Poll 2011 Spanish Grand Prix Driver of the Weekend

[Fenderman]

Yeah, but the detractors will point to all those shiny new tyres. I took that into account when I voted for Lewis, what with his having to start with a lovely big flatspot (rebalanced or not still an issue I'm sure).

 

[RevMaxPower]

So now success is down to WHICH tyres are on your car and WHEN. (Provided of course you have a competitive car in the first place. If not you might as well stay home and watch the more fortunate drivers on TV.)

It gets worse instead of better if you ask me.

Lucky, lucky Vettel and Hamilton and (some time later) a fairly lucky Button and Webber...

All in all a good two horse race last Sunday.

 

[Johnny Carwash]

It was a close run thing between Hamilton and Vettel. Both had great races in different ways. Vettel overtaking 3 cars in one lap gave him track position once the first round of pit stops were complete. Vettel also gave a fine display in cool calm driving when under pressure at the end of the race. Hamilton just gets the vote from me as he managed to keep up with the red bull on a track that was suited for the red bull and to finish 0.5 seconds behind Vettel was a great effort.

 

[MCLS]

Welcome to the site Johnny The problem with those overtakes was that Vettel was on brand spanking new tyres compared to the tyres Massa and Button were using....

 

[Fenderman]

Yep, Axle. II can't believe that five on the surface exciting races in I am still yet to be convinced. The cream will always rise to the top. My mis-givings, as I've bored everyone about elsewhere, are still to do with the drivers being given tools - and this especially applies to the Dreary Rear Slot - and then not being given the freedom to use them to the best of their ability. I'm not one for going back to simpler days as such, but it would be rather nice to feel that we are watching the drivers making decisions and not a mission control with more computing power than Huston CapCom* and Charlie Whiting pressing the "DRS Enabled" button.

*Referring of course to the strategic decisions now ever more concerned with tyre choice
I'm going to have to stop moaning about this now. 'Snuff said.

 

[Slyboogy]

I agree with Fenderman, at least with KERS drivers can use it when they like and be clever with it.

But with the DRS? Any randomer can press it and gain an advantage with it to pass the car ahead.

 

[KekeTheKing]

Vettel overtaking 3 cars in one lap gave him track position once the first round of pit stops were complete. .

While Seb's first OUT lap was impressive, it actually didn't gain him anything. Alonso stayed ahead after his first pit stop. It wasn't until Lap 20 when Vettel jumped Fernando during the 2nd stops.

Oh yeah, I voted for Vettel again too.

 

[EvilWhippet]

Welcome to the site Johnny The problem with those overtakes was that Vettel was on brand spanking new tyres compared to the tyres Massa and Button were using....

It's OK saying every good thing anybody did was down to tyres but there had to be a guy behind the wheel making the moves. Could anybody do it? I don't know. What I know is who DID do it.

 

[MCLS]

Well anyone of the 24 drivers who had a car as fast as the Renault could do it

 

[no-FIAt-please]

It's OK saying every good thing anybody did was down to tyres but there had to be a guy behind the wheel making the moves. Could anybody do it? I don't know. What I know is who DID do it.

True. But everyone disliked the way Hamilton overtook Vettel in China and that was with tyres which performance wise closer than with the ones Vettel used to overtake the cars (Button and Massa?).

 

[EvilWhippet]

Well anyone of the 24 drivers who had a car as fast as the Renault could do it

Now you're just making things up. You can say that they could but I could just as easily say anybody could do what Senn did at Donnington 93 with the right car and right tyre choices. It doesn't make any more or less irrelevant to what actually happened.

Although I was talking about Vettel's overtakes but nevermind, the point still stands. Something being possible and actually doing it are hugely different things. I know how to defeat a prime Mike Tyson it doesn't mean I can.

 

[EvilWhippet]

True. But everyone disliked the way Hamilton overtook Vettel in China and that was with tyres which performance wise closer than with the ones Vettel used to overtake the cars (Button and Massa?).

I didn't dislike it, I thought it was amazing. I also thought Vettel's moves were very impressive.

 

[MCLS]

You are confusing my point, as we have seen all season, with fresh tyres overtakes are far easier. Even a midfield team with new tyres can overtake front runners, look at Kobayshi last season in Valencia when he nailed Alonso on the last lap

 

[EvilWhippet]

Completely different circumstances. Different season with hugely differing rules. I'm talking about 24th to 8th. If anybody can do it than why hasn't anybody else? So Heidfeld had more tyres, the Renault IS an inferior car to the Red Bull (petrov dropped from being comfortably in the top ten to 11th and zero points in the race) and Catalunya IS a tougher overtaking circuit than Shanghai (statiscally pole is more important there than in Monaco.) I'm not saying Heidfeld COULD drive from 24th to 8th. I'm saying he DID. I'm also not saying Vettel COULD enter some demon overtaking twilight zone and drive around three guys on his outlap, I'm saying he DID. I don't award driver of the weekend based on what others COULD do in the same circumstances but what actually happened. We all know IF is F1 spelt backwards. Drives from the back are difficult, and Heidfeld did it better on Sunday than anyone else has all year. At a more quali-dependant track than Monaco. I don't see what's so preposterous about getting driver of the weekend for that.

 

[MCLS]

Because Heidfeld was in the fourth quickest car, he didn't have to focus on tyre preservation through the race and could go flat out for most of the 66 laps. Drives from the back aren't that difficult in 2011 F1 if you are in a Mclaren, Ferrari, Red Bull, Mercedes/Rosberg or Renault........ If it was why have we seen it happen 3 times in 5 races. And with 90 overtakes, most of which in the midfield, it can't have been that hard for Heidfeld to overtake and actually F1 isnt IF spelled backwards it's 1F.

 

[Speshal]

@Evil - although it was an admirable drive from Herr Heidfeld the numbers in the poll would suggest that most people disagree with you no matte how much eulogising on the subject you do, I don't think you'd change their minds

 

[EvilWhippet]

What? I'm not trying to make anybody change their minds I just can't see why MCLS doesn't see that taking more positions than anybody else has in one race this year is impressive. The whole point of a poll is for opinion and mine is that Heidfeld was fantastic, I'm the one defending my point here, I haven't so much as hinted that anybody else's opinion is wrong.

 

[Jru]

Heidfeld had a good drive, but not my driver of the week. Nor was Webber when he did it nor Kobayashi when he did it (as far as I recall...). Also Kobayashi did it again this week given that he got a puncture on the first lap, so you could even say he didnt have the fresh tyres, had an extra pit stop and a bigger delay. I don't know the circumstances of the puncture though so I wouldn't claim to know if it was his fault or not.

 

[MCLS]

Apparently Koby got pushed into the gravel after being tagged so that might have caused it

 

[EvilWhippet]

Heidfeld had a good drive, but not my driver of the week. Nor was Webber when he did it nor Kobayashi when he did it (as far as I recall...). Also Kobayashi did it again this week given that he got a puncture on the first lap, so you could even say he didnt have the fresh tyres, had an extra pit stop and a bigger delay. I don't know the circumstances of the puncture though so I wouldn't claim to know if it was his fault or not.

I never said anybody had to justify not choosing Heidfeld, I've just been defending my right to be spntaneously impressed.