2012 European Grand Prix

[AndyL]

Times are very close from P1: 0.3s covers Maldonado at the top to Rosberg in 9th. It's only practice of course but it bodes well for a competitive weekend.

The order could get very shaken up though, as the weather forecast says by Sunday it will be a lot hotter than today.

[F1boat]

I'd be very happy if Williams remain competitive.

[Tazio]

I think some teams were caught out a little as ambient temps were lower than what was expected in P2

[pino]

Both Alonso and Massa out of Q3 :s

[AndyL]

So close! 0.3s covering first to 13th in Q2.

[Knock-on]

Rosberg going well again. Schumacher out. Button back on the pace.

[ArrowsFA1]

Both Alonso and Massa out of Q3 :s
What has happened to Ferraris improved form?

[pino]

Too many competitive cars Arrows ;) Not an easy job for Fernando tomorrow as its almost impossible to pass on this crappy circuit :p :

[F1boat]

Great pole for Vettel, I hope that he will win tomorrow!

[AndyL]

So close! 0.3s covering first to 13th in Q2.

Andy in Q3 it doesn't even cover first to second! Yes an exceptional pole lap by Vettel.

[Tazio]

Webber's Q has shot my pickems t0 hell :mad: :burnout:

[Knock-on]

He lost a lot of time with hydraulics but still....

[donKey jote]

What has happened to Ferraris improved form?

stoopid tyres :p

They (Ferraris) don't seem to like the heat ?

[Mia 01]

Congrats to Sebastian and Lewis both did great in a very even field, but best was Pastor, perhaps another win.

[Ranger]

He lost a lot of time with hydraulics but still....

Thought the same until I realised:

Mark Webber labels his qualifying issues in Valencia as a "big hit" - F1 news - AUTOSPORT.com (http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/100624)

The Red Bull driver will start only 19th in Valencia due to the issue. Webber had earlier run into technical problems in free practice as well.

"We had no DRS. That's worth 1.3 seconds, so it makes it very difficult when you have no DRS," he said.

[zako85]

I have a feeling that we're going to see a good battle for the win because of tire degradation, unlike the last year when the fastest car could run away never to be seen again..

[TheFamousEccles]

I'm not a conspiracy theorist, but... :rolleyes:

If it's not the KERS misbehaving on MW's car, it's something else. While BeiberFinger sails away from the rest o' the field by 4 tenths. Normal transmission resumed at RBR? ;)

[Knock-on]

Thought the same until I realised:

Mark Webber labels his qualifying issues in Valencia as a "big hit" - F1 news - AUTOSPORT.com (http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/100624)



That would explain it :up:

[Garry Walker]

I'm not a conspiracy theorist, but... :rolleyes:

If it's not the KERS misbehaving on MW's car, it's something else. While BeiberFinger sails away from the rest o' the field by 4 tenths. Normal transmission resumed at RBR? ;)

Red Bull is the most corrupt team in F1. That jerk marko will do anything in his power to make sure Webber doesn't get a chance to beat biebel.

[Warriwa]

It was reported by the commentators that Webber's car had brake problems, DRS problems, down shift problems and hydraulic problems.

[steveaki13]

It was reported by the commentators that Webber's car had brake problems, DRS problems, down shift problems and hydraulic problems.

Apart from that the car was fine then. So why is he moaning so much? :D

[Knock-on]

It would have been quicker if he got out and pushed!!

[Garry Walker]

Nice to see RedBull being slower than McLaren again

[tfp]

Hamilton on a two stop?

[pino]

Red Bull too fast and I am afraid the race it's already over :(

[pino]

What a great pass by Grosjean :eek:

[Garry Walker]

RedBull at least 0,5 seconds faster than anyone else, the advantage is probably more like 1 second. What a joke, I hope biebers car fails

[pino]

Amazing Alonso !!!

[tfp]

Mclaren put crews are donkeys. Also vergne for ruining heikkis race. Safety car out and no doubt this will improve vettels race for some reason! Looks like the fairy tale of having a different winner every race is over:-(

[truefan72]

another race another mclaren crew ruining hamilton's race :(

[truefan72]

so why does vettel get to run almost 2 laps with the safety car out and still come out ahead

he should not be allowed to have pitted once he went around the lap,
this is ridiculous, he missed out on pitting with the others, and now somehow manages to get a free lap before coming in again, while driving at whatever speed he wants, while the others have to maintain SCD speed

[ShiftingGears]

Unbelievable!

[Garry Walker]

Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha

[The Black Knight]

I think it's now clear to me after 8 races that Jean Eric Vergne is not ready for F1. He might have the talent but it has been clear to me over the last couple of races, not to mind the fact that he can't really seem to get out of Q1 in a car that's more than capable of it, but he isn't good enough. If I was STR I'd send him back to GP2. That has to have been one of the most needless maneuvers I've ever seen. Idiot.

[Garry Walker]

I am still laughing.

[Paul Crossling]

I think it's now clear to me after 8 races that Jean Eric Vergne is not ready for F1.

