2012 Spanish Grand Prix Thread

[steveaki13]

So we had the first in season test for a few years, so now its time to put the test results into practice.

What have the teams found and what do we think the results will be, who will have made gains and who will be left behind.

Should be an interesting weekend coming up.

[P3ws]

Expecting Lotus to show form again. And predicting a win by either one of the drivers.
Don´t think it was one off when the got both on podium last time.

[N4D13]

This is going to be an important test for Pirelli. Will they be able to turn the Spanish GP into an exciting race? THAT would be a surprising change. ;)

[Tazio]

Expecting Lotus to show form again. And predicting a win by either one of the drivers.
Don´t think it was one off when the got both on podium last time.I also think that Lotus should show well in Spain. Grosjean seems to think that it is partly dependant on the weather, specifically:

Tyre management will be the key for a good performance in the race. Let's see what the temperatures are like. If it's as hot as Bahrain, the E20 should work well... Lotus preview the Spanish GP | Planet F1 | Formula One News (http://www.planet-f1.com/driver/3213/7737154/Lotus-preview-the-Spanish-GP)

I hesitate posting anything from Planet F1, this time because they end R.G.'s comment with the notorious ...
I'd actually like to know the rest of that comment. I don't think he really expects it to be as hot in Barcelona, as it was in Bahrain. As of today according to 6 to 10 Day Extended Weather Forecast for Barcelona - weather.com (http://www.weather.com/weather/extended/SPXX0015?par=yahoo&site=www.yahoo.com&promo=extendedforecast&cm_ven=Yahoo&cm_cat=www.yahoo.com&cm_pla=forecastpage&cm_ite=CityPage)
it should be relatively mild, with a long range forecast of rain on Sunday. I'm not holding my breath on that one, but it could actually be a little cool. Kimi is upbeat and has made it known he will be racing for the win. It looks like they will have the silver hard tires and yellow soft tires.
Myself I'm going to wait until a little closer to the deadline to put in my final picks. :dork:

[truefan72]

it's been a long 3 weeks, my prediction

hamilton
button
Kobayashi
;)
(wishful thinking)

I have no idea what the outcome will be, but I expect the mclaren team to perform a disappointing pitstop

[F1boat]

I think that Red Bull may win again. Aero is most important in Spain and the Red Bulls are designed by Newey, after all.

[pino]

I expect Alonso to fight for the win and Massa fight for the podium :p :

[jens]

How intriguing is this going to be. If anything can be said about 2012, the keyword would be completely unpredictable so far. I personally like to make all kinds of analysis, calculations and predictions before events, but this year most of them have gone straight out of the window. So shall we keep going with this? :D Not only that, races have proven to be completely unpredictable even after qualifyings!

Quick recap of the unusual season so far:
Australia – perhaps the only race with more or less „normal order“ – McLaren and Red Bulls at the front, although few would have thought RBR is that slow in qualifying trim.

Malaysia – who would have thought that guys, who qualified at the rear end of Q3 (Alonso and Pérez), would emerge at the front and consequently run away from the rest of the field?

China – before the race only very few thought Mercedes actually had a shot at the win, but there they were – running away from others and winning in style.

Bahrain – although pole-sitter Vettel marched on to win the race, this race also had an unexpected scenario to offer. Like in Malaysia, two cars from the midfield – this time the Lotus duo – fought their way to the front and Räikkönen quite incredible went on to challenge the race win.

What can we expect from Spain? Can we predict it at all?

If we look at past years, Barcelona has almost never brought any kind of surprises or upsets. I can remember only very minor ones (1996 wet weather and Ferrari, 1997 tyre (again!) war and Prost, 1999 BAR and Villeneuve in 3rd for a while). But other than that, the pecking order at Barcelona has been as ordinary as it can get.

Are we finally going to see a „completely normal“ order? Based on 2012, how would it even look like? Perhaps still Red Bulls and McLarens at the front, with Lotus, Mercedes, Alonso and, say, a Sauber rounding out the points. Are we going to see this or do we have another twist in reserve? :)


This is going to be an important test for Pirelli. Will they be able to turn the Spanish GP into an exciting race? THAT would be a surprising change. ;)

Considering that even Bahrain was exciting, clearly they have a good chance of doing it. ;)

[truefan72]

cmon

16 more hours until FP1

[steveaki13]

Only 12 odd now

[Wasted Talent]

I expect Alonso to fight for the win and Massa fight for the podium :p :

Maybe, but not the 1-2-3 podium.....

WT

[SGWilko]

cmon

16 more hours until FP1

You need to get out more!!! :laugh:

I've just signed up to the new Pirelli GP Challenge website, and made my predictions. Really want to win the top prize of a trip to USA GP! Has anybody else signed up? Pirelli GP Challenge | Play an online fantasy game and win a trip to an F1 race (http://www.pirelligpchallenge.co.uk/)

[P3ws]

Anyone have the lap times? not the fastest ones but lap by lap for each driver. Wondering how well they are doing with some fuel onboard.

