Jaime Alguersuari - Current news

My week before Monza: time to get over the penalty

Mon, 06 Sep 2010 00:00:00 +0000

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Before reviewing my week before the Italian GP, I would like to send my sincere condolences to the family of Shoya Tomizawa. The news shocked me during yesterday, and I want to desire all the courage to the motorcycle world, which I have always considered very close to me. Jorge Lorenzo summed it up well for the TV at the end of the MotoGP race: when things like this happen, the sport does not matter at all. Rest in peace, Shoya...

Going back to my week before Monza, I've got over the disappointment of losing my point for tenth place in Spa, even if I never expected to get that sort of penalty as I did not make up any places as a result of the move I made on track, nor did I make up much time. But it was a very difficult situation to evaluate given the track conditions at the time. But it happened, so you get over it and move on. In general, I was quite happy with my performance in Belgium, because I did my best and that will be the same philosophy this weekend in Monza.

This past weekend, I was in Warsaw, Poland for a couple of days to attend a Red Bull event, where I ended up taking on the winner of a go-kart race, as well as all the usual media work, interviews and so on. Mark Webber was also there, which gave us a chance to talk and get to know one another, as we never really have an opportunity to do so at the races. This was my first time in Poland and I was able to visit parts of Warsaw, which was very interesting. I have always liked learning about history, particularly the Second World War, so I was glad that I got the opportunity to see old parts of the city, including the old Jewish ghetto area, where you could still see the holes in the walls from the bullets and artillery fire. It made a big impression on me, thinking of the events that had happened there.

Back home in Barcelona, I have also been working on my studio to get it ready to do some recording when I have a bit more time in the winter and apart from that, it has been the usual routine of training and chilling a bit at home. But now I am can't wait to pack my bag and head for Italy and the next race this weekend. Monza was always a good track for me when I raced here in the junior formulas, getting some strong results and in my second year of driving a Formula 1 car at the circuit I expect a lot more than I did last year. My initial target will be to make sure I qualify in the top fifteen at least. The races at Monza are always awesome, both to drive and to watch, because of the high speeds and the fact this is the one circuit where you can really slipstream other cars, which is an interesting experience, so I am keen to see how our car works on this track.

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Jaime Alguersuari after the Belgian GP: "I accept the penalty but I did not deserve it"

Tue, 31 Aug 2010 00:00:00 +0000

"I have taken part in 24 Formula 1 Grands Prix. I know that I learn fast, not only to understand my Toro Rosso and to get to know the tracks, but also to assume how Formula 1 works inside, and the illogical and logical implementation of the regulations.

I accept the penalty as it cannot be otherwise.

Not for a moment it came to my mind at the end of the race, the best and the hardest I've disputed so far in F1, that my unequal struggle with Liuzzi, he on extreme wet tyres and me with intermediates, could end up with a penalty that took away a point so hardly-won.

The facts were these.

In the penultimate lap of the race, I had already decided that Liuzzi was not going to take away that point from me.

I braked hard at the entrance before the finish line, and I lost the rear part for a moment. I did not have direction of the single-seater and due to the water I flew over the chicane.

At that moment Liuzzi was one second behind me, so I fought the chicane alone, and he behind me.

In a word, I did not win any position, the difference with Liuzzi on that sector, I repeated it on the last lap passing the chicane correctly.

Things are like that, the penalty is accepted and it is just an anecdote.

What counts for me in short, was my performance throughout the weekend.

A few weeks ago I said that every day I feel better and better, and I maintain this."]]>

Jaime Alguersuari: World-Class Driver

Sun, 29 Aug 2010 00:00:00 +0000

Well, Jaime Alguersuari, like any other driver, without knowing it has undergone thousands of tests like this throughout his career. One of them, the one of the writer of these lines, arrived late, Jaime had already a good CV in karting and some encouraging results in Formula Renault 1600. I confess that I did not pay the deserved attention before for pure prejudice: his last name made me think that for this deep-eyed boy, racing was more of a parental commitment than a professional vocation. How wrong I was!

Without going into the story, I will say that Jaime convinced me one day of 2006 in Barcelona: he was a "formulable" driver, the best you can be with 16 years old and a steering wheel in your hands. The whys, incontestable: fast and tough on the track, stubborn with his engineers, conciliatory with his mechanics, sympathetic with the sponsors and skilled with the journalists. He radiated the maturity of a good GP2 driver when he still had not jumped into the two liters.

Today, in addition to that chronic precocity, it is clear that Jaime has the gift of rapid progress, and with few mistakes. The errors he commits he admits them, and he rarely stumbles twice on the same stone. Surely, this character was what gave Red Bull the final confidence 'push' to sign him as official driver for Toro Rosso. The gamble paid off: the youngest F1 driver is now a safe value.

