2014 Bahrain Grand Prix

[thomin]

I hate that in f1 it has become completely acceptable for the inside car to push the outside car off like Lewis and most other drivers did in this race. That's dirty racing in virtually any type of racing outside of 2000's European single seater racing.

Personally, I'm split on the issue. On the one hand, I don't like it how F1 is throwing around penalties left and right recently. For example: Sutil's punishment for his Q1 incident with Grosjean was totally over the top. Both were on their preparation lap when they passed a slower car (Caterham?) Grosjean was much faster though, Sutil tried to make way immediately after passing the other car, but by then Grosjean decided to go around the same way and he ended up stuck behind Sutil again who as a consequence not only held up Grosjean but ruined his own shot and ultimately missed Q2 because his engine setup went out of whack (or at least that's what he said).

Also, regarding pushing other cars off the track, it really is very difficult to draw the line between the car ahead using his racing line and him pushing off another car. At what point of the corner must the trailing car be how close to the car ahead for the maneuver to constitute an illegal offense? It would be bound to stir up controversy.

On the other hand, I totally see how dangerous this can potentially be and how it robs the trailing car of a fair chance to pass the car in front.

[ringo]

Well fair chance cannot exist in the age of DRS.

[Mandrake]

Aaaaaaand switching off......the excitement is killing me.....

I really really hope you didn't

I did, and other than the last 10 laps it was a very boring race. Also the MErcs flying off into the distance is worse than the last 4 Years of RedBull "dominance"

Stunning stunning stunning race...it's the best racing in the last 5 years.

Well done to Lewis, dots for me.

Ross erg tried hard..just didn't have enough this time

Well done Perez

Ricciardo showed up Vettel in this race for sure...13th to 4th well raced

Vettel a good 6th but must be looking at himself and asking what he needs to do.

SC bringing cars close to each other, then let cars settle back to the positions they belong, nice to watch, but as artificial as always.
Vettel with a car that is slower even when drafting being "showed up" by Ricciardo? Yeah, right.

What a race, how didn't Rosberg get past!

Sheer racecraft, but what fantastic racing from the pair of them.

Well, if they weren't team members, there would have been a complaint and a penalty for Hamilton. You do not drive a competitor that is next to you off track multiple times without a penalty.

Based on some of the post race interviews, Nico looked super pissed. He has no one to blame but himself really, as he tried the exact same maneuver each time. He'd take the inside line into turn 1 and exit with less momentum and that's why he would loose the drag race to turn 4. To me it's shades of Malaysia from last year, where he would overtake lewis in the first DRS zone only to be overtaken himself in the second.

What is he supposed to do? Hamilton always blocked the inside line leaving Nico only one place to put his car into, nothing Nico could do about that. What was not clean is that Hamilton then did not compromise his exits where Nico was, but drove Nico off. If it wasn't for Nico's awareness and backing off, they would have crashed. This was Nico's race after the SC and Lewis did not do his part of "make sure we get both cars home"

[Wass1985]

Aaaaaaand switching off......the excitement is killing me.....

I really really hope you didn't

I did, and other than the last 10 laps it was a very boring race. Also the MErcs flying off into the distance is worse than the last 4 Years of RedBull "dominance"

Stunning stunning stunning race...it's the best racing in the last 5 years.

Well done to Lewis, dots for me.

Ross erg tried hard..just didn't have enough this time

Well done Perez

Ricciardo showed up Vettel in this race for sure...13th to 4th well raced

Vettel a good 6th but must be looking at himself and asking what he needs to do.

SC bringing cars close to each other, then let cars settle back to the positions they belong, nice to watch, but as artificial as always.
Vettel with a car that is slower even when drafting being "showed up" by Ricciardo? Yeah, right.

What a race, how didn't Rosberg get past!

Sheer racecraft, but what fantastic racing from the pair of them.

Well, if they weren't team members, there would have been a complaint and a penalty for Hamilton. You do not drive a competitor that is next to you off track multiple times without a penalty.