[Warriwa]

Booo!! Three weeks is too long! Even worse now that i just discovered the deadline for my pics was friday! I"m out of the race.
Kettle for the win again. Mark seems to have resumed his half second gap to his team mate. What has happened?
Lotus will be strong. I love boobs.

[F1boat]

One prediction - Vettel and Hamilton on front row, I dunno in what order.

[truefan72]

senna, proving why he doesn't make the grade

I think hamilton gets pole but 2nd might be between perez, kobayashi and maldonado

[pino]

Go Fernando !!! :D

[Warriwa]

Thats a bold prediction Truefan, I hope you are right.

[Zico]

One prediction - Vettel and Hamilton on front row, I dunno in what order.

I agree.. I think Lewis will be P1 today, he's looking especially quick in outright pace this weekend.

[pino]

Can't see who can take the pole from Lewis :s

[pino]

Can't see who can take the pole from Lewis :s

Maldonado ?

[truefan72]

and this is why i complained about the pirelli tyres

drivers are forced to do one run in Qualy and the whole process is almost a joke

credit to the drivers who performed and it speaks volumes for those who can go out and bang a quick lap, but the whole system needs looking at.

if the tyres are going to degrade this much then either give teams 2 extra sets of tyres for qualy or improve the compound

[Tazio]

Yea' Babe!

[truefan72]

wow amazing lap by hamilton 1:21:7 half a second faster than p2
as i predicted, maldonado was going to challenge for p2 and he did

great lap by Alonso

hold on

Hamilton's car stops, ran out of fuel?
shades of Canada 2010?

[Zico]

Congratulations Pastor! Wow! :D .. This season just keeps producing more surprises.. love it!

Also well done to Fernando, great qualy result.

[truefan72]

useless sky sports commentators already raining on Hamilton's parade

no worries, starting from pole is not a bad position to be, especially if vettel, webber and button get held up in traffic in the opening stint
Maldonado worries me at the start and alonso might blitz both

but if all goes to form, I hope hamilton can run away in the opening stint and negate the "supposed" advantage of those not going for true qualy laps

[truefan72]

Congratulations Pastor! Wow! :D .. This season just keeps producing more surprises.. love it!

Also well done to Fernando, great qualy result.

yup Maldonado finally living up to the gp2 billing, and the williams is also looking pretty good too

[truefan72]

kind words by Hamilton for Fernando and Pastor

[Tazio]

http://s15.postimage.org/7x50hwqqj/RTL_Television_2012_05_12_14_21_07.jpg

:s ailor: Random pic :p :

[truefan72]

http://s15.postimage.org/7x50hwqqj/RTL_Television_2012_05_12_14_21_07.jpg

lol

A picture says a thousand words

[jens]

Wow, sensational! This season never stops surprising and amazing, even at Barcelona! Q2 was particularly extraordinary – already a few minutes before the end it could be hunched that a few big names are going to drop out, because midfielders were putting in stonking laps.

Fifth winner of the season tomorrow? Well, among Top6 on the grid only one has won a race, so chances are there. :D

Great effort by Hamilton, he is in prime position to deliver the win tomorrow if he can manage the tyres. But how managable the tyres are for him and anyone else, nobody knows! Lotus are expected to be stronger in race trim and early in the season Alonso was always faster in the race than in qualifying.

Pastor Maldonado! I have been thinking already before that this man reminds me a bit of Montoya, both in good and bad. You can never really be sure, what to expect from him. And even less so can I predict anything for tomorrow!

One thing seems to be clearer with the start of the European season. That Ferrari seems to have made a step forward and Alonso cannot be counted out from the title fight. Same with Lotus, who is consistently fast.

While Barcelona has offered „ordinary“ orders in past years, this time the scenario wants to be different with midfield teams doing their best to compete for good points. In addition to Maldonado Sauber is in good form (they are aerodynamically efficient and this circuit suits them as well).

What can Red Bull and Button do tomorrow?

Intriguing.

[Warriwa]

Maldo looks a little uncomfortable in the interview. Hopefully we will see much more of him up there.

Spanish fans giving it to Lewis. lol

[N4D13]

Just in case you don't remember, if Lewis' stop was due to having run out of fuel, he'll be getting a penalty. I hope that's not the case though. Qualifying was really impressive and it wouldn't be nice to see it botchered - although I wouldn't mind to see Fernando starting in second if it made him more likely to snatch first place in the first corner. ;)

Disastrous qualifying for Massa and Senna - it's no good to be 17th and 18th if your teammates are 3rd and 2nd.

