Formula 1 - 2011 Season [Archive]

NSXGB

20-01-2011, 10:51 PM

I can't wait either.
Start of F1 season means summer isn't far away.Hopes its as good as last season.

Nah, they've just squeeezed more races in this year so the season is starting at the end of winter...

I wonder if the Maclaren will be a step closer to the RB's as their KERS system was well ahead of anyone elses...

Hope it's a close one again this year, makes it more interesting. I'm going for Hamilton to win the DC this year.

WhyOne?

21-01-2011, 09:10 AM

Thought I'd start a thread for the 2011 season.

First race is in Bahrain - 13th March.

This season is in HD on BBC.

For the commentary they've replaced the babbling Jonathan Legard with David Coulthard. I'm personally extremely glad of this change if you couldn't tell!

Latest details and changes are usually updated here - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2011_Formula_One_season

I can't wait.

<Pedant mode on>
Technically, they have replaced lead commentator Legard with Martin Brundle (which can only be a good thing IMHO). Coulthard takes on Brundle's old role, which may work, but I have my concerns - he is still on the pay roll at RBR and it shows. He rarely speaks his mind, and as a result is uncontroversial & dull. <pedant mode off>

I am really looking forward to the upcoming season, despite the reintroduction of KERS and adjustable rear wings (which all seems very contrived to me). But at least the cars will still sound like F1 cars.

In 2013 we face the prospect of 4 cylinder, 1600cc turbo cars, which will sound terrible.

Senninha

21-01-2011, 09:18 AM

Personally I thought the pairing of Jonathan & Martin worked well. With DC moving into the commentry box (I'll wait to be convinced this is a good thing), who joins Jake and Eddie in the pits?

Stiring of the grey matter .... when DC was racing, wasn't MArtin his manager? IIRC, then I've even more doubts over DC's move.

regards, Paul

gumball

21-01-2011, 09:58 AM

Legard was terrible, didn't you notice Martin didn't even bother to answer his ridiculous questions anymore and just carried on talking about something else, the atmosphere was frosty to say the least.
I think the new pairing should be OK, maybe Dave can even out Martin's McLaren favouritism :)

WhyOne?

21-01-2011, 10:05 AM

Legard was terrible, didn't you notice Martin didn't even bother to answer his ridiculous questions anymore and just carried on talking about something else...............

I 100% agree. He just babbled about anything and everything, quite often making the most idiotic statements and certainly treating the viewers as complete imbeciles.

I have enormous respect for Martin Brundle and think he can probably make the step-up to lead commentator, but only time will tell. If he fails, the BBC have only to look as far as their 'red-button' team - Croft & Davidson do a great job of commentating on the practice sessions - if they can make these consistently informative & entertaining, a race (even one in Bahrain) should be no problem for them!

Interestingly, having criticised DC for being bland and unopinionated, I see that EJ is now 'main analyst'. I guess you have to be careful what you wish for!!!!

(You are correct Paul - Brundle did manage Coulthard).

sorepaws

21-01-2011, 11:00 AM

Can't wait with the new aero regulations & tyres changes.

Lets see if theres more over taking with adjustable rear wing & KERS, plus the new Pirellis are
meant to de grade quicker, so rewards the smoother driver.

If they reduce the engine power, reduce the aeropackage and use grooved tyres there would be much more over taking - oh dear isn't that Formula Ford ?

gumball

06-02-2011, 12:42 PM

Get well soon Robert Kubica.
http://en.espnf1.com/renault/motorsport/story/40082.html

NSX-FAN

06-02-2011, 12:44 PM

Thank god Legard has gone, Coulthard should be a good commentator, cant wait for the new season, hope it is as interesting as last year, would like to see Schumacher up there this year.

m666 edd

07-02-2011, 11:39 AM

A few days old, but here's a new Ferrari going through the motions :D

http://betacache.gawkerassets.com/assets/images/12/2011/02/xlarge_ferrari_f150_fire_02.jpg
F150

TheSebringOne

08-02-2011, 01:19 AM

I wonder who will take Roberts seat at Renault this year. Also would be interesting to see
if Renault have got a competitive car or the others not showing their true hands?

If Senna gets the nod, I wonder how he would perform in a decent car? Its his last chance to shine.

WhyOne?

