Korean GP 2011 - Yeong-Am International Circuit

[vall]

Okay the causes for the downforce losses are coming out in the latest interviews. On Lewis's car tyre rubber had lodged itself in the slot gap in the front wing, filling it and causing the losses in downforce. I would guess that this was causing that section of the wing to stall causing all Lewis's understeer problems in the high speed corners.

Jensen's front wing was damaged by a stone also causing a loss of downforce, albeit not to the same extent.

Whaaaaaaaa ?!? Can that even happen I told in another tread that I don't like marbles. Ok the tyre should degrade, but the marbling is waaay over the top, it creates security issues and sometimes puts the off-racing line out of comission so it can't be used, hampering racing. If really a tyre piece got stuck in the fw (and if that's what caused the df loss), tough, tough luck Lewis.

somehow I don't believe that! The slots in FW look to wide for a marble get stuck there. The marbles look kinda smallish to me.

[Just_a_fan]

somehow I don't believe that! The slots in FW look to wide for a marble get stuck there. The marbles look kinda smallish to me.

Some of the chunks are pretty big. Only need to get one good size bit in there and others would build up around it.

[Traction]

Sounds like someone is making excuses for poor set up. Both Mclarens picking up the same problem in the same race? LH was certainly looking fastest in practice and ended up in pole position so Mclaren really though they had the better of the RBR and they probably did have however they don't have a Vettel. So they lost.

[Shrieker]

Mclaren really though they had the better of the RBR and they probably did have however they don't have a Vettel. So they lost.

More like they don't have an RB 7 but nvm.

[raymondu999]

Traction - you realize that Friday practice was wet, where there would be no marbles? Qualifying was done on a track that didn't have much running yet and so not many marbles. The real understeer problems seemingly came only around middle of the 2nd stint and through to the 3rd stint.

That setup was clearly balanced enough and good enough to take pole.

It is entirely plausible that both McLarens pick up the same problem - what if it's a problem in the flap design that somehow means it always collects marbles in, say, Turn 17?

Please don't make snide remarks when you yourself don't have evidence to the contrary

[ringo]

Sounds like someone is making excuses for poor set up. Both Mclarens picking up the same problem in the same race? LH was certainly looking fastest in practice and ended up in pole position so Mclaren really though they had the better of the RBR and they probably did have however they don't have a Vettel. So they lost.

I guess they don't have a webber either, as webber was faster than both mclarens.

It wasn't the setup. The redbull was just faster. It's becuase redbull don't have a Hamilton that they didn't get pole.

[ringo]

somehow I don't believe that! The slots in FW look to wide for a marble get stuck there. The marbles look kinda smallish to me.

The marbles are quite huge. Especially when they ball up.
Remember the controversy at the beginning of the year about the mables?

It also seems the cameras have be setup to tune out the marbles. I remember in the earlier races the marbles were more obvious. Now it seems that Pirelli had a word with the BBC to kind of blurr out the marbles.

A slot gap can be as little as 10 or 5mm, these pirelli marbles can roll up as huge as a snickers bar.

[raymondu999]

Let's not go into driver debates here. Right now the issue at hand is that shortly after the restart Lewis began losing time. Partly it was down to defending from Webber; and partly down to a front wing possibly stalled due to marbles inside the slot.

Marbles shooting around have been a problem since the start of the year - that's why we see most side pods and brake ducts still have meshes in them. The only weird thing is why haven't we seen this on the McLaren before this race? Did they change something with the slots in the front wing?

[Traction]

Let's not go into driver debates here. Right now the issue at hand is that shortly after the restart Lewis began losing time. Partly it was down to defending from Webber; and partly down to a front wing possibly stalled due to marbles inside the slot.

Marbles shooting around have been a problem since the start of the year - that's why we see most side pods and brake ducts still have meshes in them. The only weird thing is why haven't we seen this on the McLaren before this race? Did they change something with the slots in the front wing?

