2013 Chinese GP - Shanghai

[Clew]

This is the graphic that I've done with the best stint of each driver. I've eliminated the anomalies and I've done the regression line. A very simple approximation about the tyre degradation.

I think that in this terms, Lotus and Mercedes are very similar. The Hamilton's times are faster than Kimmi's one due to the different fuel load. Despite of to have more fuel, the Lotus car has the same regression of degradation than Mercedes, so with less fuel, the tyre degradation would have been even better.

My conclusion is that Renault's degradation is a little bit better, but I think that Mercedes isn't so far how the people says.

1) What makes you think that the Merc is on heavier fuel? The merc has shown it can lap significantly quicker than the Lotus already, that would suggest that at least some of the delta is down purely to the car being better at this track, not fuel load.
2) You seem to have ommited the end of hamilton's run, where his times started to drop down again significantly.

Cool Mestrades! Would it be possible to show an individual graph per sector? I'm wondering if gear-ratio and DRS variabes become factors too. And call me "old-school" but, I prefer time in the x-axis

[beelsebob]

This is the graphic that I've done with the best stint of each driver. I've eliminated the anomalies and I've done the regression line. A very simple approximation about the tyre degradation.

I think that in this terms, Lotus and Mercedes are very similar. The Hamilton's times are faster than Kimmi's one due to the different fuel load. Despite of to have more fuel, the Lotus car has the same regression of degradation than Mercedes, so with less fuel, the tyre degradation would have been even better.

My conclusion is that Renault's degradation is a little bit better, but I think that Mercedes isn't so far how the people says.

1) What makes you think that the Merc is on heavier fuel? The merc has shown it can lap significantly quicker than the Lotus already, that would suggest that at least some of the delta is down purely to the car being better at this track, not fuel load.
2) You seem to have ommited the end of hamilton's run, where his times started to drop down again significantly.

Cool Mestrades! Would it be possible to show an individual graph per sector? I'm wondering if gear-ratio and DRS variabes become factors too. And call me "old-school" but, I prefer time in the x-axis

Time *is* in the x axis – lap number is the "time" at which the sample was taken. The key is that the x axis has the sample point, and the y axis the sample value. The graph is laid out correctly.

[jamsbong]

I will keep a close eye on Webber and see if he can do a Vettel's comebakc like he did in Abu Dhabi and Brazil.

I think Vettel is having a damage limitation weekend. He will aim only to score points.
The battle at the top with Alonso, Hami, and Kimi will be interesting to watch as long as their pace is on par of each other.

I would support Kimi for the win.

[Jonnycraig]

Vettel has to pass Button and Ricciardo first in order to really use his strategy to the fullest. He could do it at the start, but if he doesn't it will be difficult given his top speed deficit.

Button in his bbc interview doesn't sound like he expects Vettel to be behind him long:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/formula1/22134326

Also in the speed trap, Vettel is at 310.2 and Button 311.5.

With regards Ricciardo, he's more likely to be 17th than 7th at the end of lap 1.

[Clew]

Time *is* in the x axis – lap number is the "time" at which the sample was taken. The key is that the x axis has the sample point, and the y axis the sample value. The graph is laid out correctly.

Got it now...thanks

[Echo]

Is it only me or was the qualification a bit of a joke for the audience? I was sitting at the A-grandstand and pretty much nothing happened during the 1 hour qualification. The first 10 min of Q1 there was pretty much no cars on the track. I looked at the Red Bull team and they hadn´t even put their nosecone, tyres or the driver into the car when Q1 started! Even the official man speaking to everyone apologised for the long waiting!

The same thing happened in Q2 where everyone sat for more than 8 min waiting for anyone going out on the track. I mean yes, it is a tough sport with a lot of competition and waiting for the perfect condition is the ideal. But for the fans travelling to the track (which takes easily more than an hour with subway, or taking the car with highways full of trafic) it isnt a lot of fun.

I was probably most disappointed with Q3 which was basically 3 min of driving! Everyone went out as late as possible and did one lap and then went in again. Thats it! I feel F1 have become a sport where the audience isnt the priority number 1. What im trying to say is it feels like the teams nor the driver barley notices the fans are waiting for them to put their bloody cars on track and making a bit of a show. Instead they hide and barley even wink to the audience!

