Formula 1 2012: Round 15 - Japanese GP

Jordan 199

So F1 visits Japan for this weekends GP. It's one of my favourite circuits on the calendar.

Suzuka held its first GP in 1987 which Gerhard Berger won and the circuit has hosted 23 Japanese GP's.

7 drivers were crowned F1 champions at Suzuka:

Nelson Piquet: 1987. Ayrton Senna: 1988, 1990 & 1991.

Alain Prost: 1989. Damon Hill: 1996.

Mika Hakkinen: 1998 & 1999. Michael Schumacher: 2000 & 2003.

Sebastien Vettel: 2011.

The circuit is also known for its championship deciding collisions between Alain Prost & Ayrton Senna in 1989 & 1990.

In 2002, Takuma Sato did a superb job to finish 5th in the Jordan Honda. It was the only Honda powered car to finish the race.

In 2005, Kimi Raikkonen overtook Giancarlo Fisichella on the last lap of the race and won. Kimi started 17th.

duke916

Button already down 5 places before the race starts.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/formula1/19797448

This guy is really getting a raw deal this year. Wonder if he's looking at Hamilton leaving McLaren and thinking "hmm, thats not a bad idea".

Jordan 199

duke916 wrote: »

This guy is really getting a raw deal this year. Wonder if he's looking at Hamilton leaving McLaren and thinking "hmm, thats not a bad idea".

I think Jenson will finish out his career at McLaren. I can't see him moving on at all.

Ghost Train

McLaren are due a title one of these years, with Hamilton leaving it focuses the team on Button and might buy him an extra year or two at the top level while McLaren work on somebody for the other seat. I'd say Button is pretty happy to be the main driver in a top team for a while

Do love Suzuka, hope it delivers a good race this year.

duke916

Jordan 191 wrote: »

I think Jenson will finish out his career at McLaren. I can't see him moving on at all.

Cant see him staying for the remainder of his career. Good stint at Williams, Braun and now McLaren, even though the car has had bad reliability problems. When Vettel goes to Ferrari, or even when Webber is moved on, watch Button become hot property to fill a place at Redbull.

Myrddin

duke916 wrote: »

watch Button become hot property to fill a place at Redbull.

My thoughts exactly, I was just about to post this

Jordan 199

duke916 wrote: »

Cant see him staying for the remainder of his career. Good stint at Williams, Braun and now McLaren, even though the car has had bad reliability problems. When Vettel goes to Ferrari, or even when Webber is moved on, watch Button become hot property to fill a place at Redbull.

He signed a new contract at McLaren late last year which will keep him there for several years, so I can see him finishing out his career there.

Jordan 199

DRS zone shortened for the race on Sunday.

From Autosport:

The FIA has announced that DRS zone for the Japanese Grand Prix will be shorter for this year's race.

The ruling body has decided to shorten the zone by 20 meters compared to last year, when the detection point was 70 metres after Turn 15 and the activation point 30 metres after Turn 18.

For this year's event, however, the detection zone will be 50m before Turn 16 and the activation zone is at the Control Line after Turn 18.

In 2010, before DRS was introduced in F1, there were seven overtaking moves completed at Suzuka.

Last year, in contrast, there were 59 on-track changes of position.

From 7 to 59, that's some jump :eek:

Myrddin

Jordan 191 wrote: »

From 7 to 59, that's some jump :eek:

Yeah it went from one extreme to another, though the artificial nature of DRS is now completely eclipsed by the tyres in most cases

Max_Charger

Driver press conference has Perez, Button, Hamilton, Di Resta, Massa and Kobayashi. Should be a good'un. Only catch is it's on at 6 tomorrow morning...

De Hipster

Some true greats crowned champion in Suzuka - fantastic legacy.


Vettel going to Ferrari makes me sad - I've completely lost the passion for a team that so blatantly and repeatedly displays contempt for the rules, spirit of the sport and most importantly the fans.