I have to agree with you, I was surprised that Buemi and Alguersuari were both dropped this year. Personally I would have gone Alguersuari/Ricciardo this year with Vergne spending another year in WSR or GP2 before promoting him at the expense of Alguersuari in 2013

[truefan72]

stupid hamilton, give up the spot and take the points, he would have finished 4th at worst
I know it was maldonad's fault, but Hamilton, needed the points

now he is 23 points behind alonso
you got to think Lewis!

[Garry Walker]

stupid hamilton, give up the spot and take the points, he would have finished 4th at worst
I know it was maldonad's fault, but Hamilton, needed the points

It was not Maldonado's fault. Hamilton didn't give him any room, Maldo didn't back down, it was inevitable.
Hamilton should take a look at his small brain and realize that Maldonado was going to get past anyway due to DRS, there was no need to be an idiot about it. Well, now he ****ed up.

[Alfa Fan]

Alonso / Raikkonen / Schumacher podum. Are we sure it's not 2002?

[donKey jote]

amazing alonso !!!

http://i46.tinypic.com/hv9ul3.gifhttp://i46.tinypic.com/hv9ul3.gifhttp://i46.tinypic.com/hv9ul3.gifhttp://i46.tinypic.com/hv9ul3.gifhttp://i46.tinypic.com/hv9ul3.gif

[Ranger]

Unbelievable. Absolutely unbelievable. Best race of the season by far.


Alonso / Raikkonen / Schumacher podum. Are we sure it's not 2002?

Yep. 2003? :p

[F1boat]

So happy for Fred and Mike! Almost in tears now.

[The Black Knight]

It was not Maldonado's fault. Hamilton didn't give him any room, Maldo didn't back down, it was inevitable.
Hamilton should take a look at his small brain and realize that Maldonado was going to get past anyway due to DRS, there was no need to be an idiot about it. Well, now he ****ed up.

Hamilton had the racing line. If you have the racing line and someone launches himself into the side of you from off the line it can't be your fault. Maldonado is a donkey. He's a brainless atomaton that doesn't belong in F1. He's too stupid to be out there. Not alone does he launch himself into other drivers now he has done it in a race. He needs a ban. Absolutely ridiculous.

[truefan72]

It was not Maldonado's fault. Hamilton didn't give him any room, Maldo didn't back down, it was inevitable.
Hamilton should take a look at his small brain and realize that Maldonado was going to get past anyway due to DRS, there was no need to be an idiot about it. Well, now he ****ed up.

LOL

It was clearly Maldonado's fault
he had all four wheels off the track, then came back in and broadsided Hamilton

My issue is not the actual accident, but the fact that Hamilton should have just let him go, take the points and finish at worst 11 points behind Alonso, He was 7 seconds ahead of the car behind maldonado with one lap to go.
But now he has zero points and allowed Alonso to build a big lead

[The Black Knight]

Great drive by Alonso. Driver of the day.

My donkey of the day besides the obvious Maldonado is the McLaren pit crew for once again proving that they can't go an entire race weekend without having a slow pitstop. Hamilton would probably have won the race were it not for that.

[christophulus]

Epic drive from Alonso, credit where credit's due :up:

The Maldonado and Hamilton crash was just stupid. Ruined a great race for me.

[Garry Walker]

Hamilton had the racing line. If you have the racing line and someone launches himself into the side of you from off the line it can't be your fault. Maldonado is a donkey. He's a brainless atomaton that doesn't belong in F1. He's too stupid to be out there. Not alone does he launch himself into other drivers now he has done it in a race. He needs a ban. Absolutely ridiculous.

Dealing and discussing with extreme fanboys is just meaningless.

The reality is that LH didn't give any room to a guy who had nothing to lose and who everyone knows is agressive on track, whereas Hamilton had everything to lose. Hamilton once again didn't think and he got what he deserved. Clever boy that Hammy.

[Garry Walker]

LOL

It was clearly Maldonado's fault
he had all four wheels off the track, then came back in and broadsided Hamilton

My issue is not the actual accident, but the fact that Hamilton should have just let him go, take the points and finish at worst 11 points behind Alonso, He was 7 seconds ahead of the car behind maldonado with one lap to go.
But now he has zero points and allowed Alonso to build a big lead

Why was Hamilton racing so agressively against Maldonado? That is my problem with Hamilton in this situation. I have nothing against Hamilton and I have defended him on thousand occasions here, but today he clearly wasn't thinking.

[truefan72]

Great drive by Alonso. Driver of the day.

My donkey of the day besides the obvious Maldonado is the McLaren pit crew for once again proving that they can't go an entire race weekend without having a slow pitstop. Hamilton would probably have won the race were it not for that.

absolutely right :up:

funny how Ron Dennis and co think that the ball is in their court in terms of contract negotiations, at this point Hamilton could easily go to Ferrari or RBR

[truefan72]

Why was Hamilton racing so agressively against Maldonado? That is my problem with Hamilton in this situation. I have nothing against Hamilton and I have defended him on thousand occasions here, but today he clearly wasn't thinking.

