F1 2012

[planetdavo]

Well we're starting to see some of this years cars being released now, carrying the hopes, dreams (and a few fantasies!) of the 12 teams.
And so far, one of the obvious rule changes has led to some ugliness! Those stepped noses ain't pretty.
But, with so much money involved in the sport, it's better to win with an ugly car then lose with a beautiful car...would be nice to see some smoothing of the fronts during the season though.
Bring on the testing so we can start to see a pattern forming. Last year's testing certainly showed up McLaren as being in trouble at the start, which proved true. Who will be this year's early under-achiever???

[Raptor6L]

So far McLaren seem to be the only ones without a stepped nose. They must have there front dampers and master cylinders packed tighter than a nun's nasty to keep that step out of their nose! Red Bull won't be as dominate this year after having their exhaust layout on which last year's cars were built around changed by regs. McLaren will come out firing and are my pre-season pick. Ferrari - who knows? No really! Hopefully they've got their shite together. Looking forward to seeing what Williams have got now they have Renault power, and the way they have that transaxle packaged is brilliant. Will naturally be keeping an eye on Toro Rosso and at least one of their drivers. Also Kimi back and in a Renault. Will be a pretty interesting season all round me thinks! :)

[JET-33]

Kimi back and in a Renault

not the good renault though...

seems like he got fed up and left f1 last time so will be interesting to see how he can cope with being in a car that can not win. i imagine it will be very difficult seeing as though he once was in a top car with the skills to win.

[maloo_]

Kimi looked ok yesterday.

[planetdavo]

I like Kimi. His deadpan interviews with the media "sheep" are hilarious!
He's clearly not one to settle into a comfortable home. That can be bad, but it can also be a good thing. He doesn't waste people's time "cruising" for the bucks.
I'm anticipating quite a close season this year, as there haven't been any big surprises with the aerodynamics. As the fans know, aero is the biggest variable in an F1 car's performance. Hopefully S.Vettel has to scrap with drivers more often. Then, we will know just how good he truly is, or whether most of it comes down to the car.

[Mick1]

Kimi was the man to beat today in pre-season practice...........Maybe he's going to attempt to do a Schumacher, win in a mediocre car.

[Dave85]

Hopefully Ricciardo has a good season. Good to see a new, young Aussie coming up the F1 ranks.

[JET-33]

I'm looking fwd to seeing two Aussies this year at Albert park. Webber stand. I'm going to Monaco this year too, sitting at the end of the run after the chicane out of the tunnel. Can't wait!

[VX2VESS]

939

RB 2012 at the track

[Raptor6L]

Schui, Webber and Ricciardo -1 2 3 on day 2. Noice!!!

[JET-33]

Schui, Webber and Ricciardo -1 2 3 on day 2. Noice!!!

:thumbsup:

would be so good if ricciardo could stay competitive all season and be up there with webber each race. im really looking fwd to this season

[VX2VESS]

55_gtub6aoE

Also want a job at RB http://www.redbull.com/cs/Satellite/en_INT/Article/RED-BULL-RACING-BEGINS-HUNT-TO-FILL-ULTIMATE-021243173364527

[Martin_D]

Its all looking good for 2012
My money is on Webber really stepping up this year. He has gotten even fitter over the break and looks to have good focus. This will be the year he matches up to Vettel and puts it on the top step :cool:

[FOON]

I agree Martin, would be a good way to end his career even if he doesn't win the championship but takes it to Vettel for the year would let him retire on high note, I think this will be his last year IMO.

[SSVHM2.5]

Hey, I am a proud patriotic Aussie but Mark is not in the same league as Vettel for speed. Sometimes he is smarter and not as brash which has seen him win some races. Great bloke but may get smashed again by the man child. The best all round driver in the world is Alonso. if Ferrari have got a car to within 90% of the Red Bull he will win the title. OK off to Albert Park. Hope Mark proves me wrong....

[6_litre_man]

Well a nice wet first day today, good to see both aussies up in the top 10 for Practice 1.

1 3 Jenson Button McLaren-Mercedes 1:27.560 11
2 4 Lewis Hamilton McLaren-Mercedes 1:27.805 0.245 14
3 7 Michael Schumacher Mercedes 1:28.235 0.675 17
4 5 Fernando Alonso Ferrari 1:28.360 0.800 21
5 2 Mark Webber Red Bull Racing-Renault 1:28.467 0.907 21
6 8 Nico Rosberg Mercedes 1:28.683 1.123 22
7 16 Daniel Ricciardo STR-Ferrari 1:28.908 1.348 23
8 18 Pastor Maldonado Williams-Renault 1:29.415 1.855 16
9 9 Kimi Räikkönen Lotus-Renault 1:29.565 2.005 8
10 14 Kamui Kobayashi Sauber-Ferrari 1:29.722 2.162 26
11 1 Sebastian Vettel Red Bull Racing-Renault 1:29.790 2.230 21
12 12 Nico Hulkenberg Force India-Mercedes 1:29.865 2.305 17
13 11 Paul di Resta Force India-Mercedes 1:29.881 2.321 18
14 19 Bruno Senna Williams-Renault 1:29.953 2.393 21
15 15 Sergio Perez Sauber-Ferrari 1:30.124 2.564 22
16 10 Romain Grosjean Lotus-Renault 1:30.515 2.955 16
17 20 Heikki Kovalainen Caterham-Renault 1:30.586 3.026 16
18 6 Felipe Massa Ferrari 1:30.743 3.183 11
19 17 Jean-Eric Vergne STR-Ferrari 1:31.178 3.618 17
20 21 Vitaly Petrov Caterham-Renault 1:31.983 4.423 8
21 24 Timo Glock Marussia-Cosworth 1:34.730 7.170 8
22 25 Charles Pic Marussia-Cosworth 1:40.256 12.696 11
23 23 Narain Karthikeyan HRT-Cosworth No time 3
24 22 Pedro de la Rosa HRT-Cosworth No time 0

Cheers
Matt

[Toddler78]

Yeah but being in the top 10 on a friday is like winning the AFL NAB cup - no one cares

[6_litre_man]

Yeah but being in the top 10 on a friday is like winning the AFL NAB cup - no one cares

Haha yeah i know, but still good to see lol

Cheers
Matt

[mrtockley]

Working at the GP at the moment and bluffed my way into the F1 paddock! Saw Webber, Jensen, Lewis and Kimi. Webber looks as fit as ever. I got some pics on my phone if anyone cares?

[6_litre_man]

Good stuff tockley, yeah mate throw the pics up, why not :)

Cheers
Matt

[mrtockley]

Couple of pics hopefully more to come.

[6_litre_man]

Nice work Tockley, you did get nice and close didnt ya :) nice seat on the front straight too :)

Cheers
Matt

[mrtockley]

Nice work Tockley, you did get nice and close didnt ya :) nice seat on the front straight too :)

Cheers
Matt

Ha that's not my "seat" we were just walking around to all of the different spots with awesome views. It's a great area opposite the pits though.

[planetdavo]

McLaren have looked damn good from the moment they first turned a wheel in 2012. Looking forward to the confirmed pace in FP3 and quali from all teams to see the "real" pecking order for the first race. I'm expecting a mighty season this year.

[6_litre_man]

So it looks like mclaren were the ones hiding all the speed this year. Also really good to see the lotus and mercedes getting up there aswell, redbull definetly appear to be suffering without the blown exhausts anymore but hopefully should make the season really interesting. Even though its only the first qualifying session of the year it definitely seems that redbull, mclaren, lotus and mercedes will be challenging for wins and podiums this year, im actually really looking forward to this season now.
Good to see webber ahead of vettel and also ricciardo to make top 10 aswell

Bring on the race :)

Cheers
Matt

[AQICLS3]

Any Saturday Qualifying results?

