2015 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix - Yas Marina, 27-29 November

[PlatinumZealot]

Onto another set of drivers.. Perez really matured this season he stock has to be higher than hulk now and he is looking very attractive to the big teams.

[Phil]

Whatever the idea of strategy Lewis and his engineer were thinking, it simply didn't work. Lewis managed to close the gap to Rosberg right before the latter went in for his last stop. From what I could remember, Lewis was going purple (in the first sector?) when Rosberg pitted. I thought the obvious thing was Lewis to push all the remaining life out of those tires in the next 1 or 2 laps before making his final stop as well. This would release him back on track right behind Nico, but somehow the laps kept counting and Lewis was still out on track while Nico was closing fast. The window disappeared completely when Lewis finally went in and rejoined back on track with a 14s gap on Nico with just 14-15 laps remaining. The idea of going longer during the 2nd stint was a possibility, but the window to make it happen was simply not big enough.

I'm just dumbstruck at Mercedes. Yes, I've defended them on the whole parity thing pretty much throughout the year and last, but this race was just like Monaco - a serious WTF strategy call. If I was Hamilton, I'd seriously question the ability or the trust in the race-engineer.

This was the last race. It didn't matter either way, they had secured the WDC and the WCC and both positions were set in stone. This was also a track where overtaking is not impossible in the same car - at least not to the same degree as Brazil thanks to the longer straight and the double DRS zone in short succession.

Here's what bugs me:

1.) Hamilton closed a gap of around 7 seconds down to 1 second in the 2nd stint. It was already shaping up to be an awesome on-track battle, but the pit-stop window came in at just the right time for Rosberg go dive into the pits to void us to see if Hamilton could get that extra tenth closer and into DRS and see how that could pan out. So Rosberg dives in, pit-stop priority - fair enough - and with that technically at an advantage to extend the gap a little again.

2.) Hamilton then goes purple (but still slower all around). Pitting then would have ensured he comes out right behind his team-mate, or perhaps with maximum 3 second gap with what - 25 laps to go or something. Hamilton stays out, possibly to offset the tire life a bit, to extend his middle stint to gain a tactical advantage towards the end. Fair enough too. But with every lap he stayed out, he was losing time relative to Rosberg on fresher tires.

3.) With around 18 laps to go (at that point, he was losing over a second to Rosberg), it was clear that if they were to keep him out that long (or if Hamilton chose to say out that long on his own admission), he would definitely go onto supersofts till the end with a gap of 15 seconds to close in 15 laps. But Mercedes then gives him the same tires Rosberg is on? That was never going to work. So for what did Hamilton stay out an extra 10 laps to incur a near 15 second gap (from 1 second) if it was going to yield no benefit?

4.) I'm fairly confident it would have been a close race if Hamilton had dived into the pits after Rosberg and attempted a pass on track on identical tires. If not, fair enough - both had equal strategies, fair play. But they destroyed the battle it could have been.

5.) What really irks me bad is Toto post race on the BBC. "Rosberg was the quicker driver". Sorry mate, far from it. Rosbergs "most dominant win" of the win was simply due to ta strategy cock-up. It's especially annoying after the team got the strategy so wrong and fail to admit it.

6.) Second thing that irks me: So Lewis might have chosen his strategy himself. But he didn't get the strategy he wanted or was going for (or thought he was going for); namely the 1-stop. It was evident this was never going to happen. I can justify that Mercedes might stick to one single race strategist, but how are you going to trust that guy, if the team falls short of notifying the driver of the options he has? It should have been either stick it out behind Nico and go for the win on equal strategies or try something alternative like OPP vs OPO (which they refused to give him).

Lastly, I really hope this doesn't have an impact on the 2016 season. If I'd be Hamilton, I'd be fuming. I get Mexico, I get Brazil, but I sure as hell did not get this one. Fair enough if the strategist stuffed up and they come up and apologize or simply stick up their hand and explain it, but to act as if everything went according to plan when it didn't is what is seriously damaging team-relations.

So Lewis is still the WDC. No big deal. But for some reason people still turn on their TVs despite the championship is over... but not to see something like this.

/end of rant

[Vasconia]

I did not really understand the STR team order towards Sainz to swap positions with Verstappen, he had a really shitty pit stop (a usual thing for STR-standards) which wasn't his fault that allowed Verstappen to close the gap to DRS-range. Verstappen could not get past by his own and he was clearly not the better driver between the two on the track today.

I think is the third or fourth time in which Saiz must swap positions with Verstappen. I remember only one with Verstappen and we all know what it happened. Plus 7/8 car failures and an endless amount of terrible pitstops for Sainz(some other ones with Max too). The Spaniard must be more than annoyed.

[Vasconia]

Very funny.. but no. The team for some stupid reason want absolute harmony going into next year, and to do that that have to keep Rosberg in good spirits going into the Christmas party. Yup, Hamilton has his championships Rosberg ends the year winning everyone's happy... ugh..artificial racing. I can't wait for Hamilton to leave to Ferrari.

Because Ferrari doesn't do team orders?

Probably because Hamilton can smash this older versión of Kimi.

About the fuel comsumption, Nico usually consumes more but I dont know the reason.

[Juzh]

Hamilton had no fresh options left anyway. I think the best ones already had like 6 laps on them.

[Phil]

3 laps according to the BBC broadcast. 1 outlap, 1 q3 hot lap and an inlap.

[Andres125sx]

I did not really understand the STR team order towards Sainz to swap positions with Verstappen, he had a really shitty pit stop (a usual thing for STR-standards) which wasn't his fault that allowed Verstappen to close the gap to DRS-range. Verstappen could not get past by his own and he was clearly not the better driver between the two on the track today.

IMO there´s no doubt Max is #1 and STR do all they can to favour him. This is not the first time they do it, as Vasconia posted they´ve swaped positions more than once, but always to favour Max. The only time it should have been the other way around, Max dissobeied the order and there was no reprimand for him

Add to that Hungary, when they even called to pit Max first despite he was behind Carlos, undercutting the spaniard instead of using that undercut so their driver in front can move further ahead


Yesterday in AD it was more of the same, only to allow Max flattening his tyres and forcing an extra pit-stop, finishing behind Carlos despite the preferential treatment... and despite the pathetical pit-stop for Carlos (once more), 6,6 seconds