Brucas4life

By far my favourite race of the year so far. It was exciting, it was possible to overtake, and there was actually a fight for 1st. McLaren have really closed the gap on Red Bull that's for sure, I'm not too sure what's going on with Ferrari though.

It's hard to know where to start really but I guess the main talking point was the Red Bull incident. Personally I viewed it as Vettel's fault, I really don't understand why he steered slightly to the right towards Webber when the corner went to the left. It's his own fault he went out, and he's lucky he didn't take Webber out too and cost them even more points. I actually felt really sorry for Mark Webber, he probably should have finished 1st or 2nd and in the end was lucky to get 3rd, it was his teammate that hit him, and then after all that, it appears the team are pointing the finger at him, and if speculation is to be believed favouring Vettel over him. It's ironic if that's true as now Webber is the one in the best position for the title, and Vettel has dropped off after not finishing. Regarding the incident though it was interesting what Lewis had to say, especially given that he had an excellent view, and he seemed convinced it was Vetel's fault too, particularly after Vettel had pulled a very similar move on him earlier on in the race that thankfully he managed to avoid.

As a McLaren fan of course I was delighted when the Red Bulls collided giving Lewis and Jensen a 1-2, especially as I was just wondering how on earth Lewis was going to manage to get passed both of them. However whilst I didn't expect either driver to just sit back I certainly wasn't expecting them to fight for the lead in the way they did, wheel to wheel for several corners, I was terrified they were going to take each other out too. thankfully though that didn't happen. It was interesting though as it seems Lewis was told to start saving fuel and assumed the same was said to Jensen, yet obviously it wasn't as then he passed him, and I'm really not sure how serious the fuel issue was but it felt like they were told to save fuel and look after their tyres to stop them racing each other. Either way Lewis was certainly confused about what he was being told and I suppose part of the reason why he wasn't so happy on the podium was he likes to win races on his own merit rather than other drivers taking each other out. Still after the way he drove both yesterday and in recent races it was about time he was rewarded. I perhaps may be biased but he's been by far for me the most exciting driver to watch this season so far. I also love the Lewis/Jensen partnership, despite how close they came to each other both drivers thought it was a fair fight and they seem to be working incredibly well together. In his interview with the BBC he said Jensen was the best teammate he had had, which okay I suppose you would have guessed given that it certainly wasn't going to be Alonso, and Heikki wasn't able to give him the support he needed, but you could see when he talked about the partnership, he is genuinely happy with it, and I think Jensen has really help balanced the team, he's taken some of the pressure off of Lewis, and they are able to give each other the support needed. The fact that they get along off the track is just an added bonus.

It seems there may have been another issue regarding the radios with Red Bull, with rumours about Vettel being told to turn up his engine and hence getting faster, and Webber being told to look after tyres etc. I don't know what to believe regarding that, it could easily be a case of people blowing it up and simply creating a story.

It was great to see the Red Bull's and McLaren really fight it out on the track, they were all pushing and giving it their all and that's all you can ask for.

At one point I was hoping for significant rain but in the end Vettel mixed the race up without that even happening.

Just a quick point about the new teams, they all seem to have serious reliability issues, I know it's a difficult sport to enter and perhaps they needed more time before the start but it's wrong that their aim is probably to finish a race rather than to place higher than one of the other new teams or even than one of the older teams. As Martin Brundle said, the most successful new team will be the one that gets on top of the reliability issues and is able to get both cars to the finish on a regular basis.

goodnightboy

Really? Maybe I wasn't feeling it but I thought the first part was boring and only heated up once the Red Bulls started challenging each other (leading to the incident) and the McLarens duking it out as well. About that - I was certain they were going to take each other out as well, so I'm glad they didn't.

Agreed, I felt it was Vettel's fault as well. Sure Webber didn't give him much space but he didn't need to move his car to the right, it felt more retaliatory than an actual move. Was surprised that the Red Bull pitwall didn't sort it out earlier on though, and what were they doing giving Vettel cuddles on the pitwall? If it were me I'd've yelled at him (maybe they did so in private). It was a stupid move that cost the team big time in terms of points, ruined his race, cost Webber the win. I know there are conspiracy theories about Vettel being favoured, stuff about rev limits, but I don't understand that so I'm just going to chalk it up to a stupid mistake.

