Grand Prix 2012 Australian Grand Prix Practice, Qualifying & Race Discussion

Gentleman, start your engines

Despite it feeling only a few weeks since the season ending Brazilian Grand Prix last November the Australian Grand Prix is coming very quickly into view to start of a season which hopefully promises to be a lot closer than the 2011 season where Sebastian Vettel ran away with the Championship and had it virtually won by mid season.

Looking at testing and it is virtually impossible to see who is in the best shape going into the season opener apart from that Mclaren and Red Bull are the two teams in the best shape which really isn't surprising but the big surprise is the continual lack of pace from Ferrari despite a radical new car (the issues I commented on on a previous thread).

As for the midfield it is anyone's guess as all the midfield have all been up and down the testing rankings throughout the winter and it'll only be qualifying where we see a true reflection of where the grid is in terms of reliability. Without a doubt Lotus have had the most work to do after they had to make a major chassis change involving suspension mounts which meant abandoning one of the test sessions but that doesn't seem to have had a major effect on the team and with Kimi Raikkonen at the wheel it is hoped that they can challenge Mercedes after a fairly disappointing 2011 after a strong start.

Once again HRT are the joke of the entire grid as they once again go into the first race of the season without having so much as turned the wheel before after crash test problems earlier this year and it will be a miracle if they actually qualify as they failed to do so in Melbourne in 2011, but they could be joined by Marussia who have also had problems with their new car and have had to test with a modified 2011 car recently and they will also be struggling to even qualify for Melbourne which isn't good news for the team unless they can pull a rabbit out of the hat with the new car.

This seasons cars (apart from Mclaren) are characterised by the distinctive stepped nose due to new regulations about front wing height and this is how the vast majority of teams have interpreted this rule and it seems that only Mclaren are running a 'smooth' nose and it remains to be seen whether this was a correct decision and one that can mean they can challenge for the title after an average 2011 (unless you're Button of course)

For the British viewers 2012 is going to be a completely different viewing experience as Formula One is going to be broadcast on satellite television for the first time. When it was announced that Sky would be broadcasting F1 with BBC showing only half of the races (live) it was met with uproar from all quarters but as more details have been announced, many fans (me included) are rather looking forward to the full F1 package that is being provided this season with the F1 channel being launched in a matter of days!

For Galahads brilliant circuit write up, see here http://cliptheapex.com/pages/melbourne-grand-prix-circuit-albert-park/

 

[teabagyokel]

A horrible day for Brazil out there today. You know its not gone right when you're fighting for 13th when your team-mates are fighting for 6th.

 

[sportsman]

Both drivers were in saving fuel mode.

http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/98176 McLaren boss Martin Whitmarsh has revealed that his drivers could have been even quicker in the Australian Grand Prix if his team had not made a mistake with its fuel calculations.
Jenson Button dominated the first race of the season in Melbourne, with Lewis Hamilton coming third after losing a place to Sebastian Vettel under the safety car, but the pair had to limit their pace from early on because they were using more fuel than the team had calculated they would.
"We were more than marginal," revealed Whitmarsh. "Had we raced unfettered we would not have got to the finish line with either car, so from lap eight we were in severe fuel saving mode.

 

[Brogan]

so from lap eight we were in severe fuel saving mode .

Wow!

So just how quick will the McLaren be at future races?

 

[MCLS]

Interesting to hear that, because for the first 8/9 laps both Hamilton and Button streaked away from the field, with that pace you could only wonder at how far ahead they would have finished

 

[RasputinLives]

I know to some it might seem unthinkable but has anyone thought than rather then Hamilton suddenly losing pace in the race that in fact it was Jenson who underperformed on the Saturday? Lets remember if he hadn't made a mistake in turn 14 on his final run he'd have been on pole.

 

[Brogan]

Lets remember if he hadn't made a mistake in turn 14 on his final run he'd have been on pole.

The same could be said for Hamilton who also made a mistake on his second flying lap.

 

[RasputinLives]

The same could be said for Hamilton who also made a mistake on his second flying lap.

True.

I was just presenting the alternative argument before the thread became the "How come Hamilton was so slow when he's clearly the fastest driver ever ever ever times a million" thread.