08-02-2011, 09:01 AM

I would have thought that the marketing men would be rubbing their hands in glee at the prospect of senna in a black & gold 'Lotus'!

gumball

08-02-2011, 12:12 PM

Renault boss says Bruno is most likely to get the seat. He's going to have to hit the ground running though to keep it..

m666 edd

22-03-2011, 01:42 PM

Nearly upon us.

gumball

22-03-2011, 04:59 PM

Yup, Sauber looking better so far in testing. Just hope overtaking isn't rendered farcical by the new movable wing.

britlude

22-03-2011, 05:20 PM

that's if overtaking (on the track) is an issue this year with 4 or 5 tyre stops...... so much for trying to make F1 look less wasteful!

TheSebringOne

23-03-2011, 01:07 AM

Lets wait and see at weekend, I can't wait!

I wouldn't mind JB & MB with MS doing well.

gumball

26-03-2011, 08:56 AM

Kamui equalled his best grid position, so far so good for me. :Bigsmile:
http://i190.photobucket.com/albums/z148/gumball3ooo/199539_1759952513625_1083402830_31709461_5758910_n .jpg

gumball

27-03-2011, 11:18 AM

Yay!........

Oh bo**ox..

nakamichi

27-03-2011, 03:04 PM

I can see Vettel running away with the championship this year.He was never in any danger of not winning.
Interesting race though.Far more exciting than the turgid boredom of the England v Wales football match yesterday.
Seriously,I have never understood the fanatical appeal of football.I watched the 1st half yesterday and just could not be bothered to watch the 2nd half.
I went out for a drive instead:D

gumball

27-03-2011, 04:22 PM

Easy to fall into the trap of judging a season on just the opening race. The first race last year everyone was yawning saying it's going to be a Ferrari walkover after their one two finish in a processional race, but there are always many many twists.

jaytip

27-03-2011, 10:11 PM

Lets wait and see at weekend, I can't wait!

I wouldn't mind JB & MB with MS doing well.
Ok i gotta ask,who's MB?????

Senninha

27-03-2011, 10:30 PM

Ok i gotta ask,who's MB?????

Maybe he thinks that with Coulthard going into the commentary box, Martin Brundle will start racing again ....:rolleyes:

TheSebringOne

30-03-2011, 12:17 AM

Sorry guys. MB = Mercedes Benz, just me being quirky.

gumball

17-04-2011, 02:03 PM

So what did you think? the new tyres seem to be having the desired effect. Another points finish for Kamui but trying to save tyres clearly doesn't work, just come in more for fresh boots

Come on, we can get this thread to page five by the end of the season.

TheSebringOne

17-04-2011, 04:25 PM

Tyres, KERS & adjustable rear wing thingy = Great racing !!

F1 now has all the ingredients for more exciting races. :thumbsup:

Senninha

17-04-2011, 06:04 PM

Well I've just watched the China race and Wow! That brought back memories of the racing of old with multiple overtakes, strategy muck ups and some great on track action with the guys actually showing why they are rewarded so well!

Lewis was clear driver of the day for me for the race distance, Marks gets the vote for the best 2nd half of a race .... 16th to 3rd has to be some kind of record.

Given the renault performance it just seems more painful each race to the team for them not to have Robert at the helm.

I do have a couple of questions to which I cant find the answers ...

1) Why are drivers allowed to deploy DRS during practive but have it limited to restricted parts of the track for the race? Surely if the driver is confident in his ability and 'feels' his car has grip then surely he should be allowed to deploy wherever on the track. Get it wrong and he puts it in the kitty litter, get it rigth and you'd see more ovetakes in less obvious and controlled areas of the race track.

2) The one second rule allows the second of two cars to deploy DRS. What happens to the the 3rd or 5th car as we saw today. With close racing is it only the 2nd car that can open or do they all get to open apart from the lead car in such circumstances?

Thanx ... looking forward to Europe!

regards, Paul

jaytip

17-04-2011, 08:25 PM

britlude

17-04-2011, 08:26 PM

i thought the DRS anytime during qualifying but only at one point on the track (unless you are ferrari) is ridiculous. why tease us with the wing flapping performance in quali, only to deny the spectacle and performance in the race! It's just another example of a good , 'lets encourage overtaking' rule, only to get cold feet and be 'like, oh, we don't really mean to do that, we only want you to overtake when we want you to'!!!

if you are going to have DRS, then have it, every one can use it anytime/anywhere...... except the leader......:)

NSXGB

17-04-2011, 08:33 PM

Enjoyed that too.

