European GP: Race Review

There is only one word that is fitting to describe the European Grand Prix this past weekend in Valencia: Thrilling.

There were expected-winner starting on pole, the guessing games on strategy, racing incidents galore, safety car (!!),  botched pit stop by McLaren (again!), 2 front-runners' cars failed in late stages, crash-out in last lap, unexpected podium and incredible joys of unlikely victory. Utterly unpredictable, and completely action-packed, I loved every minute of the intensity at the Valencia race.

Here's how it all went down - Vettel was on pole, if you recall my pre-race prediction, Vettel has won twice consecutively last two years, he was a sure-in to grab the win. And for the most part, I was right until lap 34 of the 57-lap race.  Vettel was leaving everyone in the dust with comfortable margins, no one was close enough to catch him, he was so ahead that he went in for his pit stop, came back out and there was no traffic to slot back in, that's the kind of lead he was having.

Unfortunately for Vettel, his car failed him in lap 34 after the safety car had to come out to clean up Vergne-Kovalainen crushed bits on race track. Oddly enough, another Renault-engine car also failed unexpectedly. Grosjean was chasing Alonso down and doing a brilliant job catching up at the last few laps of the race, then suddenly, car failure and end of race for Grosjean.

There were a couple incidents throughout the race, three big ones to be exact. First, there was Vergne and Kovalainen. Then there was Kobayashi and Massa. Lastly, the most gutting of all incidents of the day, Maldonado and Hamilton at lap 55. I definitely feel for Hamilton, to be SO close to the finish line and suddenly losing it all.

Misfortune for some means gain for others. For this race, the lucky benefactor is Schumacher, who leaped to 3rd place on the podium. Well done for him, however unlikely this was a win for him, Schumacher fought hard through race after race and nothing like regaining glory to re-boost his confidence and drive.

Despite all the drama, in the end the best, the triumph, and the crown goes to the Alonso. I am not always the biggest fan of Alonso, but he raced the Ferrari from 11th to P1, never losing sight of the finish line and kept hustling lap after lap. He commanded and deserved all the respect and congratulations from not just the home crowd in Valencia but F1 fans everywhere. Well done!

So who wins the Best Post-race hair at the European Grand Prix, you ask? It goes to none other than Alonso, who also showed some real emotions on the podium with real tears. And what of the Grid Girls? It's another classy but boring showing - Ferrari-red dress with white bow as belt, reminds me of Christmas present. Are the Valencia Grid Girls the Spanish gifts to the world? Where are all the fashion designers - Grid Girl outfits need some excitement! I'm holding out some hope that the Grid Girl outfits will get better in the next race. It's been an unbelievably exciting Grand Prix weekend in Valencia, can't wait for the British Grand Prix at Silverstone on July 6-8!

Join us Thursday Night in Downtown Austin!

Javelina Bar - 69 Rainey Street, Austin, Texas

The Austin Grand Prix and EuroCircle will be hosting another networking and happy hour event with Mercedes Benz of Austin.

This event will be themed around motorsports such as F1, MotoGP, V8 Supercars and World Superbike. We highly encourage you to wear you favorite team shirt, colors and/or accessories to support motorsports coming to Austin beginning in November. Of course, if you would rather wear your cocktail dress or nice shirt, please do - we will not judge!

The purpose of this event will be to reunite, educate and promote Formula 1 and motorsports in Austin over drinks, hors d'oeuvres and common interests (or soon to be!). There will also be an informal discussion about the sport of Formula 1, as well as opportunities to chat with others and learn more.

Mercedes Benz of Austin will have goodies for the first 20 guests and more Mercedes/F1 accessories thereafter.

Light hors d'oeuvres will be served as well as $5 F1 Burgers (or Veggie Burger) and drink specials.

This is a free event and everyone is welcome! But please note that guests must be 21+ to gain admission into this bar.

// Please RSVP by clicking on this link //

European GP: Race Preview

Sebastian Vettel at the European Grand Prix in Valencia, Spain (Photo by Mark Thompson/Getty Images)

When I think of Valencia, I think of F1, oranges and paella. I know, I seem to always have food on my mind, I can't help it!

I am super excited that another race weekend is here, and a street circuit at that. Everyone is saying it, "Seven races and seven winners, no one knows what will happen next!", I dare to differ this week. Based on historical data (from Wiki) and intense mathematics calculations (not really), I am going to say Vettel has the best chance of winning this weekend.

You see, Vettel has won the last two years in a row at this circuit. That's pretty great record for this sport. Not to mention all the rumors this week about Vettel and his pre-contract with Ferrari in 2014 will come with extra pressure to perform. It'd be great if Schumacher or Raikkonen takes the crown to continue to mix things up for the championship, but the odds are ever so slightly against them.

As always, on top of the on-track actions, I'll be watching for the Grid Girls outfit and crowning the Best Post-race hair award. Can't wait for the qualifying and the race this weekend. Catch you again on the European Grand Prix Race Recap!

