Shanghai Qualifying 06/10/2007 That was an interesting qualifying session for the Chinese GP. It had to be if it kept me awake at 2:00am in the morning! Some interesting patterns developed during the three parts and most of them concerned unusual performances outside the top four.David CoulthardThe sudden increase in performance of Adrian Newey's design was the first thing that struck me. For a change, it was David Coulthard leading the way and he maintained form throughout qualifying, finishing in fifth grid spot, best of the rest. That is cause enough to sit up and take notice but the Toro Rosso of Vettel was also up there in the top ten to begin with.That's it, lad, I thought, make a nonsense of all that I've been saying about you for the last few races. But I need not have worried; Q2 proved as much as the STRs could manage at the crucial time and, once again, Vitantonio Liuzzi was ahead of the young German come the end. The fact that Vettel was later given a five-place grid penalty for impeding another car was a cruel irony in view of his rescinded ten-place penalty from Japan.But the important fact was the amazing speed of Newey's chassis. For some reason it seems to like the Shanghai circuit and both Coulthard (5th) and Webber (7th) are in potentially points-scoring positions as a result. Liuzzi's eleventh is a good place to be as well, a fine performance from a team that lately has had to deal with Spykers and Super Aguris rather than Renaults and Williams.It is BMW that might just give us an answer to this question of RBR's and STR's sudden leap forward. The German team has already announced that development of this year's car has ceased and this could explain the drop in their performance this time around. With Heidfeld and Kubica unable to do better than eighth and ninth, and Renault too having stopped work on the R27, Red Bull have been given the opportunity to catch up and pass.Or maybe Adrian Newey cars just like the circuit.Jenson Button's tenth spot was completely inexplicable. The Honda was expected to be pretty useless in Shanghai, given its aerodynamic problems, and Barrichello was obviously listening since he managed only seventeenth. So what on earth got into Button that he should do so well? I can only shrug my shoulders and guess that Jenson found something that he forgot to tell Rubens about.And it's time to talk of that man Hamilton again. Whenever I write of my opinion of him, he promptly does something to prove me wrong, but I'll stick my neck out again and say that I am impressed once more. Not with his public statements, which have been nearly as ill-advised as Alonso's of late, but with the rookie's driving. The lap that netted him pole position was just brilliant, a driver in top form extracting the last thousandths of a second from a car that was not the best on the day. We are just going to have to face it: the lad is one of the best.Kimi too was excellent but on this occasion Lewis was better. And Massa and Alonso demonstrated how fast the Ferraris and McLarens should really have been without the talent and skill of the pair ahead. Alonso may cast doubt on the fueling of the McLarens but the race will tell; I am prepared to bet that the two will refuel within a lap of each other.Shanghai is not the most loved of circuits; it has an artificiality that detracts from any chance of becoming a classic. But, in the early hours of my Saturday morning, it provided one of the best qualifying sessions for a long time. There were new faces amongst the top ten and some truly exceptional performances from the likes of Hamilton, Coulthard and Button, a late bid for a seat next year from Ralf (he grabbed sixth and left Trulli back in thirteenth) and, barring poor Vettel's penalty, no interference from the powers that be.Good show, China. Now let's have some rain tomorrow...
Clive
Number 38 No, no, no, no, no, no rain! Hamilton will be the only one able to see and will win by default, no one else will be able to see where they're going although Ferrari will probably use the correct tyres this time and we saw Kimi go from near last to 3rd in the wet, a far better performance than Hamilton in those conditions......but can he PASS in those conditions? Poor Vettel, he's surely received the inverse treatment that Hamilton has enjoyed.Everything the FIA does seems to be vauge and arbitrary. The FIA brings more "disrepute" on itself than the teams and competitors. How many times have I typed that line? Date Added: 06/10/2007
Clive Probably almost as many times as I have, Number 38. ;)But the rain increases the chances of overtaking, especially for Kimi. Remember that Kimi did indeed go from last to third in Fuji and that was wet enough - that required a fair bit of overtaking. Then recall the dry races this year where Kimi has been forced to sit behind slower men, purely because the aerodynamics of the cars won't allow him to get close enough to pass. It's rain we need if we're to avoid another of those processional races won by the second corner! Date Added: 06/10/2007
David Now let’s hear it for a deserving Vettel. To take a car of that caliber from a penalty grid position, through the field, finish in front of his teammate, and double their point difference too (after just a few races compared to the full season Luizzi) is truly a remarkable accomplishment. A driven pilot? Indeed, and understandably so, but the talent to perform such a feat was a necessary factor. Yes, the race was entertaining, but my old nemesis refuses to depart. Once a driver is off the track and out of the car, he is of no further interest while the race is still running ... even if his name is Lewis Hamilton! Those who tune in to watch the race and listen to a purported commentary thereof, would much prefer to do exactly that rather than be assaulted by a barrage of blatantly biased and lengthy opinions on why ‘poor Lewis’ retired. The cause was patently clear. He ran his tires beyond their capability to perform! Date Added: 07/10/2007
Number 38 Vettel is no favorite of mine but we're stuck with him for how many more years? I would say his performance has more to do with improvements STR has made, after all Vettel was CLEARLY outclassed by Luizzi all season, and although he got by Luzzi one time (today) I'd be restrained in any hype about this boy. Frankly Vettel ran alone most of the day, Luizzi had to work for his position and did a nice job holding off a superior BMW. Date Added: 07/10/2007
