Poll Out of Ten - 2013 Japanese Grand Prix

[MCLS]

Watching the race rerun on BBC now, it's been good without being great so it's worth a 7 I'd say

 

[snowy]

I think Grosjean's problem is that the car was only working on the hard tyres and he didn't have enough sets left after Quali!

Grosjean made good progress in his opening stints on the medium tyres, but he felt a switch to the harder compound on lap 30 suffocated any chance of victory.

http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/110601

 

[RasputinLives]

other way round then! whoops!

 

[ramilas1]

Six for me, one of the better races this year .....
- but was Webber pitted to avoid having to be asked/told to get out of the way?

 

[Jen]

i liked it and gave an eight. Nearest thing we've seen to racing for a long time but suspect it had a lot to do with 'de-mob happy' and 'moving on' mindset - shame that some can only get a grip in either circumstance. Imagine how exciting this season might have been if all drivers had taken on board the point of the exercise.

And I believe that any car that runs out of fuel should be disqualified, if you can't make it to parc ferme, tough titty!!

 

[Hamberg]

And I believe that any car that runs out of fuel should be disqualified, if you can't make it to parc ferme, tough titty!!

That one baffles me too.

 

[Titch]

It was a good enough race, but it didn't get fired up in any way really, so it gets a 5

 

[sushifiesta]

For those disagreeing about the lack of action Galahad's overtaking stats show that only 3 races have had fewer overtakes than Japan so far this season - Monaco, Monza and Hungary. Having said that Hungary is the top ranked race so far and Galahad's already shown that there isn't a correlation between the race scores given here and the number of overtakes. So there's a nice circular argument for you.

 

[RasputinLives]

Some bloody good scraps though which is different to and overtake. For instants Guttierrez trying the Kobash at the harpin on Massa won't be classed as an overtake but was still a quality piece of action.

For weeks now loads of people have been saying the races were dull because there was no race for the lead and it was all about the also rans. Today we get a fight for the lead and people say their wasn't enough overtaking further back.

You People.

 

[racecub]

Fight for the lead? That was decided when they changed mark to a three stop.

 

[GeoffP]

I missed that fight for the lead, I thought they were all told to wait for the pit strategy to sort it out

 

[gethinceri]

So when did they change him to a 3 stop? That will say a lot.

 

[racecub]

It was some time after the first stop...and mark questioned the decision but they told him it would work....it didn't.

 

[teabagyokel]

8 - Yeah, it was great. A battle no mistake, and won by a brilliant drive. Not easy.

And chapeau to Romain Grosjean.

 

[RasputinLives]

You missed the battle for the lead? Were you not watching when Vettel overtook Grosjean for the race win?

As for the deliberate Webber switch rubbish. Mark said Seb beat him fair and square today so keeping on with it really makes you all sound very desperate.

 

[Hamberg]

Mark wasn't able to go long enough on his first stint to make a two stop viable. Had he been able to clear Grosjean after his third stop it may well have worked out.

I think Vettel did the perfect job. Simple as. He overtook Grosjean and did it whilst forgetting to execute DRS.

 

[Mephistopheles]

So when did they change him to a 3 stop? That will say a lot.

They didn't he was always on a three stopper...

 

[Mephistopheles]

Not a great race race but a great strategic race one for the thinkers amongst us the trouble is it's hard to think at that time of the morning so I didn't, I recorded it and watched at a more civilized hour and on the whole with all things considered I gave it the Latin prefix sex, which we all know to be six...

 

[racecub]

He wasn't ( always on a three stopper). They phoned him after the first stop when he thought he was still on for a two stopper. That's when they changed it......in Mark's eyes, and he questioned the decision and was told it would still work. You could be right, they perhaps wanted him on a three stop all along. But it was not to do with him not going long enough on the first stint. That went as planned. They switched it AFTER the first stop.

 

[GeoffP]

To be honest Grosjean must have been very close to switching to a three stop as his second stop must have been right at the opening of the two stop second stop window, so fair play that he kept Mark at bay at the end, but the difference in tyres made him relatively easy meat for the two Red Bulls - the debate will go into the next decade as to whether the timing in the stint help Seb get past and hindered Mark or not....

Retires to a safe distance and gets out foil cap