I think if Lotus do have a advantage its the rest of the grids fault. If they weren't so awkward with Pirelli then we wouldn't be in this none ideal situation. Im hoping for a dry race tomorrow because if it rains the race will be called off since it seems full wets are banned these days. Assuming they do let them race in the race then if its near the start they will have to queue the cars in the pits which could screw a few people.
I wouldnt say that myself, just a classic example of the etreme differences in dry and wet line driving.
To me, it's very difficult to tell whether a wet lap actually is strong or not. The drivers take different lines, go out wide, search for traction in different places, and they're constantly correcting. However it wouldn't surprise me if that was a messy lap; I've seen him take pole by miles even when the lap was really dodgy.
The problem teams could face in the race if the track is wet enough for inters is how long they last. If we have a scenario where the track is dry and rain starts to fall moderately heavily during different periods of the race and the track dries up again quite quicky, the inters will be wasted. It could get messy.
inters could get ruined quickly if we have a scenario like towards the end of Q3. half the lap was wet, half dry. dry bit ruins the tyres, so they're useless for the wet bit. but slicks just send u off in the wet bits. could be a race for the best tyre manager on the day. jenson button to win?
Surprised this hasn't been mentioned, Heikki Kovalainen was spotted in the Caterham garage during qualifying. Rumours are that Charles Pic may be replaced as soon as China, according to the BBC. Bit disappointed if it's Pic and not VDG who gets the boot, Pic has shown promise, whilst VDG has shown nothing of the sort so far. Clearly they feel they need a way to close the gap to Marussia more, and a driver change might bring a quick performance boost. Most importantly, Heikki???
All I've heard is he's there as a guest of Fernandes, but in the unlikely event that there is something in it, Pic should definitely not be kicked out. Caterham have got bigger issues though... slower than Marussia with a much more comprehensive aero package and less room to develop (though in fairness they are only slower than half of Marussia as Chilton's not up to speed with F1 yet. THAT'S MY STORY AND I'M STICKING TO IT)
I tend to think that unless there's something in it, his presence is only going to be disruptive. Either they're hoping that his presence will focus both drivers into trying more to prove they can keep the seat, or there's something in it. I can't see another reason to bring an ex-driver, who left less than amicably, back unless there's plans to re-integrate him. I think this season they were hoping the talent Pic showed in 2012 would be a replacement for Kovalainen, but at a lower cost in terms of wages, as I don't believe he brings much money. The teams budget must allow for one 'talented' driver and one 'pay' driver, so to bring Kovalainen back, Pic would have to go. I guess if Caterham are in negotiations with Kovalainen, then the team hold all the cards, and can negotiate Kovalainen down to a more manageable salary. He isn't going to get a seat anywhere else.
Setup for another intriguing race. If it's wet I think Vettel will runaway with it, if it's mixed I think Alonso's favourite, if it's dry I think it will be between Kimi and Alonso. Red Bull have almost certainly gambled on a wet setup, they would've struggled to make Q3 if it hadn't rained and will really struggle if it's dry; their pace seems off, their degradation is terrible and they're slow in a straight line. Disappointed not to see what Mercedes and Force India (Sutil) had to offer. They seemed to have genuine pace, Rosberg says he was going for pole and hopes it's a dry race tomorrow. Apparently Raikkonen had a hydraulics leak in Q3 which meant he couldn't change gear. Both Raikkonen and Sutil are fast in a straightline and start lower than they should have so I'm looking forward to their recovery drives. Massa's strong again, and he's getting the rub of the green against Alonso at the moment too. Bianchi is wiping the floor with Chilton, all the more impressive considering he missed most of testing. Shows how much stronger WSR is than GP2, apparently Chilton's strength is in his one lap pace: And he's struggling to get within a second of Bianchi.
Would be a real shame for Pic :\ The problem is that Caterham will need money in order to develop the car (which admittedly they did take a while to discover before they finally ditched Trulli) and perhaps they've recognised that Pic isn't a particularly good development driver, especially since they'd worked with van der Garde before this season.
When they've only got a seasons race experience between then, and VDG has a dozen FP1's, I can't imagine either are strong development drivers. Those FP1's will mainly have been familiarisation, and Marussia will have had relied on Glock for feedback last season. This coming up has actually made me realise just how inexperienced the backmarkers drivers are. Bringing Kovalainen back could give Caterham a significant edge in a development battle.
On your first paragraph, this is Tony Fernandes we're talking about, who knows what goes through his head. I think it would be a mistake for Caterham to bring Heikki back; is he really any better than Pic? Even if he is he's not going to be beating Bianchi.
True, Fernandes' involvement with QPR hardly speaks for a rational businessman. I agree the 9 tenths gap to Bianchi isn't going to evaporate if they change driver, but I'd back Kovalainen's race craft over Pic and Bianchi (at the moment) so he's most likely to be able to take advantage of any unusual positions he's in. I also think Kovalainen would help them gain an edge in terms of development, which must be where they're going to have to focus in the coming weeks.
Sat in a warm Abu Dhabi airport. Vettel on pole which I am not really surprised about. Massa second and Raikkonen penalty is something I am surprised about.
Found the mother of all timing tools! http://f1lt.pl/ Requires your formula1.com login but have researched it and its legit to the max!
