F1

[gareth_oau]

what's going to happen if RBR ever gets its KERS properly sorted?

[Volksee77]

Vettel will make the rest of the field look like they are driving F2 cars

[MattyT]

Welp, another one for Vettel. Sad to see webber get jumped at the start like that. Overall though I found the race fairly dull. DRS didnt do jack!

[dave_r]

Sad to see webber get jumped at the start like that. Overall though I found the race fairly dull. DRS didnt do jack!

Really are the excuses even valid for Webber anymore? He's simply being made to look as inferior as he really is compared to his team mate. I think in any other team, he'd be a fair way down the pack IMO. With DRS, looks like they didn't gear the cars high enough to take advantage of the extra speed?

Such a shame as that track is just awesome. Would be awesome to have a go!

[GOLFBALLS]

Really are the excuses even valid for Webber anymore? He's simply being made to look as inferior as he really is compared to his team mate. I think in any other team, he'd be a fair way down the pack IMO. With DRS, looks like they didn't gear the cars high enough to take advantage of the extra speed?

There's a lot of people who think they can poke fingers and rubbish certain drivers, but really have no idea what is actually going on in the team, with the car, with contracts, confidence levels, adjusting to tyres etc.
If he was rubbish, he simply wouldn't be there! Last year he was matching vettel for the majority of the season, this year he's WAY of the pace in qualifying, but has been posting fastest lap of the race 4 out 5 of the races so far. The speed is obviously there. It's all a bit bizzarre.

One thing I have noticed is Webber seems a little less hungry on a personal level and seems down on confidence, while Seb is obviously just going from strength to strength. Webber is also no longer a spring chicken and he had a fairly 'relaxing' off season, so maybe the fitness is off??

Another thing I've been watching/listening to closely is the way Vettel can get on the throttle out of the bends compared to Mark. He seems to have a different gear ratio choice in nearly every circuit to Mark if you listen to the revs between them at the same places. The 'hot blowing' of the blown exhaust is obviously pretty complex and probably involved, but it could explain Vettels ability to nurse the tyres and get better exit speeds by managing the loads on all four tyres, rather than just the rears??
Webber is really struggling to get used to the new rubber whereas Vettel seems to be loving them.

Babble aside, Monaco was a good race!! Total chaos. Vettel was a-goner if they'd have kept racing. Fernando had him.

Who reckons Hamilton drove like an arse/champ?

Wade

[dave_r]

Not saying he's rubbish, even the slowest guy in the F1 field is clearly an amazing driver. But Webber is all over the place. He pulls out awesome fastest laps, great stints, poles even that pass out of the tunnel but can't seem to pull it all together?

And yes, Hamilton was absent minded or something. Was very surprised to see him pull that ****

[GOLFBALLS]

Yea it was all a bit messy and clumsy for Hamster. Looking at the incidents though, they arent all that black & white. Yeah he kinda just chucked in up the inside, but massa and maldonado both made vaguely defensive turn-ins. I would've just called them racing incidents and left it at that. He always gets into trouble, but he's also the only one really going for the big passes most of the time.
Maybe he should get some clean passing tips from Kamui or Mark!

I think Mark will call it quits at the end of this year. BRING ON RICCIARDO!

[dave_r]

Fair point actually, the pass Mark did on um Kobayashi I think at the Chicane could have ended up the same way. I can't see Mark quitting though.

[MattyT]

I cant see Mark going at the end of the year. 32 is a bit soon to retire? I'd hate to see him go after finally getting a good drive with a good team after so many years of unreliable cars. Surely he can stick around???

Monaco was a GREAT race, although I did fall asleep towards the end but then got woken up by the pileup. Vettel threw big risk and came out a winnar, good for him!

[Arctra]

I actually hate the Monaco GP - I know that is contrary to popular opinion, but to me it's not really a race - it's a procession. Well, except for this year. I wasn't going to bother staying up for the race - was just going to watch the start, and damn nearly packed it in after seeing Mark practically put the car in reverse off the line. Exaggeration, I know, but he really does need to sort his starts out!

Anyway, I found myself being drawn into this years race, up until the red flag. THERE WAS ACTUALLY PASSING!!!! :O It was ACTUALLY a race! Increadible. If they can sort out the DRS zone so it's alittle more useful for next years race, I think it will be brilliant.

Hamilton's overtake in the tunnel was a fair and square race move in my opinion, and Massa's tough luck that he got forced onto the marbles and crashed. Where Hamilton connected with him in the corners before the tunnel (Casino) I would also say that he was having a fair and square overtaking attempt. Massa was all over the place defensively and Hamilton was clearly the quicker car/driver so was perfectly entitled to that move. Oh, and to clear the air, I am NOT a fan of Hamilton AT ALL.

Vettel could not have been luckier with his "strategy"! WOW. He was in BIG trouble, but the racing gods are smiling down on him at the moments, and it's little wonder some bookies have already started paying out on him getting this years title. As for the arguments that being allowed to change tyres at the red flag "spoiling the race" - sure, in this in this instance it might have, but you win some you lose some. Play a similar scenario out in Canada (where there are the 2 DRS zones, and one almost guanateed crash zone) it could level the playing field a little and prevent the Red Bulls from romping away with a massive win. Just from a safety perspective they HAVE to allow tyres to be changed as god knows how much carbon fibre there was on the track slicing up the old rubber and increasing teh chances of flats/blow-outs.

This season sure is turning out to be a resurection year for F1 as no-one in their right mind can argue that there is no passing anymore.