Poll Out of Ten - 2013 Japanese Grand Prix

[Mephistopheles]

All weekend through practice and qualifying everyone who had an opinion said he was setting his car up with a lower downforce which indicated a three stopper, and they couldn't have switched it after the first stop because Mark stopped so early that he was locked into three stops the moment he entered the pit lane which means that must have been what was planned from the word go and agreed to by Mark before the race...

 

[Quintessentially]

Both Redbull drivers often descend into mediocrity when having to come through pack and we saw that again today. In any other car, Vettel would've paid a heavy price for some of his driving. Webber was never going to win the race after it became obvious he had to do some clinical overtaking to take the checkered flag. So respect to Grosjean for keeping up with two clearly faster cars to the point of being overtaken without the aid of DRS.

 

[teabagyokel]

Grosjean was left in strategy no man's land.

 

[Hamberg]

At what point is the Mark has a skinny wing that's harder on the tyres point no longer valid in a race where there it was debateable as to whether a 2 or 3 stop was better?

They all go in with plan a's and b's.

Marks setup got him pole, Seb's setup was better in the race.

 

[Il_leone]

I actually was flickering between Moto 2 and the Grand Prix because nothing much was happening and once I saw Vettel was leading I thought thats it

Gary Anderson suggested a theory in the F1 forum that Red Bull sacrificed Webber by using him as a decoy to fool Grosjean/ Lotus into the pits so Vettel has got clean air to do his laps BUT apparently it was not really necessary for Webber to come in because the lap times were fairly consistent

 

[Mephistopheles]

Maybe Hamberg but don't forget that Vettel had no KERS in qualy 3 and that is what cost him pole not the difference on set up...

 

[Hamberg]

He did by Q3 didn't he? I thought he was compromised in Q2? My gender prevents me from saying I'm wrong so I'll need someone else to call it out.

 

[gethinceri]

You're wrong.
Dunno what about, but you asked for it.

 

[FB]

I understood his KERS had been reset for Q3 Hamberg.

 

[GeoffP]

I think it was FB - Seb did not seem comfortable today, Q3 was just the start of him gathering the car back onto the circuit, he seemed to be doing this almost every time the camera caught him - and still won

 

[Mephistopheles]

He definitely had no KERS in Q3

 

[RasputinLives]

He had no KERS for the first run in Q3 but they reset it and he had it again for the second run.

 

[Mephistopheles]

Not according to Horner..

Christian Horner: "It's great to have secured front row for tomorrow's race. It was a very strong performance by Mark today to claim his first pole of the year and Sebastian, despite the failure of KERS on his car, produced a great lap also to get onto the front row for tomorrow's race.

 

[RasputinLives]

Just repeating what was said at the time over the radio.

 

[Mephistopheles]

I think there was confusion on the matter but the commentary team did say he did the lap with no KERS I fhink definitive proof one way or the other is needed...

Not that it matters like....

 

[teabagyokel]

Don't take this one away from Webber, eh?

 

[Mephistopheles]

teabagyokel The record books will show..............

 

[teabagyokel]

Mephistopheles - Vettel ahead most times. Can't really begrudge a man his (last?) pole.

 

[Mephistopheles]

And I certainly don't begrudge him that he got pole and that is a fact, good on him.

Blimey ever word I type sounds sarcastic, Mark is always a contender at the traditional circuits such as Silverstone, Spa and Suzuka you know the proper mans balls out circuits...

 

[teabagyokel]

Indeed, he's hugely dependent on tracks with fast corners for his points. Maybe he's slightly braver on the throttle or when sighting the Monaco walls than others, even if he somehow doesn't have a method of getting the car through the slower corners without run-offs.