What can you say about a race where the man on the top step of the podium says he should have been second, the guy in third says he should have been fourth, and the guy in second freely admits all the drivers have to drive the whole race slowly to conserve tires, which are made to last just a few laps? Shit show comes to mind.
Possibly the most embarrassing GP I can remember for pretty much everyone involved.
Let's go from the beginning
Massa got totally lost in the opening laps, good comeback in the end but P2 to P5 is not good enough.
Mclaren: How a team as good as Mclaren could still botch so many pit stops is a puzzle, too much practice? Shame for Button who had managed to get himself well up in the points.
On the other hand, it would have been a hilarious if they had actually serviced Lewis' Mercedes.
Red Bull: We all hate to see managed races, but what Vettel did at Sepang was the ultimate douche move. You have a deal you stick to it, you don't turn the boost up and pass the guy who had been faster but turned his engine down on order from the team. Once you do that, You don't celebrate like Vettel did at the finish line and you certainly don't go to the press claiming you passed "unintentionally" and you misunderstood orders. Vettel lost many, many fans today. (also, he passed Webber by crossing into the pit lane exit and should probably have been penalized for it)Pirelli/F1: Seriously, this is starting to smell bad already and we are only two races in. You cannot have a formula 1 where drivers are forced to drive 8/10ths like in endurance of old. If Pirelli has been briefed to engineer tires that would "improve the show" I can guarantee you this is not the show anyone wants to see.
NBC SPORTS: With Bob Varsha back doing commentary, it was like deja vu all over again and not in a good way. Can you really have three "experts" who for more than half the race (the whole race for Matchett, even after he was told) did not realize you do not have to use both tire compounds if the race starts with cars on rain tires? Really? New blood please,
I'm adding bullpen comments from Webber and Vettel as shown by SkySports, after the break. Will three weeks be enough to smooth this over chez Red Bull?
PROVISIONAL RACE RESULTS
The Malaysian Grand Prix
Sepang, Malaysia;
56 laps; 310.408km;
Weather: .
Classified:
Pos Driver Team Time/Gap
1. Sebastian Vettel Red Bull-Renault 1h38m56.681s
2. Mark Webber Red Bull-Renault + 4.298s
3. Lewis Hamilton Mercedes + 12.181s
4. Nico Rosberg Mercedes + 12.640s
5. Felipe Massa Ferrari + 25.648s
6. Romain Grosjean Lotus-Renault + 35.564s
7. Kimi Raikkonen Lotus-Renault + 48.479s
8. Nico Hulkenberg Sauber-Ferrari + 53.044s
9. Sergio Perez McLaren-Mercedes + 1m12.357s
10. Jean-Eric Vergne Toro Rosso-Ferrari + 1m27.124s
11. Valtteri Bottas Williams-Renault + 1m28.610s
12. Esteban Gutierrez Sauber-Ferrari + 1 lap
13. Jules Bianchi Marussia-Cosworth + 1 lap
14. Charles Pic Caterham-Renault + 1 lap
15. Giedo van der Garde Caterham-Renault + 1 lap
16. Max Chilton Marussia-Cosworth + 2 laps
17. Jenson Button McLaren-Mercedes + 3 laps
18. Daniel Ricciardo Toro Rosso-Ferrari + 5 laps
Fastest lap: Perez, 1m39.199s
Not classified/retirements:
Driver Team On lap
Pastor Maldonado Williams-Renault 45
Adrian Sutil Force India-Mercedes 27
Paul di Resta Force India-Mercedes 22
Fernando Alonso Ferrari 1
World Championship standings, round 2:
Drivers: Constructors:
1. Vettel 40 1. Red Bull-Renault 66
2. Raikkonen 31 2. Lotus-Renault 40
3. Webber 26 3. Ferrari 40
4. Hamilton 25 4. Mercedes 37
5. Massa 22 5. Force India-Mercedes 10
6. Alonso 18 6. McLaren-Mercedes 4
7. Rosberg 12 7. Sauber-Ferrari 4
8. Grosjean 9 8. Toro Rosso-Ferrari 1
9. Sutil 6
10. Di Resta 4
11. Hulkenberg 4
12. Button 2
13. Perez 2
14. Vergne 1
All timing unofficial
What happened to NBC Sports in a week's time?
ReplyDeleteLast weekend everyone was praising their coverage for being more like the European networks and they were putting on a decent show. This weekend it was SPEED all over again. It must've been nice to get Varsha on loan, but he brings absolutely nothing to the broadcast. Diffy is not an expert by any means, but at least he injects a bit of excitement into the commentating.
On top of the tire misinformation, I lost count how many times Hobbs and Matchett screwed up which driver was in which car. Buxton was reduced to his usual role of an opening and closing thought, the only guy actually at the race.
