Abu Dhabi Grand Prix 2011

[Dave B]

It's almost that time again, and thankfully in this part of the world we're back to a more civilised hour for a Grand Prix! :D

James Allen has an excellent introduction to the race along with a bunch of useful statistics here:
Abu Dhabi Grand Prix to be acid test for 2011 overtaking aids- James Allen on F1 (http://www.jamesallenonf1.com/2011/11/abu-dhabi-grand-prix-to-be-acid-test-for-2011-overtaking-aids/)

There will again be 2 DRS zones, one on the main straight with the detection zone just before the Turn 7 hairpin; the second after "turn" 10 which is more of a curved straight. There's a circuit map here (PDF):
http://www.fia.com/en-GB/mediacentre/f1_media/Documents/abd-circuit.pdf

Derek Warwick is the Driver Steward for this weekend (source (http://www.fia.com/en-GB/mediacentre/f1_media/Documents/abd-stewards.pdf)).

My (hopefully) useful self-updating Twitter thingy is here (http://goo.gl/DBqb9), quite handy to have running alongside live timing.

Some useful track data from Cosworth (PDF): http://cosworthformula1.com/press/downloads/Cosworth%20Circuit%20Tracker%20-%20Abu%20Dhabi.pdf

Tyres for this weekend are SOFT and MEDIUM (source (http://www.pirelli.com/corporate/en/press/2011/11/07/back-to-where-it-all-began-for-pirelli-and-the-p-zero-compounds/)), with some experimental soft compound being available for Friday practice.

:D

[schmenke]

...yawn...

[Knock-on]

Great post Dave but I must agree with Schmenke :yawn:

Unless Pirelli and the DRS can transform this GP, that is. (Or Schumy tries to pass his team mate.)

Watch Abu Dhabi Grand Prix 2011 live streaming online here. The 2011 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix is scheduled to be the eighteenth and penultimate round of the 2011 Formula One season. It will be held on 13 November 2011 at the Yas Marina Circuit on Yas Island.

Live Streaming Abu Dhabi Grand Prix 2011 Online (http://www.sportsbun.com/motorsports/formula1/live-streaming-abu-dhabi-grand-prix-2011-online/)

[christophulus]

Abu Dhabi trying to get one over on Canada with the Wall of Double Champions :p
BBC Sport - Lewis Hamilton and Jenson Button head Abu Dhabi practice (http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/formula_one/15691028.stm)

[ioan]

Well done Seb! Great speed showing there! :up:

[Dave B]

Good evening Mr Mansell!

[Rollo]

Watching the footage of Vettel's face whilst he's going at 200mph, I can only conclude that's he's a madman. He doesn't appear to be concentrating at all but rather smiling into the face of danger. I bet that as a kid he'd climb onto the roof of his house during electrical storms. It's that sort of face.

[ioan]

Impressive to see Vettel's eyes during the whole pole lap! He's barely blinking for 1 minute 38 seconds!
Great POV for the camera!
Funny to see how he is checking the giant screen while crossing the line!

PS: Watching the post qualy conference now and he is blinking very often, so different from when he is driving.

[jens]

Great qualifying from Vettel again, delivering right at the end. It looked like McLaren had pace for pole position, Hamilton's Q2 would have been enough for pole, but they failed to maximize the potential yet again. 14 poles in a season - might leave an impression that the car is dominant, but looking at evidence it really isn't so - Vettel has been able to keep making the difference. Interesting to think about the contrast to Mansell's season then, when taking poles by 1 or 2 second advantage was normal. :)

Other than that not much to say, everything looked as usual. Important for Sauber to have Pérez going well and in front of Toro Rossos to have a hope in the WCC battle.

[markabilly]

Impressive to see Vettel's eyes during the whole pole lap! He's barely blinking for 1 minute 38 seconds!
Great POV for the camera!
Funny to see how he is checking the giant screen while crossing the line!

PS: Watching the post qualy conference now and he is blinking very often, so different from when he is driving.


Of the drivers from the past, Vettel is begining to remind me most of being like Clark. Incredible concentration and ability to balance the car so it looks almost effortless and really not going all that fast.



And ocaissionally winking at a photographer in the middle of a corner at 120 mph............



Is this the last race, or are there more to go....... :dozey:

[ioan]

While Seb raised to the top under pressure Hamy choked. Alonso might want to reformulate his latest comments.

[Dave B]

I don't think you can call a near flawless P2, ahead of his team mate, choking.

[fandango]

Awful circuit, though. I think I prefer Valencia.

[ioan]

I don't think you can call a near flawless P2, ahead of his team mate, choking.

Nearly flawless? He was slower than his own Q2 time, which by the way would have given him pole position.

[ioan]

When will these muppets stop changing things after the race week end started?

FIA to extend DRS zone in Abu Dhabi amid fears that overtaking will be too hard - F1 news - AUTOSPORT.com (http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/96161)

Is this a knee jerk reaction to Vettel getting pole and thus more support being needed for those behind him to be able to get close and overtake him on race day?
Whatever this is it's crap.

[Ranger]

The problem is that Vettel's start and first stints are always dynamite (starting from pole helps too).

As such, by the time DRS is activated it will probably achieve nothing as he'll probably already be out of range.

[ShiftingGears]

The chicanes after the straights are a major flaw in the circuit. Like last year, unless the overtaking is actually done on the straight, noone can get a run off the corners because they have to slot straight back in behind the driver they try to outbrake.

[Dave B]

Well, I wasn't expecting that first lap!

Fantastic to see McLaren getting a great result, and although it always pains me to say it hats off to Alonso for a superb challenge.

