the problem is,if lewis is back to his best this season,and continues to out quali jenson,itll be very tough for button.inconsistency from lewis helped button massively last season. this season we might see a very consistent lewis,making very few mistakes.and dont forget jenson messed up in the last race too.2 bad days in a row at the office wont be good for jenson.luckily for jenson,lewis isnt starting in 2nd.
Whoever is the first to pass the Mercedes roadblock. Maybe Kobayashi, Maybe Raikkonen. Hamilton is probably to far back. Everyone else would need to find a lot of speed from somewhere.
Jenson and vettel are the two most likely drivers to suffer the cold with their driving style. Germany last year was evidence of that on how bad they performed.
If it is cool tommorow I think Hamilton has a good chance of a win, he may need luck on the way but he can still do it. He seemed to make his tyres work in colder conditions better than Button did. Great lap by Rosberg though and Kobayashi to, we are in for a cracking race.
There'll be a safety car during the last stint and Vettel, who would've slipped to about 15th following a slow first stint on primes, will carve through the field on a brand new set of options to steal win.
Kobayashi - Starting 3rd, with a car which is light on its tyres and fastest in a straight line, 12/1 for the win. I'll have some of that.
Kimi is also 9/1, worth a shot i feel. Both of them. Rosberg is favourite at 3/1 with Hamilton, Button and Schumacher all at 9/2.
Rosberg's early lap in the final part of Qualifying was his best ever. He has always been quick but not always had the right head; and has sometimes appeared to lack determination. However, a third of the way into watching that lap 'live', I was struck by his absolute accuracy: rarely does a driver string together such a succession of perfect braking points; entry turn-ins; progression through optimum apexes; and perfectly tuned-in, glide-out exits - from every single corner. That was the best lap from any driver for at least 6 months. Vettel did one mesmerising lap last season (forgotten which Grand Prix). Hamilton has had a few too - as has Button. But seriously, that was one hell of a lap from Rosberg. [Schumacher thought he'd done a good one; and with it, I believe he fully expected to eclipse his team-mate by a small margin. His reaction over the radio to hearing the astonishing gap was pricelessâ¦] I just hope Rosberg can keep his act together tomorrow. He has created the chance to prove to the world that his enigmatic status as a driver should be banished to the past, by blowing away those lingering, haunting veils of doubt.
The only problem is their tyres. I feel that if he can pull a lead over Schumacher (In 2nd at the time) by about 10-12 seconds by the first stops, he'll win. If Kobayashi 2 stops while everyone else (in contention for the win) 3 stops AND gets past Michael early, Kobayashi should have done enough. I see someone who hasn't won a race will win tomorrow. Although Raikkonen and Schumacher are dark horses. As is Webber, but i dont think he's good enough as a driver to win.
Kamui vs Kimi will be interesting, I remember the battle they had in 2009 at Abu dhabi, was very enjoyable I'll tell you.
Brilliant lap from Rosberg finally hooked it up. Kobayashi and Sauber look very quick. Has Vettel gone the wrong way because it looked like Webber had a clear upperhand. Wow what a race we are in for tomorrow lets not forget we've got a strong top 11 in my opinion we could be in for a very very good race tomorrow.
i think that out of the front runners this weekend, hamilton has got the most out of this situation in qualifying. this weekend was mostly about damage limitation after the penalty (realisticaly) but now that his two main rivals (so far) are just in front of him, it puts them all in a similar position. i think that any one of 5 drivers has a good chance of winning this race rosberg- simply because he is on pole Kobayashi- because the cars around his struggle with tyre degregation button, webber and hamilton becuse it seems like they have good long run pace should be a good race tomorrow
Vettel is using a older exhaust configuration than Webber, but I don't think it would of made much difference as Seb was struggling to get to grips with it while Mark looked at ease with it.
Yes I heard that the other day but if it suits him better then his choice. We'll see tomorrow whether it works better in the race hopefully it does because he's a good driver and a good personality.
think the mercedes don't have a chance at the win because of their tyre degradation problems, but i reckon at least one of them will get on the podium (hopefully schumi for the sweepstakes). kobayashi does have a chance because the sauber is notoriously easy on its tyres, i just feel he'l probably try 1 too many overtake attempts, damage a wing and drop back to the bottom end of the points. if kimi keeps it together, i say he's the best chance for pole, but don't forget hamilton and button who will come strong from behind. i'm writing webber off because of their lack of st8 line speed. he will be overtaken far too easily. my predo for the top 10: 1. Hamilton 2. Raikönnen 3. Schumacher 4. Button 5. Rosberg 5. Webber 6. Kobayashi 7. Vettel 8. Perez 9. Alonso 10. Senna
Ferrari have made a step forward based on their Q2 time. Very good, given that this track highlights Ferrari's weaknesses. What's going on with Vettel?
