British GP qualifying (spoilers)

[Ian]

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But pole couldn't have been claimed by a nicer or more deserving fellow:

Heikki Kovalainan, at yesterday's Paddock Club briefing after first practice.

More pix from Silverstone here:

http://e-group.uk.net/gallery/showgallery.php/cat/632

Ian

[peter]

Re: British GP qualifying (spoilers)

Bit of a mixed up grid but so much fun to watch. 9th what is going on there??.
And not knocking him but when your team mate makes it to 2nd and you are always beaten by him maybe it is time to go.

[JSR]

The actual race (spoilers)

The actual race (spoilers)

What about that race then?

Superb drive by Rubens and no doubt the great strategy from Ross Brawn helped, but what went on with Ferrari? Don't they want Raikkonen to win, or something? Stellar drive to get the points he got, but he was easily going to win that race before the stupidity of that tyre choice.

Does anyone know what happened to Button? Brawn hadn't spoken to him when interviewed and we got no words from Button after the incident. He surely had just as much chance as Barrichello to be pushing up for some good points there.

Well done to Lewis for keeping his car out of trouble. Clearly it was his day today. And now we have a three-way tie for the championship leader. Could easily have been a lot different, though.

Bad luck for Webber. He deserved a much better race, as did Massa. Wasn't to be, though.

[Ian]

Re: The actual race (spoilers)

The actual race (spoilers)

What about that race then?

Superb drive by Rubens and no doubt the great strategy from Ross Brawn helped, but what went on with Ferrari? Don't they want Raikkonen to win, or something? Stellar drive to get the points he got, but he was easily going to win that race before the stupidity of that tyre choice.

Does anyone know what happened to Button? Brawn hadn't spoken to him when interviewed and we got no words from Button after the incident. He surely had just as much chance as Barrichello to be pushing up for some good points there.

Well done to Lewis for keeping his car out of trouble. Clearly it was his day today. And now we have a three-way tie for the championship leader. Could easily have been a lot different, though.

Bad luck for Webber. He deserved a much better race, as did Massa. Wasn't to be, though.

It was an actioned packed race, that's for sure

I think Hamilton (and possibly Barrichello) were the only ones at the top end who didn't end up pointing the wrong way at some point, though Hamilton did go off-track a couple of times.

Jenson did pass Rubens before mid-distance, but there was some confusion in the pits which saw him queuing behind Rubens. I think both changed to extreme wets, but after that Jenson went off though, though he kept it going off the track, so I was surprised when he was reported missing.

I suppose there is a possibility that Rubens came in for the extreme wets, messing up Jenson's scheduled stop? But I'm just guessing. If that was the case, Jenson could well have been seeing red?

Ian

[Ian]

Re: The actual race (spoilers)

It was an actioned packed race, that's for sure

I think Hamilton (and possibly Barrichello) were the only ones at the top end who didn't end up pointing the wrong way at some point, though Hamilton did go off-track a couple of times.

Jenson did pass Rubens before mid-distance, but there was some confusion in the pits which saw him queuing behind Rubens. I think both changed to extreme wets, but after that Jenson went off though, though he kept it going off the track, so I was surprised when he was reported missing.

I suppose there is a possibility that Rubens came in for the extreme wets, messing up Jenson's scheduled stop? But I'm just guessing. If that was the case, Jenson could well have been seeing red?

Ian

That's the problem with guessing - it's usually wrong. Jenson congratulated his team mate: "Congratulations to Rubens on his third place and first podium for the team," he said. Jenson apparently did keep it going but was facing the wrong way and had to spin his car around to get back on the track, then he had to avoid another car and it sent him back in to the gravel where he was beached.

Ian

[peter]

Re: British GP qualifying (spoilers)

The guys in red dropped the ball or should that be wheel today. Massa was just going nowhere,like they said every time he seemed to put the power down he just spun it. kimi should have just changed tires and then he could have taken the fight to lewis. Yes I will say lewis had a great drive and kept it on the road when all the others seemed to forget which way was forward. Looks like the season starts all over again now we have 3 of them at the top.

[Ian]

Re: British GP qualifying (spoilers)

The guys in red dropped the ball or should that be wheel today. Massa was just going nowhere,like they said every time he seemed to put the power down he just spun it. kimi should have just changed tires and then he could have taken the fight to lewis. Yes I will say lewis had a great drive and kept it on the road when all the others seemed to forget which way was forward. Looks like the season starts all over again now we have 3 of them at the top.

Yes, it's ironic that the top three start the second half of the season with level points. I do think McLaren have more momentum now, though.

Ian

[peter]

Re: British GP qualifying (spoilers)

Yes, it's ironic that the top three start the second half of the season with level points. I do think McLaren have more momentum now, though.

Ian

I hate to say it but you may be spot on. It should be fun from here on in.

[Mowgli]

Re: British GP qualifying (spoilers)

Nice action packed race, now traction control has gone, and the good old British rain, some people learned the hard way which direction to keep pointing their car, Hamilton appears to be heading into the league of rainmasters, memories of Senna and dare I say it M Schumacher (didnt they call him the reinnaster?)
Mowgli

[peter]

Re: British GP qualifying (spoilers)

Nice action packed race, now traction control has gone, and the good old British rain, some people learned the hard way which direction to keep pointing their car, Hamilton appears to be heading into the league of rainmasters, memories of Senna and dare I say it M Schumacher (didnt they call him the reinnaster?)
Mowgli

Schumacher those were the days. It seems so long ago. The dream team and all. And no it was not called the dream team because everyone fell asleep because they knew who was going to win.

[JSR]

Re: The actual race (spoilers)

That's the problem with guessing - it's usually wrong. Jenson congratulated his team mate: "Congratulations to Rubens on his third place and first podium for the team," he said. Jenson apparently did keep it going but was facing the wrong way and had to spin his car around to get back on the track, then he had to avoid another car and it sent him back in to the gravel where he was beached.

Ian

Thanks for the info. All our wonderful commentators said was that he'd stopped.

It's a shame that this happened. Jenson has no luck this year (sounds like a familiar tune these days). It could have been Jenson's day today - not to win, obviously, but certainly to steal a few points. Rubens showed the way. I loved some of those passing manoeuvres by Rubens. While everyone else is tiptoeing around avoiding the wet with their inters, Rubens just walked right around them - puddles, nay lakes, didn't bother him. Without the fuel rig issued, he'd have been second. Can you believe it? Fantastic stuff.

Given the way Raikonnen was going before his first pit stop (and the lousy decision over the tyres), I think we could have seen a very different outcome. Kimi wisely stayed out of the McLaren tustle early on but he was right on Hamilton's heels prior to that pitstop. It could have been Kimi's race if not for the tyre decision. Ferrari only have themselves to blame for that.

Ron Dennis (and I think Lewis' father, too) made some cutting comments about "this should prove to the naysayers" and stuff after the race. All fine, but I couldn't help but remember the triathalon bet. Hamilton is clearly on top of his game, so why the embarrassing fiasco about pulling out of the bet? When I saw the press conference for the first time yesterday, and Lewis agreed to the challenge, I was really pleased. I've not been the biggest ever Lewis fan, but his acceptance of that challenge really made me sit up and take notice. I admired his stance, his guts, and his willingness to accept such a challenge for charity. It wouldn't have bothered me if he'd lost to Button, I was very nearly cheering at that point. He'd gone up in my estimation enormously.

Only then to find out that his dad pulled the plug. It turned a great crowd-pleasing moment into a red-faced fiasco u-turn. How sad.