Bleacher Report - Articles by shaun hartley

Formula One: Adrian Sutil's Heartbreak In Monte Carlo

shaun hartley — Tue, 27 May 2008 21:31:21 -0400

Sunday's Monaco Grand Prix proved heartbreaking for Force India, as Adrian Sutil was robbed of his best result ever.

The young German was fighting for fourth place with less than ten minutes to go, when he was rammed from behind by Ferrari's Kimi Raikkonen.

The reigning champion aquaplaned on standing water at the braking point of the chicane and slammed into the back of the Sutil's car.

The collision damaged the German's diffuser and suspension and smashed Kimi's own front wing. Kimi pitted and would eventually finish in ninth place, while the damage sustained from the accident forced Sutil to retire from the race.

Had the team finished the race, they would have leapfrogged Honda and Toro Rosso in the Constructors Championship, and the five points gained would have earned the team around £5 million in prize money.

Unfortunately, it just was not to be for the team on Sunday. Rest assured, Sutil and the Force India team will be back in Canada determined to prove that Monaco was not a false dawn.

Formula One: Giancarlo Fisichella, The Reborn Underdog

shaun hartley — Mon, 19 May 2008 23:05:46 -0400

Giancarlo Fisichella has been a breath of fresh air to the reinvigorated Force India squad this year.

The Italian veteran has been driving the wheels off the VJM/01 this year and has put in some giant-killing performances in sub-standard machinery, putting his teammate firmly in the shadows.

The whole team seems to be making genuine progress this year, as it aims to leave the back of the grid behind and fight with teams such as Toro Rosso, Toyota and Honda.

Hopefully, Monaco may provide the team with a decent chance of troubling the points scorers for the first time.

"Fisi" has often gone well around Monaco, and his experience could pay dividends as the team try to break into the Top Eight.

Where next for Davidson?

shaun hartley — Thu, 15 May 2008 21:35:49 -0400

After Super Aguri's recent demise, there seem to be very few options left in F1 for Anthony Davidson.

The plucky British star showed he had lost none of his racing spirit in 2007 after 5 years as a test and reserve driver, with Ant frequently punching above his and the teams weight with some superb drives most notably Australia 2007 where he was racing in severe pain throughout after a clash with Adrian Sutil (Force India) and had to have a drip in his arm immediately after the race.

Unfortunately in his season and a bit in F1 these drives didn't lead to any points finishes.

His options in F1 appear limited. He could return to a test driver role but then there is a risk of being cast aside for newer, younger talent.

So for the short term at least, Ant's date with F1 has ended in despair

Formula One: Can Renault Surprise in Monaco?

shaun hartley — Wed, 14 May 2008 21:52:20 -0400

Well, we're five races in and Renault are still well and truly stuck in midfield obscurity, but Monaco may prove to be their best chance of scoring a shock result.

Fernando Alonso has always gone well around the streets of Monte Carlo, and with the circuit's tight and twisty nature, that may be all the ingredients Renault needs to pull off a podium or maybe even a victory.

Of course, qualifying will provide the real answer as to whether Renault can challenge. Maybe if they get the set-up in qualifying right, they could find themselves in a prime position come Sunday.

Here's to a thrilling race on Sunday!