[Pickles]

Nothing conclusive as yet.
But, I wish to congratulate Ch 10 on their telecast, which I found to be 100%, with both their on track stuff, but also their coverage of a multitude of other non track stuff.
Exciting times tomorrow, Cheers, Pickles.

[JT]

Any Saturday Qualifying results?
2012 FORMULA 1 QANTAS AUSTRALIAN GRAND PRIX
Pos No Driver Team Q1 Q2 Q3 Laps
1 4 Lewis Hamilton McLaren-Mercedes 1:26.800 1:25.626 1:24.922 14
2 3 Jenson Button McLaren-Mercedes 1:26.832 1:25.663 1:25.074 15
3 10 Romain Grosjean Lotus-Renault 1:26.498 1:25.845 1:25.302 21
4 7 Michael Schumacher Mercedes 1:26.586 1:25.571 1:25.336 18
5 2 Mark Webber Red Bull Racing-Renault 1:27.117 1:26.297 1:25.651 17
6 1 Sebastian Vettel Red Bull Racing-Renault 1:26.773 1:25.982 1:25.668 18
7 8 Nico Rosberg Mercedes 1:26.763 1:25.469 1:25.686 16
8 18 Pastor Maldonado Williams-Renault 1:26.803 1:26.206 1:25.908 20
9 12 Nico Hulkenberg Force India-Mercedes 1:27.464 1:26.314 1:26.451 18
10 16 Daniel Ricciardo STR-Ferrari 1:27.024 1:26.319 No time 16
11 17 Jean-Eric Vergne STR-Ferrari 1:26.493 1:26.429 12
12 5 Fernando Alonso Ferrari 1:26.688 1:26.494 12
13 14 Kamui Kobayashi Sauber-Ferrari 1:26.182 1:26.590 12
14 19 Bruno Senna Williams-Renault 1:27.004 1:26.663 16
15 11 Paul di Resta Force India-Mercedes 1:27.469 1:27.086 16
16 6 Felipe Massa Ferrari 1:27.633 1:27.497 16
17 15 Sergio Perez Sauber-Ferrari 1:26.596 11
18 9 Kimi Räikkönen Lotus-Renault 1:27.758 9
19 20 Heikki Kovalainen Caterham-Renault 1:28.679 7
20 21 Vitaly Petrov Caterham-Renault 1:29.018 8
21 24 Timo Glock Marussia-Cosworth 1:30.923 10
22 25 Charles Pic Marussia-Cosworth 1:31.670 9
DNQ 22 Pedro de la Rosa HRT-Cosworth 1:33.495 6
DNQ 23 Narain Karthikeyan HRT-Cosworth 1:33.643 6
Q1 107% Time 1:32.214
De la Rosa and Karthikeyan did not qualify after failing to meet the Q1 107% time.

[Skedy]

the old renault/now lotus always seem to do well in melbourne and then drop off through the year lol
hopefully now we will be able too see if vettel is the demi god everyone has made him out to be haha it shall be an interesting season!

[Pickles]

Saturday night?....Nothing conclusive to date.....except that Mercedes are further up the list than I expected..BUT....as I said....because of the conditions/situations that occured, I believe the true situation has yet to be discovered.
I do not like Schumacher....goes back a long way.....to when he "punted" Damon of the track, but I do admire him.......so, if he really does have a good car I would love to be able to see him compete with Hamilton, Alonso, Vettel, & Co,...on an even keel.
Cheers, Pickles.

[JET-33]

from what i saw today the under powered renault cars (mainly redbull due to my next point) are very much effected by the rule changes with front wings and blown diffusers. it has taken a huge advantage off them. in turn, the mercedes engined cars (mercedes and mclaren) are now looking very dangerous and at this point the cars to chase. they always had the best engine (last few years) and the downforce changes to rebdull have caused a change in the guard at this very early stage.

i expected more from ferrari today but they were dissapointing

[seldo]

Saturday night?....Nothing conclusive to date.....except that Mercedes are further up the list than I expected..BUT....as I said....because of the conditions/situations that occured, I believe the true situation has yet to be discovered.
I do not like Schumacher....goes back a long way.....to when he "punted" Damon of the track, but I do admire him.......so, if he really does have a good car I would love to be able to see him compete with Hamilton, Alonso, Vettel, & Co,...on an even keel.
Cheers, Pickles.Schumacher..? he's a c... ermm, not a nice person... despite probably being the best driver ever...

[Toddler78]

from what i saw today the under powered renault cars (mainly redbull due to my next point) are very much effected by the rule changes with front wings and blown diffusers. it has taken a huge advantage off them. in turn, the mercedes engined cars (mercedes and mclaren) are now looking very dangerous and at this point the cars to chase. they always had the best engine (last few years) and the downforce changes to rebdull have caused a change in the guard at this very early stage.

i expected more from ferrari today but they were dissapointing

its going to be interesting however as obviously DRS had a huge role to play in practice and Qualifying. Once in the race and having limited use of the DRS will bring them back to the field I think

[planetdavo]

Speaking of Schumacher, did people notice him "helping" his beached car off the kitty litter in practice?
I don't believe there's any chance he'll retire after this season. Many drivers simply walk away from their cars to the comfort of their air conditioned motor homes, yet M.S stood in front of the car when it was lifted off the ground and walked with it to prevent the motorsport papps from photographing their "secret" front wing section. We WANTS to be in that team at the moment, rather than just taking the $$$.
Congrats to McLaren on the front row lockout. They looked the fastest in pre-season testing, and that has been confirmed. The rumours of something "secret" on the factory Mercs has also proven true, as has the poor performance of Ferrari's "aggressive" new car. Red Bull having nothing left in the bank IS a bit of a surprise though, perhaps more because we are all so used to them winning than anything else...
Next weekend at Malaysia could be very different though.

[GPT]

Is it possible that Webber is the worst starter in F1 history?

[Pickles]

Awesome telecast by Greg & the crew....loved the whole race....congrats to Ch 10.
Vettel is looking good.
Cheers, Pickles.

[planetdavo]

As opposed to numerous other Melbourne F1 races in the past, this one was awesome.
On a side note, how good did Melbourne look on TV today. Sunny, everything green, sparkling water, great race. Reckon it might have done wonders for its efforts to remain here after today.

[JT090]

Awesome telecast by Greg & the crew....loved the whole race....congrats to Ch 10.
Vettel is looking good.
Cheers, Pickles.

My main issue was going to that Qantas lounge all the time and listening to dribble from people who had no idea about racing...........

[6_litre_man]

Wow what a race, probably the best Australian grand prix ive watched in a long time. Plenty of action from the front of the field to back of the field.

Well it seems like mclaren and redbull are going to be the teams to catch this year. Was a bit dissapointed with the race pace of the mercedes, i was expecting them to mixing it up right near the front all the way to the finish. Good to see Kimi get back into the 10, will be interesting to see what he can do with that car over the next few rounds. Ricciardo getting into the points was a really good result, had a really good fight back after his incident at the first corner and losing his wing, probably could have had a better finish if he cleared all that. Webber obviously getting 4th is a good result but if only he can get that car off the start line cleanly who knows what he could have done, he had massive pace in his car and was frustrating watching him getting caught in some of that traffic.

Anyway bring on next week, cant wait :):)

Cheers
Matt

[RARASV8]

yes mark was slow again starting:spew:
but how strong is the redbull front end, copping it from both sides and still the front stayed together! vettels pass early wasn't to bad either.

