last appearance at Nordschleife in my F-1 1967 season. I was extremely slow and retired from that race pretty soon. Therefore I didn't expect much from this year's German Grand Prix. Of course, I wanted to win that race only for the sake of my feeling of accomplishment. To my enormous surprise I was by three seconds faster than Reutemann and Hunt. This time I "swapped" positions with my teammate. At Brands Hatch, I was 22nd while Lauda won the pole position - this time it was quite the opposite.
From the very start of the race I was pulling away getting closer and closer to making my dream come true - winning at the Green Hell. At the end of lap 1 Brambilla became the first driver to retire due to oil leak. Reutemann dropped a few positions and was right in front of Carlos Pace who made a good start and gained two positions. Both drivers had contact and spun off the track which resulted in their retirement. I was quite sure I'd keep up my racing pace but I was afraid of Fittipaldi who was 5th in the qualifying and kept his position at the start. Luckily, he retired in lap 4 with transmission failure. I was happy knowing that he wouldn't gain any points this time. After Reutemann's underperformance in the initial part of the race, Hunt took second position and was already 20 seconds behind me in lap 8. It was when he retired along with Jacky Ickx which meant that another pair of competitive rivals was gone. Meanwhile, I noticed Merzario and Hailwood in respectively, 4th and 5th positions. I was supporting Hailwood as he had a couple of good races this season but he always had problems with reliability and, eventually, remains one of the two drivers who stil haven't scored any points. Unfortunately, Hailwood's car played up once again as he had to retire due to a loose wheel. Merzario was now driving in 4th, not being under pressure of the rivals from behind. Despite having no rivals to fight, he spun off at Flugplatz and retired. Soon, there were only 5 drivers still in the race. Graham Hill was becoming pretty strong during the following two laps but he retired due to problems with the brakes, two laps from the flag. He was soon followed by John Watson who crashed out at Karussel. This way, the only drivers who were still in the race were me, Scheckter who was much slower than me but was driving safely enough to bring points home, and Hulme who had a much better race than Fittipaldi despite starting from 14th position. Indeed, this is the order in which we crossed the finish line. I'm so, so, so happy. I have won at Nordschleife...and at the same time I claimed the 1974 F-1 World Championship. If I was to retire from the remaining races I'd have 72 points at the end of the season. Even if Fittipaldi wins all the remaining races he will still have only 69 points...It means I'm already the champion.

The winner - Regazzoni, 2nd - Scheckter, 3rd - Hulme



Round 12 - Osterreichring, Austria

Contrary to the previous season, this time I was feeling fine at Osterreichring and was really fast as well. I dominated the qualifying session and when I was preparing myself for another pole position...Lauda took it from me by 0.4 sec. Anyway, two Ferraris in the front row, not bad. Fittipaldi was third.
The start of the race was extremely interesting in the front rows. I passed Lauda an took the lead but I couldn't pull away. He was right behind me and I needed to observe the mirrors not to get passed. In lap 6 I made a small mistake and my teammate regained the lead. Luckily, two laps later I got my leadership back. From now on, Lauda was becoming slower and slower. He even got passed by Fittipaldi and Scheckter. I was in 1st but Fittipaldi was still in my mirrors. All in all, after 20 laps I was only 3 seconds ahead of the Brazilian. Actually, he was the only who could take the victory from me as Lauda and Scheckter were battling each other and had already lost lots of time. Luckily, in lap 39 my biggest rival crashed out on the straight preceding the final right-hander and I knew that with 15 laps to go my victory was now unchallenged. Indeed, I brought the victory home. A good thing is that Lauda finally beat Scheckter and we made a 1-2 finish for Ferrari. Now we're going to Monza - the place where Ferrari is a god I hope it's gonna be another 1-2 finish for us.

The winner - Regazzoni, 2nd - Lauda, 3rd - Scheckter

---

Edited 13 time(s). Last edit at 09/09/2010 12:10PM by abdelkader.

Round 13 - Monza, Italy

Ha! I thought I'd never write in this thread again as, meanwhile, I completely lost my will for racing again...luckily I got it back again as well - and here I am :P .


