2013 Etihad Airways Abu Dhabi Grand Prix

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Whodoyouthink
One thing to consider though is that Kimi might be thinking that he's better off not securing 2nd in the WCC with Lotus to ensure Ferrari wins those precious funds so that they definitely will have an edge over Lotus. I think Kimi is a bit of a calculating dude and so while that sounds a bit out there I think it's still a plausible strategy Kimi might play.
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Would seem a bit underhanded, but then again if he's not getting paid...
 
MoLiEG
I want a 2nd win for Kimi @ Yas Marina!!!! :D

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Heck, I will settle for any ANYONE ELSE win this weekend.
 
The only way somebody other than Sebastian Vettel will win is if either he has a car failure or is replaced by Danica Patrick. :scared: Both are highly unlikely......
 
RVDNuT374
The only way somebody other than Sebastian Vettel will win is if either he has a car failure or is replaced by Danica Patrick. :scared: Both are highly unlikely......
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The car troubles are far more realistic than the latter.
 
Finally the race is back at 13:00, no more getting confused and switching on late!
 
So white lines mean nothing in qualifying again. Well, at least they're consistent.

Nice one Massa. Last week it was different tyres, this week pure pace, a tenth faster.

Ricciardo and Hulkenberg showing their talents again.
 
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Mercedes seem to be doing their best to compromise their drivers.
 
Nice one Webber. Oops Hamilton, rare mistake.
 
I hope Webber can take the fight to Seb tomorrow.

It helps that I have a £1 each way bet on him.
 
Concerned for both Mercedes drivers, both messed up last lap and may have their fastest Q3 times deleted. Shame Lewis span, might have got another pole position at the track. Happy that Mark got it ahead of Sebastian. Hopefully he has a decent start and be a nuisance to Sebastian.
 
Saidur_Ali
Concerned for both Mercedes drivers, both messed up last lap and may have their fastest Q3 times deleted.
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For the white lines? I doubt it, it wouldn't be fair given that the stewards let it fly when everyone did it in Q1 and Q2.
 
Samus
For the white lines? I doubt it, it wouldn't be fair given that the stewards let it fly when everyone did it in Q1 and Q2.
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Lewis went very wide in last corner if I recall correctly on his Q3 lap. Only thing they can argue is if they can prove they were slower. Lewis Q2 lap on used tyres was faster. Such a shame that neither Mercedes drivers got a lap nailed as it will have made it more interesting if at least one of the Mercedes cars was ahead of Red Bulls. Hopefully they can keep their positions, otherwise it will be a disaster for them. Still can't believe their qualifying strategy given how fast their car was. Put extra pressure on drivers on Q1 and for Lewis Q3. Also compromised their race slightly using extra set of tyres.
 
Man, Alonso would have made it to Q3 if it wasn't for his unfortunate timing. He needed another "cool down/warm up" lap to get the tires back to optimum temp. He just made too many mistakes. I honestly hate seeing Massa be faster than Alonso. I respect every single driver on the grid, I just think Massa has long outlived his competitiveness at Ferrari and I'm glad Raikkonen is taking back the place that he was forced out of. Partly thanks to Santander, partly to Stefano Domenicali.

It's great to see Webber faster than Seb though, how ever minuscule the gap may be. Seb clearly is a perfectionist and was visually upset crossing the line in second. F1 problems....
 
I think it was quite a frustrating quali for a lot of the top drivers, except Webber of course.
 
On the topic of track limits, apparently in GP2 someone had their time deleted due to exceeding track limits. And on the topic of GP2, it's great to hear of an American on the podium in first! But yeah, it seems kind of up in the air as to what the track limits really are because we saw plenty of cars going off the black and well on to the curbs. NBC commentators suggested the limits might be the second white line, not the first. Who knows?
 
Whodoyouthink
On the topic of track limits, apparently in GP2 someone had their time deleted due to exceeding track limits. And on the topic of GP2, it's great to hear of an American on the podium in first! But yeah, it seems kind of up in the air as to what the track limits really are because we saw plenty of cars going off the black and well on to the curbs. NBC commentators suggested the limits might be the second white line, not the first. Who knows?
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It's the second white line coming out from under the hotel where there is a green section, that was said at the first race in 2010. The other corners, like the last one, there is only one white line that matters and it's the one right next to the tarmac. Lots of drivers went way over it.