[truefan72]

Just in case you don't remember, if Lewis' stop was due to having run out of fuel, he'll be getting a penalty. I hope that's not the case though. Qualifying was really impressive and it wouldn't be nice to see it botchered - although I wouldn't mind to see Fernando starting in second if it made him more likely to snatch first place in the first corner. ;)

Disastrous qualifying for Massa and Senna - it's no good to be 17th and 18th if your teammates are 3rd and 2nd.

yup well said

Bottas might be in that 2nd williams seat by years end and Massa may be put on notice by Ferrari
obviosly the ferrari has improved, but Massa hasn't

As to hamilton, I suspect they might be low on fuel and that is why they are claiming a "technical issue" lol

[N4D13]

yup well said

Bottas might be in that 2nd williams seat by years end and Massa may be put on notice by Ferrari
obviosly the ferrari has improved, but Massa hasn't

As to hamilton, I suspect they might be low on fuel and that is why they are claiming a "technical issue" lol
Well, Massa has improved quite a bit since the beginning of the season, but he's still nowhere near Alonso, as he was in 2011. I'm not sure replacing him during the season, as has been suggested, would be a good move - there's no guarantee that his replacement would do any better. Anyway, it's not like Ferrari are going to be contenders for the WCC this season, so it doesn't make much of a difference, does it? Let's hope that they have a better driver in 2013 and a faster car. :)

[Zico]

Just in case you don't remember, if Lewis' stop was due to having run out of fuel, he'll be getting a penalty. I hope that's not the case though. Qualifying was really impressive and it wouldn't be nice to see it botchered - although I wouldn't mind to see Fernando starting in second if it made him more likely to snatch first place in the first corner. ;)

Disastrous qualifying for Massa and Senna - it's no good to be 17th and 18th if your teammates are 3rd and 2nd.


Re- Potential Hamilton penalty, I wonder how hard it would be to 'prove' that it was down to a technical problem when Its fairly obvious to everyone inc the FIA that he has run out of fuel. I predict a penalty.. :/

Also, when is the last time we saw a Williams on pole.. Hulkenberg, Brazil 2010?

[N4D13]

Re- Potential Hamilton penalty, I wonder how hard it would be to 'prove' that it was down to a technical problem when Its fairly obvious to everyone inc the FIA that he has run out of fuel. I predict a penalty.. :/

Also, when is the last time we saw a Williams on pole.. Hulkenberg, Brazil 2010?
Yup, thanks for pointing that out. Not as far ago as I would have thought - although, of course, in the Hülk's pole and this potential Maldonado pole there's been an element of luck, but also magnificient performances from the drivers.

[Lidyana Evians]

Vettel obviously had the fastest car by miles in this session

[ShiftingGears]

Missed quali, but this is surely some of the most amazing qualifying results we have seen at Catalunya ever. Hoping for a strong showing for Maldonado.

[Zico]

Sat down in 8th I think you are right.

I wouldn't read too much into that.. they allegedly decided to bin his Q3 qualy in favour of saving another set of tyres. A gamble.. or a stroke of genius? Lets wait and see.

"All the teams have been struggling to get the best out of the tyres The race will be won and lost and tyre wear and strategy - and that explains why Vettel is so far down. He will probably start on the more durable 'hard' tyre - teams have to use both types of tyre in the race - and Red Bull have gambled that will be a better strategy in the long run.

"Are we in a time now when the tyres are so critical that no-one pushes for grid position in qualifying and everyone just concentrates on the 66 laps of the race instead?"

Vettel said: "There is nothing is wrong. We decided to abort the lap to have a free choice of tyres for the race.

"We were a bit surprised how much of a step the others could do. But I'm quite confident for race, we always have a good race car. We have a couple of new sets (of tyres) which has proved successful for others in previous races this year."

BBC Sport - McLaren's Lewis Hamilton takes pole for Spanish Grand Prix (http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/formula1/18045055)

[Tazio]

I'm going out on a limb here. Alonso will drop PM like a bad habit in race trim. I'm really happy for PM but I think his race will go backwards a little at the start with full tanks and The Boss, and Alonso will have a chance to duke it out if the F2012 has the legs. Great Quali by both Lewis and Alonso (and Maldo), Tomorrow we separate the live from the Mother-####### Jive. Go Kimi :confused: and RG, for my FGP :)

[N4D13]

As a result, the stewards ruled that Hamilton be excluded from qualifying, but would be allowed to start from the back of the grid.

Hamilton loses Spanish GP pole (http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/99564)

[Dave B]

Very harsh, but on the other hand.... Pastor is on pole in a WILLIAMS baby!

[AndyL]

Well that is a fantastic result for Maldonado and Williams. A pole position start! But Hamilton cannot catch a break this season can he. He must be getting pretty fed up with paying for his team's mistakes. I wonder if the guy who got taken off the left rear tyre change after Bahrain got switched to refueling duty :s hock:

[truefan72]

Well that is a fantastic result for Maldonado and Williams. A pole position start! But Hamilton cannot catch a break this season can he. He must be getting pretty fed up with paying for his team's mistakes. I wonder if the guy who got taken off the left rear tyre change after Bahrain got switched to refueling duty :s hock:

exactly another mistake by the team costing hamilton
he had enough raw speed to probably get pole without some idiot in the team underfueling the car

I've just about had it with the mclaren team costing Hamilton
all weekend he has had a lighting fast car and was might have still gotten pole easily without being underfueled

I ma just disappointed and saddened for Hamilton

[Malbec]

Missed quali, but this is surely some of the most amazing qualifying results we have seen at Catalunya ever. Hoping for a strong showing for Maldonado.

