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 problem with McLaren is that they don't admit to their issues like Ferrari do. When Ferrari are doing bad they'll admit it and more. When they're qualifying in 2nd and not pole they'll say it isn't good enough. When they win and it was lucky, they'll say they need to do more. With McLaren this mentality, publicly at least, is not shown. Often when they do not win they find some statistics or numbers and try to argue they were fastest. Now in Valencia when quite frankly they had a shambles of a weekend, all they are banging on about in the press is their new fastest pit stop time. Well WOOPIDO Woking boys - you've really sorted it now, you can sit in race control and get one off over your new fastest pit stop time. Or... maybe.. just maybe.. you should worry about the fact that you were way off the pace in reality and Hamilton flattered you. Hamilton's comments of them being way off the pace have been ignored this weekend, because Button has said in the race he had "good pace" - OK then Jenson? Maybe good compared to being 2 seconds off your team mate at Canada, but compared to the other front runners, no. I wish McLaren would take more of a Ferrari approach and be ultra critical of themselves and stop finding statistical excuses to make themselves feel good. When Jenson was high flying last year and they were off the pace he'd do the same as Lewis is doing now and say they need more speed. It's not the drivers, it's the management and team philosophy that needs sorting out.
 
It's hard to rule Alonso out of anything at the moment. He won at Silverstone last year and I don't think anyone would doubt he's driving better this year than he has at any time during his career. There are some past champions who believe he's yet to peak. That should be a worry for all those chasing him. He's certainly at a level where he doesn't need the best car on the grid to deliver results.
 
tranquility2k9
McLaren mindset------needs updating
Ferrari mindset ------ 100%............ Red Bull equally so.
As you say ..."It's not the drivers, it's the team management/team philosophy that needs sorting."
Kewee
Whoa.......Alonso gets stupendous support from his team....Seb too
This cannot be said for Lewis.......Macca need to get sorted
 
I somehow doubt Alonso will get as easy a ride as he did last year as this was the non-blown diffuser race wasn't it? Normal service was resumed shortly after if I recall correctly.
 
I thin you have to see Ferrari and Red Bull as the top two teams right now. McLaren seem to be able to find ways to loose any chance of winning. The Red Bull looks better and better each race, and with these latest updates Vettel was untouchable (up until his car gave up).

Alonso is the best driver right now if my opinion. He knows when to push, when to pass, and how to control a race. He and the team gambled and lost in Canada, but despite that he was able to grab some points. His strategy for the title seems to be by defeating his opponents with a thousand cuts. Grabbing points at every race, staying consistent and staying possitive will surely grab him his third title.

Saying all this I do hope that McLaren perform well at Silverstone. More importantly, let's all hope for Caterams first points.
 
Boohoo! :disappointed: Can't afford to go this year.
Normally I'm at Woodlands campsite from the Thursday with my brother, with seats in either Stowe or Vale for the weekend. I'm already suffering withdrawal symptoms; saving hard to try and afford it next year, but it might yet be 2014 to coincide with the new engines.

Hoping for a better pitstop performance from Mclaren (why boast about one stop being a record 2.6 seconds when the other one takes 14 or more, eh Mr Michael? :givemestrength::givemestrength::givemestrength: ).

I suspect that this one will be a fight between Mr Vettel and Mr Alonso, although I'm hoping that Mr Hamilton can join the party and that Mr Maldonado doesn't gatecrash it. :whistle:

Having said that, is it time we had a Lotus 1-2 for Mr Grosjean & Mr Raikkonen?
 
Okay so what do we think.

McLaren are supposed to be good in the high speed stuff this year and they supposedly have an apgrade (at last) for Silverstone but I think their pace has slipped and Red-Bull + Lotus are ahead now. Ferrari too.

I would say Vettel but Webber seems to do well here in comparison.
 
In additon to McLaren and Caterham, Marussia will be bringing a major update to Silverstone as well. It will be the first major update since they abonded CFD technology and started using windtunnels.

We have a fairly significant upgrade for this race, comprising a new rear wing, exhausts, floor and sidepods
(John Booth)
 
They are going to need a bigger podium?...Nah:nah: ...plenty of room, I've checked it out.....look for 'Kilroy was here':D
 
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