Garry, that was my point , but the actual accident was Maldonad's fault, so in some strange way, we agree.

[The Black Knight]

Dealing and discussing with extreme fanboys is just meaningless.

The reality is that LH didn't give any room to a guy who had nothing to lose and who everyone knows is agressive on track, whereas Hamilton had everything to lose. Hamilton once again didn't think and he got what he deserved. Clever boy that Hammy.

I agree completely that Hamilton should have left him through and yes didn't use his brain, he clearly couldn't keep him behind, but he's not required to make it easy for Maldonado. It's up to Maldonado to get past without taking the other driver off.

[Dave B]

Red Bull is the most corrupt team in F1. That jerk marko will do anything in his power to make sure Webber doesn't get a chance to beat biebel.
I bet you feel stupid now.

[The Black Knight]

Garry, that was my point , but the actual accident was Maldonad's fault, so in some strange way, we agree.

That's my opinion as well. Hamilton should have left him through but that doesn't make the incident Hamilton's fault. To be honest, you have to be pretty brain dead to not realise that a driver coming from off the race track into the side of another driver is in the wrong.

[wedge]

That's my opinion as well. Hamilton should have left him through but that doesn't make the incident Hamilton's fault. To be honest, you have to be pretty brain dead to not realise that a driver coming from off the race track into the side of another driver is in the wrong.

Why not?

The incident was totally avoidable if LH yielded before the chicane.

[Garry Walker]

Garry, that was my point , but the actual accident was Maldonad's fault, so in some strange way, we agree. No, that was a racing incident. Simple.


I bet you feel stupid now.
My advice - don't bet.

[The Black Knight]

Why not?

The incident was totally avoidable if LH yielded before the chicane.

Are you serious?

[AndyL]

Yep. 2003? :p

Canada 2006 ;)

Looks like Magny Cours 2005 was the last time they finished on the podium in the same order :)

[Garry Walker]

Because he was keen to hold onto 3rd position like any determined racer would. Why did Maldonado not just drive across an open chicane rather than forcing his way back onto the track? The guy is a total idiot and its only a matter of time before he has an incident with your favourite driver.
Why should he just drive over the open chicane? He was fighting for a position, Hamilton forced him off the track, Maldonado, like a REAL racer, didn't back down. Why should he have? Next time Hamilton should think.
As for favourite drivers, Hamilton, despite the massively small brain that he has, is one of my favs.

[truefan72]

Why not?

The incident was totally avoidable if LH yielded before the chicane.

now we are just talking in circles

Hamilton didn't have to yield, but he should have before that corner...that is a matter of opinion and probably a sensible approach. But that is simply strategy
Maldonado actually caused an accident, took out another car and ruined his race never mind a podium position, much needed WDC points for Williams, and once again cementing his troublesome reputation.
I expect a 10 place grid drop for the next race.

[truefan72]

As for favourite drivers, Hamilton, despite the massively small brain that he has, is one of my favs.

...and with that, you just lost me again, proving that you are the Maldonado of these forums

[steveaki13]

That was one crazy race.

Now Valencia has gone from 18th or 19th on everyones list to 10th odd probably. No but really it was amazing. So many moves and a fair amount nothing to do with DRS.

[truefan72]

Heidfeld looks comfortable behind the mic

[Dave B]

Why should he just drive over the open chicane? He was fighting for a position, Hamilton forced him off the track, Maldonado, like a REAL racer, didn't back down. Why should he have? Next time Hamilton should think.
As for favourite drivers, Hamilton, despite the massively small brain that he has, is one of my favs.
Backing down may not have been as manly as you'd have liked, but it was almost certainly the difference between a podium and limping back to P10 and a probably penalty. Sometimes you have to use brains, not brawn.

[Garry Walker]

...and with that, you just lost me again, proving that you are the Maldonado of these forums

Huh?

Can I not be critical of someone even if I support them? Go through my posting history and you will see how many times I have defended Hamilton on this forum. Today he was stupid and ruined a great chance of scoring points when Bieber retired. Very sad and very dumb.

As for being the Maldonado of this forum. He is one of the best racing drivers in world, a GP winner. So I don't think that comment of yours is particulary offending to me.

[Garry Walker]

Backing down may not have been as manly as you'd have liked, but it was almost certainly the difference between a podium and limping back to P10 and a probably penalty. Sometimes you have to use brains, not brawn.

Neither of them used their brains today.

[wedge]

Why should he just drive over the open chicane? He was fighting for a position, Hamilton forced him off the track, Maldonado, like a REAL racer, didn't back down. Why should he have?

Maldonado got back on the apex which was daft or malicious.

[Garry Walker]

Don't be too sensitive Garry. You rarely pull any punches with your put downs on here so you if anybody should admire that one. ;)
Oh I don't think my post hinted that I was offended by it, in fact I implied that being called Maldonado was actually praise not a putdown :D

[wedge]

Maldonado said he was forced off.