Have to agree there, always thought of Barcelona and Monza as being the Ark tracks, the cars all seem to qualify two by two normally. Today's session had a very mixed up grid.

Thought Maldonaldo's performance was very impressive but it also highlights how bad Senna is IMO. Hope Pastor has the consistency to pull something off tomorrow. Not impressed either with RB and Mercedes, the latter could have problems with tyre degradation tomorrow too.

Lewis and Kamui let down by their teams yet again, the former shortfuelled and the latter having to qualify in Q2 with hydraulic fluid leaking onto his rear tyres before the system shut down completely. Both will be great to watch tomorrow making up places.

[jens]

Wow, and the extraordinary Spanish GP weekend gains momentum. Among title contenders Alonso has now a golden chance to capitalize, and he is usually so good at maximising his opportunities. RBRs and McLarens are heavily compromised after qualifying.

I am wondering whether Grosjean can lead into T1. :D Besides Australia, he has usually made great starts and this is certainly an opportunity from 3rd on the grid! :) In any case, it looks like Lotus could be a strong contender for a race win tomorrow.

[N4D13]

Wow, and the extraordinary Spanish GP weekend gains momentum. Among title contenders Alonso has now a golden chance to capitalize, and he is usually so good at maximising his opportunities. RBRs and McLarens are heavily compromised after qualifying.

I am wondering whether Grosjean can lead into T1. :D Besides Australia, he has usually made great starts and this is certainly an opportunity from 3rd on the grid! :) In any case, it looks like Lotus could be a strong contender for a race win tomorrow.
As much as I'd like Alonso to win, it doesn't look really likely IMHO. I'm expecting him to beat Maldonado, but I'd be surprised if he managed to stay clear of both Lotuses, specially Räikkönen. I'm putting my money on Kimi to win this one. ;)

[steveaki13]

I dont know, Alonso got the Ferrari into 2nd where it shouldn't be, if he jumps Maldonado and builds a first stint gap, Alonso has the ability to be consistant and hold on for the win.

Look at Malaysia, he was in a average car, but once he was ahead stayed calm and held off Perez. But was much faster than the rest.

Alonso could well show us again, that he is still a class act.

Great day for Pastor though. Be interesting to see how far Lewis gets.

[steveaki13]

Oh also, I assume Narain Karthikeyan is allowed to start the race????

I assume he just had issues in Quali, but was on a good pace in practice and will get to start 23rd due to Hammys problems.


Hamilton will have passed both HRTs and a Maurissa by the end of the grid hatchings is my bet.

[Koz]

I smell a Kimi win. :D

[CavallinoRampante]

The race is only Alonso's to lose, Ferrari has the best pace on hard tyres as shown during practice stints.

[pino]

The race is only Alonso's to lose, Ferrari has the best pace on hard tyres as shown during practice stints.

Let's hope he will make another miracle then :D

[F1boat]

exactly another mistake by the team costing hamilton
he had enough raw speed to probably get pole without some idiot in the team underfueling the car


This. And I am curious why ALL times by Lewis are DQ. The normal thing would have been to remove only his pole time and he still would have been 8th with a shot for the podium - the kid is ultra fast this weekend.
But yes, I am very happy that Williams-Renault are back on pole :) As a kid I supported Mansell and Hill and this combo means a lot to me.

[andyone]

yap that is for sure. For alonso to Fend off the Lotuses Kimi and Grosjean they are all just Fast man. i can assure you tenth lap is too far the lotuses will be in the lead.. i put my money on lotus

[andyone]

yap that is for sure. For alonso to Fend off the Lotuses Kimi and Grosjean they are all just Fast man. i can assure you tenth lap is too far the lotuses will be in the lead.. i put my money on lotus

[andyone]

The race is only Alonso's to lose, Ferrari has the best pace on hard tyres as shown during practice stints.
my Friend that is if he can hold off the Lotuses

[F1boat]

I wouldn't count Vettel out, even if he is P7.

[Garry Walker]

Can't see who can take the pole from Lewis :s
You saw wrong. Idiotic stewards with 2,5 inch genitalia and only one testicle decided to show their fascist tendencies.


I wouldn't read too much into that.. they allegedly decided to bin his Q3 qualy in favour of saving another set of tyres. A gamble.. or a stroke of genius? Lets wait and see.
I like where qualifying is headed these days. Saving tyres for race. Very goo

As a result, the stewards ruled that Hamilton be excluded from qualifying, but would be allowed to start from the back of the grid.

Hamilton loses Spanish GP pole (http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/99564) Just no words on how stupid this is. Bieber and others have stopped at once after the race, why no penalty for tohse?


I wouldn't count Vettel out, even if he is P7.
Yes, Red Bull is still the fastest car around.

[pino]

You saw wrong. Idiotic stewards with 2,5 inch genitalia and only one testicle decided to show their fascist tendencies.




Garry you should blame McLaren not the stewards for Hamilton penalty ;) and btw if this had happent at Ferrari, would you still blame stewards or the too many italians in the Team ? be honest now :p :

[Mark]

When was the last time we saw a Williams-Renault on pole.