I think Rubens and or Schumacher should now retire and Kobyashi take his seat...

Webber started in 18th, not 16th. Great drive, shame the race was not 2 laps longer to let him pass Vettel...

DRS is there to initiate more overtaking. I think like you Paul, it should be ther to deploy at any time but that would not achieve this goal.
I think, as long as the car behind is within 1 sec of the car in front of it, DRS can be deployed. So the 2nd, 3rd, 4th etc. can deploy DRS if close enough.

Good point Webber made in the press conference about maybe not bothering too much with qualifying and saving your tyres for the race...seems to have worked for him and a bit for Hamilton this time round. So, all the drivers let Vettel waste his tyres qualifying, then jump him in the race.
Wouldn't be surprised if a lot more drivers from now on just make one hot lap in qualifying to keep fresher tyres for the race...

jaytip

17-04-2011, 08:53 PM

Good point Webber made in the press conference about maybe not bothering too much with qualifying and saving your tyres for the race...seems to have worked for him and a bit for Hamilton this time round. So, all the drivers let Vettel waste his tyres qualifying, then jump him in the race.
Wouldn't be surprised if a lot more drivers from now on just make one hot lap in qualifying to keep fresher tyres for the race...
I think the track plays a big part as well though.Try thoses tactics at Monaco and you would be left behind because it's almost impossible to overtake there.

gumball

17-04-2011, 08:57 PM

Webber started in 18th, not 16th. Great drive, shame the race was not 2 laps longer to let him pass Vettel...

Or three laps longer, to let him pass Hamilton. :bigsmile:

Webber clearly the driver of the day.

jaytip

17-04-2011, 09:07 PM

Or three laps longer, to let him pass Hamilton. :bigsmile:

Webber clearly the driver of the day.
Hamilton for me.
The guy looked at the start of the event like he may not have made it at all because of the fuel issues in the garage,but he still kept a cool head,did some brilliant overtaking,and ended with a very deserved result.
Lets not forget,while Mark did exceptionally well to finish third,he was driving one of the best cars on the track,and was on the correct tyre stratergy.For the first 20 or so laps on the harder tyre,the guy was struggling to pass slower cars.Then when they had used up all their soft tyres,Mark still had his left and was able to capitalise.I would bet large sums of money that he would not have produced the same result on Michelins.

NSXGB

17-04-2011, 09:32 PM

Or three laps longer, to let him pass Hamilton. :bigsmile:

Webber clearly the driver of the day.

Nah, that's why I chose 2 laps!

Pirelli have done a great job with the tyres making the racing more interesting this year.

gumball

18-04-2011, 07:21 AM

Hamilton for me.
The guy looked at the start of the event like he may not have made it at all because of the fuel issues in the garage,but he still kept a cool head,did some brilliant overtaking,and ended with a very deserved result.
Lets not forget,while Mark did exceptionally well to finish third,he was driving one of the best cars on the track,and was on the correct tyre stratergy.For the first 20 or so laps on the harder tyre,the guy was struggling to pass slower cars.Then when they had used up all their soft tyres,Mark still had his left and was able to capitalise.I would bet large sums of money that he would not have produced the same result on Michelins.

Webber's tyres were only two laps fresher than Hamilton's. Hamilton did well though battling up from third on the grid in the fastest car. :)

Senninha

18-04-2011, 12:47 PM

Enjoyed that too.

........Webber started in 18th, not 16th. Great drive, shame the race was not 2 laps longer to let him pass Vettel.....

I know he started 18th, but my point was that he had only made up 2 places in the first half whilst waiting for others to wear out the option tyre. He then ran the 2nd half on his new options to make up lots of places before putting on a new set of primes for the race to the podium. Brave strategy call that must have been frustrating for those early laps, but worked well for Mark.

Unusual to hear Jenson say he couldn't look after his tyres for longer which has repeatedly been one of his strong points.

regards, Paul

jaytip

18-04-2011, 06:18 PM

Webber's tyres were only two laps fresher than Hamilton's. Hamilton did well though battling up from third on the grid in the fastest car. :)
Didn't Hamilton finish on hard tyres,while Webber finished on fresher soft ones which are worth almost a second and a half per lap,plus having gone out in qualifying one,he had more sets of soft tyres.tyres are playing a MUCH bigger part this year.

