mnmracer
Points Scorer
For some strange reason, some people have gotten it in their mind that Vettel’s race was greatly aided by safety cars and crashes. Somehow forgetting that the first safety car put him back 10 places and messed up his tire strategy.
After de la Rosa had problems on the grid, he started behind Vettel in the pitlane. With 2 cars out in turn 1, this means Vettel was 20th when he emerged from the pitlane to chase down the field. By lap 8, he was in 13th position, having overtaken 7 cars on track, before the safety car came out. Behind the first safety car, a hard braking Ricciardo caused Vettel to return to the pitlane for a new front wing.
When the safety car went in, he was 21st behind Paul di Resta. When Hamilton retired 5 laps later, Vettel was 12th, having overtaken 8 cars on track, and Grosjean twice (Vettel let him pass after uncertainty about the first overtake). He overtook 3 more cars and took p8 when Kobayashi pitted, and p7 after Massa spun. When Alonso, Maldonado, Webber, Button, Perez and pitted in the next few laps, Vettel was 2nd. Pitting in lap 36, Alonso and Button passed him again, before the safety car came out again when Perez, Webber and Grosjean came together. This closed the 10 second gap between Vettel and Button. In lap 52, Vettel overtook Button as well to take a 3rd place finish after starting from the back of the field twice.
So while it may seem to some like Vettel’s race today was aided by safety cars and other drivers tumbling over each other, most of that actually happened behind him. Having to pit, ruining your tire strategy and fall back 8 places with the first safety car can hardly be considered luck, and by the time of the second safety car, he had already made his second pit stop and was in 4th place.
The list of overtakes:
After de la Rosa had problems on the grid, he started behind Vettel in the pitlane. With 2 cars out in turn 1, this means Vettel was 20th when he emerged from the pitlane to chase down the field. By lap 8, he was in 13th position, having overtaken 7 cars on track, before the safety car came out. Behind the first safety car, a hard braking Ricciardo caused Vettel to return to the pitlane for a new front wing.
When the safety car went in, he was 21st behind Paul di Resta. When Hamilton retired 5 laps later, Vettel was 12th, having overtaken 8 cars on track, and Grosjean twice (Vettel let him pass after uncertainty about the first overtake). He overtook 3 more cars and took p8 when Kobayashi pitted, and p7 after Massa spun. When Alonso, Maldonado, Webber, Button, Perez and pitted in the next few laps, Vettel was 2nd. Pitting in lap 36, Alonso and Button passed him again, before the safety car came out again when Perez, Webber and Grosjean came together. This closed the 10 second gap between Vettel and Button. In lap 52, Vettel overtook Button as well to take a 3rd place finish after starting from the back of the field twice.
So while it may seem to some like Vettel’s race today was aided by safety cars and other drivers tumbling over each other, most of that actually happened behind him. Having to pit, ruining your tire strategy and fall back 8 places with the first safety car can hardly be considered luck, and by the time of the second safety car, he had already made his second pit stop and was in 4th place.
- Start: p21 (3 cars out at start)
- Lap 8: p13 (8 overtakes)
- Lap 8: SAFETY CAR
- Lap 14: p21
- Lap 19: p12 (9 overtakes, gifted Hamilton’s spot, overtook Grosjean twice)
- Lap 25: p8 (3 overtakes, Kobayashi pits)
- Lap 28: p7 (Massa spun)
- Lap 31: p2 (Alonso, Maldonado, Webber, Button, Perez pit)
- Lap 36: p4 (pitstop lets Alonso and Button pass)
- Lap 38: SAFETY CAR (Vettel gains 10 seconds to Button)
- Lap 44: SAFETY CAR in
- Lap 52: overtake on Button
The list of overtakes:
- Senna (he was still ahead after T2)
- Karthikeyan
- Senna
- Pic
- Petrov
- Glock
- Kovalainen
- After SC - di Resta
- Grosjean
- Grosjean
- de la Rosa
- Pic
- Petrov
- Glock
- Vergne (gifted)
- Kovalainen
- Senna
- Riciardo
- Schumacher
- Button