Cookie_Monster

De Hipster wrote: »

Vettel going to Ferrari makes me sad - I've completely lost the passion for a team that so blatantly and repeatedly displays contempt for the rules, spirit of the sport and most importantly the fans.

who? Red Bull? Or McLaren? Or Ferrari?

freestyla

De Hipster wrote: »

Some true greats crowned champion in Suzuka - fantastic legacy.


Vettel going to Ferrari makes me sad - I've completely lost the passion for a team that so blatantly and repeatedly displays contempt for the rules, spirit of the sport and most importantly the fans.

Cookie_Monster wrote: »

who? Red Bull? Or McLaren? Or Ferrari?

Ferrari

freestyla

some details of Pirelli for Suzuka:

frostie500

The Japanese Grand Prix is always a highlight of the Formula 1 season. The drivers love the Suzuka circuit, one of the true drivers’ circuits, while the fans love the atmosphere of the frenzied Japanese locals. For everyone watching on TV in Europe it also provides the challenges of a night race...do I stay up or get up.

This weekend’s race in Japan has added significance because it could play a huge role in the destination of the world championship this year. Fernando Alonso still holds a commanding championship lead but the Ferrari has been off the pace in recent races and it has only been Alonso’s superb driving that has allowed him to maintain his lead.

How much longer can this run of form last? This weekend’s race could be the turning point in the championship with the McLaren and Red Bull cars sure to be faster and while both have had issues in recent weeks it would be very surprising if they do not relegate Alonso to a much smaller role in Sunday’s race.

The Suzuka Circuit

Suzuka features a unique figure of eight layout and is consistently ranked as one of the drivers’ favourite races of the year. With fast flowing corners that link immediately from one turn to the next it is easy to see why the drivers love Suzuka and also why it is such a test of both the driver and car.

Vettel’s thoughts on the circuit are echoed by the entire grid with the 24 year old saying:

“Suzuka is one of my favourite tracks; it really couldn’t have been built any better,” said the championship leader. “The first sector up to the Degner Curve is the most spectacular and challenging of the whole season. The 130R is legendary; it’s great fun to drive straight through this left-hand bend.”

Caterham’s Heikki Kovalainen talks us through the lap:

“Suzuka is one of the races everybody looks forward to and I’m no different. It’s a proper track, exactly the sort of circuit you want to drive F1 cars on as it has everything – high speed corners where you can really feel the downforce working, medium speed sections where it’s all about car balance and some of the most passionate fans in the world.

“For me the best bit of the track is in sector one, from T1 to T7. You go into T1 and T2 at high speed and if you’re not fully committed you can lose a lot of time right at the start of the lap. Out of T2 the track is positively cambered and you can really lean on the car as you go into T3. From there, right through to T7 if the car is well balanced the whole section seems to flow. It’s a great feeling when you get it right, but get it wrong and you lose a lot of time.”

Suzuka is a circuit tailor made for Hamilton as he looks to bounce back from his Singapore retirement. The Englishman was in stunning form before his gearbox failure and he will know that anything less than a win this weekend could mean the end of his championship challenge.

He should be able to call on the best car in the field with McLaren almost certain to once again have the fastest car around Suzuka. The team have made steady improvements since the British Grand Prix and have a dominant car, particularly in high speed corners such as those seen at Suzuka.

“When I first raced here in 2009, I couldn’t believe a place like this could still exist in Formula One,” said Hamilton. “It still feels like a proper old-school circuit. It doesn’t have the polish or finesse of an ultra-modern track, but is all the better for it. It’s fantastically quick, too, and very difficult to master. It’s an unforgiving place, and it also has that special atmosphere that you only get in Japan, for some reason.

“I think that’s due to the fans - they’re what make any visit to a racetrack in Japan feel so special. They’re very passionate about Formula One, but also extremely polite and friendly. They make you feel very special every day when you’re going in and out of the circuit."

