2011 Chinese Grand Prix

Do you think teams will start looking at only running hard tires in qualifying? The performance gains of having fresh option tires seems massive and especiation where 3 stops or would work.
 
I think that the tyre choices will now start to get quite complex with regards to qualifying and racing....and who can be the smoothest driver out there.

Shanghai is quite a tricky circuit to manage tyre wear I think....so it all depends on the track layout.
 
What a race, with me being a McLaren fan I was delighted seeing Hamilon win and hoped Button came 3rd.. but Super Web stopped that, what a drive from him!
 
Trulli - 01:42.052
Alonso - 01:42.070

It really shows how much the Lotus team has made up ground on the front running teams. It was a fantastic race, I couldn't remember how many overtakes were done in the race and this is I think by far the best race this season! Congratulation to Hamilton, Vettel and the man on the mission - Webber from P18 to 3rd was just fantastic! At one time I thought Rosberg could go for his maiden race victory but whow, how quick everything changed.

Also did anyone saw during the last stop of Massa, on the way out he crossed the white line and didn't get any penalty?
 
I think that the tyre choices will now start to get quite complex with regards to qualifying and racing....and who can be the smoothest driver out there.

Probably just 1 run in each session and possibly qualifying on hards as well. Could get very interesting.👍


Todays race was the closest race in a long time. 14 cars on the lead lap. 6 within the first 15 seconds. Lotus only 1 lap down and matching leaders pace at times. Hamilton winning the race with just 3 laps left. Very good call on changing the DRS zone yesterday. Just think, we didn't have any rain and I don't even care about it. This year will be even better then last year.👍
 
I just had to jump in here to spread my enthusiasm for witnessing one of the greatest motorsport races of all time.

It was just - words, you know? They don't work, all I can say is YESSSS! \o/
My two favorite drivers totally had one of the races of their lives.

Seems like all the extra bits of kit like KERS and DRS this year are going to shine in the, relatively, straight forward Tilke designed tracks.

We are all a little bit more awesome because of China 2011.
 
From what I remember, quite far off... Would love to see the replay again in YouTube if it ever made in there.

Yep I saw it and thought it should have been a penalty but according to Brundle on the BBC it doesn't matter if it's the line right out of the pits almost still in the pitlane, only the part later on when it joins the track.
 
Realistic expectations? Dry race, Red bull wins, 90% chance it's gonna be Vettel.

As it has been raining for the last 2 years at Shanghai, which have both been at around this time of year, I think there is a 60-70% chance of rain. And I don't rate Vettel or Webber too highly in the rain compared to Alonso, Hamilton and Button, so who knows what will happen if it rains?

And for the record, Webber willbe behind Vettel in the race classification. He's back on form, but Vettel is still too good. Hamilton will beat Button, or if not, have a whinge. And Massa will be beaten by Alonso. And Lotus Renault will not get another podium this race.

My pre-race predictions. 2 out of 6.

Congrats to Team Lotus on beating Maldonado and Perez! they facebooked that they have joined the midfeild. I did not see much of Lotus that race, but well done them!!
 
Fantastic race, Webber just proved his competency again but you can't help but admire Lewis. As much as people praise Vettel for his sheer talent and incredible pace (I completely agree, I'm a huuge Vettel fan), to me LH is in the same category as him.

Congrats Lewis! :cheers:
 
Was quite a spectacle today. Really enjoyed the race. I think Webber showed you are better off sacrificing qualifying for good tires. Less traffic would have shown an even greater advantage with Webber's strategy.

Ferrari's performance was lackluster. Too much time lost in the pits and the pace wasn't that great to start with.
 
Yep I saw it and thought it should have been a penalty but according to Brundle on the BBC it doesn't matter if it's the line right out of the pits almost still in the pitlane, only the part later on when it joins the track.

I see.. That explains it all I guess.

I can't wait for Turkey. Seems like it's going to be another great race!
 
I think I am the only one who was reasonably impressed with Ferrari's performance. Massa did a good job today, in fact with a three stop strategy, a podium finish was a possibility.
 
As good a race this was, I still think the season will have even better races to follow. Watch out for Spa in particular. And Monaco could be a little hectic at some point. Speaking of Monaco, where on earth could you use DRS there? All of the big high speed sections there have bends in them.

Have to say though, I reckon some drivers deserved much more than they got. I mean, for example, Rosberg was leading on merit after the first and second round of pitstops. Massa was looking strong too, and Button should have finished higher (no less because of Webber's scintillating drive).
 
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Speaking of Monaco, where on earth could you use DRS there? All of the big high speed sections there have bends in them.
We've seen drivers use the DRS in high speed corners during practice and qualifying before. They were doing it in Australia across the top of the circuit, so I suppose the DRS zone could be put in the tunnel around Monaco.
 
interludes
We've seen drivers use the DRS in high speed corners during practice and qualifying before. They were doing it in Australia across the top of the circuit, so I suppose the DRS zone could be put in the tunnel around Monaco.

