Australian GP 2010 - Melbourne

[ringo]

So it's cool when everyone else does it and bitching when the BOSS justifiably does it?

Concerning Felipe, it was obvious he was sliding around too much. Rob's call may what have prevented an off from Felipe.
Another highlight in the race to me was Barichello's drive. He seems to be consistently collecting points for the team. It would be nice if Williams got the car up to Mercs standard. I am starting to think Barichello is driving much better than Shumacher at the moment.

[forty-two]

Out of interest, Brembo have denied any blame for Vettel going off during the race.

http://www.f1sa.net/index.php?option=co ... Itemid=157

[RacingManiac]

I thought it was a hub failure anyway....

One place I read is torque transfer stud thing broke...

[Mr Alcatraz]

http://adamcooperf1.com/2010/03/30/dome ... hing-wood/

POP QUIZ

According to the above link, both Ferraris did a 49 lap stint

Bulk and Fred finished 3rd and 4th respectively.

That translates to 259.847 kilometers @ 5.303 k p/l

I'm curious.
I'm guessing this has not been accomplished since refueling was band. You can't count the year 2005
(I think it was) that cars were required to use one set of tires per race,
as they were allowed to refuel (unless their last stint was 259.848).

How many years has it been since:

A) A team ran a car further and scored points. I'm guessing that would be at least 16 years ago when cars carried full fuel loads and only scored point’s p1-6
B) A team ran two cars 259.848 and both scored in the points.
C) A team has had a 3,4 finish or better under this same scenario?

[nipo]

I must admit I screamed a "YES!!!" watching Alonso's spin at Turn 1. As I have pointed out in other threads I never liked the guy and his coming to my favourite team made things even worse. However something within me told myself that he's probably going to climb back up in no time like nothing's happened, and probably finish around 5th or 6th. In the end he was even better... that was a storming drive for sure. For me, though, Massa is still in front of him at the end so I'm happy it went that way.

Now I wonder, if this happens again once or twice - i.e. Alonso stuck behind Massa when the latter is lacking pace - would he start complaining and trigger another mayhem in the team, much like he's done in other teams? This race, though, he seems to be quite "obedient" and played good boy to his new (and supposedly last) team. Let's see how long that lasts.

Oh, and Massa still sucks big time in the rain and also the Australian Grand Prix.

[vall]

Now I wonder, if this happens again once or twice - i.e. Alonso stuck behind Massa when the latter is lacking pace - would he start complaining and trigger another mayhem in the team, much like he's done in other teams? This race, though, he seems to be quite "obedient" and played good boy to his new (and supposedly last) team. Let's see how long that lasts.

Fred did not attack simply because it is still the 2nd race. I think if later on thing come to this point when he is clearly faster but stuck behind Massa, there will be no mercy.

[raceman]

Fred did not attack simply because it is still the 2nd race. I think if later on thing come to this point when he is clearly faster but stuck behind Massa, there will be no mercy.

+1

right said there.

[WhiteBlue]

Domenicali said that Ferrari drivers are not allowed to race each other in the last stint. This probably relates to a normal two stopper of the past. Translated to present conditions it means no racing for the last 100 km or 18 laps of the race.

When one of the drivers is out of the championship or very close to going out this policy will probably be lifted. Ferrari has always done that with the exception of Schumacher/Barrichello. Rubens got some very early team orders after it became clear that he was never going to beat Schumi in a championship race in a Ferrari.

Also interesting is the Alonso/Schumacher story of the weekend reported by James Allan.

On Thursday Schumacher was camped out in the Ferrari hospitality area talking to former colleagues and Alonso came and went several times, clearly unhappy that he was on his turf. There is a dark look that comes over Alonso’s face at times like that – it was very much there in the press conference in Monaco that time – and it was there on Thursday, I’m told by a trusted colleague who observed the whole scene. Later the pair met by the Ferrari fridge and Alonso blanked Schumacher.
On Friday after practice, Alonso and his team were unhappy that Schumacher was not punished by the stewards for failing to observe the red flag for a Kamui Kobayashi incident.

Then in qualifying Schumacher was baulked by Alonso and took it up with him face to face in parc ferme.
This kind of struggle is what makes F1 so compelling; the mind games and gamesmanship of highly competitive individuals. Schumacher got stuck into Ayrton Senna in this way in his first few years in F1.
Ron Dennis once said of Alonso “Competitive animals know no limits” but if anyone embodies that description it is Schumacher. Alonso is now in his prime as a Grand Prix driver and for all the quality of Lewis Hamilton and the promise and maturing brilliance of Sebastian Vettel, Alonso is still the biggest beast in the F1 jungle.
Schumacher, yet to get back to his peak and to challenge Alonso in a competitive situation, is trying to mix it with him, perhaps looking for the psychological combat to inspire him back to his old level. A few years away from the scene has meant that he doesn’t carry that air of dominance around with him, especially on the track.
“Basically on my last try, I was slowed down by him,” said Schumacher after qualifying. He wanted to know if the Ferrari team had informed Alonso that Schumacher was coming through.
“In a way it is difficult because he was on his in-lap, and he was worrying about other things than maybe watching the mirror. But saying that, we had this chat yesterday in the drivers’ briefing that this should be taken care of, and actually he was one of the main guys asking about it.
“I had a conversation with Charlie (Whiting) about it because I wanted to know what are the guidelines here – and whether the rules have changed a little bit to what they used to be. I [told Whiting I] need to know what would you be okay with, and what not.”
Alonso told my Spanish colleagues on Sunday that Schumacher should have “taken the matter up with the stewards, rather than the TV cameras.”

It looks to me as Schumacher is clever about psychological tactics and Alonso is playing on the Schumacher bashing faction of the media. It is probably no coincidence that some British and Italian media rode some tactless bashing attacks on the German competitor this weekend.

[Mr Alcatraz]

It looks to me as Schumacher is clever about psychological tactics and Alonso is playing on the Schumacher bashing faction of the media. It is probably no coincidence that some British and Italian media rode some tactless bashing attacks on the German competitor this weekend.

WB I’m calling shenanigans


I dig the shi+ out of Mike, however here is reality.

Alonso is now in his prime as a Grand Prix driver and for all the quality of Lewis Hamilton and the promise and maturing brilliance of Sebastian Vettel, Alonso is still the biggest beast in the F1 jungle.
Schumacher, yet to get back to his peak and to challenge Alonso in a competitive situation, is trying to mix it with him, perhaps looking for the psychological combat to inspire him back to his old level. A few years away from the scene has meant that he doesn’t carry that air of dominance around with him, especially on the track.

[godlameroso]

To those that think Vettel should have won, they clearly ignore the fact that he nearly destroyed the suspension in qualifying, see for yourself look at the last sector onboard and you see massive sparks flying out the front.

[timbo]

To those that think Vettel should have won, they clearly ignore the fact that he nearly destroyed the suspension in qualifying, see for yourself look at the last sector onboard and you see massive sparks flying out the front.

I've seen sparks from Schuey's car and he finished.

[godlameroso]

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FPWxevgWiQo[/youtube]

Watch around 1:13 in this video, you can see the slam that the suspension receives.

[myurr]

Watch around 1:13 in this video, you can see the slam that the suspension receives.

Looks like the tyre being pulled outwards laterally as he comes back over the curb with the sparks coming from something inside the hub itself. I'm going to guess that this should not happen!

[allan]

that car is so low to the ground that you could hear it bottoming on multiple occasions during the lap.
i'll leave this observation open to interpretations...

[timbo]

It's very tough to say. IMO the sparks more likely come from front wing, I've seen it a couple times. All in all, his wheel lasted half a race.