Suzuka is a circuit that places a tremendous strain on the tyres with huge loads being pressed through the tyres for almost the entire lap. With the opening section of the circuit seeing drivers flow from turn one all the way to the Spoon Curve that leads drivers onto the back straight there is no opportunity for the drivers, or the tyres, to breathe and as a result Suzuka is consistently one of the circuits on the calendar with the highest tyre wear rates.

Focus on Hamilton this weekend

With confirmation of his move to Mercedes Lewis Hamilton will be looking to sign off from McLaren with a second world title. The Englishman has driven beautifully for most of the year but has found himself involved in numerous accidents and his recent retirement in Singapore places him at a severe disadvantage to Alonso.

The Spaniard has been a picture of consistency throughout the year whereas Hamilton has consistently been the fastest driver on the grid but been involved in other people’s accidents or suffered mechanical failures. With six races remaining the time is nigh for Lewis to win races consistently and start edging his way towards Alonso in the championship standings.

Suzuka is the perfect place for Hamilton to visit following his Singapore disappointment. It is a track that plays to both his and McLaren’s strengths-high speed corners. Suzuka is filled with them and the balance of the McLaren has consistently allowed Hamilton, and Jenson Button, to rave about the grip from their very first test of the car.

McLaren has won four of the last five races and with Hamilton having been commanding the race in Singapore it is clear that the silver cars are the class of the field. It is now imperative that Hamilton can take advantage of this fact for the rest of the campaign.

Speaking ahead of this weekend’s race Hamilton’s mindset was clear. “In terms of the championship, there’s nothing to really be gained by analysing the points tables. From now on, it’s simply gloves off. As in Singapore, I’ll come out fighting - I’ll just be hoping for a better result.”

Alonso needs to find performance

Fernando Alonso holds a 29 point championship lead over Sebastian Vettel but with Ferrari struggling for performance it is clear that this could easily evaporate in the coming races.

Alonso has been magnificent this season in finding a way to consistently get the maximum from the car and finish races on the podium. He will need to continue doing this for the rest of the year because it seems unlikely that the Ferrari will have the speed to challenge for wins.

The team has lost its way in the development race throughout the summer and with McLaren firing on all cylinders and Red Bull poised to pounce on any mistakes by Woking outfit it leaves Ferrari struggling to offer anything other than token resistance.

In Singapore the plight of Alonso was clear. He lacked downforce and as a result was off the pace. A third place finish was a positive result given the circumstances but an improvement is now needed if they are to win the title.

Alonso will always get the most from the car but with so many medium speed circuits upcoming where downforce is crucial it is likely that the Prancing Horse will struggle to match the galloping McLaren’s and Red Bull’s.

“It’s a little bit difficult to predict,” said Alonso. “I think all this year we've been up and down for all the teams and it's the same for us. For sure, we need to improve the performance we saw in Singapore. We struggled all weekend. Positions five and 13 for our cars is not what we were hoping for so we need to be in a better position in Suzuka. Maybe Silverstone is also quite similar to Suzuka and we were quite okay there so hopefully we can repeat that kind of performance.”

In Singapore the team brought new aerodynamic parts that failed to offer a performance advantage. This is fairly typical for teams in this era of no testing so it will be worth watching to see if Ferrari has since found a way to unlock the potential of the new parts. If they have there is life in Alonso’s title challenge. If however they haven’t, the Spaniard will once again be relying on his wits rather than his weaponry.

Lotus looking to turn the corner

Lotus will finally bring their “double DRS” to Suzuka. The team have been trialling it since the German Grand Prix in July but now feel that it is ready for use in a Grand Prix. For Kimi Raikkonen it comes not a moment too soon.

The Finn has lost his momentum in the last three races and is 45 points adrift of Alonso. He needs a performance lift this weekend and Lotus is confident that they will have found it.

The team disappointed for most of the year with their inability to win a race but their recent struggles have led to questions about whether they actually still have the pace to win. The double DRS should give them a major performance advantage and bring them back to the battle at the sharp end.