DAVEMAT

19-04-2011, 01:53 PM

Bring on Istanbul, heading there 2 weeks tomorrow, if last years exploits are anything to go by it should be good, I reckon the racing will be alright aswell ;)
Would certainly like to see the same winner.

gumball

19-04-2011, 04:49 PM

Didn't Hamilton finish on hard tyres,while Webber finished on fresher soft ones which are worth almost a second and a half per lap,plus having gone out in qualifying one,he had more sets of soft tyres.tyres are playing a MUCH bigger part this year.

Yep but still fresh, the two stoppers were sitting ducks. Hopefully Ferrari will find some pace for the next race. Also would love to see Sauber adopt a more aggressive strategy so kamui can go on the attack. :)

markc

19-04-2011, 06:02 PM

Hopefully Ferrari will find some pace for the next race. Also would love to see Sauber adopt a more aggressive strategy so kamui can go on the attack. :)

Noooo, I love it when Ferrari are sh!te. The "Tifosi" stage demonstrations outside the factory, Alonso will get all huffy and Montezemolo says all sorts of daft things :laugh:

At least Massa was allowed to beat Alonso this time :rolleyes:

I'm not sure why we seem to like Kobayashi here? He seems OK but not that good to me :dunno:

Cheers

Mark

Senninha

19-04-2011, 06:19 PM

Noooo, I love it when Ferrari are sh!te. The "Tifosi" stage demonstrations outside the factory, Alonso will get all huffy and Montezemolo says all sorts of daft things :laugh:

At least Massa was allowed to beat Alonso this time :rolleyes:

I'm not sure why we seem to like Kobayashi here? He seems OK but not that good to me :dunno:

Cheers

Mark

For me it was his almost disrespect for the established runners when pulling off some solid overtakes throughout last season. Give him the tools and he'll be at it again for sure ....

gumball

19-04-2011, 07:17 PM

I'm not sure why we seem to like Kobayashi here? He seems OK but not that good to me :dunno:

Cheers

Mark

He is probably the best F1 driver to come out of Japan, also seems like an interesting guy from what little attention he gets at the moment. I hope he is going to go on to be a race winner.

markc

20-04-2011, 02:09 PM

For me it was his almost disrespect for the established runners when pulling off some solid overtakes throughout last season. Give him the tools and he'll be at it again for sure ....

He's certainly bold, not unlike Sato in that respect but not quite as wild. Actually I thought Sato was underrated and a little unlucky.

He is probably the best F1 driver to come out of Japan, also seems like an interesting guy from what little attention he gets at the moment. I hope he is going to go on to be a race winner.

Kobayashi needs to comprehensively beat Perez everywhere this season and hope that a top seat opens up as it's unlikely that the Sauber will be developed into a race winner. Anything's possible though :)

Ferrari, Renault or even Red Bull, if Massa, Heidfeld or Webber move on, could take take him and provide a potential race winning car.... mores the pity in Ferrari's case :P

Cheers

Mark

gumball

20-04-2011, 03:18 PM

Poor Taku is struggling racing in the states, but I guess staring at Danica's rear end isn't so bad.

gumball

01-05-2011, 05:23 PM

RIP Ayrton Senna.

Senninha

01-05-2011, 09:29 PM

RIP Ayrton Senna.

9172

Remembered always, with memorabilia all around me in the office ... RIP Ayrton.

NSXGB

08-05-2011, 02:11 PM

Good race I thought today, plenty of action.
I'm not so sure that the unsafe release of the Ferrari should have been 'ignored'. Unsafe release=unsafe release whether you give the position back or not, surely??? Another case of Ferrari International Assistance maybe???!
Thought Kobayashi was going to get a better result but good enough....give him Schumachers seat, he's not focussed any more...

gumball

08-05-2011, 04:46 PM

Nice to see Ferrari back on the podium where they belong. :)

TheSebringOne

09-05-2011, 12:42 AM

How exciting is this season with so many over taking moves after years of moaning
there wasn't enough of it. Interesingly EJ states theres now too many?

Seems JB got his strategy wrong, pitting one less than the others?

I hope Redbull don't run away with it now that KERS seem to be working.

After following MS closely since his comeback to see if hes still got his mojo, I'm starting
to think like EJ, that he should remained retired and kept his legacy intact?

A bit worrying about the possible Newscorp takeover bid and move to possible pay per view!

gumball

09-05-2011, 07:37 AM

Thought Kobayashi was going to get a better result but good enough....give him Schumachers seat, he's not focussed any more...