Er, Pastor, didn't you just do that to someone at the start of the race?

[Dave B]

Maldonado said he was forced off.

Er, Pastor, didn't you just do that to someone at the start of the race?
If only there was a pithy expression about two wrongs.

[christophulus]

BBC suggesting that Schumacher might lose a place (or more). What did I miss?

[Dave B]

BBC suggesting that Schumacher might lose a place (or more). What did I miss?
Using DRS under yellow flags, and therefore not slowing down, it seems.

andrewbensonf1 (https://twitter.com/intent/user?screen_name=andrewbensonf1)
Oh - Ross Brawn dismisses questions of Schumacher yellow flag DRS use - says it was down 30m before the yellow flag zone24 seconds ago (https://twitter.com/andrewbensonf1/status/216900342158336000) · reply (https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?in_reply_to=216900342158336000) · retweet (https://twitter.com/intent/retweet?tweet_id=216900342158336000) · favorite (https://twitter.com/intent/favorite?tweet_id=216900342158336000)

[truefan72]

Huh?

Can I not be critical of someone even if I support them? Go through my posting history and you will see how many times I have defended Hamilton on this forum. Today he was stupid and ruined a great chance of scoring points when Bieber retired. Very sad and very dumb.

As for being the Maldonado of this forum. He is one of the best racing drivers in world, a GP winner. So I don't think that comment of yours is particulary offending to me.

you have every right to be critical, and it is welcomed here, But you cross the line when you unnecessarily insult the driver with some derogatory comment thrown in, which tends to mask whatever good or pure point you were making

[Garry Walker]

BBC suggesting that Schumacher might lose a place (or more). What did I miss? LOL. That would be the icing on the cake.


you have every right to be critical, and it is welcomed here, But you cross the line when you unnecessarily insult the driver with some derogatory comment thrown in, which tends to mask whatever good or pure point you were making

Just out if curiosity, have you looked at the comments of some hamilton fanboys on Maldonado today? Come back to me when you have.

[Dave B]

Ted Kravitz: Mercedes say MSC did lift off 30m before yellow flag, and did close DRS.

I'm sure they have the telemetry to back up their claims, so I expect Schumacher to keep his podium place.

[Dave B]

BBC now have footage showing the flap open in the YF zone. That in itself isn't against the rules, but it does raise the question as to whether MSC backed off. He clearly didn't brake: that would have closed the flap, but did he lift off?

[Dave B]

suttonimages (https://twitter.com/intent/user?screen_name=suttonimages)
Red Bull pool party
bit.ly/Mk3hD6 (http://t.co/hh7xSMB7) #f1 (http://twitter.com/search?q=%23f1) #europeangp (http://twitter.com/search?q=%23europeangp) 4 minutes ago (https://twitter.com/suttonimages/status/216930529071726592) · reply (https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?in_reply_to=216930529071726592) · retweet (https://twitter.com/intent/retweet?tweet_id=216930529071726592) · favorite (https://twitter.com/intent/favorite?tweet_id=216930529071726592)


Just sayin' :D

[Dave B]

10 place grid drop and 25,000 euro fine for Vergne after his clash with Kovalainen.

[donKey jote]

suttonimages (https://twitter.com/intent/user?screen_name=suttonimages)
Red Bull pool party
bit.ly/Mk3hD6 (http://t.co/hh7xSMB7) #f1 (http://twitter.com/search?q=%23f1) #europeangp (http://twitter.com/search?q=%23europeangp) 4 minutes ago (https://twitter.com/suttonimages/status/216930529071726592) · reply (https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?in_reply_to=216930529071726592) · retweet (https://twitter.com/intent/retweet?tweet_id=216930529071726592) · favorite (https://twitter.com/intent/favorite?tweet_id=216930529071726592)


Just sayin' :D



said it before and -at the risk of repeating myself- I'll say it again:
I want in that pool. :bandit:

With a snorkel :andrea:

[Dave B]

Drive-through penalty for Maldonado, added retrospectively so 20 seconds onto his race time, handing P10 to Senna.

[A FONDO]

What a race, I'm still stoned!

[Dave B]

So far then:

* 10 place Silverstone grid penalty and E25,000 fine for Vergne
* 5 place Silverstone grid penalty for Kobayashi
* 20 second drive-through for Maldonado

Just waiting for the decision on MSC possibly not lifting under yellows...

[tfp]

A very eventful race, I was so disapointed for Grosjean, and to think I actually slated him at the beginning of the year, I am gladly eating my words.
I'm not really that bothered about Vettel, he has had plenty of success already :s mokin:

Nice to see the shoe finally getting on the podium, if anyone deserved a spot there after all this time it is him!

Alonso, another faultless performance as we have come to expect from him. WDC?

Where to start with Mustard....That was a pretty silly move, his whole car was off the track, and Lulus car was clearly further in front, Maldonado should have yielded, and now they are both without points.