I know a lot of you are going to disagree so attack me as much as you want to.

EDIT: Spelling errors. "Nor", "Barley", "are", "Bit", "Of, "A"

[Mestrades]

This is the graphic that I've done with the best stint of each driver. I've eliminated the anomalies and I've done the regression line. A very simple approximation about the tyre degradation.

I think that in this terms, Lotus and Mercedes are very similar. The Hamilton's times are faster than Kimmi's one due to the different fuel load. Despite of to have more fuel, the Lotus car has the same regression of degradation than Mercedes, so with less fuel, the tyre degradation would have been even better.

My conclusion is that Renault's degradation is a little bit better, but I think that Mercedes isn't so far how the people says.

1) What makes you think that the Merc is on heavier fuel? The merc has shown it can lap significantly quicker than the Lotus already, that would suggest that at least some of the delta is down purely to the car being better at this track, not fuel load.
2) You seem to have ommited the end of hamilton's run, where his times started to drop down again significantly.

1) I have to play with the data that I dispose. Mercedes isn't on heavier fuel, like Lotus probably isn't it. On Fridays they play with an intermediate fuel load and they can interpolate their simulations with an hypothetical race. I haven't so data. I'm trying to say that the degradation isn't extremely heavy like it was the last year for Mercedes. This same graphic was catastrophic for them last year.
2) These are the last times lap of Hamilton's stint of FP2 that I dispose.
36 lap 1:48.375
37 lap 1:44.668
38 lap 1:46.876
I've omitted lap nº 36 because it is an anomaly due to the time that he has able to do the next lap (we are talking of 4 seconds of difference). And I've omitted the last one because the drop is of 2 seconds and that only can mean that the tyre has finish his life or that he has had traffic or something similar.

[beelsebob]

Is it only me or was the qualification a bit of a joke for the audience? I was sitting at the A-grandstand and pretty much nothing happened during the 1 hour qualification. The first 10 min of Q1 there was pretty much no cars on the track. I looked at the Red Bull team and they hadn´t even put their nosecone, tyres or the driver into the car when Q1 started! Even the official man speaking to everyone apologised for the long waiting!

Just be glad you weren't sitting there in the late 90s – you'd have been sat there for 50 minutes before you saw a single car. The current 3 stage qualification was introduced exactly because the hour of dull then madness was so crap.

[Sevach]

Sector times all over the place today.
Raikkonen by quite a margin in the first, .2 on pole sitter Hamilton and .4 on Alonso and Massa.
Massa is the fastest guy in S2 with Hamilton right there with him, Alonso is .1 behind and Kimi is quite slow (comparatively) there losing .3 and scraps.
Alonso is faster in S3 with Hamilton less than a tenth behind (Hamilton the only consistent guy, second on all sectors) with Kimi .2 and Massa .25 behind.

I don't remember seeing such variation between the top guys, why are the Ferraris slow in s1 and fast everywhere else?
The opposite with Kimi's Lotus.

Not that this is likely to matter much during the race.

[andartop]

Is it only me or was the qualification a bit of a joke for the audience? I was sitting at the A-grandstand and pretty much nothing happened during the 1 hour qualification. The first 10 min of Q1 there was pretty much no cars on the track. I looked at the Red Bull team and they hadn´t even put their nosecone, tyres or the driver into the car when Q1 started! Even the official man speaking to everyone apologised for the long waiting!

Just be glad you weren't sitting there in the late 90s – you'd have been sat there for 50 minutes before you saw a single car. The current 3 stage qualification was introduced exactly because the hour of dull then madness was so crap.

Waiting for the ideal track conditions to achieve optimum performance I can understand, being afraid of using the tires is a joke. FIA and Pirelli should be punished for bringing the sport into disrepute. At least in the 90's we'd see a Minardi or an Arrows going around the track while waiting for the big boys, now even the Marussias and Caterhams don't seem to think it's worth the risk!

[WhiteBlue]

If he did 2 warmup lap it is because the team asked him. A driver never does 2 warmup lap if he is not asked to.

And if he really did that by himself, the team should have asked him to go back to the pit immediatly. There was plenty of time to do a flying lap without risking to put him out of fuel. In both case, the team is at fault.