Kamui had a puncture(on Buemi's wing) that was not seen on the TV coverage, he recons around seventh, if not for that. Sauber have more new parts for Barcelona. :)

NSXGB

09-05-2011, 09:19 AM

Kamui had a puncture(on Buemi's wing) that was not seen on the TV coverage, he recons around seventh, if not for that. Sauber have more new parts for Barcelona. :)

Awesome....

markc

09-05-2011, 03:18 PM

Thought Kobayashi was going to get a better result but good enough....give him Schumachers seat, he's not focussed any more...

Good effort by Kobayashi but how long will it be before nobody bothers with qualifying so that they all get to pick their tyre strategy for the race!

More likely that Di Resta will get Schumi's seat when he retires at the end of the season :)

Cheers

Mark

Senninha

09-05-2011, 03:31 PM

........how long will it be before nobody bothers with qualifying so that they all get to pick their tyre strategy for the race!...

Cheers

Mark

Watching qually and taking a look at the grandstands I was asking the same question, as I think supporters are saving the seat costs of the Saturday in favour of race day.

I thnk Jenson summed it up well after his dissapointment that his engineers didn't make the most of a) his tyre maintenance and b) switch strategy.

Lets hope Qualy 3 doesn't end up a no show and based on Q2!

regards, Paul

NSXGB

09-05-2011, 03:59 PM

how long will it be before nobody bothers with qualifying so that they all get to pick their tyre strategy for the race!

I mentioned that earlier in this thread. Vettel will be the only one qualifying because he likes the stats. :)

OK, Di Resta can have Schumi's seat and Kobayashi can have webbers as he's not getting the best out of that car :eek:

markc

09-05-2011, 04:48 PM

I mentioned that earlier in this thread. Vettel will be the only one qualifying because he likes the stats. :)

OK, Di Resta can have Schumi's seat and Kobayashi can have webbers as he's not getting the best out of that car :eek:

Good luck to anyone joining as Vettel's team mate. He's rounding into something VERY special and he's a nice bloke to boot! Shame about THAT finger though :doh:

Cheers

Mark

NSXGB

09-05-2011, 05:12 PM

Shame about THAT finger though :doh:

Cheers

Mark

+1

tis a bit boring now!

gumball

09-05-2011, 08:16 PM

+1

tis a bit boring now!

I'm sure it is not his intention to excite us with his finger..

In a similar vein the mad lot over at PH are up in arms about how boring the F1 is at the moment. Can't please some people.

Senninha

09-05-2011, 09:39 PM

I'm sure it is not his intention to excite us with his finger..

In a similar vein the mad lot over at PH are up in arms about how boring the F1 is at the moment. Can't please some people.

On what basis unless they are watching 2005 re-runs??

I still think the DRS should be available whenever a drivers believes he has grip/skill to use it. Uptil this weekend it appears to have worked well where it has been allowed, but this week they got it wrong.

markc

10-05-2011, 09:00 PM

I still think the DRS should be available whenever a drivers believes he has grip/skill to use it. Uptil this weekend it appears to have worked well where it has been allowed, but this week they got it wrong.

I agree they should be able to use it anywhere anytime.

I think it was fine this weekend, I don't see anything wrong with being able to overtake the car in front by using the modern, albeit artificial, equivalent of a "tow". W.R.T to the current DRS rule, IF the cars are in fact evenly matched at the time, the manouver will be returned on the following lap and so on until one car/driver establishes superiority and escapes by more than 1 sec at the DRS activation zone. Surely that's preferable to the situation we've had for the last 15+ yrs (?) where the much faster car cruises up behind a slower one and gets stuck behind it until the slower one takes a pit stop?

Cheers

Mark

gumball

14-05-2011, 09:03 AM

Don't forget to download Kamui Kobayashi's "You are connected" APP for Japan. :)

gumball

29-05-2011, 04:24 PM

Another great drive from the Man Kabayashi! :bigsmile:

jaytip

29-05-2011, 05:05 PM

Mclaren need to hang their heads in shame.Jenson,arguably the best driver out there on his tyres,getting a set of super soft tyres for his second stint,when the teams KNOW that the tyres are lasting much longer in this race.Their choice of strategy cost Jenson the race.
And don't get me started about all that fiddling with the cars crap on the grid before the re-start.That would have been a really interesting start and finish to the race had the cars and tyres been left as they were and a standing start allowed.

gumball

29-05-2011, 07:21 PM

It would have been nice not having that final safety car, to keep us fans on the edge of our seats for the whole race. But I get the feeling Seb would have held on to the win anyway, with Fernando holding second.
Still an entertaining race though.