[jens]

Well, this was certainly another truly incredible race. Certainly the best Valencia GP ever. And like in Canada, while everything seemed to have gone stable and quiet, we got a big upset on the last few laps, which turned the race order upside down. Schumacher from nowhere to podium!

The main downside is that it was a really unhappy race for me personally – everyone I am cheering for, retired from very good positions. :( After the start I was quite happy – 1. Vettel, 2. Grosjean, 4. Kobayashi, 5. Maldonado. Can hardly get any better. But then it can rarely go so completely wrong as it did. :( Nah, just have to hope for better in the future. So despite the race being a classic in a sense, I didn’t get any positive emotions.

Despite luck (SV & RG retirements, LH pitstop), Alonso was truly brilliant again, as usual. Becomes a bit painful already, everything is going right for him this year. Team work is flawless as well (except strategy in Canada). Regardless of whether the car is performing well or not, he always gets good results. The WDC is looming on the horizon and it was a painful retirement for Vettel (and Hamilton as well for that matter), because Alonso in a good car with consistent podiuming is very hard to catch...

Qualifying was incredible as well. Never seen that you can drop out in Q2 by being just a little bit more than two tenths off the pace. Even China wasn’t that close (Vettel was 11th by being 0.3s off)

[truefan72]

So far then:

* 10 place Silverstone grid penalty and E25,000 fine for Vergne
* 5 place Silverstone grid penalty for Kobayashi
* 20 second drive-through for Maldonado

Just waiting for the decision on MSC possibly not lifting under yellows...

how Maldonado escaped a grid drop for silverstone is beyond me.
His incident was just as bad as the others, and the fact that he ended another competitors race in a fairly comprehensive crash (and a podium position) should carry some extra weight.
The only thing I can think of is that the FIA would like to see a Williams running high in its home GP

[truefan72]

suttonimages (https://twitter.com/intent/user?screen_name=suttonimages)
Red Bull pool party
bit.ly/Mk3hD6 (http://t.co/hh7xSMB7) #f1 (http://twitter.com/search?q=%23f1) #europeangp (http://twitter.com/search?q=%23europeangp) 4 minutes ago (https://twitter.com/suttonimages/status/216930529071726592) · reply (https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?in_reply_to=216930529071726592) · retweet (https://twitter.com/intent/retweet?tweet_id=216930529071726592) · favorite (https://twitter.com/intent/favorite?tweet_id=216930529071726592)


Just sayin' :D



best seats in the house
although, watching the race will become a secondary priority ;)

[christophulus]

best seats in the house
although, watching the race will become a secondary priority ;)

In any other Valencia GP that wouldn't have been such a bad thing!

[djparky]

overall a great race- plenty of overtaking and incidents. cracking weekend at Valencia- the GP2's were highly entertaining as well

[Robinho]

how Maldonado escaped a grid drop for silverstone is beyond me.
His incident was just as bad as the others, and the fact that he ended another competitors race in a fairly comprehensive crash (and a podium position) should carry some extra weight.
The only thing I can think of is that the FIA would like to see a Williams running high in its home GP

Because Vergne and Koby didn't finish so can only be punished in the next race, Pastor did finish in the points, so a retrospective punishment was appropriate

Sent from my Transformer Prime TF201 using Tapatalk 2

[Robinho]

So far then:

* 10 place Silverstone grid penalty and E25,000 fine for Vergne
* 5 place Silverstone grid penalty for Kobayashi
* 20 second drive-through for Maldonado

Just waiting for the decision on MSC possibly not lifting under yellows...

MSC let off for DRS use under yellows as he still slowed enough

Sent from my Transformer Prime TF201 using Tapatalk 2

[52Paddy]

A truly fantastic race today! It was unfortunate for Vettel but I was, nonetheless, happy that Grosjean had a fighting chance to become the eight different winner in as many races. I was particularly gutted when mechanical gremlins invaded his progress too, though.

Alonso did benefit from a lot of drivers' misfortune but, despite that, his strategy was much improved on that of Canada and he looked after the tires well in the second stint when Hamilton should have been able to close up to the back of him.

Hamilton's up and down race really did end drastically. Pastor was very clumsy with his move to get back on track. I do think he should have backed out of it earlier. However, I don't think he deliberately intended to run into Hamilton as, from what I can remember, he did make an effort to turn full lock left and return alongside Lewis - albeit that the turning circle would only provide enough room for a collision.

It's great to see Schumacher get a podium after showing that he has had pace this year to do so.

I expected more from the Force Indias and Perez though. It was uncharacteristic that Perez should include an early stop on his strategy.

Finally, commiserations to Kobayashi and the two Caterhams who ended up in unfortunate incidents. All three cars looked set for relatively solid results this weekend and, at one point, I thought we might see a Caterham in the points.

[F1boat]

Thanks God, Michael escaped penalty.

[GravettFan99]

Alonso / Raikkonen / Schumacher podum. Are we sure it's not 2002?

