Not a chance flyer. They'll continue to back Seb whilst he's got a mathematical chance. Wouldn't read too much into Seb being off the pace in FP2 either mate. He was thereabouts in FP1 & had a puncture early in FP2. May have ran with heavier fuel load in FP2? We'll get a better idea in FP3 as they decide on a final set-up.

Update please

I may be a newb, but flyer121 has to be the best Vettel fan in this forum since most of the Seb's fans tend to really discredit Webbo (IMO).

He's not bias and quite smart when it comes to F1!

I think it is too early to be throwing all their eggs into one basket. Top teams should be able to handle two strong drivers. With Mark moving on either in 2011 or 2012 they should be looking to import a proven racer to compliment Vettel.

Vettel is lightning fast. But his racecraft has been shown to be very questionable. More worryingly when the Red Bull isn't the quickest car on the track he can be quite poor in terms of race pace. He's a bit all or nothing IMO. Red Bull will not always be the quickest by a margin. Next year we may see Ferrari and McLaren steal the ascendency - the readmission of KERS for example will be a problem for Red Bull who never finalised their version of that. How will Vettel go up against Hamilton and Alonso in slightly lesser machinery? We saw in Hungary and Singapore that Alonso was able to comfortably hold off Vettel.

Personally I would prefer a more complete race driver such as Robert Kubica. Imagine what he could have done in the RB6 given how close he has gotten on drivers circuits such as Monaco and Suzuka in such an inferior car.

As for today it was very hard to gauge which of Vettel or Webber was stronger, it is a meaningless activity anyway as the track will continue to rubber in and change the dynamic. Vettel's time on the softs was set very early due to the puncture, but I was impressed that not long after that Mark was able to set a better time on the hards. Mark's final time is misleading as he did his softs run so late, but his tyres weren't in top condition after his nasty spin either. So in sum they both have plenty more time in them. I am still favouring Alonso for pole here, however, providing Ferrari can fix up their S3 woes.

Agree

thx dude .. I am flattered.

But trust me - I have had my share of off moments too

Na
SV said he had to run with the options earlier because of the puncture and they didnt last long so his times were off when the other drivers were setting the fast laps.

As for the possibility of the team throwing full support behind MW.
No chance in hell.

Expect to see 2 things in the up coming races.
Pit stuff ups that throw MW down the order and strange start system trouble.

Marks best hope is that McLaren are up front and that he can put more than one position between himself and SV

I do hope that for these last 3 races to give either driver a better chance for the WDC they should not share data.
If 1 driver gets to grips with the track better than the other well stiff poo. Let the other driver work it out for himself, this is the only true way to see who will win this WDC as i believe if you give them the same setups what is there to choose between them? They are very close in terms of race pace.
I think the WCC is a forgone conclusion so why not let the drivers work it out for themselves without the team politics interfering in thier preparation.
I know they have shared data all season but we are at the pointy end now and there is more to play for.
What do others think?

Well I was just speculating anyways. . plus did not see FP2 so didnt have a clue as to what went on. Altho wasnt very convinced by SV in FP1 either.
But looking at title rivals and surprisingly some mid field teams as close as they are, RBR must be quite concerned.

And if they stuff up Marks pit stop just to get Vettel ahead then they will be the stupidest team ever... which I dont think they are (yet).
Start may still be a concern off the dirty side but doubt anyone can do anything to make it better or worse.

Just hope it does nt turn into a Monza for them.

Interestingly Mark is back in chassis #3 this weekend, having wanted that after Singapore but not getting it in Suzuka. On the pace straight away in it. Hmm.

I did wonder about the delay in the chassis change, you'd think if the driver wants to go back then bam they'd do it, as they did for Seb.

Having seen the onboard of Webbers Singapore qually lap it seemed to have some oddness, he was sideways in every second corner it seemed. Nice car control, poo lap time though. Suppose it could've just been a poor setup and Marks placeboing himself, his comments in the press since Hungary have all been about his own mind management.

you have answered your own question mate

the only reason redbull/horner/marko/Mateschitz are taking this 'we wont favour any driver' routine is because its not Vettel that's leading....the roles were reversed we would see Mark being made to help vettel. They know it, their drivers know it, pit lane knows it, the commentators know it, heck the whole god damm world knows it so how bout Redbull grow a couple and be honest for once!

Sorry mate, but do you have a source for this?

Sure:

http://www.f1sa.com/index.php?option=com_c...&Itemid=157

They lift their info straight from a Red Bull press release, not sure how to find the original

I cannot fathom the timing of that statement, really puzzling. As for Mark moving on, IMHO the only team he'd move to is Renault, I suspect that despite the jet setter lifestyle he likes a base and he lives close to the RBR factory and enjoys it there (as much as a bloke from Canberra can deal with pommie weather). TBH I think he'll be back at RBR next year.

If i were a team boss in a top team i'd be falling over myself trying to sure up mark for the future in a mentor role. He can still test the car, help develop it etc but can also guide th eyounger driver in the team through the pitfalls of the sport, maybe have the young bloke live with him etc etc. Perfect role for Mark iMHO as frankly he's not all that talented, he's got where he has by just gutting it out.

So do you think that Kimi is waiting to see if Mark leaves to take his position?