Actually I know, Jerez 1997 :)

[Garry Walker]

Garry you should blame McLaren not the stewards for Hamilton penalty ;) and btw if this had happent at Ferrari, would you still blame stewards or the too many italians in the Team ? be honest now :p :

The penalty was the result of McLaren making a mistake, but the rule in this place was idiotic, so was the application of the rule and that is a fact. Why can Bieber stop after a race and not get a penalty, yet its different here? I cannot understand the logical reasoning here. As for Ferrari, Montezemolo did make the team weaker by pushing for more italians, which is not to say that italians are idiots, not at all, but just that he managed to ruin the culture of success and work that Jean Todt enforced.

[pino]

As for Ferrari, Montezemolo did make the team weaker by pushing for more italians, which is not to say that italians are idiots, not at all, but just that he managed to ruin the culture of success and work that Jean Todt enforced.

I disagree with you but nice explanation thanks :up:

[Zico]

Ok. a pre-race prediction..

Alonso to outdrag Maldonado into the first corner with one of his typical superb starts..

[Zico]

Ok. a pre-race prediction..

Alonso to outdrag Maldonado into the first corner with one of his typical superb starts..


:D

[gloomyDAY]

Ol' timer Mike couldn't see Senna. Need spectacles?

McLaren trying to scuttle Hamilton again.

[i_max2k2]

Ol' timer Mike couldn't see Senna. Need spectacles?

McLaren trying to scuttle Hamilton again.

Seemed like a last second change of direction was responsible for that.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I717 using Tapatalk

[Ranger]

Ol' timer Mike couldn't see Senna. Need spectacles?

McLaren trying to scuttle Hamilton again.

Looks like Senna moved in the braking zone.

Meanwhile, the time is nigh for the first Williams victory since 2004! :D

[Dr. Krogshöj]

Hopefully Maldonado won't get a drive through for doing his best lap under yellow (because of the HRT)!

[SGWilko]

Ol' timer Mike couldn't see Senna. Need spectacles?

McLaren trying to scuttle Hamilton again.

Shoulda gone to Specsavers? (other opticians are available) ;)

[SGWilko]

The Shoe when interviewed tells us 'you shouldn't move in the breaking zone'...

That's rich, init? ;)

[gloomyDAY]

The Shoe when interviewed tells us 'you shouldn't move in the breaking zone'...

That's rich, init? ;) :laugh:

[veeten]

maybe they have a BOGO (Buy One, Get One free) deal going. ;)

[tfp]

Crossng my nuts for custard to win, 5 different races and 5 winners! Unfortunately i predict fred will catch him:-(

[truefan72]

congrats maldonado

well deserved victory

honorable mention to Hamilton for his 2 stop strategy

[Garry Walker]

I still despise these joke tyres, but it is great to see Williams winning again.

To all these people who called Maldonado a joke of a driver after he replaced the useless hulkenberg - what do you say now?

[truefan72]

why are they talking to 3rd driver ( i mean 2nd driver) senna?

[Ranger]

Incredible result.

I honestly never thought I would live to see another Williams victory.

[truefan72]

williams are back

[AndyRAC]

Well done all. Great to see Williams winning again, and another 1st time winner.

[Somebody]

I'm going out on a limb here. Alonso will drop PM like a bad habit in race trim.

*saws off your branch and watches you fall*

[truefan72]

once again lotus strategy letting down kimi

but a great race for him non the less

[christophulus]

What an incredible race, I was dancing round my living room at the end. :D

Williams are back!

[Rollo]

I don't think anyone can feel mad that Maldonaldo won this afternoon. He kept very calm and most importantly, didn't bin it.

Williams probably wont win again this year, but it's still a sweet moment for both driver and team

[pino]

Well done Williams and Maldonado, and what a great joy for legendary Frank ! :up:

[ArrowsFA1]

Absolutely fan-bloody-tastic!!!!!

[Norwegian Blue]

Well.. first time in anything like a winning car and he does the job... never expected this!

[driveace]

Great result for Frank on his birthday,and Williams as a team.Brilliant result from Pastor ,and is he still a pay driver ?

[F1boat]

Awesome! The team of my childhood back on top!!!

[truefan72]

why is bottas wearing nuthugger jeans

anyway awkward questions by the sky tv crew with senna and bottas together

[truefan72]

wow Fran Williams

" Maldonado drives very un-latin" WTF?

[N4D13]

As much as I'd like Alonso to win, it doesn't look really likely IMHO. I'm expecting him to beat Maldonado, but I'd be surprised if he managed to stay clear of both Lotuses, specially Räikkönen. I'm putting my money on Kimi to win this one. ;)
Here, let me have a slice of humble pie. :p I guess I will be having seconds, as I expected this one to be a boring race - but well, at least I was right for the first half of the race! :p

By the way, who do you think was at fault in the Senna/Schumacher accident? I believe it was mostly Senna's fault by veering towards the left under braking, as Schumacher was already there, but Michael might have been rather more aggressive than he should have.

