27/06/2010
NEWS STORY
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In the eyes of some, if the two GP2 races were anything to go by then today's European GP could see a number of cars wiped out on the first lap.
Then again, most of the incidents in both races were more about downright stupidity than over enthusiasm or 'race incidents'. After all, the F1 boys are a lot more sensible than their GP2 counterparts, aren't they?
If we have learned anything from the GP2 races - other than the fact that most of these guys should never be let anywhere near an F1 car - it is that the second slot on the grid (Mark Webber) might have a slight advantage this afternoon.
With the weather not likely to be a problem, we have to look to tyre strategy and first lap madness if we are to see the field finish in a different order than which it leaves the grid, after all, as the pre-event press releases made quite clear, Valencia isn't a circuit where you can overtake. Thanks Bernie.
With an eye on this afternoon's World Cup match between England and German, Vettel will be keen to score an early goal against Lewis Hamilton and McLaren. However, the fact that Australia's World Cup is over shouldn't deter Mark Webber, particularly if the Australian is able to do at the start of today's race what he did in Malaysia.
Then again, let's never forget what happened in Turkey. No matter how many pictures and press releases are issued - and contracts renewed - damage was done that day, and the festering wound that resulted is still there, albeit covered by a bandage.
Over the last 72 hours the pundits have done 180 degrees. Initially favouring McLaren, claiming that this track wouldn't suit the Red Bulls, they now insist that for the Woking team today is about damage limitation as its Austrian rivals head for a 1-2.
Other than Vettel, Webber and Hamilton, keep an eye on the Ferraris which are looking much improved this weekend, despite Fernando Alonso's constant whining that his team must work harder.
Ever the dark horse, Robert Kubica could pull a surprise, the Pole having looked good all weekend. The fact that his teammate also qualified in the Top Ten must surely give Renault a boost, providing Petrov can keep out of trouble on the opening lap.
Jenson Button was almost as disappointed as Webber after qualifying, however, it would be wrong to write off the world champion, especially as tyre wear could be a problem in the latter stages of the race.
The Williams duo of Barrichello and Hulkenberg pulled out all the stops in their bid to make it into Q3 and it paid off. However, it remains to be seen whether the Grove duo can convert this into a points finish. There are some in the paddock getting very frustrated with the team's lack of real progress.
If Force India is disappointed not to have got at least one car into Q3 imagine how Mercedes must feel, the German team having its worst session of the season. At a time when it was expected that the Brackley-based outfit might take a step forward, it appears to have actually fallen behind, much to the obvious delight of some sections of the British media.
The German team is one of three running a heavily revised car here, mainly focussing on the blown diffuser. However, whereas Ferrari and Renault have made progress, Mercedes - despite the genius of Ross Brawn and his team - clearly hasn't.
Sauber looks set to continue it battle with Toro Rosso, the Swiss team no doubt keen to divest itself of its 2010 chassis along with the BMW name at season end.
Lotus continues to be the best of the newbies, however, we really could do with a little less celebrating in terms of the 500th Grand Prix nonsense. In the eyes of many, Tony Fernandes outfit has as much to do with Colin Chapmans' legendary team as the Bootleg Beatles have with John, Paul, George and Ringo. Perhaps if they stopped pushing the historic message so hard we might cut them a little more slack.
Montreal spoiled us, and though this afternoon might well provide another classic we very much doubt it. Valencia is yet another of Bernie Ecclestone's new breed of tracks, style over substance, though in all honesty it even fails in the glamour stakes, appearing, as we have said before, to be no better than Great Yarmouth with added sunshine.
It is bland, banal and boring, it has no place on the F1 calendar, but who are we to say?
Well, in all honesty, shortly after yesterday's qualifying session, EXPN Classic showed a highlights film of the 1976 season, the season in which Niki Lauda lost out on the title by just one point, despite being given the last rites following his horrendous crash at the Nurburgring.
