03/11/2013
NEWS STORY
For someone that shuns the spotlight in much the same way as Dracula avoided sunlight, Kimi Raikkonen is very much centre stage this weekend.
As if the situation with his pay - or lack of it - isn't enough, the Finn revealing that he hasn't been paid a single euro this year and admitting that he might miss the United States and Brazilian Grands Prix in protest, post-race scrutineering put him in the headlines yet again.
Basically, the car followed the underfloor deflection test and as result the Iceman finds himself excluded from the qualifying results and banished to the back of the grid.
The team insists it did nothing wrong and that damage was incurred after contact with a kerb, nevertheless, the Iceman starts from behind the Caterhams and Marussias.
Whereas you or I might say 'bugger this for a game of soldiers', or such like, we're sure that Kimi will take full advantage and give the performance of a life time. After all, when you consider that last week he was told to "move out of the f***ing way" for teammate Romain Grosjean - who had started from 17th on the grid - how sweet would it be for the Iceman to repay the compliment today.
Not for the first time, the front row is a Red Bull lock-out, however, this time around, as in Japan, it is Mark Webber who heads Sebastian Vettel. Fact is it was a stunning lap from the Australian, all that matters now being whether he can convert it into his first win of the season and possibly one of the last in a twelve-season career.
The Red Bulls have to be favourites, not only in terms of coming off the back of six consecutive wins - and having secured both titles for the fourth time - but also because they look so good here.
While Lotus was expected to be the biggest threat to the Austrian team here, the Enstone outfit has lost more and more ground as the weekend continued, and that's before Raikkonen's banishment to the back of the grid. As a result Mercedes now looks to be Seb and Mark's main challenger.
A wishbone failure robbed Lewis Hamilton of any chance of taking pole yesterday but nonetheless he starts fourth just one place behind his teammate.
In our humble opinion, the team to watch today is Sauber. Traction out of the slow corners is vital here and as we have seen in recent races the Swiss car appears to have it in spades.
Couple this with ever improving performances from both drivers - and yes we include Esteban Gutierrez whose performance in India last week was widely overlooked - and we feel the Hinwil outfit could pull of a real surprise, if only in terms of closing the gap to Force India.
With every race Ferrari appears to lose more and more ground and one cannot help but notice the dropped shoulders in the Maranello outfit's garage. For the first time since Valencia 2012 Fernando Alonso failed to make it to Q3, an embarrassment not only to the Spaniard but his team which is so much reliant on its Abu Dhabi ties.
Like Raikkonen, Felipe Massa is in no mood to toll over for his teammate knowing that his team's 2013 cause is already lost but that a strong performance might yet decide whether he secure a seat elsewhere for 2014.
Strong performance from Sergio Perez and Daniel Ricciardo saw the pair complete the top ten, the Mexican aiming to build on his strong performance in India whilst the Australian bides his time at Toro Rosso before stepping up to the big time.
As we've said before, though the titles are won, there is still so much more to come. Indeed, the settling of the title fights means we can focus on what's happening elsewhere.
Though money looks set to decide who fills many of the seats next season, particularly in the case of Williams, it is the battle for money in the Constructors' Championship that is really fuelling the fire.
Whilst Ferrari might not need the cash as much as say Mercedes, it does need the prestige of finishing runner-up (such as it is), it certainly doesn't want to finish fourth. On the other hand Lotus does need the money that comes with second place, and McLaren wouldn't turn it down.
And so it goes throughout the field, right down to the battle for tenth between Caterham and Marussia, the Russian team still hurting from Vitaly Petrov's performance in Brazil last year which earned the Anglo-Malaysian outfit tenth - and the associated prize pot - at the death. And look how the Russian driver was rewarded.
Whilst the Constructors' Championship doesn't mean anything in terms of a driver's CV, as Petrov and others will happily tell you, these last three races could decide the futures of numerous drivers taking part today.
Though a number of teams claim they are close to revealing their line-ups for 2014, the fact is that a major mistake, or major mistake, here or in the next two races, could mean the difference between being on the grid next season as a driver or TV pundit.
Tyre compounds are medium and soft and yesterday we witnessed a difference of up to 1.5s between the two. Throughout the weekend two key factors have shaped the strategy: the big lap time difference between the two compounds and the high degree of track evolution, which meant that the fastest times were usually set at the end of each session once the most rubber had been laid down on the surface. As an extra factor, the track temperature was consistently falling with the sun going down during the later sessions.
