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/
 
The Williams is showing some consistent form and the team are steadily developing into a good unit; they just need a decent No. 1 driver, and they will have a vacancy fairly soon once the Vicar loses his super-licence. I think Hamilton should take his sponsorship there next season.
 
I'll wait for the results of the stewards' inquiry into the Maldonado-Pérez incident before updating any of the data.

Guesses as to what the penalty will be, if any?
 
If only we had Lewis in a Lotus. I reckon he would be dominating the championship with three or four wins under his belt. My support for McLaren is waning. I just can't connect with their operation any more. They seem to have lost their racing spirit and seem to think that they key to success is pressing the right buttons on a calculator. Lewis has flattered that McLaren since round two and I think he needs to take his own racing spirit to a team that will fight for wins with him - rather than wait for them, expect them, and consequently not get them.
 
I really could not imagine LH in any other garage than McLaren.....but that was Ron's McLaren
If that Williams is good... & it looks pretty good...then I'm sure LH would love to be in his hero Ayrton's last team........& with his nephew Bruno ...this is a dream team for sponsors?
 
No penalty for that move. It can only really be called a racing incident. It's almost a shame that the accident wasn't a little more dramatic because I would really like to see Pastor punished for his wrecklessness. I think he will get away with this one.
 
Due to Pastor's previous form every incident is viewed with increasing scrutiny. Today is not different.

I'm not sure whether I believe him when he says he lost the rear due to cold tyres but I'd like to see the onboard from his cockpit of the incident. Definitely no love lost between him and Sergio though!
 
Perez actually said that he (PM) is going to harm someone.....are they going to fanny around until he does.
Bloody disgraceful...not fair on SP Sauber today, LH last race, Grosjean earlier this year, Perez at Monaco......bullying will carry on until it is sorted....
This is not comparable to LH problems last year...he was trying to spice things up....he didn't use his car as a weapon driving into others.
 
What were Mclaren doing with their tyre strategy today? I can't think how a 9 lap middle stint on the softs would ever have produced a good result. And they pitted Lewis too late at the end of his first stint. Jenson didn't fare much better either, changing onto the softs when everyone else was ditching them. Still, their stops were nice and clean.

Well done Mark Webber, a great drive from him.
Alonso did well to hold on for a podium, considering what has happened to the likes of Raikkonen and Hamilton in earlier races when their tyres went off.
More consistent good driving from Vettel to keep the pressure up.
The Lotus did look supremely fast; when will they get things together over a whole weekend and get their first win? And will it be Raikkonen or Grosjean?
Shame for Paul di Resta. Not sure what happened, but Brundle thought he had a touch with Grosjean, which is why the Frenchman had to pit early.
Shame for Caterham to lose one car even before the race began. And after all their high hopes, in the end they were still some way off the pace of the Force India.
 
What were Mclaren doing with their tyre strategy today? I can't think how a 9 lap middle stint on the softs would ever have produced a good result. And they pitted Lewis too late at the end of his first stint. Jenson didn't fare much better either, changing onto the softs when everyone else was ditching them. Still, their stops were nice and clean.

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I wondered about the strategy as well. Lewis seemed to have done all the hard work only for the number crunchers to intervene with that crazy 9lap stint where he had already managed to pass Schumi and was putting in decent lap times. From the radio exchanges it looks like they were trying to cover Grosjean in a car which has proven to be faster, much easier on its tyres and with over 20laps to go. It didn't look clever to me and even Lewis himself appeared baffled on the radio. Had Maldonado and Perez not collided he could've easily found himself out of the points.
 
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