WhyOne?

30-05-2011, 07:58 AM

I still think the DRS should be available whenever a drivers believes he has grip/skill to use it. Uptil this weekend it appears to have worked well where it has been allowed, but this week they got it wrong.

I disagree on both counts!!!!

DRS is supposed to be a devise to make overtaking at least possible in F1. If all drivers have it available to them at all time, it would nullify its effect.

Monaco is a special case race - there is no way that track would be permitted to join the circus if it applied now. But, IMHO, F1 is all the more interesting for Monaco, despite the difficulties involved in overtaking there (this years race was remarkable for the large number of overtakes....some of them were even managed without contact!!!!). However there is no long straight / sharp corner to make a suitable DRS zone - the tunnel section is as close as you get, and this was discounted on safety grounds. Having seen what Perez, Rosberg & Massa managed to get upto on this stretch of track without reduced downforce, it is hard to argue that this was not a wise decision.

I like Seb Vettel, but for the sake of what is looking like a classic F1 season, someone needs to start beating him pdq!

I was very disappointed fro Jenson - he drove a great race with faultless pitstops & circumstances worked against him. Just the opposite to Vettel in fact!

Dragonlady

30-05-2011, 08:20 AM

And don't get me started about all that fiddling with the cars crap on the grid before the re-start.That would have been a really interesting start and finish to the race had the cars and tyres been left as they were and a standing start allowed.

Could not agree more. JB was lapping 1.5 seconds a lap quicker and you could see that Vettel's and Alonso's tyres were about to give in from the lack of traction on the last corner. With DRS Jenson had a real chace of taking them on the last few laps. Edge of your seat racing.
That rule of working on your cars needs to be looked at carefully and ditched!!!! Felt really sorry for JB, good luck in the next race.

Ian

havoc

30-05-2011, 12:14 PM

Once they get rid of the blown diffuser it'll be more even - Alonso would have been past Vettel before the safety car if Vettel hadn't had the traction advantage out of the last corner (Renault engine and RedBull aero package makes best use of that tech).

I'll wager a Brit winner at Silverstone...

Senninha

30-05-2011, 05:02 PM

There were some great drives through the Monaco streets and you have to think that Seb would have needed the wiiiiiiiidest of Red Bull's to keep Alonso and Jenson at bay ... but then Senna proved it could be done against Mansell in '92.

I'd love to see Jenson take a win and the new Silverstone would be a great place for his victory of the year. McLaren need to talk to both drivers in ahead of the rest of the season .... to keep Jenson drving like he did this weekend every weekend, and to Lewis to get his head back in the right place before he replays any more stupid gags .... shocking!

30-05-2011, 05:42 PM

Lewis to get his head back in the right place before he replays any more stupid gags .... shocking!

Are we on about him accusing the stewards of discriminating against him on a racial basis?

I am not sure why they are doing it, but it seems to me that they don't give him any breaks.

WhyOne?

30-05-2011, 06:00 PM

Just because you are paranoid doesn't mean they are not out to get you...................

britlude

30-05-2011, 09:01 PM

Hamilton has 2 main problems, (3 if you include quoting Ali G when there are people with noooo sense of humour around, and will quote out of context....)

anyway, 2 main problems...

1. he's a racer, ironically F1 doesn't seem to like these for some reason, penalising anyone who wants to actually race

2. he's not driving a red car, which do seem to get away with much more as drivers and as a team

NSX 2000

30-05-2011, 10:40 PM

TheSebringOne

30-05-2011, 11:44 PM

What a brilliant race!!

JB = very unlucky
LH = needs to get his head sorted out
SV = a little lucky with strategy
FA = would he risk taking out SV if the race had not been stopped?

Hopefully by the time Silverstone arrives, the limiting of blown exhaust gases would slow the Redbulls!

Senninha

31-05-2011, 06:40 AM

I have huge respect for what all these guys can do and wish I had a fraction of the talent behind the wheel.

