QWC 2012

[teabagyokel]

I sort of think it feels like Melbourne in March again...

Nico Rosberg's fall continues apace in a congested 3rd-10th area. And JEV is now the only "Top 9" driver not to score a QWC point - but he did get out of Q1 today!

Hamilton extends his lead over Vettel, while Alonso heads closer and closer to the podium. A good result for Button gives him some distance to Maldonado and Raikkonen.

McLaren jump to only a couple of points behind the Red Bulls, Lotus regain a little of their lost momentum and Force India continue to edge clear of Toro Rosso.

 

[teabagyokel]

It is (probably past) that time again. So here is the QWC scores for the Belgian Grand Prix:

Alonso completes his remarkable ascent into 3rd place, whilst Button has now recovered into 5th position. Kobayashi's excellent qualifying sees him jump Felipe Massa, while Maldonado edges past Raikkonen in the battle for 9th place, which at this rate will become 8th with Rosberg's malaise. Not a lot happening in the Hamilton/Vettel battle at the top.

The one positional change sees McLaren retake the lead from the Red Bull team. Elsewhere, Sauber came a lot closer to Williams with a magnificent session. Lotus are slowly catching the stationary Mercedes team.

 

[teabagyokel]

Monza, Monza, Monza!

Great day for McLaren, of course. Hamilton opens up the gap again to triple-defending Champion Sebastian Vettel. Button moves back into third, while Raikkonen ekes out a tiny advantage in his battle with Maldonado. Rosberg finally moves off 86 points to draw level with Grosjean and great results for Massa and di Resta see them jump Kobayashi and Hulkenburg respectively.

No positional changes here, McLaren extend their lead over Red Bull, while Mercedes halt their slide and extend their lead over Lotus for 3rd. Ferrari, meanwhile, will probably get both Lotus and Mercedes before the season is out.

 

[MCLS]

Vettel going to lose his QWC title very soon it seems!

 

[teabagyokel]

After Singapore, the drivers title seems to be within the grasp of Lewis Hamilton. Alonso moved slightly further clear of Webber, whole Maldonado jumped Grosjean and Rosberg for a seventh place which is especially demoralising in the real Championship. The big mover at the bottom is Paul di Resta who is now level on points with Sergio Perez for the first time all season, especially impressive since he hadn't scored a point up to Monaco.

No position changes in the Constructors Championship as Lotus pace has slowed and Mercedes' position therefore strengthened. McLaren look quite secure, but the main battle is Ferrari vs Lotus for fourth, and maybe eventually third, position.

 

[teabagyokel]

Well, well. Vettel closes the gap for the lead by Hamilton still maintains a commanding advantage. Webber retakes fourth from Alonso. Kobayashi passes Massa for 11th place too, while Perez moves clear of the Hulk.

Its fair to say a good week for Red Bull! Lotus continue to close the gap to Mercedes, who've put on only 54 of their 205 points since Canada! The Enstone team also pull away from Ferrari, while Sauber pull closer to Williams.

 

[Mephistopheles]

I think this shows that qualifying isn't the be all and end all....

 

[teabagyokel]

I hear a lot of doom and gloom about the lack of a Championship battle...

Vettel continues to close the gap to Hamilton. A disaster for Button in a battle with Webber we didn't think existed. Massa pulls up to Kobayashi and both Lotus drivers pull agonisingly close to their Mercedes opponents. The Force India battle might be worth watching too...

Lotus are now only a point off Mercedes and can surely get the Silver Arrows soon, whilst Ferrari continue to lurk. No score in the Williams/Sauber battle this week but it is Red Bull inexoribly catching McLaren that provides the intrest.

 

[RickD]

teabagyokel - Thats very interesting considering the mid season slump by Jenson, I would have thought it would be worse than that and before this wekend he was third!

 

[Kamui-FastestChefInTheWorld]

Interesting relative performance of the Williams drivers...

 

[teabagyokel]

Red Bull continue to march...