Send Varsha back to FOX where he came from, give Buxton more airtime and for gods sake enough with the pre-school levels of technical explanation. The only people watching the races at 3 AM are actual fans of the sport. NBC needs to cater their broadcast accordingly. Really disappointed this week after a pretty excellent opening in Melbourne.
Spot on. Varsha is pure ear fungus and seems to induce stupiditiy in Matchett and Hobbs also. At least, Leigh Diffy keeps them on their toes.
DeleteIt is ultimately annoying to hear their idiotic giggling at whatever is happening on track.
Ditch Varsha permanently and give Buxton more time.
I don't buy Seb's apology. How did he not know the team strategy? He should have just owned up to it. Total shit show. Well said.
ReplyDeleteAbsolutely agree, I'd say rookie mistake. Mark is humble about it, I don't see the necessity in Seb's part... As for show, it sure was shit.
DeleteHe is no rookie. He knew exactly what he was doing. He is only apologising for PR sake.
Deletefirst I've heard "rookie" to describe a 3-time WDC, but his attitude/maturity level certainly suggests one...
DeleteI dont think the guy is saying he is a rookie, he is saying it was a rookie mistake. There is a difference.
DeleteFor all the fans that Vettel lost, Webber surely gained as many. What a drive from Maq Quebbah.
ReplyDeleteRE: The pass on Webber, it's perfectly legal to cross the pit exit line if you are not coming out of the pits.
ReplyDeleteThat said, Vettel seems to have regressed in his maturity this season. He seems to be acting like he deserves every win, like a spoiled brat.
Take a look a look at the post-race parking from last weekend. Kimi parks in first place, Fernando in second; Vettel arrives and parks behind Kimi.
Childish right?
It's well known that F1 cars do not have the turning radius to make that corner into the P3 spot. It happens every year in Australia.
DeleteLet me put forth the idea that this whole Vettel disobeying team orders scenario is one massive HOAX. Kinda like Danica Patrick getting pole at Daytona a few weeks back(by the way, I know this site is frequented by F1 fans and probably not Nascar fans, but have you noticed how since Nascar's attendance and tv rating are down the drivers are getting into fights what seems like almost on a weekly basis). Team orders all along were that Vettel would take the lead if he and Mark were 1-2. Its just been over dramatized to help the public sympathize with Webber. Everyone saw how Ferrari got booed that year Rubens moved over for Schumi in where was it, Austria I think. I say....GIVE THESE GUYS OSCARS! Like Horner said, "Lets just move on." :o) Come on Seb! Keep kickin' their ass! Get that fourth title!
ReplyDeleteAgree with all of the above except the Varsha comment. I know I am not alone here.
ReplyDeleteBetter not hear another peep from Horner complaining about Ferrari, McLaren, etc. Vettel, Marko, and that entire soft drink sham are hypocrites of the highest order.
ReplyDeleteAlonso basically pulls some dangerous BS and you pretty much give him a pass. Vettel ignores team orders and you cruficy him....
ReplyDeleteWhen will you take Alonso and Ferrari's cocks out of your mouth?
when you take Vettel's out of your mouth and Marko's out of your bum...
DeleteWhen I tried to picture that in my mind, all I could come with is the image of Christian Horner.
DeleteThey both acted like assholes. Better?
DeleteI think they indeed had to use both tire components, because the race wasn't declared as wet race.
ReplyDeleteCorrect... actually at the beginning of the race this was the discussion and the decision was that it was this is not a WET race.
DeleteRegarding the TV show... well what I can say. I live in the third world. I have to be happy to have the F1 being aired lived. I would pay to have a lived internet feed like the one in the other post.
Regardless they had to use both compounds because they just didn't have enough tires. Those tires were absolute shit and F1 is lucky they had rain before the race to cool the track. If it was a perfectly sunny near 100 degree day there would have been easily 5 pit stops and teams would have been running out of tires. That track was shredding those tires almost immediately. Then what would the FIA have to say?
DeleteI've liked Vettel ever since he entered F1 as a reserve driver for BMW. But after his deplorable action and unsportmanlike move I now choose to loathe this 3 time champion. His ego gets more massive with every victory and his arrogance is now measureable by his self entitlement. His vague answer for defying team orders were comparable with any surreptitious politician. Vettel, what a c*ck! If he's as sorry as his own words suggest, I wonder if he gave Webber his 1st place trophy?
ReplyDeleteI suggest liking Webber's page https://www.facebook.com/aussiegrit
ReplyDeleteAnd liking the Vettel Hater's page https://www.facebook.com/pages/I-hate-Sebastian-Vettel/164513166922060
Sebastian Vettel is a little bitch.
ReplyDeleteStill nice to see that the moving roadblock teams still doesn't know how to do the basics. Like releasing the car in the right time..
ReplyDeleteThat move on raikkonen by hulkenberg should not be ok.