The team has benefitted from Raikkonen’s consistency-11 consecutive points finishes-but after disappointing races in Monza and Singapore it is imperative that they find their form once again this weekend otherwise the championship might be out of touch for the returning Finn. The performance advantage of the Double DRS has been speculated as anything up to 0.5s but it is more likely that it will be in the region of half that. Even so it could be enough to put Raikkonen and Romain Grosjean in position to challenge for the win.

Red Bull back to winning ways

It has been a strange year for the reigning champions. Red Bull has lost its mantle as the fastest car in the field yet is romping its way towards a third consecutive Constructors’ Championship. The advantage that they had enjoyed in recent years always centred on medium to high speed corners yet the current car is lacking in this regards towards McLaren.

They have however been consistent and both drivers have been able to take home points from races and allow the team to build a 36 point championship lead over McLaren.

For Sebastian Vettel however the season has not been going to plan. Having won the last two Drivers’ Championships the German had expected to claim a third title. Winning just two races however has fallen below expectations and even though he is second in the championship it is clear that much needs to improve in Milton Keynes.

“There’s a lot of races left and it’s a bit difficult to predict what’s going to happen,” commented Vettel. “We have to make sure that we finish the races first of all. I think the pace is there, even if we are not quick enough to win then it is good enough to collect a lot of points.”

This weekend’s race will be key for Red Bull and one of the most crucial aspects for Vettel’s title charge is having Mark Webber back on form and in a position to take points off his teammate’s title rivals.

Caterham need a big weekend

Caterham have lost the coveted tenth position in the Constructors’ Championship, and the huge financial windfall that goes with it.

The team has not performed to expectation this season and now need a top 12 finish in the remaining six races to overhaul Marussia in the standings. The team had expected to challenge for the occasional points finish this year but with the rest of the grid-Williams and Toro Rosso-having advanced during the off-season it has proved difficult for Caterham to get into position to challenge for anything other than “best of the rest.”

Mark Smith, the team’s technical director, commented on this in Singapore:

“As with every other team we do statistical analysis of our performance compared to our competitors and if you take the three teams ahead of us-Toro Rosso, Williams and Force India-we are developing, broadly speaking at the same rate as them from the beginning of the season to now. Given the resources that we have I don’t think that’s too bad but obviously just matching them we’ll never catch people.”

For Caterham it is crucial that they can match their 2010 performance in Japan when Heikki Kovalainen finished 12th otherwise the team could find itself under the financial strain in 2013.

Suzuka setup

Giampaolo Dall’Ara, Sauber’s head of engineering, outlined the challenges of finding the best setup for Suzuka:

"Suzuka is one of the most fascinating and challenging tracks of the season. It's got a first sector with very technical high-speed corners, and then you encounter the middle sector with the hairpin and the tricky Degner corners, which are relevant for stability. Spoon corner is also quite special. It's a medium to high-speed corner, leading onto a long straight with the R130 corner, which is flat nowadays but still challenging. Finally there is the slow chicane at the end of the lap where you need good traction. Overall it is a very complex and technical track. It requires a well-balanced car and it is very challenging for the drivers. The tyres will be the hard and the soft compounds, which should be fine for this track. Due to the abrasive surface and the fast corners in the first sector, which put a high load on the tyres, there should be no issues with warming them up.”

The track does not have a bumpy track surface and this combined with smooth kerbs mean that drivers can set their car up with a very low ride height. One challenge however is that the track grip evolves quickly throughout the weekend and can mean that what works in one session might not work in the next.

Formula 1 revolves on Pirelli tyres

Paul Hembery, motorsport boss for Pirelli, is looking forward to this weekend’s race where the Italian company will bring the hard and soft compound tyres.

