2010 Formula 1 Etihad Airways Abu Dhabi Grand Prix

interludes
Do we really want the best season of racing in recent memory to be won by the guy who complaine the most?
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Hamilton's not any better, though. That's just what happens to drivers who have won a title. And with each title they win, the worse they get. So I guess Alonso will get even worse if he wins the title on Sunday :lol:
 
Personally I don't feel Alonso is anymore of a "cry baby" than a lot of the other guys on the grid (especially Webber.). Then we have JB who is always complaining about the car when ever he underperforms and gets smashed by Hamilton - The "Wait...I qualified 11th? Oh, oh...I was lacking grip" excuse we hear time and time again :lol:
 
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interludes
Who says that was a coded message? They could have just as easily meant "Mark, Sebastian is faster than you, so if you want to stay in front, you're going to have to push a little harder". You have no proof that it was a coded message other than a) the likes of Marko being quick to blame Webber and b) Ferrari using the same phrase to tell Massa to move over four races later.
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You have no proof that Ferrari's message to Massa was a coded message other than a) Massa pouting about the whole thing after the race and b) well... there is no b), actually.

See how slippery the slope is? I personally believe that Ferrari issued team orders to Massa. But there's no way to prove it in court, which is why no further action was taken against Ferrari.

I also believe that Red Bull was sending a message to Mark to pull over for Vettel and let him through... for reasons (excuses) they themselves stated... that Vettel was in danger from Hamilton. I can't prove it in court either, for the exact same reason.

Because the evidence given is the same. Each driver is told their team-mate is faster and suddenly slows down dramatically enough to allow the other driver to pull out and overtake. That one overtake was successful and the other wasn't is immaterial... both actions were the same.
 
Yawn, how tiresome, another rant about team orders and how Alonso "doesn't deserve it".
Guess Hakkinen didn't deserve his championship either, or Raikkonen, or Schumacher, or Hamilton...

The only times I can think of where team orders didn't really exist were for Senna/Prost during 88, Mansell/Piquet in 86, and Hill/Villenueve in 96. But in all of those cases, the car was so dominant that it didn't really matter to the team who won, they had no reason to alter the results. Ferrari this year don't have this luxury (Red Bull do to some extent though they keep trying their best to screw themselves over), would you rather see Alonso and Ferrari out of the hunt earlier just for some brief "real racing" between teammates at Hockenheim?
The whole point of complaining about team orders is that it takes away a small amount of racing action - we never got to see Alonso actually use some skill to overtake Massa. While this is true and disappointing for everyone, I can personally accept it due to what it meant for the championship. If you asked me would I trade 1 fantastic battle race battle for a fantastic championship battle, it would be a hard choice. I personally don't believe Massa (or any teammate in this circumstance) would really put up that much of a fight if Alonso really piled on the pressure.

Look, interludes, suggest a way you can rid of team orders. I've yet to see a good suggestion without completely ridding of the teams entirely and running something like Formula 2 where everyone shares the same "team" of mechanics. And that wouldn't be Formula 1...Formula 1 is all about the teams and their ability to develop the fastest car on the grid.
Do you also sit and watch other motorsports complaining of team orders?
 
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Well. this team orders has turned into a muddy battle in no-mans land. both sides have valid points, but it appears Interludes is losing this argument (for the record I'm on the same side as interludes).

Team orders have the same propreties as cockroachs. No one likes them, but they are impossible to get rid of.
 
Webber must win to have any chance of winning the DC, second is not really an option as I don't see Alonso scoring less than 10 points. Without doubt that most anticipitatious (that's not a word isn't it) I've been before a GP!
 
I loved that pre-race montage that they had summing up the whole F1 year up to this point from the BBC broadcast (narrated by Eddie Jordan). Has anyone found a video of it yet? Needs to be on the first post if found I reckon.