Yes. The new teams are so far behind the established ones it's ridiculous. It's not just reliability issues, I know you don't expect McLaren/Red Bull-standard cars but these cars just don't have enough downforce and it's not like they have the budget to play catch-up in the development war either. Still, they're here now so I'm just hoping things pick up, for Lotus because they're most likely and for Virgin because, well, Timo. Having said that the Williams car has been underperforming for the last two races now and Sauber as well. Hmm. I love seeing how competitive the Renault is though. The best part is that it's not just Kubica out-driving the car, it's Petrov as well (what a shame his tyre died in the end!). And of course Force India are doing well, I enjoy seeing Adrian Sutil in Q3 on a regular basis

welshgirlyUK

I'm honestly a little bit shocked and dissapointed in the Reb Bull team right now for coming out publically and placing the blame on Mark. Whether they see it as Mark's fault or Seb's, it just doesn't seem right for a team principal to come out and place the blame solely on one driver to the press. That's something for behind closed doors. It's being poorly handled. I'm not a big Mark or Red Bull fan but it just seems very wrong. I'm no expert, but alienating the driver whose actually getting you the points and throwing him under the bus can't be a good move. I actually thought they were hugging Seb on the pitwall because he's known to be a bit of a crier so they didn't want to have a go in the glare of the camera's and keep any yelling for private, but now it really does seem like they were mollycoddling him. DC actually expressed that he thinks Red Bull are playing dangerous mind games with the both of them and thinks it's screwing with them psychologically which is what's causing this tension right now. BBC have done some digging and the facts and figures they've collected seem to support the view that Vettel was told to turn up his engine and Mark to turn his down. Hmmm. And all the BBC press team agreed that it's a popular view in the paddock that Red Bull favour Seb. It'll be interesting to see what kind of effect this all has on the team next race.


I thought it was an exciting race in terms of the top 4, even before the accident because they were always so close. It would have been interesting to see whether Lewis could have got the overtake before the end if they hadn't taken each other out. I think he probably could have and it would have been nice for him to get his first win like that instead, since like Brucas4life said, he really deserved a 1st place podium because he's been driving spectaculary this season but he likes to feel like he earned a win rather than inherited it. It's been exciting stuff from Lewis, i'd say his best driving season yet.

As an F1 fan, the duel between Jenson and Lewis excited me because their both great drivers and it was an interesting spectacle, but as a McLaren and Ham/But fan i was screaming at them through the telly lol. I couldn't believe they did that after seeing the Red Bulls take each other out right in front of their eyes. I do love this partnership though, it's great. They seem to be on the same page and that's nice. At first i was a bit concerned about their very reserved display on the podium but they've both expressed that they were bothered for Mark and were glad he still got on the podium and recieved some good points, so i think part of that might have been out of respect for Mark. Although i do think it was for a culmination of reasons.

I was actually more upset for Petrov than the Reb Bull guys because he'd held Fernando off beautifully all race and then just before the end, Alonso's overtake caused him a puncture. I'm unbelievably gutted for him.

goodnightboy

Nobody wants to talk about the Canadian GP? It was great! Confusion all over the place, exciting duels... fun! I like how you can't predict who's going to do well and who's not.

Brucas4life

And that is precisely why I love the Canadian Grand Prix. Overtaking, constant change of leader, sold out crowd. Just a brilliant race.

The tyres really mixed the race up and it was great to see all the teams requiring at least 2 pit stops rather than the standard one stop we have seen in the majority of races so far this season. I really did worry when the McLarens had to pit so early due to the tyres falling apart, I thought perhaps they had made the wrong call after all, I wasn't expecting the harder tyres to struggle too.

I'm so ridiculously happy for Lewis, it really does bring back memories of his first win in F1, and you could so what it meant to him, it was such a contrast to Turkey where he felt in a way he hadn't fully earned the win. Yes he got lucky with the tyre choice in the end, but he really had to work for that win and I was really pleased to see him learning from Jenson and looking after his tyres more. Some great overtaking once more, I know I'm biased but he's been my far the best driver to watch this season.

Seeing Hamilton and Alonso side by side going down the pit lane did have me worried but I'm glad Lewis didn't try anything stupid and in the end gave way. It was the right decision, he couldn't win the race by getting ahead of him but he could have lost it by getting a penalty if the stewards deemed he had broken the rules.

Poor Liuzzi, he showed a lot of promise, clashing with Massa 3 times on the first corner wasn't a good start but I was impressed to see him getting in the points.

What was going on with Schumacher? What a terrible race he had, he was all over the place, running off the track, pushing drivers into walls. You don't expect Schumacher to just give way but I think he would too far in some cases. Even when you take into consideration his tyres had gone it was still an awful race for him, and that last lap was just dreadful.