"Suzuka is definitely one of the highlights of the Formula One calendar for us: not only from a technical point of view but also because of the unique atmosphere. The fans are some of the most knowledgeable and enthusiastic in the world, and we are always assured of an extremely warm welcome. But it's the layout of the track that delivers the technical challenge: Suzuka is a classic drivers' circuit, a bit like Spa or Monza, with some of the most awesome corners that we see all year and very little margin for error. While it might at first seem from the names of the compounds that we are bringing harder tyres to Japan this year, in fact they are softer.

"Despite the increased demands that this places on the compound and structure, they are still more than capable of withstanding the immense forces to which they are subjected lap after lap. With a full step between the compounds as well, we hope this will bring extra performance and excitement to what is already a classic race. This should also open up the opportunity for lots of different strategies, which as we have seen already this year can form the foundation of a memorable victory, or boost drivers to a top result even if they have started from lower down on the grid. Last year the drivers' championship was actually decided in Japan, but this year has been so competitive that we are still a long way from seeing the titles settled - and that is great news for all the fans."

Weather for this weekend

Suzuka has had some monumental downpours affect the racing, such as in 1994, but it seems that there is little chance of rain this weekend with a cloudy Saturday set to be the only time that the sun isn’t scorching the track.

Spudman_20000

freestyla wrote: »

Ferrari

Pretty bold statement. Care to back that up with examples?

duke916

freestyla wrote: »

Ferrari

Any contempt by an F1 team as of late has been McLaren with the Spygate Scandal. Biggest fine in F1 history don't forget!

Only upset I can see from other teams towards Redbull is the quicker development of aero or engine parts by a Mr. Newy quicker than other teams can produce. F1 is about development of technology, always evolving an bending the rules as far as possible for the better of the car. This guy is a genius at that. As he said after Monaco, 'if people don't complain, then we're doing something wrong.'

Ferrari ...been on the back foot now for some time. Hopefully Alonso and the reliability of the package they have will see them through but its a hard one to call.

duke916

Jordan 191 wrote: »

He signed a new contract at McLaren late last year which will keep him there for several years, so I can see him finishing out his career there.

Contracts dont mean anything. Drivers move about all the time by either choice of the team or the driver. Top of my head, I can think of Ferrari letting Kimi go before his contract expired so if there's room for maneuver by the choice of the team, then there has to from the point of a driver (should the terms and conditions for said contract allow.) Im sure there are loop holes where possible at an agreed price of course!

How old is Button now? 28/29? Yeah, no way will he stay. Team is going backwards while everyone goes forward. Give him a year at being number one driver at McLaren and he's gone if the car doesnt improve. Hes a great driver. Deserves a better package around him and more importantly to beat Lewis Hamilton

Charlie-Bravo

So the FIA are changing the testing of the front wing to see if any of the wings deflect more than 20mm. Should see Schumi make some gains based on that if there's any truth in the flexing wings of McLaren or RB.

lolie

Bbc have the 88(yet again) 89, 93, 94 and 95 races on the red button.
Some decent action in it.

Charlie-Bravo

lolie wrote: »

Bbc have the 88(yet again) 89, 93, 94 and 95 races on the red button.
Some decent action in it.

Is coverage live this weekend on the BBC? Be great if it is.

Spudman_20000

astrofluff wrote: »

Is coverage live this weekend on the BBC? Be great if it is.

No, just highlights again, no live coverage.

antomorro-sei

Love Suzuka! So, looking forward to the GP. Should be a good'un!

A win for Alonso would be magnificent.

Jordan 199

lolie wrote: »

Bbc have the 88(yet again) 89, 93, 94 and 95 races on the red button.
Some decent action in it.

Hill delivered one of his best performances there in 1994.

antomorro-sei wrote: »

A win for Hamilton would be magnificent.

It sure would.

antomorro-sei

Jordan 191 wrote: »

It sure would.

Haha.

Will McLaren put all there resources behind Jenson now that Lewis is leaving?

lolie

Jordan 191 wrote: »

Hill delivered one of his best performances there in 1994.

In fairness to hill he stepped up to the mark in 94 after imola.