Based on some of the post race interviews, Nico looked super pissed. He has no one to blame but himself really, as he tried the exact same maneuver each time. He'd take the inside line into turn 1 and exit with less momentum and that's why he would loose the drag race to turn 4. To me it's shades of Malaysia from last year, where he would overtake lewis in the first DRS zone only to be overtaken himself in the second.

What is he supposed to do? Hamilton always blocked the inside line leaving Nico only one place to put his car into, nothing Nico could do about that. What was not clean is that Hamilton then did not compromise his exits where Nico was, but drove Nico off. If it wasn't for Nico's awareness and backing off, they would have crashed. This was Nico's race after the SC and Lewis did not do his part of "make sure we get both cars home"

Utter tripe! How can one man running off in the distance be more entertaining than two drivers equally matched in the same car going at it hammer and tong??

I call it sour grapes at people calling for penalties, Hamilton did what many other drivers do at that corner, Perez did it to Alonso last year and they weren't teammates so where were the cries for penalties then??

Rosberg was the quicker driver but showed poor racecraft, he only tried the switchback once and that is by far the best move to make at that particular corner.

Worrying thing for Hamilton is that Rosberg was quicker than him, he won the battle but will he win the war??

[Mandrake]

Do not get me wrong, there were several occasions this race where ppl were run off there. And all of them should not have run the other guy off.

I bet you that in a race series where cars are not that fragile and do not get launched into the air, the guy on the outside would not have surrendered. The driver locking the inside in order not to be passed, should not not be entitled to cover up for his compromised entry by running the driver next to him off track, no matter who it is. I would even call a penalty (or guidance to let the driver pass) if somebody pushed off Maldonado there.

[Wass1985]

Do not get me wrong, there were several occasions this race where ppl were run off there. And all of them should not have run the other guy off.

I bet you that in a race series where cars are not that fragile and do not get launched into the air, the guy on the outside would not have surrendered. The driver locking the inside in order not to be passed, should not not be entitled to cover up for his compromised entry by running the driver next to him off track, no matter who it is. I would even call a penalty (or guidance to let the driver pass) if somebody pushed off Maldonado there.

I can guarantee that If there was a gravel trap there or that kerb that was removed after practice that Rosberg wouldn't have tried that move once. He knew full well he could carry extra speed around the outside knowing there was plenty of run off. Like DC said, Rosberg was testing how lenient Hamilton was. No way would any driver fighting for the title concede position and let their main rival through on the outside!

[Mandrake]

I can guarantee that If there was a gravel trap there or that kerb that was removed after practice that Rosberg wouldn't have tried that move once. He knew full well he could carry extra speed around the outside knowing there was plenty of run off. Like DC said, Rosberg was testing how lenient Hamilton was. No way would any driver fighting for the title concede position and let their main rival through on the outside!

Well then say goodbye to passing in F1 or any series. With those equally matched cars there would be no passing when Hamilton blocks the inside on corner entry. You can try to take a different apex, but Lewis would have fended that off. And without superior traction, which Rosberg did not have, he would not even have been half alongside. We only saw passing moves that why when tires were differently used and with Merc vs. Ferrari or Renault powered

[Phil]

Well then say goodbye to passing in F1 or any series. With those equally matched cars there would be no passing when Hamilton blocks the inside on corner entry. You can try to take a different apex, but Lewis would have fended that off.

Not sure I agree here mate. At the very least one occasion did Nico have the inside line (after the long DRS zone). The only problem was, he braked slightly late and ended up ahead of Lewis, thus overshot the corner a tiny bit, which allowed Lewis to do a 'hairpin' and take the corner really tight, moving back into the inside and was on the throttle earlier and then overtook him on the inside again. If you think about it, Rosberg should have either made sure to stay behind Lewis after the DRS zone or directly next to him (instead of overshooting) and then he would have had Lewis either on the outside and do the same 'closing door move'. It didn't work out and in the end it's always easier to judge this in hindsight, but it definately wasn't impossible for Rosberg to get past. I also think Rosberg should have used the DRS zones to move in closer to Lewis, but not overtake to get a better advantage for the long DRS zone when he would be able to overtake him earlier and still take the first corner on the ideal racing line.

