Poll 2010 Italian Grand Prix Driver of the Weekend

[Brogan]

Quite a few contenders this weekend, taking into account the overall performance through practice, qualifying and the race.

Who though impressed the most, bearing in mind the machinery they had to work with?

With Alonso scoring the first hat trick of the season, pole, win & fastest lap, he surely has to be favourite?

 

[siffert_fan]

I think that Button was the winner of this award this week. He kept his wits about him, not being overwhelmed with "the red mist" as Hamilton was, and may well have gotten the victory if not for the teams pit strategy.

I was initially going to go for "the Hulk", but his antics at the chicanes were too far over the top. He did, however, manage to make Rubens look rather average today.

 

[Sakari]

This is a bit subjective due to driver being on my FL, but I've gone for seb. Against all odds he ended the 4th.. which made me well happy.

 

[teabagyokel]

Jenson Button for me, I'm afraid but a close call with Alonso. He made a very difficult set-up call, got it right and defended like a Trojan for the whole race. The team let the wooden horse in through the gates at the stop but I think Button did the maximum!

 

[McZiderRed]

I voted for Jenson. He was consistently quick all weekend, out qualified his team-mate and could have won the race if the Ferrari wasn't quite so quick in the hands of Alonso... Alonso might have won DotW, but he had a poor start and then hit Jenson in the rear, damaging the McLaren. So, Jenson it is.

 

[FB]

Gone for Jenson If the McLaren team had made a better call on the pitstop strategy he could well have won it in a car which clearly wasn't as fast as the Ferrari. Not the first time McLaren have got it wrong

 

[GeoffP]

Think it's a Jenson moment - if Ferrari had only been 1/2 second faster in the pit stop he could have stolen a win in a slower car

 

[Jru]

Gone for Alonso - he was persistent throughout, caught up to Button when he started to pull away and put all of the goings on from mid-week thoroughly behind. Did well to get pole, and drove very well. The Ferrari pitstop was fairly impressive too! Everything seemed to go their way this week.
DoTW and CoTW seem pretty reversed this week! Wonder if it will stay like this for the rest of the season?!

 

[racecub]

Jenson. Didnt put a foot wrong in a slower and damaged car. Shame he didnt stay out longer like Vettel, he might have clinched it. I think he wanted to stay out longer

 

[Boyle]

It's very difficult to choose between Alonso and Button but I've gone for Fernando.

He kept his head after his early, ultimately unsuccessful assaults on Button, bided his time, put in the laps when it mattered to jump Jenson in the pits and has launched himself right back into the title hunt. To bring the goods home for Ferrari in front of the tifosi was the cherry on the cake. Button's defensive skills were excellent and he has also shown why he is a champion but Alonso just pipped it for me.

Honourable mention also goes to Vettel for a stonking drive in the second half of the race to just keep himself within touching distance. Rosberg, who is showing more and more maturity as his career progresses, was again impressive and taking a car that shouldn't be in front of a Red Bull and Kubica into substantial points.

 

[Chad Stewarthill]

Very tempting to go for Button, given the fact that he got his rear end bashed by Alonso at the first chicane and still managed to hold him off for a good long while; couldn't go for Alonso for that same bash on Button and also nearly taking his teammate out in the same manoeuvre.

So just to be a bit different, I'll go for the man that took a car that was no better than P12 (according to his 7 times WDC teammate) to 5th place; Nico Rosberg.

 

[ATL11]

Jenson in a damaged car and just made it wide each time coming in to turn 1.

Looking back wonder if McLaren could also have used Seb's tactics and just stayed out on the Option tyre until lap 52 and would have have forced Ferrari to make a move!

 

[snowy]

Pole, fastest lap and won the race, resisted intense pressure from team mate from start, applied constant pressure in pursuit of P1... it's no brainer.

 

[snowy]

Jenson in a damaged car and just made it wide each time coming in to turn 1.

Looking back wonder if McLaren could also have used Seb's tactics and just stayed out on the Option tyre until lap 52 and would have have forced Ferrari to make a move!

Perversely, the extra downforce and traction out of corners could produced far more tyre wear than a low downforce setup. Also there is the compromised balance induced by having lost part of the rear wing to consider...

Prior to pitting Jenson got on it but his lap times actually fell off a lot just before he did pit.

28 1:25.769

29 1:25.691

30 1:25.826

31 1:25.933

32 1:25.984

33 1:26.136

34 1:25.881

35 1:25.569

36 P 1:29.169

 

[ATL11]

Prior to pitting Jenson got on it but his lap times actually fell off a lot just before he did pit.

28 1:25.769

29 1:25.691

30 1:25.826

31 1:25.933

32 1:25.984

33 1:26.136

34 1:25.881

35 1:25.569

36 P 1:29.169

So you can see it may not have been an option to wait until lap 52, thanks for the times. Laps 29 to 33 he's lost 0.5 of a second even though his fuel weight would have diminished. I'd imagine laps 34 & 35 he pushed as he knew it was the last few laps on the tyres before the stop.

 

[RickD]

No Brainer, it has to be Button for keeping a damaged car going and finishing second only due to time taken in the stop. If Alonso's pit stop hadn't been a second faster, then there is no way he would have come out ahead of Jense.

 

[BlackCountryBob]

Great weekend for Alonso but Jenson gets my vote for doing a great job.

 

[gally5]

Agree with both of the above comments, Alonso put in a fantastic drive, but Button's drive was just as good, especially with running the higher downforce setting and losing a chunk of it when his diffuser broke. Neither driver put a wheel wrong, it was a pit battle that won it, so I'm edging towards Jenson slightly.

 

[seenathkumar]

Yes Button led for more than a half race by little than a second after loosing out at his pitstop of at 36 of 53 laps.

 

[Andrea_Moda_Rules]

Alonso for me,

McLaren came into the weekend massive favorites, did not capitalize on it almost redbull style.

Alonso had the pressure of the tifosi in a season there he has been somewhat out of sorts, Drove brilliantly,took advantage of button falling of the pace a little and utilize his strategy to full advantage.

Personally i think Alonso was always going to get Button at the pitstops, who ever pitted first, no matter how may laps between the two stopping.