 

[Brogan]

To be fair, I think it's only one or two who are claiming that (as usual).

 

[GeoffP]

I do wonder how many coded messages are in the radio transmissions and in the post race interviews to confuse the opposition. I do remember on Button's radio after the safety car hearing the comment saying he had plenty of fuel.

A real case of Bullshit Baffles Brains

 

[downforce]

Sauber ahead of ferrari in the WCC, mainly due to Massa being slow

I wonder how much kobayashis broken wing affected him if at all

I also wonder how much faster McLaren could have gone considering: http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/98176

 

[mjo]

Does anyone know if there was any further action regarding the Massa/Senna incident?

 

[OnTheLimit]

If your referring to Button, he's always had the pace, just not the team or car. When he won with Brawn the great British knocking machine went viral and said it was the car. Those who have followed his career and understood the difficulties he has been faced with in the past know he's always been top draw. I hope people start to realize that and give him the credit he deserves.

He certainly is top draw but i cant help but feel the Pirelli's are one of, if not the main reason for JB's success. Today's win was probably JB's most comprehensive victory against LH and it is pretty revealing

 

[Galahad]

When we do the overtaking stats is it possible to list DRS assisted and non-DRS assisted passes?

I'd love to, but in every race there are passes that aren't shown on the TV feed or the onboard cameras. I'm happy to listen to suggestions as to how to identify all DRS and non-DRS from the tools available, but I'd rather not report anything if its incomplete or based on guesswork.

 

[EvilWhippet]

Chump of the weekend is secure though. Pastor, that's you.

Strongly, strongly disagree with this. A guy most think is the inferior of Williams' pay drivers out qualifies his teammate by a big margin and gets Williams in the points on merit. Hassles the Ferrari driven by (in some people's view) the best driver on the grid lap after lap. He's inexperienced, and unless Bruno's totally incompetent (which I'm not ruling out) he was driving at a pace beyond what the car should be achieving. So he dropped it, but he dropped it from a fantastic position that nobody thought he could achieve, when in equal machinery Bruno was driving into everything in sight and not going quick when he wasn't. On the contrary I think he's one of the standout drivers of the weekend, and I'm really not a fan of the guy. He's scary.

I'd have the Brazilians fighting for the chump title this weekend. So far behind their teammates and dangerous to be around.

 

[Jos the Boss]

Just like to point out, someone I know did find a stream from the BBC of the race, albeit a delay but this means that they do have live coverage as well!

 

[sportsman]

Wow!

So just how quick will the McLaren be at future races?

Bit of a "catch 22" this one.If McLaren or anyone else for that matter put in more fuel the extra weight will have a negative effect on the lap times.
I have no idea of how much fuel McLaren started the race with, neither do I have any reliable data regarding their fuel comsumption rate.

 

[Bill Boddy]

One thing that Button mentioned in the press conference was that he was able to conserve fuel during the safety car period, so presumably Hamilton did as well. So it is possible that this actually aided Hamilton who could have needed to slow down and been passed by both Vettel and Webber in the closing couple of laps.

 

[tranquility2k9]

Whitmarsh suggests they'd have been faster overall though. I think from past experience, when teams underfuel they always say it costs them because although you're carrying less fuel so you'll be able to go a bit quicker, having to save fuel costs more time overall.

I think put simply if they were in a "severe fuel saving mode" from lap 8 then each lap, I imagine they'd be losing more time from being in that mode than they would have gained from carrying less fuel.

Another interesting thing is I thought Webber looked to have better pace than Vettel throughout the race. Not by a huge amount but whenever he was in clear air he looked faster than Vettel and his tyres didn't seem to go away like they did last year. What with him out-qualifying Seb yesterday, without KERS, I think this is a good thing for the season.

 

[racecub]

Just like to point out, someone I know did find a stream from the BBC of the race, albeit a delay but this means that they do have live coverage as well!

What site was that? Is it being broadcast outside the Uk then?

 

[Brogan]

I'm getting tired of saying this, but NO MORE DISCUSSION OF ILLEGAL STREAMS.

This is in breach of the site rules and we don't allow it for good reason.