It's Easter so I won't go through the usual job of doing the big clip so just a couple of clips from the GP which unfolded pretty much as expected with a cakewalk for Red Bull. For me the unexpected highlight of the race was the performance of the Renaults (along with the Force India) and Valery Petrov's fight with Hamilton.
Renault definitively has the straightline speed but it was all over in the corners as you can see in the clip. The move Petrov put on Hamilton to retake position was fantastic but on the other hand, the move Hamiton made on the next lap was, shall we say, interesting? I counted four changes of direction on the straight and I have no doubt Petrov would have passed him again if he had not driven like that.
I'm also suspecting Hamilton would have been given more than the warning he received had he tried that move on someone other than a rookie in a Renault. Your thoughts?
Also interesting is how well Alonso was able to drive in a car that was in serious trouble mechanically. I would imagine that contributed to the engine failure to some extent but it was great to see Alonso fight to the end rather than cruise to bring home for a few points.
Ferrari looks like it has some issues following cars when on full tanks especially. Massa was stuck behind Buemi, that's not a good thing. Check out the interview with Stefano Domenicali, he conceeds that Mclaren is way faster in a straight line and in Italian says "...Thanks to their, quote, SPECIAL wing". Ferrari not too happy about that one, I guess.
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I think the reason he got away with it was that Petrov followed Hamilton back & forth across the track. It wasn't Hamilton moving to block Petrov's move(s). I still think Hamilton should have been penalized for it. Petrov deserved to be in front at T1.
ReplyDeleteTo me it looked liked Hamilton was preventing Petrov from catching a tow. Hamilton initiated the move and Petrov followed so it only warranted a warning. If it was the other way around then it would have been a blatant block.
ReplyDeleteI'm still scratching my head how Alonso kept that F10 competitive without being able to shift properly. Besides not being able to follow cars with a full tank Ferrari might have bigger problems with their engine. Both Sauber blowing up and the precautionary engine changes in Bahrain. Could it be that Ferrari is running the car too lean?
I also thought Hamilton was just trying to get Petrov out of the tow. But if Hamilton didn’t weave I’m positive Petrov would have passed him again. As for Alonso I had a big smile on my face the way he raced with his problem.
ReplyDeleteCan't STAND Hamilton, awesome that he was STUCK behind the Force India, that show that little p***k is just lucky to have a top 3 car since his debut.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fSMxQ4v0TIs
ReplyDeleteHe said he had to downshift, lift off a bit, then accelerate a bit "heavy" so the clutch could find the right gear ... he said that his clutch broke @ the presentation lap, then he said that was his hardest race of all his life! CRAZY!
Hamilton was looking racey again which was good. Disappointing that he gets up behind the Force India and can't do jack about it. Still the case that your car needs to be a good percentage quicker to really dice with people at the sharp end which is disappointing. Just remove the damn wings!
ReplyDeleteThe Petrov move - good to see 2 guys that will actually race. I don't think what Hamilton did was particularly wrong - he never blocked Petrov at any point as Hamilton moved first every time. It wasn't the old school double block that you get penalised for.
I'm a LH fan, i definitely don't think he deserved a penalty, a warning was probably fair as FIA/Charlie Whiting had to be seen to acknowledge the "incident". I firmly believe that whilst VP might have got alongside LH, he would have hung him out to dry like, just like he did to FM a couple years ago at Monza?
ReplyDeleteAlso, from James Allens blog:
Meanwhile the stewards also let race winner Sebastian Vettel off without penalty for passing Jarno Trulli under yellow flags at Turn 4 late in the race,
“Having viewed video and telemetry evidence and heard evidence from the Driver (Vettel) and Team Representative, find that the Driver did breach Article 2.4.5.1 b) of Appendix H of the International Sporting Code, ” the Stewards said in a statement.
“However, the Stewards, having noted that the Driver made a very large reduction in speed through the yellow flag area and that he understood that Car 18 was slowing with an obvious problem, DECIDE in accordance with Article 16.2 a) of the Formula One Sporting Regulations to impose no penalty. ”
http://www.jamesallenonf1.com/
Looks like FIA dont want to upset the applecart too much this season!