Actually after the safety car exited in lap 20 LH was consistent in pace and in fact his lap times improved all the way till the end of the race. The only time it dropped off was during the stint with Webber.

[raymondu999]

Which is probably when the marbles got lodged

[Traction]

Which is probably when the marbles got lodged

I don't know but when he came out of the pits on new primes he was right up there with Vettel and even came within a second of him. Close enough for DRS action.That was later in the race. In fact in lap 54 LH set the fastest lap time overall for the race which SV then bettered.

[Mr Alcatraz]

Good race,

Switching gears to other drivers, Alonso was a beast! He put 5s in Bulky in a matter of laps after the pitstop. He could have got button if he just calmed his nerves a bit.
Then he "gave up". Guy's ruthless.

Yes great charge by Fred, as he dropped Massa by 10 seconds. The B0ss was tough, as was Webber, a great dice between the two. Seb was his usual dominating self.
This was a thoroughly entertaining race, if you didn't like it, you don't like F1.
Congrat's to Red Bull for taking the WCC.

[raymondu999]

Which is probably when the marbles got lodged

I don't know but when he came out of the pits on new primes he was right up there with Vettel and even came within a second of him. Close enough for DRS action.That was later in the race. In fact in lap 54 LH set the fastest lap time overall for the race which SV then bettered.

Lewis was close to Seb after the 1st stops; but never the 2nd stops. Seb was some 4 or 5 seconds down the road by then; and on Lewis's outlap he was immediately in a battle with Mark. Lap 54 LH set the fastest lap of the race but then on the last lap both Red Bulls posted a faster lap - Mark posted 2 tenths faster and SV posted 0.85 better.

You could HEAR the McLarens couldn't take the normally-flat Turn 17 flat out on throttle. The Red Bulls still could; and when the McLarens tried to they would end up wide.

As Lewis said; the team had put on the highest front flap angle they could; Lewis had unlocked the diff as much as it would go; and he was chucking the steering into corners; and the thing still wouldn't turn.

I'm a Vettel fan too mate - have been since 2003. But only the blindest of fanboys will say that on race day, in Korea, the McLaren was as quick as the Red Bull.

[Traction]

Which is probably when the marbles got lodged

I don't know but when he came out of the pits on new primes he was right up there with Vettel and even came within a second of him. Close enough for DRS action.That was later in the race. In fact in lap 54 LH set the fastest lap time overall for the race which SV then bettered.

Lewis was close to Seb after the 1st stops; but never the 2nd stops. Seb was some 4 or 5 seconds down the road by then; and on Lewis's outlap he was immediately in a battle with Mark. Lap 54 LH set the fastest lap of the race but then on the last lap both Red Bulls posted a faster lap - Mark posted 2 tenths faster and SV posted 0.85 better.

You could HEAR the McLarens couldn't take the normally-flat Turn 17 flat out on throttle. The Red Bulls still could; and when the McLarens tried to they would end up wide.

As Lewis said; the team had put on the highest front flap angle they could; Lewis had unlocked the diff as much as it would go; and he was chucking the steering into corners; and the thing still wouldn't turn.



I'm a Vettel fan too mate - have been since 2003. But only the blindest of fanboys will say that on race day, in Korea, the McLaren was as quick as the Red Bull.

Ooops apologies...you right...I meant after the race restart LH closed the gap and came within DRS range. The Mclaren's were mightily quick...

[myurr]

You could HEAR the McLarens couldn't take the normally-flat Turn 17 flat out on throttle. The Red Bulls still could; and when the McLarens tried to they would end up wide.

As Lewis said; the team had put on the highest front flap angle they could; Lewis had unlocked the diff as much as it would go; and he was chucking the steering into corners; and the thing still wouldn't turn.

And this from a car that has had probably the strongest front end all year. How many times have we seen a McLaren behind another car (even the Red Bull) where the other car was struggling to make the apex yet the McLaren in the dirty air was holding a tighter line and hitting every apex?