2012 European GP - Valencia

[raymondu999]

2011



Strategy
2012 tyres - Medium (prime, white) and Soft (option, yellow)
2011 tyres - Medium (prime, white) and Soft (option, yellow)

2011 onboard (Webber P2 - pole unavailable):
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5gAVp78jgng[/youtube]

[beelsebob]

Qually: vettel; greasjean; nenokxkonen
Race: greasjean; nenokxkonen; hamilton

That's my blind guess.

[piast9]

If I was to bet my money they would also be on Grosjean. From the non-yet-winners he's the most probably 8th winner.

[Neno]

If I was to bet my money they would also be on Grosjean. From the non-yet-winners he's the most probably 8th winner.

If temperatures would go above 30 celsius, nothing is impossible. this mean, whole weekend same hot temperatures, no problems for team, like kimi hydraulic in montreal 2012, we can see grosjean on top. or kimi

[raymondu999]

I'm going to go on a limb and say we'll see the first repeat winner of 2012 - specifically, Vettel. Most of the races this year, the winning driver has been one who has always had a love affair with the circuit. Button was always good in Melbourne, Alonso was always good at Sepang, Rosberg was always good at China, Hamilton in Canada and Webber in Monaco, and based on this I think it will be Vettel, who IMO is a bit of a Valencia specialist.

[bhall]

Valencia specialist? How so?

[mx_tifoso]

I wonder the same thing, but Raymond is one of our "specialists" on here so I'm awaiting a good response as to what a "Valencia specialist" is.

[raymondu999]

Valencia specialist? How so?

He has quite the record in Valencia.

In 2008 (first ever Valencia GP) Vettel set the fastest ever lap of the circuit in Q2. The STR wasn't Minardi-slow, but it was no BMW/McLaren/Ferrari either.

2009, admittedly the performance didn't look as good, from the surface. But in a Red Bull that (at that stage in the season) developped a taste for the rear tyres when heat and heavy traction demands were involved, it was a good performance considering (4th in quali behind the point & squirt king of 2009 - McLaren and behind Barrichello in a traction heavy, heat-loving Brawn). Then he fell victim to pitlane shenanigans with a failed fuel pump on his first pitstop L15, and his engine blew on L24. He had lost fp time earlier on in the weekend too - to another boom boom engine.

2010 - not much to say. A dominant performance which would've been at home in his 2011 season. I remember distinctly Brundle being confused and asking if Hamilton was leading at the end of Sector 1. Vettel was actually still leading - just that he had zoomed out of the camera picture. His quali lap also became the quickest ever lap of the circuit - replacing his 2008 Q2 lap.

2011 - ditto 2010, and when primary rivals Webber and Alonso pitted, he would be even quicker on his pre-pitstop tyres than Webber or Alonso post-pitstop. He held a 3s gap the whole race and let rip in the last 5 laps, extending 3s to 12s. His pole time replaced his 2010 pole time as quickest ever Valencia lap.

I wonder the same thing, but Raymond is one of our "specialists" on here so I'm awaiting a good response as to what a "Valencia specialist" is.

I am?

[bhall]

Notwithstanding last season - the RB7 was a world specialist car - a 6th-place finish, a retirement and a win make Vettel a Valencia specialist? Fair enough.

I was hoping you'd say it's because Valencia starts with a V.

[Red Schneider]

If anyone's a Valencia specialist it's Hamilton. 2, 2, 2, 4.

[raymondu999]

If anyone's a Valencia specialist it's Hamilton. 2, 2, 2, 4.

Yes Hamilton also deserves a mention - he's had 3 second places and I remember in 2009 and 2010 he was in contention for the victory. I don't remember him battling for the 2008 victory - but he might well have. The 2008 Felipe was imperious at any and all counter-clockwise circuits.

Notwithstanding last season - the RB7 was a world specialist car - a 6th-place finish, a retirement and a win make Vettel a Valencia specialist? Fair enough.

You can't put the retirement blame on Vettel - his engine went kapoof. In fact that weekend 2 engines blew up on him. The 6th place - he finished behind 2 McLarens, a Ferrari a BMW and a Toyota. At best he was only ever going to nab 5th place. Kovalainen and Kubica in 3rd and 4th were 10s up the road - and Hamilton/Massa were 50 up the road. It was not within the car to beat the McLaren/Ferrari cars over a race distance.

Results never tell the full picture. You need to take a close look at the story behind those results, and the context in which those results were set.

In other news - I think the strategy will be the same as we had in Bahrain or China - some will go OOPP and some OPPP, with some teams like a Force India making a gamble for an OPP strategy. Track layout is similar-ish to Bahrain (it doesn't look similar on a map, but in terms of the mix of corners and straights it has) and it's usually reliably hot here, as in Bahrain.

[gray41]

Lotus to have the 8th winner?

[raymondu999]

Lotus to have the 8th winner?

Nah. Ferrari

[godlameroso]

The weather in that part of Spain at this time is almost always the same, beautiful sunshine. If it's a hot race expect the Lotus cars to be seriously quick. I think it's Raikkonen's turn to win one, and this might be their best opportunity. I think most teams will opt for a one or two stopper, although the rears do take a pounding around here, the cornering speeds are not too high, except for the final sector, so degradation will be only slightly worse than in Canada. If either Lotus get's on the front two rows, then they'll have a very good chance at victory. On the other end, I think Massa will win here if anyone else, call it a hunch.

[Kiril Varbanov]

The usual suspects will fight for Top 3: VET, ALO, HAM.