Grand Prix 2013 Chinese Grand Prix Practice, Qualifying & Race Discussion

Formula 1 just got even more interesting.

After the inter-team shenanigans that unfortunately was the main talking point of the Malaysian weekend, Formula 1 returns to the concrete wilderness that is the Shanghai International Circuit in, er, Shanghai for surely the most anticipated race weekend of the season. Inevitably, the chat will be about team-mates; or more specifically the relationship (or lack of it) between Sebastian Vettel and Mark Webber. It remains to be seen as to whether the two Red Bull drivers will kiss and make up or whether their relationship will deteriorate further. (I don't want to sound dictatorial but it would be useful if we mainly talk about the upcoming race weekend, rather than having this thread hijacked by arguments relating to the team order fiasco of the last one).

But there is much more to talk about. We can't really conclude much at the moment, as we have had two unpredicatble weekends in terms of the weather. But we can conclude that the Red Bulls are rather fast, the Lotii are rather adept at conserving their tyres, Massa has raised his game to Alonso, Mclaren may be showing green shoots of recovery, Marussia Jules Bianchi has impressed and Caterham are nowhere.
However there are still many questions to be answered. Can Red Bull maintain their pace advantage over the others? Can Mercedes win again at the scene of their first victory since the 1950's? Will Mclaren start sorting their season out? Can Marussia catch up to the midfield? Will Force India be able to carry out a pitstop in under a minute? And can Paul DiResta ever give an exciting interview? All these questions will (hopefully) be answered in just over two weeks' time.

If grey is your favourite colour, then the Chinese Grand Prix is the event for you. The expansive concrete paddock, along with the overstated grandstands, the large run-off areas and the ever-approaching city ensure that the Chinese Grand Prix is one of the more corporate events on the calendar. But at least the race can advocate the open, liberal society that is China, so that's alright. A quick word on attendance for the race - they were dwindling but the Chinese seem to have given the event a proper go which is good (for Bernie at least).

However, don't be fooled by the initial uninspiring characteristics- this event has thrown up some brilliant races. How about Nico Rosberg's maiden win last year, in which Kimi Raikkonen went from 2nd to 14th in one lap? Or the tyre-influenced drama of 2011, where Lewis Hamilton overtook Vettel for the lead with four laps to go? Throw in a couple of stonking wet races, and Lewis Hamilton's pit lane heartbreak in 2007, and you have some memorable races. All at a circuit which is flat, soulless, uninspiring and was built to look like a Chinese character (that's true by the way).

Here are these past race highlights (UK users only, although I'm sure that there are some nice videos on Youtube):
2006 - http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/motorsport/formula_one/7992260.stm
2007 - http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/motorsport/formula_one/7992265.stm
2009 - http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/formula_one/8006795.stm
2010 - http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/formula_one/8628045.stm
2011 - http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/formula1/13108629
2012 - http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/formula1/17719946

It's too early for a weather forecast, although we have had sun, rain and cloud in the past so who knows what type of race we will have.
In terms of coverage, it will the the BBC's first live weekend of the year so for those of us who don't have Sky, remember to get up early!!

For superb circuit write-ups, overtaking stats and other useful stuff, there are some nice clickable buttons at the top of the page, called Race Hub and Overtaking. They won't bite.

All that remains is for me to say Ready, Steady, Discuss!

 

[Kewee]

RasputinLives......Those using softs later in the race are likely to come out of their final pitstop on their soft tyres straight into traffic, so I think they'll have problems when they have to work them harder than they would like. Will they be able to make them last. I think they'll have problems.

 

[RasputinLives]

I'm sure some of them will yes but unless your off into the first corner first your going to be in traffic at the start as well.

I don't really see how your chances of being in traffic are more likely on the last stint than on any other. In fact I'd argue that as the field will be more stretched out the further we get into the race it might even be less.

I guess we'll see in the race but I wonder Kewee whether you assurance its better to be on the softs first has anything to do with the fact Ferrari have chosen that option?

 

[Mephistopheles]

What I would do is leave putting on the soft tyres until one lap before the end and absolutely hammer it for the final lap I believe this has been done before with some success but I can't remember by who...

Of course this will balls up my fastest lap prediction in FF1..

 

[Brogan]

I'm not even sure I'm going to bother watching it.

F1 no longer seems to be about racing.

 

[teabagyokel]

If it goes the same way as Australia, then Raikkonen and Alonso will hold their tyres well enough to make the pit-stop in an advantageous position and thus take advantage. I hope so, anyway, because pole should be the best position to start from.