[keysersoze]

I'm sure Barrichello is in Indianapolis telling anyone who will listen to him that he should've / could've gotten more wins for Williams by now.

[F1boat]

I'm sure Barrichello is in Indianapolis telling anyone who will listen to him that he should've / could've gotten more wins for Williams by now.

Good that they got rid of this whiner.
truefan, Frank is very old to be politically correct. He means that Pastor drove like a machine.

[truefan72]

I'm tired of listening to Whitemarsh

Mclaren should have had 3 victories by now
name the clown who underfueled the car and let us know that these mistakes will not happen again

[FIAT1]

Amazing race, cograts to Maldonado.

[Mia 01]

Congratulations Frank William to you and your team. And Pastor, I underestimated you!

Also Ferrari and Alonso, you are perhaps back in the hunt.

Kimi my boy you lacked one lap. Now you are in the game!

[Dave B]

Erm, huge fire in the Williams garage. Thick black smoke and everybody with a fire extinguisher rushing to the scene. :s

[christophulus]

Very dramatic end to the weekend

[Dave B]

https://twitter.com/#!/NataliePinkham/status/201690693377335297/photo/1

[christophulus]

KERS fire say the BBC

[christophulus]

And possible injuries :(

[christophulus]

Twitter (http://twitter.com/#!/tomcary_tel/status/201692245609558016/photo/1)

http://p.twimg.com/AsyOB13CMAALDXN.jpg

[Dave B]

BBC 5Live F1 Team ‏ @5LiveF1 (https://twitter.com/#!/5LiveF1)
Hearing of some injuries... nothing confirmed. will keep you updated

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[Dave B]

James Roberts ‏ @JRobertsF1 (https://twitter.com/#!/JRobertsF1)
View of the smoke of the Williams garage from the media centrehttp://pic.twitter.com/aZZPfSWy (http://t.co/aZZPfSWy)

[Dave B]

FI mechanic taken to hospital according to Sky, unconfirmed.

[Dave B]

Heikki Kovalainen ‏ @H_Kovalainen (https://twitter.com/#!/H_Kovalainen)
Wow huge explosion in paddock at Williams garage! Hope no serious injuries...

[F1boat]

hopefully nothing serious

[Dave B]

James Roberts ‏ @JRobertsF1 (https://twitter.com/#!/JRobertsF1)
Williams team were having their team photo taken when the fire started at the back of the garage. Most of it gutted.

Hopefully most of the team were outside when the fire broke out. FI have confirmed that one of their team is being checked out at the track's medical centre for smoke inhalation, and Sir Frank has appeared on Sky to say that as far as he knows everybody from his team is ok.

Natalie Pinkham suggesting that a Williams team member is being treated for burns on his legs.

[TMorel]

Wow, what a photo of their garage :( a bad end to an otherwise amazing day for William


"We had a chief executive last year, who very sadly quit in the end, his name was Adam Parr and he put together nearly all of this. He put together a great reorganisation of various people so on and really set us on a strong course which this is really hopefully the beginning."
A very touching comment by Sir Frank, making sure everyone gets the recognition they deserve, even if they are no longer with the team.

[djparky]

truly great drive by Pastor- and as a Williams fan of 30 plus years- total utter joy to see them win again- and do so on merit.

Watching the race was tough- kind of how I remember it when they used to be at the front and how nervous I used to get watching it. Shame that Senna got crashed out by Schumacher

I truly hope everyone is ok after the pit fire- what a terrible way to end what was otherwise a wonderful weekend for the Williams team.

[N4D13]

I've just heard that Schumacher has been given a 5-place grid penalty for Monaco. What a shame - I believe that the accident was more Senna's fault than his...

[SGWilko]

I've just heard that Schumacher has been given a 5-place grid penalty for Monaco. What a shame - I believe that the accident was more Senna's fault than his...

I never saw Senna's reversing light......... ;)

[Mark]

I've just heard that Schumacher has been given a 5-place grid penalty for Monaco. What a shame - I believe that the accident was more Senna's fault than his...

I can't see how any blame whatsoever can be given to Senna. Not even 0.001%

Entirely completely and absolutely Schumachers fault.

[christophulus]

Schumacher's fault 100%. Senna moved slightly but left plenty of room for Schumacher on both sides, he was just too close.

[djparky]

good to see that Schumi got a penalty- as far as I could see it was entirely his fault. Thought it rather hyprocritial of MS to play the safety card given some of his actions in the past

[jens]

Okay, time to sum up the race. Like with Rosberg before the start of the Chinese GP, there were doubts whether Maldonado can pull it off or whether Williams has got the race pace. But they did! And unlike Pérez in Malaysia they managed to execute the strategy perfectly to overcome Alonso.

The Top4 of qualifying managed to run away with the race, so no major challenges from the midfield this time. What was wrong with Grosjean on the first stint as he was losing huge chunks of time there? Because from second stint onwards he was matching Räikkönen’s pace.