I think this really needs sorting out because the longer drivers keep getting away with it the further and further they're going to push it.
 
I do hope next season they have clear guidelines on track limits and stick to them. All these double white lines, just make the situation cloudy, so the drivers get away with it.
 
Samus
It's the second white line coming out from under the hotel where there is a green section, that was said at the first race in 2010. The other corners, like the last one, there is only one white line that matters and it's the one right next to the tarmac. Lots of drivers went way over it.

I think this really needs sorting out because the longer drivers keep getting away with it the further and further they're going to push it.
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They should probably replace the runoff with sand or grass then. Should just be some curb then all sand/grass. The best way to penalize drivers is to actually penalize them.
 
The cars are 1.8 metres wide. They should have the white line, then 1.9m outside of the line, a concrete wall with glass embedded in it.
 
Whodoyouthink
They should probably replace the runoff with sand or grass then. Should just be some curb then all sand/grass. The best way to penalize drivers is to actually penalize them.
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That is the problem with these modern circuits yes. They're like a big car park with a track drawn out on it and the rest run off space. Track | Kerb | Grass works perfectly fine at all the older tracks.
 
Samus
That is the problem with these modern circuits yes. They're like a big car park with a track drawn out on it and the rest run off space. Track | Kerb | Grass works perfectly fine at all the older tracks.
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+1 I also hate the modern circuits and this is one of the main reasons for it. Drivers should get a severe disadvantage when they don't respect the track boundaries. Besides that grass looks much better then tarmac with some lines drawn on it
 
On one hand I get that tarmac run offs have their advantages over the sand traps and grass, they're less dangerous and won't beach a car for one mistake but on the other hand that tarmac shouldn't be the same high grip stuff as the real track. They should make the initial part, right next to the track, highly abrasive or low grip. Then further beyond that it can be normal high grip tarmac for genuine errors/spins/crashes.
 
I think the best solution would be if the FIA could automatically reduce the power of a car whenever one is outside the track boundaries.
 
The problem with gravel traps isn't that the cars get stuck, its more that they have a tendency to cause cars to dig in and flip at speed.
And the problem with grass is that its extremely slippery when its wet so it basically does nothing to stop the cars and fires them off at all kinds of angles.

With tarmac, cars have a better chance of slowing down and taking away the energy from crashes or even stopping a crash altogether.

Really we need a solution that slows the cars down but not in a way that increases the danger if said car is out of control or if conditions are less than ideal.
 
dhandeh
Then leave turtle shells on track as power ups.
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Suggest a better alternative because tarmac makes it too easy, grass can be dangerous because it's slippery and gravel can damage a car which is harsh if someone is pushed into it by Sergio Perez for example.
 
Ardius
The problem with gravel traps isn't that the cars get stuck, its more that they have a tendency to cause cars to dig in and flip at speed.
And the problem with grass is that its extremely slippery when its wet so it basically does nothing to stop the cars and fires them off at all kinds of angles.

With tarmac, cars have a better chance of slowing down and taking away the energy from crashes or even stopping a crash altogether.

Really we need a solution that slows the cars down but not in a way that increases the danger if said car is out of control or if conditions are less than ideal.
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Well there is the abrasive surfaces they have at Paul Ricard.
 
Or they could simply penalise drivers who go off circuit. If it is a mistake they will naturally lose time, they penalise themselves. If going off circuit it is to gain time or not lose time, if they don't lift off they get a penalty. You wouldn't need to change any part of the circuit. It just needs to be policed better.
 
Peasantslayer
I think the best solution would be if the FIA could automatically reduce the power of a car whenever one is outside the track boundaries.
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dhandeh
Then leave turtle shells on track as power ups.
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Or better yet, "magic mushrooms" that give the car a temporary but extremely powerful speed boost. :crazy: But seriously, a patch of tarmac outside the curbing no wider than than the car followed by either grass or sand should discourage drivers from running off course in order to gain an advantage.
 
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