One stop is theoretically the quickest approach to the race today, irrespective of starting on the soft or the medium compound. If starting on the soft, we would expect drivers to change to the medium on lap 12 and then go to the end. Or if starting on the medium, change to the soft on lap 43 and then go to the end.
The optimal two-stop strategy is to start on the soft, change to the medium on lap nine, and a final stint on the medium from lap 32.
There are two DRS zones, the first on the straight that links T7 and T8 and the second between T10 and T11.
As for predictions, no disrespect to Sebastian but it would be nice to see somebody else win for a change... though on merit. Naturally it would be great to see Webber convert that sensational pole into a win, especially with just two more races before he heads off to Sports Cars.
Over the course of the race we expect Lotus to outshine Mercedes - and yes we fully believe Raikkonen will make it into the points - while Hulkenberg looks really good to spring a surprise.
With fifteen minutes remaining before the warm-up lap mechanics are working frantically on Hamilton's car, the Mercedes suffering a problem with a vibration on the right-rear brake. Just imagine if he has to start from the pitlane... Lewis and Kimi charging through the field.
Now, as we await the warm-up lap, looking at the crowd, we cannot help but feel that should Sebastian win the German might be in for some booing. We'll explain at a later date.
As the field prepares to head off on the warm-up lap, including Hamilton whose brake issue appears to have been resolved, the air temperature is 32 degrees C and the track temperature is 36 degrees.
A nice touch as Hamilton thanks his mechanics for all their hard work, what with his wishbone issue last night and today's brake problem.
As they head off on the warm-up lap, all are on the options other than Button, Raikkonen, Gutierrez, Sutil and Bottas.
The grid forms, Raikkonen last to slot into place.
They're away. A brilliant start from Vettel and Rosberg while Massa runs wide in T1. A poor(ish) start from Webber once again, while Hamilton also appeared to be caught napping. Strong start from Grosjean also.
It's already over for Raikkonen who has clashed with Pic, while Button has a "damaged front wing" after appearing to clash with di Resta.
At the end of lap 1, it's Vettel, Rosberg, Webber, Grosjean, Hamilton, Hulkenberg, Massa, Alonso, Perez, and di Resta. Ricciardo already down to 16th.
Button is told to "box" at the end of lap 2, the McLaren driver pitting for a new front wing.
As the replay shows Raikkonen going for a gap that simply wasn't there at T1, Vettel has a 3.2s lead after just 3.2 laps.
The most intriguing battle currently is that for 7th between Massa and Alonso. Meanwhile, Webber complains of a KERS issue. "It's empty at the moment," he is told, "we're going to fill it up".
At the end of lap 5, Maldonado and Bianchi are the first scheduled pit stops. They rejoin behind Button.
Vettel is told to maintain his pace as Perez and Chilton pit.
At the end of lap 7, Hamilton is the first of the big guns - no offence to Perez and McLaren - to pit. He switches to the primes and rejoins in 12th behind Gutierrez. Ricciardo and Van der Garde also pit.
Webber and Grosjean both pit at the end of lap 8, the pair rejoining in 10th and 11th just ahead of Hamilton. Pic also pitted.
His teammate enjoying a 7s lead over Rosberg, Webber makes short work of Gutierrez.
Hulkenberg pits at the end of lap 9 as Rosberg complains that his tyres are shot. The Sauber driver rejoins in 12th after Hamilton.
As Vettel goes quickest in S1, Grosjean passes Gutierrez for 9th.
Rosberg pits at the end of lap 10, the Mercedes driver rejoining in 6th ahead of Sutil and Webber.
"Front left is still above target", Hamilton is told, the Mercedes driver advised that he has to "drop back and save his tyres". This is not what drivers or fans want to hear.
At the end of lap 11, Button pits again, a dreadful race for the McLaren driver.
As Hamilton maintains a 0.5s gap to 10th placed Gutierrez, Webber shadows Sutil. Alonso remains 3s behind his second-placed teammate.
After 12 laps, Vettel has a 24.9s lead over Massa, enough for a pit stop. The German currently at least a second a lap quicker than any of his rivals... and he's on older rubber.
Webber finally nails Sutil as teammate Vettel pits. The German rejoins, on primes, still leading. Elsewhere, the cameras pick up Raikkonen leaving the circuit.
