(photo credit: Flickr/Paul Williams)

Adrian Sutil has been found guilty of grevious bodily harm and was sentenced today in Munich to an 18 month suspended sentence, plus a $262,200 fine to be paid to charities. The prosecutors were looking for a 21 month suspended sentence.

To recap, Sutil and other drivers were in a nightclub in China. Sutil says he was only trying to throw his drink on Eric Lux, who is a part owner of Lotus. He cut Lux’s neck, which required stitches. If you’re a German citizen, you can be tried in your home country, which is why this trial did not take place in China.

Sutil had tried to settle the matter with Eric Lux outside of the trial, apparently even offering millions of dollars to Lux himself. Of course you can’t really fight rich with money. Lux maintains that he was just looking for a direct, in-person apology from Sutil and never got it.

Sutil’s lawyer argued that his action was just an unintentional reflex, which still doesn’t make sense if you cut someone.

According to his agent, the former Force India driver still hopes to land a reserve role and his name is floating around regarding Ferrari’s test driver role.

For those not familiar with what a suspended sentence is, you must have forgotten the suspended sentence of Ferrari a couple seasons ago! Just kidding, I had to look it up too. Clearly it just means a) we’re not lawyers and b) we’re not criminals.

A suspended sentence means that as long as Sutil doesn’t do anything stupid again and break the law in the next 18 months, he won’t be put in jail. There could be some sort of probationary guidelines he has to follow, and I know the possibility he wouldn’t be allowed to enter China was out there.

I would figure the bigger problem in finding a test driver role is knowing he was found guilty rather than the suspended sentence. It looks like Sutil would rather spend the time to reflect on things and possibly look into something new than pursue a test seat.

Barrichello and Jenson Button back in the Brawn days (credit: Flickr/ johanlundahl)

We are less than two days away from the February 1 launches of the new McLaren and Ferrari cars. These launches will occur at some godawful time in North America, but that’s life. Starting Wednesday, the week will be filled with launches and ugly cars, sadly, leading up to the start of pre-season testing.

Meanwhile, F1 veteran Rubens Barrichello had his first day of testing with IndyCar team KV Racing in Sebring, Florida, today. Barrichello lost out on his Williams seat to Bruno Senna, and decided to give the test a shot based on a suggestion from Tony Kaanan, a close friend of Rubens. Barrichello says he always wanted to try driving an IndyCar, and has gone into the 2 day test with an open mind.

It’s entirely possible he could make the switch to IndyCar instead of seeking out a test driver role to stay in Formula 1…I have actually not even seen that mentioned.

Today was the first day of Adrian Sutil’s trial in Germany. Sutil said he tried “everything” to diffuse the situation between him and Eric Lux, including an offer to do charity for Africa.

I’m not quite sure how that works. “Hey Eric, sorry for almost hitting a major facial nerve with that glass, can we just sweep this under the rug with a charitable contribution?”

Good luck with that. The trial continues tomorrow.

It’s not a good time to be Adrian Sutil, is it? Although clearly this was coming.

Last April, Sutil was present at a nightclub in China with several other drivers, celebrating Lewis Hamilton’s win at the Chinese Grand Prix. Eric Lux, part owner of the Lotus Renault team, was there. Whatever happened between the two allegedly led to Sutil assaulting (read: stabbing) Lux with a glass.

Sutil claims he was only trying to throw his drink at Lux or  pour it over his head. Lux required two dozen stitches on a cut to his neck. Supposedly the cut was extremely close to a key facial nerve.

Sutil is charged with causing grievous bodily harm. He faces up to a year in jail.

Several drivers could be called in to testify, namely Hamilton, who is good friends with Sutil. The trial is set to take place at the end of this month in Munich.

If it seems weird that Sutil is being charged in Germany with a crime committed in China, it is because under German criminal code, a German national can be charged for a crime committed abroad at home. Lux chose to press charges in Munich.

Sutil remains without a drive next season after Force India announced Nico Hulkenberg as Paul di Resta’s teammate.

Photo from Flickr user nic_r.

Slow. Slow slow slow times. It’s getting desperate out there. I mean people are resorting to asking so much out of Fernando Alonso. See below:

- Some genius decided to ask Fernando Alonso how he feels about Alguersuari losing his seat. The two aren’t even friends. Protip: not everyone from Spain knows each other, isn’t that shocking?

- Alonso believes Ferrari will have a dominant car next season. I’ll believe it when I see it.

- He also welcomes the return of Kimi Raikkonen. See, you can get a decent answer out of him if it’s someone relevant to his interests like a fellow world champion coming back.

