Chinese GP 2010 - Shanghai

[komninosm]

Perhaps another thread should be set up to discuss the Hamilton/Vettel/Pitlane issue.

There were a few other things in the race to discuss:

1. Petrov's first points,
2. Schumachers sadly disappointing result,
3. Another podium for Roseberg,
4. The first lap accident with another car being launched by the kerbs (it would seem).
etc etc

Good ideas.

[Richard]

There were a few other things in the race to discuss:

1. Petrov's first points,
2. Schumachers sadly disappointing result,
3. Another podium for Roseberg,
4. The first lap accident with another car being launched by the kerbs (it would seem).
etc etc

OK. I'll retract.

1 and 3 were the highlights for me.

[Just_a_fan]

There were a few other things in the race to discuss:

1. Petrov's first points,
2. Schumachers sadly disappointing result,
3. Another podium for Roseberg,
4. The first lap accident with another car being launched by the kerbs (it would seem).
etc etc

Well, for me, 3 was even sweeter because 2 happened too. I'm really enjoying Rosberg's success over Michael. I'm really hoping that Rosberg will get the nod at some point and Michael will be asked to move over for his team mate!! [-o<

I've been pretty impressed so far by how well the new guys are staying out of the way of the racing too. Must be doing a much better job than some think if they can spend so much time going off line etc. to avoid the fast guys and still be only 4-5 or secs off the pace. Some of the established drivers (and I'm thinking Massa particularly) were quite vocally against these slower cars pre-season. S'funny to see him and a couple of other similar guys struggling for pace quite often - a bit of irony there I reckon.

[komninosm]

OK bare with me in this. Each driver gets some sets of tyres for each race. These are personalised (serial numbers?), right? So if the Ferrari pit crew are waiting for Massa they lay out around the pit stop his tyres (and Alonso's are right beside). But the Alonso passes Massa at the pit entry and they now have to switch all the tyres around. Is there time to get the order and do that? Did they put on Massa's tyres on Alonso's car? Is there a video of Ferrari crew fumbling around? The only other explanation would be it was team orders and they were waiting for Alonso first, but I seriously doubt that.
what would the penalty for this be anyway? I mean for wrong tyres.


And now for something entirely different.
The tale of Sir Robin with subtitles (Brave Sir Robin)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jYFefppqEtE

[vall]

There were a few other things in the race to discuss:

4. The first lap accident with another car being launched by the kerbs (it would seem).
etc etc

I thought Liuzzi spun and caused the chaos?

[Paul Oz]

OK bare with me in this. Each driver gets some sets of tyres for each race. These are personalised (serial numbers?), right? So if the Ferrari pit crew are waiting for Massa they lay out around the pit stop his tyres (and Alonso's are right beside). But the Alonso passes Massa at the pit entry and they now have to switch all the tyres around. Is there time to get the order and do that? Did they put on Massa's tyres on Alonso's car? Is there a video of Ferrari crew fumbling around? The only other explanation would be it was team orders and they were waiting for Alonso first, but I seriously doubt that.
what would the penalty for this be anyway? I mean for wrong tyres.

Good point....

[roost89]

There were a few other things in the race to discuss:

4. The first lap accident with another car being launched by the kerbs (it would seem).
etc etc

I thought Liuzzi spun and caused the chaos?

The car snapped under breaking, slid off and was launched by the kerb.
Hulkenberg was behind him when it happened and his car had a similar moment yet he held it together and was almost hit by the cars sliding off-track.

DC, Ant Davidson and Martin Brundle (in the BBC F1 Forum) all said it was easily done and that the cars are easily launched off the kerbs and it's a safety hazard.

The crash:
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0pLxQl9_7Fc[/youtube]

[andrew]

There were a few other things in the race to discuss:

4. The first lap accident with another car being launched by the kerbs (it would seem).
etc etc

I thought Liuzzi spun and caused the chaos?

Liuzi spun the car on a down-shift it would seem and the rest is history.

