2014 Austrian Grand Prix - Red Bull Ring

[SiLo]

Great qualifying! So pleased for Williams and Massa.

No idea what was up with Hamilton, probably had the speed to be on pole but threw it away with his banker lap and no idea what was wrong with his second attempt. I can see this championship being one by Rosberg at this rate just by being slightly more consistent, and lucky with retirements!

I reckon there will be a crash at turn 1, I'm hoping Rosberg is involved just so the championship doesn't get too closed off for one driver!

[Tim.Wright]

I didn't see the spin but if he locked a rear without having it on a white line or something low-grip while the fronts worked normally then its almost certainly a failure. The rear tyres need to be well under their limit under braking in order to leave enough cornering stiffness available to give a stable behaviour. So IMO there's no way a driver can lock up a rear wheel himself accidentally.

[djos]

As a long suffering Williams fan I'm thrilled to see Williams get a front row lockout - imo its well deserved and about time!

I've always been a Massa doubter but kudos to him and Bottas, both did a great job and I hope Massa wins the race. He will deserve it after a few very lean years.

[PlatinumZealot]

I didn't see the spin but if he locked a rear without having it on a white line or something low-grip while the fronts worked normally then its almost certainly a failure. The rear tyres need to be well under their limit under braking in order to leave enough cornering stiffness available to give a stable behaviour. So IMO there's no way a driver can lock up a rear wheel himself accidentally.

I too thought it was a brake failure but it was confirmed by Toto Wolf to be a bump in the track.

Sad, because HAM was faster today... but it's just bad luck.

[f1universe]

Not gonna happen, but a podium with both Williams and Alonso will be amazing.

[djos]

I too thought it was a brake failure but it was confirmed by Toto Wolf to be a bump in the track.

Sad, because HAM was faster today... but it's just bad luck.

Seriously? I'm not even a Ham fan and I find that explanation to be dubious!

[zeph]

Out on a limb time:I predict an Alonso win today!

Heck, why not Hamilton second and Massa third! It could happen!

[Juzh]

[SectorOne]

Not good for Bottas this.. even with a healthy points lead over your teammate i can´t imagine it being good for your stocks when a number 2 driver (self-proclaimed at Ferrari) shows more promise then you do.

Obviously people who know, knew that Massa is and always will be one of the quickest drivers when things work (whooped Kimi, matched Hamilton, and played with Alonso in the latest stages of seasons) you still have to consistently beat him to be named in the same sentence as the big three.

I don´t know, i sort of expected a prodigy in Bottas but i´m not seeing it yet, same with Kvyat and Magnussen. Very good drivers but they are no Alonso in progress.

[atanatizante]

Lewis said on Sky that he don't know what happened but on RTL said it was his fault. Now Wolf said it was a bump ... I think the truth is Lewis has been downshiting to aggressive and the pit limited kicked in, as someone e said ... no way you lock the rears and have a snap motion like that ... clearly a software glitch
On other note it'll be a cracking race (mark my words) and maybe the best of the year, like yesterday was in GP2 ...
Williams are 5-6 mph faster than anybody else and it'll be very hard to past them like FI in Canada were
Only in turn 3 could be a possibility to pass but mainly after the pitstops when Mercer supperior advantage over the soft tyre is between 7 tenths (as we saw in Q1) and 1 sec. in FP2 race simulation
Lewis must survive the first corner tangle and with his supperior overtaking skills will have a cracking race, culminating with beautifully passes even in non theoretical places like turn 8, as we could saw is possible yesterday in GP2!

[Manoah2u]

i say massa cuts the corner too sharp with bottas next to him nowhere to go, contact, snapped suspension for massa, bottas a flat left and damaged nosecone, Rosberg right there to cultivate the moment and take the lead, alonso having a bad start with ricciardo passing, all the long hamilton is held up by the chaos in front of him and pastor maldonado crashes into him.

Rosberg win, Alonso second, Ricciardo 3rd.

after the first corner havoc the rest of the race will be bland and boring. Vettel gets a DNF with engine malfunctions.

[iotar__]

Lewis said on Sky that he don't know what happened but on RTL said it was his fault. Now Wolf said it was a bump ... I think the truth is Lewis has been downshiting to aggressive and the pit limited kicked in, as someone e said ... no way you lock the rears and have a snap motion like that ... clearly a software glitch
On other note it'll be a cracking race (mark my words) and maybe the best of the year, like yesterday was in GP2 ...
Williams are 5-6 mph faster than anybody else and it'll be very hard to past them like FI in Canada were

Aargh Can't you accept that Hamilton had horrible qualifying, can only blame himself and move on, it happens. 1. There was no software glitches only mental glitch. 2. It's not what Wolff said: http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/114574

Anyway and moving on - Whiting: "During the race, any driver leaving the track on the exit of Turn 8 who appears to have gained a clear and lasting advantage by doing so, will be reported to the stewards," "We would not, for example, expect a driver who left the track on the exit of Turn 8 to attempt to pass a driver in front of him into Turn 1."
Hmmm how about what Ricciardo did in qualifying - car in front goes into pitlane, he carries more speed on purpose, goes wide in eighth, clearly gaining advantage compared to another driver, let's say in front of him, who stays on the track, no overtakes just closing and overtaking later. Is it clear, long-lasting advantage?

"Furthermore, any drivers who repeatedly leave the track on the exit of Turn 8 will also be reported to the stewards." "Drivers are reminded that if they leave the track they may re-join but only if they do so safely and without gaining any lasting advantage." I can't wait. How much is repeatedly again? For Maldonado = -3, for Alonso - infinite. Based on nothing this track does not seem overtaking friendly.

[AnthonyG]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jz9Lj9FRi88

I love the smell of inside lock-up.

[JimClarkFan]

Not good for Bottas this.. even with a healthy points lead over your teammate i can´t imagine it being good for your stocks when a number 2 driver (self-proclaimed at Ferrari) shows more promise then you do.

Obviously people who know, knew that Massa is and always will be one of the quickest drivers when things work (whooped Kimi, matched Hamilton, and played with Alonso in the latest stages of seasons) you still have to consistently beat him to be named in the same sentence as the big three.

I don´t know, i sort of expected a prodigy in Bottas but i´m not seeing it yet, same with Kvyat and Magnussen. Very good drivers but they are no Alonso in progress.

I think a comparison with Alonso is pretty unfair to any driver - Alonso could be the greatest F1 driver of all time. We know now from the struggles of Kimi that Massa's efforts at Ferrari were much better than many had thought. But like you said, Massa beat Kimi in 2008, for some reason though we all seem to have forgotten or ignored those results because we want to hold Raikkonnen in higher regard that we perhaps should have.

[basti313]

ARGGG...still wrong...these "traditional" dresses for the grid girls are ridiculous. How can they get it so wrong? The designer can't be German or Austrian.