As usually at Monza, confidence was my major weapon which, combined with my rivals underperformance, resulted in my taking pole position in front of Lauda and Reutemann.
As for the race, I don't exactly remember its first half (as I started the race in September and now I remember nothing). All in all, some 12 laps from finish I was one fo the 5 remaining drivers who were still battling for a win. I was 5 seconds ahead of Fittipaldi and 20 seconds ahead of Reutemann who, eventually, retired 5 laps from finish. Laffite, who was driving in 4th, gained one position as Merzario retired. However, he retired himself a couple of minutes later and now the only remaining drivers were me and Fittipaldi. Emerson also failed to finish the race as he crashed out 2 laps from the flag but he still was awarded 6 points for 2nd place.

The winner - Regazzoni, 2nd - Fittipaldi, 3rd - Laffite (DNF - no points awarded)


P.S. I also decided what my next season will be - this will be the just completed 2010 F-1 season. I'll take Felipe Massa's seat as Fernando Alonso's teammate



Round 14 - Mosport International Speedway, Canada

In the qualifyings I performed reasonably well but it was enough to claim only 6th position. Another pole position this season went to Niki Lauda who, what is interesting, has one pole position more than me this year but he hasn't won yet. Second position for Reutemann followed by Peterson.
At the start of the race I took the lead from Fittipaldi who grabbed second position from Reutemann while Peterson and Lauda had problems keeping their pace. uring the initial 19 laps I managed to build a 4-second advantage but in lap 20 I made a mistake and swerved off right in the second corner - a long smooth lefthander as I didn't brake out in time and landed off the track. I was immediately passed by Fittipaldi who, in turn, built a 2-second lead over the following 4 laps. Luckily, his pace decreased and I was able to regain the lead in lap 27. I decided to go for one-stop strategy but I didn't know what my rivals would do. When I went for my planned pit-stop I noiced that no major rival did the same which meant they intended to stop twice. I was heavy with fuel but, to my surprise, still able to keep the racing pace and maintain the lead. I was 3 seconds ahead of Fittipaldi while Lauda was already 15 seconds behind Fittipaldi. From now on I decided to do exactly the same what Emerson. I made my second pit exactly in the same lap as he did. This enabled me to increase the lead to 30 seconds before the next pit-stop. When I was passing the finish line I was over one minute ahead of Fittipaldi which I didn't expect at the beginning of the race...well, I didn't ezxpect that even 20 laps earlier.
Anyway, I claimed my 11th victory this season and now this is all down to the last race which doesn't mean anything as I have already become the champion while the runner-up - Fittipaldi is 10 points clear of Scheckter.

The winner - Regazzoni, 2nd - Fittipaldi, 3rd - Lauda

---

Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 11/17/2010 03:40PM by abdelkader.

Round 15 - Watkins Glen, USA

I was struggling in the qualifying session and finally landed in 20th position. Pole position went to Lauda who became the best qualifier of the season. He was followed by Fittipaldi and Peterson.
When the lights went green I started pushing hard and reached 16th position but here, in third corner, I got pushed off by Tom Pryce and we both went off the track. He retired while I lost my front wing and had to pit. When I rejoined the race I was 19th as, meanwhile, Peterson and Ickx crashed out, too. I made a couple of more laps but I noticed that I was completely incompetitive and decided to retire. Lauda was well in the lead but Scheckter started pushing extremely hard and 7 laps from finish he managed to pass Lauda. Only 9 drivers finished the race as all the others suffered from mechanical issues.

