2015 Japanese Grand Prix - Suzuka

[cooken]

If there was tarmac there the impact likely would have been much worse and there's the potential for the car to come back onto the track near the hairpin apex and hit someone.

Nico got the banker in, regardless of mistakes by either of them. Give it a rest with the hypothetical already. As for the fanboyism, bias and favoritism will always exist, nobody can be perfectly neutral otherwise we wouldn't be called "fans". I find the rampant accusations of people calling one another fanboys much more annoying.

[giantfan10]

both Ferraris and Mercedes drivers said they were going faster for their last lap... who knows what the outcome would have been... my guess is hamilton rosberg vettel then a williams or kimi... just a guess

[CBeck113]

Kvyat got out completely uninjured but had his car totally destroyed due a mistake he made under brakes. I'd say the safety measures are working fine.

I wish every corner had those kind of consequences...

Amen.

[Sevach]

Having just watched pole position lap I can say with confidence it's the worst pole lap in years. So many mistakes I've lost count half way trough the lap.

https://vid.me/85Lr

Uhhhh... I don't see it. The only mistakes I see are being a tiny bit wide at degner 2, and the lock up into the hairpin.

The mistake in the hairpin is pretty bad (ironically just like Hamilton), but other than that, it's an OK lap.
Looking at sector times suggests Rosberg did have an edge, his ideal lap is .17 faster than Hamilton's.

Both Mercedes and Vettel left some time on the table, Bottas was probably the one who did the best lap in Q3.

[PlatinumZealot]

It is just the banker lap. That's where you feel for the limits. Of course there are going to be mistakes. Beside that i thought the lap was pretty good for the conditions.

[Moose]

No glaring errors, apart from the lock at Spoon, but talk about understeer! He barely hit an apex. It wasn't bad, he just couldn't seem to get through the apex on most corners, maybe within 30cm/1 foot out each time.

Do higher tire pressures induce understeer, or is there no correlation?

He hit every apex you're meant to hit at Japan except Degner 2 and the hairpin. A perfect lap here will not have the car hitting every single corner bang on, because there are plenty where it's better to carry more speed and position the car for the next corner than to hit the apex.

The exit of spoon is a great example of this - you won't revisit the second apex - you'll stay a few feet wide of it, because it lets you get the power down earlier and gains you speed down the straight.

[Sevach]

It is just the banker lap. That's where you feel for the limits. Of course there are going to be mistakes. Beside that i thought the lap was pretty good for the conditions.

Agreed.
Furthermore, it fullfilled the purpose of a banker, it guaranteed him the position the car deserved, even if he crapped the bed on his final lap the worst thing that would happen to Rosberg was second on the grid.

[ParkerArt]

That was a great example of why tarmac run offs are a good idea right there.

That was a great example of why tarmac run offs are a bad idea.

Huh? What makes you say that? If this had been a tarmac run off he would have slowed down before hitting the wall, rather than skimming over the gravel, and his car would not have dug into the gravel and flipped.

You mean he would have kept his foot planted into the bulkhead and never would have even cared he was over the track line?

[ParkerArt]

I don't understand the problem, if Rosberg manages to get pole with a scrappy lap, it means others where doing worse!

Besides having said that, I don't see much wrong with his pole lap.

Means they got their asses saved by their car once again.

Quick, name the last time the driver actually mattered. 2007 possibly?

[flmkane]

When was the last time the driver mattered.

2014- the driver
made the difference between Ham and Ros. Lets not forget Ric picking up three wins and making vettel look silly

[TAG]

VERY low lap count from Ferrari and Williams in qualifying. Anyone think they may be looking at a one stopper to curb the Mercs or is it simply that they anticipate major degradation and wanted to save tires as much as possible?

[Shrieker]

Clear blue skies and the sun beating down on the track. It's gonna be a fully dry race. They've mentioned it again rained last night tho. Do you guys think that might somewhat equalize things between the clean and dirty sides on the grid ?

[Uhntissbaby111]

And Hamilton already has the lead. Was hoping Rosberg or someone else would make it interesting. So much for that

[AnthonyG]

Rosberg should have held ground and crashed Hamilton.

[Goran2812]

That radio message from Fred... Guys do you think that's it from Alonso regarding Formula 1? And that he and Button are gone after this season?
You know that every time Fred starts to complain in this matter it's bye bye...

This is gonna be a boring race i think...