Garry

[Goggles]

My main issue was going to that Qantas lounge all the time and listening to dribble from people who had no idea about racing........... +1 - they could have shown more of the other races or had racing related stories to fill the time.

[mrtockley]

Snuck into the paddock again post race and it was awesome. Some F1 royalty floating around. It was Pr0n for an F1 fan!

[mrtockley]

And a few more. I got some video but Tapatalk won't let me post.

[SSVHM2.5]

Awesome, thanks for sharing. How did you get past the 400 security guards? I have managed this once in 17 years....

[mrtockley]

Awesome, thanks for sharing. How did you get past the 400 security guards? I have managed this once in 17 years....

Just lucky!

[jaykay]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hC1VqXb3JcY

[mrtockley]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hC1VqXb3JcY

Overall Channel 10 did a great job, except when they kept having people like Liz Ellis making stupid comments about motor sport, an area she clearly has no interest in or understanding of. Embarrassing really.

[kayman]

Liz ellis... Watch a bunch of fail

Sent from my GT-I9100 using Tapatalk

[Raptor6L]

I agree Martin, would be a good way to end his career even if he doesn't win the championship but takes it to Vettel for the year would let him retire on high note, I think this will be his last year IMO.

Nup, i don't reckon it will be his last. Massa is off contract at the end of this year, and driving slower than ever. Said it before, i reckon Webber will get a 1 year contract with an option for one more with Ferrari.

Chris

[planetdavo]

How did you get past the 400 security guards? I have managed this once in 17 years....

The police uniform might have helped... :lol:

[planetdavo]

Overall Channel 10 did a great job, except when they kept having people like Liz Ellis making stupid comments about motor sport, an area she clearly has no interest in or understanding of. Embarrassing really.

All part of trying to make motorsport "interesting" to non-motorsport people, about the only way to try and boost ratings. People who aren't regular motorsport followers get quite bored pretty quickly when tech based talk starts up, from my experience, and it is a very male gender industry...

[mrtockley]

All part of trying to make motorsport "interesting" to non-motorsport people, about the only way to try and boost ratings. People who aren't regular motorsport followers get quite bored pretty quickly when tech based talk starts up, from my experience, and it is a very male gender industry...

Yes I agree Davo but in the process they make the real fans cringe. I'm all for women being involved in sports be it competing or commentating but for Christ sakes, they could get someone that at least knows a little bit about F1!

[Martin_D]

And Schumacher makes the Q press conference for the first time in five years :)

[6_litre_man]

And Schumacher makes the Q press conference for the first time in five years :)

Was really good to see him get up there, interesting to see that Vettel is off the pace again, so far it seems as though he is really struggling with the car this year during qulaifying, back end seems to be losing alot of grip on him.
Hopefully webber can get a good start and stay with the front runners from the start of the race.

Cheers
Matt

[JET-33]

Was really good to see him get up there, interesting to see that Vettel is off the pace again, so far it seems as though he is really struggling with the car this year during qulaifying, back end seems to be losing alot of grip on him.
Hopefully webber can get a good start and stay with the front runners from the start of the race.

Cheers
Matt

Vettel was .4 slower but the only car in the top 10 on hard tyres so could be interesting

[Raptor6L]

Vettel was .4 slower but the only car in the top 10 on hard tyres so could be interesting

I'm wondering if he went for the hards for strategy or because he couldn't make the medium work? I'm thinking the latter. I'm also wondering if the Redbull are having the same issue as Ferrari did a couple years back where they where they repeatedly couldn't generate enough heat in their tyres for the quali laps but were fine after a few more during the race? It would explain why they are having to dial in so much downforce and lose out so much on straight line speed in comparison to say the Lotus which has the same engine. I can't find a link but i'm pretty sure they ended up behind the Williams (speed trap) as well.

McLaren are looking unstoppable. Hope it pisses down after about lap 25!

[6_litre_man]

I'm wondering if he went for the hards for strategy or because he couldn't make the medium work? I'm thinking the latter. I'm also wondering if the Redbull are having the same issue as Ferrari did a couple years back where they where they repeatedly couldn't generate enough heat in their tyres for the quali laps but were fine after a few more during the race? It would explain why they are having to dial in so much downforce and lose out so much on straight line speed in comparison to say the Lotus which has the same engine. I can't find a link but i'm pretty sure they ended up behind the Williams (speed trap) as well.

McLaren are looking unstoppable. Hope it pisses down after about lap 25!

Yeah he struggled more on the medium in melbourne aswell. But your right, shower right in the middle would just make it interesting :)

Cheers
Matt

[planetdavo]

Yes I agree Davo but in the process they make the real fans cringe. I'm all for women being involved in sports be it competing or commentating but for Christ sakes, they could get someone that at least knows a little bit about F1!

Yes it is a risk to have someone that's no motorsport expert try to sound like one, or reads an autocue. But, sometimes in sport, even a woman that knows her stuff still cops a roasting. A certain female AFL footy caller being dumped comes to mind...
The BIG problem though is just how many well known woman are out there that know their motorsport? I'm tipping very few! Some would know their motorsport, and others are very well known in general by the female demographic, but both?
End of the day, I think we all know that long telecasts like the F1 weekend needs plenty of filler to occupy the time between the on-track entertainment being broadcast, and that usually means cross promoting other network shows, giving signed up "talent" a few segments to fulfil their obligations, and trying to show off the glitz and glamour behind the scenes. Doesn't always work. Away from F1 fanland, it might have actually worked quite well!

[planetdavo]

Webber has looked better than Vettel pretty much all weekend in my opinion. Hopefully Mark can get a good result from his hard work, rather than just "lucking" a good result through weather events or on track incidents/car failures.
Might be hard for either Red Bull to beat the two McLaren's though, unless the heavens open up (quite likely!). They are looking the goods. I suspect the factory Merc's will fade again through accelerated tyre wear. They are getting better, but they weren't making big claims pre-season that they were a top team yet, and it still does look that way. It's much easier to f#ck up a new car than it is to suddenly design a monster, but they are definitely bothering the top 10 quali hopes of a few, something they didn't always do last year.

[6_litre_man]

Another fantastic race, with a very interesting result. Congratulations to Alonso but i have to say i was hoping Perez was gonna get him, so unfortunate he went a tad wide on the 2nd last corner, put an end to his charge which was going to make it really interesting. Good to see Webber staying out of trouble knocking in a few fastest laps through the course of the later stages of the race. Unlucky for Button but he was at fault but still unfortunate, as for Vettel, well that was a pretty silly mistake but again a bit unfortunate with the result, just goes to show how soft those sidewalls really are.
I have to say though i really think Webber is outshining Vettel in every way so far, Vettel just looks likes hes struggling entirely with the car.

Cheers
Matt

[old_mate]

I keep thinking back to Webber's comments about the current car being more 'traditional' ie it does not rely on fancy aero to make pace. It was obvious last year Vettel found his mojo with the blown exhaust diffuser and the tyres, this year he is stuggling a little. The Red Bull is not the car it was last year, most of the cars retain most components of last years chassis just have different aero for obvious reasons. I expect the tables to turn again come the end of the fly away period and the teams can bolt some more parts on. My tip - Mercedes will be quick all year in quali, but will chew tyres and have terrible race pace, the Sauber/Williams/Ferrari/Torro Rosso/Force India battle will be a good one all year - I think the whole midfield is really competitive. Ferrari will come on stronger later in the season and i dont think Massa will drive the whole year. McLaren and Redbull, and perhaps Lotus will be the front runners.

