Hamilton did not put a foot wrong and now leads the Championship going into the Japanese GP, Rosberg scored no points and is now 3 behind.
There was a race in Singapore but it was all behind Lewis. Vettel, Ricciardo and Alonso had a decent scrap for the remaining podium spots which was decided when Ferrari got slightly caught out by the Safety Car, He had been ahead of the two Red Bulls but emerged behind on the same tires after the stop.
It might have been a closer race had the drivers been able actually race with each other rather than just try to save tires and get to the end. Mark Webber, racing at Circuit of the Americas in the WEC, was quoted yesterday:“There’s no contest there, Michelin is a real racing tire, Pirelli was for show business in Formula one. These are real racing tires so it’s a tire which all the drivers can enjoy...”
But it is what it is, I guess.
As predicted, the FIA's ban, half ban, on radio communications was made a joke today with all sorts of messages being sent back and forth from all teams. More confusion.
Of note, Maldonado did not crash though he did drive off with a wheel gun still attached once.
Also, Jean Eric Vergne finished 6th despite being given not one but two 5 second penalties! Perhaps Toro Rosso needs to arrange to have the FIA penalize JEV every race!
Now on to Suzuka and the momentum is all in Hamilton's corner again. If we're lucky we'll finally see a straight up, on track battle between the two Mercedes.
It's been a while now.
Webers comments on Michelin and Pirelli are unfair in my mind. When refuelling was banned , Bernje or the FIA needed some way to require pitstops , and create different strategies for pitstops which Pirelli has done as instructed . All drivers like max grip, and no drop off.... But the better cars are always going to be in front of "shit cars" as Nicki would say, even if Pirelli made a high grip, long asking tire
ReplyDeleteI don't know if it's fair or unfair or more, as you say, a statement of fact. Pretty sure drivers would rather just be able to go for it
ReplyDeleteI wish they would have banned all radio communications. I'm tired of Hamilton's whining and second guessing everything.
ReplyDeleteI will certainly criticise Hamilton when I think he deserves it but I think you are being a little unfair to him here. All the drivers question the strategy that the team have set out for them because they have access to a lot less data than the boffins sitting at the laptops. If the strategy has changed since they got in the car (and the likelihood is that it will do during the course of the race), the radio is the only way that the driver can question the reasons for the selected strategy. Add adrenaline and the stress of piloting these cars in to the mix and the communications turn in to something very different to you or I talking to someone over a hands free kit when in our saloon cars driving down the motorway. You say you are tired of this whining. I prefer to hear the comments so that I can try to understand what the drivers are thinking.
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