Turkish GP, 2009 07/06/2009 I do not care if the vast majority of fans found the Turkish GP boring - it was full of interest and action, even if much of that was the result of mistakes. Barrichello provided us with a few thrills and spills as he fought to recover from a stuttering start and Vettel showed us that pole is not enough if you do not keep a cool head. And Button proved once again that winning requires more than the best car; you have to take your opportunities when presented.Jenson Button does it againIt is that Button/Brawn combination that starts the whining, of course. Apparently, it is boring when one driver and car wins all the time; yet most of the complaints come from Ferrari fans who seem to have collective amnesia of the years when Schumacher and Ferrari were unbeatable. Let them deal with it, say I, just as we had to back then.In fact, the Brawn BGP 001 has not had things all its own way for several races; the Red Bull has been its equal and the difference has been superior driving and strategy from the Brawn camp. Button's wins have not been guaranteed but have been earned against serious opposition from his team mate as well the Red Bull pair. It may not seem a needle match when looking at the results but each race is exactly that and exciting as a result.Barrichello's unfortunate start may have robbed us of a potential battle with his team mate but his attempted recovery showed us that the Brawn's advantage is not so great as to enable it to cruise past other cars. A car with KERS is still a formidable obstacle and even a Force India takes a fair bit of overtaking. Cast your mind back to those days when Schumacher would recover from a bad start by multiple overtaking and it becomes clear that this year's cars are extremely closely matched, probably more so than ever before.This was also demonstrated by Vettel's drive to catch Button after the first pit stops. In a considerably lighter car, he was able to catch Button but never had enough of a performance advantage to force his way to the front. Unable to pass, he had no option but to watch as his race slipped away from him, each succeeding lap making it more likely that Mark Webber would take his second place for the final stints.Which brings me to Red Bull's strategy for the race. It appears that Vettel's three stopper was not a hasty decision made after he lost his lead in the first lap; this was always going to be the strategy and Sebastian was only surprised that the team did not change him to a two stopper once the race had not gone according to plan. With hindsight, the three stop was only going to work if Vettel could build a lead in the first stint and so the team's decision does seem to have been a mistake. But it kept things exciting for the viewers as Sebastian closed on Button early on and then later on Mark Webber.How Red Bull are going to rue that radio call to Vettel to slow down in his chase of Mark! It was the sensible thing to do from a team point of view, avoiding the possibility of the two pushing each other off, but the inevitable accusations of team orders have begun already. The call was probably unnecessary anyway, Vettel already having shown that he could not pass another car with anything like the same performance and Webber being one of the toughest of all drivers to pass. Perhaps the most interesting point of the whole affair was that Mark again got the better of his team mate through a more standard strategy and the hard work of consistent lap times.Trulli and Rosberg had a gritty strategic fight throughout the race, the Toyota driver losing out at first but then getting back in front when it mattered. That was a shame for Nico who was having his best race for Williams in a while but it does illustrate how the two teams are next up in the pecking order, just ahead of the Ferraris.Massa and Raikkonen had hard races, unable to do anything about those ahead of them but safe from those behind. And Massa at last asserted his authority over Kimi on a track that he is supposed to own. Note how the BMWs have improved, however, and are now snapping at the Ferrari's heels. Kubica was quicker than expected in race trim and held on for a couple of points. There is still a lot of work for the team to do before getting back to their position at the beginning of the season but the journey has begun.Glock had an excellent race, using a one-and-a-half stop strategy to finish in the points, quite an achievement from his 13th grid spot. But spare a thought for Nakajima who had run a fine race, only to have it snatched from him at the last by a slow pit stop. It may be some consolation to know that his fastest race lap was three tenths of a second quicker than his team leader's.It is probably kindest to say as little as possible about the McLarens in Istanbul - 13th and 14th finishes are not what they are accustomed to. But, to offer a ray of hope, the track has never been particularly good to the team and fortunes may change for Silverstone.Renault has also slipped back according to the team's performance this time, Alonso disappearing after his lightly fueled first stint and even Piquet putting up a faster lap in the race. The brief fight between Hamilton and Piquet was a true picture of how these two teams are struggling at the moment, able only to compete with each other while the Force Indias breathe down their necks. How the mighty are fallen!To my mind, the race was full of interest and talking points, with some good battles and tension throughout. Yes, Button continues on his victorious way but he is earning it. And, to paraphrase Ron Dennis, it is not for the other teams to hope the leader falters, it is up to them to catch up.
