Japanese GP 2011 - Suzuka

[PlatinumZealot]

I hope so too.. I want him to do it at 130R or Degner. Right into the barriers! hehehe

[beelsebob]

RB7 advantage is not 1 sec, but to beat SV, you will need to advance by a sec before you can start being bullish.

Having said that, I hope I wrong so that SV will be forced to push the RB7 to its max potential.

Not really – at any high downforce circuit McLaren have been very close, and beaten Vettel at some of them. Vettel isn't a magical being.

[ajdavison2]

I said a few pages ago that rbr might be able to drs through 130r, but most people dismissed it lol.

[godlameroso]

Excellent observations my man, when you say the 150 is tail happy it is saying it's just a lot of oversteer
Do you think that it is a difficult car to drive around its shortcomings? Is it's easier to be fast with Alonso's style, and craft,
although he can do more in a really balanced car. Do you think that he is just handling that POS better than Massa, who really has had bad luck (not that it would make a big difference) this year.

The Ferrari has probably one of the best mechanical packages on the grid, this helps somewhat. With a qualifying setup their car is relatively competitive, it's when you decrease grip at the rear that the car becomes "difficult", ie using the prime tire. Massa is good at making the car fast but can't handle the tires as well as Alonso, conversely Alonso has much more finesse to his driving style, and is almost as outright quick. End result Alonso averages a 6 tenth gap over his teammate.

[Poleman]

I said a few pages ago that rbr might be able to drs through 130r, but most people dismissed it lol.

That won't help them much in the race though no? Just in their usual qualy showoff.

[Mr Alcatraz]

. End result Alonso averages a 6 tenth gap over his teammate.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mjCRUvX2D0E

[raymondu999]

I said a few pages ago that rbr might be able to drs through 130r, but most people dismissed it lol.

That won't help them much in the race though no? Just in their usual qualy showoff.

Of course not. DRS will only be available for any drivers on the pit straight. Let's face it, that's one of the things that's been helping them in qualifying, making the bulls seem faster in quaifying than the opposition, relative to their race pace.

[CHT]

RB7 advantage is not 1 sec, but to beat SV, you will need to advance by a sec before you can start being bullish.

Having said that, I hope I wrong so that SV will be forced to push the RB7 to its max potential.

Not really – at any high downforce circuit McLaren have been very close, and beaten Vettel at some of them. Vettel isn't a magical being.

being close is relative.

[CHT]

I hope so too.. I want him to do it at 130R or Degner. Right into the barriers! hehehe

there is no reason for RBR to show their full potential when they are about to wrap up the championship. Especially when RB8 is going to be a evolution of Rb7

[Gerhard Berger]

Excellent observations my man, when you say the 150 is tail happy it is saying it's just a lot of oversteer
Do you think that it is a difficult car to drive around its shortcomings? Is it's easier to be fast with Alonso's style, and craft,
although he can do more in a really balanced car. Do you think that he is just handling that POS better than Massa, who really has had bad luck (not that it would make a big difference) this year.

The Ferrari has probably one of the best mechanical packages on the grid, this helps somewhat. With a qualifying setup their car is relatively competitive, it's when you decrease grip at the rear that the car becomes "difficult", ie using the prime tire. Massa is good at making the car fast but can't handle the tires as well as Alonso, conversely Alonso has much more finesse to his driving style, and is almost as outright quick. End result Alonso averages a 6 tenth gap over his teammate.

Since Silverstone, Ferrari certainly don't have the best mechanical package on the grid. I think this was demonstrated in the last 2 races - just by watching you could see they were struggling badly for traction off the slow corners.

They have only really been competitive in qualifying at 2 tracks - Silverstone and Montreal. Apart from that, they have struggled, even with the heroics of Alonso at Barcelona and Singapore.

I don't know if the problem is purely down to rear downforce. At the beginning of the season they were struggling badly with understeer.

[godlameroso]

@GB They had understeer because they we're trying to have a balanced car, eventually they gave in, and started adding downforce at the front. What was once a very well balanced but ultimately slow car, got transformed into a faster, albeit less stable one.

[intelligentF1]

It's a bit late, but I've had a go at some analysis of the long runs in Free Practice. http://www.intelligentf1.wordpress.com

Looks like quite a few teams were looking at two vs. three stops to me with drivers on different programmes.

[Traction]

Just checking the speed cameras and although Vettel has the top speed in every sector he does not have the quickest sector times. Either RB are holding back or Mclaren have found something that really works for them.

[Traction]

It's a bit late, but I've had a go at some analysis of the long runs in Free Practice. http://www.intelligentf1.wordpress.com

Looks like quite a few teams were looking at two vs. three stops to me with drivers on different programmes.

It's definitely going to go down to tyre strategy....

[sriraj1031]

vettel
button
hamilton
massa
alonso
webber
schumacher
senna
petrov
kobayashi

order for top 10

and senna faster than petrov
massa faster than alonso