Regardless of the Hamilton vs. Petrov passing thing I cannot believe how good of a race Alonso drove in the broken F10. What does it say about Button that Alonso's Ferrari, while being broken, nearly caught him a couple of times?
ReplyDeleteYea, as everyone could see, Loo-iss moved 1st, he never attempted a blocking move.
ReplyDeleteWell done to Petrov for sticking behind him. Real racing. And well done to the race stewards for seeing it correctly as it was.
And it was great for the fans to see!
F1Mikal in NYC
I think there is no doubt that Hamilton would have eventually pulled away (he did) but on that particular straight, that lap, Petrov would have passed him, as he had the lap before, if Ham had not done all that.
ReplyDeleteWhat hamilton did was not blocking...he was just trying to prevent petrov from taking advantage of his draft. He shouldnt have even got a warning...part of why F1 is so screwed up.
ReplyDeleteI wonder if the Mclaren stall wing somehow created a particularly good draft...
ReplyDeleteAs much as I think Hamilton is a dick, the showdown with Petrov made for great entertainment. Petrov's definitely got some serious potential.
ReplyDeleteIt's possible that the f-duct may create a better draft since there might be less turbulent air flowing from the rear wing. Even if the diffuser stalls the chasing cars front wing it prolly wouldn't matter since you want to catch a tow anyway and you prolly don't need that much downforce anyway.
ReplyDeleteI have to say it again. Hamilton is the best judge of grip in overtaking situations I have ever seen in F1.
ReplyDeleteI really don't like the guy but if anyone else tried the moves he makes they'd fall off the island.
LH wasn't stuck behind Sutil. Sutil kept Hamilton there with an amazing drive. The Force India was a force for McLaren that LH could not master.
ReplyDeleteWell, weaving on a dry track does not really take that much skill, I think Hamilton was pissed Petrov out braked him the previous lap.
ReplyDeleteI would think that the McLaren wing would make the car less attractive to follow since there would be more flow off the rear wing. ie, more resistance.
ReplyDeleteAs others have said Hamilton wasn't blocking or initiating defensive block manuever. He was preventing Petrov from staying on his tow and eventually passing again at the end of the straight.
ReplyDeleteYou can clearly see Petrov follow his moves at arund @2:00.
He was preventing Petrov from passing him but he was not
ReplyDeleteblocking?
I'd like to point out something that has been really ignored, for the most part, as the media and everyone tried to make more out of the Ferrari engine failures:
ReplyDeleteEVERY CORNER that engine was free-revving as the clutch/gearbox was looking to engage. These engines are not designed or tested to be changing revs in that manner at every turn, then pegged to nearly full tilt, and back again. Yeah they're meant to be much more durable but imagine slipping your car into neutral, gunning it, then putting it back into gear every time you want to downshift (auto or manual trans).
We're talking the equivalent of probably another race's worth of extra wear and much higher stresses than anticipated on those components. Once I heard that engine hitting the limiter the first time, I immediately thought to myself that engine was gonna be toast. Why the failure is being pegged as a problem is just because of the coincidental problems in the Sauber. Massa's engine sounded just fine at the end of the race.
I really wish more thought was put into these news stories - its just common sense. Yeah they're thoroughbred engines but they simply werent designed for that kind of abuse.
gravit8
AC; you know there's a huge difference between impeding the racing line and trying to prevent someone from staying under your toe.
ReplyDelete@gravit8. I think there is no doubt the eventual blow up of Alonso's engine is a result of the problem with the clutch. But "Ferrari has serious engine troubles" makes for a better headline than "holy cow Alonso drove most of the race without a clutch", right?
ReplyDeleteNow of Hamilton had done the same he would be heralded as a genius.
AC....if Hamilton did what Alonso accomplished with no clutch, his adoring fans and press would be clamoring for him to be knighted.
ReplyDelete