Who knows? That is incredible, though! We've seen Schumacher rant about the tires this season, and his horrible luck of retiring in every single race... and now, this! :eek: :D Even I, myself, was starting to doubt him and think that he should return to retirement, and with perfect timing, the man proves me in every way WRONG! http://smileyicons.net/smilies/910.gif http://smileyicons.net/smilies/453.gif

[Dave B]

http://p.twimg.com/AwLcu9ECMAMqQlQ.jpg

Then and now :)

[i_max2k2]

http://p.twimg.com/AwLcu9ECMAMqQlQ.jpg

Then and now :)

And kimi hasn't changed one bit haha.

[steveaki13]

Alonso / Raikkonen / Schumacher podum. Are we sure it's not 2002?

Fernando was a test driver in 2002. ;)

[aryan]

What a race that was! Are we sure that took place in Valencia? Epic!

Very happy with the result, it was so awesome to see those 3 up there on the podium together. The three of them have been such a big part of F1 for the last decade, so good to see them all there.

And can I just say, I know this is a very unpopular position, but I love the Pirelli tyres and I love DRS. Thank you FIA for solving F1's problem and producing one cracking race after the other. Respect where it's due.

[pino]

Great post aryan :up:

[rjbetty]

Great post aryan :up:

I second that!

I'm bored and tired, so here's a few thoughts:
1.Super Duper to see Michael on the podium. I was desperately trying to install the correct flash player to view it on my laptop - I managed to catch most of it.
2.I don't know what to make of Kimi Raikkonen: I totally respect his ability to be superfast, but this season is reinforcing my suspicion that he might be slightly overrated. I don't rate him in the same class as Alonso - I almost never have done. And nor do Ferrari. He is being beaten by Grosjean in the same way he was beaten by Massa. I considered the fact he was away rallying - but then Grosjean is a ROOKIE!
3.On the subject, congratulations Romain!! His performances have been one of the most interesting aspects of the whole season for me. His smiling and good attitude was so great to see. It very much contrasts with my next point. I hope he keeps his demeanour cos I remember Montoya was the same in Brazil 2001 but he went on to develop a real attitude problem...
4.GarryWalker was right - Vettel really is showing his true colours. I found it hard to feel sorry for him today. :)
5.Very disappointed to see both Caterhams were attacked by both Toro Rossos - were they on for their best ever finish (if not a points finish!)?
6.Where on Earth is Bruno Senna...?
7.Maldonado was totally outside the track, yet I have to say Alonso wouldn't have let himself get hit like that... Don't know about anyone else but the collision was no surprise to me.
8.Have to give Alonso credit where it's due - just amazing. Totally believe he is the best driver in the world at the moment.

[Ranger]

Maldonado said he was forced off.

Er, Pastor, didn't you just do that to someone at the start of the race?

Indeed, he ran Webber off the road at the final turn on lap 38.

[GravettFan99]

What a race that was! Are we sure that took place in Valencia? Epic!

Very happy with the result, it was so awesome to see those 3 up there on the podium together. The three of them have been such a big part of F1 for the last decade, so good to see them all there.

And can I just say, I know this is a very unpopular position, but I love the Pirelli tyres and I love DRS. Thank you FIA for solving F1's problem and producing one cracking race after the other. Respect where it's due.

http://www.motorsportforums.com/images/icons/icon14.png Agreed. It's been at least a decade or decade and a half since we had a legendary and incredible year. Here we are with our eighth race, and just now getting our first repeat winner!http://www.motorsportforums.com/forums/images/smilies/roll_eyes.gifhttp://smileyicons.net/smilies/894.gifWow! http://smileyicons.net/smilies/448.gif

[SGWilko]

Mclaren put crews are donkeys. Also vergne for ruining heikkis race. Safety car out and no doubt this will improve vettels race for some reason! Looks like the fairy tale of having a different winner every race is over:-(

Not their fault is it really? They get moaned at for doing slow stops, but when they use parts (jack etc) to try to improve, they get railed on too!? Sheesh.

[SGWilko]

Hamilton should take a look at his small brain.

Flip top head and a mirror anyone?

[SGWilko]

Why was Hamilton racing so agressively against Maldonado? That is my problem with Hamilton in this situation. I have nothing against Hamilton and I have defended him on thousand occasions here, but today he clearly wasn't thinking.

Eeerrrrrr, to keep the position and eeerrrrrr, earn as many points as possible. If not, is there any point in racing?

Maybe Pastor's braces are magnetic and he is attracted to other cars, or maybe he is just a bonehead - his previous misdemeanors go before him!

[SGWilko]

Why not?

The incident was totally avoidable if LH yielded before the chicane.

You could go the whole hog and say that if they did not collide, there'd be no coming together!

If you are a racer, you race. If you are a pu55y, you deliberatley punt others in practice cos you are waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay too immature! :p

[SGWilko]

like a REAL racer, didn't back down. .

Touche

[SGWilko]

Just waiting for the decision on MSC possibly not lifting under yellows...

