Vettel was more of a distraction than anything else, Alonso did twitch to the right as he came up behind him but he could've taken his normal line without being impeded. I think a reprimand is right, there isn't a lot of room down there to get out of the way, they'll probably argue Vettel should've maintained his speed on his way back to the pits to make sure he was well out of the way.
Off line is still off line and Alonso may or may not have gained a position or two. God knows the reaction if it had been the other way around.
What a let down that q3 was. Will be interesting to see who comes third tomorrow. First and second is obvious.
The difference between 1st and 8th is 21 points. 8th is where Fernando would be starting on a normal qualy (both McLarens ahead). Unless Ferrari improve fast that 29 point lead is going to start looking very vulnerable. Its far from being Vettels to lose, but he must be odds on now. I think it would probably be the most deserved of all his titles.
Red Bull has been faster than Ferrari all year Ferrari has been off the pace all year Alonso is best at getting the best out of a faulty car
Vettel's only the favourite if he wins tomorrow. Red Bull's pace this weekend could be thanks to upgrades or it could be circuit specific like Valencia. If it is something about Suzuka which the RB8 likes and McLaren are fastest again in Korea, this could be Vettel's last chance to win this season so he needs to capitalise and take a chunk of points off Alonso. If Red Bull's pace is genuine, then he's the definite favourite.
Quite a lot of people including myself, think that something is going to go wrong for him. Gut feeling. Anyone watching the highlights on the bbc??
Yeah, that's how I feel. But I really hope i'm wrong. If Vettel gets a retirement, it'll probably make the championship better too.
No chance, he wants to beat Hamilton again this season, he's only 23 behind with six races left. Hamilton's chances were slim coming into the race, they're virtually non-existant with both Vettel and Alonso starting ahead of him tomorrow. As a side note, Hamilton beat Button by 26 points in 2010, Button won by 43 last year, so after 52 races as team mates there are only six points (in Hamilton's favour) separating them.
True, I forgot that Hamilton went for a bad setup, and he has to stick with it. Fair enough, I just cannot wait for it to pan out tomorrow.
