26/09/2010
NEWS STORY
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As we said two weeks ago at Monza, I race might not be won at the first corner, indeed, on the first lap, but it can most certainly be lost. Therefore, with so much at stake, and we refer to the 2010 titles not just the Singapore Grand Prix, the five drivers at the front of the grid this afternoon would be well advised to remember that.
Then again, should Fernando and friends feels that the race can be won at the first corner, the odds must favour the Ferrari and McLarens rather than the Red Bulls, whose starts are often less than rewarding.
Bearing in mind the fact that even the slightest downpour tends to leave the track damp for hours afterwards, the good news is that there hasn't been any rain so far today. There has been the threat of it. Indeed, there have been some very, very dark clouds, but no actual raindrops.
Some say that experience will win the championship while others point to consistency. Of the five contenders, in terms of titles, Alonso has the upper hand, while Webber and Vettel are comparative virgins. In terms of consistency, Ferrari once again has the edge, the F10 being the most reliable car on the grid.
That said, as we reach the final stages of the championship battle, the engine rule could well come into play, something that will worry Alonso far more than Webber.
Ignoring the battle between the five championship hopefuls - and that isn't easy - it will be interesting to watch several other drivers today most notably Barrichello, Kubica and Schumacher. Also keep an eye out for Alguersuari, who has looked very determined all weekend, and Hulkenberg who was so frustrated with his performance in qualifying yesterday.
Despite the best efforts of the powers that be and sections of the media, Singapore still has a long way to go before it is really accepted by the fans - the lack of overtaking points and simple landmarks being just two of the reasons. However, it is still better, and less clinical than Valencia and Abu Dhabi. However, having come here straight from Monza, where the passion for the sport was self evident, it is clear that the East - despite being the future of F1 - still has a long way to go.
Following his problem in Q1 yesterday, Massa is starting from the pitlane, the team having subsequently decided to change his engine and gearbox. Already, cynics on the web are claiming that this is part of a Ferrari strategy aimed at gifting the race to teammate to Alonso. However, only when we hear Rob Smedley saying "Felipe, you are further from the wall than you think you are...", followed by the word "sorry" that we will give such nonsense any credence.
Tyres today are medium (prime) and supersoft (option) however, there has been little between the two for much of this weekend. Of more interest is brake wear which is quite unforgiving here, just ask Mark Webber who will remember last year's race.
As the field prepares to head off on the warm-up lap, the air temperature is 30 degrees C, while the track temperature is 31 degrees. Humidity is 62 percent. The sky, dark as it is, is clear, with no hint of rain.
Jaime Alguersuari is starting from the pitlane following a water leak, while Hulkenberg starts from seventeenth after receiving a five place grid penalty for changing the gearbox on his car.
The field heads off on the warm-up lap, Alonso leading the pack. Everyone gets away, almost all on the option (super-soft) tyre.
They're away, and Alonso holds station into the first complex of corners, a little argy-bargy further down the field but nothing major. Kubica moves up a couple of places while Barrichello loses a couple of positions. Heidfeld crawl back to the pits, the Sauber appearing to have hit someone.
At the end of lap 1, it's: Alonso, Vettel, Hamilton, Button, Webber, Rosberg and Kubica, Massa pits - as expected - as does Heidfeld. Liuzzi is also coast back to the pits, the Force India appearing to have suspension damage. Indeed, the Italian parks his car in the second sector, bringing out the Safety Car.
Heidfeld has returned to the pits, suggesting that damage to his Sauber was worse than originally thought.
At the end of lap 3, with the Safety Car on track, Webber pits, as do Petrov, Buemi, Hulkenberg, Sutil, Kovalainen, Trulli, Alguersuari and a whole host of others. Indeed, pretty much everyone behind the leading eight - Alonso, Vettel, Hamilton, Button, Rosberg, Kubica, Barrichello and Schumacher- has pitted. A smart move from the Australian?
Vettel is reminded about the Safety Car rule, the German told that he has to remain within ten car lengths of the car ahead.
At the end of la 5, the Safety Car pulls off, Webber is all over Glock for tenth, the German not putting up too much of a fight. The world championship leader then sets off after Kobayashi. Elsewhere Trulli is crawling round with a left-rear puncture.
Alonso posts fastest lap (54.462) as he extends his lead to 1.2s, meanwhile Webber makes a great move on Kobayashi when the Sauber driver gets out of shape. The Japanese driver shadows the Australian as Petrov clashes with Hulkenberg.
Another fastest lap for Alonso (53.117) as Webber closes in on Schumacher who is all over the back of Barrichello. Massa is up to fourteenth but stuck in a queue of four cars headed by Glock.
As Hulkenberg complains that the harder tyre is causing to car to slip and slide everywhere, he is told that it is the same for everybody. Webber, who is now on the harder tyre is losing 2s a lap to the race leader.