... 10 mins of tickling with Ken Dodd's tickle stick? Not really consistent today again?

[Knock-on]

Not their fault is it really? They get moaned at for doing slow stops, but when they use parts (jack etc) to try to improve, they get railed on too!? Sheesh.

It really is quite frustrating but sometimes that's the price for seeking perfection.

With a pit stop, the clock starts when the car has stopped. From then,the Jack men must raise the car and the gun men must locate the nut in the chuck, take off the nut and move the gun out of the way. Then another team member must remove the wheel and when clear, another man must put a new wheel on and make sure it's located properly with locating pins in holes around the hub before the gun man can reattach the nutand signal the wheel is properly on. When all four gun me have signalled then the jack men can let the car down and the lollipop man release the car which is when the clock stops.

To get it right, 16 people have to do their job perfectly and yesterday McLaren recorded a sub 3 second time for the whole pit stop which is one of the fastest times ever recorded during a live event. That is scarey fast and if there hadn't been a Jack failure, I am sure they would have recorded a similar time on the botched stop.

Seems a bit harsh for people to blame the pit crew.

[The Black Knight]

It really is quite frustrating but sometimes that's the price for seeking perfection.

With a pit stop, the clock starts when the car has stopped. From then,the Jack men must raise the car and the gun men must locate the nut in the chuck, take off the nut and move the gun out of the way. Then another team member must remove the wheel and when clear, another man must put a new wheel on and make sure it's located properly with locating pins in holes around the hub before the gun man can reattach the nutand signal the wheel is properly on. When all four gun me have signalled then the jack men can let the car down and the lollipop man release the car which is when the clock stops.

To get it right, 16 people have to do their job perfectly and yesterday McLaren recorded a sub 3 second time for the whole pit stop which is one of the fastest times ever recorded during a live event. That is scarey fast and if there hadn't been a Jack failure, I am sure they would have recorded a similar time on the botched stop.

Seems a bit harsh for people to blame the pit crew.

Apparently there had been issues with that jack in practice sessions but never in the race, so there was always the potential for that Jack to give trouble and it should never have been used in the race in the first place.

[Knock-on]

Apparently there had been issues with that jack in practice sessions but never in the race, so there was always the potential for that Jack to give trouble and it should never have been used in the race in the first place.

I am aware of that but the team decided that it was right to use it. I assume they decided that any problems with the Jack were resolved.

[The Black Knight]

I am aware of that but the team decided that it was right to use it. I assume they decided that any problems with the Jack were resolved.

Well they were wrong so someone is to blame. Pitstops are too important for things like this to be happening. They are where races are won and lost especially this year. A jack getting stuck is not something that should ever happen, ever!

One can say things like that can happen but when pitstops are being continually botched, as McLaren have recently made a habit of, someone has to eventually hold their hand up and take the blame somewhere along the line. Without looking too much into it, I'm pretty confident that Lewis would be leading the championship even still were it not for McLaren's mistakes in the pits. Ferrari have made no such errors with Alonso and that is one big reason why he is leading the championship.

[Knock-on]

Issues with the stops are costing us a lot and you're right that we would be leading were it not for these problems. However, blaming people and starting witch-hunts is destructive and better to learn from these issues and improve as a team.

[The Black Knight]

I'm not suggesting starting a witch-hunt i.e. get someone fired but I would say some sort of change is in order. In my opinion, this is more important to McLaren than any updates for the British GP. No point in bringing an update worth a tenth of a second per lap to a race if you lose all that in a pit stop.

[F1boat]

McLaren has problems in the pits, Ferrari with pace, Red Bull with reliability, Merc with consistency. This makes the championship so awesome.

[SGWilko]

I'm not suggesting starting a witch-hunt i.e. get someone fired but I would say some sort of change is in order. In my opinion, this is more important to McLaren than any updates for the British GP. No point in bringing an update worth a tenth of a second per lap to a race if you lose all that in a pit stop.

They did and have made changes. Like I said, for some, that clearly isn't enough. Maybe a Garfied fluffy toy strapped to the jack will help?

[The Black Knight]

They did and have made changes. Like I said, for some, that clearly isn't enough. Maybe a Garfied fluffy toy strapped to the jack will help?

I'm aware they have made changes but they obviously haven't worked well enough, though their pitstops were notably quicker this weekend and were also really good in Canada but you can never stop improving so now time to make some more changes to improve further and make sure the Jack situation that occurred yesterday never happens again. This could be a procedural change to check the Jack before a pitstop or use a different Jack but all aimed at improvement.

[SGWilko]

This could be a procedural change to check the Jack before a pitstop

I reckon they may well already have thought about that one - Doh!

Do you think Renault stuck an untested batch of Alternators on their motors this weekend without checking 'em?

[The Black Knight]

I reckon they may well already have thought about that one - Doh!

Do you think Renault stuck an untested batch of Alternators on their motors this weekend without checking 'em?