- In case you haven’t seen Senna, and you happen to be a Netflix instant subscriber, you can watch it on there right now. And you really should watch it right now. It’s also available on video on demand services, not sure on the cost. The DVD/Blu-Ray version is due out March 6, 2012.

- There is a massive effort underway on Facebook of Bruno Senna fans petitioning Williams to sign Bruno. When I say massive, I mean their Facebook page has more fans than Bruno Senna’s official page. Some Italian site claims Senna is going to look at his options in NASCAR if he doesn’t find a place in F1. I found said article and using my poor understanding of anything but present tense Italian verbs, I think it’s THEIR idea and his.

- Construction at Circuit of the Americas is full speed ahead. Still no info on tickets.

- The constructors of a track in Argentina hope it will attract Formula 1 interest. The track should be completed in 2014. Formula 1 last held a grand prix in Argentina in 1998.

- Allegedly (never gets old) Ferrari is showing some interest in Adrian Sutil. Right.

- Renault is nearly ready to test one of the 2014 spec V6 engines next year.

Photo from Flickr user formula1wolf.

At first it looked like it wasn’t happening today. And then it happened. After weeks of speculation, Force India finally confirmed that Nico Hulkenberg will replace Adrian Sutil. Paul di Resta was also confirmed for his second season with the team.

No word on who replaces Hulkenberg as reserve driver.

This leaves just two obviously open spots: one at Williams and one at HRT.

In other news:

- In the United States, we’re all a bunch of idiots who will not be able to comprehend cars turning left and right all the time at high speeds.

Oh no wait, sorry, Bernie Ecclestone is using the excuse that “the US wants to see profits before anything else” regarding US races. So despite approving not one, but two, American grands prix he thinks the sport will not be big in America.

Just shut up.

Ecclestone also said the US Grand Prix is not guaranteed for 10 years. Of course, there’s never been any mention of the specifics of the new contract between Ecclestone and Circuit of the Americas. Neither seem to want to comment on the length, which possibly could have changed.

- Caterham announced their car has passed the required FIA crash tests. They have not announced when they will reveal their 2012 car.

- Sauber will unveil their car on February 6, the day before pre-season testing starts.

- I’ve been considering adding a bit of GP2 coverage in here, since many drivers come from the series.

The 2012 calendar for GP2 includes 12 events. Each event is made up of two races: one Saturday race with a format similar to an F1 race, and one Sunday shorter sprint race, where the top 8 finishers reversed. So, if you finish 8th on Saturday, you start first on Sunday.
March 23-25 – Sepang, Malaysia
April 20-22 – Sakhir, Bahrain
April 26-28 – Sakhir, Bahrain
May 11-13 – Barcelona, Spain
May 24-26 – Monte Carlo, Monaco
June 22-24 – Valencia, Spain
July 6-8 – Silverstone, Great Britain
July 20-22 – Hockenheim, Germany
July 27-29 – Budapest, Hungary
August 31-Sept 2 – Spa-Francorchamps, Belgium
September 7-9 – Monza, Italy
September 21-23 – Marina Bay, Singapore

- Colin Kolles is leaving HRT effective tomorrow. He has been the team principal for HRT for the past two seasons, and the team was based out of a factory he owns in Germany.

This is part of the step to move the entire team’s operations over to Spain after Thesan capital purchased a controlling share of the team.

No word yet on who will replace Kolles as team principal.

- Out of curiosity, I like to look at the website for Blick, a Swiss newspaper. It’s in German, but I love to see what they say about a couple Swiss hockey players. It is gossipy and I love it.

Well apparently I should have really looked at the top story in the Formula 1 section because I could have written about it in English first!

Supposedly Force India’s lineup will be announced tomorrow, with Nico Hulkenberg replacing Adrian Sutil and Paul di Resta staying on with the team. Jules Bianchi, who is currently with Ferrari, will be the reserve driver. He would be contracted to the team similarly to how Daniel Ricciardo was with HRT.

Apparently there was also a rumor a few days ago that Bianchi would replace Kamui Kobayashi at Sauber. I have got to get in with this gossip quicker.

Additionally, there’s a possibility that team owner and principal Vijay Mallya may leave the team over his finances and lack of agreement with Sahara Group, who bought part of the team a couple months ago.

- The FIA joined Twitter, and started tweeting around 4am eastern time.

- Bernie Ecclestone said it was a mistake for Lewis Hamilton to drop his father as his manager. Ecclestone claims that Hamilton hanging around celebrities was a “bad influence.” I’m pretty sure that no matter who the manager is, celebrities tend to be at Grands Prix, but what do I know.

Hamilton of course responded, saying his problems were his fault and not his new management team’s fault. Duh.
But that’s not all the gossip involving Hamilton! Apparently Nicole Scherzinger still loves him despite their breakup. I personally always go to the press to tell everyone about how beautiful my ex-boyfriends are.

