Despite some troubles with Spanish wiring and website building technology, we have still managed to get GP+ to you just six hours after the race…
Formula 1 returned to Europe with the Spanish Grand Prix in Barcelona. The story was much the same as it has been at the early races of the year with Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg battling for victory and the lead in the World Championship. It was a close run thing with Lewis hanging on by his fingertips as Nico closed in. Another lap and it might have been a different story. His fourth consecutive victory means that Lewis has finally got ahead of Nico in the title race but the pair are just three points apart as the F1 circus heads to Monaco.
This week’s GrandPrix+ features
– Homage to Ayrton Senna and Roland Ratzenberger 20 years after Imola
– We look at the planned Grands Prix in Russia and Azerbaijan
– We remember Nigel Stepney
– Senna and Piquet at war
– DT takes the side of the small F1 teams
– JS hits the road
– While Peter Nygaard and his team capture Barcelona in all its glory
GP+ is a racing magazine like racing magazines used to be, but is published in electronic form in PDF format, so you can read it on a laptop or a tablet. We take you behind the scenes in the F1 paddock and explain what is really going on. We have forthright opinions and we don’t care if we knock noses out of joint. There are plenty of fascinating stories from Grand Prix history as well, plus great photography and old style reporting, giving you a blow-by-blow account of what happened, both in qualifying and in the race, so you have a proper record which can stay in your computer for years to come.
It’s a real bargain. You get 22 issues for £29.99, covering the entire 2014 Formula 1 season. And all for the price of a pizza and a couple of drinks. And if that is not value for money, we don’t know what is.
For more information, go to http://www.grandprixplus.com.
You my need to check that the settings of the front page. The down load comes out looking ” a bit rough”.
There is a software disaster story there but we got the mag out. I will fix the picture quality testing today.
Thanks for a good read as always.
I know that Sebastian Vettel is probably a very nice person, i.e., kind to his mother and gentle with small animals. That said, I have to admit to more than a little bit of schadenfreude with his problems this year. I’m sure he wishes that Mark Webber was back, because all — all– of the bad luck always fell on Mark. And, Helmut Marko’s petty remark about now having an Australian driver that could challenge his boy is coming back to haunt him. I couldn’t be happier.
Joe, Why do I always have a problem getting the latest version. Your blog says Spain is out but when I look up GP+ It still shows China. Have this problem each time
Cheers
S
It is probably to do with the cache of your browser that needs to be restarted on each visit or reverts to what it saw last time. I have no idea why but I cannot do anything to change your settings!
Thanks for another excellent issue. Loved all the Senna content. As for yesterday, it so reminded me of Alain v Ayrton at the peak of McLaren’s domination with best of the rest DR a mighty 49 sec adrift at the end. May others get their act together to make this year’s championship more than a two horse race. At least SV looked more like his old self on his charge from 15th to 4th.
All credit to Mercedes for the superb car they have engineered and the performances of their drivers. Are we going down the AP v AS route there too though as Hammy was often a tad tetchy on the radio, causing Brundle to suggest he had got out of the wrong side of bed yesterday, and post race before the podium ceremony there was a clear frostiness and lack of communication between the pair. So different to the laddish fun they enjoyed in the same situation post Bahrain. Just an observation. Bring on the jewel in F1’s crown.
To be honest. If every time I built the gap asked by the team they lost half of it in the pit stop I’d be tetchy too. He should have had another 3 second cushion from Ros if they had their act together in pit lane. Win or not I’d be asking questions.
Strong, emotive, informed, personal, wonderful stuff!
@rpaco: I certainly second the motion. The high quality; breadth and depth of the retrospectives on Senna were impressive; profound and occasionally heart wrenching. This edition of the magazine is undoubtedly one of the finest by the indefatigable Joe and his associates. Thanks guys
*yawn*
I know the British F1 press (not you, Joe) is trying to make people believe Hamilton domination is more entertaining than Vettel domination and that Hamilton is more deserving, but this motorsport fan ain’t drinking the kool-aid.
It is more interesting because he is being challenged. If you cannot see that you need to take a course in watching motor races. These are strategic masterpieces.