Nope, but I'm sure they will make changes to ensure it doesn't happen again :)

[wedge]

So far then:

* 10 place Silverstone grid penalty and E25,000 fine for Vergne
* 5 place Silverstone grid penalty for Kobayashi
* 20 second drive-through for Maldonado

Just waiting for the decision on MSC possibly not lifting under yellows...

This is strange, the stewards called it right regards with blame.

Though I think Maldonado needs to really be taught a lesson and should have been given a 10 place grid penalty for the next race. Far too controversial in the past 18 months.

[Mia 01]

I´m so glad for Kimis sake, when Pastor forced him off track at the start I was afraid the race was over for him. A steady race with some wise driving.

I´m not so fund of Pastor today.

[truefan72]

Issues with the stops are costing us a lot and you're right that we would be leading were it not for these problems. However, blaming people and starting witch-hunts is destructive and better to learn from these issues and improve as a team.

if we are not blaming people, then is the team blame free?

come on, once or twice in 8 races is somewhat understandable, but 6-7 times, and furthermore at crucial points, and on top of that costing race wins for both drivers is nearly unforgivable
Hamilton would be leading the Championship without these self inflicted wounds by the team. They are letting him down at the moment, and if he were to loose the championship you could easily point to these incidents. It isn't a matter of bad luck, or hard done by, but a simple failure of performance by the crew and poor decision making by those in charge.

[SGWilko]

if we are not blaming people, then is the team blame free?

come on, once or twice in 8 races is somewhat understandable, but 6-7 times, and furthermore at crucial points, and on top of that costing race wins for both drivers is nearly unforgivable
Hamilton would be leading the Championship without these self inflicted wounds by the team. They are letting him down at the moment, and if he were to looses the championship you could easily point to these incidents. It isbn't a matter of bad luck, or hard done by, but a simple failure of performance by the crew and poor decision making by those in charge.

Yes, but Ferrari FUBAR'd Massa's championship in '08. Ferrari didn't mean to do that, just as McLaren don't mean it today. However, 5h!t happens. Being able to re-group, learn from it and come back stronger is what must count.

[Garry Walker]

McLaren has problems in the pits, Ferrari with pace, Red Bull with reliability, Merc with consistency. This makes the championship so awesome.

Yeah, some people like racing when it is about who is the best, some like it when it is about who is less bad.

[Knock-on]

if we are not blaming people, then is the team blame free?

come on, once or twice in 8 races is somewhat understandable, but 6-7 times, and furthermore at crucial points, and on top of that costing race wins for both drivers is nearly unforgivable
Hamilton would be leading the Championship without these self inflicted wounds by the team. They are letting him down at the moment, and if he were to loose the championship you could easily point to these incidents. It isn't a matter of bad luck, or hard done by, but a simple failure of performance by the crew and poor decision making by those in charge.


I can't really argue with you mate but running around with our hair on fire is hardly conducive to resolving the issue. I am as annoyed and disapointed as anyone but lots goes on behind the scene to resolve issues that we don't know about. I thought we were getting there only to suffer an equipment failure in Spain. It's galling.

Te team are putting in a huge amount of effort to solve these problems and to think that McLaren are sitting on there hands and not throwing every effort into this is not true.

I think that the problems are behind McLaren and there will not be a repeat. I hope so anyway.

[Knock-on]

McLaren bullish about pitstop performance after record Valencia stop - F1 news - AUTOSPORT.com (http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/100738)

Well, I know that stop was fast but it was the fastest ever F1 pit stop at 2.6 seconds. Actual time to green (when the car is ready for release) was 2.32.

Apart from an equipment failure, I think they're doing OK.

Still think heads should roll?

[jens]

McLaren bullish about pitstop performance after record Valencia stop - F1 news - AUTOSPORT.com (http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/100738)

Well, I know that stop was fast but it was the fastest ever F1 pit stop at 2.6 seconds. Actual time to green (when the car is ready for release) was 2.32.

Apart from an equipment failure, I think they're doing OK.

Still think heads should roll?

Consistency is the absolute key in F1 pitstops. Better have two 4-second stops than a 3- and a 12-second pitstop. With solid pitstops you can still finish the race in a good position, but with even one botched pitstop you can forget about everything by retiring with a loose wheelnut.

[truefan72]

Consistency is the absolute key in F1 pitstops. Better have two 4-second stops than a 3- and a 12-second pitstop. With solid pitstops you can still finish the race in a good position, but with even one botched pitstop you can forget about everything by retiring with a loose wheelnut.

well said

[Dave B]

If only there was a common saying about the relationship between haste and speed.... :p

[N4D13]

If only there was a common saying about the relationship between haste and speed.... :p
Spaniards would say something like "dress me slowly, I'm in a hurry" (vísteme despacio, que tengo prisa). :D

[Knock-on]

There's also an old F1 saying about being able to make a fast car relaible but not a slow car fast?

Apart from a equipment failure it would have been a great day for the crew so I'm happy and looking forward to Silverstone.