His lead now up to 1.8s, Alonso posts another fastest lap (52.625) on lap 10 as Vettel is told to cool his brakes. Elsewhere, Webber makes a bold move on Schumacher, the Red Bull driver taking eighth place in the process. That said, he's 16.5s down on the leader.
As Alonso posts another fastest lap (52.160), Button falls 3.9s behind his McLaren teammate. Rosberg is 2.2s behind the reigning world champion. Alonso and Vettel are the only drivers running in the 1:52s, while only Hamilton, Rosberg and Button are running in the 1:53s.
The train of cars behind Glock has now grown to six cars. In his continued frustration, Hulkenberg makes a mistake and almost clouts the wall as he runs wide in his attempt to pass Sutil for twelfth.
On lap 14, it is Vettel who goes quickest (52.023). Asked how his car feels, the German says it feels good though he is not pushing, even though he has just posted the fastest lap of the race. Elsewhere, Heidfeld passes di Grassi to take nineteenth.
As Alonso posts a 51.709, the pack behind Glock is getting more and more frustrated. Sutil makes a bold move and passes the Virgin to take eleventh. Shortly afterwards, Glock makes a mistake which allows Hulkenberg, Massa, Petrov and the Toro Rossos through. It was good while it lasted Timo.
Alonso is now lapping over 2.5s quicker than Webber, and with the gap to the Australian now up to 31.7s - more than enough for a pit stop - its looks dead and buried for the Red Bull driver. Indeed, with Hamilton now 10.5s behind the leader it now looks as though this is a two horse race, Alonso and Vettel.
After 20 laps, virtually one-third distance, Alonso leads Vettel by 3.1s with Hamilton a further 10s down the road. Button is 6.2s behind his McLaren teammate but 3.1s ahead of Rosberg who is 3.2s ahead of Kubica.
Asked where he stands, Webber is told that he's racing Hamilton for P3. He is also told to get ahead of seventh-placed Barrichello.
In an attempt to pass Barrichello, Webber gets all crossed-up and almost goes into the barriers.
"We need to find three-tenth to half-a-second," Hamilton is told, his team clearly aware of Webber's target. 18.5s down on Vettel, the Englishman appears to be struggling with his tyres. He is now almost 3s off Alonso's pace.
Webber has upped the ante, he's now running in the mid-1:52s while both McLaren are over a second slower. Out front, Vettel has now closed to within 2.6s of the leader.
At the end of lap 29 Hamilton pits, after a 4.4s stop he rejoins in eighth, almost 8s down on Webber. A disaster for McLaren, compounded by the fact that their driver is in traffic.
At the end of lap 30 Alonso and Vettel both pit, earlier than thought. They rejoin in the same order as they entered the pits, despite an apparent with the anti-stall on the German's car. Button also stops, rejoining in eighth behind his teammate
Next time around Rosberg stops, as Vettel, now 1.2s down on Alonso, goes quickest in the first sector. As Schumacher pits, of the leading group all but Kubica and Barrichello have stopped.
Replay shows an incident involving Kobayashi and Schumacher, the German running wide and clouting the wall.
As Schumacher is warned that there could be a problem with his car and that he shouldn't commit, Kobayashi appears to collide with Senna, bringing out the Safety Car. In fact, Kobayasdhi got it wrong on the entry to Turn 18 and hit the barriers, Senna doing the self same thing seconds later. They are lucky not to be hit be the cars running behind, Massa, in particular, having to take drastic avoiding action.
Consequently, after 32 laps, and with the Safety Car deployed, Alonso leads Vettel while Kubica and Barrichello both pit. They rejoin in seventh and eighth having gone in fourth and fifth. Buemi, Glock and Klien also pit.
"My drink button isn't working," complains Hamilton, "is there anything you can do?"
Behind the Safety Car, with 33 laps completed, it's: Alonso, Vettel, Webber, Hamilton, Button, Rosberg, Kubica, Barrichello, Sutil, Hulkenberg, Massa, Petrov, Alguersuari, Heidfeld, Schumacher, Buemi, Kovalainen, di Grassi and Glock.
At the end of lap 35, the Safety Car pulls off. Button is told that as well as being on old tyres, Webber might have a brake issue.
At the restart, Webber makes short work of Glock as does Hamilton. Hamilton continues and makes a bold move on Webber, who is passing a Virgin, however, the Red Bull driver is having none of it. They clash, the front-right tyre of the Red Bull hitting the left-rear of the McLaren, and as the Australian runs over the kerbs Hamilton slows, a corner or so later he pulls off to the side of the track. His race is over.
As Button closes in on Webber the Australian is told that his car looks fine, "stay out" he's told.
As the stewards announce they are investigating the Webber/Hamilton incident, Heidfeld is parked in the barriers following a clash with Schumacher. Suddenly it's all happening.
