Formula one, formula 1 racing

– Italian Grand Prix

Formula 1 fans were denied a Mercedes thriller at Monza when a mistake from Nico Rosberg handed Lewis Hamilton an easy victory.

Arriving at Monza many had hoped for more fireworks from the Mercedes team-mates to follow on from the drama at Spa. Instead it was a simple mistake that decided the outcome.

Rosberg led the first stint of the 53-lap Italian Grand Prix having stormed into P1 off the line. Hamilton, who had been on pole position, dropped to fourth as he got bogged down.

While the Brit set about overtaking Kevin Magnussen and Felipe Massa, Rosberg set about building an advantage, which was 3.8s when Hamilton climbed to second place.

Emerging from their first and only pit stop of the afternoon the gap was down to 1.8s.

As Hamilton continued to close up on Rosberg, the German – for the second time – made a mistake at Turn 1 and ran off the track. As he made his way around the bollards, Hamilton made his way into the lead.

Within a lap he was 2.6s and never looked back as he raced to his sixth victory of this season, 4.5s ahead of his team-mate. In doing so he clawed back eight points in the race for the World title.

Behind the Mercedes team-mates, Massa brought his FW36 home in third place, his first podium for new team Williams and came just hours after being confirmed for next season.

His team-mate Valtteri Bottas was fourth having recovered from a dismal start. Despite being third on the grid, Bottas was outside the top ten by the end of the opening lap and had a brilliant afternoon working his way back up the order.

Daniel Ricciardo was fifth for Red Bull Racing after pulling off a great dummy move on team-mate Sebastian Vettel with five to go. The German was sixth.

Sergio Perez was seventh ahead of Jenson Button, Kimi Raikkonen and Kevin Magnussen. Although the McLaren rookie crossed the line in seventh place, he was handed a five second penalty for pushing Bottas off the track.

Meanwhile, Fernando Alonso failed to see the chequered flag as an ERS problem forced him to retire midway through Ferrari’s home grand prix. It was the first time this season that he did not score a point.

Lewis Hamilton brought an end to Nico Rosberg’s run of pole positions as he edged his team-mate in qualifying for the Italian Grand Prix.

Having set the pace in the proceeding practice sessions all eyes were on Mercedes pair at Monza as the intra-team battle heated up on Saturday afternoon.

Hamilton claimed the opening salvo as he posted a 1:24.109 to hold provisional pole by 0.443s ahead of his Championship leading team-mate.

Heading out late in the session for a second run, Rosberg was ahead of Hamilton on the track and was up through the first sector.

He did, however, lose time in the second and third and although he improved overall he stayed second behind Hamilton.

Assured of pole position, the British racer backed off and spent his lap waving at the fans. It is Hamilton’s fifth pole of this season.

The Williams drivers claimed the second row with Valtteri Bottas ahead of Felipe Massa while McLaren locked out the third, Kevin Magnussen will start ahead of Jenson Button.

Fernando Alonso was a disappointing seventh in front of Ferrari’s home crowd, especially as he had been closest to the Merc duo in the final practice.

His team-mate Kimi Raikkonen was the only big-name casualty in qualifying as the Ferrari driver struggled to put together an error-free lap. He dropped out in Q2, finishing with the 12th best time.

Meanwhile, it was another dreadful afternoon for Lotus as neither Pastor Maldonado nor Romain Grosjean made it out of Q1. The duo, though, did at least beat the Caterham and Marussia drivers.

Times
01 Lewis Hamilton Mercedes 1:24.109
02 Nico Rosberg Mercedes 1:24.383 +0.274
03 Valtteri Bottas Williams 1:24.697 +0.588
04 Felipe Massa Williams 1:24.865 +0.756
05 Kevin Magnussen McLaren 1:25.314 +1.205
06 Jenson Button McLaren 1:25.379 +1.270
07 Fernando Alonso Ferrari 1:25.430 +1.321
08 Sebastian Vettel Red Bull 1:25.436 +1.327
09 Daniel Ricciardo Red Bull 1:25.709 +1.600
10 Sergio Perez Force India 1:25.944 +1.835
11 Daniil Kvyat Toro Rosso 1:26.070
12 Kimi Raikkonen Ferrari 1:26.110
13 Jean-Eric Vergne Toro Rosso 1:26.157
14 Nico Hulkenberg Force India 1:26.279
15 Adrian Sutil Sauber 1:26.588
16 Esteban Gutierrez Sauber 1:26.692
17 Pastor Maldonado Lotus 1:27.520
18 Romain Grosjean Lotus 1:27.632
19 Kamui Kobayashi Caterham 1:27.671
20 Jules Bianchi Marussia 1:27.738
21 Max Chilton Marussia 1:28.247
22 Marcus Ericsson Caterham 1:28.562

The dust has finally settled on the controversial Belgian Formula 1 GrandPrix and as the pack heads to the legendary track ofMonza for the Italian leg of this year’s championship, all eyes will be on Nico Rosberg, Lewis Hamiltonand the Mercedes team.

Belgium belonged to Red Bull and Daniel Ricciardo, and the Australian will be as relaxed as can be as he prepares for one of the fastest track in the world. Mercedes and their powerful engines are expected to dominate—but the pressure is one following the debacle that was Belgium.