Number 38 Clive got his wish...............RAIN, or at least some rain. It was interesting to see several cars opt NOT to change tyres and in the end it was also interesting to see the results of that strategy. Maybe the pit lane speed limit has a purpose. Who would have ever thought of a gravel trap on pit lane? Hamilton's end has all the glory of running out of fuel on the last lap. Date Added: 07/10/2007
Clive Whilst not wishing to denigrate Vettel's performance, it needs to be looked at realistically, too. Much of what we saw was the result of the Toro Rosso car suddenly finding itself on a track that suited it - the performance of the Red Bulls, an identical chassis, proves that. The fact that Liuzzi was quicker than Vettel in qualifying demonstrates that the young German still has a way to go before he can be said to have beaten his team mate, let alone the performances of Speed earlier in the year.Vettel's fourth place as opposed to Liuzzi's sixth was the result of race strategy, not superior ability. He stopped once, whereas Liuzzi stopped twice - before Liuzzi's second stop he had been running ahead of Vettel. So their relative positions are the result of luck - one stop just happened to be the right choice in the circumstances on the day.I suspect that this is a one-off for STR and that the team will return to their normal grid positions in Brazil. Who knows why Shanghai in the rain was just right for Adrian Newey's chassis? If RBR and STR could find the answer to that question, they might just be able to turn the car into a race winner. Date Added: 07/10/2007
Clive Was I right, Number 38? Was it the rain that transformed a potential snoozefest into a thriller? ;) Date Added: 07/10/2007
AJP I think it's interesting that STR started doing well only after the WMSC accidentally released the transcripts that were not properly redacted. Could it be that STR picked up some valuable information? For instance, the nitrogen in the tires?I can hear them now: "What? They're inflating the tires? Hmmm... maybe we should try that..." Date Added: 07/10/2007
Clive Hehehe, AJP, the circumstances are suspicious, it's true. And there can be no denying that it was the FIA that distributed the information. How much should they be fined - $100 million? Or perhaps more since there can be no doubt of their guilt? Date Added: 07/10/2007
openwheel I have to say that this was the most entertaining race of the season. We had team strategy along with driving brilliance along with stupid mistakes. A gravel pit next to the entrance to pit lane--who would have thought that it would come into play? The pass of Massa by Alonso was fantastic. ITV coverage was better than most. This race involved every aspect of racing all in one. Can Hamilton rebound in Brazil? Will his youth be a disadvantage. He has never been in this situation before. Bernie is not happy with Kimi being able to win it all-- he is too quite--. Brazil is shaping up to be the single biggest race in many years. These next two weeks will be very interesting. My money is on Hamilton WHERE IS YOURS??? Date Added: 07/10/2007
Clive Well, I'm not a betting man, Openwheel, but I think Hamilton will do it. He will think about this race and realize that he really didn't have to win it - and the same will apply in Brazil. Alonso won the championship in Brazil last year without winning the race - why shouldn't Hamilton repeat the feat? Date Added: 07/10/2007
openwheel Hamilton did not have to race Kimi before he went into the pits, but he did. This shows he age with a lack of self restraint. I think that with the equipment he has he will do fine. Date Added: 07/10/2007
Number 38 Clive quote from above: Was I right, Number 38? Was it the rain that transformed a potential snoozefest into a thriller? Was it the rain......? After Hammy got stuck in the gravel trap it was obvious the entire season just got rejuvenated, which all of us have to admit is great but isn't it also sad that it takes only one error to turn a completely boring season into a nail bitter? Many are hyping Vettel for his 4th place finish but those with brains realize there was more to that than his driving. The boy will do better, most rookies do but today was no mark of skill. Luizzi on the other hand did a fine job of holding a superior BMW at bay. Few give him the credit due, but I will here and now. Kudos to Luizzi!A detail which I've not seen in print yet which MAY have an effect in two weeks..........Massa didn't seem to be able to hold onto Alonso in the wet but take note of his lap times near the end on a drying line........at least 4 "fastest laps",(when he didn't have to go fast) that man never gave up but allowing Alonso those two extra points might be the margin Kimi can't over come, and one more Massa detail........he sometime earns pole position, I think 4 times this season, suppose he's pole sitter in Brazil? Massa can't win the drivers championship but he's still a player!Please, no more rain. Date Added: 08/10/2007
Clive Anyone get the feeling it might just be Kimi in the end? Date Added: 08/10/2007
Number 38 I tried to hint at that in my last encrypted comment, Massa is still a player and if he can confound Hamilton, Kimi could get an advantage over Alonso.......it's not impossible and in fact is probably quite possible. After all who would have ever thought Hammy would get get caught in a gravel trap. No crane to help him this time. A Kimi championship 40/60, an Alonso championship 50/50, Hamilton 60/40 ....... but this is FIA F1, all bets are off! All we need is an engine change penalty for one of the top three and the game is over. Or worse yet , some over zealous steward will impose a drive-through penalty for an infraction that was over-looked all season. Or maybe we'll get treated to a wheel nut problem, or a fuel rig problem, ......... Vettel is still out there ........it ain't over yet! Date Added: 08/10/2007
Clive Very true, Number 38, anything could happen! In a way, it would be fitting for Kimi to win - if he wins in Brazil, he would have won two more races than the anyone else this year. That would keep Keith Collantine happy, too. ;) Date Added: 08/10/2007
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