Vettel is looking primed to take his fourth consecutive QWDC title if McLaren can't improve the car Hamilton has got underneath him. Raikkonen is the big mover, jumping both Maldonado and Rosberg for 8th place. Perez is probably too far behind Kobayashi to make a move, while Hulkenburg's attempt to get past di Resta is not helped by inertia in this race.

Red Bull and McLaren move to level pegging with three races remaining, whilst exactly 200 points behind Ferrari and Lotus are also level. Those two have finally jumped Mercedes for 3rd position. Lower down, Sauber are only 7 points behind Williams for 6th in the QWCC (a position almost exclusively gained by Maldonado).

 

[teabagyokel]

So, just to make it plain (and to be consistent) Vettel has been disqualified from qualifying and thus recieves nul points, with everyone else moved up one. This is what happened to Hamilton back in the mists of time in Spain!

Two races left, 44 points clear for Lewis Hamilton. Looks good for him, doesn't it? Alonso and Button are quite close for 4th place, but that doesn't compare to the logjam fighting for 6th, with Grosjean, Maldonado, Raikkonen and Schumacher all within a point.

Meanwhile, McLaren pull out a small lead in the Constructors title over their blue-clad rivals Red Bull. Ferrari and Lotus remain extraordinarily close, while Maldonado's excellent performance seems to have settled the lower positions.

 

[Boyle]

Just shows how much Mclaren race strategy and reliability has affected Hamilton this year. And Raikkonen 9th but 3rd in the points highlights his race pace and consistency.

 

[sushifiesta]

With two races remaining Hamilton has the same number of QWC points as he finished with last year, I believe. It seems like the McLaren has been much more competitive this year so I find it strange that the difference is relatively small considering. I guess the biggest difference has been that Red Bull haven't been so utterly dominant, and also the disqualification in Spain. If he sticks it on pole for the final two races then that's 75pts extra (if you include Spain) so I guess that is a big gain.

That was a nice circle I went round...

 

[teabagyokel]

Lewis Hamilton is the QWC Champion, leading lights to flag in a long campaign. Alonso fails to make headway on the unreliable McLaren of Button, and Grosjean takes the lead in the scramble for sixth. Hulkenburg pulls level with his team-mate in 14th position.

McLaren's laughable reliability gives Red Bull the lead back, while Ferrari's poor performance gives Lotus what could be a decisive lead back. Everything else is settled.

 

[Brogan]

That is quite a damning verdict on McLaren's team performance.

For Hamilton to be so far ahead in this table but down in fifth place in the WDC says it all.

 

[teabagyokel]

Well he's* lost 131 points from Saturday to Sunday, even when not considering Farcelona. That means only 56% of his qualifying points have been converted. Button (supposedly a better racer than qualifier) has lost 17 points. He's on 90% when you expect him to be gaining.

Vettel, interestingly has lost 4 points Qual to Race (98% conversion), so is all but evens.

Alonso has gained massively, he's on 151% conversion, so he can expect half again from his qualifying performance.

(Of course, Maldonado's conversion is 37%, so could be worse)

*I mean the McLaren/Hamilton combination, I don't mean to personally blame him.

 

[Fenderman]

Not sure why I forgot this thread was here but I did. Looks like I owe teabagyokel a shed load of like button pushes. Wicked work as ever.

 

[teabagyokel]

So, then, the end is here:

Sebastian Vettel's run is over as we said last week. "Those five" drivers make up the top 5. The almighty fight for 6th place was won in the end, just, by Romain Grosjean from Raikkonen, Maldonado and Schumacher. Hulkenburg's late consistency has seen off his team-mate di Resta.

A marvellous one-two wins the Constructors' Title for McLaren-Mercedes, from Red Bull. Lotus edge out Ferrari for 3rd with Mercedes 5th and Williams underlining their own underperformance in races with a 6th place dragged almost exclusively from the wheel of Pastor Maldonado.

 

[Brogan]

Great work teabagyokel

This just further underlines what an annus horribilus McLaren have had on race day.