Watching circuits such as Long Beach, Zandvoort, Kyalami, Anderstorp, the Osterreichring and Watkins Glen, just moments after witness the awfulness that is Valencia certainly brought home how much our beloved sport has changed. Back then, the circuits were circuits, the cars were cars and the men were men. Where did it all go wrong?
Asked if he is hoping for a Safety Car, in order to aid his chances, the Englishman in emphatic. "No," he responds, "we don't want any safety cars, I want to watch the England game." Sadly, like his McLaren teammate, Hamilton, Jenson is a Gooner.
As the field prepares to head off on the warm-up lap, the air temperature is 26 degrees C, while the track temperature is 46 degrees. While we do not expect the weather gods to play a part today, the heat, especially for those cars running the blown diffuser, could be an issue. Furthermore, the heat led to GP2 organizers reducing the length of the Feature Race due to concerns over fuel consumption.
They head off on the warm-up lap, everyone getting away. While the top ten runners are all on super-softs (option), much of the rest of the field is on the harder medium (prime) tyre.
Vettel is on the grid for ages as he waits for the grid to form behind him.
They're away, and Hamilton passes Webber and attacks Vettel as Alonso also gets past the Australian. Button and Kubica make great starts as Webber slips don behind the Williams duo.
"Vettel hit me," says Hamilton, "I've got a vibration on my left-front."
At the end of lap 1, it's: Vettel, Hamilton, Alonso, Massa, Kubica, Button, Barrichello, Hulkenberg, Webber and Buemi. Schumacher is up to eleventh as Rosberg runs wide and slips down to fourteenth. Trulli pits.
At the end of lap 2, Vettel leads Hamilton by 2.3s as Webber duels with Hulkenberg for eighth. Alonso, in third, heads a train of three cars, as he is told that Hamilton has lost part of his front wing.
Despite the damage to his car, Hamilton is lapping quicker than everyone bar Vettel, extending his lead over Webber to 2.3s. As Schumacher is told to go easy on his brakes, which are overheating, Trulli makes his second stop of the afternoon.
On lap 5, Vettel posts a new fastest lap (43.055), as Hulkenberg continues to keep Webber at bay. Behind Webber, Buemi heads a train of five cars including Schumacher and the Force Indias.
At the end of lap 7, Webber pits, his team clearly having to change its strategy in an attempt to get him into some clear space where he can use his obvious speed advantage. Sadly, however, there's a problem with the left-front which loses him precious seconds, he rejoins in nineteenth.
Next time around, Rosberg pits as Alonso posts a new fastest lap (42.566), the Spaniard now 5.2s down on Vettel.
There's a horrendous crash as Webber hits Kovalainen, the Red Bull somersaulting and then sliding at high speed into the barriers. Thankfully, he's out of the car and OK. A horrific crash.
As the safety car is deployed, Button and a whole load of other pit, next time around Vettel, Hamilton, Alonso, Massa and Alguersuari also pit. Hamilton changes his front wing, which is badly damaged following that first lap clash with Vettel.
After 10 laps, with the Safety Car still deployed, the order is: Vettel, Hamilton and Schumacher, though the German pits. Kobayashi, who has yet to stop, moves up to third, ahead of Button, Barrichello, Kubica, Buemi, Sutil, Hulkenberg and Alonso.
Schumacher leaves the pits as the field is passing and the pitlane exit light is red, leaving the Mercedes driver with no option but to wait, dropping him to the back of the field.
Another replay of Webber's crash and it is still as sickening and frightening as the first time we saw it. "I was defending and he ran into me," says Kovalainen, a masterpiece of understatement.
At the end of lap 13, Schumacher pits again, changing from the option to prime tyre having fitted the super-softs during his previous stop.
At the end of the next lap the Safety Car pulls off, Vettel backs up the field before slamming his foot to the floor, leading Hamilton and Kobayashi towards the final corner. However, he overdoes it, and locks up almost allowing Hamilton through however, somehow the German maintains position.
Despite his best efforts, Hulkenberg is unable to prevent Alonso passing as Button closes in on Kobayashi, the Sauber driver still to pit.