Was weird to see Red Bull struggling so much, they couldn’t do anything in race pace either unlike several past races. Good damage limitation by Vettel at the end of the race, gaining three places in the space of few laps to get up to 6th. Though fortunately for him, McLaren ended up even worse.

Good to see Kobayashi having a good race and Sauber getting some decent points again after previous two disappointing races. Luck let Pérez down at the start.

Could feel Schumi’s frustration, when he climbed out of the car. The season has gone so wrong for him so far, he cannot catch a break. Mercedes had again tyre wear issues, Rosberg was going backwards at the end of stints.

For the second race in a row McLaren managed to get only an 8th?! Wow, how downhill have they gone. Hamilton did a fine damage limitation job, but what was wrong with Button? The man, who is considered great in tyre management, couldn’t manage them today at all.

[dj_bytedisaster]

My respect for Maldonado just skyrocketed. He went into the carnage to carry an injured boy away from the inferno. Unbelievable - that man's got cojones!!

https://p.twimg.com/Asylf87CQAI10SZ.jpg

[Dave B]

^ His cousin, I believe. :up:

[dj_bytedisaster]

Family or not - this man's got balls - respect!!

[N4D13]

I've watched the incident several times now and apart from a very slight movement from Senna, I can't see how he can be awarded any blame at all. Michael was indecisive as to which way to overtake and took his eye off Senna in the braking zone. A pretty silly error from a very experienced driver IMO.

OK, you're right. Thanks for sharing your view. :)

[SGWilko]

Michael was indecisive

Well, he used to be, but since his return he's just not sure anymore........

[steveaki13]

I still despise these joke tyres, but it is great to see Williams winning again.

To all these people who called Maldonado a joke of a driver after he replaced the useless hulkenberg - what do you say now?


Didn't ever call him a joke, but I did say I didn't see a future in F1 for him. Happy to admit I was wrong what a drive....


I don't think anyone can feel mad that Maldonaldo won this afternoon. He kept very calm and most importantly, didn't bin it.

Williams probably wont win again this year, but it's still a sweet moment for both driver and team

In this season I wouldn't count on Williams not winning again. I could see almost anyone winning bar the 3 back teams.

[Marbles]

Michael was indecisive as to which way to overtake and took his eye off Senna in the braking zone.

I agree. A little room on the outside and a lot of room on the inside seemed to create a brain freeze (kind of reminds of the time I couldn't choose between Apple stock or Microsoft stock so I bought GM instead). Added to that was the fact that Senna had to brake earlier because his tires were pooched. Great to see Williams back on the podium with a totally legit win. It will be interesting to how the rest of this season shakes out. Has parity come to F1?

[Tazio]

Garry you should blame McLaren not the stewards for Hamilton penalty ;) and btw if this had happent at Ferrari, would you still blame stewards or the too many italians in the Team ? be honest now :p :


:s ailor: +1 Yeah!! :s pin:

[Tazio]

http://motorsport.nextgen-auto.com/gallery/pictures/2012/f1/gp-spain-race/011_medium.jpg


:s ailor: "nuff said" :dork:

[tfp]

Crossng my nuts for custard to win, 5 different races and 5 winners! Unfortunately i predict fred will catch him:-(

Wow I ate my words! Well done Custard!! Fantastic race and a fantastic season, so far!

[ShiftingGears]

http://motorsport.nextgen-auto.com/gallery/pictures/2012/f1/gp-spain-race/011_medium.jpg


:s ailor: "nuff said :dork:

Excellent. Really enjoyed seeing Maldonado and Williams win. Also first time I've heard "good job" as the highest praise given for a breakthrough win! I found Pastors' celebration without the usual carry-on over the radio quite refreshing also. Especially considering what a brilliant drive it was.

I'm starting to warm to this guy. Definitely hoping for more Williams success.

Also hoping for Raikkonen to win at Monaco. He's definitely not far off, and I think 6 manufacturers winning in 6 different races is unprecedented.

Props also to Kobayashi, he is just brilliant value.

[i_max2k2]

Excellent race from Maldonado, he stuck to what he was supposed to do, fast laps when needed, tyre preservation when required.

And I don't think it was shumachers fault, there wasn't enough room on the outside and to late to get inside.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I717 using Tapatalk

[aryan]

Congratulations to Williams and Maldonado. What a popular win this is. Seriously, for many a years, I thought I had seen Williams' last win in 2004 with JPM. How glad to be proven wrong. FW badly deserved this.

Again, I feel the Lotus team is not the best when it comes to strategy. This is again another race that Kimi could have won if they hadn't given him the wrong tyre at the first pit stop. He finished just 3.4 seconds off the pace, and had he been driving on primes in the second stint, he surely would have been over that much quicker.

Brilliant drive agian by Alonso. I think Williams outsmarted them on strategy when they called PM in, but nevertheless, solid result for Ferrari. Who could believe that after 5 races, Alonso, in a car that started in Melbourne about 1 sec off the pace, is co-leading the championship.