The kerb stones have a flat edge which is flush with the tarmac however the otherside is like looking at a regular kerb stone you'll see on the street. When a car hits the vertical section it will be launched much like Kobyashi's accident in Melbourne. The uneven grass section won't help but it is the kerbs that are the main problem.

[ISLAMATRON]

I love it, The Hamiton haters in maximum attack... displaying their stupidity better than Hamilton displaying his superior skills when passing their favorite drivers on track.

Once again Hamilton clearly head and shoulders above the rest of the field, both in passing skill and in pure speed.

Thankfully he was able to "reverse the course" as some idiot put it and made that first pit stop for inters or this would have been a boring race... just him passing Bob, Britney & Jens and then off into the distance.

Ms is done, reactions are gone, and conditioning is lost... at this point Heidfeld probably would be doing a better job.

I guess we can add Start Jumper to Alonso's long list of negatives, but it was a small mistake and best of all he owned up about it... not like his race fixing in which he claims Singapore 08 is still a legitimate win... disgusting.

Massa was garbage today... he is strange in the wet, sometimes good sometimes not... did they get him the proper visor?

Webbo also garbage, what is up with him... is Vettle crushing his drive& spirit?

Big mistake for Rosberg, probably threw away a win... seems like any off takes the temp out the tires and it is very difficult to get back, same thing happened to JB but he got the temp back in the tires just in time.

Hamilton's passing is genious, his highlight reel just for today is more than for the whole year for 90% of the other drivers.... outstanding.

[ernos5]

I love it, The Hamiton haters in maximum attack... displaying their stupidity better than Hamilton displaying his superior skills when passing their favorite drivers on track.

Once again Hamilton clearly head and shoulders above the rest of the field, both in passing skill and in pure speed.

Thankfully he was able to "reverse the course" as some idiot put it and made that first pit stop for inters or this would have been a boring race... just him passing Bob, Britney & Jens and then off into the distance.

Ms is done, reactions are gone, and conditioning is lost... at this point Heidfeld probably would be doing a better job.

I guess we can add Start Jumper to Alonso's long list of negatives, but it was a small mistake and best of all he owned up about it... not like his race fixing in which he claims Singapore 08 is still a legitimate win... disgusting.

Massa was garbage today... he is strange in the wet, sometimes good sometimes not... did they get him the proper visor?

Webbo also garbage, what is up with him... is Vettle crushing his drive& spirit?

Big mistake for Rosberg, probably threw away a win... seems like any off takes the temp out the tires and it is very difficult to get back, same thing happened to JB but he got the temp back in the tires just in time.

Hamilton's passing is genious, his highlight reel just for today is more than for the whole year for 90% of the other drivers.... outstanding.

Like to see him do that without the f-duct, or in a Virgin

[Terrible3]

I know I am adding fuel to the fire, but realistically what did LH expect Vettel to do in the pits? Pull over and let him by? I dont see what LH was hoping to gain by trying to challenge Vettel for position in the pit lane. Even if he did manage to get past him I can only assume that he would receive a stop and go for his actions. Personally I hope no one receives any penalties next round. If they are to hand out penalties they better tag one onto Button for that reckless restart. Blatant brake checking is not allowed. Perhaps everyone will just get a smack on the wrists.

edit: Apparently from another camera angle its clear that Button did not brake suddenly, thus his actions are free from penalty. Sorry my mistake.

[Ray]

Someone brought up that the guys in the slow cars are doing a great job at getting out of the way of the leaders and that's a great point. I haven't noticed a single instance of a slower car even slightly holding up a faster car or cars. So they are doing a fantastic job so far. =D> Let's see how they do in Monaco though. They also seem to fall out on the first few laps so that has to do alot with it too.