What does appear to be true is those who can look after their tyres will do well - I hope Sauber continue to find pace and score decent results. I really like Kobayashi and Perez has proved he goes alright as well.

[maloo_]

Perez to take Ferrari seat mid season.

[Green Grenade]

Wasn't there a rumor that Webber would drive for Ferarri in the next couple of years?

Cheers John

[JET-33]

Wasn't there a rumor that Webber would drive for Ferarri in the next couple of years?

Cheers John

i think he is in his last year of his redbull contract so there was rumours he would go to ferrari next year as he is mates with alonso and massa is very close to be letting let go BUT if perez keeps driving like that in his ferrari powered sauber then he might take massa's spot much much sooner than next year...could be next month

[Green Grenade]

Yep - Massa was a bit of a speed bump last night, whichever car Webber is in he needs to work on his starts, qualifies great and loses a handful or more positions by the first corner.

Cheers John

[VX2VESS]

Webers Starts and restarts are not so good and let him down a bit.

He was in a good position early on after the restart until that pit stop lots him a crap load of positions. Surprising that Ferrari didn't get some penalty for that, issue was Alonso was in the pits and Massa came in very slowly because Alonso was still there banking up lots of cars behind him and Webber could not get out quickly. Should be some rule against going too slow down pit lane.

[HazzaHSV]

Yep - Massa was a bit of a speed bump last night, whichever car Webber is in he needs to work on his starts, qualifies great and loses a handful or more positions by the first corner.Cheers John
In general yes, but not yesterday. His start was on par with Schumacher and Vettle, two of the highest regarded drivers for being good starters. Grosjean definitely got a flyer though.

[Toddler78]

Webers Starts and restarts are not so good and let him down a bit.

He was in a good position early on after the restart until that pit stop lots him a crap load of positions. Surprising that Ferrari didn't get some penalty for that, issue was Alonso was in the pits and Massa came in very slowly because Alonso was still there banking up lots of cars behind him and Webber could not get out quickly. Should be some rule against going too slow down pit lane.
no penalty for driving too slow as long as you dont speed. As much as I dont like Ferrari I think that is smart strategy. and it was lewis that was held up by massa

[Skedy]

also webber is always in his last year of his contract as he always signs on for 1 year lol. it was an awesome race too watch! the last 2 races have annihilated my dream team though haha
good to see ricciardo passing people like a mad man and webber finish well!

[VX2VESS]

That last race china was very good best race in a long time. Very close stuff

[Raptor6L]

Damn straight. What i don't love is that Ch10 have decided to air this race (Bahrain) on the main channel instead of ONE. My view is they've realized that it's pretty good racing this year and thought it'd be a pretty good idea to stitch up the regular viewers by switching it to a channel with a lesser picture quality. Cocks! :flipoff:

[mjrandom]

Ricciardo qualifies 6th. Fantastic!

[kayman]

I watched the sky sportsf1 stream last night. Sooo much better than the crap ch 10 shows. And no ads during whole of qualy.

Sent from my GT-I9100 using Tapatalk 2

[Goggles]

I watched the sky sportsf1 stream last night. Sooo much better than the crap ch 10 shows. And no ads during whole of qualy.

Sent from my GT-I9100 using Tapatalk 2 where did you get it from?

[VX2VESS]

MMM where did Vettel get the extra speed from and less tyre wear this race after lagging so far back until now. Must have some new bits that Webber doesn't have?

Lotus are doing well.

[Jonesy40]

Damn straight. What i don't love is that Ch10 have decided to air this race (Bahrain) on the main channel instead of ONE. My view is they've realized that it's pretty good racing this year and thought it'd be a pretty good idea to stitch up the regular viewers by switching it to a channel with a lesser picture quality. Cocks! :flipoff:

also why is it not live this week!! so pissed off.

[6_litre_man]

MMM where did Vettel get the extra speed from and less tyre wear this race after lagging so far back until now. Must have some new bits that Webber doesn't have?

Lotus are doing well.

Im going for Lotus a the moment, such a shame what happened with Ricciardo.

Vettel apparentyl has been running Webbers car setup since qualifying

Cheers
Matt

[mjrandom]

such a shame what happened with Ricciardo.

Matt

To be totally frank Ricciardo was way up where he shouldn't have been and I suspect burnt out more tyres than was prudent and he took a couple of knocks during the first lap. It is interesting that Ferrrari were so worried they didn't do a run in Q3 trying to save some tyres. Massa drove as good a race as he has for a long time and I suspect he could have taken Alonso after the second pit stop. Anyway at the end of the day the records will show the second string Red Bull team running a Ferrari engine driven by D Ricciardo out qualified the Ferrari factory team and sat 6th on the grid. I suspect Nico might be in a litte trouble too.

[6_litre_man]

To be totally frank Ricciardo was way up where he shouldn't have been and I suspect burnt out more tyres than was prudent and he took a couple of knocks during the first lap. It is interesting that Ferrrari were so worried they didn't do a run in Q3 trying to save some tyres. Massa drove as good a race as he has for a long time and I suspect he could have taken Alonso after the second pit stop. Anyway at the end of the day the records will show the second string Red Bull team running a Ferrari engine driven by D Ricciardo out qualified the Ferrari factory team and sat 6th on the grid. I suspect Nico might be in a litte trouble too.

I think saying Ricciardo being in 6th is somewhere he shouldnt have been is a bit harsh, regardless of how many tyres he used, thats the way qualifying went he raced the times so earnt his right to be in P6. He didnt have the best start and dropped back a few postions pretty quick and then just simply got muscled by some of the more experienced drivers plus the damage didnt help, i think as he gets a few races under his belt he will fight a lot more.

As for Nico, yeah will be interesting to see what comes out of all that.

4 consecutive 4th place finishes from Webber, I would definetly say he is the most consistent driver in the championship at the moment

Cheers
matt

[mjrandom]

I wasn't meaning to be harsh but realistically after Q2 the position of the Toro Rosso would have be 9th or 10th based on the pace of the others who made Q3. It was definately good to see TR take the opportunity to get their best qualifying result. I was simply stating that in 6th there were faster cars behind him and having a poor start meant he was swamped. The damaged to the front wing exacerbated that. I did post on the previous page that it was fantastic for him to get 6th place on the grid.

[QIKMIK]

Awesome racing last night! Mark managed another consistent result and climbed to third on the Championship ladder. Brilliant drive from the Renault boys. I wish Raikkonen could have stuck it to Vettel at the end there. He had him nailed right up until the tyre change. Seb had him on the new tyre but I reckon most of the three second gap was made in the pits.

Btw, regarding the coverage, those on FacePage can check out https://www.facebook.com/BoycottTenF1.

Mick

[Dijm8]

where else can you watch the F1 coverage besides channel ten/foxtel? tried sky sports but have to be in the UK -_-

or just deal with the shit 10 coverage and commericals every 10minutes

[motomk]

Reading elsewhere that Rosberg wasn't penalised at all. Doesn't make sense to me. Rosberg was on the sand too. Maybe too much V8 supercars for me.

[VoodooSS]

where else can you watch the F1 coverage besides channel ten/foxtel? tried sky sports but have to be in the UK -_-

or just deal with the shit 10 coverage and commericals every 10minutes

I'd like to know this also, such a disappointment watching last night in SD, I used to be able to tell what car was in the distance. Not now..

[VX2VESS]

where else can you watch the F1 coverage besides channel ten/foxtel? tried sky sports but have to be in the UK -_-

or just deal with the shit 10 coverage and commericals every 10minutes

Adds as soon as I here the host voice over i think **** off not again.