EDIT: Found it :)

 
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Eddie Jordan has an interesting voice. That was a neat video, though. I really am hoping Red Bull gets the double championship. It seems as though the season before last they were the 'party team' of the paddock.
 
It would be amazing if Vettel wins, and Kobayashi passes Alonso on the last lap to take 4th, giving Vettel the title. Though I don't see Kobayashi being THAT competitive, or Alonso that uncompetitive, unless the McLarens are 3rd and 4th.
 
Kobayashi passing Alonso on the last lap wouldn't be something new ;)

EDIT - Just checked, it was the penultimate lap ... :dopey:
 
Almost undoubtedly McLaren's. With a 33 point gap Ferrari would need a seriously good race and McLaren a seriously bad one.
 
As for Abu Dhabi, I wish I could have got out there. It's a spectacular circuit. Might try and get there next year, early Christmas present.

I'm just looking forward to the race. I've lost interest in who wins since Button went out of contention, so I'm just after some good racing. Brazil was oddly boring for me this year. The last couple of years were significantly more exciting.
 
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daan
12 posts deleted and 1 edited.

Now Abu Dhabi please
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ok. My prediction without TO talk:

Alonso - He is saying his target is to out-pace the RBR guys, get there, do pole, win the race, get the WDC. I doubt this to be possible, but if anyone can deliver it's him. One thing is sure: he only needs ONE RBR to make ONE mistake or have ONE problem. He will be there to gain from it as he has been lately.

Webber - Needs to win convincingly because his latest form is definitely subpar (slower than teammate, and a not-excusable mistake at Korea). He will give his absolute best and we might get surprised.

Vettel - A man on a mission. To prove he is number one even without sticking his finger up like a child. Vettel lost a lot of fan-support this year, needs to correct attitude. Speed is there, he can win, not so easy to be WDC because of Alonso.

Hamilton -Engine problem to Alonso (happened this year already), RBR guys crashing into each other (happened this year already) and he could be the surprise WD CHAMPION. In any case, he MUST win and hope disaster happens to all other contenders. The latter part is not up to him, the former is, so he'll do what he can.

Button - Last race as Number One, so I find it very probable that he is motivated to say a champion's farewell. I never knew what to think of Button, sometimes I think he is overrated, sometimes I think he is underrated. IN any case, another one to watch.

Kubica - The eternal wild card, arguably one of the very best and fastest F1 drivers now, Robert will again try to impress and remind everyone just how good he is. His presence in the top 5 won't be a surprise for us, but can be a serious problem to a WDC contender.

and ...

Kobayashi - The midfield wouldn't be half as interesting if he wasn't there. I don't expect anything special from Kobayashi in this particular race. I just expect him to be as he usually is. Special ;)


PS - daan, I reviewed it 3 TIMES, I think it's TO free ...

... oh, wait ... :D
 
Honestly, I think Webber may have a difficult race and Alonso will take second place in the race to gain the title.

But I would want to see a surprise. Maybe something like the Mercedes being the most competitive car. But anyway, we shall see.

I want Button to get a podium. Mclaren will still fight to get ahead of Ferrari to ensure they take second in the constructors. But at the same time, I want Massa to have a good race to show he is still among the top drivers.

Ever since Spa i've sort of been sat on the fence. That race was the key turning point that I don't think Button could have came back from. I haven't really supported or rooted for any other drivers. I don't mind who wins, as long as it is an exciting race. I don't want Red Bull to lock out the front row and Alonso to crash out at turn 1 for example, thats would be horrible.

EDIT: Actually scratch that last point, a Webber vs Vettel finale would be very exciting. Does Vettel stand to win if he gets maximum points and Alonso doesn't finish? I think he would be tied on points with Webber, but would he win on results?
 
Hun200kmh
Vettel lost a lot of fan-support this year, needs to correct attitude.
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Is that really Vettel's fault, though? I mean, look at the accident in Istanbul - before he could really say anything, the team was already blaming Webber for it. I haven't seen him do or say anything stupid to lose support; most of the problem has been the likes of Helmut Marko trying to sabotage Webber's title bid for Vettel's sake.
 