I think it needs to be said that Lewis is showing his immense talent and brilliance, but Jenson is getting the results. Lewis is class of the field, but Jenson is winning races and that is what counts. Alonso is also flexing his muscle and refused to sit behind his slower teammate and seems to be establishing his dominance inside Ferrari and showed today that with 4 pitstops and a drive through he can still get results. Ballsy moves, daring passes, stretching the rules are all great. You have to be there at the end and he's shown that even after an admitted mistake, and it was damn close on the lights with a few thousandths being the difference between a brilliant start and a jump, he can still be there at the end. Once again Alonso and Lewis show they are racers, but Button has shown them both up by using his head and not setting a foot wrong. Nice to see him shutting up the critics.

[andrew]

I know I am adding fuel to the fire, but realistically what did LH expect Vettel to do in the pits? Pull over and let him by? I dont see what LH was hoping to gain by trying to challenge Vettel for position in the pit lane. Even if he did manage to get past him I can only assume that he would receive a stop and go for his actions. Personally I hope no one receives any penalties next round. If they are to hand out penalties they better tag one onto Button for that reckless restart. Blatant brake checking is not allowed. Perhaps everyone will just get a smack on the wrists.

They all got a light telling off (a reprimand) from Alex Wurz, the former McLaren test driver who investigated the actions of the current McLaren drivers who both drive for the team which he used to test for. So no conflict of interest there then...

[andartop]

I think it needs to be said that Lewis is showing his immense talent and brilliance, but Jenson is getting the results. Lewis is class of the field, but Jenson is winning races and that is what counts. Alonso is also flexing his muscle and refused to sit behind his slower teammate and seems to be establishing his dominance inside Ferrari and showed today that with 4 pitstops and a drive through he can still get results. Ballsy moves, daring passes, stretching the rules are all great. You have to be there at the end and he's shown that even after an admitted mistake, and it was damn close on the lights with a few thousandths being the difference between a brilliant start and a jump, he can still be there at the end. Once again Alonso and Lewis show they are racers, but Button has shown them both up by using his head and not setting a foot wrong. Nice to see him shutting up the critics.

Absolutely agree there. I have to say that with his 2 wins in 4 races this season JB has impressed me more than by winning the first six races and the Championship last year. He set himself up for a real challenge by moving to McLaren, and so far he seems to be on top of Lewis while keeping a cool head and attitude. Never was a fan of his, but I give him the thumbs up, and do hope he will keep giving Lewis a run for his money for the rest of the season.
Alonso seems to be doing a great job as well, what with all the pressure of a 2xWDC moving to Ferrari and all the reliability issues he's had, he just seems to be happy and quite relaxed in the car, and definitely seems to have better control of it over Massa. Had he not jump started the lights we would have been treated an even more exciting race today.
Here's hoping we'll head to the last race of the season with Seb, Alonso, Button, Lewis and maybe Rosberg, Massa and Webbo all chasing the title! I'd love to have been able to add Schumi on that list, but he just seems to be drifting away at the moment..

[ISLAMATRON]

I think it needs to be said that Lewis is showing his immense talent and brilliance, but Jenson is getting the results. Lewis is class of the field, but Jenson is winning races and that is what counts. Alonso is also flexing his muscle and refused to sit behind his slower teammate and seems to be establishing his dominance inside Ferrari and showed today that with 4 pitstops and a drive through he can still get results. Ballsy moves, daring passes, stretching the rules are all great. You have to be there at the end and he's shown that even after an admitted mistake, and it was damn close on the lights with a few thousandths being the difference between a brilliant start and a jump, he can still be there at the end. Once again Alonso and Lewis show they are racers, but Button has shown them both up by using his head and not setting a foot wrong. Nice to see him shutting up the critics.

Button is just getting lucky is all, We saw that same luck when he won his first race and the last two. He knows he can not win on speed/pace so he just plays the alternate strategy trying to get the results... It will fail more often than not. Plus Rosberg threw away what could have been his first win. I personally would not be surprised if Button did not win again all year.

I know the old saying but I's still rather be good than lucky anytime, but being both is always the best combo.

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