[Martin_D]

Unfortunately we are seeing Vettel mark his dominance over Webber again just when it looked like Webber might have a chance.
Finishing 4th is all good providing everyone else falls off the track every second race, but it wont get Webber a world championship
Lets hope he realises he has to push harder before Vettel thoroughly mashes his head again as per last year, and ends up nowhere :(

[6_litre_man]

Unfortunately we are seeing Vettel mark his dominance over Webber again just when it looked like Webber might have a chance.
Finishing 4th is all good providing everyone else falls off the track every second race, but it wont get Webber a world championship
Lets hope he realises he has to push harder before Vettel thoroughly mashes his head again as per last year, and ends up nowhere :(

Come on Martin, how can you make that statement, its the first race out of 4 that Vettel has finished ahead of Webber, i would hardly be stating already he is marking his dominance, in that respect you should be saying Webber has been stamping his dominace over Vettel over the first 3 races and Vettel is only just stepping up now, at least give it a few more races. Considering Vettel was running Webbers setup in Qualifying and the race, he should be thanking Webber.

Cheers
Matt

[kayman]

Come on Martin, how can you make that statement, its the first race out of 4 that Vettel has finished ahead of Webber, i would hardly be stating already he is marking his dominance, in that respect you should be saying Webber has been stamping his dominace over Vettel over the first 3 races and Vettel is only just stepping up now, at least give it a few more races. Considering Vettel was running Webbers setup in Qualifying and the race, he should be thanking Webber.

Cheers
Matt

Is vettle still running the old exhaust like in china. Webber seems to use a lot more Tyre than vettle. So I reckon he is pushing it hard.

Sent from my GT-I9100 using Tapatalk 2

[6_litre_man]

Is vettle still running the old exhaust like in china. Webber seems to use a lot more Tyre than vettle. So I reckon he is pushing it hard.

Sent from my GT-I9100 using Tapatalk 2

No he changed to the new exhaust during the practice sessions i think. Cant remember exactly when but come the qualy and the race he was on the new exhaust.

Cheers
Matt

[-GTS-]

where else can you watch the F1 coverage besides channel ten/foxtel? tried sky sports but have to be in the UK -_-

or just deal with the shit 10 coverage and commericals every 10minutes

I wish I knew!

I am pretty disgusted in channel 10/1.... Every race last year was live, and I am pretty sure every race this year has been live, now they decide to show it delayed! wtf.... Qualifying on Saturday night was live, so why not the race on Sunday night? Of course everyone wanted to watch the crap movie they were showing first!

Perth's own Daniel Ricciardo is in F1 and they can't even show it live....

Don't even get me started on the ads they show every bloody 7 or 8 laps.....

I think the coverage in general is piss poor..... Way too many ads and not shown live!

I actually rang channel 10 and complained and the lady told me she had been inundated with complaints about the delayed telecast and also informed me that all races will be delayed from here on in.....

And to add to all that, it's the best start to season in ages!!!

Rant over :flipoff:

[BlownVR]

Good news for those not in the eastern states - TEN announced yesterday that from this weekend F1 and Moto GP races will be live on ONE. East coast viewers are still stuck with SD on TEN though.

http://tensport.com.au/motorsport-motorsport-statement.htm

[-GTS-]

Good news for those not in the eastern states - TEN announced yesterday that from this weekend F1 and Moto GP races will be live on ONE. East coast viewers are still stuck with SD on TEN though.

http://tensport.com.au/motorsport-motorsport-statement.htm

Great news!

Looks like the complaints made a difference....

:goodjob:

[VX2VESS]

Yeah, but Still not in HD eastern states !!!!!!!

comment from webber a couple of days ago


Come on @tensporttv @onehd I hear out great Australian motor sport fans are not happy with rescheduling of timings of the GPs. #letsgolive

[iloveholden]

http://www.perthnow.com.au/sport/motor-sport/red-bull-driver-mark-webber-reportedly-bound-for-ferrari-in-2013/story-e6frg26l-1226343961737

Mark Webber to Ferrari, bye Massa.

[VoodooSS]

http://www.perthnow.com.au/sport/motor-sport/red-bull-driver-mark-webber-reportedly-bound-for-ferrari-in-2013/story-e6frg26l-1226343961737

Mark Webber to Ferrari, bye Massa.

But is this for real? According to a Spanish report doesn't sound all that convincing to me. But if it does eventuate then woohoo! Great acheivement!

[RARASV8]

http://www.perthnow.com.au/sport/motor-sport/red-bull-driver-mark-webber-reportedly-bound-for-ferrari-in-2013/story-e6frg26l-1226343961737

Mark Webber to Ferrari, bye Massa.

and i wonder who will fill Marks spot?:1peek:

Garry

[VX2VESS]

thought i heard on the radio today webber denies this story

[planetdavo]

Bit of a mixed up quali last night. Lewis on pole (expected), then Pastor in the Willaims over Alonso in the Ferrari (not so expected).
Shock later on though was Lewis being sent to the back of the grid because his car was stopped on track to preserve the required one litre of fuel for fuel testing, after a team refuelling mistake. The rules state that if a car cannot be driven back to parc ferme to provide it's fuel sample then it is penalised.
Pretty harsh penalty to go to the back, when just one litre more fuel in the tank would have prevented this. One litre of extra fuel weight (approx three quarters of a kg) is not the difference between Lewis getting pole or not last night!
I think maybe 10th (last postion for the quali 3 they stuffed up in) would have been more reasonable under the circumstances. Let the debate all over the world roll on!
Anyway, with the race on tonight and many teams likely to end up almost out of tyres, it might be another cracker race! Just maybe not a McLaren win. The best car of the season is struggling to convert quali to wins much this year.

[qwigybo]

yeah that was a bit crazy... do agree that they should've only pushed him back to 10th

[Raptor6L]

Bit of a mixed up quali last night. Lewis on pole (expected), then Pastor in the Willaims over Alonso in the Ferrari (not so expected).
Shock later on though was Lewis being sent to the back of the grid because his car was stopped on track to preserve the required one litre of fuel for fuel testing, after a team refuelling mistake. The rules state that if a car cannot be driven back to parc ferme to provide it's fuel sample then it is penalised.
Pretty harsh penalty to go to the back, when just one litre more fuel in the tank would have prevented this. One litre of extra fuel weight (approx three quarters of a kg) is not the difference between Lewis getting pole or not last night!
I think maybe 10th (last postion for the quali 3 they stuffed up in) would have been more reasonable under the circumstances. Let the debate all over the world roll on!
Anyway, with the race on tonight and many teams likely to end up almost out of tyres, it might be another cracker race! Just maybe not a McLaren win. The best car of the season is struggling to convert quali to wins much this year.

Nup, disagree with you there PD. They need a blanket rule for this because is covers every session of the weekend, including all practice sessions and the race itself. They need to be able to say that "if you fail here - this will be your penalty, unless you can prove is to be a case of force majeure", instead of reviewing case by case which is basically what you are alluding to. Having said that, I'm not sure what they'd do if the car ran short at the end of the race? I would agree with you if you were to say that it would be draconian to exclude the driver and car from quali in the next race because they ran short and had to stop in the current race. Maybe a massive fine to the team? Clearly a lot harder to predict and manage a fuel load over a full race distance, but seriously..... during practice and qualifying.... no excuse.

Loving the season so far! Wish the tyres were just a little more durable and we still had the gap in between the two available compounds. Refreshing to see the Lotus and Williams up there belting it out with the big guns, and young drivers going toe to toe with our world champions. Fantastic season, love it!!!