Seismica
EDIT: Actually scratch that last point, a Webber vs Vettel finale would be very exciting. Does Vettel stand to win if he gets maximum points and Alonso doesn't finish? I think he would be tied on points with Webber, but would he win on results?
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Bingo. He would have 5 wins this year to Webber's 4.
 
interludes
Is that really Vettel's fault, though? I mean, look at the accident in Istanbul - before he could really say anything, the team was already blaming Webber for it. I haven't seen him do or say anything stupid to lose support; most of the problem has been the likes of Helmut Marko trying to sabotage Webber's title bid for Vettel's sake.
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I'm not a huge fan of his, although I beleive you hit the nail on its head with that post! 👍
 
Everything here hinges on Alonso. If he drives a good race, he'll win the championship. But he's going to have Hamilton hot on his tail (given that this will most likely be a dry race), and possibly denying him 3rd on the grid.

Hamilton has virtually lost the championship. I don't know if that will make him try even harder to win this race (for the glory) or put him in cruise mode. I'd say the former. He probably has a much better chance at a podium here than Brazil. If Button follows in his wake and they manage to take on Alonso, or even Alonso and Webber, then it could be Vettel's race.

Red Bull has to batten down and sharpen up. No more stupid mistakes. No mechanical issues. No in-fighting. They did great in the last race, now they have to keep the momentum up. Conspiring against them are the long straights, which not only put the Renault engine at a disadvantage, they stress the brakes, which have, at odd times, been a weak-point for the RBR. While Webber's pace is sometimes questionable, I think they may want to watch Vettel here... as he is more likely to push the car over the edge and suffer a breakdown (if it were to occur).

Again... I look forward to the first lap... as it's bound to be excruciatingly painful to watch. :lol:
 
I can only view this race to be exciting for Alonso if he starts 1st on the grid. He will need to really push hard to keep away from Webber or Vettle since they just might take him out. Now if Vettle is 1st and Webber 2nd. I can see Alonso just hang out in 3rd to stay away from any racing incidents to just collect points to win and Vettle will just dominate the whole race. But if Webber is 1st on grid and Vettle 2nd it will definitley be an exciting race. Unless the point spread is enough for Webber to win WC in 2nd.
 
Radracing
Now if Vettle is 1st and Webber 2nd. I can see Alonso just hang out in 3rd to stay away from any racing incidents to just collect points to win and Vettle will just dominate the whole race.
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I don't because Alonso should want to be right behind Webber so team orders can't take place Vettel can't hand over his 1st place, at least not without significant risk.
 
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niky
Again... I look forward to the first lap... as it's bound to be excruciatingly painful to watch. :lol:
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This.

Qualifying is going to be fun to watch too. It always is, but especially so with it being a big determinant of the race results. What if Vettel, Webber, or Alonso gets caught out in Q1? Unlikely, but its happened before. Going out in Q2 would be equally disappointing.

I have to wake up at 7am Saturday to find out. 👎
 
It's unlikely without rain. What we should be watching is for mechanical failures and whether Mclaren will actually budget any big time upgrades for this race to maybe leapfrog both RBR and Ferrari.
 
niky
It's unlikely without rain. What we should be watching is for mechanical failures and whether Mclaren will actually budget any big time upgrades for this race to maybe leapfrog both RBR and Ferrari.
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I sure doubt they would waste the money, time and resources at this point (especially considering how poor and unexpected their development has been this year), as their more importantly hoping on an absolute miracle to win the WDC, with a lot of aspects which will be out of their hands - That miracle entailing: Hamilton winning first of all, Alonso not scoring, Vettel placing 3rd or or lower, and Webber placing 6th or worse.
 
Each of the three is a likely possibility, but all three at once would strain the bounds of probablility... :D
 

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