Massa, who lost out badly in the mass pit stop, as did his Ferrari teammate, is chasing Liuzzi for fourteenth while Schumacher passes both Hispanias to take nineteenth.
With his new wing, Hamilton is pursuing Vettel, the Englishman just 1.2s behind the Red Bull. Button, who is stuck behind Kobayashi, is under attack from Barrichello, who heads a train that includes Kubica, Buemi, Sutil, Alonso, Hulkenberg, de la Rosa, Petrov, Rosberg, Liuzzi and Massa.
On lap 17, Hamilton goes quickest (41.828), closing to within 1.1s of the race leader. Next time around it is the German who goes quickest (41.696) as Button is lapping 0.3s slower than Kobayashi.
As Hamilton asks if he can save fuel, Alonso voices his unhappiness with something the Englishman did during the safety car period, possibly backing up the field. Hamilton is told to save fuel and save his attack for later.
Kobayashi, now 7.6s down on Hamilton, still shows no sign of pitting, much to Button's frustration. Elsewhere, Rosberg, like his teammate before him, is told to take it easy on his brakes.
On lap 20, the stewards announce that Hamilton is under investigation.
As Vettel posts another fastest lap (40.943), Rosberg is warned that his brake wear is critical, the German responds by posting a personal best in the first sector.
With Button unable, or unwilling, to pass Kobayashi, the race is being destroyed, effectively becoming a two-horse race. Behind the Sauber driver, who is now 11.1s down on Hamilton, there are 14 cars, covered by 14s.
As Hamilton is handed a drive-through, it is revealed that the Englishman is being penalised for overtaking the Safety Car when it was deployed. Despite the penalty, McLaren tell Hamilton to remain on track and attack Vettel until further notice.
The Englishman responds by posting a new fastest lap (40.715) as he closes to within 1.7s of Vettel. Kobayashi is now 13.1s down on the McLaren, 1.6s ahead of Button.
The TV camera picks up a bottle which is lying in the middle of the track just as Hamilton serves his drive through. The McLaren driver rejoins still in second, albeit now just 1.3s ahead of Kobayashi but 14.5s down on Vettel.
Alonso is about to get some very bad news. He asks what position Hamilton was in (before his penalty) and what position he's in now. "He's still in second," is the response, "it is really unfair".
As a brave marshal runs on to the track to retrieve that bottle, Hamilton posts another fastest lap (40.686), as Kobayashi shows no sign of pitting.
After 32 laps, it's: Vettel, Hamilton, Kobayashi, Button, Barrichello, Kubica, Buemi, Sutil, Alonso and Hulkenberg. de la Rosa is eleventh, ahead of Petrov, Rosberg, Liuzzi, Massa, Alguersuari, Schumacher, di Grassi, Chandhok, Senna, Glock and Trulli. Kovalainen and Webber being the only retirements - if you can describe a crash like that merely as a retirement.
"Your car is a little hot," Kubica is told. "If you can, on the straights pull out from behind Barrichello." Both Williams still in the top ten.
On lap 35, Hamilton posts another fastest lap (40.670) as he closes to within 11.2s of Vettel. However, the German doesn't appear duly concerned, 11s is a nice comfort cushion on a track like this.
As Schumacher makes his third stop of the afternoon, Hamilton losses time behind Senna and Glock who are squabbling for twentieth. Moments later the backmarkers cause problems for Kobayashi and Button. Senna and Glock clash, the German diving straight back into the pits while the Brazilian soldiers on.
Now on soft rubber (again) Schumacher goes quickest in the middle sector, going on to post a new fastest lap (40.148). His team appears to be using the remainder of the race as a glorified test session.
Buemi and Alonso having a great scrap for eighth, the Swiss also battling with Sutil who is running seventh. The Toro Rosso driver locks up at the final corner but Alonso is unable to take advantage.
