2015 Malaysian Grand Prix - Sepang

[Alexgtt]

Ah well, what's done is done. Onto the race. As I said much earlier in the thread, rain is the only factor left to spice this one up in my opinion. Great shame Kimi is not in the right position as I was quite looking forward to his battle with Vettel.

Rosberg hasn't had great starts in recent races so maybe we'll see Hamilton fly out in front with Rosberg delayed behind Vettel for a few laps.

[iotar__]

Just for the sake of it:Lap record at Sepang is 1'34''223 (2004, Montoya).Oh yea F1 turbo cars are fast, no doubt about it. Pathetic.

A decade ago, Alonso did the fastest lap ever in Sepang: 1.32.5. Last year, Rosberg already did 1.39.0 on FP3 and, this year, the fastest lap done was 1.39.2I was expecting 1 to 1,5s of improvement(majorly due to PU improvement) of 2015 cars. There were some enthusiasts claiming 3s.How pathetic slow these cars are

So, pole is likely to be around 1:38.5. That's about 4 seconds off the best ever lap at the track that's probably the single worst for these cars of the entire year.Meanwhile:
At Bahrain, we can expect to see pole around 1:31 (within a second of the lap record)
At Spain, we can expect around a 1:23 (within 2 seconds of the lap record despite it being an extremely high downforce circuit)
At Monaco, a 1:13 (a second faster than the lap record)
At Canada, a 1:12 (a second faster than the lap record)
At Austria, a 1:06 (2 seconds faster than the lap record)
At Silverstone, a 1:33(within 2 seconds of the lap record, despite it being an extremely high downforce circuit)
Basically, we're there or there abouts the lap records. Malaysia is almost the archetypal worst case for the current generation of cars.

Sepang has lot's of long DRS straights to benefit these cars.
They are much far because Montoya's lap is a RACE lap, overall, 1.38.5 would mean 6s off.
Also, they did 1.18 on Barcelona when testing with slicks in 2008. Barrichello in 2009 and Webber in 2010, brought it 1.19.
Watching these cars onboard seems like a "cruising lap" through corners if you're used to videos of 2004-2013

We can find all excuses (engine, aero, track) you mentioned them all, but it wont change the fact that 11 (yes that is 11) years ago (or 16 if we take 1999) the cars were faster. If you dont move forward you are moving backward. For sure we have hybrid tech and all gizmos but where is the thrill?
I dont know why there cant be a way for the FIA to make these cars a bit faster. It is not a problem of going faster just for the sake of it but I cannot help it to look at previous years and it kinds of make me sad everytime.
I guess i am just an old grumpy F1 fan that uses forums to spit my anger at the FIA

+1Meanwhile, Porsche destroyed LMP1 Paul Ricard record yesterday and today at the Prologue

Look I'm sorry some of you are balding or whatever it is but this is the weirdest time for sudden outbreak of good-old-times disease and bringing lap times as something negative. These are not excuses but physical reasons (weight, tyres, power, aero), there's no point in chasing certain speeds on current circuits, seasons that were mentioned were awful and this season is classically awful too. Technological advancements (like pound for found downforce) are huge and times are proving it not disproving (Symonds' Marussia winning everything in the good old days).

Le Mans example is the worst: last season it was one team competing only with its reliability, winner was in a different league pace wise but survived, third one was a combination of the other two and "learning". Not to mention focus on fuel consumption techniques instead of driving. Hybrids, fuel consumption and no competition are hardly a pinnacle of motor racing.

[De Jokke]

Haven't seen Alonso, schum or Vettel doing a 2008 Silverstone performance.

What, winning a race on a dominant car(Kovalainen was on pole) and having the benefit of no spray ahead?

These 3 have done way more, something that Hamilton never did, ie, put it on pole or win in a clearly much inferior car.

All these 3 are head and shoulders better than the guy who crashed in Monaco 2008 because couldn't keep up with Massa in the wet track

=D> This, what are you smoking?

Dominant car? 2008 dominant car was the ferrari.
He did win 2008 monaco, didn't he?

[Juzh]

Hungary 2011, china 2009. Lost count of spins.

[ringo]

Haven't seen Alonso, schum or Vettel doing a 2008 Silverstone performance.

What, winning a race on a dominant car(Kovalainen was on pole) and having the benefit of no spray ahead?

These 3 have done way more, something that Hamilton never did, ie, put it on pole or win in a clearly much inferior car.