Button had a great drive, starting 4th and finishing very close to Lewis, as a McLaren fan I particularly liked the passing of Alonso.

As for the new teams it would seem Lotus are breaking away and getting closer to challenging the established teams.

A great race, and the result was the cherry on top for me. McLaren now lead the drivers and constructors and I couldn't be happier, i only hope they continue, especially with Silverstone coming up, I would absolutely love to see two British drivers on the podium.

As for Canada I think they have proven why they deserve to be on the F1 Calendar, incredible support from the fans, the drivers love it and are made to feel welcome and they have a great circuit. I'm glad it's on the calendar for next year.

goodnightboy

Not sure what was up with Schumacher. It was terrible - not up to the pace, bullying people (was that 3 front wings he damaged?). I don't like him and never will, but even I didn't think he would have such a bad return. Instead of being cast as a hero he's become the pantomine villain. And Rosberg is beating him comfortably. It's sad, really.

Brucas4life

Considering it was Valencia which as we all know too well is awful for overtaking the race wasn't as bad as I thought it was going to be.

First of all I'm so glad Webber is okay, that crash was just horrific, thank goodness the sport has invested so much money in improving the safety of drivers as the outcome could have been so much worse. To go through that and get out without more than a few aches here and there is testament to the huge improvements that have been made in regards to safety. Although if I was Webber I would be feeling very lucky. I also feel bad for Heikki who imo is blameless, it's not his fault he has to break earlier than other cars and it's not his fault the car is so slow, I can only imagine the shock he had when Webber went flying over him.

I suppose the next topic follows on from that crash. I'm not disputing Lewis' penalty because from the replays it is clear the safety car reached the line before he did and therefore he should have remained behind it, however I also believe that Lewis really did think he reached the line before it did although I guess that's open for debate. And Alonso clearly disagrees. I can understand Alonso's frustrations, he clearly feels that either Lewis should have been back where he was or that he should have been up there fighting the front runners, neither of which happened. I did think it was ridiculous though on the team radio how Alonso was so fixated on the incident that he let it dictate his race, and tbh it's quite pathetic that his sole objective was to get another driver penalised. It's one thing to see something that was illegal and to point it out but it's another to spend what was left of the race focused on seeing someone else punished. Despite the smiles let's be honest, Alonso and Hamilton will never be friends. Lewis seemed rather surprised Alonso was so enraged and bitter about the incident. I think it's easy for Ferrari to blame Lewis and McLaren rather than focusing on the main issue, and that is that they brought a massive upgrade to Valencia and failed to score big points, yes they got unlucky with the safety car but it seems to me they are deflecting attention away from their own poor performances. Much later on in the race Alonso lost a place, a place that that Ferrari should never have lost, I can only assume his mind was no longer on the race and what was going on. I guess the fact that it was a home race for him and the expectations of the fans only added to his frustration.

In the end Lewis' punishment destroyed any chance of a fight up the front but well done to Vettel, and well done to McLaren, especially considering how far off the pace that had looked during the weekend, and the major upgrades other teams had brought.

I really don't understand all the additional punishments after the race, not that they made much difference.

Can't wait for Silverstone, it's great to have British drivers leading the title race going into the British Grand Prix, and with major upgrades planned I can't help but hope for a McLaren 1-2.

goodnightboy

Exactly so, and that's the point a lot of people are missing as well. The fact is that Ferrari, even with their major upgrades, couldn't do well in the race - whether or not Hamilton benefitted or not from being in front of the safety car is another issue entirely. That said I think he was just lucky that he had such a big lead over Kobayashi (who had a great race, sure he was holding up everyone else but it was up to them to get past him, and they didn't) and so could do the penalty and not lose track position. Alonso and Ferrari just look like sore losers in this case.

I'm so glad Webber is OK too, the crash was spectacular but it could have been really bad for the driver. To see him walk out - say what you want about Formula One, the standard of safety is so high.

Valencia... I don't remember it being so picaresque. I thought it was full of ugly buildings and a port of some sort. Am I thinking of something else entirely?

Brucas4life

Silverstone this weekend. I seriously can't wait, it should be an amazing race.

Not sure if everyone has already seen this but I just had to post it:



I just adore them as teammates, I can't imagine a better pairing.

goodnightboy

I've seen that! I know it's staged as hell but you can't deny that the two of them are friends, they seem to have a friendly rivalry (compare them to Red Bull!) and for all the talk of Lewis vs Jenson it seems to be Lewis + Jenson vs the world (especially with the ill-handling McLaren...)