Still leading, with a 6.6s advantage over Massa, Vettel goes quickest in S1, he only knows one speed. Elsewhere, Webber passes Vergne and Grosjean nails Sutil. However, the German, courtesy of DRS, promptly retakes the position. Hamilton also enjoying a titanic battle with Gutierrez, both using all the track.
Alonso pits at the end of lap 16, rejoining in 14th behind Perez. Whether he can make it to the end on this set of tyres is doubtful.
Vergne pits at the end of lap 17, the light rapidly diminishing as the sun sets.
Again Grosjean passes Sutil, the German fights back but this time the Frenchman holds position. Elsewhere, at the end of lap 18, Massa pits, as does Gutierrez.
Massa rejoins behind Hamilton but ahead of Hulkenberg. Both Hamilton and Grosjean have lost time during their respective battles but that's racing.
"We need to cool the car," Hamilton is told.
After 19 laps, it's: Vettel, di Resta, Rosberg, Webber, Grosjean, Sutil, Hamilton, Massa, Hulkenberg and Bottas. However, the force Indias and Bottas have yet to stop.
A great move sees Webber take Rosberg as the German was lining up di Resta. Great opportunism from the Australian who locks up in the following corner, he and the Mercedes driver both using DRS.
Di Resta finally pits at the end of lap 20, rejoining in 13th behind Maldonado.
As Hamilton is now told he can push in order to open the gap to Massa, Vettel has a 27.2s lead over Webber, enough for another stop and a cup of team, maybe even a Monty Python DVD.
In successive moves Alonso passes Perez and then Bottas for 9th and then sets about closing the 2.8s gap to Hulkenberg who is 1.1s down on Massa.
Hamilton closes up on Sutil who is repeating his epic performance from India. Though one cannot help but feel that his team are leaving him out there just a little too long.
Down in 18th, Van der Garde and Pic are hard at it.
At the end of lap 24, Bottas makes his first stop of the afternoon, leaving Sutil as the only driver still to pit.
Sutil leads a train of cars that includes Hamilton, Massa, Hulkenberg and Alonso .
Hamilton passes Sutil but the German fights back, and retakes the position. From out of nowhere, Massa catches Hamilton totally off guard and passes the Mercedes.
"I don't know what's wrong," complains Hamilton, "I've got no grip". As Alonso lines up the Mercedes, Hulkenberg creeps up and nails the Spaniard. As Massa passes Sutil, Alonso makes another move on Hulkenberg and this time it sticks.
Hamilton passes the brave Sutil who still has to fend off Alonso, while Hulkenberg and Perez both pit. The German is released right into the path of the Mexican who has to hit the brakes. Surely that's an unsafe release... sadly it will be the driver that is punished.
In the meantime, Alonso has passed Sutil who drops to 8th, Hulkenberg is 14th ahead of Maldonado and Perez.
Sutil finally pits at the end of lap 28, as does Ricciardo. The German rejoins in 14th as the stewards reveal they are investigating Hulkenberg's stop.
In his efforts to pass Maldonado, Sutil goes off track, as does the Venezuelan. The German rejoins ahead of Perez which is sure to lead to a penalty. Elsewhere, Hamilton pits, rejoining in 10th.
Out front, Vettel goes quickest in S1 as he extends his lead over Webber to 29.5s. Rosberg is third, 3.1s down on the second Red Bull, and 42s ahead of Grosjean.
Gutierrez pits at the end of lap 30.
As Vettel posts a new fastest lap (45.968), he is told not to stress his tyres.
As expected, Hulkenberg gets a drive through for that release, sadly the driver is punished because of his team. Webber, Rosberg, Chilton and Pic all pit. The Australian and German rejoin in third and fourth.
The stewards announce that Sutil and Maldonado are under investigation for their earlier off-track incident.
Hulkenberg serves his drive-through at the end of lap 35, rejoining in 17th.
Massa and Alonso are battling for 5th, the Brazilian showing no sign of giving way to his team leader.
3.8s down on Webber, Rosberg posts a new fastest lap (45.663).
Vettel makes his second stop at the end of lap 37, however, with a 40s advantage he rejoins the race still comfortably leading. Grosjean also pits, the Lotus driver rejoining in 4th just ahead of the two Ferraris. And we mean 'just ahead'.
