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/
 
So....is this going to get banned in the future? Or will these new rules stay to the end of the season?

Where's HRT's protest when you need it?
 
Surely, surely, all the other engines should be allowed to have 50% off-throttle exhaust flow as well?

The point is that if the rule is 50% for them and the other Renault teams, then surely it should be 50% for everyone..

No because they weren't at the same levels when all the engines were homologated back in '07. Even '09 (when there were no EBDs of this sort.)

Honestly, Renault themselves (i.e. the team) were going to get slaughtered most. Much more than RBR. This was speculated/hinted at as far back as the Canadian GP a month ago.

Boullier said they may have to go back to the traditional backwards exhausts for Germany.
 
An interesting development on the Red Bull pit box.

As their box is so close to the pit lane exit, they aren't able to get up to the pit lane speed limit, which will be 100 kph for the race, before crossing the line. As a result, they could stand to lose between 0.29s and 0.50s per stop.

They've requested that the speed limit be kept at 60 kph for the race.
The FIA so far haven't changed it but I guess it probably will change before Sunday.

Coupled with the below ground level pit lane, which can't be seen from the grandstands, you have to say the designers have really screwed up on the new circuit.
 
More on the Renault engine issue from Adam Cooper on Twitter.

One team source tells me that Renault's exhaust advantage stems from the engine's use of a butterfly rather than barrel throttle, which apparently means that a 50% opening actually equates to 68% - the number I gave earlier today. It's getting complicated...
 
Greetings from a wet muddy field! Walked most of the track today, although we managed to leave most of the stuff that was supposed to keep us dry in the tent so we got a bit wet. Took a whole bunch of pictures which I'll share once I've removed the ones of people's heads and fences. We're going to go dig in early at Becketts tomorrow for the P&Q. Saw EJ & Jake throwing ice creams out of an ice cream van in the pouring rain - bit random.
 
More on the Renault engine issue from Adam Cooper on Twitter.

One team source tells me that Renault's exhaust advantage stems from the engine's use of a butterfly rather than barrel throttle, which apparently means that a 50% opening actually equates to 68% - the number I gave earlier today. It's getting complicated...

This is really starting to anger me. If 50% means 68% and they obviously want them to be allowed to use 50% off-throttle then surely they should use the comparative figure that will give 50% in actual terms, taking the butterfly throttle into account.
 
Another typical RB complaint, check this:-​

"In today’s FIA drivers’ briefing at Silverstone there was some discussion about the new pitlane and its entrance, with Sebastian Vettel repeating claims he’d made to the media that the tight righthander is dangerous.

Vettel was keen to see the pitlane speed limit kept at 60km/h for the race, rather than raised to 100km/h, as is the plan.
Christian Horner repeated those fears earlier today: “If it’s conditions like today, if the speed limit goes up to 100km/h I think it could be a tricky down there. Yeah, it’s part of the track, at the end of the day it’s the same for all teams and all drivers, but I think they probably need to have a look at whether we – because the pit lane tapers as well – remain with 100km/h, or whether it would actually be better to look at a 60km/h speed limit.”

Intriguingly it emerged during the briefing that Red Bull has other reasons to seek a reduction in the speed limit. The team’s pit is so close to the end of the pitlane that when they accelerate out of their pit box the drivers cannot get up to 100km/h before the end of the limited zone. And that means they will be at potential time disadvantage at every pit stop."

With Red Bull when they complain about things, what annoys me is that they don't actually come out and tell the truth about why they are complaining. It's always because they want to gain an advantage or not lose one, but they'll pull stunts like this, saying it's unsafe. WITH THE AMOUNT OF DOWNFORCE THEY HAVE, IF ANY CAR CAN TAKE THE RIGHT-HANDER INTO THE PITLANE IT IS THEM. So stop bullshitting us all the time and come out and say what you really mean!
 
More on the Renault engine issue from Adam Cooper on Twitter.

One team source tells me that Renault's exhaust advantage stems from the engine's use of a butterfly rather than barrel throttle, which apparently means that a 50% opening actually equates to 68% - the number I gave earlier today. It's getting complicated...

Also if the FIA have given Renault 50% off-throttle use to make things "fair" (supposedly), then surely, they should use the same logic and look at the fact that Renault actually gains an advantage and much bigger off-throttle gain due to the butterfly effect!
 
Well there not just going to come out and say that are they? And if Ferrari or McLaren were in the same position they'd play the same games.
 
Very interesting latest piece from Andrew Benson:- http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/andrewbenson/2011/07/new_engine_rules_power_f1s_lat.html

"Of course, the big question is how those of us watching can be sure that we are watching a level playing field.
I sought out a leading, highly experienced engineer for an answer. He says, in a nutshell, that we can't. But as a reassurance, he did add that "Charlie is very experienced at not having the wool pulled over his eyes."

Charlie being Charlie Whiting, F1's race director.

As a protest against the new ruling, the Mercedes team ran in second practice with 50% open throttle during braking - ie, illegally. Then, there was an explosive exchange in the drivers' briefing with Whiting, with McLaren's Lewis Hamilton particularly animated on the matter.

And now all the engine manufacturers have been summoned to another meeting with Whiting."

Typical good old Lewis, getting right into the thick of it.

Can just imagine. Lewis Hamilton has been banned from racing at the British Grand Prix for attacking Charlie Whiting over his idiotic, inconsistent and unfair ruling on the blown off-throttle saga.
 
It's a bloody shambles, no other sport is like this. Maybe we should have a rule that says the technical regulations cannot under any circumstance (barring safety concerns) be changed between FP1 of the 1st race and the the GP in the final event.
 
Well....frankly...a hideous day. So frustrated at the lack of running and it was cold as hell in the stands.

Took some pics though. Example below!

Roll on tomorrow! :yawn:

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Nice pictures. Are you uploading them somewhere?

An interesting development on the Red Bull pit box.

As their box is so close to the pit lane exit, they aren't able to get up to the pit lane speed limit, which will be 100 kph for the race, before crossing the line. As a result, they could stand to lose between 0.29s and 0.50s per stop.

They've requested that the speed limit be kept at 60 kph for the race.
The FIA so far haven't changed it but I guess it probably will change before Sunday.

Coupled with the below ground level pit lane, which can't be seen from the grandstands, you have to say the designers have really screwed up on the new circuit.

I guess those times won't really mean much to RB with the speed they've got, but still... If a team has a disadvantage because of a design error it should be modified. A really silly mistake by the designers, though...

And this whole blowing thing is so confusing I'm just going to sit back and see how it turns out. I do know one thing though, and that is that they shouldn't change technical regulations in the middle of a season.
 
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