If only he'd waited one more corner in adelaide, right man won in the end though

Jordan 199

antomorro-sei wrote: »

Will McLaren put all there resources behind Jenson now that Lewis is leaving?

If you mean for this years championship, I hope McLaren will get behind Lewis and give him a reliable car for the remainder of the season. 6 races to go, so anything can happen between now and the last race of the season.

Rascasse

I'd imagine that however unpalatable it would be to see no. 1 & 2 on the Mercedes next year, McLaren will have to support Lewis 100% to try to win the constructors championship.

Grim.

for anyone who doesn't know the story behind the naming of the Degner curves http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ernst_Degner

recyclebin

McLaren and Red Bull setting the pace in free practice. I can't see Alonso finishing lower than 5th in the race though.

Frank Bullitt

Ferrari are beginning to make a balls of this now, Alonso can only weave his magic so much!

duke916

recyclebin wrote: »

McLaren and Red Bull setting the pace in free practice. I can't see Alonso finishing lower than 5th in the race though.

hopefully they're sandbagging and playing around with the settings in the car though unlikely Alonso will be in the first three for the start if the other two are up there. Can see him finish higher that 5th in the race as its quite tricky on tyres.

Very surprised at Webber this season. Great guy, thought he would be well up there for the challenge. Think playing second fiddle to Vettel since Redbull have made their mark on F1 has really dented his confidence somewhat. Remember how Vettel damaged his front wing and they replaced it with Webbers, making him run the old? ..amongst other situations that have separated the two drivers. I think he's been given a raw deal there. Aggressive driver but not consistent....bit like Massa only much better. What do you think of his role in Redbull?

Giufma

Gintonious wrote: »

Ferrari are beginning to make a balls of this now, Alonso can only weave his magic so much!

Awful beginning this year, but you can never give up

Myrddin

duke916 wrote: »

Remember how Vettel damaged his front wing and they replaced it with Webbers, making him run the old?

Didn't he actually win that race, with the brilliantly brilliant comment for all to hear "Not bad for a number 2 driver"

duke916

EnterNow wrote: »

Didn't he actually win that race, with the brilliantly brilliant comment for all to hear "Not bad for a number 2 driver"

yes your spot on there!!! i remember that. webber knew what he was doing when saying that over the radio as the drivers are given notification when they're going to be broadcasted live on air as warning not to use bad language etc. crafty move alright and hats off to him. guess he was letting everyone know how he felt about being 'number 2' in the team.

i strongly believe vettel is being pampered at redbull. if webber had equal machinery then i think webber would give vettel a run for his money. in most of the races ive seen vettel win, its been from pole with a much faster car, whereas webber, not so great setup etc, has plenty of experience and aggression carving his way through the field. he knows how to overtake with respect (unlike vettel ....remember he took mark out and made signals pretending webber was mad!), and has the motivation for putting the pedal to the metal so to speak when he needs to up the pace. think he has been really unfortunate as of late. Its a longshot but i hope he pulls one out of the bag tomorrow and wins it

Myrddin

I think Vettel has the edge on Webber when there's aerodynamic trickery going on such as the blown rear defuser, & now this front wing rotation thing. When the RB is standard, I think Webber can put it up to Vettel though

Jordan 199

Gintonious wrote: »

Ferrari are beginning to make a balls of this now, Alonso can only weave his magic so much!

While the Ferrari is not the quickest car, I had a look at Alonso's stats, and while he might have had some mechanical issues with the car, he never had to retire from a race due to mechanical failure. His only retirement of the season was when he was involved in the crash in Belgium.

He scored points in every race apart from Belgium, and it's that consistency that will help him become champion this year.

Frank Bullitt

Jordan 191 wrote: »

While the Ferrari is not the quickest car, I had a look at Alonso's stats, and while he might have had some mechanical issues with the car, he never had to retire from a race due to mechanical failure. His only retirement of the season was when he was involved in the crash in Belgium.

He scored points in every race apart from Belgium, and it's that consistency that will help him become champion this year.