Chris

[mjrandom]

Have to agree with Raptor, they all know the rules. Bit sad but that is how it falls, same as Webber missing out on Q3, he gambled and the track got faster. Will be an interesting race for sure. Does this mean Williams get credited with pole?

[VX2VESS]

SD in Sydney again

[dnos]

I agree, send Lewis to the back !! haha

Should be an interesting race with the red bull's in the mid pack, williams up the front and lotus's very close to the front - no doubt the old fox Alonso will conjure a win from there...

[DazzlerVE]

F1 was a bit boring in comparison to the WSBK bikes last night, Race 2, what a race!

[mjrandom]

Race wasn't as good as I was expecting though it was nice to see Wiliams get their strategy right and Maldonardo drove well and deserved the win. Fair bit of carnage. At first look I thought that Senna weaved twice in front of Schuey but looking at the slow motion replays it looked more like Schuey just Liberace'd Senna which is how the decision has come down.

[zorro]

I actually fell asleep during the telecast, spewing as the race looked fairly exciting. This year has been great so far and has sparked my interest again.

Shame the win by Maldonado is shadowed by the fire in the Williams pit post race and luckily noone was severely injured. Top effort by Maldonado to do his bit in helping clear people out (I think this was a relative?)

http://img.tapatalk.com/7b628a71-6c83-0750.jpg

[planetdavo]

Nup, disagree with you there PD. They need a blanket rule for this because is covers every session of the weekend, including all practice sessions and the race itself. They need to be able to say that "if you fail here - this will be your penalty, unless you can prove is to be a case of force majeure", instead of reviewing case by case which is basically what you are alluding to. Having said that, I'm not sure what they'd do if the car ran short at the end of the race? I would agree with you if you were to say that it would be draconian to exclude the driver and car from quali in the next race because they ran short and had to stop in the current race. Maybe a massive fine to the team? Clearly a lot harder to predict and manage a fuel load over a full race distance, but seriously..... during practice and qualifying.... no excuse.

Chris

I think debate is healthy.
No I don't agree that it should be debated on a case by case basis like you say. What I DID say is that I think sending a car (that was on pole by half a second!) to the back of the grid because it was maybe 250ml short on fuel to drive back into park ferme (and worth maybe 0.01 of a second in lap time gain) to be a harsh decision, and that sending the car to the rear of the quali it is competing in (so 10th) is more realistic than the loss of 23 grid places.
I have no issue with a penalty per se, but Formula 1/FIA do rather have a habit of shooting themselves in the foot year after year, by their CONSTANT rule changes and decision processes that baffle the public watching the sport. They continually fail to understand that they are providing ENTERTAINMENT, and if you want the big bucks of "entertainment" you have to have some balance that most people can comprehend. That decision on Lewis might be the "rules", but it doesn't exactly help the cause. Why should Lewis be sent back to 24th for giving his all, using up a set of tyres, and getting severely punished, when others can fully avoid Q3 to save tyres with absolutely no fear of penalty, dudding the punters of the spectacle they have paid good money for/stayed up late for as "fans"??? Teams that don't perform a proper timed lap maybe should also be sent to the back of the grid if teams can be punished this way for being one coffee cup short on fuel...just the rules don't say that. Doesn't mean the current rules are "right"! Why not make every car that causes a red flag in quali start at the back of the grid too, for stuffing up everyone elses runs? The worst they might get currently is last in the quali session they were currently competing in (so 10th in Q3, 17th in Q2 or 24th in Q1)....the very idea for Q3 I posed from the beginning...
Really, if we're going to get so caught up in the current rules as being correct, let's transfer them to a road car situation and make this one law. Make everyone that exceeds the speed limit by 1km/h lose their licence for 12 months. Hell yeah!!! You broke the law- you deserve a harsh penalty...:bawl:
Hope you can see where I was coming from...rather than where you thought I was coming from first time around. :)

[planetdavo]

Yet another very unpredictable quali, with "old man" Schumi going fastest- demoted to 6th due to a penalty in the previous race.
So, Mark Webber will start on pole in a notoriously difficult track to pass on. Interestingly, his team mate has had a bit of a shocker this weekend, giving up on setting any time in Q3 so will start 9th (after Maldonado got punished 10 places for a practice brainfade- bit of hero to zero for the young fella!)
I'm not a huge fan of modern F1 cars on this tight track, but it is the crowning jewel of wealth and excess in F1, so is revered by many. Probably more suited to go karts really!
Go "Aussie" Mark (and Alonso) :)

[mjrandom]

All three stages of qualifying were great to watch. Really surprised Vettel and a few others went for the option tyre just to make sure they would get through to Q2. The track obviously improved a lot in the last couple of minutes of fQ1 and Mark's timing was brilliant but what about Shuey? Fabulous to see him set the fastest time. It is a bit sad that Monaco which was my favourite track is now a bit ho hum due to the lack of passing and the length of the cars since refuelling was banned. Ah well may still see some fireworks with a couple of cars trying to come through.

[VX2VESS]

Adds Adds Adds

[6_litre_man]

Adds Adds Adds

Absolutely rubbish coverage

[VX2VESS]

Give it up for Foxtel 10, crappy SD and adds.

[6_litre_man]

Congratulations Mark Webber, Drove a fantastic race and showed a cool head from start to finish, just did what he had to do, Awesome Job

Cheers
Matt

[Wonky]

Congratulations Mark Webber, Drove a fantastic race and showed a cool head from start to finish, just did what he had to do, Awesome Job

Cheers
Matt

+1 :goodjob:

[RARASV8]

Congratulations Mark Webber, Drove a fantastic race and showed a cool head from start to finish, just did what he had to do, Awesome Job

Cheers
Matt

+1:goodjob:

[Cmycv8]

+1:goodjob:

Damn good run :goodjob:

[JET-33]

i was at the track on saturday and wow what an experience. i think i was the only person in the stand clapping at the end of qualifying haha

[Peter B - CV8]

Congratulations Mark Webber, Drove a fantastic race and showed a cool head from start to finish, just did what he had to do, Awesome Job

Cheers
Matt


He's always regarded Monaco as his favourite track - and usually gets a placing there. Glad to see it all come together for him for a victory.

[Surfnturf]

Was boring to watch as Monaco has no passing areas. 5-6 laps from the finish while it was spitting with rain webers rear tyres looked like they where done for the day as he seemed to be spinning them up out of every corner.
But he hung on for the win well done.
Is a tense season this year due to no one having a clear advantage.

[planetdavo]

As far as Monaco goes, without a massive shunt or some proper rain, it was about as good as could be expected. Congrats to "our" Mark. :yup:
I have one thing to add from last night though. Has every Mark Webber knocker now gone into hiding under a rock somewhere about his "always sh1t" starts? I hope so.
Damn those Ferrari's have a weapons grade launch ability though! Any other track and they would have easily made up more spots!

[zorro]

I tend to agree, Monaco is pretty much a race won from the start or a heap of luck.

Mark done well to get off the line, I still have a hunch the poor starts are not his doing and to throw a bit of bait to the conspiracy theorists Seb had no chance to win so RBR let Mark get away clean.

I'm in love with F1 again, 2012 is awesome

[Wonky]

PD, I've been one who has worried about Webber's ability to consistently get good starts and to be honest I don't think last night really did anything to dispel that because the Monaco track is so short to the first corner. Also, I guess due to the narrow track affecting my perception the stagger back to 2nd seemed bigger than normal. :confused: I'm sure the stagger must be specified in the rules so it must have just been the confined track affecting my perception.

[-GTS-]

Adds Adds Adds

I'm swear there are more ads than racing televised....