The stewards announce they are to take no further action regarding the Sutil/Maldonado incident.
Massa subsequently pits (at the end of lap 38), the crew encountering a slight problem with his left-front. He rejoins in 9th, behind Hamilton, but ahead of Bottas and Sutil.
"I wish he wouldn't keep doing that," says Christian Horner as Vettel posts another fastest lap (44.829).
After 40 laps (of 55), it's: Vettel (natch), ahead of Webber, Rosberg, Grosjean, Alonso, di Resta, Vergne, Hamilton, Massa and Bottas.
Sutil is eleventh, ahead of Perez, Maldonado, Button, Gutierrez, Ricciardo, Hulkenberg, Van der Garde, Pic, Bianchi and Chilton.
As Hamilton sets about closing the 1.6s gap to Vergne, Massa closes to within 2.2s, the Mercedes driver's cause not helped by a major lock-up.
A brave gamble from Ferrari and Alonso who looks set to go to the end on this set of tyres. Whether that gamble has paid off or not will be revealed in the final laps however.
As Hamilton parks under the exhaust of Verge's Toro Rosso, so Massa is right up the tailpipe of the Mercedes. Hamilton passes the Frenchman but the Brazilian fails to follow through.
Alonso pits at the end of lap 44, the Spaniard switching to the option tyres for the last 11 laps. He rejoins in 7th just ahead of Vergne and Massa. It was a very brave move, a barely legal move which saw Massa leave the track and Bottas and Sutil close in.
Bottas pits at the end of lap 45, the Finn rejoining in 17th.
Having lost out to Hamilton, Massa has now been leapfrogged by Alonso. That said, the stewards are investigating Alonso's move on Vergne.
Sutil, Vergne and Perez scrap for 9th as Grosjean posts a new fastest lap (44.677).
Rob Smedley advises Massa that on the softs teammate Alonso could struggle in the closing laps.
As Sutil disappears up the road, Maldonado joins the Perez/Vergne scrap. Vettel is told to "be patient" even though he has a 31.3s lead.
Alonso goes quickest on lap 48 (44.430) as he closes on Hamilton who is hounding di Resta. Maldonado passes Vergne to take 11th.
With 5 laps remaining, it's: Vettel, Webber, Rosberg, Grosjean, di Resta, Hamilton, Alonso, Massa, Sutil and Perez.
Hamilton has nothing to offer when Alonso makes his move, the Spaniard taking 6th from the Mercedes driver.
Vettel is told that he is approaching a "gaggle" of back markers and advised not to risk anything. Needless to say he responds with a new fastest lap (43.893).
As the stewards announce that they will investigate the Alonso incident after the race (WHY?), the Spaniard passes di Resta for 5th.
Hulkenberg passes both Toro Rossos to take 14th, the German, after a strong performance, paying the price for his team's pit error.
Alonso goes quickest despite being 34.7s down on Grosjean. Then again, it's more about remaining ahead of di Resta and Hamilton, not to mention Massa.
Perez is all over 9th placed Sutil, but the German has no intention of giving up the position. Elsewhere, Vettel is on the verge of lapping Gutierrez.
As Vettel takes the flag fireworks fill the night sky, in terms of the race lead the only fireworks we've witnessed today.
"A world champion's drive, well done," says Christian Horner. "You don't get to drive cars like this very often," replies the German. Yes you do Seb, every weekend.
Webber makes it a Red Bull 1-2, ahead of Rosberg, Grosjean, Alonso, di Resta, Hamilton, Massa, Perez and Sutil, the Mexican passing the Force India driver just a few corners from the end.
Maldonado is eleventh, ahead of Button, Gutierrez, Hulkenberg, Bottas, Ricciardo, Vergne, Van der Garde, Pic, Bianchi and Chilton. Kimi Raikkonen the only retirement.
As in India, Vettel wraps up his race with as few do-nuts, as does Webber. However, this time it's before heading to parc fermé.
As Vettel rushes into the arms of his Mum and Dad, we await the stewards decision regarding Fernando Alonso's rejoining of the race following his final pit stop.
The race was decided at the first corner, and while there were some great battles throughout the field for the remainder of the evening there are still issues that are ruining this, one being drivers told to save their tyres and the other being drivers expecting those on a different strategy to give way.
Time for a Talking Point.
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