Hello again! Now, we’ve looked at technology and rules and all 12 teams. The next and final stop, is the 2o11 race calendar.
This season sees a new race, taking the calendar from 19 to 20 races. 11 – 13 March should have been the opener in Bahrain but it was cancelled owing to the civil unrest currently plaguing that part of the world. Initial indication was that this race would be slotted in elsewhere in the calendar but, with a heavier schedule than ever before, this looks increasingly unlikely. Therefore, the first race of this new season is the Australian Grand Prix in Melbourne this weekend. Each lap is 3.3 miles and Sunday’s race will see 58 of them. Michael Schumacher holds the lap record of 1 min 24.12, which was set for Ferrari in 20o4. Will we see this broken this season? This spectator thinks not.
The next race in the calendar is the Malaysian Grand Prix in Kuala Lumpur on 08-10 April. This 3.44 mile long track will be making it’s 12th Formula one appearance. Malaysia was reigning champion Vettel’s first win last season. Can he replicate this victory?
15 – 17 April takes us to the Chinese Grand Prix in Shanghai. An angular, 3.38 mile lap that makes for an exciting race. A lap record of 1 minute 32.2 seconds was once again set by Michael Schumacher in 2004, whilst driving for Ferrari.
The fourth race we’ll see will run 06 – 08 May and will take place in Istanbul, Turkey. This could very well be the last time we see the Turkish grand prix – the contract ends this season and, since its inaugural race a mere six years ago, attendances have dropped.
Next up, we hop across to the Spanish Grand Prix in Barcelona. This track will celebrate it’s 20th GP anniversary when the race takes place on 22 – 24 May.
The sixth race in the calendar takes place on 29 – 31 May and is a strong favourite amongst F1 fans: the Monaco Grand Prix in Monte Carlo. At 2.07 miles, this is one of the shorter tracks and, once again, the lap record was set by Michael Schumacher in 2004, with a time of 1 min 14.4 seconds.
10 – 12 June takes us to Montreal for the Canadian Grand Prix. The track runs 2.71 miles and we’ll see a total of 70 laps during the race. The walls come incredibly close to the track in a few places so we may see a few bumps and scrapes!
Next stop, the European Grand Prix in Valencia. This 3.37 mile street circuit is a relative new comer, having first making an appearance in 2008.
08 – 10 July brings us home for the British Grand Prix at Silverstone. Work has recently been carried out to improve the pit and track condition of a circuit that was first used in 1950. One lap runs 3.67 miles.
The 11th race in the calendar is the German Grand Prix on 22 – 24 July, held at the well-known Nurburgring. Once again, Michael Schumacher set a lap record of 1 min 29.46 for Ferrari in 2004.
On we go to the Hungarian Grand Prix in Budapest. The race will occur 29 – 31 July and each lap will run 2.72 miles. This is the fifth circuit in the season with a lap record set by Michael Schumacher in 2004 whilst driving for Ferrari. Does anyone else see a pattern, here?
Next stop, after a brief Summer break, is Spa on 26 – 28 August for the Belgian Grand Prix. Although there isn’t a huge amount of room for overtaking on this 4.35 mile circuit – one of the longest in the calendar – you can be guaranteed that this will be a race to watch owing to the track’s narrow width at certain, often crucial, points.
Onwards to the Italian Grand Prix in Monza on 09 – 11 September. This season will see Monza celebrating it’s 60th F1 race and Ferrari will be looking to get this one in the bag in front of their home crowd. Can Alonso and Massa reign supreme on this 3.6 mile track? Only time will tell.
Next stop is Marina Bay and the Singapore Grand Prix on 23 – 25 September. Because this is a night race, it is an absolute beauty to behold. This will be the third time that this 3.15 mile track has been used for Formula 1.
The 16th race of the season takes place on 07 – 09 October at Suzuka, Japan. Last season, Vettel started on pole and went on to win the race. Can he replicate this strong performance this season?
A short hop takes us to the Korean Grand Prix, held at Yeongam on 14 – 16 October. Last season saw this circuit’s debut race, which was fraught with trouble following incredibly bad weather, which resulted in an extremely delayed start. The 3.49 mile track boasts 2 incredible straights, allowing drivers to pick up some serious speed before tackling some tricky corners.
Race number 18 in the calendar will take place on 28 – 30 October and sees the new addition to the family of F1 circuits at Delhi for the Indian Grand Prix. As of last month, work was still being carried out in order to complete the track and the FIA have advised that, if this 3.19 mile long circuit does not pass inspection, the race will not go ahead.
The penultimate race of the season is the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, held at Yas Marina on 11 – 13 November. We have seen 2 races here thus far, with a lap record of 1 min 40.27 being set by Vettel at the track’s first outing.
The final takes us to Interlagos for the Brazilian Grand Prix on 25 – 27 November. Although the circuit measures 2.68 miles it’s tightly packed, allowing for a number of thrilling turns and chicanes. A fine finish to the season.
So, there we are, a whistle-stop tour of the 2011 Formula 1 season. I, for one, am interested to see how new teams will gel and how new regulations and tech will affect an already exciting sport. My predictions? Well, it’s no surprise that I tip both Red Bull and Mark Webber for the titles, but I’m also going to stick my neck out and back Schumacher for a top 5 finish. Madness? Possibly! I’ll see you back here on 27th March with a review of the Australian Grand Prix in Melbourne. In the meantime, all that’s left for me to say is; ladies and gentlemen, let’s race!
The customary high standard of journalism from this contributor! Such a pity that the Bahrain event went by the board, though such a pity too to see the civil unrest which led to the cancellation (perhaps it will yet become merely a postponement) of this race. For a while it looked like Suzuka might also be under threat, though I appreciate that the much-beleaguered Japanese people had at least a million other things on their minds. I understand that the circuit is undamaged and that the race should be on, other misfortunes notwithstanding. Keep the articles coming,billymawa!
quando volta a portugal