- Eric Boullier has hinted that it’s possible for Bruno Senna to be taking the reserve driver role at Lotus F1. Senna said that he would gladly accept the role if he couldn’t find a full-time drive elsewhere.

- Red Bull Racing plan to unveil their 2012 car on February 5, two days before the first testing session, according to French media.

- Caterham has released their logo for next season. You can see it here.

- Former driver JJ Lehto has been sentenced to a 28 month jail sentence for killing a friend in a boat crash. Lehto was drunk while operating the boat. He is appealing the sentence, claiming he was not the driver although the friend’s injuries indicated otherwise.

Lehto’s best result in F1 was a third place finish in 1991. He drove in the sport from 1989 to 1994. Outside of F1, he won the 24 Hours of Le Mans twice.

Photo from Flickr user nhayashida.

Clearly the most important thing that matters right now is the official confirmation of the New Jersey race tomorrow afternoon. But for a guy with his job on the line, Adrian Sutil has got a few words for the media.

Sutil is clearly not into Vijay Mallya’s idea of waiting until December for driver lineup announcements when the rumors about Hulkenberg taking his seat are flying around in October. Sutil plans to talk with Mallya, though I’m sure he’ll just get the same answer: the current matter for the team is fighting for points with Toro Rosso and Sauber.

Narain Karthikeyan is psyching everyone up for this weekend’s Indian Grand Prix. The HRT reserve driver will be racing this weekend, surprisingly taking Vitantonio Liuzzi’s seat rather than Daniel Ricciardo’s. Narain says it’s going to be a great surprise for his fellow drivers, and for the Indian public. According to him, the casual observer in India expects him to do well but doesn’t quite understand that he’s at the back of the pack. Nevertheless, he figures it’ll be an enjoyable experience for everyone.

From the results on the Red Bull simulator, the Buddh International Circuit could be the second quickest circuit on the calendar this year. The track was designed by Herman Tilke, like most newer tracks. Karthikeyan doesn’t think it will have the same bore factor though, since there’s actually a bit of elevation changes.

Meanwhile, Mumbai is looking into plans to also build a circuit. While not specifically meant for Formula 1, the idea is to attract the “highest levels of car and motorcycle racing.”

Finally, while talking about motorcycle racing, motorsport lost another far too soon. Marco Simoncelli, an Italian MotoGP rider, was killed Sunday morning at the Malaysian Grand Prix. Marco lost his helmet as he went down, and two other riders were unable to avoid him. Thoughts go out to him and his family, along with the entire MotoGP group at this time.

Photo from Flickr user p_c_w.

Kimi at the 2009 Singapore Grand Prix

The Formula 1 rumor mill this weekend is most excellent, isn’t it? (Although I think the creation of an east coast Grand Prix was more a matter of “when” and not “if” ever.)

After being spotted at the Williams HQ a couple weeks back, Kimi Raikkonen was supposedly back at in Grove  to get fitted for a seat. According to Finnish news, he’s also started intense training to get himself back in shape for Formula 1, as training for rallying would not require the same type of training (for instance, F1 requires much more out of the neck muscles). He also may already have some sponsors.

Supposedly, a deal for 2012 could be announced at next weekend’s Indian Grand Prix.

Kimi Raikkonen moved to the World Rally Championship after the 2009 Formula 1 season to make way for Fernando Alonso at Ferrari. He’s also dabbled in NASCAR, but ultimately has only raced once. He was the 2007 Formula 1 world champion.

If he does in fact go to the Williams team, he will likely be taking Rubens Barrichello’s seat. Pastor Maldonado has sponsorship money from the Venezuelan government so he’s not going anywhere just yet.

Also in seat taking news is the man who Maldonado replaced at Williams: Nico Hulkenberg. Hulkenberg, currently a reserve driver for Force India, is rumored to be taking the seat of Adrian Sutil next season. According to a couple sources, this is already a done deal, for 1 year with an option for 2013. Vijay Mallya has said previously that there will be no news of a 2012 driver lineup for his team until December. Then again Mallya said Force India wasn’t for sale, and days later the Indian conglomerate group Sahara bought a 42.5 percent stake in the team, so who knows.

Photo from Flickr user Aural Asia

Surprise rain! Just kidding.

Q1 started out rather crazy. Michael Schumacher, as mentioned 382759 times now, is celebrating 20 years…by starting at the back of the grid tomorrow. Suddenly, one of the rear wheels just completely came off his car. Somebody’s in trouble in the Mercedes garage…

Jenson Button said conditions were worse than the Montreal race. But of course, then it started drying out….and then raining again. Button was able to set the fastest time at just over 2 minutes before the rain started up for the billionth time of the day.