 

[Mephistopheles]

I've long been of a mind that the tyres are playing far too big a role in F1 these days, to be honest it is bloody ridiculous, and that goes for fuel saving as well....

 

[Mephistopheles]

pole should be the best position to start from.

Yes but it shouldn't mean a guaranteed win, there has to be some middle ground but the FIA just can't seem to find it...

 

[F1Yorkshire]

What I would do is leave putting on the soft tyres until one lap before the end and absolutely hammer it for the final lap I believe this has been done before with some success but I can't remember by who...

Of course this will balls up my fastest lap prediction in FF1..

Im pretty sure Vettel tried it before, not sure on the race..

 

[Kewee]

RasputinLives.....It has nothing to do with Ferraris choice, I just believe if the softs give problems better for it to happen at the beginning of the race than the end. At least they have the rest of the race to fight back rather than have your tyres fall of a cliff with only five or so laps remaining. I tend to agree with Brogan, tyres are playing far too greater role at present. I'm not against KER's, but DRS and the current tyres were a reaction to the criticism of a lack of overtaking and an effort to inject more excitement into the sport, so all that had been crying out for more overtaking have played a part in the introduction of DRS and the current tyre issues. It's still my belief that had they outlawed the one move rule, thereby banning blocking, none of these technical changes would have been necessary, overtaking would have become the norm as it used to be in previous eras.

 

[teabagyokel]

Kewee - I'm with you there, start on softs and you can ditch them when you need, rather than Sutilling.

 

[Slyboogy]

I criticising Lotus about sending Raikkonen out very early compared to the rest. Seemed to have worked, although helped by Rosberg making a mistake. Then it probably would have been a Mercedes walkover.

Ferrari's didn't seem to impress as I thought they would, considering that they were last out, Massa failed quite badly, got my hopes up for nothing.

Did no one find it weird that Button actually set a slow lap on the medium tyres rather than doing sector times? A bit pointless.

Ricciardo did well, Force India's weren't as good as I thought they would be. The midfield doesn't seem to be as tight as has been since I can remember, seems to be a bit off a spread.

Anyway, hoping for a Raikkonen or a Massa win, but I think Hamilton or Alonso will win it.

Im pretty sure Vettel tried it before, not sure on the race..

Monza 2010.

 

[no-FIAt-please]

Not to mention the start is more risky. If you lose a wing or pick up a puncture you can ditch the softs straightaway, whereas if you start of the primes you'll still need to run them later on. Starting on the primes will only work if you can get some clean air and keep people who started on options behind you after they have stopped.

 

[Mephistopheles]

Kewee - I'm with you there, start on softs and you can ditch them when you need, rather than Sutilling.

My comment is based on Button's situation he was never going to be higher than he qualified anyway so he had to throw the dice, and to be honest he did the only thing possible to give him a chance of some decent points, I'm not sure why Vettel went that way though...

 

[Boyle]

rather than Sutilling.

What, glassing someone in a Shanghai nightclub?

 

[Mephistopheles]

More of a fluting really...

 

[Lewywo4]

I've long been of a mind that the tyres are playing far too big a role in F1 these days, to be honest it is bloody ridiculous, and that goes for fuel saving as well....

I couldn't agree with you more Meph......Today on NBCSports regarding tire conservation, race analyst David Hobbs during Q1 said,
" I have never seen half a session go by, without seeing a sign of a car on the track. " I can't believe that their are many that would rather see the top 10 front runners during Q3, just sit in the pits, and only make just 1 run for pole position.

These soft tires are a complete disaster.

 

[Brogan]

I may be wrong but I think we have to go back to Italy 2009 for the last time both Red Bulls qualified lower than 8th on the grid.

 

[Mephistopheles]

If you can call that fiasco yesterday qualifying....

 

[Kewee]

I tend to think if your car goes vroom vroom and the wheels go around when you let the clutch out you should have to record a time. Unless of course its a Red Bull and someone forgot to put petrol in it.

 

[P1]

I'm not even sure I'm going to bother watching it.

F1 no longer seems to be about racing.

Agree. I'm going to record it. Watch the start. Then watch most of the race on fast forward.

Over here in the states, I'm having a very hard time defending F1 to the Americans. Between the team orders, and the tires which prevent a car being driven flat out, people here are arguing that F1 is not a real racing series where people drive flat out to win.