So a lot of focus has been on Hamilton and his coming together with Kobayashi.... But what about the rest if the race? Here's how it seemed to me. Vettel gave another outstanding win, and in my opinion... all but sealed the championship this weekend. He drove a very cool race despite tyre issues and made some decisive overtakes (even considering the DRS zone was crazy). Webber had an fantastic day in sealing a 1 - 2 for RBR. I'm not sure what his deal was on the start but he didn't seem to be bringing the revs up. He faught back brilliantly and his scrap with Alonso was thoroughly entertaining to watch. Fantastic finish. Button once again, drove a cracker... towards the start of the last stint I was beginning to convince myself that he could challenge for the win... Alas it wasn't to be, but it was a great drive from a poor starting position. Alonso early on was looking mega... He was flying and looked like he could seriously challenge for the win. In what seems like typical recent Ferrari style though, it didn't amount to much. Shame. Schumacher coming from dead last to 5th reminded me of why he's 7 times world champion. Never say die, carve through the field and snag some points attitude. Great drive.... Feel free to disagree... expand, add other outstanding drives. But for me... a great event at Spa... Never fails to entertain!
I can't disagree with anything you've written. I thought it was a shame about Alonso too. That Ferrari was so fast early on but seemed less competitive as the race wore on; Alonso himself seemed resigned to this, perhaps as many of us seem resigned to accepting that the championships are now over. The Schumacher resurgence was like an allegory of his comeback and I'm enjoying seeing him drive competitively again. I think his drive and Button's typified what was best about the race for me: drivers carving through from behind, the others being Maldonado, di Resta, Sutil and Senna. On the other hand, it was disappointing to see the underdogs who had qualified so well have no chance to make a good race from it, especially the two Toro Rossos. As a team they seem to be consistently improving on their own two feet after the slump when their Red Bull support was removed. Better luck next time. Mixed emotions: Rosberg had a strange one, surging into the lead at the start, struggling to keep up with the leaders thereafter and ending up behind his team mate who started last. Was he really short of fuel or was he given a message to let Schumi pass? Massa started well again but maybe the Ferrari let him down over the course of the race. It does seem to be a habit with him though. Senna's error at the start seemed to prove his doubters right but a fine recovery from the back of the field and after a drive-through penalty, coupled with his fine qualifying saved him from shame, I think. A solid but unspectacular drive from Petrov sums up Renault's fortunes this season too, unfortunately, but I think that was about the best the car could manage. In the end though, I think the big disappointment for me was the sense that the titles are all sewn up now, great if you're a Vettel fan but I'm not. On that topic, the Red Bull tyre dramas really annoyed me, especially Newey bleating to the BBC after the race. If they ignore Pirelli's advice and set their tyres up dangerously then it was their responsibility to sort that one out. Made me wonder also about what else may be set up beyond the limits on that car, as many have long speculated. It seemed like a little glimpse into how they really operate; if it hadn't been for the blisters, we'd never have known. In the event, all the fuss was about nothing, Red Bull had perhaps their most successful race this season because a one-two at Spa was certainly not expected. It neatly encapsulated their dominance this season, I think.
*humble* Maybe because tyres were the reason a world champion died a while back... Newey wouldn't want a tyre failure at Eau Rouge, so I think the worry was genuine not just because they wouldn't win.
I don't think he was worried that they wouldn't win, no one nowadays would wish to put a driver in danger, but RBR had chosen themselves to exceed Pirelli's safety recommendations and so it annoyed me that he was taking the attitude he did, especially in the BBC interview. They made the mistake and it was their own responsibility to rectify it, either by starting from the pit lane or by doing a short stint on higher tyre pressure. But as I said, in the end it was all ok and they exceeded expectations in the race - what a return from the break! And just when it seemed they'd lost their edge.
One does wonder how Hamilton might have spiced up the outcome had he not crashed out. Ferrari showing early promise yet again only to succumb to their usual tyre problems, and a good race for Mercedes. It's a shame the title race is already over, though it will be interesting to see who gets the runner-up spot.
I agree with Max about the Red Bull tyres. Frankly, if you think it's that much of a safety concern, then the team should have felt they had to start from the pitlane on fresh tyres. By not doing so, they clearly either were not worried about driver safety, or it wasn't as concerning to them as they made out. By exceeding Pirelli's safety recommendations, no blame can be attached to Pirelli, and it just seemed like a cynical attempt by Red Bull to gain an advantage in the race. I'm glad the FIA didn't relent, as it would have made a mockery of the rules, and surely they would then have had to let the top 10 all start on new tyres too.
Agree 100% - and starting from the pit lane would hardely ahve ruined their championships! IMHO, i felt they went for glory over saftey!
I totally agree, Red Bull were making everything so dramatic post race, if they really believed that Sebastian and Mark lives were in serious danger, they had the simple option of starting from the pit lane with new tyres. Well done to the FIA for standing their ground here. Pirelli tyres have been great this year.
I am assuming that Silver Arrow is referring to Ayrton Senna, in which case the reason why he died is not actually known at this point. We know what some people think, and what some people want others to think, but the actual reason? No way. If Newey and his famously bleeding heart were really that worried then Red Bull should have told Vettel and Webber to take it easy so as not to blister their tyres during qualifying. They know the rules that you have to start on the tyres you qualified on. Trouble is, people in Red Bull disregard the rules, with regard to movable aero devices, for example. Personally I think that Senna died because of the adjustments made to Senna steering column, not his tyres.
I don't think we'll ever know definitively... The car was bottoming out pretty badly, but the way that he speared that wall leaves too many questions in my head. You can watch documentaries on it and hear the possible causes, but even watching it so many years on it just doesn't look right. Never has.
The car was not bottoming out pretty badly at all. You have been watching the National Geographic documentary about the crash. Senna set his fastest lap of the race before the crash. I believe that there was a failure in the car, most probably the cut and re-welded steering column, and the Williams team closed ranks behind a cover story. I don't blame them at all.
I'm sure I have watched that at some point and I'm certainly not dismissing the steering column as it's obviously a very strong possibility. Even if it was the steering column, once the car leaves the track it just looks odd... I certainly don't buy the crazy theories with snipers and such like that. Those just smack of people having to believe that Senna couldn't be killed by something so simple as a car failure. Can you explain what you mean when you say that the car wasn't bottoming out? It certainly looks like a combination of setup and bumps in the track were causing the car to bottom out quite heavily.
Oh I see what you mean. As far as I can remember all the cars used to hit the magnesium strips under the cars. Yes there was a bump on Tamburello, and yes Senna probably did take a tight line, but as far as I can see even if the car did bottom out it would have been nothing that Senna couldn't have taken care of instantly. Maybe he would have gone a bit wide. Instead he suddenly veered off line and made a beeline for the wall. No steering input whatsoever. A driver of Senna's calibre could have put the car into a skid to scrub off more speed. It seems to me like Senna only had use of the brakes. I have also heard from a number of people their opinion that in the seconds before the crash you see Senna leaning over in the cockpit. This, they say, was Senna desperately trying to turn the broken steering column with both hands.
