China: Pastor donkey of the race

[Duncan]

Or do we have to wait until the race actually happens?

I guess it's possible that somebody does something really dumb during the race, but I'm sort of thinking that crashing into the pit entry wall for no special reason *and* driving off the track while concentrating on the steering wheel probably constitutes an insurmountable lead...

[dj_bytedisaster]

We actually only have to wait how many people he tries to kill tomorrow. I can't think of too many scenarios that would overhaul his antics.

[Robinho]

Sod it, let's give him donkey of the decade now and be done with it

[MacFeegle]

After practice, he probably get major bumhurt from team but Lotus flower means love and forgivness so they kiss and make up. Give him break and lets see if he be good boy.

[steveaki13]

He has had an awful weekend.

It seems Pastor is awesome, when he starts on pole and leads all race in Spain. However if he is not in spain, is not on pole and runs 2nd-26th then he struggles and crashes a lot. :D

[steveaki13]

Well to be fair today we cant vote for Maldo-crashdo

There weren't many today.
Donkey of the Race mentions:

McLaren - Slowest Merc car and way behind other cars. Shocking really this weekend.

Williams Pitstop - I don't know whether the car was damaged after the contact with Alonso, but a 50 second stop.

Massa- I felt he was a bit wreckless at the start. Flinging his car left far more than Alonso moved right.

[dj_bytedisaster]

Massa- I felt he was a bit wreckless at the start. Flinging his car left far more than Alonso moved right.

Yep, he was (by miracle) wreckless. But I think the word you were looking for is reckless ;)

[steveaki13]

maybe :p

[longisland]

The race itself is pretty bland besides the start.
Red Bull's team order on Seb again.
The trophy. It looks like a incense pot

[minardi]

The people given flags to wave. End of haha.

[dj_bytedisaster]

The funny bit is, if they go by the word of the rules, the race was ended early and Koba loses a place to Bianchi.

[Dave B]

Donkey of the race is definitely the waver of the Chequered Flag, and Massa must take a consolation prize for a start which was lucky not to end his and Alonso's race.

[gm99]

The flag-waver for sure.

Also, I think Kimi was a bit underwhelming compared to his team-mate.

[Tazio]

I don't know how you can give it to Kimi. He gained three positions during the race, and although he finished almost a minute behind Zo, I believe that is a testament to Fred's greatness not Kimi's incompetence. And to think after Bahrain some genius wrote:


I'm afraid he[Alonso] is past his prime by now. Time to retire?


Watch the races objectively if you are capable, and get a grip lad. Fred is still, along with The Boss the best pilot in the field period. Hulk, Seb, and maybe even Danny aren't too far behind,

[rjbetty]

Maybe Rosberg today, and Seb too.

The duplicitous duo´s attitudes, more than their driving, is what seals the donkey award for me.

Honourable mention to Sauber. Wasn´t expecting much this season, but boy!

[steveaki13]

I don't know how you can give it to Kimi. He gained three positions during the race, and although he finished almost a minute behind Zo, I believe that is a testament to Fred's greatness not Kimi's incompetence. And to think after Bahrain some genius wrote:




Watch the races objectively if you are capable, and get a grip lad. Fred is still, along with The Boss the best pilot in the field period. Hulk, Seb, and maybe even Danny aren't too far behind,

Amen Doc.

[A FONDO]

kimi, vetel - very poor today

[gm99]

I don't know how you can give it to Kimi. He gained three positions during the race, and although he finished almost a minute behind Zo, I believe that is a testament to Fred's greatness not Kimi's incompetence.

I think it's a mixture of both: The Ferrari wasn't quite as quick as Fred made it look, nor was it as slow as Kimi was driving it. As for making up positions: One was gained because of Massa's botched pit stop, so that leaves two. And of course, Kimi had to make up positions because once again, he has qualified poorly.

[Tazio]

:stareup: All fair points. I think expectations are high for Kimi, and I don't think he had a strong race, but I also don't think that qualifies him as a donkey. He finished one place behind Bottas, and ahead of Perez and I wouldn't call either donkeys, but that is just my opinion.