Sorry, but I do not believe you are right. The driver ultimately can decide what he does in the car and the team would not know it until he passes the pit entry and it is too late. Do you think that a guy like Kimi would be micro managed by his team in such a decision all the time? Same doubt applies to Webber. IMO he simply forgot that he was supposed to have only one flying lap when he realized his first flying lap wasn't good enough.

The facts are we simply cannot know at this stage because we do not know the radio traffic and they have not been given any explanation for the running out of fuel. But Webber had one more lap than Vettel was supposed to do. So much we know for sure. We will see who ultimately is right, Surer or you.

[beelsebob]

Is it only me or was the qualification a bit of a joke for the audience? I was sitting at the A-grandstand and pretty much nothing happened during the 1 hour qualification. The first 10 min of Q1 there was pretty much no cars on the track. I looked at the Red Bull team and they hadn´t even put their nosecone, tyres or the driver into the car when Q1 started! Even the official man speaking to everyone apologised for the long waiting!

Just be glad you weren't sitting there in the late 90s – you'd have been sat there for 50 minutes before you saw a single car. The current 3 stage qualification was introduced exactly because the hour of dull then madness was so crap.

Waiting for the ideal track conditions to achieve optimum performance I can understand, being afraid of using the tires is a joke.

They were doing both in both scenarios. Both in the 90s, and now, the teams were waiting for the perfect time to use their one run. If it were simply being afraid of the tyres the teams would go out at any moment they felt like – e.g. when they felt that there was the least traffic. No, today, they were waiting for the ideal track conditions.

[beelsebob]

If he did 2 warmup lap it is because the team asked him. A driver never does 2 warmup lap if he is not asked to.

And if he really did that by himself, the team should have asked him to go back to the pit immediatly. There was plenty of time to do a flying lap without risking to put him out of fuel. In both case, the team is at fault.

Sorry, but I do not believe you are right. The driver ultimately can decide what he does in the car and the team would not know it until he passes the pit entry and it is too late. Do you think that a guy like Kimi would be micro managed by his team in such a decision all the time? Same doubt applies to Webber. IMO he simply forgot that he was supposed to have only one flying lap when he realized his first flying lap wasn't good enough.

The facts are we simply cannot know at this stage because we do not know the radio traffic and they have not been given any explanation for the running out of fuel. But Webber had one more lap than Vettel was supposed to do. So much we know for sure. We will see who ultimately is right, Surer or you.

The team have already stated that the fault was either in the bauser or in the fuel pickup. The FIA finding very little fuel in the car elliminates the possibility of the latter. The conclusion is simple – the fault was in the bauser. It was not Webber that made the error.

[Jonnycraig]

If he did 2 warmup lap it is because the team asked him. A driver never does 2 warmup lap if he is not asked to.

And if he really did that by himself, the team should have asked him to go back to the pit immediatly. There was plenty of time to do a flying lap without risking to put him out of fuel. In both case, the team is at fault.

Sorry, but I do not believe you are right. The driver ultimately can decide what he does in the car and the team would not know it until he passes the pit entry and it is too late. Do you think that a guy like Kimi would be micro managed by his team in such a decision all the time? Same doubt applies to Webber. IMO he simply forgot that he was supposed to have only one flying lap when he realized his first flying lap wasn't good enough.

The facts are we simply cannot know at this stage because we do not know the radio traffic and they have not been given any explanation for the running out of fuel. But Webber had one more lap than Vettel was supposed to do. So much we know for sure. We will see who ultimately is right, Surer or you.

Webber left the pits with roughly 13:00 remaining, started his FL with roughly 11:03 remaining and stopped at roughly 7:10 after a very slow in lap.

There was no second warm up lap, just an underfuelled car.

[andartop]

No, today, they were waiting for the ideal track conditions.

Allow me to disagree. I understood that today, perhaps more than in any other race I've ever watched, they were afraid of using up their soft tires.

Even if I'm wrong, I still can't see the point in having a tire that lasts only a handful of laps, in conjunction with a limited number of sets and a rule that they have to use both compounds in the race.

Can't think of any other sport in which the contestants are so restricted with regards to the amount of practicing they are allowed to do and then forced to use inappropriate equipment to contest.