Nor can we ignore that Jaime's environment is enviable and envied: from his genetic load up to the last details of his 'approach' to a Grand Prix bear the stamp of a family living literally in the automotive world. But this, though undeniable, it's only a good influence. What really has merit is to have grappled with the best family hopes without these 'engulfing' him, something very common in the training of young talented athletes. It is not the case of Jaime, who has demonstrated a unique character, non-transferable, without confusing it with pride.

In short, in his 20s, Jaime Alguersuari is a world-class driver. He races in Formula 1, and it is no coincidence: neither money nor luck, nor the sponsors can help anyone to close one season and a half in the premier class category, let alone inside the Red Bull structure. For some it will be obvious, but worth repeating, because sometimes it seems that having three Spanish drivers on the grid forces to allocate the admiration between all of them while they really deserve it individually.

Alguersuari will stay in Formula 1, because he has the qualities that allow him to do so. He has enormous potential, he has everything you need to have. Unfortunately, this does not assure a place in the firmament of F1, because success in racing is like accidents: a combination of circumstances. Not to go further, the brilliant Argentinean driver Carlos Alberto Reutemann was said to be the right man in the right place. but at the wrong time. The good news is that so far, Jaime has controlled to perfection even the 'timing' of his career, therefore hands on the wheel and pedal to the metal!
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Belgian GP, race: "It has been the hardest GP"

Sun, 29 Aug 2010 00:00:00 +0000

championship, making his debut without a single mile of test in August 2009, would have been
able to realize a race like Jaime Alguersuari has done under the weather conditions that have
occurred today in Spa. The legendary circuit, where the best ones consecrate themselves, has been the
scenario where Jaime has become the man that all the teams see as the future of F1.

Starting in the eleventh position behind Fernando Alonso, assuming an unexpected shutdown
determined by the team in the early stages of the race, which sent him to the bottom of the
rankings along with Alonso and from there, Fernando and Jaime have made an epic comeback
bringing Jaime eventually to grasp another point in this season (later given to Liuzzi after a post race penalty), adding a total of 4 points, and to
become the best Spaniard after Alonso’s accident.

We found Jaime just as he gets out of his car, and these have been his thrilling words after this
great race:

"It was the hardest Grand Prix of my career, but the point I scored tasted like
my first victory in F1.

The weekend has been very full for me because I put everything I know and all I feel in bringing
the car to its maximum capacity.

Yesterday I did a lap of vertigo with semi-wet track where I took risks and decisions of poker
player. I started in the eleventh position behind Fernando. I knew the race would be complicated
and that the rain would come on time for its appointment.

But it pulled a dirty trick on us.

It appeared so briefly at the beginning of the race that both Ferrari and Toro Rosso, believed
that it was time for the comeback and Fernando and I went into the pits.

That did not work because we both went to the bottom of the rankings, the track got dried and
our race was a succession of crazy overtakings.

Fernando had a better rhythm than me but I did not lose the trail, and one by one the rivals
dropped out. The toughest were, Buemi first, and then later Liuzzi and finally Pedro de la Rosa.

To overtake Pedro I took advantage of a karting strategy, I saw that Vettel was coming very
strong from the back when Pedro was at less than a second away, I turned away and gave
every facility to Vettel for overtaking me and in my head was spinning the idea, "Sebastian leave
me the door open, open the door Sebastian, and it worked.

Pedro is very brave and a fighter, he wanted to hold off Vettel, he went a bit long and the door
was opened for me. So I got to the eleventh position, until we got hit by the great downpour we
expected from the beginning.

I had switch to semi tires of water, like almost everybody. But Fernando’s crash at five laps to
the end upset everything.

There was so much water on the track that we needed to drive with extreme rain tires.

Virtually all the drivers behind me wanted the 10th point, they wanted it. Pedro de la Rosa,
Liuzzi, Buemi, etc ... They used the Safety to switch to extreme rain tires. I did not move from
my place.

When the Safety pulled out, it was madness. Pedro overtook me, but then he came out, and
Liuzzi was pushing me, but I had the ability to hold the car practically sailing the track rather
than racing during the last three laps.

The race today lasted an hour and 48 minutes, today could have been a great day, and it ended
up being a great day, but I lost ten positions in the opening laps and I won eleven positions in
one hour and a half.

I won eleven positions and I scored a new point that tastes like a victory"]]>

Jaime Alguersuari completes an excellent job at Spa

Sun, 29 Aug 2010 00:00:00 +0000

Alguersuari wanted rain, but the race begun with a completely dry tarmac. The Spaniard attacked Nico Hulkenberg in the first approximation to the braking of La Source, but both were finally overtaken by Nico Rosberg, relegating Jaime to 12th. One lap later rain appeared for the first time this afternoon, opening a wide range of strategies. Unlike the front-runners, Alguersuari switched to intermediate tires, a decision that was, in his own words, the only mistake of the entire weekend. In fact, two laps later, the catalan returned to the pit lane to re-assemble the dry tires and rejoin the race in 16th place.

