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/
 
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.

He was told to save fuel before Webber came past him, he was unable to defend to the best of his ability.
 
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.

I don't disagree with you the but I haven't mentioned anything about race winning margins but a contributory factor to winning the race. Admittedly you think Hamilton held Vettel up, so I'm not sure what your bone of contention is. Who is to say that had Vettel not lost time behind Hamilton (hence pitting earlier to clear him and running his tyres longer )and not suffered that poor pitstop he wouldn't have had the opportnity to pass Alonso towards the end thus affecting the race result. Ifs and buts I know, but If the race result was all that mattered after an F1 race, you and I won't be here debating the contentious issues.
 
I have held back judgement on Seb ... Today is the day we saw Vettel tested as a racer rather than just a quick driver. Today is the day we saw that he cannot beat a faster car in normal conditions and today is the day that we saw that he cannot overtake a slower car with a decent driver in it. Today is the day that I am finally comfortable in passing judgement on Vettel....Fernando and Lewis are still shades ahead of Seb in my opinion.

:D Today is the day Vettel took another 18 points inspite of his team costing him 2 positions in the pits.

Today is the day the driver in the WDC lead INCREASED his championship points gap.

Today is the day you saw a thinking man's driver not piling into the back of a McLaren simply so you could have the satisfaction of knowing whether or not he can make a move stick off line on the wet.

Why risk everything - i.e. a healthy haul of points - when you have a resurgent Ferrari team about to mount a WDC challenge?

Alonso and Hamilton have nothing to lose now. They can be more aggressive. They have to be more agressive right now. Vettel has everything to lose now...and that's why he/RBR were (relatively speaking) more conservative.

It's a logical way to go about your racing. Did you notice the way he kept going off line on to the wet in order to cool his tyres? Intelligent boy!
 
Hamilton started saving fuel 2 laps after 2nd pit stop, so half of the race. You could see that he suddenly dropped 1 sec on live timing, being fastest in the race before it.
 
I don't disagree with you the and I haven't mentioned anything about race winning margins but a contributory factor to winning the race. If the race result is all that matters after an F1 race, you and I won't be here debating the contentious issues.

What contentious issues? My point to you is that there was no contentious issue.
 
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.
Which is precisely why he can never go to Red Bull while Vettel is there.

Despite Red Bull's protestations to the contrary, the evidence is plain for all to see that Vettel is clearly the favoured/number 1 driver.

Although this is probably getting off topic for this thread now.
 
Very entertaining and good to see a scrap for every single position. Alonso was supreme and did what he does best.

Mark is clearly frustrated not only that he is number 2 but also that he simply isn't fast enough - he ignored the calls to stop attacking but still couldn't get past.

For me it was clear that Vettel still lacks in racecraft and he didn't quite have the balls to take Hamilton in similar fashion to what Lewis did to Fernando earlier in the race.

Hamilton and Button must be scratching their heads and wondering what they have to do for their team to give them a fighting chance! I wonder if Jense would have had enough fuel as well :whistle:

As for Force India - :rolleyes:
 
Which is precisely why he can never go to Red Bull while Vettel is there.

Despite Red Bull's protestations to the contrary, the evidence is plain for all to see that Vettel is clearly the favoured/number 1 driver.

Although this is probably getting off topic for this thread now.

Ok. One last point. If Hamilton ever did go to Red Bull to partner Vettel. The number 1 status will be determined on the track. Red Bull will favour the driver who delivers the results. Unless this happens we just won't know who ends up on top. I am absolutely certain that there wouldn't be an automatic number 1 status for Seb. Performance would surely naturaly determine the pecking order.

Feel free to move this over to another thread.
 
Hamilton is the most marketable driver in the sport.

I doubt RedBull would care which one wins. I'm sure the suits in Austria would love to have the words 'Lewis Hamilton' 'RedBull' and 'World Champion' in the same sentence
 
Ok. One last point. If Hamilton ever did go to Red Bull to partner Vettel. The number 1 status will be determined on the track. Red Bull will favour the driver who delivers the results. Unless this happens we just won't know who ends up on top. I am absolutely certain that there wouldn't be an automatic number 1 status for Seb. Performance would surely naturaly determine the pecking order.

Feel free to move this over to another thread.

Do you think ALonso or Hamilton would have accepted the same situation if they were told not to pass Seb on the last lap
 
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 don't agree. He may have 'failed' in the eyes of some fans who think that way...but he's in the lead of the WDC with a resurgent Ferrari team about to mount a WDC challenge. I thought Vettel was very intelligent today. Imagine the criticism he'd get if he hit Hamilton and one or both DNF'd? How would that help his reputation??? He's abviously a lot sharper in that respect from a year ago.

You'll see a different Vettel once the WDC is wne. You'll see the Vettel you want to see when he is "free" to "battel to the end". Right now he's driving measuredly to esure he becomes the youngest double World Champion in history. Right now everyone else is driving much more agressively.
 
Like I said Christian Horner is a muppet and a dunce... the real person dictating who drives for Red Bull or not is Helmut Marko..it is plan to see last year when Vettel and Webber crashed in Turkey he blamed Webber...Horner who originally said it was Vettel's fault changed his mind afterwards when Helmut spoke.

If Hamilton and Vettel clash on the track I have no doubt more support will be on Vettel's side because of Helmut
 
For me it was clear that Vettel still lacks in racecraft and he didn't quite have the balls to take Hamilton in similar fashion to what Lewis did to Fernando earlier in the race.

I thought it was intelligent driving. Hamilton was very agressive when defending and Vettel had more to lose by crashing than by staying behind him.
 
It wasn't as if he was staying back from Hamilton, he was trying to get past every single time he could, but Hamilton drove brilliantly to keep him behind in a slower car and Vettel couldn't overtake in a faster car, that is the bottom line.
 
I don't agree. He may have 'failed' in the eyes of some fans who think that way...but he's in the lead of the WDC with a resurgent Ferrari team about to mount a WDC challenge. I thought Vettel was very intelligent today. Imagine the criticism he'd get if he hit Hamilton and one or both DNF'd? How would that help his reputation. He's abviously a lot sharper in that respect from a year ago.

You'll see a different Vettel once the WDC is one. You'll see the Vettel you want to see when he is "free" to "battel to the end". Right now he's driving measuredly to esure he becomes the youngest double World Champion in history. Right now everyone else is driving much more agressively.
Another race where Red Bull bungled the pitstop and they salvage 2nd place for Vettel compared to Mclaren who bungled a pitstop and it cost them a podium with Button possibly

Thats what happens in F1..if the luck falls with you it sometimes really does and right now Vettel is having all the luck
 
It was neither a lack of balls, nor intelligent driving, as far as Vettel passing Hamilton is concerned.
He just couldn't get past.

In the same way Webber couldn't get past Vettel, or Massa past Hamilton (even with the penalty of having to save fuel).
 
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