Not sure if he or Ferrari can just rely on his skill alone though, he needs a good car under him!

Myrddin

I seriously despair if Vettel takes the title again this year

Jordan 199

Gintonious wrote: »

Not sure if he or Ferrari can just rely on his skill alone though, he needs a good car under him!

I know, but look at the failures McLaren and Red Bull have had. McLaren had 2 cars fail in the last 2 races (Button with fuel pressure in Italy and Lewis with a gearbox failure in Singapore). Red Bull had a double retirement at Monza. Button has to have a new gearbox this weekend.

The Ferrari isin't the quickest, but when you compare it's reliability to the McLaren and Redbull, it wins when it comes to reliability.

You have to weigh up the plusses and minusses.

EnterNow

EnterNow wrote: »

I think Vettel has the edge on Webber when there's aerodynamic trickery going on such as the blown rear defuser, & now this front wing rotation thing. When the RB is standard, I think Webber can put it up to Vettel though

To be honest the criticism of Button that he needs the car to be perfect to get anywhere seems more apt for Webber this year, aside from his two wins he hasn't been on the podium which is amazing.

It's just a pity about McLaren's reliability for the last 2 races, an on-form Button for the last 6 races and Hamilton looking to take the number 1 with him to Mercedes would've made for a fun end to the season.

Myrddin

Deleted User wrote: »

To be honest the criticism of Button that he needs the car to be perfect to get anywhere seems more apt for Webber this year, aside from his two wins he hasn't been on the podium which is amazing

I genuinely think its a fundamental design or setup that causes Webber to struggle, there's something about that RB he just can't get to grips with. When blown rear diffusers were banned, he seemed to snap out of it & started driving like a winner again. Now that he's struggling again, it's hard not to think there's something else going on with the RB that Webber just can't get used to.

Button I don't think needs a perfect setup to shine, but he is more susceptible to a setup which doesn't suit him. Once to his liking, I think he can outperform the car, which few drivers can do.

EnterNow

EnterNow wrote: »

Button I don't think needs a perfect setup to shine, but he is more susceptible to a setup which doesn't suit him. Once to his liking, I think he can outperform the car, which few drivers can do.

If he goes the rest of this season similar to last season and Austin suits him, which I would've thought it should, I can see him and McLaren cursing just a couple of mistakes costing them bigtime for the year.
I pretty much agree about Webber, the current/last year's car just doesn't work for him despite earlier in the season when he said he was getting on top of the tyres etc., it seems to just be a random chance when the car starts to work for him.

Any mad happen in FP2 anyway? I had to leave for college after half an hour of it.

Killinator

duke916 wrote: »

he knows how to overtake with respect (unlike vettel ....remember he took mark out and made signals pretending webber was mad!), and has the motivation for putting the pedal to the metal so to speak when he needs to up the pace.:D

While I agree Vettel is not only number one at RB, he's the golden child,

He proved just as recently at Spa that he can well climb through a field and make some very aggressive but fair over-taking moves,
Thinking as an example his move on Shcumi at the buss-stop.

While he wouldn't be my number one choice for a champion this year, if he wins, it'll be a deserved win as he's had to work much much harder this year than last and the year before.

Max_Charger

Morning ladies and gents What a god awful hour for this...

Rascasse

Anyone else watching Setanta? They just went to an ad break with 90secs of q1 to go! Morons.

Max_Charger

Vergne will be in trouble for that block but Senna really should of tried to finish the lap besides waving his hand around like an idiot.

edgy

Rascasse wrote: »

Anyone else watching Setanta? They just went to an ad break with 90secs of q1 to go! Morons.

They did it again, half way through q2 this time!

Ghost Train

do they take ads between the qualifying sessions too?

Redbull looking very strong here

Max_Charger

Feck ya Kimi...Lewis got screwed after that!

Rascasse

Kobayashi will start third. Any chance of him taking out the Red Bulls to prevent a snooze-fest tomorrow?