In all honesty it would be wrong to penalise Webber, Hamilton made a move and it didn't work, the Australian really had nowhere to go.
As Vettel - now 2s down on Alonso - goes quickest in S1, the Spaniard responds by going quickest in S2. However, it is the Red Bull driver who posts the new fastest lap, crossing the line at 29.435. The stewards announce that they are investigating the Schumacher/Heidfeld incident.
After 40 laps, it's: Alonso, Vettel, Webber, Button, Rosberg, Kubica, Barrichello, Sutil, Hulkenberg and Massa.
Button, now 1.9s down on Webber, is told that the Australian is struggling. Elsewhere, another fastest lap from Vettel (49.314) as he closes to within 1.1s of Alonso.
As Webber goes 0.7s quicker than Button, Vettel asks his engineer to let him know when there's a brake issue. Then again, with him being in the cockpit, the hot seat so to speak, surely he'd be the first to know.
As Vettel goes quickest in sectors one and two, Hulkenberg makes a mistake which almost allows Massa through. Vettel crosses the line at 49.820 to close to within 1s of the leading Ferrari.
With a two hour time limit, and just 44 laps completed, it appears unlikely that the race will go the full 61 lap distance.
Rosberg, in sixth, 2.2s down on Rosberg, goes quickest in S2, then dives into the pits. Taking on another sets of prime tyres he rejoins in twelfth, perhaps he had a slow puncture.
A 48.867 sees Alonso extend his lead to 1.3s as the stewards announce that there will be no further action regarding the Hamilton/Webber clash. Clearly, Danny Sullivan and his colleagues saw it as a 'racing incident'.
Kubica is all over Buemi, the two battling for eleventh. Renault has confirmed that, as suspected, the Pole had a slow puncture.
Another fastest lap for Vettel (48.747) as once again he closes to within a second of the race leader.
As the stewards announce that there will be no further action regarding the Schumacher/Heidfeld incident, Kubica finally muscles his way past Buemi, setting off after his Renault teammate.
Glock is pushed into the Virgin garage, his race over, a great performance from the German.
No team orders needed at Renault as Kubica makes short work of Petrov, the Pole immediately setting his sights on Massa who is less than a second up the road.
Even as Kubica is told that Massa's tyres are "50 laps old", the Renault drivers passes the struggling Ferrari. Next target is Hulkenberg and then Sutil. The Pole makes short work of Hulkenberg, immediately lining up Sutil's Force India. Seventh is the best that Kubica can expect however, for Barrichello is 33s up the road.
A fantastic, round the outside, move sees Kubica take Sutil, his mechanics applaud in admiration.
Schumacher pulls aside to allow the leading duo through, with Kovalainen following his example just moments later.
On lap 58, Alonso sends out a warning to Vettel, posting another fastest lap (47.976). The two are now 27s ahead of Webber, despite two Safety Car periods.
Replay shows a moment for Kovalainen, who spins as he battles with Buemi. The Finn's Lotus subsequently catches fire - after he's passed the pitlane entry coming to a fiery halt on the pit straight.
Meanwhile, on the final lap, Vettel is just 0.2s behind Alonso, the German giving the Ferrari driver a really hard time.
Nonetheless, Alonso takes the flag, albeit just 0.2s ahead of the Red Bull. Webber finished third, 28.8s behind, with Button fourth, ahead of Rosberg, Barrichello, Kubica, Sutil, Hulkenberg and Massa.
"We will get there, don't you worry," Vettel tells his crew, the German clearly confident that all is not lost.
Although Button is now 25 points behind Webber, and is there still mathematically in contention for the titles, attention is now fully focussed on Webber, Alonso, Hamilton and Vettel who are covered by just 21 points.
Despite two Safety Cars, a fire and even a number of great passes, this was hardly a classic, basically a two horse race, though the two horses involved both gave perfect performances.
As the circus heads to Suzuka - a real racers circuit - we can only hope that it, along with Interlagos, provides the sort of classic race that a five-way title fight deserves.
A great, convincing win for Fernando, who now closes to within 11 points of championship leader Webber, the Spaniard looking at one with his car and his team.
As the season reaches its climax surely the pressure must be building on Red Bull to make a decision on whether to favour one of its drivers over the other, and with the gap now at 21 points surely that time can't be too far away.
Button's obvious frustration that he was unable to make in roads on a driver whose tyre were 30 laps older (Webber) pretty much sums up the Woking team's situation. Even without Hamilton's incident, surely fourth and fifth was the best they could ever expect here.
While McLaren and Hamilton will rue that potentially title deciding incident, the fact is that, as ever, the Englishman went for it and surely that is what race fans really want.
Let's hope the Suzuka sizzles just a little bit more than Singapore, it usually does.
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