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

After a Grand Prix in Valencia which was probably better than all the others put together it shows that F1 2012 is completely mad. For the first time this season there is a driver with 2 wins after Fernando Alonso benefited from a retirement from Vettel and any pressure from behind was gone when Grosjean lost drive not long after Vettel stopped. The big talking point came on the penultimate lap involving Maldonado and Hamilton which resulted in Hamilton being pitched into the wall and Maldonado lost a podium which seemed pretty certain as it was only a matter of time before he passed the McLaren who had fallen off the cliff.

Without the safety car it was likely that Vettel would have won at a canter as he was a long way ahead before the race changing event in the middle of the race, but he pulled up soon after the restart gifting Alonso the lead and he would keep this until the end of the race, and because of Hamilton's issues he inherited the lead of the Championship with Mark Webber's fourth place meaning he jumped up into second place. Perhaps the biggest shock of the weekend was a first podium for Michael Schumacher since his return to the sport in 2010. Both his and Webber's strategy meant they were able to come through the field and claim major points just like Alonso did as all three started outside the top 10.

Fernando Alonso's victory marks a dramatic turnaround in fortunes for Ferrari as he stormed to victory in a car which was barely faster than the midfield cars at the start of the season, but now the car is as consistently fast as the Lotuses and the McLarens, certainly in race trim anyway but not quite up to the level of the Red Bulls as shown in the early race but we've still yet to see a straight fight between Alonso and Vettel which would provide a true reflection of where the teams are at.

Once again Lotus had the pace for a victory and had Grosjean not have retired he could well have possibly claimed a maiden win for him and the team. Kimi Raikkonen spent most of the race stuck behind Hamilton which prevented him from having a shot at Alonso and by the time he got past there were just a few laps remaining and claimed a comfortable second place which he said underwhelmed him, although since when has he ever been anything but that!?

Looking ahead to the British Grand Prix the atmosphere will once again be fever pitch as McLaren could well be in their best position yet to compete for victory with the high speed corners suiting the MP4-27 and knowing the British summer it could well be a cool day which will suit the car even better and both Hamilton and Button will be fighting for the win. Jenson Button has had a horrid record at Silverstone with no podium finishes in the 12 years he has been driving in Formula One. Hamilton has a better record with podiums in 2007 and 2010 and a famous win in the wet in 2008 where he destroyed the competition.

I know that quite a few members from this site are going to the grand prix and I hope that you all have a great weekend, providing McLaren can nail down their pit stops there is a very good chance that a British driver could be at the top step of the podium, or who knows, if Lotus can finally find the sweetspot then perhaps an eighth winner can be on the cards!

For Galahad's brilliant circuit write up - http://cliptheapex.com/pages/silverstone-circuit/
 
I had to qualify in pouring rain on slicks last Sunday. This was for a dry race and qualy was like being in control, or otherwise, of a jet-ski. Basically, the kart wouldn't turn unless you were on the power. I was also spinning up in the powerband half way up the straight and just keeping the kart going in a straight line and hang on to the fish-tailing was difficult. We all still went out, some came in, but it was a choice.

The beginning of the session was drivable and it should be up to the teams to use that time wisely. They can always delay Q3 but there was no need for a red flag in Q2. Nobody got an unfair advantage or disadvantage.
 
Why do you all see the cars at the front of the grid being handicapped. Ferrari made a wrong tyre call and are near the back of the grid which is where they'll stay. There's no way with conditions as they are that they will be able to set times anywhere near Perez and Hamilton if they restart the session.
 
Advantage or disadvsntage had nothing to do with the reason they red-flagged it though. Even Hamilton called it undriveable before that.
 
I think you are missing the point. Part of the session was drivable. Everybody had ample time to go out and set a couple of laps. Sure, red flag it but let he clock tick out. Q2 has already served it's purpose.
 
Again, you completely miss the point. I can see where you are coming from but your response is a bit sensationalist. I'm trying to be pragmatic.
 
To entertain your logic, should they not restart the session with 15 minutes on the clock? It will effectively be a different session anyway with the current times set becoming an irrelevance.
 
One thing they MUST NOT do (but probably will) is go back to the fastest times set by each driver in both sessions, which would send some of those currently through to Q2 back to grid positions equivalent to if they had not made it out of Q1. Hamilton, for instance, has the 14th fastest time from Q1. How would it be fair if he had to start in 14th, having made Q2 and currently sitting in 2nd place while Alonso, whose team made a bad strategy call to send him out on inters at the start of Q2, would start 4th?

Edit: just realised my schoolboy mistake; 14th is having made it out of Q1, obviously. It would still be unfair though.
 
@ExtremeNinjaThat's not the point. You said the session "has already served its purpose". Of corse it hasn't since it didn't go the full distance and those cars that are now outside the top-ten would not have had the chance to make up for the mistake some of them made in not going on full wets right away had the session been allowed to either go in or had the rest of the session be cancelled.
Their own mistake to begin with but the rules say the session lasts 15 mns and if it's red-flagged the session has to be re-started. So that's the rules and the teams know this in advance.
So the whole question is on whether the conditions were too dangerous or not, and the drivers are better judges of that than anybody else.
 
We are all aware of the rules. What is being argued is whether the rules could be changed to better effect. I, personally, think that they could.
 
Also, Incubus, the purpose of qualifying is for drivers to go out and set a time which, in turn, can be used determine the grid order. Everybody has had an opportunity to do so. Most have and a few have not, either through thier own mistakes or misjudgement. It is the rules that do not allow for the times set now to be used and it is the rules that I am questioning.

Just to be clear on what I meant with my statement about Q2 having served it's purpose. It's purpose is not to be 15 minutes long.
 
Does anyone know how many sets of Inters/Wets are available for the race weekend?
And do these get replenished if there have been several wet sessions (potentially 4 this weekend, FP1, FP2, Qualifying, ?Race).
 
Schumacher and Alonso lost control in places where you would not expect them to. Hamilton said that it was too wet to continue. I think that their opinions should be worth more than those of the commentators. A red flag was the right choice imo.
 
Here's hoping Perez, Verge, Hulkenberg, and some others, who did a great job in Q2 part 1 retain their decent positions.
 
Bill Boddy. Nobody is saying it wasn't. Not even the commentators. The debate is about what happens when a red flag is applied in this situation and how this is defined in the rulebook.
 
I am not being facetious whatsoever but you are now claiming you never said something I pasted from your own comment s few posts ago... anyway yeah let's move on.
 
I cant move on without defending against your accusation that I am lying. Which post do you refer to?We can move on from there.
 
I never said you were lying. Merely implied you were a bit forgetful because you did mention something about that "RULE" and suggest you check your own posts from the previous page.
 
That was such an unfair qualifying session. I can't remember who said if they red flag for weather they should keep the time ticking down (Ninja?) but that would've been so much better.
Just heard Di Resta - did Vettel & Alonso run the yellow flags?
 
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