The winner - Scheckter, 2nd - Lauda, 3rd - Hulme

Here's the final results

---

<<<<<< F-1 2010 >>>>>


Round 1 - Sakhir, Bahrain

The first qualifying session of the season didn't start promising to me. I was completely unable to make a good lap time. When I thought I got the best out of my Ferrari...it turned out that it was enough only for 11th position. Pole position went to the reigning champion - Button, followed by Vettel, Alonso and the comeback maker - Michael Schumacher.
The race start itself was extremely interesting. I immediately landed in 7th position as Petrov, Rosberg and Sutil all had problems keeping their positions. When I thought I'd get stuck in 7th I saw Rosberg, who passed me a while after he lost his position, initiate a massive shunt in front of me. As a result, Rosberg, Alonso, Vettel, Webber, Kubica and Schumacher had to either slow down to zero to avoid collision or spun off. All in all...I unexpectedly took the lead. However, I was unable to extend the lead as after 15 laps I was only by 0.9 sec in front of Alonso who was followed closely by Webber. Vettel didn't withstand the shunt and lost a couple of positions. I was afraid of pit-stops as I knew that Alonso was way faster throughout the first stint and only due to my abilities he didn't pass me. It turned out that Alonso decided to pit in the same lap as me...but I was first in the pits so he had to wait for his turn...I don't know what was the reason for which my race engineer and Alonso's decided to do this in this way. Anyway, I could breath a deep sigh of relief as Alonso was not a threat to me anymore. Meanwhile, it was Webber who started pulling away. While I managed, after my first pit-stop, to catch and pass Vettel, Webber was way out of reach. Before my second pit-stop he was already 27 seconds ahead. Meanwhile, I had to look in the mirrors as Vettel, Button and Alonso kept swapping positions, still battling for 2nd place. Even the smallest of my mistakes resulted in one of those guys appearing close on my back. In lap 38 I saw a godsend communicate "Mark Webber is out of the race". His engine failed and I took the lead 11 laps from finish. At the same time, it was Hamilton who decided to join the battle. In the pits, he managed to pass his teammate and took second position. Seven laps from finish I was 5 seconds ahead but he was pushing extremely hard. Two laps from the flag I was only 2.7 sec ahead. Luckily, this advantage was enough to claim my first victory this year

The winner - Kosewski, 2nd - Hamilton, 3rd - Button



Round 2 - Albert Park, Australia

I needed a few laps to get accustomed to the layout and finally I landed in 8th position. The qualifyings were totally dominated by the Red Bull drivers with Vettel taking pole position and Webber finishing second. My teammate came 3rd and had to battle my countryman - Kubica who finished 4th.
Once again, I had a great start and needed only two laps to take the lead. In lap 5 Kubica and Vettel both crashed out after a fierce battle for 3rd position. As a result, Alonso kept his position and was battling Webber for 2nd. In lap 30 Webber started having some problems with his car and dropped to 6th position. From now on I could concentrate on making fast laps. However, I couldn't pull away from Alonso who was, tops, only 3 or 4 seconds behind. After many retirements which included both McLaren and Mercedes GP drivers the only drivers running in the same lap as me were Alonso and Barrichello while the latter one was already 48 seconds behind three laps from the flag. Eventually, I won the race, extended the lead in the championship. What's more, Alonso's great performance put Ferrari at the top of the Constructors' Championship.

The winner - Kosewski, 2nd - Alonso, 3rd - Barrichello



Round 3 - Sepang, Malaysia

This time everything worked just fine. I was extremely quick and got my first pole position this season. Hamilton was right behind me having outperformed both Red Bulls.
When the lights went off I kept my position while Vettel passed Webber and Hamilton and found himself right behind me. Meanwhile, Liuzzi made a great start advancing from 14th to 9th to battle Schumacher who dropped one position. As a result, both of them crashed out in that battle. In lap 7, Webber had to deal with another misfortune. This time it was a water leak and he had to retire. Button, who was driving in 6th, crashed out too as, due to his lack of concentration, he had a contact with Petrov who was having problems with the engine. My situation was clear and safe. I was in the lead, however after my second pit-stop I was 10 seconds behind Vettel. Luckily, he was still before his pit-stop and his tyres were well worn out and I could easily decrease the gap in no time. However, when I was right behind, Vettel didn't want to give up. Finally, passed him but he was still right on my back. All in all, this driving style didn't pay off to him as he lost traction of his front wheels and swerved off the track straight into the gravel trap and was forced to retire. It was a great race for Sutil who advanced from 10th position to 4th and was confident enough not to let anyone pass him. Alonso wasn't particularly quick this tie but he kept his starting position and finished 5th. Kubica, in turn, advanced from 6th to 3rd and made his first podium appearance this year. What was really amazing was performance of the Williams drivers. Rosberg, having had a good race, finished 2nd while Barrichello scored another 6 points for his 8th position.