Clive
Journeyer Good post, Clive! Just a couple of things:1. Most Ferrari fans are moaning - they're supporting Brawn GP - while wondering what on earth LDM was thinking when he decided not to give the team principal post to Ross...2. I think Rubens had to deal with a car that wasn't 100%. Had he still had 7th gear (and if he had kept his head on), I think he should've been able to pass Heikki and eventually score a couple of points... Date Added: 07/06/2009
Journeyer NOT moaning, rather.Now... onto Friday... Date Added: 07/06/2009
aracerdude I don't think Ferrari fans are moaning as much as you say. They have clawed their way to 4th in the cons. championship and will probably end up 3rd by years end.The Mclaren with Lewis and Co. continue to stink up the place with no end in sight. One car finishes a lap down, yet again. Here's a reprint of my blog about the improvement of the McLaren, "0". Date Added: 07/06/2009
Clive Journeyer: To be honest, I was going by the number of commenters on F1 Fanatic complaining that Ferrari and McLaren were not leading the pack. I would have included the McLaren fans but I don't think there are any. :DLuca is a singularly determined man. I doubt that he has wavered for a moment in his decision to Italianise Ferrari.It's true that Rubens had apparently lost 7th (funny that the TV instrument display showed him going into 7th easily enough) and that his car had problems evidenced by the anti-stall cutting in at the start (although it is supposed to do its thing when your start is about to kill the engine), but he did give us quite a show in his battle with Kovalainen. Whether he would have made it into the points is a moot point, however. Date Added: 07/06/2009
Clive Aracer: My apologies - it has been my impression that most of those calling the race boring have been Ferrari fans and I could well be wrong. I do get puzzled by those who wish that Ferrari and McLaren were still the top teams, however. What, forever?I love the reprint, by the way! This season is an interesting test of character for the whole McLaren team. Date Added: 07/06/2009
Fractal I enjoyed the race. As you say, full of interest & action.The best part for me was once again watching Button drive a silky-smooth line. His style of driving always shows this feature regardless of the track. Where many others on the track are Rock & Roll, Jensen is a majestic Classical Symphony. This is nothing new for this season it has been with him from day one.AFC Date Added: 07/06/2009
Filipe Clive, Glock actually did two stops. He just did them outside the usual pit windows. It did work really well. Date Added: 07/06/2009
Clive Fractal: Absolutely right and a great description of Button's style. Classical indeed! Date Added: 07/06/2009
Clive Filipe: Yes, you're right - I have just watched Fox's time delayed screening of the race and this time noticed Glock's late second stop. I had to watch the live race online this morning and missed a large chunk towards the end when Bernie managed to shut down all available feeds. One more reason to hate the scheming dwarf! Date Added: 07/06/2009
Nick G Clive: The problem is not that there are new twams at the head of F1. It is good to see change. The problem is how and why they got to be there. Had they earned the position under a clear and straightforward set of rules that were understood by all they would be more meritorious of their position. That McLaren has been beaten down by the FIA while Mosley and Ecclestone have, or had taken on Ferrari as their pet cause has not left McLaren with much at the moment. It is sad for Brawn and Button that this controversy will be an asterisk to their championship. To beat cars that have been built to a different set of rules may win a world championship but it cannot be said that they will have beaten the best. Button is driving near faultlessly in the best car out there. He's won all but one race and has led the vast majority of laps. This in itself makes for a boring scenario. For the Button and Brawn fans, this is a happy scenario but exciting? Not really. Date Added: 07/06/2009
aracerdude I just saw a taped version of the race and it was interesting. It seems to me, as you have mentioned before, some teams got their car design right and others have not. With all the rule changes this year, it doesn't seem to matter how big a team is, it is the effectiveness of the car design that counts.I can't speak for all Ferrari fans, but, I am happy for Ross and Ruben for all the good things they did for Ferrari when they were there. Sure I was they brought Ross back, but now they must do what every other team is trying to do....beat his team. That doesn't so seem easy at the moment.I think if the rules stay the same for next year, the bigger teams will rebound after having time to figure out where they went wrong this year. Date Added: 07/06/2009