Drives me insane :(

[-GTS-]

Give it up for Foxtel 10, crappy SD and adds.

I'd be more than happy to pay to watch it - flag to flag with no ads!

[planetdavo]

PD, I've been one who has worried about Webber's ability to consistently get good starts and to be honest I don't think last night really did anything to dispel that because the Monaco track is so short to the first corner. Also, I guess due to the narrow track affecting my perception the stagger back to 2nd seemed bigger than normal. :confused: I'm sure the stagger must be specified in the rules so it must have just been the confined track affecting my perception.

I don't subscribe to the belief that it is mostly or all Mark's doing.
F1 is a highly technical "sport" that requires many people to even start the car. So, a team of engineers is required to make the car ultimately perform to it's maximum capacity. As we all know, many teams often don't achieve their maximum each weekend. It's the nature of the beast.
Mark is clearly a highly technical, motivated driver. To think he couldn't have altered either his technique or his mindset to consistently improve any failings within himself is quite frankly a bit too hard to believe...

[planetdavo]

I'd be more than happy to pay to watch it - flag to flag with no ads!

I wouldn't want to bet any money on Foxtel not putting ads into an F1 telecast...
Considering how much we all pay for the service, most programs have a hell of a lot of them. The odd sporting event and some of the movie channels (during the movie) is about the only exception!
As far as Ch10 goes, I just record it on the HDD recorder, get up a bit earlier in the morning, then fast forward through the ad breaks. Still get to see it before work (and before I've heard the result) but without all the ad breaks.

[Phillshz]

Just wondering if anyone has a explaination as to why the F1 race coverage has moved to Ch10 and at a later time while dropping most of the pre race info/news etc, while Quali is still on Ch ONE?

Some sort of licensing conflict etc? Ch One now seems to be putting on a lot of movies and other filler (COPS) for a "dedicated 24hr sports channel"

On another note, Mark`s starts have been a bit hit and miss for a while now, glad he got it right for this track :yup:

Cheers Phill

[Pickles]

I enjoy F1....I'm not a fanatic, but I do enjoy it, particularly when Mark's doing OK....a bit like I enjoy Nascar a bit more when Marcos is running....and he was doing REALLY well at Charlotte until a front hub issue.
But, gotta say, I was a bit disappointed in the final laps of Monaco.....some say that V8 Supercars is boring (not me), because of lack of overtaking etc......well, that's what I thought about the final part of Monaco....no overtaking.....just a freight train....not saying it's anyone's fault.....just the track, and the top cars being fairly equal I suppose?
Cheers, Pickles.

[VY5.7LTR]

But, gotta say, I was a bit disappointed in the final laps of Monaco.....some say that V8 Supercars is boring (not me), because of lack of overtaking etc......well, that's what I thought about the final part of Monaco....no overtaking.....just a freight train....not saying it's anyone's fault.....just the track, and the top cars being fairly equal I suppose?
Cheers, Pickles.
This is the first race of the season where passing was lacking but this is due moreso to the track layout. Yes,Monaco is a great spectacle but it really should of been dumped from the calendar 30 years ago.
In seasons past i would blame the cars/technology for lack of passing (at other tracks) but with the unpredictable tyres and less techno rubbish they use now this season has been one of the most exciting in quite a while. With 6 races down and 6 different winners it certainly is much more entertaining than the past few years. Go Mark!!

[bok1]

heard today that horner would wonder why mark would leave red bull at the end of the year.i say mark will go around again for another year with red bull.

phil

[zorro]

Horner could be expecting a lot from ricciardo and so far he has done well for maiden year and not ready to step into RBR. Mark is still performing so is good for another year

[Phillshz]

Horner could be expecting a lot from ricciardo and so far he has done well for maiden year and not ready to step into RBR. Mark is still performing so is good for another year

A good mate of mine is heavily into F1 and when i mentioned Webber not performing to well and botching starts intermittantly of late, he said as far as he knows, it seems horner likes Vettel and favours him (valencia 2011 for example) and tolerates Webber because he has no real choice as Redbull chief Dietrich Mateschitz loves Webber and he can race for him as long as he remains reasonably competitiive. But it could just be all speculation?

Cheers Phill

[Wonky]

I don't subscribe to the belief that it is mostly or all Mark's doing.
F1 is a highly technical "sport" that requires many people to even start the car. So, a team of engineers is required to make the car ultimately perform to it's maximum capacity. As we all know, many teams often don't achieve their maximum each weekend. It's the nature of the beast.
Mark is clearly a highly technical, motivated driver. To think he couldn't have altered either his technique or his mindset to consistently improve any failings within himself is quite frankly a bit too hard to believe...

I'd agree with that if Vettel was also having the same starts.

[rgmast]

Just wondering if anyone has a explaination as to why the F1 race coverage has moved to Ch10 and at a later time while dropping most of the pre race info/news etc, while Quali is still on Ch ONE?

Some sort of licensing conflict etc? Ch One now seems to be putting on a lot of movies and other filler (COPS) for a "dedicated 24hr sports channel"

On another note, Mark`s starts have been a bit hit and miss for a while now, glad he got it right for this track :yup:

Cheers Phill

Its on One here is SA

[planetdavo]

I'd agree with that if Vettel was also having the same starts.

I often agree with you Wonky, so I'm being particularly nice...:lol:
I'm not sure just how closely you follow F1, but since Vettel joined the team with Webber, the influential Dr Helmut Marko started making it publicly clear who was the favourite in the team from his perspective.
So, it follows that his choice of number one will always have the best of the best engineers in Vettel's side of the garage, and the "good bits" were usually on Vettel's car. Webber getting the "good bits" over Vettel usually translated into Mark being used as a test driver in a race situation due to the severe lack of testing.
It all came out on in public on at least a couple of occasions. Firstly we had Helmut blaming Webber for what was clearly a Vettel created accident in Hungary 2009 (from memory). It again came out when Webber's trick new front wing was taken off his car and put onto Vettel's after Vettel broke his own!
Add to this the strangely repetitive start line KERS failures on only Webbers car, which made Mark mince meat for the (KERS activated) angry pack behind.
So, we had two cars on the grid from the same team, as you allude to. One has a driver with the best of the best engineers and the clear huge support of the Helmut. Mark had the rest of the engineers, a regularly failing KERS, and an extrememly difficult environment to keep his head clear and on the job of racing.
From my understanding, these cars have an extremely complex clutch setup, that requires considerable efforts from the engineers to perfect for launch. It has to be set up perfectly for the expected track grip at race time, which is heavily affected by whether you end up on the clean or dirty side of the track, what temp the track is where you are launching from and ahead of you, what launch revs are chosen, and how the driver feeds in the second of the two clutch paddles (after quickly releasing the first one at lights off).
Once quali starts, they are in parc ferme conditions until the race has finished, meaning nothing much can be done if they end up on the "wrong" side of the track to what they anticipated, or the track temp alters dramatically to what was expected, or your KERS fails on the formation lap. Then, yes, on top of all this, the driver might simply stuff it up. Happens to them all now and again.

This weekend the Webber side of the garage clearly performed exceptionally, leading to Webber blowing Vettel away all weekend really, whereas I seriously doubt the underperformance of Vettel was all down to him just having a sh!t night's sleep...

[Wonky]

OK, fair enough. I don't follow it that closely - just basically watch qualifying and the race each time it's on praying for Webber to do well. :)

[VX2VESS]

plus RB has a crap kers setup

[Surfnturf]

This year Weber doesn't seem to be eating the tyres like he did last year and vetel seems to be struggling with them this year.This is what Weber said pre race and vetel was fortunate that the conditions started to cool or he would of gone backwards.
I think it is closer to a level playing field this year as against last year and Mark is doing well.