[kfzmeister]

Like mentioned before, blue flag waiver at pit entry and the guy that waived the checkered flag at HAM a lap early.....

[Mia 01]

:stareup: All fair points. I think expectations are high for Kimi, and I don't think he had a strong race, but I also don't think that qualifies him as a donkey. He finished one place behind Bottas, and ahead of Perez and I wouldn't call either donkeys, but that is just my opinion.

Agreed Tazio! After the race Kimi admitted that he had problems to get heat in his tires and he was a bit down, hard on himself, he wants so very much. If we consider who much of the preseason testing he missed and his numerous problem on fridays and Fernandos two day test last week, I´m not suprised Alonso is moore contempt with the car. Kimi will be back.

[N4D13]

Now that we know that Massa's botched pitstop was caused by the team trying to fit the right wheel on the left and vice versa, IMO it's not hard to figure out who gets the prize for this race.

[truefan72]

small donkey to the chequere flag guy
big donkey to the FIA for what they did in response
ridiculous

https://eurosport.yahoo.com/news/chinese-grand-prix-flag-error-shortens-chinese-gp-120841175--f1.html

[steveaki13]

They take away Kobayashi's pass on Bianchi then.

Understandable rule in a way to stop any danger of people slow early and others racing on, but seems a bit bizzare that the race was only 54 laps.

This seems to have gone quite unnoticed. Cheers Truefan.

[Tazio]

small donkey to the chequere flag guy
big donkey to the FIA for what they did in response
ridiculous.

Yup, but I guess that is the rule.

[N. Jones]

Pastor again. All he does is complain. One day someone is going to tell him to take him millions and get stuffed.

[airshifter]

The Williams pit crew. Felipe made a rocket start, and they took him all the way to the back of the pack with that circus.

Honorable mention to the early checkered flag wave. Lewis commented on his radio that he thought he just saw the checkered flag. :)

[Storm]

Felipe could well have been the donkey if the bump with Alonso had actually taken both of them out. really quick start but too much weaving ( a bit like auto-rickshaws here!)

Williams botched it up completely though so have to be the donkey here though.

^Hamilton said something - I thought he said where is the flag? - or maybe it was the commentary team who do like to keep shouting over everything.

[D28]

small donkey to the chequere flag guy
big donkey to the FIA for what they did in response
ridiculous

https://eurosport.yahoo.com/news/chinese-grand-prix-flag-error-shortens-chinese-gp-120841175--f1.html

Lest we assume it is incompetence of inexperienced race stewards, a similar thing happened at the 1985 British Grand Prix.
That race scheduled for 66 laps ended on 65 when the chequered flag was shown. In this case it made a huge difference as Jacques Lafitte ran out of fuel on 66th lap meaning Piquet would have placed 3rd rather than 4th. and so on.

It remains an acute embarrassment for F1, with all the electronic control and timing to 1000th sec that they cannot count the laps correctly.

[COD]

I don't see how the bump was Massa's fault? Hel was blocked by a red bullshit on the right, went to the only gap there was and there was a bit of contact.

If anywas was donkey for bumping,mit was Rosbergs bump on Bottas. Totally unnecesaary.

Still my vote goes to Williams pit crew. Honorary mention to the checkerd flad dude

[gm99]

Didn't the opposite happen in Interlagos a few years ago with Pelé forgetting to wave the checkered flag at the end of the race?

[D28]

Didn't the opposite happen in Interlagos a few years ago with Pelé forgetting to wave the checkered flag at the end of the race?
Pele busy chatting with officials at the 2002 Brazilian GP. missed the Schumacher brothers in 1st and 2nd and waved the flag at Takuma Sato 2 laps down. Results were unaffected and no great harm was done.

[anfield5]

Toss up between the clown with the flag, who was just pipped by Massa's pit crew. Great effort by them to firstly put the wheels on the wrong part of the car and then to ice the cake, forgetting how to put the wheels on altogether - BRAVO.

[Mekola]

Again the donkey goes for Pastor. When another driver will be named donkey of the race?