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/
 
Another thing, have intermediates always been classified as "wets"?

I believe so, I seem to remember in post race interviews they would talk about wets and extremes. Even though the the proper name for them is the intermediate tyre and the full wet. But then again the FOM shows the drivers on either the soft or hard tyre but all the drivers call them primes or options.
 
The two specifications of dry tyres are the primes and options.

http://argent.fia.com/web/fia-publi...E/2011_F1_SPORTING_REGULATIONS_30-06-2011.pdf The appointed tyre supplier must undertake to provide :
- Two specifications of dry-weather tyre at each Event, each of which must be of one homogenous
compound and visibly distinguishable from one another when a car is on the track. At certain Events
one additional specification of dry-weather tyre may be made available to all teams for evaluation
purposes following a recommendation to the FIA from the appointed tyre supplier. Teams will be
informed about such an additional specification at least one week before the start of the relevant
Event.
- One specification of intermediate tyre at each Event which must be of one homogenous compound.
- One specification of wet-weather tyre at each Event which must be of one homogenous compound.
25.2 Quantity of tyres during an Event :
a) Except under d) below, no driver may use more than eleven sets of dry-weather tyres, six of “prime”
specification and five of “option” specification.
b) Except under e) below, no driver may use more than four sets of intermediate tyres and three sets of
wet-weather tyres.
c) A set of tyres will be deemed to comprise two front and two rear tyres all of which must be of the
same specification.
d) Following a recommendation to the FIA from the appointed tyre supplier, one additional set of “prime”
specification tyres may be made available to all drivers. Teams will be informed about such an
additional set at least one week before the start of the relevant Event.
e) If either P1 or P2 are declared wet one additional set of intermediate tyres will be made available to
all drivers. This set of tyres must b
 
Now that's confusing things there Sportsman!

Seems like the FIA refer them as "intermediate's" and not wets.

The tyre saga continues...or tyre-gate....whatever...
 
My mistake then if that's what the FIA calls them but the FOM (who take care of the commerical side) calls them softs and hards presumably to make it easier for fans to understand.
 
Oh, sorry about that.

They were running wets and inters in that practice session, and from what I am aware it is too dangerous to use it in wet conditions or even with intermediate tyres on.

And if Hamilton got punished for something like that I wouldn't be surprised if there was a big uproar with fans, but a rule is a rule.

Hamilton wasn't punished for using DRS in practice. Document 18, issued at 15:36
on Friday stated that after talking to the driver and team reps., no further action was
taken.

Mark Webber was also called to the stewards for the same reason - also in Doc. 18.

Note to Teams

The Stewards, having received a report from the Race Director that the following cars used DRS during P1, heard from the drivers and team representatives and have decided that no further action is required.

Car 2 Mark Webber

Car 3 Lewis Hamilton

Lars Osterlind Nicolas Deschaux

Nigel Mansell Dennis Carter
 
Not confusing at all. The regs clearly state two compounds of dry weather tyres.
Intermediates are classed as wet tyres.
 
Did anyone else here watch Ted Kravitz from the pit lane @ the British GP on the BBC website?

Did anyone else hear him say Rosberg was on a one stopper in yesterdays race? Or am i imagine i heard it, because the last few races Mercedes have had tyre issues through the whole race and it's hard to think of them doing a one stopper!
 
Cheers Sly thought i did! Must say thought the race was pretty good. Massa and Lewis going at it towards the end of the last lap was brill and the new pit lane complex looks brilliant. Thumbs up for the new Silverstone from me :).
 
No hammy I think you remember right, but during the race Brundle said that both Perez and Rosberg had pitted twice because Rosberg was asking his team if Perez had better tyres. So I don't know how many stops Rosberg did.
 
Rosberg can't have lasted 40 odd laps on one set of Prime tyres....

If Perez couldn't do it, neither could Rosberg hehe.

I am sure Ted came back on air (I didn't hear him say about the 1 stoppers but just incase he did) he did say Perez and Rosberg where part of the 2 stoppers when Rosberg asking on the radio if Perez had better tyres.
 
Apologies :thankyou:

I did not mean to claim that you are hearing things, it is I with the problem, as I cannot hear things (too many music concerts) :goodday:

Oh i know you didn't and Lol. Just couldn't understand why Ted would say that he's normally very good with his stats and all that. Love his behind the scene's video's after races you learn information that the others on the main TV channel don't give you.
 
I'm presuming the wet race blinky light is controlled by the driver, is that correct?
 
Wasn't DRS enabled in the race when drivers were still on intermediates?

Yes it was.That is allowed within the rules as its deployment is under controlled conditions, ie a designated straight.
In practice its deployment is uncontrolled and drivers can attempt to use it even during corners.
Hence the tyre rules "in practice" as the rules state.
 
I'm presuming the wet race blinky light is controlled by the driver, is that correct?
It's automatic. I saw a good piece on Silverstone TV where Anthony Davidson was demonstrating a Mercedes steering wheel. There's a four position switch for each tyre type which the driver operates. The switch automatically changes things such as pit lane speedometer settings to allow for the different diameters of the tyres etc. but also automatically switches on the rear laight when set for either of the wet tyres.

The Silverstone TV commentators clearly hadn't noticed this fact, as they were making great pains to try and identify who was on intermediates rather than on slicks at any one point by using the tyre wall colours, when all they had to do was look at the rear lights as the cars went by.
 
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