Clive Nick: I disagree completely. Brawn built a car to the regulations as they were written, so did Williams and Toyota, and the others failed to see the double diffuser loophole and exploit it. It is exactly the same scenario as Lotus introducing the ground effect 79 in 1978 and running away with the championships; sometimes a good designer will see further than the rest and gain a big lead as a result. That is what F1 is about, at least the design part of the competition.Had the WMSC decided that the DD was not legal, we would all be screaming about the FIA manipulating the championship; we can hardly do the same once they have decided the exact opposite.Although the FIA has been very obvious in its pursuit of McLaren over the last couple of years, it had little effect on the track and did not prevent Hamilton winning the championship. The plain fact is that, this year, the team missed the possibility of a DD in the regs and went wrong in their design anyway. It happens and the $100 million fine had nothing to do with it.Brawn has out-designed and now out-raced the best - it is not necessary to imagine a devious plot by Max to explain that fact. No controversy and no asterisk, I'm afraid.As for the boredom factor, I see this season more as a fine wine to be enjoyed by the connoisseur. Let it continue for another year or two and I might be prepared to agree with you. But this year it is good to savor pure excellence in design, driving skill and team management all brought together by one man, Ross Brawn.Don't forget that last year the complaint was that the drivers fighting for the championship had made too many mistakes to deserve the title. How much sense does it make that now we're moaning because a driver doesn't make mistakes (actually, in Istanbul Button made his first mistake of the year - he missed an apex but not while anyone was near enough to take advantage)? Date Added: 07/06/2009
Clive Aracer: Agreed. I think Brawn GP must make hay while the sun shines - it won't be easy to hang on to their advantage. Adrian Newey has said that fundamental rule changes such as those introduced this year are an opportunity for the better designers to introduce innovation and beat the better funded teams. This year has proved him correct and it is no accident that the best cars have been designed by the two best designers in F1. Date Added: 07/06/2009
Steve Ellis Well I was one for two. I nailed the questionable Red Bull strategy and missed my Ferrari prediction by a mile. What is up with Red Bull? They seem to be the most inept team stragey wise I think I have ever seen. As shown with Webber this year, if they stick with tried and true strategy it pays off. They always seem to try something exotic with Vettel and it always backfires. Finally Vettel has expressed his frustration. I would have been on Horner's case races ago myself.Congrats to Button. He is unstoppable this year. I dont' expect Brawn to have the same dominance next year so this may well be Button's only bite at the apple and he's making the most of it. Barichello is done this year, no question.Finally, nice pass by Piquet on Hamilton. Best move this year in my opinion. Glad to see Piquet with a highlight for a change. Date Added: 07/06/2009
Clive Steve: I think I did for Vettel's chances by making him my favourite for the win this time. ;)Red Bull have not learned the first rule of strategy yet: odd strategies are for teams who won't win any other way. Teams at the front of the grid do best to stick with the standard strategy for each track, knowing that their closest competitors will do the same. That way they can fight it out on a level playing field where quality will out.Like you, I don't understand why Red Bull seem to think it necessary to "help" Vettel with unusual strategies. It clearly isn't helping at all and he would do better if he were to stick with the tried and tested. I think his frustration after the race was not in being beaten by Button but in losing out to his team mate. Hopefully, the team will have learned the lesson this time. Date Added: 07/06/2009
Steve Ellis CliveI agree with your post although I'm not sure if your alluding to Vettel as the architect of strategey. It most certainly would be Horner's call.He wasn't going to beat Button even without the mistake. Both here and in Spain he should have finished ahead of Webber and didn't. I put both finishes squarely on Horner. Date Added: 07/06/2009
Clive Steve: Horner is the team boss and so the buck stops with him. If he isn't directing strategy, he should certainly be aware of it and able to change it when he thinks it's wrong. So I agree with your assessment. Date Added: 07/06/2009
Nick G Clive: I believe the loophole was seen, and questioned. The FIA put off a precise explanation until it was impossible for teams to redesign. They also created an atmosphere of distrust and fear of handing down rash and draconian decisions. I have difficulty comparing the political climate of 1978 to the travesty that is now the FIA. Over the last 5 years the playing field has become a roller coaster with rampant chicanery and favouritism governing many decisions. In Chapman's time, unless a design like the vacuum fan came along, that proved to be immediately dangerous, it was generally allowed. Things were not perfect back then, by any means, but they do not compare to today. You may wax eloquently about fine (British) wine And pretent that Buttons grow on that vine But as long as one team does all the scoring You may drink too much, and soon be snoring.Nick :-) Date Added: 07/06/2009