Italian F1 Grand Prix 2014: Start Time, Lineup, TV Schedule and More

Lineup

Driver	Team
Nico Rosberg	Mercedes
Lewis Hamilton	Mercedes
Sebastian Vettel	Red Bull
Fernando Alonso	Ferrari
Daniel Ricciardo	Red Bull
Valtteri Bottas	Williams
Kevin Magnussen	McLaren
Kimi Raikkonen	Ferrari
Felipe Massa	Williams
Jenson Button	McClaren
Daniil Kvyat	Toro Rosso
Jean-Eric Vergne	Toro Rosso
Sergio Perez	Force India
Adrian Sutil	Sauber
Romain Grosjean	Lotus
Jules Bianchi	Marussia
Pastor Maldonado	Lotus
Nico Hulkenberg	Force India
Max Chilton	Marussia
Esteban Gutierrez	Sauber
Andre Lotterer	Caterham
Marcus Ericsson	Caterham

Formula1.com

TV Schedule

Day	Race Start	Sky Sports Start	BBC One Start
Sunday	1 p.m.	11:30 a.m.	12:10 p.m. (One)

This week’s car crush is relatively attainable. Well, it might cost an arm and a leg, but at least the family driver could practically own one without causing too much jangling discord on the school run.
BMW aspirational mainstay receives a lot of flak by the Clarksonian brand of car crit. But we reckon this is simply because of its ubiquity; which is of course in turn based on its practical brilliance.
When Beemer unveiled the latest version, the CRT (standing for Carbon Race Technology), there wasn’t that much hoo-haa. But, despite that, it remains a little bit special.
The BMW M3 CRT embodies a concentrated blend of state-of-the-art development expertise – inspired directly by motor sport – in the areas of drive system and chassis technology and intelligent lightweight design.
It also represents the worldwide debut of a new production process for carbon-fibre reinforced plastic (CFRP) components in the automotive industry. Its V8 engine has the customary M car’s high-revving characteristics and a maximum output of 331 kW/450 hp. Pullaway from 0 to 100 km/h is just 4.4 seconds.
This is because of its power to weight ratio is a stunning 3.5KG per horsepower. That means it’s nearly 70 KG lighter than the normal M3.
There’s only 67 of them to be made, and it’s expensive, but hey. It’s got four doors!
It’s the little detailing differences that we really dig, however. There’s something dashingly, subtly assertive about it, and that’s why this particular M3 has got us looking into finance options. Perchance to dream.

In 1987 Lancia launched in the first Delta Integrale a car that cost the same as a high-end Rover but could run down a Porsche 911. Speed freaks of that much maligned decade were afroth.

The Integrale represented brilliant bang for bucks. The years have been good to the Integrale’s brutal aesthetic too. Not only do they look like they could eat an M3 for breakfast (and they could stay with them for the first few hundred yards at least), they look a good bet to appreciate in value.

We caught up with Steve Pilgrim, Bristol-based IT consultant and passionate owner of an Integrale Evo II. Just what is it about the Integrale that floats his boat?

Influx Magazine: Why Integrale?

Steve Pilgrim: It was the hot-hatch that I could never afford when I was younger (I had

an MG Metro) – to buy or insure (it’s group 18). I also loved Sega Rally

(still play it whenever I can find it!).

IM: What essentially Italian qualities do you think the car has?

SP: The design : a luxury 80’s hatchback that is very pretty – but was

transformed into a rally car and whilst having the functionality still

remains beautiful (and brutal). If people know what it is they love it . If they don’t know then they

wonder what it is (usually a Golf).

IM: What is she like on the limit?

SP: Wonderful! It’s the feeling of being so connected with the car

and the road (all the cliches are generally true). I was very careful when

I first got her as bodyparts are hard to come by. eBay or a few

specialist dealers are your only option.

IM: Is she a keeper?

SP: She’s a keeper alright. It doesn’t age in style. It’s a timeless classic and stops me wanting anything else. I’ve had her nearly five years and we’ve enjoyed trips and events around the country. The Lancia Centenary Celebrations in Turin were the highlight.

Delta Evolution: Fact File

• Original design was based on the Fiat Strada/Ritmo by Giorgetto Giugiaro

• The same car was also sold in Sweden by Saab, who had a hand in its design, explaining why it was less likely to rust than other Lancias. It was branded as a Saab 600 in Sweden

• In 1985 Lancia supercharged and turbocharged the Delta to create the Delta S4, which boasted 480 bhp. It was raced for a year before the Group B rally category was scrapped by the FIA, arguing that the cars used were too fast and so too dangerous

• In 1987 Lancia released the HF 4WD for the new rally season

• 1987 saw work start on the first Integrale, with the existing 2.0 litre engine tweaked to produce 185 bhp, 0-60 in 6.6 seconds and a top speed of 130 mph, which combined Group A race technology with a road car

• In 1989 the 16V version was released, storming rally circuits in 1989, 1990 and 1991, as well as performing well as a road car

• 1991 Lancia pull out of the world rally circuit

Evo II (1993)

• Three-way catalytic converter

• New Garrett turbocharger

• twin overhead camshafts driven by toothed belt

• four valves per cylinder

• 16″ light alloy rims

• Body colour roof moulding

• New leather-covered three-spoke MOMO steering wheel

• Recaro seats upholstered in beige Alcantara with diagonal stitching

• Aluminium fuel cap and air-intake grilles on the front mudguards designed to increase airflow

• Top speed137 mph

• 0-60 in 5.6 seconds

• All 4223 cars produced were left hand drive

– See more at: http://www.influx.co.uk/wordpress/features/integrale-everyman-supercar/#sthash.BD4QK8iG.dpuf