The winner - Kosewski, 2nd - Rosberg, 3rd - Kubica



Round 4 - Shanghai, China

Well, it wasn't my best race weekend ever.
In the qualifying session I was one of the slowest cars of the grid. I was faster only than Lotus' and Virgin's drivers. Webber took pole position while second place went to surprising Liuzzi who was followed by Button. Anyway, Force India was flourishing as Sutil came 4th.
The start was a nightmare - I passed a lot of drivers but then I got hit from the left by Alguersuari and slammed into Button. He had to retire while I lost my front wing. I decided to retire from the race as the rivals were light years ahead. Webber suffered from one more mechanical issue and retired in lap 25. Two laps later, Hamilton and Vettel who were involved in a shunt had to retire , too marking another scoreless race for Red Bull. Liuzzi was unable to withstand the pressure and dropped to 6th position while Sutil was pretty strong in 4th. Meanwhile, Alonso advanced from 5th and took the lead after his second pit-stop. Finally, Schumacher showed his master skills. Due to retirements and his abilities he pushed himself from 9th to 3rd and kept it until the flag. This race showed that the Williams performance wasn't just an accident during the last race. Rosberg finished 2nd while Barrichello came 6th. Another thing is that both worst teams - Lotus and Virgin scored points in this race - Trulli was 9th while Glock - 10th.

The winner - Alonso, 2nd - Rosberg, 3rd - Schumacher



Round 5 - Barcelona, Spain

To my surprise, I was quite slow in the qualifyings and unable to reach the top 10. I finally landed in 12th position and hoped for a slight improvement in the race. Pole position was taken by Rosberg who outperformed Alonso and Vettel. At the start of the race I had to endure the attacks from behind as Hulkenberg passed de la Rosa and started pushing hard. Luckily, I soon pulled away and even managed to pass a couple of rivals. Soon, Alonso, Vettel and Webber retired form the race which helped me gain even more positions. I was soon second while Jenson Button was the leader. However, I passed him in the pits and took the lead. Meanwhile, Force India drivers clearly announced they were not going to be only passive spectators of the race as Liuzzi soon developed a huge gap between him and Schumacher which resulted in a great podium finish for him. Petrov was driving in a good 6th position but he then suffered from an engine blow and had to retire 7 laps from the flag. That's all when it comes to the major events on the racetrack. From now on I was the fastest on the track, got the right racing groove and brought the victory home. I'm really surprised with the performance of my team and with terrible underperformance of the Red Bull as Vettel and Webber are quite low in the championship.

The winner - Kosewski, 2nd - Button, 3rd - Liuzzi



Round 6 - Monaco, Monte Carlo

This is one of my most disliked, and most fortunate at the same time, circuits. The qualifying session was totally stunning as I was battling Vettel to the very last minute. The pole position was undecided. Finally, I set the best lap time which was better than Vettel's only by 0.006 sec. Third position for Hamilton.
When the lights went off I easily kept the position while Alonso passed Hamilton and took 3rd position. I was making faster and faster lap times...but so did Vettel. After 25 laps he was only 3 seconds behind and I still couldn't feel safe enough to think about tyres. Vettel even tried to pass me in the main straight but he lacked some power horses and I luckily kept the leadership. After this, he started deccelerating and soon dropped to 3rd position leaving his 2nd place to my teammate. Now me and Fernando were heading for an outstanding 1-2 finish in the temple of F-1 racing Rosberg and Schumacher got involed in a civil war and both crashed out leaving Mercedes GP scoreless this weekend. Then it was Hamilton who crashed out after an incident with Hulkeberg. Meanwhile I started building a comfortable gap between me and Fernando who was, later on, passed by Kubica. I was pretty happy - even though my teammate was now 3rd, the first two places on the podium would have been occupied by the Polish drivers :P Unfortunately, Kubica had some problems with the engine and in the final lap he dropped a few positions finishing the race in 6th, right behind Petrov who had a well paced race, having started from 8th. This time the Red Bull drivers finally showed that they deserve to be in F-1. Vettel came 3rd while Webber was right behind him.

The winner - Kosewski, 2nd - Alonso, 3rd - Vettel

---

Edited 10 time(s). Last edit at 12/12/2010 06:19PM by abdelkader.