[djparky]

better than last year- not a great track from a racing perspective- but it does look great in HD on the TV

[driveace]

First time this year that RB have not been dominant,throughout the race,and a good result for the UK too,but then the Lewis knockers will have some problem with his win.Congrats also to Alonso,on driving a not so quick a car into second

[jens]

Well, whoever has been complaining that Vettel's dominance makes F1 boring, may want to rethink that statement. When he has been taken away from competition, nothing changes. Just another car leading the whole race. At least Garry Walker has a good day for a change, so congratulations! :) He was wishing for a brake failure last race, but got something else instead of it this time!

[Dave B]

MAL and ALG have been given time penalties for ignoring blue flags but it doesn't change either driver's position:
Maldonado, Alguersuari hit with time penalties in Abu Dhabi - F1 news - AUTOSPORT.com (http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/96195)

[Ranger]

Note that the top 10 running order at the end of Lap 2 was exactly the same as the Top 10 at the end of the race.

Make of that what you will...

[The Black Knight]

The Abu Dabb Doo grand Prix. I'd have been more entertained watching reruns of Scooby.

Considering Hamilton's pace I'd say it is fair to say that Vettel would most likely have won this grand prix with ease had he been in the race. Good race by Hamilton. I hope he wins in Brazil as well as it will give him plenty of confidence going into next season and he needs that to make it an interesting season.

[ioan]

First time this year that RB have not been dominant,throughout the race,...

That's just because of a tire failure.
FYI the RBR was worse in comparison to the competition in the German and British GPs.

[driveace]

[quote="ioan"]That's just because of a tire failure.
Tyre in UK Tire in USA,they tire easily !

[ioan]

That's just because of a tire failure.
Tyre in UK Tire in USA,they tire easily !

Your point being?

[SGWilko]

That's just because of a tire failure.


If you look at the race start from onboard Button's car, there is a puff of smoke from Seb's right rear as he launches. Could this be the tyre spinning on the rim, setting up the deflation after the first corner??????

[Knock-on]

It was a very strange failure. Abu Dhabi is a pretty well run event so I think it would be unlikely it was caused by debris although such a catastrophic failure is normally associated with that sort of puncture.

One theory could be that they were running lower than recommended tyre pressures and either Seb didn't get enough heat in during the sighting lap or that he expected a little too much of the tyres before they were up to race temperature. Other causes could be an issue with the seating or a similar issue.

Personally, I would think it less likely that it was a Tyre defect because those tyres had been used in qualifying and checked afterwards. If there was a structural issue, it is likely it would have failed during qualifying when it was under maximum load rather than at the start of the GP.

Lets hope we find out soon.

[driveace]

after the first left hand bend,Vettel went completely over the ridge on the right of the track,and actually straddled the ridge,with his right hand tyres .No one else did,they rode up onto the ridge,but no one else went over it,as vettel did, immediately he rejoined the track for the next left,then felt the tyre let him down,and spun off .

[AndyL]

After watching the replay from the rear angle, I like the theory that the tyre got pulled off the rim coming back across the outside edge of the kerb (with the pressure still low).

[Knock-on]

"We did the investigation with Red Bull and that's what we both concluded. There's no sign of any tyre failure other than something has clearly created a big hole in it."

This from Paul Hembury.

Pirelli's Paul Hembery says they will never know what caused Vettel's puncture - F1 news - AUTOSPORT.com (http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/96264)

So, it wasn't Pirelli's fault it failed and it's unlikely it was debris.

I know Hembury says there are 100's of potential causes but if you discount the Tyre failing and debris, it leaves just a few alternatives:

1. Something RBR did caused the failure
2. How the car took the curbs caused the failure
3. Sabotage

Pretty unlikely to be number 3 (although Pauls wording doesn't exclude this) and Seb didn't look like he was overly lairy in the first corner, although he might have caught a curb wrong. We will never know for sure but my guess it may be number 1.

[jens]

3. Sabotage


Considering, how fond can people be about conspiracy theories, this case would simply make a brilliant plot for such story. :) If this was something that decided the championship, we would surely have some theories flying around.

"Oh there was a random cut in the tyre and no-one understands, how this was possible." Khmm... :p :

[wedge]

Note that the top 10 running order at the end of Lap 2 was exactly the same as the Top 10 at the end of the race.

Make of that what you will...

Doesn't really tell the whole story:

Alonso being Alonso with his Bulldog spirit

Webber compromised into a 3 stopper and provided overtaking even if the end result would be fallible

FI's split tyre strategy

[SGWilko]

If you look at the race start from onboard Button's car, there is a puff of smoke from Seb's right rear as he launches. Could this be the tyre spinning on the rim, setting up the deflation after the first corner??????

You can see this on the F1 Forum on iPlayer, it's at 52mins and 54secs ish......

[kfzmeister]

I've now read that RBR possibly underinflated Seb's rear tires in order to give him more traction while leaving the line (Just like is done in drag racing). That might actually explain his great get-a-ways all season. The tires that he then get's after the first pitstop are then inflated more.
Anyway, that might have cost him the race, when you consider the massive side load and heavily fueled car into the first couple of corners

[Knock-on]

I've also had another idea. What if Red Bull are using more of an air mix to inflate the tyres. This would mean that there is lower pressure (more grip) off the line but when the tyres get up to temp, they'll be up to full pressure. Only problem is that it wasn't up to pressure by the corner and popped the bead.

Just a theory but could explain it.

[wedge]

According undisclosed RBR sources Autosport magazine reported that RBR's exhaust system - which also heats up the hub caused the tyre to fail. A plume of smoke was visible just before the start coming from the rear of Vettel's car.