The 2010 season

[F1Yorkshire]

And there's still a whole week to wait! There's only so long I can keep myself entertained with the daily race home on my bike vs the #58 bus!

I have a dangerous walk home tonight which takes between 5 minutes if I take the direct route or around 5 hours if I go via the pub.

 

[chreden]

You could probably jump him in the pits?

Possibly. But he only really stops in Sector 1 and near the finish, with long sections in Sector 2/early 3 where he can really make use of his straight line speed advantage over me.

I should slipstream him. No-one on the bus would have any idea what was going on. I would probably fly straight into the back of him when he stops though, so maybe not...

 

[Brogan]

I would probably fly straight into the back of him when he stops though, so maybe not...

Have you got a Red Bull bike?

 

[chreden]

I would probably fly straight into the back of him when he stops though, so maybe not...

Have you got a Red Bull bike?

No, but I could paint it Red Bull colours and start turning right more often.

 

[PurpleSector]

So far this season, #2s have scored more points than #1s when you look at whether each driver has a red/yellow bar on his car.



This is the same thing broken down by team

Not bad for #2 drivers.

 

[Brogan]

Not bad for #2 drivers.

 

[Brogan]

Lewis Hamilton has had 3 DNF's in the last 4 races.
To put that in perspective, he only had 4 DNF's in the first 3 years of his career.

 

[F1Lover]

Will massa get a penalty - 10 place if he uses the 9th engine in japan?

 

[Brogan]

Will massa get a penalty - 10 place if he uses the 9th engine in japan?

No.
The penalty is a one off for each new engine over 8.

The fact that he was already 24th on the grid and therefore the 10 place engine penalty and 5 place gearbox penalty have no effect shows how silly the rules can be.

 

[teabagyokel]

Chart.

 

[Brogan]

I've got one of those

 

[teabagyokel]

(a) I'm trying to make the top teams clearer and (b) Mine's a 'night' version!

 

[Brogan]

and (b) Mine's a 'night' version!

 

[teabagyokel]

Excel even have an 'Abu Dhabi' mode!

 

[teabagyokel]

2010 - The Run-In

4 Races Left. 100 Points Available. Technically 8 Contenders.



I'm not going to hold out much hope for the miracles that would deliver the title to Felipe Massa, Nico Rosberg or Robert Kubica.

So, lets have a look at the top 5.

First, what if the whole thing goes to form, and they all do what they did in the last 4 races...

Then the Championship looks like this:



Note, Alonso's last 4 races would not bear a repeat of the previous 4. As good form he's in, a Webber repeat would leave him 9 short.

To actually be sure of the title, Webber needs 3 Wins; whilst winning every race would guarantee the title for Alonso. Alonso needs to be 2.75 points clear of Webber at every race, if you ignore the other 3 drivers.

I just wanted to start the debate on the points left and what may be realistic from now to the end.

 

[teabagyokel]

We are now officially down to 5 contenders.



Button and Hamilton are now more than a win behind Webber. They can be eliminated from standings thus:

If Webber wins the race, Hamilton will require 3 points and Button will require 7 points to officially remain in contention.

Webber needs 55 points to win the Championship assuming he wins one race (2 wins will be enough, no wins guarantee nothing). A win, a second place and a fourth (or a win and two thirds) would be sufficient even if Vettel or Alonso won both the races Webber didn't and finished second in the other.

 

[cider_and_toast]

Given that Korea is going to be a complete unknown for everyone it's anyones guess as to which car will be best suited to the track.

With Webber winning in Brazil last year that should give him the confidence he needs to maybe go on and do it again. Fortune always seems to favour the brave at Brazil (just look at Button and Kobyashi last year) so Mark really has to go for it here.

And finally comes Abu Dhabi where Webber was second last year and Vettel was first so again, Red Bull have the knowledge that they can win on this track. Of course Ferrari were almost a no show with Kimi totally off the pace all weekend knowing full well that the WRC beckoned and Fisi proving that it wasn't only poor old Luca who could be made to look dumb in the scarlet car. It's going to be interesting to see how they get on this year.

There are still plenty of variables to take into account but consistancy is going to be the key. I still believe that on balance Webber is looking to be the most likely but you never know.

 

[Speshal]

There are still plenty of variables to take into account but consistancy is going to be the key. I still believe that on balance Webber is looking to be the most likely but you never know.

One dickey engine or first corner shenanigans could open it all up again.

 

[ATL11]

With the remaining races now down to 3 and the gaps increasing especially, results can be more desisive, a poor Korea for McLaren and a strong Webber and he could make it a 3 horse race.

Then again spin it round and with Vettel not crashing into anyone for a while, so he's due to cause some "it's not my fault" mischeif & this could see a McLaren 1-2 whilst they pass parked cars in the form of RBR & a red Ferrari....

The fact Korea has some long straights and tight turns, looks like it'll be even for the top 3 teams, the bookies are favoring:

Alonso 2/1
Vettel 2/1
Webber 7/2
Hamilton 13/2
Button 18/1

As for their thoughts on who'll win the Championship, they have:

Webber 13/10
Vettel 14/5
Alonso 3/1
Hamilton 25/1
Button 66/1

Intreging stuff......

 

[Brogan]

I said it a few days ago, the WCC and WDC will not be won by McLaren or either of their drivers.