All these 3 are head and shoulders better than the guy who crashed in Monaco 2008 because couldn't keep up with Massa in the wet track

I don't think you watch F1 closely enough in the past 15 years or so. It's crazy to even suggest Hamilton is not good in the wet. Alonso is not wet weather specialist. too many spins and barrier hits to even put him anywhere with shumacher on that front.
Hamilton has proven too many times that he is one of the best. We shouldn't even be having this discussion, as it would be a waste of energy bringing up all the drives where he as tonked the field, including the holy grail that is shumacher in some really memorable races.
Sometimes to best wet races to watch are the battles in the wet. Last year at suzuka, the battle with webber and shumi at nurburg ring, battle with shumi in china.. too many examples with Hamilton to list. Let's just end this discussion here. Vettel is good in the wet as well, but he doesn't have the portofolio of Hamilton at all. He's good but he's not magical, he wont leave you scratching your head wondering if the track was dry under his tyres.
What happened today was a good lap by Vettel, but without Kimi there, and without Lewis getting a clean lap, i would say that the first run was a better indicator of the relative wet weather pace, and 1.2s blows everyone else out of the water.

[QLDriver]

What, winning a race on a dominant car(Kovalainen was on pole) and having the benefit of no spray ahead?

These 3 have done way more, something that Hamilton never did, ie, put it on pole or win in a clearly much inferior car.

All these 3 are head and shoulders better than the guy who crashed in Monaco 2008 because couldn't keep up with Massa in the wet track

All of the drivers have gone off in the wet at some point.

[MercedesAMGSpy]

Poor show from Rosberg. Focus on your own laps, that will work instead of blocking and asking for dry lines.

[De Jokke]

Hungary 2011, china 2009. Lost count of spins.

Like no other driver can't spin?

Try massa or raikkonen in silverstone 2008. Then you'll have lost count

[De Jokke]

Haven't seen Alonso, schum or Vettel doing a 2008 Silverstone performance.

What, winning a race on a dominant car(Kovalainen was on pole) and having the benefit of no spray ahead?

These 3 have done way more, something that Hamilton never did, ie, put it on pole or win in a clearly much inferior car.

All these 3 are head and shoulders better than the guy who crashed in Monaco 2008 because couldn't keep up with Massa in the wet track

I don't think you watch F1 closely enough in the past 15 years or so. It's crazy to even suggest Hamilton is not good in the wet. Alonso is not wet weather specialist. too many spins and barrier hits to even put him anywhere with shumacher on that front.
Hamilton has proven too many times that he is one of the best. We shouldn't even be having this discussion, as it would be a waste of energy bringing up all the drives where he as tonked the field, including the holy grail that is shumacher in some really memorable races.
Sometimes to best wet races to watch are the battles in the wet. Last year at suzuka, the battle with webber and shumi at nurburg ring, battle with shumi in china.. too many examples with Hamilton to list. Let's just end this discussion here. Vettel is good in the wet as well, but he doesn't have the portofolio of Hamilton at all. He's good but he's not magical, he wont leave you scratching your head wondering if the track was dry under his tyres.
What happened today was a good lap by Vettel, but without Kimi there, and without Lewis getting a clean lap, i would say that the first run was a better indicator of the relative wet weather pace, and 1.2s blows everyone else out of the water.

This sums it up quite nicely

[Sevach]

Haven't seen Alonso, schum or Vettel doing a 2008 Silverstone performance.

Shame you didn't watch Spa 95, or Spain 96, or...

Jup but not as good...

Ok... now i know what i'm dealing with.

[Juzh]

Hungary 2011, china 2009. Lost count of spins.

Like no other driver can't spin?

Try massa or raikkonen in silverstone 2008. Then you'll have lost count

Lost it there too.

[crbassassin]

He wasn't on the racing line.

Yea he was. Right on the racing line to the point Hamilton had to overtake on the inside of Rosberg to get by.

When asked about it in the press conference Hamilton very diplomatically replied " I don't remember."

To be a fly on the wall....

No, it was Rosberg who said "don't remember"

[3jawchuck]

No, it was Rosberg who said "don't remember"

Link here: http://www.fia.com/sites/default/files/ ... erence.pdf

Questions was: "On your final run you caught up to Nico at a slightly awkward place, did that cause you a problem?"
Answer from HAM was: "Don't really remember, so obviously not."


Edit: Better link

[Artur Craft]

I didn't watch PC but, watching Q3 live, I thought Rosberg indeed deserved a penalty for that. It can't be proved if he did it on purpose but, at the very least, he should have been more attentive to his mirrors as he aborted his lap.

Has nobody on the PC asked Lewis about his last lap, though? I mean, why couldn't he improve? For those with the app, was he purple at any sector of the last lap?

[crbassassin]

No, it was Rosberg who said "don't remember"

Link here: http://www.fia.com/sites/default/files/ ... erence.pdf

Questions was: "On your final run you caught up to Nico at a slightly awkward place, did that cause you a problem?"
Answer from HAM was: "Don't really remember, so obviously not."


Edit: Better link

thanks