That would be kinda risky. The tunnel is a tighter corner than most would think, plus navigating through it while trying to use DRS would be difficult. The main straight seems like a decent option, but that would limit the usage of it quite a bit.
 
Well, the question of where to use the DRS has been covered elsewhere; namely, the thread on evaluating the DRS. We don't need to discuss it again here.
 
I'm very happy that Felipe beat Fernando again. He looks like he could be beginning to regain his past form. There was a podium in there somewhere for a 3 stopper.
 
I for one wouldn't complain much if we heard a radio transmission that went "Fernando, Felipe is faster than you. Can you cnofirm that you understood this message?" at some point this season ...
 
Fantastic race.

I was almost expecting Hamilton's tyres to fade away with a few laps left after some pretty hard lapping in the last stint but the track had rubbered in slightly by then and in my view makes the options take more punishment in the last 10-15 laps.

I thought Webber could've got by at least one car a bit sooner at the first part of the race. Would've meant he could've passed Vettel. The rate he was catching is very much like a wet race. So great race how it all played out but still really based a lot on circumstances and whether the tyres are done for. I was more impressed how Hamilton kept his cool before the race and made an excellent start.
 
Have to say though, I reckon some drivers deserved much less than they got. I mean, for example, Rosberg was leading on merit after the first and second round of pitstops. Massa was looking strong too, and Button should have finished higher (no less because of Webber's scintillating drive).

Yeah I agree but then again who deserves to lose places? Hamilton and Webber definately deserved to be on the podium. Vettel did as much as he could with his two stop strategy. Button, Rosberg and Massa all drove great races as well, except for Jenson going in to the wrong pit box! :sly:
 
Have to say though, I reckon some drivers deserved much less than they got. I mean, for example, Rosberg was leading on merit after the first and second round of pitstops. Massa was looking strong too, and Button should have finished higher (no less because of Webber's scintillating drive).

Sorry, but that's a ridiculous statement/train of thought IMO. How exactly do you "reckon" what finishing position a driver "deserves"? It's as if you form your final opinion half way through the race when everything is far from set in stone.


Button didn't have the shear pace to keep up with Hamilton throughout the entirety of the race...and driving through Red Bull's pit (no fault but his own) and losing the position to Seb didn't help his cause. For the most part today, everyone got the position they deserved 👍 It was an epic fight from Rosberg to get that W02 up as high as he did throughout the race. Massa did a great job as well to keep the Ferrari up there, which is a car that simply shouldn't be expected to keep up with the RB7 or MP4-26.
 
Completely gained even more respect for Lewis and team McLaren. I've always been a fan of Alonso and still am but even in his rookie season i knew Lewis had extreme talent behind the wheel of an F1 machine. Politics and controversy aside i believe that through the years he has built upon his strenghts as a driver and to me he looks like the Alonso of old, only better.

What most impresses me is his shear will to not have the RB's run away with every single race. It's like it's his personal mission to give the RB's a fight and i can respect that. I hope they can keep some momentum and continue developing the car so that both Jenson and Lewis can reap the rewards of being the only team actually in the same league as RB.

As for Ferrari.......i really don't see how they can achieve much this year. The F150 Italia looks like the F10's doppelganger, how they expect to be un par with McLaren and RB with a car 90% identical to last year's car is quite strange. Still early in the season but for sure even if they do develop more upon the car, the top teams will be doing the same. The Ferrari's will never be as fast as the RB's or McLaren's this year. Maybe Flavio was right, maybe they should really try to focus on 2012. How can they extract 1.5 seconds from the current chasis??
 
wow what a race that was!!! these new tyres are deffinately making the season a lot more interesting....for me anyway!!!
great drive from Lewis and Mark!!!

LOL and what was Button thinking in the first pit stop?!!!
 
I think this race can be summed up as:
18th to 3rd.
Fuel-flooded engine bay to 1st.
Both overtaking many cars of equal competitiveness and not always just because of strategy but through skill too!

Also; at various stages of the race it looked like Button, Hamilton, Vettel, Rosberg, Massa and Webber all had a chance to win the race. There are not many Grand Prix that can claim such swinging chances, you have to start looking at extreme races like Monaco 1996 or something.
 
I agree Ardius, there are so much competitive drivers on the grid, this might be the best season in years. Here's hoping for a incredible race in turkey.
 
Was an excellent race, Shanghai usually delivers exciting races. Amazing to see Webber plough through the field like that. As for Hamilton well deserved but I bet he wishes he hadn't made those comments about leaving Mclaren a few days ago.

Robin.
 
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