Chinese GP 2012 - Shanghai

[raymondu999]

Qualifying is done then penalty is given. Hamilton was in the press conference not Kobayashi.

Correct. Qualifying results show Hamilton in P2 - but the pole stat comes along on Sunday morning, post-penalties. I have this on the best authority possible.

In effect, "pole position" is not a qualifying stat - it's a race stat.

[kris]

[...] they brought Lewis in, bringing him out behind Massa's group. 2 laps later they pitted Button and brought him out in front of Massa's group.

Actually Button also came out behind the Massa train

Considering the ferrari and massa's performance this year, it was strange that he could hold up the train for some laps? Why couldn't rakikkonen/Vettel get past him for some laps with DRS and all..

[e30ernest]

Probably due to the marbles. They couldn't go off the racing line without risking destroying their tires.

[kris]

Probably due to the marbles. They couldn't go off the racing line without risking destroying their tires.

Dont really think so. In the overtaking between maldanado, kobayashi and perez on the start straight, koba and perez were taking the most widest line.. but still could make it. This was just a few laps after the massa train ended IIRC

[Chuckjr]

[...] they brought Lewis in, bringing him out behind Massa's group. 2 laps later they pitted Button and brought him out in front of Massa's group.

Actually Button also came out behind the Massa train

No. He was behind Senna after second I believe. Held him a bit but not nearly how well massa held off Ham.

McLarens strategy guys have looked less than sub-par since last season and their pit performance is statistically horrible in general this season.

Totally agree. Mclaren should have been much further ahead in the championship after these three races.

They might regret these errors at the end.

+1
If Merc's speed keeps up, they could really mix things up. Semi-easy points now will be tough to get back later. All teams will get stronger and clearly the sou-bull and possibly sou-farrari exhaust has still not achieved its potential fully and they are +.1/+.2 race pace now. I don't think Macca has as much potential time to find...that may spell serious trouble later.

[raymondu999]

[...] they brought Lewis in, bringing him out behind Massa's group. 2 laps later they pitted Button and brought him out in front of Massa's group.

Actually Button also came out behind the Massa train

No. He was behind Senna after second I believe. Held him a bit but not nearly how well massa held off Ham.

Are we not talking about the last pitstop? I thought that's what we're talking about.

[nipo]

It was the right rear... watch carefully, the camera angle plays tricks on you.

No way, must have been right-front. I think he himself said it?

Anyway happy to see a new GP winner - a long-awaited win in this case.
How good would it be if Sergio had won the last race as well...

I liked this race a lot. Some people have problems with DRS, but I think here it sort of worked just well enough to give you constant thrill throughout the race, but not the kind of press-the-button-and-pass stupidity some fear.

Tyres again played a huge part, and that made it all the more interesting. Kimi's the victim of that though, so kinda sad to see him drop places like that - I was hoping he could be back on the podium. But at the end of the day he made his bet, it just didn't go his way.

[Richard]

Can someone find an example of the fastest qualifier getting a penalty? Then we can check the records. Otherwise it's conjecture & opinion.

[raymondu999]

Pole position is talking about the starting grid positions - not qualifying positions.

[Richard]

Personally, my hunch agrees with you Raymond, its about the "position" on the grid, not the time. Would be nice to have a definitive example though, this being a technical forum.

[raymondu999]

I'm not sure if there has been - but my source is Sean Kelly; who is the official F1 statistician anyways. He's also the one who supplies stats to all the different broadcasters so they can add stuff in during on-track lulls

[beelsebob]

A quick check of the sporting regulations... Pole position, is a location. You get the pole position stat by occupying that location on the starting grid, you do not get it by setting the fastest time in qualifying (necessarily).

[Crucial_Xtreme]

Very good technical analysis of China from ex-Ferrari engineer Luigi Mazzola

(Iatlian)

http://www.blogf1.it/2012/04/17/gp-di-c ... strategie/

[motobaleno]

Very good technical analysis of China from ex-Ferrari engineer Luigi Mazzola

(Iatlian)

http://www.blogf1.it/2012/04/17/gp-di-c ... strategie/

the paper is really interesting but I disagree with his sharply deterministic approach: I hope that in ferrari have changed this working method (even if the pist-stop for alonso does not indicate this)

[raymondu999]

A quick check of the sporting regulations... Pole position, is a location. You get the pole position stat by occupying that location on the starting grid, you do not get it by setting the fastest time in qualifying (necessarily).

You get it if the FIA says you're in the number 1 grid slot. If you qualify fastest or benefit from others' penalties, and the FIA grants you the first grid slot, but for whatever weird reason you don't make the grid (a la almost-Hamilton in China 2011) then you're still the "polesitter." Such is my understanding of the situation.