Sutton Images at Formula Expo

Sutton Images at Formula Expo from The Austin Grand Prix on Vimeo.

It was such a treat to interview Keith and Mark Sutton at Formula Expo. This team of British brothers run Sutton Images, the world's largest indepentent motorsports picture agency.

As mentioned in the interview, GP Week is a free online magazine that is published every Monday morning. You can sign up for email alerts for the latest issue and review F1, MotoGP and World Rally Championship news, results and features accompanied by the best photos from Sutton Images.

Be sure to check out the Sutton Images exhibit of dozens of photos at this weekend's Formula Expo!

The Montreal Factor

Lewis Hamilton waits in the garage before the Canadian Grand Prix

Good things come to those who wait. For Hamilton, that good thing came in the shape and form of a Grand Prix Gold Cup from the beautiful Sunday race at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve, Montreal. It was a much-needed boost for Hamilton's points in the Championship to stay competitive, a long time coming win for Hamilton to prove to the world that he still got it, and a respectable comeback for the McLaren Team from the many errors they've made in recent races.

The race started well enough with the usual suspects on the front rows - Vettel, Alonso, Hamilton and Webber. Soon after the race started, we are treated with Webber and Rosberg fighting for 4th position with some great wheel to wheel action, and Massa driving like a man who has something to prove. Rumor has it that Ferrari is looking for a new driver to replace Massa, so Massa has a lot riding on his performance in coming races. I am also continuously impressed with Di Resta, he's been doing really well in qualifying and races given the car he has, with a little more time and a better car I could see Di Resta on the podium.

Noticeably missing in the front battles are Button and Raikkonen, they've both fallen off the radar in the last few races. It's definitely odd to see Button struggling so much while Hamilton is competitive from the same McLaren car. Can the car setup really make that much of a difference? Button went from 10th position 16th at the end of the race. With Raikkonen's Lotus, it's hard to decide whether it's car or strategy that ultimately ruins the Ice Man and his comeback, I'm inclined to think both are factors for the time being. Started at 12th spot on the grid, Raikkonen went up 8 positions to 4th and then fell back to 8th right. And yet, Grosjean, also with a Lotus car, went from 7th to 2nd. How long will we have to wait before we see the Ice Man smile a non-smile on the podium?

Nothing like a little pit-stop action to shake up the line up. Right around lap 17, Vettel pitted and then just missed by a hair coming out to have Hamilton over cut, and then Alonso did the same to Hamilton after Hamilton pitted. McLaren's pitstops continue to make me nervous, even though I think the mini-stall at the pitstop was Hamilton's own doing. No matter, Hamilton recovered from that little hiccup at pitstop and eventually passed Alonso in DRS zone in lap 20.

The person who didn't recover and basically had some of the worst luck of the season is Schumacher. Schumacher qualified 9th, but ended up with a faulty DRS wing and had to retire. The mechanics can't even fix it with their gloved-hands at the pit stop. Totally tragic to watch.

For a long while (30 laps!), Hamilton was leading the way with Alonso and Vettel behind. I thought, well, that's how the race would end. Wrong! Lap 50 came around, Hamilton pitted with another nerve-wrecking McLaren pit stop, and stuck to his 2-stop strategy. I was fully expecting Alonso and Vettel to pit since their tyres' been hustling and need some refreshing. A few more laps and neither pitted, it became clear that Alonso and Vettel were both trying to stick it with those tyres until the end of the race. Haven't they learned the lessons from Raikkonen a few races back? It's a ballsy strategy gamble from the teams, and one of these races it may actually work, but Ferrari and Red Bull got it all wrong for this race.

One teams' wrong call is another teams' gain though. Perez and Grosjean both made the 1-stop strategy work for them and started to climb up the positions at the late part of the race. Red Bull realized quickly by lap 60 that Hamilton is catching Vettel and Alonso fast and furious with fresh tyres and they are now defenseless. Red Bull did the only sensible thing a team can do - bringing in Vettel for new tyres at lap 64 in a 70-lap race. Red Bull is hugely lucky that the pit stop at Montreal is one of the shortest run and they were able to slot Vettel back in near the top. Alas, the damage is done and Vettel can only fight back to pass Alonso to take 4th at lap 69.

Meanwhile, Hamilton took his 1st Grand Prix win of this season with a spectacular drive, with Grosjean and Perez taking 2nd and 3rd respectively. The race was completely unpredictable from the beginning until the very end. Amazing!

In case anyone has any doubt on who should win the Best Post-race hair at Montreal, that special title goes to Perez. His hair didn't look like it's been compressed in a hot helmet for 70 laps at all! And as a Canadian, I'm mildly relieved to see the Montreal grid girls outfit. Short red dress (no weird cutout bits!) with white heels is boring but classy! European Grand Prix grid girls, I hope you bring it in the next race on 6/22-6/24 weekend!