The slowest of the slow (minus Timo Glock) should be excluded from the race according to the 107% rule, but of course they’ll probably use the “it was raining we couldn’t do it” excuse and be in the race. What’s the point of having the 107% rule if you never use it?

Heikki Kovalainen made it into Q2, knocking out a struggling Paul di Resta, except that the cameras decided to focus on the slow cars going to the pits instead. Jarno Trulli and Timo Glock were also knocked out. The two HRT cars and Jerome D’Ambrosio did not set a time fast enough for the 107% rule, but like I said, will probably start in the back anyway.

Q2 went on in a typical fashion for the wet, until Adrian Sutil lost control of his car on the wet paint of the curb just out of Eau Rouge. The session was red flagged soon after to get his car off the track and clear up the debris.

The best part of Spa is that it dries out in some parts while it’s still wet in others. Towards the end of Q2, faster times were finally being set. It got a bit chaotic, with Lewis Hamilton nearly bumping Pastor Maldonado and yet still getting fastest time of the session before Alonso went faster. Maldonado and Hamilton ended up actually hitting AFTER their laps were finished.

Jenson Button was knocked out, surprisingly only finishing 13th. Also knocked out in Q2: Sebastien Buemi, Kamui Kobayashi, Rubens Barrichello, Adrian Sutil, NASCAR Maldonado, and Heikki Kovalainen.

Teams went out on their soft slicks, and Felipe Massa went off track into gravel rather quickly. The dry line allowed the cars to use dry tires, and it didn’t rain again, despite dark clouds hanging overhead.

Times kept getting quicker and quicker as the track dried out. Lewis Hamilton looked to be taking the first non-Red Bull pole of the season, and as the SPEED announcers cheered that on, Vettel stole it from right under his nose by HALF a second.

Felipe Massa actually qualified ahead of Fernando Alonso. Bruno Senna will start P7 in his first race for Lotus Renault. He outqualifies teammate Vitaly Petrov, who will start 10th.

Grid with qualifying times under the cut. It’s entirely possible that Maldonado and possibly Hamilton judging by how much the stewards love him may have some kind of grid penalties later.

UPDATE: Pastor Maldonado has been given a 5 grid spot penalty for his actions. Lewis Hamilton was simply reprimanded, as it should be. All cars will be racing tomorrow.

» Continue reading “Belgian Grand Prix Qualifying Recap”

Ferrari, Red Bull is faster than you in the pit lane. Do you understand this message?

Not the best race for Sebastian Vettel at home, as he finished outside the top 2 for the first time this season. After an early spin (later copied by Michael Schumacher, it’s a German World Champion thing), he couldn’t get higher than 5th, still behind Felipe Massa.

What an end that was, both drivers pitted for the harder tires for just the very last lap, Massa coming in before Vettel. Red Bull, however, got Vettel back out a second before the Ferrari, helping Vettel finish fourth and still maintain  his huge championship points gap.

The rain that had been predicted never fully happened. It sprinkled at the beginning, but rain tires were never necessary. Most drivers ran on the soft tires until Vitaly Petrov changed to them at lap 41.

Lewis Hamilton won the race on a brilliantly planned change to the hard tires, while also making an incredible pass on Fernando Alonso as he came back out after changing to them. Mark Webber had been leading the race, but he was not able to maintain a large enough gap as the two on new tires had dropped their lap times significantly.

Nick Heidfeld’s home race ended early after a bump off by Sebastien Buemi. I’m afraid I’m going to start calling him Sebastien “The Caboose” Buemi, as he’ll be getting a five grid spot penalty for the collision, after he started this race dead last due to a fuel irregularity.

It was also not a good race for Jenson Button, with his second consecutive DNF. A hydraulics problem took him out of the race.

Hamilton takes third place in the championship standings ahead of Alonso now. We’ll be back next week in Hungary, back on SPEED, which means no more time delayed races!

Practice Makes P1 Star of the Race: Adrian Sutil. Sutil always comes out of nowhere to finish so high. He just stays on it, doesn’t spin, doesn’t make many mistakes, and finishes pretty well into the points. I’d say he had a pretty good home race too, since he finished second highest of the six Germans! Kamui Kobayashi is definitely the P2 Star of the Race, as he finished 9th after starting 17th.

Practice Makes P1 Idiot of the Race: FOX/SPEED Announcers. Seriously? You guys are supposed to be professionals and you hope Sebastian Vettel doesn’t win another race this season just like how 2009 worked out for Jenson Button? If he was Lewis Hamilton, I bet it would be a whole different story. Stay classy.

Click below for the full results.

» Continue reading “German Grand Prix Race Recap”