Had Schumacher's car not broke I think it would have been Button-Hamilton-Vettel-Schumacher, Schumachers speed would have held up Vettel at a key time and as Rosberg showed the car wasn't far off. Pole to third is something for Hamilton to be disappointed by, just hope the season stays as close as this thoughout
I suppose it depends on how the extra fuel weight would have affected lap times and tyre wear? Thats always the comprise.
lol Sauber are ahead of ferrari in the WCC, Massa is screwed I wonder how much affect kobis broken wing had
After what happened last year, I'd be inclined to let Sauber off with a blown diffuser, ballast being added at the final pit stop, and Kamui skipping half a lap on the sly when no-one was watching.
They were still quick in a straight line wernt they? Doing that with fuel saving suggests efficient areo
Not sure how well Schuey would have held on as Mercedes had bad tyre wear again. Rosberg faded (as Mercedes then to do) so would not have been happy with 7th even before the last lap chaos after the pace they had showed in quali. Hamilton would have stayed second if not for the safety car intervention, but would still be disappointed that Button got the jump on him in the first place, which then put him in the position to be jumped by Vettel later.
Agree.not so much the overtake on the first corner more the gap he opened up after. Lewis could not match that.
Hamilton and Button could be trading spots all season. Only one race in. It has to be said though, Button looked superb!
A great season opener. A very good, entertaining race. Before I say anything else, I think I should mention my misgivings about the Safety Car 'back-markers' rule, which keeps it out too long while they get themselves reshuffled; meaning the race takes a lot longer to restart and thus deprives viewers of more action. Anyway, moving on, here are a few quick summaries: McLaren: A shining performance from Button who is easily my driver of the day. This has not only given him the early points lead; but also something which may transpire as more important: he has struck a big psychological blow upon Hamilton. When things are going well, Hamilton is very very difficult to beat; but Button has knocked him off balance immediately, and in this state he can be vulnerable Red Bull: Vettel was fortunate with the timing of the Safety Car which slowed Hamilton's out-lap after his pit-stop, whilst not suffering the same fate himself. And Webber never looked like beating his dominant team mate after that poor start. Mercedes: There seems quite a gap between qualifying and race pace. Rosberg faded without much of a fight and seems to be establishing himself ever more firmly as F1's 'nearly man'. Schumacher may have beaten him on pace. Mercedes are languishing without top drivers. Ferrari: Good job by Alonso, who showed that at least some of his car's deficiencies can be overcome. But Massa? - well, I'm struggling to say something which is not downright offensive. How on earth he is still in the red seat is beyond me. For several seasons he has been one of the worst drivers on the grid. There is only one driver who I would say is categorically worse: Karthikeyan. Renault (sorry Lotus): A good performance from Raikkonen, but unfortunately we'll never know what Grosjean could have done from 3rd place. Williams: Possibly resurgent? Maldonado was impressive until getting caught out on the astro-turf. Force India: As a team they seem not to have progressed so much as their main rivals, although some of the other circuits should suit them more. - - -o0o- - - Enough for now.
I managed to get to the BBC highlights without seeing the results, great win for J.B. and I really enjoyed the Beebs coverage. Felt a bit sorry for Schumi though a podium for the great one can't be far away. Encouraged by the Ferraris race pace although disheartened by Massa's performance. Welcome back F1!
Great race, drama right up until the very final corner- the battle for the last few points was great! How can Kovalainen get a penalty for overtaking behind the safety car- didn't he retire when the safety car was out? (the only thing the BBC didn't mention in their excellent highlights was his retirement)
bbc highlights were not to bad, coverage wise. only major skip was the safety car laps. Other than that it was poor and seemed half arsed commentry and feature wise. but hey the BBCs reinvestment of the millions onto an X-Factor rip off is great no? . ...
I'd rather the BBC showed a show that actually rewards talent than another series of bloody Eastenders. It makes my blood boil that ITV have elected to run Simon Cowell Wants Another Million Quid And A Puppet To Do It With up against The Voice. The decision to cut F1 is still mind-boggling though. Doesn't even make financial sense.
Schumacher was running 3rd before his retirement. He would have finished in the top 4 easy maybe even top 3 maybe. D
Vettel was all over him until he went wide at turn 1 losing several seconds to Schu. Then 4 laps later he was right back behind him again. There's no way Schu would have kept him behind for the entire race. Vettel would have got the jump at the stops.
