Grand Prix 2011 British Grand Prix Practice, Qualifying & Race Discussion

In a case of after the lord Mayor's show, we are back to square one after Valencia served up another placid race with the same result - A Sebastian Vettel victory. Some people reckon that the championship will be decided at Silverstone as if Red Bull still win despite the EBD ban, that is the championship over and done with for this season, and it's hard to argue with that considering Vettel has only dropped 14 points so far this season after 6 wins and 2 second places, not even Schumacher in his 2002/2004 pomp started a season like that.

So we go to a circuit where 3 drivers hold as their home grand prix, lewis Hamilton, Jenson Button and Paul Di Resta, but the Mclaren pair go into their home race in low spirits after their update package failed to get them closer to Red Bull on a circuit where Red Bull were supposedly weaker at than other tracks, a feeling that has been reflected across the paddock with Alonso admitting that the championship was virtually over and it would be more productive to focus on 2012 and 2013.

Silverstone has recieved a massive redevelopment as part of the 17 year contract it recieved when Donnington couldn't come up with the goods to stage a British Grand Prix and the new addition this year is the pit lane complex which looks stunning and has really elevated Silverstone into the 21st century as one of the elite grand prix facilities, (and certainly one to show off to the other countries when they come here ;) )

With the rule changes this could be the most unpredictable race of the season however, as we saw in Valencia, if anyone can adapt to rule changes, it's Red Bull, Adrian Newey has often been able to pull a rabbit out of a hat when the chips are down so don't be surprised to see Vettel take his seventh win of what has been a remarkable season for the young German who has swept all before him and is now walking towards his second World Championships and joining the select few who have won back to back Championships.

It's been a curious couple of weeks for Ferrari, off the pace and then suddenly back on it in Valencia and once again (like Turkey) they are the second fastest team again when the car is in the hands of Alonso (although Massa didn't exactly have a bad race himself)

Further down the grid at Toro Rosso, Alguesari has proven a point to his critics after a points finish at his home race and his second points finish in a row, and if he wants to keep his race seat there, he needs more of where that came from as Ricciardo is no slouch and will want the second seat at Toro Rosso next year. Even Sutil in the Force India shrugged off his critics to beat his team mate to claim a handful of points to relieve the pressure on his shoulders, albiet for only a short while.

For Galahads superb circuit write up see here http://cliptheapex.com/pages/silverstone-circuit/
 
Alonso can thank Hamilton for helping him build that healthy lead

Really? I thought I saw FA double his lead pretty quickly once Seb got into second place...

Are we going to pretend that Hamilton didn't hold Vettel thus allowing Alonso to build a health lead in addition to any performance advantage he may have had at the time. Not downplaying the good job that Alonso did but Hamilton's invertention in addition to Vettel's poor pit stop played into his hands. At the very worse, it would've been very close between them in the end. Been in clear air also helps a lot in a circuit like this.
 
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Are we going top pretend that Hamilton didn't hold Vettel thus allowing Alonso to build a health lead in addition to any performance advantage he may have had at the time. Not downplaying the good job that Alonso did but Hamilton's invertention in addition to Vettel's poor pit stop played into his hands. At the very worse, it would've been very close between them in the end. Been in clear air also helps a lot in a circuit like this.

Alonso in the Ferrari was quicker than Vettel in the Red Bull in race conditions. Nothing more to say about that. The fastest man won the race. Fernando was flying today.
 
It seems Mark was asked 4 or 5 times to stop trying to pass Seb, and ignored all of the radio calls right up to the last half of the last lap.

Clearly not happy about it and I can't see him staying at Red Bull next year to play lackey.
 
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Really? I thought I saw FA double his lead pretty quickly once Seb got into second place...

Are we going top pretend that Hamilton didn't hold Vettel thus allowing Alonso to build a health lead in addition to any performance advantage he may have had at the time.

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Of course not, but FA was the quickest man on the track at that point even before Seb's dodgy pit-stops, so it might not have made that much difference anyway. I don't see your point about drivers holding each other up, that happens at every race and is always a deciding factor in the final order. Same for everybody.
 
There's a good chance Hamilton could've kept third place had he a better grid slot.

Nah. The Red Bull and the Ferrari were quicker today.

The only point of the race where Lewis was quicker was when the car disparency was neutralised by the conditions and it was all down to the driver. As soon as it dried up, it became all about the car again.
 
Are we going top pretend that Hamilton didn't hold Vettel thus allowing Alonso to build a health lead in addition to any performance advantage he may have had at the time.

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Of course not, .

Well that settles it then. I haven't disputed Alonso being a deserved winner. I said he can thank Hamilton for helping him build a healthy lead. I didn't say he can thank Hamilton for winning him the race.

And I'd be very grateful if you used the quote button on the forum properly.
 
If I were Lewis, I would have already made up my mind to go to RedBull in 2012.

It looks like last years mid to end of season slump after briefly flirting with the front has happened again at McLaren.
 
Well that settles it then. I haven't disputed Alonso being a deserved winner. I said he can thank Hamilton for helping him build a healthy lead. I didn't say he can thank Hamilton for winning him the race.

Really doesn't matter if you win by 1 second or 30 seconds. What matters is crossing the line first. Given that Hamilton's great defensive driving and Vettel's inability to get past the slower McLaren had no effect on the outcome of the race there isn't really a point to be made. If there is a point to be made, it is that not being able to get past Hamilton nearly cost him 2nd place to his team-mate.
 
Vettel didn't do himself any favours today really. He had a golden oppurtunity to make a point to those who say he can only win when he's at the front and that he can't overtake and really he failed in that respect.

I wouldn't say he failed in every respect. He drove a consistent race and it is this kind of consistency that will most likely win him the championship when he could've gone for a hail mary move on Hamilton and DNFd. I thought if it was the other way round Hamilton would've passed him but Vettel is inherrently more risk averse anyway, not to mention the fact that he started second and finished second.
 
Nah. The Red Bull and the Ferrari were quicker today.

The only point of the race where Lewis was quicker was when the car disparency was neutralised by the conditions and it was all down to the driver. As soon as it dried up, it became all about the car again.

because he had to save fuel.
i reckon he would have finished 3rd if it wasnt for that.
 
because he had to save fuel.
i reckon he would have finished 3rd if it wasnt for that.

He was already in fourth when he was told to save fuel. Do you really think he would hae been quicker than Weber who was quicker than Vettel. If his car was quick enough to catch and pass Webber he would also have caught and passed Vettel and finished second. What actually happened was that both of the Red Bulls caught and passed Lewis. This happened before he was told to save fuel.
 
Webber, "I'm not fine with it, no. Of course I ignored the team and I was battling to the end."
 
And be a guaranteed number 2 driver?

I can't see that happening.

Lewis will never be a number two driver wherever he is and whoever his team mate is. That was proven in 2007. I think everyone in the paddock is well aware that he could never be employed on a number two criteria and I don't think there is a single person in the paddock that would even contemplate it.
 
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