[darwin553]

Yes congratulations to Maldonado and Williams. Whilst he benefited hugely from the strategy of Williams deciding to pit him first in the second round of pit stops you can't say his pace wasn't worthy of winning the race. And I was always confident counter to what the commentators and Ferrari were saying that because they had pitted earlier on the second and third pit-stops that they were suffering more from tyre degradation issues than Ferrari as so far this year you have to give the edge on that front to Williams anyway, so even as Maldanado was giving Alonso 2 laps fresher tyre advantage I always thought he had it in the bag.

Good drive from Kimi too...he was my pick and if the race went 2-3 laps longer he would have got it.

Shout out to KK as well

[zako85]

I hope the critics of "pay drivers", whatever that means, have been silenced for a long time.

[F1boat]

In this season I wouldn't count on Williams not winning again. I could see almost anyone winning bar the 3 back teams.

I think that Williams will be very competitive in Monaco as well.

[ArrowsFA1]

It's a nice coincidence that Pastor won for Williams-Renault 22yrs to the day that Riccardo Patrese did the same at the San Marino GP to end his own 7yr winless drought :D

[Tazio]

I guess this means McLaren will become the Toro Rosso of England. :rolleyes: ;)







A celibate clergy is an especially good idea, because it tends to suppress any hereditary propensity toward fanaticism.” ― Carl Sagan

[Wasted Talent]

So Red Bull is now the third fastest Renault-powered team!

Amazing

WT

[SGWilko]

I couldn't work uot who Pastor reminds me of. Now I've got it - Rob Brydon!

[steveaki13]

I think that Williams will be very competitive in Monaco as well.

Yes Maldonado went well there last year of course until his move on Hamilton.

[jens]

Yes Maldonado went well there last year of course until his move on Hamilton.

Or Hamilton's move on him, depending on the interpretation. :p :

[steveaki13]

Or Hamilton's move on him, depending on the interpretation. :p :

Absolutely

Time to be honest, I had a quick think back and couldn't remember which way round it was, so just listed it that way. :p :

[Anubis]

Great win for Maldonado and Williams. Always good to see a new winner, and doubly so when it's from outside one of the major teams. Kind of sad to be saying that about Williams really, but they do seem to have built a great car for this season, so maybe we'll see him win again? Would be great to see Grosjean get a win as well.

Also, you have to commend all the team personnel who raced to the pit garage to assist with putting the fire out with no protection of any sort. Very selfless. Likewise the Sky cameraman who went in to drag someone out. Think it shows that beneath all the top level politics, the guys at the sharp end do still have that spirit of being one big family.

[SGWilko]

Also, you have to commend all the team personnel who raced to the pit garage to assist with putting the fire out with no protection of any sort. Very selfless. Likewise the Sky cameraman who went in to drag someone out. Think it shows that beneath all the top level politics, the guys at the sharp end do still have that spirit of being one big family.

This demonstrates clearly the human aspect of F1. They are all like-minded individuals, doing a job they love.

It is the suits that create all the animosity and bitterness, and that is down to one thing, and one thing alone;

Money.

[SGWilko]

This demonstrates clearly the human aspect of F1. They are all like-minded individuals, doing a job they love.

It is the suits that create all the animosity and bitterness, and that is down to one thing, and one thing alone;

Money.

As does this;

Mark Gillan, who is in charge of race operations at Williams, said that most of the equipment in the garage at the time has been lost, including computer hardware, telemetry and pit equipment.

This will affect their preparations for the Monaco Grand Prix, where they may not have the full range of parts and equipment they might have expected to have, but Gillan is confident that this will not affect performance.

Three senior members of the McLaren team, who have worked at Williams; Paddy Lowe (technical director), Neil Oatley (director of design and development) and Sam Michael (sporting director) have offered to loan Williams equipment and anything else they need to get back on track.

One Williams team member still in hospital with burns after pit fireJames Allen on F1 (http://www.jamesallenonf1.com/2012/05/one-williams-team-member-still-in-hospital-with-burns-after-pit-fire/)

[Knock-on]

One thing about the teams in the pits that some people might find hard to understand. They might fight tooth and nail to get 'one up' on each other using all and any means, but you would be surprised at the genuine warmth, concern and support for each other when something like this happens. They are one big family.

[wedge]

Regards to Bruno/Schumi incident - a racing incident and again certainly no need for penalties.

Why bother? It's becoming tiresome lambasting the stewards. Perhaps stewards should intervene on manoeuvres that become 'detrimental/disrepute to the sport'.

[F1boat]

Wedge, I think that Hamilton was clearly at fault for the Bruno/Michael accident ;)

[aryan]

A
Three senior members of the McLaren team, who have worked at Williams; Paddy Lowe (technical director), Neil Oatley (director of design and development) and Sam Michael (sporting director) have offered to loan Williams equipment and anything else they need to get back on track.


Bravo McLaren, and good on the 3 individuals named to make such an offer.

I don't think Williams will take the offer, for one thing using another team's computers and hooking it up and setting it up with the rest of your infrastructure can be more trouble than worth it, but nevertheless, it is a grand gesture, and very welcome.