Jaime's comeback to the top ten spots was based, once again, in his great regularity and the complete absence of mistakes. Gradually, he make his way into the pack to reach the 11th on lap 26, after overtaking Pedro de la Rosa. At this moment, it was clear that he was driving well above the real capacity of STR5, but Vitaly Petrov, 10th, was objectively beyond his reach.

The long-awaited rain made once again an appearance at the 32nd lap, unleashing again madness and mistakes. Jaime pitted two laps later, switching to intermediates. The Catalan continued to drive extra carefully, knowing that there was still a long race to go. Fernando Alonso went off the track on lap 37, deploying the safety car and grouping the pack again. Jaime was already in the points, but he should have to face a big disadvantage at the last grasp of the race: the tyres. Unlike some of the drivers that followed his Toro Rosso, who changed to extreme wets, Alguersuari was still resisting with his set of intermediates.

The third act of the race started with bad news for Jaime. In the 40th lap, Pedro de la Rosa took advantage of the increased grip of his extreme wet tires and overtook him, escaping without remedy. But Jaime continued to fight defending himself from the attacks of Vitantonio Liuzzi, who was 12th. The adventure of De la Rosa in the points lasted exactly one lap, until one aquaplaning sent his Sauber off the track, an accident that left Jaime again in the points, which he defended to the flag. Nevertheless, with three laps to go, Jaime cut the Bus Stop Chicane, a maneouvre that cost him a post race 20 second penalty that has delayed him to 13th place.

The F-1 Circus will be back in two weeks at the fast Monza circuit, home of the Italian Grand Prix.]]>

Belgian GP, Qualifying Session: "My lap has been like a poker game"

Sat, 28 Aug 2010 00:00:00 +0000

"We do not have the F-Duct, which we hope to have in Singapore, and both Buemi and I knew that fighting in dry conditions is not an optimistic challenge for us.

Williams and Sauber have made some very important improvements and only a very specific weather conditions on the track could help us.

And it happened!

Spa put all the elements to get the most out of my Toro Rosso, a crazy weather, changing from extremely wet to extremely dry in a few seconds, without ever knowing at what moment will it happen.

The Quali has been the craziest I’ve taken part in my F-1 career.

I made a successful lap and despite hitting many wet areas I got off well and could be qualyfied into Q2.

But what happened in Q2 was exciting and unpredictable.

The track was mostly dry except for two high-speed turns. In the downstream part of the second sector, where under normal conditions is where you can set the best lap time.

It was a dilemma for everyone: how to face two wet high-speed turns when you get there at high speed on slick tires.

I faced it as a poker game, also because my engineer informed me through the radio that I was in Q3. For those who love F-1, I would have taken them with me in this lap. It was a poker gamble, braking just a bit, and passing; but the question was, how long, how short and at what intensity!

I did my combination, I knew that there was much risk involved but I cannot complain of the result.

Finally, in the last 4 minutes, the sun shone enough to dry these two turns and did not see my efforts rewarded with the Q3.

Thirteenth with the help of fortune, but the disappearance of the two Mercedes after several penalties placed me finally in the eleventh position, next to Alonso.

It’s an honor to share the starting grid with Alonso, as I did last year in the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.

Before Spa I said in a statement that I feel much more comfortable and I stress that I never like to talk if I don’t have a deep conviction. Every day I feel better and more akin to the car and the team."]]>

Alguersuari signs his best qualifying in F-1 and will start from P11

Sat, 28 Aug 2010 00:00:00 +0000

To begin with, a nightmare. Fearing an storm, Alguersuari has been one of the many drivers stacked at the exit of the pit lane to set a quick flying lap. However, his mission has come to nothing after the spin of Vitaly Petrov, who has caused a red flag. On the restart, the dreaded rain made an appearance at the very same moment that Alguersuari was starting his first timed lap, ruining it completely. The tension was palpable in the environment. If it continue to rain, there would be no possible room for improvement. If the conditions came dry again, it would be a few laps gamble.

Toro Rosso opted for prudence and, after sending their drivers to the track to check the performance of the intermediate tires, Franz Tost finally opted for the more risky cards: two laps with slicks. And Jaime scored a superb 1'58.944, over 1.5 seconds faster than his teammate, rosing to 13th place and saving himself from the knockout zone.

In Q2, held over a completely dry track, Alguersuari signed for a start a consecutive 1'52.863 and 1'50.460. In his second attempt, now with soft tires, the Spaniard lowered his times to sign the definitive 1'48.267, which was worth P13. Jaime endorsed nearly a second to his teammate for the third time this season and will benefit from the grid punishment of both Mercedes, which will let him start from 11th place.

The race will start tomorrow at 14 hours in the afternoon and, in case of rain, we could see Alguersuari fighting for the points.]]>