[6_litre_man]

Now i know its only a video game but codemasters has been next to perfect in recreating the race tracks for the formula 1 games, heres there work in progress of the the track in Austin, Texas. Track looks awesome in my opinion and really cant wait for the first race later in the year. Long straights and some tight corners. Should be pretty hard on the left hand tyres aswell i think.

Like i said take the video for an idea of the track if nothing else

IWa2ZSZcUq8

Cheers
Matt

[VX2VESS]

Webber comment might get him in trouble again, pre race he said grosgean to win. very cagey about what team he'll be with next year as well

[zorro]

Webber comment might get him in trouble again, pre race he said grosgean to win. very cagey about what team he'll be with next year as well

How more disadvantaged can he get? Horner gives him a dud car for doing well so far, what next they not fill his car with fuel?

Good on mark for speaking what he thinks, RBR have made it clear he is on the outer so a little sly stab back doesn't hurt

[Martin_D]

How more disadvantaged can he get? Horner gives him a dud car for doing well so far, what next they not fill his car with fuel?


They must really hate Vettel at RBR then....his car didnt even finish the race :eek:
Drive of the race = Schumacher :bow:

[Phillshz]

Webber is protesting Schumacher`s podium finish, is claiming Shumacher had his DRS open on the straight under waved yellow flag`s.

[Pickles]

I watch a reasonable amount of F1....always interested in seeing Mark go well, & although I do not like Schuey, I certainly respect him.
But the thing that stood out for me last night was how fast Vettel was.....I mean he was untouchable......yeah, I know.....until he stopped, but geez whilst he was mobile, there was daylight between him & anyone else.
Cheers, Pickles.

[zorro]

They must really hate Vettel at RBR then....his car didnt even finish the race :eek:
Drive of the race = Schumacher :bow:

Interesting. Coming from a restart all possibility got hydraulic issues that got marks car earlier in weekend. Haven't had a chance to look this morning what RBR have to say about it.


Still though mark had pace and with DRS working would of been up front of grid in qualifying. It was unfortunate to get a couple of lapped cars hold him up or he may have got past Schuey who did run a good race and had it all work out with strategy.

[Souljah]

Must say it was a boring race up until Vettel's car expired. From there on things actually started to happen which made things very interesting. Can't say much about Ch10's piss poor SD coverage. Must have had more ads than actual racing.

[VX2VESS]

1374

Yes nice win

[Tom333]

Webber earnt that win at Silverstone. Too bad Alonso finished the race.

[RARASV8]

1374

Yes nice win

when Mark jumped it looked like he hit the guy in the beige suit on tv, but in the pic he missed by miles.

Great drive and strategy by the team last night

Garry

[HSVREDSLED]

Yes well done Webber.

He is an Aussie...I am an Aussie...GO MARK!

[jc_sv8]

Yes, great job Mark!

Was an exciting race with some great early exchanges and strategy around tyre choices.

Not quite as good as the last couple of laps of the Coke Zero 400 - poor Marcus got caught in in a big one coming off the yellow with 3 laps to go was never going to end well.... :)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ldXMEEdYshg

[duke5700]

Nice win, caught the last 10 laps or so. Looked to me like tyre strategy really paid off.

[Rick76]

Webber has re-signed for Red Bull for 2013.

[VX2VESS]

jBbPGQ3Bpug

[6_litre_man]

YBjZrOcMPhY

Well What do you reckon guys?

I cant wait for the grand prix of America to happen, just cant get over how steep the end of the home straight is up into turn one and how blind, looks crazy from the drivers view :)

Cheers
Matt

[BR05CK]

Thanks for that

[planetdavo]

Hamilton on pole in Abu Dhabi, Webber second (after the customary Red Bull KERS failure in practice).
Vettel was 3rd, but fell foul of the regulations, stopping on track at the end of Q3 before reaching farc ferme, and unable to provide the required one litre fuel sample. He will start dead last on a difficult track to pass on. Think he will have a long night with the well known straightline speed issue RBR have. Great when in front of the pack for a fast overall lap time, but a big issue once you get near the speedy top half of the field.
Think it's a harsh penalty? Some online knob jockeys elsewhere have made claims it's a rule to help Ferrari or to make the championship go down to the wire, but they really just proved they know absolutely NOTHING about the sport. The same rule applies to every team...a rule Hamilton already fell victim to earlier this year. It's a team penalty applied to the driver affected.
Could be an interesting night tonight. Webber's starts have been pretty good lately, even if he can't always capitalise on them (by being on the outside of a corner and so forth).

[CALDIR]

Hmm

I missed out on watching qualifying last night but I am hoping tonights race is a good one. Lets all hope Webber blitzes it and comes home with a win.

Regards,

Richard
HRTSEN

[planetdavo]

Rather crazy race. The Iceman won the race after Hamilton's car failed with a fuel pressure problem while comfortably leading. Alonso came second, with starting from pit lane Vettel coming third after receiving some serious assistance from safety cars at the right times. The world championship gods were smiling on him last night!
Webber's recent good starts deserted him last night, then his team boned him severely by dragging him in for a pit stop at the worst possible time. Knowing that Webber would be in no hurry to move out of the way of a recovering Vettel, they made the decision for him. Mark's pit stop left him stuck behind a pack of cars with faster straight line speed, and ultimately a crash caused by Perez took Mark out of the race.
Vettel now leads by 10 points from Alonso. This years championship "should" go down to the wire. Vettel remains in the box seat with the faster car, but there are some unreliability murmours about the Red Bull's lately, and you can never discount one or two other drivers affecting the outcome.

[zorro]

Sucks to be me bombing out well before race start :lol:

Vettel got lucky, MW & Lewis not.... Happy kimi is back up there, he must of left his iPhone in the pits....

[adr8]

It was so funny when Kimi cracked it with his engineer, "you don't have to keep reminding me to warm the tyres" Classic Kimi :lmao:

[planetdavo]

It was so funny when Kimi cracked it with his engineer, "you don't have to keep reminding me to warm the tyres" Classic Kimi :lmao:

If it was the 70's era when many were playboys in the sport and political correctness didn't exist, Kimi would probably have been telling his engineer off for putting water in the drink bottle instead of Vodka! :lol:

[LS2_307]

What it looked and "sounded" like.

http://i300.photobucket.com/albums/nn16/masonba/th_MVI_4493.jpg (http://s300.photobucket.com/albums/nn16/masonba/?action=view&current=MVI_4493.mp4)

[[TWIGGA]]

What it looked and "sounded" like.

http://i300.photobucket.com/albums/nn16/masonba/th_MVI_4493.jpg (http://s300.photobucket.com/albums/nn16/masonba/?action=view¤t=MVI_4493.mp4)

Very Jelly! Good weekend?

[LS2_307]

;2050128']Very Jelly! Good weekend?

Awesome, but had a few issues getting in etc.
Once in was great, first time for me at F1 and was blown away by the noise!

Got in to V8's pits with SBR on Sunday so great all round.
Great place to visit(Abu Dhabi and Dubai) leave Dubai tomorrow to Ausi.
Recommend a visit to all. Been here 2 weeks and not bored. :)

[LS2_307]

The big crash in fron of us

http://i300.photobucket.com/albums/nn16/masonba/IMG_4499.jpg

http://i300.photobucket.com/albums/nn16/masonba/IMG_4503.jpg

[VX2VESS]

2013 steering wheel lol

1865

[zorro]

:lol: go the iceman!!!