But there is a fine line to be observed both on and off the track. We've all seen the 'new' boys come in and pull off great overtakes in un-expected parts of the various tracks around the world. As a spectator of many years I want to see these overtakes on the track rather than the pitlane. Schumi showed how to overtake in the hairpin without contact. Lewis got that one wrong and considering what then happened to Fellipe should of held his hands up IMO. In contrast, in the later first corner overtake with the Williams he clearly had the door shut on him too late and I believe he was clean.

He does hussle the car and 'races', but then so does Fernando but you dont see him getting involved in multiple contacts so maybe he just needs to plan and commit earlier.

His weekend was trashed due to poor strategy and the team must take responsibility for several poor calls to both Jenson and Lewis this season that have cost both drivers and the team points. Seb is quite agressive on tyres yet completed the race on a one stopper. Jenson with his tyre management could easily have done the same and won on Sunday. Lewis is quick around MOnaco and had they sent him earlier in Q3 he would have been up the front and out of trouble.

In his interview Lewis said he wold hold up hid hands if he got it wrong. However, if you look back at the incidents and the post race interviews I'm struggling to recall him doing this. He has been able to get more from the car and the pure racer in him needs to keep a calm head to have clean races, keep the respect of his fellow drivers and refocus on challenging Seb for victories.

The championship is not out of reach if he regains his composure or if Jenson keeps it clean, but 'ranting' to the press will only bring more pressure to distract from the on track racing.

One of the best Monaco races for many years, and a great season lies ahead. Seb is beatable and catchable but not if these two drivers and the team dont keep themselves absolutely focussed.

regards, Paul

WhyOne?

31-05-2011, 09:15 AM

havoc

31-05-2011, 07:42 PM

Seb did not complete the race on a 'one stopper' at all.

He was, IMHO, saved by the red flag and the slightly bizarre (and to me unknown rule) permitting work, including tyre changes, on the grid before the re-start.

Whilst no-one can know for sure what would have happened, I think there is every chance that Fred, and probably JB, would have had a damned good go at getting past him if the race had run uninterrupted to the end.

Hamilton let himself down with his end of race rant. However, he is a racer and F1 would be a much less exciting place without him.

Agree with much of that. However I've some sympathy with Hamilton's rant - he's human! F1 drivers are held up to be perfect, and are expected to be, politically speaking. But FFS, how much crap do Premiership Footballers get away with? And whilst I think that's too much, the whole political side of F1 is really OTT - why can't these guys speak their minds, eh???

jaytip

01-06-2011, 09:25 AM

why can't these guys speak their minds, eh???
I agree with you,have you noticed that whenever the drivers are giving a post quli,or race interview,they always have someone from their team with a dictaphone in front of them recording everything their driver says.
Coming back to Lewis at the Hairpin,i can see why he was pissed off.When he saw Shumi on the inside of him he gave him the room he needed to avoid the contact,but wasn't given the same when he tried to overtake Massa.

01-06-2011, 11:06 AM

Add to the fact that Massa "has" to perform, then I doubt he would be extending courtesies to anyone.

Silver Surfer

12-06-2011, 09:32 PM

Great race and well done to JB..well deserved win despite the 2 hr rain break!

Lesson learnt....don't pick up carbon-fibre debris on a race track if you are a fat f**k.

SS

m666 edd

12-06-2011, 09:41 PM

Amazing drive by Button. 6 pit stops and a drive through. One of the pit stops due to a flat tyre and new wing. Won from last position at over half race distance.

gumball

12-06-2011, 09:46 PM

Great race!, well done Jenson Button. A shame Kamui is now out of the top ten in the championship despite a solid race, but great to see Schuey driving well in the tricky conditions that show his skill.

12-06-2011, 10:28 PM

MSC was the man of the race IMHO!

TheSebringOne

12-06-2011, 11:53 PM

Who said F1 was boring!

JB was awesome
MS was brilliant
The marshal must be embarrassed !

WhyOne?

13-06-2011, 06:48 AM

Tremendous race!

Whilst I am sooooo pleased JB came through to win with one of the best drives I have ever seen (reminded me of Mansell hunting down Piquet at Silverstone, but with a lot more overtaking), the race as a whole was uncharacteristic JB - so messy during the early stages.

Boring old nonsense this F1 malarkey!

jaytip

13-06-2011, 05:52 PM

MSC was the man of the race IMHO!
Why? what did he do to make him man of the race?

13-06-2011, 06:50 PM

He drove all out with a crap car when others were cautious.