Hamilton has showed this "race craft" numerous times in past races, for insteance I think two years ago (not sure which track), when he let a car pass (I think Alonso) on the first DRS zone, only to get the advantage to pass him back on the 2nd DRS zone. Not saying Hamilton is better, but he has shown lots of creativity when either defending or attacking.

[Wass1985]

I can guarantee that If there was a gravel trap there or that kerb that was removed after practice that Rosberg wouldn't have tried that move once. He knew full well he could carry extra speed around the outside knowing there was plenty of run off. Like DC said, Rosberg was testing how lenient Hamilton was. No way would any driver fighting for the title concede position and let their main rival through on the outside!

Well then say goodbye to passing in F1 or any series. With those equally matched cars there would be no passing when Hamilton blocks the inside on corner entry. You can try to take a different apex, but Lewis would have fended that off. And without superior traction, which Rosberg did not have, he would not even have been half alongside. We only saw passing moves that why when tires were differently used and with Merc vs. Ferrari or Renault powered

Rosberg should have used the switch back more instead of just the once, Hamilton made it work with a slower car. He also should have tried something else instead of going for the lunge into turn one, it was brilliant racing anyway.

[mrluke]

It cant have been impossible for Rosberg to overtake Hamilton, otherwise Hamilton would never have been able to take the place back...which he did.

I think we saw that Rosberg has a bit to learn from Hamilton re high pressure wheel to wheel racing, but I expect by the end of the season they will be very evenly matched (if rosberg can keep it going that long).

[lebesset]

do we all agree on something here ?
that the driver in front is entitled to drive at the maximum speed which allows him to take his line off the apex of the corner ?
is that not axiomatic ?
so as he is driving at that maximum speed how is he now supposed to take a tighter line if another car comes partly up the outside ?
is he is now supposed to brake to take a tighter line ? if that is the case than that is the end of motor racing , a following car just has to get partly alongside and the leader is forced to give the place ! as johnny mac used to say , you cannot be serious

notice that when rosberg braked late enough to get up the inside hamilton never squeezed him on to the apex ? he realised that rosberg wasn't going to make it and went for the cut back instead

[Gaz.]

The odd thing is that Rosberg said it was the most fun race of his entire career and didn't look unhappy at all in Parc Ferme, the weigh bridge, the drivers room, or the podium.... he certainly had fun while you all argue he was hard done by.

[Phil]

I think that's the effect of knowing he should have won that race, but instead losing, what many regard as one of the greatest battle in recent F1. One of the greatest battle, that will remember Hamilton as the one who won and he who should have, but failed. That's just my take. But indeed, he wasn't happy at all in the post race interview by sky. Perhaps he felt Hamilton should have been a bit nicer on the track or perhaps hard on himself for knowing he should have found a way past.

To Hamilton, it's a bit unsettling because I think ideally, you want to win, feeling you were the quicker and won on speed. This just gave the feeling that Nico was quicker and should have won. I am extremely happy though that Mercedes as a team did not intefere, so at least both drivers will not feel robbed artificially. That would have been the worst possible outcome, for the team, the drivers, us the viewers and the sport (example being last year in Malaysia).

[Wass1985]

The odd thing is that Rosberg said it was the most fun race of his entire career and didn't look unhappy at all in Parc Ferme, the weigh bridge, the drivers room, or the podium.... he certainly had fun while you all argue he was hard done by.

Believe me he was devastated that he didn't win that race, Lewis has definitely got his hands full this year.

[Pierce89]

I hate that in f1 it has become completely acceptable for the inside car to push the outside car off like Lewis and most other drivers did in this race. That's dirty racing in virtually any type of racing outside of 2000's European single seater racing.

Oh how quikly they forget, please watch below my young padowan. This is racing end of story. You probably dont remember Nico running Fernando and Lewis clean off the track two years ago on the same track? What Lewis did to Nico was fair and square. He got schooled while he should've won the race with all the advantage he had.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-VhZ7lIOEGk

Fair and square, you say. Before Senna, show me.