Clive Nick: Ooh, the poet in you is showing. :DBut I believe the loophole wasn't seen until it was obvious from the DD teams' exploitation of it. The claims by Red Bull and Renault of having queried the FIA were refuted by the FIA stating that their queries did not concern the relevant area of the rules. Since neither team denied this, I must take it that the FIA were correct in their assertion.I agree with all you say about the atmosphere of distrust created by the FIA in recent years but I do not think this had any effect on the DD decision. One of the teams to suffer through not having noticed the loophole was my own favourite, BMW, but I accept that they have been out-designed this time and I need no conspiracy to explain their failure.You may say I like Button because he's a BritBut I say he owes me one, at least a bitIn 2007 I backed him for champAnd Honda left me wanting to stampAnd cry and moan and whinge at my fateSo I'll take this year, although it is late! Date Added: 07/06/2009
Lee NICK G,Brawn have not designed a car to different rules than the rest of the teams. They all got the same rule sheet but some designers clearly thought them through more thoroughly than others. It is clearly one of those "Doh" moments for the teams that did not exploit the loophole. Also Brawn himself effectively told the other teams about the loophole and asked them if they wanted the rules tightened but they all told him to get lost!What puzzles me is how Red Bull can develop a double diffuser but Maclaren can't...... Also the fact that the front wheels lift up on corners can't be good for grip or balance either.... Date Added: 08/06/2009
Clive Lee: I think the matter of developing a double diffuser without access to testing time is largely a matter of luck. The simulators can help but nothing substitutes for track time. It may be that we are seeing just how dependent McLaren was on testing or it could be that the DD doesn't fit all that well with the concept of the MP4-24.Red Bull were supposed to have problems designing a DD to fit with their existing design but Newey seems to have overcome this. Even so, it doesn't make that much difference to the RB5; it was competitive with the BGP 001 before and has not now accelerated beyond it. So we can take it that Red Bull's DD has given enough performance benefit to compensate for Brawn's improvements to his car.McLaren's DD has made considerable difference to their car. Introduced early in the season, it kept them reasonably competitive until the high downforce tracks. The car is so poor at creating downforce that the DD cannot overcome the deficiencies of the chassis. I think their engineers are as puzzled at the cars problems as we are.The reason the MP4-24 lifts its inside front wheel in corners is because the suspension is set up very hard. The team has to do this to optimise downforce; the more constant the ground clearance, the more manageable the downforce created by the car. I have no doubt they have tried it with softer settings and found that the increase in mechanical grip is insufficient to compensate for the lower downforce. Date Added: 08/06/2009
Steven Roy The FIA has not suddenly turned into an organisation that makes irrational decisions recently. It has always done that as far as I can see. Balestre was not exactly a stabilising influence and neither were his predecessors.THere were not two sets of rules. There was one set of rules that some teams interpreted differently. This is due to Max's practice of writing vague rules so that he can tweak things on the fly. Not long after he was elected he gave a speech explaining why black and white rules were bad and vahue rules allowed the governing body to clarify them in the best interest of the sport. The man is an idiot.How anyone can suggest that there is some doubt about whether Button's eventual championship is questionable is beyond me. Of course it shouldn't be marked with an asterisk.Clive gave the example of Lotus in 1978 with ground effect but there are many others. 1959 Cooper moved the engine behind the driver. Asterisk?1961 Ferrari had a 1.5 litre engine ready when it was suddenly announced that F1 engines were switching from 2.5 to 1.5 litres. Asterisk?1963 Lotus introduced monocoque chassis. Asterisk?1968 Lotus use the engine as a stressed chassis member. Asterisk?From there you can question everything from the introduction of wings, slicks and turbos to Michael Schumacher ramming Damon Hill of the track to take his first championship and the illegal software used in his second.I could if I was remotely bothered question most championships in the same manner but the idea that Brawn's achievement is somehow questionable is ludicrous. Date Added: 09/06/2009
Clive Steven: Whilst it is true that the FIA has always made questionable decisions, I think it has to be admitted that things have become steadily worse under Max's rule. A major part of that has been his concentration of all power in his own hands, leading to the current situation where Max is the originator and arbiter of all rules. That, surely, is an unhealthy situation for any governing body to be in. Date Added: 09/06/2009
Lee Clive,That does explain the situation well then. However I was unaware that Maclaren had a DD, I thought they had just modified their current single diffuser with some features from the DD.They need to find some downforce from somewhere though as they are clearly loosing masses of time on the fast corners while being relatively quick on slower corners and straights. Date Added: 09/06/2009
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