There's blue smoke pouring out of the back of Hulkenberg's car, the German's race looking to be at end. The Williams crew take their places in the pitlane but their driver doesn't stop. Elsewhere, another fastest lap from Schumacher (39.895).
After 42 laps, Kobayashi is still running in third, lapping 0.3s quicker than the race leader and maintaining a 1.1s gap to Button. Fifth placed Barrichello is now 6.6s down on Button.
Next time around di Grassi makes his first stop of the afternoon, leaving Kobayashi as the only driver still to stop.
The Race Stewards announce that a whole load of cars - not including Vettel or Hamilton - are under investigation for lapping too quickly behind the Safety Car.
Alonso is advised that five of the cars ahead of him are under investigation and that therefore he should "be cool". Those five are Button, Barrichello, Sutil, Buemi and Kubica. The other driver under investigation are Hulkenberg, de la Rosa, Petrov and Liuzzi. The decision will be made after the race.
On lap 47, Hamilton posts a 39.776 lap as he closes to within 7.9s of Vettel, the Englishman around 1.7s quicker than the Red Bull driver. England v Germany Part 1.
Vettel responds with a 39.863 but Hamilton has a 39.418 up his sleeve, taking another 0.5s from the race leader. Had it not been for that drive-through, these two would be side-by-side by now.
As Button closes to within 0.9s of Kobayashi, Hamilton posts 39.501 to take another 0.4s from the race leader. Elsewhere, Hulkenberg stops at Turn 13, the third retirement of the afternoon.
Replay has Hulkenberg being told to stop near a fire marshal, his right-rear tyre clearly delaminated and damaging his rear bodywork. Out of the car, Rosberg kicks the tyre in frustration.
On lap 52, Vettel posts a new fastest lap (39.141) as he extends his lead to 8s. Kobayashi is lapping just 0.7s off the German's pace.
Next time around, Kobayashi finally pits, fitting a set of option tyres for the final 5 laps. The Japanese driver rejoins in ninth just behind Alonso. However, let's not forget those nine drivers that are under investigation. Elsewhere, Schumacher posts a new fastest lap (38.968).
Now in clear air, and 7.7s behind his teammate, Button posts the fastest lap of the race (38.766). Looks like a 2-3 for McLaren, the post race investigation notwithstanding.
Under pressure from Alonso, Buemi locks up, allowing Kobayashi to close right in. The Japanese driver having a great race here, a showing from him and his Swiss team.
He dives past Alonso, leaving the Ferrari driver for dead, absolutely brilliant. That said, in all fairness, the Spaniard is on very old rubber.
Vettel takes the flag with Hamilton crossing the line 5s later. Button takes third ahead of Barrichello, Kubica, Sutil and Kobayashi who passes Buemi at the final corner. Alonso finishes ninth ahead of de la Rosa, Petrov, Rosberg, Liuzzi, Massa, Alguersuari, Schumacher, di Grassi, Glock, Chandhok, Senna and Trulli.
"Well done," Vettel is told by an English member of the Red Bull crew, "Germany's best result of the day!" Sadly it was not to be, with Germany taking its cue from Sebastian and giving England a 4-1 drubbing.
A couple of hours after the race, Button, Barrichello, Kubica, Sutil, Buemi, de la Rosa, Petrov, Rosberg and Liuzzi were all penalised for failing to stay above the minimum time set by the FIA ECU when the Safety Car was deployed, a breach of Article 40.7 of the 2010 FIA Formula One Sporting Regulations.
Each driver had 5s added to his time which meant that as far as the point scorers are concerned - Alonso was promoted from ninth to eighth, while Nico Rosberg leapfrogged de la Rosa and Petrov to take tenth.
However on a day when we should have been lauding the likes of Max Mosley and the FIA in terms of safety, or perhaps even giving full credit to Sebastian, Lewis and Kamui for their performances, we were instead left with a somewhat bitter aftertaste as Ferrari and Fernando Alonso whined endlessly about the unfairness of the timing of the Safety Car and the fact that Lewis Hamilton wasn't punished enough for passing it.