Is the first time since the return that he looked on top form.

Senninha

13-06-2011, 07:08 PM

He drove all out with a crap car when others were cautious.

Is the first time since the return that he looked on top form.

I dont agree with the first point but do with the second. There were signs of maturity in his driving that he has shown in small amounts but not a consistent race distance.

JB, with all that was thrown at him is Driver of the Day for me - what an exceptional race.

regards, Paul

havoc

13-06-2011, 08:35 PM

Both drove very well for their YTD performance - Button definitely had the win of his career, esp. given the problems he had early-on. Schuey drove better than I've seen him since his return - hard, skillfully and without any of the callous moves seen previously.

Overall a really weird race though...frustrating to watch until the last 20-odd laps.

13-06-2011, 09:04 PM

It was one the longest F1s in a long time!

jaytip

14-06-2011, 06:13 PM

I dont agree with the first point but do with the second. There were signs of maturity in his driving that he has shown in small amounts but not a consistent race distance.

JB, with all that was thrown at him is Driver of the Day for me - what an exceptional race.

regards, Paul
I agree with you Paul.

gumball

10-07-2011, 05:44 PM

Another great race, shame kamui had such bad luck, but forza Ferrari! :) I'm looking forward to Seb on Topgear tonight, a top bloke.

gumball

11-09-2011, 03:19 PM

Nice to see Bruno back in an F1 car, especially one he can race in.

havoc

11-09-2011, 09:50 PM

Senna drove a very decent race today. Trying to decide if he should have been quicker than Di Resta (given the Renault is the quicker car), but Di Resta is DTM champion and Senna did have that extra stop...

Button again was the better McLaren driver. Seemed to struggle for the first few laps, then from that point drove a better race than Hamilton.

...and Webber once again shows that he's Mr Unlucky. Gotta feel for the guy...

TheSebringOne

11-09-2011, 11:06 PM

Agreed Senna drove well, lets hope he can pick more points in the remaining races left.

It should be very emotional when they reach Brazil.

JB is driving great now, just need to improve qualifying overall, he is more a complete driver
than when at Brawn.

What you guys think about Schumy v Hamilton?

jaytip

11-09-2011, 11:24 PM

What you guys think about Schumy v Hamilton?
I think he should have been penalised for changing direction twice,which he clearly did.

NSXGB

12-09-2011, 06:52 AM

I'd like to side with our British driver but I think Shumy was returning to the racing line for the next corner. He's very clever, he's been doing it long enough!
Would have been interesting to see what Rosberg could have done.

Vettel has it well and truly in the bag, who will be second??

WhyOne?

12-09-2011, 08:14 AM

The Shumey v. Lewis battle was good & I think Michael just about kept it fair. I see Lewis was wise enough not to criticise him for playing hard-ball.

JB was great yet again - interesting that he didn't p!ss about getting past Schumey!

It was also interesting to see that despite predictions prior to the weekend that the double DRS zone would make overtaking too easy it was anything but due to the conundrum presented to the teams re. gear ratios.

Yet another entertaining race in what should by all normal reckoning be a dull season given the dominance of RB & Vettel.

markc

13-09-2011, 03:12 PM

I'd like to side with our British driver but I think Shumy was returning to the racing line for the next corner.

Returning to the racing line is a second move and therefore against the rules. He was very lucky not to get a drive through.

Hamilton did exactly that at Spa and because he didn't see Kobayashi still there, and also because Kobayashi didn't make room, they came together.

Hamilton could have left his nose there like Kobayashi did but he seems to be learning at last :)

Cheers

Mark

NSXGB

13-09-2011, 06:04 PM

In that case he should be burnt at the stake.

m666 edd

10-10-2011, 08:29 AM

Really enjoying watching Jenson doing so well lately. Also good to see him doing well all weekend rather than just the race. Hopefully he can get second with a big margin.

Was also good to see Kobayashi get 7th on the grid at his home race but a shame about his anti stall start and the pointless safety car that messed up a lot of people's long run strategies.

Senninha

10-10-2011, 05:49 PM

Jenson's stats suggest he often has a better 2nd half to the season, and this year he has definately delivered some great drives since hitting the Maple leaf podium ...

I hope he continues to strengthen his game and hold at Maclaren to the point where, car permitting, he is able to really challenge for his second title. Could be an interesting challenge if we had the ex-champions all in equally competitive cars.

regards,