The difference is Hamilton has a highly and consistently competitive team-mate who is allowed to beat him. Not only allowed, in fact, but judging by the tire strategies and radio messages, the two team-mates are being actively encouraged to race and compete with each other. This is a far cry from the Vettel-Webber days where Vettel had a variable team-mate, who had more off days than on, and Vettel received the lion’s share of the focus from the team. I would really like some of the other teams to challenge Mercedes this year to make it more exciting, but if that does not happen at least we can expect a thrilling Rosberg-Hamilton battle. THAT is what makes this domination far more entertaining than Red Bull’s.
“God turned his back”…oh brother. Is that s quote from the Gomorrah Gazette? I find that headline as silly as believing a man who cheats to win is “deeply religious”.
I hope we are now done with the Senna love in.
What an offensive person you are.
Why the hell are they running the GMM content on GrandPrix.com? Sacrilege surely.
It is sacrilege, and it annoys me intensely but the bloke running http://www.grandprix.com is lazy and unqualified so he accepts crap rather than doing the job properly. I would take it over tomorrow and turn it around if his ego would allow him to let it go.
no good trying to butter him up ..
Any takeover news as I hear here is more than a Slim chance of something happening soon
What’s the significance of this?
Really wonderful edition Joe and Co – thank you for that. The Senna retrospectives were a cut above anything else I’ve read about the 20th anniversary; made possible by your combined extensive experiences.
If people haven’t subscribed yet, they damned well should!
Hi Joe,
Do you want to comment the battle of the teammates at Ferrari?
A biased forum poster postulated the following post-race:
“1. Give more HP to Alonso by cheating with KERS: Check
2. Undercut Kimi despite having Alonso 2nd: Check
3. Give the superior strategy to Alonso: Check
4. Sabotage Kimi with used tires on a 22-lap stint : Check”
Did Ferrari top brass want Fernando come out on top in Spain? Did they act on it?
There were some odd decisions made in Spain.
Do you think those odd decisions were related to the presence of some Spanish team sponsors?
An amusing post. I don’t believe for a moment Ferrari “cheated” with Alonso’s MGU-K power output in qualifying. Not that I would put cheating past Ferrari – but because there would simply be too little to gain and far too much to lose if Alonso’s car was one of the four cars randomly checked under scrutineering. I don’t think it was deliberate from Ferrari, just careless and if could have ended up with Alonso disqualified from qualifying and having to start at the back at the steward’s discretion. That being said I agree with Joe’s comment about odd decisions. Kimi’s radio messages about “Who is choosing the strategies” combined with his down-trodden demeanor after the race certainly has the look of a situation where Kimi did not have any choice in matters. I hope Ferrari are not favoring Alonso in an attempt to stop him moving elsewhere, but sadly I fear this might start to be the case.
Thanks again for a great issue!
Great issue and pictures (didn’t know they made overalls that big). Also GP2 and GP3 stories were very interesting. Any chance to include European F3?
Brent
The headline The weekend that God turned his back is, as you would see if you read the story properly, a personal comment.
If you don’t like that, or the comments and insight into Ayrton (and Roland) from three seasoned, cynical and decidedly non-hagiographic writers who were actually there and know what they are writing about and wanted to share that knowledge, don’t read GP+.
I’ll quite happily give you your money back.
Joe’s right. You are offensive. Clearly all the effort that went into producing one of the best issues of GP+ was wasted on you.
Indeed, David – and Joe and the Hack and Peter – I think this is your best issue yet. OK I’m a slow reader, but I downloaded the magazine 48 hours ago and I haven’t got to the Spanish Grand Prix yet!
I was going to second rpaco above, but I think I’ll do it here instead.
Thanks again
Sam
Brilliant issue guys well done!
Thank you
John
One of my favourite issues – although sadly very much dominated by deaths.
The level of personal insight in this issue, both from the authors and those they have interviewed, has given the stories a far more human perspective. Well done.
Funniest moment;
Hamilton (team radio); “My rear’s all over the place”
Brundle; “Imodium’s good for that”