809 replies to this topic

[slmk]

Thanks, Juggles.

What about the handling of the lead cars throughout the race? How did Lotus, Mercedes, RBR and Ferrari look?

[Seanspeed]

Great images showing some of the teams upgrades. Phenomenal detailing!
http://www.somersf1....gallery_13.html

Nice.

[Juggles]

Thanks, Juggles.

What about the handling of the lead cars throughout the race? How did Lotus, Mercedes, RBR and Ferrari look?

I wish I could tell you mate. As I've said before, I completely fail to see the difference between the top cars when there's only a few tenths in it. Even when Vettel was closing Hamilton down by three seconds per lap at the end I couldn't see a visible difference between the speed they carried through the last corner. So I'm not the person to ask!

[Lights]

According to StatsF1 this was Alonso's 200th GP (yes I know he 'celebrated' this in Sepang), and he won it, just like Button won his 200th GP in Hungary 2011.

Also first time in history 5 world champions won 5 races in a row, fitting how they filled the top 5 positions in the final one.

[Lazy]

What a great weekend.

Thanks Juggles.
Can you give your impressions on how the racing felt to you please? Specifically in regards to the Pirelli tyres.

[WonderboyF1]

Was it just me or was that an unusually large crowd for the Gp? I thought China normally has a poor turnout, but the grandstands looked full. Good stuff.

[Seanspeed]

Was it just me or was that an unusually large crowd for the Gp? I thought China normally has a poor turnout, but the grandstands looked full. Good stuff.

The grandstands on the corner to the back straight were 100% empty from it looked like.

[Juggles]

Thanks Juggles.
Can you give your impressions on how the racing felt to you please? Specifically in regards to the Pirelli tyres.

Sure, sorry for the delay.

In short, it felt great. I think for the spectators at the circuit the tyre management of the Pirelli era is almost a non-issue because there is still such a feeling of speed even when they are managing their tyres. Battles between F1 cars still get the blood pumping whether they're lapping in the 1:35s or the 1:45s.

I've heard some people say they aren't battling anymore but I think that's only true when there's such an obvious disparity between cars that there's no point in fighting or when cars aren't really in the same race. If anything that strikes me as the right balance between defending and submitting. It was a bit of a pain to see both Ferraris going past Hamilton in one corner but I'm biased, and judging by the whooping that was the best part of the race for some of the people around me.

When you're at the race in a fixed position it's very important that you feel the race is developing, so there's nothing more frustrating than a faster car not being able to take the fight to his real rivals because he's bottled behind a slower car for an entire stint. Also, the Pirellis ensure cars can't just sprint off into the distance (they have to be a bit more circumspect), so the cars are usually running closer together; a driver could be five seconds ahead and just as in control as he would be if he was thirty seconds ahead, but at least in the first scenario you can dare to dream that the driver five seconds behind has been saving his tyres the whole time for a big push at the end of the stint.

Watching the Hamilton-Raikkonen (and then Raikkonen-Hamilton) duel develop was the most exciting part of the race for me. In each stint it was the car behind that was slightly faster because of slightly fresher tyres. There was always an edge to it thanks to DRS, so I found myself nervously watching Hamilton swing onto the back straight lap after lap, Raikkonen sometimes a little closer, sometimes a little further behind. There wouldn't have been that edge in the refuelling-Bridgestone-no DRS era because it would quite simply have been impossible for the car behind to pass. At least here one felt it was a possibility.

That's without even mentioning the Vettel hunt at the end. It was actually quite easy to keep up with the strategies, particularly because I was focussing most of my attention on the top five cars (I was slightly confused by Hulkenberg), so I could see exactly what the situation was going into the last five laps. I didn't think Vettel had a hope but watching him chase down Hamilton was massively exciting (though mainly in a testicle-grip, want to be sick sort of way). So different strategies playing out also added to my enjoyment of the race (in hindsight, not at the time).

To borrow a quote from Newt Gingrich (of all people), I remain a "perfectly lubricated weather vane" on the Pirelli debate, swinging a different way every time I think about it. Even though I feel they hurt the driver I support more than anyone else, I can't help thinking the Pirelli tyres are a bit like the ending of Inception: you suspect deep down it isn't real yet you can't help but sink into the alluring dream.

[Lazy]

Sure, sorry for the delay.

In short, it felt great. I think for the spectators at the circuit the tyre management of the Pirelli era is almost a non-issue because there is still such a feeling of speed even when they are managing their tyres. Battles between F1 cars still get the blood pumping whether they're lapping in the 1:35s or the 1:45s.

I've heard some people say they aren't battling anymore but I think that's only true when there's such an obvious disparity between cars that there's no point in fighting or when cars aren't really in the same race. If anything that strikes me as the right balance between defending and submitting. It was a bit of a pain to see both Ferraris going past Hamilton in one corner but I'm biased, and judging by the whooping that was the best part of the race for some of the people around me.

When you're at the race in a fixed position it's very important that you feel the race is developing, so there's nothing more frustrating than a faster car not being able to take the fight to his real rivals because he's bottled behind a slower car for an entire stint. Also, the Pirellis ensure cars can't just sprint off into the distance (they have to be a bit more circumspect), so the cars are usually running closer together; a driver could be five seconds ahead and just as in control as he would be if he was thirty seconds ahead, but at least in the first scenario you can dare to dream that the driver five seconds behind has been saving his tyres the whole time for a big push at the end of the stint.

Watching the Hamilton-Raikkonen (and then Raikkonen-Hamilton) duel develop was the most exciting part of the race for me. In each stint it was the car behind that was slightly faster because of slightly fresher tyres. There was always an edge to it thanks to DRS, so I found myself nervously watching Hamilton swing onto the back straight lap after lap, Raikkonen sometimes a little closer, sometimes a little further behind. There wouldn't have been that edge in the refuelling-Bridgestone-no DRS era because it would quite simply have been impossible for the car behind to pass. At least here one felt it was a possibility.

That's without even mentioning the Vettel hunt at the end. It was actually quite easy to keep up with the strategies, particularly because I was focussing most of my attention on the top five cars (I was slightly confused by Hulkenberg), so I could see exactly what the situation was going into the last five laps. I didn't think Vettel had a hope but watching him chase down Hamilton was massively exciting (though mainly in a testicle-grip, want to be sick sort of way). So different strategies playing out also added to my enjoyment of the race (in hindsight, not at the time).

To borrow a quote from Newt Gingrich (of all people), I remain a "perfectly lubricated weather vane" on the Pirelli debate, swinging a different way every time I think about it. Even though I feel they hurt the driver I support more than anyone else, I can't help thinking the Pirelli tyres are a bit like the ending of Inception: you suspect deep down it isn't real yet you can't help but sink into the alluring dream.

Quality post, thanks.

[OoxLox]

Thanks for the great first hand report Juggles

I find that so long as you're able to see one of the big screens and you have binos to check the gaps FOM prints out at the bottom of the screen (my eyesight isn't what it used to be) you can follow the race pretty closely without commentary etc. Even without the screens it's so much easier to see how gaps grow and shrink as cars come past you lap after lap. Being there is so much better.