If it is Vettels team then I would say no.

A really interesting little snippet from the BBC:



http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/jonathanlegard/...mit-it-how.html

Well, Webber used the new car to spear Lewis.
Maybe it is damaged.

he's always looked fast exiting has Vettel, seems to get on it really early.

Nah, I bet it's insignificant detail, F1 is all about cracks in chassis and rrrrraw speed.

If Webber is out, I wonder if they will promote Jaime, he is young and could be a good number 2 for some years.

That Webber "thoroughly trounced" DC in '07 is BS. Webber enjoyed a small but consistent gap.

Vettel and Webber have been even closer, that's true, but DC v Webber 2007 is not for this thread, so....

----

I will be hugely, hugely surprised if Webber is not racing for Red Bull next year. Hugely.

Fixed it for you

It makes sense as a number II IMHO. I'd get Heidfeld in there as designated number II, he won't say no.

It makes sense and is probably another thing changed to suit Vettel more as they said - building the team around him i.e. building the software more tailored to his driving style - as Autosport says where Vettel is slightly quicker than Webber is that Vettel is more at ease with a livier car on corner entry. Vettel is more relaxed about how the rear will settle down, especially in the power-on phase. So it looks insignificant, but IMO just makes Seb more comfortable in the car and that translates onto the track.

Webber is taking his fresh engine now. I guess he's done this for a few reasons
a) Long straights in Korea means he needs top speed to escape Hamilton and his F-duct
b) Vettel seems to be struggling at this track
c) Webber currently enjoys a 14-point advantage over team-mate Sebastian Vettel, and if he outscores him in Korea this weekend then he will only need to finish behind the German in the remaining two races to be sure of beating him in the standings.

I thought he would have saved it for Brazil, but I guess he and his engineer feel that the circumstances are right to use it now.

Perhaps RB arent thinking on those lines...Remember, they offered a seat to Raikkonen last year....the Finn must be the least suited driver for a No.2 role.

RBR won't be the ones making the decision.

Who the hell says Vettel is struggling on this track? ****ing hell this place is knee jerk.

Then it makes Horner comming out and saying his comments even more baffling.

Exactly, practice times mean nothing. Even if Vettel is behind which I very much doubt, we've seen Webber able to catch up in qualifying. I'd take practice 3 results more seriously than Friday practice times. Vettel or Webber for pole by about a tenth or 2 to the Ferraris/McLaren.

I believe that Webber taking his final engine now means he is confident in his chances of winning the race. Why use the new engine at a track where he feels he is going to be in damage limitation mode?

IMO this is a telling sign that Mark feels like he might have an edge of Seb this weekend and even if this is not true, it is the positive and aggressive step we have been asking for.

Mark is extremely talented. He could be the best driver in changeable conditions on the current grid.

..exactly,but who knows what will happen if Mark wins the WDC,RB will be behind him 100% if Vettel stuffs it up which is highly likely given his history of Kamikaze Q runs.I have posted many times that Oz motoring journalists that claim to be friends with him are STILL(as in 10/2010) convinced he has an offer on the table from another team,time will tell.

Nobody takes FP1 and FP2 times seriously. FP3 times would be indicative of how the qualifying would be because teams normally run Qualifying setups in FP3.

That is exactly why I would not build a team around him. He is still very questionable in many areas.

Heidfeld would never say no for a chance to be RBR No. 2 driver because he stands a decent chance of bagging a few race wins - something he has never ever done in his F1 career.

How do judge whether a driver is talented or not?

I could say Hamilton is not a talented driver, and nobody could prove it one way or another.

Former Team-mate Nick Heidfeld back Webbo to win the chip.

"He's made a good improvement in his racing because he was already strong in qualifying," said Heidfeld.

"If you look at the guys in the championship, he's done the least amount of mistakes. He seems to cope well with the pressure. He's doing a really good job and I'd still back him (for the title)."

all throughout his career before 09 he used to drag slow cars up the grid in wet/changeable conditions. Its a great show of talent, which pretty much all of the top flight drivers have. I was responding to the post that he wasn't that talented is all

vettels bad weekend continues. he actually pitted before the flag I believe.

Maybe he hasn't been given Webber's data & set-up details yet.

Surely if Vettel loses badly to Webber this weekend the team will force him into a support role for the last 2 races. Bad news for the other wdc contenders.

Maybe he ruined his tyres when he had that wild momment in the last minutes, or just didn't have enough time to properly clean the tyres and then put in a fast lap.

thats what I thought. but still, not exactly a good start. way off in last 2 sessions.

He was off the pace on hards too though. Nevertheless, I'm sure things will be a lot closer come qualifying.

I wonder how different their set-ups are? Could be China all over again...

Definitely not an MW fan (or an SV fan for that matter) ... but I'm not here to bash. Seriously, has MW ever genuinely gotten on with a team mate. He always seems to be involved in head games IMO.

I also disagree that he is not talented. He may not be one of the most talented but his problem over the years has not been a lack of talent. Bad cars, bad luck and a being slight too brave when wheel to wheel would seem to have been his main problems IMO.

They were on very different set up yesterday... MW was "tripodding" (a la LH 2009) but SV seemed to have much softer settings.... Not sure about today though.

That will never happen, no matter what IMHO.