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/
 
Anyway, all this diffuser talk anyone would think we wasn't hours away from a grand prix. Personally i think this race is really well set up. If Red Bull's pace is still mainly in quali, then Ferrari could be faster than them today. Plus, Ferrari have had very good starts. This could also be the first time we see Vettel in a proper race. Wonder if those cracks we saw last year might return. Lewis starting from 10th should produce some drama one way or another. I never use to be bothered when Lewis qualified poorly cos it meant we could see one of his fantastic drives though the field, but the way things have gone recently he might need one or two boring races to rebuild.

We also have the possibility of rain which always throws a spanner in the works. Bring on the British GP!!!
 
I don't think anything has changed. He didn't stay out of trouble in any of his seasons, he just needs the luck sometimes. It could've easily been Jenson who DNFed in Canada and not Lewis. I think it most of his seasons the positives from his aggression have outweighed the negatives.
 
I believe that Hamilton will probably finish the season ahead, but there is a hell of a lot of people who are complaining about Whitmarsh favouring Button, and I'm fed up of it.

The underlying assumption in all this is that for Button to be ahead of Hamilton in the Championship, there must be some sort of favouritism within the team to get the bumbling buffoon Button ahead of the wide-eyed boy Hamilton.

Thats the assumption Fernando Alonso made in the other direction in 2007, and in this case its just not true. Button is not there for Hamilton to beat. He's a World Champion in his own right.

It is quite disrespectful to Button to assume that his lead must be down to favouritism. I apologise if you personally did not mean this, Quintessentially, but I want to leave this here for the people who do.
 
Off topic, but in response to the questions asked, as far as I am aware, periscopic exhausts have already been confirmed for 2012, which will completely remove any form of EBD.
 
Of course he has the self control. He's a former world champion. Self control is recovering from Canada and finishing 4th, splitting a very competitive Ferrari and ahead of a team mate who was supposed to be on a high. But some will conveniently ignore this to pursue their hidden agendas.
 
So it looks like McLaren won't get their wish for a wet race, unless the weather is wildly different to what we have in London at the moment.

I can actually see a Ferrari winning this race.
 
So it looks like McLaren won't get their wish for a wet race, unless the weather is wildly different to what we have in London at the moment.

I can actually see a Ferrari winning this race.


I wouldn't take anything for granted. I can also see Ferrari winning this race, in Alonso's hands of course. Interesting to see what reception he'd get if he did!
 
The TWG had their meeting this morning and an agreement has not been found by all teams on moving back to the Valencia regs. So this ridicelous mid-season rule change saga will go on probably for the rest of the season. Also, guess who was the main opposer, FERRARI. They have been very quiet on all of this and Newey even suggested they had a large part to play in getting the regs changed. It has obviously benefited them significantly. Typical Ferrari huh?

What I don't get is how Ferrari can say their sudden performance leap, with them essentially catching RB in qualifying at RB's favourite circuit, is not down to the reg changes. If it weren't down to the regs then they wouldn't mind going back to the Valencia ones.

http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/92998

AUTOSPORT's sources have revealed that Ferrari and the Ferrari-powered Sauber team refused to sign the deal to return to the Valencia specification.

There had been speculation that Cosworth engine user Williams would do likewise, but it is understood to have been in favour of this solution.
 
I wouldn't take anything for granted. I can also see Ferrari winning this race, in Alonso's hands of course. Interesting to see what reception he'd get if he did!

I think as long as anyone but Vettel won the fans would be glad, I'm sure they'd cheer Vettel of course just not as much.
 
So it looks like McLaren won't get their wish for a wet race, unless the weather is wildly different to what we have in London at the moment.

I can actually see a Ferrari winning this race.

It's grey and cloudy at SE London and rain looks to be on the way.The weather report on BBC News said there will be risk of showers at some point during the race although they were not sure how heavy these would be. A wet start would be nice.
 
I may have dreamt this or not but is Hamilton running a new and Button the old(er) spec rear wing this weekend?
 
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