Anyway. Silverstone! I can't say much because I was doing other stuff during the race and so only saw bits and pieces, but - poor start from Vettel, although Webber did really well there. I used to like Vettel for being young and a good driver but my patience with him is wearing thin - he has a habit of being rash. When Webber went past him he should have blocked Hamilton but he went for the lead instead. Red Bull's obvious favouritism doesn't make sense, Webber's the one delivering consistently. Also what is up with the Ferraris? They seem to be going backwards. They're lucky Red Bull are making such a spectacle of themselves so that not more questions are being asked of them.

Brucas4life

Well that cetainly wasn't one of the better races this season, it was very disappointing, I thought we would have at least a three way fight for the win, if not a six way fight, and instead we ended up with a result that was a complete sham and a black mark on the sport. Take the first corner away and the Alonso-Massa drama and there really isn't much to say.

I think Ferrari should be ashamed of themselves. I accept that whilst team orders are banned that they still exist in the sport but what happened yesterday was disgraceful. And the way Ferrari tried to cover it up was even more pathetic. It was a year to the day since Massa's accident, he was trading fastest laps with Alonso, there was absolutely no reason why mid way though the season a team should ask a driver to do that. To take the win away from Massa was wrong, and for Ferrari to feel they were justified in making that call is even more disturbing. I really felt for Massa, I may not be a Ferrari fan but he deserved that victory and he was betrayed by his team, what happened to treating drivers equally? We've seen both McLaren and Red Bull allow their drivers to race each other, why do Ferrari have to be different and spoil it? I thought Massa handled himself impeccably after the race, he didn't throw a strop, he was loyal to the team, and was a true professional. He would have been perfectly justified to have been angry after the race, and even to have ignored the order coming from the team.

I think the fine they have been given is pathetic, do they honestly think that will make any difference to a team like that? The fact that Ferrari are not appealing suggests they are admitting they were guilty. I just hope there are further punishments to come but i won't hold my breath. At the very least the two Ferrari's placings should be reversed.

goodnightboy

Tell me about it. The race itself was unspectacular, first corner and Ferrari shenanigans apart. The thing though is that team orders make sense if one driver is way ahead of the other at the end of the season, but to do it now is pointless and makes a mockery of the sport. I feel cheated, like I've been made a fool because I love this sport and apparently one of the top teams doesn't share my enthusiasm. Formula One can be difficult to like - what with the decreasing attendances, increasing track homogenisation, politiking - and this doesn't help. I did, however, pick up my passes for the Singapore race yesterday and damn if I don't feel even more foolish now for being excited about watching it in person. Screw you Ferrari.

Brucas4life

That's great that you got your tickets, well I really hope for your sake that there is no repeat of team orders at the Singapore race and that it's a good race.

I think the whole incident is disgraceful, and the way Ferrari are trying to justify it and playing it down is shameful. I see there is talk about whether there should even be a ban on team orders. It's worrying they are even discussing it. Of course there should be a ban, fans want to watch a race, drivers fighting each other out on the track, not drivers pulling over to let another driver through, without the fans F1 is nothing, and fans don't want to see team orders. It's as simple as that. I was pleased to see Jenson come out in support of the ban and say he wouldn't want to race next year if team orders were allowed. It really does ruin the race and I wish certain individuals would stop trying to condone it.

L i N d $ @ y

So I've started watching Formula One again. Yes, I admit, I stopped watching when Kimi left. But I do miss watching this sport so I'm back to watching.

Any new rules I should know about? I heard Pirelli is the official tyre manufacturer. And what about KERS? I still see the Quali rules are applied. I watched the Melbourne GP a while ago, lots of DNF. Drive through penalties for Button & Rubinho which is very unlikely of them. Also, team orders are allowed this season. That's very surprising.

Brucas4life

I'm glad this thread is active and that you're watching F1 again!

As a McLaren fan I was very happy with the result considering that I thought they would be lucky to get anywhere near the front based on all the testing. I'm surprised McLaren went to the FIA to ask what to do rather than tell Jenson to let him back through, Jenson did well to get back into the points.

The Red Bull's look fast again this year, especially as neither car used KERS today, certainly worrying for all the other teams.

The only major rule change that I can think of, is that team orders are now allowed, which I'm still very against, especially after what happened in Germany last year but I'm not surprised they've changed the rule.

KERS is back although I don't think all the teams were running it, including Red Bull. No F-ducts are allowed which McLaren used last year but they are now allowed adjustable rear wings.

Here are all the new rules: Formula 1™ - The Official F1™ Website